Many have tried to refute the resurrection of Jesus the Christ, but they cannot succeed by using this specific line of reasoning: “It is highly improbable that Jesus rose from the grave, because there is a vast shortage of factual/reliable examples of any other resurrections of having actually taken place.”
Here is a reason why:
“Earman [i.e., John Earman, “Bayes, Hume, and Miracles,” Faith and Philosophy 10, no. 3 (1993): 293-310.] shows that the probability of the resurrection cannot be assessed by means of a simple-minded appeal to the frequency of resurrection-type events because such an approach would not only rule out the resurrection hypothesis but also many of the non-statistical hypotheses of the advanced sciences, e.g., proton decay, which has never been observed but which scientists are investing millions of dollars and vast amounts of time to discover.” [Taken from Five Views on Apologetics, 124]
Though many have attempted to discredit the resurrection story of Jesus the Christ, they cannot do so by using the lack of frequent, reliable, factual resurrection stories argument.
JDG
Showing posts with label Short Reflections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Short Reflections. Show all posts
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Governor
Surely affirmation will follow Boethius' words:
"This world could never have achieved its unity of form from such different and contrary parts unless there were One who could bring together such diverse things. And, once this union was effected, the very diversity of discordant and opposed natures would have ripped it apart and destroyed it, IF there were not One who could sustain what He had made. Nor could the stable order of nature continue, nor its motions be so regular in place, time, causality, space and quality, UNLESS there were One who could govern this variety of change while remaining immutable Himself."
Lady Philosophy provides a picture to illustrate his statement:
“He [God] is, in a manner of speaking, the wheel and rudder by which the vessel of the world is kept stable and undamaged.”
Paul states it like this:
“In Him all things hold together.”
And C.S. Lewis states it another way:
“I allow and insist that the Eternal Word, the Second Person of the Trinity, can never be, nor have been, confined to any place at all: it is rather in Him that all places exist.”
If He governs all things, all things hold together in Him, and in Him all things exist, then why should anyone ever question the direction of the world? Why should anyone ever doubt His supreme power and regulation over all things? Why should anyone ever fear whether or not the will of the Father will prevail? Why should anyone resist the submission to the One in whom all things exist, the One who is the “wheel and rudder," the One who is constant and unchanging, and the One in whom “all things hold together?” Sin has so impaired man’s vision that he has failed to remember the governor of all things; he has forgotten God, though he clearly accepts, consciously or unconsciously, and remembers his own existence on a daily basis.
JDG
"This world could never have achieved its unity of form from such different and contrary parts unless there were One who could bring together such diverse things. And, once this union was effected, the very diversity of discordant and opposed natures would have ripped it apart and destroyed it, IF there were not One who could sustain what He had made. Nor could the stable order of nature continue, nor its motions be so regular in place, time, causality, space and quality, UNLESS there were One who could govern this variety of change while remaining immutable Himself."
Lady Philosophy provides a picture to illustrate his statement:
“He [God] is, in a manner of speaking, the wheel and rudder by which the vessel of the world is kept stable and undamaged.”
Paul states it like this:
“In Him all things hold together.”
And C.S. Lewis states it another way:
“I allow and insist that the Eternal Word, the Second Person of the Trinity, can never be, nor have been, confined to any place at all: it is rather in Him that all places exist.”
If He governs all things, all things hold together in Him, and in Him all things exist, then why should anyone ever question the direction of the world? Why should anyone ever doubt His supreme power and regulation over all things? Why should anyone ever fear whether or not the will of the Father will prevail? Why should anyone resist the submission to the One in whom all things exist, the One who is the “wheel and rudder," the One who is constant and unchanging, and the One in whom “all things hold together?” Sin has so impaired man’s vision that he has failed to remember the governor of all things; he has forgotten God, though he clearly accepts, consciously or unconsciously, and remembers his own existence on a daily basis.
JDG
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Pain in Heaven?
