Luke 1:1-4 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.
Introduction:
In our last post, we began to consider crafting an argument "to" biblical inerrancy here:
http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2019/01/arguing-to-inerrancy-begins-by.html.
Inerrancy is the doctrine that states that all the words of the Bible, as originally given through the prophets and apostles, are totally true. In this series of posts, we are aiming to bridge an argument "to" inerrancy. This approach to discussing the Bible with skeptics has the advantage of establishing a base-line with which we can talk to them about the Bible as a historical text - a claim which is vital for Christianity and one which they can examine to follow the evidence where it leads. Leading Christian defenders of Christianity (a.k.a "apologists"), such as William Lane Craig, Norman Geisler, R.C. Sproul, Frank Turek and others advocate a very similar approach to what I'm outlining in this series of posts. We discussed four key terms that would provide such a bridge:
1. Preservation
2. Reliability
3. Jesus' teaching about the scriptures
4. Inerrancy
Reviewing what we mean by the preservation of the words of the Bible
Even though we do not have the original manuscripts of either the Old or New Testament, it remains the case we can say with confidence that we have the words of the original in our copies and translations, just as any classical scholar would assert for the writings of the great philosophers or founders of other religions.
The truth of the preservation of the words of scripture won't get us to the doctrine of inerrancy by itself. The case we're making is what we call a "cumulative case" - meaning that each piece of the argument is taken together to bring us to a conclusion that makes holding inerrancy a very reasonable position for the Christian. Having established that we do have the words of the original documents in the midst of our copies and translations of the Bible, we can now proceed on to the next plank of our bridge to inerrancy, namely, the reliability of the biblical text.
Why the issue of historical reliability is relevant to Christianity
When we looked at the preservation of the words of the Bible, we were dealing with matters pertaining to the text itself. Reliability is a very important issue, since the Christian faith is rooted in the historical dealings of God with His people - Israel - in the Old Testament and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament. Such a historical investigation will yield that the biblical text is reliable enough to be considered certified history by even secular historians. The relevance of the topic of reliability is crucial whenever we compare other religions which make similar claims about inerrancy for their religious books.
For instance, I have read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover. Despite its references to numerous geographical locations, ancient people groups and alleged links between Native American tribes and the ancient Jews, not a single claim is attested by archaeological, scientific or historical investigation. In as much as Mormonism basis its doctrine on historical events, nonetheless, the very collection of texts upon which it is based ("Book of Mormon", "Pearl of Great Price" and "Doctrines and Covenants") are not proved by history.
If a text is ever to live up to its claims of inerrancy, it has to at least demonstrate reliability. In order to keep our post concise and to the point today, we will focus particularly on the New Testament text and even more specifically on the gospel records themselves.
Assessing the reliability of the New Testament Gospels
When we begin to assess the reliability of the New Testament text, we can do so in two ways:
1. Comparing the the time span between the originals and copies.
2. Evaluating details reported by the New Testament text to external documents from the same time period.
Comparing the span of time from the original manuscripts to earliest copies
First, we note the amount of time that spans from the date of the original manuscripts and selves to the earliest copies that we have of the given document. The chart below derives from the American Journal of Theology:
History and philosophy departments at major universities study the great classical historians and philosophers with no quibbles as to whether they are studying reliable manuscripts. Such a procedure gives us perspective when comparing New Testament to other ancient documents.
In a similar chart, Norman Geisler and Frank Turek in their book: "Why I Do Not Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist", page 226, show that the philosopher Plato, in terms of his writings, has a span of 1200 years between what would had been his original drafts and the copies that we have today. When compared to the New Testament documents, we have some ancient manuscripts going to within 25 years of the writing of the New Testament. Whenever we compared the New Testament to other ancient documents written by writers such as Homer, Demosthenes, Herodotus, and Tacitus, we find on average a time span of 400 to 1,000 years between the original composition and its earliest copies. This on average means that the New Testament far outpaces it's ancient competitors by a ratio of 10:1 when it comes to assessing the reliability of the manuscripts in the New Testament.
With respect to the number of copies or manuscripts that we possess in the New Testament, the sheer number is overwhelming when compared to other ancient documents. Homer's Iliad, for example, has roughly 1,800 copies in existence today. However, the New Testament has 5800 Greek manuscripts spanning from the late 2nd Century to the Middle Ages. As New Testament scholar Dr. Daniel Wallace has noted, we have, as it were: "an embarrassment of riches" when it comes to the sheer amount of manuscript evidence for the New Testament.
Comparing the details of the New Testament to other contemporary documents of the same time period
As we assess the reliability of the New Testament text on the basis of the sheer amount of physical evidence, we can also compare particular details of the New Testament to external sources. One of the best illustrations is to survey the first century Jewish historian, Josephus. Josephus was contemporary of the Apostles and wrote his volumes "Antiquities of the Jews" and "Jewish Wars" prior to and after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Dr. Timothy McGrew of Michigan State University gives many examples from Josephus' writings to illustrate how we can test the reliability of the Gospel records. I'll just mention two:
1. Luke 3:2 records - "in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness." Yet, only one of them is named as high priest, namely Caiaphas, as indicated in John 18:13 and 18:24. Are the gospel records in conflict? Timothy McGrew points out that the historian Josephus in his work "Antiquities of the Jews", book 18 chapter 2 section 2 and his other work, "Jewish Wars", Book 2 chapter 12 section 6, describe how Jonathan and Annas' are both high priests as described in Luke. Per Josephus' reports, there was a short time when Roman Procurators (like Pilate) could appointed high priests for political purposes. On occasion, there could be two men occupying the same office - with one being the actual high priest and the other being the political figurehead. Even in our modern American context, we still call former office-holders of the Oval Office "President", even though the current office-holder is the actual "President of the United States". So, the gospel record is validated as exemplifying typical first-century expressions of leadership roles.
