God's Preservation of His Truth
The Truth is extremely important. Christians know that Jesus is the Truth as He taught us in John 14:6. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." Unless we know the Truth, we are lost and cannot find our way. Jesus is the Living Word that is the Truth. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior by faith know the Truth.
Yet, even though a Christian knows the Truth, and can be highly educated in the Word of God, the devil can cause him to doubt. The Bible records that two great men of God, Thomas the Apostle and John the Baptist, had times when they were plagued with doubt. Jesus allayed John's fears in Matthew 11:2-6 by reminding him that God had come to earth to perform great miracles. Jesus displaced Thomas' doubt with faith when He revealed His nail and spear scarred but glorious risen body to Thomas in John 20:24-29. In these two stories, God demonstrates to us that He can overcome our doubts by reminding us of His loving sacrifice and His almighty power.
False religions such as the Roman Catholic Church, false scientists such as Charles Darwin, false Biblical scholars such as Westcott and Hort, and false church historians such as such as Vedder and Whitsitt have caused serious doubts about the almighty power of God to arise in Christian people since the completion of the written Word of God. The Gnostics, and all the other cults and deliberate deceptions,have been the work of satan since Jesus ascended to heaven.
Nevertheless, God has preserved the pure Truth of His Word from the time of the Apostles, through the Antioch church and the Baptist people, to the King James Bible that we hold in our hands. True historians have recorded the preservation of the pure Word of God as prophesied in Psalm 12:6-7. In addition, true historians have recorded that God has preserved His true New Testament churches through the efforts of the Baptist Christians, even despite terrible persecutions, from Pentecost to the present day.
A careful study of the true history of Christianity, and of the world and true science for that matter, should dispell any doubts instilled into the hearts of Christians by the devil as to the eternal presence of the almighty power of God "throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
Recommended Readings:
The Collegiate Baptist History Workbook by James R. Beller
American Foundations Laid by Baptists by Ted Alexander
The Trail of Blood by J.M. Carroll
The New Testament Church by David W. Cloud
These books can be ordered from any Christian Book Store.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Friday, March 4, 2016
Commentary on Descartes
Rene Descartes began his philosophy by assuming that everything could be an illusion. He was trying to overcome extreme skepticism by finding if anything existed of which one could be certain. By his famous dictum, "I think, therefore I am," he concluded that the one certainty he had was that he existed.
Later, he speculated that the mind interacts with the world through the pineal gland. But he forgot that the pineal gland, being but an object to the mind, could itself be but an illusion. Had he thought of that, he would have realized that his thoughts must be solipsistic, and he would have been forced to return to his skeptical position that everything could be an illusion.
However, whether everything is an illusion or not, one can still be certain that an experience in process is happening. The quanta of experience is happening. Light and darkness, shapes and mist, hard and soft, motion and stillness are happening whether these are illusory or real. This can only mean that the basis of all experience must be consciousness. Consciousness itself must be real whether everything else is illusory or real. All of the objects of consciousness may be an illusion, but consciousness itself has to be real.
At this point, consciousness realizes that consciousness can be conscious of itself, and that this self-consciousness is located to one position. Since consciousness itself must be real, then so must self-consciousness. