How one may argue for the historical reality of the virgin birth

Hebrews 2:3-4 "how will we escape if we neglect so great asalvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and byvarious miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will."

Introduction:In yesterday's post we labored to demonstrate the moderate proposal that miracles are possible in our world. We defined a miracle as entailing two qualities. First, a miracle is a highly irregular event in terms of its frequency and features compared to what we would term regularly occuring events. Then secondly, based upon Dr. William Lane Craig's defintion, a miracle is a naturally impossible event - meaning that given naturalistic explanations, events such as the resurrection could not happen by a natural cause, and thus the only explanation would need to be a supernatural cause. 

Therefore, since non-natural events, as well as natural events do occur in our world, and being that non-natural events (such as Jesus resurrection) has been shown to occur, then it only stands to reason that the God of the Bible exists. 

Some further thoughts on "irregular events" and why miracles can be legitimately considered as part of our world
This point about irregularity is important because so many skeptics will say that miracles are impossible, being that in the normal course of human experience, no such event can happen? However, if there are irregular events that can occur in history, which may not be experienced regularly by human beings, then does that rule out the miraculous? 

For instance, when I lived in central Florida, there was one year where the storm paths of three hurricanes in once season criss-crossed over the very neghborhood where we lived. For even one hurricane to make it that far inland into central Florida had not occurred in 40 years. Imagine the less liklihood of three hurricanes and their storm paths all criss-crossing one another in one season? 

Are we saying that this highly irregular pattern of hurricanes constitutes a definite miracle. Hardly. There are obviously other traits that need to be considered before saying something is a definite miracle. Consider the following logical statement:

#1 We see the possibility of irregular events occuring in the world; 

#2 and miracles are by definition irregular events 

Therefore it can be rightly concluded that miracles can occur in this world. 

What bearing the possibility of miracles has on the incarnation and virgin birth of the Son of God
In establishing the possibility of miracles in our world, we can then begin to make a case for the most important miracle upon which we celebrate Christmas - namely Christ's incarnation through the virgin birth conception. The rest of this post represents more of a sketch, rather than fully completed argument for the historical reality of the virgin birth. Notice the following argument:

#1 Miracles are non-natural events that are naturally impossible events. Only natural events that are naturally possible can occur if in fact the God of the Bible does not exist

#2 History's task is to recount all events that occur, including naturally possible & naturally impossible events

#3 The Gospel records document Jesus' incarnation and virgin birth/conception and have been shown under close scrutiny to be reliable documents

#4 Jesus' incarnation/virgin birth was a miraculous event that could be classified as occuring as a result of non-natural causes

#5 Jesus' incarnation/virgin birth from the dead is a miracle that did occur in history

Now this argument can be shown sound through means of criteria used in validating the historicity of certain events in ancient literature. I will briefly list a couple of those criteria as applied to the Christmas story:

1. Multiple attestation or support from multiple sources (hence Matthew and Luke's Gospel with regards to the genealogies and the 1st century Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, in his "Antiquities of the Jews")

2. The criteria of embarrasment (Joseph contemplated divorcing Mary upon hearing her pregnancy would had been an embarrasing detail but which is a sign of being genuine fact)

3. Palestinian or 1st century Jewish setting. Matthew and Luke's use of geneaologies; the possible reference of Mary and Joseph finding "no room in the inn" as a technical term pointing to the interior room of a home in and around Judea (i.e Bethelehem). 


Closing thoughts for now
We have shown through our brief study of miracles thus far that miracles are possible in this world. We have also given an example of a brief outline of how one might argue for the historicity and thus plausibility of the Christmas story as it pertains to the miracles of the virgin birth and Christ's incarnation. Hence, the virgin birth/incarnation can be considered as a fact of history.

The reality of miracles and their relevance to Christmas

Hebrews 2:3-4 "how will we escape if we neglect so great asalvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will."

Introduction:

How do we define the word "miracle"? This will be the aim of today's blog as we explore some of the major scriptures that speak on the subject of the miraculous. The subject of miracles is relevant to holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Why? Both Christmas and Easter celebrate two of the three most important miracles recorded in the Bible: the incarnation of the Son of God in Jesus and His resurrection from the dead (the other most important miracle being creation). Below I will put forth some of the key scriptures that mention the miraculous and then propose headings that will aid in arriving at answering the question: What is a miracle? 

Miracles are irregular events

In the opening verse of today's post, we find that the message of salvation testified to by the writer of Hebrews is a message that had built-in evidence of confirmation by what is described by three kinds of miracles: miracles or working, signs and wonders. Clearly the writer finds the miracles that accompanied the preaching of the Gospel to be compelling enough to provide confirmation of the message and the messenger. But before we go any further, what does the Bible have to teach us about the meaning of the word "miracle"?

When we search the Old Testament's teaching on miracles, we find the main Hebrew word translated "miracle" in some 70 places. Further word study describe the Old Testament word for "miracle" as referring to something that is difficult to do, beyond one's ability or treated as a distinguished and separate activity. We could summarize this idea of "miracle" by noting that it is an extremely irregular event. 

