The Quran and the Trinity by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=8&article=1552

The Quran and the Trinity

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

When reading the Quran, one is surprised time and time again with the fact that the Allah of the Quran conducts himself quite differently from the God of the Bible. Of course, “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for “God,” like its equivalent Old Testament Hebrew term elohim—a general term for deity that was used by the Jews to refer both to the one true God, as well as to the false deities of their pagan neighbors (e.g., Genesis 35:2; Deuteronomy 29:18; Daniel 3:25). So the term “God” in whatever language (English, Arabic, or Hebrew) is a generic term to refer to deity. Muslims claim that the Allah they worship is the same God that Abraham and the Jews worshipped. Nevertheless, it is possible for one to pay lip service to following the God of the Bible, and yet so recast Him that He ceases to be the same Being about which one reads on the pages of the Bible. The meaning and identity that each culture or religion attaches to the word may differ radically.

Many current Christian authors do this very thing when they claim to be writing about the Jesus of the New Testament. They misrepresent Jesus, recasting and refashioning the Jesus of the Bible into essentially a different Being than the One depicted on the pages of the New Testament—one who is unconcerned about obedience, and whose grace forgives just about everybody unconditionally (e.g., Lucado, 1996). But that is not the Jesus of the New Testament. They have so misrepresented the person, nature, and conduct of Jesus that for all practical purposes, their writings depict a differentJesus.

In like fashion, the Quran has Allah saying and doing things that the God of the Bible simply would not say or do. Actions and attitudes are attributed to Allah that stand in stark contradistinction to the character of the God of the Bible. Though Allah is claimed by Muslims to be the same God as the God of the Old Testament, the Quran’s depiction of deity is nevertheless sufficiently redefined as to make Allah distinct from the God of the Bible. This stark contrast is particularly evident in the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.

The Bible depicts deity as singular, i.e., there is one and only one divine essence or Being (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; James 2:19). However, the Bible also clearly depicts God as a triune Being—three distinct persons within the one essence—with a triune nature. For example, during the Creation week, God stated: “Let us...” (Genesis 1:26, emp. added). Both the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:2) and Christ (John 1:1-3) were present and active at the Creation with God the Father. The New Testament alludes to the “Godhead” (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9). At the baptism of Jesus while He was in human form, the Father spoke audibly from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus (Matthew 3:16-17). All three are sometimes noted together (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). Each person of the Godhead is fully God, fully deity, fully divine. Jesus is repeatedly referred to as God (Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-3,14; 8:58; 20:28; Micah 5:2). The Holy Spirit is also divine (John 14:26; 15:26; Romans 15:19; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; Ephesians 4:4; Hebrews 9:14).

In contrast to the biblical portrait, the Quran goes out of its way to denounce the notion of Trinity:

O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not “Three”—Cease! (it is) better for you!—Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from His transcendant majesty that he should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Defender. The Messiah will never scorn to be a slave unto Allah, nor will the favoured angels. Whoso scorneth His service and is proud, all such will He assemble unto Him (Surah 4:171-172, emp. added).

They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. The Messiah (himself) said: O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Lo! whoso ascribeth partners unto Allah, for him Allah hath forbidden Paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evil‑doers there will be no helpers. They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three; when there is no God save the One God. If they desist not from so saying apainful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve. Will they not rather turn unto Allah and seek forgiveness of Him? For Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (Surah 5:72-74, emp. added).

The Christian is surely startled to read such forthright denunciations on those who believe in the Godhead as depicted in the Bible. The Quran declares in unmistakable terms that those who do believe in the Trinity will be excluded from paradise, and will experience a “painful doom” by burning in the fire of hell.

Regarding the third person of the Godhead, Muslims insist that the Quran knows nothing of the Holy Spirit—all seeming references simply being, in the words of Muslim scholar Mohammed Pickthall, “a term for the angel of Revelation, Gabriel (on whom be peace)” (Pickthall, p. 40). Thus the Quran denies the person of the Holy Spirit, acknowledges the existence of Jesus while denying His divinity, and insists that the person of Allah is singular in nature. The Quran and the Bible are in dire contradiction with each other on the doctrine of the Trinity.

