Christians Apologetics
When it comes to the word Christian this days I much prefer to use the terminology “Followers of Jesus” To be a Christian these days is almost like belonging to a club, or some right of passage that we all go through.
However to be a follower of Jesus declares a conscious personal choice on our parts to be like our Master, to learn and imitate Him in every way.
Cotton company slogan – “Cotton, the Fabric of Our Lives” Comfortable, covers us, keeps us warm, provides.
A play on words for this morning the title for our sermon will be, Christ, The Fabric of Our Lives! Our comforter, our provider, our redeemer, our friend
But how do we know this to be true? FAITH
WHAT IS FAITH? Hebrews 11:1 – The Definition
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (NKJV)
More than a definition is a description of what faith does for us!
In its larger usage, the word faith represents at least four varied ideas:
1) As above, it can be personal confidence in God
a. Saving Faith (trusting in the one who alone can save us)
b. Serving Faith (divinely bestow gifts from God)
c. Sanctifying or Sustaining Faith (taking a hold of God’s power for our daily lives)
2) As a creedal or doctrinal announcement. Our faith, our belief, our religion
3) Signifying faithfulness – (the believer being faithful to God – also the fruit of the Spirit)
4) Belonging or representing Christ - Galatians 3:23-25
The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation, which, if it is the foundation upon which our life is built and makes life worth living.
It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Faith indeed, vindicates the character of God and frees His arm to act on behalf of those who trust Him.
WHAT GIVES OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH ITS VALIDITY AND AUTHORITY?
The first doctrine or statement of belief of The Salvation Army tells us where it is that our faith, receives its authority and validity and that is from the scriptures themselves.
By faith we believe this statement and by faith we take the authority of the Bible and apply its teachings as they relate to our relationship with God and His purpose and plan for us, His most precious creation.
The three great words commonly used by Christians in connection with the Bible are revelation, inspiration, and authority.
Revelation – comes from the Latin word unveiling, meaning that God took the initiative to make Himself known to us. This is necessary because who or what God is, is beyond any of our understanding (Job 11:17), so for us to know him He must make himself known.
The word inconceivable may best describe God in making this point.
Inspiration – indicates the chief mode by which God has chosen to reveal Himself to us.
He has revealed Himself partly in nature and creation and supremely in the person of Jesus Christ, but also through the speaking to particular persons.
This verbal communication is what we know as inspiration. But this inspiration does not denote the meaning that a poet or writer would get.
In fact the Bible refers to it as all scriptures being God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) In other words God spoke through those He inspired and breathed on through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13). They were His spokesmen.
Authority – relates to the power and authority that the Scriptures carry as a consequence of their divine revelation given through divine inspiration.
Therefore God’s word carries God’s authority.
Recognizing that the word of God (The Bible) is the main source for our belief system, we must recognize that the reason we believe all of this is simply based on the faith that we put in such a teaching.
HOW IS OUR FAITH VALIDATED IN OUR LIVES?
Well that is simple! It is validated by the grace and the hope and even the mercy of God upon our lives. That is to say how we personally experience God’s love!
Indeed the doctrine of faith in the church tells us that faith in its simplest from is knowing the one true God.
But how do we know God? Matthew 11:27 its clear in the fact that only by knowing the Son can we know the Father. After all Christ is the object of faith in our Christian belief.
And it is through a life changing and conscious change by our salvation from our sins and our justification and reinsertion back into the family of God that we come to recognize that indeed our faith validates our belief.
In the fact that because God loved the world so much that He gave us His only Son – JESUS CHRIST – so that whosoever believes - or put their faith in Him - will not be lost but will enjoy eternal fellowship with God! John 3:16
The Christian Doctrine of Christology… How does Christianity view Jesus Christ?
Christ is: Eternal God (Micah 5:2); The Creator (Colossians 1:15-19); The Messiah of the Old Testament (God); The Angel of Jehovah; The redeemer, savior, and friend.
He has always existed as the Son of God and an equal part of the trinity of God.
He provided God’s plan of redemption for us by taking the place of a servant and coming to earth to suffer for our sake so that we may be saved, and so that the image of God in us would once again be restored.
He lived as a man to understand our situation. He also dies as a man, but was raised from the dead victorious over the devil and death fully restored to his divine deity, ensuring our own eternal life if we but believe and accept his gift of love. That is the fabric that Christ becomes in our lives.
But do other faiths (religious groups) make this same promise to us concerning the person of Jesus? After all isn’t it said that all faiths, or belief systems, lead to the same God?
There is one simply test by which to discover the validity of this statement. Since our faith in God is based on His provisions in the person of our Savior Jesus Christ, who happens to be God’s own Son, then we must look for this in other systems to credit or discredit their claims.
