” The Case for Christ ” Review

” The Case for Christ ” Review

Lee Strobel began his award-winning writing career as an investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune. During his tenure there he broke several important news stories, like the dangerous location of the Ford Pinto’s gas tank, making it vulnerable to puncture and fire. It would be Lee’s investigative skills that would later make the case that would upend his atheistic worldview.

The Case for Christ

The Case for Christ

The movie, based on the real events of Lee’s life, depicts both Lee and his wife, Leslie, as atheists. One evening while dining out, their young daughter becomes choked on a piece of candy. Lee and Leslie cry out for help as they watch their daughter slowly choking to death. Thankfully, a nurse who was eating in the same restaurant took Strobel’s daughter and was able to dislodge the candy, saving her life.

The nurse mentioned that she had wanted to eat somewhere else that night, but felt “called” to go the same restaurant the Strobel’s were eating at. This critical moment caused Leslie to question whether things “just happen by chance” or if there really could be a God. Leslie begins meeting with this nurse who eventually converts her to Christianity.

The rest of the movie shows Lee determined to disprove his wife’s foolish beliefs.  He hinges his investigation on the resurrection. He believes if he can disprove the resurrection then all the accounts about Jesus become irrelevant. So Strobel launches out to talk to experts. In the movie he interviews people like Gary Habermas, an expert on the resurrection. He talks to William Lane Craig and others who point out the validity of the Bible and the ancient manuscripts. He talks to medical doctors about whether or not Jesus could have just “swooned” and walked out of the tomb himself.

All throughout his investigation tension is mounting at home. As his wife is drawing closer to God Lee finds himself moving further away. At times the movie is very “heavy” with emotion, as their marriage teeters on the brink of divorce over the existence of God.

In the end, this “investigative journalist” cannot escape the evidence.  The climax of the movie reveals Lee Strobel staring at bulletin boards and chalk board full of evidence realizing that there is a God.

I’ve interviewed Lee and was very familiar with his background long before the movie ever came out. In fact, I recommend his book of the same name to those who are searching for evidence. After watching the movie I messaged Lee and told him I felt his movie should be required viewing for all college students.

Unlike some “religious films” that have a great message but have a limited budget, this The Case for Christ was professionally done with professional actors. It takes viewers on an emotional roller coaster as the evidence is uncovered. This movie does a tremendous job from an “apologetics” perspective—it is great for defending the existence of God.

I would offer a few caveats to those who are considering watching the film. There are a couple of worship scenes where Lee and/or his wife attend worship services. Those worship services appear to be in community churches with bands on the stage. While the movie does show Leslie being baptized, it is evident in a couple of different scenes that they believe in a “sinner’s prayer” type of salvation.

I wish they had gotten it 100% correct, but unless the script-writer, actor, director, and producers are all New Testament Christians, I don’t expect that will ever happen. However, I would still strongly recommend this movie to families, especially those with children in high school who may be questioning their faith. Lee’s story of investigating Christianity in an effort to disprove it—only to eventually convert himself to the truth—is a powerful story, packed full of good evidences. In a time in which many movies are saturated with profanity, sex, immorality, nudity, etc., it was so refreshing to watch a dramatic movie that didn’t feature any of that. (The worst part was Lee’s frequent drinking beer before learning the truth, and a couple of scenes of him yelling at his wife as tension mounted in their marriage.)

We had a group of 25 members from my home congregation watch the movie opening weekend, ranging in age from 8-78. Everyone who watched it enjoyed the movie and felt like it was extremely well done. We had great discussions afterward and everyone felt like it was time well spent. I encourage you, check out “The Case for Christ.” It’s a powerful movie packed full of evidence for Christianity!

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EL BAUTISMO LIMPIA LA FORNICACIÓN?

