Want to Go See "Noah?" Read This First

Whenever Hollywood makes a movie that has anything to do with the Bible, many Christians go bananas for joy.  The movie "Noah" is no exception.  But let's face it: Hollywood doesn't do the Bible well; it always serves an agenda other than the Bible--and the Bible's God.
"Noah" is no exception.  Here is an interesting evaluation of the movie that is worth reading.
Does that mean Christians shouldn't go see it?  No.  It may be good entertainment, and all that.  Or maybe you want to see it because it is good art, good cinematography, or because it is a good story (even if it is not the Bible's story).  That's fine. Just don't be confused.  If you want to know the story of Noah, stick to the text of the Bible.  If you want to see a good story that has a character named Noah, and even an ark, go ahead--just don't think you are seeing the Bible's story.

John 7:53-8:11: Is It Part of John’s Original Gospel?

John 7:53-8:11 is the well-known story of the woman caught in adultery who is brought to Jesus.  It is a story that even people who do not know the Bible well know about.  Its message fits well with the New Testament’s emphasis that we come to Christ as wretched sinners, and in him receive mercy and pardon for sin; and that in him we receive the grace of repentance, which includes a change of heart, so that we can, as the story ends, “Go and sin no more.” Still, the evidence is that this story does not belong in John’s Gospel, but is a later addition. 

   Now it may be disconcerting, if you have been reading the Bible all your life, to find out that there is a story in the Bible that may not belong there.  It leads you to ask: what else does not belong there?  And why?  How do we know?

    So let me here give a brief summary of how we got the New Testament, as it relates to the New Testament text. 

    The New Testament is the God-breathed Word of God, without error (inerrant) in what it teaches.  With this caveat: the original writings (called autographs) are without error.  That is, John, the Gospel writer, wrote God’s Word when he wrote his original Gospel. 

    But we do not have a copy of John’s original autograph.  Which raises the question: what is the original?  And how do we determine that?

    For the first 1500 years of its existence, until the invention of the printing press, the New Testament documents were hand-copied.  The copies are only as faithful as copies that were made.  1500 years of a document surviving by hand copy.  That seems daunting.

    There is good news, however: there are over 5800 manuscripts in Greek for the New Testament that date between the 2^nd and 15^th centuries.  And, for 97% of the New Testament, there is clear agreement on what the original is, based on those manuscripts.  Moreover, in the 3% that is not entirely clear, no major Bible teaching is affected. That’s pretty impressive.

    John 7:53-8:11 falls into the other 3%.  No major Bible teaching is affected by this passage.  But if you look at the manuscripts, you see that the earliest manuscripts leave this story out.  Many of those manuscripts were discovered after the King James Version of the Bible was published (the KJV includes this story without footnotes).  In addition to that, other manuscripts have the same story at other places in John’s Gospel, or in Luke’s Gospel.  So that does make you wonder.

    Moreover, if you read John 7-8, John 8:12 follows very nicely after John 7:52.  John 7:52 concludes the discussion that followed Jesus’ saying in 7:37-38: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink…”  John 8:11 begins, “Again Jesus said…,” which, follows nicely.

    Now, we have no idea where this story came from.  We only have manuscripts—the scribes did not leave commentary on their manuscripts. 

    So—should you and I be concerned about what is in the Bible?  How do we know?  Well, most Bible translations have footnotes that tell us when a word or a phrase is not entirely clear based on the manuscripts we have.  Bible translators not only study carefully how to express meaning in another language; they also study carefully which variations on the Greek text are most likely.  That is the field called “text criticism.”  These translators do us a huge service—and they do a good job.  We should be thankful for them.  And we can follow their lead as they desire to produce for us something that is as close to the original autographs as possible. 

    So again: there is some question about 3% of the New Testament text, based on the manuscripts we have.  No major Bible teaching is affected by that 3%.  Bible translator note for us, through footnotes, if there is doubt about a word or a passage.  We can trust, therefore, the Bible we have, with full confidence that it is as close to the original as possible—and close enough to give us an excellent text.