2. Matthew 2:22 says not that "Archelaus was King" but rather he was "reigning in the place of his father Herod" (ESV, NIV, NASB). According to Josephus' book, "Antiquities of the Jews", book 17 chapter 9 Section 5, Archelaus presumes himself to be a king, even though he was never officially crowned as one. Again, we find the gospel of Matthew historically validated and thus, reliable. Such interlocking relationships between two different texts that record the same event, wherein neither author consulted the other, is what scholars refer to as "undesigned coincidences". We see this trait in Greco-Romans histories. Such a characteristic counts as a mark of genuine historicity.
The particulars about Jesus' life, death and resurrection are found, under scrutiny, to bear the same "ring" of historical reliability as observed above. Scholars sometime talk about the "edges" of the Gospel accounts and the "core". We've seen examples of incidental details that serve as "backdrop" or "edges" of the Gospel records (think of whenever one puts a puzzle together, we typically begin with the edge pieces"). If we find reliable the "edges" of the Gospel records, can the same be said of the "core" (Jesus, life, death, resurrection)?
Whenever we consider the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, recorded in all four Gospels, we discover that over 12 sources report details of the historical Jesus that match in general with the particulars we find in the Gospel records. Below is but a sampling:
1. Josephus "Antiquities of the Jews", Book 18, section 63:
"Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles."
2. Jewish sources such as the Babylonian Talmud, in its reference "Sanhedrin 43", record that Jesus was a worker of miracles, accused by the Jews of practicing sorcery".
3. Other secular sources such as the Syrian historian Mara Ben Serapion and the Roman historian Tacitus record a man named "Jesus" or "Chrestus" as having existed, died by crucifixion and being the source of what they allege as a "mischievous superstition" - a probable reference to the Christian proclamation of the resurrection.
4. There are even some short statements in Josephus' works that record how Jesus' disciples were proclaiming his resurrection from the dead (compare his "Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, sections 63-64).
5. Some critics today try to dismiss the Gospels as "fiction", claiming that Jesus was a fictional character invented by the early church. Yet, historians who specialize in the history of the first century include the Gospel records as historical sources for the historical Jesus. To dismiss the Gospels on the grounds that they are "Christian literature" or "religious literature" commits what is called the "genetic fallacy" (questioning a belief on the basis of how it developed). Both the Gospel accounts and external sources provide the following general outline of Jesus:
A. He was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth and exercised a ministry of teaching and miracle working.
B. Jesus was unjustly accused and sentenced to death by Roman crucifixion on charges of sedition, violation of the Sabbath and blasphemy.
C. Pontius Pilate proceeded over Jesus' sentencing and the Jewish high priest Caiaphus and his father-in-law Annas delivered the charges leading to Jesus' crucifixion.
D. The tomb of Jesus was discovered empty by Jesus' closest followers on the third day following His interment. The disciples experienced encounters with the Risen Christ. The Jews tried to cover-up the empty tomb by saying the body was stolen. However, the explosive growth and spread of Christianity within years of its inception cannot be explained by appeals to natural causes.
Whenever we consider that there are more ancient sources record the historicity of Jesus than Julius Caesar, the idea of Jesus being a myth is shown preposterous.
Closing thoughts:
The point of this survey is to demonstrate that the gospel records of Jesus life are reliable. We must include the Gospel records as primary sources that reliably record the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (with external sources providing secondary attestation). The gospels are indeed reliable documents. They take us back to the life, sayings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we can conclude that we have not only the words of the Bible with us today, but that what the Bible reports is reliable history. The next post will give us the most important "plank" in our argument "to" inerrancy when we look at Jesus' teaching about the scriptures.
Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
Introduction: Building bridges
How would you make the case for the Bible being the Word of God? Skeptics make fun of Christians for viewing their Bibles as "Divinely inspired" or "inerrant". Objections abound. Critics will note that other religions also claim their respective holy books to be "Divinely inspired" and "inerrant" (Mormonism and its "Book of Mormon" or Islam and its "Quran"). Others will point out alleged contradictions in the Bible (without often-time referencing specific examples). More serious critics will bring attention to the differences (i.e. variants) between ancient copies of the hand-written manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments. In the face of all these objections, what is a Christian to do?
In this post I want to briefly outline an argument "to" inerrancy rather than an argument "from" inerrancy. That is, this post will begin to demonstrate how Christians arrive at the conclusion that the Old and New Testament books comprise a collection of sacred, Divinely inspired books that were originally revealed as inerrant and infallible documents.
Think of the metaphor of building a bridge as we span to the idea of Biblical inerrancy. We will base this post on Jesus words from Matthew 5:17-18 and utilize four key ideas:
1. Preservation
2. Reliability
3. Jesus' teaching
4. Inerrancy.
Today's post will focus on the first of these ideas.