The traditional Jewish Faith - consider that Jesus was only a teacher and leader, assuming He existed. Some of them think he only created a Jewish sect among many other Jewish sects, and the one who really founded what we call Christianity.
Jesus, however, was not the Messiah because he did not fulfill the mission of the Messiah according to their interpretation. For example, He was not a real king. He did not bring peace to the world and he did not come from the lineage of David (since Joseph was not his real father).
Therefore, traditional Judaism is still waiting for the Messiah. Theirs is truly an unfortunate literal anticipation that has caused them to miss out so far on the true Son of God.
Now we do have Jewish sects such as Jews for Christ or even the Messianic congregations who have come to recognize Jesus as we do, so they are ok!
But unfortunately, although our own Christian faith has its roots in Judaism, it cannot hold water when compared to modern faith-based Christian belief.
So, by definition, other religious belief systems are not the same as Christianity in that they all lead to God. If they don’t give Christ is blessed place at the side of the Father.
Islam - believes that Jesus was born from a virgin named Mary by the power of Allah.
He was one of the great prophets of Allah, like Moses, and the last one before Muhammad. But He was not the son of Allah.
Therefore if Jesus is not the Son of God then Allah is not the same as Yahweh God. Therefore Allah becomes a false god and their faith is in complete contrast with our Christian faith and so it is not the same.
Buddhists – have no real opinion on Christ, although they tend to respect who he was but as we have pointed out that Christ is central to our faith then this also eliminates them as being the same as Christianity.
Hinduism – hold respect for Jesus and his teachings but do not accept Jesus’ divine incarnation as the Son of God.
Jesus becomes simply one more prophet, one more incarnation. Many in this faith see Jesus as simply an illusion, a lesser form of their truths.
Because of this we can say with certainty that Hinduism is not like Christianity. So we begin to see that all religions do not lead to the same God.
WHAT ABOUT CULTS? – A cult is defined as those who follow a false religion in direct contrasts with what a mainstream religion claims to believe. For example there are many cults in the so-called Christian faith grouping. Let us look at a few…
The Mormons Church - views Jesus and Satan as spirit brothers and sons of God.
God put forth His plan of salvation for the world, and Satan proposed his own plan. Jesus accepted the Father’s plan and offered to implement it as the Savior.
The Father chose Jesus, and the spirit of Jesus was given a body through the Virgin Mary. He was crucified on a Roman cross, and rose from the dead three days later to establish His deity.
The Mormon church believes that the character and life of Jesus is attainable by anyone who performs at such a righteous level.
But the Bible is clear in that there is nothing we can do to attain Godhood or to be like God, only by His grace and mercy are we grafted into His family. Also Satan is a fallen angel of God and therefore a created being. Jesus has always been.
Jehovah’s Witnesses – believe that there is no salvation or redemption apart from their own belief system which is led by a group of men within what is called the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
Their source of teaching is based on the New World Translation of the bible. And although they claim it to be the closes possible translation to the original biblical language it simply is a biased book that accepts all of the Jehovah’s Witness theology.
They claim that their bible is the only translation although our Christian faith teaches us that through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit we can all come to understand and interpret the Holy Scriptures.
They are big on works and personal accomplishments where in Christianity we believe that our salvation is by faith alone!
They view Jesus not as God but as a god who lived in heaven as a spirit person. Jesus is God’s first created son. John 1:1 speaks of Jesus as the word and how the word was in the beginning and how through Him all things where created.
New Age – God is not the God of Sunday School to them. God is merely an impersonal force prevailing in all creation.
Genesis 1 clearly relates that God does not exist because of creation but he exists in spite of it and outside of it.
They see Jesus as an avatar (teacher) simply a way shower like many others whom have been prepared to accomplish their tasks to through countless reincarnations.
In the Christian faith we believe that Jesus Christ came to declare the one true God (John 1:18) and to accomplish that which no one else could do for us, i. e. die for our sins. (Romans 5:6-8).
In the new age faith, their basic channeling beliefs indicate that God is all, man is God, man creates his own reality, death is unreal, and the self is where all truth resides.
New age followers believe that the path to God (self) is wide to take in all man… Jesus however makes it clear that the way is narrow. The broad way is the path that leads to destruction and many enter through it. (Matthew 7:13)
Church of Scientology - The writings of their founder, L. Ron Hubbard, are considered to be their scriptures. As far as Jesus is concerned, Jesus is nothing more than an implant, or a false concept.
Hubbard claims that the true definition of the Hebrew word for Messiah is Teacher, but in our Christian faith we know that it is more than that, denoting a meaning of “the Anointed”. God sent!
