Mar 11, 2009 | Articles
What would you think if someone were to ask you your thoughts on realized eschatology? What about hyper-preterism or Max-Kingism? Most would probably be dumbfounded by such terms, and there is no shame in that, because these are all alternate titles to the little known idea most commonly called the A.D. 70 Theory. It is uncertain just how old this theory is but it did not become widely accepted in theology until the 1800’s when it began to be propagated by a sectarian preacher named James S. Russell in his book, The Parousia, taken from the Greek word for the coming of Christ.
The basic idea of the book was that the second coming of Christ, in fact all biblical prophecy (the judgment of nations, the resurrection of the body, the end of the world etc.) was fulfilled in or by the destruction of the city of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. (thus the term Realized Eschatology, meaning that the “last things” are already realized or accomplished and Hyper-Preterism, meaning that everything in Bible prophecy has already occurred in the past) This bizarre notion turned Christian theology on its ear and cause those who accepted the theory to totally reinvent the way they read the Bible. In the 1960’s an Ohio preacher named Max King introduced the theory into the cups/Sunday-school churches of Christ and brought one of the greatest divisions of its kind since the Boll Premillennial Movement. Until recent years the movement has been virtually non-existent among our brethren, but it has begun to rear its head, and for this reason we face it with the word of God.
The A.D. 70 Theory is the antithesis of Premillennialism, which makes the mistake of taking everything in the Bible literally, sometimes to the absurd! In like manner the A.D. 70 advocates make everything figurative or spiritual, also many times to the absurd! To the Realized Eschatologist, the judgment was God’s punishment of the Jewish Nation for rejecting Jesus, the end of the world was the end of the Jewish World (their religious and civil system), and the bodily resurrection was the resurrection of the Church, the Body of Christ, from a supposed 40 years of wilderness wandering (???) and the second coming was when Christ came to reign over his kingdom which, we are told, was not established fully until A.D. 70. This means that there will be no future coming of Christ, no end of the material universe, no judgment of the world and no resurrection of the physical bodies of men and women. Interpretations of what all of this means for us vary greatly, but looking at the history of the A.D. 70 theory will reveal that it has been the cause of much evil in religion. Notice the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 2:16-18, “But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.” It is not clear what the nature of this false doctrine was, but I attest that it must have been similar to the modern A.D. 70 Theory and today the faith of many is “overthrown” by this great heresy. I would like to briefly consider some of the ideas that have resulted from different people’s acceptance of this doctrine.
Universalism
In the 1800’s this doctrine was beginning to gain some popularity in the religious world, as can be seen by the fact the Brother Benjamin Franklin, a notable preacher from the Restoration Movement spent much time addressing and refuting it in his Gospel Sermons vol. 1. When Brother Franklin debated Erasmus Manford on the subject of Universalism, Mr. Manford showed how he had come to accept universalism as a result of his believing the A.D. 70 theory. Since he believed that the judgment had already passed, he concluded that the future held no judgment at all, only purification and salvation. Perhaps Mr. Manford was more honest and consistent than some of his modern heirs are willing to be with the logical conclusions of the theory.
Hyper-Celibacy
Most students of religious history in America are familiar with the now extinct religious sect known as the “Shakers.” So called because of their worship services in which they would “shake and jerk” supposedly under the influence of the Holy Spirit, but they are perhaps most famous for their unique teaching on physical relationships. The Shakers taught what might be called “hyper-celibacy” in that they condemned marriage and forced all couples who were converted to separate and give their children over to be raised by the church. This teaching resulted in the group literally dying out! One might ask why anyone would believe such a bizarre doctrine, and the answer is once again in the A.D. 70 theory. The Shakers believed that they were living in the resurrection time and thus there was no “marrying or giving in marriage.” (Matthew 22:30)
Once Saved Always Saved
Sometime ago I was involved in a study with a preacher who had become a follower of the A.D. 70 school and in the course of our conversation I asked him about the Lord’s statement in Matthew 22:30 that in the resurrection we would, “die no more.” I pointed out to him that if this referred to physical death then you would be faced with the absurd notion of 2000 year old people walking around today! However, if we should take the position that the death Jesus referred to was “spiritual” then the result is the doctrine of eternal salvation, or once-saved-always-saved. I was told by this preacher that “if that was where he was led then that was where he would go.” If he went there, he would not be alone. There have been many religious organizations who have been led by the A.D. 70 theory to believe in the impossibility of “spiritual death” for the believer.
