The ridiculous story of Christmas. Is it still relevant?

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8).

Every object we behold calls on us to bless and praise the Lord, who is great. His eternal power and Godhead are clearly shown by the things which he hath made. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. The Lord Jesus, the Son of his love, is the Light of the world. (Matthew Henry).

Watching babies develop is both fascinating and awe-inspiring. As our daughter Trinity is eleven months old now, she has started to self-assemble and organize some of her toys. For example, she has a mobile horse that carries four blocks on its back. When the blocks are off the horse's back, Trinity, like many babies, attempts to replace the blocks, thus recapturing order on the horse (and in her life).

Trinity putting these four blocks together can't help but remind me of the four blocks (backbone of DNA) that God created and put together to create life, in a wholly organized and reproducible (even self-reproducible) manner. Together, the chronological, cause and effect and spatial organization of the universe is definitive scientific evidence for a Creator. By creating this order, God has allowed humans to respond to or ignore His love in their lifetime, in an environment where causes have effects always, and where we have the time-space capabilities and a mind to process and decide on our decision for or against Christ (and our ancestors living B.C., the hope of Christ evident through their lives).

The problem is, as Christians will tell you, we are too ill to respond. Original Sin, Evolution, survival of the fittest, The Fall, whatever you want to call it, has rendered us helplessly selfish.
The solution was, as Christians will tell you, Christmas and Easter.

Because we are made in the image of God, we can't help be distant echoes of our Maker, despite our fully sinful nature. As Trinity's mind organizes itself, her actions evolve with it. Putting those blocks together is a giant feat for a young one -- as her happiness to share her accomplishment reminds us. She is yet to be regenerated with the Spirit of God, yet God is revealing her to Himself already.

When I see Trinity learn new things (seemingly daily) and bathe in the joy of self-awareness, self-involvement, and self-appreciation, I find myself continuously in awe. As I see her body develop in space-time dimensions I marvel at the intelligence and organization of all her cells -continuously emerging and dying in perfect harmony - and the brilliance of the language that superintends and drives these processes. I marvel at the laws of physics that both proceeds and superintends all this biology. I marvel when I try to imagine the moment that life emerged in this universe, and the subsequent billions of years of life that led up to the creation of the being that God could set aside and endow with His image. And creation, aware or not, can only marvel at the Creator who created, the invisible, immortal, immutable, omniscient God whose power and essence is simply out of the reach of modern intelligence.

But none of this can prepare you for the greatest marvel of them all. An invisible God, picked one moment in millions of years of human existence, to send a begotten Son, God incarnate, Jesus Christ, fully God, fully human. The Creator going all in on His created. Christmas.
The greek word kenosis attempts to describe what Jesus did to become fully human yet remain God, to become an infant in the womb of Mary. It has its roots in Paul's words in Philippians 2 (above). However it was accomplished, and because of the subsequent miracle that we call Christmas, those that reject Christ will have to spend eternity in punishment. This is the second price God will have to pay after Calvary.

All this to create a free will species where only a few will choose Him and eternal life with Him. Consider God has created thousands of people in Trinity's family tree that has led to her. Even if all those preceding her choose an eternal life away from God, Trinity has the free will to become one of His for eternity. And that will make it all worth it. That is an incredibly difficult truth for us to come to grips with. What a price.

We as parents have a lot on the line. If Trinity chooses to reject the mercy of God and live a life of ingratitude and un-worship, she will be lost forever. A thought that is inconceivable as a parent.

But if we think we have a lot on the line, think about what God has on the line. He was fine without this round of creation. Yet he proceeded, and not only paid at Calvary (not to mention thousands of years of frusterations and heartache from the Jews), but continues to pay with His created being lost forever.

Christmas was the ultimate tip-of-the-hand. God revealed His only plan that He as the perfect One could execute, but with the ultimate stipulation. Now that Jesus is revealed, there, as the Hebrews writer, "is nothing left to be done if we reject Him" (Hebrews 10:26).

What is scary is I only know a handful of folks whom I know are Christians, among the hundreds (probably more) of people I know with some depth. How will we be happy eternally without our loved ones, our friends that we have made and sustained friendships with, our family? How could a parent be happy eternally without a child they love with all their being? How is God "happy" if the great majority of His Creation is in Hell forever? These are not easy questions.

But Christmas has secured this fate. As parents, the best we can do is by actions and words show our children what is meant by living in fear and trembling of the one who Created. For us, to tell Trinity to follow her heart and the echoes of her Creator, and ignore the calling of the fleeting world of deceit and lies around her. To take the moment to look around and see her Creator's love in the distant galaxies, in the complexity of the world, in the complexity of her developing body and mind, and the beauty and self-awareness that she can appreciate -- and join us in the awe of what life is, and in the worship of Him who chose to give us this life, and in the excitement of what is awaiting those that look up to Him in gratitude; the gratitude of giving us the ultimate evolutionary out, the anti-survival of the fittest, the anecdote to everything we are and this world has evolved to become. Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in a womb, in a manger in the ghetto of ancient Israel, born to a common man and woman. An invisible, perfect God existing in a place outside of space-time? This universe, this world, billions of years of evolution on a tiny planet somewhere in that universe? Christmas? What an absurdity.

Yet millions of people have died over the past 2000 years precisely because they hold this to be true. Millions will gather in churches today and tomorrow, and many in those aisles will hold this to be true. Endless testimonies of the work of the Holy Spirit over the past 2000 years in many of these folks who have held these things to be true -- Soli Dea Gloria.

