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NOVEMBER
November 7th-Sanctity of Life Sunday: Christian Family Care Agency and Crisis Pregnancy will be on South Campus to answer any questions about their ministry and how to volunteer. We will also be having a Baby Care Drive helping these organizations collect needed items such as diapers, baby clothes, bottles, formula, bibs, toys, etc. (Please note that we do not have storage facilities here at SBC and so if you would like to donate but are unable to do so on this date please contact the ministries above).
November 14th– Neighborhood Christian Clinic Medical Supply Drive: Neighborhood Clinic needs medical supplies bandages, rubbing alcohol, medical tape, gauze, gloves, tongue depressors, etc. Please drop off supplies a the Outreach Table.
November 20th- Matthew 25 Feed the Homeless: Serve a homemade dinner at the UMOM homeless center, distribute Bibles, care packages and the Gospel. Meet in the SBC Quad Room @ 3:15pm. For more info contact Bob Wilson at 480.699-5005 or bob@phoenixtoysoldier.
November 21st-Phoenix Rescue Mission Frozen Turkey Revival: PRM will be on SBC South Campus to collect frozen turkeys to provide a Thanksgiving Dinner for the homeless of inner city Phoenix on Thanksgiving Day. (Sat Nov 20 for Crossroads).
November 21st-Angel Tree SUNDAY (Sat Nov 20 for Crossroads): The trees will be out, so come by and sponsor a little angel.
Visit the Urban Outreach page Urban Outreach
at the SBC website for more details.
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JESUS...the only way?
Q: Why do Christians believe that Jesus is different from any other religious leader?
1. Jesus fulfilled the documented prophecies describing the Messiah that were recorded centuries before His earthly ministry, including his place of birth (Micah 5:2 / Mt. 2:1-6; Lk. 2:4-11) and type of death Ex. 12:1-11; 12:46; Psalm 22; Isa. 53:1-7. Zech 12:10; Micah 4:14; 5:1 / Mt. 27:31-43; Mark 15:29-32; Lk. 23:46; Jn. 1: 29-36; 19:23-36).
2. His empty tomb. He rose again on the third day, just like He said He would (Mt. 12:39-40; Jn. 2:19 / Lk. 24:6-6; John 20-21).
3. Eyewitness Accounts-After the resurrection Jesus appeared to at least 500 people (1 Cor. 15:5-6). He not only appeared to them but He also ate and conversed with them (Jn. 20:15-21:24; Acts 1:7-8).
4. Miracles-the documentation of his miracles confirms that He was God. What kind of a person has complete power and authority over sickness, death, nature, and spiritual forces? God.
5. He claimed to be God. Unlike other religious and spiritual leaders, Jesus did in fact claim to be God, the Messiah (Mt. 26:63; Jn. 11: 25-26, 14:6). Furthermore, according to the eyewitness accounts, he also had the supernatural miracles, credentials, and powers to back up the claim.
6. Transformed Lives-The disciples who had witnessed the execution of their leader went into hiding fearing for their lives, but something happened that so transformed them that they were willing to risk everything to spread the news that He was risen. What would cause such a paradigm shift? Seeing the Resurrected Jesus!
Q: Is there any evidence outside of the Bible that confirms that Jesus was a real person?
A: Yes there is. Josephus, a Jewish historian and Tacitus, a Roman historian are two of the most prominent figures that authenticate that Jesus was a real historical person. In addition to these two there are a number of other ancient manuscripts, both Christian (early creeds and letters of early Church leaders) and non-Christian (Pliny the Younger, Seutonius, Thallus, Emperor Trajan, Emperor Hadrian, and Lucian) that confirm the historicity of Jesus Christ and that His followers believed that He had risen from the dead.
There is also a good collection of lost documents such as The Acts of Pontius Pilate, which are quoted and referenced by other extant ancient manuscripts that provide complementary information on the historicity of Jesus.
Q: Isn’t it a bit arrogant of Christians to believe that they are right and that everyone else (Buddhists, Muslims, etc.) is wrong?
A: Philosophically, the assertion that all religions lead to God is a violation of the Law of Non-Contradiction. Simply put, we cannot all be right because we are all proclaiming different teachings for salvation. Therefore, we cannot all be right. It was Jesus Christ who made the statement “I am the Way, the Truth, and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Therefore, as followers of Christ, we are simply espousing His teachings regarding this issue. Nevertheless, unlike any other religious leader, Jesus Christ alone has the credentials to back up this claim. He regularly made it clear that He was God and possessed the evidence to substantiate his claim with miracles, prophecies, a sinless life, and an empty tomb. Therefore, the exclusive nature of salvation is a revelation of truth and therefore it is not arrogant. Rather, thinking that we can somehow earn or merit salvation through our works and deeds is arrogance. For further study consider reading "The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel" and "More than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell.
