Belief – Page 2 – HeartQuest 101

Why is Sanctification Needed?

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Scott Chafee

A simple yet profound definition of sanctification is the life-long process of becoming more and more like Jesus. Some pseudo-Christian groups teach that believers will actually becomes like Jesus… like a god to rule over your own world, but I’m talking about becoming more and more Christ-like in our thoughts, attitudes, actions, and habits.

Salvation comes to a person is multiple ways. Notice I did not say that there are multiple ways to be saved! When someone decides to commit themselves to Jesus and become a follower of Christ, he is saved from every sin he has ever committed, and will ever commit. This is justification (becoming just as if I’d never sinned). Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ and then glorification occurs when we finally see Jesus face to face, basically when we make it to heaven. There, we will finally be able to not sin! Three facets of one salvation. So in answering the question of my salvation, I can honestly say, “Yes, partly and no.”

So what biblical support can I give that growing in faith and godliness is the right thing for a follower of Christ to do?

Peter tells us to keep growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ – 2 Peter 3:18
We should not be content to remain immature in the faith, which was the case for many early believers – Hebrews 5:12-14
God works in us (through His word) to bring us to spiritual maturity (to sanctify us) – John 17:17, Colossians 3:16, 1 Peter 2:2-3, Psalm 119:11, 119:105
The Bible is the source of our faith and practice, to correct us, train us and equip us for every good work – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Holy Spirit teaches us and reminds us of the word of God – John 14:25-26
The word of God is immeasurable effective in bringing growth – Hebrew 4:12
We are to be like a runner in a race, pressing on and continuing toward our goal – Philippians 3:12-14
We are to rid ourselves of everything that hinders us from movement toward the goal – Hebrews 12:1
We are to fix out eyes on Jesus because of what He has done for us – Hebrew s12:2
We are to train ourselves to be godly, like an athlete trains for his sport – 1 Timothy 4:7-8
We are encouraged to put much effort into living a godly life – 2 Peter 3:14
We are to abide in Christ so that we may bear much fruit – John 15:5
We are to become imitators of Christ – 1 John 2:6
Peter tells us many Christ-like virtues – 2 Peter 1:5-9
We should be motivated to grow in our faith, after all Christ did for us – 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Romans 12:1-2
God uses His word to revive our soul, make us wise, give us joy, and much more – Psalm 19:7-8
God requires that we keep working toward our salvation (not to earn grace but to demonstrate faith), and He works in us by His word and His Spirit – Philippians 2:12-13
God is graciously transforming every Christian into the likeness of His Son – 2 Corinthians 3:18

It is amazing to me that someone could pray a prayer, come to Christ, receive His salvation and yet not commit to God wholeheartedly enough to eliminate sin and ungodliness from their life, and be content to remain a “baby” Christian until they die. To me, it seems like a situation of premature death.

[print_link]

Why Does God Allow Suffering and Evil?

Posted on April 13, 2009 by Scott Chafee

Why does God allow evil and suffering in the world? This is an age-old question. Either God is all-powerful but not all-good (and therefore doesn’t stop evil) or He is all-good but unable to stop evil (making Him not all-powerful). The general idea is to blame God for all evil and suffering and pass all responsibility to Him.

No Easy Answers:

Remember that God created Adam and Eve perfect, not evil. But they had the ability to obey or disobey God’s commands. Had they obeyed that one command (Genesis 2:16-17), they never would have had a problem. Since that time, the tendency toward sin has always been with us (Romans 5:12). We must remember that people are responsible for sin, not God.

So, why did God make us so that we could sin? Had this happened, we would no longer be human, but rather machines. Saying, “I love you” in person is so much more meaningful than hearing the same words from a hostage that I told to say it while I hold a gun to their head! We are not robots programmed to say the phrase, we have a choice.

Could God stamp out evil?

A time is coming when He will, because of His never-ending love (Lamentations 3:22). While the devil has his day, God is holding us by His grace and His unfailing love. If God would stamp out evil today, he would do a complete job. Stop war but stay away from us… lies, personal habits, lack of love. Who would still be standing if He were to do this tonight?

What God has done about the evil:

He has done the most drastic thing, the sacrifice of His Son. He was the only way to escape the inevitable judgment of sin and evil. To speculate the origin of evil is endless. No one has a full answer. Some things are classified as secret that only God knows (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Part of our problem is the limited definition of the word good. (See quote on p. 133)… justice dispensed according the severity of the infraction.