The Spiritual Supper
One of the most glaring doctrinal difficulties of the A.D. 70 theory is the impact it has on the Lord’s Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” It is the opinion of this writer that this scripture offers one of the most devastating blows to the A.D. 70 Theory. One of the purposes of communion is to declare the Lord’s Death, “till he comes.” Was the Lord’s supper only an ordinance of the church for 40 years? Many A.D. 70 advocates say yes. Notice this explanation offered by the Pensacola Orthodox Preterist Baptist Assembly in their statement of faith about the Lord’s Supper “We believe that the Lord’s Supper was the commemoration of His death, burial, and resurrection, and the New Testament saints observed it until He came. Our Lord said that he would not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God would come, and it came in AD 70. Then the Lord’s Supper was made new in the New Covenant in the spiritual kingdom of God thereby now, since AD 70 we have endless communion and fellowship with the Lord in observing the Lord’s supper anew without the elements, spiritually and perpetually because He, the Lord, dwells with us and in us by His Spirit in the spiritual kingdom of God.” “We believe every time that the assembly assembles together to worship we observe the Lord’s Supper spiritually.” “We believe the Lord’s table is always set with spiritual food and we are always and at all times invited to come and dine with him not in the flesh but spiritually.” [1] Most A.D. 70 advocates in the churches of Christ word it that the communion is now a “celebration of Christ’s reign.” To some that might sound like a convincing answer, but where is the scriptural proof? All of the scriptures quoted on their website, in fact all of the scriptures in the Bible, according to them, were written prior to the destruction of Jerusalem (the Second Coming) so how do we know how to worship after the second coming? The confusion that this strange idea causes about the Lord’s Supper has led many to the next position we will consider.
No Need For Church
When I discuss the idea of Realized Eschatology with people in the Church, and even in the world, the same question continually arises: “If this is true, then what is the point of it all? What it the point of the Church? What is the Point of Christianity?” There is no doubt that the A.D. 70 Theory seems to rob much of the glory and hope from the Christian religion and has led some to outright infidelity![2] The hope of the Resurrection, the redemption of the body, has been the hope of God’s people through the ages. The hope of the second coming of Christ is a central theme of Christianity and was a doctrine taught to all Christians everywhere. The Day of Judgment and the destruction of the material universe are principle points of Christian theology. Christianity is incomplete without them and taking these great doctrines away will leave an empty space in the religion of Christ. As we have seen, some have tried to fill that empty space with new theories and wild ideas while others have been driven to the point of giving up on the church all together.
How true it is to claim that “the resurrection is already past” will over throw men’s faith! And so we resolve to give Biblical proof for the truth on these great themes that are challenged by the A.D. 70 Theory. Some today have tried to say that this theory is not so dangerous and can coexist with the other ideas about end times, but let this be the proof to the contrary. The A.D. 70 theory is a heresy against the word of God and must not be tolerated in our pulpits and its advocates should not be supported.
In coming weeks we will write on the following subjects:
1. The Second Coming of Christ
2. The Bodily Resurrection
3. The Judgment of the Nations
4. The Destruction of the World
5. The Establishment, Identity and Future of the Kingdom
Please check the website each week to reason with us on these great Bible themes. – CED
[1] http://www.preteristbaptist.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=articlesoffaith.index
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer#Theology
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Mar 4, 2009 | Articles
Recently I had a few younger men who wanted to study about preaching and how to give better lessons at their local congregations. While in the course of our study, I asked a simple yet pointed question: “What is righteousness?” At first, no one wanted to answer for fear of misquoting a scripture. Then I restated the question this way: “What is the root word of righteousness?” Softly, someone said, “right.” To which I replied, “correct, righteousness is the state of being right.”
Now, I’ll ask you the same question I asked those young men, “Is it ever wrong to be right?”
Think about that for a little while.
In America today, living as a Christian is getting more and more unpopular, or so we are told. Most of the folks that we meet personally don’t seem to have a problem living along side of Christians without being Christians themselves. However, the news casters, celebrities, and the ever truthful politicians are communicating the message that being a Christian is evil.
