Book review: Becoming the Son

Tuesday, June 17, 2014 in Book Reviews | 0 comments

by C. D. Baker

★★★★★

Very, very good! It’s a gutsy challenge to write fiction about Jesus, yet I believe this is the most enjoyable and moving Bible-times story I’ve ever read. Jesus’ message comes alive in glorious humanity. It was doubly enjoyable for me because Baker took the time to explain much of his research in footnotes. The novel took much longer than normal for me to read, because I was constantly tempted to study the footnotes and look up scripture.

To the best of my own research, Baker’s story is consistent with scripture. It is historical fiction, of course, meaning Baker adds his imagination and elaboration, yet there was very little I would argue against. Should I be surprised his book is so precise? No … Baker has a Master’s degree in Theology, and has published six novels before this one. His writing is captivating and authentic, so much so that I found myself hoping Becoming the Son would end before the crucifixion of Jesus, so that Baker would have to write a sequel!

This book is not a light-hearted beach read. It’ll pull your guts out in places, it’ll make you think differently about Jesus as a human being, and regardless of your belief in God, it’ll uplift you with what an astounding story the Bible tells about an incredible life lived and died for others.

Read this one.

© 2012, 363 pages

ISBN: 978-1-44749-114-0

Mark 10:19, The Eleventh Commandment

Monday, June 16, 2014 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ 

//The ten commandments are listed in Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5. But Jesus, when he begins to list these commandments in the Gospel of Mark, decides to add another: Do not defraud.

Some scholars assume this commandment is a combination of two: “Do not steal” and “Do not covet your neighbor’s possessions.” When Luke and Matthew tell the same story, they ignore Mark’s eleventh commandment but Matthew adds an eleventh commandment of his own:

He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” –Matthew 19:18-19

So Matthew’s eleventh commandment is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Which new commandment should we keep?

Acts 12:21-23, How Did Herod Agrippa Die

Sunday, June 15, 2014 in Bible Commentary | 1 comment

So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

//Have you ever wondered about this passage in Acts? What really happened that day? Is Luke (the author of Acts) taking creative liberties, assuming supernatural intervention in the death of Agrippa to underscore a point?

The story in Acts is actually very similar to that which is told by Jewish historian Josephus. Here is how Agrippa dies according to Josephus:

Agrippa came to Caesarea (as reported in Acts 12:19) and appeared at a festival, where he was flattered by the crowd, and called a god. Said the crowd, “Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.”

Agrippa “neither rebuked them nor rejected their impious flattery,” but shortly afterward, looked up and saw an owl sitting on a rope over his head, which he recognized as an evil omen. A severe pain arose immediately in his belly, and he said to his friends, “I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life.” After five days of belly pain, he died.

Romans 9:1, Paul the Liar?

Friday, June 13, 2014 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit

//Have you ever noticed how often Paul insists he is not lying? Who exactly was calling him a liar? Who did he feel the need to defend against in his letters?

Speculation abounds. Some believe Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7) to be whatever person or group Paul constantly defends himself against. Paul’s letters betray the tension between himself and Judaic Christians, and one Christian branch–the Ebionites–were not shy about their feelings toward Paul. They distrusted him. But we may never know exactly who he was referring to in verses like today’s.

Here are a few more verses where Paul insists he’s telling the truth:

By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; –2 Corinthians 6:8

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. –2 Corinthians 11:31

Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie. –Galatians 1:20

Luke 21: The Christian Escape to Pella

Thursday, June 12, 2014 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.

//Church Fathers Eusebius and Epiphanius tell us that sometime just prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Christians in Jerusalem escaped the Roman siege and fled the city. They landed in Pella, a short distance to the north. I write briefly about this in my book about Revelation.

Luke’s Gospel, while surely written after the events it describes, chronicles this escape. Pella is located in the foothills of the Transjordan highlands, quite consistent with Luke’s description of “fleeing to the mountains.”

Some recent scholars challenge the authenticity of the Pella Tradition, as this exodus has come to be known. One point of contention is the matter of how impossible it seems to have penetrated the Roman siege. However, Josephus, the Jewish historian who wrote about the war, does indicate five different escapes in 67-68 CE, one of which included 2,000 people!

I have no good reason to believe the escape didn’t happen, preserving a Jewish version of Christianity. These Jewish Christians would later be known as the Ebionites and the Nazarenes.

Book review: The Beautiful Scientist

Wednesday, June 11, 2014 in Book Reviews | 0 comments

by Corrado Ghinamo

★★★★★

This little book is a gem. Ghinamo doesn’t present his credentials beyond personal study, he doesn’t use footnotes, and he has no reference section, so it’s clear this isn’t meant to be read as a scholarly treatise. It’s just an honest way of looking at God, one which is consistent with scientific exploration. Nevertheless, he is well-read in the sciences, and he presents his views very simply and beautifully.

Ghinamo draws our attention to the Super Force governing our universe (a phrase coined by scientists) and argues that it’s likely this force is our creator. More than that, creation was intentional, by a being of advanced intelligence. Let’s call him God, a being that must of necessity be composed of both a “maker” part (who dwells outside the universe, for he created it) and a “ruler” part (the physical Super Force). But we can’t go too far with this line of thinking without leaning on religion to fill in the details, and Ghinamo feels satisfied with Christianity for that.

Utmost among Ghinamo’s concerns is to point out that science and belief do not contradict one another. Evolutionary creation doesn’t contradict the Bible. Science, he insists, is that discipline which studies God. (I would have put it the other way around: God is that which science studies, but this is probably too restricting for Ghinamo’s tastes.) Ghinamo elegantly describes reality in a manner which is consistent with Christian beliefs about such a being, delving into a “flatland” scenario to help explain a governing being who may reside in one or more dimensions beyond ours. He even gives a reasonable explanation for Satan.

