Three Reasons Why History Matters to the Christian Faith
Did the events recorded in the pages of Scripture really happen in history? And does it matter? The short answer is … Yes and Yes! By the way, the longer answer is still yes and yes … but this is a short article, not a book.
Here are 3 reasons why history matters to the Christian faith.
(1) Biblical faith is not blind faith. Reason and evidence play an important role in the life of faith. God created us as rational beings with the capacity to weigh evidence and draw conclusions about what we are experiencing. We are called to give reasons for faith (cf. 1 Peter 3:15-16).
I for one am so encouraged that when John the Baptist struggled with doubt and sent his disciples to Jesus to inquire if he truly was the long awaited Messiah that Jesus didn’t respond with an austere warning to just have more faith.
No, Jesus reminded John to pay attention to what he had heard and what he had seen — that will give you confidence of my true identity (cf. Matthew 11:2-5). Mere belief for the sake of belief is not true Christianity.
(2) The Central claim of Christianity is that Jesus of Nazareth rose bodily from the dead. If you asked the Apostle Paul, he would agree that faith and history go together. If Jesus “has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). As Nancy Pearcey observes: “Biblical Christianity refuses to separate historical fact from spiritual meaning. Its core claim is that the living God has acted in history, especially in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.”
(3) Jesus of Nazareth believed the events recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a the Old Testament) actually happened. If Jesus really rose from the dead (and there is powerful historical evidence that he did) then what did he think about the Old Testament?
Did he think Moses, David, and Noah were real? Yes (cf. Mark 12:26), yes (cf. Matthew 12:3) and yes (Matthew 24:37). Paul, who had seen the risen Jesus, even cites examples from the days of Moses to teach us, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction” (1 Cor. 10:11).
So, yes these things happened. And yes it matters to our faith.
If God has spoken and acted in the past — and this has been reliably preserved for us — then we can trust that he will act in the future as well.
To be sure there is more going in the Bible than just history, but certainly not less! After all, hope without history is simply wishful thinking.
Revelation 21:5 "Behold, I am making all things new... for these words are trustworthy and true."
All things new. It's hard to imagine, in the world of aging and decay, death and destruction, that all things can be new. Not much is guaranteed to be trustworthy and true today. But we long for a standard that doesn't shift, that we can count on. Trustworthy and true sounds like security.
We tend to get caught in a trap of seeking new things just for their newness. Even when we already have more than we need. It's all a matter of perspective. We live in a culture that worships the new. Everyone, even living in poverty, must have a new phone every two years, new sneakers every six months, and new entertainment every day. But God's promises tell us about renewal, refreshing, and a heavenly newness that is beyond our worldly imaginations. Better than a new iPhone or new Jordans. How can we anticipate the new year and look forward to novelty that draws us nearer to God's perspective on reality?
It could be quite simple. Perhaps we just establish a few new habits. And make them things that will refresh our perspective, renew our hearts, and remain steadfast, trustworthy and true. Where do we look for that?
One important commodity that bears the ability to impart new things, or to remain stable, is the written word. Our entertainment is carried along the moving thread of language. Trends and ideas, new and old, are expressed in words. Perhaps we can look to God's word that has lasted two thousand years and find some truth that is trustworthy and true. Perhaps that is the foundation that will support the renewal we are looking for?
I've found that in years when I commit to a new habit of reading God's word each day, in whatever time or amount I can, that my life changes. I learn new things, see new things, develop a better understanding of who God is. I think it is amazing that words I read and re-read, time and again, can continue to teach me new things. I reflect on His understanding of the longings of our hearts when he said "Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11
What this passage means to me is that His word might be exactly what I need today and the very same text might mean something different, I might see it with new eyes, on another day in another year. If I commit to reading the bible each day, I am renewed. I find the newness that satisfies my longing, at exactly the right time. It is trustworthy and true.
Another new habit for the new year is to accompany bible reading with daily prayer. Intentionally seeking God. I write my prayers in a journal to help me focus, and to have a written record, so that I can see when He answers. I ask the Lord to give me new eyes, so that I can see Him working in new ways. Sometimes I remember good times past and feel a longing for the old and familiar. But God's promise of renewal requires me to keep an open mind, and to trust Him. I've found after several years of daily bible reading and prayer that I actually look forward to my time in God's word, like a visit with a friend.
