Ang Simpatya ng Ating Pari sa Langit

 Hebrews 4:14-16

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (NIV 1984)

"Huwag kayong tatalikod!" 'Yan ang pangunahing bilin ng manunulat para sa mga orihinal na tumanggap ng liham na ito. Mangyari kasi, matindi ang pag-uusig laban sa kanila kaya naman malakas ang hatak ng tukso na sila'y bumalik na lamang sa dati nilang relihiyong Judaismo.

Isa sa mga argumento ng manunulat upang hikayatin silang manatili sa Kristiyanismo ay ang paghahambing sa pagkapari ni Hesus sa pagkapari ng mga naglilingkod sa templo ng Judaismo.

Nasaan ang mga pari ng Judaismo? Nasa ibabaw ng lupa.
Nasaan ang punong pari ng Kristiyanismo? Nasa langit.

"... we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God... "

Sinu-sino ang mga pari ng Judaismo? Mga taong mortal.
Sino ang punong pari ng Kristiyanismo? Ang Anak ng Diyos.

"... we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God... " (Hebrews 4:14)

Sa pagkakasulat ng talata 15, tila lumalabas na tumutugon ang manunulat sa isang pagtutol o di kaya ay inuunahan na niya ang isang posibleng pagtutol sa kanyang itinuturo. Komentaryo ni Homer Kent, Jr., "The negative way in which this statement is introduced suggests that rebuttal is being made to an objection."¹ At ang pagtutol na ito ay sa punto ng simpatya. Ano yung simpatya? Ito yung nakaka-relate ka sa nararamdaman ng kapwa mo. Kayong mga mapuputi, malamang ay wala kayong simpatya sa mga taong maiitim na pinipintasan ay inaalaska. Diyan ako lamang sa inyo, nakakasimpatya ako sa kanila.

Ang pagtutol ay ganito:

    "Kung siya ay nasa langit at kami ay nasa lupa, hindi kaya mas maigi na ang lalapitan naming mga pari ay ang mga kapwa namin taga-lupa? Sila ang makakasimpatya sila sa amin."
     "Kung siya ay Anak ng Diyos at kami ay mga tao lamang, hindi kaya mas maigi na ang lalapitan naming mga pari ay ang mga kapwa namin mga tao rin? Sila ang makakasimpatya sila sa amin."

Heto ang sagot ng manunulat sa pagtutol na iyan: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin." (v.15)

Ang punto ng manunulat, si Hesus bagamat siya ay Impeccable, ibig sabihin bilang Diyos ay hindi siya nagkakasala, ang pinagdaanan niyang mga tukso ay mga tunay na tukso. Ang mga tagumpay niya laban sa kasalanan ay pinaghirapan at pinagsikapan. Komentaryo ni Leon Morris:"... though Jesus did not sin, we must not infer that life was easy for him. His sinlessness was, at least in part, an earned sinlessness as he gained victory after victory in the constant battle with temptation that life in this world entails."² Mas matindi pa nga ang mga pinagdaanan niya kasi tayo, konting effort lang ni Satanas, bumibigay na tayo sa kasalanan samantalang siya, hindi bumibigay. Ibig sabihin, todo-effort si Satanas sa pagtukso sa kanya. Dahil naranasan niya ang hirap ng pakikipagtunggali laban sa kasalanan, nakakasimpatya siya sa ating mga kahinaan.

Mahirap bang magpakabanal sa mga oras na...
    ... ikaw ay gutom at walang maisaing? Dinaanan ni Hesus 'yan at nanatiling banal (Mateo 4:2)
    ... ikaw ay mawalan ng mahal sa buhay? Dinaanan ni Hesus 'yan at nanatiling banal (Juan 11:33-36)
    ... ikaw ay traydorin, ipagkanulo o iwanan ng mga kaibigan? Dinaanan ni Hesus 'yan at nanatiling banal (Mateo 26:14-16; Luke 22:60; Marcos 14:50)
    ... ikaw ay pagbintangan ng kasinungalingan at pagkaitan ng katarungan? Dinaanan ni Hesus 'yan at nanatiling banal (Mateo 26:60)

At dahil marunong makisimpatya sa atin ang ating pari sa langit, ito ang pinagagawa ng manunulat sa atin: "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. " (4:16 a)

Sa ilalim ng matandang tipan, ang "high priest" ang nag-iisang tao na maaaring lumapit sa presensya ng Diyos. Subalit sa bagong tipan, lahat ng mananampalataya ay may kalayaang lumapit sa kanya.

