Christian Apologetics
Jason Hu
and HH Ko
I.
Prolegomena
A.
Definition of Apology
1.
Apologetics
2.
Apologists
3.
apo ( from) logia (word) : apologia ; a speech, defence, apology
4.
Apology in the bible:
·
To defend: Lk 12:11; 21:14;
Act 19: 33 ;25:8; 26: 1.2.24;
Rom 2:15; 2Co 12:19.
·
Defence (apologia) :
Act 22:1; 25:16; 1 Co 9:3; 2 Co 7:11; Phl 1:7.16; 2
Tim 4:16; 1 Pet 3:15.
B.
Two fronts of Apology
1.
Active Apology: Jude 3, “to contend earnestly
for the faith - How? By the spoken word and writing.”
2.
Passive Apology: 1 Pet 3.15, “But sanctify the
Lord God in your hearts [the foundation of apology], and always be ready to give a defence to
everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and
fear [attitude]; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as
evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be
ashamed.”[purpose]
C.
The Categorizations of Apology
There are three different
directions / fields of apology:
1.
DENOMINATIONAL Dimension : Within the Christianity
Main theme: True Jesus Church is
the only one true church.
2.
RELIGIOUS Dimension: Within the World religions
Main theme: Christianity is the
only one true religion among the different religions: Buddhism, Muslim, Judaism
and Hinduism.
3.
IDEOLOGICAL Dimension : Within the Philosophy
Main them: Biblical
God is The Only One True God
contra the different worldviews: Theism, Deism, Atheism, Philosophy {moral},
Science, etc.
D.
Summary by Chart
E.
The purpose of Apology
1.
You have to understand what they believe.
2.
You have to know what you believe.
3.
You have to compare both. – Need for Spiritual
Cultivation
F.
The Attitude of Apology
1.
Love – Edify
2.
Knowledge
3.
If you compare with Jesus, dare not become proud.
Speaking the truth but with love
4.
As a good soldier of Christ Jesus (2 Tim 2:3-4):
·
endure hardship with co-worker
·
not involved in civilian affairs
·
to please our commanding officer
G.
Four types of the interaction of the religions
1.
Exclusivism
e.g. Judaism, Islam
2.
Inclusivism e.g.
Justin the Martyr; will go to mainstream
3.
Pluralism e.g. New Age Movement; Different
person different way same goal
4.
Syncreticism e.g.
Transformation and Integration; everything is allowable
What type is TJC?
We are absolute not as
individuals but collective.
H.
Three elements of science:
1.
Reproducibility
2.
Manageability
3.
Observability
Not every one who is a scientist
believes in scientism.
Scientism – verification through
observation and testing/experimentation.
I.
Two methods of study
1.
Induction
2.
Deduction
II.
Apology of Ideological Dimension
A.
Revelation, Reason and Faith
B.
The Existence of God
1.
”Five
Ways” of Thomas Aquinas - - A posteriori proofs
for God
2.
“ Ontological Proof ” of Anselm of Canterbury -
- A priori proofs for God
3.
Biblical Evidence
General Revelation :Rom 1:19f; Act 14:17; Jer
31:35; 33:20
Special Revelation : Jer
7:14; Gen 1:26f; 6:3;
Ecc3:11; Mat 1: 21-23; Jn 1:14; 14:16-24; 16:1-16;
Rom 8:12-17; 2 Cor 1:20-22; 1 Jn
2:27
C.
God and Evil
D.
Theistic Apologetics
1.
Deism
2.
Pantheism
3.
Panentheism
4.
Atheism
5.
Theism – Open Theism
6.
Henotheism
7.
Polytheism
E.
God and Creation
Creation or Evolution
·
Atheist
·
Naturalist
·
Scientist
·
Evolution in Christianity, Theological Evolution
III.
Apology of the Religious Dimension
Apology we have to know the
denominations. Second part of Apology is faced with different religions. Our
God is not the same as Buddhism, Judaism (They have not Jesus). The last part
is the philosophical world. Theism, Scientism.
A.
Hinduism
If we want to know Hinduism, we
need to go to India.
This land is big. History of this land: [See topics 674, 692]. Few people
believe in Jesus. Christianity in India. About 2k yrs ago. Aryan
wanted to kill people who are not Aryan [see Topics 24970 and 26588].
