Expert Testimony: The Existence of God, the Problem of Evil, and the Facts on the Bible

One of the respected methods by which truth claims may be verified is by expert testimony. Expert testimony is offered in court cases to assist in the search for truth. In the same way, expert testimony from respected individuals in human history may offer voracity to the truth claims of the Christian faith.


True faith, Christian faith is grounded in hard facts and reasonable inquiry. I would like to offer forward verified quotations from great thinkers across the ages regarding three areas of inquiry: the existence of God, the problem of evil, and the reliability of the Bible.

Faith leads to knowledge. And knowledge leads to faith. God is not just a story, or a legend or a myth. God is real. We need only look through the annuls of time to see the great thinkers who have believed and testified to the reality of God.

Often we are simply not exposed to these facts, because many in our society seek to quietly ignore and dispose of the idea of God. But we must remember the ground we stand on. It is my firm belief that we must return to the faith of the founders of the United States, and western civilization. Why? So that western society will continue to survive, and prosper. Dr. John Lennox a renowned mathematician and devout Christian once traveled to Russia during the cold war era, a rare event, to speak to their scientists and great minds. Dr. Lennox was sharing regarding the many great scientists over history who have had devout faith in Jesus Christ, and the scientists in the audience were looking more and more angry. So much so that Dr. Lennox stopped his talk, and addressed them, asking them why they looked so upset. And one of them replied, "Why weren't any of us ever told about this?" The answer should be obvious... because knowledge is power. Knowledge is our road to truth.

So without further ado, I offer up this expert testimony regarding the existence of God, the problem of evil, and the reliability of the Bible for your consideration.

A. The Existence of God

1. The Design of the Universe: Does the universe need a designer?

"We have only to see a few letters of the alphabet spelling our name in the sand to recognize at once the work of an intelligent agent. How much more likely, then is the existence of an intelligent Creator behind human DNA, the colossal biological database that contains no fewer than 3.5 billion "letters" - the longest "word" yet discovered?" –John Lennox, God and Stephen Hawking: Whose Design Is It Anyway?, p. 75.

“Discoveries of the last half of the 20th century have brought the scientific community to the realization that our universe and our planet in the universe are so remarkably unique that it is almost impossible to imagine how this could have happened accidentally, causing many agnostic scientists to concede that indeed some intelligent creative force may be required to account for it.” –Dr. Walter Bradley, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Texas A & M

“When you analyze all of the most current affirmative evidence from cosmology, physics, astronomy, biology, and so forth...the positive case for an intelligent designer becomes absolutely compelling.” –Jonathan Wells

2. The Hiddenness of God: Why isn't God more obvious?

"Either God exists, or he does not...Let us weigh the gain and the loss in betting that God exists...If you win, you win everything; if you lose, you lose nothing. Do not hesitate then, to gamble on His existence." –Blaise Pascal, French scientist and theologian, quoted in Harold Sala, Why You Can Have Confidence in the Bible, p. 159

"The chief reason people do not know God is not because He hides from them but because they hide from Him." –John Stott

“God maintains a delicate balance between keeping his existence sufficiently evident so people will know he's there and yet hiding his presence enough so that people who want to choose to ignore him can do it. This way, their choice of destiny is really free.” –J.P. Moreland

B. The Problem of Evil

1. Do our trials communicate to us?

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” –C. S. Lewis

“I saw a young sister, just before this service; and I said to her, "When did you find the Lord?" She replied, "It was when I was very ill." Yes, it is often so; God makes us ill in body that we may have time to think of Him, and turn to Him....What would become of some people if they were always in good health, or if they were always prospering? But tribulation is the black dog that goes after the stray sheep, and barks them back to the Good Shepherd. I thank God that there are such things as the visitations of correction and of holy discipline, to preserve our spirit, and bring us to Christ.” –Charles Spurgeon

2. Does the evil in the world disprove the goodness of God?

“The Biblical world-view is the only one that accepts the reality of evil and suffering while giving both the cause and the purpose, while offering God-given strength and sustenance in the midst of it.” –Ravi Zacharias

Someone once asked Billy Graham, "If Christianity is valid, why is there so much evil in the world?" To this the famous preacher replied, "With so much soap, why are there so many dirty people in the world? Christianity, like soap, must be personally applied if it is to make a difference in our lives." –Billy Graham

C. The Facts on the Bible

1. Can the Bible be trusted?

“I must say, that having for many years made the evidences of Christianity the subject of close study, the result has been a firm and increasing conviction of the authenticity and plenary [complete] inspiration of the Bible. It is indeed the Word of God.” –Simon Greenleaf, (1783-1853), Founder of Harvard Law School


