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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
