WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?: Resources

I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 

(2 Corinthians 11:1-4, NIV)

 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. 

(Galatians 1:6-10, NIV)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*INTRODUCTORY VIDEO: "What is the Gospel?" by John Piper (4 minutes)


*MESSAGES FROM SOME OF THE BEST MODERN PREACHERS OF THE GOSPEL:
*SERMON: "What is the Gospel?" by RC Sproul (44 minutes)
*SERMON: "What is the Gospel?" by Paul Washer (63 minutes)
*SERMON: "Hell's Best Kept Secret" by Ray Comfort (60 minutes)

*CLASSIC GOSPEL SERMONS FROM THE GREAT AWAKENING (1730-1760):
*"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards. Also FREE in audio or in this excellent video reenactment.
*"Free Grace" by John Wesley. Also FREE in audio. 
*"Awake, Thou That Sleepeth" by John Wesley. Also FREE in audio. 
*"The Scripture Way of Salvation" by John Wesley. Also FREE in audio. 
*"The Image of God" by John Wesley. Only available in FREE audio. 

*BOOK: Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians by Martin Luther. Also FREE in audio. Luther's commentary  on Galatians is one of the most important books in the history of the Church. It preserves the central Gospel message of the man who precipitated the Protestant Reformation. As the translator of this work says in his preface: "The importance of this Commentary on Galatians for the history of Protestantism is very great. It presents like no other of Luther's writings the central thought of Christianity, the justification of the sinner for the sake of Christ's merits alone." Brief biography of Martin Luther

And Luther's Commentary on the Romans is equally important. In fact, it was at Aldersgate while the preface to Luther's Commentary on Romans was being read that John Wesley experienced the Gospel in a way that changed his life and led him to be the foremost preacher in the Great Awakening--or has he recalls it, caused his "heart to be strangely warmed."


ONLINE COURSE
*"What is the Gospel?" The Gospel Coalition Course


OTHER BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
*Stott, John. The Cross of Christ. 
*Rutledge, Fleming. The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ
*Hengel, Martin. Crucifixion: In The Ancient World And The Folly Of The Message Of The Cross
*Owen, John. The Death of Death in the Death of Christ: A Treatise in Which the Whole Controversy about Universal Redemption is Fully Discussed. FREE at Internet Archive or at Monergism.org (easier to read). FREE audiobook at SermonAudio. Brief biography of John Owen and links to this and his other works at The Digital Puritan.
*Wells, Paul. Cross Words: The Biblical Doctrine of the Atonement

Here are some excellent recommendations from my friend Rob Bowman, Jr. at Faiththinkers.org:

Hill, Charles E., and Frank A. James III, eds. The Glory of the Atonement: Biblical, Theological & Practical Perspectives. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2004. Studies by such notable scholars as D. A. Carson, J. I. Packer, Bruce K. Waltke, etc.

Jeffery, Steve, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach. Pierced for Our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution. Wheaton: Crossway, 2007. Defense of the doctrine biblically, historically, theologically, and ethically. "Penal" means having to do with punishment; on this view, Christ suffered and died to take away the punishment we deserve because of our sins.

Johnson, Adam J. Atonement: A Guide for the Perplexed. London and New York: Bloombury T&T Clark, 2015. Helpful study emphasizing “the riches” of the atonement as understood through complementary themes or models including substitution, victory, and so on, and rooting the doctrine of the atonement in the nature of the triune God and the person and life of Jesus Christ.

Morris, Leon. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965. Word studies on key terms (redemption, covenant, blood, lamb of God, propitiation, reconciliation, justification) arguing for an objective view of the atonement as a substitutionary sacrifice for sins. My favorite of Morris's several books on the subject (but they're all very good!).

Packer, J. I., and Mark Dever. In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement. Wheaton: Crossway, 2007. Collection of helpful essays, several of which can also be found on the Monergism website (along with many other good resources): https://www.monergism.com/.../penal-substitutionary....

*If you want to see theologians defending different views on the atonement, this book is also worth a look:

Beilby, James, and Paul R. Eddy, eds. The Nature of the Atonement: Four Views. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Essays defending the Christus Victor (Gregory A. Boyd), penal substitution (Thomas Schreiner), Healing (Bruce R. Reichenbach), and Kaleidoscopic (Joel B. Green) views of the atonement

JESUS' AMAZING MIRACLES: THE EVIDENCE

The amazing array of miracles that Jesus performed is one of the many amazing confirmations that Jesus was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament (and therefore the God of Israel--the only true God and Creator of the Universe--come in the flesh).

