There is always sufficient evidence upon which to base an intelligent faith. were convinced on the basis of the miracles alone were to leave Jesus when he refused to perform more. “The faith of our Lord Jesus Christ is an intelligent faith.
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Since our faith is a reasonable faith, reason was part of the apologetics of Jesus. An example of the use of reason is found in Matthew Here the Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of the Devil. Through the use of reason, Jesus showed their accusation to be false.
The argument He used is the argument known as reductio ad absurdum [Latin for "reduction to the absurd"]. This is an argument that demonstrates if the primary premise is supposed to be true, then it leads to a contradiction that is absurd. One would then inevitably have to conclude that the original premise is false. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out?
Something had gone terribly wrong. The Messiah had arrived but the Kingdom, which would be characterized by liberty, freedom, and the just rule of God, had not arrived. Instead, John the Baptist found himself in prison awaiting execution. Jesus responds by pointing to the testimony of His miracles: The lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
When asked by John if He was indeed the Messiah, Jesus defends His claim by pointing to the testimony of His miracles. Miracles represent another component in the apologetics of Jesus. A miracle is a special act of God that interrupts the normal course of events. Natural laws describe what occurs regularly by natural causes, but miracles describe what happens rarely, by supernatural causes.
A miracle is an act of God designed to confirm the word of God through a messenger of God. Jesus performed a vast array of miraculous signs that demonstrated His divine authority over every realm of creation. When friendly as well as hostile audiences questioned Jesus, He defended His claims with the testimony of miracles Mk. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.
When Christ establishes His kingdom, all creation will be subject to Him. Sin, sickness, death, and disease will be overcome and the subjects of the kingdom will never be in want. The miracles of Christ reflect His divine character and demonstrate the King of the Kingdom has arrived. The Bible commands us to defend our faith, and Christ set the supreme example for us to follow. To learn more about the apologetics of Jesus and gain valuable practical lessons from His examples, check out the online store at Probe.
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Articles and answers on lots of topics at Probe. The Snake that Saves Numbers Stumbling at the Finish Numbers Jesus's parables are seemingly simple and memorable stories, often with imagery, and each conveys a message. Scholars have commented that, although these parables seem simple, the messages they convey are deep and central to the teachings of Jesus. Christian authors view them not as mere similitudes which serve the purpose of illustration, but as internal analogies where nature becomes a witness for the spiritual world. Many of Jesus's parables refer to simple, everyday things, such as a woman baking bread parable of the Leaven , a man knocking on his neighbor's door at night parable of the Friend at Night , or the aftermath of a roadside mugging parable of the Good Samaritan ; yet they deal with major religious themes, such as the growth of the Kingdom of God, the importance of prayer, and the meaning of love.
In Western civilization, these parables formed the prototype for the term parable and in the modern age; even among those who know little of the Bible, the parables of Jesus remain some of the best known stories in the world. Read more Read less. Kindle Cloud Reader Read instantly in your browser. Sponsored products related to this item What's this? Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. The Secret Teaching of Jesus. Insights into the Parables from a modern-day master spiritual teacher. Deeply meaningful, using simple to understand words and concepts.
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The traditions of an ancient Jewish wedding brought together with prophecy and parables and presented in the End-times landscape of a troubled world. Nothing but the Blood of Jesus: None need be left in uncertainty and doubt. There is always sufficient evidence upon which to base an intelligent faith. But God will never remove from any man all occasion for doubts. Those who love to dwell in the atmosphere of doubt and questioning unbelief can have the unenviable privilege.
He who turns from the weight of evidence because there are a few things that he cannot make plain to his finite understanding, will be left to the cold, chilling atmosphere of unbelief and skepticism, and will make shipwreck of faith. Weighing of the evidence is not a question of arbitrary and hasty decision-making, but of unhurried and thorough examination.
Ellen White here invites such a process as a means to arrive at an intelligent faith. God gives sufficient evidence for the candid mind to believe. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His Word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant.
The point here is that this is the process to be used. Ellen White upholds the evidence as the basis for a faith that is intelligent. So faith is not to be limited to those of mental brilliance or amazing brain power; rather intelligent faith is developed by thoughtful analysis of the evidence. Nor is Ellen White saying that human reasoning can gain complete understanding. God would have men believe, not because there is no possibility of doubt, but because there is abundant evidence upon which to base an intelligent faith.
This comment is made in the context of the healing miracle at the pool of Bethesda. The evidence available to the onlookers is that of their eyes and ears, the recognition that someone who had been paralyzed for many years was now healed. Yet even here Jesus is reluctant to invite faith merely on the basis of observed miracles.
Intelligent Faith
Rather faith is to be based on the complete evidence of the life and work of Jesus. For many who were convinced on the basis of the miracles alone were to leave Jesus when he refused to perform more. The denial of the intellect in matters of religion is common, but is not endorsed by Jesus. Christ would have His followers use their intellect in spiritual matters as in business transactions, conscientiously weighing evidence irrespective of results. He desires them to think deeply. Jesus even goes so far as to require his believers to conscientiously weigh evidence irrespective of the results!
This is true freedom, to follow the evidence wherever it may lead, and to accept the results. Jesus takes the risk of such freedom, recognizing that this is the only way. That this is exactly what God has always looked for is confirmed by many Biblical passages.
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Similarly he rejects unthinking worship, saying that he is tired of meaningless sacrifices. In representing the God who inspires faith, we are to make sure that what we believe accurately reflects this God who invites our questions and our thoughtful worship. For the God we claim to know is the God we represent to others:. He wants you to have an intelligent faith. You do not want to present to the people a pattern mingled with defects of your character and give the world a false view of Jesus.
THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
It is our duty as Christians to represent Christ. He wished the truth to take firm root in their minds, not because it was supported by His personal testimony, but because the typical law, and the prophets of the Old Testament, agreeing with the facts of His life and death, presented unquestionable evidence of that truth.
When the object of His labors with the two disciples was gained, He revealed Himself to them, that their joy might be full, and then vanished from their sight. And before they can bow in worship, he is gone. They return to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples of their re-established faith based on clear evidence, and only after their account does Jesus appear among them.
Once again is demonstrated the fact that God does not wish to force faith, but rather wants an intelligent faith based on examined evidence. We want an intelligent faith. We want to understand how much of the blessing of God we can claim. For faith can never be absolute certainty based on either feeling or conviction or even unassailable proof. Rather faith comes from a recognition that the evidence presented makes good sense, that to believe and trust in God does not violate the principles of a careful, thoughtful examination of all the available data.