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Churchwork
04-08-2007, 03:08 PM
The Minimal Facts Approach

The 4 Step Proof for God of the Bible (http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/perfectproof.htm) has no assumption, but through observance, we can discern some things.

Since you are unable to observe any assumption made, know there is no assumption in the Proof, but it is merely your assumption.

Whether you accept it or not makes no difference, because God's objective truth can not be altered because of your opinion.

What do we know is true? We know that nothing in nature happens all by itself therefore the uncreated created. And since we see an exponential progression in conscience we would not need an eternity of the past to be perfected without sin. Again, this proves the uncreated created. Who is He? He is God of the Bible whom none can compare because of Christ.

Because you are a sinner and sin leads to death, you will die in your sins and enter into the second death. But if you want to receive God's forgiveness this is available to you by accepting His only begotten Son.

Selfishness is the reason a person does not want to be saved. The evidence can not be overturned, so why not receive Him as your Lord and Savior?

What are you assuming that keeps you from giving up self for God.

What helps is the minimal facts approach, that is, the things most scholars agree on:

1) Jesus died by crucifixion.
2) He was buried.
3) His death caused the disciples to despair and lose hope.
4) The tomb was empty.
5) Jesus said He is God (uncreated), truly believed He was and believed He created us. He also believed He would return just as He left (Zech. 14.4, Acts 1.11, Rev. 1.7).
6) He had no apparent sin; He seemed flawless to those who walked with Him for three or four years.
7) The disciples had experiences which they believed were literal appearances of the risen Jesus (the most important proof). The disciples (in 12 different group settings and as many as 500 at one time) believed they saw Jesus resurrected bodily. They ate with him. Talked and walked with him. And they even touched him. When Paul, James, Peter and John and others met together to discuss the faith, they agreed on what they saw.
8) The disciples were transformed from doubters to bold proclaimers.
9) He fulfilled a religio-historical context over 1500 years of expecting His arrival across 40 writers in agreement by 62 prophecies that do match Him specifically and generally. The most important one was to replace the temporary sacrifices with a perfect eternal sacrifice.
10) The resurrection was the central message.
11) They preached the message of Jesus’ resurrection in Jerusalem.
12) The Church was born and grew.
13) Orthodox Jews who believed in Christ made Sunday their primary day of worship.
14) James was converted to the faith when he saw the resurrected Jesus (James was a family skeptic).
15) Paul was converted to the faith (Paul was an outsider skeptic).
16) Nothing is as well documented in antiquity, e.g. the earliest known parchment still preserved today was dated within 70 years of the death of Jesus on the cross. Compare that to the Iliad which is over a 1000 years later.
17) The Bible texts we have were not first recorded 30 years after Jesus died, but would have been in the hearts of their writers since the time Jesus died and even written down from time to time, until finally the compilation was completed meticulously and inspired.
18) The apostles were martyred for saying they saw Jesus resurrected, but scholars are unable to come up with an alternative explanation.

When comparing Christ to all others, if one is not allowed to use the Bible to compare, then ask yourself, what evidence would you accept to believe in God of the Bible? I dare say you would accept no evidence, so you have already made up your mind!

Wow!