Exact-Reward concept:

Would God be good if He dealt with each person exactly according to his deeds? God’s goodness is not only displayed in His justice but in His love, mercy and kindness) Psalm 103:10-11). It is a faulty assumption that happiness is the greatest good, usually fleshed out in comfort. True happiness is not precluded by suffering. Some things can only be accomplished in our character brought about only by suffering (1 Peter 5:10.

Exact-reward is more on the lines of karma. Any attempt to alleviate pain or suffering would be interfering with the just ways of God. That is why Hindus do so little in helping the less fortunate. This idea does give us a clean rationale for suffering; it is all based on previous evil-doing. Christians at times have this same thought, “Why did I deserve this?” That cruel assumption is the argument of the friends of Job.

There are many instances where suffering is not related to one’s behavior; automatic assumption of guilt and needed punishment is not warranted. A man does reap what he sows (Galatians 6:7); the affliction of Miriam with leprosy (Numbers 12:10-11); the life of the baby made from David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:15); Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:10); a man born blind from birth (John 9:1-3); the Galileans more sinful? (Luke 13:1-3). If the punishment is for one’s deeds, there is never any doubt that it is happening due to the justice of God.

Judgment preceded by warning:

God is always warning about the consequences… turn from your wicked ways, why choose death (Ezekiel 33:11); you refused to allow me to gather you like chicks (Matthew 23:37); God is patient that you would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

How could a good God send anyone to hell? The point is that He doesn’t, we choose to send ourselves. Geisler says it this way, this world is the best way to the best of all possible worlds; one where we have free will yet there is no sin. Sometimes we are responsible for a weak building that collapses in a storm. Others die due to drunken driving. Cheating, lying and stealing are characteristic of our society and God cannot be blamed for it.

The presence of the enemy:

There is an enemy ready to pounce like a roaring lion (2 Peter 5:8). In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the enemy did this (Matthew 13:28). James 4:7 reminds us that he can also be resisted.

God feels our suffering:

He is not distant; He not only is aware of our suffering but He feels it (Isaiah 53:3, Hebrews 2:18, 4:15).

The risky gift of free will:

Evil is a necessary part of free will. He could stop evil but in doing so He would destroy us. The point of Christianity is to produce a willing consent to choose good rather than evil.

Much of evil can be traced back to the actions and evil choices of man and women: the bank robber kills, the embezzler ruins the company, refusing to heed a storm warning.

Some suffering is allowed by God as judgment; but the purpose is to restore or form one’s character.

God has a cruel enemy in Satan. He was defeated on the cross but is still around to wreak havoc on God’s people.

God is the greater sufferer when He sacrificed His only Son for our penalty.

Greatest test of faith:

Perhaps it is to believe that God is good in the midst of all this suffering. God never asks us to understand, but only to have faith and trust Him as a child does his earthly father. Peace comes when we realize that we do not have the full picture (Romans 8:28, Habakkuk 3:17-18).

Give Me Revelation

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Scott Chafee

I am a fan of listening to Christian radio, and the station in town for me is 90.7 FM. I often hear a group called Third Day who has a new song out entitled Revelation, which is on target regarding the topic of seeking direction from God. Check out these lyrics:

My life has led me down the road that’s so uncertain,
And now I am left alone and I am broken,
Trying to find my way, trying to find the faith that’s gone.
This time I know that you are holding all the answers,
I’m tired of losing hope and taking chances,
On roads that never seem to be the ones that bring me home.

(Chorus)
Give me a revelation, show me what to do,
Cause I’ve been trying to find my way, I haven’t got a clue.
Tell me should I stay here, or do I need to move?
Give me a revelation,
I’ve got nothing without You,
I’ve got nothing without You.

My life has led me down this path that’s ever winding,
Through every twist and turn I’m always finding,
That I am lost again,
Tell me when this road will ever end.

(Chorus)

I don’t know where I can turn, tell me when will I learn?
Won’t You show me where I need to go?
Let me follow Your lead,
I know that it’s the only way that I can get back home.

Do you ever feel like that? These are powerful words of a man in desperate need to hear from God; one who desires to make the right choice. You might notice that the theme verse for my site is Jeremiah 29:13… I like that, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” He’s not in a cosmic hide and seek game, but He will only be found by those who earnestly seek Him. If one only wants to casually look for God, no wonder He can’t be found.

So, just how do we find direction in life? Psalm 119:105 is a good starting point. Get into God’s Word, it helps us develop a heart like His and gives us wisdom to make good choices.