In prophesying about the coming of God's kingdom, Isaiah said:

Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
(Isaiah 35:3-6a)

When John the Baptist was in jail and was having his doubts about Jesus, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who is to come [that is, the Messiah], or should we expect someone else?" Jesus responded: "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor...." (See Matthew 11:2-5. For Jesus healing the blind, see Matthew 9:27-31, etc. For Jesus healing the deaf and mute, see Matthew 9:32-33, Mark 7:32-37, and Mark 9:17-27. For Jesus healing the lame, see Matthew 9:1-8. For Jesus healing lepers--or someone with a skin disease, see Matthew 8:2-4. For Jesus raising the dead, see Matthew 9:18-26, Luke 7:11-15; and John 11:1-44.)

Many who saw Jesus working so many miracles asked: “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” (John 7:31)

So the prophets foretold that miracles would accompany the coming of the Messiah, and First Century Jews saw his many miracles as a sign that he was the Messiah. But Jesus himself consistently pointed to his miracles as a sign testifying to his messiahship: 

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.” (John 14:10-11; Also see: John 5:36; 10:25; 10:37-38; 15:24; Matthew 11:20-24.)

And his apostles reiterated this, as we see with Peter at the very first public proclamation of Jesus' resurrection on the day of Pentecost: "Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” (Acts 2:22)


So This Is the Claim, But Why Should We Believe It?
Is there good reason to believe these claims about Jesus' miracles? This is a valid question. And the answer is: Yes. In fact, there are many good reasons to believe the accounts of Jesus' miracles: 

1. The reliability of the Gospels themselves: The Gospels are shown to be historically reliable documents in all that they attest to and this is established by many factors including....
2. Archaeology: My class "Digging Up The New Testament"--which is listed first among the resources on my blog page "Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament"--gives a good overview of how archaeology shows that the Gospels are historically reliable.
3. Ancient Extrabiblical Documents: See the section below for Extrabiblical documents that directly confirm that Jesus worked miracles.
4. Undesigned Coincidences: My class on "Undesigned Coincidences" (that is listed first among the resources on the "Undesigned Coincidences" blog page) is particularly relevant as it focuses on the undesigned coincidences for one of Jesus' many miracles: the feeding of the 5000.
5. The Intense Persecution of the Early Church (and especially the apostles): My class "The Apostles: Dying to Tell the World" (which is listed first among the resources on my blog page "The Intense Persecution of the Early Church....") gives a good overview of how their willingness to suffer hardship confirms the truth of the major points of the Gospels--especially Jesus' miracles and his resurrection. (Note: There is a lot on that page, so you will need to scroll down a ways before you get to the "Resources.")

We can add a sixth evidence of the reliability of the Gospels (and much more if I had time): The Gospels all record eyewitness testimony and were all written well within the lifetime of many other eyewitnesses. If the miracle accounts were greatly exaggerated, there would have been plenty of people to discredit them and the Christian movement as a whole. 

Two of the Gospels are indeed eyewitness accounts, written by the apostles whose names they bear: Matthew and John (see John 19:35 & 21:24; also see points 3 & 4 of my article on Papias). Very early testimony by those who knew the apostles (e.g., Papias, see point 2 of my article on Papias) attests that Mark recorded the testimony of the apostle Peter. And Luke states explicitly in his prologue (1:1-4) that his Gospel is the result of a thorough investigation of eyewitness accounts.

Furthermore, Luke was written before 55 AD and Matthew and Mark were written before Luke (see my article: "Why 1 Timothy Was Written No Later Than 55 AD & Why That Matters"; and I am working on an article to provide much more evidence for this dating for Luke that I hope to publish within the next few weeks). And in 55 AD, Paul says that Jesus "appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living...." (1 Corinthians 15:6).  So....this means that after the Gospels were written and circulated, there were still hundreds of witnesses who had seen Jesus risen from the dead. Also, the apostles Peter, John, Paul and James the brother of Jesus (four of the most important witnesses to Jesus were still alive then and probably most of the other apostles. In fact, the only apostle known to be dead before 55 AD would have been James, the brother of John and the son of Zebedee (Acts 12:2).

Finally, three of the apostolic fathers bear strong witness to the Gospel's miracle claims long after the Gospels were written. (See my article on the importance of the apostolic fathers.):

PAPIAS, BISHOP OF HIERAPOLIS & DISCIPLE OF THE APOSTLE JOHN, WHO WROTE A 5-VOLUME WORK ON JESUS (written c. 115-130 AD):

"As for those who were raised from the dead by Christ, he [Papias] states that they survived until the time of Hadrian [who reigned 117-138 AD]." (from Fragment 5, Philip of Side's 5th Century Church History, p.572-73 of The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, edited and revised by Michael W. Holmes)

QUADRATUS OF ATHENS (wrote c. 125 AD):  

"But the works of our Saviour were always present, for they were genuine: those that were healed, and those that were raised from the dead, who were seen not only when they were healed and when they were raised, but were also always present; and not merely while the Saviour was on earth, but also after his death, they were alive for quite a while, so that some of them lived even to our day." [Eusebius (lived c.260-339) quoted this from Quadratus' Apology in his Church History 4.2.1-3 (c. 325 AD).]

