The Glory of God

The word glory appears 359 times in the English Standard Bible, nearly once for every day of the year.  Have you ever wondered exactly what the word glory means and how it is used in Scripture?  I have.

The Hebrew word most often translated as “glory” is kabod.  The word literally means weight or heaviness.  We most often think of glory as the visible display of God’s holiness, as when God’s presence filled the tabernacle:

Ex. 40:34-35 (ESV)  Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

We can see how that definition might apply since God’s glory is weighty, significant, and worthy of honor.  It also refers to God’s reputation and honor among the nations. 

1 Chron. 29:11 (ESV)  Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

His glory is not something added to God but is inseparable from His nature.  It is God’s invisible excellence made visible, His power, wisdom, and honor.

Moving to the New Testament, we see God’s glory most fully in Jesus Christ, He embodies it:

John 1:14 (ESV)  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Heb. 1:3 (ESV)  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The word radiance (apaugásmatos) here means Jesus shines forth God’s glory from within. 

Why is this important?

As I write this, most of the Christian world is about to celebrate Easter, Resurrection Sunday, the last day of Passion Week.  It is the death and resurrection we honor that makes one of the greatest and humanly unfathomable promises of God possible:

2 Cor. 3:7-18 (NLT)  7 The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 8 Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.

16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

We, who have turned to the Lord Jesus, alone can see the glory of the Lord and are being changed daily into His glorious image. Glory be to God!

Logic and the New Testament

When I was in college, there was a saying in the philosophy department: “You cannot not use logic.”  If that’s true, do you suppose the New Testament writers used logic?  Let’s see.

There is a clear example of Paul using deductive (if-then) reasoning in 1 Cor. 15:13 where he is arguing with a portion of the Corinthian church who believed there was no resurrection from the dead: (ESV)  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  Actually, his argument continues through verse 19, repeatedly using deductive logic to make his point.

A logical tactic called reductio ad absurbdum (reducing the opponent’s argument to show it is absurd) is used by Jesus Himself in Matt. 12:25-26 (ESV)  Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

In philosophy, one logical argument used to show the universe was created is called the teleological argument, which says that because the universe has many design features. These things are too complex to have occurred accidentally or at random; therefore, there must be a designer.  Paul uses this argument in Romans 1:19-20 (ESV)  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.  Just as a side note, the chances of the DNA molecule forming randomly is 10601.  For reference, the number of atoms in the universe is only 1080.

Another logical form of argumentation is called the a fortiori form (“how much more”).  It argues that because something is true in a smaller sense, it must be true in the greater sense.  Matt. 6:26 is a good example of this, where Jesus says, (ESV)  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 

James, the Lord’s half brother, uses analogies (argument by comparison) to make a point for the danger of the tongue in his book: James 3:3-5 (ESV)  If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

In Romans 2:14-16, Paul uses an argument called “an appeal to conscience” to make his point: (ESV)  For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Last of all comes the dilemma argument, the either/or argument.  Jesus uses this in Matt. 6:24 (ESV)  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Why is this important

The New Testament is not a collection of fairy tails, it is a solid, well argued, both philosophical and theological work that stands proudly in the marketplace of ideas. 

In John chapter 1, Jesus is identified as the Word four times.  The English word “logic” is derived directly from the Greek word logos and means the rational principle governing the universe, reasoning, intelligibility, speech, or explanation.  In the New Testament, it means the rational self-expression of God, the ordering principle of creation, and the one through whom all things were made.

For the Evangelical, the connection between logos and logic is not accidental.  Christianity affirms that ultimate reality is rational, not chaotic.  Because Christ is the Logos, reason itself reflects God’s nature.  This is why Scripture can use arguments, reasoning, and persuasion without contradiction.

Unlike other world religions, Christianity has a powerful apologetic feature.  Because Christianity is true, it is logically defensible.  It makes truth claims that can be tested and proven.

How to Read Your Bible

There is often confusion among both Christians and non-believers about what certain passages of the Word of God mean.  Some taken out of context may sound silly or go against what we know is true.  The old saw “The Bible means what it says and says what it means” has to be understood within the passage’s context.  It is the context that we’ll look at in this blog post.