C.S. Lewis said, “we often, almost sulkily, reject the good that God offers us because, at that moment, we expected some other good. Harking back to some occasion, which seemed to reach perfection, and depressed by the comparison. But the new occasion is full of its own new blessing, if only we open ourselves to it. God shows us a new facet of glory, and we refuse to look at it because we are still looking for the old one.”
I pray to receive new blessings with a willing heart and open mind. I choose to trust that God is good and His promises are true. Deciding to believe that God's word is TRUE is a choice. But sometimes our hearts and minds can follow our actions. Try action. Read God’s word every day in 2017. Pray daily. Make it a habit, like brushing your teeth. See what happens. You might be surprised to be filled with the joy of something new, something trustworthy and true.
A Story About Opening Your Heart to God this Christmas
To understand how to open your heart to God, to accept His grace, we want to share this Christmas story with you:
"I hurried into the local department store to grab some last minute Christmas gifts. I looked at all the people and grumbled to myself. I would be in here forever and I just had so much to do. Christmas was beginning to become such a drag. I kinda wished that I could just sleep through Christmas. But I hurried the best I could through all the people to the toy department. Once again I kind of mumbled to myself at the prices of all these toys. And wondered if the grandkids would even play with them.
I found myself in the doll aisle. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a little boy about 5 holding a lovely doll. He kept touching her hair and he held her so gently. I could not seem to help myself. I just kept looking over at the little boy and wondered who the doll was for. I watched him turn to a woman and he called his aunt by name and said, "Are you sure I don't have enough money" She replied a bit impatiently, "You know that you don't have enough money for it. The aunt told the little boy not to go anywhere that she had to go get some other things and would be back in a few minutes. And then she left the aisle. The boy continued to hold the doll.
After a bit I asked the boy who the doll was for. He said, "It is the doll my sister wanted so badly for Christmas. She just knew that Santa would bring it." I told him that maybe Santa was going to bring it. He said "No, Santa can't go where my sister is...I have to give the doll to my Momma to take to her". I asked him where his sister was.
He looked at me with the saddest eyes and said "She has gone to be with Jesus". My Daddy says that Momma is going to have to go be with her. My heart nearly stopped beating. Then the boy looked at me again and said, "I told my Daddy to tell Momma not to go yet. I told him to tell her to wait till I got back from the store". Then he asked me if I wanted to see his picture. I told him I would love to. He pulled out some pictures he'd had taken at the front of the store. He said "I want my Momma to take this with her so she don't ever forget me." "I love my Momma so very much and I wish she did not have to leave me". "But Daddy says she will need to be with my sister."
I saw that the little boy had lowered his head and had grown so very quiet. While he was not looking I reached into my purse and pulled out a handfull of bills. I asked the little boy, "Shall we count that money one more time?" He grew excited and said "Yes, I just know it has to be enough". So I slipped my money in with his and we began to count it.
Of course it was plenty for the doll. He softly said, "Thank you Jesus for giving me enough money." Then the boy said "I just asked Jesus to give me enough money to buy this doll so Momma can take it with her to give to my sister." "And he heard my prayer". "I wanted to ask him for enough to buy my Momma a white rose, but I didn't ask him, but he gave me enough to buy the doll and a rose for my Momma." "She loves white roses so very very much".
In a few minutes the aunt came back and I wheeled my cart away. I could not keep from thinking about the little boy as I finished my shopping in a totally different spirit than when I had started. And I kept remembering a story I had seen in the newspaper several days earlier about a drunk driver hitting a car and killing a little girl and the Mother was in serious condition. The family was deciding on rather to remove the life support. Now surely this little boy did not belong with that story.
Two days later I read in the paper where the family had disconnected the life support and the young woman had died. I could not forget the little boy and just kept wondering if the two were somehow connected. Later that day, I could not help myself and I went out and bought some white roses and took them to the funeral home where the young woman was. And there she was holding a lovely white rose, the beautiful doll, and the picture of the little boy in the store.
I left there in tears, my life changed forever. The love that little boy had for his little sister and his mother was overwhelming. And in a split second a drunk driver had ripped the life of that little boy to pieces. "We make a living by what we get; We make a life by what we give."
Open your heart to Jesus today. He wants to bless you.
