affirming the authenticity, accuracy, and authority of the bible

S P R I N G 2 0 0 4 I S S U E

Pos tmodern i sm and the Ved i c Tex t o f H indu i sm

God Loves New StuffInterview with Michael CardThe SpeculumA

LS

O

CONTENTSSOLA SCRIPTURA MAGAZINE : SPRING 2004, ISSUE 6

DEPARTMENTS3 Opening Thoughts : Today Is a Gift

4 Letters & Feedback : Piercing the Fog

11 Light from the Past : The Gate in Scripture

12 The Van Kampen Collection : The Speculum

20 Truth for Today : The Phone Call

22 A Word From the Word : Strength Against the Current

23 Final Thoughts : Sit at the Foot

Founder Robert D. Van Kampen (1938-1999)Publisher Sola ScripturaExecutive Director Scott R. PierreEditor-in-Chief Dr. Dan HaydenManaging Editor Stu KinniburghCreative Director Scott HolmgrenContributing Writers Dr. Herbert Samworth, Dr. Dan Hayden,

Charles CooperContributing Editor Dean Tisch

Sola Scriptura magazine is a publication of Sola Scriptura, a non-profit min-istry that is devoted to affirming the authenticity, accuracy, and authority ofthe Bible—the standard for truth.

The pages of Sola Scriptura are designed to be evangelistic and pastoral innature: evangelistic in that the magazine is dedicated to proclaiming anddefending the historic gospel of Jesus Christ; pastoral in that the magazineis committed to equipping and encouraging believers through sound biblicalteaching.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, forcorrection, for training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16)

“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant ofChrist Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sounddoctrine which you have been following.” (1 Timothy 4:6)

“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our commonsalvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contendearnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)

Sola Scriptura magazine is published four times a year and is copyrighted© 2004 by Sola Scriptura, P.O. Box 617677, Orlando, FL 32861-7677 USA,(800) 844-9930. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced or transmitted without publisher’s written permission. Unlessnoted, Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible, ©1977,1987, 1988, The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Periodicalspostage paid at Orlando, FL and additional mailing offices. The annual USsubscription price is $12, a two-year subscription is $20. Printed in the USA.

Postmaster: Send changes of address to Sola Scriptura, P.O. Box 617677,Orlando, FL 32861-7677 USA.

Visit our website at www.solagroup.org or email magazine@solagroup.org.

Image credits: cover, Photodisc; 2 (bg),Veer; 3, (top) Tim Kelly; 4, Photodisc; 6-10,Photodisc; 11, Dover; 12,Wolters Imaging; 14,Veer; 16, Barbara Penoyar [Photodisc];2 (inset), 18-19, www.michaelcard.com; 20, Photodisc; 21, Dover; 22, Photodisc;23, Rubberball.

6 Darkness Out of the East

Postmodernism and the Vedic Text of Hinduism : Our culture has taken us where we don’t want to be. The philosophicallandscape is all rather confusing. Truth is relative, reality isillusive, and ultimate destiny is anybody’s guess. We areessentially a Hindu society, only we don’t call it that. We callit postmodernism, and we like to think of it as progress. Sowhere did Hinduism come from, and what are its sacredtexts? How do their scriptures compare with the Bible?BY DAN HAYDEN

14 One of God’s Favorite Words

God Loves New Stuff : The Christian life is about being new,different, and changed. If your faith in Christ has made nodifference in you, then ask yourself if it has made anydifference to God? If you are not changing, then what is upwith your faith?BY JAMES MACDONALD

18 Words and Music

An Interview with Michael Card :Musician and songwriter, scholar andteacher, Michael Card shares histhoughts on Contemporary ChristianMusic, family, and the Word of God.

18

Is there anything that you do thatmakes people laugh? Perhaps it’sintentional: you’re a clever trickster, oryou can make all kinds of contortionswith your face, or maybe you just have

great timing with the latest joke. On the otherunfortunate hand, you may be more like me. Mycomic accomplishments are definitely uninten-tional.You see, I have the uncanny ability to takea very common figure-of-speech or metaphorand just slightly misspeak it… usually in public.I’m famous for it. I find myself saying things like,“It was the straw the broke the monkey’s back”or, “What a stab in the face!”And to be honest,I normally don’t even realize I’ve said anythingwrong until I notice that oh-too-familiar silly grinon my companion’s face. I always argue that,despite the flaws, I’m still communicating mypoint, which is the whole beauty of this type ofspeech. A tried-and-true adage is a wonderfultool, which can illustrate a thought, make apoint, or encourage a rule, and our modern cul-ture has thousands of them. Many are centuriesold and still effective even though their literalmeaning has been forgotten.“Mind your P’s andQ’s,” for example, is what 18th-century wivesreminded their husbands who were on their wayto the tavern. “P’s and Q’s” stood for Pints andQuarts, and those wives didn’t want their hus-bands to drink too much. Many are being madeup today, like the maxim I noticed hanging onthe wall of a boutique store recently. It read:

Yesterday is historyTomorrow is a mysteryAnd Today is a gift

These three simple truths served to remind meof the perspective every blood-bought Believermust have. To describe something as historymeans it’s finished, over, a “done deal.” There isnothing one can do to change it. This could bepositive or negative. For many, personal historyis remembered with an icy twinge. It’s kind oflike when you say something you never should

have said. You may have even realized the mis-take immediately, and wish you had the abilityto suck the air back in as it was leaving the roofof your mouth, but you can’t. It is history and allyou can do is apologize or try to make it rightsome other way. But as Christians, we rest in theknowledge that history is not really our story, butHis-story… agreed upon before the foundationsof the earth. Realizing this relieves the doubts,fears, and anxieties about our own individualpast and causes us to focus on the mercy, for-giveness, and love we’ve received because ofthe past work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Andthere’s nothing Satan can do to change that. It’s

finished. So as we live history, we acquire wis-dom. “Live and Learn.” Right?

A mystery is quite different. It is theunknown factor that makes something a mys-tery.To most of us, it is a mystery why somethingas heavy as a Boeing 767 jet airplane can lift offthe ground carrying hundreds of people andtons of cargo on board. Yet it does. In fact, webelieve in this mystery so strongly that we exer-cise our faith by getting on the very same planeto travel. The Bible describes a different type ofmystery when Peter says, “Though you have notseen Him, you love Him, and though you do notsee Him now, but believe in Him, you greatlyrejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

obtaining as the outcome of your faith the sal-vation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9). Unlike thejet plane, which one can still observe despitenot understanding, the believer’s faith is exer-cised in Jesus without witnessing Himphysically. You see, the mystery of tomorrowrequires our utter faith in God and His sovereignhand in every situation.You may be facing majorbusiness decisions or family issues that loomahead. Remember the One who is in control,who causes all things to happen for our goodand His ultimate glory, will bring His will to pass.

Since yesterday and tomorrow are currentlyout of our control, we are only left with a say intoday. Today is a gift. As a young person, I wasalways taught that, “Today is the first day of therest of your life.” Today is the precious present.The Bible exhorts us to do all that we do to theglory of our great God. Today you have the dis-tinct opportunity to walk in the newness of lifeand to make a difference. Don’t leave this gift inits box. Remember that yesterday is history andwe can only learn from it, tomorrow is a mysteryand we must exemplify trust in our Savior andHis care for it’s provisions, but today is a gift. Letus accept this gift and take the opportunity tobe obedient unto the One who is worthy of ourservice. May God continually arrest us with Histruth, that each day you may enjoy the gift of Hispresence.

In this issue of Sola Scriptura magazine DanHayden offers a penetrating look into the cul-ture of Hinduism and its effects on our society.James MacDonald explains how we can breakthe bonds of sin in his article “One of God’sFavorite Words.” In this month’s interview,Michael Card, musician and author, explainshow important the study of Scripture is to hismusic and life.

Determine to live this day as unto the Lord.As the old saying goes: Don’t put off to tomor-row what should have been done yesterday… orsomething like that… ■

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Today Is a GiftScott Pierre, Executive Director

OPENINGTHOUGHTS

‘‘ ’’Today you have

the distinctopportunity to

walk in the new-ness of life and tomake a difference.

basically have to fall back to an “appearanceof age” explanation for what scientists actual-ly observe in nature and the cosmos. Whatthey are basically saying then is that Godobscures, hides, or sends a false message ofthe actual age of nature and the cosmos.

—WAYNE SWINDELvia the Internet

Genesis 1 repeatedly uses the phrase “therewas evening and there was morning, [a] day.”Without exercising any interpretation to pro-duce meaning, the text plainly states/teaches“there was evening and there was morning,[a] day.” Regarding the possibility of Godsending a false message through the“appearance of age,” we know that He “can-not lie” (Titus 1:2). So if God did createnature or the cosmos with an appearance ofage (as it seems He did with Adam), thenthere could be no deception in His actions.

■ I must tell you that Sola Scriptura is such a wonderful refuge from man’swhims, traditions, and interpretations when it comes to God’s Holy Word.Your ministry is a lighthouse on the coast of man’s dark sea of interpreta-tion. There is a dark cloud of swirling experiences, pop-psychology, andentertainment that has settled over the church these days. It has drifteddown as a subtle but pervasive fog to the extent that many are not evenaware. How blessedly joyful it is then to see a beacon of truth shine forthfrom organizations such as yours.

—DAVID W. FRYWitchita, Kansas

We are pilgrims■ I’m glad you brought up the subject ofglobal governance (“This Wolf is Real!” Winter2003). I think the average Christian is sadlyuninformed about what is happening behindthe scenes these days, and also conditionedto label any exposure to realities of thisnature as “conspiracy” thinking and thereforeignored. I hope you will bring the subjectback from time to time as a reminder that weare indeed strangers and pilgrims in thisworld with a hope that is centered in ourtranscendent Lord Jesus Christ.

—GWEN RIPLEYCarol Stream, Illinois

A sinner saved by grace■ I was saddened by the commentsexpressed by Ms. Thornburgh (Feedback,Summer 2003) who said, “Lutherans makeLuther a god.” Even though my membershipis presently in a non-Lutheran church, mytheology is confessional Lutheran. That is whyI can unashamedly say that Lutherans do notworship Luther or make him a god. We knowall too well that Luther was a sinner, but asinner saved by grace. All Christians whoclaim to be evangelical owe a debt of grati-tude to Luther, Calvin, and the otherReformers. Unfortunately, many in the church

today—clergy and laity—seem to have lost anappreciation of the groundwork of theseheroes of the faith. Luther a god? Certainlynot. Luther a servant of God? Yes, by thegrace of God!

—DICK BARANZINILake Forest Park, Washington

Young earth/old earth■ I am distressed to see Sola Scriptura jumpinto the “young earth/old earth” debate (“ATale of Two Castles” Summer 2003) as a lit-mus test for the authority of God’s Word. Theinerrancy of Scripture is in all that itteaches. Genesis teaches that God createdthe universe. Whether you choose to believeit was accomplished in six literal 24-hourdays, or whether you choose to believe that“with the Lord one day is as a thousandyears, and a thousand years as one day” (2Peter 3:8), there remains only a conflict ofinterpretation about the Creation and notone of fact. The Divine inspiration ofScripture remains well-above such a fray.

—R. STEPHEN BLOCHCarmel Valley, California

■ The thing I find most disturbing about theyoung earth/cosmos scenario is that whenone gets to the really hard questions, they

LETTERS & FEEDBACKPiercing the Fog

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The philosophical landscape is all rather confusing. Truth is relative, real-ity is illusive, and ultimate destiny is anybody’s guess. Postmodernism is thephilosophy of the moment, and we are told to believe that truth is whatever you wantit to be. Respect for diversity is the final reality, and tolerance is the password foracceptance. We are now in limbo—floating on wispy clouds of imagination in searchof personal fulfillment. As in Alice in Wonderland, it’s all a surreptitious game, wherethe obvious is denied and the ridiculous is affirmed. So, how did we get here? Wheredid we go wrong?

Perhaps we should look to the east, and remember the gurus of Hinduism thatinfluenced a generation of hippies. These were the values they taught, and a societydrowning in self-absorption was all too ready to receive them. It is Hinduism andother eastern religions spawned in its womb (Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, HareKrishna, etc.) that laid the foundations of our postmodern culture. Truth is relative,reality is an illusion, and ultimate destiny is blending into the cosmic consciousness—these are the basic tenets of Hinduism (which sound curiously similar to thefundamental ideas of postmodernism). As a culture, we became enamored with thegurus from the east, and their influence gradually became pervasive. Now we areessentially a Hindu society, only we don’t call it that. We call it postmodernism, andwe like to think of it as progress.

So, where did Hinduism come from, and what are its sacred texts? How do theirscriptures compare with the scriptures of the Judeo-Christian tradition? What are thefoundations of Hindu thinking, and what are the results of its influence?

To answer these questions, let’s look at “The Vedas,” the holy writings ofHinduism. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world (behind Christianity andIslam), and all of its teaching can be found in the sacred tradition of the Vedas. Let’scompare the Vedic texts to the Bible and discover what appear to be the roots of ourpostmodern culture.

THE VEDAS – The Holy Writings of HinduismIt is estimated that 13 percent of the world’s population is Hindu, with more than onemillion Hindus living in North America. India is the epicenter of Hinduism and boasts700 million adherents, or 82% of its population. Other countries have large popula-tions of Hindus as well, but Nepal is the only country where Hinduism is the statereligion. It is not surprising, then, that Hinduism ranks as the third largest religion inthe world, ahead of Buddhism.

There is a vast and varied literature tradition in Hinduism, but the texts of theancient Vedic tradition are considered their most sacred scriptures. The oldest writ-ings of the Vedic tradition are called the shruti texts (shruti means “hearing”)probably because they were passed on orally before they were committed to writing.

by DR. DAN HAYDEN

Hinduism and Islam each draw upon

sacred writings to authenticate its

own religion. In our Spring 2003

issue, Dan explored the history of

Islam’s holy text–The Koran–and how

it compares with the Bible. In this

article he does the same with the

Hindu scriptures–The Vedas.

Our culture has taken us where we don’t want to be.

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Over time additional religious literatureevolved and was added to the Vedic collec-tion. These writings were called smrititexts and include “religious, moral, andeducational writings based on rememberedtradition.”1 Although the shruti texts havesupreme authority in Hinduism, some smri-ti texts are still considered to be the Wordof God (i.e., the popular Bhagavad-Gita—supposedly produced by Krishna, who wasthought to be an incarnation of the god,Vishnu).2

The most ancient shruti texts of theVedic period are thought to date from thebeginning of the second millennium BC,while other texts were added over the nextfifteen hundred years (2000-500 BC).

