We all enjoy a good story of redemption. Movies that chronicle people who have lost their way only to be restored leave us pleasantly satisfied that things are as they should be. I believe that we are so enamored with stories of redemption because they compare so well to our own stories.
It doesn’t take long watching the news to understand that something has gone terribly wrong. Terrorism, government scandals, and health epidemics all speak to the obvious reality that things are not as they should be. As bad as these external issues are, they pale in comparison to the hopelessness that is so prevalent today. Oh sure, many hide it pretty well behind a pursuit for status and significance, but within the secret depths of their soul, people long for restoration–for redemption.
So how did we get here? The Bible resoundingly answers with one word: sin. When Adam disobeyed the Lord, he plunged the whole of humanity into the condemnation associated with sin’s bondage. Creation was subjected to futility (Rom. 8:20), and sin became the master of every man and woman who has ever lived. Apart from redemption, everything is imprisoned under sin (Gal. 3:22), and there is no one who does good (Rom. 3:12).
Not only that, but left to ourselves we are all under the condemnation of the law. Every one of us is able to distinguish between right and wrong, and by choosing to do what is right, we “show that the work of the law is written on [our] hearts” (Rom. 2:15). Yet we cannot keep the law perfectly and therefore we find ourselves under the curse of the law. By relying on our own actions in an attempt to redeem ourselves from the sin we recognize within us, we place ourselves “under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them” (Gal. 3:10).
So we are enslaved to sin and under the curse of the Law. All of this ultimately leads to death, both the end of our present lives and the eternal destruction that awaits the unredeemed (Rom. 5:12; 7:5).
At this point, you’re probably wondering, “Why all the depressing news?” But that’s just it! Every story of redemption begins with the fall, and our story is no different. Every one of us is down and out. We have failed miserably and have not glorified the Lord. There is nothing that we can do to change our predicament even though we definitely need to be rescued. We need a redeemer, and in the next post, we will see what kind of redeemer we need.
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Hello, I’m assuming this blogpost is directed to nonbelievers like myself, since it appears to be making a case for something.
I would like to point out that your case is built on an extremely weak foundation. You make a number of very critical truth claims without even bothering to support them with an ounce of evidence.
For instance,
Please provide evidence of this prevalent hopelessness. Speaking for myself, I have many hopes, and I’m sure most others do too.
How do you know that? Do you have some means, apparently unknown to the rest of us, which allows you to ascertain the contents of our alleged soul’s secret depths?
Well, so? Lots of books claim to know what ails us. It doesn’t make them correct. You’ve merely begged the question that what the Bible says is correct.
Robert,
Thanks for your comments. I do base everything on the Bible and can provide verses for each of the claims that I make.
As far as the hoplessness issue, you may not feel hopeless, but that doesn’t change the fact that your situation IS hopeless apart from Christ. The Bible is very clear that everyone is dead in their sins and in need of a Savior. Out of His great love for you, God sent Jesus Christ to be that Savior, if you will only repent of your sins and place your confidence in the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf.
As far as the superiority of Scripture over other books, there are great resources out there that speak to WHY you can be confident in the Bible. The Bible has never failed even though it is the most tested book in history. We have more manuscript evidence for the Bible than any other piece of literature from antiquity, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead confirms everything in Scripture. You can trust in the Word of Gob because Christ rose from the grave.
Kyle, I’m sure you can base everything on the Bible, but that’s merely begging the question. If you assume the Bible is true, then of course it’s a “fact” that everything it says is true! I hope you can appreciate the circular nature of your claims, which, being based on a logical fallacy, should convince no reasonable person.
Muslims make very similar claims about the Qu’ran that you make about the Bible. Mormons too. You’ll notice they all have one thing in common: the claims all originate from proponents of their respective religions! Rather convenient, if you ask me.
When independent scholars evaluate these books, they come to far different conclusions than all of you.
Again, do you have any evidence for your claims about prevalent hopelessness and the contents of our alleged soul’s secret depths?
