Christs Suffering as an Express of Gods Love - Essay Example

Management and Gender Dis with an Atheist Who Believes That God Does Not Exist All schools of thought that make an attempt to construct the origin of the universe can be classified as theistic or atheistic. It is important to note that even evolution as the most popular explanation on the origin of life, life forms and the universe does not meet the logical cause-and-effect principle which characterizes nature, although Darwinists and some other scientists blame creationists for this failure. For instance, evolution does not explain the forces that combined the hydrogen and oxygen molecules and dust particles to form the primordial cell. Likewise, the causes and reacting elements that triggered the Big Bang or the star’s withdrawal of elements from the sun, as is alleged in the Star-Tidal theory are not cogently identified in non-creationist theories. Even non-creationist theories have to take a leap of faith in investigating the origin of life forms (Mongrain, 2011, 205). Contrary to the above, no one can repudiate the fact that the world, the universe and life forms are too complex to have been brought about by random chance. The intricate network of the blood vessels in mammals (especially man), the universal order and man’s linguistic capabilities, are just some of the indicators of an intelligent Being who must have designed the universe. Had the Star-Tidal or the Big Bang incident brought the universe and life forms into existence, chances for this striking order would be zero (1/?). Logically, if God exists, then His interactions with His creation will be inevitable, and the vestiges of these interactions may also be notable. Still, these requirements are consistent with the Biblical notion of God’s existence. Particularly, there are indicators of the universal or the Noahic flood, just as the Bible alleges that the flood took place around 4,300 BC. For instance, the multiple sources and traditions of the worldwide deluge as is seen in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Rig Veda and Ovid’s Metamorphosis and the Chinese’s Book of Knowledge, among others provide the Noahic flood with multiple attestations. Particularly, there are over 240 literature and traditions which mention the worldwide flood. The slight disparities among the accounts do not really discount the plausibility of a universal flood having taken place. Instead, the numerous accounts corroborate it. 2) A case for Jesus' claim to be God and for His resurrection That Jesus claimed to be God is directly settled in many references. Some of these references include: Matthew 12:6-8 (He refers to Himself as the Initiator of the Sabbath); Mark 2:1, 2, 10 (He forgives sins); Matthew 7:21-23 (He is the ultimate Judge who can render eternal damnation); Mathew 14:33 and John 9:38 (He accepts worship). Conversely, Christ’s claim to be God is expressly seen in the instance where He takes up God’s name and therefore equating Himself with God, in John 8:23-4. In Exodus 3:12-14, God reveals Himself to Moses, with the name I AM. In His discourse with the Pharisees and the rest of the Jews, Jesus does not only claim to have preceded Abraham, but also takes on the name; I AM (Williams, 2010, 27). In Mark 2:1, 2 and 10, before healing a paralytic, Jesus speaks of having forgiven the young man’s sins. The Scribes and those gathered there charged (rightly) in their hearts that only God had the power to forgive sins. To validate His claim of having the power to forgive sins, Jesus heals the paralytic. The crux of the matter herein is that while it is easy for any one to claim to have the power to forgive sins, He healed the paralytic as proof to His ability to forgive sins. Logically, a man’s words just before his death are usually taken seriously, especially when the actor or speaker is aware that he is on the brink of death. At this instance, an individual weighs his words and deeds carefully because of the knowledge of the irreversible nature of death and the eternal state that accompanies it. It is against this backdrop that many readily make amends with God and humanity and also make reparations. Interestingly, during His final hours; Jesus still claims to be God, even under oath (Mark 14:61, 62). Likewise, after His resurrection, He does not correct Thomas who calls Him Lord and God (John 20:28). While it is true that Jesus’ claims to be God are mostly supported in Biblical Scriptures, Biblical Scriptures are in turn confirmed as authentic by historical facts, archaeological excavations, extra-Biblical records and fulfillment of prophecy. There are also other factors that underscore the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Particularly, there are documents such as Josephus’ Antiquities which speak of Jesus’ resurrection. The life of the early Church which was patterned after the belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus is also recounted in the correspondence between Pliny the Younger and Emperor Trojan. The correspondences speak of Chrestus who had been put to death, but came back to life on the third day (Henderson, 2009, 175). The resurrection of Jesus Christ is also the chief source of courage that the disciples and apostles received later. Before the resurrection, the disciples hid in fear of being persecuted. However, after the resurrection, the disciples immediately became bold, in proclaiming the suffering, death and resurrection to the point of dying for it. While it is a fact that seldom do people die in defense of lies, all the disciples would suffer violent deaths for the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, with John the Apostle being the only exception. 