Morality

The Reality of the Law
When was the last time you argued with someone? Most likely it was not too long ago. People argue over all sorts of things, all the time. But regardless of the subject of the argument, one aspect is always the same. Because in order to argue, we must make reference to some sort of moral, or ethical code. We know that an ethical code exists, but how do we explain it? I recently read called “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, and in it he made the point that we cannot logically explain this phenomenon by natural means. His book inspired me to write this post.

Moral Similarity
One point C.S. Lewis made, was that every culture on earth has had some sort of ethical code. And these ethical codes are all basically the same. C.S. Lewis says, “…but for the present purpose I need only ask the reader to think what a totally different morality would mean. Think of a country where people are admired for running away in battle, or where a man felt proud for double crossing all the people who had been kindest to him. You might just as well try to imagine a country where two and two made five.” The point is, although moral codes are created by the people of a given culture, totally isolated cultures always reference the same concepts of unselfishness, justice, keeping your word, generosity, ect. This similarity must somehow be explained, and the only reasonable explanation is that there is some sort of universal standard, and each culture reflects the ideas of this ethical standard, (although with differing degrees of accuracy).

Personal Decision?
There are instances, in which a given culture’s ethical standards do seem to be different, and even seem to go against what we would consider to be good. C.S. Lewis pointed out that if a certain culture allows some sort of “immoral” behavior that we consider wrong, we instantly seem to conclude that their morality is inferior, and wrong. But how can anything be wrong, if there is no right. For instance, a football player cannot make a foul unless the teams agree on what should be considered fair, and unfair. There will be some of you who will no doubt say that there are no universal morals. But I cannot believe that you actually believe this. You see, as much as you may say that Hitler’s moral standards were just as noble as ours, you don’t mean it, your conscience knows that it is impossible to excuse the killing of innocent people. Is it possible that Hitler knew it was wrong too? Of course! When was the last time you did something even though you knew it was wrong? We do it all the time. Obviously, there is more to morality than a personal decision.

Universal Contract?
Now that we know that all of mankind is effected by the same belief of an ethical standard, the next question is, “what could possibly cause this strange phenomenon”. Some say that morality is universal because “Good” is anything that benefits mankind, whereas “Bad” is anything that harms, or causes pain or suffering. At first this makes sense; killing someone, or taking their money is obviously bad, but rescuing someone, or giving them food and shelter is considered good. Both of these are judged based on how they affect humanity. This is all well and good, but believe it or not, this does not explain morality. You see, benefiting society is a good way to describe moral law, but it is not the reason for the law. If benefiting society is why we have moral laws, then why do we feel obligated to benefit society? Think for an instant, if you could re-create moral law for yourself. If no-one, (not even God, for those of you who are Christians) would condemn you for anything, would you honestly choose to do everything that didn’t come naturally to you? Now there would be some sense in making everyone else do these things that didn’t come naturally, for your own welfare, but if it were all for your welfare, (most people think it is) then why would you feel bad when you cheated someone? Is it just because you broke a universal “niceness” contract? But if this contract is only for your wellness, the only reason to feel bad would be fear that someone else would break the contract and harm you back. This selfish reasoning would be totally acceptable if the universal contract theory was correct, but even this selfishness is looked down on. And I don’t know about you, but when I do something wrong, I feel more than fear, I feel guilt. If morality really is a contract between all of mankind, it seems that our minds refuse to believe this, and instead our conscience is constantly bombarding us with feelings of remorse, and guilt, over offenses that we cannot seem to make ourselves stop doing.

A Better Explanation
Following the reasoning that morality is more than a personal decision, and more than a contract between all of mankind, what is a better explanation? I propose that mankind was not the author of ethical standards. Instead, the morality of our diverse cultures reflect a greater standard set by God himself. When you think about it, who else would have the authority to do this, than the one who created us? We were made in the image of God, and he made many of our aspects reflect himself. This is why we have a conscience. However our sinful nature tells us that we have been distorted from out original image. Our two sides; the sinful nature, and our conscience, are fighting against each other, causing the guilt and remorse over issues we cannot change. We are a badly distorted reflection of God, but we still know what we ought to be like. God wants us to be unselfish, not only to benefit each other, but to glorify him. He also wants us to refrain from behavior that harms ourselves, (such as drunkenness, sexual immorality, and addiction) because these things harm our relationship with God. This is my explanation for morality, I personally think it fits the evidence, and reasoning, the best. If you have one that you think better, please comment on this post.