Sa ilalim ng matandang tipan, nakakalapit lamang ang high priest minsan sa isang taon tuwing Day of Atonement.  Subalit sa bagong tipan, malaya tayong lumapit sa Diyos anumang oras.

Idagdag mo pa diyan ang katotohanang ang mga sinaunang hari ay hindi basta-basta maaaring lapitan. Maging ang Reynang si Esther ay nakipagsapalaran nang lumapit siya sa asawa niyang hari na hindi naman siya ipinapatawag. Subalit dahil sa ating pari sa langit, malaya tayong lumapit sa ating hari. Ang trono ng Diyos para sa ating mga mananampalataya ay hindi "throne of judgment" kundi "throne of grace". Ang matatanggap natin ay grasya at habag.

"Pero hindi ko alam kung ano ang sasabihin ko sa aking paglapit sa kanya." Nakakapagpagaan ng loob na tayo ay sinasabihan na lumapit ng may "confidence". At ayon pa nga sa isang pang iskolar, ito raw ay maaaring isalin bilang "bold frankness"³; malaya tayong maging honest sa kung ano pakiramdam natin at kung ano ang saloobin natin. Siyempre hindi ito nangangahulugan na tayo ay lalapit sa kanya nang walang kalakip na paggalang at pagsamba. Diyos pa rin siya na dapat sambahin. Pero ito ang tiyak, hindi niya kamumuhian ang sinumang lumalapit sa kanya nang may pagpapakumbaba (Awit 51:17)

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 NOTES:

1 Homer A. Kent, Jr., The Epistle to the Hebrews, p.91

2 Leon Morris, Hebrews (EBC)

3 William Lane, Hebrews (WBC). Cited in George's Guthrie's Hebrews (NIVAC)

Enter In

Petra

The Curse and the Cross

May isang pangungusap na madalas kong marinig sa usapan ng ibat ibang tao. Tila ba halos lahat ng nasa paligid ay marunong magsabi ng "God bless you" o ang mas maiksing "God bless".

Kasabay ng kaway pamamaalam, sinasambit nila "God bless!"
Sa chat, "Sign-out na ako, 'God bless na lang'
Sa text messaging, "TY po! GBU" (pinaiksing thank you at God bless you)

Halos lahat yata ng bati ay ay puwedeng dugtungan nito.

"Happy Birthday, God bless!"
"Best Wishes, God bless!"
"Happy Graduation, God bless!"

Bukod sa pagsambit nito para sa mga indibiduwal, puwede rin ito para sa mga grupo. "God bless the PNP" o "God bless the AFP"


Naririnig ko ring sinasambit ito para sa mga bansa. Sa takot ng mga Kano matapos ang 9/11 terrorists attacks, madalas nilang sabihin "God bless America!" Mula naman kay Bro. Eddie Villanueva at sa mga tulad niyang walang kasawa-sawa sa pagpapapaniwala sa mga bulaang propetang nagsasabi na may "prophetic destiny" raw ng bansang Pilipinas, madalas kong marinig ang "God bless the Philippines!"

Tulad ng ibang mga pangungusap na bukambibig ng karamihan, maaaring sa iba ay "expression" na lang ito na hindi na napag-iisipan kung ano ang kahulugan. Subalit kung ito ay nauunawaan at sasambitin ng taos-puso para sa iyong kapwa, ito ay napakaganda. Nagpapahayag ito na nais mong maranasan ng iyong kapwa ang kabutihan, habag, pag-ibig at kagandahang-loob ng Diyos.

