How the Person of the Son co-operates with the Father and Spirit in the conversion of sinners

Ephesians 2:13-18 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far offhave been brought near by the blood of Christ.14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thusestablishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father."

Introduction:

In yesterday's post we considered how Jesus the Son is active in the conversion of sinners. The above passage of scripture expresses not only Christ's finished work of accomplished redemption, but also His work in the application of salvation. Such efforts by Jesus the Son are to be understood not only in light of His activity as the ascended, exalted Jesus, but also in His relationships with the Father and the Spirit in the Godhead. When I use that term "Godhead", the word refers to the unified being of the One God that exists equally and co-eternally among the Three Persons. God is afterall One God, existing as Three Persons, with each Person being truly God. 

An example of How the Trinity works together

Whenever we consider the three major works of God: creation, redemption and what will be the consummation of all things, each Person of the Trinity distinctively performs their role in the unified effort of each work. For example, God is: Father, Author of Heaven and Earth; Son, Architect of Heaven and Earth; and Spirit, Animator of Heaven and earth. Certainly to say that the Father is the Author is not to exclude Him being involved in the architecture nor the animation of all things; nor in claiming the Son to be the architect are we detracting from His involvement in the authorship and animation of all things. The Holy Spirit functions equally with the Father and Son in terms of His involvment in the authorship and architecture of all things, even though the scriptures credit Him as the primary agent behind the animation of life itself. All three persons together function and relate as One - henceforth the creation was caused by One all powerful God. 

How the doctrine of the Trinity helps us to better understand Jesus' role in the conversion of sinners

As the Father, Son and Spirit have their roles in creation, much the same can be said in how the Triune God operates in salvation. The particular interest in today's post is how the Person of the Son works in the conversion of sinners as understood in relationship to the Two other Persons of the Trinity.

We first of all must recall that there is no inconsistency amidst the Trinity - since God exists equally and truly in the Three Persons of the Godhead. If we say that the Father is active in regeneration (Which we know the Father is by His effectual calling - Romans 8:29-31); and the Spirit is active in the work Himself (1 Cor 12:12-13) then the Son must be active as well. G.I. Williamson's Study Guide for the Westminster Confession of Faith, page 83, is instructive on this point. I will summarize below with a few quotes and brief explanation for clarity's sake:

Williamson notes: "We have also seen that Christ's mediatorial work concurrently involves both natures." Williamson draws his observations from Christ's current work as Prophet, Priest and King. I agree that Christ's achieved work on the cross is the objective grounds of our redemption. When Williamson makes reference to Christ's "natures", he is reminding us of how the Son is "One Person" who expresses His existence in two ways (i.e natures): as truly God and truly man. As truly God, the Son is the second Person of the Trinity, Who has and always will be in co-eternal union with the Father and Spirit, sharing in the Power and being of God; whereas as truly man, the Son is Jesus of Nazareth, crucified, risen and ascended in glorified humanity, sharing in the plights of His people. These observations provide guardrails, so that to say that Jesus is not some how involved in the regeneration of sinners would result in an unecessary division within the Godhead. 

Williamson's comments further build on Christ's ongoing work in not only sustaining the faith of His people post-conversion, but also in working in the events leading up to it. He states again: "Here we shall be content to stress the fact that Christ does effectually apply redemption to those for whom He died. And in grasping this truth we will find it helpful to remember the following truths: Christ freely and sincerely offers salvation to all who hear the Gospel, whether they be elect or not. 'For many are called but few are chosen' (Mt 20:16). Again, Williamson draws out the point we are making in today's post: how the Person of the Son works in the conversion of sinners as understood in relationship to the Two other Persons of the Trinity. 