Let me ask you another question. “Where do your convictions and sympathies lie?”
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20. Paul tells us that the world has a “spirit” and God has a Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2:12-13. He also speaks of wisdom, both worldly and godly. Since Christians are sanctified from the world, we can reasonably deduce that Christians are to have God’s wisdom to know right from wrong.
Again I ask you, “Where do your convictions and sympathies lie?” “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Romans 6:16. The spirit of the world leads to death! That spirit or way of thinking is constantly trying to persuade you to cross over to its side. Many times we may foolishly and ignorantly try to pair with the world’s way of thinking, all the while trying to cling to our commitment of sanctification. We CANNOT have it both ways!
Fellowshipping the works of darkness, or even the ideas and justifications of them, is not pleasing to God. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” Ephesians 5:11.
I want to exhort and encourage you as a Christian to continue to be faithful in spite of the rhetoric that is being spewed from the liberal few. Be careful when you can see yourself justifying “the lesser of two evils.” We can NEVER choose evil and we should NEVER be ashamed to choose what is RIGHT. The ungodly are trying to engrave on your mind that being righteous is hurtful and therefore the “RIGHT thing to do” is hide your righteousness. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.
It is NOT wrong to be right. “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9.
Keep the faith that was once delivered,
Sean S. McCallister
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Feb 26, 2009 | Articles
That J.W. McGarvey, the little giant of the Restoration Movement, was opposed to instrumental music in worship, is a fact too well known to be disputed. While in Lexington, KY some years ago, my wife and I visited the Broadway Christian Church, where McGarvey preached and held membership for many years. We were met by Marshall Leggett, who was then the personable minister of that church. He proudly pointed to a large picture of McGarvey hanging on the wall and remarked. “He left when they put in the instrument.” Leroy Garrett, writing in One Body, recently acknowledged that McGarvey “objected to the instrument as much as anyone in our history.” Garrett then quoted McGarvey as saying, “I have never proposed to withdraw fellowship from brethren simply because of their use of instrumental music in worship.”
However, I have read a quote several times in different papers which was attributed to McGarvey which indicates that he felt that he had made a mistake in his approach to fellowship and the use of the instrument in worship. The latest version appears in Firm Foundation, April 8, 1986. It is an account of an exchange between McGarvey and Jesse P. Sewell in which McGarvey reportedly said, “Brother Sewell, I want to say something to you, if you’ll accept it in the spirit in which I mean it.” Sewell told him he’d appreciate anything he had to say to him, and Sewell gave this account of his statement: “You are on the right road, and whatever you do, don’t let anybody persuade you that you can successfully combat error by fellowshipping it and going along with it. I have tried. I believed at the start that was the only way to do it. I’ve never held membership in a congregation that uses instrumental music. I have, however, accepted invitations to preach without distinction between churches that used it and churches that didn’t. I’ve gone along with their papers and magazines and things of that sort. During all these years I have taught the truth as the New Testament teaches it to every young preacher who has passed through the College of the Bible. Yet, I do not know of more than six of those men who are preaching the truth today. It won’t work.” This was about ten years before McGarvey’s death in 1912.
I would like to point out to my brethren that McGarvey was also opposed to individual communion cups. Can we learn a lesson from McGarvey as he viewed the scene at the twilight of his illustrious career? Does his statement tell us anything about the folly of lending influence and encouragement to something that is wrong? No doubt, McGarvey thought he was doing the right thing, but if this quote is accurate, he came to see the inconsistency of his course. McGarvey believed the instrument in worship and individual cups were fads that would pass away with the passing of the years, but perhaps he came to see that “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone” (Hos 4:19).
If I know my own heart, I can say that I have nothing but the kindliest feelings for brethren who have embraced Sunday School, individual cups in the communion, and instrumental music in worship. I am concerned about them and I pray that they may come to a knowledge of the truth. I sincerely and fervently hope that the day may come when we can lock arms and fight the evils of sin and division together, but I am convinced that I will never bring them to a knowledge of the truth by joining in with them in their error.
Some years ago a man said to me. “If I were to ever begin preaching, I would start in the beer joints and taverns.” At the time, I thought there might be some validity in his statement. But in the light of clearer thinking, I realize that many of those who are in those places are there by choice and may even be there because they know they are in a place which is void of anything resembling gospel preaching. What influence would I have if I walked in and made myself comfortable in their midst?
