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Alleged Errors Authority Evangelism False Religions Salvation Teachings The Bible The Christian The Savior The World Theology

10 Apologetics Videos That Get Straight to the Point (and Right to the Heart)

After absorbing over 50 hours of apologetics lectures and debates on topics as simple as an overview of Genesis and as minute as cave formation in New Mexico, my friend and I had an idea.  We seriously considered condensing the information in our vast, overpriced DVD library into a series of short video clips to deliver the key points in a way that would be more engaging to our generation and easy to share online.

We never got past the first script, but I am happy to report that several ministries with superior skills and funding have had the same idea in recent years.  Answers in Genesis now has Check This OutThe Institute for Creation Research produces That’s a Fact, and Creation Today has my personal favorite: Creation Minute.  These video series focus on foundational issues surrounding science and the Bible, but what about the other important questions of life?

Now, Mark Spence of Living Waters teaches on these broader topics in a series of apologetics videos taken from the Way of the Master TV Show.  I was blown away by the quality of not only the teaching but also the production that goes with it.  Unlike those old lectures, these videos get right to the heart of some of the most-asked questions about Christianity or religious beliefs in general.  Everyone has time to watch three minutes (or less) of non-stop, hard-hitting apologetics on the questions that matter most.

You can watch all 10 videos below or click a link to jump to a specific clip.

  1. Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
  2. Does Christianity Cause Wars?
  3. Is It Wrong to Judge?
  4. Can We Trust the Bible?
  5. Is Reincarnation True?
  6. Why Would a God of LOVE Send Someone to Hell?
  7. Is Sin God’s Fault?
  8. Which Jesus do you Follow?
  9. What is Truth?
  10. Why is There Evil in the World?

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Books Hermeneutics/ Exegesis Prophecy The Bible The Last Days The Savior Theology

Isaac Newton’s Extensive Theological Writings

Isaac Newton is renowned as one of the greatest scientists of all time, but many are not aware that he spent more time writing about theology than about physics.  Now you can see digitized versions of his biblical commentaries thanks to the Israeli Library.

via JERUSALEM: Israeli library uploads Newton’s theological texts | Health & Science | CentreDaily.com.

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Politics Teachings The Savior The World Theology

Jeremiah 18: God vs. Nationalism

American Christians, when was the last time you read Jeremiah – I mean seriously read Jeremiah?  I ask this question because so many of us think that God made something special here in America, and therefore God won’t abandon us.  Some of us even think that what God made here is so special that it is worthy of us expending our blood to defend it.  But what does God say in this matter?  If you’ll turn to Jeremiah 18, you will see that God thinks our defense of “liberty” and/or the “Constitution” is futile. Picking up arms, going to the polls, and/or legislating in the name of “God”, “country” or “morality” keeps our “troops” on the wrong battlefield.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m no pacifist and I’m no slouch.  I’m not talking about Christians employed in military service (military service is clearly biblical: 2 Timothy 2:3).  Nor am I talking about Christians standing up for truth and/or righteousness (people need to hear the truth: 1 Timothy 2:4).  What I am talking about is putting the values of American patriotism (or nationalism) ahead of the Bible.  Our primary mission isn’t to stand up for Uncle Sam, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, etc.  It is to stand up for our biblical foundation and preach the Gospel:  Mark 16:15  “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”  According to Jeremiah, God only wants one thing from this country:  to turn from evil (repent) as a nation.

Let us analyze American Patriotism in light of Jeremiah 18:2-10.  These verses will make it abundantly clear that as American Christians, we need to concentrate on fighting a spiritual war above all other battles.  As Ephesians 6:11-12 tells us: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  We do not need to get sidetracked fighting symptoms of apostasy such as homosexuals in the military, liberal activist judges or politicians undermining Natural Law.  Instead, we need to focus on the cancer that is destroying this nation from the inside out:  unbelief.

Jeremiah 18:2  Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

Why should we be analyzing the Old Testament, let alone Jeremiah?  Paul tells us that the Old Testament is written for our admonition in the end times: 1 Corinthians 10:11  “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”  Like Jeremiah, we are to hear God’s words if we are to understand what we are to do in these perilous times.

Jeremiah 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

Jeremiah 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

            As usual, God is trying to teach us something.  He is giving us a visual picture to precede his spiritual lesson.  Here we have a potter working a vessel of clay on his potter’s wheel.  The vessel of clay becomes marred, and instead of attempting to repair it, he just makes another vessel out of the same lump of clay.  This concept of God as the potter and man as the clay is one that is repeated throughout scripture.  See also Isaiah 29:16, Isaiah 64:8, and Romans 9:21

Jeremiah 18:5  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Jeremiah 18:6  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

Jeremiah 18:7  At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

God then proceeds to lay into Israel over their wickedness and tells Jeremiah that he can pluck up, pull down, and otherwise destroy any nation in an instant.  Just like the potter working a piece of clay, God can destroy and rework a nation at will.  Now, re-read 1 Corinthians 10:11 (above).  Here, some may ask:  “This is the Church Age, isn’t God just speaking about Israel?”  What does 1 Corinthians 10:11 say?  It says this picture of the potter is both for our example and for our admonition.