Let’s start with what the Bible is.  The Bible is a collection of 66 ancient documents, fully inspired by the God of the universe, presented to man over more than fifteen centuries through more than forty writers.  If you look at the words directly spoken by God and recorded in the Bible, you’ll see that God, though He is all-knowing, doesn’t use a lot of big words.  Those are left to theologians and philosophers.  C.S.Lewis once said we should write to express and not to impress.  God seems to agree. The Bible is meant to be understood. He writes to express though sometimes we misunderstand.

The biggest contributor to Bible misinterpretation, I think, is that we think since every word is inspired, every word or expression must be taken hyper-literally.  For example, Deut. 23:11 says the sun sets  (ESV), but when evening comes, he shall bathe himself in water, and as the sun sets, he may come inside the camp.  We know the sun doesn’t set, the earth rotates, yet many Bible critics will use this to say the Bible is archaic and non-scientific.  Interesting, they don’t criticize papers like the L.A.Times or N.Y.Times when they give the times for sunrise and sunset.  No, “the sun sets” is a figure of speech and should be understood as such.

Another similar criticism is to claim the Bible says the earth is flat because it has corners: Isa. 11:12 (ESV) He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.  Like the example of sunsets, this seems like a silly idea to push, but many Bible critics are willing to cite this as an example of the Bible’s errors or archaic misunderstandings.

The Bible not only uses figures of speech, but it also uses figurative language.  God will, for instance, use anthropomorphic language that many will misunderstand and turn into doctrine.  Mormons, for instance, believe God is just an exalted man with a physical body.  So they will use this symbolic language to try to support their view:

God has an arm: Isa. 53:1 (ESV)  Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

God has hands: Deut. 2:15 (ESV)  For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished.

There are more examples (Ps. 33:18; Deut. 8:3), but these will suffice.  The problem is that when you begin to accept figurative language, you are forced to accept all figurative language:

God is a bird: Ps. 91:4 (ESV)  He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;

God is a blast furnace: Heb. 12:29 (ESV)  for our God is a consuming fire

Lastly for this blog post, I’d like to address the poetic language of the Bible.

Isa. 55:12 is a good example of this:  (ESV) “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”

No, the hills didn’t sing or the trees clap their hands.  This is obviously poetic language expressing great joy.

Why is this important?

This may sound odd or sacrilegious, but, in some ways, the Bible should be read like a local newspaper.  If there is language that doesn’t sound right in the context of the passage, we should check to see if it is a figure of speech, figurative, or poetic language. Read the passage in context.

There are lots of other tactics Bible skeptics use, but these are the simplest and silliest ones.  Don’t let someone push you with these or other examples.  They are only looking to discount the amazing Bible we hold in our hands, God’s communication directly to us.  This Bible has stood against skeptics for thousands of years, and it will not be changed:

Matt. 5:18 (ESV)  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

How Omni is God?

When we talk about God’s infinite nature, we usually talk about the three “omnis”: His omniscience (infinite knowledge), omnipotence (infinite power), and His omnipresence (infinite presence).  But other attributes of God are infinite as well: holiness, love, grace/mercy, and eternity, for instance.

Before we get into those, though, I’d like to look again at what infinity is.  There are two types of infinity related to duration: actual and potential infinity.  God is actually infinite.  That is, God has always existed from eternity past and will always exist to eternity future.  You and I are potentially infinite.  We had a beginning, but we will live forever.  There is no end to our existence. 

Where God cannot number His days, we can.  Though there will be no end to our existence, the number of days we exist, assuming time will always be measured in days, will always have a number.  There are about ten to the eightieth power electrons in the universe (ten octodecillion).  While that is a very large number, it is still an actual number that can be divided, added to, subtracted from, and multiplied. 

Infinity is larger than that.  Infinity is a number so large that it cannot change value when you add, multiply, divide, or subtract from it (except to divide or subtract infinity from itself).  It’s really so large, we can’t wrap our heads around it.  Let’s look at an old description of infinity just to add to the confusion:

Imagine a library with an infinite number of books.  In that library, there is an infinite number of red books and an infinite number of black books.  Each book has an infinite number of pages.  With this example, there is the same total number of books as there are red books.  There is the same number of pages in one book as there are pages in all the books combined, and the same total number of books.

It doesn’t make sense to our finite minds, but this is the concept of infinity.

