Atonement

Did Jesus Actually Exist?

Recently I had a discussion on social media about the actual existence of Jesus. The person I was discussing this is selling a publication stating, and I paraphrase, there is not enough evidence to prove that Jesus existed. This skeptic even went as far to say that Jesus not existing does not invalidate the gospels! Well, I am afraid that without Jesus there is no Christianity. There is no atonement for our sin! There are more skeptics out there as well.

*This stance becomes problematic when we weigh the evidence that we do have. There are 43 plus sources within 150 years after the death of Jesus.

The 9 Secular Sources:
Josephus (Jewish historian), Tacitus (Roman historian), Pliny the Younger (Roman politician), Phlegon (freed slave who wrote histories), Lucian (Greek satirist), Celsus (Roman philosopher), Mara Bar Serapion (prisoner awaiting execution), Suetonius, and Thallus.

20 Early Christian Writers Outside the New Testament
Clement of Rome, 2 Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, Martyrdom of Polycarp, Didache, Barnabas, Shepherd of Hermas, Fragments of Papias, Justin Martyr, Aristides, Athenagoras, Theophilus of Antioch, Quadratus, Aristo of Pella, Melito of Sardis, Diognetus, Gospel of Peter, Apocalypse of Peter, and Epistula Apostolorum.

4 Heretical Writings
Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Truth, Apocryphon of John, and Treatise on Resurrection.

9 Traditional New Testament Authors
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Author of Hebrews, James, Peter, and Jude.

Yes, even the New Testament authors! The New Testament is indeed a history book, and should be taken as such. There is something worthy to note, and that is there is five times the amount of evidence for Jesus’ life than there is for Tiberius Caesar’s! There is no mention of the destruction of Jerusalem in the Gospels, so this would date them before AD 70! Why would such an event not be noted? Because it was not known of before that date!

There is no better heresy than to deny Jesus, than preaching that He did not exist!

God Bless
Brian Mason

*Gary Habermas and Michael Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2004, p. 233.

Beware: Joyce Meyer Heresies

Joyce Meyer since 1980 has been a full-time Pentecostal preacher and is no stranger to preached heresy. Besides the strict bible scripture from the Apostle Paul forbidding a woman to teach and preach to a man, “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression,” (1 Tim. 2:12-14) she is regularly teaching heresy.

“During that time He entered hell, where you and I deserved to go (legally) because of our sin….He paid the price there.…no plan was too extreme…Jesus paid on the cross and in hell….God rose up from His throne and said to demon powers tormenting the sinless Son of God, “Let Him go.” Then the resurrection power of Almighty God went through hell and filled Jesus….He was resurrected from the dead ¾ the first born-again man.” (Meyer, The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make: A Complete And Thorough Understanding Of What It Means To Be Born Again (Tulsa: Harrison House, 1991), 35-36. This heresy is as far as I am aware has not been corrected, and she is non-repentant of this heresy! Where in Scripture does it teach that Jesus spoke to “demon powers” to “Let Him Go”? Wow!

Again; “There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth I am presenting. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place in hell.” Meyer, The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make (1991), 37

Meyer goes against Jesus’ atonement clearly as Jesus said on the cross:
“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, ‘I thirst.’ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:28-30). His atoning work was completed on the cross, not from a weekend trip to hell!

We are “not to exceed what is written”!
1 Corinthians 4: 6-7, “6 Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”

They are wolves in sheep’s clothing who will coyly preach twisted-scripture!
Acts 20: 27-31, 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard!

Meyer has preached and written more heresies that will be looked at at a later date.

God Bless
Brian Mason

What Is “Justification” and “The Gospel of Jesus Christ”?

Since we are coming to the most important season in the Christian faith, that being the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, It seems very appropriate for the content and timing of this article. Going over the collection of writings on Beacon Apologetics I can only say to you that this is the most important message that I could ever write about; The truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The word “Gospel” is as defined by Dictionary.com:

“The story of Christ’s life and teachings, especially as contained in the first four books of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.”

Notice that definition includes the words “especially as contained in the first four books of the New Testament”? The reason that I bring attention to that is that the entire Bible is God’s Word about the coming Messiah Jesus and the message he brought.

The Gospel is summed up by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4;

1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

The apostle Paul spoke of Faith and Resurrection in 1 Cor 15:14;

14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

The main importance of the resurrection is the divine act of God called Justification. Justification is the act where God declares the sinner to be innocent of his sins. Jesus’ shed blood on the cross is the foundation of justification. See Romans 5:9;

9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

And Romans 5:18;

18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

Jesus being God in flesh was the only person that could rid mankind of sin. Dying in our place he paid the ultimate penalty of the breaking of God’s Law. Read 1 Peter 2:24

24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

If you are an unbeliever you can still repent of your sins and receive the Gospel, and I will offer a prayer:

Dear Jesus,
I ask you to forgive me of my sins. I am now turning from the way I have been thinking and acting – my sinful human nature, and I am turning to you.
I truly believe in you, Jesus. I believe you are the Son of God that you died on the cross for all believers and by the hand of God, you resurrected from the tomb three days later. I believe that you are in Heaven “alive in flesh” and at the right hand of your Father God.
I receive you into my heart and ask you to take charge of my life from now and for always!
I confess with my mouth and truly believe in my heart that you are my Lord and Savior…forever!
In your Holy name, Jesus
Amen

That was simply an example prayer that I say, and of course it MUST come from your heart. I would like to leave you with from the book of Romans 10: 9-10

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

An important point I want to make is Jesus atoned for our sins. We do not need to add works for Salvation as that would be denying what Jesus suffered for us on the cross! Works based Salvation is a heresy! We are saved by God’s Grace!

As Christians we are commissioned to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I warn you that many people will take great offence to the Gospel, and some may even call themselves Christian!

God Bless
Brian Mason