IRENAEUS, A DISCIPLE OF POLYCARP (died 155 AD) WHO WAS A DISCIPLE OF THE APOSTLE JOHN (died 100 AD):

"For I have a more vivid recollection of what occurred at that time than of recent events (inasmuch as the experiences of childhood, keeping pace with the growth of the soul, become incorporated with it); so that I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse — his going out, too, and his coming in — his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourses which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and how he would call their words to remembrance. Whatsoever things he had heard from them respecting the Lord, both with regard to His miracles and His teaching, Polycarp having thus received [information] from the eye-witnesses of the Word of life, would recount them all in harmony with the Scriptures. These things, through, God's mercy which was upon me, I then listened to attentively, and treasured them up not on paper, but in my heart; and I am continually, by God's grace, revolving these things accurately in my mind." (written c. 175-185 AD; see Fragment 3 of the lost works of Irenaeus as found in The Ante-Nicene Fathers by Roberts and Donaldson)

In fact, not many scholars deny that Jesus worked miracles. Not only are Jesus' miracles widely attested throughout all of the Gospels and Acts and by the apostolic fathers. But they are also universally attested to by non-Christians:

PONTIUS PILATE (wrote c.33 AD) as cited by JUSTIN MARTYR (wrote c.155 AD; lived c. 100-165 AD):

"And that it was predicted that our Christ should heal all diseases and raise the dead, hear what was said. There are these words: At His coming the lame shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the stammerer shall be clear speaking: the blind shall see, and the lepers shall be cleansed; and the dead shall rise, and walk about. Isaiah 35:6 And that He did those things, you can learn from the Acts of Pontius Pilate." (The First Apology of Justin Martyr, chapter 48)

*NOTE: Some scholars think Justin merely assumed the record existed. Other scholars think that he had knowledge of some forged document (though the only one we know of was written long after Justin's time). I personally think that it is more likely that this learned man were more careful than that. Certainly, it seems unlikely that Justin would present this as evidence to the Emperor Antoninus unless he knew for sure that it was true. The Emperor could easily check this for himself--so that would be a careless move in his apology and would throw doubt on the whole thing.

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS (wrote c. 93 AD; lived 37-100 AD):

"Accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have reported wonders [that is, miracles]...." (Josephus' Antiquities 18:63) For more on this passage from Josephus see this excellent article by Dr. Paul Maier, a professor of history and an expert on ancient history who published a commentary on The New Complete Works of Josephus and also his own translation in Josephus: The Essential Works)

THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD (written c. 70 – 200 AD):

"On the eve of the Passover Yeshu (Jesus) was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, 'He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.' But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover." [See The Babylonian Talmud, translated by I. Epstein (London: Soncino, 1935), vol. III, Sanhedrin 43a, p. 281, as cited in Habermas, GaryThe Historical Jesus, p. 203.]

*NOTE: Similar to what we find in the Gospels (see Matthew 9:34; 12:24-27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15), the Jews did not deny in the Talmud that Jesus did miracles but rather said that his miracles were works of sorcery. 

CELSUS (wrote c. 175-180 AD):

"For he [Celsus] represents the Jew disputing with Jesus, and confuting Him, as he thinks, on many points; and in the first place, he accuses Him of having invented his birth from a virgin, and upbraids Him with being born in a certain Jewish village, of a poor woman of the country, who gained her subsistence by spinning, and who was turned out of doors by her husband, a carpenter by trade, because she was convicted of adultery; that after being driven away by her husband, and wandering about for a time, she disgracefully gave birth to Jesus, an illegitimate child, who having hired himself out as a servant in Egypt on account of his poverty, and having there acquired some miraculous powers, on which the Egyptians greatly pride themselves, returned to his own country, highly elated on account of them, and by means of these proclaimed himself a God." (Origen's Against Celsus, Book 1, chapter 28)

*NOTE: Again, the claim is not that Jesus did not do miracles, but rather that he they were pagan miracles or that he learned to fake them.

RESOURCES: 
*For more on the non-Christian references to Jesus' miracles, see "Evidence for Jesus' Miracles Outside the Bible."
*For more on extrabiblical evidence for Jesus, see my blog article: "Ancient Documents (Besides the New Testament) That Mention Jesus."


