Tag Archives: Apologetics

Homosexuality, the Church, and Apostasy.

On June 19, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) by a vote of 371-238 agreed to allow pastors to perform same-sex marriages. When I read about this historical and tragic decision I was greatly grieved, but in no way surprised by this decision. We who are Christians and know their Bible knew this was coming. Some, if not most of us, may have just never thought it would happen in our lifetime. It was inevitable and unavoidable. Despite the apologetics being waged against same-sex marriage and homosexuality overall, still this day arrived and now we as the Christian Church must deal it whether we like it or not. Not only must we deal with the support of same-sex marriage and homosexuality from outside the Church, now we must deal with the support of same-sex marriage and homosexuality from within the Church via the apostates. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the United Methodist Church, and the Episcopal Church are clear examples of apostates. These “Christian” denominations departed from the faith when they failed to affirm the biblical teaching on marriage which is heterosexual union between a man and a woman. As Scripture says in I Timothy 4:1, ” Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons…” Furthermore in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 it says, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition..” Apostasy must happen before the Lord Jesus returns to earth and right now the issue of same-sex marriage in the Church is creating perhaps the greatest amount of apostates we have seen so far. Whether you are a Christian who holds to the doctrine of Eternal Security and say these apostates were not saved in the first place or whether you are a Christian who believes you can lose your salvation (Reform or Wesleyan Arminianism) and say these were once Christians who have departed from the Christian faith, still the reality is that apostates are among us and are perverting the truth of God’s Word as it pertains to marriage. In the remainder of this blog we will revisit the biblical argument against homosexuality and lastly a philosophical argument against same-sex marriage by arguing from the origin of marriage.

It is both amazing and disturbing how groups like the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) can support same-sex marriage and have little to no biblical arguments for their position on the issue. The main argument for their position on same-sex marriage typically comes down to three words: God is love. While it is true that God is love (I John 4:16), these three words do not address the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage in any way at all! Homosexuals and supporters of same-sex marriage will argue that if God loves us He will allow us to marry whoever we want for happiness sake. In a nutshell, If God is love, He wants us to be happy. A god who opposes our right to be happy via same-sex marriage is not a God of love. The problem here is just because something makes a person happy doesn’t means it’s morally good. Some people can be happy abusing a animal, but it doesn’t mean it’s morally good. Some people can be happy jumping from one sex partner to another sex partner, but it doesn’t make it morally good. God, the Moral Lawgiver, judges what is morally good and what is morally evil and His judgment on homosexuality is found in the Bible.

In Leviticus 18:22 it says, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” Many will argue against this by saying this is Old Testament law and it does not apply to today. The problem with this argument is two-fold. First of all chapter 18 is God’s moral law dealing with forbidden sexuality. No part of God’s moral law, including those of sexuality is out-of-date and yes, sex is a moral issue according to God. Secondly, if we accept the argument that Leviticus 18:22 does not apply to today, then none of Leviticus 18 applies to us at all! That means it’s acceptable for a brother to have sex with his brother’s wife (v.16) and it’s acceptable to have sexual relations with your aunt (v. 13) and uncle (v. 14). Let’s not forget also that based on this argument it would be perfectly acceptable for a son or daughter to have sexual relations with either their mother or father (v.7) or to have sexual relations with animals (v. 23). No holds barred sex-o-rama! No human being has the authority to pick one sexual act and say “this is acceptable” and continue to say that all the other sexual acts are wrong and sinful. Either all of the sexual acts in Leviticus 18 are wrong or none of them are wrong. There is no middle ground to stand on.

In Romans 1:26-27 we read, “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.” For most of us as Christians this is quite clear; however for some it may not be as clear. In these verses we see both gay and lesbian sexual relationships labeled as unnatural. We see in verse 26 that women exchange or in other words trade in the natural sexual passions for men for unnatural passions with other women which is described here as “what is against nature.” In verse 27 we see men leaving the natural passions for women and trading it in for sexual relations with other men and it is described here as shameful. God defines these same-sex sexual passions and acts as vile. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary the definition of vile is: 1. a: morally despicable or abhorrent. b: physically repulsive. So we see here God views homosexuality as morally despicable and abhorrent and homosexual sex acts as physically repulsive. Before leaving Romans 1:26-27 we find something else that God is telling us also about homosexuality: It is a personal choice. Two action verbs are used in verses 26 and 27: Exchanged and leaving. The women “exchanged” the natural sexual desire of men for women and the men are described as “leaving” the sexual desire of women for men. Both have the free will to choose to stay heterosexual or to become homosexual. It is a choice. It is well known that one of the main reasons why men and women become homosexual is because they were unsuccessful in finding the right mate of the opposite sex. Teens confess that truth on social sites like Facebook all the time. While it is true that some homosexuals claim that when they were heterosexuals they constantly felt homosexual tendencies, still they made the choice to cross that dividing line between heterosexuality and homosexuality. Just because it feels right does not make it right. Feelings and emotions does not determine what is true and moral; God determines what is true and moral.

Lastly there is a philosophical argument against same-sex marriage. This one deals with the origin of marriage. Where did marriage come from? Who or what started this institution which we call marriage? If marriage has a originator, what is this originator’s view or rules of what is marriage and what is not marriage? If there is a originator of marriage, is this originator fallible or infallible? Sadly this has not been dealt with by those in the homosexual community or among it’s supporters. Why? Because they can not answer any of these questions. Because they can’t answer any of these questions, they make it out to be a civil rights issue and a constitutional issue. Marriage, however, is a universal institution, not an United States institution. Therefore, no country has the right to define marriage unless they are the originator of it. A country’s government should seek to know what or who is the originator of marriage (if there is one) and inquire into what the originator’s definition and purpose for marriage is before changing it’s definition. Of course, if the originator of marriage is a fallible being, then who’s to say this being’s definition of marriage is right? If this being is infallible, however, then the definition of marriage and the purpose of marriage is unchangeable and non-negotiable. If a government goes on to redefine marriage and it’s purpose, then that government is a dishonest and self-seeking government looking to serve a dishonest and self-seeking people who demand the redefinition of marriage. The Christian on the other end do know where marriage originated from and knows who the originator is. This originator is none other than God. It’s the most logical explanation possible with or without the Bible! In the Bible we see the first wedding between a man and woman; Adam and Eve, ” Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (Gen. 2:22-24).'” The origin of marriage goes back to God in the Garden of Eden with the marriage of Adam and Eve. There is no place in the Bible where same-sex marriage is condone by God. Nowhere in the Bible is homosexuality look at in a positive light by God. This we already saw earlier in this blog. The only question left now is whether God is a fallible Being or an infallible Being? According to Scripture and just plain logic, God is an infallible Being. If God was not infallible, God would not be God at all. Even philosophers know this to be true. Malachi 3:6 says, ““For I am the LORD, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” Since God does not change, then His moral laws on sexuality and marriage has not and will not change. God’s definition of marriage is heterosexual only. God owns the institution of marriage and it’s definition no matter what anyone else thinks, feels, and does.