“Today there survives more than 25,000 partial and complete, ancient handwritten manuscript copies of the New Testament. These hand written manuscripts have allowed scholars and textual critics to go back and verify that the Bible we have in our possession today is the same Bible that the early church possessed 2,000 years ago.” –Charlie Campbell

“I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.” –Sir Isaac Newton , legendary scientist

2. Does the Bible contradict itself?

"Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.”
–E. Paul Hovey

“While many have doubted the accuracy of the Bible, time and continued research have consistently demonstrated that the Word of God is better informed than its critics. In fact, while thousands of finds from the ancient world support in broad outline and often in detail the biblical picture, not one incontrovertible find has ever contradicted the Bible.” –Norman Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics

3. Does the Bible contain prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus?

“The Old Testament contains over 300 references to the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Computations using the science of probability on just 8 of these prophecies show the chance that someone could have fulfilled all 8 prophecies is 10 (to the 17th power), or 1 in 100 quadrillion.” –Fritz Ridenour, So What’s the Difference?, p. 28.

4. Does the Bible change lives?

“My father’s life was changed right before my eyes [when he trusted Christ]. It was like someone reached down and switched on a light inside him. He touched alcohol only once after that. He got the drink only as far as his lips and that was it—after forty years of drinking! He didn’t need it any more. Fourteen months later, he died form complications of his alcoholism. But in that fourteen-month period over a hundred people in the area around my tiny hometown committed their lives to Jesus Christ because of the change they saw in the town drunk, my dad.”
–Josh McDowell, The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict, xxvii.

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4. What is the Gospel?
5. Does man need God in Western Civilization
6. Seven Objections to the Bible and Seven Reasonable Responses
7. 10 Answers to Common Questions Raised by Skeptics
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What is the meaning of Life?

"In an uncertain world, here is certainty; in a world without foundations, here is a rock-solid foundation" - Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans

What is the meaning of life?  Ah, the age old question.  So many have asked the question, and so many have attempted to provide an answer.  This question must come up in the mind of man during his toilings on the planet Earth.  Of course it does.  We look up into the sky, across the wind swept horizon and ask: "Why?  Why am I here? What is the purpose in all this?  What is the ultimate end of life?" 

I wondered, what do the great minds of the world consider to be the meaning of life?  I did a quick Google search for quotes from the great minds of history regarding the meaning of life.  On a list from Goodreads.com are quotes on the meaning of life ordered with the most "liked" quotes at the top.  I had to laugh as I scrolled through the quotes.  

The first and most "liked" quote is very revealing, regarding what the internet, and the intellectual prefer to believe about meaning:

“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”
― Albert Camus 

The second quote in the list is equally revealing:

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”
― Joseph Campbell 

These two "great thinkers" insist that you must not even ask what the meaning of life is.  Albert Camus seems to suggest happiness is the meaning of life.  For Joseph Campbell, you are the meaning!  You make the meaning.  I've heard that many times before.  That humans infuse their own meaning into any given situation.  Now why would that be the case?  It seems somewhat contradictory.  In addition, there is no rational there.  And that is something I simply cannot accept, that truth is simply my personal preference.  Sounds more like a selfish western view, very individualistic and conceited.  So the question remains, even when post-modernists shock us with the conclusion that "you shouldn't even ask."

Another writer that I've read, named Henry Miller (Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn) said, "Life has to be given a meaning because of the obvious fact that it has no meaning.”  Given the debauched, erotic lifestyle of Henry Miller, the fact that his books are banned in many countries for their depravity might lead to the conclusion that Henry Miller himself may have a personal stake in a necessary lack of meaning.

Included on the first page of results for quotes on the meaning of life were three different quotes from Christopher Hitchens, a renowned atheist who died of complications from alcoholism at a relatively young age.  A quote is also included from Frederick Nietzsche, a man who fought God his entire life and eventually succumbed to inner madness later in his life.  Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, Philip K. Dick, Stephen King.. fascinating...  That we look to fiction writers to describe meaning in life.  

We can pretend life has no meaning, perhaps to fight for a clear conscience, but that is never quite satisfactory.  We know internally that there is something more.  We know it.  There is a deep desire within man to understand the purpose of all things.  It is an indescribable sense of meaning.  We know deep down that truth is not subjective, but objective.  We know deep down there are fixed truths.  