How often do we pray for direction and wonder if God ever heard our prayers? At times I pour out my heart to God in prayer seeking His will for some area in my life. Then I hear nothing; just silence, like my prayer never made it past the ceiling. So, not wanting to wait, I press on ahead in my own strength, failing to sit and wait. After all, there’s no time to wait, because I need to act now, someone needs an answer.

Yet, when I examine Scripture, God consistently teaches us to sit, pray, and wait.

Jesus began His ministry by fasting forty days alone in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).
He spent an entire night alone in prayer before choosing His twelve disciples (Luke 6:12).
Esther fasted and prayed for three days before she took the bold and courageous step of going before the king on behalf of her people, knowing it could mean her death (Esther 4:8-16).
Elijah went into the wilderness for forty days to hear the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-18).

What do these great people of faith teach us? In order to know God’s leading and to hear His voice, we must listen and wait. Maybe we think God is silent because we never take the time to sit in God’s Word and simply wait.

Do you need direction right now? Try following these steps:

Read God’s Word: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The Spirit of God was actively involved in the writing of Scripture. It is the authoritative Word of God written to speak truth into your life.

Study God’s Word: 2 Timothy 2:15 says that we are to correctly handle the word of truth. When you study the Bible, He plants His Word deep within your heart. His Spirit then takes the Word and bends your heart in His direction, enabling you to hear His Voice.

Pray God’s Word: Isaiah 55:11 says that God’s Word will not return to Him empty, but will accomplish what He desires, and it achieves the purposes for which He sent it. When you pray in faith, you hold God’s Word back up to Him in prayer. You put Him in remembrance of His Word, and His promise is that Word will not return void, accomplishing that which He purposes and pleases. George Muller taught me to pray the Scripture back to God. He spoke the Scripture back to God in prayer with boldness. You must be using the right words when you quote God’s own words back to Him!

How does God want to move in your life? Are you seeking revelation? Tell God that you haven’t got a clue and you need His intervention.

Search His Word for verses that speak to your situation. Write them down on a card, commit them to memory, and pray them back to God. Wait and watch for God to do a mighty work. Share your with the Men of Steel. We can celebrate God’s faithfulness with you.

[print_link]

Why Does God Wrestle With Men?

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Scott Chafee

The Men of Steel looked into this topic; how often do we wrestle with God?

Last time I wrote about Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32:24) because wrestling is a man thing, lots of testosterone. I regularly listen to a syndicated Christian radio station called K-Love, and they play a song called By Your Side by a group named Tenth Avenue North. Here are the lyrics:

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying, let me lift up your face
Just don’t turn away
Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I’m not enough
To where will you go child, tell me where will you run
To where will you run
‘Cause I’ll be by your side, wherever you fall
In the dead of night, whenever you call
And please don’t fight, these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world’s sin, so I could carry you in
And give you life, I want to give you life

What does this have to do with wrestling? I sense this song pictures us wrestling against God, while He wrestles with us to help us realize that we need Him more than we could ever imagine. As men we are often striving, trying, and fighting the hands holding us.

I suppose that God also wrestles with us so that we will discover what we are made of. He already knows what He created us to be and He knows what we’ve done with His creation. He’s waiting for us to discover who we are, so He wrestles with us so we will know His power and our weakness, His wisdom and our error, His strength and our frailty.

God wrestles with us to make us realize that we are wasting our lives; that we are mistreating our wives; that we really aren’t the “greatest” or the center of the universe.

God wrestles with us to make us see that we need to persevere and not quit in life, our jobs, our marriages, our spiritual lives, or our church.

God wrestles with us until we face the facts. He doesn’t sugarcoat what He has to say. He wrestles with us until we admit, “Yes, I’m unstable. Yes, I’m making excuses. Yes, I was wrong.”

God wrestles with us so that we will start searching for Him and hunting for what He wants us to find. Man is a hunter by nature. God’s commands to the first man were to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion … over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

To subdue means to control or conquer, to have dominion means to maintain one’s conquest. Deep inside of men is the need to subdue, the need to conquer, the need to track down and bring something into dominion. There’s a hunter inside every man.

We may be hunting for a contract or business deal.
We may be on the hunt for a woman.
We may be hunting for the perfect new house or car.

Sometimes we don’t even really want what we’re after; we’re just hunting because it is our nature to hunt. Fishermen often catch fish, unhook them, and throw them right back. They say, “Look what I caught,” and then they toss that fish back into the lake. That doesn’t make the man any less a fisherman. It means that he is merely fishing for the sport of it, not for dinner. He is just “hunting.”