In like manner, whenever we survey the remainder of scripture, we find that miraculous events cluster around strategic points in history. In the Old Testament we see many of the miraculous events situated around the ministries of Moses/Joshua (1445-1375b.c); Samuel (1100 b.c); and Elijah/Elisha (roughly 900b.c). 

In the New Testament we find Jesus and the Apostles being the main instruments through which miracles occur. The writer of Hebrews uses the three main Greek words associated with miracles in the New Testament: workings of God (miracles proper); "signs" or visible miracles and "wonders" or miracles associated with changes in the physical environment. 

These observations serve to show that in approaching a definition of the miraculous, one needs to think first of the event being "extremely irregular" in terms of infrequency of occurance or the event being unusual in comparison to regular events. Apologist Dr. Norman Geisler notes in his "Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics", page 472: "a true miracle also produces results; always bring glory to God, bring good to the natural world" and "true miracles never fail." 

An example of how the reality of the miraculous can demonstrate God's existence
Another Christian apologist, Dr. William Lane Craig, refers to miracles as "naturally impossible events", meaning that no natural processes can bring about what is otherwise a miracle. As we just mentioned, a miracle is an extremely irregular event. Dr. Craig's definition specifies the source of miracles - namely an event that cannot be explained by naturalistic methods and thus can only be of supernatural origin.  

In using Dr. William Lane Craig's discussions on miracles and their place in the course of naturally occuring events, we can propose a sample argument for God's existence. 

Take for example Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Known physical laws and processes describe for us a physical reality in which we should not expect dead men to rise from the dead. Yet Jesus' resurrection from the dead is among the most established events in all of human history. Thus in noting the historical reality of Jesus' resurrection, we can only conclude that it is a miracle, and that in being a miracle, a non-natural, albeit a "Supernatural" cause is behind Jesus' resurrection- namely God Himself. The logic for this line of thinking may go something like this:

#1 Miracles are non-natural events that are naturally impossible or extremely irregular events.

#2 History's task is to recount all events that occur, including naturally possible & naturally impossible events

#3 The Gospel records document Jesus' physical resurrection and have been shown under close scrutiny to be reliable documents

#4 Jesus resurrection was a miraculous event that could be classified as occuring as a result of non-natural causes

#5 Jesus resurrection from the dead is a miracle that did occur in history

If we were to apply the same argument to Jesus' incarnation/virgin birth, it could possibly look like the following argument:

#1 Miracles are non-natural events that are naturally impossible or extremely irregular events.

#2 History's task is to recount all events that occur, including naturally possible & naturally impossible events

#3 The Gospel records reliably document Jesus' incarnation/virgin birth and remarkable life

#4 Jesus' incarnation/virgin birth was a miraculous event that could be classified as occuring as a result of non-natural causes


#5 Jesus' incarnation/virgin birth is a miracle that did occur in history

Both arguments' main premises would require evidences from historical studies, any archaelogical evidence and philosophical considerations to show that the arguments are not only valid (in regards to their form) but moreso their soundness (that is, do they correspond to truth and facts). We won't take the time and space to spell out those details, since the main point of this post is to show the relevance of miracles to Christmas. Nevertheless, knowing that their are good reasons for believing in miracles such as Christ's incarnation and the virgin birth will hopefully equip the Christian in the event of potential evangelistic encounters that can occur during this time of year.

The Christian's urgency to paying much closer attention to doctrine

Hebrews 2:1 "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it."

Introduction

We spent the last couple of days considering the overall message of the Book of Hebrews. The twin themes of Christ's supremacy and warnings to not stray away were explored - with the idea of ways in which we can make our faith bullet proof. Today's post focuses particular attention upon what the writer mentions in Hebrews 2:1 with regards to "paying much closer attention". Hebrews 2:1-4 represents the first of five warning sections throughout the Book of Hebrews. The specific concern of Hebrews 2:1-4 is to urge the readership (and us) to not neglect the sound doctrines and thus practices of the Christian faith. 

The opening phrase of Hebrews 2:1 "For this reason" indicates that the writer is getting ready to comment upon what he discussed in Hebrews 1:1-14. Moreover, the concern with the warning of 2:1-4 is to not only urge but to remind readers that the doctrines of the Christian faith are built upon the solid foundations of evidence and testimony. Now it is clear that there are specific truths to which the writer is concerned, being that he then says in Hebrews 2:1 "pay closer attention to what we have heard". Why is this so important? He goes on: "so that we do not drift away from it." The word translated "drift" can also refer to "losing sight" or "wash away" - i.e "erode". 

In other words, sound doctrine prevents the shorelines of the Christian faith from eroding. When we lived in Florida for a time, every so often we would visit one of th beaches of that state. It always amazed me to observe the process of beach erosion, whether witnessing in person or seeing images on television. The communities that based their livelihood on those beaches would spend untold thousands and millions of dollars building up "beach heads" and "bulwarks" so as to prevent nearby homes adjacent to the beaches from sliding into the ocean. This is what I see as the purpose of doctrine spelled out in Hebrews 2:1. 

