ch5 Apologetics as proof: Proving the Gospel Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

Scriptures Doctrine of Scripture The Bible Presents us with a doctrine of the Bible. The Bible itself is not merely an incidental human record of Jewish history and early Christianity; rather, the Bible is God’s self-witness. It is God Speaking to us. Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

Scriptures Doctrine of Scripture The Bible presents us with a doctrine of the Bible. If we find Scripture’s self-description to be credible, then, at the same time, we will find the message of Scripture to be Credible. The Church’s Constitution, The Bible. –God’s Covenant (Exodus 19) Suzerainty treaty Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

Suzerainty treaty –I–In the suzerainty treaty, a great king imposes on a lesser king the status of a servant-ally. In the literary form of the treaty, the great king speaks as the author. He begins by giving his name. Then, in a historical prologue, he explains how he has helped the servant king in the past. He then sets forth his law, the obligations which the servant must perform. Then come the sanctions: blessings upon the servant if he obeys, and curses if he disobeys. The treaty concludes with procedural details: dynastic succession arrangements, keeping of the treaty documents, provisions for their public reading, etc. We can see this literary form in the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20, and Kline has identified other passages (including the entire book of Deuteronomy) that reflect this form. (Frame 123) Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

Scriptures Doctrine of Scripture Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

But What About Biblical Criticism? Modern Liberal Criticism essentially denies anything supernatural Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

Reliability of Scripture See “A Ready Defense” by Josh McDowell “Jesus was an authoritative teacher or rabbi who trained is disciples to be his apprentices. In keeping with the practices of their orally oriented culture, they were capable of accurately memorizing massive amounts of material. The disciples of Jesus took great care to memorize his teachings and deeds (they may have written down some of the material as well), and saw their responsibility as guardians of the word. Their role was to pass on the word faithfully and unaltered…” Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

Scripture’s Rationale for Gospel Message 1. The Argument from Prophecy 2. The New Testament Witness to Christ 3. Miracle and Resurrection Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

The Argument from Prophecy From the OT, Israel learns the –nature of man’s plight, –the sort of sacrifice needed to deal with sin, –the sort of suffering that must be involved, –the remarkable combination of divinity and humanity required for the work of salvation, –the divine self-giving. The “argument from prophecy,” then, is actually an argument from the whole OT and is in reality an appeal to the extraordinary rational structure of Scripture itself. Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

The Argument from Prophecy For example –Gen 3:15 –Story of Cain killing Abel → provides Seth –Abraham sacrificing Isaac →God provides ram These teach 1.Covenant loyalty – no greater love than to give one’s life 2.God will preserve the seed of promise 3.Substitutionary offering is necessary 4.God provides for His people. Our greatest need → forgiveness of sin Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

Argument from Prophecy Exodus God demands sacrifice 2.1 st born son 3.Even chosen people of God deserve death 4.Substitutionary blood averts God’s wrath 5.Blood displayed publicly Hundreds and hundreds of prophecies pointed directly to Christ …suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle came together in Jesus! Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

New Testament Witness to Christ What does NT teach/claim about Jesus? Mark 1:11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." - Jesus’ ministry was endorsed by God Himself Matt 4 – Faithful to God (despite hard temptation) Mark 1:22 – Teacher who speaks with amazing authority Luke 7:1-10 – Power to heal is power of God’s word Luke 24:1 – Rises again from death John 8:58 (among other places) – CLAIMS TO BE GOD! John 5:18 – Unique relationship with the Father Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel

Uniqueness & Exclusivity of Christ John 14:6 No one comes to the Father except through me Acts 4:12 Salvation in no one else Eph 2:12 Separated from Christ = w/out God 1 John 2:23 Deny Son → no Father 2 John 1:9Acknowledge the Son → have Father John 15:5-6 …If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel New Testament Witness to Christ

When the OT prophesies were compared with Jesus himself –His power –His authority –His saving love –His resurrection glory the conclusion was inescapable… Jesus was God! Jesus is God The Greek term theos, meaning “God,” refers to Christ in the following passages: Ps 2; 45:5; 110:1ff John 1:18; 20:281:1820:28 Acts 20:28 blood refers to GodActs 20:28 Rom 9:5 “Christ who is God over all”Rom 9:5 2 Thess 1:12 Titus 2:13 2 Peter 1:1 “our God & Savior Jesus”2 Peter 1:1 1 John 5:20 “He is the true God”1 John 5:20 Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel Phil 2:6-11 and Col 2:9 are perhaps even clearer in their testimony to Jesus’ deity.

Miracle and Resurrection 1.Throughout Scripture, God does ______ _____ so that people will know that he is the Lord (Ex 6:7; 7:5,17; 8:22; 9:14; 10:2; 11:7; 14:4,18; 16:12; 29:46; etc.). See John 20:30-31John 20: Scripture warns us against putting too much confidence in miracles to _______ unbelieving hearts. John20:29, Luke 16:29-31Luke 16: In the Bible, miracles do have an epistemological __________, even though they themselves will not convert an unbeliever. 2 Cor 12:12, Heb 2:4 2 Cor 12:12Heb 2:4 Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel wonderful works convert function

Miracle and Resurrection 4.We need the ______ to implant faith in the heart for miracles to be effective. 5.All miracles counteracted Satan’s power and purposes 6.The resurrection is as well ______ to, as well established, as any _____ in history 7.The chief evidence for the resurrection is the _______ of God itself. 8.The resurrection is the greatest miracle. Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel Spirit Satan’s attested fact WORD

Conclusion What Scripture teaches, it teaches credibly Is the credibility of Scripture absolutely certain? Ultimately, YES Since it is the word of God himself, the highest authority, then it deserves to be presupposed as the highest standard of credibility. How can we be persuaded of that certainty? By the Holy Spirit’s witness to us, reinforcing the credibility inherent in the text itself –1 Cor 2:4 “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power –1 Thess 1:5 “our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. Apologetics to the Glory of God ch5 Proving the Gospel