Is the story of Christmas ridiculous? Of course it is. Yet, as I sit in the pew with Trinity this evening, I look up knowing there is nothing truer than a living, invisible God creating life and, at the right time, becoming man to rescue that life from itself. The Christmas story is unintelligible, hidden and beyond our greatest imaginations. It creates far more questions than answers; though it ultimately has all the answers. But it's also relevant and alive for me and for all those believers across the globe, and all who lived thousands of years ago who could see a God of hope, a God that could conquer everything they have evolved to become. Jesus Christ is the ultimate out because He is the ultimate response to everything humans have become, and everything the Creator intends us to become. Why God became infant and became subject to the very laws He created when He created the Universe ex nihilo was the crux of the ministry of Jesus Christ, and continues to be the crux of the Christian Hope. Today, Trinity begins to embrace the absurd story of Christmas, and begins her journey in which she will freely choose between two very different directions - the narrow road and the wide road (Matthew 7:13-14). The Universe that was created as the cosmic stage for her to make this decision has given her all the necessary accommodations to make a free and informed decision. Christmas forces that decision with an urgency that our ancestors before Christ didn't have. As Matthew Henry put it, "every object we behold calls on us to bless and praise the Lord." Whether we suppress or embrace this calling, is free choice. As Trinity engages her toy horse and places the blocks back on its back, the echoes of God begin to call her, begging her back to Himself, to the one whom created time and space and the laws that govern both, then invaded these dimensions and suspended these laws, 2000 years ago, "once for all". But make no mistake; He will never impart His will on those that don't want it or Him, and He will never compromise the free will of Trinity -- nor anyone else -- no matter the price He pays.

This is the ridiculous and absurd story of a self-sustaining and invisible Creator making himself vulnerable, putting his cards on the cosmic table, for His entire creation made of carbon, and nitrogen, phosphorous and hydrogen, or as the Genesis account simply calls, "dust". This is the ridiculous and absurd story of that same God becoming the created, proving His Deity in a small window of humankind in a small pocket of ancient Mesopotamia. Most of all, Christmas is the ridiculous and absurd answer to the questions humans have obsessed about since the development of the frontal cortex allowed for it: Who are we? Why are we? And to those whom find answers to the first two questions: Who is He? And why does He care for me?

This evening, in earnest, Trinity will begin the journey to answer those questions. The law of physics will ensure she has the environment to answer, developmental biology and the Grace of God will ensure her she reaches the point where she can answer, and me and her Mom will do everything we can that she can hear those echoes and whispers through the noise of this wicked world and generation. And to find the answer we think, rather, we know, is correct: the Creator has revealed Himself most clearly through His Son, whom, 2000 years ago, was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man -- and made Himself nothing. The antithesis of His created nature, survival of the fittest, will be the swan song of all humankind, blown away forever by the everlasting deluge. For the regenerated believer we wait and will continue to wait patiently in faith and gratitude to be united with Him forever, building riches that will never spoil. This evening at church we will join with others in the Joseph Mohr classic, and in confidence, whether this be the last Christmas or there be 2000 more, singing these words, with the hope that Trinity will join us one day:

"Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus, Lord at Thy birth. Jesus, Lord at Thy birth."

Rethinking Eusociality

Last week I was watching the end of the classic film, Runaway Train. As Manny doomed himself (and the Warden) to save Buck and Sarah (a very young Rebecca De Mornay) he was displaying a trait found in both animal and human and thought to be particularly played out in insects and humans, called Eusociality. Eusociality encompasses a much broader concept of altruism, which, in the context of ontology and sociology, is selfless love to others even at the detriment of self. Darwinian evolution explains altruism in the light of kin selection, meaning animals will sacrifice their ability to reproduce or survive if they have a better chance that their DNA will survive through close relatives and their subsequent reproduction. But, altruism outside of kin selection in the animal world, has been explained theoretically by eusociality -- the observable phenomenon in which members of the same species, overlapping in both DNA and generations, care for each other. The thought is they (and we) do this because it ultimately may increase the fidelity of our DNA through our society, primarily. However, kin selection is still an element. Consider this illustration in humans: Most people do other people favors that they do not share their DNA with. Of course, this is usually quid pro quo, and always quid pro quo in non-Christians. This could theoretically improve their survival and the fidelity of their DNA. In insects, many insects take a suicidal role for the betterment of their colonies. This improvement in theory could ultimately improve their chances to propagate (through their close relatives) their DNA. However, the primary force of eusocialism was thought to be group (society) selection. Not anymore.

Here at Harvard, Martin Nowak leads one of the most impressive evolutionary dynamics programs in the world, and is today towards the top of the list of the eminent evolutionary biologists worldwide. A study led by him and recently published in the August edition of Nature, is a true paradigm shifter for eusocialism. By using mathematical modeling, Nowak and colleagues have showed that in fact eusocialism can simply and in fact be explained by survival of the fittest (his work is done in bees). Thus, it seems, outside of kin selection, altruism may be unique to humans, and survival of the fittest "society" may in fact not be what it was once thought to be.

Of course, this is interesting to the Jew and Christian because it may have implications on the Imago Dei, Image of God. While there is no debating that altruism in humans is unique to all other species, whether evolution has provided us with the genetic framework to exercise this altruism must be in serious question right now following Nowak's work. It may be that God uniquely puts in our heart the ability for altruism outside of kin selection during the process of inception, and not during the process of evolution.