So the question is, what main doctrines are essential for us to meditate, communicate and put to practice in the Christian life? What doctrines require the Christian's need to pay closer attention as spelled out in Hebrews 2:1? From Hebrews 1:1-14 we can discover the following key truths:

1. Doctrine of God or Theology Proper. Hebrews 1:1 "God". 

What is God like? Who is He? What does it mean when we talk about God being One in existence and yet Three in identity? Such questions address this chief doctrine.

2. Doctrine of revelation. Hebrews 1:1-2 

We discover in Hebrews 1:1-2 that God is a talking God, a God who desires to relate and reveal Himself to His creatures. He has revealed things about Himself in creation or general revelation. He has secondly revealed His will in the scriptures or special revelation. Then in Hebrews 1:2 we see reference to the fullness of revelation in the Son in the New Testament. 

3. Doctrine of Christ or Christology. Hebrews 1:2-13 

The dominate doctrine of this chapter is not just merely a set of propositions or statements, but moreso the Person of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1 spells out some significant highpoints and details of the Lord Jesus Christ. In 2 Peter 3:18 we read - "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." Knowing God and knowing how this God reveals Himself anchors our faith and prevents us from drifting. The fulness of God's revelation in the Person of the Son ensures that our faith won't erode. Notice specifically in short order what the remainder of Hebrews 1:2-14 says about Jesus Christ or the doctrine of Christology...

a. Eternal Pre-existence of the Son. Hebrews 1:2,5

b. Incarnation of the Son. Hebrews 1:2-3a, 1:6

c. Atoning work of the cross. Hebrews 1:3b

d. Ascension (which follows from the implied resurrection) and exaltation of the Son. Hebrews 1:4

e. Enthronement of the Son in Heaven. Hebrews 1:7-9

f.  Second coming of the Son. Hebrews 1:10-13

g. Angels in service to the Son as God in human flesh and to believers. Hebrews 1:7,14

When we consider the three main heads of doctrine emphasized in Hebrews 1 (Theology Proper, Revelation and Christology), we have a three-braided cord that guards our faith-life. Moreover, since the emphasis is placed on Christology, it would seem that if we make ourselves students of the Master, Jesus Christ, we will know God (Theology Proper) and the revelation of Himself (specifically in scripture and appreciating the revelation of Himself generally in creation). Thus let us take seriously this urgency to pay much closer attention to doctrine. 

P2 Bullet-proofing your Christian faith - Book of Hebrews

Hebrews 2:1-4 "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will."

Introduction:

The writer of Hebrews is writing out under Divine inspiration what appears to have been a sermon or series of messages to Jewish Christian converts who were tempted to leave Jesus and go back to Judaism. The key theme to the book of Hebrews is showing to us the superiority of Jesus Christ. 

Today's post picks up where we left off yesterday. We wanted to know how a Christian can bullet-proof their faith. Thus far we have considered two points from consideration of the Book of Hebrews:

1. Center your focus on the greatness of Jesus Christ

2. Cling to the greatness of Jesus Christ (by heeding the warnings)

Today we continue and conclude this short two-part study by noting the third way one can bullet-proof their Christian faith....

3. Consider how much greater Jesus is than the temptation
If the first thought has to do with centering on the greatness of Jesus in-and-of-itself and the second has to do with clinging to such greatness, then this last point serves to reinforce the first two by revealing why Jesus is greater than the temptation. Hebrews 2:3 poses the question: "how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" For Jews reading this letter, Jesus would have to be shown greater than every standard of greatness that they knew. Even the greatness of key Biblical figures - wonderful as they are - can become idols if used to substitute for Jesus. Hence, in Hebrews 1 we find Jesus is greater than the angels. In Hebrews 3 we find Jesus is greater than Moses. On and on the writer goes, parading one great Jewish illuminary after another. In Hebrews 7 we find Jesus is greater than Abraham, followed up by Him being greater than the entire Old Testament sacrificial system that looked forward to Him in Hebrews 8-10. 

Now of course most readers of his post have not derived from a Jewish background. However, the principle of considering Jesus greater than our temptation applies readily to us today. 
Even good things like success, money, family, ministry-life, exercise, sports, food and leisure can quickly become idols if we place them is that spot that is reserved for Jesus, and Jesus alone. Certainly the pull of the old-life before conversion issues its siren calls to our flesh. I won't take time to rehearse the numerous scriptures that show the reader the inadequacy and hell-bound trajectory that had been the pre-conversion life (an example: Ephesians 2:1-4,12). 

So often the writers of scripture will put before the reader the incomparable greatness of God in fending off temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a prime example - "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." I'm reminded of a warning Solomon issues to his son in Proverbs 3:19-22 "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth,By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up
And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight;
Keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 So they will be life to your soul
And adornment to your neck." 

In as much our hearts are needed in passionately following after Jesus - we musn't forget the mind. If anything, whatever the mind deems to be the highest good will result in the heart following (see Matthew 6:24-33). Considering Jesus as greater than our temptation entails engagement of the mind and heart. Sadly, Christians today do not fill their minds with the great truths of the Word of God. Whenever you read the Book of Hebrews, notice how many scriptures the writer quotes and how much sound doctrine he uses in urging his readers to focus on the greatness of Christ. 

