Why We Use the Bible to Defend the Bible

Although Christians may point to historical and scientific evidence, as well as arguments from logic to defend the faith, it is still imperative that we defend God's word with God's word; just as we must interpret Scripture with Scripture. Ignorant mockers will scoff at us for doing so, but there are a couple of reasons for using the Bible to defend the Bible.

For one thing, how can one defend a position if they do not know what the position is? One can not. One must know what the Bible actually says and teaches; one must have a firm understanding of biblical teaching and context, context, context in order to be an effective defender of God's honest, gospel truth. The apostle Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, refers to "rightly dividing the word of truth", being diligent to learn from the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15). I hear and read comments from foolish scoffers all the time, misrepresenting the Scriptures which they so vehemently oppose. They take passages out of context and twist them like pretzels. Or they attribute words to the Bible which are not even found anywhere in the Bible. It's disgusting. At the same time, there are people who genuinely don't know what the Scriptures teach and honestly want to learn. So those of use who have poured over the God's word are responsible to answer the questions that they ask. 

Yet there are even people in the Church who do not rightly divide the word of truth, but misrepresent what the Bible teaches as well. At times, I post things that are geared toward theistic evolutionists in the Church, to confirm Genesis as a literal historical narrative. Some atheists are unable to understand this and they will mock me for using the Bible to defend the Bible, but I wasn't even talking to the atheists. I was talking to the theistic evolutionists who already claim that they believe in Christianity.

Another reason for using the Scriptures to defend the Scriptures is because they have been given to us by the Holy Spirit; and it is the work of the Spirit to bring conviction of the truth into a sinner's heart and mind. God's word is mighty to speak from the mind and Spirit of God to the mind and spirits of human beings. And Jesus said, "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." (John 6:45).

God is not desperate to convince anyone of the truth. His word is truth, and He has sent it forth into the world. And we become His servants when we speak His word from our hearts, where we have laid it up as a priceless treasure. And whoever is taught by God will hear and believe the truth. Our living Friend, Jesus Christ, says all the time; "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15, 13:9, 13:43, Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22).

As the Spirit says through Paul, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17). By the hearing of the word of God, sinners believe and repent; and are reconciled to God who is love, and who created humanity in His own image for the purpose of loving and being loved by Him and each other (2 Corinthians 5:20, Genesis 1:26-27, 1 John 4:8, Matthew 22:37-40).

Did Jesus Teach the Practice of Snake Handling?

In some charismatic churches, snake handling is performed as an act of worship/faith. But is this practice scriptural? An examination of the context of the Scriptures reveals that it is not. But the biblical case against snake handling has nothing to do with the the physically dangerous nature of the practice. There may be a time when one must choose between their loyalty to Christ and their mortal life in this world. And it is never right to be disloyal to Christ. So the time may come when physically dying for Christ is the right thing for one to do. And that is nothing that love wouldn't do. 

The biblical case against the practice of snake handling is simply that it is not something that Christ has commanded us to do. Nor is it really an act of trusting God, as we will see. Those who practice snake handling, in their churches, base the act on a couple of passages which they have taken out of context and misconstrued. One of these passages is in Luke 10. The text records how Jesus sent out seventy of His followers to preach and to perform miracles all over Israel in His name. When the seventy returned to Jesus, they reported excitedly about how they were even able to cast demons out of their hosts in the name of Jesus. "And He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven'" (Luke 10:17-20).

Given the context, it seems clear to me that Jesus is speaking figuratively. He is actually talking about spiritual warfare, not about playing with physical snakes and scorpions. Another passage to which snake handlers point is in Mark 16. The text recounts Jesus' final words before He ascended into heaven in the viewing of His disciples. "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover'" (Mark 16:15-18).

Now, some people doubt that verses 9-20 of Mark 16 should be included in the canon of Scripture, since that portion seems to have been added to Mark's gospel at a later time. I accept the passage as God-breathed, since it does not contradict the rest of Scriptures. However, context is the BOSS of interpretation. And that means not only the immediate context of Mark's gospel, but the extended context of all Scripture.