I don't buy it when someone tells me not to search for something.  I don't believe it when someone tells me that "absolutely" all truth is relative.  It cannot be.  Those around me cannot cancel my journey.  I have taken it.  Life is not a vacant search for pleasure.  Life is not a merry go round of self service.  Those ideas are at the roots of the problems of this world, not the solutions.

Now at the next level, perhaps up a floor, we have those who say we must look within.  That's a very appealing suggestion on the surface.  Look within for the truth, as they say, trust your heart!  Follow where your heart leads.  Yes, I've been down that road as well.  It didn't work out particularly well.  My heart was interested in.. pleasure.  My heart was interested in say, a penultimate happiness.  Or a constant state of satisfaction.  Unfortunately there was no way to arrive at such a place.  There was no perfect romantic relationship, or perfect concoction of prescription medications that could fill the void in my soul.  There was no perfect job.  There was no toy, car, house, or award that could keep me satisfied.  Ultimately there was always the hazy morning after, and a vacant feeling of loneliness, guilty, and emptiness.  And again the next day, after the hang over subsided, the neurotic search for eternal pleasure would begin again.  A great thinker once said, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.  

Now one could approach the meaning of life in a sort of circumspection breaking down the variables and painting a four dimensional tapestry of man kind in space-time.  One could examine the various angles, and counter the necessary punches to reach a conclusion where-in spiritual thought is placed at the height of the terrain.  But I'm not going to do that today.  

One doesn't necessarily take that route when confounded with reality.  In my travels and discussions in small town America I've found that people just don't give it that amount of time and thought.  We just kind of move forward haphazardly, at the heights of pride, thinking we know something about something.  We really don't know much.  We've made up a lot of big words and a lot of people have studied long enough to be considered "experts" and they henceforth issue decrees from the heights of intellectual imbecility to the dismal masses below, to describe the state of things as they see it.  And people tend to accept that.  Yet we often grant authority and unwavering belief to anyone with a title, MD behind their name (aka Mdivinity) or a white lab coat on.

For me, after being prescribed medications by family practice doctors for years, I began to realize finally, that they really had little idea what they were doing.  Just kind of groping in the dark, burying mistakes and playing with brain chemicals.  After that realization... that my doctor is not divine in his/her decisions, I began to realize that the same was probably true for molecular biologists, nuclear physicists, Oprah Winfrey, Deepok Chopra, and my dentist.  Or as many have indicated: People will believe anything as long as the phrase begins with "new study shows" or "scientists have discovered."

My point in all this is that one must be capable of breaking free from the post-modernist nonsense to even approach the meaning of life.  One must also be able and willing to break out of materialism as well.  We come with many, many preconceptions whether we realize it or not.  In the past I might've argued from a preconceived desire for there to be no God.  Or from a scientism view of reality.  Or from a desire to defend a depraved lifestyle.

Now even further, one must then step out of the New Age as well.  Admittedly, this is a large umbrella.  But it is perhaps best summed up in the idea of spiritually "making it up as you go along."  I used to read the book of a woman named Doreen Virtue.  She was a new age writer, and her books were certainly an interesting read.  But it eventually dawned on me as I reading her books... shes just making this stuff up as she goes along.  I had reached the point where I realized a spiritual answer was logical.  I was looking for answers.  I read a great deal about horoscopes, the zodiac signs, tarot cards, Chinese spiritual beliefs, dream interpretation, lucid dreaming, and other sort of "spiritualish" ideas.  Pick what you like, leave the rest, right?  That's certainly entertaining, but hardly an honest approach to truth and meaning.  

Of course as these things were going on, the reading and the spiritual journey and all that, life was happening too.  There were problems in my life.  There were pains.  Addictions were starting to gather.  Stress and depression were becoming issues.  Relationships were not being well maintained.  It was becoming more and more clear that I could not function well on my own two feet, making it up as I went along.  

In life I've found that there is nothing like pain and suffering to refine the parameters of a search.  I was forced to ask my questions more honestly than in the past. 

It was around that time when the sorrow mounted, that I began to study a Bible and carry it around with me.  I read it for fun.  I liked the stories, especially in Genesis.  

Did I think the Bible contained the meaning of life?  I don't know really.  Maybe.  Probably not.  I was more concerned with being entertained.  I never truly realized until looking back, just what an arrogant, entitled little snot I was.  

