Chapter 3 Christianity in Education
Christian Fundamentals
Five Solas
Apostle’s Creed
World Religions – Christianity’s Uniqueness
God’s Not Relevant Religion
Non-Christian Religions
Christianity
I assume my readers are familiar with the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, so I’m only going to list three summaries. Principles of Christian Fundamentals (1910), the Five Solas and the Apostle’s Creed (1stcentury)
Christian Fundamentals
US Christian Fundamentalism began at the Niagara Bible Conference in 1910 at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. The conference created “five fundamentals.”
- Full Biblical inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture
- The virgin birth of Jesus
- Christ’s death as the complete atonement for sin
- The bodily resurrection of Jesus
- And the historical reality of Jesus’ miracles.
Five Solas
- Sola Scriptura, or “Scripture alone” (literally: “by scripture alone”), asserts that scripture must govern over church traditions and interpretations which are themselves held to be subject to Scripture. All church traditions, creeds, and teachings must be in unity with the teachings of Scripture as the divinely inspired Word of God.
- Sola Fide, or “faith alone,” asserts that good works are not a means or requisite for salvation. Sola Fide is the teaching that justification (interpreted in Protestant theology as “being declared just by God”) is received by faith alone, without any need for good works on the part of the individual.
- Sola gratia, or “only grace,” specifically excludes the countries done by a person as part of achieving salvation. Sola gratia is the teaching that salvation comes by divine grace or “unmerited favor” only, not as something merited by the sinner.
- Solus Christus, or “only Christ,” excludes the priestly class as necessary for sacraments. Solus Christus is the teaching that Christ is the only mediator between God and man, and that there is salvation through no other (hence, the phrase is sometimes rendered in the ablative case, solo Christo, meaning that salvation is “by Christ alone”).
- Soli Deo Gloria, or “glory to God alone,” stands in opposition to the veneration or “cult” perceived by many to be present in the Roman Catholic Church of Mary, the mother of Jesus, the saints, or angels. Soli Deo Gloria is the teaching that all glory is to be due to God alone, since salvation is accomplished solely through His will and action — not only the gift of the all-sufficient atonement of Jesus on the cross but also the gift of faith in that atonement, created in the heart of the believer by the Holy Spirit.\
Adapted from Wikipedia 2/11/17 11:55 am
Apostle’s Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell.
On the third day, he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
World Religions – Christianity’s Uniqueness
Although there are hundreds of religions, there are only three religious views of Mankind’s position in the world and his possible redemption: 1) God’s not relevant 2) non-Christian religions, where redemption is either not possible or is attained by some form of human effort, and 3) Christianity. All three must answer the same essential question: “What happens to us when we die?” Before we analyze the three viewpoints, let’s examine the particular, exclusive claims Jesus Christ made.
Jesus speaks to his disciples in the Gospel of John 14:1–9. I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God: believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Jesus makes three incredible claims here: 1) He is the same as God the Father 2) He is the only way to God (3),0000 and no one comes to God except through Him, Jesus. Teaching among the Jews, they challenged who he is in John 6:41–47
So, the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
Jesus again claims to be God and to be the only way to God. He also says that God draws those that will come to him. He promises everlasting life to those who believe!
The apostle Paul affirms Christ’s claim to being the only way in Romans when he says all are separated from God by their sin. Romans 3:21–23
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Christianity claims it is the only religion that is true, and all other religions lead to eternal separation from God in hell. In light of that truth, let us look at the worldviews and beliefs we encounter in our culture.
God’s Not Relevant Religions.
Atheism, agnosticism, humanism, and materialism believe that God may or may not exist but, if he does, he is not relevant to human behavior. They all believe humanity will evolve to a better state without aid from a deity. So, if the undirected process of Evolution is how we got here, then that’s all we need to evolve into a “better state.” Evolution from microbes to man is a foundation of this view. Their answer to “What happens when we die?” is, we are extinguished and no longer exist. There is no afterlife. Atheists, Agnostics, and Humanists that understand this fully may take their lives by suicide as they age because of the hopelessness of this view. The suicide history of Ernest Hemingway and his family are examples of the hopeless nature of this worldview. They ask, “What’s the point of suffering the painful aging process?” The “God’s Not Relevant” view is bad news only! There is no good news here, only extinction and nothingness! There is no purpose or meaning to life. It is crucial that, as Christians, we see the hopelessness of this view because we have the “good news” of the Gospel.
I’m including here a dialogue with an Atheist from my book Always Be Ready to Give an Answer! A Former Atheist’s Personal Christian Evangelism Plan. to illustrate their worldview
Here’s a conversation I had with an atheist.
Charlie: “Are there moral absolutes in the universe like the Ten Commandments?”
Atheist: “Of course not. All moral judgments are dependent on society’s conditions.”
Charlie: “Is there a God?”
Atheist: “No! I say that with certainty, absolutely not!”
Charlie: “So when it comes to morality, there are no absolutes, but you make the absolute statement ‘There is no God.’ You can’t have it both ways: absolute and relative. Atheism is a contradiction in the highest order. If you are going to be consistent with your logic, the best an Atheist can be is Agnostic! Atheism itself is a logical contradiction!”
Wow. That always gets a strong reaction, usually with much anger. The logical flaw in their worldview has been found out, and they don’t like it. They know there is no way to explain or justify it, so their only recourse is anger to create a smoke screen.
