“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (1 Timothy 3:16-17)
The News & Observer in Raleigh, NC recently reported that religious scholars attending a conference at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill think that most of the major beliefs to which Christians hold are nothing more than myths.
They called their meeting a Jesus Seminar and claim that only 18 percent of the verses in the Bible that are attributed to Jesus may actually have been spoken by him. Here’s just a sample of what they told the reporter:
“Was Jesus born of a virgin? Not likely. Stories of virgin births were common in the Greco-Roman world
Did he walk on water? Probably not. The story is meant to be read as an allegory.
Did he intend to found a new religion? No. He was essentially Jewish and wanted to reform his own faith.”
Just about the only thing a panel of seven internationally-known Jesus historians could agree on at the conference was that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and crucified by Pontius Pilate. Is it any wonder why the Lord said through the Prophet Isaiah, “Therefore once more I will astonish these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish”? (Isaiah 29:14)
The real sadness in this story is that believers are being fooled. A life-long Baptist who attended the conference said, “My idea of Jesus stems from what I learned as a little girl in Sunday school. I need to hear him speak to me as an adult.” And a United Methodist quipped, “It may require me to make some sort of leap—to say that is something I need to work on for a while. You’re always adding to and snipping things away. The conference is designed to enrich your faith and challenge it. That’s how it works for me.”
The only people who are “adding to and snipping things away” are false prophets. The Gospel speaks for itself. In fact, the Bible warns us about those who claim they can enrich your faith. “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart.” (Matthew 7:15)
The Apostle Paul also confronted false prophets in his day. They were called gnostics and challenged a lot of the same notions about Jesus that today’s Jesus Seminars also seem to question. That’s why the Apostles’ Creed was written. It’s my anthem as well as my response to those who question the authenticity of the Gospel because every word of it recorded in the Bible.
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead and buried;
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.”
The Apostle John gave some great advice when you’re not sure about things like Jesus Seminars. It’s still true today. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)
Jesus was even more emphatic. “And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:11-13)
Stand firm at the Cross. God promises that the ground there is solid rock.
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