When we are sincere in saying "God bless you", two things could be said about us. First, we mirror the character of our God who is perfectly kind. Sa Genesis pa lang, makikita mo na agad na siya ay isang mapagpalang Diyos:
     a. In Creation-- 1:26-28
     b. In the Post-Flood world-- 9:1
     c. To Abraham and his descendants-- 12:1-2

Second, We fulfill the New Testament command "bless and do not curse"-- even to those who perseute us (Rom. 12:14)

Having mentioned Rom.12:14, I would like you to notice that an antonym for "bless" is right before us; it is the word "curse". The Greek word is kataraomi which is defined by Louw and Nida's lexicon as:

"to cause injury or harm by means of a statement regarded as having some supernatural power, often because a deity or supernatural force has been evoked."¹

In the ancient times, and even in the modern times, people believe that by uttering words, you either bring good or bad on other parties. We have a biblical example for this in Numbers 22 where Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel. We have pop-culture examples like Alice Bungisngis, the teenage witch whom  I saw on TV one day who said "Madapa ka sana!" at nadapa nga yung kaaway niya. And sadly we have examples from our own camp, professing evangelical Christians who adapted the lies of Positive confession (false) teachers like Kenneth Copeland who preaches messages like "You are the prophet of your own life" and Kenneth Hagin who tells his followers to declare "I am healed" no matter how severe the symptoms are.

However, one thing I am happy about is on the realization that man-made curses have no effect on those whom God has blessed (Num.22:12; Gen. 12:3). A dozen witches may form a coalition to cast spells against you but if you are blessed by God, no amount of man-made or even Satanic curses can harm you. For God is sovereign; when he stretches his hand, no one could turn it back (Isaiah 14:27)

But here is our real problem: the whole world is not under a man-made curse, but a curse from God himself.

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." ~Gal.3:10

Objection Bro. Manny! God is love. God is good all the time; and all the time God is good. He gives blessings. He never curses.

Objection overruled (Gen. 3:19, 8:21, 9:11, 11:25, Deut. 28:15 ff.)

R. C. Sproul suggests the simplest way to understand what it means for a Jew to be cursed is to reverse the meaning of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24-26

The Priestly Blessing:

"The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

The Priestly Blessing reversed:

"May the LORD curse you and abandon you.

May the LORD keep you in darkness and give you only judgment without grace.

May the LORD turn his back upon you and remove his peace from you forever"²

To be cursed by God then is not just him withdrawing his favors but him working against you.

One key verse is Galatians 3:13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

Sa mga karatig-talata nito, lumalabas na may mga bulaang guro na nakapasok sa iglesya sa Galacia; at kanilang ipinagkakalat na kung nais mong mapabilang at manatiling kabilang sa mga taong kinalulugdan ng Diyos, kinakailangang ikaw ay magpatuli at sundin ang mga nakasaad sa Mosaic Law. Kinagat ito ng mga tao.

Prideful man takes delight in the thought of being able to secure right standing before God by what he does. Human nature hasn't changed. This is confirmed by our experience in using Evangelism Explosion's diagnostic question #2: "Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and he were to say to you 'Why should I let you into my heaven?' What would you say?

Ang mga kadalasang sagot nila ay: "Sinisikap ko namang magpakabuti" o  "Wala naman akong tinatapakang tao" at iba pang works-based soteriology.

Paul saw such attitude as directly opposite to the gospel of grace. In verse 10, he asserts that those who rely on their merits measured by their adherence to the law are under a curse. He supports his assertion by quoting the law itself! (Deuteronomy 27:26). Thomas Schreiner reduced Paul's argument in a syllogism:

Those who don't do everything required by the law are cursed (v.10b)
 No one does everything required by the law (implied)

 Therefore, those who are of the works of the law are cursed (v.10a)³

James M. Boice comments:

“The law- is not a collection of stray and miscellaneous parts, some of which may be conveniently disregarded. It is a whole, and must be kept in all its parts if it is to be considered kept at all. The point is not that justification cannot come by keeping the law, at least theoretically, but that a curse is attached to any failure to keep it, no matter how small. Since all fail, all are under the curse. Paul is assuming the universality of sin in this quotation.”⁴

Woe is me! I am under God's curse. How can I escape from it?