I say that McGarvey gave good advice. In the quest for that unity which the psalmist David declared to be both good and pleasant, (Psalm 133:1), let us never be tempted to stray into the paths of error. Remember, our light may be the only one those in error will ever see. – Johnny Elmore
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Feb 13, 2009 | Articles
Yesterday evening Kyle Butt, evangelist of the Church of Christ, met Dan Barker, the president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation to discuss the existence of the God of the Bible. Mr. Butt made some unfortunate errors in his speech that were quite disappointing to me, but overall, as in all cases, the truth was clear and evident. A man who sets out to speak against the Bible and the God it reveals is setting out on a hard road, in fact an impossible one! David long ago said, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalms 53:1) And this being the case, anyone who tries to affirm such a thing is going to set himself up to look like a fool! I would like to examine some of Mr. Barker’s arguments against the existence of the God of the Bible and I believe that Barker’s Blunders will be clearly manifest.
Denominationalism
Mr. Barker is an intelligent and well studied man, and like the great “Goliath of Infidelity” Robert Owen who met Alexander Campbell many years ago, he has seen the ungodly nature of religious sectarianism. He brought up the fact that Bible believers cannot agree on the nature of God and how the Bible should be understood as is evident by the hundreds of “denominations of Christianity.” But this in no indictment against the Bible or God, but rather it is an indictment against human creeds and worldly wisdom! Every time that human traditions and creeds have been abandoned and men have resolved to “speak were the Bible speaks, and be silent were the Bible is silent” true Christian unity is the result! On top of the fact that Mr. Barker was never a New Testament Christian, but rather a member of a religious sect of human origin, the particular group that he was a part of is one that has had an infamous history of haoxery and scam and is highly emotional, however, the Bible make no mention of that religious sect and it developed hundreds of years after the death of Christ and the establishment of the Church! Let this be a lesson two great evils in this world. First, to the Atheists, establishing that religion has been perverted and changed does not in any way defame the beauty and the perfection of primitive Christianity, which can be accessed through adherence to the scriptures alone, and second to the advocates of denominationalism, do you not see that your defense of division in the body of Christ heaps shame and reproach on Christ himself! Remember the words of the Apostle Paul, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
No Evidence for God
Mr. Barker’s next claim against the existence of the God of the Bible was founded in the old claim of Atheists that “there is not evidence the God exists.” It seems that they think if they say it enough times it will be true, but still there are arguments that have never been answered that be cry the essential existence of God, and not just any God but the God of the Bible! Only the Bible offers an adequate explanation for the origin of the Universe. (Genesis 1) Only the Bible offers an explanation for the moral sensibilities that exist in men. (Romans 2:12-16) Only the Bible offers an explanation for the first cause! (Genesis 1:1) Only the Bible has remained unchanged and un-met in its explanation of things, while the greatest minds in the scientific community have been proven wrong time and time again! The more I study human science, the more I find that human science is so incredibly undependable and subject to change as new theories are accepted that I would not be able to sleep easy at night if I were to put my confidence in science alone! The world is flat. Matter is eternal. Lead can be turned into gold. Matter spontaneously generates. The universe is geocentric. These and scores of other embarrassing myths were once held to be scientific fact by the great Barker’s and Dawkins’ and Darwin’s of ages past and now they are regarded as foolish legends! How long will it be until Darwin’s theory of evolution joins these ranks? Already many reputable scientists are expressing strong reasons to doubt the theory. (Many of them reasons that have been raised by Bible-believers since Darwinism began) Certainly there is evidence for God and not mentioning it is not the same as answering it!
Bible Discrepancy
Mr. Barker “quoted” 14 alleged discrepancies in the Bible and gave Mr. Butt 10 minutes for his answer. In this Barker used a brilliant, and age old debating ploy of heaping far too many arguments on his opponent for him to possibly answer in the time he had to rebuttal. However, Mr. Butt gave a good response, that being that none of these alleged discrepancies were “new discoveries.” Every one of them have been addressed and answered more than adequately thousands of times in books that are readily available. The contradictions that Mr. Barker claimed to find were the result of taking passages out of context, setting the Old Testament against the New (ignoring the New Testaments explanations of these differences) and failing to consider the full nature of God! In a future article we will give consideration to these and other such alleged discrepancies.
