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Is the Trinity in Philippians? Is Jesus Christ Almighty God?

August 21, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

This article is part of our series about what is stated concerning God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and whether they together comprise a Trinity, in the various books of the New Testament. We will examine the four chapter book of Philippians. Notice the distinctive relationship between God and Jesus throughout this book of Philippians, especially the superior role of God compared to Jesus. What does it say about the holy Spirit? Is the Trinity in Philippians?

“To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi.” (Philippians 1:1) God is always the one in control, and is using Christ to gather his people. read more

What is Memorial Day for Christians?

May 30, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

What is the real Memorial Day for Christians?

First Clue: It’s not the last Monday in May.
Second Clue: It’s not any date selected by humans.
Third Clue: It’s a celebration commanded by Jesus himself to be memorialized.
Fourth Clue: It’s not the Christianized pagan celebration of Easter.
Fifth clue: It’s not the meticulously calculated “Memorial of Jesus’ Death”, in which few to none partake of the wine and bread, as celebrated by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Sixth clue: It’s not a day to memorialize those who died in wars.

So what is it then?

“Then he took a loaf, gave thanks, and broke it in pieces, and gave it to them, and said, ‘This is my body which is to be given for you. Do this as a memorial to me.'” (Luke 22:19 Williams New Testament, emphasis added) “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup and said, ‘This cup is God’s new covenant, sealed with my blood. Whenever you drink it, do so in memory of me'” (1 Corinthians 11:25 GNB). “Do this in memory of me.” (Luke 22:19 NAB) Obviously, this is the unleavened bread, symbolizing Jesus’ body, partaken of by true Christians. This is the real Memorial Day for Christians. read more

Different Resurrection Appearances – ‘Proofs,’ or Contradictions?

May 17, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Some have claimed the different accounts of Jesus’ resurrection appearances in the four Gospels and 1 Corinthians are “proofs” these Bible books are riddled with errors and contradictions. If true, these would, in turn,” prove” the Bible not to be inspired of God, or infallible, as many Christians believe that it is.

The Bible itself says that these different resurrection appearances confirm the Bible’s inspiration by God.

“To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3 NKJV, emphasis added)

When people point out the differences in the reporting in the Gospels and 1 Corinthians of which individuals saw the resurrected Jesus and claim these are contradictions, they actually point out something that defeats their own argument. Rather than contradicting one another, the differences in the reporting actually show that these five different accounts are independent of one another. They were written, not in collusion with each other to fabricate a myth or legend, but by five different men who had different perspectives. Each of the writers accurately recorded the events they wrote about from their differing perspectives.

Two of these writers were “apostles whom He had chosen” during His earthly ministry, “to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:2-3 NKJV), namely Matthew and John. “Mark, my son in Christ,” as Peter called him, was his recorder of his eyewitness account, so Mark’s gospel is essentially the apostle Peter’s eyewitness account. (1 Peter 5:13 NCV) Luke, who was not an eyewitness himself, notes that others had “set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples.” (Luke 1:1-2 NLT) These writings were not legends, or rumors, they were accurate historical accounts based on eyewitness statements. Luke says that he, “having carefully investigated everything from the beginning … decided to write a careful account” (Luke 1:3 NLT), using accurate, truthful, factual material. Luke traveled extensively with the Apostle Paul, who had encountered the resurrected Jesus a couple of years after Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus personally selected Paul to be his “chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as the people of Israel.” (Acts 9:15 NLT) Paul and Luke, during their extensive travels, spent time with many of the original early Christians over a period of a number of years. Furthermore, the fact is that the “Spirit of the truth” would “guide [them] into all truth” (John 16:13 NLT), as Jesus promised. So it proved to be, the New Testament writings were guided by the holy Spirit.

Another point worth noting is that each writer had to be highly selective in choosing which material to record. Why? John, using hyperbole, explains in his endnote: “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 21:25 NIV, emphasis added) John also made a similar admission when he stated the purpose of his writing: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.” (John 20:30 NIV), emphasis added) So John plainly states there are multitudes of Jesus’ activities that he did not record. Although the synoptics do not explicitly state it, it is obvious also that they had to be highly selective about which of numerous events in Jesus’ life to record.

If each Gospel account was identical, then why would the New Testament not have but one Gospel book? In that case, there would be no need to waste all the time writing materials and make four copies of the same identical account. The reason the New Testament includes these four Gospels is because there are four independent, accurate accounts of Jesus’ life, with major emphasis on the events of the week leading up to his execution, and the events that follow.

If the differences in the four Gospels and 1 Corinthians concerned the main points, there may be some cause for concern. Let’s take an example of this. Mark’s Gospel in its original form ended at 16:8, and included no resurrection appearances of Jesus. The other three Gospels and 1 Corinthians do record resurrection appearances of Jesus, with variations. Is Mark’s omission here a contradiction? No, omission is not tantamount to contradiction, in, and of, itself. Notice two key points:

His resurrection is announced. (Mark 16:6)
One of his appearances is also announced, and the disciples are instructed accordingly. (Mark 16:7)

The four Gospels and 1 Corinthians are all in tight agreement on major points:

Jesus died for our sins in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. (1 Corinthians 15:3)
Jesus was buried. (1 Corinthians 15:4)
Jesus was resurrected on the third day, according to Old Testament prophecy. (1 Corinthians 15:4)
Jesus appeared to others in his resurrected state. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)

None of the four Gospels, or 1 Corinthians, individually, give all the details regarding Jesus’ resurrection appearances. These accounts supplement each other. No group of four or five witnesses, news reporters, or news outlets will give identical reports when reporting a series of major events. They will agree on the main points, but the details will differ.

Yes, the four Gospels and 1 Corinthians differ in their reporting of who saw the resurrected Jesus. Critics claim these differences amount to contradictions. However, this is actually not the case. Why not? For one thing, most of the reporting done in the five accounts lacks specific time references, which pulls the rug out from under the so-called “chronological contradictions.”

While carefully examining the five accounts of the witnesses of the resurrected Jesus, we can come up with who saw Jesus first, etc. (John 20:1-18) But the exact chronological order of these witnesses is not the major event. The event of gigantic proportions is the resurrection of Jesus.

One alleged contradiction is Paul’s list of witnesses in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. He lists Cephas (Peter) first, so critics claim this contradicts John’s account in which Mary Magdalene first meets the resurrected Jesus. However, looking carefully at Paul’s account, we notice that he does not say that Cephas (Peter) saw the risen Jesus first. Paul states “that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas.” (1 Corinthians 15:4-5 NIV) Paul writes factually, without giving every detail, including an exhaustive list of different witnesses.

As to the critics’ assertion that none of the writers of the four Gospels met with the risen Jesus, again, a careful examination of the evidence proves this to be an invalid objection, as follows:

“The apostles he had chosen” were given “many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days.” “The apostles he had chosen” included Gospel writers Matthew and John. Peter was also an apostle, and we know Mark was his writer for the second Gospel. (Acts 1:1-3 NIV)

Risen Jesus commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift…. Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem…. Those present were Peter, John… and Matthew.” (Acts 1:4, 12-13 NIV) They decided to select a replacement for Judas, “appointed to serve with us as a witness to his resurrection.” (Acts 1:22 NJB) The new apostle had to be one who had witnessed the risen Jesus, so he could “serve with us as a witness to his resurrection.” “Us” here included witnesses Matthew, Peter and John.

May 8, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Critics of the Bible claim there are no eyewitnesses of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. This article takes an objective look at the facts.

“[The Gospels] were written down thirty-five to sixty-five years after Jesus’ death . . . not by people who were eyewitnesses, but by people living later”—Jesus, Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millenneum, 2005, pages 44-45, by Bart Ehrman

“There is not a sentence concerning Jesus in the entire New Testament by anyone who had ever met the unwilling King of the Jews”—Jesus and Yahweh, 2005, page 19, by H. Bloom

These are common claims today by those who are considered to be scholars, and which are popularly believed by many. On the other hand, New Testament Bible writers tell a very different story.

“They were handed down to us by those who were eyewitnesses”—Luke 1:2 NIV

“The original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us=&0=&

“We were eyewitnesses of his majesty”—2 Peter 1:16 NIV

“We have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life . . . We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard”—1 John 1:1-3 NIV)

Much importance is given today to eyewitness reports, but what about New Testament Bible writers? These writers claim to either be eyewitnesses themselves, or to use eyewitness testimony, in much of their writings. Who, and what, should we believe about all of this?

Many non-believers, skeptics and critics, do not doubt the existence of the historical Jesus. It is the miracles, and most importantly, his death and resurrection that they deny. But the Bible contains much evidence that should be examined by any honest-hearted skeptic, especially if they are truly open-minded enough to give it a fair chance. To assist with this, let’s take a look at the witnesses to Jesus’ execution, burial, empty tomb, and resurrected state.

The placement of witnesses is very important in proving things. Police reports give much importance to eyewitness statements. Many local news programs are titled “Eyewitness News.” The Gospels and letters (such as 1 Corinthians) were all written independently. There were no “rules,” such as requiring strict chronological listing of all witnesses of Jesus in his resurrected state. The writers of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and 1 Corinthians made true and accurate statements in their books. There are no false statements, even though there are divergences. Divergent accounts are not tantamount to contradictions, as some critics and skeptics assert. In fact, virtually identical accounts would be highly suspect to be collusion, so the divergences actually are a testimony to Biblical accuracy.