Unless we allow God to step in and give us the right goals and guide our “hunting” instinct, we can spend our entire life hunting for the wrong things. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). He promised that if you seek for it, you’ll find it. (Matthew 7:7). I hope that the Men of Steel can help each of us navigate through this thing called life.

Are Miracles Possible?

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Scott Chafee

Jonah being swallowed by a great fish. Jesus feeding 5000 people with two fish and five loaves. Did these really happen? Are we to take this literally?

The whole concept of God:

The real problem is not with miracles or prophecy but with the whole concept of God. Once we assume that God actually exists, there is no problem with miracles, because by definition God is all-powerful.

God is not bound by natural laws:

The real question becomes, “Does an all-powerful God who created the universe, exist?” If He does then miracles are possible. A miracle transcends natural law which God is the author. Some people define miracle as a violation of natural law, but this definition practically deifies natural law, and God becomes a prisoner to that natural law, and in effect ceases to be God. It’s fine to believe in natural law, because we can see the usual cause and effect process at work year after year. God does not restrict His right to intervene because He is over and beyond natural law, not bound by it. Laws do not cause anything but are a description of what happens or is observed.

What is a miracle?

We generally use the term to describe anything out of the ordinary or something unexpected; however the term is used in the Bible in a different sense. Some events in the bible could have a natural explanation, like the parting of the Red Sea. High winds could have pushed the waters back, but the miraculous part was the timing. They just reached the shore, the Egyptians approaching, and all the Hebrews were able to cross on dry land.

One the other hand, there are some that do not have a natural explanation, like Lazarus being raised from the dead, or many of the physical healings (like leprosy or the man born blind). This is more than a psychosomatic situation.

Some believe that ancient people were gullible, ignorant and superstitious. Perhaps the disease they had could be explained by modern science, like demon possession could have been psychosis or epilepsy. A primitive person might see a modern jet and call it a silver bird god in the sky. But there is a problem with this perception, since many of the miracles do not fit in this category.

There is no natural explanation for the healing of a person born blind, then or today. How could anyone explain the resurrection of Jesus? One cannot get away with the supernatural aspects of the Bible.

Not in conflict with natural law:

Miracles are not in conflict with natural law! One definition of miracle is that they are unusual events caused by God; the laws of nature are generalizations about ordinary events caused by Him. Some people believe that miracles employ a higher natural law which is unknown to us. We must increase our knowledge we actually realize that the things we thought were miracles were actually higher laws of the universe, of which we were not aware at the time.

An act of creation:

On the other hand, we can view them as acts of creation. Biblical miracles are not scattered throughout the Bible randomly, but are associated with purpose. From the Exodus, through the prophets and into the time of Christ, miracles confirmed faith by authenticating the message or the messenger, or to demonstrate God’s love by relieving suffering.

Miracles are never performed for personal prestige, or to gain money or power. Jesus was tempted to do this in Matthew 4, and resisted, but He regularly used miracles to show evidence of His claims (John 14:11, John 10:25).

Why not now?

Many believe that if God would only do it today, then I would believe. But even in Jesus’ day, He dealt with this in Luke 16 in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The kicker verse is Luke 16:31. If people have ruled out the possibility of miracles, no amount of evidence will convince them otherwise. It’s like the talking animals in the movie, Babe (1996 – the dog spoke slowly and precisely to the sheep because it was a cold fact of nature that all sheep were stupid and no one could convince him otherwise).

We have reliable records:

We don’t need miracles today because we have reliable records that tell us these miracles really happened. If miracles are capable of sensory perception, then they can be matters of recorded testimony. If they are adequately testified to, then the recorded testimony has the same validity for evidence as the same experience of beholding the event. Every court operates on the basic of reliable testimony. If an eyewitness saw and recorded the event (like Lazarus’ raised from the dead), then this witness’ testimony is as good as being at the event.

Miracles were done in public: anyone could have seen and investigated the events. Even the chief opponents of Jesus never denied the fact He could do miracles! They either attributed the event to Satan or tried to suppress the witnesses.

Miracles were performed in front of unbelievers: Jesus was no cult member that deluded his private audience, it was before unbelievers, too.

Miracles were performed over a period of time and involved a great variety of powers: power over nature (John 2:1-11), power over disease (Mark 1:29-34), power over demons (Mark 1:21-27), power with supernatural knowledge (John 1:48), power over creation (Mark 6:30-44), power over death (Mark 5:35-43).