REFERENCES

Lucado, Max (1996), In the Grip of Grace (Dallas, TX: Word).

Pickthall, Mohammed M. (n.d.), The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (New York: Mentor).

From Mark Copeland... "CONVERSIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS" Cornelius And His Household (10:1-48; 11:1-18)

                   "CONVERSIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS"

             Cornelius And His Household (10:1-48; 11:1-18)

INTRODUCTION

1. Up to this point, the gospel had been somewhat limited in its
   outreach...
   a. It had spread throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria - Ac 9:31
   b. But other than the Samaritans (who were half Jewish), it had gone
      only to the Jews

2. With the conversion of "Cornelius And His Household" the first
   Gentiles are saved...
   a. A conversion noted not only because they were the first Gentiles
   b. But also because of the miraculous events that precipitated the
      conversion
      1) An angel appearing to Cornelius
      2) Peter's vision, followed by the Spirit's instruction
      3) The Spirit falling upon Cornelius, his family, and close 
         friends
      4) Cornelius and his household speaking in tongues

3. As in the case of Saul of Tarsus, we have more than just one account
   of the conversion...
   a. There is Luke's description - Ac 10:1-48
   b. There is Peter's description, as he is called to defend his 
      actions - Ac 11:1-18

4. Important questions are raised as we consider the events of this 
   conversion...
   a. Exactly when did the Spirit fall upon Cornelius and his company?
   b. What was the purpose of the Spirit falling upon them?
   c. Were they saved when the Spirit came upon them, or later when 
      they were baptized?

[These are some of the questions I intend to answer as we examine the
conversion of "Cornelius And His Household".  Since we have two 
accounts, let's consider them together as we start with...]

I. A HARMONY OF THE CONVERSION OF CORNELIUS AND HIS HOUSEHOLD

   A. THE ANGEL APPEARS TO CORNELIUS...
      1. Cornelius, a centurion, is a very religious man - Ac 10:1-2
      2. The angel appears to him - Ac 10:3-6
         a. With an announcement that his prayers and alms have been 
            noticed by God
         b. With instructions to send for Peter; please note:
            1) The angel said, "He will tell you what you must do."
               - Ac 10:6
            2) As Peter recounts it, "...who will tell you words by 
               which you and all your household will be saved." 
               - Ac 11:14
      3. Cornelius then sends two servants and a devout soldier to 
         Peter - Ac 10:7-8
   
   B. PETER HAS A VISION...
      1. While the three men are traveling toward Peter, he has a 
         vision - Ac 10:9-16; 11:4-10
         a. It involves a sheet descending from heaven, containing all
            sorts of creatures
         b. A voice tells Peter to "kill and eat"
         c. Peter objects, for he has never eaten anything common or 
            unclean
         d. The voice tells him, "What God has cleansed you must not
            call common."
      2. Three times the vision is repeated

   C. THE SPIRIT TELLS PETER TO GO WITH THE MESSENGERS...
      1. The men from Cornelius arrive as Peter contemplates the vision
         - Ac 10:17-18; 11:11
      2. The Spirit tells Peter to go, "doubting nothing, for I have 
         sent them" - Ac 10:19-20; 11:12
      3. Peter receives the men and takes six with him as they go to
         Cornelius - Ac 10:21-23; 11:12

   D. PETER ARRIVES AT CORNELIUS' HOUSE...
      1. Cornelius has gathered his family and close friends - Ac 10:24
      2. Peter deflects an attempt by Cornelius to worship him - Ac 10:
         25-26
      3. Peter explains his presence a violation of Jewish custom, but
         now understands "I should not call any man common or unclean"
         - Ac 10:27-28
      4. Asked by Peter to explain why he was called, Cornelius 
         recounts the appearance and instructions of the angel 
         - Ac 10:29-32; 11:13-14
      5. Cornelius and his household were ready "to hear all things
         commanded you by God" - Ac 10:33