Notice the similarities among the four Gospel accounts:

There are named witnesses at Jesus’ execution site Friday afternoon.

There are named witnesses at his burial Friday near dusk.

There are named witnesses at his newly emptied tomb around sunrise on Sunday morning.

There are named witnesses of Jesus in his resurrected state (including 1 Corinthians, but excluding Mark, because Mark ends at 16:8. Verses 9-20 are spurious additions).

There are unnamed, anonymous witnesses in each of the above categories.

March 21, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Is there any evidence for the resurrection? — Is there any evidence for the death and resurrection of Jesus?

What scriptural evidence do we have about the resurrection of Jesus? What did people living in the first century think about reports of Jesus’ death and resurrection? Are there clues in the Bible as to whether the story is true or not? Let’s examine some Bible verses to find out.

Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:54-60; John 19:38-42– Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, prominent members of the Jewish ruling council, would have been well known in Jerusalem, as well as to Pilate. This could not be fiction, since this could easily be refuted, if false.

John 19:39,40 – Spices – 75 lbs – a very large amount, such as used in royal burials.

Matthew 27:57-60 – Buried just before the Sabbath, or evening. Big stone in front of the tomb. Jews rested on the Sabbath.

Matthew 27:62-66 –

“The chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate . . . ‘Take a guard,’ Pilate answered, ‘Go, make the tombs as secure as you know how.’ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard” (NIV). read more

Accurate Predictions of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

March 17, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Jesus' Resurrection — Was Jesus ‘ resurrection actually predicted with accuracy?

Predictions of the death and resurrection of Jesus can be found throughout the Old Testament, as well as in the New Testament by Jesus himself. Let’s examine a few of the scriptures in which these predictions can be found.

Old Testament Predictions of Jesus’ Execution, Death and Resurrection

Luke 24:44-47 – Jesus repeated the claims the Old Testament (OT) had predicted. (Luke 18:31-34; Acts 17:3; Acts 26:22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:4) read more

Is the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Almighty God?

October 11, 2016 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Shown below are some scriptures that are used to prove Jesus Christ is Almighty God. Let’s carefully examine these in the light of the scriptures.

Isaiah 9:6 – “Mighty God”. Notice that the scripture doesn’t call him “Almighty God”. It calls him “Mighty God”. Jesus is powerful, but not all-powerful. Almighty God told Moses, “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh” (Exodus 7:1 NKJV). The verse also predicts: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given”. “Child” and “son”cannot apply to Almighty God because “God is spirit” (John 4:24), and “God is not human” (Numbers 23:19 NIV).

John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (NAB). “Was God: lack of a definite article with ‘God’ in Greek signifies predication rather than identification” (NAB note on John 1:1). That means that “was God” is a predicate description about Jesus, but does not identify him as Almighty God. Other translations render it as:—“what God was, the Word was” – REB ; “The Word was divine” – AAT; Moffat. Jesus admitted, “I have come here from God” (John 8:42 NIV), so he couldn’t be Almighty God.

John 1:14 – Jesus “became flesh,” so Trinitarians call him “God-man.” But consider, thousands of people saw Jesus, and, “God is not human” (Numbers 23:19 NIV). In fact, Jesus said: “God is spirit” (John 4:24).

John 1:18 – “No one has seen God at any time” ( NASB). Obviously, Jesus wasn’t, and couldn’t be, God Almighty, since, “No one has ever seen God” (1 John 4:12 NIV).

Romans 9:5 – “the Messiah, who is God over all” (NIV). However, “Paul’s point is that God when is over all aimed to use Israel, which had been entrusted with every privilege, in outreach to the entire world through the Messiah” (NAB note). Notice how this verse can be accurately translated: “theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, the Messiah. God who is over all be blessed forever” (NAB). “from them by natural descent came the Messiah. May God, supreme over all be blessed.” – REB – This verse is also incorrectly translated in some other translations to make it appear that Jesus, the Messiah, is God. The way many translations render this verse, “the Messiah, who is God over all,” contradicts the Trinity doctrine itself. “In this Trinity . . . None is greater, or less, than another. But the whole three Persons are . . . coequal” (Athanasian Creed). The accurate rendering of Romans 9:5, “the Messiah. God who is over all,” harmonizes with other scriptures, such as: “One God and Father of all, who is over all” (Ephesians 4:6).

Colossians 2:9 – “In him, in bodily form, lives divinity (not God) in all its fullness” – NJB; see also CSB; NAB. “And in Christ you have been brought to =&0=&If having God’s fullness made one God, then Christians would be God also, because they “have been brought to fullness.”.