ERROR AL AFIRMAR QUE EL BAUTISMO LIMPIA LA FORNICACIÓN

Hay muchos temas que requieren delicadeza y una aproximación muy delicada como un doctor con un bisturí en una operación a corazón abierto. Sin embargo hay otros temas como el que nos disponemos a tratar que deben de ser tratados con la mayor franqueza posible y con la Biblia en mano. La posición que toman muchos, al afirmar que el bautismo lava todos los pecados incluyendo así el pecado de la fornicación se ha vuelto bastante popular en nuestros días. En muchas campañas evangelistas los números son los que realmente importan al final del camino para quienes están aceptando la campaña, como para quienes están llevando la campaña. Amigo lector de manera directa permita afirmar con toda certeza que es un error pensar que el bautismo limpia la fornicación, con estos nos referimos a que una persona que haya cohabitado  en fornicación con su pareja, y desean bautizarse en esa condición sin haber discutido, matrimonio o algo semejante para cambiar su situación, esperanzados más bien que el agua del bautismo es la varita  mágica que soluciona todos los problemas lo lleven a cabo, pasen a ser miembros de una congregación y continúen habitando en ese tipo de union libre. La palabra de Dios es siempre la autoridad absoluta por el sencillo hecho que ha sido inspirada por Dios (2Tim 3:16) nadie más y nada más. Aquí lo que la autoridad tiene que decir respecto a estas “corrientes raras de pensamiento”:

EL BAUTISMO LIMPIA LA FORNICACIÓN?

EL BAUTISMO LIMPIA LA FORNICACIÓN?

  1. Mal entendimiento de lo que es el bautismo. El Apóstol Pedro declaró en su magnífica respuesta  a la pregunta, “¿Qué haremos?” del versículo anterior, en Hechos 2:38 él responde: “arrepentíos y bautícese cada uno de vosotros en el nombre de Jesucristo para el perdón de vuestros pecados y recibiréis el don del Espíritu Santo”. Claramente se promete el perdón o limpieza de pecados de estas personas que habían matado al hijo de Dios. La preposición en griego “eis” que significa; con el fin de, en vista a, indica que el propósito de ser bautizado era con miras a borrar el pecado. Sin embargo la primera palabra “arrepentíos” (μετανοέω=metanoéo) significa: cambio, pensar diferente, reconsiderar, arrepentirse y claro, está ligada a la palabra bautismo. En otras palabras ninguna persona puede ser bíblicamente bautizada sino NO tiene miras a cambia su manera de vivir. El versículo 41 de Hechos 2, nos enseña claramente que ellos cambiaron el mismo día. Entonces si una persona robaba y desea el perdón de Dios debe dejar de robar y ser bautizado (a) para el perdón de sus pecado, es exactamente igual con aquellas personas que fornicaban deben dejar de fornicar(hacer un cambio para no estar más en esta condición) y ser bautizados para que obtengan perdón de sus pecados. Son versículos fáciles de comprender con todo hay personas he incluso hermanos que predican totalmente lo contrario a esto. De cualquier manera nuestras Biblias siguen sosteniendo en alto la verdad absoluta; que ningún adultero, o fornicario o borracho o mentiroso heredarán el reino de Dios (Gálatas 5:21) y por el contrario ellos serán lanzados al lago de fuego (Apocalipsis 21:8). Un entendimiento correcto del bautismo se relaciona a la idea de que nos pone en contacto con la sangre de Cristo, por el bautismo somos añadidos a la Iglesia del Señor y estimado amigo la Iglesia de Cristo condena y debe condenar esta práctica 1Co. 5:1.
  2. El bautismo NO lava la fornicación: Una  frase clave en este asunto se encuentra en 1Corintios 6: 11; “ya habéis sido lavados, ya habéis sido santificados, ya habéis sido justificados”.  Cuando este escritor menciona:  “el bautismo No lava la fornicación” la idea por expresar es que el bautismo No quita y no justifica el pecado de fornicación sino hay arrepentimiento primero. Es decir la persona debe y tiene que dejar de ser fornicario después del bautismo habiéndose arrepentido antes de él. Éste pasaje de 1Corintios 6, es sumamente mal interpretado, pensado que la persona  no casada puede seguir con su pareja porque ya el bautismo “lavó ese pecado”. Es imperativo regresar al versículo y observar con cuidado la frase: “Y esto eráis algunos de vosotros, más ya habéis sido lavados…” (1Cor. 6:11). Sin mucho esfuerzo entendemos la conjugación al pasado que Pablo le da a sus palabras. Ellos eran fornicarios pero en el presente ya habían sido lavados, es decir; se habían arrepentido y se habían bautizado, pero  ya no vivían más en esa vida de fornicación y demás pecados. El bautismo quita los pecados siempre y cuando la persona se haya arrepentido y ya no esté viviendo más en ese pecado. Si el hermano Alejandro se roba un carro y se arrepiente, ¿Se dejaría  el carro que se robó?- Ciertamente un verdadero arrepentimiento devolvería el carro. Si una persona está en una relación ilícita y se arrepiente…????….  Siendo sincero amigo lector ¿llegará usted a la misma conclusión lógica que su servidor?. Definitivamente aquel que quiera obedecer a Dios estará dispuesto a hacer lo que hizo Israel en Esdras 10 despidiendo a sus mujeres y niños y expulsándolos lejos de ellos por haber pecado ante Dios. Eso es arrepentimiento en la Biblia. A nuestros niños enseñamos el plan de salvación: Oir, Creer, Arrepentirse, Confesar y Ser Bautizado, cada uno de estos pasos están en orden, y ese orden no puede ser alterado ni mucho menos podemos remover alguno de estos pasos. El arrepentimiento es e numero 3, y antecede al bautismo. Triste y lamentablemente algunos han removido lo que arrepentimiento del plan de Dios …¡Oh cuan terribles consecuencias traerá eso!.
  3. Solución: La solución a este dilema presentado, es fácil de resolver a la luz de las escrituras. Si dos personas están viviendo juntas y desean obedecer a Dios, pueden hacer dos cosas: 1) Separarse y servir a Dios por separado, o 2) Casarse y servir a Dios juntos, es así de sencillo. Ahora bien en esta oportunidad no estamos tratando en detalle matrimonio, divorcio y segundas nupcias sino más bien estas corrientes de pensamientos erróneos que están penetrando las murallas de la sana doctrina y entrando a muchas congregaciones a través de falsos predicadores. No hay ninguna otra necesidad de involucrar ningún otro pensamiento a lo que ya está firmemente establecido en las escrituras.