They moved from the North to the South. They moved from Iran. The
Arabians had the same language family as the Aryans. They go from Europe to the
South of Russia, Iran and
then to North India.
This tribe is Aryan. North part of India
are Caucasians (White). In Africa there
are some which are light black, result of mixing with black people). Aryan can
be saved from persecution from Hitler. Mixed with Iran. Before they came, there were
local Indians. They control the whole country later on. In the history of
Hinduism there are many different periods.
Origin Hinduism – Caste
system. They divided the society in four groups:
1.
Brahma is the god’s name. The people are called Brahmana.
2.
Rajanya [or Kshatriya]
3.
Vaisya
4.
Sudra: slaves.
Their gods also have
hierarchies. Custom is if you are born as Brahma then you will enjoy life, as
opposed to Sudra, a life of poverty.
The highest god is Brahman.
It is a principle. God covering everything. The highest god. All the principles
comes from Brahman. Mainstream of Hinduism is Brahmism. Hinduism is not one religion. Within are many
religions. All things come from Brahma. This god is the highest god in
all Hinduism. Under hinduism.
They are all under one Canon Bhagavad Gato – godhead three in one [Triadum],
no one can see, approach, touch. If you have not the thinking to defend, then you will lose yourself.
God must come to the world so we
can see. There are two gods. One is Siva the great god, male god [Mahadeva]. Origin of Siva was female god. All these
religions are immoral. Siva was a family name. This –a was
a female god, having the appearance of male and female body parts. And the
other one is Vishnu. These three gods combined together form the godhead of Brahamanism.
You can worship them
individually. They are separate. And yet they are in one. In the religion,
Indian people they believe they believe in one god. For the monotheism /
henotheism belief in one god. We are monotheism. This god is the only one true
god. From before, today, and future. But henotheism believes one true god. But
for them this one true god they worship in this one moment I worship this god,
this is my one true god. And ten years later, I will worship another god. This
god is also one true god. In this field of healing, this god is the highest one
for healing. And now I need money, I go to a money god. Etc. Therefore I am not
forsaking my first god, just putting them aside. In Hinduism there are no
problems. They are mutually tolerant. They see worshipping as their needs.
Inside Hinduism they do not have any doctrinal problems. [If we see fighting
among the Indians, is not because of religion rather different tribes, etc].
Therefore they can say to you that Jesus can be a guru or even Brahma. In their
thinking that there are many gods.
The reincarnated forms of the god
in Hinduism. The god of Hinduism. They can come back again and again. This is
the fighting place for the gods. Vishnu – The great male god combined with
female bodily parts. He manifest in ten forms. Why? Every time they come to the
earth, they fight, getting bigger and bigger, more powerful, each time round.
This is adopted by New Age Movement. (1) Fish (2) Turtle. (3) Boar. (4) Lion
(Evolutionary). (5) Dwarf. They become
human. Through fighting they get more energy. (6) Rama – charioteer. (7) Rama – king. The
skin is green. [Seventh Reincarnation]. (8) Krishna
(warrior), more intelligent than Rama. (9) Buddha – enlightened one (10)
Unknown.
Therefore the people submit
themselves to each other. They use it to control the society. Their wish is
that though this life is miserable, then there is the patience to submit to a
higher power, seeing it as an temporal matter, agreeing
with the thought it was the fault of their ancestors or whatever it was to
cause them to be degraded to such a state.
Such thinking comes to Buddhism.
This influences many Chinese. Karma – from Hinduism. Basic from Buddhism is
Hinduism. Then later on classification of more steps. Hinduism – Elephant,
Sun-god. Other gods will come to the earth. Vishnu come to the earth – uses cow
as the vehicle. They honour the cow but do not worship the cow.
New Age Movement learn from Hinduism from Aryan. Gods of the European
continent. From all these religions, purpose of your life, there are four.
Canon of Hinduism –
Mahabharata – Story of conflict
between two families. Four purpose in your life (1) artha (work) (2)
kama
(enjoy, love, sensual) (3) Dharma
(the principle of righteousness) (4) Moksha (release) into the Ultimate Reality. Final purpose in
your life. Selbsterlosung. Nirvana
Cosmology in Hinduism – Mormonism
must come tot he earth there is no power. Finally Satan the wicked people they
have no body, they have lost themselves eternal. Why God is powerful? He is the
first one to get the body from the earth. And through this earth, god will be
powerful. They see the earth as the tool to become more powerful. Therefore the
heaven on earth. Indian god need to enter the earth to fill all things.