Eventually, the Vedas were divided intofour separate compositions, with each divi-sion having four parts:

The Four Vedic Compositions•The Rig-Veda: the oldest and most

sacred text (10 books)•The Yajur-Veda: a handbook for priests

performing the Vedic sacrifices•The Sama-Veda: consisting of chants

and melodies of hymns to be sung atspecial sacrifices

•The Atharva-Veda: various traditionsdealing with spells, charms, and magi-cal formulae

The Four Parts of Each Veda1. The Samhitas—hymns praising God

(this is the main body of each Veda andthe most ancient part). The Rig-Vidahas 1028 hymns praising ancient deities

2. The Brahmanas—prose manuals of rit-ual and prayer for the guidance ofpriests

3. The Aranyakas—resulting from discus-sions in the forest about worship,meditation and ritual (only included inthe first two Vedas)

4. The Upanishads—compositions con-taining mystical concepts of Hinduphilosophy (there are 108 texts, butonly 15 are considered important)3

These are the sacred scriptures ofHinduism, but they are not the only scrip-tures. Many other writings by popularHindu teachers down though the ages arealso given the status of sacred scripture. Infact, as Kanitkar and Cole point out, “Thestory of Hindu sacred literature has no end,only the occasional update.”4

Development of the Vedas—A BriefHistory

The word Hindu “is a Persian term thatmeans ‘the people and culture of the IndusRiver region.’”5 It is believed that the IndusValley culture of western India, Pakistan,and Central Asia, was one of the oldest cul-tures of the ancient world (contemporarywith the pyramids of Egypt).6 Datingbetween 2700-1900 BC, this culture

became the major influence on much of theAsian subcontinent.

The earliest inhabitants of the IndusValley were the Dravidians, but about 2000BC the warlike Aryans crossed theCaucasus Mountains and conquered theValley. Both the Aryans and the Dravidianswere polytheistic (the worship of manygods), so the Aryans simply adopted theDravidian gods and gave them new names.Eventually the Indus River dried up (about1900 BC) and the Aryans migrated intowhat we now know as India. With themcame their polytheistic religion, which theybegan to express in “hymns, prayers, myth-ic stories and chants…”7 These wereoriginally passed down orally and were latercollected in sacred texts known as theVedas (Veda means “wisdom or science”).8

This period of time in which the Vedaswere composed, orally transmitted, andeventually committed to writing is knownas the Vedic Age. Vedic religion was thereligion of the Aryans, and the sacred liter-ature of this period became the basis ofboth Hinduism and its subsequent offshoot,Buddhism (Gautama Buddha 560-486 BC).Ridenour makes this comment: “Thesewritings are considered by Hindus to besupernaturally inspired and are as sacred tothem as the Bible is to Christians.”9

Comparison with the Bible—A BriefAnalysis

The comparison of the Bible with theVedas is an extensive subject. Therefore,the following observations are not meant tobe exhaustive. Hopefully, however, theywill be helpful with regard to our presentsubject of discerning which writings are thetrue Word of God. Here are three compar-isons:

1. When someone claims to have a wordfrom God, one of the first things the listen-er needs to discover is what is meant by“God.” For instance, in order for that“God” to engage in verbal communicationabout well-formulated ideas, He wouldhave to be a personal God, capable of think-ing and communicating. This, of course, isthe kind of God presented in the Bible; andit is also what is claimed for Allah, the God

Darkness Out of the EastThe Vedic Text of Hinduism

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of Islam. Hinduism is different, however.There is no transcendent, personal God inHinduism. Therefore, for the Vedas to becalled the Word of God is somewhat mis-leading.

Hindus worship a different type of Godthan found in Judaism, Christianity, andIslam. Initially the early Vedic Age was poly-theistic, but as Hinduism began to evolve,individual identifiable gods gave way to animpersonal force, where everything wasgod. It is estimated that there are “330 mil-lion gods, goddesses or demigods in theHindu pantheon.”10 Yet the idea of panthe-ism (the belief that everything is god) beganto dominate Hindu religious philosophy inthe later Vedic literature. Many Hindus stillidentify with a particular god, but the high-est goal of Hinduism is “union withBrahma, the impersonal absolute.”11

The Vedas ultimately teach that thehuman and the divine are one in essence.In his book, The Wisdom of the Vedas, J.C.Chatterji observes,

The conclusion of Vedic inquiry isthat there exists within us animmortal and eternal being which isthe same as the immortal and eter-nal being that pervades the entireuniverse… Our Atman or inner Selfis one with the Brahman or supremeand infinite principle behind all theobjects in the world.12

Understanding this aspect of Hindu theolo-gy leads to the realization that what Hindusbelieve to be the Word of God is more cor-rectly, the word of man who has becomegod. Since there is no personal, transcen-dent God (only a divine principle pervadingthe universe), the Vedas are essentiallyphilosophical speculations of men whobelieved they were in tune with somethingthey called the divine.

Therefore, when comparing the Biblewith the Vedas of Hinduism, we at least

need to realize that we are not comparingapples with apples. The Vedas are a whollydifferent concept than what is claimed forthe Bible—that a personal, transcendentGod has communicated in verbal termswith mankind.

2. Another concept of Hindu philosophytaught in the Upanishads as part of theVedic literature is that there is no absolutetruth—no physical reality, only illusion.This is difficult for westerners to under-stand, but it is the foundation of Hindureligious thought. Ridenour expressed itthis way:

…Eastern religions emphasize thateverything in the world is tempo-rary, changing, ephemeral andunreal and that our perceptions ofthe world are most often misleadingand illusory. The physical universe isnot seen as a rational, ordered uni-verse revealing God’s glory… but asa hindrance to experiencing “ulti-mate Reality.”13

The “wisdom” of the Vedas is that we can-not rely upon our senses to give us anunderstanding of objective reality. In otherwords, what you see, hear, smell, taste, andfeel is not real—it is all a grand illusion. Thesenses are, in fact, a barrier to truth and theonly way to experience what is essentiallyreal is to “dive down deep into what con-stitutes the subjective nature”14 andcommune with Brahman, the divine princi-ple. The result of this thinking is that thereis no absolute truth, only what is true forthe individual person. That is why plural-ism, the thought that even contradictingideas can both be right, is an acceptableidea in Hinduism.

The point here is that the Vedas are notthe Word of God in the sense that theycommunicate an absolute truth articulatedby a personal God. The Vedas are, in fact,only a guide to individual truth, which each

person must discover for himself or herself.Chatterji explains it this way:

Hence the Vedas do not set forthany dogma, nor insist that webelieve in anything in particular.They are not focused on a particularteacher or prophet, a specific revela-tion, or historical event. Rather theymake the individual, we ourselves,important, as truth, according to theVedic perspective, is something thatwe must discover for ourselves.15

When the Vedas are compared to the Bible,therefore, the concept of truth in each isdiscovered to be radically different. Thequestion then, is which concept of truth ismost legitimate? Do we accept our objec-tive world as real—the product of apersonal God who communicates absolutetruth (as in the Bible), or do we accept theidea that everything is an illusion governedby a divine principle which insists thatnothing in and of itself is real, as in theVedas? The distinction between the two isfundamental and the choice becomes dras-tic in its implications.

3. There are many other comparisonsbetween the Bible and the Vedas that couldbe made, but let’s consider just one more aswe ask the question, “What has been theeffect of each on the human condition?”

Wherever the Bible has gone, it has hada positive influence on society. The Bibleemphasizes human dignity by revealing apersonal God who is interested in the wel-fare of each individual person. Therealization of this has strengthened andempowered the human spirit to develop asociety that respects individual achieve-ment and values human life. The advancedcultures of Europe and North America are,to a large extent, the result of that biblicalinfluence.