Jeremiah 18:8  If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

As usual, God works multiple lessons into every example.  God explains in verse 8 that there is hope for a nation that turns from its evil.  Not only is there hope for a wayward nation, but in a direct refutation of Calvinism’s “eternal decrees”, God explains that he will repent of his planned destruction if a nation repents of its evil.  This is not a one-off concept; it is re-iterated in Jonah 3:9-10, Genesis 18:32, and Matthew 11:21-23.

Jeremiah 18:9  And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;

To the American patriot’s credit, they are correct to believe that God had a hand in this country’s beginning.  Verse 9 tells us that God builds and plants nations in an instant.  This is what happened to the United States.  Popery had Europe in a stranglehold and through the Jesuits was attempting to usher in another “Dark Age.”  When all hope seemed lost, God fulfilled the prophecy of Genesis 9:27 and opened up a land of freedom in the midst of Shem’s tents.  This verse also best explains why King George III inconceivably divorced America with the Prohibitory Act on 22 December 1775 and how the seemingly invincible British army lost a war to a rag-tag band of farmers (see The Revolution Myth by Gene Fisher and Glen Chambers).

Jeremiah 18:10  If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

Now, here is where it gets scary for modern Americans.  Verse 10 builds on verse 9 and tells us that God benefits, and does good for, those countries that He builds and plants.  This concept is quite clear in history when one examines the United States.  We were instantly propelled onto the world stage with almost limitless opportunity, resources, and talent.  Then our sin natures got the better of us and we succumbed to one of the most famous verses in the Bible,  Proverbs 16:18:  “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

So where does this leave us as modern day Americans?  The answer should be obvious.  Our country needs to repent of its evil and spiritual rebellion towards its Creator.  As Christians, we need to go out to the highways and the hedges and witness to the lost (Matthew 22:9, Luke 14:23).  We must stay focused on the harvest of Luke 10:2  “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”

We cannot allow ourselves to be sidetracked by man’s logic and/or “good causes.”  2 Timothy 2:4  “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”  Running to the hills will accomplish nothing.  Storing up food, money, and/or ammunition will not save us (see how fast Belshazzar lost everything in Daniel 5).  Gaining political office and/or voting our way out is doomed to failure (see the dismal track records of the “Christian Coalition” and the “Moral Majority” since Christians have tried to vote this country back onto the narrow path; Matthew 7:13-14).  Even protesting abortion, while a good thing, will do nothing to change the heart conditions of the heathen who voluntarily murder their own children in the name of Baal (Jeremiah 7:9).

Have I deflated your patriotic balloon enough yet?  Don’t give up entirely, just redirect your energies.  Ephesians tells us that our enemies are not liberals, homosexuals, or even the New World Order.  Our enemy is the Devil himself.  We don’t even need to worry about the 2nd Amendment as guns aren’t going to win this battle.  Crack open that dusty old King James hiding on your bookshelf and don your battle gear:  Ephesians 6:12-13  “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

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Salvation Teachings The Christian The Savior Theology

Biblical Repentance

Repentance is an integral part of salvation and the Christian life. Learn what repentance is (and is not) in order that you may live with God in heaven and on Earth according to his will.

BIBLICAL REPENTANCE | Doctrine | Way of Life Literature.

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Teachings The Father The Holy Spirit The Savior Theology

How God Makes Himself Known

Chances are that you or someone you know has asked the question: “Why hasn’t God revealed himself to me personally?” Another variation is: “If God is real, why won’t he just come down from Heaven and remove all doubts about his existence?” The answer may surprise you because the premise of the question is false. You see, God actually has revealed himself to the world and to you personally. There are several ways he has done this and reasons you may not have recognized the revelation for what it was.

The first and most obvious way that God shows himself is through the world around us – his creation. I doubt anyone has ever put it better than Paul in his letter to the Romans: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).” Anyone who is open-minded toward the possibility of God’s existence cannot help but conclude that he’s there and he cares about every detail of our world and our lives. Much more can be said about this and I would encourage anyone to browse through the “First Days” links on our site to find websites focusing on the topic of creation.

