Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Christmas from Truthbomb!

We here at Truthbomb want to wish you and your family a very Merry CHRIST-mas!

"From the cradle to the cross:

What the Child has done for those who receive His pardon…"


To find out more about Jesus, go here.



I (Chad G.) will return to blogging in the New Year!  


Courage and Godspeed,
The Truthbomb Team

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Sunday Praise: "Born in Bethlehem" by Third Day


Merry Christmas Eve!  

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Friday, December 22, 2017

What does it mean that God sent Jesus in the "fullness of time"? Why did God send Jesus when He did?

The article below was taken from GotQuestions.org:


Question: "What does it mean that God sent Jesus in the "fullness of time"? Why did God send Jesus when He did? Why not earlier? Why not later?"

Answer: 
“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law” (Galatians 4:4). This verse declares that God the Father sent His Son when “the time had fully come.” There were many things occurring at the time of the first century that, at least by human reasoning, seem to make it ideal for Christ to come then.

1) There was a great anticipation among the Jews of that time that the Messiah would come. The Roman rule over Israel made the Jews hungry for the Messiah’s coming.

2) Rome had unified much of the world under its government, giving a sense of unity to the various lands. Also, because the empire was relatively peaceful, travel was possible, allowing the early Christians to spread the gospel. Such freedom to travel would have been impossible in other eras.

3) While Rome had conquered militarily, Greece had conquered culturally. A “common” form of the Greek language (different from classical Greek) was the trade language and was spoken throughout the empire, making it possible to communicate the gospel to many different people groups through one common language.

4) The fact that the many false idols had failed to give them victory over the Roman conquerors caused many to abandon the worship of those idols. At the same time, in the more “cultured” cities, the Greek philosophy and science of the time left others spiritually empty in the same way that the atheism of communist governments leaves a spiritual void today.

5) The mystery religions of the time emphasized a savior-god and required worshipers to offer bloody sacrifices, thus making the gospel of Christ which involved one ultimate sacrifice believable to them. The Greeks also believed in the immortality of the soul (but not of the body).

6) The Roman army recruited soldiers from among the provinces, introducing these men to Roman culture and to ideas (such as the gospel) that had not reached those outlying provinces yet. The earliest introduction of the gospel to Britain was the result of the efforts of Christian soldiers stationed there.

The above statements are based on men looking at that time and speculating about why that particular point in history was a good time for Christ to come. But we understand that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8), and these may or may not have been some reasons for why He chose that particular time to send His Son. From the context of Galatians 3 and 4, it is evident that God sought to lay a foundation through the Jewish Law that would prepare for the coming of the Messiah. The Law was meant to help people understand the depth of their sinfulness (in that they were incapable of keeping the Law) so that they might more readily accept the cure for that sin through Jesus the Messiah (Galatians 3:22-23Romans 3:19-20). The Law was also “put in charge” (Galatians 3:24) to lead people to Jesus as the Messiah. It did this through its many prophecies concerning the Messiah which Jesus fulfilled. Add to this the sacrificial system that pointed to the need for a sacrifice for sin as well as its own inadequacy (with each sacrifice always requiring later additional ones). Old Testament history also painted pictures of the person and work of Christ through several events and religious feasts (such as the willingness of Abraham to offer up Isaac, or the details of the Passover during the exodus from Egypt, etc.).

Finally, Christ came when He did in fulfillment of specific prophecy. Daniel 9:24-27 speaks of the “seventy weeks” or the seventy “sevens.” From the context, these “weeks” or “sevens” refer to groups of seven years, not seven days. We can examine history and line up the details of the first sixty-nine weeks (the seventieth week will take place at a future point). The countdown of the seventy weeks begins with “the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem” (verse 25). This command was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus in 445 B.C. (see Nehemiah 2:5). After seven “sevens” plus 62 “sevens,” or 69 x 7 years, the prophecy states, “the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary” and that the “end will come like a flood” (meaning major destruction) (v. 26). Here we have an unmistakable reference to the Savior’s death on the cross. A century ago in his book The Coming Prince, Sir Robert Anderson gave detailed calculations of the sixty-nine weeks, using ‘prophetic years,’ allowing for leap years, errors in the calendar, the change from B.C. to A.D., etc., and figured that the sixty-nine weeks ended on the very day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, five days before His death. Whether one uses this timetable or not, the point is that the timing of Christ’s incarnation ties in with this detailed prophecy recorded by Daniel over five hundred years beforehand.