Evolutionary biologists are taught to hypothesize outside of the possibility of supernatural causation. However, the evidence from this field continues to point to supernatural causation as the origin, maintenance and creation of life. And ultimately, our acceptance of the supernatural hinges solely on our willingness to perform these acts, after putting our trust in the finished work of God's Son.

Finally, it should be noted, Martin Nowak is a resolute Christian.

repeat post - A celebration of a day

I've copied and pasted a post from last February because I thought it appropriate. My birth into life was made manifest after this day in 2007 when I was 27. When John Wesley was converted to Christ in 1738 -- years after a works-righteous religion in the Anglican Church -- this priest celebrated his conversion at Aldersgate every subsequent year of his life -- thus I celebrate it every year, as an admirer of Wesley's understanding of God's will and Holy Spirit manifested in the world and the person. I think all Christians would do well celebrating their conversion -- God's greatest gift.

Influential people

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1-2).

If I was making a list of the three most influential people in my life, one of those people would be someone I have never met. He resides in a state I have only been to once, and is 30 years my elder. His dad died when he was young from one of the most devastating diseases certainly of the 21st century, ALS. He become a preacher in Oak Hills, Texas, and has since become one of the leading Christian voices in contemporary evangelism. He is the person whom led me to understand what everyone who is convinced that there is a Creator of the Universe needs to understand - that this Creator is intimately involved in His Creation, and always has been. And he led me to Scripture as the revelation of this Creator to His most-prized creation (on Earth at least) - human beings.

I was brought to Christ when these truths and others permeated through me; I was brought to Christ in a prayer similar to this. I thought it only appropriate to share it. I write and think about others places in God's family - and Jews, and Hindus and Buddhists. I have come to know almost as many uncoverted Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Agnostics and Atheists as I have Christians. We can speculate about the mercy and love of God for those that die uncoverted. But we can never forget that if we actually believe in a Holy Creator, which Christians and Jews do, then we can never forget about Holy justice.

This is how I was first convinced, and now am sealed with conviction, that the only way back to our Creator God is through Jesus Christ. Forget about all the religion in the world. Jesus Christ has nothing to do with ceremony and religion. Our Creator is absolutely clear in Scripture - the only way back to Him is through repentance towards Christ Jesus, a free gift from God.

This is the prayer I said (it would be of course completely useless to rehearse this prayer unless you felt similarly in your heart) that converted me to Christ after years of legalism and trying to work my way, at least in part, back to God. And i have no doubt if I outlive Mr. Lucado, He will be one of the first to greet me in Paradise.

http://www.maxlucado.com/pdf/salvation.plan.pdf

Our grave offense of ingratitude

In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessolonians 5:18).

The sin of ingratitude, must be, alongside disbelief, some of our most offensive work as human beings. Consider this:
Is there anything more offensive to God than when we entertain the thought that the mountains He created were an accident, marginalize the Crucifixion with indifference, and watch our neighbor suffer because we want more than we have? Is there anything more offensive to God when we decide to save time by not worshiping Him on Sunday morning, when we take a breath of morning air without acknowledging the source, when we pick up our child without the total marvel of de novo life? And even worse -- when we complain.

We complain about our ankle and don't give gratitude that we can walk and, some, run, at all; we complain about our workloads and our hours and don't give gratitude that we can work or think or initiate and coordinate extraordinarily complex actions, at all; we complain about the mother who shows favortism to a different sibling, the illusiveness of finding "the one" in our life, the conditional love we seem to only find in this life, yet we don't give gratitude that we can even love at all; we complain about the theology of other believers and even condemn them yet we don't give gratitude that we will be in harmonical eternity with these fellow believers; we complain about traffic and headaches and not having as much free time and money as others to "enjoy life", when we don't give gratitude every moment of every second of life that we have been given.

Forget about relativity to other humans and all that non-sensical basis for any complaint -- our relativity as humans is this: we were but nothing once, and now we have been formed, created and breathed into by the giver of Life. And our relativity as Christians: we were doomed to (maybe) enjoy this life for a short time, and destined to die forever, or worse, and now we have the free gift of life and joy eternal because of the obediance and love of Jesus Christ -- yet, and I can speak for myself, walk in constant ingratitude.

I read once about a Christian who had some terribly debilitating neurological disease. First, she lost control of some of her fingers. Then her hand. Then her other hand - her toes, her foot, her other foot, her mouth, her ears, her eye. She had lost everything except control of one of her eyes. And what did she do. She praised God for allowing her to see the beauty around her that He created! This is how every Christian should live.

I have been reflecting on Phillipians 4:4 the last week. When i do this with Scripture, I like to write it down and read it throughout the day. Usually, I get little to nothing out of it, until, in one moment or another, it speaks.

In Phillipians 4:4 Paul writes to the believers in the Phillipi Church -- "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

May we rejoice for the fellowship of His Body, all believers, through the Holy Spirit, the sealer of Life; may we rejoice for creating out of nothing everything; may we always rejoice for He showed us what Love was -- by Loving us first ( 1 John 4:19). May we rejoice for our suffering which brings perseverance, character and hope (Romans 5:2). And may we rejoice because we can, as regenerated believers, be full of God's joy and love for eternity, because of the Love He chose to bestow on us (1 John 3). Whatever our lack of comfort in this world at any moment, or cumulatively is, no matter how much regret or pain we may live in this world at any moment, or cumalatively, let us rejoice. And let us rejoice in Him -- for we have a mediator in Christ Jesus and He knows all that we go through by His perfect suffering (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 2:17-18). And let us rejoice in Him because when we are found in Him when we die, we will be blameless and pure, in perfect, fearless love (1 John 4:18).