Paul's answer is through Christ who gave his life on the cross to take the curse in behalf of those who would believe in him. The curse motif is very close to the penal substitution facet of the atonement. In my place, cursed he stood. The reversed priestly blessing was applied on Christ instead of being applied to me. He who has always been with the Father from eternity past, enjoying the sweetness of Trinitarian Fellowship was abandoned by his Father, because of the curse which was supposed to be upon us.

Moreover, he did not only rescue his people from the curse, he also placed them in a state of blessing (Galatians 3:14)

 -------------------- 

Footnotes:

1 J.P Louw and Eugene Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains

2 R.C. Sproul Sr., The Curse Motif of the Atonement, 2008 T4G Conference

3 Thomas Schreiner, Galatians (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), p.204

4 James Boice, Galatians, Expositor's Bible Commentary

Kenneth Copeland: Visiting the Facebook Pages of Prosperity Preachers, part 4

Quotes from John Piper, J.C. Ryle, and The Valley of Vision. These are what I usually see in my news feed. The insights they offer are truly edifying; truly soul-nourishing.

I wonder what if the Lord has not enlightened me on the evils of the Word-of-Faith Movement? What if I was left in darkness listening and reading these dangerous teachers? What would appear on my news feed if the Lord has not kept me away from their clutches?

On March 30, 2012, I decided to visit the Facebook Walls/Timelines of some of the big names in the movement.Their Facebook posts appears in red in this series.

"The force of faith that comes from the Word in your heart brings life and health to your flesh."

In the Historic Protestant view,, biblical faith has three essential elements: Notitia, Assensus and Fiducia. This is how R. C. Sproul's Ligonier Ministries define each  element:

Notitia. Notitia refers to the content of faith, or those things that we believe. We place our faith in something, or more appropriately, someone. In order to believe, we must know something about that someone, who is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Assensus. Assensus is our conviction that the content of our faith is true. You can know about the Christian faith and yet believe that it is not true. Genuine faith says that the content — the notitia taught by Holy Scripture — is true.

Fiducia. Fiducia refers to personal trust and reliance. Knowing and believing the content of the Christian faith is not enough, for even demons can do that (James 2:19). Faith is only effectual if, knowing about and assenting to the claims of Jesus, one personally trusts in Him alone for salvation.

Kenneth Copeland radically redefined faith and so distanced himself not just from the Reformers but the entire evangelical community. Copeland says, "Faith is a power force. It is a tangible force." According to Copeland's Facebook post, this force brings life and health to the body. And the way to release this force so you can benefit from it is by the words you say because "Words are spiritual containers" and "force of faith is released by words."

Copeland's god is not omnipotent because he himself is dependent on this force. Copeland explains "God cannot do anything for you apart or separate from faith... faith is God's source of power." He says that the proper translation of  Mark 11:22 is "Have the faith OF God". Furthermore, he teaches that God created the world by HIS own faith and uses Hebrews 11:3 as a (twisted) proof text.

In Evangelism Explosion's "The Chair Illustration", the goal is to show the prospect how to transfer trust from personal good works to trust in Jesus Christ and to what he did on the cross. This is done by leaving one's chair and transferring to another chair.

Faith then has an object, and the object of faith must be  God himself. The question then is, in Copeland's view, who is the object of faith? It cannot be God because he himself is dependent on this faith. The answer: the object of faith in Copeland's system is faith itself. It is faith in faith. This is the chair upon which Copeland sits on: an impersonal force.

Benny Hinn: Visiting the Facebook Pages of Prosperity Preachers, part 3

Quotes from John Piper, J.C. Ryle, and The Valley of Vision. These are what I usually see in my Facebook news feed. The insights they offer are truly edifying; truly soul-nourishing.

I wonder what if the Lord has not enlightened me on the evils of the Word-of-Faith Movement? What if I was left in darkness listening and reading these dangerous teachers? What would appear on my news feed if the Lord has not kept me away from their clutches?

On March 30, 2012, I decided to visit the Facebook Walls/Timelines of some of the big names in the movement.Their Facebook posts appears in red in this series.

