Old Testament Law
By Chaz Oswald, 21, Michigan
Reading through the Old Testament can sometimes be challenging. It is especially so when God’s Law which is revealed in the Old Testament seems inapplicable or even outright insupportable to what we are taught in the New Testament. At first glance, we can mistakenly believe that the God of the Old Testament was full of wrath, anger, and vengeance whereas the God of the New Testament is the polar opposite; in that He is full of love, grace and mercy. Of course, this is a bewildering outlook to maintain, for the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament! He is unchangeable!
Many atheists, who generally do not know the truth, typically view the Old Testament and New Testament as contradictory, specifically in regards to the Law.
Often, an atheist will quote Matthew 5:17-18 where Jesus states, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Upon misinterpreting Jesus’ words, such atheists will proceed to bring up strict Old Testament laws that Christians do not follow today, such as the stoning of a rebellious son (Deuteronomy 21:18-21), and ask the question: “If you are a Christian, why is it that only certain biblical law is followed and not the seemingly strict Old Testament Law that your God had commanded you to do?”
The Law of the Old Testament was a part of God’s original covenant with the nation of Israel. The old covenant was broken by Israel, so in Jeremiah 31:31-33, God makes a promise that He will establish a new covenant: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah . . . I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.”
The new covenant does not give us the liberty to live apart from the Law, as it is still regarded as our standard for living. However, the Law has revealed that we do not measure up to the standard of holiness that God desires us to have. As we cannot attain perfection by our own strength and effort, Jesus Christ, our merciful Savior, was sent as the fulfillment and foundation of the new covenant. Moreover, it is through His strength and not our own, that we are able to follow God’s Law, which He has written upon our hearts. Jesus Christ’s death and His resurrection fulfilled the requirements of the Old Testament Law once and for all. He had fulfilled the old sacrificial requirements that once had to be followed to the letter and has established the new covenant based on God’s mercy.
Thus, in effect, the Old Testament Law (and old covenant) was twofold: Firstly, the Law was established by God to help us understand God’s holiness, in that He is set apart, different and righteous. Secondly, the Law was established to help us know what sin is.
Finally, after answering the above query about the Old Testament Law, politely ask, “If the Bible were irrelevant, what is your basis for a moral law?”
(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading ...Is the Bible reliable and trustworthy?
By Chaz Oswald, 21, Michigan
Before exploring this question, we should first tackle a prior question: What is the Bible? Well, the Bible is a compilation of 66 God-inspired and inerrant books written by roughly 40 different authors over 1600 years. Many of the authors had no communication or contact with each other, yet wrote distinctly about the same God—a feat unmatched by any other religion. Moreover, as stated in the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, “The Bible contains many different styles of writing such as poetry, narration, fiction, history, law, and prophecy.”
To prove the reliability and trustworthiness of the Bible, Professor Jimmy Williams* gave us three observable examinations. It states: “These tests are the bibliographic test, the internal test, and the external test. The first test examines the biblical manuscripts, the second test deals with the claims made by the biblical authors, and the third test looks to outside confirmation of the biblical content.”
Bibliographic Test. It was identified that there are over 19,000 copies of the New Testament in the Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages. The total supporting New Testament manuscript base is over 24,000 as compared to that written by Caesar, Aristotle and Plato which range from only one to twenty manuscripts.
The Jewish scribes held great reverence toward the Scriptures. Hence they exercised extreme care in making new copies of the Hebrew Bible. As a result, the quality of the manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible surpasses all other ancient manuscripts. With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, there has been significant evidence that the Hebrew scrolls match that which is found in the Bible today. The internal consistency of the New Testament documents is about 99% textually pure. That is an amazing accuracy.
Internal Test. The content analysis conducted has identified the biblical authors as primary spectators to the events around them and independent witnesses to that of Jesus Christ. What these authors observed were not mere folly or whims of belief but rather honest conviction. They maintained their testimony through both extreme persecution and martyrdom. The apostles believed so strongly in the Christ whom they preached that they suffered greatly to spread the Gospel. If the events were untrue, why would these men sacrifice their own lives?
External Test. This test in particular can be used when defending biblical accuracy to the so-called agnostic “intellectuals” who regard the Bible as a mere fairytale. The historical records by sources outside of the Bible conclusively prove the accuracy of biblical events. For example: The historical evidence of our Lord Jesus is confirmed by Roman, Greek and Jewish sources and citations. In addition, “the first-century Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus made specific references to John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and James in his Antiquities of the Jews” *. There has also been extra-biblical confirmation or reference to Jesus written “by an imprisoned Syrian named Mara Bar-Serapion” which compares three deaths: that of Socrates, Pythagoras and Christ.