So Could Jesus Have Faked His Miracles?
Master Illusionist Andre Kole (inventor of over 1000 illusions including about 100 of David Copperfield's illusions) approached Jesus' Miracles as a skeptic before becoming a believer. He concluded with certainty that Jesus could not have faked his miracles. See this 6-minute video:

The Range of Jesus' Miracles Is Amazing
The Gospels give accounts of more than 50 different miracles that Jesus did. They ranged from healing the blind and the lame to raising the dead, from walking on water to feeding tens of thousands by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish, from casting out demons to raising himself from the dead. (For a helpful list of these miracles see: "The Miracles of Jesus.") And the Gospels all make it clear that these are not the only miracles that Jesus did:

"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them." (Matthew 4:23-24)

"They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed." (Mark 6:55-56)

"A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all." (Luke 6:17b-19)

"Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31)

"This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." (John 21:24-25)

No One In History Performed Miracles Like Jesus
We have the army of modern skeptics to thank for sifting through the records of history desperately seeking to find someone like Jesus, so that they can say: "See, Jesus is not the only one who performed miracles!" And the three best parallels that they can come up with are:

HONI, THE CIRCLE DRAWER (prayed for rain c. 65 BC)

Honi is credited as doing one miracle: he prayed for rain during a drought and it rained. That's it. That is hardly a parallel to Jesus. There are far greater parallels to Jesus in the Old Testament. Moses is the closest parallel and with good reason: because Jesus is the "prophet like Moses" that was prophesied to come (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Not only does Honi's single miracle pale compared to the miracles of Jesus, but the only two records of Honi are from at least 135 years later (not by eyewitnesses nor during the lifetime of eyewitnesses nor even the lifetime of those who knew eyewitnesses and no comparison to the less than 20 years' distance of the Gospel accounts of Jesus).

APOLLONIUS OF TYANA (lived c.15-100 AD)

Appolonius is indeed credited with a wide variety of miracles, but the nature of them still is unlike those performed by Jesus. More imporantly, the record of Apollonius that we have (Life of Apollonius of Tyana) was written c.220 AD, long past the time of eyewitnesses and those who knew eyewitnesses--and also at a time and place in which it was likely intended to be some kind of parallel to Jesus (though it fails miserably). Besides, it does not read anything like history but rather reads like a very silly legend--or as David Marshall says: like a Saturday Night Live skit! [See p.199, 204-206 of Marshall, David. Jesus Is No Myth! (self-pubished: 2016). See p.199-222 for a more detailed refutation of Apollonius as a parallel to Jesus.]

BAAL SHEM TOV (lived 1698-1760)

Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov (aka, the Besht) was an 18th Century Jewish rabbi and mystic and the founder of the Jewish Hasidic movement. It is claimed that he performed miracles in a little known work entitled In Praise of Baal Shem Tov. The work itself is written in 1814 (54 years after his death and nearly a century after the earlier accounts). The author of this work is not extremely clear about the source of his stories, but at one point he relates that he heard them from a rabbi, who heard it from another rabbi--and it is unclear whether this rabbi was actually an eyewitness: 

"I heard these tales from the rabbi, the famous great light, Rabbi Gedaliah. God bless his memory, who said that he heard them from the famous Hasid, our teacher Schmersl, God bless his memory, the preacher of the holy community of Zwierzchowka." [as quoted on p.267 of Marshall, David. Jesus Is No Myth! (self-pubished: 2016)].

So the accounts of Baal Shem Tov's miracles are not first even second-hand accounts nor were they written down within the lifetime of eyewitnesses for most of them. In fact, there were no eyewitnesses for many of them, as they were not public miracles but things like private visions or a letter purported to have been written privately by the Baal Shem Tov 16 years earlier, etc. 

If you go to the collection of stories housed on a website of the Hasidic movement, you will find this claim: "No sage since Biblical times is more known than Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov as an incredible miracle worker. Read some amazing stories about the feats of the founder of the chassidic movement." But when you actually read the stories, you do not find miracle claims that rival those of Jesus. I invite you to go and read the stories they have chosen for yourself. 

David Marshall reflects on the "miracles" reported for Baal Shem Tov: "As with Apollonius, the reason Ehrman cites Baal Shem Tov in the first place...is that the man supposedly did miracles. But did he?....The Besht can make himself invisible. He intuits the thoughts of others. He talks with animals....[and then there is] the reincarnated frog who claimed to have been a scholar who had lived 500 years previously" (p.274-275 of Jesus Is No Myth!). In another story, Satan transforms himself into a sorcerer and then into a werewolf who attacks children who are with the Besht. The Besht clobbers the werewolf with a club and the next day locals find the body of a "gentile sorcerer." (p.266) In yet another story, the dog of one of his disciples jumps into a river and drowns. The disciple then eats a fish that is caught and exclaims: "It's taste is like life itself!" The conclusion of the story is that both the dog and the fish were the disciple's father reincarnated to bring the disciple this "blessing" (p.266). 

