Why we rejoice at Christmas

If Christ is truly all that we say, then Charles Spurgeon concludes ....

"Ah Christian, ring the bells of your hearts, fire the salute of your most joyous songs, 'For unto us a child is borm, unto us a Son is given.'   Dance, dance every one of you!  Oh!  All my nerves become harp strings and let gratitude touch you with angelic fingers!  And thou, my tongue, shout- shout to his praise, who hath said to thee- 'Unto thee a child is born, unto thee a Son is given.'  Wipe that tear away! Come, stop that sighing!  Hush yon mourning.  What matters your poverty?  "Unto you a child is born."   What matters your sickness?  "Unto you a Son is given."  What matters your sin?  For this child shall take away, and this Son shall wash and make you fit for heaven.   I say, if it be so,  "Lift up the heart,  lift up the voice, rejoice aloud!  ye saints rejoice!"

Ancient Wisdom courtesy of Biola Magazine

Thank God For The Election Results

in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NASB

Dear Christians
No matter how the elections turn out, we must be ever mindful that God is in control and that His purposes will be accomplished.

Therefore be thankful that ultimately God will work all things together for His glory. Be thankful that His will is not determined by what propositions pass or fail. Be thankful that His purposes are not determined by who holds office in our country. Be thankful that whatever happens, it has been permitted by an all loving, all powerful, all knowing God.

Our command is to be thankful in everything. By being thankful you will be doing the will of God- which is what we all say we are seeking to do.

Lange's Commentaries are packed full of ancient wisdom.

A Puritan's view of justification, a.k.a. "a biblical view"

Taken from the book, A Quest for Godliness by J.I. Packer

1.  Every man faces the judgement seat of God, and must answer to God for himself.  The church cannot shield him from this.

2.  Every man is a sinner by nature and practice, a nonconformist so far as God's law is concerned, and therefore can only expect God's wrath

3.  Justification is God's judicial act of pardoning the guilty sinner, accepting him as righteous, and receiving him as a son.

4.  The source of justification is grace, not human effort or initiative.

5.  The ground of justification is Christ's vicarious righteousness and blood-shedding, not our own merit.

6.  The means of justification, here and now is faith in Jesus Christ

7.  The fruit of faith, the evidence of its reality, is a manifest repentance and a life of good works.

Jesus Crucifixion Was A Historical Event

Did Jesus really die of crucifixion like the gospels tell us?   Was his crucifixion recorded in other sources?  The answer to both questions is yes.   John Dominic Crossan, a critical scholar and participant in the Jesus Seminar, wrote concerning the historicity of Jesus crucifixion in his book  Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography ,  “That he was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be.”   Among critical scholars like Crossan many of the words and deeds recorded in the gospels are not considered to be historically accurate- yet the resurrection is.  This is significant because it demonstrates that liberal theologians and critical scholars of the bible confirm what the gospels tell us- that Jesus was crucified.   In addition, and I believe more importantly,  there are records from antiquity that confirm the historicity of the crucifixion.  1^st century historians Josephus and Tacitus,  2^nd century Greek Satirist Lucian,  Mara Bar- Serapion,  and the Jewish Talmud,  testify to the fact that Jesus was crucified.  If there was no crucifixion, why would these sources record it?  They were not biased Christians that had a vested interest in proliferating this message, but they were secular writers and some were opposed to the message.   These multiple, independent sources regarding the account of the crucifixion is one principle historians employ to determine whether a particular account is historical (Licona 36).   Another  historical principle that these accounts fall under is the “attestation by an enemy”.    Historians believe that enemy attestations indicate the authenticity of an account.  

These facts confirm and reiterate what the gospels have accurately reported-  the crucifixion of Jesus.   This was a real historical event attested to and confirmed by independent ancient historians and now by liberal scholars.   

Is There Evidence For the Resurrection of Jesus?

Recently I finished the book The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus.    I highly recommend this book for those who would like to hear an argument that defends the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection and gives counter arguments to the popular theories trying to disprove it.

For those interested in the arguments, I will try and summarize them the best I can over the next few days.   I pray you find this interesting and helpful.  More importantly, I pray this strengthens your faith.   For those who have questions or want to challenge or push back, please fill free to post a response or send me an email at robertfonseca@renaissance-church.com

Below is a brief summary of the 5 facts from the book.  The strength of the argument rest on the fact that virtually all scholars in this field of study, even those who are skeptical, meaning they do not hold to the historic Christian faith or believe the bible to be the infallible word of God, agree to the truthfulness of the following facts.

There are 5 facts to the argument

1.        Jesus was crucified-

a.       In order for a resurrection to take place; there must first be a dead body.  Therefore, demonstrating the fact the Jesus died is an important part of the argument.  Opponents of the resurrection have developed theories that try to disprove that Jesus died while being crucified.  There are those who claim that Jesus did not die on the cross, but instead passed out and was revived later while in the tomb. 

2.       The disciples believed Jesus rose from the dead

a.       At first reading this may seem like a weak argument, but in a few days I will elaborate to show the power of this fact.  Suffice it for now to leave you with this thought.  Many people will die for what they believe to be true, but how many will die for what they know to be false?   The disciples were not people who only heard the stories of the resurrected Jesus, they were eye witnesses and most of them died a martyr’s death.    If there was any doubt in their minds, would they have willing accepted death?

3.       The church persecutor Paul was suddenly changed

a.       This is significant because Paul made a drastic change in his life based on the belief that he encountered the resurrected Jesus.   Prior to meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus Paul was actively hostile towards the Christian church, so much so that he was determined to put an end to it.   Yet when he encountered the risen Lord, he renounced everything he held dear.    If Jesus did not really rise then why would a man who achieved the success Paul did so easily give it all up?  Would he actually give up his success for a legend?  A story?  A myth?  For something he knew was not true?

4.        The skeptic James, brother of Jesus, was suddenly changed.

a.       The argument from James conversion is similar to Paul’s.    So I will elaborate when I get to him in a later blog.  

5.       The empty tomb

a.       For me this argument is the strongest and I can’t wait to blog about it.   For now let me say that if someone could have produced Jesus corpse, the message of Christianity would have died immediately.    Now there are many theories that have developed since the death of Jesus, but as we will see in light of the evidence, one can conclude a resurrection must have taken place.