Mormonism needs to put on the body of this world, so as to fill all in all. So
that the people on earth will become his instruments so that he can defeat the
Satan. Those who are saved have three places. Best on earth, etc. The first one
and the only one and the highest one. Anthropology
Cosmology of Hinduism – The main
body is the earth. There are seven levels of heaven. Under the earth, there are
seven levels of hell. They are combined together. All the demons are in hell.
The gods live in heaven. Seven levels seven different levels of power. Through moksha – depending on yourself, you can go to first heaven.
But then heaven in Hinduism is not forever.
The earth is like an egg.
How long this universe will
continue to exist? It is not everlasting. For example you go to the two
millions years, you enjoy life there, you must go to Samsara.
Anthropology – 5 Mahabhata – spirits come into body. They think how big is your soul, it is as big as your thumb. In the earth there
is no end. Through the Samsara. Though it is like
this, because the cosmos comes from Brahma. This universe is the whole body of
Brahma. And also Brahma is the principle of the whole universe. This is the
broadest view of Brahma. But however he has Year of the Brahma. This universe
is only 100 Brahman years. After this time disappears (1 Brahma years = 360
Brahma day = 1 Kalpa (BD) = 8640m human years. 1 Kalpa =
14 world periods. 1 Manvantara = 71 steps; 1 Step = 4
Yuga.
31104 X 1010.
Religious Life – Pilgrim: They go
to river to bathe. Worshipping of nature: mountains, rivers, etc. Why? Gods
become mountains. Because all the universe is the body
of the gods. Therefore the gods reincarnate to mountains, etc. For these are
mightier than any human being. For example, Himalaya
is the wife of Shiva. And Shiva’s wife is called parati.
Ganges - concubine of Siva.
Denominations in Hinduism.
Differences between Biblical
Truth and Hinduism:
1.
Jesus is the only way (Jn
14.6). Salvation from Jesus è No saviour. Through themselves. Self-release. Salvation through
individual.
2.
Godhead: One true God, beside this God there is
no other (Isa 44-46). è
You can change according to your situation.
3.
Theory: Absolute è Inclusivism (they can accept every theory, through Hinduism
go to Nirvana) + Pluralism.
4.
Religious Life of the people: è Faith is individual. They have prayers, but no
intercessions. You need to pray for yourself and no one pray for you. They have
Nirvana, but no organised religion. In Buddhism there are no
organisation to preach, unlike Christianity. Not an ‘organised’
religion. Samsara is for the individual. No one can
help you.
B.
Buddhism
·
563 BC (not certain, some say 566 BC. Buddha is
not his name).
·
Name of the Founder: During his lifetime: Siddharta [forename] Gautama [surname]. Later on in life: Sakya (tribe) muni (sage). After
he died: Gautama Buddha
·
His father was a king of a small country. Age of
16 married. Princess and had children. Father saw his son does not want to be
king. And his son want to meditate. And then build for
him three palaces, and give him 4,000 concubines. So that he forgets
meditation. One day he go out and his father limits.
Then he observed an elderly crippled man. And thought about his
own fate. And then he observed about funeral. And then the pains of
giving birth. Foundation of life is suffering. Life, Old, Sick, Death
(elementary suffering). But we also create suffering for ourselves.
·
Separating from those you love.
·
Living with people you hate.
·
Dissatisfaction (external)
·
Unfilled senses (internal)
·
29 years old
·
In the evening, he fled from his family after
witnessing a revelation. Shaved his hair. Wore ragged clothes. No one knew he
was a prince. From then onwards he began to search the right way. In the beginning,
six or seven years later,
·
First period; Visited the Brahma Guru - Attended
the Raja Yoga – learned meditation and philosophy
·
Second period: Self meditation and self
discipline – Book says, every day he just eat one bean. Motto: one day one
bean. Two characteristic
·
Stomach – he can touch his spine.