If you desire to explore the depth of God's word using the same bible that Pastor Benny Hinn studies with, visit http://tiny.cc/QPYe2b This Is our Day-The Dake Bible or call 800-433-1900 to order your copy of the Dake's Annotated Reference #Bible. #TIYD

When I posted part 1 of this series, I thought Benny Hinn's prophetic utterance on each person of the Trinity as "a triune being by Himself" and that "there's nine of them" was original to him. Now I learned that it could have been due to the influence of his favorite study bible. The Dake Annotated Reference Bible teaches:

“What we mean by Divine Trinity is that there are three separate and distinct persons in the Godhead, each one having His own personal spirit body, personal soul, and personal spirit in the sense that each human being, angel, or any other being has his own body, soul and spirit.”

You can see the influence of  Finis Jennings Dake in Hinn's view of God. Contrary to the biblical and historic Christian view that God as a spirit is without body or parts (Deuteronomy 4:15; John 4:24; Luke 24:39), Hinn believes that each person of the Trinity "possesses His own spirit-body." He made such assertion two years after he retracted his infamous "there's nine of them revelation". In Dake's writings, “God has a spirit body with bodily parts like man.” This God with bodily parts lives in "a material planet called Heaven" and the only reason why we can't see him is "because He is so far away". Think about that! The only reason why we can't see God is because the Hubble Space Telescope lacks power to reach God. If we could only make sufficient improvements in our technology, we can see God and Planet Heaven!

Dake could have had also influenced Hinn on his view of man. Hinn's teaching "When you say I am a Christian, you are saying ‘I am a messiah’ in Hebrew. I am a little messiah walking on earth" is not so far away from Dake's "humans are miniatures of God in attributes and power".

In John R. Kohlenberger's review of study bibles, he wrote:

This work contains a great deal that is speculative and unorthodox, such as Dake’s belief in God’s "spirit body" with "bodily parts" that "goes from place to place" (pp. 96-97 [NT]), his strong teaching on racial segregation (e.g., pp. 148 [OT] and 159 [NT]), and his dogmatism on just about every subject he addresses. The Dake’s study Bible cannot be recommended to journal readers, charismatic or not. 

 There are excellent study bibles in the market like The Macarthur Study Bible and the ESV Study Bible. Don't waste your money on Dake's.

Creflo Dollar: Visiting the Facebook Pages of Prosperity Preachers, part 2

Quotes from John Piper, J.C. Ryle, and The Valley of Vision. These are what I usually see in my Facebook news feed. The insights they offer are truly edifying; truly soul-nourishing.

I wonder what if the Lord has not enlightened me on the evils of the Word-of-Faith Movement? What if I was left in darkness listening and reading these dangerous teachers? What would appear on my news feed if the Lord has not kept me away from their clutches? 

On March 30, 2012, I decided to visit the Facebook Walls/Timelines of some of the big names in the movement.

Their Facebook posts appears in red in this series.

"Today’s faith confession- ”Father, I believe and receive my right to be healed, whole, and prosperous in my body, spirit and soul according to 3 John 1:2.” After you have confessed, believed and received, click “like” and leave a comment below letting us know that you have come into agreement with today’s faith confession."

The originator of the use of 3 John 2 as a proof text for prosperity teaching is the late Oral Roberts (1918-2009). Through this verse, Oral and his wife Evelyn discovered that God's "highest wish" for believers is "to prosper". And because of this discovery, God gave the couple a brand-new car-- a Buick to be specific.

But as top-notch Pentecostal exegete Gordon Fee has pointed out, 3 John 2 is "the standard form of greeting in a personal letter of antiquity". Fee says further. "to extend John's wish for Gaius to refer to financial and material prosperity for all Christians of all times is totally foreign to the text. John neither intended that, nor could Gaius so understood. Thus, it cannot be the 'plain meaning' of the text" (The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels)

Notice also that in Creflo Dollar's Facebook post, he presents health and prosperity as a right, something you must  claim or else, you submit yourself to injustice.

This right must be claimed by faith confession. Therefore it follows that when a Christian suffers, it's because he failed in the area of exercising faith through confession. I engaged a fan of Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis and Jerry Savelle in a Facebook thread and this is what he said:

"John 10:10 – Jesus said the thief comes but to steal, kill and destroy but I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.. now tell me sino pumapatay? If a believer is sick, poor, broke, dies, sins… it isnt because of God did it,No, it is because of we did and decide for it.." (~SGBB)

There you have it. In this evil belief system...