Certainly a Christian faith that is all head and no heart is dry; but a Christian faith that is all heart and no head stands the greatest chance of near-death. Remember: the heart is the seat of your emotional and living personality. The hearts needs a leader. If we are not regularly filling our minds with scripture - what greatest good is there to occupy our thoughts?

If we are going to bullet-proof our faith, we need to consider the greatness of jesus Christ greater than our temptation, as well as center on His greatness and thus cling to it. 

P1 Bullet proofing your Christian faith - Book of Hebrews

Hebrews 2:1-4 "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will."

Introduction:

The writer of Hebrews is writing out under Divine inspiration what appears to have been a sermon or series of messages to Jewish Christian converts who were tempted to leave Jesus and go back to Judaism. The key theme to the book of Hebrews is showing to us the superiority of Jesus Christ. 

An equally important emphasis in the letter to the Hebrews is that of warning: namely, warning readers who perhaps have only made a profession of faith but have no possession of genuine faith. Even for people who do possess genuine saving faith, the temptation to "walk away" from Jesus is just as real as to those who pretend to follow Him or for those who make no such claims. The only difference between the "professors of false faith" and "possessors of genuine faith" is that the latter will endure to the end because of the fact they are in Christ and that Christ is in them. 

I know in my own life as a Christ-follower, there have been those times where I smelled, tasted and felt the pull and tug of this world so much as to entertain what it would be like to walk away. I can tell you that only by God's keeping grace am I able to still say "I'm in" and "remaining in". 

Today's post is aimed to equip the reader to avoid walking away from Jesus. I want to list in short order three truths from the book of Hebrews that can equip us to avoid the temptation spoken of in Hebrews 2:1-4 and throughout the Book of Hebrews. Notice...

1. Center on the greatness of Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews has extended sections in his letter that spell out some of the most amazing words you will ever read about the Person and work of Jesus Christ. As we noted earlier, one of the major themes of Hebrews is the greatness of Jesus Christ. The urgency to focus on His greatness is seen in explicit commands to do such as well as statements affirming the reality of Jesus' greatness. Hebrews 12:1-3 commands the reader: "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

One of the repeated statements found throughout the letter is that "Jesus is greater" or "Jesus is better". For brevity's sake, I will simply list those references which make mention of Jesus Christ being "greater":

Hebrews 1:4 "having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they."

Hebrews 3:3 "For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house."

Hebrews 7:7 "But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater."

Hebrews 7:22  "so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant."

Hebrews 12:24 "and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel."

So, if we are going to have a bullet-proof faith, we must first of all focus on the greatness of Jesus Christ. Then notice the second thing the writer of Hebrews urges readers to do in his letter...

2. Cling to the greatness of Jesus Christ (by heeding the warnings)
As we noted earlier, the writer of Hebrews punctuates this amazing letter with warning sections that urge readers to not walk away from Jesus. Many Christians have struggled over the five warning sections in Hebrews (2:1-4; 3:6-4:7; 6:1-8; 10:26-39 and 10:25-39). Are these warnings written to true Christians in danger of losing their salvation? Are these warnings hypothetical, or do they represent true realities that could result if not heeded? 

To answer these two questions, let me begin with a question: whenever you see a warning label on a medicine bottle, do you ignore it? Do you take offense and wonder why the company is insulting your intelligence? Or do you heed the warning? Much like the parent telling the little child not to touch the hot stove, the writer here is exercising good pastoral ministry in warning all of his readers (make-believers and true believers) of the dangers of focusing on anything else but Jesus. 

These warnings are addressed primarily to those who are pretending to be Christians. How do we know? In most of the warnings, we notice that the writer will first sound the warning to those who have outward pretend faith but not the inward reality (compare Hebrews 4:1-3; 6:1-8; 10:26-31; 12:18-21). Then the writer will switch gears and address those who are genuinely converted (see Hebrews 4:4; 6:9-10; 10:32-39; 12:22-29). 

It is clear that in order to awaken those truly converted persons who may be slumbering and tempted in their faith and to equally serve warning to those who are playing church, the author issues the warning to the entire congregation (see Hebrews 2:1-4 and the other warning sections. So to answer the first question then, the warnings in Hebrews serve warning to those who are playing church, make believing to be Christians and, if not careful, will slip into worse forms of unbelief. When we see the contrasting tone the writer uses in addressing those who are genuinely converted, we can conclude that Hebrews does not teach loss of salvation.

So then, are these warnings hypothetical or real? The fact we find these warnings repeated five times indicates they are not hypothetical in nature - but represent genuine negative spiritual consequences if not heeded. God is not mincing words. Even for those who are genuinely saved and yet fall into grevious sins, God in His mercy can exercise early discipline which in effect may even lead to that person's sudden exit out of this world (see Proverbs 29:1-3; 1 Corinthians 11:30). Dr. Adrian Rogers has named this dangerous predicament that can be experienced by genuine Christians caught in prolonged carnality as "crossing the line with God". So yes, these warnings are real warnings. 