The timing of Christ’s incarnation was such that the people of that time were prepared for His coming. The people of every century since then have more than sufficient evidence that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah through His fulfillment of the Scriptures that pictured and prophesied His coming in great detail.

God Bless,



Thursday, December 21, 2017

Ten Basic Facts About the NT Canon that Every Christian Should Memorize by Michael Kruger

Today's post features 10 facts about the New Testament Canon that scholar Michael Kruger believes every follower of Christ should memorize.  He writes:

"...I have been working through a new series on the NT canon designed to help Christians understand ten basic facts about its origins. This series is designed for a lay-level audience and hopefully could prove helpful in a conversation one might have with a skeptical friend."

They are as follows:



To learn more about Michael Kruger and his excellent work, go here.

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Does "Jesus" Actually Mean, "Hail, Zeus?"

One of the more bizarre and misguided claims made by those in the so-called "Hebrew Roots" movement is that the name "Jesus" actually means, "Hail, Zeus!" Some will even claim that anyone who uses the name Jesus is offering praise to a false god and is not saved.  Their conviction is that true believers must only use the Hebrew name for Jesus since scripture teaches that "...there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

First off, it should be obvious that Acts 4:12 is not talking about the specific word by which we identify Jesus, but about the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

Second, as Michael Houdmann of Compelling Truth explains:

"Within this camp of false teachers, there are some that say 'Jesus' actually means 'Hail Zeus.'  It's not hard to hear the similarities between the sound of 'Jesus' and a quick mashup of 'Hail Zeus,' but that's not even the bizarre argument these few teachers make.  They say that Roman Church officials changed the Messiah's name from YAHSHUA (which they say means "YAH is Salvation") to a hybrid Greek/Latin word, lésous, which supposedly means 'Hail Zeus.'  They claim this change was made to make their religion more acceptable to the pagan culture.  Zeus was chief of the Greco-Roman pantheon of gods, so, according to this theory, the supposed new demigod was easily accepted and Christianity was melded with paganism.  One brief thing to mention is that YAHSHUA is not even correct, as the Hebrew name for the Savior is Yeshua.

As further 'proof' for this conspiracy theory, proponents say that when people say Jesus in Spanish it is obvious they are actually saying 'Hey, Zeus.'  They also mention sculptures of Zeus with a beard and images of Jesus with a beard.

Looking seriously at the linguistics, the Hebrew name Yeshua is translated into Iésous in Greek, the same name Gabriel, the angel, told Mary to name her child (Matthew 1:21).  Jesus is Greek for Joshua, a Jewish name that means 'he will save his people from their sins.'  The Gospel writers wrote in Greek.  YeshuaJesuJoshua, and Jesus are the same name in different languages.  Names can and do translate in different languages.  For example, John is Jean in France, Juan in Spain, and Johan in Germany.  His name may sound different, but he himself is the same person.  When we are talking about Jesus Christ, we are referring to the child born to Mary in Bethlehem who grew up, gathered followers, taught for three years, died on a cross, then rose from the dead. In English, we call Him Jesus.  This person is decidedly not Zeus."1

Further, as Dr. Craig A. Dunning of Watchmen Fellowship contends, some attempts to connect the English word Jesus to Zeus are dependent upon the work Traina, a pioneer in the Sacred Name Movement2  However, Dunning convincing demonstrates why this attempt fails miserably:

"Among the other conspiracies in his [Traina] The Origin of Christianity, he says, 'They had worshipped Zeus, or Jupiter, as the supreme deity, so now they were told the new name was Theos, or Dios, or God.  There [sic] savior was Zeus, so now they were to accept Jesus (lesous).'  Thus, the suggestion that 'the meaning of Jesus is Yah=Zeus.' However; Traina’s assertion offers: no historical evidence; and an examination of the Septuagint (c. 2nd Century BC), the earliest translation of the OT into Greek, demonstrates that Jesus is an acceptable translation.  Since Yeshua is the shortened form of Joshua, one only needs to see what the translators used for Joshua.  They used Ἰησοῦς (lesous) to translate the Hebrew name Joshua into Greek from which came the Latin and subsequently the English form 'Jesus.'  There is no indication the translators intended to connect Joshua to Zeus or to draw pagan Greeks to follow Joshua by using Ἰησοῦς (lesous)."3

Dunning summarizes as follows:

"Utilizing Hebrew cultural forms can provide a beautiful worship experience.  However, suggesting that the Bible can be properly understood only through these forms or that worship is properly done only in the cultural forms of the first century denies the cross-cultural applicability of the Scriptures. More importantly, there is no hint in the New Testament (NT) that Hebrew forms are necessary for understanding or maturing in the faith."

