The Son of Man

By Paul Earnhart

When Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, He spoke of Himself as the “Son of Man.” (Jn. 3:13)  Jesus used this expression many times to identify Himself.

It was an accurate description for He was most certainly human.  He was born of a woman, a descendant of Adam and of David.  At the same time, it was a description which His enemies could not use against Him.  If He had called Himself the Son of God in the early part of His ministry, they would have killed Him instantly, and His work of teaching could not have been done.

But for those who believed in Jesus, the expression, Son of Man, had special significance.  For one thing, it tended to identify Him with the prophet Ezekiel who was also called the “Son of Man”.  But more than this, it identified Jesus with two Old Testament scriptures which were recognized as prophecies of the Messiah.  One is Psalm 8:4 where the Psalmist wrote: “What is man that You are mindful of Him or the Son of Man that you visit Him?”  The other is Daniel 7:13 where Daniel wrote: “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like the Son of Man was coming.  And He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him.”  When Jesus called Himself the Son of Man, He was discreetly claiming to be that Son of Man mentioned in the Psalm and in Daniel.  He most certainly was not denying that He was also the Son of God.

We should be grateful that Jesus is both the Son of God and the Son of Man.  It is this that makes Him our perfect high priest, our mediator and God.  We were separated from God by our sins.  We needed a mediator to plead our case before God, but no man could qualify.  A mediator must be unrelated or equally related to both parties.  As the Son of God, Jesus could stand before God as His equal, and as the Son of Man He understands our weaknesses and can plead with God on our behalf.  He is our pathway to God. (Jn. 14:6)

Do Today’s Youth Accept Absolute Values? - Part 2

By Tom Rose

In part 1, the author presented evidence that many of today’s youth do not accept absolute truth.  Because of this, many youths are making wrong choices.  Part 2 presents a classroom illustration of this issue and provides some action steps parents and religious educators can take to address this problem and why it is extremely important.

Consider an activity in which a group of high school Christians were challenged to grasp the reality of Jesus’ resurrection as objective truth. A jar of marbles was placed in front of the class and students were asked, “How many marbles are in the jar?” They all respond and record their different guesses. The jar was then emptied, and the marbles counted. They quickly determined who had the closest guess and that the number of marbles was a matter of fact, not a personal preference. Next from a bag of Starburst candies, one was given to each student, and the question posed, “Which flavor is right?” The students saw this as an unfair question because each person had a preference that was right for him or her. The class all agreed that in this situation it was a matter of subjective opinion, not objective fact. The teacher then asked, “Is the resurrection of Jesus like the number of marbles in the jar, or is it a matter of personal opinion, like candy preferences?’ Most students concluded that the question of the resurrection belonged in the category of candy preference.

The instructor then concluded the activity by talking about the nature of Jesus’ physical death and resurrection. He proposed, “If we had been present at the cross, we could have felt the warm blood of Jesus trickling down the wooden timber or even watched Him take His last breath (Jn. 19:29-35). And if we had been at the tomb on Sunday morning, we would have seen the stone rolled away and the loincloth of Jesus laying inside (Jn. 20:1-7).” The teacher then reminded the class that while many people may reject the historical resurrection of Jesus, it is not the type of claim that can be “true for you, but not true for me.” The tomb was either empty on the third day, or it was occupied – there can be no middle ground.

What should be done to help our youth become healthy and mature relationally, morally, and spiritually? Josh McDowell in his research identified four components listed in order of importance. Parents (and religious educators) should see that:

1. Teenagers experience a transformed life in Christ.

2. They know why they believe what they believe.

3. They develop healthy relationships with faithful Christians of all ages.

4. They learn to resist ungodly influences and learn how to make right choices.

In closing, we must ask, “Why is this important? What difference does it really make?” Consider that most religions of the world are based on philosophical propositions or theological ideologies. Their observance usually centers around a creed book, catechism, or mantra. Remove its founding prophet or guru and that religion remains essentially intact. That is because these religions are largely based on the teachings, not upon the founding teacher. That is not true of Christianity; it is unique. Christianity isn’t a mere religion. It is not simply based upon various teachings. Christianity is based on the life, character, and identity of a person – Jesus Christ. Christ did not come to earth to teach Christianity, Christ is Christianity. (“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14:6). And to us and our loved ones as believers, that makes all the difference both in this life and the next…for “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:31-32).

