Monday, August 29, 2005
Jesus is Lord!
Jesus is Lord! The phrase is simple, but the concept is profound.
Jesus was a Jewish man of first century Palestine. He was a teacher, renowned in his time and place. He was a religious man who was known for his dedication and moral purity. No one ever successfully accused him of sin. No one successfully refutes his teaching even today. We are to love God with all our hearts and minds, and we are to love our neighbors and care for them as much as we love and care for ourselves. We are not to judge others unfairly, and we should always take care to clear up our own weaknesses before we condemn the weaknesses of others.
His parables are timeless. His understanding of God was profound. His followers had only good to say of him. Sincerity and compassion marked his ministry.
His death on the cross was a public display of his unwillingness to blame others for the accusations falsely brought up against him. His words from the cross included the famous line: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” His love even for his accusers is unparalleled. It is most clearly understood that he was dying not for sins of his own, but it was a death that became like a blood sacrifice offered for others. His final words were: “It is finished!” A triumphant cry of a completed work! What work? His whole life, perhaps, but certainly of his suffering! This work was finished.
But surprise of surprises… the story did not end there. All other stories end with the death of the main character, but not this one. To everyone’s surprise, yet in keeping with ancient prophecy, this man Jesus was made alive again, and he arose bodily from the dead, leaving his tomb empty. He thereafter met with his closest companions and many others, giving them many infallible proofs that he was in fact alive. No other story has such an ending, and the historical credibility of this story has been tested for centuries and has proven itself to be true.
Risen from the dead, Jesus is Lord. Ascended into heaven in plain sight, Jesus is Lord. Coming again as promised by the angels and by Jesus himself, Jesus is Lord. These distinctive truths and more make a strong foundation for the truth of the claim that Jesus is Lord.
Jesus was a Jewish man of first century Palestine. He was a teacher, renowned in his time and place. He was a religious man who was known for his dedication and moral purity. No one ever successfully accused him of sin. No one successfully refutes his teaching even today. We are to love God with all our hearts and minds, and we are to love our neighbors and care for them as much as we love and care for ourselves. We are not to judge others unfairly, and we should always take care to clear up our own weaknesses before we condemn the weaknesses of others.
His parables are timeless. His understanding of God was profound. His followers had only good to say of him. Sincerity and compassion marked his ministry.
His death on the cross was a public display of his unwillingness to blame others for the accusations falsely brought up against him. His words from the cross included the famous line: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” His love even for his accusers is unparalleled. It is most clearly understood that he was dying not for sins of his own, but it was a death that became like a blood sacrifice offered for others. His final words were: “It is finished!” A triumphant cry of a completed work! What work? His whole life, perhaps, but certainly of his suffering! This work was finished.
But surprise of surprises… the story did not end there. All other stories end with the death of the main character, but not this one. To everyone’s surprise, yet in keeping with ancient prophecy, this man Jesus was made alive again, and he arose bodily from the dead, leaving his tomb empty. He thereafter met with his closest companions and many others, giving them many infallible proofs that he was in fact alive. No other story has such an ending, and the historical credibility of this story has been tested for centuries and has proven itself to be true.
Risen from the dead, Jesus is Lord. Ascended into heaven in plain sight, Jesus is Lord. Coming again as promised by the angels and by Jesus himself, Jesus is Lord. These distinctive truths and more make a strong foundation for the truth of the claim that Jesus is Lord.
Friday, August 26, 2005
The World Exists
Most people are willing to admit that the world exists, because they exist in perpetual interaction with it.
It is irrational to claim that we ourselves do not exist. It is in fact undeniable that we exist, because if we did not exist, we could not affirm or deny anything. So if we can do anything, then we must exist. But we do not exist in isolation. One may claim that he or she is the only existing reality, but no one would believe them, because if the person making that claim were right, there would be no one else in existence who could believe them.
It makes no sense to deny one’s own existence. Equally difficult would be a justification of the claim that we are the only one in existence, and if we admit the existence of others, then the existence of the world is so overwhelmingly presented to us through experience and reason, we would be considered foolish to deny the existence of the world. This is not to say that we have perfect understanding of the world, but most of us are happy to agree that we exist within the world (i.e., this earth and the universe within which it exists).
The issue then is what kind of world exists. The world is an entity that follows regular patterns (sometimes called natural laws). Gravity is an example. So the world needs an explanation of its orderly patterns. Why does gravity work the way it does? Why does electromagnetic radiation work like it does?
Many think that naturalism (the view that nature is self-explanatory) is sufficient as an explanation of the patterns in the entire universe. Some would even say that a purely natural explanation will account not only for the patterns but also for the intricate inter-relationships found everywhere in the world. It seems, however, that naturalism really is no explanation at all.
First of all, naturalism does not account for the existence of anything. Once something exists, we may be able to describe the patterns by which it operates, but why is there something rather than nothing? If the answer is that something came from nothing, then we want to know how and why. We know of no such process of origination from nothing anywhere in nature today. If the answer is that something has always existed, then we want to know what that eternal something is. It certainly is not our sun or our earth or any other object we know about, all of which are filled with processes that must have original causes.