Today’s misperception is that atheists and agnostics have an “intellectual high-ground” when it comes to scientific fact, understanding, reason and logic; the Christian viewpoint, on the other hand, is unfairly criticized as archaic in belief. However there are many concrete evidences that inherently prove the Bible’s unquestionable accuracy and thus, its authority. The question is: Are we willing to objectively examine the reliability of the Bible? When proven true, would we submit to its authority?
*http://bible.org/seriespage/defense-faith-are-biblical-documents-reliable
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...A Ready Defense
By Chaz Oswald, 21, Michigan
A while back, I was listening to a radio broadcast by the Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias. He shared about two homosexual women who had recently won a historic custody battle, against their previous husbands, for their children. These women claimed in a talk show that the Bible endorsed their lifestyle. A few women among the audience counterattacked by saying that the Bible condemns it. However the unfortunate resolution after much debate was that not a single Christian present could defend their position adequately with clear Scriptural evidence.
1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (ESV). But like the Christians in the talk show, there have been many incidences in my life where I have been ill equipped to defend my faith properly.
To be prepared, we need to be well equipped with a sound understanding of God’s Word. For God’s Word provides clear and practical answers to questions relating to how and why our Creator-God wants us to live our lives in certain manners. God’s answers are realistic and sensible. It is able to withstand the worldly arguments from the many schools of human thoughts, dogmas, religions, creeds, morals, ethics, and philosophies.
Therefore, I am preparing myself. I’m undertaking a personal project to deal with ten frequently asked questions by atheists. I am going to attempt an intellectual and doctrinally sound argument against each question from the atheistic offense and then end each defensive answer with a question we Christians can use as a related counterattack.
Many of our answers will come from the biblical text itself, so I believe that it is appropriate to begin by defending the question: “Is the Bible a reliable and trustworthy frame of reference?”
Please check out my upcoming post. Meanwhile, I would love to hear your thoughts. Do share them with me.
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Trapped
By Chaz Oswald, Michigan
There are many hunted species in the state of Michigan. But the one that intrigues me the most is the black bear. It is a beautiful animal that any hunter, after a stealthy kill, would be proud to display in his home. One technique for catching such a bear is to set metal trappings with scraps of what the black bear enjoys eating as bait. This metal trapping is a gruesome piece of machinery that has the appearance of a giant claw. It is bolted to the ground and snags the prey as quickly as the bear begins to indulge in the enticement laid before him.
Just like the hunter laying bear trap, Satan uses enticements to ensnare Christians. We must not only be vigilant against the traps he laid, but also be aware of the bait he uses—one of which is the world.
Our world has several role models who are poor in quality. Many celebrities and so-called “national idols” indulge in worldly pleasures and lusts. They are led by selfish desires that give way to sinful decisions. These decadent lifestyles are glamorized and telecast through various news mediums into the eyes and ears of our young generation. As a result, right moral behaviors are often deemed as boring and wrong is seen as exciting.
The world says to our generation that lying is okay as long as it is a white lie. We are led to believe that sex is permissible outside of marriage and there is nothing wrong with pre-marital sex or adultery. Abortions are seen as a convenient way to get rid of “unwanted baggage.” We believe in lucky pennies, daily horoscopes, bent spoons, and UFO’s. We believe that Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Mohammad, and ourselves. We believe Jesus “was a good moral teacher although we think His good morals were really bad. We believe that all religions are basically the same . . . they all believe in love and goodness” (Steve Turner, English Journalist, “Creed”). We have been deceived into believing that whoever dies with the most toys—cars, houses, lovers, and money—wins.
In essence, loving this world seems like an enchanting love story—just like a Disney fairytale. But be warned. What lies beneath the sweet allure is nothing but deception, lies, and filth when seen through the lens of Scriptures. The Bible says in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
The Scriptural command to resist the temptations of the world is clear. Yet, how are we to truly oppose our sinful nature that seems so set on craving after sin? We are told to put on the full armor of God. As mortals, we need God’s divine guidance, nature, and power to lead us against the dominion of darkness. God’s armor includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit. We put on God’s armor by spending time in prayer with Him, by listening to Him through reading the Bible, by attending church, meeting in fellowship with other believers, and through following His statutes and laws.
In closing, let us put on the Lord’s armor daily. Resist the devil’s trap, and do what is biblically right.
(6 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Latest Comments