Are You Blessable?
This question was posed to me a couple of weeks ago. “What are you doing in your life that God would bless?” “Are you blessable?” Good questions to think about, right? When God looks down at you, does He smile and think “I’m proud of her/him,” or to take it further, does He think, “I’m so joyful and proud of what ‘Sally’ is doing with her life. I’m so pleased that she is obeying me and listening to me!” It really makes me stop and think! I hope he doesn’t look at me and think, “Oh boy, here we go again, when will she learn!” One way to help you, or encourage you to be “blessable” will come through praying consistently and constantly.
Prayer is crucial to having a relationship with Jesus. Ask Him what he wants you to do, and ask Him for His wisdom and knowledge, and a desire to seek him and follow him. If we don’t have that relationship with Him, how can we know what He wants us to do? God speaks to us in many ways; scripture, people, the church, Bible classes, even dreams. We have to be alert and aware, and be open to God’s voice , via scripture…..even dreams.
If you Trust and depend on God to lead you, you need to be available to Him, so He can use you in ways to bless others. In your morning prayer time ask God, “Lord, I want to please you and obey you. Please guide and direct me so I can be blessable. Don’t let me pass up an opportunity to help others. I’m available to you, so you can use me. Help me see where you are working in my life, so I can join you and be obedient to your will for my life.” If you pray this out loud, and actually hear yourself say it, hopefully it will come back to your mind throughout the day.
When you put your head on your pillow at night; thank the Lord for what he did for you that day (good or bad) and say, “I hope I did something today that would make you proud of me, I want to be blessed by you.”
Pray for God’s will to be done, (not what you want, but what HE wants). When you choose well and make good decisions and choices, God will bless you, and reward you. God wants the best for us, and I know we all want to be blessed by God!
So… are you blessable? Do you act and speak in a way that would honor God and make Him proud? What are you doing today that God would want to bless you for?
Preparing Your Heart for Christmas
I can remember the thrill of receiving the big shopping bag full of wrapped gifts from my great aunt every year just before Christmas, and the utter delight my sister and I had unwrapping them one by one. Each gift, thoughtfully selected and wrapped, represented a surprise. Our childhood hearts stirred with the anticipation of the unknown. Jesus said that to come to know the Father, we must come as little children. I think Jesus well understood the purity of a childhood heart. Children long for something good. We were born knowing that something good exists. We all have some happy childhood memory, that may fade over time, but that once brought us great joy. Much of the joy is in the anticipation, the longing.
While Christmas can be overwhelming with the lists, events, and rushing about, it's so important that we prepare our hearts for the anticipated joy of celebrating our Savior’s birth. When the virgin received the annunciation, and the angel told her that she would bear the Christ child, she said, "let it be unto me.“ And then she pondered these things in her heart. (Luke 2:19 ) I love the concept of pondering things in my heart. When something exciting happens, particularly when I am able to anticipate it, I try to hit the pause button. One of my favorite prayers during Christmas season is, "bestill my heart, Father." I don't want to miss the joy in my hurry. It’s important to cultivate the longing, anticipation, and joy.
The Lord will help us prepare our hearts for Christmas if we seek Him. One thing I’ve learned to intentionally plan is time set aside each day to read the narratives about the birth of Jesus in the gospels. I often read through them all in one sitting. It simply feels different when I read it that way. New aspects make the story real to me each time. There's nothing like the written word of God to thrill our hearts, especially when we ask the Lord to use it for His good purposes. If I just pray, "please Lord, help me to focus on your story of the birth of Jesus. Please nourish my heart and mind, so that I may receive the knowledge and understanding that you have for me," I often recapture that childhood thrill. I love the message translation of the Bible that says, “thrill to God's word. Chew on scripture day and night." (Psalm 1:2) That’s why I am intentional in reading the bible at Christmas time. It’s a wonderful practice to read each day of the advent season. That special time with God, as I read His gospels in anticipation of the celebration, makes me feel like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, with “my heart burning within me.” (Luke 24:32) Each day I look forward to those moments in His word, like a child unwrapping a gift. I simply hit the pause button. The list will still be there, the tasks can wait. I ask the Lord to multiply my time so that I can ponder His word in my heart. Every year it seems new, with new insights I’ve never noticed before. And every year I am filled with gratitude and joy.