Now, how infinite is God? God is infinite in His power (God doesn’t make logical contradictions such as square circles, but all His purposes are irresistible):

Luke 1:37 (ESV)  For with God nothing will be impossible.

                Job 42:2 (ESV)  “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.”

God is infinite in His knowledge (all things actual, possible, past present and future):

                Psalm 147:5 (ESV)  Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.

God is infinitely present (His being is not spread out but the entirety of His being is everywhere):

        Jer. 23:24 (ESV)  Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

God is infinitely Holy (absolute moral perfection and separation from sin)

Isa. 6:3 (ESV)  And one cried to another and said:  “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

God’s love is infinite (immeasurable and eternal)

        Eph. 3:19 (ESV)  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

God’s grace and mercy are infinite (it is eternal)

Psalm 136:1 (ESV)  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

God’s duration is infinite (past, present, and future)

       Psalm 90:2 (ESV)  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Why is this important?

Our God is infinite beyond all human understanding, but don’t feel inadequate.  We’re not alone in our ignorance. No one understands God except He Himself:

                1 Cor. 2:11 (ESV)  So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Hopefully, we see from this how truly great and grand the God we serve is.  There is none greater.  He is the one true God and the only God with whom we have to do.

Pre-existence of the Soul

Pre-existence of the Soul

I was asked an interesting question thing morning: “What evidence would you use to disprove the Mormon belief in the pre-existence of the soul?”  I really didn’t have an answer, so I thought I’d look into it.  Here is what I found: 

  •  Genesis 2:7 (ESV)   then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Adam became a living being at that moment.  Humans begin life when God forms them physically, and not before.  The verse does not say Adam’s soul existed before his body but came to exist at the same time as his body.  The order is formation, then breath, then living soul, not a pre-existing entering the body.  This suggests the soul begins when God gives life to the body.

  • Zech. 12:1 (ESV)  The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him:

God forms a human’s spirit within his body not before the body is created.

  •  Heb. 9:27 (ESV)  And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

God’s plan is one earthly life and one judgment.  The Mormon belief is a three-stage life: first, a life as a spirit child, then an earthly life, then again life in the heavens.  The Bible speaks only of one human life story, not a story before we are born.

  •  John 3:13 (ESV)  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

Only Jesus has come from heaven; no one else.  Jesus’ heavenly existence is then human existence is unique.  If all of us had pre-existed, Jesus’ life would not be unique and would not be worth mentioning. 

  • 1 Cor. 15:45 (ESV)  45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

So, a man became a living being not a spirit became a man.  The living being did not exist without the man – without the physical body, but the human physical body became a living being.

  • The Bible never mentions a pre-mortal council or spirit children.  Christian apologists argue that such a major doctrine would appear clearly in Scripture if it were true.
  • Key Mormon proof texts do not require pre-existence:

Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV)  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Foreknowledge is not necessarily pre-existence

Eph. 1:4 (ESV)  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

This refers to God’s knowledge and plan, not a literal prior life.

Why is this important?

So, humans become living souls when God gives life (Gen. 2:7.  The spirit is formed within the person (Zech. 12:1).  Humans live one earthly life before judgment (Heb. 9:27).  Jesus alone came from heaven (John 3:13).  The first man became a living being not a living being became a man (1 Cor. 15:45)

Christ as God in the Early Church

The idea of Jesus being God by nature is so often mentioned in the New Testament and early church history, I wondered if it was necessary to devote a blog to the subject, but there are organizations out there who deny this truth, so I believe it is beneficial for the average Christian to have the evidence to support the deity of Christ and defend against those who deny it.

One of the most often committed errors by those who deny Jesus as God is the belief that only the Father is God.  When we say “Jesus is God,” they think we’re trying to prove Jesus is the Father.  This is the equivocation fallacy as I mentioned in the blog post on The Trinity in the Early Church.  In English, “God” can mean both a nature and a being.  So, when we say Jesus is God, we mean He is God by nature.

The early church begins, of course, with Pentecost at Acts chapter 2.  This is when the gospel was first broadly proclaimed by the Christian Church.  Since the New Testament was written after Pentecost, we can start there to see whether the New Testament writers said Jesus is God.  He is, and it is presented very plainly.

