The Ephesian Goddess, Evolution, and the Resurrection of Jesus the Messiah

The Riot

In the course of his missionary journeys, the apostle Paul and his companions came to the city of Ephesus. Located in what is presently the country of Turkey, Ephesus had been under Greek and Roman rule successively. It was also the home of the temple of the goddess Diana, aka Artemis.

Paul was there, preaching the gospel of salvation through Jesus the Messiah. And there was a certain silversmith named Demetrius who became incensed by the Christian's denial of all gods other than Yahweh, the living God who created the heavens and the earth. Obviously, since Demetrius was a silversmith, he made his living by sculpting images of Diana and her temple.

Demetrius called together a crowd of people who did similar work to his own. He gave a speech against Paul and the gospel, and a riot began to boil. For two hours the crowd was shouting and chanting "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!"

Then the city clerk quieted the crowd and said "Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? Therefore, since these things can not be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly" (Acts 19:35-36).

The "Empirical" Claim

I love how the city clerk considered what was probably a meteorite to be proof of the existence of Zeus and Diana. It reminds me of people who think evolution is confirmed by empirical science.

The city clerk had his interpretation of the fact. An "image" came down from Zeus. And it was probably kept in the temple of Diana, like a fossil in a museum. But his worldview did not come from the fact. Rather he used his pagan worldview, which he already had, to interpret the meaning of the object that fell from the sky.

In the same way, evolutionists have their interpretation of the facts. There are fossils. There are objects that range from simple to complex. There are sedimentary rock layers all over the earth. There are different kinds of creatures with similar biological or anatomical features. The evolutionist interprets these things according to his or her naturalistic worldview.

As a creationist, I see the fossil record as a record of extinction, not evolution. I see the simple-to-complex nature of things not as proof of evolution, but of the plain fact that there have always been simple-to-complex things in the universe. I see the sedimentary layers of the geological column as evidence of deep water (during the Genesis Flood), not deep time. I see biological/anatomical similitude in different kinds of creatures as evidence of a common Creator, not of a common evolutionary ancestor.

Worldviews do not come from evidence. Worldviews are used to interpret the evidence. 

Evidence for Jesus the Messiah

But perhaps the most well attested event in all of antiquities is the miraculous, bodily resurrection of Jesus the Messiah from the dead.

It is a historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth really lived in first century Israel. He was crucified and died. Furthermore, His disciples believed that He was raised from the dead and that He appeared to them as the risen Lord. 

It is a historical fact that Jesus' half-brother, James, became a believer after initially doubting Jesus. And it is a fact that Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee, ceased persecuting Christians and began preaching that Jesus is the risen Savior, and had appeared to him on the road to Damascus. And he began to go by his gentile name, "Paul" since his ministry was primarily aimed at converting gentiles to the Messiah, Jesus.

These disciples of Jesus were willing to spread His gospel under severe persecution. All of them, except John, died martyr's deaths because they were convinced that Jesus rose from the dead and had appeared bodily to them. 

John, the youngest of the twelve apostles, suffered persecution for preaching about Jesus. In his old age he was exiled to the Island of Patmos. There he wrote the book of Revelation. John was also the author of the fourth Gospel account, and three letters (1st, 2nd, and 3rd John) that are now a part of the New Testament.

In fact, one of the oldest extant fragments from the New Testament is the Rylands Library Papyrus P52, also known as St. John's Papyrus. Being a portion of John chapter 18, the fragment of ancient papyrus was uncovered in Egypt and is considered to date back to approximately 100 A.D. to 150 A.D.

John died around 100 A.D. That's about seventy years after he witnessed the miracles of Christ, including His post-resurrection appearances, with his own eyes (1st John 1:1-4).

There is also much reason to believe confidently that Luke's gospel and the book of Acts were written by Luke before 65 A.D. If the book of Acts had been written later, it would not end where it does.

Acts is a sequel to Luke's gospel. It is a record of the works (deeds, or actions) of the apostles after Jesus rose from the dead.

The narrative of Acts ends with the apostle Paul still alive in Rome. Paul was beheaded by the Romans circa 67 A.D. for preaching about Jesus.