Simply put, the name Jesus means “The Lord Saves” or “The Lord Is Salvation.” Whether it is spelled JesusJesuJoshua or Yeshua, the meaning of the name is the same, and we can be sure it has nothing to do with Zeus.

For more on the claim that "Jesus" means "Hail, Zeus," see here.

Courage and Godspeed,

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Scholars and Apologists Weigh in on the First Christmas


Here is a collection of Research Materials for Christmas:

Articles


Star-Studded Wise Men: Rethinking the Christmas Story by Ben Witherington

The First Christmas: Myths and Reality by Paul Copan




On the Miracle of Christmas by Chad A. Gross

Five Reasons You Can Trust the Story of Christmas Is True by J. Warner Wallace

Why Didn't Paul Mention the Virgin Conception? by J. Warner Wallace

What Do We Mean When We Use the Word "Virgin Conception?" by J. Warner Wallace

Christmas Resources from Apologetics315

Is There Proof that Jesus was Born of a Virgin? by Sean McDowell

Christmas Resources 2016 by Triablogue


Was Jesus Born of a Virgin? by Josh McDowell

The Star of Bethlehem by Peter May

Monday, December 18, 2017

12 Days of Apologetics by Southern Evangelical Seminary



Above is Southern Evangelical Seminary's Day 7 video in their annual 12 Days of Apologetics series. You can view all of the videos in this series here.

Stand firm in Christ,
Chase

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Friday, December 15, 2017

In Loving Memory of R.C. Sproul

Remembering R.C. Sproul, 1939–2017

Dr. R.C. Sproul went home to be with the Lord this afternoon around 3 p.m. surrounded by his wife, Vesta, and family in his hospital room in Altamonte Springs, Fla. He was 78. He died peacefully after being hospitalized twelve days ago due to severe respiratory difficulties exacerbated by the flu and complicated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

You can learn more of the details here.

Please take time to visit Justin Taylor's lovely write up about Sproul here.

Finally, checkout this link featuring 40 quotes from the man himself.

Sproul said it well- "There are only two ways of dying. We can die in faith or we can die in our sins.” I am grateful that we can be confident R.C. chose to die in faith!

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Thursday, December 14, 2017

How to Reach Your Non-Christian Relatives This Christmas by Frank Turek

One of the many benefits of the Christmas season is that it presents a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with friends and family. However, sometimes it can be difficult to know how to steer the conversation in a spiritual direction.

In this post from CrossExamined.org, Dr. Frank Turek offers 10 ways believers can move people closer to the gospel this holiday season or any time!

They are as follows:

  1. Pray: Start praying now for opportunities and for hearts to be open.  Then volunteer to pray before the meal (No one will interrupt or critique a prayer!).   Keep the prayer short and thank God for:
    • Your family members and guests by name
    • The food
    • Coming to earth that first Christmas in the person of Jesus to pay for our sins and to offer forgiveness and salvation for free to anyone who trusts in Christ
  2. Serve: Get off the couch and serve people as if you were a real Christian!
  3. Ask:  Seriously ask people how they’ve been doing this year.  Then ask them, “Is there anything I can pray for you about?”
  4. Testify: If they ask you how you’ve been doing, fold in a story of how God is working.
  5. Agree & Affirm whatever they get right.  It will make points of disagreement more acceptable.
  6. Use Tactical Questions When They Get Something Wrong: When people make truth claims, it’s not your job to refute them—it is their job to support them. So before responding to their statements, ask these questions.
    • What do you mean by that?
    • How did you come to that conclusion? (Or what evidence do you have for that?)
    • Have you ever considered…? (Fill in the blank with the evidence you would like the person to consider).
  7. Use the Quick Answers section of the CrossExamined App to respond to specific objections.   
  8. Show them what makes your walk easier: Glo BibleYou Version Bible, CrossExamined App (people love gadgets and apps).
  9. Seed the conversation:  Depending on how the conversation goes, some of these statements may get people thinking and even get them to ask you questions.  They include:
    • If I were perfect, I wouldn’t need a Savior.
    • God won’t force people into Heaven against their will.
    • I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist.
    • The greatest miracle in the Bible is the first verse.
    • What motive did the Jewish New Testament writers have to make up a new religion?
    • If Christianity were true, would you become a Christian?
    10. Write them afterwards:  Following up on a conversation later via email can be very effective. That’s because you can present your ideas more clearly and completely while the other person can actually consider what you are saying without feeling the pressure of having to respond immediately. You can also include links to articles or websites for those that want to go deeper.
What about you?  What tactics or approaches do you find effective in reaching others with the gospel around the holidays?  Please feel free to share in the comments below!