India, on the other hand, has been theproduct of a different tradition. The Aryans

There is no transcendent, personalGod in Hinduism. Therefore, for theVedas to be called the Word of God

is somewhat misleading.

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introduced a caste system into the earlyVedic traditions that was later developedinto a well-established social hierarchy. Thepriests of Brahman (the divine principle)became known as the Brahmins, whoestablished themselves as the highest castein Indian society, in accordance with Vedicteaching. Next came the warriors andrulers, and after them, the merchants. Thefourth group was made up of the laborersand servants—the lower class of Indiansociety. Finally, there were “the untouch-ables”16 who were the social outcasts anduntil the twentieth century were regardedas subhuman. This system was furtherdivided into “numerous subcastes that areeven more self-contained.”17 The result is acaste system which severely limits bothsocial status and economic opportunity tothe elite. All of this is taught in the Vedas.

Now there are wonderful people in Indiaand, in many ways, the country is techno-logically advanced. After all, India is anuclear power nation. Yet the vast majorityof the inhabitants of India are the lowerclasses where the caste system enslavesthem in subservient conditions with nohope of achieving anything better in this life.Their conditions are often deplorable, livingin perpetual filth, oppressive pollution anddisease, and widespread economic poverty.Their caste is their lot in life, which mustsimply be accepted and endured. All of thisis the product of their religion which, inturn, is a reflection of Vedic teaching.

Furthermore, the situation is complicatedby the concept of reincarnation, which is oneof the foundational teachings of the Vedas.The only hope for a Hindu to have a betterlife is to achieve a higher caste; this can onlybe done, however, through a seemingly end-less cycle of reincarnations, called“samsara.”18 There is a real possibility,though, that the next reincarnation for anindividual may be downward—a return tothis earth in the form of an animal. This is

why animals, including vermin (like rats) areallowed to run free in Indian society. Theyare actually thought to be people from for-mer lives. The bottom line in all this is that itis only through a cycle of hundreds (maybethousands) of reincarnations that anyonecould even begin to think of achieving “mok-sha,” or release from the cycle of sufferingand union with Brahma. Even in modern lifethe caste system and the concept of reincar-nation continues in India with its socialstrangulation on the majority of people.

So in our comparison of the Bible withthe Vedas, there is again a great contrast inwhat each has produced in its effect onhuman life. The effect of the Bible has beento liberate and expand the human potential.The effect of the Vedas has been to curtailand limit the human potential. The differ-ence is, indeed, striking.

Both the Bible and the Vedas have expe-rienced a long history with an ancienttradition, and both sacred writings claim tobe the Word of God. Yet they are diametri-cally opposed to each other in what theyteach about the nature of God, the essenceof reality, and the salvation of mankind.

THE NEW DARK AGESThe world of Hinduism is imaginary andsurreal. When it comes to reason and logic,there is “lift-off” from any foundation ofsubstance and reality. Hindus may be won-derful people, but they soar in the etherealspace of their own minds and put theirhope in things that don’t exist. They havemillions of gods that are no gods, and a kindof truth that is no truth.

How different from biblical Christianity,where there is a real God that is a true God!The personal God of the Bible created a realworld where there is substance and evi-dence to affirm a true sense of reality. Thereis a real Savior who died on a real cross topay the real penalty of real sins committedby real people. The Bible of Christianity is a

book of verifiable history that tells the realstory of the human race and of the provi-dence of a sovereign God who oversees theaffairs of His real universe.

When considering the Vedas, therefore,there is no comparison. Only the Bible pres-ents things as they really are, and only theBible offers a solution to the human dilem-ma. The Vedas simply create an imaginaryworld for flights of spiritual fantasy. The east-ern world has been blinded for centuries, butunfortunately the western world is begin-ning to embrace the illusion. Postmodernismis a major leap in that direction.

So, where did we go wrong? Well, weshould never have listened to the gurus.Postmodernism is a denial of reality and,hence, a reversal of the enlightenment. It isthe beginning of a new Dark Age. Thegurus opened the door and we walked in. ■

ENDNOTES1. V.P. (Hemant) Kanitkar & W. Owen Cole, Hinduism

(Lincolnwood, IL: NTC/Contemporary Publishing,1995), p. 105.

2. Ibid., p. 106.3. Ibid., pp.104-1054. Ibid., p. 110.5. J. Isamu Yamamoto, TM & Hare Krishna (Grand

Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), p. 7.6. J. C. Chatterji, The Wisdom of the Vedas (Wheaton, IL:

Theosophical Publishing House, 1992), pp. 2-3.7. Fritz Ridenous, So, What’s the Difference? (Ventura,

CA: Regal Books, 2001), p. 89.8. J. C. Chatterji, The Wisdom of the Vedas, p. xv.9. Fritz Ridenour, So, What’s the Difference?, p. 90.10. Ibid., p. 93.11. Ibid., p. 90.12. J. C. Chatterji, The Wisdom of the Vedas, p. 4-5.13. Fritz Ridenour, So, What’s the Difference?, p. 89.14. J. C. Chatterji, The Wisdom of the Vedas, p. 13-14.15. Ibid., p. 3.16. Firtz Ridenour, So, What’s the Difference?, p. 90.17. J. Isamu Yamamoto, Hinduism, TM & Hare Krishna,

p. 10.18. Fritz Ridenour, So, What’s the Difference?, p. 92.

The world of Hinduism is imaginaryand surreal… How different from

biblical Christianity, where there is areal God that is a true God!

Samson carrying the city doors

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LIGHTFROMTHEPAST

The Hebrew word gate (sha ar)with its several forms occurs435 times in the Bible. Thegate of a large city or fortresswas very significant in the

ancient world for it had contrasting functions,both military and domestic. First, it was themost vulnerable point in the defense fortifica-tions of the city, hence great care was taken inits design. Gates needed to be wide enough toaccommodate chariots yet narrow enough tohold off a major assault. Some gates con-tained as many as six chambers (three oneach side), each with doors made of wood withmetal plating to protect it against being set onfire. Doors pivoted in sockets (most made ofstone) and a heavy horizontal beam was laidacross its center to bar it from being opened.Most gates included a tower complete withguard posts, making the gate into a virtualfortress. This makes the story in Judges 16:3all the more amazing when we read thatSamson was able to lift the doors off the citygate of Gaza and carry them 35 miles from sealevel up to the top of a mountain!

The gates of the city were also the naturalpoints of contact for trade merchants as wellas other commercial and legal transactions. Atseveral cities, benches are found lining theinside chambers of the gate. This helps usunderstand the Psalmist’s complaint that he isthe subject of gossip by “those who sit in thegate” (Psalm 69:12). At Dan, a large publicsquare with a flagstone pavement was foundin front of the gate bringing to mind Hezekiah’scharge to his commanders in 2 Chronicles32:6, “He appointed military officers over thepeople and gathered them to him in thesquare at the city gate…” Also found at Dan,was a flat limestone pedestal with round pil-lars set on a stone base at each of its corners.The excavator suggested this was used as a

covered installation for the king’s throne men-tioned in 2 Samuel, 19:8, “So the king aroseand sat in the gate.When they told all the peo-ple, saying, ‘Behold, the king is sitting in thegate,’ then all the people came before theking.” Gates were a critical and significant partof the construction and function of a city dur-ing Biblical times. As archeologists unearthand study their design, their discoveriesenhance the richness, authority, and accuracyof God’s Word. ■

Dan Warner is President of The Virtual Bible, Director ofDevelopment and Marketing at the Archaeological Institute,New Orleans Seminary, Assistant Area Supervisor with theMegiddo Expedition, and has excavated at Ashkelon, Gerar,and Tel El Farah South.