Closing thoughts and applications

This particular discussion is important due to the union within God Himself over the application of salvation in our current day. God is not a begrudging God when it comes to salvation. The Son in particular reveals most clearly the intentions of the Father and endorses the effects worked forth by the Spirit in the hearts of unsaved people who believe on Him. One passage that comes to mind in asserting the union of the Trinity in the conversion of the lost is Acts 16:14, wherein we read of "The Lord opening Lydia's heart....". To refers one last time to G.I Williamson, he goes onto quote Matthew 11:28, 23:37 and John 6:37 in his comments on the Son's involvement with conversion. It is clear that more scriptures attribute regeneration to the Father and the Spirit than to Christ. Nevertheless, there is evidence enough in the New Testament, along with considerations of the Triune nature of God - in which the Son equally shares - to demonstrate that the Son is active in the regeneration of the lost.

How Jesus Christ works in the conversion of sinners

1 Timothy 4:10 "For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers."

When we consider the work of redemption that Jesus achieved in His substitutionary death, resurrection and ascension - such achievements are once and for all, never-to-be-repeated. The cross will ever be the anchoring point of redemption, with the resurrection demonstrating that what Jesus achieved overcame the otherwise infinite gulf between God and human beings. We could term this as referring to "redemption accomplished".

The Scriptures reveal that God is One God, existing in three Persons and with each Person in turn being fully and truly God. In the work of salvation, the Father is described as drawing sinners unto Himself whom He set his love and affection (Ephesians 1:4; John 6:44). Moreover, the Holy Spirit is the Chief Agent in the work of conversion, seeking after sinners and bringing unto them the finished work of Christ so that they can respond, believe and be saved (John 16:8-12). The Holy Spirit's efforts in applying salvation are done through the words of scripture, which are the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12; James 1:18). This aspect of Biblical redemption could be classified as "redemption applied".

When it comes to the work of the Son in the conversion of sinners (i.e the application of redemption), does Jesus play an active role? Scripture is firm that His work of salvation is a once-and-for-all done work. Yet scripture also indicates that by sharing equally in the Divine nature with the Father and Spirit, Jesus the Son operates in somehow in the reception of Him in saving faith. Today's post aims to grasp what the New Testament has to say about how Jesus works in the conversion of sinners:

1). The Son works forth salvation via the sending of the Spirit in His name. John 16:7; Acts 2:38. 

2). The Son is described as directly involved in our salvation by His activity and calling by the scriptures. John 5:24-25; Acts 3:20-21; Col 3:15

3). Jesus the Son works by way of the authority of His blood. This once-for-all accomplished work has continuing ongoing results in the current moment upon all who respond to His call based upon the blood which He shed. Acts 4:12; 10:43; Ro 3:19-26; 4:25; Eph 1:7; Heb 9:14. 

4). The Son bestows salvation by virtue of His exalted position in heaven at the right hand of the Father. The authority which the Son exercises over the church and the world is what theologians call "His Sessions". Classically Bible teachers have considered Christ's current activity or "session" as occupying three offices: "prophet", "priest" and "king". In theese three capacities, the Son works in the salvation of sinners. Rom 10:12; 2 Cor 4:6; John 1:17; 2Thess 2:6; 1 Ti 2:5; 4:10; Heb 2:14-18; 5:9; 7:25; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10. This final point demonstrates how the Son is involves in the salvation of sinners. His session is also responsible for the other three observations made in the prior remarks.

Jesus works in the conversion of sinners with the Agency of the Holy Spirit and the active will of the Father. All Three Persons are One God.  Truly how Jesus works in the conversion of sinners is an amazing thing to think about. 

How Jesus' beatitudes describe Kingdom living

Matthew 4:23 "Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people."

Matthew 5:1-2 "When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying."

Introduction

What Jesus proclaimed in His earthly ministry was the Gospel of the Kingdom. In His opening "Sermon on the Mount", we get details concerning what was included in Jesus' central message. To restrict the Sermon on the Mount to the Jews of Jesus' time or to seperate what He preaches from this current church age makes no sense in the mind of this writer. What Jesus lays out is nothing less than a detailed description of Kingdom life and the impossibility of it apart from the New Covenant ministry of the Holy Spirit. In short, Jesus lays out the "nuts-and-bolts" of what will be the reality of New Testament Christianity. Today's post wants to consider the contents of the Gospel of the Kingdom as set forth in the famous "beatitudes" of Matthew 5:1-12. 