The things we can discover about God through studying his universe fall under what we call general revelation. The more specific way God reveals himself is known as special revelation. This involves direct, detailed communication from God either in personal appearances on earth or through inspired writings collected in the Holy Bible. God has shown up in various forms throughout history:

The above list is just a brief summary of several times God has chosen to reveal himself to us visibly. One more such appearance to “prove” his existence is not only unnecessary, but it would not be likely to produce any fundamentally different result from the reaction given when Jesus Christ was here on earth. Though he showed himself to be God through many infallible proofs (Acts 1:3), the religious leaders of his time ordered his gruesome torture and death and then persecuted those who chose to believe on him (Acts 7:59Acts 9:4). For them and many others like them, even a man raised from the dead is not persuasive enough (Luke 16:31).

There are a few reasons for this attitude which we can learn from scriptures inspired by none other than the God that so many are unwilling to accept. The first comes from the latter half of what Paul said in Romans 1:21: “but [they] became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” In fact, Romans 1:21-32 reveals profound truths about our hearts and minds becoming darker and darker as we choose more and more to look upon ourselves and the world instead of God. This is the crux of the matter: God has not chosen to keep himself hidden; we have chosen to hide our own eyes.

More insight can be found in the account of the first people on earth, Adam and Eve. When they first disobeyed God, they were ashamed and attempted to cover themselves up with fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). Deep down, we perceive that God is the ultimate judge and we fear the consequence of sin – the consequence of death. People find every excuse to deny this truth in order to escape living with knowledge that God will someday execute his wrath upon the earth.

There may be many other reasons you cannot see God for who he truly is. I want to share with you today that it is never too late and there is profound hope in God’s grace and mercy. The punishment that we deserve has been paid by Jesus’ death on the cross. You need only to repent of your sins and accept this free gift from him. Once you have, the Holy Spirit will begin a work in your life to help you grow and to know God more personally and fully. He is truly a God who wants to be known by us. He is right there in front of us every day in his creation and in his word. Can you see him? Are you at least willing to open your eyes?

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Authority The Bible The Father The Holy Spirit The Savior Theology

How Do You Prove God Exists?

In this first of a 4-part series, Eric Hovind interviews a presuppositional apologist about a most unique tool to avoid the meaningless arguing, and cut to the heart of the matter. Must Christians argue about God and His creation without using the Bible? No! The Bible is our sword, and we must not lay it down. The unbeliever certainly won’t lay his weapon down.

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Alleged Errors Teachings The Bible The Savior Theology

Why Does God’s Creation Include Death and Suffering?

Why do bad things happen? Through the ages, human beings have sought to reconcile their understanding of an all-powerful, loving God with the seemingly endless suffering around them. Tommy Mitchell explains the Biblical answer to this problem.

Why Does God’s Creation Include Death and Suffering? – Answers in Genesis.

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The Savior Theology

Defining Soul Liberty

Soul liberty is an unalienable right bestowed on us by our Creator God. Unalienable means that something cannot be taken away, nor given away (as opposed to inalienable which means something can be given away voluntarily). God has given you a free-will choice to either let him liberate your soul from this material world or to keep it in spiritual darkness. No government, man, or created being has the right or even the ability to prevent you from doing so. Your enemies may be able to kill you, maim you, or physically imprison you – but they can never touch your soul. As Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

To adequately understand soul liberty, we must first understand the meaning of the words soul and liberty. As Christians, we have one ultimate source of authority on Earth, the King James (1611) Bible, which can be used not only to find the meaning of life but can also be used to find the meaning of words. All other sources (dictionaries, commentaries, references, etc.) are secondary. The Bible uses the word soul 427 times and much can be gleaned about what it is from the context in which it is used:

  1. Our souls are directly connected to the breath of life (this is the first usage of the word and appears to define its meaning). Genesis 2:7
  2. Our souls define us. Genesis 12:13, Genesis 27:4, Exodus 12:15, Leviticus 5:1, 1 Samuel 20:4
  3. Our souls can be lost. Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36-37
  4. Our souls are separate from our physical minds. Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27
  5. Our souls can be left in hell. Acts 2:27, Acts 2:31
  6. Our souls can fear, sorrow, and be troubled. Matthew 26:38, Mark 14:34, John 12:27

The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines soul as follows:

SOUL, n.

1. The spiritual, rational and immortal substance in man, which distinguishes him from brutes; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental article of the christian system. Such is the nature of the human soul that it must have a God, an object of supreme affection.

As we can see from both the Bible and the dictionary; our souls are our immortal substance. They constitute not just our physical life, but our very being. They are a part of us that we cannot give away, sell off (not even to Satan), or destroy. When our physical bodies pass away, our souls will still exist (either in hell or in heaven). The Bible uses the word liberty 26 times and the first usage in Leviticus 25:10 defines it as the return of every man unto his family. This indicates that liberty frees us from bondage.