Well over a year ago I wrote an email to Philip Yancey regarding his book, Where is God When it Hurts? He spoke of pain in the body and how it served a great purpose; Dr. Paul Brand, who was discussed thoroughly in the book, discovered that without pain man could not survive. Pain in the body can be viewed as a bad thing, but it serves a wonderful purpose in a multitude of ways. The book prompted me to write an email to Yancey, and to ask him what he thought about the resurrection of the body. William Rowe’s chapter on Life After Death in his book, Philosophy of Religion: An Introduction, reminded me of the email. Here is part of what I sent:
“Do you feel that pain, to a certain extent, would still be found in the world today, e.g., in the human body, if man had never sinned? Our view is that pain is 'evil' and 'bad', but with Dr. Brand's studies we see that pain can be a blessing. Do we view pain as 'evil', because we are looking at it from a sinful mindset, i.e., does sin affect our judgment on pain?
What I am getting at is this. If we take a quick glance into the future, will there be 'blessed pain' within a restored creation (including us)? Will our resurrected bodies feel, but not experience pain? Would there be any necessary alarms put in place within the new body?”
To my amazement he replied. Here is part of what he said:
“Indeed I do think there must be some sort of warning system akin to pain, though perhaps without the negative "hurt" aspect, in our resurrected bodies. We have only the slightest clues to go by, of course: Jesus walking through doors yet keeping his scars, the appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. The New Testament stresses resurrected bodies, however, and I assume this means there must be a protection system built in.”
It is unclear on what our transformed bodies will look like AND how our senses will function within the new creation, but it is enjoyable to ponder.Will we have pain in heaven? What, if any, will be the laws within the new creation, e.g., there is the law of gravity in this life?
JDG
“Do you feel that pain, to a certain extent, would still be found in the world today, e.g., in the human body, if man had never sinned? Our view is that pain is 'evil' and 'bad', but with Dr. Brand's studies we see that pain can be a blessing. Do we view pain as 'evil', because we are looking at it from a sinful mindset, i.e., does sin affect our judgment on pain?
What I am getting at is this. If we take a quick glance into the future, will there be 'blessed pain' within a restored creation (including us)? Will our resurrected bodies feel, but not experience pain? Would there be any necessary alarms put in place within the new body?”
To my amazement he replied. Here is part of what he said:
“Indeed I do think there must be some sort of warning system akin to pain, though perhaps without the negative "hurt" aspect, in our resurrected bodies. We have only the slightest clues to go by, of course: Jesus walking through doors yet keeping his scars, the appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. The New Testament stresses resurrected bodies, however, and I assume this means there must be a protection system built in.”
It is unclear on what our transformed bodies will look like AND how our senses will function within the new creation, but it is enjoyable to ponder.Will we have pain in heaven? What, if any, will be the laws within the new creation, e.g., there is the law of gravity in this life?
JDG
Lack of Faith
Though it is warranted, defending Christianity against Atheists’ claims is troubling. At times it seems that any biblical claim or philosophical argument for the existence of God will only fall on deaf ears. The problem doesn’t seem to be a lack of intelligence/reason/rationality; it is the heart which keeps men from seeing/believing. C.S. Lewis wrote on miracles and asserted that if a man denies even the possibility of a miracle, then no extravagant, brilliant miracle will convince him otherwise, regardless of the amount of evidence. Moreover, while borrowing from this line of thought, it can be concluded that if a man denies even the possibility of a god, then no philosophical or evidential argument will convince him otherwise.
Christians should fervently pray for, converse, and argue with those who attack Christianity. But Christians should also be aware of the problem laying within Atheists’ hearts, while understanding the root of their lack of belief is their lack in a childlike faith. An Atheist can seek the evidence for God; but until he believes, the facts will be misunderstood if seen at all. May God use the philosophical arguments and His Holy Word to draw all men to a humble, childlike faith in His Son, Jesus the Christ.
JDG
Christians should fervently pray for, converse, and argue with those who attack Christianity. But Christians should also be aware of the problem laying within Atheists’ hearts, while understanding the root of their lack of belief is their lack in a childlike faith. An Atheist can seek the evidence for God; but until he believes, the facts will be misunderstood if seen at all. May God use the philosophical arguments and His Holy Word to draw all men to a humble, childlike faith in His Son, Jesus the Christ.
JDG
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