3) The Atheist’s Claims That There Are Bible Errors There are many who are misguided into believing that the Bible has errors. Among some of the areas that are cited as errors include alleged contradictions, illogical assertions and nonfactual assertions. One of the instances that are pointed out as contradictions include the passages such as Ezekiel 12:13 and Jeremiah 32:4. The crux of the matter herein is that in the latter verse, Jeremiah the prophet issues a prophecy against Zedekiah, to the effect that Zedekiah the King of Judah was to be carried away to captivity in Babylon and speak with his captor, King Nebuchadnezzar face to face. However, the verse Ezekiel 12:13 asserts that when Zedekiah is taken to Babylon, he shall not see it (Mutei, 2007, 207). Like all other cases that are cited as contradiction, this alleged contradiction is spurred on by partial knowledge. Further readership reveals that the discrepancy is inexistent and that both prophecies were fulfilled to the latter, to the point of complementing each other, instead of contradicting each other. Particularly, careful reading reveals that during the attack on Jerusalem in 586 BC, Zedekiah, his sons and security details attempted to escape through a secret passageway to Arabah. This was before Nebuchadnezzar overtook him in the plains of Jericho, took him to Babylon’s border town of Riblah, killed his sons before him, blinded him, and then took him to Babylon (2 Kings 25). Thus, although Zedekiah saw and talked with Nebuchadnezzar in the border towns of Babylon, he never saw Babylon itself since he had been blinded already. Another passage that had been being used to underscore the second problem of illogical assertion is Revelation 11:9. This passage was being used to lampoon the Bible as a testimony against its claim on divine inspiration. The issue at stake is that critics did not see how the whole world could travel to Jerusalem to see the two said witnesses and back, in three days. Nevertheless, after the discovery and advent of satellite technology and satellite TV, it became totally possible to not only make live broadcasts on events taking place from one part of the world to another, and vise versa, but to also track developments taking place in other planets and natural satellites. Thus, the enactment of Revelation 11:9 became a possibility in 1962 when the first TV signal was relayed from Europe, over North America, to the Telstar satellite. Likewise, there are some who claim that the Bible is mistaken to intimate that the world and its fullness (fossils and material remains) date 6,000 years or less. This is because archeological findings do not only indicate that the earth is 4.54 billion years, but scientists also keep adding years to the earth’s as they keep studying the human genome and noticing its complex intricacies. However, the Bible is only clear that man has only been on earth for approximately 6,000 years only. The disparity between the 6,000 years and 4.54 billion years may not be as serious as some want it to appear. Particularly, God could have created the universe, the earth and Adam with the dating or aging factors already in place. For instance, when Adam is created on the sixth day, he had full traits and features of maturation despite being only a day old. Adam had a fully mature dental formula, body hair and reproductive capacity. This may underscore the fact that Adam may have been created with the age factor already in place, though being only a day old. 4) John 14:6: Jesus’ Claims to Be the Only Way It is a foregone conclusion that Jesus claimed to be the only way to God. It is possible to believe this because out of all teachers, prophets and religious leaders that have lived, it is only Jesus who died for what he taught. In a closely related wavelength, God Himself declared Christ as the only way. The most express declaration is when Jesus Himself, overwhelmed in the Garden of Gethsemane, requested to be absolved from The Passion, if it was possible. However, God’s refusal to withdraw the cup of suffering is a clear testimony of God’s position that there was no possible alternative to Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. God also speaks of Christ as the only way in several occasions such as Matthew 3:17 and Mark 9:35. According to Busch (2009, 536), another way in which God radically expresses His acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as the only way to Him is the rending of the temple curtains into two, so that the holy and the most holy places are left without partition. In the same token, God allows the earthquake accompanying Christ’s death to ransack Herod’s temple. Later on, the temple is destroyed in 70 AD and thereby putting the sacrificial system and temple worship to an abrupt and irreversible end. The import of this is that God totally faces out the very sacrificial system He Himself had instituted through Moses; now that Jesus Christ had already made perfect propitiation for sins. If God Himself eradicated a system He Himself authored, that which man offers as alternatives to Jesus Christ will surely not suffice. Another factor that supports Jesus claim as being the only way is based on His person. It is only possible that Christ is the only person who has and will ever be both divine and human without foregoing either of the natures. The gravity of this is that humanity can only be linked with God by a