The Gate in ScriptureDan Warner

Have you ever been in ahouse of mirrors? It isoften amusing to see theodd reflections createdby the ill-shaped and

deformed mirrors that show a person as muchtaller, shorter, thinner or thicker than they trulyare. One could never gauge their true reflectionby what they see in such a mirror. When it isimportant to have our true reflection, we use amirror that is well designed for such a purpose.

One of the prized possessions of the VanKampen Collection is the Speculum. Speculumis a Latin word that can be translated as “mir-ror” or “looking glass.” The full title of thisbeautiful book is Speculum HumanaeSalvationis or the “Looking Glass for theSalvation of Humanity.” Its purpose was toreveal a person’s spiritual condition and thusaid them in their search for salvation.

In the introduction to the Speculum, theeditor states that while the educated, or liter-ate, can learn by reading, the uneducatedmust be instructed by illustrations. For thisreason the Speculum contains many stunningillustrations of Biblical scenes (called illumina-tions). Books of this nature were popular in theMiddle Ages because they functioned as abridge between the Medieval period’s typolog-ical method of Bible interpretation and thehistorical-grammatical method utilized duringthe Reformation.

The Speculum utilized typology to teachthe relationship between the Old and NewTestaments, showing that the Old Testamenthistorical narrative and stories prefigured theevents and persons of the New Testament. Thiswork contains illustrations that depict thePerson and work of Christ, redemption from sinand the role of the Virgin Mary. Historicalmaterial from the works of the historianJosephus and Peter Comestor’s Historica

Scholastica also supplementthe biblical narratives.

The Speculum was printedin 1473 by Gunther Zainer ofAugsburg (located in modernGermany). Zainer, a formerscribe, attempted to establisha printing press in Augsburgbut faced opposition from thepowerful woodcutters’ guild.With the aid of the abbot of theBenedictine Abbey, Zainer setup a press in the monastery toescape the restrictionsimposed by the guild.

Zainer printed the text ofthe book in Latin beneathpainted woodcuts of OldTestament scenes. Picturedhere is an illumination thatdepicts a scene from Jacob’slife while fleeing Canaan on hisway to his uncle’s home. Jacobhas a dream and sees theangels of God ascending and descending on aladder set up between heaven and earth. Themeaning of this vision is that God’s promise tobless Jacob will be fulfilled because he is thespecial object of God’s favor. The person read-ing the book or seeing the illustration canmake the same application to his own life.Thisis just one of the many superb illuminations inthis important book.

But Zainer took an additional step in hiswork. He also provided a German translation ofthe Latin text for those who were unable toread Latin. Thus, the teachings of theSpeculum were available for three differentaudiences: via the illuminations for the manywho could not read, in Latin for the educated,and in German, the vernacular of the commonpeople.

As far as can be determined, the VanKampen Collection copy is the first printededition of this most important work.There wereat least sixteen editions printed before the endof the 15th century in Latin, Dutch, French andGerman, but the Van Kampen Collection copyoccupies the pride of first place in the printingof this masterful work. ■

The Speculum is part of The Van Kampen Collection, one ofthe largest private collections of Bibles, artifacts, and biblicalmanuscripts in the world. The Collection is the centerpiece ofSola Scriptura’s ministry, and is housed at The Scriptorium, aninteractive museum at The Holy Land Experience in Orlando,Florida.This book is presently on display in the Special ExhibitRoom at The Scriptorium. The Exhibit is called Light in theDark Ages and is an illustration of the power of God’s Word todispel the spiritual darkness that had enveloped much ofEurope before the Reformation.

THEVANKAMPENCOLLECTIONThe SpeculumDr. Herbert Samworth

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One of

Favorite WordsGod’s

by James MacDonald

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One of

Favorite WordsGod’sDo you like new things? I love stuff when it’s new. I like

new cars and new seasons and new restaurants and newkids (not in that order). To me new is a really good feel-

ing. I like new jobs (even though I’m in somewhat of a rut at thispoint—and fifteen years happily so). I like getting new clothes. Ilike having new friends, but here’s a wonderful truth: God lovesnew things. Do you know that about your heavenly Father? Heloves stuff that’s new too!

Did you know that God loves new things? All the way throughthe Bible, He is talking about new things. And these new things Hehas given to us. Here is a list we should not ignore:

• God gives us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26).• God gives us a new spirit (Ezekiel 18:31).• God puts a new song in the hearts of His children

(Psalm 40:3).• He has given us a new name (Revelation 2:17). • He has given us a new self (Ephesians 4:24). • He makes us wholly new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 pulls it all

together and says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

God loves new stuff. In fact, among the final words that God willspeak in human history, recorded in Revelation 21:5, are: “Behold,I make all things new.”

The Christian life is about being new, different, and changed. Ifyour faith in Christ has made no difference in you, then ask yourself ifit has made any difference to God. If you are not changing, being trans-formed little by little, day by day feeling His victory, then what is upwith your faith? The people who are in Christ are being changed. TheChristian life is all about change. The words “newness of life” fromRomans 6:4 translate a Greek word which does not mean new intime, but new in character, new in quality. A different person.

Now don’t miss this: God wants to make you new. That is Histhing. He is trying to change you. And that is why it says in the textthat if then we have been identified, through baptism, with the

death of Christ, we should also be identified with the resurrectionof Christ and “walk in newness of life” (verse 4).

When you get right down to it, church history is nothing morethan a list of the lives God has made new. Let me tell you about one,John Newton. (Newton is an appropriate name… right?) Early in hislife he ran away from his home in England because he was veryrebellious and hated his parents. He joined a slave ship crew, butwhen he fell out of favor with the captain, he was given as a slaveto the African wife of a white slave trader. For many years he livedthe life of a slave in Africa and eked out an existence on table scrapsand wild yams that he dug up at night. Finally he was able to escapefrom his master and worked his way back into the shipping/slave-trading business. Over several more years he actually became acaptain, transporting captured people back and forth from Africa tothe States. Wicked, evil, filthy, rotten, and profligate things weredone on Newton’s ship, and those were the darkest days of his life.

One night in 1748, John Newton was transporting slaves acrossthe northern Atlantic Ocean when a violent storm arose to nearlysink his ship. In that hour of desperation, although he was a verywicked man, John Newton cried out to God for forgiveness and wasconverted to Christ. He returned to London and became a tireless,powerful minister of the Gospel. Though he was not perfect, he wasdead to sin—dead to the old way. He was changed.

After spending the final days of his life preaching the Gospel, hewrote his own epitaph, which stands to this day as a testimony tothe marvelous transforming power of God. He wrote:

Here lies John Newton. Once an infidel libertine, A servant of slaves in Africa Was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed To preach the faith He labored so long to destroy.

by James MacDonald

Something happened when I came to

Christ. That inner transformation,

of becoming a “new creation,”

took place.

If you are in Christ, you are not a slave

to sin. In Christ you absolutely have

the power to be the person God wants

you to be.

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John Newton is best known for writing the hymn, “AmazingGrace.” In its well-known first verse, he testified that grace “saveda wretch like me.” A lesser-known verse of the hymn detailsNewton’s awareness that conversion was just the beginning oftransformation, not the end:

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,I have already come;’Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,And grace ’twill lead me home.