The book of Acts ends with no mention of the Jewish War, or the fall of Jerusalem which happened in 70 A.D. These major events of the first century were significant to early Church history.Yet the narrative ends where it does because Luke wrote it before these events took place.

In addition to all this, the Church leaders of the second century quoted so much from the New Testament books that even if there were no copies of the New Testament texts from earlier, virtually the entire N.T. could be reproduced just from the writings of the early Church leaders.

What it comes down to is this. Those who deny the resurrection of Jesus, do so not because of the historical evidence, but because they hold to a worldview that miracles don't happen. 

As C.S. Lewis wrote in the first chapter of his book, Miracles:

"In all my life I have met only one person who claims to have seen a ghost. And the interesting thing about the story is that the person disbelieved in the immortal soul before she saw the ghost and still disbelieves after seeing it. She says that what she saw must have been an illusion or a trick of the nerves...If anything extraordinary seems to have happened, we can always say that we have been the victims of an illusion. If we hold to a philosophy which excludes the supernatural, that is what we always shall say" (emphasis added).

So again we see that worldviews do not come from the evidence, but are utilized to interpret the evidence. 

Subterranean Flood-Sick Blues

Genesis 7:11 provides and interesting detail concerning the Great Flood. "...on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened."

So as the Scriptures tell, there was water coming down in the form of rain for forty days; and water was also being released in vast quantities from great, broken-up, subterranean fountains. 

It is the view of Flood geologists that prior to the Flood, the tectonic plates were one whole, unbroken layer of the earth. In this view, the tectonic plates are the broken-up "fountains of the deep". 

Certainly, the Flood of Noah's time changed the face of the earth. Prior to that Flood, the earth was not as topographically extreme as it is in our time. There were hills and mountains from the time of creation. But there was nothing like the highest mountains or the lowest valleys and basins of our time. 

Most of the mountains on the earth at present are composed of sedimentary layers, which were laid down by the Flood, and have become bent and pushed up by shifting tectonic plates.

This explains why there are fossilized clam shells at the highest points of the earth. It also explains why bent layers of sedimentary rock are not fractured and broken. They were still soft when they were pushed up and bent by tectonic activity.

The topographical extremes of the post-Flood world ensure what God Himself decreed, that He will never flood the whole earth again, as He did in those days (Genesis 9:11-17).

But the final judgment of sin will come by fire. As the Scriptures tell: 

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:10-13).

Garden Paths

The Beautiful Garden Path to Destruction

I'm a little puzzled because I could almost swear that in my first reading of the Old Testament Prophets, in 1999, I read a verse in which God described His wayward people as following "beautiful garden paths to destruction". Those precise words are etched in my memory. In  2005, I even wrote a song lyric based on those words.

The Song of the Serpent imagines the devil saying "And I disguise the road to Hell with pretty pink roses and daffodils". But presently when I search the online Bible, even using the translation that I was using at that time, I can not find any verse in the O.T. Prophets or any other part of the Bible that uses the exact words "beautiful garden paths to destruction".

But there are a few verses that, when put together, match the idea. 

"You will be ashamed of your idol worship in groves of oaks. You will blush because you worshiped in gardens dedicated to idols" (Isaiah 1:29; New Living Translation).

"For the leaders of the people have misled them. They have led them down the path of destruction" (Isaiah 9:16).

"All day long I open my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes. All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on pagan alters. At night they go out among the graves, worshiping the dead" (Isaiah 65:2-4; NLT).

"Those who 'consecrate' and 'purify' themselves in a sacred garden with its idol in the center - feasting on pork and rats and other detestable meats - will come to a terrible end" (Isaiah 66:17; NLT).

So I guess the words that I remember are actually a paraphrase of my own, made by combining various verses when I was reading the book of Isaiah for the first time. Nevertheless, I vividly remember the exact words "beautiful garden paths to destruction". 

And sin is like that, you know. It's like a beautiful garden path to destruction. Lust, greed, godlessness, idolatry, wickedness of every kind can look very attractive. But these things lead to the destruction of the soul.