person who is both human and God. As God, Jesus lived a sinless life, courtesy of the virgin birth. This means that it is only His work that God accepts as propitiation for mankind. Secondly, the Incarnation allowed Jesus to take on humanity, and thereby being able to make Himself the perfect sacrifice. The holiness of God demands this, and therefore precludes other religions. Particularly, the holiness of God demands death for sin, while other religions assume that sin can be made up for, by charity and human endeavors (Jagessar, 2009, 215). The foregoing is important because as fully man, Christ is able to understand man’s weaknesses because He also underwent temptations, afflictions and lack. While other religious leaders also partook of humanity, the resurrection of Jesus Christ validates Christ’s claims and sets Christ apart. The resurrection plays a dual role in reinforcing Christ’s role as the sole mediator to the Father. The resurrection validates all the claims and works of Jesus and also confirms Jesus’ divinity. In the event that Jesus’ radical claims (of being God, having the prerogatives to pardon sins and as the sole mediator) were self-arrogated titles, He would have remained in the grave. By raising Jesus from the dead, God places His signature of authentication to Jesus’ works and claims. If one may attempt to pass the argument above as only being pegged on claims in the Bible, then it may be important to remind the person that external evidence exist to validate Biblical claims. The rebirth of the Nation of Israel on May 15th, 1948 (Amos 9:14-15, Ezekiel 37:10-14, Isaiah 66:7-8 and Matthew 24:32), the advent of Islamic fundamentalism (Genesis 16:12), and the coming of democracy and multiculturalism (Daniel 2:41-43) are some of the fulfilled prophecies that have set the Bible in its unique class. 5) Claims That the Bible Has Changed Over Time According to Kalman (2012, 8), despite the many claims that the Bible has been changed, the Bible still maintains its integrity over the years. Specifically, the Old Testament has remained intact throughout the 2,000 years in which it has been being copied. Prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest Hebrew copies of the Old Testament were the Masoretic texts that dated about 800 AD. The Dead Sea Scrolls were copied by the Qumran community and dated up to the time of Jesus. The Qumran community was a Jewish sect that lived around the Dead Sea. Besides these two, there is the Septuagint, which is a Greek translation of the Old Testament, and is dated 200 BC. It is strikingly interesting that the Masoretic texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint have an approximately 1,000 year gap, but when they are compared, the texts maintain 95% similarity. Variations and discrepancies among the three sources were very minor and insignificant. As for the New Testament, tens of thousands of manuscripts abound both in part and in whole, dating from 200 AD to 1500 AD, when the invention of the printing press took place. Some of the manuscripts have been found in Syria, Turkey, Palestine, Egypt, Italy and Greece. This locks out any chances for collusion. The oldest among these is John Rylands manuscript which dates back to 125 AD and was found in Alexandria, an area very remote from the original place of composition, Asia Minor. Many early Christian papyri which were discovered in 1935 date back to 150 AD and are inclusive of the four gospels. More specifically, the Chester Beatty papyri which were discovered in 1931 date back to 200-250 AD and contain the four gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline Epistles and the Revelation. Again, the Papyrus Bodmer II which was discovered in 1956 dates back to 200 AD and contains portions of the final seven chapters of St. John’s Gospel and other 14 chapters of the same. Compared to other ancient historical writings such as Tacitus’ the Annals (2 manuscripts) and Caesar’s Gaelic Wars (10 Greek manuscripts) and Plato’s The Republic (7 manuscripts), the number of these New Testament manuscripts is very high. Again, the striking aspect that can be seen when all these manuscripts are compared is the striking similarities they possess. This is especially the case when one considers the fact that despite the preponderance of the manuscripts, the New Testament manuscripts have 99.5% agreement with the New Testament writings found in the Bible. Moreover, other manuscripts to Homer’s Iliad are very few but have only 95% agreement with what is presently available. The bottom line of the foregoing is that the scribers applied very meticulous methods for checking copies against errors and the Holy Spirit intended and ensured that mankind gets the very copy of God’s word, so that mankind should access salvation instead of being taken by deception (Thompson, 2009, 135). As a side note, the preservation of the Quran (even if taken for granted as true), does not necessarily validate its claims. The adherence of internal contents to facts cannot be sidestepped, merely because a book has been punctiliously copied. As opposed to the Quran which denies the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, the Bible recounts the death of Christ and has many historical documents (such as Tacitus’ the Annals, Flavius Josephus’ The Antiquities and Pliny the Younger’s letters to Emperor Trajan) supporting it in this effect. 