In conclusion, same-sex marriage is unwarranted biblically and philosophically. If a local church or denomination is honest with the Bible, then they should never reach the conclusion that it is alright to embrace homosexuality and same-sex marriage. To reach such a conclusion is not to know the heart of the God they claim to teach about and worship. As we have seen, the Bible is clearly against homosexuality and calls it what God intends for it to be called: sin. When a local church or denomination strays from the Bible, it is a matter of time before they begin to spiritually die and eventually become apostates and depart from the Christian faith. The Psalmist said, ” Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).” Let us as Christians walk in the light of God’s Word and not be engulfed in the doctrine of demons as we sadly see happening right now. Let us proclaim who the originator of marriage is and why it is important to know this originator of marriage who is God. Ultimately let us pray that it will lead us to share with them the life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ that they may be saved from their sins and God’s final judgment and eternal wrath.

There is STILL a Dire need for Sound Doctrine.

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Recently my lovely wife Joselyn was invited by a coworker to her church. It is always a pleasant feeling to a Christian to be invited to another house of worship; especially when it’s someone you know or have regular contact with. It is a completely different and troublesome feeling, however, when you go to this “church” only to find out that the teaching there is anything but Christian. Sadly the latter feeling was the case for my wife. She kindly and eagerly went to her coworker’s church only to find it teaching contrary doctrine to orthodox Christianity. Behind the pulpit the pastor openly denied and attempted to debunk such essential doctrines of the Christian faith such as the doctrine of the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, and justification by faith alone in Christ. This group by the way is Iglesia ni Cristo which in English is translated “church of Christ.” This group is not affiliated with the Campbellite restoration movement,”Church of Christ”, even though they have the same doctrinal stances regarding water baptismal regeneration and the belief that they are the one true church. As me and Joselyn prayerfully prepare for our soon to come conversation with this coworker, I am reminded of the importance of sound doctrine as a Christian. Unlike the Trinity Broadcasting Network which can feature Trinitarians and Modalists having fellowship on the same platform, under the banner of Jesus, as if their opposing views are minor doctrinal issues, sound doctrine derived from the Bible is needed in order to join us unto Christian orthodoxy and protect us from heresy. In this blog we will see the Biblical emphasis put on the importance for having sound doctrine. In the next blog we will put it to work by examining Iglesia ni Cristo.

Doctrine or teaching is in no way foreign to the Bible. Both in the Old and New Testament we see the word doctrine mentioned many times: 51 times in 50 verses in the King James Bible. These numbers, however, fluctuate from translation to translation. Solomon spoke of teaching doctrine in Proverbs 4:2, “For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.” Solomon saw the need to give his son good doctrine and of course it is only good doctrine if it is in fact sound doctrine! We can also draw from this the importance for parents to have sound doctrine themselves in order to give sound doctrine to their children. The doctrine parents pass on to their children will shape their worldview either for better or for worst both now and for all eternity. God saw this need and gave instruction on when to begin teaching sound doctrine, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts (Isaiah 28:9).” We see here that for parents teaching sound doctrine begins very early in a child’s life. Teaching sound doctrine to children is taught both in verbal and non-verbal ways. Verbal ways such as “don’t lie, tell the truth,” and non-verbal ways such as pulling a baby away from a electrical socket.

In seeing the need for good doctrine as we saw in the Old Testament, it is only reasonable to beware of false doctrine. In the New Testament we see warnings about false doctrine. In Matthew 16:12 Jesus warns His disciples about the false doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducee’s, “Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducee’s.” Jesus was no stranger to dealing with false doctrine. In Matthew 22 alone He dealt with two false doctrines: The Sadducee’s denial of the resurrection and the Pharisees doctrine of the Christ being the son of David. How much more then should we do the same in our day and age? This is only possible of course if we as Christians have sound doctrine ourselves. The Apostle Paul spoke of the need for being mature in Christian doctrine by giving us a descriptive picture of what a Christian without sound doctrine looks like, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive (Eph. 4:14).” A good example of this is the founder of the Iglesia ni Cristo Felix Manalo. Felix came up in the Catholic church, then left them and studied the doctrines of various denominations and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. From this he formulated what is now the doctrines of the Iglesia ni Cristo which consist of Campbellite and Jehovah’s Witness theology. This is why the Apostle Paul saw the need for us as Christians to be nourished in sound doctrine (I Timothy 4:6).

Finally it is the responsibility of those of us who are teachers, preachers, and pastors to make sure sound doctrine is being taught to those whom God has giving to feed spiritually. Teaching the Word of God is a great responsibility to us who teach it to others. So much so that James tell us in James 3:1, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” Those of us who teach God’s Word are under God’s radar. God holds us accountable for how we teach His Word in every area from Christian living (Christian ethics) to doctrine (theology). This is why apologetics is so important. Apologetics is present because false doctrine is present: both theologically and philosophically. Sound doctrine exposes and corrects false doctrine. Sound doctrine exposes false doctrines such as Jesus being a created being and sound doctrine exposes and corrects false philosophical doctrines such as moral relativism. Where false doctrine exist, sound doctrine must be proclaimed in order to expose false doctrine for what it is. Those of us who are teachers of God’s Word are giving this sweet piece of instruction, “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).” This is done both by teaching sound doctrine and exposing false doctrine, Every Christian teacher is more than happy to proclaim the glorious truths of God, but very few want to be Christ-like in exposing false doctrine like Jesus did. God hates false doctrine (Rev. 2:15), so it is critically important for us to have sound doctrine rooted deep within us and expose false doctrine.

In conclusion we see that there is STILL a dire need today for sound doctrine. It is our responsibility to pursue sound doctrine at all cost. Many Christians in the past have died because of false doctrine and their stance for sound doctrine while many more lost family, friends, jobs, and social status of other sorts in the name of sound doctrine. Reformer Martin Luther lost his social status with the Catholic church because of sound doctrine and exposing Catholicism’s many false doctrines such as indulgences. I’m pretty sure C.S. Lewis lost his social status in the world of atheism when he believed in the existence of God and received the sound doctrine of Jesus Christ and the gospel. I lost the vast majority of my friends in the Church of Christ when I left them due to embracing the sound doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To have sound doctrine is costly, but it’s worth it in knowing who God is and what God wants from us. A Christian cannot truly know God and have a relationship with Him on the basis of religious experience alone. It is this plus sound doctrine as well which will make a healthy and meaningful relationship with God possible. Sound doctrine is the sure and solid foundation which Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:24-27. Without this solid foundation called sound doctrine, we are destined to fall and be destroyed by Satan and his doctrine of demons.

Mormonism and the gods.