Whatsoever our circumstances in this world are or become, whatever our scars and bruises may be, a healthy body or one working eye -- let us rejoice in Him, the One who has began us, maintained us, and, ultimately, can save us from ourselves. Rejoice in Him, while we still can, while the kingdom of God is still at hand, while the door of eternal life is still cracked open. Rejoice in Him for every sense, every sunset, every smile, every breath. And, most of all, rejoice in Him for He has given us the choice not to, He has offered us every chance to live life without Him, outside of Him, and in gratitude of something much different than Him. Rejoice in Him for this freedom of choice -- perhaps the most perfect expression of unconditional love one can conjure up -- and He will give us an eternity through Jesus Christ, to thank Him.

The misery of God and man and Mother's day

"Life is full of misery, loneliness and suffering -- and it's over much too soon." -Woody Allen

But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" (Romans 9:20).

"I AM" -God

This Mother's Day, two people I know lost their mothers, unexpectedly, days before.The stories were heartbreaking and vivid. While losing a mother must be terrible, it is surely not like losing a child. Just last week, a Californian man was sentenced for rape and murder of two teenage girls. One of the mothers, at his arraignment said there were not enough words to describe her "minute-by-minute agony.""I've thought often about her final moments," she said of her daughter. "Was she scared? Was she calling my name?"

This leads us to the only positive argument agnostics have, that, incidentally, also seems to be a really, really strong one. If the God of the Bible exists, they say, than how is it that genetic disease, spontaneous abortion, and genocide exist? How is it that He allows, even seemingly his most "faithful" servants, to suffer almost continuously -- emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. This is, of course, "the argument of pain." There is no other argument that is both succinct and valid against the existence of the God of Scripture. And it is one Christians have been fumbling trying to explain for generations.

While you could easily build a library of books by Christian thinkers on this subject, in my mind, there are only a few things you can actually point to with conviction (conviction, of course, meaning supported by the word of God).

Firstly, the question needs to be restructured: that is, not "Why do bad things happen to good people", but, rather, "Why do good things happen to bad people?"

If by Christian we mean repentant sinner clinging to the cross, then the Christian should struggle with understanding this the least; if we know we are deserving of condemnation, we can only question why we are blessed instead. If I was physically abusive to my wife continuously, I would not question why she would be upset towards me. I would question, however, why a wife would continue to love an abusive husband.

Secondly, we all continue to try to view the forest from the trees, and make sense of the cell without examining the organism. What I mean is simply this: this thing we call life right now, is a blink of an eye compared to eternity. Just like we insist on our babies undergoing painful (more so maybe for the parents) pricks of the skin in order to obtain some sort of immunity against circulating viruses, we undergo Fatherly discipline, for our good and the good of those around us, in ways we cannot begin to understand in this world.

Thirdly, if not death, where is the chance for my baby girl to be born, grow up with food and light and energy, and develop into a person who can reject love or accept it, give love or suppress it?

Fourthly, if not pain and suffering, how can man demonstrate to God and His angels compassion and selfless love?

Fifthly, isn't this life without God? Isn't this all a result of a world given to us, and thrown back to God in rebellion? Isn't this how sin manifests? Jesus Christ and the Apostles regularly present a dualism of world and God. If one loves this world, He cannot love God, because he is of this world. This is what we all chose through Adam.

Six, and the conversation stopper: Jesus Christ came to suffer.
There was an article published in a scientific journal called Nature recently (keeping with my precedent, more footnotes missing) which examined several breeds of Chimpanzees, which, for those whom do not know, share the highest percent of DNA homology with humans than any other animal. Interestingly -- though probably not surprising to anyone whom has owned more than one dog or cat at the same time -- when two young chimpanzees over the course of the study were infected with what turned out to be deadly respiratory infections, the mother and community "mourned" through several behavior modifications. Chimpanzees, like all of nature, "groan" in unison with man; there is something very wrong with death, pain and this world. Something deep within us knows this, and knows this well. We all suffer, but we suffer justly. (I don't want to speculate why animals suffer). But in this all, God came down to earth to feel the pain generation of men have harnessed, and to end that pain forever. Jesus took the morphe doulou, form of a servant, and ultimately, a sufferer. We can look at all the hell on this earth and we can experience it (all of us will at some point). If we are lucky we will not die a slow death, nor ever have to bury a child or feel the black hole of depression. But, truth be told, many, many Christians have and will. Jesus Christ never promises a pass to His flock -- in fact, a cursory read of John assures us the opposite.

How does a God defined by Goodness, and fully Sovereign, exist in all this misery, misery we call "life" on Earth, misery that He thus must allow? Misery that existed before man (and presumably sin) even arrived on Earth? The only answer can be found in the person of Jesus Christ, the faith of Jesus Christ, and, ultimately, the suffering of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ suffered on earth like no man suffered and he suffered as a completely innocent servant. To all Christians whom have suffered immensely, lost children, died terrible deaths, lived and left this world in a sea of pain... this is the only answer. Our Creator is in control in an out-of -control world, His love will one day dilute out all the pain of existence. John is completely faithful when he reports, "God will wipe away every tear" (Revelation 21). But for now, pain and suffering will run rampant. Our only answer to those looking for God and for those whom He has found, seeking a solution to the problem of pain can only be the biography of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And our response to suffering can be found in His last earthly act towards man before His resurrection - the compassionate request to the apostle He "loved the most" to take care of His widowed mother in his absence - "John", He musters moments before death, "here is your mother." (John 19:27).

