HE NOW BELIEVES

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of a modern cultural event. It was during an April 4, 1966 interview with a London newspaper that rock musician John Lennon arrogantly claimed that Christianity will eventually vanish and that his band The Beatles was “more popular than Jesus Christ.” Interestingly, the quote generated little reaction in England, but when Lennon’s remark was reprinted in the July 1966 issue of the US teen magazine Datebook, it became a major problem.

Reaction in the United States to the Lennon’s blasphemy was swift and stunning. Disc jockeys in Alabama launched a Beatles’ Boycott that spread across the country and many young people burned their Beatles albums. But consider the following timeline---Capitol Records released The Beatles seventh studio album Revolver on August 8, 1966; Capitol Records stock dropped like a rock the next day; and John Lennon was forced to apologize for his remarks on August 12^th, even though a day before Lennon’s wife was upset at the protests because she felt her husband was only expressing his opinion.

Jesus Christ is the central character in both testaments of the Bible. He is the center of the gospel message (1 Corinthians 15;1-4; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Galatians 1:7; Philippians 1:27), the very source and subject of the Good News. Theologically, the name Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name “Yeshua” meaning Savior (Matthew 1:21); Christ is the Greek word of the Hebrew title “Messiah” meaning anointed (John 1:41; 4:25; Acts 2:36). Simply stated, Jesus Christ is the anointed Savior of the world (John 3:16-17).

The Lord Jesus has never been popular in any culture or generation (John 1:11-12; Matthew 7:13-14). Nevertheless, Jesus alone is the source of eternal life (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). The Beatles came and went, relegated today to a mere footnote in history, and Jesus still lives! Tragically, John Lennon went out into eternity on December 8, 1980 at the hand of an assassin. Wherever John Lennon is today, I think to safe to say that he now believes that Jesus Christ is the Savior God and Sovereign Lord (Philippians 2:9-12) of all who accept Him. Think about it.

POWER IN THE BLOOD

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

Visit any doctor’s office and there are a few things you should expect to happen. One, they will weigh you, and another; your blood pressure will be checked. Although considered a routine procedure, those two numbers, the systolic and diastolic that register on the compressed arm band shows the maximum and minimum pressure of the blood coursing through your body. And those numbers help doctors predict and/or diagnose many health issues.

The average human body contains five to six quarts (10-12 pints) of blood. Interestingly, the Greek physician Herophilos first developed the procedure of monitoring blood pressure and pulse around 250 BC. Obviously, the blood is vitally important physically for a variety of reasons. Conversely, the Bible emphasizes the importance of blood both physically and spiritually. The word blood is used 765 times in scripture.

The Bible tells us that the life of a person is in their blood (Leviticus 17:11, 14). Blood is central to the story of the Jewish people. About 4,000 years ago Israelite slaves daubed the blood of a male lamb on the lintel of their homes in Egypt. The Passover was such a seminal event that Jews around the world continue to celebrate this spring holiday. And the blood of the sacrificial animals offered by the Hebrew priests for centuries was a picture of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross for the sins of every human (Romans 3:24-25; Revelation 1:5; 7:14).

Efficacy is defined as the power or capacity to produce a desired effect. Simply stated, the blood of Christ has to power to produce its desired goal---to forgive sins (Ephesians 1:7). While the blood of sacrificial animals merely covered sins in the Old Testament; today, the precious blood of Jesus completely eliminates the sins of the repentant sinner (1 John 1:7). Lewis Edgar Jones understood the theology of the efficacy of the blood of Christ when he wrote his popular hymn, Power in the Blood. His words continue to remind us, “There is wonder working power in the precious blood of Lamb.” It’s all about the blood and always will be (1 Peter 1:18-19). Think about it.

FROM A PRISON TO A COURTROOM

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

A large four-story building sits at the corner of 1^st Street and Maryland Avenue NE in Washington DC. That Neo-Classical designed structure is the formidable Supreme Court building, built in 1935 (believe it or not) under budget and ahead of schedule. Built adjacent to the Library of Congress, the Court’s west, and most familiar façade faces the US Capitol. But the present location of the Supreme Court has an interesting history.

After the capitol was burned by the British in 1814 the government bought a large brick building up the street for Congress to meet in. President James Madison was inaugurated in this remodeled structure. The Old Brick Capitol was abandoned after the original capitol was rebuilt. The building fell into disrepair until it was converted into a prison during the Civil War. Several of the people arrested after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln were incarcerated in the building renamed the Old Capitol Prison. The prison was torn down in 1929 to make way for the new Supreme Court building.