It's a path that began in the Garden of Eden, where humanity fell into sin. And death came by sin. From that day, history has been a litany of human beings setting up Sin as an idol in their hearts. The idolatrous gardens that Isaiah railed against, though literal, can represent human sin in general. 

Nevertheless God has been working all along to reconcile sinners to Himself.

The Garden Path to Redemption

In the Garden Eden, humanity fell into sin. But the Son of God took a garden path of His own. Though He had no sin of His own He bore our sin upon Himself. He could do this because while He is the sinless Son of God, He also became the Son of Man when He was incarnated and born as the human son of the virgin Mary (John 1:1-14). 

Far down the line from Eden, Jesus came to another garden. Just outside Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives, was the Garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus was greatly troubled because of what lay in store. Death was coming for Him. He prayed to the Father that if possible, the "cup of sorrow" would pass Him by. But He ended His prayer by saying "nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done". And in His distress He began to sweat blood (Matthew 26:36-39; Luke 22:44). The full weight of all human sin was upon Him. 

The next day, Jesus was crucified. Then He was taken down from the cross, and placed in a garden tomb (John 19:41). Jesus remained in the garden tomb that Friday night, through Saturday and into the "wee early hours" of Sunday morning. Then, angels came from the Father into the garden and rolled the stone away from the tomb. And the Son of God rose up to life. 

He conquered death. And because He conquered death, whoever trusts in Him, "though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25; King James Version).

Conclusion

In the Garden of Eden the first man sinned, leading to death (Romans 5:12). In The Garden of Gethsemane, the Son of God and Man took our sin upon Himself and trembled at the approach of death. And out from the garden tomb, He step forth victorious over death, having paid the price for sins not His own (Romans 6:23; Isaiah 53).

Assumptions

Preamble

Much of what is taught about our early history is based on evolutionary assumptions. And the evolutionary world view itself is based on the assumption that there is no supernatural Creator - an atheist assumption. And the corollary assumption is that the Biblical Flood never happened.

It is simply assumed from the beginning of all secularist inquiry that the universe could not have just been created in mature form by God. It is therefore assumed that all things had to begin simple and evolve to become more complex. It is accordingly assumed that humans began as mere molecules that evolved by steps over vast amounts of time to become "modern humans". And it is assumed that the sedimentary rock-layers of the geological column were laid down slowly by vast amount of time rather than quickly by the vast amounts of water during the Flood that covered the whole earth.

Body

Tools

The idea that humans developed tools over time, starting with the most simple stone tool, up to the more complex, is assumed. This is where the idea of a paleolithic to neolithic era comes from. The artifacts are simply put into order based on the preconceive notion that the simpler ones must be older. But even today, living humans still use a combination of simple and complex tools. And besides that, even some secular scientists are coming to think that some of the paleolithic artifacts that they find are not even human artifacts at all, but geofacts. The thought is that some kind of catastrophe, like a flood, may have shaped these items. Read this article by Michael Oard, M.S. (http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2001/08/01/controversy-stone-tools). The material at the linked site is written by trained scientists who affirm the Bible.

Language

The idea that the earliest humans could not articulate or write, is also an evolutionary assumption. According to Genesis, Adam and Eve were able to speak and understand each other in full ranged articulation from the day they were created. They were created as fully mature adult humans by God. The earliest known written language is cuneiform. Cuneiform is a hieroglyph language belonging to the Akkadian people. This is consistent with the Genesis narrative since Akkad is one of the earliest empires to form after the Flood. And there is no reason to think that there was no written language before the Flood.

Dark Sayings? Dark Sayings. History! (Context and Consequence).

Introduction

Many people wrongly claim that the history recorded in Genesis (and especially the earliest history) is allegorical, and never actually happened. The reasons for such a claim are ideas that are not extrapolated from the Scriptures but are read into, or forced onto the Scriptures from outside.

There is the evolutionary worldview for example. Evolutionary doctrine is not science. It involve the use of patently atheistic assumptions about the past to interpret scientific data in the present. And then there is postmodern philosophy which asserts that there is no absolute truth, but that individuals can make up their own truth. Postmodern philosophy is really neo-paganism. But God's word remains the Truth (John 17:17, 14:6).