Because they see Jesus as a fable they are in direct opposition with Christianity. “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16-22)
SO, WHY DO WE THINK OUR CHRISTIAN BELIEFS ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT ARE CORRECT?
Because we recognize who God is, who His Son our Savior Jesus Christ is, and how it is that God influences and works in our lives every day through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (Doctrine of the Trinity)
But how can we know for sure that our Christian faith is the right way? After all don’t people in other faiths believe that they are right and we are wrong?
I believe the answer is found in relationship to our calling to do God’s work, our calling to the ministry to preach and to teach and to baptize new believer into the faith.
All of this is in direct relationship to our understanding of what a true follower of Christ is. A disciple truly is!
You see, a true follower of Christ is one who accepts the gift of salvation and justification that Jesus Christ the Son of God offers the world through his sacrifice on the cross.
And takes that and follows the teacher, and learns from Him and imitates him in everything that he does.
I believe that doctrines are important for us to understand as we fortify our foundation and our understanding of why our Christian faith is the true faith.
Three Christian doctrines are crucial to the beginning of this understanding – Salvation, Justification, and Holiness.
The Christian Doctrine of Salvation… Psalm 3:8, Jonah 2:9
Salvation relates to both the work of God upon His creation (you and I) and our own state or place in this plan for our lives.
It is all about God’s purpose and action in saving humanity from the power and affects of sin. The use of the word in the scriptures denotes a sense of deliverance and preservation from spiritual dangers.
The Christian Doctrine of Justification… Romans 3:24-25 - Just-as-if-you-never-sinned
It is the way by which God considers righteous those sinners who, by faith in Christ receive divine forgiveness and reconciliation.
In other words justification is the means by which we as creation are connected back to God the Father, through the work of Christ on the cross!
But we must recognize that at its basic form justification is something that God does for us, and not of our selves, or not anything that any other deity may claim do for us.
The Christian Doctrine of Holiness or Sanctification… Leviticus 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16
Holiness is a conscious inward change of the heart, and acceptance of whom Christ is and our unquestionable surrender to Him as we place our trust in His will for us and live our lives in full obedience of His commandments and directions for our lives.
We are required to be like our creator. Holiness is putting on the attitude of God through the saving grace of Jesus Christ and by the representation of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
That is to say, it is our measure to be made like God, restoring His image in us! To be like Christ by being separated from this world.
Now as we think about Christ being the fabric of our lives we must recognize God’s plan.
We must recognize that we serve the one and only true God. Whom inspired his Holy Scriptures so that we would know him and so that they would point us to His Son Jesus Christ, the only one that could redeem us from our sins.
“God was IN CHRIST reconciling the world unto Himself" (2 Corinthians 5:17-19; 21).
We also know that God had a clearly defined MANDATE for His Son when He was commissioned to leave the glories of heaven to become "God manifest in the flesh" (Galatians 4:4 KJV). Indeed so "that we might receive the adoption of son".
NO OTHER RELIGION OFFERS A RESURRECTED LEADER! And, no other religion can offer a leader with the credentials that Jesus brings. (see 1 Peter 2:22 & Revelation 14:5).
Any religion that is not "Christ-centered" is nothing but vain repetitions which bring no peace.
They are religions based on fear and manipulation. In Christ we always have a choice - To follow or not to follow, to be active or not to be active, to produce fruit or to produce no fruit.
However we cannot choose the outcome or consequences of our inactivity and disobedience.
The GOD we serve changed the status of David from a shepherd boy to king of Israel
Esther from a slave girl to a Queen
Joseph from a prisoner to the first and only foreigner to become Prime Minister of Egypt.
In chemistry he turned water to wine.
In biology he was born without the normal conception.
In physics he disapproved the law of gravity when he ascended into heaven and walked on water.
In economics he disapproved the law of diminishing return by feeding 5000 men with two fishes & 5 loaves of bread.
In history he is the beginning & the end.
In Government he said that he shall be called wonderful counselor, prince of peace.
In religion he said no one comes to the father except through him… so who is He. (JESUS).
Our confirmation of the validity of our faith finally comes in our calling to serve God.
I believe that we are all called. No to sit in churches but to go throughout the world.
Matthew 28:19-20 - Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
You see the calling is to the service of God and we accomplish that through our commitment to a Christian organization, to a church which we believe to have been established by Christ.
Established through his doing and teaching and by Christ being the very fabric of each of our lives.
So what will you do with this information?
The call of God has gone out, and the choice remains yours to make?
Wont you come forward now and meet here on this altar with God and seal this knowledge and commitment in your heart?
You do so now, as we pray.