   E. AS PETER BEGINS TO SPEAK, THE SPIRIT FALLS UPON THE LISTENERS...
      1. At this point, we need to carefully note the actual sequence
         of events
      2. Luke's record gives attention to the sermon first, and then 
         the Spirit coming upon the Gentiles - cf. Ac 10:34-44
         a. But Luke also says that "while Peter was still speaking...
            the Holy Spirit fell"
         b. From this we do not exactly when the Spirit fell
         c. It could have been at the beginning, in the middle, toward
            the end, of his sermon
      3. Peter, however, explained what happened "in order from the 
         beginning" - Ac 11:4
         a. He describes the events as they happened
         b. He says "as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon 
            them" - Ac 11:15
      4. So we learn from Peter that the Spirit actually came upon the
         Gentiles at the BEGINNING of the sermon!
      5. With the Spirit falling upon the Gentiles, they began speaking
         with tongues, which amazed Peter and his Jewish companions 
         - Ac 10:45-46; cf. Ac 2:4,6,8,11

   F. PETER'S SERMON TO THE HOUSEHOLD OF CORNELIUS...
      1. He begins with a full perception that God shows no partiality
         - Ac 10:34-35
         a. A perception started with the vision of the sheet and 
            unclean beasts
         b. A perception continued with the Spirit's instruction to go
            with the messengers
         c. A perception made clear with the Spirit falling upon the 
            Gentiles - Ac 11:15-17
      2. Peter then proceeds to proclaim Jesus Christ - Ac 10:36-43
         a. As Lord who was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power 
            - Ac 10:36-38
         b. Who was killed, but then raised from the dead and seen by
            eyewitnesses who knew Him well - Ac 10:39-41
         c. Who has commanded the apostles to proclaim Him as ordained
            by God to be the Judge of the living and dead - Ac 10:42
         d. Through Whom remission of sins is offered to those who 
            believe - Ac 10:43
   
   G. PETER COMMANDS THEM TO BE BAPTIZED...
      1. How could anyone forbid water to those who had received the 
         Spirit just as the apostles did? - Ac 10:47; cf. 11:17-18
      2. So Cornelius and his household were commanded to be baptized
         in the name of the Lord - Ac 10:48

[The events surrounding this conversion are certainly remarkable.  They
evidently were intended to convey important truths.  As we endeavor to
glean what those truths were, here are some...]

II. OBSERVATIONS REGARDING THIS CONVERSION

   A. RELIGIOUS PEOPLE NEED TO BE SAVED...
      1. Many people believe that if you are religious, you will be 
         saved
         a. That if you go to church, do good, etc., you have a hope of
            heaven
         b. That you will have earned the right to enter heaven
      2. Yet, though Cornelius was a man who...
         a. Was a devout man
         b. Feared God with his whole family
         c. Gave alms generously
         d. Prayed to God always
         ...he still needed to be told "words by which you and all your
            household will be saved"
      3. Clearly, being religious isn't what saves you (it's the blood
         of Christ!)

   B. THE GOSPEL IS FOR ALL...
      1. Peter perceived that God is no respecter of persons - Ac 10:
         34-35
      2. Indeed, God desires that ALL men be saved - cf. Jn 3:16; 

         1 Ti2:3-6; 2Pe 3:9
      -- Therefore He has not predestined some to be saved and others 
         lost!

   C. THE PURPOSE OF THE SPIRIT FALLING...
      1. Some presume that the purpose was to save Cornelius and his
         family
         a. That therefore they were saved before obeying the command 
            to be baptized
         b. But the Spirit came upon them as Peter "began to speak", 
            before they could hear words by which they could be saved! 
            - cf. Ac 11:14-15
      2. The purpose of the Spirit can be gleaned from the following:
         a. The effect it had on the Jewish brethren who were present,
            and Peter's response - Ac 10:45-47
         b. The reaction of the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem when Peter
            told them what happened - Ac 11:17-18
         c. Peter's explanation at the council held later in Jerusalem 
            - Ac 15:7-11
      3. The purpose of the Spirit falling on them was therefore to 
         show Jewish brethren...
         a. That God was no respecter of persons - Ac 10:34-35
         b. That God was willing to grant them opportunity to repent 
            and have life - Ac 11:18
         c. That Gentiles could be saved in the same way as Jews...
            1) By faith, repentance, and baptism - Ac 15:9,11; cf. 2:38
               with 10:48
            2) Which faith comes through hearing the word of God - Ro 10:17