We have testimony of the cured: lie in the case of the man born blind (John 9:25) and Lazarus (John 12:10-11).

We cannot discount biblical miracles because of the extravagant claims of pagan miracles: many pagan believe in these miracles because they already believe in the pagan religion; the Bible uses miracles to help people discover the true religion (John 20:30-31).

Pagan miracles:

These do not display the same order, dignity and motive as those found in the Bible. They do not have solid authentication of the miracle. Same can be said of miracles in our time today, they do not stand to investigation. Just because some miracles are counterfeit, does not mean all miracles are counterfeit (like discovering a few counterfeit bills does not less the authentic bills).

The question is philosophical:

The question as to whether miracles are possible is not scientific but philosophical. Science says they do not occur in the normal course of nature or observation. Science cannot forbid them because natural laws do not cause not forbid miracles. They are merely description of what happened. The only question the scientist must ask is, “Are the records of miracles historically reliable?”

Miracles in the Bible are seen as God communicating with us. The whole matter depends on our belief in the existence of God; settle that question and miracles cease to be a problem.

How Can I Encourage Others?

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Scott Chafee

Believing in people before they have proved themselves is the key to motivating people to reach their potential. Everyone loves encouragement; to have others believe the best about you and your abilities.

Here are four facts about having faith in another person:

Most people don’t have faith in themselves. Many believe they will fail; the light at the end of the tunnel is a train. With even a little faith, anyone can do remarkable things.
Most people don’t have someone who has faith in them. People today are isolated; they don’t get support at home or from their boss. Ninety percent of inmates where told they will never amount to anything and will end up in jail. Even those closest to them do not believe in them.
Most people can tell when someone else has faith in them. Our goal should not be to get people to think more highly of us, but to get others to think more highly of themselves. People can tell when we genuinely trust and believe in another person.
Most people will do anything to live up to your faith in them. People will rise or fall to the level of expectation you set for them. If you express skepticism and doubt, they will return your lack of confidence with mediocrity. People thrive around those who have confidence in them.

How can you become a believer in people? We must believe in them and express that belief!

Believe in them before they succeed. Everyone loves a winner, so it’s tough to believe in someone before they have proven themselves. Every person has seeds of greatness within them, so when you believe in someone you allow those seeds to grow.
Emphasize their strengths. Leaders don’t have to exercise their authority and point out the deficiencies of others. Motivate others to see their potential and to focus on their strengths. Give others the power to succeed. Praise them publicly and privately for a job well done.
List their past successes. Knowing their strengths may not be enough, so listing past successes reminds them of their potential. King David looked back on his successes and had confidence in the future (1 Samuel 17:33-37).
Instill confidence when they fail. When people fail they have two choices: give in or go on. Some people are resilient and can get going, others are not that determined. Give them a push and inspire confidence. We can share our own failures to build their confidence, too. Success is a journey, not a destination. Babe Ruth said that we should never let the fear of striking out get in the way.
Experience some wins together. If you have the will to win, you’re halfway to success, if not, you’re halfway to failure. Work with people and allow them to experience smaller victories. Then hand over more difficult challenges.
Visualize their future success. A person can live 40 days without food, four days without water, four minutes without air, but only four seconds without hope. When you cast a vision, you paint a picture of their success.
Expect a new level of living. We all live under the same sky but we all don’t see the same horizon. Have faith in people, dream big dreams, and expand horizons. Putting faith in others involves risk.

This is a continuation of REAL Leadership, material from John Maxwell’s Leadership 101.

[print_link] [email_link]

Does Archaeology Confirm Scripture?

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Scott Chafee

At first the ancient cities were the targets of study, but soon there were found names and places that are in the OT. Persian governors spoke through their letters and Egyptian Pharaohs in gold-lined coffins can now be identified. Scholars found rich discoveries about the neighbors of the early Israelites. Reliability of the Bible has been affirmed in a number of important areas, substantiating the claims of the Bible.

Mostly the goal is to verify some specific biblical events that were doubted or ridiculed. Another is to help explain biblical culture and practices. When an apparent conflict exists, rather than conclude that the Bible is wrong, it is best to admit the problem exists and hold it open to further discoveries.

Sources for archaeologists:

There have been over 25,000 sites excavated in the Holy Land. Some sites the names have changed and others have remained the same for 3500 years, like Damascus.

How can these finds be dated?

