Christian Evidences. The Evidence of Biblical Christianity, Part 2. CA312 LESSON 08 of 12

Transcription

1 Christian Evidences CA312 LESSON 08 of 12 Victor M. Matthews, STD Former Professor of Systematic Theology Grand Rapids Theological Seminary This is lecture 8 of the course entitled Christian Evidences. The theme in this section of the course has to do with the question, If Christianity is genuine, then what would we expect by way of supernatural evidence? In lecture 7 we considered the origin of the Jewish religion that God revealed Himself to Abraham and the Jewish people by divine revelation and the very religion, the characteristics of the Jewish religion, is an evidence for the genuineness of Christianity. Also in that lecture we pointed out some of the more popular prophecies that have been fulfilled. These, too, stand in history as an evidence that God is there and that He has made Himself known. The Person of Jesus Christ as Evidence of Christianity In this lecture I want to talk about the evidence for Christianity in the person of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian believes that Christianity is the result of divine revelation as a supernatural intervention of God into human affairs. If the Lord Jesus Christ were God incarnate, then surely we would expect His claims when He was here upon earth to be an affirmation of His deity. This method of approach now fits in with one of the former lectures when we talked about the method of apologetic verification, that we do not start by observing the world and then coming to God as cause and trying to formulate a proposition about God based upon what we see about us in the world. We re starting where God starts with us, and that is with His revelation. We re starting with the Word of God. We are asking now if the true and the living God is there and if He has revealed Himself, then what would we expect by way of the evidence? If Jesus Christ were God incarnate, what would we expect by way of His claims? We would expect that His claims were an affirmation of deity. 1 of 9

2 I would like to point out some of these claims now. First, He claimed to forgive sin. In Matthew 9:1 8, we have the healing of the man sick of the palsy. You recall that people brought this man to the Lord Jesus Christ as he was, lying on his bed, and the Lord Jesus Christ made a statement in verse 2: Thy sins be forgiven thee. In the following verses we read, Behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. It s an important thing to realize that the Lord Jesus Christ here shows that He not only had the ability to heal this man but also to forgive sin. In Matthew 5, we have the claim of the Lord Jesus Christ to interpret the law of God. All through this great Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus Christ referred to Himself as the interpreter of God s law. For example, in Matthew 5:27 28, He stated: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. It s quite significant what the Lord Jesus Christ is doing. He is interpreting the law of God not changing the law, of course not but He is interpreting the law. He is stating what the Old Testament law really meant. In verse 32, But I say unto you. In Matthew 5:34, But I say unto you, and in verse 39, But I say unto you. And then again in verse 44, But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. This is His interpretation of the Old Testament statement in verse 43, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy, or as it was interpreted by the Jewish people. So we see that the Lord Jesus Christ claimed to interpret the law of God. Surely this is exactly what we would expect if Jesus Christ were God incarnate. In Matthew 10, the Lord Jesus Christ claimed to judge the world. In Matthew 10:32 33 He stated, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. This is a very significant statement. If Jesus Christ were God incarnate, again, we would expect such an affirmation. If He were not, what 2 of 9

3 a strange thing for a person to say, to hold himself up as the one who could forgive the sins of other people, to claim that he could interpret the law of God, and then to claim that he was the judge of the world! What a strange thing for a person to claim and yet not at all strange for the Lord Jesus Christ, because He was the eternal Son of God. Fourth, He claimed in Himself to be the fulfillment of prophecy. Luke 24:27 and 44 show very clearly statements about this. The Lord Jesus Christ after His resurrection met with two disciples on the way to Emmaus. Verse 27 states, Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all of the scriptures the things concerning himself ; and in verse 44: And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. By the way, in this forty-fourth verse, the Lord Jesus Christ gives the three divisions of the Old Testament canon: the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. That was the threefold division of the Old Testament Bible of the Jewish people. He is stating that the Old Testament is fulfilled in Himself, that He is the fulfillment of prophecy. What a ridiculous thing it would be for a Jewish man of a religious nature, such as the Lord Jesus Christ, if He were only a man, to make such great, swelling statements as these! The ability to forgive sin, to interpret the law of God, to judge the world, and then in Himself to be the fulfillment of prophecy but Jesus Christ plainly and boldly does this. The reason for it is He is God incarnate, and all of His affirmations are therefore the affirmations of deity. Back in Matthew 16 this great testimony of the apostle Peter to the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ we have the fifth affirmation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is that He claimed to be the Old Testament Messiah. In Matthew 16:15, the Lord Jesus asked the disciples, But whom say ye that I am? And in verse 16, Simon Peter answered and said, Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God. That s an important statement. To the Jewish people the word Christ referred to the Messiah of the Old Testament; and here Peter, without any hesitation, makes the statement that the Lord Jesus Christ was genuinely the Christ. He believed, as the spokesman of the disciples, that the Lord Jesus was the Christ promised in the Old Testament. Then he goes on to state the Son of the living God. 3 of 9