So far I fail to see any parallel to Jesus' very public ministry of miracles. How about you?:

• Where is the man born blind who receives his sight? (John 9:1-7) 
• Where are the ten lepers who are healed on their way to have the priest confirm their healing? (Luke 11:17-19) 
• Where are those who are raised from the dead and still alive to testify about it many decades later? (See Papias and Quadratus above. The Gospels record no less than 3 people that Jesus raised from the dead.) 
• Where are the crowds of people who bring their sick and they are all healed? (See above: Matthew 4:23-24; Mark 6:55-56; Luke 6:17-19) 
• Where is the crazed demoniac who cannot be bound by chains but suddenly finds himself at peace and in his right mind? (Mark 5:1-20) 
• Where is the man who had been an invalid for 38 years who immediately gets up and takes his mat and walks? (John 5:1-9) 
• Where is the account of Baal Shem Tov being raised from the dead?

Again, despite the outlandish false claims of Bart Ehrman (see p.263-264 of Marshall's Jesus Is No Myth! and Ehrman's blog article on Baal Shem Tov), the evidence for these miracles is not by any means the same as for the miracles of Jesus.

They do not meet any of the six criteria I laid out above for the reliability of the Gospels (nor do they meet the 50 criteria that Marshall lays out in Jesus Is No Myth!, The Truth Behind the New Atheism, and Why the Jesus Seminar Can't Find Jesus, and Grandma Marshall Could...nor the many criteria which I have been documenting over the past couple of years but have yet to publish)...nor are they attested to decades later by those who saw those whom Baal Shem Tov had healed...nor are they attested by those outside of Hasidic Judaism. For a more detailed refutation of Baal Shem Tov as a parallel to Jesus, see p.261-279 of Marshall, David. Jesus Is No Myth! (self-pubished: 2016).

In conclusion, the historical evidence for Jesus' miracles is rock solid. Furthermore, no one in history has ever been claimed to work the kinds of miracles that Jesus did. And yet, if it was possible to get away with making up such claims and providing multiple eyewitnesses and significant evidence for such an array of public miracles, one would think that we would be able to find many examples. Certainly, there have been many who would like to claim that kind of power for themselves or for their sage heroes. Yet none are found.

The deep divide between Honi, Appolonius and the Besht only serves to prove the very thing that the skeptics have sought to disprove: that there is no one like Jesus. As Marshall writes: "If after ransacking your house for weapons, you challenge a thief with a butter knife, that probably means no more potent hardware lies hidden in your closet" (p.204 of Jesus Is No Myth!).

Resource: Marshall, David. Jesus Is No Myth! (self-pubished: 2016). See my review of Dr. Marshall's book here.


*SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS ARE FROM THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION



RESOURCES FOR DIGGING DEEPER

My Class: "Jesus' Amazing Miracles"
*MP3 Audio 
*PowerPoint Slideshow: When you click on this link, you will note the option at the top to "Open with Google Slides" or you may open with MS PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress (which is free).
*Class Handout
*I recommend opening the audio and using the PowerPoint Slideshow as you listen (and/or the handout).
*The entire 16-week course may be found here: "HOW TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST THAT CHANGES THE WORLD (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)"


Articles
*Cooper, Brad: "Miracles: Resources for Study"
*Stewart, Don. "Why Should Anyone Believe in the Miracles of Jesus?"
*Biblical Archaeological Society. A collection of articles on "The Miracles of Jesus"

Books
*Habermas, Gary. The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ Among the Major World Religions (a FREE! 50-page ebook)

*Twelftree, Graham (editor), The Nature Miracles of Jesus: Problems, Perspectives, and Prospects
*Beth, Karl. The Miracles of Jesus (FREE! to read online)

IS JESUS' DEATH AS A PUNISHMENT FOR SINS CENTRAL TO CHRISTIANITY...OR COSMIC CHILD ABUSE?

Someone in one of the online groups I am a part of asked a couple of questions about Christianity that I think lots of people struggle with:

1. Is Christ's death as a punishment for our sins ("penal substitutionary atonement") central to Christianity?

2. Is this teaching equal to "cosmic child abuse"?


YES. PENAL SUBSITUTIONARY ATONEMENT IS CENTRAL TO THE GOSPEL.

Yes. Penal substitutionary atonement is central to the Gospel and therefore to Christianity. 

This is stated quite explicitly and emphatically in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: 

"Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,...."

Note that Paul states that the Gospel is summed up as: Christ died for our sins, was buried and was raised again. And "Christ died for our sins" is clearly shorthand for PSA. And he does not merely say that this is the summary of the Gospel. He says that it is "of first importance" and that: "By this Gospel you are saved, IF you hold firmly" to it. "Otherwise you have believed in vain." This is all stated quite clearly and emphatically. And since is the Gospel, it is clear also that Paul declares the utmost condemnation on anyone who preaches another Gospel (Galatians 1:6-10).