Colossians 1:19 – “because God wanted all fullness to be found in him” (NJB; others). It was God’s decision and action that caused his “fullness” to be in Jesus.

Colossians 3:1 – “Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (NAB). Obviously, Christ is not God, but is at “his right hand”.

2 Peter 1:1 – ” . . . the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (KJV). “Symeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of equal value to ours through the righteousness of our God and the savior Jesus Christ” (NAB margin). ” . . . through the righteousness of our God and the Savior Jesus Christ” (NRSV margin). ” . . . given through the saving justice of our God and of the Savior Jesus Christ” (NJB margin). (This verse is translated differently in many translations, making it appear that Jesus Christ is Almighty God). ” . . . of our God, and the savior, Jesus Christ” (Concordant Literal Translation). ” . . . of our God, and savior Jesus Christ” (Phillips). ” . . . of our God, and savior Jesus Christ” (Weymouth). That two different individuals are referred to is made clear by these accurate translations, as well as the very next verse:

2 Peter 1:2 – “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” – God and Jesus are different individuals, separate and distinct.

Matthew 1:23 – “they will call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.'” – NJB. Twice in context, we’re told his name is Jesus (1:21,25; 2:1) – Does not mean Jesus is God. See the list of Hebrew names that incorporate God’s name (i.e. Jehu means “Yahweh is He” (2 Kings 9:2)), in the article on this website entitled, “Is Jesus Christ Almighty God?—Matthew”.

Luke 1:31,32,35 – “You shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High . . . the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (NAB) – This is who the angel said he was, not God. “Son of the Most High” means that Jesus is not “the Most High,” but is his “Son.” “The Son of God” is certainly not God Almighty. In the Bible, Jesus is never called “God the Son,” an unscriptural term that Trinitarians like to use.

Hebrews 1:3 – “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (NIV). “Radiance” and “representation” are terms that indicate that Jesus is not God, but that he is like God. “He is the reflection of God’s glory.” NJB – Obviously, he couldn’t be God. An image in a mirror is not the same as the original, not even equal to it..

Hebrews 1:8 – “But of the Son he says, ‘God is your throne forever and ever'” (NRSV margin). “God is your throne.” – AAT; Moffat. (translation issue, with many translations rendering the verse: “Your throne, O God,” making it appear that Jesus is God). This verse quotes Psalm 45:6, which can be accurately rendered, “Your throne is from God” (NJB).

Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:34,41 – Demons acknowledged Jesus was “the Son of God” or “the Holy One of God”, but never said that Jesus was God Himself.

Mark 14:61-64 – Saying he is “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One…the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One,” obviously means he is a different person than his Father, since the Son is different from the Father, and sitting at the right hand of God sets him apart from God also.

Daniel 7:13,14 NASB- Referencing Jesus as the “Son of Man” who “approached the Ancient of Days” and “was given authority…so that all people would obey him” also means he is not the Ancient of Days, not “God”, who is “from eternity” (Psalm 90:2 NJB), not “Yahweh”, who “never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB), but he is the Son.

John 8:58 – “Before Abraham was born, I am,” is not even good English, it’s in the wrong tense of the verb, because it is wrongly translated. Nevertheless, Trinitarians often use this verse to “prove” Jesus is God by connecting this “I am” to the “I Am” of Exodus 3:14. A better translation of John 8:58 is: “before Abraham was even born, I have always been alive” (NLT margin). This shows that the issue was Jesus’ age, not his identity. It should more accurately rendered: “I existed before Abraham was born” – AAT; Moffat.; CBW.

John 17:5 – “Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” – NIV ftn. – Obviously an inferior [Jesus] speaking to a superior [God].

Revelation 1:17-18 – “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead.” This Jesus could not be God since Habakkuk 1:12 says God “will never die.”

John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd,” does not make Jesus God, since the context says:

John 10:15 – “The Father knows me”

John 10:17 – “my Father loves me”

John 10:18 – “This command I received from my Father.”

John 10:36 – “I am the Son of God”. Jesus was accused of ‘making himself God’ (John 10:33), and his refutation of that here in verse 36 is clear proof that Jesus did not claim to be God.

Obviously there are two people here in these scriptures. Jesus was with the Father (John 1:2), who is superior, prior to coming to earth, and who cannot die (Habakkuk 1:12), whereas Jesus died (1 Corinthians 15:3), and “was dead” (Revelation 1:18) for a time. So there is a distinct difference between them.

Matthew 25:31-33 – Yes, the Son of Man, not the Ancient of Days, will do the judging. Why?

John 5:27 – Because the Father has given the Son of Man, Jesus, authority to do the judging.

John 8:12 read more

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