·
No bath – dust from his body just flaked off
·
Fell into a coma - Ascetism is
not use for the truth.
·
Third period: start to meditate under the Po Tree.
·
Temptation: (1) Three beautiful, sexy, naked
women come to him (2) demons become gods of death wanting to catch him. Wind
and Rain mountain storm like fire attacking him. And
Gautama his heart unmoved. Surpassing human senses, when it touches him become
flowers (3) Question:
The demon ask him: Sadita, where comes your privilege
to become like Buddha. Sikya muni:
the earth gave a sound like thunder. From earth many voices, 100, 1000, 10,000
voices, “We are the witness.”
·
May, during the full moon, night, Buddha. He was
very happy. He went to Coma (for the second time). And after forty-nine days he
became Buddha.
·
486 BC 15th March – Sarira. The tooth of Buddha. Originally there were two teeth
of Buddha.
·
Sikya Muni is a tribal name. The name of a sage. Greatest Holy
Teacher – Confucius. He is a person. After he died he had more than 1,000
believers. 1st century BC became Buddha, when he became more
mysterious. He ade three manifestations - (a) Dharmakaya –
spirit or soul filled the universe [spiritual] (b) Sambkoga
Kaya – symbolic buddha
[symbolic] (c) Nirmana Kaya
[historical]. Comparable to the Christian Trinity.
·
Buddhism – Point of View. Succeed from Hinduism.
·
Later Buddha they have 32 images [ characteristics ] (a) arms longer than his legs past his
knee joint (b) hand is just like palm from swan (c) ear is so big that his
tongue can touch it (d) skin soft and smooth, does not need to clean his skin
(e) golden skin. Ten titles:
·
Titles of Buddha: (a) Tathagata
[go and comes as he wills] (b) Buddha (c) Bhagavat
[whole world honour him] (d) Arham [your trouble and suffering
cease] {Senior Monk}.
1.
Doctrine of Buddhism:
·
There are many tribes, Denominations and
Divisions among the Buddhism. But they
have the same Basic Doctrine
·
Four Truths
·
Suffering (8) refer to primary and secondary
sufferings in life
·
Cause of suffering – Why everyone must suffer?
Everything has a hetu
(reason, cause). You bring this seed out. Pratyaya (result). They cannot
explain the first hetu.
This one of the main differences between Christianity and Buddhism. They use
law of causality to build their theory of reincarnation. Human history is
linear according to Christianity. Buddhism there is no beginning or ending,
unlike the Christianity. If we go to the thinking world of reincarnation. How
do we convince them that reincarnation is wrong? How do we take them out of the
wrong mental assumed environment?
·
Suffering ceases when desire ceases – (eternal
circle)
·
Confuse à
Karma (seed) à Cause (effect) –
Confusion (to further confusion) - Confuse à
Karma (seed) à Cause (effect) –
Confusion (to further confusion) - Confuse à
Karma (seed) à Cause (effect) –
Confusion (to further confusion) - Confuse à
Karma (seed) à Cause (effect) –
Confusion (to further confusion), etc.
·
Twelve different
Causes
·
Eight Ways – Eight Paths
·
Three Steps - (1) Regular (2) Meditation (3)
Wisdom (empty)
·
Canon
·
Regulations
·
Writings
·
Fundamental Differences
Christian Buddhism
·
History Linear Circle
·
Saviour Jesus Self
·
Five
·
Heavenly eye will be open. See through death and
birth.
·
Heavenly ear will be open.
·
Heavenly understanding will be open.
·
Heavenly knowledge (past and future)
·
Physical being to spiritual
·
Arrive at Nirvana.
·
Nirvana – Suffering cease when desires ceased
2.
Suffering
3.
Cause and Effect
4.
Eight paths
5.
Nirvana
Not good not bad. Correct the
idea.
6.
Reincarnation
Six levels –
7.
HEAVENLY PATH
Many heavens is
mountain.
SamsaraMountain.
Nirvana
Level without material:
Level of Eighteen Steps: Before
Buddha come into this world, he live in this world. All beauty
Level of Desire – Male and Female
Conclusion: Their heavenly life
is limited not forever.
8.
HUMAN PATH (Manusya) – They have no first
cause. Heaven existed longer than the earth. Abhasvara.