The problem of naturalistic explanations is nowhere more acute than with the issue of the origin of life. We know that life exists. We are alive. But we also know how utterly complex a living cell is. More than that, we realize that life is not simply a feature of organization. A living cell is composed of chemicals that in and of themselves are not alive. The origin and continued existence of life (and especially conscious life) within the natural order is certainly not an expected outcome of naturalistic explanations.
The world exists, but it is the kind of world that is best explained as a designed system, an intelligently planned system, not a merely natural outcome of a natural process. Life comes from life, and this earth in this universe is suited for life. The “natural” conclusion is that a conscious personal living being designed and formed this world for life and then acted to originate life within this world. That intelligent conscious personal living being, we call God.
It is irrational to claim that we ourselves do not exist. It is in fact undeniable that we exist, because if we did not exist, we could not affirm or deny anything. So if we can do anything, then we must exist. But we do not exist in isolation. One may claim that he or she is the only existing reality, but no one would believe them, because if the person making that claim were right, there would be no one else in existence who could believe them.
It makes no sense to deny one’s own existence. Equally difficult would be a justification of the claim that we are the only one in existence, and if we admit the existence of others, then the existence of the world is so overwhelmingly presented to us through experience and reason, we would be considered foolish to deny the existence of the world. This is not to say that we have perfect understanding of the world, but most of us are happy to agree that we exist within the world (i.e., this earth and the universe within which it exists).
The issue then is what kind of world exists. The world is an entity that follows regular patterns (sometimes called natural laws). Gravity is an example. So the world needs an explanation of its orderly patterns. Why does gravity work the way it does? Why does electromagnetic radiation work like it does?
Many think that naturalism (the view that nature is self-explanatory) is sufficient as an explanation of the patterns in the entire universe. Some would even say that a purely natural explanation will account not only for the patterns but also for the intricate inter-relationships found everywhere in the world. It seems, however, that naturalism really is no explanation at all.
First of all, naturalism does not account for the existence of anything. Once something exists, we may be able to describe the patterns by which it operates, but why is there something rather than nothing? If the answer is that something came from nothing, then we want to know how and why. We know of no such process of origination from nothing anywhere in nature today. If the answer is that something has always existed, then we want to know what that eternal something is. It certainly is not our sun or our earth or any other object we know about, all of which are filled with processes that must have original causes.
The problem of naturalistic explanations is nowhere more acute than with the issue of the origin of life. We know that life exists. We are alive. But we also know how utterly complex a living cell is. More than that, we realize that life is not simply a feature of organization. A living cell is composed of chemicals that in and of themselves are not alive. The origin and continued existence of life (and especially conscious life) within the natural order is certainly not an expected outcome of naturalistic explanations.
The world exists, but it is the kind of world that is best explained as a designed system, an intelligently planned system, not a merely natural outcome of a natural process. Life comes from life, and this earth in this universe is suited for life. The “natural” conclusion is that a conscious personal living being designed and formed this world for life and then acted to originate life within this world. That intelligent conscious personal living being, we call God.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
God Exists
Is it true that God exists? Surely one cannot simply assume so basic a fact. What evidence do we have for this claim?
Over the years, many have undertaken the task of setting forth reasons for belief in God. It is interesting to study all of those rational arguments. At a more basic level, however, the existence of God is a reality that is not primarily known as the conclusion of a rational argument. He is known to exist, but it is not an exclusively rational knowledge.
Jesus is a historical figure that would be almost impossible to understand if there were no God. Was Jesus simply a deluded fanatic? He clearly claimed to have a special relationship with God. If there is no God, Jesus makes no sense.
The world exists and we constantly experience this directly. It is possible to construct a non-theistic explanation of the complex and ordered arrangements that are everywhere seen in this universe. But a theistic explanation is at least as reasonable, and a case can be made that God is a better explanation for the existence of the world that actually exists.
Jesus and the world both testify to the existence of God.
Over the years, many have undertaken the task of setting forth reasons for belief in God. It is interesting to study all of those rational arguments. At a more basic level, however, the existence of God is a reality that is not primarily known as the conclusion of a rational argument. He is known to exist, but it is not an exclusively rational knowledge.
Jesus is a historical figure that would be almost impossible to understand if there were no God. Was Jesus simply a deluded fanatic? He clearly claimed to have a special relationship with God. If there is no God, Jesus makes no sense.
The world exists and we constantly experience this directly. It is possible to construct a non-theistic explanation of the complex and ordered arrangements that are everywhere seen in this universe. But a theistic explanation is at least as reasonable, and a case can be made that God is a better explanation for the existence of the world that actually exists.
Jesus and the world both testify to the existence of God.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
The Christian Worldview
God exists. The World exists. Jesus is Lord.
These are the three essential aspects of a truly Christian worldview.
It is the purpose of this blog to consider these ideas. Do these ideas make sense? Do they stand the test of rigorous scrutiny? Do they harmonize with reality? Do they provide a viable explanation of life and experience? Do they have any practical value? What is a worldview anyway, and why would such a thing be of any interest to anyone else?
Good questions! Let’s see where they lead.
These are the three essential aspects of a truly Christian worldview.
It is the purpose of this blog to consider these ideas. Do these ideas make sense? Do they stand the test of rigorous scrutiny? Do they harmonize with reality? Do they provide a viable explanation of life and experience? Do they have any practical value? What is a worldview anyway, and why would such a thing be of any interest to anyone else?
Good questions! Let’s see where they lead.