   D. THE POINT AT WHICH CORNELIUS WAS SAVED...
      1. Remember that Cornelius was told to send for Peter, who would
         tell him:
         a. "what you must do." - Ac 10:6
         b. "words by which you...shall be saved." - Ac 11:14
      2. From this, and from what we have already seen in other 
         conversions...
         a. Cornelius was not saved until he heard the "words" (i.e., 
            after the sermon)
         b. Cornelius was not saved until he obeyed what he was told to
            do
         c. What were the words he was told to do?
            1) Certainly they were told to believe, as implied in 
               Ac 10:43
            2) Clearly they were told to be baptized, as commanded in 
               Ac 10:48
      3. Thus Cornelius and his household were not saved until they 
         "believed and were baptized"! - cf. Mk 16:16; Ac 8:12,13

CONCLUSION

1. So while miraculous events surrounded the conversion of "Cornelius
   And His Household", their salvation was no different from what we
   have already seen...
   a. They heard the gospel of Jesus Christ
   b. They were taught to believe and be baptized
   -- Thus they were saved "in the same manner" as all those previously

2. As Peter said at the council, it is "through the grace of the Lord
   Jesus Christ" that both Gentiles and Jews are saved - cf. Ac 15:11
   a. We are saved by grace, not works - cf. Ep 2:5,8; Tit 3:4-5
   b. For it is not enough to be religious...
      1) Who could be more religious than Cornelius?
      2) Or even the 3000 at Pentecost, or the Ethiopian eunuch?

3. The grace of God which saves does require a response, however...
   a. A response of faith - Ac 10:43
   b. A faith in Jesus that comes by hearing the gospel - Ac 10:42
   c. A faith which expresses itself in obedience - cf. He 5:9
      1) E.g., repentance and baptism - cf. Ac 2:38; 3:19; 10:48
      2) Not as works of merit, but as acts of faith by which one
         receives God's grace

Those of us who are not descended from Israel can rejoice in what God 
revealed with the conversion of "Cornelius And His Household". As 
properly concluded by the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem:

   "...God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." 
                                                   (Ac 11:16)

Have you taken advantage of this wonderful gift, by responding to the 
gospel of Jesus Christ?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

 

From Gary... Win, place or show?

T.G.I.F.: Today God is First... Humm, this is a new one. I originally learned Thank God its Friday, then Toes Go in First; what's next, The Goodness I Find or THE GIFT is Friendship?  Of them all, I think I like the picture best. So, Today God is First will be the way I remember this from now on. But, wait; isn't that the way was supposed to have been all along.....?

Matthew, Chapter 22 (WEB)

 33  When the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.  34 But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together.  35 One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him.  36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” 

  37  Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’   38  This is the first and great commandment.   39  A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  40  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” 

Matthew, Chapter 10 (WEB)

34  “Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.   35  For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.   36  A man’s foes will be those of his own household.  37  He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.   38  He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me. 

The answer is "YES"!!! Now, what do I make second, or third???? And the winner is...

From Gary... Bible Reading May 19

Bible Reading  

May 19

The World English Bible

May 19

Joshua 19, 20

Jos 19:1 The second lot came out for Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. Their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Judah.

Jos 19:2 They had for their inheritance Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah,

Jos 19:3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,

Jos 19:4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

Jos 19:5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,

Jos 19:6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages;

Jos 19:7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan; four cities with their villages;

Jos 19:8 and all the villages that were around these cities to Baalath Beer, Ramah of the South. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.

Jos 19:9 Out of the part of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon; for the portion of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.

Jos 19:10 The third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families. The border of their inheritance was to Sarid.

