Firstly a couple of important introductory points:-
1) The video speaker Joshua Evans was never a Christian youth minister
The video title claims the speaker was a former
minister or youth minister but this is clearly not true for the below
reasons:-
a) He never claims to have been a minister
throughout the entire video
Although he makes mention of an older friend of his
who was a youth minister and studied at Bob Jones University (perhaps this is
the confusion) he himself never mentions he was a minister of any kind
b) He was only active in Church between the ages
of 13-16
He says that he never listened to the Sunday sermon growing up and
only really started calling himself a Christian when he started attending youth
services which he says at time 5:00 in the video was about 13/14 years old. He
also states that after rejecting Christianity and researching other world religions
he became disillusioned at the age of 17. (listen to the 36th minute in the
video) Assuming he spent a year researching other religions he would have been
16 when he left Church. Being so young, with no formal qualifications, no
church would ever make him a minister of any kind.
2) The Bible needs to be understood and applied not just read
2) The Bible needs to be understood and applied not just read
Christians do not see the Bible as simple a
book to read or recite but rather one that needs to be understood and applied
to our lives. The book of James 1:25 says:- “But whoever looks intently
into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting
what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”
It is good that while in his teens Mr Evans read the whole Bible but that does not make him a Bible expert, the key is to understand what it says.
Now to respond to some of his key points:- It is good that while in his teens Mr Evans read the whole Bible but that does not make him a Bible expert, the key is to understand what it says.
1) Does the Bible say Noah was an alcoholic?
Mr Evans claims that the Bible describes Noah as
an Alcoholic which therefore casts doubt that he would ever be capable of
building the ark or hearing from God. Does the Bible really say this?
The only mention of Noah drinking alcohol is after the flood had happened. We read in Genesis 9:20-21:-
“Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.”
This passage tells us that after the flood Noah got drunk on wine on ONE occasion. (Potentially he may have even been unaware of the affects of fermented grape juice, ‘proceeded’ could mean ‘was the first person to’) To suggest that Noah was a lifelong alcoholic because he got drunk on one occasion towards the end of his life is unfair.
2) The Bible claims the prophets of the Old Testament committed great sins
The Bible is clear about what God’s standards are – for example you shouldn’t get drunk, you should only sleep with your wife and you should have only one wife. It is true that despite this we do read in the Bible that Noah got drunk, that Lot slept with his daughters and that King David, already with many wives, murdered another man, Uriah, so that he could get his wife. So how do we respond to these flawed Prophets?
Every Prophet in the Bible is shown to have sin in their lives despite all the other great things they accomplish for God. This shows us one great truth – we all need forgiveness from God, we all need a Saviour. If any of God’s prophets showed us a perfect picture of following God then we may be tempted to think it is possible to please God based on our own obedience but every prophet who ever lived before the time of Jesus always shows us one great lesson – no-one is ever good enough to obey God as they should. We need a Saviour.
Matthew 1:21 says:- “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus [which in Greek means ‘The Lord Saves’] because he will save his people from their sins.”
3) Does the Old Testament makes no mention of the trinity ?
God reveals himself increasingly over time. We understand more about God after reading the New Testament that if we just read the Old Testament. However the Old Testament does speak of God as both being one and somehow many.
A couple of examples:-
Genesis 1:26 “Let US make man in OUR image, in OUR likeness so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air…”
Notice that God refers to himself in the plural 3 times in this verse describing the creation account.
Isaiah 6:8-10 “Also I heard the voice of the LORD, saying: Whom shall I SEND, and who will go for US?”
In the same sentence God refers to himself as both one (‘I’) and somehow plural (‘US’)
4) Does Jesus say anything about the trinity?
The only mention of Noah drinking alcohol is after the flood had happened. We read in Genesis 9:20-21:-
“Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.”
This passage tells us that after the flood Noah got drunk on wine on ONE occasion. (Potentially he may have even been unaware of the affects of fermented grape juice, ‘proceeded’ could mean ‘was the first person to’) To suggest that Noah was a lifelong alcoholic because he got drunk on one occasion towards the end of his life is unfair.
2) The Bible claims the prophets of the Old Testament committed great sins
The Bible is clear about what God’s standards are – for example you shouldn’t get drunk, you should only sleep with your wife and you should have only one wife. It is true that despite this we do read in the Bible that Noah got drunk, that Lot slept with his daughters and that King David, already with many wives, murdered another man, Uriah, so that he could get his wife. So how do we respond to these flawed Prophets?
Every Prophet in the Bible is shown to have sin in their lives despite all the other great things they accomplish for God. This shows us one great truth – we all need forgiveness from God, we all need a Saviour. If any of God’s prophets showed us a perfect picture of following God then we may be tempted to think it is possible to please God based on our own obedience but every prophet who ever lived before the time of Jesus always shows us one great lesson – no-one is ever good enough to obey God as they should. We need a Saviour.
Matthew 1:21 says:- “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus [which in Greek means ‘The Lord Saves’] because he will save his people from their sins.”
3) Does the Old Testament makes no mention of the trinity ?
God reveals himself increasingly over time. We understand more about God after reading the New Testament that if we just read the Old Testament. However the Old Testament does speak of God as both being one and somehow many.
A couple of examples:-
Genesis 1:26 “Let US make man in OUR image, in OUR likeness so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air…”
Notice that God refers to himself in the plural 3 times in this verse describing the creation account.
Isaiah 6:8-10 “Also I heard the voice of the LORD, saying: Whom shall I SEND, and who will go for US?”
In the same sentence God refers to himself as both one (‘I’) and somehow plural (‘US’)
4) Does Jesus say anything about the trinity?
As in the Old Testament Jesus does affirm that
God is one but he also affirms clearly that God is more than just one, he
himself claims to be God:-
John 17:1- “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you”
John 8:58-59- “Very truly I tell you” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born I am!” At this they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself..” [The Jews who were questioning Jesus wanted to stone him because they understood that he was claiming to be God]
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
Jesus affirms that God is one but also that he is many in some way. He prays to the Father in heaven while also declaring to people on earth that he himself is God.
5) Does Jesus only speak of obeying the commandments as the way to follow God?
Jesus repeatedly claims that we must have faith in him as God’s son to be saved. For example Jesus says:-
John 3:14-18 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
6) Unnamed professor claims Bible is put together by trial and error
I disagree with the professor in question and can name many other professors who also would disagree. Since the professor is unnamed I cannot discuss any further.
John 17:1- “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you”
John 8:58-59- “Very truly I tell you” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born I am!” At this they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself..” [The Jews who were questioning Jesus wanted to stone him because they understood that he was claiming to be God]
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
Jesus affirms that God is one but also that he is many in some way. He prays to the Father in heaven while also declaring to people on earth that he himself is God.
5) Does Jesus only speak of obeying the commandments as the way to follow God?
Jesus repeatedly claims that we must have faith in him as God’s son to be saved. For example Jesus says:-
John 3:14-18 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
6) Unnamed professor claims Bible is put together by trial and error
I disagree with the professor in question and can name many other professors who also would disagree. Since the professor is unnamed I cannot discuss any further.
No comments:
Post a Comment