Apologetics seminar in Japan

Yesterday, I was invited by a Thai friend from the same program as me, to attend an apologetics seminar held at Fuchu Calvary Chapel. It was delivered by a special guest from Hawaii with an Okinawan name and lineage called Pat (sorry, I forgot his last name >.<). He was apparently well versed in the area of apologetics, and the title he earned was proved true by what he taught today. Coming from Australia, it wasn't the first time I'd heard or read these things, but since coming to Japan, it has been my first time. Having already been 9 months, it was a welcome refresher for my faith also, being reminded that it's by faith we are saved, and that the faith we have in Christ is sure faith. I thought I would share here what I learned, for everyone's edification.

Historical reliability of the gospels

Jesus' ministry is commonly held to have taken place between 30-33AD. Some skeptics assert that the gospels do not represent the oldest record of Jesus Christ, but that they were written after the lifetime of the eyewitnesses. The implications are that they are not eyewitness accounts, but mostly legends and mythology.

According to historians, it takes 120 years after a major event for legends and myths to develop. That is because all the eyewitnesses must die first. However, if the accounts were written in the lifetime of the eyewitnesses, they are not legend or myth, but actual records of what happened. That's because the eyewitnesses can affirm or deny the things that have been written down. Made up accounts of what happened wouldn't last very long once the eyewitnesses found them.

The earliest biography of Siddhārtha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha, comes 400 years after his life. That means much of what is written about Buddha is actually based on legends and mythology. And many people think the same way about the gospels.

What is worth noting, is that we have strong evidence that the gospels were in fact written by eyewitnesses. That means these accounts are not legends or myths; they are true stories.

Dating of the gospels

• William F Albright, a Jewish non-Christian dean of archaeology, concluded that every book of the New Testament was written by a baptized Jew between AD40-80.
• Bishop John Robinson, a liberal critic and founder of the "Death of God" movement, changed his position on the date of the gospels at the end of his life, newly asserting that the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were likely all written between 40-65AD.
• Traditionally, the gospels are dated as follows:
• Mark, 60AD
• Matthew & Luke, 70AD
• John, 70/90AD

Date of the gospels: internal evidence

• In all four gospels, Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple (occurred 70AD) but its fulfilment is not mentioned once. This was the most important building in the history of Israel, and its absence in the accounts suggests the books' completion prior to the event.
• We know Paul was killed by Emperor Nero in 64AD, so his letters have all been written prior to that time.
• Paul quotes the gospel of Luke (1Ti 5:18), meaning the gospel of Luke was completed before Paul died.
• Acts never mentions the Jewish War (66AD), when the nation of Israel was completely dismantled.
• Acts never mentions the death of the three most important early church leaders, showing that Luke completed the book of Acts before 62AD

Date of the gospels: external evidence

• There have been over 5000 Ancient Greek manuscripts discovered to date
• The Rylands papyri found in Egypt, dated 120AD, contains a fragment of John. To reach Egypt by that time, it must have been written much earlier.
• Clement of Rome 90AD and Ignatius 107AD quote many of the books of the New Testament as Scripture
• Polycarp 120AD, disciple of John, informs us by his writings that the canon we have today had already been confirmed in his time

Archaeology and the gospels

• Luke names 34 countries, 54 cities and 9 islands very accurately
• He also mentions the names of government officials, whose names sounded very strange for people of that time, but recent archaeological evidence affirms all of their existence
• William Ramsey spent many years in Israel trying to prove Acts was unhistorical, but at the end of his studies, he highly appraised the calibre of Luke's writing, and became a Christian
• John mentions the pool of Bethesda in his gospel, and we have discovered this pool recently in israel

The historicity of Jesus

His existence is recorded in secular history records, both Jewish and Roman. The notable thing is, these people were enemies of Christianity historically. By their acknowledgement that such things took place, the enemies of Christianity affirmed the accuracy of the gospels.

The Jewish Talmud (completed 300AD) speaks of a historical Jesus and tries to explain Jesus' miracles by attributing them to sorcery and magic. What is interesting, is that by not denying these phenomenon, it affirms that they really took place. Also recorded is Jesus' crucifixion, and the death of five apostles. Thallus mentions in his third book that the earth covered by darkness when Jesus was crucified. Tacitus (115AD) through calling Christians evil by documenting all that they were doing, affirms that the events and the people of the NT were real.

In court today, if your enemy affirms your story, that is the most powerful evidence.

Q&A Session

Using the conclusion we established in the first session, namely the historical reliability of the gospels, we proceeded to answer mostly prepared, and some impromptu, questions on the topic of apologetics.

1. Why do Christians do wars?

The use of force is necessary to keep the peace. In the book of Revelation, it is written that Jesus will one day return and wage war against evil. If the Son of God must use force to defeat evil and bring peace, so must we.

At the same time, the Bible gives guidelines on when and how to use force. Violence must be as a last resort, and even then, only proportional means to win, and not to decimate the country, and the civilians must be spared.

Some people use Matthew 5:38-42 to argue that Jesus preached pacifism, by insisting that one must not lash back against a wicked man. However, this teaching does not prohibit the use of violence. In Jewish times, a slap on the right cheek means "I despise you", in this case, for being a Christian. So the passage actually says that if you are despised for being a Christian, don't fight back, turn the other cheek instead. It does not prohibit the use of force to stop someone who is defenseless from being harmed.

However, the Bible does not endorse murdering people who are not Christians. Sadly, this has happened in history. That is man's fault, it is directly in contrary to God's commands, and it should never have happened.

2. Doesn't a monotheistic belief cause people to be narrow minded and intolerant?

This question strikes close to the heart of the Japanese people, who believe a polytheistic belief is more welcoming and less exclusive.