They come to earth to enjoy. They can fly. Meat on earth. They lost their
energy to fly back. They eat too much. Origin of humans were
gods come to the earth. Through incarnation: you marry your grand grand grandmother. Relationships to surpass by those of monks.
World will become worse.
9.
A [without] sura
[wine] (evil spirits) living under the SemuruMountain. They fight with the gods in
the heavens. Heavenly ghost / demons.
10.
Tirzana (way of the
animals)
11.
Goats (preta) Hungry demons – ephagus. It is as narrow as the
needle. But their stomach is so big [paradox]
a.
Naraka (Hell) The Eight Great Naraka
(Hot Hell) 8thAvici – Hottest
b.
The Eight Cold Hell
c.
Isolated Hell
12.
Yama (male); Yami (female)
C.
Judaism
Rom 11:25
Acts 28:24-25
Do the Israelites have a
different way to be saved? Finally the whole family will be saved.
After Jesus there are no
differences between Jews and Gentiles, everyone need to be baptised. End o the
world, if they want to be saved, they have to be baptised, like Peter, Preacher
Ko, etc. The Jewish people have a different way. They have a special way. They
protect that they are the chosen people. Covenant.
They concentrate in the holy land.
Their focus is on the holy land. This is the beginning of Judaism. Fighting in
the Middle East.
LutheranChurch
believes that the Jews have a different way to be saved. As long as they
believe that Jesus is the Messiah, confess, they will be saved.
Eph 2 Jews and Gentiles become
one.
Summarizing of Judaism in 13
Articles
1.
Believe in the existence of the creator and
providence
2.
Believe in his unity
3.
Believe in his incorporality
4.
Believe in his eternity
5.
To him worship due
6.
Believe in the word of the prophets
7.
Moses was the greatest of all prophets
8.
Believe in the revelation of the law on mount
Sinai
9.
Immutable of the law
10.
God is omniscient
11.
Retribution of this world and here after
12.
Coming of Messiah
1.
Messianic Age
a.
Era – Characteristic in the Messianic age.
b.
Jesus changed their thoughts. In the Messiah is
coming, Jews will be released from all enemies. Political ideal. Messiah
combined with David together, “Son of David.” The resurrection of the dead is
physical. And in this time, in the age of Messiah, physical life can no longer
die. Who will be resurrected? (1) Those who are buried in the holy land – esp.
around the HolyCity [What is the basis of the origin of
this belief?]
c.
What Adam lost was the Paradise, humanity
will once again receive this.
d.
Messianic Age is on earth, without sin, God will
abolish all things. Naked.
2.
Salvation
a.
Messiah will come to release them.
b.
Heschel – Parable == We human we cannot depart from evil by ourselves. Crane –
went to the pool. Muddy. With your own method then you will not be able to escape
the trap of sin.
If they reach 13 years old they
become the son of the commandment*
Barmtzvah
– a son of the commandment
Pray three times a day.
Only ten people there > son of
commandments – They can have a meeting or service. They can only wait. Ten righteous
people. Keep Sabbath without service. Order of Services have
a greater content.
Three times a year pilgrimages
are made to the temple. Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacle
3.
New Year
Prayer of a man and woman are
done differently.
In Jesus’ time it is easy to
divorce. Go home is getting older, Miss Flower, Your wife cook you can divorce.
4.
Summary
a.
Gal 4.1-8 – Remain in the old time, young, as a child,
but now fulfilled we must accept Jesus as our Saviour, the morning star
b.
2 Cor 3.12 (Veil over
their hearts)
c.
Rom 10.2 Zeal no knowledge/truth
d.
Rom 9-11 (Fate of Jewish people)
e.
Rev 1-22 Where is the last war?
D.
Muslims
1.
There are 3 fields in the Muslim Culture World.
They want to build – from politics.
·
Umma or Ummah – Holy Union
[Balkans States]
·
Arabian
·
Arab
2.
What means Muslim?
·
Are not those people who are of Mohammed. But Islam, those who obey true God. They believe
in the one true God. If you want to know the Muslim. Now is
the culture world and the origin of the Arabs and origin of Muslim.
·
Arabian – Descendents of Abraham, from Ishmael.
·
Gen 21.19 zam zam meca mecca.
·
The Tent belonged for wife???