The problems that Mr. Barker has found with the Bible and the God of the Bible are his problems and the product of human error. I appreciate Mr. Butt for his stand for the truth and to Mr. Barker I say that for all of your zeal and dogmatic infidelity you made some fatal blunders when you attempted to use false science and men’s wisdom to wrestle with the word of God! – CED
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Feb 4, 2009 | Articles
The subject of contentment is not a new one, but rather a very old concept that needs to be preached and demonstrated for our current generations. “A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked.” (Psalm 37:16) Why is this important? Why is it better to have a little in righteousness?
Contentment is very important because it is a godly principle. It is also important because contentment can bring peace in times of crisis. America and the world are in the financial crisis of major recession. The actions of greed, selfishness, and moral decay have brought us to this point, therefore it is better for those who have not corrupted themselves with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, nor the pride of life because they can be at peace and free of guilt.
In Numbers 11:4-35 we can read of stubborn Israel who complained of no meat in their pots. When I read this I think of several reasons why God had not provided them with meat. One, he had miraculously fed them bread. Two, He was preparing them to enter the Promised Land which had plenty of everything. Three, they were not physically suffering without meat. The people argued with Moses to get them meat and God gave it to them until it “came out their nostrils.” They, like many today, wanted all their blessings immediately. There are even T.V. preachers that are toting the message of, “your best life now.” It didn’t work for Abraham and Sarah, Esau, Israelites and many others, and it won’t work for us. Greed and impatience are not born of contentment.
In Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 we read of how dis-contentment leads to more. When a person who lusts for more will do anything to get it, that person will enslave, mistreat and abuse others as well as himself. Lack of contentment puts one onto a vicious cycle of misery.
John preached “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The people knew that repentance called for an action and asked, “What shall we do then?” John told them to share, take no more than allotted, and be content with their wages. This sage advice would save our nation billions of dollars every year. There would be no need for welfare or bailout laws. How? Each one of us, including companies, would take responsibility for our own. This concept works for the church, it would work for any group who would put it to practice. Individually, we cannot save the world; we can however, save some. We can share, refrain from cheating, and not harbor greed. God never commanded us to open a food bank or start a coat drive, but he did teach us to share such as we have and others need.
Paul starts I Timothy 6:6-16 by stating, “godliness with contentment is great gain.” From the points he makes in this passage we can understand that contentment doesn’t just apply to finances. If we (society) would apply principles of contentment, the divorce rate would disappear, the diseases and unwanted pregnancies of fornication would disappear, the greed that becomes so demanding would fade, the stress and its physical and mental afflictions it causes would vanish, crime, wars and fighting among us would be non-existent.
I leave you with these words: Read Matthew 6:24-34.
Sean S. McCallilster
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Jan 20, 2009 | Articles
The city of Ephesus thoroughly imbibed the spirit of Paganism. They were obsessed with idols and superstitious omens. They had mingled immorality and sexual perversion with their worship. They had embraced spiritualism and occult practices such as speaking to the dead and reading signs in the heavens, and in all of this, they thought they were having a relationship with God! Isn’t that amazing? The very things they imagined were drawing them closer to God were driving a wedge between them and God and making them His enemies!
I think we can see very clearly manifested here what Paul meant when he said, “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh–who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands–that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:11-12) Jesus Christ came to reconcile the lost world of Adam’s race with their Heavenly Father God, and a great part of that was showing them who God was. In Romans 1 the Apostle Paul tells in awful detail how far separated mankind is from God without Jesus. He writes something that I think is very interesting in verses 22-25, “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man–and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” The Apostle here tells us of the great evil and abomination that is idolatry.
When God spoke long ago the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel from the shining slopes of Mount Sinai, the first two were in reference to this great sin of idolatry. In Exodus 20:1-6 the Bible says, “And God spoke all these words, saying: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” The crime in creating other gods is in the fact that the one true God Jehovah is omnipotent and all-sufficient, no task is beyond his scope.