Cities were rebuilt on top of the previous one. Fashions of pottery change. King’s had inscriptions on temple door hinges, and the names of the gods were written. Sumerian scribe had a catalogue system. A few miles from Ur there was found an inscription of a king with an unknown name, of the first dynasty of Ur, which the scribes speak as the third dynasty after the great flood. This is 3100 years before Jesus and 1000 years before Abraham.

Abraham’s time:

Places could not be identified until in 1933 a party of Arabs unearthed a stone statue that revealed a name of an elaborate palace called Mari (covering six acres and 260 rooms). 20,000 cuneiform tablets were found describing the culture. Another city, Nuzi, east of Mari on the Tigris River, discusses the customs that Abraham faced in Genesis 15:4 and Genesis 16:1-2, regarding Ishmael and Isaac. Hammurabi’s code required the slave’s child be kept, which was preempted by God’s command for Hagar to flee with Ishmael.

Writing in the patriarchal times:

The city of Ebla has the most extensive discovery unearthed in the New East, dating back to the third millennium BC. It was a modern city, a highly developed culture. There was a room that had been burned, discovered in 1975, with 20,000 clay tablets on the floor; 5000 years of history. We know that biblical history took place in a world where writing was common.

The biblical kings:

Solomon’s splendor had been questioned, the large navy with no suitable coastline for a harbor. An army of 1400 chariots, and 1200 horses. Huge building projects… confirmed by excavations.

Solomon’s gold – 1 Kings 10:21

The description is breathtaking – 1 Kings 6:21-22, 9:11. This is not a scribe’s exaggeration, but a reflection of ancient times.

A conflict described:

In 1868, the Moabite Stone was discovered and the local Arab men thought they could get better prices by selling more pieces, so they heated it and then poured on cold water to break it. The archaeologists had already made an impression of the stone so the story was not destroyed. Chemosh is confirmed – 1 Kings 11:33, 2 Kings 23:13, Jeremiah 48:3. The stone also mentioned the God Israel, YHWY.

Daniel and Belshazzar:

Daniel names Belshazzar as the last king of Babylon, while Nabonidus is named in ancient Babylonian documents. Later discoveries were that Nabonidus removed himself for a ten-year stint in Arabia, leaving his son Belshazzar in charge, for all purposes he was the king. Prior to the Babylonian chronicles, Daniel is the only one that named Belshazzar as the king.

New Testament accuracy:

This is not so much digging for ancient civilizations, but finding written documents, with public or private inscriptions: shopping lists, private notes, legends on coins. Turns out the NT Greek was very similar to the language of the common people.

Stone inscriptions:

Luke took history very seriously and was right on all accounts. He includes many lines of historical details – Luke 2:1, 3:1.

No pious forgery:

Paul’s timeline confirmed at Felix’s replacement by Festus (Acts 24:27) in Nero’s fifth year, before October AD 59. Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70 and a new pagan city was built on the site in AD 130. Keith Schoville, “Archaeological excavations have produces ample evidence that the Bible is not a pious forgery.” Basically, he says the Bible has never been proven false.

Are the Bible Documents Reliable?

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Scott Chafee

You have probably read stories about all the supposed errors that are in the Bible. The theory is that mistakes were made through two thousand years of translations and what we have today is a pale reflection of the original writings. But Christianity is rooted in history, and history has not changed. If the historical references in the Bible are not true, we can then doubt the reliability of the rest of the book. We will also ask the question, “Why do we have these books and no others?”

Who wrote the words?

The work of the scribe was a highly professional and a carefully executed task. There are no complete copies of the Hebrew OT earlier than around AD 900 (Masoretic Text), but it is evident that it has been faithfully preserved since AD 100 or 200.

There are translations from Hebrew into Latin and Greek. All copies that came from the Masoretic Text are in remarkable agreement, which attests to the skill and detail of the Masoretes.

Dead Sea Scrolls:

Discovered in 1947, the greatest archaeological discovery of the century. Clay jars in Qumran, dated 150 BC to AD 70. They hid the scrolls in preparation for the Roman invasion, in cave on the west side of the Dead Sea. There is a complete book of Isaiah and another with Isaiah 38-66, the books of Samuel, and two chapters of Habakkuk.

By comparing the Dead Sea Scrolls with the Masoretic Text we see remarkable accuracy. For example, in Isaiah 53 only 17 letters differ from the Masoretic Text. Ten of these were merely spelling differences (like honor to honour) that produce no change of meaning at all. Four are minor like the presence of a conjunction (which is often a matter of style). The other three letters are the Hebrew word for “light” which is added after, “they shall see” in Isaiah 53:11. Of 166 words in the chapter, only one word is in question and it in no way changes the sense of the passage.