Jos 19:11 Their border went up westward, even to Maralah, and reached to Dabbesheth. It reached to the brook that is before Jokneam.

Jos 19:12 It turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrise to the border of Chisloth Tabor. It went out to Daberath, and went up to Japhia.

Jos 19:13 From there it passed along eastward to Gath Hepher, to Ethkazin; and it went out at Rimmon which stretches to Neah.

Jos 19:14 The border turned around it on the north to Hannathon; and it ended at the valley of Iphtah El;

Jos 19:15 Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages.

Jos 19:16 This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

Jos 19:17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar, even for the children of Issachar according to their families.

Jos 19:18 Their border was to Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,

Jos 19:19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

Jos 19:20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

Jos 19:21 Remeth, Engannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.

Jos 19:22 The border reached to Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh. Their border ended at the Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages.

Jos 19:23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their villages.

Jos 19:24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.

Jos 19:25 Their border was Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

Jos 19:26 Allammelech, Amad, Mishal. It reached to Carmel westward, and to Shihorlibnath.

Jos 19:27 It turned toward the sunrise to Beth Dagon, and reached to Zebulun, and to the valley of Iphtah El northward to Beth Emek and Neiel. It went out to Cabul on the left hand,

Jos 19:28 and Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, even to great Sidon.

Jos 19:29 The border turned to Ramah, to the fortified city of Tyre; and the border turned to Hosah. It ended at the sea by the region of Achzib;

Jos 19:30 Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty-two cities with their villages.

Jos 19:31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

Jos 19:32 The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.

Jos 19:33 Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, Adaminekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakkum. It ended at the Jordan.

Jos 19:34 The border turned westward to Aznoth Tabor, and went out from there to Hukkok. It reached to Zebulun on the south, and reached to Asher on the west, and to Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrise.

Jos 19:35 The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,

Jos 19:36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

Jos 19:37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor,

Jos 19:38 Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages.

Jos 19:39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their villages.

Jos 19:40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

Jos 19:41 The border of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, Irshemesh,

Jos 19:42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

Jos 19:43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

Jos 19:44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

Jos 19:45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,

Jos 19:46 Me Jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border over against Joppa.

Jos 19:47 The border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and lived therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

Jos 19:48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.

Jos 19:49 So they made an end of distributing the land for inheritance by its borders. The children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun in the midst of them.

Jos 19:50 According to the commandment of Yahweh, they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnathserah in the hill country of Ephraim; and he built the city, and lived there.

Jos 19:51 These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Yahweh, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. So they made an end of dividing the land.

Jos 20:1 Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying,

Jos 20:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses,

Jos 20:3 that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.

Jos 20:4 He shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city. They shall take him into the city with them, and give him a place, that he may live among them.

Jos 20:5 If the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and didn't hate him before.

Jos 20:6 He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days. Then the manslayer shall return, and come to his own city, and to his own house, to the city he fled from.' "

Jos 20:7 They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (the same is Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Jos 20:8 Beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

Jos 20:9 These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stands before the congregation.

May 18, 19

John 2

Joh 2:1 The third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. Jesus' mother was there.

Joh 2:2 Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the marriage.

Joh 2:3 When the wine ran out, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no wine."

Joh 2:4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come."

Joh 2:5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do it."

Joh 2:6 Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews' manner of purifying, containing two or three metretes apiece.

Joh 2:7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." They filled them up to the brim.

Joh 2:8 He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the ruler of the feast." So they took it.

Joh 2:9 When the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn't know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom,

Joh 2:10 and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now!"

Joh 2:11 This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Joh 2:12 After this, he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

Joh 2:13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Joh 2:14 He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting.

Joh 2:15 He made a whip of cords, and threw all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables.

Joh 2:16 To those who sold the doves, he said, "Take these things out of here! Don't make my Father's house a marketplace!"

Joh 2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will eat me up."

Joh 2:18 The Jews therefore answered him, "What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?"

Joh 2:19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

Joh 2:20 The Jews therefore said, "Forty-six years was this temple in building, and will you raise it up in three days?"

Joh 2:21 But he spoke of the temple of his body.