·
Mohammed times they (1) worshipped stones and
(2) ancestral worship and they (3) honoured evil spirits. “Jinn” one of the
highest one.
·
In Mecca
there is a stone called Kabah. This stone came from
Heaven. Meteorite.
·
(4) Mohammed create a
high god: Allah.
3.
Mohammed / Muhammad
a.
Is not god, but Is the
one worthy to receive praise.
b.
Date of birth
(a)
AD 571/4/22
(b)
AD 570/8/29
(c)
AD 570/8/20
c.
Aba Allah
d.
6 years old became an orphan. Grandfather took
care of him. 8 years old, his grandfather passed away. His uncle took care of
him. 12 years old went to Syria. He met a Christian Monk. Learned religion
from Jews and Christians. At that time there were many other gods too. 15 / 20
years old – fighter. 25 years old employed by a Mecca widow, Khadiya.
They got married. Gave birth to six children. Fatima
and gave her to uncle son called Ali. After Khadiya
died, he had ten wives and two concubines. Among them, some are Jews,
Christians and Arabs.
e.
Sure / Sura – Why he
married so many wives+, he said for love.
4.
AD 610
a.
40 years old living in Mecca. Six miles from Mecca there was cave called Hira.
b.
Ramadan 9th month: Sura 96, 1-19.
c.
He will preach the truth. After two years, there
was revelation. AD 632 Allah revealed Koran. Sura 25,
33. Isa = Jesus. Read and write.
5.
Koran “read”
a.
Book for reading
b.
Allah revealed to Mohammed in parts. After he
received he went out to preach in Mecca.
No one believed. AD 622/7/16. Medina – gathered many people. Strategic. Mecca and Medina.
AD 622 fought every party to become chief. Muslim calendar, 2000 has not yet
been reached. B. 570 = D. 632/6/8. Muslim means a
follower and obedient to the Lord, who is Allah in his eyes. 190-193, 270.
Therefore a holy war. Twenty times in battle. 50 times involved in war.
IV.
Apology of Denominational Dimension
Case Study: 1 Co 12: 1-31
v.1-3
v. 4-11
Receiving of different gifts.
v. 12-31
All are together. This is the body of Jesus.
Ecumenical Movement aside from Catholic
Church.
Meeting up with apologist give you
a preconcept
The body of Jesus does not say
there is a church.
Church is not denomination, but
believers. Category is different.
A.
Godhead
1.
Attributes of God
Definition of Attribute
Through his works God shows us
something of himself. For example, creating the universe. Therefore we see him
as almighty. That is we name him the Creator. This is through God’s work what
we can know about God. We must see and experience. This is not his essence, but
his attribute.
Through his work we use reason to
understand. Can anyone believe in God without reason? No. Can a man through
reason know God? No. Then a discussion of reason and faith. Can we use only a
little reason? Can we use only reason? No. All these experiences we can
understand. The example of mother loving a child: accept the conclusion that
mother loves the child. The child feels love from the mother therefore it is a
logically and reasonable conclusion.
Therefore using our own reasoning
we may able to deduce and come to an understanding. Through God’s works we find
out the attributes of God. This is the process by everyone that uses their
reason. In evangelism we use this too. To know the attributes of God. For
example, footprints. How do we know there was someone there? Through our
reason. Looking at the universe, it is like a footprint, we know that someone must
have created it. From effect we learn the cause. And that cause we name him as
God. From this attribute we find the essence of God.
2.
Essence of God
From God’s works we see the act.
But from his attributes, we know the essence of God, that
is the divine nature. We see the universe; we know that God is Creator. We know
that everything is in order. We know that God is almighty. We receive healing.
We know God, healer of our disease, is love. There is act and there is love. We
know the attribute of God is creator. We cannot create all this. Only God can.
This method of reasoning is
limited that the works of God does not represent all his works. Because our
knowledge is limited. Therefore we cannot limit the works of God to our
knowledge. It is just like when we see a couple, twice at the most, and then we
make a conclusion. But then this conclusion is only partially true.
Generalising is wrong. To say that something we have observed is always what we
observed.
Those who use this method. Method
is neutral. We can use it, but we cannot rely on it. If we use it, we
generalise and make it absolute we will come to heresy. In church history, the Trinitarians,
they wanted to preserve the doctrine of the one true God. They wanted to
reasoning to explain. They focused on one point.