Do Today’s Youth Accept Absolute Values? - Part 1

By Tom Rose

When we speak of challenges today among Christians, few are more critical than those involving our families – particularly the need to raise faithful children. A prayer heard at many weddings includes the phrase, “if children be born to this union, may they be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Perhaps you know of a strong Christian couple, whose children no longer assemble with the saints, and who speak out of firsthand experience when they observe that converts from the world often appreciate the Lord more than their own children. Why are the ranks of young people in our congregations thinned as they grow toward maturity? Perhaps, the answer might lie in the way they view Truth.

A majority of our young people – even the brightest and best of them – have adopted the view that moral truth is not true for them until they choose to believe it. For example, ask both a teenager and an elder “Why do you believe the Bible to be true?” The younger will usually answer, “The Bible is true because I believe it.” The older will likely respond, “To me, I believe it, because it is true.” In effect, youth often believe that the act of believing makes things true. And those things will be true only until they choose to believe something else. As soon as something more appealing comes along, they are likely to begin believing that – whether or not it’s biblical.

Over the past couple of decades, tens of thousands of high school young people have taken a pledge to be sexually pure until marriage (Heb. 13:4). These kids participated in the “True Love Waits” campaign and took a stand for the truth on sexual purity. Although this was an encouraging stance in the midst of a promiscuous society, most young people heard that truth through their own mental “filter” which told them that all truth is subjectively determined. In other words, premarital sex was wrong only if they personally believed it was wrong. So while our youth may be willing to state that certain things are right or wrong, they believe it applies only to them personally.

Therefore, it should not come as a shock that research has found seventy percent (70%) of our churched young people believe there is no absolute moral truth. In other words, the vast majority of our youth do not believe there is a truth outside themselves that determines right from wrong. They do not believe there is a universal truth that is right for all people, in all places, at all times. (“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation” (Ps. 25 :4-5). In today’s culture, even church-going teenagers have been conditioned to see truth in the area of religion and morality as a personal, private matter. Furthermore, they often surmise that no one should be allowed to impose his or her own ideas of what is right or wrong on another.

However, the attempt to determine spiritual and moral truth by personal preference leads only to certain disaster as it did in ancient Israel in the time of the Judges when “everyone did whatever he considered right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). The resulting anarchy led to unprecedented depravity and wickedness. Treating universal truth as personal preference is always disastrous because God never intended us to see scriptural Truth as optional or to position ourselves as the sole arbiters of what is right or wrong. But isn’t that precisely what many young people are doing? Consequently, they are making wrong choices …while thinking they are right (see Col. 2:8).

(Part 2 next week)

The Necessity of a Governing Authority

By Mark McCrary

Is slavery wrong? Hopefully, everyone would say unquestionably yes. If asked if it is absolutely and always wrong, again most would say yes. Yet, 150 years ago, a war was fought in our country, and this issue was at the heart of the conflict. So, there was a time (in fact, historically, a lot of times) when people had no problem with slavery. We say yes, they said no. Who's right? Who or what determines truth? If we say society does (which is what we have now determined), what happens in another 150 years when society says slavery is okay? Is that alright then? What about murder? Murder is always wrong, right? Nazi Germany (and the entire Eugenics movement of the early 20th century) didn’t think so. What about pedophilia? To some degree that was acceptable in ancient Greece.

Atheists and agnostics often resist the idea of a higher authority dictating right and wrong. They argue that morality is a social construct, fluid and subjective. Without a divine standard, what we consider wrong today could be acceptable tomorrow based on societal changes. The only way there could be absolute and timeless truth is if there is an absolute and timeless authority behind truth; an authority that transcends social and cultural norms; an authority with wisdom that empowers and enforces that truth.