• Joni Eareckson Tada should never be counted as a hero in the faith.
• Jim Elliot should never be regarded as a model missionary.
• The Foxe's Book of Martyrs should be retitled as Foxe's Book of Faith Weaklings

Jesse Duplantis: Visiting the Facebook Pages of Prosperity Preachers, part 1

Quotes from John Piper, J.C. Ryle, and The Valley of Vision. These are what I usually see in my Facebook news feed. The insights they offer are truly edifying; truly soul-nourishing.

I wonder what if the Lord has not enlightened me on the evils of the Word-of-Faith Movement? What if I was left in darkness listening and reading these dangerous teachers? What would appear on my news feed if the Lord has not kept me away from their clutches? 

On March 30, 2012, I decided to visit the Facebook Walls/Timelines of some of the big names in the movement.

Their Facebook posts appears in red in this series.

 "Get out of theology! Get out of religion! Start walking in the light of the glory of God."

A person's belief system regarding the nature of God and religious questions is that person's theology. Any God-related statement therefore is a theological statement. Duplantis' Facebook post is a theological statement because in it he expresses his view about God and spiritual things. It is therefore self-contradictory for him to say "Get out of theology..." when he himself is into theology.

Notice also that he views "theology" and "walking in the light of the glory of God" as mutually exclusive as if you cannot walk in the glory of God and be into theology at the same time. Duplantis' aversion to theology is not new. His contemporaries have expressed the same hatred for historic Christian theology.

Kenneth Copeland once said, "I don't preach doctrine, I preach faith."

Also, though Benny Hinn quickly retracted his "Spirit-revealed" teaching that each person of the Trinity is "a triune being by Himself" and that "there's nine of them", his justification for such never-been-heard-before teaching that day was:

"You say, Huh, I never heard that. Well you think you're in this church to hear things you've heard for the last 50 years? You can't argue with the Word, can you? It's all in the Word."

See where a disrespect toward the historically established theology of the church can lead you?

The Resurrection: By Which Our Hope Stands or Falls

Photo Credit: http://www.kristinahansen.com/

"But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Corinthians 15:12-19  NIV)

A Long-lasting Lie (50s-60s A.D.)

The soldiers trembled in fear. They were assigned to guard the tomb of Jesus. There was a sudden earthquake so strong. An angel shining as lightning and clothed in a garment as white as snow went down from heaven. He rolled the large stone securing the tomb and sat on it. Jesus' body was missing!

Perhaps they were still trembling when they reported before the chief priests. They could be charged of negligence in fulfilling their duties. It might cost them their jobs, or worse, their very lives. Yet they were spared. Matthew reports:

When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, `His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. (Matthew 28:12-15)

A Long-lasting Lie (2nd Century A.D.)

Though the conversation was a work of fiction, Justyn Martyr's purpose in writing Dialogue with Trypho was to show the credibility of Christianity as a system of faith. Justin asserted that the Jews sent emissaries all over the world to "proclaim that a godless and lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilæan deceiver, whom we crucified, but his disciples stole him by night from the tomb, where he was laid when unfastened from the cross, and now deceive men by asserting that he has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven."

A Long-lasting Lie (Year 2000)
Irene was and still is a dear friend-- one of the most brilliant girls I've ever met. One day, she was so elated over a book she's reading. Long before Facebook, friends shared good stuff with each other. She thought it was good stuff so she shared it with me. But from the very first page I knew, and perhaps she knew that I would not click on the "like button".

In the chapter dealing with the empty tomb, the concluding sentence was:

"Thus when Jews spread abroad the story that the disciples of Jesus had 'stolen' the body, they spoke the truth."

~ J. Spencer Kennard Jr.
Cited in The Lost Years of Jesus Revealed
By Charles Francis Potter

That was 12 years ago. I didn't know much way back then, but the passion was there, both for the honor of my Lord and the spiritual well-being of my friends. On graduation day, I handed over her a handwritten response to the book.