So why the extreme language? Unless you have ever parented small children or pastored a church, you will not find the writer of Hebrews being over-the-top. He is pleading, urging his congregation to cling to Jesus, and not walk away. A loving parent will issue a firm warning to a small child not to touch the hot stove. The child maybe startled and even begin to cry at what sounds like a harsh tone. Nonetheless, the parent is being loving and merciful. So, if you and I are going to bullet-proof our Christian faith, we must center on the greatness of Christ, cling to His greatness and thirdly...

More tomorrow....

The first mention of the Gospel in the Bible - Genesis 3:15

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Introduction
What makes Genesis 3:15 such a remarkable passage? Consider the fact that it contains the Bible's first promise and first prophecy.  The promise within Genesis 3:15 is about the Gospel.  Theologians and Christians of ages-past have nick-named Genesis 3:15 the proto-evangelium (pro-to-e-van-gel-eeum), which translated means: "the first announcement of the Gospel". Truly Genesis 3:15 is an acorn that contains the Biblical oaks of redemption and eschatology (study of last things, prophecy).

In today's post we want to consider Genesis 3:15 and the attending verses of Genesis 3:16-21 with regards to redemptive history, salvation and last things.  Consider the following ideas:

Conflict.  Genesis 3:15a
Genesis 3:15a records - And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed..".  Following the rebellion in the garden of Eden, God pronounced a curse upon Satan the serpent; Adam and Eve and the rest of creation.  In Genesis 3:15 we see portrayed the personal, historic and cosmic conflict that would ensue between God's Kingdom and Satan's lesser kingdom of darkness.  We note firstly the personal conflict between Eve and Satan.  God made it clear: Satan and Eve were to be enemies.  God's promise and plan of salvation that was to be revealed in the Covenant of Grace issued forth to Eve would run counter to Satan's agenda. 

God drew the battle lines that would not only characterize the personal animosity between humanity and Satan, but secondly the historic conflict.  We see the historic conflict in the words "his seed" and "your seed".  What is meant by those terms "seed"? "Seed" refers to two bloodlines, two groups of people, two spiritual categories of people that would exist throughout human history.  The seed of Satan refers to unbelievers, and the seed of the woman would refer to believers.  For example, Jesus perfectly summarizes this point in Matthew 13:36-40 -
36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” ³⁷ And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸ and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 

Many other passage reveal the two different types of seed as referring to believers and unbelievers. (John 8:44; Ephesians 2:1-2) The historic conflict would entail Israel and her enemies, the apostles and their foes, and of course all subsequent generations of Christian people and unbelievers.  So we see conflict in this text of Genesis 3:15.  How will the conflict be resolved?  Where is such a conflict going to lead? That leads us to the second thought in this grand passage of Genesis 3:15, namely...

Coming Redeemer 3:15b
The Holy Ghost says in Genesis 3:15b - "He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”  The text goes from personal conflict between Eve and Satan, to historic conflict between unbelievers following satan and believers saved by grace through faith in Christ to the Cosmic conflict of the Coming Redeemer and Satan.  The fact that the text says "He" tells us that God has not only got a plan of salvation, but a Person who will accomplish salvation.  The Coming Redeemer was the entire focus of Old Testament revelation.  The "Seed" of Eve revealed in this verse would be the "Seed" promised later to Abraham. (Genesis 12,15,17,22)  Furthermore, this coming Redeemer would be progressively revealed over the centuries in greater and greater clarity.  

King David was told that He would have a descendant sitting on the Throne of Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 7:13-16) In-as -much as David was going to have royal descendants sitting on the throne of Jerusalem; God had also in mind One Ultimate Ruler, the Coming Redeemer.  Psalm 132:11 states - "The Lord has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne."  

We know by the time of the New Testament, Jesus Christ would end up fulfilling the promises made to Abraham and David.  Through Israel the nation the redeemer would come.  Once the Redeemer came, he would live, die on the cross and be raised from the dead.  After Christ's ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, He inaugurated His reign on David's throne to rule over His church. (Acts 2:33-36)  This Redeemer who came is coming again.  Passages such as Romans 11:25-26 and Revelation 19-20 unfold the glorious Second Coming of this Redeemer.  When He returns, Christ will restore the nation of Israel as a nation and His church will reign with Him for 1,000 years.   

Now did Eve and Adam know all of these details? No.  Their level of understanding was in seed form, whereas our understanding is comparitively speaking a mature oak.  God progressively revealed His prophetic truth to each generation.  And so we see a conflict and a coming redeemer, but notice a third idea revealed in Genesis 3:16-21, namely....

Conquest.  Genesis 3:16-21
When you compare Genesis 3:16-21 to the last two chapters of Revelation, you find some amazing contrasts.  In fact, the darkness of Genesis 3 was pre-known by God.  God knew man was going to sin, it was no suprise.  God willed to permit the fall so as to show in ways we don't grasp the glories of His grace as well as to let man exercise his capacity as a responsible, moral being. 

So did the fall jeopardize God's plan for creation?  When you compare Genesis 3:16-21 to Revelation 21-22, you discover God's purpose in conquering satan, sin and death..