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THE BIBLE
Q: I have just finished a Masters in Religion and I read all of the various sacred writings from the major religions. How can the Bible claim to be unique and how do you deal with all the possible errors in the translations?
A: Unlike any other sacred literature, the Old and New Testaments have the unique distinction of being supernaturally inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). The vast majority of the OT was written or authorized by a prophet whereas the NT has the same qualifier in that it had apostolic authority and authorship and was theologically congruent with the rest of Scripture (Other sacred writings meet neither of these two qualifiers and contradict both the historicity and theology of the Old and New Testaments). Furthermore, with the Ascension of Jesus Christ and the completion of the book of Revelation the canon of Scripture is now closed.
Since 1611 our access to biblical manuscripts has increased dramatically. Most notably was the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, which in addition to affirming our existing texts provided enhanced insight and understanding of the Bible. The fact that we have many translations of the Bible is, in fact, a confirmation of the Bible's authenticity because all of the translations are saying the same thing!
The goal of an English version of the Bible, for example, is to provide the best translation possible from Hebrew and Greek into contemporary English. There are three primary methods for translating Scripture. The first is called the concordant. This method is a pure word for word translation in that the translators seek to stay as close as possible in the translation from Hebrew and Greek into English. The KJV, NKJV, and NASB are popular versions of this method. The second type is known as the Dynamic Equivalent. Here, the primary goal of the translators is to transfer the meaning of the manuscripts into modern day English that accurately translates the meaning of the text. The NIV and the Message are popular examples of this method. The third type is known as a Paraphrase. This, of course, is a much looser method of translating that may or may not access the oldest manuscripts. The Living Bible is perhaps the best example of this type of translating.
Q: One of the most frequent criticisms I come across regarding the authority of the Bible is that at the Council of Trent a group of men decided what books should and shouldn’t be included in the Bible. Therefore, who is to say that these sole books that make up the Bible should be taken as the "sole representation" of Christianity, especially since scholars like Martin Luther disagreed on some inclusions, such as the Book of James? Many people that I talk to in college claim that the Bible is nothing more than a non-objective source that fails to include other sources or books, which I must admit does not agree with anything in the Bible I've read. How do you explain this to those who see the Bible as something put together by men whose agenda was power over the masses rather than God's word?
A: Excellent question and one that I cannot probably cannot succinctly answer in an email but nevertheless I'd like to cover a few of the rudimentary basics.
Basically, it seems to me that you are asking: "what makes Scripture Scripture?"
1. It had to have been written by a God ordained prophet (OT), leader, or Apostle (NT). In the OT these people were God appointed and not self-appointed spokesmen or leaders for God's people. This office is not one that anyone would aspire to because a lack of 100% accuracy resulted in capital punishment. In the NT, each of its authors were personally called by Jesus Christ to be a follower. (Paul meets this qualifier as a result of his Damascus Road experience). Thus in addition to being contemporaries of Jesus Christ they were also personally selected by Him as well. In addition to this qualifier they were also eyewitnesses to the risen Lord.
2. The Scriptures were already confirmed and in circulation long before the Council of Trent. This is confirmed internally by the NT itself (see for example, Peter referencing Paul's work as Scripture. See 2 Peter 3:15, 16) and also by the early 2nd century writings of Church leaders in which they refer to the books of the NT as Scripture (e.g. Clement of Rome).
3. Congruent Theology. In addition to not meeting the above qualifiers, the books that were not included in the Bible at the Council (or Synod) of Carthage in 397 were also incongruent and in some cases direct contradiction to the theology of the Old Testament prophets and apostolic teachings. In regards to confirming the authenticity of the Bible, I like to borrow and customize the following easy to remember acronym from Hank Hanegraaff ("The FACE that Demonstrates the Farce of Evolution"):
M - Manuscript evidence:
In addition to its congruency, both the quality and the quantity of Biblical manuscripts is overwhelming. For example, one of the most famous ancient manuscripts is the writings of Plato. However, we only have 7 copies, the earliest of which is from the year 900 AD, approximately 1,300 years after its authorship. The NT by contrast was, even by the most lenient estimates, composed no later than 90 AD, possibly as early as 64 AD. We have over 14,000 copies from the same period, all of which match in translation, with the earliest copy being from the year 130 AD and the earliest fragment being from about 126 AD.