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Mormonism is known for its many doctrines which are contrary to Christian theology. Such doctrines include tritheism–the belief that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate individual gods, not Triune where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are individually by nature the one and the same God. Other doctrines include God as a physical fleshly being with bones, the spiritual brotherhood of Jesus and Lucifer, water baptismal regeneration, and many other doctrines that run contrary to Christian theology. Here in this blog we will look into a doctrine of Mormonism which truly stands out and deviates from Christian orthodoxy: The plurality of gods. The founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Jr. introduces the doctrine to us in the Journal of Discourses volume six, page 5, “In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it.” Is it true that there is a multiplicity of gods in Heaven? What does the Bible say about this doctrine, if anything at all? Lastly is there any philosophical problems with this doctrine? Let us begin and find some answers.

The first question: Is it true that there is a multiplicity of gods in Heaven? The answer is a resounding no. Mormonism, however, do have a key passage in the Bible which they believe makes their case. In I Corinthians 8:5, “For even though there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords)…” Joseph Smith appeals to this passage in a attempt to show us that there are actually many gods who exist other that the God of the Bible. In verse 4, however, we see the Apostle Paul state that there is actually one God, ” Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.” So is there only one God or many gods? Both cannot be true! It sure seems at this point that the multiplicity of gods doctrine is not fairing very well biblically so far.

Now we move on the second question: What does the Bible say about this doctrine, if anything at all? Well, as we have seen in the previous paragraph, there is really no scriptural proof at all. I Corinthians 8:5 was the closet thing to supporting the doctrine of many gods, but in light of verse 4 we see that there cannot possibly be many gods when the Apostle Paul clearly states to us that there is only one God. Even though something or someone may be called a god and lord, in actuality there is only one God according to the Bible. In Deuteronomy 6:4, known as the Hebrew Shema, we read, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” This is the doctrinal declaration which Jews, Muslims, and Christians all agree and give their amen to. Other scriptural passages seem to dismiss this plurality of gods doctrine as well. For example, in the book of Isaiah from chapter 40 to chapter 47 it is full of declarations of their being only one God, such as we see in Isaiah 44:8b we read, “You are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.” This verse alone demolishes the existence of a plurality of gods, however, we cannot hang our theological position on this verse alone. In Isaiah 43:10 we read, “‘You are My witnesses’, says the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before me no God was formed, nor shall there be after Me.” We read here from the very words of God Himself that there is no other gods but Him. This clearly debunks the teaching of a plurality of gods because according the God Himself there was no gods in existence before Him, which is impossible since God never had a moment when He didn’t exist which automatically disqualifies the idea of any gods existing before Him. Furthermore God makes it clear that there will be no gods formed after him, which means He will never create any other god(s) or promote anyone to Godhood. So we see God debunking two theological ideas in Mormonism:

1. The plurality of gods.

2. The teaching that Mormons can become gods themselves in the afterlife.

Therefore I think we can safely conclude that there is no plurality of gods in existence. Only the one true God exist and is forever praised, amen.

Last but not least we need to answer the question: Is there any philosophical problems with the Mormon doctrine of the plurality of gods? I definitely think there is. As Charles Darwin attempted (and failed) to explain the origin of species on purely evolutionary grounds, we must ask Mormons the question: In Mormonism what is the origin of the gods? Unfortunately I have yet to hear or read an answer to that question. Joseph Smith in Journal of Discourses suddenly introduces to us this plurality of gods, but does not tell us who is the First Cause of the chain of gods that exist. In Theism, particularly in Christian Theism, we know that the Cause of the existence of the universe, plant life, animal life, and human existence all are caused by God. The universe, plant, animal, and human life are contingent whereas God is a necessary being. The universe, plant, animal, and human existence are dependent upon God, otherwise none of these could exist for they cannot exist in and of themselves. God’s existence does not depend on anyone else for there is no god but Him. So who or what caused the chain of gods? Sadly in Mormonism there is no Uncaused First Cause like there is in Christianity. We seem to be left with an infinite regress of gods, which means that no matter how far back you go in the chain of gods you never arrive at the First Cause. This probably explains why Mormonism teaches Henotheism, which is the belief in many gods, but worship only one of the pantheon of gods. Mormonism chooses to worship God the Father, not all the plurality of gods because He is the Creator.

Thus in light of the Bible and philosophical reasoning we can conclude that there is no reason to believe in the existence of a plurality of gods in Mormonism. We have seen biblically that there is only one God. In the Hebrew Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4 we see the proclamation and declaration of there being only one God. Throughout the book of Isaiah we read over and over again from chapter 40 through chapter 47 that there is one God and there is none like Him; neither was any God in existence before Him nor will there be any gods to come into existence after him. In I Corinthians 8:4 the Apostle Paul teaches that there is only one God, even though there may be other so-called deities that are called lords and gods. Philosophically we have seen that Mormonism has the daunting task to explain the origin of the plurality of the gods, but have failed to address this issue so far. Since Mormonism does not have an Uncaused First Cause to explain the origin of the gods, Mormonism is left with a infinite regress of gods. This is contrary to Christian theology and philosophical reasoning metaphysically. So we must judge the plurality of gods in Mormonism as false and heretical on both biblical and philosophical grounds.

Young Earth, Old Earth, and Hair Splitting.

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Recently the world witnessed the “Great debate” between Ken Ham and Bill Nye. The debate was to focus on the origin of life and whether or not creationism is a viable option and model for how life began. I personally was not very impress with either side. I think, however, both men, Ken Ham and Bill Nye, brought out a few descent points. Ken Ham’s primary point focused on the fact that creationism is more than a viable option for the beginning of origins, but is the most logical view based on modern science. Bill Nye on the other hand, though not able to stay on the subject very well, did bring out an interesting point which does give many Christians a headache: How can one say the earth is only 6,000 years old in light of data of the opposite in science today? After this debate the ole debate of young earth creationism verses old earth creationism was refueled. Does the bible tell us how old the earth is? Does it really matter? Should Christians be splitting hairs over it? Let’s deal with these three questions in detail.

First question: Does the bible tell us how old the earth is? The answer: No. There is not a hint in the book of Genesis whatsoever that clearly tells us or even indicates to us how old the earth is. Young earth creationist would want us to believe the earth is only about 6,000 years old. Young earth creationists interpret creation to have taken place in six literal days over a literal twenty-four hour period of time. Also young earth creationist attempt to use the first genealogical records in Genesis to tell us we have been here for only 6,000 years. Lastly they pull the event of The Flood into play to attempt to further solidify their position. I find the reasons giving by young earth creationists to be lacking and begging many questions.

The first issue is how young earth creationists seem to automatically assume “Yom”, the Hebrew word for “day”, means a literal twenty-four hour day in Genesis chapter one. Yom can also mean “over a period of time” like it does in Joel 2:31 where the “Day of the LORD” will be longer than a twenty-four hour period. So to randomly pick Yom to mean a literal twenty-four period without further biblical reasons is unjustifiable.

The second issue is using the first genealogical records in Genesis to attempt to show that we have only been here for 6,000 years. There is only one huge problem with this: What does our length of time on earth have to do with the age of the earth? There seems to be a categorical mistake here. The issue of debate and discussion is not how long humanity have been here, but how long the earth have been here! This is about whether the earth is a young planet or a old planet, not whether or not humanity is young or old. Therefore attempting to prove how long humanity has been in existence is completely irrelevant to the present discussion.