Genesis 3:16-21                         vs                     Revelation 21-22
-God & man separate                                  -God & believers together
-Death & Pain                                              -No Death & Pain
-Exile                                                            -A New Home
-Curse                                                          -No Curse
-Night is setting in                                        -No more night
-Long History ahead                                    -History alomost over
-Paradise lost                                              -Paradise rescued
-Blood of animals                                        -Based on Christ's blood
-Old Adam & Eve                                        -New Adam & Bride

Truly God's purposes and plans are not thwarted.  The glorious truth is that in the end God wins! All who by grace through faith believe will be saved.  Right now is the time of salvation, the perfect time to escape the wrath to come.  This is the wonder of prophecy and redemption, centered in the chief work of salvation and the chief end of God's glory in Jesus Christ. 

The twin-pillars of a solid prayer-life - James 1:5-8

James 1:5-8 "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

Introduction:

The Epistle or Letter of James is invaluable for several reasons. For starters, the author of the letter is none other than the half-brother of Jesus according to the flesh - namely "James" (Mark 6:3). Secondly, we know that James' letter was the earliest of the New Testament books - predating the four Gospels by at least five years. This is particularly important being that we have insight into what the earliest Christians believed. Such observations serve to show that Christianity had retained its core doctrinal and life-practical identity following the days of Jesus through the end of the first century. The third important value of the book of James is that his teachings mirror that of Jesus. 

It is on this third observation that I want to spring board into the subject of today's post: prayer. We know that Jesus taught often on prayer and practiced it, as for example in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 6:14; 7:7; 18:34-35; 21:13, 21). James too wrote on prayer in his short letter, echoing similar sentiments to that of Jesus (see James 1:5-8; 3:14; 4:2). To bring further focus to the post, I want us to look briefly at what James has to say regarding: praying in faith and not doubting.

Prayer is born and thrives amidst trials

Let the reader zero-in on James 1:6 "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." Prayer never begins without some type of tension or pressing need in the background. Prayer doesn't thrive in ivory halls or plush lifestyles. When you look at James 1:3-5, there we see the place of trials in the Christian life. James tells us we ought not be surprised when we are beset by various trials. In an epistle that speaks often on trials, James begins it by saying "count it all joy". Why? The process itself is not the cause for joy, but rather the intended outcome. Notice the process and the intended outcome of James 1:3-4: Testings-->endurance-->spiritual maturity and health. The process is designed to "work out" each step from the previous. Hence, under the pressures of testing God works out of me those qualities which may tend to make me not endure (selfishness, pride, anger, resentment) to yield forth selflessness, humility, joy and thankfulness. As I then in turn exercise myself in such Spirit-driven virtues, I will grow up in them and thus be made more Christ-like. 

As we move forward to verses 5-6 of James, we find of course the urgency to pray and not doubt. Both before and after these verses we find further exposition on the place of trials. As I said earlier, prayer is never born in a vacuum, but issues forth whenever there is a perceived need for God. 

The reality of a prayer-life with God explodes when we realize we're not being real with God

The surrounding context of James 1:5-6 explains why there would be the possibility of wavering and being double-minded. It is easy to pray with all the confidence in God whenever we are sitting on a padded pew on a Sunday morning. However, when the wind blows, will our prayer-life go with the wind or will it change the course of it?  The late great author of the devotional: "My Utmost for His Highest",  Oswald Chambers, notes in the June 9th entry: "There is nothing more difficult than asking. We will have yearnings and desires for certain things, and even suffer as a result of their going unfulfilled, but not until we are at the limit of desperation will we ask. It is the sense of not being spiritually real that causes us to ask." Chambers later notes: "You cannot bring yourself to the point of spiritual reality anytime you choose. The best thing to do, once you realize you are not spiritually real, is to ask God for the Holy Spirit, basing your request on the promise of Jesus Christ (see Luke 11:13). The Holy Spirit is the One who makes everything that Jesus did for you real in your life."

What are the twin-pillars of a solid prayer-life with God?

We know that prayer is born and thrives in the context of testing. We also have learned that by being real with God, the Holy Spirit enables us to soar in our prayer lives. James 1:5-8 instructs us on what not-to-do when it comes to prayer. Such instructions expressed in the negative can also be restated postively to encourage us in confident prayer. Notice the following twin-pillars of a solid prayer-life...

Pillar # 1. Begin your prayer by asking for wisdom. James 1:5

We see a perfect example of the application of such prayer in the life of King Solomon. At the beginning of his reign, Solomon was made keenly aware of his own short-comings in the natural realm. God had given Him a task - to rule the nation of Israel. Such a task required not natural - but supernatural wisdom. Notice the exchange between Solomon and God in 1 Kings 3:9-12 "So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 10 It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 12 behold,I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you." I find when I begin to pray, wisdom ought to be the first thing to ask for. Why? Even if I don't sense how far short I may fall in light of a given situation, in prayer, that natural inability is heightened. I need the power of the Holy Spirit in me to bring to bear the power of the risen Christ to address and meet whatever task God has placed in front of me. Such a consistent request for wisdom underscores how dependant we are on God for everything in our lives. 