The words we find in the Old and New Testament books are preserved in all our copies and translations.
Whenever we discuss the history of the Biblical text, we need to first establish whether or not we have the original wording of the documents comprising our Bibles. The discipline of textual criticism aims to study every known copy and ancient translation of the Old and New Testament manuscripts to recover the original wording of those documents.
The impressive case of preservation in the Old Testament text
The Old Testament was originally revealed in Hebrew, with several chapters in Daniel and scattered words or phrases elsewhere composed in Aramaic (totaling 2% of the Hebrew Bible). In all of the Old Testament's original 22 documents (the Hebrew Bible had 22 documents, with the same contents comprising the 39 books in our English Bibles, with some of the books sub-divided into different volumes, such as 1 & 2 Kings, thus accounting for the differences). We find 419,687 words per the commonly available critical edition of the Hebrew Bible - Biblia Hebraica Stuttgarnsia (BHS). When I say the phrase "critical edition", I mean those editions which present a representative text as found in all the available ancient manuscripts, with listings of the differences or variations within those copies. The history of the Old Testament text includes roughly 3,000 copies or manuscripts of the Old Testament from the Middle ages. With the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls in 1947, scholars established the extraordinary preservation of the Old testament's wording to an average of over 95% to the Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts, even though both sets of copies are 1,000 years separated from one another. Whenever we consider the ancient translations of the Old Testament (such as the Greek Septuagint, Aramaic Targums), the text of the Old Testament evidences an incredible array of witnesses (see the picture below of the 11th century Leningrad Codex).
Other sources by which scholars assess the Old Testament text include studies in pottery, inscriptions and archaeological excavations of other cultures having contact with the ancient Jewish people.
The meticulous copying of the Hebrew text and the study of all the ancient sources reveal over 95% certainty of the wording in known manuscripts as being what would had been in the original manuscripts or autographs. Such fidelity between the copies and translations is unprecedented in the ancient world. Textual criticism of other religious texts (such as the Hindu Upanishads or Quran) yield a 90% certainty, with far less manuscript evidence with which to compare. So why does what we've considered thus far matter to you? Quite simply, the Old Testament text, in terms of its wording, is with us, with no major doctrine or teaching lost.
The even more impressive state of preservation of the New Testament text
In as much as the Old Testament's text's preservation is impressive, the New Testament's textual situation is even more extraordinary. The 27 New Testament books that comprise our New Testaments contain a total of 138,162 words per the standard critical edition of the Nestle-Aland 28th edition Greek New Testament. We have over 15,000 ancient manuscripts of various translations (such as Latin, Coptic, Syriac) and 5,800 Greek manuscripts spanning from within 50 years of the original manuscripts to the 16th century (see, for instance, the picture below of the 5th century Codex Siniaticus).
The level of certainty we have about the original wording of the New Testament is 99.9%, meaning, that for every thousand words, there might be one word with which scholars quibble about the original wording. Even still, not a single one of these differences or variants calls into question a major doctrine of the Christian faith. As theologian Wayne Grudem notes in his Systematic Theology:1
"For most practical purposes, then, the current published scholarly texts of the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament are the same as the original manuscripts. Thus, when we say that the original manuscripts were inerrant, we are also implying that over 99 percent of the words in our present manuscripts are also inerrant, for they are exact copies of the originals. Furthermore, we know where the uncertain readings are (for where there are no textual variants we have no reason to expect faulty copying of the original). Thus, our present manuscripts are for most purposes the same as the original manuscripts, and the doctrine of inerrancy therefore directly concerns our present manuscripts as well."
As Jesus notes in Matthew 5:18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
Preservation is that first anchoring point in bridging our argument "to" inerrancy. By establishing that we have the actual words that left the pens of the prophets and apostles, we can look ahead to the remaining key ideas: reliability of the text, Jesus' teaching and inerrancy itself.
Conclusion for today
In arguing "to" inerrancy, we begin by noting that the Old and New Testament books enjoy a remarkable preservation of their wording. No other ancient literature, religious or otherwise, enjoys the continuity we find between the original source and existing copies and translations. Whenever talking to skeptics, we begin with modest claim of preservation. Since we can establish the wording of the Biblical text, what follows next is to establish whether or not the text is reliable. In the next post, we will explore the reliability of the New Testament text (we could also remark about the reliability of the Old Testament, however, we are aiming for brevity in these posts, since we're introducing the subject of "arguing to inerrancy").
Endnotes:
1. Wayne Grudem. Systematic Theology. Zondervan. 1994. ppgs 72-73. Readers can consult a free electronic download of Grudem's work here: file:///C:/Users/mahlo/Downloads/systematictheology-waynegrudem-091005230347-phpapp02.pdf
Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Introduction:
Recently I had the privilege of presenting a power point presentation on lessons we can learn from the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Today commemorates what is celebrated by many Christians as "Reformation Day". I thank the Lord for any benefit gleaned from the watching of this presentation. Our very own Associate Pastor of Music opened the session with the most well-known of Martin Luther's hymns: "A Mighty Fortress is our God" at time index 13:36 in the video. The other song we sang also set the tone in preparation for the presentation. The power point message itself begins at 24:57 in the video and runs to 1:09:07 (roughly 45 minutes). The main outline for the presentation is as follows:
The purpose of this video is not to exalt a man (Martin Luther) nor a particular event (16th century Protestant Reformation). Instead, the purpose is to point to Jesus Christ as we rely on the Lord to reignite the flame of the Gospel in our hearts. The take-away of the video is aimed at discovering the life applicable truths that result from the power of the Gospel. The link to the video is accessible by clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reE2kdvF6js&index=3&list=PLQ9Ennce5qhT1ftWoEWXoviv4AGf7qyyB
Romans 4:1-3 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Introduction:
This upcoming Wednesday, October 31, will mark a significant date on the calendar. Many people will immediately think of Halloween when I mention October 31st. However, there is a far greater set of reasons to celebrate an event that occurred over 500 years ago - the Protestant Reformation. As we think about October 31, all Bible believing groups, including Southern Baptists, are deeply indebted to what God did through the Protestant Reformation that began on October 31st, 1517.
