Thursday, October 30, 2014

Is Christianity a License To Sin?

Muslims often say that Christianity is a license to sin.  You can sin, then repent, then sin again, as much as you want.

One view is that in order to get to heaven you need to keep the commandments of God, but you want to do only the bare minimum of good, and and the maximum of sin while not losing  your salvation.

I am doing all the sinning that I want, but being born again, my desires have changed.  I see how much God loves me and I want to stay in fellowship with him, and do what is good.

I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
--Ezekiel 36:26

Christianity is not a set of laws to to hold you back, it is a living reality.

After writing the above I read this book:
 The Gospel According To Jesus by John MacArthur

He points out that Jesus did not offer an easy "sinner's prayer" salvation.  When the rich young ruler asked him what he had to do to be saved, he told him to sell all he had and follow him

Jesus looking at him loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, taking up the cross.”

But his face fell at that saying, and he went away sorrowful, for he was one who had great possessions. Jesus looked around, and said to his disciples, “How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom!”
--Mark 10:21-23

John the Baptist was also not making things easy:

He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!
Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.”

--Luke 3:7-9

Both the young ruler and the crowds of John the Baptist were evidently sincere, but they could not come to Jesus unchanged.

Here is another verse that contradicts the idea that Christianity is a license to sin:

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,  but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries.
--Hebrews 10:26-27

Sunday, October 19, 2014

If Jesus was God why could he not do miracles in his home town?

Muslim: If Jesus is God why could he not perform miracles "in his own country"?  Here is what it says:

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.” He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people, and healed them. He marveled because of their unbelief.
--Mark 6:4-6

You:  What is more important is to observe that here is a verse that is embarrassing to the doctrine of the Trinity, and yet they left it in the New Testament and did not change it.

Another interesting point is that if you examine the miracles that Jesus performed in other places, you will notice that they are usually associated with some sort of demonstration of faith on the part of the recipient.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

License to sin: Did Paul do away with Circumcision to make Christianity easy Greeks and Romans?

Muslim: Paul, who invented Christianity, took away the requirement for circumcision to make Christianity more appealing to Greeks and Romans.

You:  The doctrine that circumcision was not necessary did not come from Paul, but from Peter and  James, who was head of the church in Jerusalem.

In Acts 15 Peter who advocated against requiring circumcision starting with verse 6, and James agreed starting with verse 12.

Peter:
But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.
--Acts 15:11

James:
Therefore my judgment is that we don’t trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God.
--Acts 15:19

In fact, circumcision was really symbolic of  the condition of the heart:

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked.
--Deuteronomy 10:16

Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem
--Jeremiah 4:4

Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified?  I just want to learn this from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?  Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain?  He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you, and does miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?  Even as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”
Galatians 3:1-6

Let me finally point out that Peter did not believe that circumcision was needed because of what he saw the holy spirit do among the gentiles, and Paul also makes the same argument, and the Galatians agreed.  In his letter to the Galatians Paul says they received the holy spirit without works of the law, and even that there were miracles among them.  If these had  not been true assertions or convincing arguments, the Galatians would have simply thrown away this letter from Paul.