So the fact that there are other implications of Christ's death that are taught in Scripture does not set aside the centrality of the penal substitionary atonement understanding of Christ's death. Only the penal substitutionary atonement of Christ's death brings cleansing of our sins; and if we are still in our sins, then our faith is useless. We are still condemned and separated from God for eternity. So yes the penal substitutionary atonement is absolutely central.


THIS IS TAUGHT THROUGHOUT THE SCRIPTURES

And the concept of penal substitutionary atonement is taught throughout the Scriptures:

Isaiah 53:4-6: Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him PUNISHED by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the PUNISHMENT that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:10-12: Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied[; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Matthew 26:28: This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Romans 3:25-26: God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Romans 4:25: He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

2 Corinthians 5:21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Galatians 1:4: who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Ephesians 1:7: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

Hebrews 10:11-12: Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

1 Peter 2:24: “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

1 Peter 3:18: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

1 John 2:2: He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.


NO. CHRIST'S DEATH ON THE CROSS IS NOT "COSMIC CHILD ABUSE"

And No. The Scriptural teaching of Penal Substitutionary Atonement is not "cosmic child abuse." This is a very old slander brought against the Gospel by liberals/progressives who want to reduce the Gospel to moralistic deism (or in the last few decades panentheism....or any other worldview rather than Biblical theism). They bring this empty charge by divorcing the concept of penal substitutionary atonement from its context and cherry-picking only the details that serve their purpose.

First, Jesus is not a mere human child--powerless under the sway of a manipulative human father. He is God incarnate. He is co-eternal and equal and one with the Father, in the incomprehensible mystery of the Triune Godhead. And everything they do is done first out of love for each other and then out of love for their creation.

Second, Jesus is explicit when he says: "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord" (John 10:18). And even as he is being arrested, he is clear that he has the power to back out at any moment: "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26:53).

So this is clearly not child abuse of any kind or anything like it. This is more like a father sending his child off to war to defeat an evil foe and bring about justice--with tears of great sorrow in his eyes but knowing that it must be done. And the son goes off to war with the same conviction as the father and with a mixture of dread overcome by great courage and desire for justice. It is more like this, but much more so.


GOD IS A JUST JUDGE

Consider the clear implications of Romans 3:25-26:

"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

God is a just Judge because he requires punishment for lawbreakers. What kind of judge simply forgives everyone who comes before them? Such a judge would make a mockery of justice by ignoring all the harm done by every criminal.

But God is both just and justifier because he provides that punishment for all through the voluntary death of his eternal Son who took our punishment upon himself, once for all time.

Crucified Christ" (Viktor Vasnetsov, 1885-1896)

THE VIRGIN BIRTH: The Messianic Prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 Defended

A response to Zvi Zaks' argument against Matthew's use of Isaiah 7:14 as a messianic prophecy.

(NOTE: I have quoted the relevant parts below,  precisely as he quoted them to me in a public Facebook conversation in the group "The Biblical Worldview Defended." And my response below is the one that I shared with him in the group.):


//Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Christians say this verse predicts the virgin birth of Jesus, who they maintain is the deity come down to earth to be with us. However, this citation has been poorly translated, taken out of context, and is not messianic in any event. (Note, by the way, how the book of Matthew in the Christian Bible misquotes this verse).//

//Poor Translation: The Hebrew word for virgin is "betula". The root of the word is so specific that the Hebrew scriptures mention it with reference to stained bedsheets. However, the word used in Is 7:14 is "alma" which most dictionaries translate as "young woman." The word "alma" is found only seven times in scripture. In some places, it could mean either "virgin" or "young woman" but two verses suggest that an "alma" need not be virginal (Proverbs 30:19 -- "the way of a man with an alma", which is usually sexual -- and Song of Songs 6:8 -- "queens, concubines, and almas", the first two clearly not virginal, which suggests the third also is not.) To think the prophet would have used "alma" rather than the unequivocal "betula" strains credulity.//

First, there is no reason to think that "young woman" would be a better translation of almah in Proverbs 30:18-19. The writer is speaking of things that are extremely amazing (v.18). And what is more amazing than the first time that a man and a woman make love together? To translate almah as "virgin" would be quite natural here.  Certainly, there is nothing here to indicate that "young woman" is preferable to "virgin."

The same is true of Song of Songs 6:8-9: "Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her." Here the contrast seems to be between his lover and all the other possible love interests, but his lover is the one who has his attention. It is certainly much more likely that almah would be translated as "virgin" here, since a Jewish writer of Scripture would not be seen as looking out on the whole field of women (including married women) for a wife. At any rate, there is absolutely nothing to favor a rendering of "young woman" over "virgin."

On the other hand, it is quite certain that when Isaac uses almah in Genesis 24:43 that he is looking for a virgin for his wife and not a young married woman. And that virgin is Rebekah. And in Exodus 2:8 there is every indication that Moses' sister is a virgin. And in Song of Songs 1:3 it is safe to assume that in the context of ancient Jewish Scripture it is virgins who are attracted to the subject of this play.