The idea of polytheism limits the power of God in that it imagines that many gods would be needed to oversee all of the tasks in operating the universe. The crime of idolatry, or of imagery, of statues and icons of holy and heavenly beings is that it attempts to capture the divine in a human or some other temporal form. God cannot be thought of in a mortal sense! He cannot be made finite and contained! There have been some truly beautiful paintings made by the great masters that would claim to be of Christ or of God, but all they do is profane His holy image. If we should go out and gaze upward into the vast expanse of space, and let our minds carry us beyond the atmosphere’s wreath to walk among the endless black where great orbs of gas and ice and fire soar in a never ending rotation, and as we look at all the wonders of this earth: its high mountains, its deep oceans, its great woodland areas and all of its many wonders, we are awed and enraptured by the overwhelming magnificence of it all! But greater than this beyond measure is the power and glory of God.
The prophet Isaiah said, “Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist.” (Isaiah 66:1) But another great evil to idolatry is that it makes God like a man! When Elijah had the great prayer battle with the Prophets of Baal on the slopes of mount Carmel you remember that he mocked the Baals saying, “perhaps he is asleep or on vacation or busy” Of course, the God of heaven is never separated from the cries of His children, for, as he said through the Prophet long ago, “For I am God, and not man…” (Hosea 11:9) Many of the gods of paganism were petty, selfish and childish. This concept of God caused people to be unable to have the relationship with Him that he desired, but how were they to know Him?
Can We Know God Through Scientific Observation?
Science may be able to tell us something about the age of rocks but it can tell us little about the Rock of Ages. Now that is not to say that we learn nothing about God from the scientific or natural world. Paul says, “because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20) That is to say that creation teaches us some things about the nature and power of the Creator. David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)
Many times the Bible speaks of the “Law written on the heart” or the “law of nature” I believe this refers to the fact that God has made His nature, and the moral code He would have mankind live by, visible in the natural world. But this only goes so far. In nature we can learn that God is, and that he is powerful, we can learn that he is orderly and that he is wise, but we cannot really know who He is. We cannot know His will, we cannot know how to speak to Him, or how to worship Him. Years of research in the most advanced labs could never find a cure for sin. The highest-powered telescope could never show the way to heaven. And in all his searching and study the scientist has never learned a thing about what happens after death. We need something else to understand these things.
Can We Know God Through Philosophy?
Many of the ancients believed that God might be known through philosophy and learning. The world of the New Testament was full of all kinds of schools and groups that followed the teachings of different philosophers in their perspectives on life and its meaning. Typically this led to the same kind of immoral behavior that paganism and idolatry resulted in.
In Acts 17 when the Apostle Paul was in Athens he encountered two prominent schools of philosophy: the Epicureans and the Stoics. The Epicureans were of the mind that true happiness and closeness to God could only be found in excess and frivolity. There idea was that if it made you happy you should do it and the only sin was in self-depravation. While the Stoics believed in fate, that God was everything and was not a personal God who loved man and cared for man. The Apostle Paul denied both of these ideas and others like them, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)
Can We Know God Through Spiritualism and the Occult?
Paul wrote against the mystery religions many times in the New Testament. Today there are many examples of this in the world around us. People try to find God through the occult in several ways today. The word occult means “secret” and it refers to mysterious and mystical practices such as communicating with the dead, reading horoscopes, trying to find spiritual purity through health and diet and things like that. Well the truth is that many of those things are what the Bible calls sorcery or witchcraft and not only do they fail to lead someone to God, they will lead people away from God and ultimately to hell!
Jesus Christ: the Full Portrait of God
The pervasive theme of Ephesians, and in fact almost all of the Apostolic writings is “only in Christ.” Jesus Christ is supreme above all these things. In fact the Apostle Paul would tell us that Christ lived as a visible picture of the invisible God. Paul said in Colossians 1:15 and in chapter 2:9, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” We can open up the Bible and read the blessed accounts from the Gospels of who Jesus was and how He lived and in that we learn who God is! Jesus said, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” Now of course the Jews knew something of God, as He had revealed Himself in the Old Testament through the prophets, but until Christ came mankind did not have the great appreciation of who God is that we as Christians now have. Notice how Job spoke with God during their conversation. Many times he took God to task on his righteousness, and he got dangerously close to “foolishly accusing God” at times.
Next week we will take a look into what exactly Jesus taught us about the nature of God, but for now, consider these things. – CED
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