Satan's Other Lies and the Motivation Behind Them
The Stolen-Body "hypothesis" was just the first of the series of lies formulated to deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some of them are listed below:

• the body was stolen
• the witnesses went to the wrong tomb
• he did not die, but merely fainted; Gained consciousness at the tomb
• the Koran asserts that there was a switch that took place before the crucifixion. Somebody else got killed.
• Mass hallucinations
• James Cameron's documentary "The Lost Tomb of Jesus " (Discovery Channel, 2007)

It seems to me that on the subject of the resurrection, Satan is using all of his creativity in concocting lies. Why?

May I propose, that Satan, being a brilliant theologian knows this: The hope of believers stands or falls on the truthfulness of the resurrection.

The Resurrection has always been a part of Apostolic preaching. Less than two months after Jesus' death, the resurrection was an essential component in Peter's first sermon (Acts 2).

Paul, preached a tailor-made message for the pagan minds of Athens. It was significantly different both in style and content compared to his messages delivered in Jewish synagogues. Yet Jesus' death and resurrection wasn't left out. (Acts 17:18; 29-31)

The early hearers of the gospel then would have to choose between: the widely accepted lie circulated by the Jews VS. the apostolic preaching of a man who has risen from the dead, and now demands that he should be received as Lord and Savior.

Most of us Filipinos were raised in a Roman Catholic culture. Some of you grew up in evangelical households. Year after year, your family and your neighbors celebrate the resurrection. In the place where I was raised, the public market is crowded on Black Saturdays in preparation for the next day. Folks who abstained from eating meat since Maundy Thursday must eat special meat dishes on Easter. It is hard to find a person in our town who doesn't intellectually assent to a crucified yet a living Jesus.

But none of that is present in the first century, whether its Jewish culture or Gentile culture. The thought of a crucified Messiah is a stumbling block for a Jew and a foolishness to a Gentile (1 Corinthians 1:23). Profess faith in the Christian message and be counted as a gullible person.

Paul was a scholar thoroughly trained in the law under the tutelage of the eminent Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was advancing in this career way beyond his contemporaries (Galatians 1:14); he could have been the next Gamaliel. Yet when he professed faith in Christ, he lost his academic reputation. At one point, a high-ranking government official shouted "Your great learning is driving you insane." It's all because of his testimony about a crucified and risen Lord (Acts 26:23-24)

Lord, Liar or Lunatic?

As hard as it was to believe in the resurrection of Jesus, it was never compromised by the Apostles. It has always been regarded as an essential tenet of the Christian faith-- something you must believe in order to be a Christian. And it is something you must continue believing unless you believed in vain (1 Corinthians 15:1)

In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul makes a a case for the fact of the resurrection. His pieces of evidence could be classified in two categories:

1. The Testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures( see also Luke 24:25-27)
2. The Testimony of More Than 500 Eyewitnesses

But the real difficulty in the minds of some of the Corinthian Christians is accepting the truth of believers' bodily resurrection. It could have been due to the influence of ancient dualism where spiritual things are viewed as good and material things are viewed as bad. Or it could have been due to the influence of the Sadducees (Luke 20:27).

Paul responds in verses 12-19. He tells them that their disbelief in a future bodily resurrection of believers is inconsistent with their belief in Christ's resurrection; the resurrection of Christ and believers stand or fall together. You cannot take one and reject the other. If they have to reject one, they must reject both; and if they have to accept one, they must accept both. Why? Because in Paul's theology, Christ's work reversed the effects of Adam's failure. As Adam, the first representative of humanity fell and brought physical and spiritual death to all related to him, so Christ's victory brings physical and spiritual life to all who are related to him (1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Romans 5:12,18-19). His resurrection was not for him alone; it was the first-fruits assuring us that more resurrected bodies are coming (1 Corinthians 15:20).

If they must reject the bodily resurrection of believers, they must also reject a risen Christ. And if Christ is not raised, both the preaching of the message and the believing in the message are worthless. The Apostles are liars, and there is no salvation from sin (Romans 4:25-25).