Easter

The Bible calls atheists and agnostics fools (Psalm 14). The reason for this is we have more than sufficient evidence of God around us.

For me, as ashamed as I am to say it, I wasn't convinced that God was whom He said He was until I investigated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I try to say to atheists and agnostics I know that you owe it to yourself to at least look at the evidence of Christianity.

While I cannot count all the atheists and agnostics I have encountered, I have never met or heard of anybody whom has sincerely investigated the claims of Jesus Christ and has not ended up convinced that all He said and claimed is true.

There is no more significant event in Christianity than the Resurrection of Jesus Christ; without it, we are the fools.

Up to the point of my conversion, the evidence of the Resurrection was my greatest proof that Jesus Christ was everything whom He said He was. Now, it is a far, far second.

Yet it is always enjoyable to revisit some of the evidence. For a thorough report, I suggest Josh McDowell's "Evidence That Demands a Verdict." For a very cursory look, I suggest giving this brief CBN.com article a go.

This life is not even a blink of the eye in comparison to eternity. If you are not a believer, you owe it to yourself to investigate. If you are a believer, you owe it to any non-believer you care about to share with them the facts of the Cross and Resurrection.

I never get tired of summing up the on-point C.S. Lewis - you can either conclude Jesus Christ is whom He said He was - God, whom trust in Him dictates whether you spend eternity in Hell or Heaven- or that He was completely nuts, or that He was something much, much more malicious.

What we truly believe is the only thing that matters to our souls, our faith and its expression the only things that matters in this life.


Courtesy of CBN.com

HOLY WEEK

Did the Resurrection Really Happen?

By Ralph Muncaster
Guest Writer

CBN.com - The crucifixion of Jesus was especially well documented and accepted as fact. The crucial question then becomes, "Did Jesus rise from the dead, proving His claim to be God incarnate? Or did something else happen with His body? Or was He never dead at all?"

A key to this issue is the extreme local importance placed on handling this execution. Jesus' powerful, insightful speaking and many miracles had led the populace to request that He become king. This began to threaten the local political stability of the Romans and the religious power of the Jewish whom Jesus openly criticized. Both the absolute death of Jesus and the protection against a hoax were critical, since Jesus had claimed He would overcome death. Furthermore, He had already raised other people from the dead. As a result, all precautions were taken to secure His corpse (Matthew 27:62-66).

The Bible implies the cause of Jesus' death was cardiac arrest, indicated by blood and water from a spear thrust (medical experts confirm this).

To secure the body, a Roman guard was placed outside the tomb. Such a guard would have consisted of 16 soldiers, with a disciplined rotation for sleeping at night (every four hours, four would switch). The guards all faced the rigid Roman penalty of crucifixion if they slept outside of the assigned shift or deserted their post. The idea that all guards were asleep, considering the death penalty, is especially unreasonable.

To further ensure safekeeping, a two-ton stone was rolled in front of the tomb with Pontius Pilate's seal on it. Breaking the seal without the official Roman guard's approval meant crucifixion upside down.

The central issue -- unexplainable by Jewish leaders, especially in light of the many precautions -- is:

What Happened To Jesus Corpse If He Did Not Rise From The Dead As Indicated In the Gospel Accounts?

The official explanation is that the disciples stole the body while the guards were asleep (with the priests protecting the guards from the governor). This story was necessary only because no one could produce a dead body of Jesus, which would have stopped the resurrection story forever. Is a theft of Jesus body even remotely possible given that:

1. All 16 guards would have had to risk the penalty of crucifixion by sleeping while on duty or deserting. Surely at least one guard would be awake.
2. The disciples were in a state of shock, fear, and disarray, having seen their Master crucified. Is it reasonable to think they quickly created a brilliant plan and flawlessly executed it on the Sabbath day of rest?
3. What possible motive could the disciples have? If Jesus was not the Son of God as He claimed, stealing the body would create a lie with no apparent benefit, and death for no purpose for the disciples.

Analysis of Other Explanations

Was Jesus really dead? Crucifixion was more routine and was a longer, more visibly excruciating death than the electric chair is today. Is it likely that such professional executioners would not know death? The final spear thrust to the heart area was to ensure death. For such a political threat, they would be certain. If Jesus was not dead, what are the chances that a barely living person could move a two-ton rock from the inside of a tomb and escape a full Roman guard unnoticed?

Was the body stolen at night? Recognizing that no flashlights nor infrared sensors were available then, is it likely that a band of scared disciples carrying torches could bypass a full Roman guard, move a two-ton rock, and not be noticed? Furthermore, the Sabbath greatly limited movement. And again, for what motive?

Eyewitnesses to the Truth Died to Tell the Story

Martyrdom for a belief is not unique. But what kind of person would die for a known lie? Someone insane? Would all the disciples face hardship and death for a known lie? The disciples were with Jesus constantly for three years. They would certainly know the truth of the resurrection. Lying would serve no purpose since Jesus' ministry would then be moot. Yet historical record and reports about the disciples indicated they all died cruel deaths for their beliefs (except John). James was stoned, Peter was crucified upside down, Paul was beheaded, Thaddaeus was killed with arrows, Matthew and James (Zebedee) faced sword deaths and other believers were crucified.