6) An All-powerful, All-Good God allowing violence, disease, tragedy and death According to Judeo-Christian traditions, as the crowning act of creation, man was also made the head and owner of the earth and creation. Among many instances, this is evidenced by Adam being given dominion over the entire creation (Gen 1:28), having the power to name the creation (Gen 2:20), being given the charge to exercise custody over creation and to use creation to his benefit (Gen 1:28, 2:16, 9:2-4). In yielding to Satan’s temptation, man ceded away this dominion to the person he obeyed, Satan (Romans 6:16). By this virtue, Satan acquired dominion over creation and all the elements of nature and weather and uses them to thwart God’s plans and to frustrate mankind. For instance, at a certain point in Luke 8:24, the storm being used against God’s plan is seen when Jesus rebukes the storm. This means that Satan uses the elements of weather to work against man by for instance causing floods, hurricanes and lightning strikes. At a certain point, the devil flaunts the kingdom of the world as his belongings and having the power to assign them to whomsoever he wills (Matthew 4:8, 9). The veracity of the standpoint at hand is strongly underscored by Satan investing all his authority, throne and power in the antichrist (Rev 13:2). In an event that is yet future, the kingdoms of this world are made God’s and His Christ’s (Rev 11:15). One of the reasons that bring Christ to the world is to redeem the world back to God. It is therefore only through the redemptive work of Christ that the world is reclaimed back to God. The import of all the foregoing is that although the earth and its fullness belong to God through creation and redemption, yet the subjection of this ownership under God has not yet been brought to consummation. According to Smith (2007, 590), it is plausible that sufferings are as a result of God respecting the transaction that transpired over the ownership over the earth, and that the same sufferings are taking effect on man temporarily before the subjection of all things under God’s ownership. It is important to note that because of God’s sovereignty and wisdom, He chose not to obliterate the serious consequences of the Fall of Man immediately, but to work His divine will through the very setbacks. For instance, the consequences stemming from the Fall of Man makes man’s exercising of free will more meaningful. Particularly, through suffering, man’s allegiance towards God is well revealed, as is the case of the Biblical Job. In almost the same wavelength, suffering reveals God’s purposes for mankind. For instance, in eschatology, heightened spates of suffering (disease, violence, famine and destructive cataclysms) become some of the most express indicators of the signs of the end of the age (Mat 24: 6-29). Suffering also allows humans the avenue through which the person of God is revealed. While suffering is essentially a certain lack or failure to realize a particular need, God becomes that need. To the sick, Jehovah (meaning the Becoming One) becomes healing (Rophe), to the troubled, peace (Shalom), and to the hungry, Provider (Jireh). This notion becomes more profound in Christian theology where suffering becomes a point of special bond between the believer and Christ. Having fully taken on humanity, Christ became subject to the sufferings that characterize human life. He hungered, thirsted, lacked, grew tired, was victimized, prejudiced and murdered in a travesty of justice. Above all, the Passion of the Christ did not only mark the highest point of Christ’s suffering, but it also became the point of history where man in his suffering finds special unity with Christ (Anderson, 2012, 430). In respect to the foregoing, to the sinner and the righteous, Christ’s brutal suffering becomes the most express and epitome of God’s love. The missionary abducted and being tortured at the hands of radical jihadists in unknown dark dungeons in the Middle East shares a special union in Christ’s brutal suffering and shame of the cross and will also share in His glory and resurrection. All these positive realizations materialize because God in His fullness of love, power and knowledge, permits suffering and gives suffering new meaning in the person of His Son. References Anderson, T. J. 2012. “Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith.” Christian Scholar's Review, 41 (4), 426-431. Busch, A. 2009. “Presence Deferred: The Name of Jesus and Self-Referential Eschatological Prophecy in Acts 3.” Biblical Interpretation, 17 (5), 521-553. Henderson, S. W. 2009. “Jesus' Messianic Self-Consciousness Revisited: Christology and Community in Context.” Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus, 7 (2), 168-197. Jagessar, M. N. 2009. “Is Jesus the Only Way? Doing Black Christian God-Talk in a Multi-Religious City.” Black Theology: An International Journal, 7 (2), 200-225. Kalman, M. 2012. “What's Buried Under Sacred Ground?” Chronicle of Higher Education: Chronicle Review, 22 (6), 6-9. Mongrain, K. 2011. “The Eyes of Reason: Intelligent Design Apologetics as the New Preambula Fidei?” Heythrop Journal, 52 (2), 191-210. Mutei, J. M. 2007. “The Bible: Classical and Contemporary Muslim Attitudes and Exegesis.” Evangelical Review of Theology, 31 (3), 207-220. Smith, J. K. A. 2007. “Questions about the Perception of “Christian Truth”: On the Affective Effects of Sin.” New Black friars, 88 (1017), 585-593. Thompson, T. L. 2009. “Biblical Archaeology and the Politics of Nation-Building.” Holy Land Studies: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 8 (2), 133-142. Williams, D. T. 2010. “Identity Check.” Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, 23 (3), 25-29. Read More