4 It s interesting that the Lord Jesus Christ accepted this great affirmation, this great testimony to His deity. In Matthew 16:20, Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. There are many other passages in the New Testament where we find the claim of the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Old Testament Messiah, but this one is very clear in Matthew 16:16 and 20. If Jesus Christ were God incarnate, we would expect Him to claim this affirmation of deity. He also claimed to be the Son of God. In John 5:17 18, the Lord Jesus Christ very plainly claimed deity. He said in verse 17, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work ; and then John makes the statement, Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. We may puzzle as to what the Lord Jesus Christ meant in verse 17 when He said, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work, but it was no puzzle to the Jewish people at that time. They took for granted that He meant that He was equal with God, making God His Father, that He was genuinely the Son of God. There are many other passages in the New Testament that state the same thing. One more I would like to refer to in this theme, and that is John 10: Let me just read a word here. In verse 36, Christ said, Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? And verses 37 38, If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not; but if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. Again, the Jewish people recognized that this was an affirmation of deity, because in verse 39, Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand. He claimed to be the Son of God. We see also in this great gospel of John that the Lord Jesus Christ claimed to give eternal life. In John 10:28, the Lord Jesus said, And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. How important it is for us to realize that the Lord Jesus Christ, who stood so firmly against all religious hypocrisy, very boldly makes these statements that He can give eternal life, that He is the Old Testament Messiah, that He is the Son of God, that He was the fulfillment of prophecy. The next point is that He claimed to be the object of faith. It s very important to recognize this, that He not only spoke of Himself as being an example of faith, not only showing people how to believe in God as an example. No, much more than that, 4 of 9

5 in the New Testament the Lord Jesus Christ held Himself up as the object of faith. He invited people to believe in Him as the Son of God and find the forgiveness of sins. Again, in John 8:24, I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. What a very strong affirmation and statement of deity this is, that the Lord Jesus Christ held Himself up as the object of faith. And He very plainly stated, If you do not believe that I am He, that is, the Son of God, you shall die in your sins. The same thing is true in the passage further on in the gospel of John. In chapter 14 he states, Let not your hearts be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. Here He invites the faith of His disciples. He claimed then to be the object of faith. In the next point, another affirmation of the Lord Jesus Christ to substantiate the evidence that He was the Son of God is that He claimed to be and to teach the truth. This is found many times in the New Testament. One of the more familiar passages is in John 14:6, where the Lord Jesus Christ said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. I am the truth. He claimed to be, and He claimed to teach the truth of God. This is exactly, again, what we would expect if the Lord Jesus Christ were God incarnate. In the next point, another illustration of His affirmation, He claimed to be worthy of the worship that would be due only to God Himself. You recall that when the disciples were in the Upper Room after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord appeared to them. And then again at a later time He appeared to them in the Upper Room when Thomas was with them. He wasn t there with them the first time. During this second time, Thomas made this statement in John 20:28, Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. It s important to realize that the Lord Jesus Christ claimed to be worthy of the worship due only to God Himself. When Thomas made this statement, the Lord Jesus Christ did not rebuke him, but He accepted the worship. Why did He do that? Because He was God and is the incarnate Son of God. Another great evidence for the truthfulness of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore the genuineness of Christianity is found in John 14: that the Lord Jesus Christ claimed to answer prayer. In John 14:13 14, He said, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. Again, what an unusual thing for a Jewish person to do, if he were only a human, to claim to answer prayer; but the Lord Jesus Christ very 5 of 9

6 simply, plainly, and boldly made the statement that He would answer prayer if people would pray in His name. How amazing that is! How can we explain these statements out of the Scripture if Jesus Christ were not the Son of God? Also in John 14, the next point, He claimed to send the Holy Spirit. In John 14:16 17, I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Or, as the better manuscripts have it, and is in you. And verse 18, I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Here the Lord Jesus Christ claimed to send the blessed Holy Spirit. What a strong affirmation of deity this is! The next one: He claimed to be inseparably related to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Back in Matthew 28 we have in the Great Commission the statement, Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach [or disciple] all nations, baptizing them in the name and that s singular of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy [Spirit]. Here the Lord Jesus Christ claimed to be inseparably related to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. What a bold thing to do! If He were not the Son of God, how can we explain such a thing as this? And yet the Lord Jesus Christ, very frankly and very simply, claimed equality with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit by commanding the disciples of every age to baptize converts in the name that would have to do with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The next affirmation that I would like to point out is that He claimed to perform deeds possible only by the Son of God. Again, back in John 10, the verses that I read just a moment ago would refer to this. In John 10:36, Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? Verses 37 38, If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. Here He claimed to perform deeds possible only by the Son of God. There are many other passages that would substantiate this same affirmation in the New Testament. The next one that I want to refer to that would emphasize the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is in John 8:29 and 46. Here the Lord Jesus Christ claimed to be sinless. What a remarkable affirmation this is! He was fearless in denouncing sin in the lives of other people, and yet when He refers to Himself, in a simple way He 6 of 9