One of the best know passages, of course, is John 1:1, 14).  But, there are many other passages pointing directly to the deity of Christ such as Matt. 1:23; John 5:18, 23; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; and 2 Peter 1:1.

But, how about after the last of the apostles died?  Did the early church still believe Jesus was God?  The Apostle John died at the end of the first century.  His disciple, Ignatius, wrote this just about ten years later in the salutation of his letter to the Ephesians:

“Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which is at Ephesus, in Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness and fullness of God the Father, and predestinated before the beginning of time, that it should be always for an enduring and unchangeable glory, being united and elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God: Abundant happiness through Jesus Christ, and His undefiled grace.” (cir. 110 a.d.)

In the same letter, chapter 18, vs. 2, Ignatius writes this:  “For our God, Jesus Christ, was, according to the appointment of God, conceived in the womb by Mary, of the seed of David, but by the Holy Ghost.”

A little later, Justin Martyr (100-150 a.d.) wrote, “And that Christ being Lord, and God the Son of God” (Dialogue with Trypho, 128)

Irenaeus (130 – 202)  said this about the Son: “He [here] refers to the Father and the Son, and those who have received the adoption; but these are the Church. For she is the synagogue of God, which God—that is, the Son Himself—has gathered by Himself.”  (Schaff, Philip. Ante-Nicene Fathers Volume 1 – Enhanced Version (Early Church Fathers) (p. 1210). Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Kindle Edition.)

Why is this important?

To deny the deity of Christ is to deny Christianity as a whole, for without God the Son, we have another Jesus, another Spirit, another gospel.

2 Cor. 11:3-4  (ESV)   But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Gal. 1:6-9 (ESV)  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Jesus’ Family Tree

Sometimes we look at the genealogies in Scripture and just see a long list of names (Jesus’ genealogy in Luke has 77 names listed) and think it would be boring to read all those names.  But we do read them because God says all Scripture is inspired and beneficial.  The genealogies we are given of Jesus may be among the ones we are tempted to skip, but maybe after reading this, we won’t be so tempted.

There are two genealogies for Jesus presented in the Gospels.  The genealogy in Matthew runs through Joseph’s line and shows Jesus is the rightful king of the Jews.  It begins with Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, emphasizes David’s kingship, and traces His genealogy through Solomon and the royal line.  There are also at least fifteen kings listed in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew.

Interestingly, there are also five women mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy as well:

Tamar (Genesis 38) is the first woman mentioned.  She played the harlot with her ex-father-in-law, Judah, because he withheld his youngest son from her, which was his legal duty.  The Mosaic Law, which condemns this, had not yet been written, and Tamar is not condemned for this.

Rahab (Josh. 2) is the next woman mentioned.  She really was a harlot by profession and a Gentile from Canaan.  She helped the Israelite spies when they came to Jericho and is the only one of the five women explicitly listed in the “Hall of Faith” (Heb. Chapter 11).

Ruth (Ruth 1:1-22) is the third woman mentioned.  She was a Gentile, as well, from the land of Moab, but she adopted the Israelite way of life as her own and married Boaz, thereby entering into the line of David.

“The wife of Uriah” (Bathsheba – 2 Samuel 11:2-27) who committed adultery with King David.  There are several speculations over why Bathsheba is not directly named: 1.  It draws attention to David’s responsibility in Uriah’s death, 2.  God’s plan works through flawed human history, 3.  It centers the event on David’s moral failure, 4.  It shows God’s inclusiveness and providence.

Mary (Matt. 1:18) was a young Jewish woman chosen by God for the greatest mission given to a woman of faith: the virgin birth of our Savior.

Matthew’s record of Jesus’ genealogy tells us there is redemption for all, from an adulterous king to a fallen patriarch, to Gentiles, sinners, shepherds, to the virgin mother of our Savior; no one is left out.

Luke’s genealogy of Jesus is a bit different.  While Matthew’s genealogy begins at Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, Luke’s counts back to Adam, the father of man.  David is the only king mentioned, as this is Jesus’ genealogy through Mary, and since it was written to Gentiles, the kingly line held no significance for them.  Here, Jesus’ line from David comes through his son, Nathan.  Luke’s is also reversed from Matthew’s, going from Jesus back through Adam to God.  Matthew starts with Abraham and goes forward.  And Luke gives 77 generations as compared to 42 for Matthew.