I was dumb, didn't even understand basic logic.  And I had been educated in one of the best school districts in the United States.  The D.C. Everest district.  I recall several families who had moved to the area for just that reason.  In fact I met some kids whose parents had bought a house for them in the area just so they could attend the district.  Guess what we did at that house?  Public school though, is still public school.  Reminds me of one of the lines from Malcom Muggeridge I believe, who said that man has educated himself into imbecility at his own academic institutions.  In addition, I had started my college studies at one of the most well respected college systems in the United States: the university of Wisconsin system.  Didn't really matter.  

Western civilization has really taken on the philosophies and ideologies of Marx, Freud, and Darwin.  They aren't too functional in my humble view.  But that's a whole new topic. The point is we have to remember what has worked empirically in western civilization: Judeo-Christian principles.  

So yes, with a devestating sigh, we come to it.  Christianity.  The Bible!  No, not that old thing!  Truly truly, I can understand that reaction to the Bible.  It was the last thing I wanted to be true.  It seemed like a book of nonsense fairy tales to me.  But my best research had been reading a novel called "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown.  I hadn't actually read any research, or done any serious investigation.  Yet I found I didn't really have to.  That could come later.  The issue was that my life was falling apart.  I needed not just an answer to the question, I needed a functional solution.  I needed a cure to my malady.  I malady I didn't even fully understand that I had.  The age old "God-shaped" hole in the chest as they say.  

In desperation, collapsed on the floor by the fireplace, I prayed a little pray, "God help me.  Jesus save me!"  And I kept repeating it.  Louder and louder.  And after that day, everything changed in my life.  That was the irrefutable evidence that I had so sought after.   Was it the answer I preferred?  Definitely not.  It was more like a worst case scenario as far as the answer went.  Oh no, please no, anything but the Bible, anything but that Christian stuff.  Because I despised that Christian stuff.  I really did.  I hated it.  I wanted it to go away and stop telling me what to do.  It seemed so stupid.  Yet now.. here I am, a follower of Jesus Christ.  In my own unique way.  I go to a church.  But not a dumb church full of hypocrites.  I go to a church full of sick people who are trying to get well through the power of Christ. I go to a church with people who really want to get out there and do something real for Jesus.  Not just some token effort, but a full force mission of Christ.

I'm sorry to leave you there friends.  I really am.  But it's the truth.  I discovered that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.  Just like he said.  Before that I was a Liberal, New Ager, Agnostic, civil rights, free sexual, pot head, hippie, cigarette smoking tripper free spirit.  And now I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, outspoken, organic-eating, Libertarian indie rocker, occupier, anti-Gmo, truth teller, activist, free spirit, set free by God himself.  I still held onto a lot of my beliefs and ideas, yet my life was also fundamentally transformed by the indwelling presence of God himself.  God-sized hole = filled.  Not bad, not bad.  I still listen to Sonic Youth and the Helio Sequence and complain about things being too mainstream and decry corporate and government corruption, yet with even more power and effect, given the indwelling Spirit.  It's great actually.  And I don't have to be addicted to drugs or alcohol anymore either.  I don't have to smoke cigarettes anymore.  I don't have to chase girls endlessly, hurting people and constantly ending in feelings of guilt.  I still drink coffee and laugh loud with my friends.  Yet it's transformed.  It's better than it ever would've been.  I've got real friends today, brothers.  All thanks to Jesus. I'm asking you today to consider that possibility.  Because let's just be real, it's mainstream to be a sex addicted, gamer, liberal, pothead, druggy, drinker hippie these days.  Everyone is doing that.  For me, it's indie to be a Christian, not like the weird church people, but a radical follower of Jesus, a total sold out on Jesus kind of guy, going anywhere and doing anything in service to my savior.  It's awesome.  And it's real.  It's the real truth of life.

What is the meaning of life? 

Answer: The meaning of life is to wake up on the Earth, and smell the roses, and see the fields and the snow drifts, the mountains the oceans, and the night skies, and to be touched deep down, by an awe in the power and complexity of life.  The meaning of life is to live and make mistakes, until we realize that the problem of evil in the world, the troubles of the planet are not outside us, but within us.  The meaning of life is to inquire, to seek out, and to read and study and learn and by doing, discover that a life as complex and harmonious as this requires a first cause architect.  And in coupling those realities together, we see the need outside and the need within us for a savior who is not like us, a perfect savior: Jesus Christ, a God who does not just tell us how to live morally, but a God who comes down and walks the walk, shows us how to live, and then dies for us, to offer us reconciliation to himself.  The meaning of life is to realize our need for God, and to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ our own Savior.  And to tell others.  And to live that for the rest of our days in joy, awe, and trembling love.