Jesus Christ
Our situation seems hopeless. The Bible says that God punishes sin with eternal suffering in Hell. And unless we are perfectly sinless, we will never enter heaven. But God has provided a way out. Jesus Christ paid the death penalty for our sin. All we need to do is confess our sin, ask God to forgive us, and believe in Jesus as our personal savior. If you are not sure if you are going to heaven when you die, please consider what I have told you. Your life on earth could be over in an instant, and this could be your last chance to let Christ save you from the punishment your sins deserve.

Total Predestination

Predestination in the Bible
You may or may not be familiar with the term, “predestination”. So, before I get started I’ll explain. Romans 8:29-30 says, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son, that he might be the firstborn of many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.” Two main views have developed to explain this passage and define predestination.

The select Few
Total predestination is the view that God has chosen only a select group of people to receive salvation. This view interprets Romans 8:29-30 very literally, (which is a good thing). Look at Romans again, the whole passage is a string of events, God “foreknew”, then “predestined” then “called”, “justified”, and finally “glorified”. What got me is the “called” part. Predestination comes before being called, so it seems like God doesn’t call everyone to himself. But wait a second, to be justified; (forgiven of your sins) you must be called. And we all know that salvation, (glorification) is impossible without forgiveness. So in the end, it seems like God doesn’t give many people a chance to accept his forgiveness, and receive salvation. Although this view is as strait forward as they come, I believe it is a total misunderstanding, and a huge contradiction to the rest of the bible. The Bible says over and over again that our God is a God of love. First Timothy 2:3-4 says, “This is good, and pleases God our savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth”. How could a God of love, who wants everyone to be saved, create this world knowing that by doing so, he was condemning thousands to hell? And why would he limit his kingdom to a select few when such a high price was paid for our ransom?
What’s a better explanation?
The view I believe to be true is called predestination. It is the view that God extends salvation to everyone. However, out of his divine wisdom, God foreknows who will end up in heaven. Think about it, God knows your decisions before you make them, that doesn’t mean he forces you to make certain decisions, you make them, he foreknows them. So, at the end of your life, God knows if you will have decided to accept his gift of salvation, or reject it. This is what meant by “Foreknew” is. Being predestined, then, means that before you were born, god knew Whether or not you would be saved. In other words, god “pre-knew” your destination! The next step is being called. God wants everyone to be saved, and therefore, extends his invitation to everyone. However, to those predestined for heaven, he extends a special, personal calling. And the greatest calling in each of our lives is to tell others about God. In this way, God is able to extend his invitation to people all over the globe.

An Excuse to be Apathetic
Needless to say, your view of Predestination has severe implications on your life. it determines your view on the nature of God, and determines how you live your faith out every day. But most importantly, your view of predestination will determine how you regard witnessing. Every three seconds a death occurs on earth, how many of those souls do you think end up in heaven? One out of ten? One out of fifty? Less? I don’t know, but the scary thing is, if you believe in total predestination, there’s nothing you can do about it. And even worse, God doesn’t care. This gives many Christians an excuse to be apathetic, and to “feel good” even as they watch thousands of souls cast into an eternity of suffering. The truth is, we can do something in all those lives! In fact, god’s primary way to invite people to his kingdom is through us. And picture this, when you help someone to find Christ, God already knew you would! So, that person is already predestined for heaven. Again, I can’t stress this enough, that person was not going to heaven until God reached out his invitation through you. God knows your deeds before you make them, but it’s your decision to make them. Let’s not be apathetic Christians. We have some serious work to do!

How Global Was the Flood?

The Bibles Account
Genesis 7: 20-22 says, “The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet. Everything that lived on the earth perished-birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.” This account makes it abundantly clear that Noah’s flood was no local cloudburst. The mountains were covered in twenty feet of water. This means that there was no dry ground across the entire face of the earth. Also, every land dwelling animal and all the birds were killed. How could a local flood kill animals 4000 miles away? Many Christians now believe that the flood was only local to Noah’s neighborhood. But, I must be harsh and say, can you be a Christian and not believe your bible? The bible is the foundation of our faith. We can’t choose to ignore parts of it because of its inconvenience. But if you don’t believe the bible is true, here are two reasons you too should believe in a worldwide flood.