Trinity explains using Bible:
Jesus said that my father is greater than me. Therefore Jesus is not equal to
the Father. And, “The father sent me.” – I cannot send myself. “I do everything
according to the will of my father”- I cannot give birth to myself. “The days
only father knows, not even the Son of Man” – I cannot know what I do not know.
There are three masks. Because
they are different. Also they add other theories of religion into Trinity; the
conclusion is that thought they are one true God. Because Son and Father are
different, therefore the name cannot ever be the same. Therefore the Didache,
tells us that some people began to change the name in baptism. We can see the
logical and reasonable progression away from the truth from the scriptures.
Because they believe that they should baptise in Jesus, but then because Jesus
is only the name of the Son, then the other two Father and Holy Ghost will be
neglected. Therefore they used title instead.
I have read the revelations from
what I read in church published books on Godhead. I am my father are one.
Father keep them in thy name which thou has given me.
We are not limited by the physical level (True Jesus Church 20% emphasis), but
we are more focused on the spiritual level (80% emphasis). If time was to be inserted
into eternity, it would be like adding nothing. Because it surpasses our mind
and reasoning. Space is always limited. Therefore Abraham seeing the land given
to him by God.
True Jesus Church Doctrine of God
passed down by early workers
·
One God
·
One name
·
One Spirit
If they draw your attention back
to the materialistic level, we cannot communicate with them.
If Father was the name, then in
the OT there is already this name.
3.
Tradition of the Church
·
Inspiration from God
·
Inspiration from Scriptures
They used two methods –
Scientific Method
·
Induction
·
Deduction
·
E.g. Cosmos
·
Classification - induction
·
Earth
·
Evil
·
That belonging to God
·
Apology
·
Then an analysis
·
Then a synthesis
·
Then a hypothesis
·
Then an antithesis
·
E.g. God is almighty
·
Question – That in itself. Double negative.
·
A priori – Before you experience you accept it
as your foundation. This is the belief. If you believe that God is almighty,
then you can use deduction.
·
Then he can heal my disease.
·
Then he can create everything, etc.
·
If you do not believe in the basic, then the
whole theory will collapse.
·
In the bible if it tells us something, then we
use it as our principle of our belief or building up of our belief. Sometimes
we cannot use our reason to understand what this means, what these principles
mean. If these are beyond your experience, they can make (for sometimes these
are unreasonable [unable to reason]).
·
If he wants you to answer the question. If he wants
to know if God is almighty.
·
This concept is beyond our human reason.
·
Belief cannot come from our own reason.
·
Because you cannot imagine a stone so big.
·
Because this stone will become an almighty
stone.
·
Of course Go is almighty, he can create an
almighty stone.
·
If the stone is big, without limitation, then
this stone becomes God.
·
Therefore there is a contradiction in the
question.
·
If God is able to create a stone greater than himself, that he cannot manage it. Then…
·
Time of Plato: People used in the courts:
Rhetorical. Pythagoras.
·
Student came to look for him. And teacher
teaches the student, establish an argument. Teacher teaches the student until
the student has learnt everything. Then both party
think this is a good contract. One thinks he will get the money. And the other
thinks the same.
·
Jesus did not fall into the limited/confined
space and time. Jesus let them calm down.
·
Science uses more the induction method.
·
In preaching we use induction that is exegesis
·
E.g. same word, same point in a book,
·
Our belief is more than this. We have a bible we
can read and summarize it.
·
We have to understand who gave us this book.
·
Sometimes you cannot explain everything. In this
case, faith is different from experimental thing.
·
God is almighty and love
·
God is almighty
·
God is love
·
If God is able and He attitude towards us is
love,
·
Then he should do this thing.
·
Therefore may be God is not almighty
·
Therefore may be God is not love
·
Therefore our original theory is wrong.
·
Pantheism
·
Individual animals should have the highest one.
Then there should be a god of the sun, goats, etc. Therefore, this kind of
theorizing is like project what my father should be like, rather than for who
he is.
·
In Trinitarian belief: they find three
individual attributes, then conclude that these are three separate.