The Bible teaches God to be this authority. “I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right” (Isaiah 45:19).  He has established an unchanging moral law. The Bible is His book of truth, serving as the foundation for discerning right from wrong. For instance, the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) provided clear directives on how to live a life pleasing to God to the Old Testament Jews. In the New Testament, Jesus emphasized love for God and neighbor as the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40), encapsulating the essence of Christian ethics. The epistles serve as guides to daily Christian living. All of these come from God, not men (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

If there is a timeless, governing authority, then we have an obligation to obey its standards—or break ourselves against them. Our God gives us absolute truths because He loves us and desires the best for us. Yes, they are sometimes limiting, but they limit “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24).  God identifies right and wrong not to make things difficult for us, but to help us. Consider a child who wants to touch a hot stove. Though the child may think it isn’t dangerous, it most certainly is. Children desperately need an adult who understands the absolute truth of the situation and can warn them accordingly. This is what God does for us.

When we acknowledge God's authority, we find a sense of right and wrong that transcends current thinking and social understandings. Society may say LGBTQ issues are acceptable, but God says they are not (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Society may say we can worship as we like, but God does not (John 4:23-24). Society may argue marriage is a social construct, but Jesus said it was established by God (Matthew 19:1-9).

A governing, authoritative source—God—is essential for defining absolute moral standards. Without it, morality is nothing more than a subjective, relative conclusion of flawed, manipulative, limited humanity that inevitably leads to chaos and harm. Only by embracing God’s commandments as found in the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament writers are we assured of a pathway that is always right and beneficial for us. Though challenging at times, and often counter to the culture around us, it is comforting to know that when we follow His teachings, we choose a path that surpasses man’s momentary whims and leads to Divine acceptance.

Born To Stand Out - Part 2

By Tom Rose

To gain further insight into the distinction of being Godly as portrayed in Psalm 1 and what it would 'look like' in real life, consider the true story of an early Christian.  It was the middle of the second century, during the reign of emperor Marcus Aurelius. Christianity was illegal, and believers throughout the Roman Empire faced the threat of imprisonment, torture, or death. Persecution was especially intense in southern Europe, where Sanctus, a deacon from Vienna, had been arrested and brought to trial. This young man was repeatedly told to renounce the faith he professed, but his resolve was undeterred. No matter what question he was asked, he always gave the same unchanging answer. According to the ancient church historian, Eusebius, Sanctus "girded himself against [his accusers] with such firmness that he would not even tell his name, or the nation or city to which he belonged, or whether he was bond or free, but answered in the Roman tongue to all their questions, 'I am a Chistian.'" For Sanctus, his whole identity – including his name, citizenship, and social status – was found in Jesus Christ.

This same perspective was shared by countless others in the early church. It fueled their witness, strengthened their resolve, and confounded their opponents. At the moment when life itself was on the line, nothing else mattered besides seeing themselves as His servant. For these faithful persons, the name "Christian" was much more than a general religious designation. It was an entirely new way of thinking – one that had serious implications for how they lived – and ultimately how they died. The label underscored their love for the Savior along with a willingness to follow Him no matter the cost. It displayed the wholesale transformation God had produced in their hearts, and how they had died to their old way of life, having been born spiritually into the family of God.

The conclusion of this psalm as well as this article can be summed up by observing: when we call ourselves Christians, we proclaim to the world that everything about us, including our very self-identity, is found in Jesus Christ. We can choose to stand apart from the world, as "a people for God’s own possession" (1 Pet. 2:9). As people of God, we can deny ourselves in order to follow and obey Him. He is both our Savior and our Sovereign, and our lives should center on totally pleasing Him. Contrary to much current religious thinking, there are no relative or half-measures of a righteous life. Rather, the scriptures (including Ps. 1 :5-6) portray a judgment with no in between points. It will either be "God’s Way" or "No Way At All." One will either prosper or perish.

People frequently ask me why I work so hard on preparing my comments when presiding at the Lord’s Table. I always offer the same answer, "I want people not to observe out of habit or ritual, rather I want them to think about what they’re doing." Today millions of Christians live in a sentimental haze of vague piety. Their religion is a pleasant thing: divorced from the will, divorced from the intellect, and demanding little except lip service to a few platitudes. I suspect that Satan has called off his attempt to convert these people to agnosticism. It’s much safer, from Satan’s point of view, to vaccinate a man with a mild case of Christianity so as to protect him from the real disease!