dscheer – Page 32 – Scripture Thoughts

Author: dscheer (page 32 of 33)

Noah’s Flood – Global or Local?

Some people have come to the conclusion that Noah’s Flood could not have covered the entire earth, but rather just a large portion of it around the Mesopotamian lands. Some of their reasons include: 1) there is not enough water in the earth to cover Mt. Everest by 15 cubits as the Bible states, 2) snails move too slowly to migrate throughout the earth in far lass than 4500 years, 3) kangaroos could not hop all the way to Noah from Australia and then migrate back over oceans, 5) fresh water fish would all die in the salt water from the oceans, and 6) Noah could not fit and care for about 2,500,000 animals on any boat.

If the Flood was just a local one, why didn’t God just tell Noah to move? Since the Bible says that God brought the animals to Noah, Noah could have led the critters to safe ground. If I were Noah and later found out there was plenty of dry, safe land somewhere, I’d be angry at God for making me spent much time (100 years!), energy, and skill making that big boat.

God promised to never flood the earth like this again. If it was just a local flood, then God has broken His “rainbow promise” several times throughout history. If the flood was local, how could it maintain its depth for a year? This is how long the Bible says it lasted before it was safe to go back onto land. If that whole area was a big depression so that water depth could be maintained, I don’t think all the people would live there because high places are generally safer for several reasons. If it was a local flood, then God must have sunk that whole area and then flooded it, then pushed the land back up. I don’t think so. In fact, if God did it this way, wouldn’t He simply tell us He did?

Another mistake skeptics make when judging the Scriptures is that they assume much. High mountains, including Everest, were not formed before the Flood, so water did not have to rise as high as many people suppose. Psalm 104:5-9 reveals that mountains and valleys (oceanic trenches would be included) formed after the Flood. So where did all that water go? It’s still here! If we were to level all the mountains on earth and raise up the oceanic trenches and land valleys, all land would be covered by water. The reason God pushed up and sank down land after the Flood was to ensure that a global flood would never again be possible (Ps.104:9). Boundaries were set. It is reasonable to assume the high mountains were not yet formed before the Flood. The Bible tells us the one source of the water was from under the crust of the earth – “all the foundations of the great deep burst open on the same day.” The word “burst” means that the water was under lots of pressure and that the crust of the earth split open in many areas. Hence, our current plate tectonics began and their movements would cause mountain ranges to arise and valleys to sink much like an accordion effect.

Another erroneous assumption is that the oceans were salt water. Over time, oceans slowly gain salinity. Scientists have measured the rate at which salt enters the seas per year. Currently, ocean water is about 3.6% salt (if we are billions of years old as a planet, this should be much higher). If we go back far enough in time, it is logical to assume there was no salt yet formed in the oceans. In fact, I think God made all of earth’s water fresh in the beginning. By the time of the Flood, erosion would have caused some salt content in the oceans but certainly not our current 3.6% yet. In addition, the water that burst through from the “fountains of the great deep” was also most likely fresh, and this would further dilute the low volume of salt in the seas so that the sea life would not die. There simply was not enough of a sudden, drastic change in salinity. As the years passed following the Flood, the oceans increased their salinity extremely slowly – slowly enough to allow the sea life to adapt without harm. This survival adaptation has been demonstrated by experimentation today.

Snails do indeed move slowly, and they could never spread over the earth quickly. Snails, however, along with most other life forms, did not have to get onto the Ark. Genesis identified only air and nostril-breathing animals that crawl on the land needed to be on the Ark (Gen. 6:17; 7:22). That eliminates 95% of the bio world. All life in the sea could stay there. Insects (except those that swarm), worms, snails, etc. were not on the Ark.

I have no idea where skeptics get that 2,500,000 figure for the animal total on the Ark. Creation scientists estimate it was only about 16,000. These would represent the major kinds God created. From these, all variations within each kind occurred. In other words, Noah did not need to get all 250 variations of dogs on the Ark – just two canines would suffice. John Woodmorappe has authored quite an in-depth book entitled, “Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study.” Among other things, he calculates all the necessary logistics of space and caring for all the animals by 8 people. He concludes that it could be done. He also looks into the Ark’s construction in great detail and how a ship of that size could withstand all the pressures of violent wave action. In 1993, a scientific study headed by Dr. Seon Hong at the world-class ship research center KRISO, based in Daejeon, South Korea confirmed the ark’s seaworthiness.