Pillar #2. Ask in faith with a unified mindset towards God. James 1:6-8

We begin with the request for wisdom in our prayer life. But now what is the second pillar necessary for a solid prayer-life with God. Simply put - a unified mindset. James repeatedly warns of not being a "double-minded man". Quite literally, James is warning about being a "double-souled man" or functioning spiritually like a split-personality. Paul writes of the double-minded Christian, or what he terms "carnal" in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?" The only way in which we can be unified within our minds and souls is by daily focusing upon and bearing up the cross of Christ. 

The unity of mindset towards God that is desperately needed in prayer is acquired in "having the same mindset that is in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:1-4). The late A.W Tozer describes what it is like when we are "double-minded", and the cure to such a state. He writes in his book: "The Pursuit of God", page 52 -"(W)hy do they know so little of that habitual communion with God which the Scriptures seem to offer? The answer is our chronic unbelief. Faith enables our spiritual sense to function. Where faith is defective the result will be inward insensibility and numbness toward spiritual things. This is the condition of vast numbers of Christians today. No proof is necessary to support the statement. We have but to converse with the first Christian we meet or enter the first church we open to acquire all the proof we need. A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, enclosing us, embracing is, altogether within reach of our inner selves, waiting for us to recognize it. God Himself is here waiting our response to His Presence. The eternal world will come alive the moment we begin to reckon upon this reality."

The reckoning of the reality of God's presence is the unity of mindset's function in prayer. As the Holy Spirit works through us and in us in our prayer-lives - He raises us to truly experience His experience of Jesus the Son. If we will but install these twin-pillars in our prayer-life: asking for wisdom and a unified-mindset towards God; we will then have a solid prayer life per James' instructions in James 1:5-8. 

Why God is Great - Hebrews 1:1-2:4

Hebrews 1:1-2 "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to usin His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things,through whom also He made the world."

Hebrews 2:1-4 "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty,3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,4 God also testifying with them, both bysigns and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will."

Introduction:

When I think of great things in creation, one of the objects that come to mind are the great California Red Woods. It is my own personal dream to someday visit these giants of the plant world. I'm sure pictures don't do justice. The size, scope and age of these trees enable me to consider an uncontested example of greatness in the natural, created order. However, the distance between the greatness of all things in the created order versus the God of revealed scripture is infinite. Hebrews 1:1-2:4 will be the bridge we will cross in answering the question: why God is so great?

Understanding God's greatness in the book of Hebrews

In the opening verses above we see four distinctly great truths that provide Biblical reasons behind the greatness of God. Before I mention what those truths are, it must first be noted that the book of Hebrews is an appeal - most likely a sermon - written to persuade former Jews converted to Jesus to not go back to their former Jewish lifestyle. The Book of Hebrews is all about unfolding the greatness of Jesus Christ, and why it is He is "greater than" anything. If one were to peruse Hebrews 1:1-2:4 (the focus of today's post), the theme of "greater than" or "better than" would emerge (compare Hebrews 1:4; 2:3). The opening seciton of Hebrews underscores the greatness of our God and more particularly - the greatness of Jesus Christ in relationship to the Father with whom He shares the same, eternal, undivided nature (along with the Person of the Spirit).

With that very short introduction - we now turn to the main point of today's post - four reasons why God is great. Notice that God is great because....

1. God is great. Hebrews 1:1

2. God is greatly revealed by the scriptures. Hebrews 1:1

3. God is revealed by the greatness of Christ Jesus. Hebrews 1:2-14

4. God has engineered Great salvation

Hebrews 2:1-4

So lets look at these in short order. Firstly, God is great because.....

God is Great. Hebrews 1:1

This may sound like a stutter - however when it comes to God, greatness is not just an attribute of God - greatness is what God is. God's greatness is synonymous with His glory - that is - the display of His goodness and holiness to His creatures (Exodus 33:18-19). So much Biblical material could be cited about God's greatness as to easily fill dozens of posts. For brevity's sake we will only mention a few premium references. Psalm 99:1-3 extols God's greatness as the King reigning over His people and possessing a marvelous name. Or how about New Testament examples such as Ephesians 2:4 and 1 Peter 1:3 that speak of the greatness of God's love. We read in Jude 1:24-25 that God is so great that He dwells in unapproachable light which no man has seen nor can see. Psalm 147:5 sums up completely our first point here on why God is great - namely because God is great: "Our Lord is great, vast in power; His understanding is infinite." So now let us move on to the second reason why God is so great, not only because He is great, but....

God is greatly revealed by the scriptures. Hebrews 1:1

Hebrews 1:1 states - "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways". Per the time of the writer of Hebrews, the reference to "many portions and many ways" defined the Old Testament scriptures. God's revealed and inspired word was certified by attendant miracles, word-pictures and illustrations through various institutions, personages and events. By extension we could include the New Testament (even though at the writing of Hebrews not all of the New Testament Bible books had been written). For sake of simplicity, God's greatness is specified in the collection of inspired Old and New Testament documents we call "The Bible" - i.e "The Book". 