So let us examine the extended context of the Scriptures. In Acts 28:1-6, Luke reports that Paul the apostle and his companions were shipwrecked on the island of Malta. And while Paul was throwing more wood on the fire, a viper came and fastened onto his arm. At first, the natives of the island thought that Paul was a goner for sure. But he shook the viper off of himself and suffered no ill effect. Now take notice that Paul was not playing with the viper. He was simply putting wood on the fire. And I do not think that Jesus was saying that His followers should play with snakes. He was simply saying that there would be instances in which His followers would be miraculously protected from harm. But Christ's words, here, do not constitute a promise that it will always work that way. For He also said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Finally, consider the temptations of Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan quoted the Psalms where it is promised, 

"For He will command His angels concerning you,

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone"

(Psalm 91:11-12).

With this Bible verse, Satan urged Jesus to prove Himself by jumping off a cliff. But Jesus resisted the devil with another Bible verse - "Do not put the LORD your God to the test" (Deuteronomy 6:16). There is a difference between trusting God, and testing God. I would suggest that those who practice snake handling as an act of "faith" are actually not trusting God, but are really giving into the same temptation that Satan presented to Christ - the temptation to put God to the test. They should follow the example of our Lord and resist the devil.

The Conquest of Canaan

To many readers, the Conquest of Canaan is likely one of the most uncomfortable portion of the Scriptures. After freeing the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, and leading them in a forty year long walkabout, God commanded the Israelites to invade the land of Canaan, which He had promised would be their home, and completely annihilate the pagan inhabitants. The land of Canaan (known today as Israel) was home to seven different pagan nations at the time; the Canaanites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, and the Girgashites.

In both the Old and New Testament Scriptures, we are told that God never changes (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). However, many people think that this portion of biblical history is at odds with Christian teachings about peace and love and God's offer of salvation. They feel that there is an appreciable difference between what they call "the God of the Old Testament", and "the God of the New Testament". 

They ask, "How do we reconcile the judgement and wrath of the Old Testament with the words of Christ, who said, 'Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.'"? (Matthew 5:44). And when His disciples asked Him if they should call down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritan villages who rejected Him, Jesus said to them, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them" (Luke 9:51-56). 

However, there is no conflict if we take the time to learn and understand the context of the Scriptures. As I like to say, context is the BOSS of interpretation. So if we take things out of context, we will always be wrong. Taking everything in context, we see that there is no difference at all between God in the Old Testament, and the New Testament.

For one thing, Jesus was no hippie. To think of Him or present Him as being like one is simplistic and ridiculous. On one occasion, some people came to Jesus and brought up the subject of Pontius Pilate recently massacring of some Galileans.  

"And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent (turn away from sin) you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:1-5).

Jesus said "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it". (Matthew 7:13-14).

To the forgiven adulteress, Jesus said "...go and sin no more" (John 8:11). In other words, "I forgive you. Now don't let it happen again". To a miraculously healed man, Jesus said, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you" (John 5:14). Clearly, Jesus taught that there are consequences for sin. Jesus often talked about the judgement that is to come in due time (read Matthew 25). He also said "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

Aside from this, there are also examples of God's great mercy in the Old Testament, including during the Conquest of Canaan. God does not take pleasure in the death of anyone who dies. His desire is for people to turn away from sin, and live. Yet He has assured us that the soul who sins will die (read Ezekiel 18:4, 20, 23 & 32). 

Before Joshua led the Israelites in the famous Battle of Jericho, he sent spies into the city. When the Israelite spies were in Jericho, and in danger of being caught, a prostitute name Rahab hid the spies in her house. She and her family knew that God had sent the Israelites, and that He was with them to give Canaan over to them. And because she responded to God with reverence and repentance, she and her family were spared (Joshua 2 & 6).

Now it is true that today we live in what Christian theologians call "the age of grace" or "the Church age". It is during this time that God extends the offer of amnesty to all sinners who repent and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. The prophet Isaiah referred to such a time as an acceptable time (Isaiah 49:8) or acceptable year (Isaiah 61:1-2). When Jesus first began to teach in the synagogues, He opened the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and read from chapter 61. And after reading through the line about the acceptable year of the Lord, Jesus said "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:16-21).

During this time, between the first and second coming of Christ, the primary focus of the Lord's work is the spreading of the gospel (good news) of salvation through Jesus Christ. That is the reason why this is not a time for holy wars like the Conquest of Canaan. This is a time for God's people to peacefully tell the world about the forgiveness and love of Jesus Christ; how He died on the cross, receiving unto Himself the wages of our sin (Romans 6:23). And rose victorious over death.