Joh 2:22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Joh 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did.

Joh 2:24 But Jesus didn't trust himself to them, because he knew everyone,

Joh 2:25 and because he didn't need for anyone to testify concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man. 

 

From Jim McGuiggan... God on the Jericho Road

God on the Jericho Road

One day God took a walk through his universe looking for something that was lost. It wasn’t "lost" in the sense that he didn’t know where it was—it was lost because it had run from him and lost itself among the numberless heavenly bodies. And it was so tiny that someone less than God couldn’t have found it with a search warrant and a torch as big as a constellation.

And he came across it, a little planet lying, bleeding, in a galactic ditch, dying of deep self-inflicted wounds that had been egged on, as Genesis tells us, by a liar and a thief. And he said to that little world (not as a silly teaching claims—only to a tiny segment of it), "I’ve come to save you, to bring you home to my heart for I have made you in my own image."

God’s seeking and finding the wayward human family wasn’t done in a moment. It was a structured search that was (and is) worked out in accordance with God’s eternal loving holiness and wisdom and it was developed over the ages in this way and that, through his person or that people. It came (and has come) to its completion in the person and work of Jesus Christ and is borne witness to by the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) that indwells the body of Christ, the church.

God allowed the nations to follow their own ways even though this meant they dismissed him. But he didn’t wash his hands of the human family and continued to bless them with fruitful seasons and heart gladness (Acts 14:16). He insisted in staying near the human family down the ages, blessing them so that they might look for him and find him (Acts 17:25-28). Beyond all that, God entered the world in and as Jesus Christ. The ages prior to that event—in comparison to the brightness of the new self-revelation—were times of ignorance (Acts 17:30—the NIV is misleading here). Past judgements and prophetic messages to the nations called the nations to repentance but this new self-revelation of God was and is a more searching and incisive condemnation of the sins of the human family. Sodom and Gomorrah was a judgement on our evil but Jesus Christ and his cross was the fullest possible exposure of our sin.

But the coming of God in and as Jesus Christ was not simply to expose our sinfulness, it was to rescue and redeem. In Jesus Christ—who is the image of God—we see the love of God and neighbour as God views it. In Jesus Christ God was getting what he fully merited—he was loved without reservation. But in Jesus Christ the love of neighbour was also revealed as being in God’s image. As Jesus Christ has loved (and loves) humans we see the love of God for humans. God’s gift to all of sunshine and rain "hinted" (so the speak) what in the person and work of Jesus Christ is demonstrated (compare 1 John 3:16 and 4:14-16). In Jesus Christ we can see and say, "See how God loves all the fallen."

And is the love of God as it has expressed itself in and through the incarnate Jesus Christ the same love of God that the Godhead enjoyed in its fellowship prior to creation and the incarnation? If it is, then Edmond Jacob was right when he said that in creating us in his own image God was loving us as he loved himself. And if God has eternally purposed us to look like Jesus Christ who is his express image (charakter and eikon) how can Jacob be wrong? God cannot do otherwise than to love the highest he knows, and he is the highest he knows. He loves himself (not in that silly and vain way that we’re so capable of) and in making us and renewing in us his own image as it is seen in Jesus Christ he is loving us and he loves himself.

And if we love God as he has loved us and love our neighbours as he has loved them then the love of God for us shapes the whole loving enterprise.

Marvellous mystery—and though I don’t think we should allegorize the parable—it was God himself (so to speak) on the road to Jericho, having come a long way to rescue a little planet dying in a galactic ditch.

 ©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

America’s Lost Invincibility by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=3790

America’s Lost Invincibility

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

The rapid rate of moral decay that blankets America is shocking and frightening. Americans who lived for the first 150 years of the Republic would find it difficult and appalling if they were here to witness what is happening. Abortion, homosexuality, gambling, sexual promiscuity, greed—and the list goes on and on. The incredible level of prosperity and technological achievement has lulled many Americans into thinking that America is invincible and well able to sustain its standing among the nations of the world.