Like the first point, we could go on and on what makes the books of scripture unique. To think that the infinite great God, who dwells in eternity (Isaiah 57:15; Jude 1:24-25) has stooped down so-to-speak and chosen to communicate via words is truly remarkable. 

Passages such as Exodus 24:4; Jeremiah 1:1-5; Habakkuk 2:3; 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:21 describe the character of scripture as "the voice of God". When the scriptures are unpacked and preached (much like would had been the Epistle to the Hebrews), the Spirit of God speaks through them. The scriptures as written words were composed by the Prophets and Apostles under the Divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). As these books were originally given, they are God's words (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). The church is built upon the foundation of the scripture - which is described as the foundation of the prophets and apostles, with Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). 

No other book in the world can attest nor demonstrate satisfactorily that it is Divinely revealed - save the Bible. Why? The scriptures alone possess two unique qualities: fulfilled prophecy and the unique focus on Jesus Christ. In books such as the Quran or Book of Mormon, their versions of Jesus is but a footnote or appears near the end. In both of those volumes we find no fulfilled prophecy. 

Whenever we consider the Bible - the fact of the matter is that hundreds of fulfilled prophecies exist and Jesus Christ dominates the prophetic anticipation of the Old Testament and the pages of the New Testament. God is the dominate figure of the Bible and is greatly revealed by it. God is great because He is great. Since we have already been talking about Jesus, lets talk briefly about the third reason God is great, namely....

God is revealed by the greatness of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:2-14

This particular point is the main point of this opening section of Hebrews. In one of the most robust statements concerning the Deity and humanity of Jesus - we discover that because Jesus is great, we see God's greatness. By definition - God exists in the Three Persons of the Father, Son and Spirit. Of the Three Persons - the Son operates as the Executive branch representative of the Trinity. Whenever we see the Son, we see the full-orbed revelation of the Father. Though both are to be distinguished for sure regarding their respective identities - nevertheless the Son makes visible and accessible the very essence of God by way of the veil of his flesh (see John 1:14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 10:19).

So much could be said on how we see God's greatness through the Son. Perhaps an illustration is in order, along with a short outline of Hebrews 1:2-14 in unfolding this truth. Whenever I worked at a production plant years ago, I tried learning how to weld. I never got into it too much due to other committments, however, whenever I watched others weld, I would look through a welder's helmet. I could witness the master welder and his torch at work through that helmet. The welder and the torch operated together - with the light of the torch illuminating the welder, and the welder being able to be such by means of the torch. Moreover, because of the helmet, I could watch all of this occur. Now the illustration is of course meant to convey that without the Son assuming humanity, we could never behold the unapproachable light of His Deity. Moreover, you cannot have the Son without the Father, not the Father without the Son. 

The Son greatly reveals God because He is God. He is God in human flesh.

The writer of Hebrews brings this out in Hebrews 1:2-14,

1. Person of the Son 1:2-4

2. Pre-immenence of the Son 1:5-7

3. Pre-existence of the Son 1:8-12

4. Power of the Son 1:13-14

So much more could be said, but we must hasten. God is great because God is great (1:1); greatly revealed by scripture (1:1) and revealed by the greatness of the Son (1:2-14). Now let's consider one more reason why God is great...

God engineered great salvation. Hebrews 2:1-4

Hebrews 2:3 states - "how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard." Here is a question? What makes salvation so great? Without a doubt there are great benefits (forgiveness Ephesians 1:7; peace Romans 5:1; reconciliation 2 Corinthians 5:15-21; hope Ephesians 2:12-13; Romans 5:5). Furthermore, salvation is great due to the change wrought in our hearts (2 Cor 5:17) and the promise of an eternal home (John 14:1-3). Yet, unless our salvation brings us to God - it is not so great. The whole point of the opening of Hebrews is to show that God is the "point A" of salvation, with us being at "point B" and Jesus Christ being the only line that connects the two. Lest we "connect points 'A' and 'B' with Jesus, there is no great salvation. Salvation's greatness is due to the great God that engineered it. The Father planned it; the Son provided it and the Spirit applies it. God is involved from eternity past in the choosing of the believer to the sending of the Son to achieve it on the cross in history. The present reality of salvation is applied by the Spirit to all who believe as a result of responding to His calling in saving faith. 

1 Peter 3:18 states - "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to deathin the flesh, but made alive in the spirit." So many other texts speak of the greatness of God revealed through the greatness of salvation. Salvation is not only viewed as referring to the salvation and reconciliation of believers to God, but the restoration and transformation of the created order (Romans 8:21-25). This of course does not mean that there will be universal salvation, but what it does entail is the bringing about of a New Heavens and Earth at Christ's appearing (2 Peter 3:13) as well as all those who by grace through faith believed on Him.

Conclusion:

I feel like today's post was a thumbnail sketch as to why God is so great. Nonetheless, I hope the reader comes away in awe of God. God is great because....

1. God is great. Hebrews 1:1

2. God is greatly revealed by the scriptures. Hebrews 1:1

3. God is revealed by the greatness of Christ Jesus. Hebrews 1:2-14

4. God has engineered Great salvation

Hebrews 2:1-4