The Testimony of the Catacombs

Underneath Rome lie some 900 miles of carved caves where over seven million Christians, executed for their beliefs, were buried. Other believers hid and worshiped in these caves during the height of Christian persecution. The earliest known inscriptions in the walls were dated A.D. 70. Some early occupants probably communicated directly with eyewitnesses of Jesus. Since about A.D. 400, the Catacombs were buried and "forgotten" for over 1000 years. In 1578 they were rediscovered by accident. Today they can be seen as silent memorials to many who died rather than curse Jesus or bow down to an emperor's statue. Christian martyrs differed greatly from other world martyrs in that historical facts were the foundation of their beliefs -- facts verifiable at the time -- not just ideas.

Hostile Witnesses Turn Christian

Paul, a leading executor of Christians, gave up wealth, power, and comfort upon seeing the resurrected Christ, then wrote most of the New Testament. Two Sanhedrin members (not present when the Sanhedrin sentenced Jesus to death) were secret disciples. Unbelieving natural brothers of Jesus later became believers after the resurrection.

Indirect Archaeological Evidence

Evidence that the people in Jesus' time believed in the resurrection is found on caskets of bones (ossuaries) discovered in a sealed tomb outside Jerusalem in 1945. Coins minted in about A.D. 50 were found inside the caskets, dating the burial within about 20 years of Jesus' crucifixion. Markings are clearly legible, including several statements reflecting knowledge of Jesus' ability to overcome death.

Examples of writings (in Greek) of hope for deceased loved ones include: "Jesus, Help" and "Jesus, Let Him Arise." The caskets also contain several crosses, clearly marked in charcoal. This is powerful evidence that early Christians believed in Jesus' ability to triumph over death. It also ties the idea of victory over death to the cross.

Prior to the resurrection, "grave robbing" was not considered a serious offense. The resurrection changed that. An inscription found on a tomb in Nazareth warns that anyone found stealing from the tombs would receive the death penalty. Scholars believe the inscription was written as early as Tiberius (circa 37 B.C) or as late as Claudius (A.D. 41-54). In the latter case, it would have been shortly after the crucifixion. Naturally, Jesus' hometown of Nazareth would be an obvious city of "interest" to officials.

The Wrath of God, suffering, and Hell

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby. However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you. (Deuteronomy 20: 13-20)

I'm as guilty as any other, but sometimes we get so intoxicated with the love and mercy of God, we neglect a vital part of His character. Since the beginning, God's full charachter has been on display in this world. One doesn't have to look far to be see this truth in Nature - cruelty, suffering and pain are ubiquitous. But how can a loving God allow all this cruelty? Even more, how could a loving God have created all this cruelty?

Perhaps the only intriguing argument of Darwinism is how a God of Love could have created so much cruelty. But, as one scholar points out, it is important to remember that, at one level, God reserves the right to be inscrutable, and sometimes, we cannot fathom the reasons of why He does how He does. (Job 11:7, Isa 40:28). As true as this is, it doesn't stop from being less than satisfying. Many people have speculated many reasons. While they may all have their points, the common thread seems to be to re-create God in the prenotions we have from the Gospel message. This is surprising though, it is the wrath of God in the first place that mandates the Gospel. In the understatement of this blog, fortunately God offered a solution.

Unbelievers need only to look around them to see ripples of the wrath of God. But if we really want to see it, all we need to do is open our Bible.

The Jews were constantly agents of God's wrath. Genocide - infantacide - were not uncommon. Torture also. Less Noah, his family, and a pair of some animals, God wiped out an entire population of animals and people. Yes, but that was before Jesus came to earth, and the new covenant, one may object. To that I say: did anybody speak of eternal torment more than Jesus Christ?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). For all the unrepentant whom ignore the pleas of God's neverending mercy and love, God's perfect nature demands justice. That justice is eternal separation from everything that is good, and an eternity of relentless torment, from the One whom has shown what His wrath is capable.

Repent or perish, or risk Hell, full of eternal torment (Luke 12-13, Matthew 25). This is the choice we all make.

Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." (Romans 9:13).

Are you born-again? Sometimes, enough is enough.

"Are you born-again? "
Have you heard the Good News?"
These are questions we often hear or share in the Evangelical circle, however, these questions can be strange to those whom have faith in Jesus yet didn't have a defined, born-again moment, that they are aware of (of course, they did have one).

Romans 10:11-13 is vital to the Christian identity. Here, the "minimum" knowledge of what a Christian believes is noted. In other words, if a Christian believes this, then they have already been born-again and are Christians, whether they know it or not, and no matter how ignorant of God's word or misled they are by their "church leaders."

So let us examine this truncated Gospel.

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

All those whom have called on Jesus will be saved, because, of course, they must believe He is Risen if they are calling on Him. When we are saved, we always confess our Lord with our words, because we realize He is our one hope, and we are hopeless sinners. This is faith. Many have this faith, and have no idea what we are talking about when we ask him if they have been born-again. It's important for us to understand this clearly, as it can be a terribly confusing barrier between orthodox and evangelical branches of the faith. If are to maintain salvation is by grace alone by faith alone, we must understand that those whom have faith in Jesus Christ may not realize their salvation has been credited to them by grace alone - yet for the very reason its grace alone they have been born-again and are saved, and are being sanctified just as we are. Thus, it is a theological mistake to call other believers whom are relying somehow on themselves to say they are not saved - this is an important distinction and one that needs to be readily made. We should not be re-evangelizing those that have faith.

But let us close with the last verse of this section.