Why is this important?

There are a number of reasons these genealogies are important to the believer:

Matthew shows Jesus legal right to the throne of David, the Son of David.  Luke connects Jesus to all of humanity, He is the Son of Man and the Savior for both Jews and Gentiles.

Matthew shows us salvation is offered to all levels of social strata, Luke shows us faithful obedience of ordinary people is rewarded.

Jesus is connected to the covenants of Scripture: the Abrahamic (Matt. 1:1), Davidic (Matt. 1:6), and brings the Adamic connection (Luke 3:38)

Most importantly, the genealogies confirm Jesus as the Messiah in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about David and Abraham.  They show God works through imperfect people to accomplish redemption, and it supports the doctrine of the incarnation: Jesus is fully biologically human as the Son of Man and fully divine as the Son of God.

The Trinity in the Early Church

In some circles, people will point out that “The word Trinity doesn’t even appear in the Bible, so it must have been created by mankind.”

While it’s true the word Trinity does not appear in Scripture, the concept does.  The Trinity doctrine teaches that the Father is God by nature, the Son is God by nature, the Holy Spirit is God by nature, and the three divine Persons are the one being called God.

In the Bible we see this laid out pretty clearly for us: The Father is identified as God: Gal. 1:1.  The Son is identified as God: Heb. 1:8. The Holy Spirit is identified as God: Acts 5:3-4.  But, there is only one God (1 Tim. 1:17).  So, if the teaching was there in the Bible, why don’t we see the term used in the early church?

The understanding that these things were true was there, but how the concept worked was not.

Ignatias (circa. 110 a.d.), one of the Apostle John’s disciples, in his letter to the Magnesians, identifies God the Father:  Now it becomes you also not to despise the age of your bishop, but to yield him all reverence, according to the will of God the Father,

Ignatius, again, wrote this in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 18:  “For our God, Jesus Christ, was, according to the appointment of God, conceived in the womb by Mary, of the seed of David, but by the Holy Ghost. He was born and baptized, that by His passion He might purify the water.”

Tertullian (circa. 210 a.d.), writes in his Against Praxeas chapter 13: “. . . That there are, however, two Gods or two Lords, is a statement which at no time proceeds out of our mouth: not as if it were untrue that the Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God, and each is God;”

The first use of the term trinity in the writings of the early church fathers was by Theophilus of Antioch (circa 175 a.d.) “In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the Trinity, of God, and His Word, and His wisdom.”

This didn’t settle it for everyone in the church, however.  We think the doctrine is hard to understand today after nearly 2,000 years of scholarly writing and thought.  Imagine how difficult it was to understand when they had only the truth to rely upon without an explanation.  We have the same problem in science, for instance: we know that light exists in three forms: particles, waves, and energy, but we don’t know how that works.  God did this with the doctrine of the Trinity as well: we know that it is true, but we sometimes struggle with knowing how.

The main issue in the early church in relation to the Trinity was the nature and position of Christ.  The Jews only believed in one God, the Father.  He was all that was revealed to them in the Old Testament.  There are a few hints at the Trinity in the Old Testament, but the Jews stuck with the Father only.

Once the Son comes into the picture, the Jews in the church had a difficult time grasping who Jesus was and how He could be God too.

There were lots of screwy ideas of who Jesus was early on.  The Docetists didn’t even believe He was physical, A fellow named Marcion (140 a.d.) claimed he was a god but inferior to the Father.  Sabelius (circ. 200 a.d.) taught God was just one person but showed himself as three three persons.  Paul of Samosata (260 a.d.) said he was an inspired man but not the eternal Son.  Paul of Samosata’s disciple, Arias (318) thought Jesus was created by the Father as a sort of lieutenant god,

By the beginning of the fourth century, Arias and orthodoxy were the two main competing theories of how the Son relates to the Father.  The disagreement created such a stir that the first “Christian” Roman emperor, Constantine, called a council at a city in Turkey: Nicaea.  There, more than three hundred bishops argued through the matter.  Arius was there but did not speak.  His representative, Alexander of Alexandria debated with Athanasias, a young (18 years old) deacon from the church of Alexandria.  The orthodox view of the deity of Christ and support for the Trinity doctrine, which the church had believed for nearly 300 years, was confirmed by an overwhelming majority of the bishops.