7 stated in John 8:29, And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. For any Jewish person who would know about God at all, you could not get a Jewish person to make a statement like this: I do always those things that please him. What Christian in the twentieth century would say that, in his right mind? But the Lord Jesus Christ very simply and very boldly claimed to be sinless. The last point that I have in this section of our lecture is that the Lord Jesus Christ claimed to possess the attributes of deity. In John 8:58 He claimed to be eternal. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. He says I am. He claimed to be eternal. In Matthew 28:18, the verse we read just a moment ago, where He said, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth, He claimed omnipotence. In Matthew 28:20, He claimed omnipresence when He said, And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. And in the verse that we just read in John 8:29, He claimed holiness when He said, I do always those things that please him. Here are at least sixteen points that present some of the affirmations of the Lord Jesus Christ concerning His deity. If Jesus Christ were God incarnate, we would expect His claims to be affirmations of deity, and I have just presented sixteen of the more simple and easy affirmations that show He claimed to be the eternal Son of God. This is exactly what we would expect if Christianity is genuine, if God has revealed Himself to us, and if Jesus Christ were God incarnate. The Word and Work of Jesus Christ as Evidences of Christianity The next point is that if Jesus Christ were God incarnate, we would expect His person and His Word and His work to be inseparable from all aspects of the Christian faith. Early in this series of lectures I reminded you that there are three great foundation stones to Christianity. The first foundation stone is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The second one is His historical work of the atonement, and the third one is His inspired and infallible Word. If Jesus Christ were God incarnate, then we would expect His person and His Word and His work to be inseparable from all aspects of the Christian faith. I would now like briefly to present ten evidences that this is true. First of all, we would expect messianic prophecy to find its fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ and all prophecy to be closely related to His person and His work and His word. My friend, it 7 of 9

8 does and it is. Allow me to read again a verse from Luke 24. It states in verse 44, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me, so messianic prophecy does find its fulfillment in Christ s person and Word and work. Secondarily, we would expect the Scripture to be a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and when we turn to the Bible, we find that it is. In John 5:39 we have this statement made by the Lord Jesus Christ where He said, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. Again, this is exactly what we would expect if Jesus Christ were God incarnate. We would expect the Scripture to be a revelation of Himself, and it is. Third, we would expect the New Testament miracles to be an attestation of His deity, and we recognize that they are. In John 20:30 31, John said, Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ that is, the Old Testament Messiah the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. Fourth, we would expect the Christian creeds to be an affirmation of His person and His Word and His work, and they are. The great Nicene Creed says, I believe in God the Father Almighty, and then it goes on to affirm the deity of Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God. If Jesus Christ were God incarnate, we would expect faith to be defined in the Bible as believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is. In Acts 16:31, Paul said to the Philippian jailer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ were God incarnate, we would expect the Christian life to be defined as a fellowship with the Lord Jesus and a life of obedience to Him. It is so defined in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 1:9 it states that we have been called unto the fellowship of his Son. And in verse 30 we are reminded that God has made Jesus Christ to be our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. 8 of 9

9 The next point: If Jesus Christ were God incarnate, we would expect the church s duty to be the worship of God in Jesus Christ and the proclamation of His historical redemption. My friend, in the New Testament we understand that it is that duty. If Jesus Christ were the Son of God, we would expect the early literature of the church to be a vindication of the belief and life taught by Jesus Christ. It is such a vindication. For example, Clement, the pastor of the church at Rome, writing to the church at Corinth in AD 95, presents material for the deity of Christ, the necessity of the atonement, the necessity of conducting yourself correctly in the church, belief in the resurrection. We would expect early church literature to be such a vindication of the Lord Jesus. If Jesus Christ were the Son of God, we would expect that people of all races would receive Him as Savior and Lord and testify to His saving power. They have, and they do. Then, last of all, if Jesus Christ were the Son of God, we would expect that His Word would be treasured, studied, translated, and taught in excess to all other volumes. My Christian friend, it has been, and it is so treasured. Christ-Centered Learning Anytime, Anywhere 9 of 9