Here are some questions I ask atheists to provoke them to think about their worldview.
- If there is no God, then why does it matter to you if anyone believes in Jesus?
- Why does my belief in Jesus distress you so much?
- Don’t I have freedom to believe what I want to?
- Why does it make you so angry I believe in God?
- If he doesn’t exist, why does it matter?
- If there is no God what’s your point?
God calls atheists and agnostics fools in Psalm 14:1–3
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Non-Christian Religions.
In all other religions, except Christianity, reconciliation with God is either not necessary or can be achieved by some human effort with or without the intervention of a deity. In these religions redemption is achieved by doing good works or keeping of some ritual practices. All have redemption or escape from death achievable by some aspect of human effort. They recognize the fundamental flaw (sin) in all people but deal with it by rules, religious practice, recycling, ceremony, etc. For example: Ramadan in Islam, Reincarnation in Hinduism, Obedience to the Law in Judaism, etc.
All world religions, including Christianity, agree something is wrong with humanity (the sin problem), and its effects lead to death. No one escapes the Grim Reaper. All these other religions rid their adherents of this curse by some form of religious rules, rituals, or practices so that humankind can rescue themselves from death. In some religions, it may require the help of a deity, but human effort of some kind is the key to defeating death. In Hinduism, for example, you go around and around in reincarnation until you achieve Nirvana. In Islam, die a martyr, and you get seventy-two virgins in heaven. In Judaism, live as close as you can to God’s law, and you might get into heaven. Christianity holds a very different view from these.
Christianity.
Christianity differs from all other worldviews and religions in a very radical way. All men and women are lost, and only God can rescue them. No one can rescue him/herself, and all are helpless and hopeless in defeating death. All are condemned by both their nature and their actions. Death came through sin as a direct result of man’s rebelling against God’s law. Man, created in God’s image, was given a threefold life: his physical body, his life or soul (also called “life force”), and his spirit, which connected him directly to God. God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and put a tree there to test their love and obedience, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. By not eating of the tree, they would demonstrate their love for God as an act of their will. They were given a choice to love by obedience or to not love by disobedience. To love or not love is a choice, so they had true free will. They could love God by obeying his command and not eat from the tree. God told them directly that eating from the tree would have the consequence of death. Adam ate from the tree and brought the curse of sin and death to all people and all of Creation. His spirit died immediately. His body entered the process of dying, but it would take some time before he physically died. The curse in Hebrew implies a process of dying not a single moment event. You will begin to die (spiritual death), you will continue to die (aging), and eventually, you will be dead (physical death).
According to the Bible, Adam died spiritually when he sinned. Christ called all such persons dead men walking.
Matthew_8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
Luke_9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
That’s what is behind the statement in Deuteronomy 8:3. “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knew not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. “That is the answer Christ gave Satan after the forty days in the wilderness..
Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
In the flow of history, the greater the persecution of Christian believers, the more rapidly the church has grown. Why is this? The logical explanation is Christianity is true.
When things are going well and people are comfortable, they don’t normally look for answers as to why they exist and why life is good. But, put pressure on folks, and they start to raise questions about why it is so uncomfortable and why so much evil? Why am I suffering, what is the meaning of all this? Evolution says there is no meaning and no escape.
All descendants of Adam and Eve are guilty of this rebellion by both birth and practice. We are born sinners, and we sin by intent daily. When sin entered, the whole creation began to suffer under this bondage. All men and women, because they are dead in their spirit, cannot and will not seek reconciliation with God. They hate God by nature and practice (Romans Chapters 1–3). The situation is entirely hopeless, and this is what makes Christianity unique. God MUST intervene, or ALL men perish! All are destined to hell, and they can do nothing to save themselves. If this were the end of the story, Christianity would be the most hopeless religion on earth. But because God intervenes, it’s the most hopeful. Adam created a sin debt (death) that requires all humans pay for their rebellion against God. That penalty is physical death. We saw earlier all men are already dead in their spirits. Everyone has to pay that same debt. No one born by natural process is exempt. There is, therefore, no human effort that can solve this problem and create a condition where and when men won’t die. We are all lost and undone! God alone can offer a solution. The payment of the sin debt is death, and all must die to pay the penalty! That’s the bad news.
Now, the good news of the Gospel! God himself came to earth as Jesus, the perfect man, also known as the second Adam. He was not born by the natural process but was miraculously conceived in the virgin’s womb. He is not a son of Adam and does not inherit the sin nature. He lived a perfect life obeying all God’s law and then sacrificed himself to pay the sin debt owed by humankind. Since men will not seek God, God himself has to awaken people to hear the Gospel call to receive the payment of their debt. God’s action is first, then man’s response!Here’s an analogy to help us understand the Gospel. A judge was hearing a case against a young offender in a court of law. The offender, standing before the tribunal, pleads guilty and is sentenced. The judge, then, imposes a severe fine. After sentencing is pronounced, the criminal tells the judge, “I don’t have the ability to pay that penalty.” Immediately, the judge removes his robe, steps down, approaches the bailiff, and pays the penalty. The judge did this because this offender was his adopted daughter. So, like this judge, God steps in and pays the penalty we could not pay ourselves. Jesus’ Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us by God in contradiction to the original sin imputed to all mankind because of Adam’s sin.