Though the Scriptures never say this, it is also possible that the animals went to full or partial hibernation. When animals are confined for lengths of time, they tend to fall into this mode. If so, the amount of food consumption and waste clean-up would decrease significantly. Baby, rather than adult, animals would also expedite space problems and care. Younger animals live longer to reproduce, so I would be surprised if God brought large adult ones to Noah.

Regarding animal migration to and from the Ark, we cannot assume, as skeptics do, that kangaroos and koala bears were located in Australia before the Flood. It is more logical to assume that all the basic species lived near the “cradle of civilization” where Noah was located since that’s where God made all the animals. Maybe God made all species for Adam to name, and then made more throughout the earth, but the Scriptures give no hint of this.

There still remains a problem, however. How could the ‘roos and those koalas make it all the way to Australia after getting off the Ark in the country of Turkey? (The mountains of Ararat are in this country today). First, immediately after the Flood, all the continents would most likely have been connected by land bridges as the continental shelves were the coastlines. Over the next 300 or so years, the giant ice masses at the poles, which were probably formed during the Flood, were melting. This raised the sea levels and covered the shelves which separated the continents. It is interesting that Genesis says that in the days of Peleg the earth was divided (Gen.10:25). Peleg lived about 300 years after the Flood. The Bible does not say exactly how the earth was divided, but this is a plausible theory. Second, of all animals that could make it that far the quickest would be marsupials because they can carry their young in sacs and keep traveling. Others stay put until their babies are grown. Once Australia was separated by the rising oceans, those animals that made the migration there were isolated and flourished. Another idea is that people later brought those animals to Australia and they flourished.

If Noah’s Flood was merely a local one, I’d bet that some humans, who lived far enough away, would have survived. I find this difficult to believe in light of God’s stated judgment against mankind.

There are over 290 legends of Noah’s Flood in other cultures and civilizations. Some details don’t match the Scriptural account, but that makes sense since I contend that Genesis is the original source. Amazingly, however, all these legends get the gist correct – a big deluge hit but 8 humans and many animals survived in a big boat. Furthermore, the Chinese language uses many symbols and a combination of those symbols form other words. For example, the combination of symbols for “eight, vessel, and people” actually means “boat.” Why would a mere myth concocted in ancient Israel have any effect upon a foreign language?

Finally, if the Flood was global, the geological evidence would show it. If the Genesis account is accurate and literal, a scientist would predict that we would later find millions of dead things buried in rock layers laid down by water all over the earth as Answers in Genesis Director Ken Ham aptly points out. This is exactly what we find below earth’s surface – sedimentary rock layers containing millions of fossils. Some strata lines have been traced around the planet. The so-called “Geologic Column” pictured so nicely in textbooks today is actually a result of vast and sudden hydrologic sorting during the Flood rather than billions of years of evolutionary history. One problem, among others, with that column in textbooks is that fossils are not always found in that order.

In summation, there are well-meaning Christians on both sides of this issue. Few, however, have considered all the possibilities surrounding Noah’s situation. We should never feel pressure from scoffers, skeptics, or man’s scientific theories to bend from what the Word of God plainly says. There is always room for symbolism and the use of metaphors throughout Scripture, but there is a limit to this. While it may be difficult to answer all the questions about the Global Flood of Noah’s day, I tend to trust in what the Genesis account describes rather than seeing meaning in Scripture that was never intended, such as Gap and Day-Age Theorists do. I am ever mindful of Psalms 119:130: “The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” In other words, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand what God wants us to know from His Word.

Feedback so far:

GR: Continued brilliant work and a BIG AMEN.

LW: A great study are the words “the deep” (KJV—can’t speak for other versions). Much is said in Job about “the deep.” Many scholars I have heard and studied believe that “the deep” is in outer space where God lives and that it’s frozen, that this is what was “broken up” and brought all the water for the flood. For us as humans living on the earth, we think of the deep as oceans, but we have to remember that God doesn’t dwell in our small, finite planet alone, but in all the universe and beyond. There is so much we can gain understanding and gain insight into if we would just dig in and study….as the Bible says, as a “workman”….it takes some work to gain understanding & wisdom, but it’s so worth it!! :-)) Great job of “digging in” here! Thanks for sending!