Today's post is aimed at issuing forth two direct challenges to Southern Baptists and all other Bible believing groups about Reformation Day, October 31st: A rejoicing challenge and a take back challenge.
1. The Challenge to Rejoice
So why rejoice over Reformation day, October 31st? Three reasons....
a. The recovery of "sola scriptura" or "scripture alone"
First of all, the root or formal cause of Luther's call for Reform had to do with ultimate authority in the Christian life and church. The big question Luther needed to answer was:
Is it the Pope and his statements concerning who went to heaven and who did not constitute the ultimate authority for the church, or is it sacred scripture that God alone revealed to communicate matters pertaining to this life and the one to come?
As Martin Luther wrestled over such questions, his conclusion was - Scripture alone!
b. The recovery of justification by faith alone or "sola fide" (faith alone).
The second reason to rejoice over October 31st and Reformation Day is due to the fact that the Gospel of Justification by Faith Alone was recovered. In contrast to the man-made traditions of the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle Ages, Luther and those after him re-asserted the Biblical truth that faith by itself is both the necessary and sufficient means of receiving the gift of salvation. Thus, justification by faith alone became the central doctrine or material cause driving the vehicle of the Protestant Reformation.
The doctrine of scripture alone (sola scriptura) was Luther's fuel in the engine that drove His call for reform - Justification by faith alone (sola fide). Luther himself noted that Justification by Faith is the one article upon which the church rises or falls.
c. Recovering the truth about the Biblical concept of the church
Then the third reason to celebrate Reformation Day, October 31st, is because the Biblical concept of the church was recovered. As Martin Luther denounced the Catholic Church's system of indulgences, a second question emerged: how is a man or woman made right with God? A church that does not derive its authority from the scriptures nor teaches the Biblical concept of the Gospel - justification by faith alone, cannot be deemed a true church.
Roman Catholicism of 16th century Europe, as well as today, communicates faith to be necessary for salvation - however it teaches that faith by itself is not sufficient. According to Rome, one must participate in the Roman Catholic church system of baptism, confession, penance and Mass to be deemed right by God and to stay right. The Gospel in the Reformation's recovery of the church shined forth not as a candle but as a brilliant sun. If God had not raised up men like Martin Luther to spark the Reformation movement, then perhaps neither you nor I would be here celebrating the revival of Biblical authority, justification by faith in the Gospel and the necessary truth of the local church committed to both those truths.
So we need to answer the challenge to celebrate Reformation day due to what God did in calling us back to the Bible, the Gospel and the Church. But now let me issue a second challenge, a take back challenge if you will...
2. The Take-Back Challenge: Let's take back October 31st and celebrate God's Word, the Gospel and Jesus' mission for His church
It is time to take back October 31, and use this day to proclaim the truth of scripture and the reformation, sparked on October 31, 1517. Truly the message of the Reformation is a message about "after darkness, light" (post tenebras lux). Gospel Light, not darkness, should characterize our lives as Christians. October 31st has been for years a time for paganism to observe one of the so-called "spirit nights" on their yearly calendar. Rather than promoting a day of darkness and wickedness, witches, ghosts and goblins, Christians need to take a God-centered event like the Reformation and remind themselves of how God led His church back to the Bible, the Gospel of justification by faith alone and recovery of the Biblical concept of the church.
The Reformation was about calling forth people from spiritual darkness into the light of Jesus Christ. Someone once said: "It is more effective to light a candle than merely curse the darkness". Let's light the Gospel light and shine the glory of the Gospel. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 -
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
Revelation 4:1-2 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.
The story of a King who was fascinated by heaven on earth
The story is told of how the King of Russia, Vladimir the Great, brought Christianity to his Russian homeland in the year 988 A.D. With a mixture of truth and fable, historians recount how this immoral, pagan prince was looking for a way to unite the empire over which he ruled. Vladimir felt the best way to achieve his goal was to select a singular religion.
Vladimir dispatched ambassadors to investigate major world religions at that time. Upon their return, each of Vladimir's ambassadors relayed their findings. Some noted that they saw laws and prohibitions on what to eat and what not to eat. Another said that the religion he witnessed did not seem to convey any real benefit to the people one way or another. However, there was one ambassador who is recorded saying these words to King Vladimir:
“We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. We cannot describe it to you. Only we know that God dwells there among men, and that their service surpasses the worship of all other places. We cannot forget that beauty.”