Flood stories
In his book, “Dinosaurs by Design”, Ph.D. Duane Gish states that there are “more than 270 flood stories and historic records found in many parts of the world”. Gish gives examples of flood stories from cultures as diverse as the ancient Babylonians, Toltec people, Chinese, and Hawaiians. Some of these stories are detailed enough to tell of Noah, his three sons, and the animals that were all saved from death in a boat. The since Noah and his Family were the sole survivors of the flood, every culture on earth would have inherited their own rendition of the flood story. Thousands of years of campfire stories would have distorted the exact details in most cases. In the end, these flood accounts are great proof for a worldwide flood. After all, what are the odds of 270 story tellers from all over the earth, create such similar accounts from out of nowhere.

The impact
Evidence for the worldwide flood also comes from examining the geological features of the earth. A flood of the proportions described in Genesis would have impacted the earth in a very noticeable way. Here are 2 different ways geology supports the global flood.

1: Plate Tectonics.
Scientists have found evidence that the continents are slowly drifting away from each other on giant sections of the earth’s crust. In fact, the continents used to form one single continent. Evolutionary scientists assume that the continents have been drifting at essentially the same speed since they began millions of years ago. But, since the earth could not possibly be that old, (See “The Young Earth” parts 1-6), another explanation is needed. A catastrophe like the flood could have easily created imbalance in the earth’s crust, breaking up the continents, pushing them around, and setting it in the motion we see today. This would have taken a very short time, as opposed to millions of years.

2: Fossil Graveyards.
Scientists have found numerous piles of jumbled up fossilized bones all over the world. These “graveyards” many times contain animals that are never found together today. Graveyards contain the remains of so many, and such diverse animals, that they pose a real threat to those who do not believe in a worldwide flood. You see, if fossils were formed over millions of years, as one layer of rock slowly formed on top of another, how do you explain fossil graveyards? You must assume that thousands of diverse animals from all over the world, came together, died, and were fossilized for no apparent reason. But if you believe in a worldwide flood, everything starts to make sense. Imagine powerful, muddy currents swirling around under water, picking up thousands of creatures not lucky enough to be on the ark. Eventually the currents would set them all down in very close proximity, and soon, they would be covered with mud. Go out to any river and you will see that the currents, in many places, create formations, and even piles of dead plant matter much like we would expect, (Although in a slightly smaller scale), from a worldwide flood.

Why a Local Flood?
So why do some Christians reject the idea of a worldwide flood? I think it's because we try to hard to fit in to our modern culture. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t have to dress in overalls and polka dots just to look weird so we don’t fit in. But sometimes, we need to put our foot down. Christians have slowly accepted the ideas like the local flood, the gap theory, and even macro-evolution, just so we don’t have to seem to “Judgmental” in this post-modern culture. Christians should love people, but hate lies. Why is the Issue of the flood so important? It’s a matter of biblical authority, if we Christians claim one part of the bible is wrong, how do we expect others to take the rest of it seriously?

The Historical Bible

Introduction
“The historical bible and Jesus Christ are the two cornerstones of the Christian worldview. If the bible is not history or if Jesus Christ is not “God with us” Christianity crumbles. To shatter Christian doctrine and the Christian world view, one need only shatter it’s historical underpinnings…” David A. Nobel (Understanding the Times).

A Test of Integrity
I read this great quote in a book called “Surprised by Faith” by Dr. don Bierle. In his book, Dr. Bierle lays out evidence that the bible is not only able to be trusted, but is actually the most accurate historical document of its time. How do you judge the accuracy of a document? Scientists ask three questions. First, does the document contradict it’s self? Second, does it contradict other historical documents that are known to be accurate? Third, is the document consistent with archaeological finds? In my new series “The historical Bible” we will look at each of these points in order to conduct a modern test of the Bible’s reliability. I think you’ll be surprised what we find.

The Historical Bible

Does it Contradict It’s self?
If you haven’t been told the Bible contradicts it’s self, you will. In his book, “Self-Contradictions of the Bible” Henry Burr claimed that the Bible contradicts it’s self at least 144 times. Obviously the Bible couldn’t be reliable if it’s authors were that confused! However, Henry Burr seems to be more pre occupied with his impressive number than the facts behind these supposed contradictions. Let’s look at two of the “contradictions” Henry Burr found.