Something from Chinese Church Voices

ccv2012 posted: "The Gospel Times recently re-posted a piece from a blogger, titled "Why I Am a Christian." In it the blogger gives ten reasons for being a Christian. The structure is one commonly used in Chinese writing -- asking a question multiple times, then answering" New post on Chinese Church Voices Ten Reasons I am a Christian by ccv2012 The Gospel Times recently re-posted a piece from a blogger, titled "Why I Am a Christian." In it the blogger gives ten reasons for being a Christian. The structure is one commonly used in Chinese writing -- asking a question multiple times, then answering it multiple times. Like most Chinese people, I was born into a family with no Christian background. Up until now, we still live in a society that is quite unfriendly to Christianity. Our culture also has absolutely no connection with the Christian religion. However, like millions of Chinese young people of my generation, I have become a devout Christian. Why am I a Christian? I’d like to share a simple explanation, including my personal experiences and some objective facts of Christianity. 1. Christ chose me Why am I a Christian? When we say we are Christians, this doesn’t mean we’ve entered some type of religious group, take part in some religious activities, or have been enlightened. Actually, I believe that Christ is my personal savior, and I’ve experienced His salvation, been born again, and have a relationship with Him. I may be imperfect in my personality and my actions, but I’m working hard to live according to God’s requirements, to become a person after His own heart. Why am I a Christian? First, I believe that this was God’s choice. The Bible says that before the creation of the world, He had already chosen me. The Bible says it is not we who chose God, but God who chose us. His call and His election cannot be cast off (see Job 15:16-19, 2 Thes. 2:13). I didn’t know God before, and probably would not have proactively taken interest in a foreign religion. But looking back, in the process of becoming a believer, not one experience happened by accident. It was all according to God’s own perfect plan and will. 2, I want to believe in truth Why am I a Christian? I believe this is not only because God proactively chose me, it was also my rational and conscious response. My rational side cannot deny the fact that He created the human race and redeemed us, a fact that has been confirmed not only by the highest level scientists and our spiritual forefathers. Besides, my conscience – my God-given ability to discern truth – makes it impossible for me to refuse the One who created me, the Savior who died for me. I am unable to refuse the truth I already know.   Why am I a Christian? Why would I trust in Jesus? Because He is the Truth. This is not just because Jesus said He is the Truth. The founders of Buddhism and many other religions have never claimed to be the Truth. It’s also that I have personally experienced God’s own absolute truth and unchanging love. I believe it is this type of actual experience that provides the deepest basis for faith. 3. I want to believe in a God who loves me Why am I a Christian? If I had to choose a religion, I would definitely choose a God who is loving and personal, and one who feels. I wouldn't choose to believe in someone who was fickle, lustful and tyrannical, who didn't care whether people lived or died. That would be like the Greek Zeus, or the powerless polytheistic religions with all their capricious gods. Furthermore, this God loves me. Only through His love and my faith can I have a relationship with Him.    The Bible says God is love; in Him there is no darkness at all. God is the Father God who not only exists, but also has a relationship with us, and we can experience his loving kindness and guidance. We not only need God, but God also wants to be needed.  I believe a man created in the image and form of his Creator will experience that Creator's character in his spirit. Therefore, I can know Him through my conscience, reason, and experience, but especially through His own revelation. 4, I want to believe in a God who is holy and just Why am I a Christian? If I believe in a God, I can't believe one who is self-centered, who fulfills his own selfish desires, and who makes unpredictable changes in his requirements. I must believe in a God who is holy and just, carries out justice, has compassion on all, judges evil, and bestows blessing and benevolence. Only if God is just can he have principles. Only if a man has principles to obey can he have direction; only if a man has direction can he depend on truth. The Bible says that our God is holy and just. The Bible mentions God's holiness and righteousness more than 300 times. I believe that if God created man to be His children, it is as the Bible says. So, the depths of our hearts have the cognition to reflect God's character, which means we have a resonance with the truth, goodness, and beauty of God.  We thirst for holiness and righteousness. This shows that this God also loves holiness and righteousness; He Himself is the holy righteous savior. Since He gave us universal values, He will abide according to His own demands. Therefore, through yearning for holiness, righteousness, and love, I can better know a holy, righteous, loving God. 5, I want to believe in a God who can redeem us Why am I a Christian? Because I am deeply acquainted with my own sinfulness. Relying on myself, I could never become a good person. Just like an apostle said: the resolve to do good comes from me; but actually doing it is beyond me. I need to be redeemed. Only if we are redeemed will we have hope in our lives. Only if my life has been redeemed can I have the restraint to overcome my sinfulness and feelings of gloom, in order to glorify God in my life and live a good life. I can't believe in a god who can't overcome my sinful spirit and actions. It is God who gave me life and breath, so He is able to save my life. It is God who sustains me every day, so He is able to save my life.  The God of Christians is the Creator and Redeemer. The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Why am I a Christian? Because this trustworthy God is the Savior who can save me. It is He whose presence my heart knows intuitively. 6, I want to believe in a God who never changes Why am I a Christian? If I believe in a master, he can't be a tyrant, who does whatever he wants, changing unpredictably according to His fleshly desires. God's character cannot change. He puts up with and understands that my nature is capricious and liable to fall. He cannot change, so I can follow and abide by His will. He cannot change; He won't discard me because of a temporary sinful weakness or impulse. After that period of weakness, I can still return to that salvation. Our God is the God never changes. The Bible says, “can a woman forget her nursing child?” Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!  (Is. 49:15) It's true! I have been disappointed in myself time and again, but God has never been disappointed in me. Because of His unchanging nature, it becomes possible for weak sinners to repent. 7. I want to believe in a God who gives me strength and hope Why am I a Christian? If I will trust a master, he must be able to give me strength and hope, not a God who intimidates me daily, deepening my fears and increasing my burdens. He must have personality, an independent will, an unchanging nature, and emotion, and He must love, teach, and forgive me. He must let me get close to Him, love Him, and fear Him. He must give me strength, hope, direction and a sense of responsibility. If the object of our faith was a negative force, it would be evil, and why would I believe in one who was evil? So I want believe in the master who gives people strength and hope.   The Bible says, “the Lord is my strength and my song, and he is become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father's God, and I will exalt him.” (Ex. 15:2). II Samuel 22:19 says “the Lord is my support.” Psalm 14:6 says “the LORD is my refuge.” Psalm 16:5 says “the LORD is my inheritance and my cup of blessing.  He guards all that is mine.” Psalm 18:2 says “the LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.” He is my shield, my horn of salvation and my high tower.” Psalm 118:14 says the LORD is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation....... 8. I want to believe in a God proven to produce "good fruit" throughout history Why am I a Christian? If I choose to believe in a master, He cannot be one who needs advertisements to promote himself; He must be a God proven to produce good fruit. I want to see whether He has brought the world is redemption or disaster. Looking at the history of man and the modern world, you will see that it is the Christian faith that has brought the world civilization and hope. You will see that Christian countries and cultures that have been profoundly influenced by Christianity are wealthier and freer, with greater equality and democracy. The world's earliest constitutional states were born out of the Christian faith. Early capitalism came from the Christian faith. From equality for women, to college education, to modern technology, to the modern health care and welfare systems, all these came from the Christian faith. Why are the governmental systems of Christian countries so good? Because they have the Christian faith. The historian Toynbee said, “Religion is the essence of culture, while culture is the expression of religion.” As we can see, whatever religion you have, you have that kind of culture; whatever culture you have, you have that kind of system, and will produce that kind of society. Political systems under the influence of the Christian faith are generally more open, while their societies are more humane, and relationships between people more harmonious. Why do so many people want to immigrate to countries influenced by Christianity and be educated there? Psalm 33:12 says, “what joy for the nation whose God is the LORD, whose people He has chosen as His inheritance!” 9. I want to believe in a God who can take me to be with Him Why am I a Christian? If I trust in a god, He must be understandable, and be able to understand me. He cannot be lofty, or exist in nothingness. He entered into human life, to understand people, to help people, to solve their problems, to bring them truth, direction, and the wisdom of practical truth. He is a God who could come close, who could receive love, and express love.  The Bible says that God's name is Emmanuel - He is God with us, who lives amongst man. He is a God who observed and even experienced human suffering. Hebrews 4:15 says that “He is not a high priest who can not understand with our weaknesses.” He faced all of the same tempations we do, yet He did not sin. 10, I want to believe in an Almighty God Why am I a Christian? If I choose to believe in someone, He must be Almighty. If the object of my faith cannot fend for Himself, but needs human bribes, or thrives on intimidating or threatening others, He is not worth trusting. The One I believe in must be omnipotent. He must be unique and true, not overwhelmed by problems, but the God who can solve all problems. If He was not omnipotent, that would mean that in the face of difficulties, the difficulties may be bigger than him, so I would not be able to believe in him, which would mean there was no god.  -  .The One I believe in must be unique. In Genesis 35:11 it says, "God said to him, 'I am God Almighty.'"  "Almighty" appears 62 times, all to describe the great power of God. The first sentence of the Apostles' Creed says, "I believe in God the Father Almighty!" This means that God is Father - He loves us and wants to help us. He is Almighty - he has the ability to help us. This is the true and living faith of Christians. Christ is everything listed here, and so much more. He is the only God who could cover such a religion as this. Why would I not believe in Him? As one brother said, there are many reasons not to believe in God, but believing in God doesn't need any reasons. Because God is God, He is the Redeemer we must believe in.  Why am I a Christian? I believe that my faith comes from God's choosing; it is my rational and conscious response. Finally, I would like to quote a sentence from a youth group: "Believing in everything equals believing in nothing!" It's true! The Truth is profound; He does not cease to exist just because man refuses Him. Truth exists independently - it is not dependent on the preferences of man. Truth is unique, so, of course, unique things are exclusive. 2+2 = 4, but we cannot, due to an attitude of acceptance, believe that it equals 6, 7, or 8. 2+2 equals 4, and that is the only true answer. Regarding religion as a form of culture, Christians need to be tolerant of and learn from all. But as a religion, you must and accept and submit to this one and only Truth. Original Article: Why I am a Christian ccv2012 | March 24, 2014 at 8:54 am | Tags: belief, Christianity, God | Categories: Christian Life | URL: http://wp.me/p1Utwl-gG Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from Chinese Church Voices. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://chinesechurchvoices.com/2014/03/24/ten-reasons-i-am-a-christian/ Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

