Apologetics

Special Characteristics of God-Inspired Scripture. IAB-05/10

Special Characteristics of God-Inspired Scripture. IAB-05/10

A. Two predicates or qualities of inspiration
1) Inspiration is plenary. That is to say, ‘the whole of Scripture is given by divine inspiration.’ The whole of the Scripture, from beginning to end and inclusive of all its parts, is inspired.

2) Inspiration is verbal. The inspiration of Scripture extends down to its very words. This affirms that each word of the original was given by divine inspiration. In affirming plenary, verbal inspiration, we are saying that ‘the Scriptures not only contain but are the Word of God, and hence that all their elements and all their affirmations are absolutely errorless, and binding the faith and obedience of men.

B. Perspicuity or Clarity of Scripture. The Bible is clear enough to be understood by anyone who is willing to read it with the help of the Holy Spirit, using ordinary means and is willing to obey it.

C. Holy Scripture contains all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, not may be proved thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of the faith. The closing of Canon of Scripture implies the completeness and sufficiency of its contents, just as it expresses a conviction of the fulfillment, and completion of revelation.

D. The Bible is its own interpreter. Scripture contains within itself the material and ruling principles by which the meaning of any particular verse may be determined.

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Special Characteristics of God-Inspired Scripture. IAB-05/10

Christ’s Attestation of the Bible as the Word of God. IAB. Part 03/10

A. Christ’s attestation is the foundation of Christian belief in the Bible as God’s word. IAB. Part 03/10

B. Question: What did Jesus Christ say about the nature of the Bible as God’s Word being? Christ as the resurrected saviour spoke with infallible authority. He confirmed the divine authority of the Old Testament, that is, Scripture as God’s revealed Word is normative for moral conduct before God and is the final authority in settling theological disputes.

C. The New Testament claims to be on the level of authority of the O.T. (2Peter 3:16). Christ had promised the disciples of the Spirit to guide them into all the truth (John 16:12, 13; Matt. 10:20; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:12); and the commandments of the Lord did come through the apostles (2 Peter 3:2).

D. Conclusion: The bible as the basis of faith is thus well summed up in Eph. 2:20, “Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”

You can view the video at:
Christ’s attestation is the foundation of Christian belief in the Bible as God’s word. IAB. Part 03/10

Attestation of Bible as God’s Inspired Word Grounded Christ’s Infallible Authority. IAB Part 02/10

Attestation of Bible as God’s Inspired Word Grounded in Christ’s Infallible Authority. IAB Part 02/10

A. The Finality of the Bible
WCF 1.10. The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined…and in whose judgment we are to rest, can be nothing other than the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture.
Only an infallible Bible is adequate to serve as the final authority in religious truth claims. In concrete terms, the Holy Spirit will bear witness about Jesus (John 15:26)

B. The self-attestation of the Bible is not an abstract assertion. It is grounded in the words of Jesus Christ.

C. The Classical Method in Proving the Bible as the Inspire Word of God
1. The Bible is basically a reliable and trustworthy document.
2. On the basis of this reliable document we have sufficient evidence to believe confidently that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
3. Jesus as the Son of God is an infallible authority.
4. Jesus Christ teaches the Bible is more than generally trustworthy; it is the very Word of God.
5. That the Word, in that it comes from God, is utterly trustworthy because God is utterly trustworthy.

Conclusion – on the basis of the infallible authority of Jesus Christ, the Church believes the Bible is utterly trustworthy, i.e. infallible.

You can view the video at
Attestation of Bible as God’s Inspired Word Grounded in Christ’s Infallible Authority. IAB Part 02/10

The Self-Attestation of the Bible as the Inspired Word of God.

The Self-Attestation of the Bible as the Inspired Word of God. KP10-IAB.Part 01/10

A. God has spoken: Necessity of special or biblical revelation.
Two divisions of revelation: (1) General or natural revelation which pertains to God’s revelation in nature and history, (2) Special revelation inscribed in the Bible which is God’s authoritative, infallible and inerrant Word.

B. Two approaches to the Bible
1. Approach the Bible based on so-called neutral criteria & evidence. Problem: a) In reality there is no neutral criteria of judgment. b) At best this approach can demonstrate the Bible as an accurate document but it cannot demonstrate the Bible as God’s revealed Word.

2. Begin with the Bible’s self-testimony to be the inspired Word of God which is self-evidencing and self-authenticating, and then proceed to handle doubts and difficulties.
Premise: God’s revealed Word should display its own power of conviction when it is accompanied by the Holy Spirit.

The final foundation in doctrine of inspiration and authority of the Bible is not historical-critical scholarship, the magisterium etc. It is the infallible attestation of Jesus Christ with the witness of the Spirit.

You may view the video podcast at
The Self-Attestation of the Bible as the Inspired Word of God. KP10-IAB.Part 01/10

Recommended Books on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. BADR Part 12/12

Selected Bibliography on Biblical Anthropology, Death and Resurrection
1) Hans Walter Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament. Fortress, 1973.
2) Anthony Hoekema, Created in God’s Image. Eerdmans, 1986.
3) John Cooper. Body, Soul and Life Everlasting. Eerdmans, 2000.
4) Gary Habermas & Michael Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Christ. Kregel, 2004.
5) G.E. Ladd, I Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus. Eerdmans, 1975.
6) John Wenham. The Easter Enigma. Zondervan, 1984.
7) Murray Harris, From Grave to Glory. Zondervan, 1990.

ANNOUNCEMENT
Kairos Podcast will be taking a break until March 2025. It will resume with a 5-parts podcast series on Homosexual Practice and the LGBT Sexual Revolution: Biblical & Sociological Perspectives.

Encounters With the Risen Christ and the Nature of His Resurrected Body. BADR Part 10

Encounters With the Risen Christ and the Nature of His Resurrected Body. BADR Part 10

Question. What is the nature of appearances of the risen Jesus and the nature of his resurrected body?

A. Nature of the Appearances
The initiative in the resurrection appearances always rested with Jesus.
They occurred to several individuals. Some appearances were to a single person; one was to a group of five hundred. They are reported to have taken place during a very specific period of forty days.

Ophthe, which means “he appeared.” This term probably implies seeing something which was objectively present outside the mind of the observer. Phaneroo, “reveal,” as in John 21:1, “Jesus revealed himself”; Harao, in its aorist passive form ophthe – permitted to become visible (Acts 1:3a), (“God permitted him) to become visible” (Acts 10:40).

The writers of the Gospels and Paul agree that Jesus appeared in bodily form. But Jesus’ body is no longer bound by space & time. Finally, there was a continuity between Christ’s body before the resurrection and his mode of existence after the resurrection.

B. Nature of Christ’s Resurrection Body
His body made impressions on physical senses.
Jesus’ body is no longer bound by material or spatial limitations. It has new powers diff. from his earlier, natural body. It belongs to a different order of reality. Jesus’ body is both materialistic and non-materialistic.

You may view the video at:
Encounters With the Risen Christ and the Nature of His Resurrected Body. BADR 10

Is the Trinity Monotheism? Dr. Ali Ataie vs. Dr. Joshua Sijuwade. A Debate hosted by Blogging Theology

Debate: Is the Trinity Monotheism?

Joshua Sijuwade’s philosophical model of the Trinity is sophisticated and impressive. His analytical model of the Trinity is logically coherent, but as any logician or mathematician knows, one can always construct a consistent philosophical (or mathematical) system based on a chosen set of definitions, assumptions or axioms (so long as it does not claim completeness). More importantly, theoretical models, however sophisticated or coherent, must be grounded in historical reality and divine revelation. In this regard, viewers of the debate need to be convinced that Sijuwade’s splendid system of philosophical trinitarianism is consistent with biblical revelation and the Trinitarian doctrine which was framed in the Nicene Creed (AD 325, 381).

Ali Ataie suggests that the chart or Trinitarian scheme presented by Sijuwade is a form of Sabellianism. He also refers to Origen to suggest that Sijuwade’s monarchical model is not exactly (classical) Trinitarian since his model implies that only the Father has aseity, but not the Son or the Holy Spirit. Even then the Father’s aseity is not intrinsic (which is evidence that Ali does not fully understand the meaning of such a fundamental concept as aseity). Ali even argues that the Father cannot be fundamental since his identity as Father is dependent on another person outside of himself. Sijuwade needs demonstrate how Ali’s misrepresentation and concerns were already addressed by the theological concepts used in the Nicene formulation of the Trinity such as “substance and persons” (subsistent relations) within the Trinity, eternal generation of the Son, perichoresis, divine persons and missions etc. and show how his philosophical model of the Trinity is consistent with the “grammar” of Nicene doctrine of the Trinity. Since Sijuwade did not ground his abstract Trinitarian model on the history of the Nicene Trinitarian debate and later Christian trinitarian tradition, he was easily (or deliberately) misunderstood to be defending neither the foundational monotheism of the Bible nor the Trinitarian implicate of the incarnational revelation of Christ. Ali shrewdly exploited the lacuna in Sijuwade’s presentation to undermine his argument. Continue reading “Is the Trinity Monotheism? Dr. Ali Ataie vs. Dr. Joshua Sijuwade. A Debate hosted by Blogging Theology”

Supplementary Maps and Charts for Kairos Podcast on Harmonizing the Resurrection Accounts BADR9

The above PowerPoint the supplementary document for Kairos Video Podcast –
Harmonizing Alleged Discrepancies Between the Resurrection Accounts of the Four Gospels. BADR 9

The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis (1943) – Kairos Podcast Review on Books & Culture

The Abolition of Man (1943) by C.S. Lewis
Kairos Podcast Review on Books & Culture

Reviewer: David B.C. Tan
Discussant: Micheal Lim

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Book Review: The Abolition of Man

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In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society. “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts. The right defence against false sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments.” (C.S. Lewis)

By it [right sentiments] Lewis means “emotions conform[ing] to Reason.” As he explains it, “The heart never takes the place of the head: but it can, and should, obey it…For Lewis the ability to have right sentiments is what separates humans from animals…The failure to nurture right sentiments ultimately results in the abolition of man, Lewis contends, because modern education produces “what may be called Men without Chests.” (Enc. Britannica)

In Lewis’s template, “the head rules the belly through the chest”—the chest is the mediator between our animal urges and minds and is the mechanism for training and tempering the belly. Without the chest, our disordered loves run wild. (J. Kohm)