Firstly, it is correct to say that a monotheistic belief is narrow and exclusive - because that is the nature of truth. Truth by its very nature is narrow and exclusive. It excludes all other possibilities, by calling them fallacy. So it can be said that anyone who believes the truth is narrow minded and intolerant of what is not truth.

Accordingly, when the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, any religion that denies that is wrong. And if Jesus is the Son of God, and he taught that he is the only way to life, then every other way to God is wrong.

3. I can believe in God, but I can't accept why I need to believe in Jesus.

The bible teaches that God has given us the perfect law, and put it in our hearts. Romans 2 says that Christians and non-Christians alike have the moral law within them. Everyone knows we have not lived perfectly according to God's law, and that makes us all sinners.

Someone needs to die for sin, but no one except God is perfect enough to be able to. However, God cannot die. So Jesus came to earth as a man, in order to become the perfect sacrifice for sin, and to die the death we deserve in our place to pay the price. No other religion can offer that, and that is why we need to believe in Jesus.

4. Why do people suffer if there is a just and loving God?

If God doesn't exist, life is ultimately without meaning and without purpose, and your suffering means nothing. But because God exists, our life has meaning and purpose.

James 1:2 tells us to endure trials of various kinds with joy, because it builds our character to be more like Christ. In the Hebrews 5:8, it says Christ learned obedience through suffering, so we should expect to go through the same thing.

Some skeptics ask question of why children who are born crippled have to suffer and live meaningless lives. But how do you know they live meaningless lives? Some of the greatest lessons we have ever learned come from people who have suffered tremendously. Nagai Takashi from Nagasaki who suffered radiation position from the bomb and was paralysed for much of his life, but through his suffering he wrote several inspirational books that are read all over the world. Furthermore, Christians look forward to that day when Jesus comes back, because there will be no more suffering.

On the other hand, what message does an atheist have to give to these crippled people? They offer no substance, no hope, and no meaning, not just for cripples, but for anyone. Just suffer in a meaningless life, die and disappear.

How do we know the Christian gospel is truth, and not just a fairy tale? Because our faith is based on a real Jesus who really rose from the dead. Only Christianity can offer any message of hope for those who suffer.

5. What will happen to someone who dies without ever hearing the gospel?

This is possibly the most difficult answer for Japanese people to hear. It is not an easy answer to stomach, but sometimes truth is just that.

Romans 1:19-23 says every passing day points to a creator, from the telescope to the microscope. How much more complex is the human brain than a computer, which no one would ever believe came about sponaneously or accidentally?

Romans 2:12-16 says that everyone has the witness of God through their conscience, and we all know right from wrong. For example, murder, adultery, and stealing are universal sins unanimously considered to be damaging to society. The biggest sin of all, is denying the creator God who made us and gives us purpose in life. And for those who don't believe in Jesus and accept his death on the cross for their sin, they will be condemned to hell.

Having said that, Acts 10 mentions a God fearing Roman soldier named Cornelius who didn't know Jesus but wanted to know God. In the end, God used Peter to share the gospel with him, and he believed. Whoever wants to know God, God will somehow get the message to them.

Hebrews 9:27 tells us that there are no more chances to repent and believe in Jesus after you die.

6. I have mounting doubts even after say I believe. Does my faith need to be reevaluated?

Doubts are actually a good thing!

"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates

For us Christians, the unexamined faith is not worth living.

God is big enough to answer any questions we have concerning him. Other religions say don't ask, just believe, but Jesus and the apostles invited others to ask questions and seek answers. So when you have questions, it should motivate you to seek answers! Many Christians who do not ask questions about their faith, are those who fall away when their faith is challenged.

7. Why are there so many divisions within Christianity like Catholicism and Protestantism? Which one is right?

Truth is measured by the Bible, not by man-made parameters. We measure whether a church or a denomination is consistent by the Bible. The Bible, God's truth, is never wrong, but human interpretation is not perfect (1Corinthians 13:12, this world is like seeing through a mirror unclearly).

We do not have perfect interpretations so we do not have perfect understanding. But we should agree on the essentials such as there is one God, the Trinity, and the Son of God Jesus Christ. On the non essentials, denominations are allowed to disagree like how to conduct baptism.

As for Protestantism and Catholicism, the former initially came about as a result of the latter drifting away from Biblical teaching. If you read up on Martin Luther (not Martin Luther King) in the 16th century, you will learn why. I didn't bother writing down what's already on Wikipedia.

8. How do people who lived and died before Jesus came to earth get saved?

Just believing in God through our knowledge of the creation and our conscience (Q5) is not enough. We need special revelation to know God, and that special revelation came through the nation of Israel.

Israel had the system of offering sacrifices for sin. That sacrifice was an unblemished lamb that would shed its blood for the sins of the people. The lamb itself did not save people from sin, but it was a prophetic symbol of the Saviour whom people would put their faith in.

Foreigners outside of Israel still had a chance to hear the gospel. Many came to Israel to learn about God. In other cases such as Jonah, God sent a prophet from Israel to reveal himself to the foreign countries.

9. What age of children are saved?

The Bible talks about an "age of accountability". After a certain age, children are able to understand and respond to God's expectations. In Israel, the Bar Mitzvah ritual takes place at 12 years of age, but that is more tradition and not something taught in the Bible. The bible doesn't specify when exactly the "age of accountability" is. The actual timing may depend person to person.

10. Will a spiritual revival come to Japan?

400 years ago, Christianity thrived in Japan (Edo period). As we study the lives of the Christians back then, they were faithful to Christ, enduring persecution and even dying in his name.

An age of revival may not have yet come, but before one will come, God's people must be faithful to God's call in the Bible. Revival begins in God's household. Let's pray for revival to sweep Japan, and pray that it would begin within.