Related Posts/Further Inquiry:

• Real Christianity: Clothing, Buildings, Money, & Extravagance
• Logic, History, Statistics, & Astronomy: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Christianity
• The Philosophy of Jesus Christ
• Jesus: The God who Came
• Why is Jesus the perfect example to follow?
• Good News in Untenable Circumstances
• Rescue in the Labyrinth, Darkest Hour
• Seven Objections to the Bible and Seven Reasonable Responses
• Quick Fact Sheet: Four Points to Consider
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You Oh Lord are my Strength: The Manifold Provision of the Architect of Reality

 Psalm 16:1-2

¹ Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.”


Sometimes I ask myself, in the darkness, waiting to fall asleep.. "Am I really going to be able to do this?"  You wonder if you have the strength required for the journey ahead.  So much has been lost, yet so much has been gained.  A Spirit is working in my life.  Jesus Christ has come to me and saved me from the nightmares of the past.  I've been welcomed into the family of God.  At times it slips away, walking through the gym, talking to friends, driving to work, frown on the face.  That sensation of the presence of God, so fleeting at times.  Yet working always, even when I don't notice.  The consciousness of my sinfulness, always building.  It seems to grow and grow, as I progress forward in the journey.  More and more do I become aware of hidden realities I had never noticed.  Little gems of wisdom float in.  

Life still happens, doesn't it?  Surely it does.  People talk.  Rumors circulate.  I have to face down life on life's terms.  And try not to lash out at those who harm me.  God taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.  Not only did he teach us that, but he lived that.  As it has been said, when one person attacks another, they strike back, and the cycle of anger and violence begins to spiral.  Even to nations, wars, one side attacks the other, the other side retaliates, and on and on it goes.  But when Jesus Christ went to the cross, people hurled ridicule upon.  They accused him.  They mocked him.  They brought up false chargers against him.  They drove nails into his hands and feet.  They spat upon him, and laughed at his claims to be "God."  And what did Jesus do in response?  Nothing.  He became obedient to death itself.  All of the sins of man kind were hurled upon him.  He hurled nothing back.  Sin stopped that day.  He defeated sin.  He conquered death.  Not by fighting it, but by taking it upon himself.  And inversely, from the cross flowed forgiveness, grace, love.  From his side flowed rivers of blood and water.  

And so I must do the same, as much as I am able.  I feel weak.  I haven't slept right in years.  I'm afraid to go to the doctor, because I don't want to end up in that cycle again of always trying some new medication to manage an issue that seems perpetually unresolved.  I struggle with depression.  I struggle with immune system problems.  And recently rumors have spread about me that are shocking.  

Yet God remains good.  I will manage.  The victory of Christ at the cross, remains my victory.  God loves me.  And he also loves you.  

I was thinking lately, about the burden of leadership.  As many know I have begun a path toward officership in the Salvation Army.  Central Territory, USA.  I thought to myself, of the burden of leading a corps, of caring for a community, and of leading people, groups of women and men on the frontlines of the war on the gates of hell itself.  And I thought... do I really want all that?  Can I really handle all that?  How about.. maybe, being a librarian instead.  It seems very relaxing.  Just sit there and read books and help people find books.  Take a lot of naps.  

 I was at dinner with my mother, grandparents, and uncle after a long day at work.  We were discussing the Salvation Army, and the ministry I've been pursuing.  Our discussion turned to ISIS and their actions in the Middle East.  I mentioned how the Salvation Army is active in over 100 countries.  My uncle looked me in the eyes and asked, "If they needed you in one of those dangerous countries where Christians are killed, would you go?"

I searched my heart for a few moments, and replied with a sense of fear, "Yes I would." 

Lately I've been reading a book about the history of the Salvation Army.  It's been an excellent read, just finished it actually.  

Henry Gariepy tells the story of Major Noh Young Soo in his book Christianity in Action. In 1950 communists invaded along the 38th parallel and took over Seoul, Korea. Salvation Army corps were operating there, and the communists were successful in capturing Major Noh Young Soo, an SA officer. They marched him through the streets, and then ordered him to renounce his Christian faith. Facing machine guns, he calmly refused, raising his Bible in one hand, and his Salvation Army song book in the other, replying, "Whether I live or die matters not, Christ lives!" As he knelt down to pray for his captors, they opened fire, and he became a martyr of the Salvation Army. Truly, a great honor to die for ones savior.

No one said ministry would be easy.  I don't recall anyone saying that.  But I was hoping it would be a bit more fun.  It's been rather tough so far.  I suppose working with people will be.  Starting out is never easy.  It's been two and a half years now.  The journey has just begun.  