The Septuagint:

This is the Greek translation of the Hebrew text, referred to as LXX, for the 70 scholars taking 70 days to complete, in the third century BC. So in comparison to the Masoretic Text, it appears that nothing has changed since 200 BC! It seems to be a rather literal translation. There is also another text called the Samaritan Pentateuch, but this has a Samaritan leaning and emphasis.

Three families of texts:

The question is, “What is the original version of these three families of texts?” It is said that what we have since 225 BC is just about the same document that Ezra read before the people after the Babylonian captivity.

New Testament documents:

Evidence tells us that the same is true for the NT. Generally anything that differs from early manuscripts would be variations in grammar or spelling, not more than 1/1000 part of the whole NT. There are about 6000 manuscripts that have survived to our time. Papyrus was used early, and highly durable. Another material was called parchment, skins of sheep or goats, used up until the middle ages until paper replaced it.

The dates of the NT documents indicate that they were written during the lifetime of the contemporaries of Christ. People were still alive who could remember that events. Many Pauline letters predate the gospels. These early documents can be compared to other ancient documents that have been accepted without question to their authenticity. Nine or ten copies of Caesar’s Gallic War exist, and they were written about 900 years after Caesar’s time! The history of Thucydides (400 BC) with about 8 copies, dated to AD 900. These copies are 1300 years after the original. By contrast, two excellent copies of the NT date to the fourth century. Fragments date back to 100 or 200 years earlier. There is a papyrus codex of John 18:31-33, 37 that dates back to AD 130.

The question of canon:

How do we know these are the books that are supposed to be in the Bible? Protestants accept the same books that the Jews accept in the OT. Catholics at the Council of Trent in 1546 decided to add others, called the Apocrypha. OT books were authoritative based on the utterances of people inspired to declare God’s Word. It’s not clear why they were accepted but it is clear that they were accepted. Jesus even agreed with the Pharisees on the authority of the OT, just not the traditions holding the same authority. The council of Jamnia in AD 90 closed the OT canon. The discussion was on which books to include rather than on which books to exclude.

Apocryphal books:

These were never received into the Jewish canon. Jews and Christians had never accepted them, and they are no where quoted in the NT. Some books like 1 Maccabees is valuable in retelling history, but are not considered as inspired sacred writings. Although not included at first the LXX included them for ecclesiastical purposes only.

What about the New Testament?

These were included based on their inspiration rather than by majority vote. Many claimed apostolic authority (1 Peter 3:15-16). Jude 1:3 mentions 2 Peter 3:3 is a word from the apostles. Early church fathers like Polycarp, Ignatius and Clement mention a number of books of the NT as authoritative.

The second century brought on many heresies, so there needed to be a debate on which writings were authoritative. In the East, the final fixed canon for the NT dates back to AD 367 (a letter from Athanasius), which books were used as sole sources for religious instruction and which could be read for information. In the West, it was decided at the Council of Carthage in AD 397.

The criteria for selecting the canon: could it be attributed to an apostle? Was it used in the church? Was there conformity to standard church doctrine? Luke 21:33 is a solid conclusion on this topic of God’s written Word.

Was the Lame Man at the Gate Distracted?

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Scott Chafee

The Men of Steel looked into this topic; this lame man represents all men and the issues we face:

This is part five from the Men of Steel topic on the Lame Man at the Gate (From Acts 3:1-5).

The Bible says that when Peter and John came to the temple at the hour of prayer, they fixed their eyes on the lame man (Acts 3:4). Peter said to him, “Look on us.” I believe that Peter didn’t want this man to be distracted. If a man gets distracted, he can miss what God has for him.

Peter wanted this man to pay close attention to what he was about to do. He wanted him to intently hear him. Maybe he got right down in his face, locking eyes so that everything else in that lame man’s world just faded away. That’s the way we need to deal with men who are in pain. When we’re the ones suffering, that’s the way we need to look at Jesus. We need to get so close to Him that we don’t see anybody else.

Then Peter spoke to him using a name (Acts 3:6). Every one of us needs a name that is stronger than ourselves, our problems; a name that is greater than our need, a name that is more powerful than our pain. He spoke the name of Jesus. Paul would later write, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).

