Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Bible Corrupt: Persistent and Verifiable statements in the Bible +

People who have never opened a Bible may think that it is a religious book, maybe like a fairy tale or a book of wise sayings.  Actually the Bible is more of a historical book that describes people's encounters with God.  What many don't realize is that, it contains many statements that would have been provable or disprovable at the time they were written, to some degree.

Let me explain what I mean so you can find or select your own favorite statements that you can share with conviction.
(1)

Mark 5:1-20 describes how Jesus cast demons out of a demon-possessed man  in a particular time in his short ministry and a specific location.  It says that 2,000 pigs drowned themselves, and that the man "began to proclaim in Decapolis how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled".  Decapolis means ten cities.  Think about this:  With that many dead pigs, there must have been either a very stinky lake, or, more likely, a lot of bacon on sale that week.  Either way, this event would have been remembered, and talked about, for a long time.  Anyone traveling through that region would have known about this if it had happened.  So if you found yourself reading this story in Mark's Gospel in that day, you would have known if this was true or not.

(2)

Matt 28:14 describes how the Jewish leaders responded to the resurrection: "This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today."  What saying?  That the disciples stole the body of Jesus while the guards slept.  This means that if you stopped a typical Jew in the street, around the time that Matthew was written, he would basically admit that Jesus' tomb was empty, and the Jewish leaders had no better answer to the resurrection than this saying.  Therefore we can say that, from a historical perspective, there was widespread acceptance that Jesus was crucified at the time--contrary to the Quran claims.

(3)

The feeding of the five thousand, and of the four thousand, is recorded in all four gospels.  This must have become widely known.


Question for Muslims: Does the Quran contain statements like Luke 3:1-2 or is it more of the "Long ago and in a land far away..." genre of literature?




Monday, January 4, 2016

Bible Corrupt: Dating the Gospels +

Muslims often ignorantly claim the gospels were written "hundreds of years" after the events they describe.  However we can confidently show an earlier date because of the following:

We know that Acts and the Gospel according to Luke were both written by the same author. They were both addressed to "Theophilus".
We know that Luke's gospel was written before Acts, because Acts starts like this:

The first book [i.e. Luke's Gospel] I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach...
--Acts 1:1

The Book of Acts does not mention the following important events:


The Death of  James (A.D. 62).  James was the brother of Jesus and head of Jerusalem church, This event was recorded by the Jewish Historian Josephus.

The Death of Paul (A.D. 64).  The book of Acts ends with Paul under house arrest for two years.  Paul is the major figure in Acts.

The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.


Probably both Matthew or Mark were written before Luke, because Luke's gospel specifically mentions other gospels, and clearly uses Matthew and Mark as source material:

Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus; that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.
--Luke 1:1-4

This means that Luke wrote what he heard from eyewitnesses.

Friday, January 1, 2016

License to Sin: Salvation by grace from the Epistles *

The doctrine of salvation by grace is most clearly shown in Paul's epistles, but as mentioned previously Muslims tend not to believe Paul.

The following verse may be the most concise explanation of the Gospel found in scripture:

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
--2 Cor 5:21 (KJV)

Paul teaches that there are fundamentally two ways to obtain righteousness:
One is by following the law perfectly, and the other is by Christ's righteousness by grace through faith.

Some people may seem to be holy to some people if you look like you are following the laws of Moses, you should not try to do that as a way of earning your salvation, unless you can keep the whole law completely:

For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
--Gal 5:3-4 (KJV)

Salvation cannot be earned, but only received as a gift.  If you try to earn your salvation, you will receive the wages of your actions:

Now to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
--Romans 4:4 (KJV)