Dave Scheer: I’ve kind of pictured God living in a different dimension rather than “out there” somewhere. This dimension could also make Him omnipresent. It’s a dimension that we cannot grasp now, but will pass into at death. The idea of God living in “deep space” is an interesting one, however, I prefer to think that “the deep” in the Genesis account of the Flood refers to the oceans because it could explain the beginning of plate tectonics and the formation of mountains and trenches. It all just makes more scientific sense from what we observe today.

NF: Always learning something new–thanks for sharing!

PT: I think this is perhaps one of the best articles I’ve read about the flood in a long time and learned some things. Thanks Dave. I often cringe when I hear so many question the idea of a worldwide flood by both Christians and non-Christians alike. Do not Christians believe that “nothing is impossible with God” which is repeated throughout Scripture? If something seems impossible by human reasoning does that mean God can do it? Recently I heard about a replica of the “ark” being built today, do you know anything about it?

Dave Scheer: Thanks. Regarding the Ark – you can go on line and find some guy in Finland or Sweden I think that has built an ark replica. There was also a man near me that made on scaled down, but he recently died and I’m not sure what became of it. I think there have been a couple of people that have done this. The Internet should help you. Answers in Genesis in Kentucky is building one, too. Here’s a web site about a Dutch man: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/01/noahs-ark-replica-2012-olympics_n_869699.html

Death at Very Early Age

July 16, 2017 / dscheer / 0 Comments

Babies sometimes die before being born. Newborns sometimes die shortly after birth. Toddlers sometimes die. How can the God of the Bible be true when tragedies such as these occur constantly all over the world?

Two major points must be made evident immediately when defending our faith:

When the human race chose to reject God and go their own independent ways, the horrors of death, tragedy, and injustice entered our realm. God did not originally design things this way. Humans are to blame. Does this mean, however, that God is directly causing every single tragedy as specific punishment for our sin? I don’t think so. Rather I tend to see tragedies as an automatic result of our sinful, self-centered state. It’s like God telling us not to jump off a cliff. If we do, then the laws of gravity, which God knew about previously, take over and we reap the results (even though He could suspend those laws). So although God is mindful of each tragedy, I don’t look at Him as though He caused them. There are exceptions. He does stir up judgments against individuals and nations from time to time. He is not totally divorced from His creation. He intervenes in great ways and in judgmental ways from time to time. Whenever He does intervene, it is always for the good of mankind, both in the short run and the long run.
God’s Eternal Plan will make everything right (and worthwhile) in the end.

These may or may not be comforting words to parents who have lost a young child. Perhaps the best comfort we can give them is to weep with them. People generally aren’t in the mood for a sermon when in the middle of the grieving process. While Jesus did weep with the friends and family of Lazarus, He did demonstrate His promise of everlasting life, which has the power to deliver us all from the curse of this sinful world.

When a young person dies, we tend to describe that tragedy as “an untimely death.” While I certainly understand this, it may not be from God’s perspective. After all, He knows the future of that child, and it may be horrible. Perhaps worse things would happen if that child lived longer which would ruin their personality or saving faith in Jesus. God had to remove the infant Jesus from Satan’s jaws of death. God did not take Jesus out of this world to prevent His premature death for obvious reasons, but it reveals how the devil seeks to destroy people (1 Peter 5:8). One might argue that God should prevent such tragedies since He has the power to do so. All I can say is that in His wisdom, He knows when to intervene and when not to intervene, and I cannot fully explain why (neither could Job, and God did not tell him either). Jesus did tell a parable about wheat and tares in Matthew 13. In verse 30 He says to not pull out the tares (evil, or evil ones) from the earth because the wheat (God’s true children) would be harmed, but allow both to grow together until the harvest. So God has His kids in mind throughout all the horrors and injustices in this fallen world. With His Plan, eventually all evil will be finally done away with.

Do these young people who die go to heaven? I know we would like to think so. Even though the practice of infant baptism is not Scriptural, well-meaning religious people have added it to their practices in order, they think, to ensure eternal life for those young ones. Does this mean that those young ones who weren’t lucky enough to get sprinkled will go to Hell? I don’t think so. The truth is that we can only wonder and guess. In 2 Samuel 12:23, when King David was mourning the death of his infant son whom he illegitimately fathered with Bathsheba, he said, “But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” This may give us a hint that these babies will go to a great place, but was David speaking from his own opinion, or was this a truth nugget from God? It’s difficult to tell. Or, was he referring to a place souls go to before Judgment Day? One thing we know for sure is that God is Perfect and whatever happens it proper and right.