The threat of addiction keeps me moving forward.  One day at a time.  That's the only way to live.  I must live in today.  Or as a man in recovery once said, "Everyday I was crucified between two thieves: yesterday and tomorrow."  Alcoholism is scary.  Addiction is scary.  We see what it does to people, and no, it's not as simple as "stop doing it and walk away."  For some heavy users and drinkers it may be that simple.  But for many others who are truly addicted/alcoholic, the problem is not the drug, or the alcohol.  The problem is internal.  The problem is a spiritual one, it's simply a more obvious outgrowth of the problem of the wicked heart of man.  Addiction is crazy, baffling, power.  Thankfully it's an illness, and it's treatable, and there are many twelve step groups that can help addicts and alcoholics. 

But it's a constant threat.  It's a very subtle foe, addiction.  It'll be dormant for years, and one day... it'll whisper in your ear: "How about just one.. for old time sake."  My guard can't be up all the time.  Thankfully God provides grace in those areas.  And I trust him and his future grace, in dark situations.  I'm eternally grateful that God gifted me with recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.  It's been two year, four months, and four days.  854 days total.  Things are so different now I can hardly fully describe it.  So I need to remember that happiness in life is all about having an attitude of gratitude.  And it's about staying in today.

Christ gives great joy during times of added affliction.  Indeed Jesus said, "my peace be with you."

 My throat hurts tonight.  I learned that I have strep throat, and just started taking the anti-biotics.  My nose is running, and I keep coughing.  I just got a $450 bill for my dog Bruno's surgery.  So expensive.  It's tough to make ends meet, and as a friend reminded me, becoming an officer in the Salvation Army is a road of financial poverty.  Haha.  But I don't know.  She was being sarcastic. 

The addictive behavior seems to pop up in different areas of my life these days.  Like spending, and over-eating, Facebook, internet, relationships, and other areas of my life as well.  It's difficult.  The tendency to go too far is common for us humans I think.  All things in moderation.

All of these things are so heavy.. still Christ gives us such rest.  Don't you think?  So many paradoxes in a world where sin is rampant.  Why?  Because God is perfect.  Imagine the difference, the tornado-like paradoxes that form when a perfect God and a sinful creation meet.  On my own power, I can't navigate any of this.  

I have a serious lack of power.  When it comes to sin, addiction, temptation, the problem is lack of power.  

But God says:  'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.  -Zechariah 4:6b


The Bible is a description of the solution to the problem of sin, and the fall of man into so many blunders.  The solution is Jesus Christ.  And through Jesus Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit.  


We believers function by the power of the Holy Spirit.  That is how we live, that is how we love, and that is how we overcome sin.  A fellow believer emailed me recently and said that many Christians will be shocked when the floor falls out from under them and their own power, because they should have been connected to the power grid, the Holy Spirit.  I thought, you know, that may be true.  We as humans are prone to try to do things in our strength and ability, but those efforts are meaningless.  

Instead, our efforts must be done within the mission and strategy of the Holy Spirit as he leads the battle lines against the hoards of evil flying from the gates of hell.  So many Christians it seems, the ones you always here about in the media, are not building Christ's kingdom, they are instead building their own kingdoms, to their own glory.  They build for their own standing and importance. "Buy my book", "give money to my ministry."  So many of those massive mega ministries are nothing more than self glorifying money makers.  They are very inclusive and self serving, with ever bigger buildings and fancier displays.  They may even teach sound doctrine, yet their governance and spending patterns indicate a self glorifying ministry instead of a Holy Spirit-based universal ministry.  Eventually you'll even see golden statues in their "name brand" Christian television programs or products.  And then you know that they've gone full apostate, and erected a golden calf to replace the glorious, risen, blessed Jesus Christ our one and only savior.  

Lord may we never fall into that trap, may we serve without reserve ALL your people, not just our friends.  May we serve ALL your children, not just the ones who donate to our ministry.  May we use the tithes we receive to YOUR GLORY, not the glory of our own name, or our prominence or notoriety as a "leader."  May we glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in our actions, and may our ministries be a testament to the perfect morality, truth, and justice of the Lord God of Heaven and Earth, the blessed Heavenly Father.


God is so good to us.  Let us be good to him in response, and bring glory to his wonderful name :)  He gives so many gifts.  He gives manifold blessings, a multipronged whirlwind of hope, peace and transformation to us, his chosen people.