So then, is the earth a old earth according to the bible? As I stated earlier the answer would be no. An old earth creationist position primarily depends on the scientific data in geology. Geologists estimate the age of earth to be at 4.5 billion years old. Secular and many Christian scientists agree on this age estimate. Old earth creationists find their age estimate to be far most accurate and scientific than the young earth position which has little to no scientific evidence to support their age estimate of the earth. Ultimately the bible is silent on the age of the earth. Christians must therefore rely on science to give us the best estimate of the age of the earth. Please do remember that good science do in fact exist and has been a tremendous blessing to the Christian Church in the past in affirming the scientific truths which are in the bible such as the universe and earth having a beginning (Cosmology) and both being enriched in design (Teleology), just to name a few.

The second question: Does it really matter whether the earth is young or old? No it does not. We must first recognize that the debate of young earth creationism verses old earth creationism is a non-essential issue for the Christian Church. A Christian’s salvation does not depend upon believing in either view regarding the earth’s age. What is essential for the Church and the Christian individually is believing the biblical record in Genesis 1:1, ” In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” While such a debate can be intellectually healthy and stimulating, the debate is in no way a matter of spiritual life and spiritual death. Those who would treat the issue as such are part of the hair splitting problem which leads now to our final question.

The final question: Should Christians be splitting hairs over this issue? Absolutely not! Only immature Christians and Christians who are unnecessarily and unjustifiably dogmatic about this debatable issue split hairs and cause unwarranted divisions in the Christian Church. There is no biblical reason for dividing over the age of the earth. If the issue was whether or not God is the Creator of the earth and universe, then it would be a serious issue if a professing Christian denied God as the Author of creation and gave that title to macro-evolution. The bible is replete with verses which declare God as the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all which are in them (Gen.1:1, Ecc. 12:1, Isaiah 40:28, Romans 1:25, etc.). It is heart-breaking when Christians divide over such non-essential issues such as the age of the earth. I recently experienced that pain and hurt when a dear brother in Christ unlike this ministry page because of this issue. He strongly holds to the young earth view and I lean toward the old earth view. Just because I had sound reasons for not agreeing with young earth creationism, he unlike the ministry page. Even more sad was that his reasons for his position was word for word from a YouTube video making the case for young earth creationism. Little to none of his reasons for believing in young earth creationism was his own; which is a huge no no when doing apologetics. You must make the position your own and have YOUR own reasons why you hold to your view. Otherwise you become nothing more than a parrot apologist: Simply repeating what you heard from someone else.

In conclusion we must be mature Christians when we are dealing with this non-essential issue and any other non-essential issue which are regularly debated in Christian circles. In the debate of young earth creationism verses old earth creationism, the bible does not give us a definite answer or any indications as to if the earth is young or old. Instead of being dogmatic on this issue and splitting hairs, we must humbly choose to agree to disagree with the person we disagree with. We must be united in Christ in the one biblical proof we have on this subject: God is the Author and Creator of all which is in the heavens and in the earth. Let us unite with the Psalmist in saying, ” The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork (Psalm 19:1).” Let us grow up in maturity in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yeezianity and the Importance of Apologetics.

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This morning I read an article on how some youth are falling away from the Church and Christianity for what is called, “Yeezianity.” Yeezianity is derived from rapper Kanye West’s character “Yeezus.” These young people are not merely extreme groupies of the rapper. No. It runs deeper than that. These youths are gravitating to Yeezianity for more meaningful reasons and the Christian Church for most part has failed to address their questions and concerns. Even though there are a number of churches, pastors, evangelists, theologians, philosophers, and apologists dedicating their lives whole heartily to giving reasons for the Christian faith, yet still there are far too many Christians who are not doing so and as a result we see such tragedies as this happening every single day. Let us see a couple of the reasons why these youth are turning from Christianity to Yeezianity.

The first reason why these young people are turning from Christianity and the Church is because they think they are irrelevant. These youth say that the Church is too ancient and are turned off by church lingo or as I called it, “Christian-eeze”. Further as the article states it, ” Many feel the church is simply old-fashioned. The church has failed to address concerns young people are faced with today (Liberty Voice, www.guardianlv.com).” Here is where the problem lies. The Christian Church for most part is ill-equipped to answer the problems of life, doubt, and truth. Instead of Christians following the biblical command of I Peter 3:15 to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who ask for a reason for the hope that is in you”, many Christians silently sit on their bibles and act like fideists (those who reject the need for apologetics and just believe by faith) while the youth and others search and get answers from false religions, cults, the occult, and false philosophies. I submit to you then that it is not Christianity and the Church that is irrelevant, it is the uttermost failure of the Church to address the problems that face our youth today. It is no reason it is always the Church that the people hate and barely ever Jesus Himself. Jesus in His earthly ministry never shied away from the issues of His day so why are we doing the complete opposite? I think part of becoming like Jesus is dealing with the issues and giving answers to those who are genuinely seeking them. If we are not doing so, can we honestly say we are becoming more like Christ Jesus our Lord?

The second reason these youth are leaving the Church is due to a lack of understanding about the seriousness of sin and God’s justice. These young people are complaining that the Church “wastes too much time harping on sex.” (Liberty Voice, www.guardianlv.com) The youth feel that “whether it is a sin or not does not concern them as much as other issues which they feel the church overlooks such as education, hunger, homelessness and poverty.” (Liberty Voice, www.guardianlv.com) While it is important to be concerned about these issues raised by the youth, still this is not the main concern. The issue of sin is the main concern and it is articulated as so throughout the bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament. It seems to me that not only has the Church failed to give apologetic answers to the questions of these young people, but also the Church has failed to show why they need salvation by biblically demonstrating why sin is in fact a very serious matter and problem and the consequences which are attached to it. Nobody must have told them that sin is breaking God’s law (I John 3:4) and all a person has to do is sin just once and they are guilty of sin and are condemned by God and separated from Him plus the wrath of God is upon him/her. (James 2:10, Isaiah 64:6, John 3:36) As evangelist Ray Comfort as said time and time again, until a sinner see how serious sin is in God’s eyes, sinners will not see the need for a savior. This is exactly the case here. Until we as Christians begin to give a biblical apologia for the nature of sin, the seriousness of sin, and God’s justice, young people will continue to think just like these “Yeezus” followers do about sin.

In closing we should now see why apologetics is so important. Unlike in the days of DL Moody, Charles Spurgeon, and others who preached in a time when Christianity and the Bible was accepted at face value, we as Christians today are faced with questions about life and its many problems, the evil in our world, the existence of God, and many other critically important questions. We cannot afford to take a long leap into the dark by faith like the fidiests when God has giving us the answers we need; both for ourselves and for others. If the truth truly sets us free as Jesus said it would (John 8:32), why are we not seeking the truth and in turn giving that truth out to those who need it? If we agree with Jesus that God’s word, the Bible, is truth (John 17:17) then we are absolutely responsible to proclaim that truth in a world of lies and deception. May we go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit and fight the good fight of faith.