Another comforting Scripture is found in Matthew 18:10. Jesus, speaking about young children, said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” It appears from this that kids have angels assigned to them, so the old phrase concerning “guardian angels” probably stems from this verse rather than the old-time hit movie, “It‘s a Wonderful Life.” My question is, if young ones have these angels, do they continue with them throughout life? I hope, and believe so. I just cannot see an angel saying, “Okay! The kid just turned into an adult, so I’m outta here!“

When death strikes early, it is difficult for us to immediately apply Romans 8:28 which states, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” We may never wrap our minds around this one entirely. I do believe, however, that in the afterlife, we will see all clearly. The question then becomes, can we still trust in this God of ours when things go badly? This was part of Job’s test.

We also tend to misjudge things. In Jesus’ day, people thought that people who experienced early death were worse sinners than others. Jesus corrected this misconception in Luke 13:1-5. In this case, Jesus used early death as a teachable moment by reminding us that unless we repent, we also will likewise perish. Death is a wake-up call for people who are not yet right with their Creator. Therefore, an infant death, for example, can be used to wake up several others who can greatly influence the kingdom of God while they live on earth. I’ve seen God draw people to salvation by using deaths of infants. Those infants had a divine purpose that they knew nothing about. On the other hand, tragedy can also make the human heart even harder against God. It all depends on what’s in the heart. When people were accusing Jesus of making up His own off-the-wall religion, He said, “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself “ (John 7:17).

In summation, I do not think that Adam and Eve had much of an idea what sin’s curse would wrought throughout human history. Thousands of years later, we still cannot completely understand life’s tragedies and complexities. We can, however, choose to continue our walks with our Creator trusting Him to make all things right in the afterlife where death loses its sting (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). But while we still have that “sting,” God can comfort us if we turn to Him during those tough times.

Feedback So Far:

PT: Great question Dave. Appreciate you posing such a difficult question and the godly counsel you offer and agree with everything you say. Much to ponder about. I thought too I might pass along some info taken from a Billy Graham training seminar (Rapid Response Team) I recently attended in how to minister effectively to those who have suffered loss and are in a crisis situation. People deeply impacted with trauma and grief.

COMMON MISTAKES:

Unwelcome preaching or giving a sermon
Trying to cure the problem
Being theological vs pastoral
Poor timing
Confusing witnessing with just showing up
Thinking their faith is just like yours
Using language they don’t understand
Using churchy cliches, like “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away” (dangerous)
Equating your own experience with theirs, stay away from personal experiences
Trying to answer the “Why has Thou forsaken me?” question. Only God knows for sure.

MINISTRY THAT HELPS:

Intense grief is like a fingerprint, it is different for everyone
Be there for them, make yourself available
Be patient, spend more time listening than talking, give full attention, listening build trust
Use open ended questions to help them talk, like “How are you holding up?”
Listen to see what else might be contributing to their level of pain and suffering, 65% of all trauma victims already have some king of pain before the crisis
Have a short-term presence with a long-term ministry in mind
Ask if they have family and friend support
Help them understand available resources
Help them take the next reasonable step without manipulation.

LET GOD ACT:

Wait for the Holy Spirit’s “nudge” to bridge the gap between the clinical and biblical, let the Holy Spirit guide you
Find out what God is already doing in their life and go along side them, ask if they have a church or church family, or if they believe in God
Be prepared to share the hope you have in Christ (the gospel) and what is true about God and His loving care, but do so with gentleness and respect. Remember, Christ is our only mediator between the God of all comfort and those we want to comfort. Jesus said, “…love one another just as I have loved you” (John 15:12)
Reading Scripture helps, acknowledge this is a very difficult time and “ask permission” to read Scripture, consider Psalm 119:25,28 and Ps. 42 and Ps. 88
Prayer becomes very important, bringing words of encouragement and attention to God with needed words of hope and Christ’s love. Prayer commends the person into the faithful hands of Christ. “Ask” if they want to pray, almost all people will say “yes”
Have a follow-up strategy, invite them to church and to meet with them again. “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.“ II Thess. 2:16-17

Is Christianity Logical?

