Introduction … [Read more...]
Three Reasons Why Jesus is Qualified to be called the “Messiah”
Introduction Over the years I have been asked why Jewish people don’t think Jesus is the Messiah. From my own experience, when I have talked to Jewish people about the possibility of Jesus being the Messiah, there is a wide range of thought. For some Jewish people a personal Messiah is irrelevant. For others, it is said that in every generation there is a potential messiah or … [Read more...]
Approaching the Existence of God
How do we know God exists? In the past when I was asked this question I used to automatically jump to an argument for God. I would sit down and try to explain it in detail to the individual. I have now decided to take a different approach and back up: I ask the person “How should we approach the existence of God?” or “ What method should we use?” Now, I know … [Read more...]
Tips in Studying Messianic Prophecy
Why should we study Messianic Prophecy? … [Read more...]
Why the Hypothesis that God Raised Jesus from the Dead is the Best Explanation
Introduction When it comes to the Christian faith, there is no doctrine more important than the resurrection of Jesus. Biblical faith is not simply centered in ethical and religious teachings. Instead, it is founded on the person and work of Jesus. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, we as His followers are still dead in our sins (1Cor.15:7). Explanations try to show how … [Read more...]
What is Messianic Apologetics?
Introduction Apologetics is a branch of Christian theology that helps provide reasons for belief in the explanatory power of Christian theism. It is true that other faiths attempt to provide reasons for justification for their own truth claims. I have talked to my share of people from a variety of religious backgrounds such as Islam, Mormonism, The Bahá’í faith, The … [Read more...]
A Look at the Carrier/Goodacre Debate: How Did Paul Receive the Gospel?
Clearing Up A Supposed Contradiction Between Galatians 1:11-12, and 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 Introduction Recently I was looking at some of the exchange of a debate between skeptic Richard Carrier and Marc Goodacre. Carrier said that one of the first places to start looking at the evidence for Jesus is Paul’s Letters. After all, they are the earliest documents we have for the … [Read more...]
A Look at Messianic Prophecy
Introduction Anyone who has studied evidential apologetics will see that many apologists have laid a great emphasis on messianic prophecy as one of the keys to demonstrating Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. One thing that is left out of these discussions is that when it comes to prophecy, it is not always predictive. The Greek word for fulfill is πληρόω (pleroo) – which has a much … [Read more...]
Handling an Objection: "But God Doesn't Have a Son!"
Introduction When I was a new Christian I lost count of the number of times that I told people that my new faith was based on the tenet that Jesus is the Son of God. I still do this to this day. In many cases, people ask me “How does God have a Son?” Or, the common objection from both Muslims and Jewish people is ”There is only one God and he has no Son!” In order to answer … [Read more...]
Responding to a Jewish Objection: “Is Belief in the Incarnation Idolatry?”
Introduction Over the years I have had the opportunity to have plenty of discussions with Jewish people about whether Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. As usual, the objection that to believe in Jesus as a divine figure as a deity is idolatry. For starters, I advise reading the book The Jewish Gospels: The Story of the Jewish Christ” by Daniel Boyarin which shows that the belief … [Read more...]