Arius refused to sign the creed which was produced by the council to reflect their agreed upon ruling.  He was condemned and exiled by the Emperor Constantine – who himself was an Arian – and his writings were ordered burned. 

Why is this important?

To those who might deny the Trinity I’d like to say, for nearly 2,000 years scholarly men and women have dedicated their lives to revealing for us what the Bible teaches in the original languages.  They know what it says.  To think they are lying to us about the Trinity doctrine being contained clearly in Scripture would mean a conspiracy of hundreds of thousands of men and women over twenty centuries who have decided to lie to us but keep the truth to themselves.  I’d ask for a motive if this were true.

So, while the Trinity teaching was revealed by God in the New Testament, its workings were not explained.  The doctrine was settled as an answer to a problem of definition: how could one be three and three be one?  The Trinity doctrine we believe in today was taught in the New Testament era, was challenged by many “alternatives” to the truth, and though put through the fire, it has survived intact as God’s truth always does.

Living Biblically

The Year of Living Biblically is a book written by A.J. Jacobs describing how he, an agnostic, attempted to live according to the Bible for a year.  There was humor in his attempt, but some serious benefits as well.  So, I wondered what the United States would look like if the church, evangelical Christians at least, lived biblically?

If you watch the news, you see a lot of “religious leaders” claiming to be a part of one movement or another. They may even quote a passage of Scripture they believe focuses on a specific cause.  Let me address that a little.  Now, I’ve promised God, myself, and you that I won’t insert political issues into this blog, so I’m not going to start now.  Some of this blog will, however, address how we Christians should act if we join some political cause or another.

There are a lot of demonstrations going on in America right now, some of which are bordering on violent.  How should Christians handle themselves in these sorts of events?  First, I’d like to talk about how some are bringing their children to these protests.  We, as Christians, are to protect our children:

Matt. 18:5-6 (ESV)  5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Causing harm to a child, whether physical, spiritual, or moral harm, is an abomination to God.  Parents who lead their children into such situations to “show them Mommy and Daddy’s cause” but end up causing harm to the child will answer to God for their actions.

Lately, we’ve seen school children cutting school to protest.  Is this what the children should be doing?  Who is teaching them this is the thing to do?  Who is using them for their own cause?

Eph. 6:4 (NKJV)  4 And you, fathers [teachers?], do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Lastly, concerning the demonstrations taking place, I’d like to offer this passage, remembering Paul was writing this under cruel and oppressive Roman rule:

Rom. 13:1-7 (ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

So, we are to obey the governing authorities but within biblical parameters, of course.  Currently, in the United States, this does not mean we are prevented from protesting against that government.  Our basic law, the Constitution, allows for peaceful protest.  Protests aren’t innately good or bad.  Half of the Christian Church is based on protest – that’s why we’re called Protestant – but once the protest is no longer done peacefully, we need to remove ourselves (and our children).  Some believe one side or the other is evil, dastardly, and cruel, but so were the Romans.  While we cannot control the behavior of others, we can control our own.  Let us be models of Christ-likeness

Why is this important?

Living biblically is a good way of life.  To point to a few of the more well-known commandments: Honoring our parents makes for a good home life and a respect for the property and person of others. 

Not committing murder makes for a civil society and does not destroy the family of the victim or the perpetrator. 

Not committing adultery makes for a happier marriage and cuts divorce rates.

Not wanting your neighbor’s stuff, or stealing it, keeps family members out of prison and at home, as well as making for good neighborhood relations and recognizing property rights: the first sign of a civilization.

These are just five of the Ten Commandments.  Think of how much better and peaceful our society would be if just these five were followed.  God is interested in our souls, yes, but He is also interested in our lives.  He wants us to live safely and peacefully.  It is we humans, who mess this up.

So, let’s live biblically and show others how to bring peace to even contentious causes and events.

The Testimonium Flavianum

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”  (Josephus, Flavius. The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus: Josephus’s work, translated by William Whiston in 1737 . Kindle Edition.)