July 8, 2017 / dscheer / 0 Comments

Scoffers will always say no. Believers will say yes. I will attempt to lay out the logic contained within the Christian faith in spite of its claims of a sea splitting, an ax head floating, and the raising from the dead. This is mostly for the benefit of the believers since logic alone does not convert a soul – “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). Moreover Paul states, “And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (2 Cor. 4-5). Again the Scriptures say, “For indeed the Jews ask for signs, and the Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:22-24). These Scriptures put the above question in proper perspective. I believe there is a ton of logic to our faith, but our eyes have been opened by God, therefore we can perceive it. So, I don’t think you can use this essay as “ammunition” to get someone saved, but it may strengthen your faith in Him. There is the possibility that these words could mark the beginning of a more open-minded inquiry which then could lead to salvation, but the saving power rests with God alone.

When constructing a logical platform one must start with a cornerstone – something that will support all else. The logical base for Christianity is what we find in the existence of extreme complexity in life forms and matter. Evolution tells us that it all came about by chance mutations, natural selection, and random processes despite no hard evidence for it (it‘s not observable nor repeatable in experimentation or study). Not one gradual change from species to species can be found in the fossil record, in fact, they look the same as do the creatures we see today. Darwinian also predicted that the smaller something is, the more simple its construct would be. With the later invention of strong microscopes, scientists discovered the opposite – there is more intricate design with thousands of systems and parts depending upon each other to keep an organism alive. If these parts went through a long process of changing from some primitive to advanced form, how could they keep that organism alive during the millions of years of slow change if it depends on “adult” (grown-up) systems for survival as we now know? To me, this poor theory gets its power from the fact that fallen man does not want to be held accountable to a higher power that has the right to make the rules of life. So rather than true science pushing the theory, we find a spirit of rebellion against God’s Truth. This is why evolution is forcefully jammed down our throats with no tolerance for dissenting, scientific voices. God described this intolerance through Paul, “…men suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them, for since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).

In truth, evolution is extremely illogical because it asserts against all evidence that life came from non-life without a superior creator or some intelligent form. It also maintains that DNA information changed for no apparent reason and spawned new life forms yet offering no observable evidence for it but rather keeps chirping a loud mantra that it had to have happened. And since when do random processes form complex, organized, interdependent structure?

Since design is the cornerstone that should lead people to God, it must be attacked more than anything else. Evolution accomplishes this. Supporting this spiritual dimension of evolution is Lou Reinagel’s testimony. Lou, being extremely intelligent and a deep thinker, was saturated with evolution as a child and strongly advocated it. He later became a high school science teacher and eventually taught astronomy at the college level. While still a high school teacher, Lou surrendered his life to Christ, and the first thought he had was that evolution was a lie! He had never heard any scientific discourse against the theory. Yet he had a sudden “Saul-to-Paul” unbiased revelation. Logic says this could not happen unless Biblical claims about Jesus are true.

If there is design, there has to be a designer. If the design is complex and it works, there must be a reason for its existence. If there is meaning to this life, it is logical that the Designer would in some way communicate that to people. This Designer has to be far above human abilities. Then it is logical to assume that the Designer’s ways are higher than ours, so that we will not understand everything, but that we will understand what we need to know before we die.

Scoffers quickly sneer at the fact that God does not appear to us face-to-face. They fail to realize that if God did that in His normal form, they would die. It’s one of those rules of God that one can discover if one is open to His Truth, but the one who is closed to Truth demands a “sign” such as did some hard-hearted Jews of Jesus‘ day. The late comedian George Carlin would sometimes rant against Christianity by saying, “Have you ever noticed that God never appears to us? He always sends a prophet or someone else!” It was his way of asserting that Christianity is foolish to embrace because this so-called God never shows Himself to us. To Mr. Carlin, Christianity was illogical. The Truth, however, is that God did appear to us face-to-face. He chose a form that would not kill us but give us life, but scoffers cannot perceive that. Philip was almost deceived by this when he asked Jesus to simply show the disciples Go face-to-face which elicited an awesome statement by Jesus, “Have I been so long with you, and you have not come to know Me, Philip?” (John 14:9). So, not only do we have the Creator paying us an in-person visit, but also have thousands of years of history (His-story) revealing His name, nature and purpose for mankind, and how to follow in His steps. God has not made everything only to abandon all to see what will happen. That does not bear the weight of logic. On the contrary, if it was not for His consistent interventions throughout the Old and New Testament times, we would not be here today. Indeed, evil would have overtaken the entire world long ago culminating in total destruction.