John Newton was a man in process. Are you a man or womanin process? The truth that we can learn from Romans 6:3–5 is thatthe power of sin is broken in us. We are free to choose what we do;in Christ we are dead to sin! Why? Because God’s grace demandsit, and Christ’s victory assures it.

Think back to the time before you committed your life to Christ.Do you remember certain sins that you were a slave to? No matterhow you tried, prior to coming to Christ, you fell back into thosesame patterns again. The good news is that when we confess Christas Savior, God connects us with the very resurrection power ofJesus Christ and the power of sin in our life is broken. Sin may callus or tempt us or try to get our attention but it cannot boss usaround anymore.

That is the picture Paul is trying to communicate in Romans6:1–7. He wanted you and me to know that we do not have to beunder the demands of sin anymore. That need not be our experi-ence, and by the power of God, it is not the experience of thosewho live in His resurrection power. Tragically, most Christians arestill living like they are under the power of sin. Are you? I challengeyou in this moment to embrace the truth that can set you free. Youdon’t have to sin! You can choose! Before Christ you had no choice.Now you have a choice.

We can believe we are dead to sin’s power because of our ownexperience. Most Christians can recall the dramatic change withinwhen they initially trusted Christ.

When I look at my own life, I recognize that something hap-pened when I came to Christ. That inner transformation, ofbecoming “a new creation,” took place. That is why Paul said inRomans 6:6, “Knowing this…” Paul was appealing to acceptedunderstanding. Paul said in effect, “If nothing else, certainly youhave learned this; that our old man was crucified with him.” Thatphrase old man doesn’t mean old chronologically, it just meansworn out, useless, fit for the scrap heap. That old way of living andthinking. That selfish, getting-my-needs-met mentality. The powerof sin was broken when it was crucified with Him. Why? “That thebody of sin might be done away with.” By “body of sin,” Paulmeant the sum total (as in “body of truth”) of our being, of our spe-cific sinful patterns. The words “done away with” (from the Greekkatargeo) mean “rendered inoperative” or “nullified.”

Keep that in mind, because you know by experience that thereis still a part of you that wants to sin; the old inclination to sin isstill present in you and me. It is not gone. It is there, but sort ofunplugged. It’s like toast; you can’t make toast if the toaster isunplugged and you can’t sin if the old man is unplugged, but youcan go plug him in again.

When Paul added that you have “been freed from sin,” he wasletting you and me know that the power of sin is broken in us. Allwho receive Christ personally have had their inclination to sin cut

off or rendered inoperative. It’s not in charge anymore; you don’thave to do what it says.

If you’re still struggling with a certain sin, it is because youchoose to remain in that sin. If you are trapped in a pattern of sin-confess, sin-confess, it’s because you have not known or not actedon this truth.

A TRAGIC STORYIt’s a tragic story, having the means to escape but not acting uponit. In his historical book The Three Edwards, Thomas Costainedescribed such a tragedy. During the fourteenth century a dukenamed Ranald lived in the region which is now Belgium. Ranaldwas grossly overweight. Eventually Ranald became the king, but hisbrother, Edward, was very jealous. After a violent quarrel, Edwardrallied a group of people together and led a revolt, taking over thecastle and the kingdom.

Now you would think the younger Edward would kill his olderbrother, as was often done, but somehow he had compassion onthe hefty guy and built a dungeon for him—a very specific kind ofdungeon. Edward removed Ranald from the throne and built alarge, circular room, which had a doorway but no door. Inside theroom was a bed and table and all the essentials Ranald would need.The doorway to the room was a regular-sized doorway but Ranaldwas too big to get through it. Edward placed Ranald in the roomand said, “When you can fit through the doorway, you can leave.”

Every day Edward would have his servants bring to the room asmorgasbord of pies and pastries, along with massive platters ofmeat and other delicacies and lay it out in front of his brother.People used to accuse Edward of being a cruel king, but Edwardhad a ready answer. “My brother is not a prisoner. He can leavewhen he chooses to.”

Ranald remained in that same room, a prisoner of his ownappetite, for more than ten years. He wasn’t released until afterEdward died in battle. By then his own health was so far gone thathe died within a year, not because he had no choice, but becausehe would not use his power to choose what was best for his life.

Now if you are in Christ, you are not a slave to any sin. In Christyou absolutely have the power to be the person that God wants youto be. There is no pattern of thinking that holds you. There is nopattern of behavior that necessarily enslaves you. You are not a slaveto any sin. That power has been broken through your identificationwith the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that took placewhen you turned from your sin and accepted Christ by faith. Thechains of sin are broken in you; you are free to do what is right. ■

Dr. James MacDonald is the founding pastor ofHarvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, IL andradio Bible teacher on Walk in the Word(walkintheword.com) which emphasizes the pre-cise exposition of God’s Word and its practical lifeapplication. James and his wife Kathy have threechildren—Luke, Landon, and Abigail—and residein the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

For more on how you can experience this truth, get Dr. JamesMacDonald’s popular teaching on Romans 6–8 in the brand newDVD series I Really Want to Change, So Help Me, God. ContactWalk in the Word at 888-581-WORD.

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Born in Nashville, Michael Card attendedWestern Kentucky University where hereceived a Masters in “Religious Studies.” Hegrew up in a musical family. His mother was aclassical violinist and his father a jazz trombon-

ist. Michael mastered guitar and piano, and while attendingcollege developed a close friendship with Bible scholarWilliam Lane, who not only developed Michael's love oflearning, but enlisted him to write songs for weekly sermons.

An accomplished musician and songwriter with 19Number 1 songs, numerous Dove Awards, and the presti-gious RIAA “Top 365 Songs of the Century” honor for “ElShaddai,” Michael Card is perhaps best known and appreci-ated for the tedious research and Biblical scholarship whichsupport the themes running through his songs.

Of Card, friend, pastor and his co-author of “UnveiledHope,” Scotty Smith writes, “No one in Christian music ismore committed to creatively and faithfully presenting thetruths of Scripture. Only a small percentage of those whohave listened to Mike’s music through the years realize,however, that he would rather lead a small Bible studygroup than sing to a full auditorium. In his eyes, his talentsas a musician are the equivalent of the apostle Paul’s ‘tentmaking.’ By using them he is able to be about his greatestpassion: teaching the Bible.”

How long have you been performing professionally?I have been performing for about 22 years.

How has your audience changed over the years?The audience has not really changed. They havealways consisted of basically people who are interest-ed in the life of Jesus in particular and the Bible ingeneral. I don’t really identify a “target audience.”

What is your view of the trends in contemporary music?I am worried about the trends in most ofContemporary Christian Music. The market driven-ness of it all, the shallowness. But I also believe thatGod always leaves a remnant and so there are thenew artists like Sara Groves and others who are doingit for the right reasons.

WORDSMUSIC&

An Interview withMICHAEL CARD

What impact has the move toward a moreexperiential worship service had in yourwriting and performances? The move toward more experientialworship has not affected my writing. Isometimes still struggle to keep intro-ducing depth to worship, which hasfollowed the lead of the industry in itsshallowness.

Do you see your performances as moreevangelistic, teaching or discipling?My concerts are a mixture of all three,but probably more teaching andencouraging than anything else.

With your performance schedule, how doyou receive your spiritual feeding?I struggle, like everyone else, with aconsistent spiritual life. The Word ofGod for me is the only constant in thisprocess. Styles come and go. Evenchurch styles, but the Bible is alwaysthere, feeding me.