LETRAS DE CONCLUSIÓN

Es, nuestra súplica y determinada oración que la exposición, y defensa de la sana doctrina  continúe y sea tomado en serio  con el fin de edificar en toda verdad y justicia. Al concluir con este breve articulo deseamos que se clarifique el hecho de  que no discutimos opiniones y pensamientos humanos. Alguien podría expresar: ¡Es que esa es su opinión hermano!- En tal caso este humilde servidor no utilizaría ni dos renglones para escribir lo que sería únicamente nuestra opinión. 2Timoteo 3:16, declara que toda la escritura es inspirada por Dios en el original Griego;παζ γΡααφη θεοπνευστοσ (pas graphe theopneustos)” = Exalada por Dios. La palabra de Dios entonces contiene y reclama toda la autoridad absoluta por lo cual todo predicador del evangelio deberá someterse a tal suprema autoridad,  y todo miembro creer exactamente lo mismo. Cada uno de ustedes amados lectores y aún este autor quedamos confiscados ante tal declaración de las escrituras, a quedarnos en libro, capitulo y versículo para cada doctrina planteada, junto a la hermenéutica correcta para interpretarla.

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Psalm 103

Psalm 103

The book of Psalms gives us such great insight into the deep emotions felt by David. It allows us to see how his soul felt when he walked through the valley of the shadow of death. It helps us to vividly see what he thought about as he stared into the firmament and the heavens and saw God’s glory. Have you ever considered what was in the heart of this godly man as he worshiped? Psalm 103 gives at least eighteen reasons he approached God with a heart filled with awe and reverence.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

“Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

The psalm begins with the words, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” The Hebrew word for bless literally means to kneel, and when applied to us and our God, it specifically indicates an act of adoration toward Him. David came before God with his soul kneeling toward the Almighty. If you asked David why he worshiped God, he could give you the following reasons.

Reasons to Kneel Before God

1. He forgives all my iniquities and heals me (v. 3).
2. He redeems my life from destruction (v. 4).
3. He crowns me with lovingkindness and mercy (v. 4).
4. He satisfies my mouth with good things (v. 5).
5. He renews me (v. 5).
6. He executes righteousness and justice for all (v. 6).
7. He made known His ways and actions (v. 7).
8. He is merciful and gracious to me (v. 8).
9. He is slow to anger and abounding in mercy to me (v. 8).
10. He does not strive always with me or stay angry (v. 9).
11. He does not deal with me according to my sins (v. 10).
12. He does not punish me according to my iniquities (v. 10).
13. His mercy is great toward me (v. 11).
14. He has removed my transgressions from me as far as the east is from the west (v. 12).
15. He shows His compassion and pity to me like a loving father shows pity to his children (v. 13).
16. He knows my frame and remembers that I am dust (v. 14).
17. Man is like grass, the flower of the field, wind blows and it is gone and forgotten, but His mercy toward me is from everlasting to everlasting (v. 16).
18. His righteousness reaches me and even to my grandchildren (v. 17).

As the psalm ends, David calls upon all the angels to bless Him, to kneel as an act of adoration toward God. He calls upon all the armies of heaven and the heavenly servants to bless Jehovah. He looks at all that God has done and calls upon all His works which manifest His power to bless him. The man after God’s own heart then turns inward and calls upon himself to kneel before God. In doing this, he calls upon you. “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

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Searching for Salvation

Where is God?

When things were good, and he had been blessed, the King David praises God and gives thanks. When things were bad, and he was distressed, he wonders where God is and cries out for His salvation (Psalm 22:1). But through it all, good and bad, he puts his trust in the Lord. He knows that it is God who sustains, blesses, and protects him. Even when he doesn’t feel God’s presence.

Look to God for Salvation.

Look to God for Salvation.

Be still, cleanse your hands from all iniquity, purify your heart, be humble, and be honest. When David cried out “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” God was in the same place He was when Jesus cried those same words (Matthew 27:46). God was there then and He is here now and His desire will be done. Look to Him for salvation, trust in Him, obey Him, and be faithful!

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Circumcision: The sign of the Covenant

Circumcision: The sign of the Covenant

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Buried with him in baptism.

Buried with him in baptism.

Colossians 2:11-12

In order to understand this weekend’s passage of scripture, let’s back up to the Old Testament and go all the way back to the beginning…Genesis.  In Genesis chapter 17, we read of God making a covenant (agreement) with Abraham that the Holy Land, the land of Canaan, would always belong to Abraham’s descendants as long as they obeyed him.  The “sign of the covenant” would be the circumcision in the flesh of every male at least eight days old (vs. 10-14).  Abraham immediately made sure that he and his entire family were circumcised that same day (vs. 22-27).  This was the basis for the law in the Torah which required that all Jews be circumcised (Lev. 12:3).

Thousands of years later during the early days of the church, Jewish Christians who had converted out of Judaism were trying to bring tenets of Judaism into Christianity.  Circumcision was one of these tenets (Acts 15; Gal. 1-6).  Paul made it clear that physical circumcision was not required to be a Christian like it was in order to be a Jew.  However, the Holy Spirit inspired him to use the Jews’ mindset of circumcision being a sign that they had a covenant with God to teach a very important lesson about baptism in the book of Colossians.  This brings us to our Scripture of the Weekend.

Much of Colossians dealt with Paul reassuring Gentile Christians that they did not have to obey all the laws of Judaism in order to be Christians.  While doing so, he told them that they, like all Christians, had been filled in Christ, who is the head of all rule and authority (Col. 2:10).  Notice what he said next in our Scripture of the Weekend, Colossians 2:11-12:  “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

Think about this for a second.  We are not under the covenant God made with Israel.  That was taken out of the way at the cross (Col. 2:14), and we are under a new covenant (Heb. 8:6-13), Christ’s covenant.  But just like physical circumcision was required as a sign of the old covenant, God still requires “circumcision” of a sort as a sign in the new covenant.  But this is not a literal, fleshly, physical circumcision.  No, Paul says that it is a spiritual circumcision, “made without hands.”  He then clarifies it has having occurred when one was baptized – literally “immersed” in the Greek – in water.

From Abraham to the beginning of the church, God and everyone else would know whether or not one was a Jew if they were physically circumcised.  Today, does God and everyone else recognize you to be a Christian?  Baptism after repentance (Acts 2:38) which was brought on by faith (Mark 16:16) is the key, the key to salvation and forgiveness of sins.  It is only through baptism that one is spiritually buried with Christ to rise again to a new life (Col. 2:12; Rom. 6:3-4).  It is only through baptism that one puts on Christ and becomes a child of God (Gal. 3:26-27).  It is only through baptism that the Holy Spirit adds you to Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:13), that body being His church (Eph. 1:22-23), of which there is only one in the sight of God (Eph. 4:4-6), not the many found in the numerous sects and denominations of Christendom today.

Have you been spiritually circumcised?  Are you truly a Christian in the sight of God?

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