The aim of this entry is to show from the context of the Scriptures that the Genesis narrative is historical, and that an allegorical interpretation of Genesis is theologically destructive. Interpreting the Scriptures with the Scriptures, we can see clearly that they are God's word, and that their contextual integrity confirms the historicity of Genesis.

Dark Sayings?

Remember that Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are the Five Books of Moses. This Pentateuch ("Five Books") was written by Moses under the direction of God.

In Numbers chapter 12, we read about how Moses' brother and sister criticized him for marrying an Ethiopian woman. It is not clear why Aaron and Miriam objected to the marriage. The possibilities are another subject for another time. In any case, Aaron and Miriam went so far as to question Moses' authority as a prophet on account of his marriage to the Ethiopian woman.

God Himself answered Aaron and Miriam's criticism. Verse 6 reads:

"Then He said, 'Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD,  make Myself know to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.'"

And here it is, verse 7:

"Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses" (emphasis added).

So here God is saying that He spoke plainly to Moses and not in dark sayings. And in this context the word "dark" means "cryptic" or "mysterious". So don't worry, I'm not going to get all Poe on you now.

Dark Sayings.

Several centuries after the time of Moses, the psalmist Asaph prophesied of the coming Messiah, writing:

 "I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old" (Psalms 78:2).

Jesus fulfilled this prophecy by using parables to illustrate His message about the kingdom of God. 

The verse also seems to be referring back to itself. Jesus frequently quoted poetic prophecies like this one, saying that His ministry was the fulfillment of the Scriptures. He read Isaiah 49:8-9 aloud when He began to teach and preach at a synagogue in Nazareth, and told the congregation that the prophecy had just been fulfilled in their hearing. (Luke 4:18-22)

The prophecy that was given through Asaph is similar to the prophecy that God would use strange language to communicate His message, since people wouldn't listen, but disobeyed when He spoke plainly through Moses (Isaiah 28:11-12). The apostle Paul highlights the fulfillment of this prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14:21.

So the reason that Jesus told parables, and the reason the early church spoke in tongues, is because Moses wrote plainly, without story-telling, and the message was disobeyed. However, by paying attention to the context of any passage, one can determine with a fair level of ease when a parable is being told and when the text is narrating actual events.

It is also important to read each passage within the context of the whole Bible. As the saying goes, "Interpret Scripture with Scripture." An understanding of all the Scriptures will aid the student in understanding the various passages within the Scriptures. This way the student is able to objectively determine the author's intended meaning.

History! 

As it has been noted, the contextual character of the Bible makes it fairly easy to distinguish the historical narrative from poetic passages, parables, dreams, and visions.

Jesus Himself made it very clear that the narrative of Genesis is historical. And by His constant quoting from the Old Testament, and saying things like "The Scriptures must be fulfilled" (Matthew 26:52-56, Mark 14:46-49), He unmistakably confirmed the Scriptures as the authoritative word of God.

Why would the fulfillment of the Scriptures be so important unless they are God's word? The fulfillment of the Scriptures has always been of utmost important to the Son of God because they are His word. And He will always keep His word.

When His critics prodded Him with questions about marriage, He answered "But from the beginning of creation, God 'made them male and female'" (Mark 10:6). 

In Matthew 23:29-36, Jesus referred to all the righteous martyrs, "from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah" as belonging to the pages of history.

On another occasion Jesus made it unquestionably clear that Abraham was a real historical person. He said to His critics "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad" (John 8:56).

How could that be if Abraham was a made-up fictional character? Jesus' critics got it. And they said "You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?" (8:57). They understood that Abraham really lived, and that he lived much more than just fifty years before their own time.

Jesus answered them with a stunning declaration of His eternal existence. He said "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM" (8:58).

Here He is claiming to be equal with God! He is identifying  Himself as one and the same with Him who spoke to Moses from out of the burning bush and said "I AM that I AM... Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you'" (Exodus 3:14). Indeed it was the preincarnate Son of God who spoke to Moses "face to face" (Numbers 12:7) and to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

When Jesus says "Before Abraham was, I AM" He is saying that Abraham had his place in time when he was living upon the earth, and that Jesus Himself always is from eternity to eternity! And He is saying that He saw Abraham when he lived upon the earth. It was the preincarnate Jesus Himself who visited Abraham and told him that he would be a father by his wife, Sarah. On that same visit He told Abraham about the impending doom that was to fall upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18).