In our 21st century post-Christian culture, I wonder sometimes that whenever people visit our churches, should they not come away with a similar response: "We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth". How often have you heard it said: "That person is so heavenly minded they're no earthly good." The only response I can give is:
"Unless a Christian becomes more heavenly minded they cannot accomplish God's earthly good" (Matthew 5:16; Colossians 3:1-3).
Why Heaven Matters: How the Moral Aspect Of Our World Points To The World To Come
It is undeniable that our physical universe isn't just composed of physical matter composed of quarks, atoms and molecules. There is a moral dimension to our world. Put another way, we all are aware of the universal sense of right and wrong that functions universally and has done so prior to humanity's appearance upon this globe.
When the 20th century Christian writer and Oxford professor C.S. Lewis was atheist, he described how he would rail against all the injustice he saw in the world. When Lewis was converted to Christianity, he reflected back on complaints about injustice and noted that unless there was an ultimate standard of right and wrong (i.e. an ultimate good), then all his complaints about evil and injustice were but a waste of time.
The moral qualities of creation demand an explanation that lies beyond the mere physical and temporal constraints of this space-time realm in which we occupy. A moral law of which we're all deeply aware can only make sense if there is a Moral Law-giver - God. Moreover, the playing out of the moral and spiritual struggle between good and evil in this present age can only make sense if there is an eternity in which both unimaginable evil is sectioned off from a far greater, unimaginable good. Such thoughts as these provide on-ramps for directing our minds to consider the passages in the Bible that speak about Heaven and Hell.
In this particular post today, we want to focus upon the subject of Heaven and ask the following question:
Why is Heaven and immortality so central to understand life in general and Christianity in particular?
Today we will explore what the Book of Revelation and other scriptures have to teach us about Heaven.
What Believers Can Expect To See And Do In Heaven.
We could nickname the Apostle John as the man who saw heaven by virtue of the fact that no less than eleven heavenly visions are recorded through the book of Revelation.1 Out of all the 66 books of the Bible (with the exception of Matthew), the book of Revelation exceeds all other Biblical books, accounting for roughly 10% of the total times we find heaven mentioned in the Bible. Author John MacArthur observes that the overall subject of Heaven is found in some 582 occurrences in 550 verses.
The book of Revelation itself is a Christ-centered book. Revelation 1-3 depicts Christ and His church. With reference to Revelation 4-5, we discover Christ and His Heavenly Throne. John's particular vision of heaven in Revelation 4-5 is the second heavenly vision of the book.
With respect to what believers can expect to see when they get to the place called "Heaven", three observations are noted in Revelation 4:1-6 -
1. Thrill of seeing Jesus. Revelation 4:1
2. Throne of God. Revelation 4:2-3, 5-6
3. Throngs of saints. Revelation 4:4
The above three-fold summary of "what we will see in Heaven" threads its way through not only the vision we find in Revelation 4-5, but the other ten visions recorded in the book (see the end notes for verse references at the end of this post).
So then, in noting what we can expect to see in Heaven (mind you, other places in scripture spell out many other details, we're just getting a sketch of the details for now), the next question to consider is: "what can believers expect to do in Heaven?" Revelation 4:3-11 sketches out some of the amazing activities believers can look forward to in Heaven:
1. Gaze at the glory of God. Rev. 4:3-6
What is the glory of God? God's glory is the full display of all His goodness and greatness to His creatures. We find a rainbow encircling the throne of God, reminding us of His fidelity to His promises. Just as He promised Noah that He would never destroy the world again with a flood, such promise-keeping power operates in full measure in Heaven. All that believers hold to by faith will be made sight.
As we gaze at the glories of His grace, we find in Revelation 4:4-5 the glories of His majesty. The holiness of God, as expressed by the Holy Spirit in His seven-fold wonder (i.e. the "seven-spirits of God" and what is expressed in Isaiah 11:1-2) is just as prominent in Heaven as His grace. The mirrored sea before the throne recollects back to the wash basin of the priests God revealed to Moses in the design of the Tabernacle (see Exodus 25; 30:18; 38:8) and represents the mirror of God's Word into which the believer behold's the glory of God (see 1 Corinthians 13:12; James 1:23-25).
Then, in gazing at the glories of God's grace and holiness, we will behold the glories of His beauty. In Revelation 4:6-7 we see mysterious creatures, known elsewhere as "Cherubim" and "Seraphim" (compare Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1). The beauty of these heavenly creatures are extolled, described as looking like four great creatures rolled-up into one. The beauty of these heavenly creatures - which occupy a level and rank of angelic existence not afforded to the numerous hosts of servant angels which serve God's people - are among the chiefest of God's beautiful created handiwork.
God's uncreated beauty is an attribute which points to the splendor, majesty, glory and excellency of His essence and existence. All other created entities, such as Cherubim, Seraphim, human beings and mountains, derive their beauty from God - who alone is His own sense and reference-point of what it means to be beautiful. As Ravi Zacharias has noted:
"God is the only entity which can account for His own existence, whereas all other entities, being created, must look outside of themselves to account for why they exist."
All the attributes possessed by God (grace, holiness, beauty, for example) are the universal, objective sources and reference points for whatever grace, holiness or beauty we may observe in creation or in the Christian life. God alone possesses such qualities in-and-of-Himself. Christian writers of old write of how the ultimate destiny of Christians is when in Heaven, their created intellects will apprehend the excellencies of the beauty of Almighty God in what is deemed "the Beatific Vision".