1. Kingdom Conversion. Matthew 5:1-5

How does one enter into the Kingdom of God? This question could perhaps be popularly stated: "How does one become converted to Jesus Christ". To become a follower of the King is to come into the Kingdom. Jesus told Nicodemas that unless He become born again, He cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3). Seeing one's spiritual bankruptcy ("poor in spirit"); The mourning over one's sin in repentance and yielding oneself under the yoke of Christ (i.e meekness) are central to Gospel conversion in Matthew 5:1-5. Such abilities are Spirit given in faith and repentance (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:25-26). What Jesus expresses here in the opening of His sermon describes Kingdom conversion. Such attitudes or "affections" ought to ever accompany the Christian all the rest of his days.

2. Kingdom Living. Matthew 5:6-9

What is Kingdom living? Kingdom living includes hungering for righteousness, craving purity in heart, showing mercy rather than retaliation and wanting God above all others. Such a lifestyle is impossible for the flesh to live. Religious people and moralists will opt out of this impossible demand. Only when one has died at the cross of conversion and experienced Christ's resurrection power can such a life be possible and real. It is here that Kingdom living is shows to clearly contrast with the worldly living so desired by fallen man.

3. Kingdom Triumph. Matthew 5:10-12

What does it mean to triumph in the Kingdom? Jesus includes the concepts of suffering, persecution and insults. Before the Christian can wear the crown of gold in heaven, he must necessarily bear the crown of thorns here on earth. The pattern of Jesus Christ is pressed deeper and deeper into the Christian as they strive against the world, the flesh and the Devil (1 John 2:15-17). Triumph is only manifest in the presence of seeming defeat. Light is only manifest whenever darkness seems at its thickest. Power is made perfected in weakness. It is here where Jesus shows how upside down and opposite the Kingdom is from the world. Such a victory is considered too costly by sinful man. For those who have been truly born again by grace alone through faith alone - no price can be ever too high. Why? Because the King is worthy!

A,B,C's for Christian apologetics & evangelism - Acts 17:22-34

Acts 17:22-24 "So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you."

Introduction

When we communicate the truth claims of the Christian faith to non-believers, what strategy ought we to use? In one sense it helps to have several different methods of doing apologetics (that is, giving answers as to the hope we have in Jesus Christ - 1 Peter 3:15). Certainly the different types of people we encounter will respond to different methods of presentation. With that said, it does help on the other hand to have at least one standard way of presenting a reasonable defense of Christianity that can be flexible to the needs of the moment. When we consider Paul's presentation of Christian theism before the pagan philosophers in Athens, we find what appears to be one such strategy. 

Such a strategy for presenting the truth claims of Christianity has been deemed "classical apologetics" due to it's early roots reaching back to the second century and earlier. Those living after the apostles had adopted strategies for defending the Christian faith against skeptics of their time. Undoubtedly the seeds for many of the arguments for God's existence and apologetic for Jesus' resurrection popularized by both ancient and contemporary apologists can be traced to such episodes as Paul's dialogue here in Acts 17. 

To better guide our thinking through this text, I will lay out in alphabetical order a strategy for presenting the truth claims of Christianity. The thoughts below are not meant to be exhaustive, but more so representative of what could be the beginnings of a strategy for defending the faith. Under each heading I will briefly summarize the portion of scripture and then provide a sample arguments that have been gleaned from one of the leading apologists of our day: Dr. William Lane Craig and his ministry - Reasonable Faith. 