It is the name of Jesus that is higher than any other name. The writer of Hebrews says, He is “holy, harmless, undefiled … and made higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26). There is no other name that can heal men of their lameness. Then Peter went beyond words. Notice the words of Peter had no visible effect on this man’s life. Men may hear sermons each week and find that nothing changes in their lives. Men all around us in need of hearing about the love and forgiveness of God, yet have not experience any of it for themselves.

Peter put the name of Jesus into action by reaching down and taking this lame man by the right hand and lifting him up. This lame man’s feet and ankle bones were healed as Peter lifted him up (Acts 3:7). Notice that this guy who had never walked, didn’t need any help walking (Acts 3:8). He only needed help getting up on his feet. Now he was standing, walking, and leaping as he praised God.

There are men all around us today who need for us to speak the right name to them—and they need for us to help them get to their feet spiritually and emotionally. We don’t need to be their crutch, but we do need to pull them to their feet so that God can heal and strengthen the lameness in their lives.

How can we as Men of Steel speak Christ to other men, and put into action words that can bring more men into the group? How can we make other men thirsty for healing and fulfillment? What are some practical things that we can do to minister to men in our church, community and workplace? What sort of things do you personally need from the Men of Steel? How can the group help you to become all that God wants you to be? What are the distractions that are keeping you from being totally sold out to Jesus? What are a few steps of faith that you believe God is calling you to take?

I Did Not Come to Bring Peace

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Scott Chafee

As time passes, associations with people change. We move from brother to uncle, sister to aunt, Eddie to Ed, son to dad, but these changes do not affect our true identity. Jesus is referred to in many different ways; son, brother, friend, great physician, suffering servant, prince of peace.

Think about the titles for Jesus, which bring the most meaning to you? We generally see Jesus in the way that is most meaningful to us… forgiver, helper, our rock, fortress, salvation, physician… and that changing association reveals a dynamic relationship.

Can Jesus actually be the prince of war? We don’t usually address Him as a general or a warrior, but our passage today causes one to think. There are plenty of passages that promote peace (Romans 5:1-2, Revelation 21:1-5, Romans 8:38-39, Philippians 4:6) but we tend to overlook the ones that mention Jesus as the bringer of war – Luke 12:49-53 and Matthew 10:34-39. How does the cost of following Christ described in these passages reflect what you have experience? How do you reconcile these conflicting views of Jesus?

The audience of Jesus was primarily Jewish, and they really believed that a relationship with God was only for the Jews, not the gentiles. When a Jew came to Christ, he did not change status; he may still be a fisherman, with a fisherman’s family, living a fisherman’s life, raising fisherman kids. In a monotheistic society, Jesus is considered a blasphemer punishable by death, a heretic, offensive to the very core of their existence and identity. The twelve abandoned all they knew for the unknown. What has faith cost you in terms of relationships? Include relationships with family and friends and co-workers.

Think about the mission of Jesus, John 3:16, right? What is this mission all about? As people join in with Jesus, what changes can happen in their lives? Christ came to bring peace between God and man because His mission was one of salvation, not condemnation. Without all of this, we would be at war with God, whether we are aware of it or not! What we need to understand is the difference between His mission and the effects of His mission. Making peace with God can bring about a different war in our lives. MLK preached peace but his life ended tragically. Gandhi promoted non-violence but he was assassinated at age 79. John Lennon wrote the words, “give peace a chance” and was killed by a gunshot. Why would it be any different for Jesus, the ultimate peace bringer?

Violence can be a by-product of one who desires to bring peace. The peace He brought to earth involved such a radical change that people would be put at odds with the world around them. The Spirit indwells His people, and the fruit of the Spirit should be evident, but there comes a time that the old life needs to be pried away from us… things, habits and some people. We get a new vantage point, seeing our lives from God’s perspective. Then we can find ourselves at odds with our friends closest to us. We see things differently that we did before, and from the way our friends see them now… which brings conflict.

When we connect with Jesus we connect with His mission. We get stirred up and live our lives with a sense of purpose.

The biggest loser seems to be the winner! Check out John 10:10, Matthew 10:38-39 and Luke 9:23. Losing life and finding it; taking up your cross, daily. The language Jesus used was not about leaving something behind; it is the language of death. In what ways does the Christian life involve loss? We often think about what we gain, but we cannot neglect the fact that new life in Christ involves loss. We need to lose our self-sufficiency, destructive habits, some relationships, hate for enemies, our vengeance, potty mouth… and be prepared to go against the flow. We are called to swim upstream!

Resting one side of Christian theology is getting only half the truth: peace and conflict give us a clear picture of Christ and His mission.