2. We Will Give Worship To God. Revelation 4:8-11
Revelation 4:8-11 details for us the sort of worship songs we will hear and sing in Heaven. Revelation 4:8 records -
"And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
Then we find the next sample of joyous singing in Revelation 4:11 -
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
The spill-over of worship and praise, from both angelic choirs and human-redeemed will reverberate and echo throughout eternity. We will gaze at God and glorify God in our worship. True worship of God is far from boring. A worshipper of anything is both captivated by the object of their affection and desires to somehow capture whatever they worship in the whole of their senses. True worship overflows into desiring others to enjoy the same sort of experience. To worship created things is idolatry, since such objects fail to deliver what only God alone could deliver - full satisfaction, full-life, full-love and fulfillment in the ultimate sense of the word.
Worship of God, in Christ, is what we were created for but lost, and what believers are redeemed for and gain. True worship leads to the desire to want to serve God in love and fulfillment of His purposes for them. So, let's notice one final activity that will characterize what believers will do in Heaven....
3. Get to reign with Jesus. Revelation 3:21; 4:4
Some may be surprised by this last activity. Why work? Why reigning? Throughout the Bible, we find references to the spiritual inheritance which Christians can expect to enjoy in Jesus Christ (for example, Ephesians 1:18-20). Such inheritance is not only positional and spiritual, but will, in eternity future, be physical and actual. The occupancy of 24 thrones in Revelation 4:4 by 24 human beings represents what believers can expect - reigning with Christ and casting our royal crowns at His feet in perpetual praise.
Just as God had placed Adam and Eve in the original Garden of Eden to work and tend it so as to exercise dominion over His creation as His co-regents, believers will resume that God-given mandate - only on a more grander scale. The details of what will all entail the believer's work of reigning with Christ is sketched-out elsewhere (for instance, 1 Corinthians 6:3; Ephesians 3:10-20; 1 Peter 2:9-11). Just as powerful worship of God in this present age motivates the believer to go and do God's bidding, the spill-over effect of gazing at God's glory and giving Him worship will translate into doing His will with unspeakable joy. Again, such thoughts as these are but skimming the surface. However, may we all be more inclined to look forward to seeing the Savior in the days to come.
Endnotes:
1. Revelation 1; 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:10-13; 11:15-17; 12:10-12; 14:2-3; 15:3-4; 19:1-10; 21:1-9 and 22:16-21.
Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Introduction: The Spark That Lit The Fuse Of The Protestant Reformation
How powerful are the words found in the 66 books that comprise our Bibles? Nothing can turn a soul to God except the Holy Spirit working through the nearly 775,000 words in our Old and New Testaments. I rejoice in hearing conversion stories from people who have by grace through faith trusted in Jesus Christ for their salvation. Whether reflecting upon my own conversion, or reading about other people's conversions, such accounts stir the heart to give praise to God for all He has done through Christ. The 16th century Protestant Reformer Martin Luther's story and conversion is the focus of today's post.
In the 16th century, Europe and the Roman Catholic Church were poised on a knife's-edge. The need for moral and spiritual reform was recognized a century before Martin Luther had come on the scene. The political, religious, moral and economic climate was ripe for reform. God's hand of providence was at work. Martin Luther would be His instrument for reform and reigniting of the Gospel.
Martin Luther was born in 1483 to a copper mining owner and worker. Martin's father, Hans, desired to see Martin get a good education. When young Martin acquired his Bachelor's degree and Master of Arts degree in Law, he began to practice law per his father's wishes. However, when traveling through the woods, a sudden lightening-storm startled Luther, with a near-by lightening strike evoking a rash vow from Luther's lips to serve as a monk. Author James Edward McGoldrick notes of this episode:1
"(H)e encountered a severe lightning storm in which he thought he would perish. In anguish he appealed to St. Anne, the patroness of miners, to intercede with God, and he promised that he would reciprocate by becoming a monk. Much to the dismay of his parents, Martin passed through the gates of the Black Cloister to become a friar. In doing so, he had chosen the lifestyle which his church extolled as the best means to obtain salvation."
Once Luther pledged his life of servitude to St. Anne - the patron saint of miners - he entered into the Augustinian monastery at Erfurt, Germany in July of 1505.
He quickly excelled in all things religious. As time marched on, Luther's incessant desire to quiet his sensitive conscience through religious ritual kept falling short. Luther was as a candle in the dark, with no inner light of his own. The wick that began the Protestant Reformation in Germany on October 31, 1517 would be Luther's nailing to the church door of Wittenburg, Germany his 95 challenges or "theses" against the abuses of the Roman Catholic practice of selling indulgences (that is, "get-out-of-purgatory-free-cards"). However, for October 31, 1517 to become the beginning of the Reformation in Germany, there first needed to be the conversion of the Reformer - Martin Luther. That spark that began in Luther's heart was his so-called "Tower-Experience".