Cults, Religions, and Finite Godism.

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In America we live in a melting pot of cultures, ideologies, philosophies, and theologies. As pertaining to religion, we live in an religious pluralistic melting pot. It is easy for us as Christians to learn about other faiths by the click of a mouse or by striking up a conversation with a person of another faith at work, school, on the street, or in your own neighborhood. It is because of this easy access to such knowledge through books, internet websites, and personal encounters about these faiths we as Christians get to see the diversity in theologies and philosophies and learn how to reach them more effectively both apologetically and evangelistically. We learn of their different gospels, Christology’s (teachings on Jesus), and theological ideas about the person and nature of God. We learn how all religions apart from Christianity rejects the orthodox and biblical doctrine of the Trinity: One God who exist as three eternal and distinct persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). They are the same in nature, substance, and essence, but different in person and office. This perhaps can be termed theologically and philosophically as Triune Monotheism. Judaism and World Islam are more of a strict singular Monotheism in which their god consist of no Godhead. In studying other faiths, whether they be cults (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Word of Faith movement, etc.) or other religions (Islam, Judaism, etc.) we find their various weaknesses and in turn we show them in love such weaknesses against the never-changing truths of Christianity which is God’s truth (Malachi 3:6, John 17:17). One such study that has caught my attention is how many, if not all cults and religions follow a finite god, which is better termed finite godism. In this blog we will see what finite godism is, then see how the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Word of Faith movement, and World Islam worship a finite god and finally conclude with the superiority of the Infinite God of Christianity.

The term finite godism may not be a very familiar term if you have little to no knowledge of philosophy. There is no reason to fear, however, because the definition is very easy to remember. Finite godism: a god with limitations in goodness or power or limited in both goodness and power. A finite god can be limited in power, for instance, a finite god is incapable of creating the world out of nothing, ex nihilo, so this finite god creates something from something else, ex materia. A Infinite God, such as the Christian God, created the universe and the earth and all that are in them by the Word of His power (Genesis 1:3-21, Hebrews 1:1-3 11:3).

An example of a god who is limited in his goodness is a god who is incapable of putting an end to evil in the world. If such a god cannot put an end to evil, such a god either: 1. Doesn’t exist. 2. Is a finite being. Therefore the only god who can ultimately put an end to evil is the Infinite God of Christianity (Ecclesiastes 12:14, Hebrews 9:27, Revelations 20). Now that we have the understanding of what finite godism is and a couple of examples have been giving in order to make the meaning unmistakably clear, we will move on beginning with certain members of the Kingdom of the Cults.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are no strangers to anyone. Their two-by-two evangelistic method, Watchtower and Awake magazines, and Sunday morning attire are among the hallmarks of identifying them. Ethically they reject blood transfusions by equating it with drinking blood (Leviticus 17:10-11). Theologically they reject the deity of Jesus by claiming He is a lesser god, or as John 1:1 in the New World Translation states it, ” In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” There are so many points which we could make regarding the theological differences between the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christianity, but that is a whole new blog all together! Where I wish for us to go here is to make the case why the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in and worship a finite god.

As I stated earlier, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is a lesser god, a god, according to their New World Translation. This Christological view they presently hold to was not always the Christological view they held to. In their 1901 American Standard Version bible, John 1:1 reads as follows, ” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Wow! What a huge change Christologically! Here we see Jesus go from being God to being a lesser god. Is not the Bible the very Word of God, God-breathed? According to one of their main pieces of literature, ” What does the Bible really teach”, on page 18, they called the Bible, ” A book from God”. Furthermore on page 19 they say, ” the Bible ‘is inspired by God (2nd Timothy 3:16).'” In their other authoritative book, ” Reasoning from the Scriptures”, on page 58, when giving reasons for considering the Bible, they said, ” The Bible itself says it is from God, mankind’s Creator.” So since they claim that their Bible is from God and is His Word, then which is it? Is Jesus God or a lesser god? Obviously Jesus can’t be both. Either Jesus is the almighty God, creator of the heavens and the earth, or Jesus is a lesser god. Therefore since Jehovah God, the God of the Jehovah’s Witnesses changed his mind about the nature of his son Jesus, then this god must be a finite god because this god is finite in his ability to know. This god is untrustworthy when it comes to knowing truth.

The next cult on the discussion table is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or as they are better known as Mormons. Similar to the Jehovah’s Witnesses they are known also for their two-by-two evangelistic method and Sunday morning attire. They are even more easily identified by their means of transportation: bicycles. Theologically the Mormons are known for their polytheism and henotheism, which means they believe in many gods (polytheism), but worship only one of them as the chief God (henotheism). Other beliefs include the doctrine of Mormons progressing to godhood. As Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of Mormonism once taught, ” As man is, God once was; As God is, man may become (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, pg. 59).” Other teachings from the Mormon Church include the pre-existence of the soul (Greek philosophy) and the controversial doctrine of the brotherhood of Jesus and Lucifer.

The beginning of the Mormon church hinges on the vision Joseph Smith, Jr. received in the Spring of 1820 of God the Father and Jesus. It is in this vision that they told Joseph that all the Christian churches was an abomination in His sight. It is from this point on that Joseph Smith, Jr. began the Mormon church and claimed it as the one true church. Such a claim as this begs the question: If all the churches of Christendom were corrupt and an abomination in his sight, why did the god of Mormonism wait until 1820 to correct the problem by reforming the Church through Joseph Smith, Jr.? Furthermore if this claim is true, then all the “Christians” from the death of the last Apostle on were actually false Christians. This brings the goodness and power of the god of Mormonism into question. Why would this god allow demonic deception to go on unchecked for so long? Why would this god fail to keep his truth in the earth? Was the god of Mormonism overpowered by Satan due his finitude or did he intentionally allow his truth to be eradicated by the devil until 1820? If Satan overpowered the god of Mormonism due to his finitude, then such a god can never overcome evil. If the god of Mormonism intentionally allowed his truth to be eradicated from the earth, then this god is unquestionably not good, but evil. Either way, this god is finite and is not worthy of worship.

The last cult group we will discuss is the Word of Faith movement. This group is well known for preaching the “Health, Wealth, and Prosperity” gospel. Faithful viewers of “Christian television” are more than familiar with names like Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyers, and other well known names within the movement. Theologically the Word of Faith movement teaches that Jesus went to hell to be tortured by Satan and his demons, atoned for our sins in hell, and was the first man born-again. Other doctrines include Christians being little gods, positive confession (New Age concept), and guaranteed healing for the believer in Christ.