1. Almighty Creator of the universe is God. Acts 17:22-29

After making some opening remarks in his address, Paul zeros in on a particular altar in Athens that inscribed these words: "To An Unknown GOD". In contrast to the pagan doctrines of the day, Paul asserts a strong Biblical belief in the One true Almighty Creator. He notes first of all that God and God alone is the origin of the universe and all things in Acts 17:24a. Second, Paul notes that this God is immaterial and eternal in contrast to the pagan deities who were believed to be material and localized (Acts 17:24b). Thirdly, Paul notes how the God of Christianity and Judaism is by nature non-dependent upon the universe, and thus the universe and life are truly dependent upon Him (Acts 17:25). Then fourthly, Paul describes how this all-powerful, eternal, immaterial and self-sufficient God is all-knowing and possessing free-will, since He ordains times and seasons and places where men live (Acts 17:26-29). 

These attributes of God correspond to what apologists call the cosmological arguments for God's existence - meaning that from observations of the universe and life, one can infer God's existence. A contemporary example of such an argument is what has been deemed "The Kalam cosmological argument":

a. Everything that begins to exist has a cause

b. The universe began to exist

c. Therefore, the universe has a cause for its existence. 

2. Basis of objective morality is God. Acts 17:30-31a

Paul then moves from demonstrating God's existence from observations of the physical universe and life (i.e cosmological arguments) to the realm of objective morality. It is one thing to speak about what "is" and quite another to discuss what "ought" to be. How are we obligated to live good, moral lives? Why ought we be moral people? Are standards of right and wrong a matter of personal preference, determined by a given culture or do such values operate independently of what you and I may say or not say? 

Paul makes mention of such moral concepts as sin and justice. To repent means to change one's mind about sin, which is to say, to turn away from that which is wrong and evil and detrimental to one's own spiritual and moral condition. Paul's mention of a final judgment indicates that there is a set of objective, universal moral standards by which all human beings are measured. Paul's point is that moral laws require a transcendent moral law-giver. 

This type of argument for God's existence from objective moral values and duties is perhaps the most effective sort of argument in today's culture. Modern apologists like C.S Lewis center's his arguments against atheism in his book "Mere Christianity" through appeal to a moral argument for God's existence. As Lewis notes, one cannot know what a crooked line is unless there is a straight line by which to judge it. A sample moral argument for God's existence is given below:

a. If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties don't exist

b. Objective moral values and duties exist

c. Therefore, God exist

3. Christ's resurrection from the dead. Acts 17:31b

In presenting to the Athenian philosophers a general Judaistic theism (i.e belief in God), Paul then narrows his focus on demonstrating the truth claims of Christian theism. He identifies the God of creation and morality as having been decisively revealed in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. As Dr. Craig has often noted in his debates with skeptics of the resurrection, the following four facts, widely acknowledged by N.T scholars of all stripes, must be explained:

a. The burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea

b. The discovery of Jesus' empty tomb by Jesus' closest followers who were women and men

c. The subsequent appearances of Jesus to his disciples

d. The emergence of the robust faith of the early church 

The ancient pagan audience of Paul's day had no concept of resurrection in their thinking. Furthermore, by specifically mentioning the resurrection of Jesus, Paul brings his closing argument from the realm of the abstract to the concrete in preparation for a personal response to his message.

4. Deciding whether you believe or reject these truth claims. Acts 17:32-24

Paul's time in Athens ends with a response of both astonishment and acceptance. The first group responded with mockery. Within that first group, there were others who exhibited an openness, but nothing more. The second group consisted of some who not only accepted Paul's message, but "joined him and believed". This would had been unheard of in the ancient culture of Athens. To leave such a prominent guild as the Areopagus meant leaving behind prestige and the everything that one knew. It would be likened to a new Christian leaving behind a tenured professorship or risking ridicule at work or at school for the sake of following Christ. 

The work of apologetics aims to mesh with evangelism in pressing the demands of the Gospel on the hearer to "repent, believe and be saved". We pray that for all who hear us, that the Holy Spirit would attend our arguments, sermons, lessons and conversations so as to result in that person placing their faith and trust in Jesus Christ .

P2 The Universe had a beginning, a beginning made by God

Acts 17:24-27 "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."