The Founders thought otherwise. They insisted that America’s greatness does not lie in her achievements, material progress, or ability to protect herself by military means. Far from it. Instead, they repeatedly explained that America’s greatness and her ability to prolong her existence as a nation depend exclusively on the spiritual, religious, and moral condition of her people. Specifically, the Founders insisted that the citizens’ attachment to God, Christ, the Bible, and the Christian religion would determine the future of the nation. If a sizable percentage of the citizenry does not continue to maintain Christian virtue and morality, as defined by the Bible, the nation would lose its ability to survive.

Consider, for example, the remarks of Patrick Henry in his observations concerning the state of France after their bloody revolution:

But, as to France, I have no doubt in saying, that to her it will be calamitous. Her conduct has made it the interest of the great family of mankind to wish the downfall of her present government; because its existence is incompatible with that of all others within its reach. And, whilst I see the dangers that threaten ours from her intrigues and her arms, I am not so much alarmed as at the apprehension of her destroying the great pillars of all government and of social life; I mean virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone, that renders us invincible. These are the tactics we should study. If we lose these, we are conquered, fallen indeed (as quoted in Henry, 1891, 2:591-592, emp. added).

John Witherspoon echoed precisely the same sentiment: “He who makes a people virtuous makes them invincible” (1815, 9:231, emp. added). And Declaration signer and “The Father of the American Revolution,” Samuel Adams, likewise issued a solemn warning in a letter to James Warren on February 12, 1779:

While the people are virtuous, they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader (1908, 4:124, emp. added).

These three Founders sound a sober warning to Americans in the 21st century. Our schools, courts, and centers of government continue to dismantle the Christian connections that have always characterized the nation. With the cleansing of our religious moorings is also the eradication of the virtue and morality that comes only from Christianity. As Americans continue to jettison Christian virtue and morality, the nation is brought closer and closer to the brink of destruction. Accordingly, the invincibility for which America has been known around the world is swiftly waning. Even now, we are in the process of surrendering our liberties to alternative ideologies (e.g., socialism), and our increasing vulnerability must inevitably result in America being conquered. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

REFERENCES

Adams, Samuel (1904-1908), The Writings of Samuel Adams, ed. Harry Cushing, 4 vols. (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons).

Henry, William (1891), Patrick Henry; Life, Correspondence and Speeches (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons), [On-line], URL: http://www.archive.org/details/pathenrylife01henrrich. See also George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799: Series 4. General Correspondence. 1697-1799, Image 1071, “Patrick Henry to Archibald Blair,” January 8, 1799, [On-line], URL: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mgw4&fileName=gwpage113.db&recNum=1070.

Witherspoon, John (1815), The Works of John Witherspoon (Edinburgh: J. Ogle).

A New "Angle"—the Fish that Fishes by Nathaniel Nelson

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=1369

A New "Angle"—the Fish that Fishes

by	Nathaniel Nelson

An impenetrable blackness enshrouds the angler fish as it floats near the sea floor. At a depth of 3,000 feet, none of the other fish can see the angler’s grotesque features. Its only appealing trait is a small lantern-like light resting on the top of a short stalk on its head. After having eaten a meal of shrimp or small fish, its stomach bulges out, resembling a basketball. Despite its gruesome features and intimidating appearance, it is only about the three inches long—roughly the length of a person’s index finger.

It is hard to imagine that nature could fashion such a fish in the midst of the darkest fathoms of the ocean. The angler’s framework is, for lack of a better word, weird. Ramsey Doran commented on the appearance of the angler fish.

Most deep sea anglers have soft, thin bones, jelly like flesh, and are either inky black or gray in color. It has been found that the red surfaces of deep sea prawns and the black surfaces of deep sea anglers reflect very little blue light. This means that if the other animals, the fish and prawns living at these depths, are giving out bluish lights, the black skin of the angler will render them invisible in the gloom, by absorbing any bluish light. Like many other fish in the deep, deep sea angler’s eyes are small. Most are shaped like a tennis ball with fins, and are not very fast. Unlike shallow water anglers, deep sea anglers do not have pectoral fins. Most don’t get very large and may grow to the size of a baby’s fist (2002).