Courage and Godspeed,

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Video: The Hebrew Roots Movement by James Walker


In this featured talk, James Walker from Watchman Fellowship explains the history and  growing popularity of the Hebrew Roots movement.

You can also find Watchmen Fellowship's Free Profile on the Hebrew Roots Movement here.

Enjoy!

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Related Posts

Video: Seven Keys to Conversing with Cultists by Ron Rhodes

Walter Martin on the Rise of Cults

What are the Best Questions for Spiritual Conversation?

Monday, December 11, 2017

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Saturday, December 09, 2017

Worldview and Apologetics in the News

Donald Trump's Christmas Statement Shows How Little He Understands About Christianity

Christian baker vs. the state of Colorado: Most anticipated Supreme Court case begins oral arguments

Ravi Zacharias Responds to Sexting Allegations, Credentials Critique 1  Ravi's statement is here.



Friday, December 08, 2017

East Meets West - Mark Mittelberg


Recently, I read Mark Mittelberg's "expert contribution" from Nabeel Qureshi's best selling book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.  It reinforces Qureshi's assessment that generally speaking, Eastern Islamic cultures assess truth through lines of authority as opposed to individual reasoning.  I think this is a very important point to consider when discussing one's faith with someone coming from this background.  

You can also find the contribution on the RZIM website.  

Mark Mittelberg is bestselling author and primary creator of the course Becoming a Contagious Christian, which has trained 1.5 million people worldwide and has been translated into more than twenty languages. He served as evangelism director with the Willow Creek Association for more than a decade.
“It is important for you to know that Allah is the one and only God, and that Muhammad, peace be upon him, was his true prophet. God is not divided, and He does not have a son. And Jesus, peace be upon him, was not the Son of God. He was a true prophet, like Muhammad, and we are to honor him, but we must never worship him. We worship Allah and Allah alone.” These bold words, spoken by the imam—a man dressed in white who stood in front of our group and was clearly in charge of the mosque that day—were communicated in a manner that delivered more than just theological content. They were conveyed with an authority that made clear that the message was something we were expected to accept, rather than test. It was not that the imam wasn’t willing to entertain a few questions. Rather, he apparently saw this as a chance to challenge the thinking of an entire group of Christians at one time. So after a short period of teaching, he opened the floor to whatever issues we wanted to raise. But even then, he responded with an emphatic tone, one that relayed his belief that he had the truth and we were there to learn it.
This assuredness was borne out when I finally raised my own question. I asked the imam why he and other Muslims denied that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross, and that He rose from the dead three days later. As politely as I knew how, I explained that I, and the others from my church who were visiting the mosque that day, believed these things on the basis of the testimonies of Jesus’ own disciples. They were the ones who walked and talked with Him for three years and who heard Him make repeated claims to be the Son of God. They saw Him die on the cross and met, talked with, and even ate with Him after His resurrection. And they were the ones who made sure it was all written down in the New Testament gospels. “What I’m curious about,” I said, concluding my question, “is whether you have any historical or logical reasons why we should accept your Muslim point of view over and against what we understand to be the actual historical record?”
The imam looked at me intently and then declared resolutely, “I choose to believe the prophet!” With that, our time for questions was over. East meets West, indeed! I walked away that day with a fresh awareness that we do not all approach questions about truth in the same way. In fact, years later, I wrote about what I believe is a characteristically Eastern versus a characteristically Western approach to gaining knowledge.3
In the East, and for Islam in particular, what is accepted as true is generally what the authorities tell you—and you are expected to embrace what they teach. That is why I call this approach the Authoritarian Faith Path. In fact, the original meaning of the Arabic word Islam “submission.” It seems fair to say that the prevailing tenor of the Muslim faith is one of submitting to—not questioning—what the religion teaches.