Romans, 10:14-15.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Francis of Assisi (known as "St. Francis" to some) famously said "Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words." I've come to understand that this really makes no sense at all. We have been commissioned by God to share the Gospel. We need to explain the Gospel for folks who believe they are sinners to believe upon Him, in words. Romans 10 is explicit as what confessing our Lord encompasses. If we have been born-again, even if we do not know what that means, to confess Jesus as Lord isn't reciting some creed in church. It's sharing the Gospel with your loved ones, your friends, your co-workers, and strangers.

Are you born-again?

If you trust that God sent Jesus to die for your sins, and He was risen from the dead as Lord of the Universe, and if you have called upon Him to be saved and entrusted Him, then you are saved. And if are saved, you can be assured God will keep you eternally. I think Scripture is clear on this. Even if you erroneously believe you have something to do with your salvation, and even if you believe that you are not saved, or may at some time become "unsaved." This is grace alone by faith alone. A famous evangelical writer whom wrote countless expositions on nearly every Chapter of Scripture during the course of his life, was asked towards the end of his life how he would sum up the Gospel. After thinking about it for a minute he responded, "Jesus loves me, for the BIble tells me so." This is the Gospel of Grace.

As an Evangelical Anglican recently pointed out to me, it's not our theological aptitude that is the deciding factor. "We are saved by grace alone. PERIOD. We are not saved by grace PLUS KNOWING IT'S ONLY BY GRACE. Does our sanctification depend, in part, on this knowledge? Yes. But salvation...absolutely not."

What is at stake here? For one, wasteful evangelism, not recognizing other true Christians as brothers and sisters, and, of course, immensely hurting the kingdom of God. Secondly, we can know with certainty through God's Grace that the countless Christians whom died with the erroneous (and heretical) teaching that our works play a role in our salvation, despite their theological ignorance, were as saved as me and you.

There is a joke in the Christian world about Baptists. A Christian dies and goes to heaven. As he is being shown around, at some point the guy showing him around turns to him and tells him to quiet down. He asks "Why?" The man turns to him and points to a group of Baptists they are approaching. "They think they are the only ones here."

While it is okay to be reassured that our theology is tight-knit because it is what the Bible says, it is not okay to extrapolate beyond the Bible. Scripture is clear that we are saved through the outpouring of God's Grace, through the free gift of faith. Just like we cannot qualify ourselves for the prize, we cannot disqualify ourselves either.

Influential people

If I was making a list of the three most influential people in my life, one of those people would be someone I have never met. He resides in a state I have only been to once, and is 30 years my elder. His dad died when he was young from one of the most devastating diseases certainly of the 21st century, ALS. He become a preacher in Oak Hills, Texas, and has since become one of the leading Christian voices in contemporary evangelism. He is the person whom led me to understand what everyone who is convinced that there is a Creator of the Universe needs to understand - that this Creator is intimately involved in His Creation, and always has been. And he led me to Scripture as the revelation of this Creator to His most-prized creation (on Earth at least) - human beings.

I was brought to Christ when these truths and others permeated through me; I was brought to Christ in a prayer similar to this. I thought it only appropriate to share it. I write and think about others places in God's family - and Jews, and Hindus and Buddhists. I have come to know almost as many uncoverted Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Agnostics and Atheists as I have Christians. We can speculate about the mercy and love of God for those that die uncoverted. But we can never forget that if we actually believe in a Holy Creator, which Christians and Jews do, then we can never forget about Holy justice.

This is how I was first convinced, and now am sealed with conviction, that the only way back to our Creator God is through Jesus Christ. Forget about all the religion in the world. Jesus Christ has nothing to do with ceremony and religion. Our Creator is absolutely clear in Scripture - the only way back to Him is through repentance towards Christ Jesus, a free gift from God.

This is the prayer I said (it would be of course completely useless to rehearse this prayer unless you felt similarly in your heart) that converted me to Christ after years of legalism and trying to work my way, at least in part, back to God. And i have no doubt if I outlive Mr. Lucado, He will be one of the first to greet me in Paradise.

http://www.maxlucado.com/pdf/salvation.plan.pdf

A saving prayer

"Whatever not of faith is sin" (Romans 4:13).

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."
(James 2:10).

Whether you have been attending a church all your life, or if you have never, or if you are somewhere in between, if you desire eternal life, pray this prayer. If you mean it, if you truly mean it, it will forever join you to Christ and eternal, joyful life.

Almighty God, I cannot escape from your pursuit. You have found me and inclined my heart to believe in you.

I confess my sins which are worthy of eternal punishment.

And I believe now in Jesus, that as your Son he died to bear my sin and punishment, so I could live forever and walk in newness of life. I take him as my only hope and acknowledge him as my Lord. Teach me to follow him always.

Thank you, Father, for your forgiveness and your promise to be with me. Guard me now from the evil one.

Amen.

And now you can join in a hymn of truth and life,

Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Five things I've learned in five days from a five-pound baby girl

In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back. -Charlie Brown

On January 14th, thanks be to God, my wife and I welcomed into this world a very small baby girl, Trinity Frances Faber. (pictures and videos to come). In this short-time she has been with us, she has already taught us so much. None the least, how powerfully we can love somebody.

God's word sometimes jumps off the pages for us. Often, God uses our lives and the things in them to reveal deeper meaning into his revelation to us; for brevity, I want to point out five things He has taught me through Trinity, our tiny five-pound, five-day old, baby girl.

5) Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers (Malachi 2:10).

Many Christians (and Jews) know about the Mosaic and the Levitical covenant, but how about the Noahic covenant? Here, God made it clear that we are all His creation, and brothers and sisters.