In search of perfection, Ghinamo leads us deeper into the microscopic makeup of living matter, down to the cell, the atom, the quarks, and he notes how the precise role of each elementary particle is perfectly performed. Working backward, then, he posits that the assembly of living beings, though it appears to have flaws, is actually perfect. This implies perfection on the part of our creator, as well. I’m not sure I agree with this definition of “perfect,” or the logic itself, yet I share his appreciation for the wonder of creation!

Be aware that Ghinamo’s focus is not as an apologist trying to prove the Christian viewpoint. He simply argues that science is consistent with Christian thinking, in both this life and the next, and even discusses the creation account in Genesis, though he doesn’t insist on a rigorous adaptation. More than anything else, The Beautiful Scientist is meant to open our eyes to the beauty of the world around us and its creator. This he does very well.

Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC, © 2012, 188 pages

ISBN: 978-1-62147-462-3

James 2:5-6, James and the Poor

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?

//There seems to be disagreement among Christians about what the word “poor” means. Some, reading the words of Matthew regarding the “poor in spirit,” argue that Jesus isn’t really interested in the plight of the poor. God is interested in their soul, not their lack of money.

Would James agree? Today’s verses seem clear to me: God favors the poor over the rich. In the day of the Lord’s Coming (which James insists will be very soon, since the last days have begun), the tide will turn in favor of the poor. Read especially the following passage, where James tears into the rich, because they became rich through nefarious deeds:

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. –James 5:1-8

Book Excerpt: Revelation: The Way It Happened

Monday, June 9, 2014 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

Scholars have long recognized the unmistakable similarities between the images used in the seal-breaking [Revelation chapter 6] and the Olivet Discourse in Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21, where Jesus predicts the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE. War, international strife, famine, and earthquakes occur in the same order in both the Gospels and Revelation. Luke specifically names Jerusalem as the city under siege, and nearly all Bible interpreters agree that the Gospels, all written after the war began, “predict” the war of 70 CE. These Gospel accounts, often termed the “little apocalypse,” mirror Revelation in other ways as well:

The Gospels and Revelation both speak of the Abomination of Desolation.

Both speak of the gospel first being preached to every land.

Both speak of the Great Tribulation.

Both say false prophets will arise.

Both mention the Son of Man arriving on the clouds.

Both mention a trumpet sounding the end of all things.

Both mention a darkened sun and moon and stars falling from heaven.

Both describe birds feeding on the carcasses of the dead.

Both were to be fulfilled “soon.”

How have we come to believe that the Gospels speak of a different event than Revelation? Surely, at least in the minds of first-century readers, the “little apocalypse” in the Gospels—Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 CE—is also the “big apocalypse” of Revelation. Follow along as John and Samuel tell the story. But as Jesus opens the seals and later the trumpets sound, do not assume that an angel drawing attention to an event indicates that God approves of or causes the event. He merely allows it … for now. This will soon become a no-holds-barred war on a cosmic scale.

–Revelation: The Way It Happened, 2010, pp. 21, by Lee Harmon

1 Corinthians 6:4, Paul and the Shema part II of II

Sunday, June 8, 2014 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

//Yesterday, I introduced Paul’s application of the Shema, and how it leads some scholars to believe Paul expresses a high christology. But the argument relies heavily on Paul’s use of the title Lord (greek: Kyrios) and whether readers of his letters would automatically assume references to the Lord would think of the Lord God.

But in my opinion, the argument simply falls flat. Paul never refers to the Lord God. He reserves the title Lord only for Jesus, meaning we cannot easily draw inferences about what the title “Lord” means to Paul.

We can, however, see in Paul’s writings a low christology; a distinct relationship between God and the Son of God which presents them as two separate beings, even when referring to Jesus with the word Lord:

That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. –Rom 15:6

Here is another example. Note again how it is “God” (not “the Father”) who has a son, and this son is Lord:

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. –1 Cor 1:9

Sometimes it’s even more clear that the Lord Jesus is a separate being from God, while the Father is God:

Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. –2 Cor 1:2

Whatever Paul meant by his use of the Shema in yesterday’s verse comparing “lords” and “gods,” it certainly did not mean that he thought the Lord Jesus was part of the Godhead.

1 Corinthians 8:6, Paul and the Shema, part I of II

Saturday, June 7, 2014 in Bible Commentary | 2 comments

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

//These are the words of Paul. Scholars have long wondered if Paul was purposefully echoing the Shema of the Old Testament. That verse reads like this:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD –Deuteronomy 6:4

This echo, then, may be a subtle indication of Paul’s christology … meaning, Paul believed Jesus was divine, a part of the Godhead. The argument is that Paul, being a strict monotheist, was making an explicit claim that Jesus and God are One. But does that mean Paul is actually including Jesus in the divine entity? Scholars are divided.

For myself, I just can’t see it. I don’t think Paul thought of Jesus as anything like today’s concept of the second part of the Trinity. The verse before this one in Paul’s letter to Corinth reads like this:

For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many)

So Paul seems to me to be saying there are lots of gods, and lots of lords but we recognize only one god and we recognize only one lord. In separating “lord” from “god,” it is significant that Paul simply never calls God “Lord” the way he does Jesus. There is no “Lord God” in Paul’s writings; only “Lord Jesus,” but there are many, many references in Paul’s writings that treat “God” and the “Lord” as separate entities.

There is no christological claim in Paul’s Shema echo except to identify Jesus as the anointed one of God; the one God chose to be Lord. More tomorrow.