Two Josephs?
In the New Testament there are two genealogies of Christ. One in Matthew chapter 1, and another in Luke chapter 3. At first glance, the two genealogies seem to contradict each other. They don’t even agree on Joseph’s father! Actually, they are two totally different genealogies. Matthew traced Joseph’s genealogy. And Luke traced Mary’s. on Mary’s genealogy Luke simply replaced the name “Mary” with her husband’s name “Joseph”. It was a culture thing. The two genealogies that seem to contradict each other end up complimenting each other, giving us both Joseph, AND Mary’s family line.

Heard, not Understood
Another supposed contradiction is found in Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:9. Saul is confronted by God while traveling to Damascus with his men to persecute Christians. Although the bible is clear enough on Saul’s experience, there seems to be some confusion over what happened to Saul’s men. Acts 9:7 says “The men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.” However, Acts 22:9 says “And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.” Once again, it appears we have a contradiction on our hands. Did Saul’s men hear a voice or not? The answer is found in the original language of the bible. For both passages the Greek word Akouo is used and translated as the English verb “to hear”. But in Acts 22:9 the word is constructed differently. Translated more correctly, Acts 22:9 should say something like “but they understood not the voice of him that spake to me.”

If you actually give the Bible half a chance, and study up on the original language and culture of the Bible you will find that supposed contradictions like these are the very simple and strait forward. despite what you might hear from Bible critics, the Bible passes this test easily. but since some people can make something out of nothing, that's not what the public is hearing.

The Historical Bible

Does it contradict other historical documents?
This next test is one of two external tests. It is the hardest test is the hardest to conduct on the Bible. The book “Explaining Creation with General Science” by Dr. Jay L. Wile gives us four reasons.

1 The Bible covers a long period of time.
2 Many parts of the Old Testament report on events that happened so long ago that they cannot be compared to any other works of history.
3 The focus of the bible is very narrow, so many contemporary historians don’t comment on Bible related events.
4 The Bible’s accounts were very controversial at the time it was written. So the opinions of both Christian historians and anti-Christian historians influenced their writings way too much.

With reasons like these it’s no wonder most historians consider archeological data the main external test for the Bible.

Disappointed?
Remember our original question? “Does it contradict other historical documents that are known to be accurate?”. So what’s the answer? It doesn’t, the only works it contradicts cannot be considered accurate since the writings were often swayed by the opinions of the authors. So no news is good news. The Bible passes this test with flying colors.

The Historical Bible

Is it confirmed by Archeology?
This is the last, (and in my opinion) the most import test. And, as you will find, the Bible scores high on this test as well. In his book “Surprised By Faith” (p 38) Dr. Don Bierly says, “Perhaps it is safe to say that because of modern archeology, more is known today about first century New Testament background than anyone has known about it since the third century. With so much Data available today, it is no longer difficult to test the New Testament’s claim to history”. Here are a few of the finds that Dr. Bierly listed in his book as positive proof for the Bible’s integrity.

Pontius Pilate
The New Testament Pontius Pilate is the governor of Judea during the time of Christ’s crucifixion. Two historians, as well as a two by three foot cornerstone found at the ancient site of Caesarea Maritima. The stone had an inscription that read “Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea, has dedicated to the people of Caesarea a temple in honor of Tiberius.

James, Brother of Jesus
Time magazine called it “most important discovery in the history of New Testament archeology”. It was an ossuary, (bone box) found in Jerusalem in 2002. The inscription on it reads, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus”. This is really exciting because the New Testament identifies a man named James as the brother of Jesus (the son of Jesus’ earthly father). James was martyred in A.D. 62. Expert examinations of the writing style of the inscription, and tests on the limestone of the box confirm that it is from that time period.

Crucifixion with Nails
Critics have long questioned the accuracy of the bible relating to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The gospels claim that Jesus was nailed to a wooden cross (as opposed to tying him on with ropes). And that he was crucified in Palestine (there were doubts that this mode of execution was used in Palestine). Critics say that the writers of the gospels must have embellished their stories with “unhistorical details”. A recent publication says differently. It appears the bones of the only crucifixion victim ever found were unearthed near Jerusalem. The 24 to 28 year-old man still has a five inch long nail imbedded in his foot bones! Also, the calf bones of the victim were “Brutally fractured… clearly produced by a single hard blow.” This corresponds perfectly with the gospel of John. “The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.”

Dr Bierly goes on to list several more such archeological finds. Such overwhelming evidence is not hard to interpret. Once again, the bible gets an A plus on this test.