God gives so many gifts to the regenerate believer.  First Jesus Christ saves me from the just penalty for my many sins.  Not only that, I'm given adoption into the family of God.  I get to call the architect of the universe "Dad."  Imagine it!  Not only that, but I receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who changes me over time, and acts as a power in this world who leads me along the path of the will of God.  He gives me happiness, joy, victory over sin.  He gives protection, care, and affection from on high.  That's pretty amazing.  Did I mention honor and glory in heaven?  And unspeakable riches in heaven?  Not to mention, eternal life.  Eternal connection to God and other believers.  Gifts so wondrous the scriptures say: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2:9).  So many wonderful gifts.  How good is our God?  He is mighty, and great, and wondrous, and powerful.  He truly is the architect of the human soul and the lover of us, His children.  So we also love him.  

God seems to answer me, when I put together in writing my fears of failure, and my fears of not being strong enough for the road ahead.  I say "I can't do it Lord."  And God replies, "Not by your strength Justin, but by my Spirit."  My Heavenly Dad confirms the call in my heart, and assures me in peace, that he will provide the power, the strength, and the Spirit for mountain the future.  Mountains, be moved!  And so I praise the Lord my heavenly Dad, for he is mighty and great, my strength and my shield!

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, architect of heaven and Earth.  May we all sing out, Holy and full of grace and truth is our most perfect savior Jesus Christ.  May all the heavenly beings sing out, Praise be to the blessed Lord Jesus Christ our savior forever and ever, amen.  Praise be to God the Father, the blessed Father of all heaven and earth.  We will praise you Lord, you are most worthy of praise, you are our redoubt, our strength in the shadow of this life, you are the one who saves us.  You are mighty, perfect, holy, righteous, all glory be to you the one and only God our Father, the great I am who I am, Jehovah, Elohim, the designer of the human soul, the architect of space-time, the painter of the skies, and the first cause of the universe itself.  Praise be to you once more, you are my God, in whom I will trust always, Amen. 

Related Posts:
We are Blessed Beyond Measure
What is the will of God? 
The Holy Spirit as Guide, Preacher, and Indwelling in the Book of Acts 
What is God Like? 
God's work in the Human Heart

Love Others: The Second Great Command

LOVE OTHERS: THE SECOND GREAT COMMAND

Justin Steckbauer

Religious Capstone Seminar 489

Liberty University

Second Command in the Gospels

John 13:34 (ESV) says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Christianity in it's essence is all about relationship between God and man. This relationship is cultivated through love exchanged between God and man. God is love. Man is not. Man therefore is urged in the first great command to “love the Lord your God with all your heart.” However, the command does not end with love exchange between God and man. A second great command is issued by Jesus Christ in the gospels: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself?

John 15:13 (ESV) says “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Love is service and sacrifice. Love is action (John 3:16). Implicit in a relationship with God is love, and implicit in relationship with other humans is love and sacrifice for friends. But it doesn't stop there.

The expert in the law in Luke 10 asked Jesus “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered by telling the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37 ESV). The expert in the law remarked that the good Samaritan showed mercy to the traveler (Luke 10:37). Jesus told him to go and do like-wise (Luke 10:37). Love is service, sacrifice, and showing mercy. But it doesn't stop there.

Matthew 5:44 (ESV) says “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” The second great command is all about loving other human beings. Does that include enemies? According the scriptures, enemies must be loved and prayed for.

The second great command is present in all four gospels: John 13:34, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, and Luke 10:27. Love is vital to God. The gospels are the love story of God. God's love letters describe his love. God is love. God calls his children to love him and be reconciled to him. Yet God also calls his children to love one another. Neighbor love is vital to the Christian life. 

Jesus himself taught and practiced the perfect form of love for neighbor. Jesus loved and showed mercy to the woman at the well when he offered her living water (John 4). Jesus showed love for the Roman official and his son by healing the child of his fever (John 4). Jesus loved his people by feeding them, when he fed the 5,000 (John 6). Jesus loved the woman who was caught committing adultery by forgiving her sin and setting her free from the temple authorities (John 8). Jesus showed his great love for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus at the events described in John 11. Jesus certainly felt great love for his people. But he also showed his love in actions. He showed his love by caring for the lost. He showed his love by feeding people. He showed love by healing the sick. He showed his love by giving mercy, and giving life.