The greatest proof I think for finite godism in the Word of Faith movement is its doctrine of prayer or as it should be clearly termed as positive confession. According to Word of Faith theology concerning prayer and positive confession, the answer to or the lack of answer to your prayer is not dependent upon God, but wholly depend upon you. The late Kenneth Hagin, Sr. taught the following, “Often you create your own negative situations yourself with wrong thinking, wrong believing, and wrong speaking. So start believing according to God’s Word. Then begin making positive confessions of faith and victory over your life. … You will never receive anything from God beyond the words you speak ( The Word of Faith, “You Can Have What You Say”). Kenneth Copeland taught the following, “What you are saying is exactly what you are getting now. If you are living in poverty and lack and want, change what you are saying…. The powerful force of the spiritual world that creates the circumstances around us is controlled by the words of the mouth.” (The Laws of Prosperity, Kenneth Copeland, Ft. Worth: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1974). If our words determine our circumstances and what we receive from God, then God’s actions are subject to our words; otherwise God cannot act in the earth and especially not in the life of one of His followers. The god of the Word of Faith movement then is a helpless being who cannot proceed to bless his children because his children through doubt and negative confessions handcuff him, preventing him from blessing them. Therefore this is a finite god because his power and ability to bless his children are regulated by his finite children’s words.

We now move from the Kingdom of the Cults to World Religions where we will discuss World Islam which is the second largest religion in the world behind Christianity according to statistics. It is a religion founded by the “prophet” Muhammad in about the six century A.D. The name of the god of World Islam is Allah, a purely monotheistic being. Theologically Islam strongly rejects the Trinity according to Sura 4:171 and confuses the biblical doctrine of the Trinity as Father, Mary, and Jesus according to Sura 5:116. Other Islamic doctrines include Jesus has only a prophet and nothing more and Muhammad as the last prophet of Allah.

The Islamic holy book, the Quran, interestingly teaches the doctrine of abrogation. In Sura 16:101 it says, ” When we substitute one revelation for another, and God knows best what he reveals (in stages), they say, ‘ Thou art a forger’ : but most of them understand not.” This is highly problematic in the same way it is for the Jehovah’s Witnesses. For Allah to abrogate one revelation and replace it with another revelation which contradicts the previous revelation demonstrates how this god is subject to change his mind on any given subject matter. If this is so, as the Quranic text is teaching, then this god Allah is finite in knowledge. Therefore we cannot receive reliable knowledge and truth from such a god as Allah.

In conclusion we see finite godism in these selected cults and religion. Finite godism is found in other cults and religions as well, but these examples will suffice us. A finite god is a god who is doomed to fail. Such a god is limited in power and goodness and such a god is unrealistic in light of the present and future state of our world. A finite god is truly incompatible with reality and should be rejected. The biblical God of Christianity is perfect goodness, ” Far it be from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25) God is all-powerful and does all He pleases and is in need of no one’s assistance, ” Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying. ‘ My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Only an infinite God is compatible with our falling world that is self-destructing before our very eyes. The God of the Bible will in perfect goodness and omnipotence make all wrongs right again for He is infinite and Holy. The infinite God of the Christian faith is reliable and trustworthy in giving us truth, which is what we need. That truth is ultimately found in the person and work of Jesus Christ, ” Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” (John 14:6)

Compromising Bible Study.

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Today in our modern era as a church thus far we have more false teaching than ever before. Not only is it found outside the church in the form of false philosophies and false religions, but it is also found from close by in the form of cult groups masquerading as Christians (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Science, etc.). The greatest threat, however, is found lurking within the assembly of the elect of God. Oneness Pentecostals lay hold to the claim of being Christian, even though they deny the true nature of God–His Tri-unity. Plus they deny that salvation is in Jesus Christ alone apart from good works by imposing water baptism in Jesus name only and the necessity of speaking in tongues. Another threat which is far more fierce than Oneness Pentecostalism is the modern day Word of Faith movement(Creflo Dollar, Myles Monroe, Benny Hinn, etc.) which has swept the nation and the globe with its message of health, wealth, prosperity, and the ability to have these with the power of your words. Tragically it has crept its way into the assembly of the Church. It has made its way into our homes during the week through TV, radio, Internet, books, and even billboards along the freeway. Thankfully there are Christians who know that Islam, Mormonism, and Christian Science teach that which is in opposition to biblical truth. Thankfully we are highly bless by God who have such gifted men and women like Dr. Tony Evans, John MacArthur, Kay Arthur, and so forth. There is never a need for a student of God’s Word to ever learn biblical truth from the pen and lips of the likes of Myles Munroe, Joyce Myer, or T.D. Jakes, correct? Sadly this is exactly what is happening today. Sound doctrinal Christians are learning biblical truth from preachers and teachers who have denied the faith theologically and biblically from denying the nature of God to undermining or flat out denying the atoning work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. One may think I am being too extreme; a fundamentalist on the loose. Should we as Christians listen to a false teacher with a filter, attempting to glean out some truth? Is it a case of compromising bible study? Let me give you some reasons why it is and the dangers it entails.

We must ask, “Why should we listen to a false teacher who doctrinally and theologically denies the Christian faith regardless of what little speck of truth he or she teaches?” Many Christians listen to the sermons or read the books and devotionals of Joyce Myer even though she denies the doctrine of the atonement. She has taught without blushing that one cannot be saved unless the convert believes the work of atonement was done in hell, not on the cross(The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make, page 43, 1996-Edition). Joyce Myer has taught this blasphemous doctrine time after time and has in no way (to my knowledge) renounce this teaching which is commonly taught within Word of Faith circles. Countless number of Christians learn Christian living and how to wage spiritual warfare through her radio show, “Enjoying Everyday Life”, and her most successful book to-date, “Battlefield of the Mind”. Why are so many Christians who know what she teaches continue to read her books, listen to her radio broadcast, and follow her devotionals? This truly is a case of compromising bible study if a Christian knows a teacher and preacher is a false teacher, prophet, or apostle and go on ahead anyway and follow their ministry claiming to be gleaning the little nuggets of truth that they do teach. In Deuteronomy 13:1-3 God taught the young nation of Israel not to follow a false prophet even if his prophesy comes to pass, so how much more should we as Christians not follow the false teachers of our day even if they teach some gleans of biblical truth?

After stating my case, some reading this will still think there is no harm in listening to a false teacher with a filter erected in their mind. Some reading this will still say that they are teaching some truth from the Bible so we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Very well, let me ask you this: Would you go to the Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah’s Witnesses or to the Mormon church to get gleans of biblical truth? If you say no, why not? Both believe in living holy. Both believe in having a godly ethic and oppose such things as abortion and gay marriage. Why limit your bible study to the Oneness Pentecostals and the Word of Fath movement? What? They are teaching false doctrine you say? You’re right! They do and so do the Word of Faith teachers and Oneness Pentecostal teachers. What separates T.D. Jakes from Joseph Smith, Jr.? What separates Kenneth Copeland from Charles Taze Russel? Nothing! They all have some gleans of biblical truth in some way or another. Therefore, if you can collect gleans of biblical truth from such groups as Oneness Pentecostals and the Word of Faith movement, then surely there is no logical reason why you cannot do the same with cult groups like Mormonism and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Hopefully you are seeing the point now.