Introduction:
Yesterday we began considering how the Apostle Paul argued for God being the Maker of Heaven and Earth, and how such a fundamental truth must be declared in our post-Christian culture. Our children and young people are being indoctrinated by a rival conception of the nature of reality and meaning of life: namely humanism undergirded by either atheism or influenced by Eastern thought. Both versions combine the idea of man being the measure of all things - an idea that was taught by Paul's opponents in Acts 17 (i.e the Epicureans and Stoics). This form of humanism will either deny the reality of God all together (i.e ancient Epicureanism and modern Atheism) or make God out to be an impersonal force that is mixed in with the material universe (i.e ancient Stoicism or modern Eastern Thought and "Star Wars"). 


The Millennium Falcon. Picture is from batman-news.com

Star Wars makes for great entertainment (yes I like Star Wars). However, the franchise obviously proceeds on the basis of non-Christian thought and can be used as a popular case study in how influential these two prevailing types of thinking describe our culture's view of spirituality. Think about for instance how much talk is given about "The Force" in Star Wars. Yoda's description of the force corresponds roughly to ancient Stoicism and alligns quite well with Eastern thought such as Buddhism. Then think about how this contrasts with the materialism of someone who denies the existence of any sort of God or deity (like the protagonist Hon Solo in Episodes 4,5,6). The so-called New Atheism that is being touted today would be a contemporary illustration of the ancient Epicureans encountered by Paul in Acts 17. 

Many people enjoy these films for their epic story lines, however whenever you consider how much they influence people who are not careful into believing the underlying philosophies, you then see how culture in general is operating today. 

Such an observation hopefully illustrates how Paul must had felt when he faced the philosophers on Mars Hill. For them, the idea of an All-powerful, Sovereign God who made all things would had been foreign to their way of thinking. Nonetheless, this foundational idea of God being the Almighty Creator is found in the opening verse of the Hebrew Bible in Genesis 1:1 and nearly 60 other passages of scripture. 

Quick review of an argument for the beginning of the universe
We noted a short but powerful argument for the beginning of the universe:

Premise #1 Everything that has a beginning has a cause

Premise #2 The universe had a beginning

Therefore, the universe had a cause

This argument served to show that the universe did indeed begin a finite time ago. However, the cause of the universe is not specifically designated. As arguments for the existence of God typically operate, we use several together to build a cumulative case. Hence, today I will introoduce the reader to a second powerful argument that pinpoints why God and God Alone is the sole cause for the beginning of the universe.

A second argument for the beginning of the universe being made by God

Dr. William Lane Craig will often use a second argument in conjunction with the one above to establish the fact that God is the only explanation behind the beginning of the universe. The first argument aims to present the case for the universe having a beginning. However, a second argument is needed to discern who are what began the universe. 

The fact that we live in a universe that permits life - and intelligent life at that - has been the source of much conversation among scientists. When reading the literature, one runs across the idea of the "fine-tuning of the universe", which deals with explaining how all of the fundamental constants of the universe are "just right" for life. 

Several books written by prominent astronomers over the last 20 years have acknowledged this discussion. Many secular astronomers admit to there being an extradorinary narrow range of life-permitting values among the constants of nature - yet they try to avoid what is clearly a possibility of Intelligent Design behind such fine-tuning. 

Only three explanations can be given as to how intelligent life could exist in our universe, as expressed in the following argument developed by Dr. Craig:

Premise #1 The fine-tuning of the universe is due to chance, necessity or design

Premise #2 The fine-tuning of the universe is not due to chance or necessity

Therefore: The fine-tuning of the universe is due to design

Three options are given for the origin of the fine-tuning of the universe that allows the possibility of life: chance, necessity or design. The probability of life being able to exist resulting from blind chance is so unlikely that one has a far better chance of winning the lottery (if one plays it of course). Chance has no power to cause anything, and thus is only a mathematical idea. 