Robert,
Again, thanks for your thoughts. I do not assume the Bible to be true based on my own convictions but on the supporting evidence. I really could say the same thing right back to you. As I said, the evidence for the Bible’s divine origin is overwhelming. Couple that with the established fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and the Bible suddenly becomes the perfect source of truth. You’re exactly right that Muslims and Mormons claim their books to be inspired, but the reality is that the facts do not cooperate with their beliefs.
And finally, if the Bible is true (based on the evidence), then what it reveals about the human soul is true.
Kyle, I appreciate what you believe about the Bible, even as it’s wildly mistaken, but don’t you think you should state your beliefs up front? As your argument currently reads, you make general assertions about people, and say the Bible explains them. In fact, what you’re doing is making Biblical assertions about people, without having established why we should believe the Bible in the first place.
Robert,
Thanks so much for your interest in what I’m writing. I am familiar with Richard Carrier and the arguments that he has posted are some of the standard arguments against the Bible that have been sufficiently answered before. I would definitely recommend checking out http://www.reasonablefaith.org, for some great info that I think you would find interesting. Norman Geisler and Gary Habermas might be some others that you could check out.
As a Christian, I am always going to make Biblical assertions…it’s what all believers should do. If Christ rose from the dead (the foundation of our faith), then the Scriptures can be trusted as the source for divine revelation. And if that is the case, then what it reveals about the human heart and the human condition is true. The purpose of my blog is not to get into the archeaological and scientific evidences for the Christian faith; there are far more qualified people that do that. Instead, this blog is meant to do two things: (1) For unbelievers like yourself, I want to expose you to the saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and (2) for believers, I want to bolster their faith with Biblical truth. I am happy to provide you with resources that are related to Christian apologetics, but, as I said, this blog is not intended to get into those arguments. I hope you understand that. If you would like any other resources, definitely let me know. Thanks again for reading!
Kyle, the two Carrier articles I linked to are not actually disputed or addressed by Craig, Geisler, and Habermas. In any case, as you stated, your intention is not to argue the Bible’s authenticity.
I hoped to impress on you the misleading character of your blogpost. It initially made unsupported claims (e.g., about hopelessness and the “soul”), and then moved to unstated claims (e.g., about the Bible’s trustworthiness). Because you haven’t corrected the errors, much less acknowledged them, you’re detracting from your goal to bring people to the Gospel. If you misled the reader on this, what other things do you mislead him on?
Now, I don’t think you do this intentionally. I’ve come across a number of apologists – even the ones you mention – who fail to recognize the patently misleading or cicular nature of their arguments. My thinking is, you’re trying to avoid seeming “preachy”, but that’s in effect what you’re doing. To be honest, you should have stated up front, “My arguments are based on the view that the Bible is trustworthy in all its claims. Now, the Bible says nonbelievers are all without hope, and so they are. The Bible says their soul longs for redemption, and so it does.” And so on.
This will be my last post on this particular topic, but perhaps I’ll comment on others. Thank you for the discussion!
Robert,
I truly do appreciate your comments. As with any topic for a Christian, the discussion should begin and end with what the Bible has to say. I have hardly made it tough for anyone to figure out that what I am saying is completely based on Scripture. My starting assumption is that the Bible is completely trustworthy. Failing to defend the trustworthiness of the Bible within the article is not “misleading”. It’s simply not the topic of discussion. I apologize if you feel you were misled. From now on, please know that everything I am saying is based on the Bible.
As far as the arguments that Carrier puts forth, they have certainly been addressed in various settings and by the men that I listed. I have books from every one of them them that touch on parts of the issues that Carrier writes of. Another that would specialize in the textual criticism would be Daniel Wallace who does a superb job of getting into the different manuscripts.
Again, I do appreciate the interest that you have paid to the blog. I must say that I just might put up an apologetics resource page for persons like yourself who are interested in that sort of thing. Have a blessed day and I pray that you come to a saving relationship with Christ. Stop by anytime.