God has His own Supreme Court somewhere in the heavens in which He alone presides, and where every person will have to answer for their own individual actions, attitudes, words, thoughts and motives (Jeremiah 17:10; Matthew 12:36; Romans 14:12). Simply stated, every human, saved or unsaved will one day stand before their Creator God and give account for their life on earth (Revelation 22:12). The Bible clearly teaches of two judgments (Ecclesiastes 3:17).

Theologically, the first judgment is for all born-again believers. It is called the Bema Seat Judgment of Christ. This judgment is not for sin. It is to evaluate the believer’s works, good or bad, done during their Christian life on earth (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Sin will never be judged in the life of a believer because Jesus took all their sins away on the cross. The second judgment is for the lost, unrepentant sinners. It is called the Great White Throne Judgment. Jesus Christ will judge the sins of every person there. Their fate has already been determined, and there is no reprieve (Revelation 20:12-15). So, in what courtroom will you stand? Think about it.

AFTER THIS, THEREFORE BECAUSE OF THIS

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

Critical thinking is the logical, systematic process of cognitive understanding. It is thinking about something without emotion and based solely on facts. Although critical thinking is solely lacking in our modern feel-good society, there is a logic theory of cause and effect that you may have never heard of. It is called Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc. That’s Latin for “After this, therefore because of this.” Here’s how it goes---A happens, then B happens, therefore A must have caused B to happen.” The Post Hoc theory doesn’t always happen the way it is explained, but sometimes you may logically wonder if it isn’t true.

James Martineau was an 18^th century English professor of moral philosophy and member of British high intellectual society. As a young man in the 1820s Martineau was a Unitarian minister who preached humanism while denying the virgin birth, deity, vicarious death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many years later Martineau wrote of a singular event that shaped his false belief. He called his metamorphosis moment “apotheosis”; the moment he believed he became a god.

Christian theology recognizes six theories of scriptural inspiration. One such theory is the Natural Inspiration Theory AKA the Intuition Theory. Natural Inspiration is a false doctrine that totally denies any divine supernatural element in scripture. Natural Inspiration teaches that the writers of the Bible were men and women of rare religious and moral genius possessing a unique spiritual insight, but that their works were as Shakespeare, humanly inspiring but not God-sent. James Martineau was a strong advocate for Natural Inspiration.

God is the Author of the Bible (Hebrews 1:1-2). True Bible inspiration was when God “moved” men and women in such a way so as to transfer His words on to paper (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). There have been many great works of literature written by human authors, but nothing compares to the Bible. It truly is the Word of God (Mark 13:31). James Martineau believed God had nothing to do with the Bible. He also believed he was a god. He was grossly wrong on both counts. Think about it.

THE WELCOME STRANGER

   By Dr. M. R. Dowler

On February 5, 1869 two Cornish prospectors, John Deason and Richard Oates discovered the largest gold nugget in history. The nugget, named “The Welcome Stranger” measured 24 inches by 12 inches and weighed 3,123 ounces (over 150 pounds). The nugget, discovered in Victoria, Australia was so large that Deason and Oates had troubling transporting it, only to find that no scale capable of weighing a nugget that large was available. The solution was to break the nugget into three pieces on an anvil.

Gold is the most precious metal on earth, not capable of being tarnished by air, water or most acids. Gold has been used as currency for nearly 2,500 years. Gold is so versatile that it can be melted down over and over again without losing its quality. And a single ounce of gold can be stretched out to make a single wire thirty-five miles long. Interestingly, gold plays a prominent role in the Bible; mentioned nearly 200 times.

In comparison to other religions, Christianity is noted for one thing; its exclusivism. The scriptures explain this theological principle---that absolutely no one can be saved except through faith in Jesus Christ alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5). So important is salvation that it has been God’s top priority from the very beginning of time (Luke 19:10; 2 Peter 3:9). Trouble is, Jesus has never been welcome by His human creation (John 1:11; Romans 3:11).

The theology of salvation has been divided to two different categories---supernatural theology; God came down to save man, and natural theology; man’s futile attempt to climb up to God for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Salvation is a big deal! The world says there are many ways to God, but this is simply not so. Jesus honors those who choose Him (John 1:12). The Lord Jesus refers to Himself as a welcome stranger sought out by those who want Him (Matthew 25:35-40). Think about it.