Martin Luther's Testimony Of Conversion - The Needed Spark From God
Thankfully, Luther's life was recorded in detail either by his own recollections or the eye-witness testimonies of friends and foes alike. Apart from Jesus and the Apostle Paul, many scholars have noted that no figure in all of church history has had more written about his life and writings than the mighty Reformer from Germany. Luther's "Tower-Experience" was the process through which he struggled to understand the relationship between God's just role in having the right to punish sin and Luther's own need for forgiveness. Erwin W. Lutzer makes the following observation about Luther's struggle:2
"When Luther began to teach the book of Romans, he trembled at the phrase 'the righteousness of God' (Rom. 1:17). Though he says he was an 'impeccable monk', he stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience. The righteousness of God struck fear into his heart because he knew that it was because of God's unbendable righteousness that sinner's were cast away from His most holy presence."
He was brought to the breakthrough of the doctrine of "justification by faith" in reading Romans 1:17 and upon reflecting on Augustine's commentary on the same-said verse of scripture. In Luther's own words, we find the following testimony that led him to finally discover peace in his heart and with God, from his so-called "Tower-Experience" in 1513:3
"I greatly longed to understand Paul's epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in the way but that one expression "the righteousness of God," because I took it to mean that righteousness whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust."
"My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage Him. Therefore I did not love a just angry God, but rather hated and murmured against Him. Yet I clung to the dear Paul and had a great yearning to know what he meant."
"Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the righteousness of God and the statement that "the just shall live by faith." Then I grasped that the righteousness of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith."
Now comes Luther's description of his conversion...
"Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before "the righteousness of God" had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven...".
As a monk serving in the Augustinian order of the Roman Catholic Church (so-named from the 5th century theologian, Augustine), Luther had consulted Augustine's commentary on Romans while making his epochal discovery about how a person is truly made right with God - by grace alone through faith alone. The final sentences of Augustine's commentary on Romans 1:17 was instrumentally used by God in aiding Luther to connect the dots between God's righteousness and saving faith:4
"We have now the principal point or the main hinge of the first part of this Epistle, — that we are justified by faith through the mercy of God alone. We have not this, indeed as yet distinctly expressed by Paul; but from his own words it will hereafter be made very clear — that the righteousness, which is grounded on faith, depends entirely on the mercy of God."
Clearly, the doctrine of justification by faith alone has its roots reaching back a millennium to Augustine, who in turn derived it from the Apostle Paul in the first century. Justification by faith is that Divine, legal declaration of the sinner's innocence with respect to the law of God. At the moment of conversion or saving faith, I as a sinner am credited with Christ's righteousness. To help convey the meaning of the word "justification", the sinner is regarded by God to be "just-as-if-I-never-sinned" or put positively: "just-as-if-I-always-did-rightly". The doctrine of justification by faith alone is the core of the Gospel. Luther's conversion came as a result of the Holy Spirit's working in his heart through the scriptures to reignite the flame of the Gospel.
Closing thoughts and applications
One thing I find fascinating about Luther's testimony is that we find a man giving credit to the Spirit's work through the scriptures in bringing about his heart-change. The work of salvation is a miracle-work brought about by the Spirit of God through the Word of God operating upon and in the human heart (see Romans 10:8-10; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23). What about you dear read today? Have you experience such a saving faith? Have you trusted upon the finished work of Jesus Christ? Luther's explanation of salvation as the "opening of the gates of paradise" cement in the mind's eye a clear understanding of what salvation is all about: namely, reconciling sinners such as myself to a holy righteousness God through faith in Jesus Christ. This month of October celebrates the 501st anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, and more importantly, the reigniting of the flame of the Gospel. Were it not for the Holy Spirit's intervention through the scriptures in the heart of a troubled soul named Martin Luther in 1513, the wick of October 31, 1517 might not had been lit. Let us celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel which alone can save the soul which yields in response to His call by faith.
Endnotes:
1. McGoldrick, James Edward. "Introducing Martin Luther". Reformation and Revival. Vol 7, part 4. Fall 1998. Page 20.
2. Lutzer, Erwin W. Rescuing The Gospel: The Story And Significance Of The Reformation. Page 45. Baker Books. 2016.
3. Quotation derived from the website: http://www.reformationtheology.com/2010/05/the_tower_experience_1.php. This well-known testimony of Martin Luther is cited in volumes that contain his main works.
4. St. Augustine's Commentary On Romans. https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom38.v.v.html
Introduction: What Is Meant By A Biblical Worldview?
I just finished reading a marvelous book by author Dr. Jeff Myers entitled: "The Secret Battle Of Ideas About God - Overcoming The Outbreak Of Five Fatal Worldviews", which aids greatly in thinking through current events in 21st century Western culture. So what is a worldview? A worldview is a systematic model that each person constructs in answering life's most important questions. The concern of the book in this review is to equip readers with not just any worldview, but a Biblical one. Dr. Jeff Meyers' mentor, George Barna, is cited in the book with the following definition of what makes for a Biblical worldview:
"(A) means of experiencing, interpreting, and responding to reality in light of a Biblical perspective."
So who is Dr. Jeff Myers? He is President of a worldview training ministry called: "Summit Ministries". The goal of the ministry is to equip people with the tools they need to construct a Biblical way of thinking (i.e., "a Biblical worldview).
The Big Questions That Any Worldview Ought To Address
In his book: "The Secret Battle Of Ideas About God - Overcoming The Outbreak Of Five Fatal Worldviews", Meyers utilizes the metaphor of a virus to describe how bad worldviews can "infect our thinking". Whenever we talk about worldviews, we are looking at how a given set of beliefs address life's most important questions.