But Isaiah also foretold the day of vengeance of our God (Isaiah 61:2). That is the day of Christ's return; the second coming. And all who place their trust in Jesus Christ will be saved from the coming wrath, just as Rahab and her family were saved when God judged Canaan; and just as Noah and his family were saved from the judgment of the Genesis Flood. 

So there is no change in God between the Old and New Testaments. "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). The only change is what time it is. There is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). If you consider the work of a farmer; it is not always time to plow, it is not always time to plant, and it is not always time to harvest. But the same farmer carries out each task in its time.  

And whether God extends His mercy or pours out His wrath, He is always justified in all that He does. God is love. And as I pointed out in last weeks post, that is precisely the reason why He is holy. He is infinitely wise and good. And He knows when it is necessary to judge and condemn. He also knows when to show mercy and have patience. 

As for the Israelites, they knew that it was God who led them. He showed Himself through the ten plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the drowning of the Egyptian army in the same water, a pillar of cloud to lead them by day, and a pillar of fire by night. He did many supernatural works to show that He was with Israel. And He even caused the walls of the city, Jericho, to collapse when the Israelites had marched around it seven times; as He commanded them to do.

As for the Canaanites, they were a wicked people who practiced many abominable things. And the apostle Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, saying, "for the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). The people of Canaan merely received the wages of their own sin. Yet God was very merciful, and waited until the wickedness of those nations was extreme before He sent Israel to destroy them (Genesis 15:16). It was good and right to destroy them from the face of the earth.

As for humanity, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). And God has mercifully provided salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. He patiently withholds His final judgement until the day that He has appointed, when in due time He can no longer withhold His judgement. That day will be great and terrible - and completely necessary. 

Also read:

Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Galileo vs. Darwin - the Psalms vs. Genesis

Introduction

Often times, supporters of evolutionism will call to our remembrance the trial of Galileo. To the evolutionist this is an illustration of the more contemporary debate between creation and evolutionism. But there are two key differences between these two controversies.

Galileo vs. Darwin

One key difference is that Galileo made use of observational science to show that the solar system is heliocentric instead of geocentric. His finding was not interpretive, it was based on observable facts.

In contrast, Charles Darwin's work was interpretive. His view of origins is based on deductive reasoning, not science. 

Darwin wrote: "No other work of mine was begun in so deductive a spirit as this; for the whole theory was thought out on the west coast of South America, before I had seen a true coral reef." 

Operational science is characterized by inductive observation, not deductive reasoning.

Darwin also wrote "In fact, the a priori reasoning is so entirely satisfactory to me that if the facts won't fit, why so much the worse for the facts, in my feeling."

Darwin never observed humans evolving from molecules. He imagined that scenario before hand. And than he, and others since him, interpreted the data within that preconceived framework.

The evolutionary worldview is not science. It is not an observed fact. It involves the use of patently naturalistic, atheistic assumptions about the past to interpret scientific data in the present.

The Psalms vs. Genesis

Another key difference is that those who controverted Galileo relied on a verse from the book of Psalms to argue their case.

Psalm 104:5 reads: "You who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever."

However, the book of Psalms is admittedly a collection of poetic literature. And the cited verse is not meant to describe the earth as being fixed in space. It is meant to describe the earth as being a generally stable place for its inhabitants to live.

In contrast, we who controvert Darwin point to scientific data, interpreted within the framework of the book of Genesis.

Genesis is very clearly written to be understood as a literal historical narrative. It belongs to a completely different class of literature from the Psalms. 

The genealogical passages in Genesis clearly place the named persons and related events in the context of human history. And the genealogies of Jesus, recorded in Matthew and Luke, further connect the history of Genesis to New Testament history.

So not only do we consider Genesis by itself, but also its relation to the rest of Scripture. This includes the gospel of salvation by grace, through faith in the death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.

To interpret the narrative of Genesis as non-literal is to completely disregard the context of the Scriptures as a whole. If Genesis were not a literal historical narrative, then the literal life, death, and resurrection Jesus the Messiah would have been completely unnecessary.

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!