All people readily admit that no human is perfect. They all agree that everyone has done wrong things. Logic tells me there must exist an enemy common to mankind that is causing this, and he or it must be defeated if we are to triumph in life. A logical Designer would tell us who or what that enemy is and how to beat him or it. The Bible identifies our enemies plainly: 1) Satan, 2) sin, and 3) death. God told Cain, just before he murdered Abel, that he must master sin since it was “knocking at his door.” Cain failed. So later God gave The Law, and everyone failed at obeying it. Did this catch God off guard? Absolutely not. In fact, just after Adam and Eve sinned the first time, they tried via human effort (fig leaves) to cover their sin. It did not work as evidenced by their fleeing from God’s presence later. God, however, intervened by slaying an innocent animal and covering the humans with skins. He was demonstrating one of His deeper Laws – “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin” (Hebrews 9:22). Have you ever wondered why pagan civilizations conducted human blood sacrifices? Satan loves to pervert anything God says or does. Logic tells me that if the Bible is all hogwash, then those civilizations would not gravitate toward such horrible practices. It would make no sense to do so. God also revealed that human effort (fig leaves in this early case) does not earn God’s forgiveness. We need a much deeper, more serious surgery – a “heart” transplant. That first animal sacrifice for humans was a picture of what Jesus would accomplish on the cross. Jesus gives us His righteousness that He did earn by living a sinless life in our form.

Realizing what God was communicating in the Genesis tragedy gives meaning to Christ shedding His blood on the Cross thousands of years later. Unlike the shedding of animal blood, His sacrifice was Perfect so that it ended all others. Therefore, it is also logical that after the nation of Israel rejected their God in Christ that the Jewish Temple was utterly destroyed, along with animal sacrifices forty years after Jesus predicted it. Anyone trying to return to these types of sacrifices or priests as go-betweens for man and God is an insult to what God had accomplished on that Cross. Jesus died only ONCE and now reigns in Heaven and He is our High Priest forever. No one or no other thing is now necessary! This is one of the main themes of the Book of Hebrews, and Paul, being one of the chief Jewish leaders, got that message loud and clear.

Therefore, the New Testament Book of Hebrews is a logical follower of the death and resurrection of the foretold coming of the Messiah. God tells us how He dealt with our enemies. Satan was defeated because Jesus never sinned. Sin was defeated because Jesus was the Perfect (sinless) sacrifice. Death was defeated because Jesus rose from the dead. With all this history before us, people still try to be good enough on their own efforts – hint: fig leaves do not work, so quit slapping God in His face by dissing (ignoring is also dissing) what He has done for mankind. Logic says people should be running to Jesus for mercy and forgiveness, but this world is not logical. People even say that insanity is repeating what does not work believing that it will…hmmm.

In summation, the strands of logic exist to support Biblical assertions about God’s existence and His salvation plan for mankind. The logic of this world, however, asserts that there can be no good God because the world is full of injustice, pain, and suffering. Jesus, however, revealed that in order to perceive Truth, a person must be willing to do God‘s will (John 7:17). Humans are caught in the middle of a supernatural war. There appears to be logic in both camps, but one side is merely smoke and mirrors. Which strand of logic will be embraced by an individual depends on what is in their heart.

Feedback so far:

NF – Excellent job!

PT – I’m not an apologist and my knowledge of the many great debates of today’s philosophers taking place today are limited, but those apologists like Ravi Zacharias and many others who God has raised up certainly can logically defend the faith of Christianity (Why else would they be invited to Harvard and other major universities to speak and argue for the faith?) I also find the Apostle Paul lays out an argument that is quite reasonable in the New Testament. But in just finishing my Matthew study, I had also came to the conclusion one cannot believe Christianity unless you believe in the supernatural–the creation, the flood, the many miracles of the Old Testament, visible angels, the virgin birth, the many miracles of Jesus, and most importantly His resurrection, all of which break into the closed system we hold today as reasonable.

Scripture Thoughts

Author: dscheer (page 32 of 33)

Noah’s Flood – Global or Local?

Death at Very Early Age

Is Christianity Logical?

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