In closing, we as Christians have far too many sound orthodox preachers and teachers in the Body of Christ to teach us God’s truth to ever have any need for the devil’s false prophets, apostles, and teachers. There is absolutely no need to have to do bible study with a filter erected in our minds when we can listen to sound orthodox men and women of God without the need for a filter at all. We have all the teachers we need in order to learn and grow as born again believers in Jesus Christ. (Eph.4:11-14) We have no need for false teachers like Creflo Dollar, Fred K.C. Price, or Charles Ellis III. We are not to validate their ministries by buying their books, sermons, and other products. In doing so, you are supporting false doctrine and the false teachers as well, which both are opposed to the truth of God in every area; from the doctrine of God to the doctrine of Christ and salvation. We are told in 2nd Corinthians 6-14-18 to separate ourselves from sin and to not touch it for it is unclean. We are to draw near to God by worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth. (John 4:24) This can only be done through knowing His Word for yourself (2nd Timothy 2:15-17) and being under pastors and teachers who teach sound biblical truth. (Titus 1:9) So in response to the saying don’t throw the baby out with the bath water–I agree. Here is what I will do: I will hold tight to the baby–God’s Word–and I will throw out the bath water–false teachers and their false doctrines.

Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Holy Spirit

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In the theology of the Jehovah’s Witnesses there are many false teachings that are in conflict with biblical theology. These conflicts are not of a non-essential nature like pre-trib, mid-trib, and post-tribulation teachings on the Second Coming of Jesus, or whether or not a Christian can lose their salvation. Disagreements among Christians on these doctrinal issues does not determine whether or not one is in fact a Christian. A Christian’s salvation is not in jeopardy if they are wrong on such non-essential doctrinal areas like the one’s mentioned. The line is drawn, however, when an essential doctrine of the Christian faith is denied and attacked. Essential doctrines like the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, the person of the Holy Spirit among others are doctrines that draws a clear distinction between true Christianity and false Christianity. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are an excellent example of a group who do deny one or more of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. In this blog we will look at what the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach about the Holy Spirit and attempt to show from the Bible how they are in error.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the Holy Spirit is not a person, let alone God, third person of the Divine and Holy Trinity. The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the Holy Spirit is God’s “active force.” Their line of reasoning starts off deriving from the denial of the doctrine of the Trinity. If God is not a Triune Being, then the Holy Spirit sure can’t be God and if the Holy Spirit isn’t God then He cannot be a person. The Jehovah’s Witnesses acknowledge that the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit speaks (Acts 13:2), has a will (1st Corinthians 12:11), and has emotions (Ephesians 4:30), but these are just personifications like wisdom, sin, and water are in the Scriptures. Furthermore the Jehovah’s Witnesses will ask, “the Bible says, ‘They all became filled with holy spirit.(Acts 2:4) Were they “filled” with a person? No, but filled with God’s active force.”(You Can Live Forever In Paradise On Earth, pg 40) One last reason the Jehovah’s Witnesses give as to why the Holy Spirit is not a person, let alone God, is because He doesn’t have a personal name like the Father and Son have, “The Holy Scriptures tell us the personal name of the Father–Jehovah. They inform us that the Son is Jesus Christ. But nowhere in the Scriptures is a personal name applied to the Holy Spirit.”(Reasoning From The Scriptures, pg 407)

How do we as Christians answer the Jehovah’s Witnesses reasons for the Holy Spirit not being a person, let alone God? We need to first realize that the Bible in no way identifies the Holy Spirit as an active force. Even their New World Translation of the Bible doesn’t give such an identity to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is only identified as an active force because of their denial of the doctrine of the Trinity. Being able to speak, exercise a will, and to express emotions are all personal attributes and expressions which only a person has. When the Holy Spirit said in Acts 13:2, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them…”, did the church send out Barnabas and Saul in obedience to a personification or to a person? I don’t know of anyone who listens to and obeys personifications, but I know I can listen and obey a person who communicates to me information and commands. Only personal beings can express such actions as speaking, willing to do an action, and express emotions. In no way can an active force do these things and to label such attributes which the Holy Spirit has to non-personal personifications is illogical and not biblical.

The second argument against the person of the Holy Spirit is because He filled over a hundred and twenty disciples and no person can do so. If the Holy Spirit is God, then the Holy Spirit is omnipresent–everywhere at the same time–which would mean that there is no place where the Holy Spirit cannot be, including in individual persons. Did you know that the Bible teaches that Jesus also fills all things? Yes it do. In Ephesians 4:8-10 we see that Jesus fills all things which demonstrates His ability to be omnipresent, which only God can do. Jesus is a person, is He? Yes He is and yet we see Jesus fill all things. Therefore the Holy Spirit can be a person and still fill a multiplicity of people. Even more, this demonstrates the divinity of the Holy Spirit for again, only God can be omnipresent.

Lastly, are the Jehovah’s Witnesses right in saying that the Holy Spirit is not a person because He doesn’t have a personal name? No. But if it is true a person is only a person if they have a personal name, then abortion is not immoral and pro-choice groups are justified in their stance. Remember: Jehovah’s Witnesses are pro-life. In Reasoning from the Scriptures, they say, “Deliberately induced abortion simply avoid the birth of an unwanted child is the willful taking of human life (pg 25).” With the same line of reasoning for why the Holy Spirit is not a person–no personal name–I can use the same line of reasoning in favor of abortion. An unborn child–a human fetus–doesn’t have a personal name. Therefore abortion isn’t wrong because it isn’t a personal being–a person. Of course no Jehovah’s Witness will agree with what I stated so they should disagree with their own reason here for why the Holy Spirit isn’t a person.

In conclusion we see the reasons why the Holy Spirit is in fact a person according to the Bible and plain reason. He has the attributes of a person: Mind, will, and emotion. God the Father and Jesus have these attributes of person-hood. Even Satan, demons, and angels have these attributes of person-hood. So we should agree with the Bible on the person-hood of the Holy Spirit. We should reject the teaching that the Holy Spirit is an active force. No Bible version nor the New World Translation itself teach this false doctrine. The denial of the person-hood of the Holy Spirit is nothing more than an attempt to debunk the doctrine of the Trinity which the Christian Church has believed and taught for almost two thousand years.

Free Will: Illusion or Reality?

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I recently came across an intriguing column on the USA Today website entitled, ” Why you don’t really have free will”, written by Jerry A. Coyne. As you can probably predict, Coyne is making a case against the belief that humankind has free will. The denial of free will is part of the fabric of evolution. Theistic and atheistic philosophers have been debating this issue for ages. Philosophically it is the debate of Determinism vs. Free Will. Determinism by definition teaches us that all actions and events have been determined by preceding events or natural causes without the aid of free will or choice on humankind’s part. All actions and events have been determine to happen in a particular way and those actions or events could not happen in no other way. For instance, if Jim murders his entire family and then kills himself, it was determined that Jim would do so and he could not have done differently. Jim murdering his family, then killing himself, was not a choice on his part according to determinism. It was determined to happen that way either by God (theological determinism), biological effects (biological determinism), a product of Jim’s environment (sociological determinism) or psychological (psychological determinism). With the understanding of determinism laid out, let us proceed to Coyne’s case against free will in which he comes from the school of determinism called Biological determinism.