So, what are the questions Meyers is interested in seeing answered? The following headings in several chapters of the book summarize the big questions, which he also spells out on page 22 of the book:
1. Chapter 3, "Am I Loved?"
2. Chapter 5, "Why Do I Hurt?"
3. Chapter 7, "Does My Life Have Meaning?
4. Chapter 9, "Why Can't We All Just Get Along?"
5. Chapter 11, "Is There Any Hope For the World?"
6. Chapter 13, "Is God Relevant?"
The Worldviews Covered In "The Secret Battle Of Ideas About God"
As Dr. Jeff Myers deals with the subject of evaluating various worldviews, we find him focusing on five particular religious/philosophical belief systems and their comparison to Biblical Christianity. As a way of getting a handle on what each of the following worldviews espouse (Secularism, Marxism, Post-modernism, New Spirituality and Islam), Meyers suggests a four step process of both defining and preventing infestation by the worldviews just listed:
A. Identify.
On the subject of life's meaning, we find Secularism asserting that life is about control. With respect to Marxism, it defines life's meaning as having to do with redistribution of wealth and bringing change by social revolt. With concern to Post-modernism, the main point of life is that there is no "main point", since truth and moral absolutes are defined by individuals or culture. New-Spirituality (formally known by its older moniker, "The New Age"), states that life is about human consciousness rising to find unity with the universe. Then lastly, Islam's definition of life's meaning has to do with submission to Allah. The Gospel asserts that meaning, value and purpose in life is found in God as decisively revealed in the incarnation of the Son of God as Jesus of Nazareth.
B. Isolate.
Just as a virus needs identified before prescribing treatment, so it is with any worldview that has mixture of truth with harmful error. The next step is then to isolate the worldview and see how it "ticks". As mentioned already, the six big questions (see above) are used to audit each of the five worldviews covered in the book. Just to take one of the questions as an example, ("Is There Any Hope For The World?), the five worldviews answer the question, per Meyers' summary, as follows:
1. Secularism believes, in the words of philosopher Paul Kurtz, who also authored the Humanist Manifesto II, "No deity will save us; we must save ourselves".
2. Marxism suggests we raise taxes and confiscate property until wealth is redistributed. Only then can a future human utopia be realized.
3. Post-modernism declares that: "there is no meaning".
4. New Spirituality asserts that, "when we act as though we're one with the universe, only then can hope be discovered".
5. Islam emphasizes that hope is only discovered through submission to Allah. Dr. Meyers offers two references from the Quran to demonstrate his summation (Quran 16:36; 35:24).
The last remaining two steps in arresting the influence of bad ideas in our minds is to inform and then invest in other people. Meyers certainly does a great job of informing people about how each worldview handles the major questions of life. The investment part deals with how we communicate the Gospel in a winsome way and demonstrate how it alone answers all the big questions of life.
Declarations To Live By
To bring the reader to a better understanding of the Gospel, Dr. Jeff Meyers utilizes what he refers to as "declarations" that set us free from idea viruses:
1. "I am loved". Deep unconditional love exists, and I can have it.
2. "My suffering will be overcome."
3. "I have an incredible calling."
4. "I'm meant for community". This declaration points to the place of the local church and community of believers in Jesus Christ.
5. "There is hope for the world". This of course is found in Christ alone.
Answering The Big Question: "Is God Even Relevant?"
The final chapter of Dr. Meyer's book raises the question: "Is God even relevant?" The particular interest of this final chapter is demonstrating not only why Christianity best addresses the big questions of life over against its rivals, but also why any of the foregoing discussion is relevant to today. Meyers begins with a wonderful quote from C.S. Lewis:
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it; but because by it I see everything else."
To reinforce the relevance of the Gospel to worldview thinking and practical everyday life, the five affirmations mentioned at the beginning of the book are repeated once more:
A. "I am loved". Meyers refers to the Greek noun "agape", which speaks of self-sacrificial love.
B. "My suffering will be overcome". Meyers mentions the Greek verb used in the New Testament to describe victory, "nikao", from whence is derived the sneaker brand "Nike".
C. "I have an incredible calling." Here Meyers calls to mind the Greek word "kaleo", a verb often used to describe Jesus' calling of His disciples to follow Him.
D. "I'm meant for community". Here Meyers uses the Hebrew Old Testament term "shalom", which speaks of attainment of inner-peace, contentment, relational balance, as a result of living life according to the will of God.
E. "There is hope for the world". In this final affirmation, Meyers references the Greek word "elpis", which is often used to translate the word "hope" in the New Testament.
All in all, Dr. Jeff Meyers' book is a call to focus one's worldview on the Biblical God revealed in Jesus Christ. He approvingly quotes A.W. Tozer:
"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."
By evaluating the five fatal worldviews of new spirituality, secularism, post-modernism, Islam and Marxism, Jeff Meyers wants to make clear the message of the Gospel. In one of the most memorable quotes of the book, Meyers writes on page 189:
"The Gospel isn't just good news for those who have never heard; its good news for those who love Jesus but wrestle what this means for everyday life."
Closing Thoughts:
I would highly recommend Dr. Jeff Meyer's book: "The Secret Battle Of Ideas About God - Overcoming The Outbreak Of Five Fatal Worldviews" for anyone desiring an introduction on how to communicate, live and defend the Gospel in today's culture.