A - Archaeological Evidence:
Archaeology continues to confirm the people, places, and events of the Bible. This it is historically accurate. If it were inaccurate then there would be some concern as to whether or not it could be trusted for spiritual truths, but the fact is that you can actually go to Bethlehem, see Golgotha, visit the location of the 7 Churches of Revelation, etc. Likewise, there really was a race of Hittites, a King David, a Jewish Exodus, a King Nebuchadnezzar, etc.
P - Prophetic Evidence:
Only God can know and control the future. Perhaps the Bible's documented prophecies, especially from the OT are some of its most convincing material. The destruction of Tyre, the reestablishment of Israel, the invention and utilization of crucifixion of the Messiah, etc were all documented centuries prior to the events. In about 250 BC the Greek world in Alexandria, which was a lover of books and education, requested that the Old Testament Scriptures be translated from Hebrew into Greek in order that they could also read and learn from these Hebrew writings. The NT is also plentiful with prophetic evidence, most notable would be that of the destruction of the Temple which was made by Jesus Christ over 30 years prior to the event in 70 AD.
I hope this helps some. You may want to further your study by reading "The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development" of the Bible by Dr. Paul Wegner, "I'm Glad You Asked" by Ken Boa, and "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel.
Q: I am a student at a local high school in Phoenix and in my "Understanding Catholic Christianity" the textbook states that that many of the stories in the Old Testament are not considered historical. Rather, it teaches that the stories made up to help the Jews understand their faith. I was wondering what your stance is on the Old Testament and it you think that it was mostly made up? Any help would be great.
A: In addition to being the inspired Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16) the Old Testament is also a trustworthy, reliable, and historical collection of manuscripts. Because the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, refers to historical events, the Bible is verifiable and can be checked by external and historical evidence. There's a wealth of archaeological discoveries that illustrate the Old Testament's authenticity but let me provide just a few. Excavations of Nuzi (1925-41), Mari (1933), and Alalakh (1937-39, 1946-49) provide information that mirrors the environment, customs, and civilizations of the patriarchal period in Genesis. The Ras Shamra tablets shed light on the Hebrew prose and poetry in Hebrew culture and the Ebla tablets also confirm the antiquity of and accuracy of the Old Testament.
20th century excavations also confirmed the account of Joshua's conquest of Canaan, etc. Entire books have been written on how Archaeology confirms biblical data. I would encourage you to get a copy of Dr. Paul Wegner's book entitled The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible and Archaeology and the New Testament by John McRay. Perhaps you could give one as a gift to your teacher.
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Other Religions
Q: Is there salvation for people of other faiths who are never exposed to Jesus Christ. Or are they simply damned to hell?
A: First of all we know from the Bible that it is not God's will that any should perish (see Jn. 3:16 and 2 Peter 3:9). Likewise, Acts 4:12 makes it very clear that "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (NIV).
Philosophically, the assertion that other and/or many ways lead to God is a violation of the Law of Non-Contradiction. Simply put, we cannot all be right because we're all proclaiming different teachings for salvation. Islam believes in salvation through works and that each man receives his own harem upon entering paradise. Buddhism believes in reincarnation. Hinduism believes that everything, including the book you’re now reading is God.
It was Jesus Christ who made the statement "I am the Way, the Truth, and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6). Therefore, as followers of Christ, we are simply espousing His teachings regarding this issue. Nevertheless, unlike any other religious leader, Jesus Christ alone has the credentials to back up this claim because He was God. He regularly made it clear that He was God and possessed the evidence to substantiate his claim with miracles, prophecies, a sinless life, and an empty tomb.
Therefore, the exclusive nature of salvation is a revelation of truth and we have been commissioned to carry the Good News of Jesus to the uttermost parts of earth (Acts 1:8). In Romans Paul said, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? (Rom. 10:14a). Personal evangelism should be as natural to the Christian as prayer, worship, Bible reading, etc. but somehow it has become an elective in the lives of many North American Christians. In addition to reaching our own communities we can also spread the Good News to the uttermost parts of the earth by praying for our missionaries who are in largely non-evangelized areas, supporting them financially, going on short term trips, and/or by prayerfully considering becoming a missionary to one of these people groups.
Got a Question? Email: bbrewer@sbcaz.org
For further study consider reading "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel.
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