Christ's death without the resurrection puts him on equal footing with Theudas and Judas of Galilee (Acts 5:35-37)-- he claimed to be somebody when he was a nobody.

Jesus death without the resurrection, doesn't make him LORD. When you gather followers around you and falsely claim that you have power over death (John 2:19; 10:17-18), that makes you a LIAR. And if you are sincere in your claims with no intention to deceive, that makes you a LUNATIC.

If we have believed in a Liar or a Lunatic, we are the most miserable of all men. The martyrdom of Stephen was worthless (Acts 7). The early death of the Apostle James was foolishness (Acts 12:2). Paul suffered for nothing (2 Corinthians 11:22-28). The early Christians gladly suffered from the confiscation of their properties for their faith in a worthless savior (Hebrews 10:34). What about those who were crucified upside down, burned as human torches, and those who were fed to the lions? If Christ is not raised, Foxe's Book of Martyrs must be retitled as Foxe's Book of Fools!

Praise God Our Hope Stands!

But Praise be to God we are waiting for the return of:

A dead LIAR

A dead LUNATIC

A LIVING LORD!

And when he returns, he will “transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Phil 3:21)-- free from the effects of sin. Free from poverty, misery, pain, sickness and death.

Maraming Salamat!

Sa mga kapatiran sa Guiding Light Dagupan na personal na bumati; paumanhin po at hindi ko nailista mga pangalan ninyo. Maraming salamat!

Kay Nanay, kahit hindi na niya alam kung ano ang petsa sa kalendaryo; kaya kailangan kong sabihin sa kanya na petsa bente-sais ngayon at tanungin, "Antoy okasyon natan?"... Tugon niya. "bertdi nen Manny"... Follow-up question, "duwara may anak yu ya man-bertdi natan. Siopa may sakey ey?"... Nahirapan ang kanyang kumukupas na memorya subalit sa dulo ay naalala rin niya na kaarawan rin ni Ate Virgie.

Kay Tatay na hindi naman bumati pero nagsabi nang maaga, "bertdim manaya natan"

Kay Sheryll Yap, unang bumati sa pamamagitan ng SMS, na may kasama pang dalangin. Balbaleg ya salamat!

Sa mga sumunod na bumati sa pamamagitan ng SMS: Ate Virgie Caoile, Ate Imelda Tarlit, Ate Araceli Cristobal, Ellen Ariola, at Carolyn M. Asuncion. Maraming salamat!

Sa unang bumati sa aking Facebook timeline, Bernard Rosario. Maraming salamat! Salamat rin sa mga bumati bilang comment: Ricky Rosario at Creselda Canapi. Salamat rin sa mga nag-like sa kanyang post kung saan ako'y tagged.

Sa ibang mga bumati sa aking Facebook timeline: Ate Cynthia Imus, Ate Virgie Caoile, Brenda Cayabyab, Cathylyn Martinez, Tina Nevado, sa mag-asawang Myke at Pevi Dela Cruz (at sa kanilang supling na si Mish), Jessa de Vera, at Donnie Manuel. Pati na rin kay Ate Alice Rosario na isinabit sa pagbati ang mga pamangkin kong sina Danielle at Sam. Sa mag-asawang Jojo at Blessa Victorio; at kay Jasmin Rosario.

Salamat kay Ate Cynthia Imus sa hatid niyang pagkain sa tanghalian.

Salamat sa mag-asawang Ato at Brenda Cayabyab sa hatid nilang pagkain sa hapunan.

Sa mga naghandog ng kaloob-pinansyal: mag-asawang Ed at Filipina Llena; mag-asawang Louie at Cynthia Santos, kay Ate Cynthia Imus; at sa isa pang piniling ilihim kung sino siya.

Pasasalamat na walang kapantay sa Kataas-taasang Diyos! Bago pa man niya ako hinubog sa sinapupunan ng aking ina ay itinalaga na niya ang aking buhay sa kaligtasan kay Cristo Hesus. Itinakda niya ang araw na ito bilang aking kapanganakan at sa nakalipas na tatlumpu't limang taon ay nilunod ako sa kanyang habag, biyaya at pag-ibig.