After His resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to some folks on the road to Emmaus. They were distraught over His crucifixion. And they didn't know it was Jesus who was talking to them because He had transfigured His appearance.

When they expressed their sadness and disappointment, Jesus said to them "Oh foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" The text goes on, "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Him." (Luke 24:13-32 emphasis added). 

Conclusion: Theological Consequence

So from the context of Scripture, and on the authority of the Son of God Himself we have strong confirmation that these things really happened just as the Scriptures tell. And to deny the reality of these events has tremendous theological consequences. The entirety of biblical Christian theology is built upon the reality of these events.

In order to be a Christian, one must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that His death on the cross paid for our sin, and that God the Father raised Him up bodily from the dead (Romans 10:8-10, 1 Corinthians 15, Hebrews 1:1-4).

Jesus' death on the cross for our sin, and His resurrection from the dead are entirely because of the events recorded in Genesis 1-3. There was no death or suffering of man or beast until sin entered the world by one man (Romans 5:12-21).

If theistic evolution were true, that would mean that there were millions of years of suffering and death before humans ever even existed to sin. God would be unjust, and Jesus' death on the cross would be meaningless. When a person denies the historicity of Genesis, that person is butchering Scripture and denying the authority of Jesus Christ! 

The Crown of Thorns

On Good Friday, Christians commemorate the Crucifixion of Christ. In Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, and John 19:1-6, we are told how Jesus was made to wear a crown of thorns on that day. There is a poetic beauty about that crown of thorns. And doubtless, the Roman soldiers who made the crown and put it on Jesus' head were oblivious to the significance of what they were doing.

In Genesis 3:17-19 we learn that thorns and thistles are a result of the fall of man. They are a part of the curse of sin. Death itself is also a part of the curse of sin resulting from the fall of man.

In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we read, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God." And in Galatians 3:13 we read, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree')." The parenthetical quote is from Deuteronomy 21:23.

When the Roman soldiers put that crown of thorns on Jesus' head, they unwittingly coronated Him King of the Curse; King of Fallen Humanity. They took something that represents the fallen state of creation (including humanity) and put it on His head as a mock symbol of authority. It actually signified that He, Christ, was taking the consequences of our sin onto Himself - owning them. Christ the Son of Man, had become the monarchical representative of fallen, sinful humanity, in the presence of God the Father who is the King of kings, Creator and Judge of all the universe. So Christ wore our sin like a crown of shame. 

And because He did that, because He took our sin upon Himself, having no sin of His own, we are able to take His righteousness upon ourselves, having none of our own.

Do Christians Peddle Sin?

Sometimes Christians are accused of "peddling sin" because we believe that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). However, calling a thing what it is is not the same as making a thing what it is. Christians do not peddle sin. We do not make people into sinners. Sin is simply the reality of fallen human nature. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).

When Adam and Eve committed that first simple act of disobedience, it resulted in the corruption of human nature. Sin became the human condition. It is a regressive condition, and the cause of death - both spiritual and physical (Genesis 2:16-17, Romans 5:12). It may seem a small matter. Especially when one considers a relatively "good" person. But it is not a small matter. Our nature now tends toward disobedience against our Creator; crimes against Divinity. People often try to defend their particular sin by saying they where just born that way. What they do not realize is that we are all "born this way" (i.e. as sinners).

This is why humans deny their Creator. This is why even the best societies tend to regress and fall apart over time. This is why every attempt to forge a Utopian society fails, which is one thing about which Nathaniel Hawthorne and others of his philosophy were right. Spiritual and moral regression is in our nature. And a man is never more wicked than when he thinks he can be good without God. As long as humanity is not at peace with God, humanity is not at peace. Every individual is called by the gospel of Christ to be reconciled to God. Only when we turn to God and receive the forgiveness that He offers through Christ can we be saved. (Romans 7:13-25, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 John 1:9) "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:5).