You have an obvious respect and admirationfor the Word of God. How did this develop?I was discipled by a wonderful biblicalscholar, William Lane. He instilled alove for the Bible in my life.

Your concern for doctrine is evident in thewords of your music. Do your lyrics comemore from life experiences or from readingthe Word?My lyrics come from all those places.Primarily they are rooted in a biblicalpassage but they are informed by lifeexperience.

Do you have a means of accountability tokeep you grounded in your Christian walk?Yes, I am a part of a small fellowship ofpastors committed to racial reconcilia-tion called “Empty Hands Fellowship.”We meet and pray weekly together.

How do you balance your family life withyour professional career?I don’t see it as a matter of balance.That implied taking a bit from one sideand placing it on the other side to

achieve a balance. I prefer to talk about“flow.” Here my relationship withJesus is the primary “pool” of reservoirthat overflows into my life with mywife and children, next is my ability (ornot!) to minister to people. This modelhas been a lot more workable for me.

When you are not writing music or per-forming, what do you enjoy doing?I enjoy reading and astronomy. I spenda lot of time with my children, they aremy hobby.

When you are not listening to your ownmusic, what music do you enjoy?I don’t particularly like listening to myown music. Familiarity breeds con-tempt. I do enjoy Irish, some Jazz andpeople like Michael Macdonald andJames Taylor.

We’ve seen you play the guitar and the harp—what other instruments do you play? Piano is my other main instrument,plus penny whistle and banjo.

If you were marooned on an island, what isone thing you would like to have with you?Only the Bible. Imagine having all thetime in the world to simply read theBible!

Michael Card’s latest project, the book AFragile Stone, explores the dynamic, contra-dictory life of the apostle Peter. The fruit ofyears of careful study, A Fragile Stone revis-its well-known passages and discoversunexpected insights, painting a portrait ofPeter that is both familiar and jarring. Witha scope spanning the entire New Testament,Michael reveals how the impetuous fisher-man of the Gospels was transformed intothe pivotal leader of the early church. Thealbum of the same name contains musicreminiscent of past Card favorites as well asa potpourri of musical styles that includeworld-renowned banjo virtuoso Béla Fleckand some of the most distinguished blue-grass players in the world, as well as Cardhimself on banjo and members of his localcommunity group.

Both the book and CD of A Fragile Stoneare available at your local ChristianBookstore and at Michael’s website, wheremore information about his work and con-cert schedule can be found.

www.michaelcard.com

“The Word of God for me is the only constantin this process. Styles come and go. Evenchurch styles, but the Bible is always there,feeding me.”

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Truth for today

y wife answered a phone call yesterday for my thirteen year-old daugh-ter. This, in itself , is notan uncommon occur-

rence. In fact, most of the time, when ourphone rings these days, it is a call for mydaughter. But this call was different. Here ishow it went, (though I’ve changed the name ofthe caller):

Ring…My wife: “Hello”Caller: “Hello… Mrs. Kinniburgh (pro-

nounced correctly!) Good evening. My name isTodd. May I please speak with Rachel?”

My wife: “I’m sorry. She isn’t here right now,but she’ll be back in a few hours. Should Ihave her call you?”

Caller: “Oh, no ma’am. It isn’t appropriatefor a young girl to call a boy. I’ll try again later,if it doesn’t get too late. Thank you for yourtime.

My wife: “Just a minute—please leave yourphone number so that I can arrange for youand her to get together, get married and havemy grandchildren…”

Okay, she didn’t say that last part, but thatis how she felt! Most of the boys who call saysomething like: “Uhh… Is… uhh… Rachel…uhh… there? No? Uhh… okay uhh… bye.” Asshe told me about the phone call, we wereboth impressed with the character of thisyoung man, and formed a unique picture in ourheads about this impressive potential mar-riage partner for our daughter.

When our daughter got home, my wife told

her about the call. Here is how that conversa-tion went:

My wife: “You got a call from Todd while youwere gone…”

My daughter: “Who?”My wife: “Todd”My daughter: “Todd??”My wife: “Yes… Todd. He seemed like a very

nice boy.”My daughter: “Todd???”My wife: “Yes… why? Is something wrong.?My daughter: “You have never seen Todd…”My wife: “No… but he was very polite and

respectful on the phone—I was veryimpressed…”

My daughter: “Mom… He wears more ear-rings than I do. He has piercing all over hisface. He has a couple of tattoos. He hangs witha very strange group of kids at school. He getsinto LOTS of trouble.”

My wife: “(insert stunned silence here…)”What happened? Our expectations were

completely turned upside down. It may bethat Todd is a very nice boy, in spite of the wayhe looks, his other friends, or his actions. Doyou remember the television show Leave It ToBeaver? One of the central characters in theshow was Wally’s friend, Eddie Haskell. Eddie’stwo trademarks were his unctuous politenessto adults and his weasly, sharp-tonguedmeanness to everybody else. He was a modelwhite-collar delinquent, a creep who goadedpeople into trouble rather than perpetratingthe crime himself. We couldn’t help makingthe connection… could it be that Todd hasmastered the ability to act one way at schooland with his friends, and another way withadults?

If that is the case, there are certainlyprecedents for that behavior from within theChristian community. Actually, many of us areexperts at it. Have you ever been shocked to

The Phone CallStu Kinniburgh

M

discover that a “pillar” of Christian virtue andcharacter is guilty of some sin that possiblydestroys their impact for Christ? Have youbeen disappointed by someone who acted in away that you thought was completely alien toyour expectations?

Look at the way that Jesus conducted Hispublic ministry as described in Scripture. Even acasual reading of the Gospels reveals Jesusconsistently shocking the religious leaders withHis behavior. Consorting with prostitutes, eatingwith tax collectors, pulling corn on the Sabbath,healing on the Sabbath, driving people out ofthe Temple with a whip, and reinterpreting theLaw of Moses, to name just a few.

From God’s point of view, it was not Jesus’conduct that was called into question, but thatof the religious leaders. In Jesus’ mostscathing criticisms of the religious leadersrecorded in Matthew 23:27-28, he states,

Woe to you, experts in the law and youPharisees, hypocrites! You are likewhitewashed tombs that look beautifulon the outside but inside are full ofthe bones of the dead and of every-thing unclean. In the same way, on theoutside you look righteous to people,but inside you are full of hypocrisy andlawlessness. (New English Translation)

Matthew’s account paints a compellingpicture—Eddie Haskell is not just a modernday creation of Hollywood!

Notice that the New English Translation hasreplaced the traditional translation “scribes”with the phrase “experts in the law.” This moreclearly reflects Matthew’s intended meaninghere. These men were not mere professionalcopyists, but interpreters of the Law of Mosesand other regulations. The fact that they arecoupled with the Pharisees suggests that thescribes were “conservative” in their under-standing of the Law of Moses. They often erredon the side of the letter of the Law instead ofthe spirit of the Law.

Interestingly, Jesus, in this case, does notassail their interpretation of the Law, but theirapplication of it. By calling them hypocrites,

Jesus indicates His complaint against the reli-gious leaders. Hypocrite is a descriptive termthat means play-actor, that is, someone whopretends to be something that he is not. Jesuscomplains that the religious leaders are longon telling people what to do, but short ondoing it themselves. The religious leaders pre-tend to be righteous, but they are not.

