Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Not responding to evidences is futile...

Simon Greenleaf, one of the principle founders of Harvard School of Law, sought out to prove that the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that the whole Bible in general is a complete hoax. Relying on his expertise, he famously thought that given a good amount of thorough investigation and research, resurrection can be once and for all proven as a myth. But at the end of his research and careful examinations of the Bible, especially the Gospels, he concluded that without a shadow of a doubt, the Holy Bible is infact true to the core, the witnesses during those times were indeed reliable and that the resurrection in truth happened. What was his first intention of disproving the accounts of the Gospel turned out otherwise. He came out supporting the authenticity of the Gospels based on concrete evidences. On his book, AN EXAMINATION OF THE TESTIMONY FOUR EVANGELISTS, BY THE RULES OF EVIDENCE ADMINISTERED IN COURTS OF JUSTICE, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE TRIAL OF JESUS (boy what a mouthful) he stated, "To refuse to acquaint ourselves with the evidences of the Christian religion, or act as though, having fully examined, we lightly esteemed them, is to assume an appaling amount of responsibility."Greenleaf, AEOTTFE, v)

Christianity is not just mere feelings or religious ideologies or even spiritual experience. Christianity is based on factual faith. Clark Pinnock defines these types of facts: "The facts backing the Christian claim are not a special kind of religious facts. They are the cognitive information facts upon which all historical, legal and ordinary decisions are based." (Pinnock, SFYC, 6,7). (Pinnock is Canadian by the way).

I always ask a believer 2 questions, "Do you belive in God?" and if the answer is "yes"(hopefully since that person is a believer) I would charge again with the question "Why?". And most of the time if not all, their answers would either be emotional, experiential or of religious background. Which is all fine and dandy. No problem. But what I'm more concern is the fact that they don't want to dig deeper and find out who God really is based on factual evidences. They just won't go any further. The Bible alone has tons and tons and tons of concrete evidences that supports what the followers of Jesus Christ believes in; that Jesus Christ came to earth, was crucified and burried and on the third day He rose again. This fact is the heart of Christian faith of which the Apostle Paul agreed by stating in 1 Cor 15:14
"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith."
NIV.

I challenge them to find out thetruth about the Truth because the Truth will set them free. (Oi that's very biblical.)
Christ has indeed risen and the Bible is indeed true and that faith in Christ Jesus in truth is not a blind leap of faith into the dark but a clear vision leap of faith into the Light because He is the light of the world and those who follow Him will never not walk in darkness(John 8:12 NIV).

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