·
For example if you find in the bible
·
Gen 6.6 And the LORD was sorry that He had
made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
·
1 Sam 15.11 Regret
·
Jonah 3.9 Regret
·
Possible Conclusion: The God who regrets. The
God full of flaw.
·
If you summarise all the negative attributes: cruel,
regret, angry, jealousy.
·
If you paint a picture. Then ask people to test
the picture. Then tell them the problem with this picture. And then add the
colour to complete the perfect picture. How do people see things, and how they
see things are not correct. Then we should correct our
personal concepts.
·
Arguments to both side
·
Negative side
·
Positive side
·
If you put these two things together, you cannot
know God 100%. Because you are also limited as an individual. Acts of God
limited to the bible. But then there are acts that God has performed that he
has not shown us. What we can see, is limited. Even if we put all the acts or
results from the bible, you cannot know God 100%.
·
Test it. Everything has both sides.
·
If using induction, then outline events to come
to a generalisation. Then challenge that generalisation whether it is correct
or not, whether it is sound or not.
·
New picture of Jesus. They pick out all the bad
sides of Jesus. Therefore this shows the limitation of this method.
·
Attributes
·
Omniscient
·
Omnipotent
·
Omnipresent
·
Sometimes you cannot use you reason to understand.
By faith you cannot.
If you accept this a priori. Jason is evil. Then what he do is evil. Then I use this as principle. He go to toilet is
evil. He drink water is evil. Because I have not experienced. Therefore if we
use a a priori method
then we use it to interpret other scriptures. Then it is dangerous if the a priori is wrong, it is dangerous.
How to explain all the problems
or seemingly contradictory depends on you. We have talked about Trinitarians.
They concentrate on the sonship of Jesus. Jesus’
title is son. Son is limited in the salvation plan. Son is under the time and
space. Jesus is human. Therefore it is the Father who send
the Son to do His will. Father knows, but the Son does not know. Because Son is
like you and me, it mentions about the human nature. We are also son. We accept
the sonship from the father. If Jesus as son, he
cannot know the date. If we are the sons, then we can also know the date of his
second coming. Jesus at that moment in time, he only concentrate
on the physical or worldly perspective sonship. From
eternal perspective, then it is different. If you concentrated only in the
spiritual level, then Jesus should know. Therefore there are two levels of
Jesus. One who is God. And the other one who is
man. The name of God is Jesus. If Jesus
is Father, Jesus is Son, … Because Son of Man is in
heaven, then why does he not know? Sonship is limited
by time and space. But at the same time, this sonship
has two nature: human and divine. From the perspective
of human nature, Jesus does not know. Then this is a mystery difficult to
understand.
4.
Topic for study
Jn 16.15 All things that
the Father has are Mine.
The will of the son is the flesh.
The will of the father is the
spirit.
Wonder what mean: He seems to
hear, truth, then it is problem the perception of the Son.
Must Jesus use his ears to
hear???
Rev 1.8 Jesus is the Lord
When we speak of God we speak
from the perspective of eternity. You start from the bottom and deduce. For
example Jesus need to hear to understand. Jesus does
not understand this and that. That it is like Trinitarian way or philosophical
to understand or think about God. Therefore what we have talked about. Our True
Jesus Church, whether it is right or wrong. Whether Stephane
is right or wrong. Their earliest workers had revelation but no method.
Son has limitation – then leading
to the generalisation of the Father and the Son is dangerous. Because at the
beginning Jesus was not in the flesh. But we know that he came into the flesh.
Then this cannot mean that it can mean that since the beginning he is like
that.
Therefore the contradiction
forces us to understand that truly God wants us to test our faith towards him.
In the midst when we cannot understand everything, we still hold on to His
word. Therefore faith does not mean that we can understand everything. Faith
does not mean we can reason out everything. For what is the purpose of the
scriptures? Salvation!
The almighty is different.
Personifying God down to the
human level.
Rationalise everything
The almightiness of God is not
different. There is the perception that the almightiness of God seems different
because God seeming inability to destroy Satan right from the beginning. But
then in the bible it does tell us that God does not change (Jas 1.17) nor can
anyone change God (Job 23.13) and we are saved by this attribute (Mal 3.6).
Therefore the almightiness from the beginning of the Creation to the defeat of
Satan does not change.