There is a very controversial passage in ancient historian Flavius Josephus’ work Antiquities (18:63-64) called the Testimonium Flavianum (the Testimony of Flavius).  The passage is controversial for a few reasons.  First, it is a very early record of Jesus of Nazareth by a non-Christian writer/historian.  Secondly, it identifies Jesus as “the Christ.”  Thirdly, it says He was a worker of miracles.  Fourthly, it tells of His crucifixion.  And fifthly, it speaks of His resurrection.  You can see why many scholars, secular scholars in particular but many Christian scholars, would see this as an early “fake.”  Most believe Jesus is mentioned in the original, but not the extensive description of His miracles, death, and resurrection.

Many believe the controversial portions were inserted later, perhaps two centuries or more later, by Christians who wished to embellish the memory of Jesus.  This controversy may have been settled to a degree late last year.

In August of 2025, Dr. T. C. Schmidt, a PhD graduate of Yale University specializing in the Historical Jesus, early Christian history, and the background of the New Testament, published the book: Josephus and Jesus, where he challenged the popular view of the TF. 

Using AI, Dr. Schmidt researched the complete writings of Josephus and his potential sources, exploring the relationships between Josephus and those possible sources he may have encountered.  His findings were that the passage is authentic.  In other words, Schmidt believes Josephus wrote it and wrote more than is currently widely accepted.  Here are some reasons why he believes this:

 The TF fits Josephus’ narrative flow too well to be a later insertion.

The TF sits inside a continuous political narrative in the chapter

The surrounding sections concern Roman governors, public unrest, executions under Pilate.

If you remove the TF entirely, the paragraph break becomes awkward and Josephus’ pattern of cataloging disturbances is disrupted.

A later Christian interpolator would not have been able to insert a paragraph that perfectly matches Joesphus compositional habits at this point in the narrative.

The core language is recognizably Josephus’ Greek.

Josephus’ characteristic sentence rhythm. 

The vocabulary is the same as Josephus uses elsewhere

This is not a Christian confessional formula but is consistent with how Josephus describes other figures (prophets, teachers, troublemakers)

The Christian-sounding lines stand out because they are intrusive.  Rather than weakening, Schmidt argues the opposite:

“if indeed one ought to call him a man”

“he was the Christ”

“appeared to them alive again”

You don’t get this kind of stylistic consistency unless something original was already there.

Josephus had direct access to people who knew Jesus’ movement   (one of the strongest points)

Josephus personally knew Ananus and family, the high priestly elites, herod Agrippa II, and Roman governors such as Felix and Festus:

Josephus also mentions James, “the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ” two chapters later without having to reintroduce Jesus.

Once Josephus has named Jesus in Book 18, the James reference makes sense.

Without the TF, the James mention becomes oddly abrupt.  This suggests Josephus already expected his readers to know who Jesus was.

The TF is too restrained to be a Christian invention

It’s what the TF does not say: no virgin birth, no atonement theology, no fulfillment of prophecy, no exalted Christology. 

Instead Jesus is a teacher who was executed by Pilate and followed by a persistent group.

    Why Is This Important?

    Dr. Schmidt’s work draws us much closer to show a non-Christian Jewish historian who was a contemporary of the Apostle John, spoke of Jesus, His marvelous works, and His crucifixion.  As a result of his work, Schmidt is confident in the following version of the TF’s core language:

    “At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man. For he was a doer of surprising deeds, a teacher of people who receive the truth with pleasure. He won over many Jews and also many Greeks. And when Pilate, on the accusation of our leading men, condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him did not cease. And to this day the tribe named after him has not disappeared.”

    The Greek word for miracles can mean “surprising deeds,” so to give as conservative a translation as possible, Schmidt changes it here.  Schmidt also felt justified in removing the resurrection claim as having possibly been added later.  Josephus was a Roman and Jewish historian and kept theological comments out of his writings.

    Even Schmidt’s conclusion gives historical evidence for the life of Christ, His crucifixion at the hands of Pilate due to the prompting of the Jewish leaders of the time, and that Jesus followers did not cease to follow even after His death.

    Historical evidence for our faith is often like a puzzle: it comes a piece at a time rather than a full flood of evidence.  We will need to wait for more evidence perhaps supporting the full TF.  God gives us enough to strengthen our faith but seldom enough to turn it into certainty.