When we speak of the second option of necessity, that refers to the universe having to be a certain way in order for the constants of nature to be finely-tuned for life. Yet constants such as gravity and the speed of light operate independently of the physical description of the universe. The universe could had been different than it is now, and yet the constants are what they are. 

So with the universe's life-permitting state being not due to chance or necessity, there is only one option left - Design. Unless God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, finely tuned the constants of nature to be what they are, there would be no life in our universe. Moreover, we would not be here to make the observations we make as intelligent beings unless an All-Powerful Super-intelligence had first made us and everything in the universe. 

Closing thoughts

As the Apostle Paul addressed the skeptics of his day - one of his main points was to show that indeed God is make of heaven and earth and everything in it. He proclaimed the fact that the universe had a beginning - a beginning made by God. We considered briefly two arguments that bring together reasons for why Christians can be confident that God created the heavens, the earth and life as we know it.  

P1 - The Universe had a beginning, a beginning made by God

Acts 17:24-27 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."

Introduction:

The oldest question in human thought is: "why is there something, rather than nothing?" When we consider the universe and all of life, the question is: has the universe always existed, or did it have a beginning? The discussion the Apostle Paul had with the Greek Philosophers in Athens declares the first and most fundamental declaration of Biblical Christianity, as stated in the Nicene Creed: "I believe in God the Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth". 

Atheists and skeptics have challenged the notion of the beginning of the universe by attempting to demonstrate it being eternal. In the opening statement of the 1980's epic documentary on the universe "Cosmos", the late author and Astronomer Carl Sagan states: "The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us -- there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries."

When Paul states in Acts 17:25 "The God Who made the world and all things in it", his statement was to counter the particular philosophical schools subscribed to by his audience. Among the philosophers on Mars Hill in Athens were two reigning schools of thought: the Epicureans and the Stoics (see Acts 17:18). Philosopher Samuel Enoch Stumph writes in his book: "Philosophy, History and Problems", page 107, concerning the Epicureans view of creation: "In any case, human beings are not part of a created order caused or ruled by God but rather the accidental product of the collision of atoms."  Remarkably this ancient philosophical school corresponds to modern day forms of Atheism which contend that our material universe is all there there is to reality. 

Stumph then in the same book describes the second philosophical group encountered by Paul, the Stoics, wherein he writes on page 112: "The pivotal idea of Stoicism was the notion that God is in everything." This teaching of Stocisim would correspond roughly to Eastern religions or the worldview of Star Wars with its teaching of the "Force" permeating all of life. For the Apostle Paul, presenting a Personal, All-Powerful Creator who was distinct from the creation and Who was eternal with the creation having been begun by Him would have shocked the philosophers on Mars Hill.

When we think about our contemporary North American culture, both Atheism and forms of Eastern spirituality dominate book shelves and social media outlets. Both of these worldviews assert the eternality of the universe and the non-existence of an All-Powerful, Personal Creator. To acknowledge the beginning of the universe is not just a matter of theological declaration. It may surprise some that much scientific evidence supports the idea of a cosmic beginning. 

In contrast to many atheists who try to escape the implications of the beginning of the universe, the evidence and scripture assert this most fundamental of truths: the universe had a beginning, a beginning made by God.

A simple argument for the beginning of the universe

Dr. William Lane Craig is a world-renowned Christian apologist, theologian and philsopher who has made it his life work to develop a thorough understanding of demonstrating the beginning of the universe, with that beginning being initiated by God. In one of his arguments for God's existence, Dr. Craig offers the following simple argument: 

Premise #1 Anything that begins to exist, has a cause

Premise #2 The universe began to exist

Therefore: The universe had a cause

This startingly simple argument aims to argue that if the universe can be shown to have had a beginning, then there must had been a cause. Now what this argument doesn't address is the exact cause itself. Whatever opinion one may have of the prevailing Big Bang Theory, its widespread acceptance among the scientific establishment includes a feature that many secularists find uncomfortable - namely the the universe began to exist a finite time ago. Whether one advocates Big Bang cosmology or creationist theories about cosmic origins, the bigger picture of the universe having a definite beginning and not being eternal is the key thrust of this particular argument. By acknowledging the beginning of the universe, the contention of many atheists to assert an eternal universe ultimately has no scientific foundation. Moreover, the beginning of the universe also counteracts the viewpoints of Eastern thought. 