So Christians actually do quite the opposite of peddling sin. We proclaim reconciliation with God. "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). This reconciliation, then, can only be accomplished by admitting that reconciliation is needed. As long as we deny that there is a problem, we remain in sin and are calling God a liar. (1 John 1:10). Through His Son Jesus, God is standing in the doorway of every human life saying "Let's talk about our relationship. If you are willing, I can make you clean so that I don't have to condemn you for your sin." (Isaiah 1:18 paraphrase).                                   

Pagan Flood Stories and Genesis

Nearly all ancient cultures from all over the globe recount stories of a great flood that wiped out all but a few humans from the face of the earth. These variations on the same story are exactly what one should expect when one considers that the event actually happened, just as the Scriptures tell. In the generations after Noah's family exited the Ark, subsequent families branched out, being descendants of Noah's three sons; Shem, Ham, and Japheth. These families branched out and grew into nations. This process of re-population is accurately recorded by Moses in a passage of genealogies in Genesis chapter ten, which is often referred to as the Table of Nations.  

As this re-population took place, there soon arose groups of people who turned away from the God who created humanity. They replaced Him in their hearts and minds with gods whom they created in their own images; and in images of birds, reptiles, and beasts, etc. (see Romans 1:21-23). These pagans thencasually distorted  the events that happened, passing down their stories through the generations.

But those who were faithful to God, particularly those descended from Shem (Semites), faithfully preserved the truth of what really happened, details about how it happened, and perhaps most importantly why it happened.

Not only is this so, but when God spoke to Moses, He directed Moses in accurately recording the history of the world, from the time that it was supernaturally created by God in six literal days ("yom", in the Hebrew language, refers to a literal 24 hour day) to his own time, as he lead Israel out of Egypt by the power of God who was with him to reveal Truth and do mighty works for His people.

The Genesis account of the Flood is the most realistic version because it is the true version, faithfully preserved by the sons of Shem, and accurately written down by Moses under the direction of God Himself.

It provides realistic details, including a 450 ft. long, 75 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high Ark. This Ark was capable of housing two of every "kind " (not species) of land animal and winged creature of the air. It also housed Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives to survive the Flood that covered all the earth; the Flood that is responsible for the formation of many geological features that we observe today.

You Can't Be Good Without God. And Here's Why.

The rally cry of the American Humanist Association is "Good Without a God". A big problem with the "Good Without God" mantra is that a person's definition of what is "good" is determined by what that person believes. A person who believes in the God of the Bible will have a different definition of "good" than a person who believes in a different god, or no god.

And if God is real, as I affirm that He is, than His definition of what is good is the only correct definition. And so if our definition of "good" is different from His; we may think that we're good, but we're not. And the heart of what God calls good is to be in a good relationship with Him - personally. He is concerned not only with our outward behavior, but our inward spiritual condition; which correlates directly with our relationship with Him. So being good requires that we obey God because we recognize Him as our Father. And that requires faith. As the Scriptures say:

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" Hebrews 11:6.

Some other specific passages that tell us what God considers to be good include:

• The Ten Commandments; Exodus 20:1-17

• The Sermon on the Mount; Matthew chapters 5-7, also see Luke 6:20-49

• The Last Supper Discourse; John chapters 13-17

• The Fruits of the Spirit; Galatians 5:22-23

Some specific passages describing what is not good in the eyes of God include:

• Galatians 5:19-21

• Romans 1:18-32

Now here is another big problem with the "Good Without God" mantra. According to God's definition, no one is good! This is a repeated statement in the Bible. 

• Ecclesiastes 7:20 says "For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin."

• Romans 3: 10-12 says "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

• Psalm 14:1-3 says "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."

• Psalm 53:1-3 repeats this verbatim.

• In Matthew 7:11 and Luke 11:13, Jesus calls all the people listening to Him "evil"! He says "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

• In John 7:7, Jesus makes a similar remark when talking to His half-brothers. He told them "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil."

• And in Mark 10:18, Jesus gives a personal challenge to one man to admit that Jesus is God. When the man called Him "good teacher" Jesus answered "Why do you call me good? No one is good-except God alone."

• The same conversation is also recorded in Luke 18:19

• And finally, Romans 3:23-26 reads "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."