Significance

1 John 4:8 says “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” The second great command is all about loving through action and feeling. God is love in that he sent his one and only son, who is himself God, to die for the sins of his people (John 3:16). From the Old Testament to the New Testament the vital instruction for daily living was simple: love God and love others. But are those principles inexorably linked? How is love practiced? How does one go about loving thy neighbor as thyself? Many of the greatest theologians of history have weighed in on the topic of the two great commands. Specifically love for neighbor was a hotly contested issue and many differing theological views emerged. The great theologian Augustine believed that self love and love for God were co-extensive (Post, 1990, p. 183). Augustine also believed that loving thy neighbor meant elevating neighbor to communion with God (Post, 1990, p. 183). Another theologian, Scheler believed that love for neighbor was an extension of love for God (Post, 1990, p. 187). Scheler believed that loving ones neighbor was a spiritual form of loving God (Post, 1990, p. 187). On the other hand Karl Barth believed that love for God and love for others were distinct and separate (Post, 1990, p. 182). John Passmore believed that love for neighbor was best lived out as a missional love intent on bringing neighbors into fellowship with God (Post, 1990, p. 182). T.S. Eliot, informed by the Anglican church, believed love for neighbor to be a descending to the non-religious in order to help them ascend to God (Post, 1990, p. 184). Similar to Eliot, Scheler believed there was a balance between accepting the sinner as is, and helping the sinner to become who they ought to be, all wrapped up within the idea of loving thy neighbor to help them come to God (Post, 1990, p. 186). As Rivera (2013) indicated in The Half Gospel and Reforming Mercy Ministry, the practice of loving thy neighbor through mercy ministries seems some what lacking in the church. While theologians focus in on sharing the gospel as the means of loving neighbor, it is also important to meet the physical needs of neighbors, as Jesus did. Jesus spent much of his ministry healing the sick and lame, and feeding the poor. Such ministries are vital to fulfilling the instruction to love thy neighbor as thyself. 

In the Christian life it's important to live as Christ did (1 John 2:6). Christ lived by serving others, even to the point of washing the feet of his disciples (John 13:1-17). To obey the second great command one must be willing to forsake selfishness and embrace self-giving love (Bracken, 2013, p.859). For Christians self-giving love should come more naturally than selfishness (Bracken, 2013, p.862). The work of the Holy Spirit in the believer helps the believer to live out love for neighbor (Bracken, 2013). Prayer is also vital to living out the second great commandment. If a believer is powered by the Holy Spirit, and determined to live out the second great command through love and service, they will produce much fruit for God and His glory (John 16:12-15).

Practical Application

Love for ones neighbor is truly all about practice and application. There are many ways to serve ones neighbor as thyself. The possibilities are listed in the text by Ted Rivera, Reforming Mercy Ministry. There are many options listed such as feeding the hungry, helping the homeless, prison ministry, and caring for spiritual needs (Rivera, 2013). Love for neighbor is very important to the Christian life (Rivera, 2013). Indeed scripture indicates that if someone does not love his neighbor this can be evidence that they are not really a Christian (1 John 3:15). The Christian is instructed to love even their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44). Jesus spent his three year ministry serving the poor and showing mercy to those who needed mercy. In order to live as Christ did, Christians must be willing to get down and dirty with those in the most severe need, both by showing affection through the gospel message and by meeting needs.

There are two primary applications of loving thy neighbor: the first is to show mercy to all people and share the gospel, and the second is to meet the needs of those in need. Such daunting applications are difficult, and are only possible by the Holy Spirit ministering through believers. The only reason that believers are capable of showing love and kindness is because God first loved all believers (1 John 4:19). The Holy Spirit will help believers in the process of learning to love and care for those in need. As long as believers are willing to forsake selfishness and take up their crosses and follow Jesus to love and service, then wherever there are people in need, Christ will be there to serve them (Matthew 16:24, 1 Corinthians 12:21-26).

Bibliography

Bracken, Joseph A., S.J. "The Challenge of Self-Giving Love." Theological Studies 74, no. 4 (12, 2013): 856-71, http://search.proquest.com/docview/1461737361?accountid=12085.

Post, Stephen. "The Purpose of Neighbor-Love." The Journal of Religious Ethics 18, no. 1 (1990): 181-93.

Rivera, Ted. Reforming Mercy Ministry: A Practical Guide to Loving Your Neighbor. IVP Books, 2014.

Sproul, R. C. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version, Containing the Old and New Testaments. Orlando, Fla.: Ligonier Ministries ;, 2005.

Wright, Rebecca Abts. "The Impossible Commandment." Anglican Theological Review 83, no. 3 (Summer, 2001): 579-84, http://search.proquest.com/docview/215265612?accountid=12085.