Scripture, nature, and Spirit Powerful configuration of two books and plus power David T. Yue / Search for Answers Grace Fellowship Church / 3-30-2014
BIG AND OFT UNSPOKEN QUESTIONS BIG AND OFT UNSPOKEN QUESTIONS Are Scripture and Spirit enough? Is that all there is? The Bible calls us to utilize all the tools at hand Scripture, prayer, nature/mind to discern the truth. Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37) True power configuration and the tenet of this series.
Introduction to the Book of Mormon Introduction to the Book of Mormon We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3-5) Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/introduction?lang=eng
BIG AND OFT UNSPOKEN QUESTIONS BIG AND OFT UNSPOKEN QUESTIONS Are Scripture and Spirit enough? Is that all there is? The Bible calls us to utilize all the tools at hand Scripture/Spirit and nature/mind to discern the truth. Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37) True power configuration and the tenet of this series.
Search for Answers Bootcamp Search for Answers Bootcamp 3/30 Session 1 Reason and the Two Books (D Yue) 4/6 Session 2 Bible and Origin of the Universe (D Yue) 4/13 Session 3 Bible and Origin of Life (D Yue) 4/27 Session 4 Bible Authority and Reliability (B Stever) 5/4 Session 5 Evidence for Jesus as the Christ (B Stever) 5/18 Session 6 Road Testing Religions and Witnesses (B Stever and D Yue)
Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model: sources of truth Adjudicating sources of truth: coherence Pursuing Christian truth as worship Case examples
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth 2 Tim 3:16. All Scripture is Godbreathed and is useful... book 1 2 Peter 1:20-21. Above all, you must undertand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth book 1 1 Cor 15:17-18...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in yours sins...if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. The Bible claims to be inspired, supernatural, and authorative. In conjunction with the Spirit, Scripture acts like a sword; the names spoken therein have an enormous power (more than in Harry Potter); and these printed words are alive.
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth book 1 Sola Scriptura We believe that this Holy Scripture contains the will of God completely and that everything one must believe to be saved is sufficiently taught in it... For since it is forbidden to add to or subtract from the Word of God, this plainly demonstrates that the teaching is perfect and complete in all respects. (Article 7, Belgic Confession of 1561, major Protestant treatise)
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth The Christian Scripture not only claims but smells like the authentic truth Luke 1:1. Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefuly investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. 2 Peter 1:16. We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory (at the transfiguration)... Not only eyewitnesses, but the most unlikely of eyewitness that, if verified, could not explained but that their testimony is true. Paul the Christ hater, and James the brother of Jesus, to name two.
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth The Christian Scripture not only claims but smells like the authentic truth Luke 1:1. Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefuly investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. 2 Peter 1:16. We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory (at the transfiguration)... Not only eyewitnesses, but the most unlikely of eyewitness that, if verified, could not explained but that their testimony is true. Paul the Christ hater, and James the brother of Jesus, to name two.
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth The Christian Scripture is written to provide evidence and to allow testing. Luke 1:1. Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefuly investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. 2 Peter 1:16. We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory (at the transfiguration)... Not only eyewitnesses, but the most unlikely of eyewitness that, if verified, could not explained but that their testimony is true. Paul the Christ hater, and James the brother of Jesus, to name two. Scripture is rife with historical details that can be verified and falsified. Unique among holy books. http://www.biblearchaeology.org/
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth book 2 Psalm 19:1-4. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Romans 1:20.. For since the creation of the world, God s invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made Job 12:7-9.. But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth book 2 Jeremiah 33:20. This is what the Lord says: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, then my covenant with David my servant and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. Jeremiah 33:25. This is what the Lord says: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed laws of heaven and earth, then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth book 2 Two books recognized We know him by two means: First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God... Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word. (Article 2, Belgic Confession of 1561, major Protestant treatise)
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth Plus power: Moses, Isaiah, Daniel... book x Daniel 9:21....while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding... Only by grace can the Spirit remove the scales that have blinded man s thought processes since the Fall. We re like schizophrenics locked into a mode of thought that cannot recognize the truth of God. John 12:40, 2 Cor 4:4
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model of knowing the truth Plus power: Moses, Isaiah, Daniel... book x Daniel 9:21....while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding... Only by grace can the Spirit remove the scales that have blinded man s thought processes since the Fall. We re like schizophrenics locked into a mode of thought that cannot recognize the truth of God. John 12:40, 2 Cor 4:4
Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model: sources of truth Adjudicating sources of truth: coherence Pursuing Christian truth as worship Case examples
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model how to verify? 1 Thessalonians 5:21. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. How do we know this model is correct? Verfication by reasoning among these three sources of truth. In so doing, do we uncover not just coherence, but a coherence that can come from no other source than the supernatural God. Deuteronomy 19. One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 1 John 4:1. Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model how to falsify? How would we know this model is false? Incoherence, contradiction by mutually exclusive truth claims. Not just contradiction of manmediated derivatives of truth sources, but of the three truth sources themselves.
Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model: sources of truth Adjudicating sources of truth: coherence Pursuing Christian truth as worship Case examples
Pursuing Christian truth as worship Every generation challenged to defend truth We are to be Christ like, and one of the names of Christ is logos (Greek for the Word), one of the Greek meanings of which is this the ultimate standard for the inner coherence of arguments and counter arguments. John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Pursuing Christian truth as worship Every generation challenged to defend truth We are directly commanded to reason. The apostles role-modelled it. Matthew 22:37. Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all you mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. 1 Peter 3:15. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. Acts 17:16-17. While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. Ravi Zacharias Entrust not the truth to those who love not the truth.
Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model: three sources of truth Adjudicating the sources of truth: coherence Pursuing Christian truth as worship Case examples
Case example 1 / Mormon truth claims Mormon Scripture conflicts with nature However, the record of nature speaks powerfully as never before in our time An example from the Book of Mormon, its Introduction. We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost
Knowing through Scripture, Spirit, and nature Christian model how to falsify? How would we know this model is false? Incoherence, contradiction by mutually exclusive truth claims. Not just contradiction of manmediated derivatives of truth sources, but of the three truth sources themselves.
Case example 2 / gravitational waves from afar Scripture and nature concur in worship Scripture (Gen 1:1) In the beginning, God created (ex nihilo) the heavens and the earth (everything under the sun)
Case example 2 / gravitational waves from afar Scripture and nature concur in worship Space itself expands, not material objects (only 2 dimensions rendered) Universe is finite, nearly flat at present time, but unbounded t = 0 R t (time) Space, time, energy, matter, physics, all began to exist at t = 0. Everything was everywhere at the beginning. Meaningless to ask what happened before the beginning.
Case example 2 / gravitational waves from afar Scripture and nature concur in worship The lab housing the Bicep2 telescope near the South Pole. The telescope detected faint spiral patterns thought to be from the polarization of microwave radiation left by the Big Bang. The gravitational waves are long-sought markers for the theory of inflation. John Kovac, Harvard University Ripples detected by the telescope Bicep2 represent, in theory, gravitational waves from the Big Bang. BICEP2 Collaboration, via Associated Press
Case example 2 / gravitational waves from afar Scripture and nature concur in worship The new discovery of traces of gravity waves affirms scientific concepts in the fields of cosmology, general relativity, and particle physics. The new discovery also has significant implications for the Judeo-Christian worldview, offering strong support for biblical beliefs. This new evidence strongly suggests that there was a beginning to our universe. If the universe did indeed have a beginning, by the simple logic of cause and effect, there had to be an agent separate and apart from the effect that caused it. That sounds a lot like Genesis 1:1 to me: In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. So this latest discovery is good news for us believers, as it adds scientific support to the idea that the universe was caused or created by something or someone outside it and not dependent on it. Leslie Wickman is director of the Center for Research in Science at Azusa Pacific University. http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/20/does-the-big-bang-breakthrough-offer-proof-of-god/?hpt=hp_t4
Case example 2 / gravitational waves from afar Scripture and nature concur in worship Worshipping... Entrusting not the truth to those who love not the truth March 25, 2014, Colloquium at Science Center, Harvard University with Daniel Yue in attendance, worshiping
Knowing through Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model how to verify? 1 Thessalonians 5:21. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. How do we know this model is correct? Verfication by reasoning among these three sources of truth. In so doing, do we uncover not just coherence, but a coherence that can come from no other source than the supernatural God. Deuteronomy 19. One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 1 John 4:1. Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Scripture, nature, and Spirit Christian model: sources of truth Adjudicating sources of truth: coherence Pursuing Christian truth as worship Case examples