 

  1. Liberty can free those in bondage or captivity. Leviticus 25:10, Isaiah 61:1, Jeremiah 34:8, Ezekiel 46:17, Acts 24:23, Acts 26:32
  2. Liberty seeks the precepts of God. Psalm 119:45
  3. Liberty can be abused, violated: Jeremiah 34:16, Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 2:16
  4. Liberty can be used against us. Jeremiah 34:17
  5. Liberty can become a stumbling block. 1 Corinthians 8:9, 1 Corinthians 10:29
  6. Believers have Liberty. 1 Corinthians 8:9, 1 Corinthians 10:29, 2 Corinthians 3:17, Galatians 2:4, Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 2:16
  7. There is a perfect law of liberty (God’s law). James 1:25, James 2:12

The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines liberty as follows:

LIB’ERTY, n. L. libertas, from liber, free.

1. Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind. The body is at liberty, when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty, when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty, when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions.

6. Liberty, in metaphysics, as opposed to necessity, is the power of an agent to do or forbear any particular action, according to the determination or thought of the mind, by which either is preferred to the other.

Freedom of the will; exemption from compulsion or restraint in willing or volition.

Both the Bible and the dictionary define liberty as freedom. For this study we are not concerned with natural, physical, political, or even religious liberty. We are concerned with soul liberty. The freedom of our thoughts, our immortal being, our soul. The Powers That Be (PTB), can place our bodies in bondage, but they cannot place our souls in bondage as we are the children of God,as seen in Romans 8:21: “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

Soul liberty is the very essence of your mental being. It is the freedom to believe, to think, and to be spiritually free. Soul liberty is what has fueled every great revival in history. Soul liberty is what keeps a man from sinking into despair when his place in life appears hopeless and futile. Soul Liberty is the greatest freedom that any man can hope to attain. The question you need to ask yourself is: Is my soul free? Do I have soul liberty?

If you can’t answer the question directly, maybe the Bible can help us shed light on the answer:

  • Are you free in Jesus Christ or merely paying lip service? John 8:36: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
  • Are you the Lord’s freeman or Christ’s servant? 1 Corinthians 7:22: “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.”
  • Do you use your freedom to serve God or Satan? 1 Peter 2:16: “As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.”
  • Do you fear God or the Powers That Be (PTB)? Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Categories
General Science Teachings The First Days The Savior Theology

Where Science and Religion Overlap

I keep coming across the idea that belief in evolution doesn’t matter to Christians because (supposedly) evolution is “science,” and Genesis is a religious “myth.” People then say that science and religion answer different questions. Religion answers “why” and science answers “how.” So, what does it matter if God used evolution to create us or whether it was by divine fiat?

This whole idea goes back a long way, but was popularized by an evolutionary biologist (and noted Marxist) named Stephen Jay Gould. He called it Non-Overlapping Magisteria, or NOMA. This is an attempt to separate science and religion as being totally different entities and two different ways of discovering truth. Religion deals with spiritual truths while science deals with natural truths.

If that’s the case, then there should be no conflict whatsoever between science and religion, right? Not so fast. When it comes to creation and evolution, there’s quite a conflict. When we talk about origins, science and religion fully overlap and thus the NOMA idea doesn’t apply. Both means of discovering the truth arrive at fundamentally different answers with regards to where everything comes from. Science is trying to tell us that the creation of everything is due to natural causes. Religion tells us that “God created.”

You see, it does us no good to wonder why God created us, or what His purpose for us is if we don’t even believe he created us in the first place. Furthermore, knowing how he created us tells us a lot about God’s nature. Evolution, at its core, is entirely purposeless and directionless. Its foundational concepts include random variations preserved through selection (death). Notice the word “random”. If God used evolution to create us, what does that say about our purpose? What does it say about death? If we’re mere accidents on an evolutionary tree, then we’re not created in God’s image according to His will. If death is part of the creative process of God, then it was not a punishment for Adam’s sin. Religion and “science” (if evolution can even be classified as science) are in a great deal of conflict with the biblical description of God.

Christians see Jesus as the Son of God. On several occasions, Jesus referenced parts of Genesis in defense of his teachings. In particular, he used the creation story to defend marriage between one man and one woman, saying that the two are one flesh and man shall “cleave unto his wife.” Furthermore, Matthew and Luke include Adam in Jesus’ direct lineage. But, if evolution is true, then Adam and Eve didn’t exist. So, what does that mean about Jesus’ statements on marriage? Which people in the Bible’s genealogies are real if the first ones aren’t? How arrogant are we as humans to say that we know the history of life on Earth better than the Son of God?

As I will show in other articles, we have every reason to scoff at man-made myths about swirling balls of gases that formed stars, then planets, then goo, and eventually …you. The Bible is an important book of history that starts at the very beginning, as written by an eyewitness. In the story of creation, this eyewitness is God Himself, who spoke to the first man and inspired the writers of the Bible. It is this witness which gives us observations which we can begin with in conducting scientific investigations to discover more about our wondrous habitation.

I leave you with this thought from Romans 1:20-25:

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the creator, who is blessed forever, Amen.”