Furthermore, Isaiah 7:14 says that this will be a sign. When the LORD gives a sign, it is a miraculous sign. (See Numbers 14:22; 16:38; Deuteronomy 4:34; 6:22; 7:19; 11:3; 13:1-2; etc.)

See Isaiah 38:7-8 for Isaiah's use of the word "sign" in a similar context: "‘This is the LORD’s sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’ So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down."

A "young woman" becoming pregnant and giving birth to a son would not be much of a sign, but a "virgin" conceiving and giving birth to a son is most certainly a sign.

But most importantly, the Jewish scholars who translated the Hebrew of Isaiah 7:14 into Greek when making the Septuagint (centuries before the Gospel of Matthew) chose the Greek word parthenos, which explicitly means "virgin." Do you really think that nearly 3000 years later you have a better understanding of the word almah than the elite Jewish scholars who lived in that ancient culture and who lived in much closer proximity to the time of Isaiah?

So your attempt to show that "virgin" is a "poor translation" completely fails on all accounts.

***************

//Also, "will conceive" is unlikely. The Hebrew "hara" is most likely present tense and is better read "is pregnant."//

First, your "unlikely" and "most likely" are a matter of your own bias and not fact, and therefore of no substance. But more importantly, it really makes no difference, as Old Testament prophecy is often spoken in the present tense (as the prophets/"seers" were often seeing things in visions and speaking about them as they were happening in their visions).

***************

//Context: This verse concerns a specific political problem of that era, and has no messianic significance at all. Isaiah writes in a highly flowery style, which makes it difficult to follow his point. However, if you read verses 1-15 slowly and carefully, you will see that Isaiah is telling his king, Ahaz, not to worry about two neighbors, Rezin and Pekah, who threaten the kingdom, because these two "firebrands" will be vanquished. How long will that take? A few years -- i.e. in the amount of time it takes a young woman to bear a child, and raise him to know the difference between good and evil.//

I agree that it is important that when reading the words of the prophets that you read them "slowly and carefully." Doing that, you will notice that God tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, but Ahaz refuses. God's response is to rebuke Ahaz and then announces a sign that is for "the house of David" (not Ahaz). The definitive proof that it is not Ahaz that the sign is given to is found in Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you [plural] a sign...." The Hebrew word for "you" is plural (and also in the Greek Septuagint). So the sign of a virgin is a sign for the house of David, the line of the Messiah (and not for Ahaz--because Ahaz has refused to ask for a sign when the Lord tells him to do so).

***************

//As for the name of the child, Emanuel, though Christians render it as "God with us," it should be rendered as "God is with us," a statement to King Ahaz that he will defeat his two neighbors because he, Ahaz, has a divine ally. The name is a comment about God, not a description of the person so named. (See also comments on Isaiah 9:6).//

First, either rendering of Emmanuel is acceptable, and both renderings bear the same meaning. Second, if this is meant to be a sign of God being with Ahaz in order to comfort and assure him, then why is it followed (7:17-25) with the prophecy that the Assyrians will leave his kingdom desolate? Third, who is this woman who bears a son as a sign to Ahaz and why is Emmanuel (which you say is a great sign to Ahaz) never mentioned in 2 Kings or 1 & 2 Chronicles? One would think that this son must surely be a member of Ahaz's own family, but the name never appears in any records of his lineage (the lineage of the kings being a focus of the writers of Kings and Chronicles). Since Isaiah is apparently written first, one would think that the writers of Kings and Chronicles would be especially interested in noting who this Emmanuel is. Fourth, throughout the Old Testament, the meanings of names usually bear significance for the child that is named (e.g., Genesis 3:20; 25:25-26; 35:10; 35:18).

The same things apply to the son spoken of in Isaiah 9:6-7. The son named in Isaiah 9:6-7 is clearly a king for whom "the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever." And yet, the writers of Kings and Chronicles never name him. And of course, none of the kings of Israel/Judah written about in Kings and Chronicles reign "forever" (except God).

**************

//What the text says is simple. To paraphrase -- look, the young woman is pregnant and will give birth to a boy and she will call him "God is with us" he will be eating butter and honey before he knows to choose good from ill. Before he knows how to choose good from ill the lands of those people you fear will be forsaken.//

Perhaps there is a deeper meaning. Possibly even a double meaning. Perhaps what the text is actually saying is that these kings and their kingdoms will fade away. They won't even exist when the Messiah comes. Look for the coming of Messiah.