If I can love Trinity as much as I do, and if other parents feel the same way about their children, there is no barrier between people - time, religion, race - that is meaningful. We are truly all brothers, created Imago Dei (Genesis 1), from a God that is Spirit (John 4). Knowing this, we should treat every human with dignity, respect, servitude, and, above all, love. Interestingly, in America, we celebrated the memorial of Martin Luther King Jr. this week. It is this basic principle of equality that the heroic men and women whom led the civil rights movement based their ideals on. In essence, they argued you can either be a white supremacist or a Christian: you can either believe in the Christian God whom created all men and women equally, or you can be something else, something completely different. This is as true today as it ever was.

4) God is Love. (1 John 4:8).

There is perhaps no word in human history more abused, misunderstood and marginalized as "love". I can't put appropriate effort at this time to even touch upon the Love of God for His creation (and even if I could, it would still be futile). I will say that the closest I have ever come personally to understand this love is when I look into the eyes of this precious little girl. And still, the "love" I have for her is nonsense in comparison to the Love of God for His creation. There should be no more confounding and comforting thought in the world than this.

3) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Oh my legalistic brothers and sisters,trapped in works-righteousness theology, if you only could understand this one truth, how you could see the truth that will set you free (John 8:32).

There is nothing - nothing - that could or ever will change God or Jesus Christ. He is absolutely immutable. All the powers and promises of God are as true yesterday, today and forever. The Spirit cries out, Abba, Father, now and always (Romans 8:15). God rejoices over one found sinner, now and always (Luke 15). God will never leave us or desert us, now and always (Hebrews 13:5).

Parents have been giving birth to Trinitys since the Creation. My feelings for her give me an understanding of the continuity of all our needs and hopes as His Creation - and the immense need we all have for the promises and comfort of Jesus Christ, no matter what period of human existence we live/lived in.

2) But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Luke 18:17) (italics mine).

Biblically speaking, all of us Christians whom practice infant Baptism must make this concession: our argument for infant Baptism is quite weak.

Nonetheless, we appeal to verses like Luke 18:17, though the scant support of Scripture is enough to make any serious Christian uncomfortable. Are Baptists and other Christians right about believer's baptism? Is this how we were intended to show the sign of the new Covenant?

When I look at Trinity, I feel reassured about our practice of infant Baptism. Trinity offers nothing to God; she comes to God with nothing. This is how any genuine repentant heart approaches God, and this is how one day she will approach God, God willing. It is the humility and self-horror of a sinner that is the first step back towards God. While children aren't aware of their sin-condition, their regenerate parent(s) is/are. While Baptism will never be sufficient for re-birth and reconciliation with God without personal faith in Jesus Christ, we maintain that we trust God to bring the baptized infant to repentance, regeneration, faith, and life.

1) "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' (Luke 15 21-24).

One of the very few novels I have ever had the good sense and patience to read was Dostoevsky's "The Idiot." There is one scene where Prince Myshkin is directly addressing the idea of faith. He is explaining to Rogojin of a recent encounter he has had with a woman:

"Well, I went homewards, and near the hotel I came across a poor woman, carrying a child--a baby of some six weeks old. The mother was quite a girl herself. The baby was smiling up at her, for the first time in its life, just at that moment; and while I watched the woman she suddenly crossed herself, oh, so devoutly! 'What is it, my good woman I asked her. (I was never but asking questions then!) Exactly as is a mother's joy when her baby smiles for the first time into her eyes, so is God's joy when one of His children turns and prays to Him for the first time, with all his heart!' This is what that poor woman said to me, almost word for word; and such a deep, refined, truly religious thought it was--a thought in which the whole essence of Christianity was expressed in one flash--that is, the recognition of God as our Father, and of God's joy in men as His own children, which is the chief idea of Christ. She was a simple country-woman--a mother, it's true-- and perhaps, who knows, she may have been the wife of the drunken soldier!


When one sinner repents and looks toward God, like this baby looking towards her Mom for the first time, like Trinity looking at us for the first time, everything makes sense again. The daily mass murder and rape of people all over this globe, diseases, the Haitian earthquake, the constant tragedy and pain of this fallen world - it becomes something radically different. And we can see why and how all this nonsense can exist and persevere, yet there can still be a majestic, holy, loving Father in complete control, whom beckons, begs and chases us down until we turn back towards Him, His love, and how everything that was once supposed to be, and thanks to the blood of Jesus Christ, will become once again.

How God will draw those to him whom lived without knowledge of the Gospel is beyond our scope. How God will draw those to Him whom live in denial of Him after Christ's ministry or the period between Adam and Christ's ministry is beyond our scope.

But, and here is the punchline, if we know how much we can love our sons and daughters we can have no doubt God loves every one He created more, no matter what kind of life they lived, and what kind of state they died in. And it cannot be made more clear how much joy there is in heaven when one sinner repents, when he goes from lost to found, from death to life (John 5:24). I thus think it is not unreasonable for us to hope for the eventual calling and reconciliation of all those whom died not knowing Christ.

Trinity is the reason we hope. She, for us, is a reason why we continue to look heavenward, knowing and trusting there is a much, much better place - a place that is so different from this world, that we still bring her into this despicable world, in hopes we will be together in the next.

And we can have confidence, in the God of trustworthy Covenants, in the God of Love, in the God of immutability, in the God that calls babies and little children to Him, and in the God whom celebrates when any of His lost children are found, that He will search and search and never tire, until He brings Trinity back into His Blessings and Love.

Trinity will continue to teach me about our Creator in the days to come. I have no idea what is next, but i do know this - I can hardly wait.