Certainly what Paul was advocating in Acts 17 to counteract the thought of His day can be used by Christians to assert the fundamental teaching of scripture that alligns with the evidence of science and canons of reason: namely, the universe had a beginning, a beginning made by God. 

Tomorrow we will consider a second argument that reinforces this first one by demonstrating how the cause of the universe is none other than God Himself. 

Why God's Kingdom is so radical: contemplating the 3 R's of the Kingdom

Matthew 4:23 "Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people."

Introduction

Yesterday we considered what is meant by the Bible's use of the phrase: "Gospel of the Kingdom". Jesus made this His central message in His earthly ministry. Unless we grasp what the Gospel of the Kingdom is all about, we will miss the heart of the New Testament. Undoubtedly as Jesus preached the "Kingdom of God", not everyone yielded to it. Overtime, Jesus gained far more enemies than followers. Why would anyone turn away from such good news that "The King has come and will come again"? I submit that if we consider what I call the "three r's" of the Kingdom, it will be plain why unbelieving man, apart from grace, rejects God's kingdom in favor of the kingdoms of this world. What is there about the Gospel of the Kingdom that unbelieving people and this world finds grounds for rejecting? Notice how the Kingdom of God functions in comparison to the world of unbelief...

1. Reversal of worldly thinking. 

"the first shall be last, and the last shall be first". Mt 20:16; Mt 19:30

By fallen nature, human beings are self-centered and ego-centric. The Kingdom is opposite. Jesus and the Kingdom advocates putting others first, and knowing God being foremost.

2. Rejects worldly priorities.

Matthew 19:16-26; Mk 10:31; Luke 14:16-24

What would be more important than taking care of newly purchased land? Caring for family? The Kingdom says these are secondary, and that whenever we seek Jesus and His righteousness, we will then know how to properly address the things of this world.

3. Renewal of people and things. 2 Cor 5:17 

The Kingdom of God proclaims that this current age will pass away and the "world to come" will replace it. Whenever the gift of salvation occurs, the old nature that was formerly curved inward and inclined toward sin is replaced by a "new nature" that is curved outward and inclined toward righteousness (Romans 8:1-5). The interior of the Christian is composed of the "spirit" which enhouses the Holy Spirit and thus is "saved". The soulish part of the Christian (mind, emotions,will) is the object of sanctification and is in the process of being saved or sanctified. We still retain these physical bodies, which retain the vestiages of sin, tugging at our soul, which though in contact with the Holy Spirit in the human spirit, nonetheless is also in contact with the world via the body. In as much as our spirit is saved and our soul is being saved, we look forward to the day when our bodies will be redeemed (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). 

The Kingdom's power to renew means that whatever is current will be done away with and whatever is yet to come will replace it. Though we as Christians are renewed from the inside/out, our identities as people remain. We look forward to the day when we dwell in an entire created order that is characterized by righteousness (1 Peter 3:13). 

Final thoughts
Whenever you consider the "3-r's", to the unbelieving mindset, such a radical set of alterations spells the end of reliance on self, rebellion against God and building a kingdom for oneself. Kingdom living is not just hard- but impossible. The worldly mindset (called the "flesh" or "carnal") cannot and will not accept this impending reality. Just as the night-time world eventually gives way to the encroaching sunrise, the fingers and grip of this present evil age are being threatened and will fall away upon the return of Jesus Christ. Personal conversion is only the beginning. Thanks be to God for the Holy Spirit Who makes entryway into the Kingdom possible by the miracle of regeneration in saving faith by the Word of God (John 3:3; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23).