In Coyne’s column, after he has defined free will as when a person has two or more alternatives and that person freely chooses one of those alternatives, he presents two lines of evidence to suggest that free will is but an illusion. The first is that “we are biological creatures, collections of molecules that must obey the laws of physics.” Coyne goes on to say, ” Science hasn’t shown any way we can do this (step outside of our brain’s structure and modify how it works) because ‘we’ are simply constructs of our brain.” What Coyne is basically saying is that what “appears” to be us exercising free will is nothing more than biological workings of the brain.

The second line of “evidence” Coyne presents to us is that our brains are “meat computers”. Coyne said, ” Our brains are simply meat computers that, like real computers, are programmed by our genes and experiences to convert an array of inputs into predetermined output.” This means that our “choices” are a result of our genetic make-up and our environment.

Based on the studies of psychologist and neuroscientist, Coyne said the notion of free will “itself could be an illusion that evolution has given us to connect our thoughts, which stem from unconscious processes, and our actions, which also stem from unconscious processes.” Free will, therefore, is an illusion of evolution. Now let us see why these two lines of evidence are anything but evidence.

First, Coyne’s position that free will is an illusion assumes that the theory of evolution is true. He assumes that we are just biological creatures governed by the laws of physics. We must first ask for scientific evidence for the universe coming into existence from nothing and humans as products of the evolutionary process. Better yet, is the idea of evolution and determinism itself an illusion which some other thing or being gave to us to connect our thoughts? Could actions and events “appear” to be determined and can happen no other way, but in reality be the opposite? That free will is real and humans can choose or reject a certain course of action? By what standard can we judge by to determine whether free will or determinism is illusionary or not?

Lastly, if determinism is true, it is impossible to hold anyone morally responsible. If one’s immoral act is the result of biological workings of the brain and being influenced by his or her environment, then holding him or her morally accountable is meaningless. Furthermore, if evolution is true, by what moral standard or law does one judge a person by? What is evil and what is good? Without an absolute moral law from an absolute moral law-giver(God), morality is relative and therefore meaningless.

From a Christian worldview, God gives us free will. The first demonstration of that is found in the book of Genesis. God commands the first man and woman not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but ” Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.” (Genesis 2:16-17) In Genesis chapter 3 Eve and Adam freely ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6) in complete disobedience to God. The serpent, Satan, tempted them, but they chose freely to give in to the temptation and partake of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Further evidence of God giving people choice is the nation of Israel. In Deuteronomy 30, God presents the blessings Israel would receive as a result of returning to God. Moses as he closes his discourse said, ” I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”(Deut. 30:19)

The greatest of all choices is the choice to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation or not. In John 3:16 Jesus said, ” For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This is only possible if free will exist. God has bestowed on humankind the ability to choose freely as He has the ability to choose freely. Lucifer freely chose to reject God and become God’s enemy. God does not determine who will be His enemy or who will be His ally randomly. Free will is an attribute of His that He freely chose to give us creatures who are created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, it is true that free will is a reality, not an illusion. Determinism and evolution is the illusion given to us by Satan Himself to keep us from God. Determinism vs. Free Will in reality is nothing more than another debate derived from the age-old debate: Does God exist? If God doesn’t exist, there can be no free will; but if God exist, free will is inevitable.

The Main Problem with Ecumenicalism.

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From time to time I think about the ecumenical spirit that seems to be making its way into our society and even into our Christian churches today. I expect this from the Baha’i faith which says it doesn’t claim any type of exclusivity, but embraces all faiths and practices. I especially expect this from the Masons with its brotherhood which ranges from all religious persuasions and philosophies. I am, however, dumb-founded at how the Christian church is falling into this ecumenical trap. There is two ecumenical traps in which the Church is falling into: The universal/pluralistic religious ecumenical trap and the cultic ecumenical trap.

The first trap is the universal/pluralistic religious ecumenical trap. It is the most common trap the Christian church falls prey to. This is the trap where certain local churches and ministers decide to put all major theological differences aside with ecumenicalists of other faiths for the sake of uniting under a cause that all faiths can agree upon. This cause is usually social and ethical in nature. Theological exclusivity and objective theological truth is never present in such dialogues because for it to be present would destroy the whole spirit of universal religious/pluralistic ecumenicalism. How to make society better morally, religiously, and socially are the themes of universal/pluralistic religious ecumenicalism.

The second trap is the cultic ecumenical trap. This trap has over time become more common in the Christian church and is for most part undetected by most in the Christian church. This kind of ecumenicalism is seen on Christian television networks and takes place in Christian churches in the United States and abroad. No, it isn’t Christians joining forces with Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons in the name of God and the goodwill of humanity. What it is is Christians uniting with other cultic groups like the apostate Catholic church, Oneness Pentecostalism, the Word of Faith movement, and other such groups. Despite the major doctrinal differences regarding the nature of God, the person and divinity of Jesus Christ and salvation, certain local churches and ministers worship with them, pray with them, and even evangelize the lost with them. How can this be? How can the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ be so theologically ignorant? How can the Church unite with the Catholic church who teach that Mary the mother of Jesus is the mother of God, the Queen of Heaven and flat-out denies justification by faith? How can the Church unite with Oneness Pentecostals who deny the Triune nature of God? The group which teaches that Jesus is Himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit all in Himself? How can the Church unite with the Word of Faith movement when their teachers teach that Jesus is not the unique and only begotten Son of God anymore and teach that we as Christians are just like Jesus?

The main problem with both kinds of ecumenicalism can be summed up as this: Religious Relativism. There is no absolute theological truth. There is no exclusive objective truth religiously. Particularly in the case of cultic ecumenicalism, there can be no other explanation one can give. Some may say, ” Perhaps they don’t know what those groups believe.” I beg to differ. With the widespread availability of material on the cults (Walter Martin, John Ankerberg, etc.), there is no excuse for not knowing better! I am sure letters have been written to these “Christian” ministers informing them about these cultic groups and how they depart from orthodoxy. Nevertheless these “Christian” ministers shun such warnings and instruction in the name of Religious Relativism.

In conclusion we should not be surprise at such compromises among those in Christianity, other religious groups, and cultic groups which claim to be Christian but are actually not. Truth is unimportant in these two forms of ecumenicalism which has been discussed here. Absolute objective theological truth is divisional in nature and these groups of ecumenicalists will not tolerate opposition to religious tolerance–Religious Relativism. We as Christians must champion the exclusivity which Jesus gave us when He said, ” I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father(God) except through me.(John 14:6). Without the Jesus of Scripture(the Bible) and his truth(John 8:31-32), a person cannot know God. (I John 5:11-12) There is a God who exist and He is revealed to us in Scripture. Religious Relativism and ecumenicalism in essence denies the existence of God and this is evident by the very existence of these two philosophical and theological worldviews.