This squares with my friend Nabeel Qureshi’s assessment in this part 2 of his book “People from Eastern Islamic cultures generally assess truth through lines of authority, not individual reasoning. Of course, individuals do engage in critical reasoning in the East, but on average it is relatively less valued and far less prevalent than in the West. Leaders have done the critical reasoning, and leaders know best.” As Nabeel indicates, this contrasts sharply with the more typical approach in the West, which I refer to as the Evidential Faith Path. This approach decides what should be accepted as true based not on the word of authorities but rather on logic and experience, including experiences recorded in trustworthy historical records like the ones I cited in my interactions with the imam. Of course, both sides can have their pitfalls. Westerners in the evidential mindset often need to be reminded to be lovers of truth (2 Thess. 2:10) who are willing to rigorously apply reason and the study of evidence, and then follow them wherever they lead. Too often, people in Western culture fall into an approach that limits possible causes to naturalistic ones, and they won’t even consider supernatural causes. This prejudices the outcome and, in fact, makes scientific and historical inquiry atheistic by definition. But if we can help people reopen their minds to the full gamut of possible explanations, then I’m confident that logic and evidence (along with the inner workings of the Holy Spirit) will lead them back not only to a belief in God but also to the Christian faith.


God Bless,

Thursday, December 07, 2017

Book Preview: Lies Pastors Believe by Dayton Hartman

About the Author

Dayton Hartman is lead pastor at Redeemer Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He has a PhD in church and dogma history from North-West University (South Africa), and serves as an adjunct professor at both Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Columbia International University. He is the author of Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Our review is here).

You can learn more about Pastor Hartman and his ministry here.




About the Book


All of us are tempted to believe lies about ourselves.

For many pastors, the lies we’re tempted to believe have to do with our identity: that God has called us to lead a movement, that we must sacrifice our home life for our ministry life, or that our image as holy is more important than our actual pursuit of holiness.

In Lies Pastors Believe, pastor and professor Dayton Hartman takes aim at these and other lies he has faced in his own ministry and seen other pastors struggle with. With a winsome and engaging style, Hartman shows current and future pastors why these lies are so tempting, the damage they can do, and how they can be resisted by believing and applying the truth of the gospel.

You can get your copy here.

Our review of this work is forthcoming!

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Related Posts

Pastor Stephen J. Bedard on Apologetics in the Pulpit

Dayton Hartman on Pastors and Apologetics

Article: Why Pastors Ought to Be Apologists by J. Warner Wallace

Monday, December 04, 2017

How You Can Reveal the Glory of Christ to Others (and Why You Need To)

In the subject post, Amy Hall of Stand to Reason writes that "the biggest divide between Christians and non-Christians is not whether or not they think Christianity is true but whether or not they think Christianity is beautiful—and specifically, whether or not they think Jesus is beautiful." She also quotes John Piper and writes how this impacts apologetics.

You can read the full post here.

Stand firm in Christ,
Chase

Sunday, December 03, 2017

Friday, December 01, 2017

Free E-Book: C.S. Lewis- A Profile in Faith

Today's post features a free e-book written to commemorate the late Christian apologist and author C.S. Lewis.  The book discusses:
  • His Life and Faith
  • His Thought and Teaching
  • His Family and Friends
  • His Influences
The book includes chapters by C.S. Lewis Scholars:

Dr. Lyle W. Dorsett - Billy Graham Chair of Evangelism at Beeson Divinity School

Dr. James M. Houston
- Founder of Regent College, Co-founder of C.S. Lewis Institute
Dr. Art Lindsley - Vice President of Theological Initiatives at Institute for Faith, Work and Economics
Marjorie Lamp Mead - Associate Director of the Wade Center at Wheaton College
The late Dr. Christopher W. Mitchell - Professor of Christian Thought, Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University
Dr. Earl F. Palmer - Founder of Earl Palmer Ministries
Dr. Philip G. Ryken - President of Wheaton College

You can download your free copy here. [PDF] An iBook version is available here.

This book has been added to our Free Apologetics E-book Library.

Enjoy!

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Related Posts

Interview: William Lane Craig on the Impact of C.S. Lewis

Notable Christian Apologist: C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis on Rationality and Materialism