To illustrate his point, the Lord selects anunusual idiom. He says,“You [religious leaders]are like whitewashed tombs that look beautifulon the outside but inside are full of the bonesof the dead and of everything unclean.” Tombswere important in ancient times. Because oftheir laws pertaining to things clean andunclean and the consequences for both, Jewswere very careful to remain “clean.” Touching adead body or a tomb rendered one instantlyunclean. To prevent a person from touching atomb unintentionally, those tombs nearest toheavy traffic areas were often painted white.The Lord notices this fact and utilizes the pow-erful contrast between the external and theinternal. The level of contrast between the out-side of a grave and what is in it is extreme.This,the Lord indicates, aptly applies to the religiousleaders. They appear righteous on the outside,but inwardly they are full of “hypocrisy and law-lessness.” The religious leaders are hypocritesin that they pretend to be what they are notand they are lawless because they do not con-trol themselves.

All too often there is a disconnect in ourminds between truth and the implications ofthat truth. In this case, those who are pretend-ing to be faithful to Jesus Christ on the outside,while faithless on the inside, are guilty.Try as wemight, we can hide nothing from a sovereign,omniscient God. Therefore, to self-righteouslyparade the external while dismissing the inter-nal is foolish. God knows the difference. Abetter solution is to live as godly as possibleand in humility submit the rest to God’s grace,praying for mercy to overcome. To play off apopular quote from the ‘60s, you can fool all ofthe people some of the time, and some of thepeople all of the time, but you are fooling your-self if you think you can ever fool God. ■

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Adam’s Rib—Whathappened to it?Question: Ken, you’ve heard the‘urban myth’ that men have oneless rib than women becauseGod took a rib from Adam’sside to make Eve. Thatstory is still circulat-ing, isn’t it?

Ken Ham’s Answer:Yes, unfortunately.We need to under-stand that men andwomen have exactlythe same number ofribs. Actually it’s animportant question,and not as silly as itmight sound. Let me explain.

Just because God took a rib from Adamto make Eve would not mean that all ofAdam’s male descendants would have oneless rib. Remember, it’s our genes thatdetermine how many ribs a person willhave. For example, if I lost a finger in anaccident, and then had more children, theywould not have one less finger!

This is because the blueprint for ourbodies is in the genes, the DNA in ourcells. So if you lose something like a ribor a finger, this in no way affects thegenes we pass on to our children.Second, remember from your biologyclasses that ribs ‘regenerate’ if the outercovering is left intact. In other words,Adam would’ve had his missing rib backquite quickly.

A fascinating question, with ananswer from Genesis!

Q&A from the ministry of Answers in Genesis, Ken Ham,President and Co-Founder. Here’s another fascinatingquestion about Adam—is he the father of all the differ-ent races around the world today? Ken Ham’s answeris found in his thought provoking booklet on the originof races. You can read it on his website:www.answersingenesis.org.

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A WORD FROM THEWORD

Truth matters! We are beingtold today that it doesn’t—butit does. In most endeavors oflife, this is a given. Truth doesmatter in medical science, for

instance, because life and death are often atstake. A diagnosis is either right or it’s wrong—and even when it’s bad news, a patient wantsthe doctor to tell him the truth. Lab results,MRI’s and Cat scans are diagnostic toolswhereby physicians probe the truth. Pluralismdoesn’t work in hospitals. In that environment,pluralism is absurd.

That is the way it is in most areas of life.Rules govern the game and facts determinethe outcome. End of argument! Yet, when itcomes to religion and ideas about God, theroom clouds with smoke and the mind turns tomush. Here, truth is like a Rorschach test—everyone sees whatever they want to see andnobody is wrong. Tolerance is the passwordand absurdity is the new reality. Supposedly,this is the pathway to societal andglobal peace.

Now, the problem for Christiansin all of this is not that they can’t seethrough the hype. Bible believingChristians know that pluralism doesnot work in spiritual matters anymore than it does in the physicaldomain. Yet, even though some inthe broad stream of Christendom aregetting sucked into the vortex of thismystical thinking, the challenge formost believers is simply having thecourage to speak up for the truth. Asin the old story, they know that say-ing “The emperor has no clothes”can be dangerous for their health.

Well, the Apostle Paul understoodthe pressures that a Christian experi-ences when living in a culture that is

hostile to the exclusive message of the biblicalGospel. So, when he sought to motivateTimothy, who was discouraged as a result ofbeing persecuted for his faith, Paul said tohim, “You therefore my son, be strong in thegrace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).

Now, that’s what Timothy needed. It wasimportant for him to be strong as a communi-cator of the Gospel of God’s grace in Christ,and it was essential that he be strengthenedby that grace in his own life. The word “bestrong” is the Greek verb endunamoo whichbasically refers to inner strength: en (in) +dunnamoo (to strengthen). The idea is to beempowered inwardly. You see, Paul was notasking Timothy to show him his muscle. He wasappealing to his inward character—his courageand his resolve.

The biblical concept of salvation in Christalone is an exclusive message that doesn’t setwell in a pluralistic environment. Yet, becauseit is the truth, Timothy needed to be strength-

ened in his resolve to communicate it even inthe face of opposition. Also, because criticismand persecution can take its toll on humanemotions, Timothy was being encouraged toremember that God’s grace in Jesus Christ issufficient for every circumstance of life. Inother words, his heart would be strengthenedby simply relying on God’s grace.

So, that’s God’s message to us as well. Wealso need to be strong in the grace that is inChrist Jesus. The Gospel we communicate ispolitically incorrect, but we are to be strong inour resolve to make it known nevertheless.People’s reaction to the Gospel of grace won’talways be positive, but we can be strength-ened by God’s grace to be courageous andenthusiastic about salvation in Christ in spiteof their resistance.

Truth does matter—and what we believeabout Christ and the Gospel of grace is of ulti-mate importance. Eternal life is at stake. So,be strong—for Christ’s sake, be strong. ■

Strength Against the CurrentDr. Dan Hayden

FINALTHOUGHTSSit at the Foot

There was a church in the city that wasknown for being quite grand, with anexcellent music program, manicuredgrounds and a beautiful churchbuilding. All of the attendees on

Sunday arrived and sat in their customary pew seatswearing fine clothing appropriate for morning worship.One Sunday, a young man arrived just before the serv-ice began. His hair was long and tangled, held inplace by a tattered bandanna. His tattooed uppertorso was only partly covered by a sleeveless leathervest covered with hand-written sayings and motorcy-cle patches. His jeans were dirty at the knees andthread-bear in the seat. He wore black boots thatwere heavily scuffed and well-used. As he entered thesanctuary, the quiet talk in the pews began to hush ashe walked slowly down the main aisle, and seeing noseats, he continued to the front of the church and satcross-legged on the floor at the foot of the steps lead-ing to the altar platform. A few moments passed, andthen the head deacon began walking slowly down theaisle toward the man. The deacon was a pillar of thechurch, always measured, yet resolute in his view ofappropriate behavior in the church. His suit was tai-lored, his shoes were shined, and the congregationbuzzed with the thought of what was going to happennext. Anticipation filled the hall as he approached theyoung man. All were wondering how he would handlethe awkwardness of the situation. As he reached theyoung man, he extended a hand to the man’s shoul-der, and then quietly sat down on the floor next to himfor the duration of the service.

How do you share the love of God? Sometimes itmay be sharing from our resources with a brother orsister who is having difficult times. Sometimes, it willinvolve loving someone who is initially seen as differ-ent. Often, it requires us to put people beforeproperty, but Christ was always more concerned withpeople.Take the time to invest in a person’s life today.Don’t be afraid to join them as you sit at the foot ofthe altar and focus on the Author of our faith inauthentic humility. ■

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