One of the fish’s strangest identifying features is the bioluminescent “light bulb” on top of its head. Doran went on to make the following observation: “Millions of light producing bacteria cause the deep sea angler’s lure to light up. Only female anglers have the lure, and it is probably under her control. The female deep sea angler wiggles its lure from a long appendage on its forehead to attract its prey” (2002). This bobbing structure is, in essence, a fishing lure for catching prey.

The light that emanates from the appendage is produced by bacteria (Photobacterium luciferum) that, when congregated inside the angler’s “fishing pole,” produce a soft gleam. As the angler roves through the murky sea water, various fish—including dogfish, skates, cod, sprats, and flat fish—are attracted to the soft glow of its built-in death trap. Barbara Charton called this lure a “dorsal fin adaptation” (2001, p. 13, emp. added), as if it “somehow” had managed to come by the correct light-producing bacteria, while at the same time evolving an encasement for them.

When the angler manages to ensnare a fish, its inward-facing teeth will clamp down, ensuring that the victim does not escape. Its stomach is abnormally oversized and elastic, allowing it to ingest bigger fish. Imagine a large, spherical sac on the ventral surface of the angler, which can expand to accommodate fish nearly two times its size! What does evolution have to say to such prominent design as light-producing bacteria and elasticized stomachs?

The job of location a mate is difficult for sea life at the bottom of the ocean, because the lighting is so dim. Mark Norman explained how the male goes about finding the female: “She releases anglerfish-type perfumes into the water and he spends all his time swimming around looking and smelling for her” (2003). The angler fish counters this dilemma in a most unusual fashion. W.P. Armstrong put it like this:

Because angler fish are so sparsely populated throughout the vast millions of cubic miles of ocean, chance mating encounters between males and females would be unlikely. In fact, when deep-sea anglers were first brought up in trawls they puzzled scientists because they were all females. Then someone noticed small “growths” on the female that turned out to be the males. When a tiny male meets a female he bits [sic] into her flesh and literally fuses with her body. Like the linking together of web sites on the Internet, the two blood supplies also fuse together so that the male obtains nutrient and oxygen from the female. Without any need for most of his organ systems, such as eyes and digestive organs, the male’s body degenerates into essentially a pair of sperm-producing testicles. Thus the female essentially becomes a hermaphrodite with up to six or more of these tiny male parasites attached to various parts of her body. Although functionally bisexual, the eggs and sperm come from genetically distinct parents, thus providing genetic variability… (2004).

It is undeniable that the relationship between the male and female is extremely peculiar. From an evolutionary viewpoint, it is difficult to explain the relationship between these mating partners. According to evolution, at the supposed beginning of life on Earth, single-celled creatures utilized asexual reproduction as a means of continuing their species. In the depths of the ocean, where primitive life supposedly evolved into a larger populace of increasingly complex organisms such as fish, one would expect asexual reproduction to continue. It would be far easier to split in half, than to bring two different animals together in an inhospitable environment. This singularity would be emphasized to a greater degree near the dark ocean floor, where it is particularly problematic to find a mate. How, then, did the male and female angler fish survive without asexual characteristics? A male and female angler fish must be born; the male must find a female fish in total darkness; and the male fish must function as little more than a pair of testes. Evolution is obviously geared in reverse in this case!

The angler fish shows an idiosyncratic arrangement of parts that can only be explained by a Master Builder.

REFERENCES

Armstrong, W.P. (2004), “Sexual Suicide,” Wayne’s Word, [On-line], URL: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0701.htm.

Charton, Barbara (2001), The Facts on File Dictionary of Marine Science (New York: CheckMark).

Doran, Ramsey (2002), “Deep Sea Anglerfish,” Ramsey’s Land, [On-line], URL: http://ramseydoran.com/anglerfish/deep_sea.htm.

Norman, Mark (2003), “Extra Features,” Norfanz Voyage, [On-line], URL: http://www.oceans.gov.au/norfanz/extracreatures.htm.