At first blush, the meaning that you have given seems more natural. But when one looks more closely, it becomes clear that there must be a very different meaning, as I believe I have shown conclusively above. Certainly, Matthew, a Hebrew scholar and First Century Jew, saw that deeper meaning and applied it to Jesus--whose miracles and prophecies, sinless life, transcendent teaching, fulfillment of many Old Testament Messianic prophecies, death and resurrection he witnessed and wrote about.

**************

//Parenthetically, Jesus was never called "Emanuel".//

Well, actually he was. See Matthew 1:23....and billions of Christians since then! :)

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MY SUMMARY RESPONSE:

(1) Your arguments against the interpretation of Isaiah 7:14 given in Matthew 1:23 fail. You fail to give any substantive argument against it. And you have failed to consider the considerable evidence for it.

(2) It remains true that the young woman spoken of in Isaiah 7:14 is an unmarried virgin. This is shown to be true by the use of the word almah in the Old Testament and by the fact that the ancient translators of the Old Testament chose to use the Greek word parthenos to translate it. Furthermore, it is shown to be so by the fact that this is given as the Yahweh's sign that he will fulfill his promise to the house of David (the messianic line): a  young woman conceiving and giving birth to a son is not a sign, but a virgin conceiving and giving birth to a son is most certainly a miraculous sign from the Lord.

Additionally, you find yourself caught in an "Catch-22" situation: If Matthew is simply making up stories about Jesus (as I assume you believe), then why would he make up a story about Jesus being born of a virgin and try to sell it as the fulfillment of a messianic prophecy to the Jews to whom he is writing--unless this was the well known meaning of Isaiah 7:14 among the Jews of the First Century? That would be a ridiculous thing to do. And it is hard to see how such ridiculous claims could become accepted unless there was evidence that they were true. And if the claim that Jesus was born of a virgin was simply to satisfy a prevalent contemporary interpretation of Isaiah 7:14, why does Luke never mention Isaiah 7:14 in his narrative of the virgin birth? If however, Jesus was truly born of a virgin, then this messianic prophecy and miraculous sign from Yahweh were truly fulfilled in him; and he is your Messiah.

*MORE RESOURCES FOR STUDYING MESSIANIC PROPHECY

Gustave Dore (1832-83), Wood Engraving

BE LIKE JESUS: BE A THINKER

"God is no fonder of intellectual slackers than of any other slackers. If you are thinking of becoming a Christian, I warn you you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you, brains and all."

~C.S. Lewis

*C. S. Lewis (2003). “A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C. S. Lewis”, p.123, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

~~ * ~~

I wrote an article in July 2018 for the Growing Deeper Roots blog titled: "The Beautiful Mind of Jesus." The article challenges the idea that being like Jesus can be reduced to showing grace to others. It also requires being a thinker and pursuing truth. I invite you to check it out.

OTHER RESOURCES:
My Class: "Love God With All Your Mind"
*This is Week 2 in my series "How to Have Confidence in Christ That Changes the World (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)" which I began September 8, 2019.
*MP3 Audio (45 minutes)
*PowerPoint Slideshow: When you click on this link, you will note the option at the top to "Open with Google Slides" or you may open with MS PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress (which is free).
*Class Handout
*I recommend opening the audio and using the PowerPoint Slideshow as you listen and/or the handout.
*The entire 16-week course may be found here: "HOW TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST THAT CHANGES THE WORLD (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)"

"What Does It Mean to Love God With All of Your Mind?"

(J.P. Moreland & the One Minute Apologist: 1 1/2 minutes)

Videos
*Moreland, J.P. "What Does It Mean to Love God With All of Your Mind?" (1 1/2 minutes)
*Piper, John. "Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God" (2 minutes)
*Huff, Wesley. "Loving God With Your Mind" (34 minutes)
*Moreland, J.P. "Loving God With All Your Mind" (43 minutes)


Articles (& Book Chapters)
*Moore, Caleb. "Churches Made of Sand: Why People Are Leaving the Faith"
*Groothuis, Douglas. "Jesus: Philosopher and Apologist"
*McDowell, Josh and Sean McDowell. Evidence That Demands A Verdict (2017 edition). "Introduction" Section I., third point: "Jesus the Apologist" (Section of Book)

Books
*Groothuis, Douglas. On Jesus (Wadsworth Philosophers Series). (Book: 112 pages)
*Sire, James W. Habits of the Mind: Intellectual Life as a Christian Calling.

EXTRA THOUGHTS....

*The word “disciple” (μαθητής) occurs 261 times in the Gospels. It means “a learner or pupil; one who follows the teaching of another.”

*Thinking is hard. It requires effort and therefore commitment and giving. When we use our brains to seek to understand God and his Word, it is a pleasing sacrifice to him. ”For the average adult in a resting state, the brain consumes about 20 percent of the body’s energy. The brain’s primary function — processing and transmitting information through electrical signals — is very, very expensive in terms of energy use.” (quote is from an online article at BrainFacts.org)