Very Cool Ride

A few years ago out family took a motor home across the country to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.  That was as adventure for us--but nothing like what these two people did.  Imagine taking a motorcycle through all of the provinces of China, in all kinds of weather, and bringing back video of the whole thing.  Oh, to be young again!  But honestly, even when I was young, I was not that adventurous.  You can check out a 5-minute synopsis of it at this web site.

Missing "Chinese" Food--in China?

Here is an interesting idea.
As you may know, Chinese food served in Chinese restaurants in America has little in common with Chinese food served in China.  Americans who have lived in China--and had authentic Chinese food--often miss that when they come back.  That is doubly true for Chinese who lice in America!
But the "missing" goes the other way around.  What if you really loved American-style Chinese food, and went to China, and found it wasn't to be had?  What to do?
Well, two smart entrepreneurs have created an American-Chinese restaurant in China.  Now, at least in Shanghai, Americans who crave the "Chinese" food they enjoyed in their own country can have it.  It even includes fortune cookies (which do not exist in China).  Read about it here.

Why What You Read Matters

A few months ago (maybe longer!) I pointed to a book by Rosario Butterfield--former university English professor and LGBT activist, become devoted follower of Christ.  Today I came upon an article she wrote on the Gospel Coalition blog.  It is quite a compelling article, especially given her history.
To prime you for this--in case you haven't noticed, "social conservatives" are losing the "culture wars." On just about all fronts (the big ones are abortion and gay marriage) the culture is moving away from biblical teaching.  How should we respond?
One way to respond is to--read the right stuff!  That is what Butterfield proposes in her article.  Fill your head and heart with the gospel and the Scripture, and with writers from other times who are not caught up in the present vortex.  You can read it by clicking here.  I recommend you do!

The "Big Sins" in Job's Day

In my annual Bible reading, I am once again reading through Job.  Job 31 is especially intriguing.  It is Job's "final defense" before his four friends.  Up to now three of his friends have kept up a drumbeat of: "Job, your suffering means that you are guilty.  Admit it, confess, and you will be well again."  Job is not so sure--he insist on his "integrity" (a word you read a lot in Job's speeches).
So in Job 31 he elaborates--in summary.  Here are the "big sins" of Job's day--and Job insists he is not guilty of these, at least not flagrantly.  But what are those "big sins"?  Here are some of them:
1. Sexual sin (vv. 1, 9)
2. Deceit, especially in business dealings (vv. 5-6)
3. Mistreating servants (vv. 13-15)
4. Refusing to help the poor, fatherless, widow, sojourner (vv. 16-23; 32)
5. Trust in wealth, or other idols (sun and moon, etc.) (vv. 24-28)
6. Rejoicing at the ruin of enemies (vv. 29-31)
7. Fear of man--not speaking out for fear of what others would think of him (vv. 33-34)

Remember, Job's story took place before the giving of the Ten Commandments at Sinai.  Here is the "law written on the heart" (Rom. 2:15).  God give each one grace to hear and reflect, and repent.

Great little Booklets--Got a Kindle?

Got a Kindle?  Ligonier recently released a bunch of booklets, on a variety of subjects.  they cost $3 or so each as booklets--but on your Kindle, they are free!  I've read two of them so far--How to Develop a Christian Conscience? and What is the Church?  They are at most a 15-30 minute read, and very good.  Check out all the titles by clicking here.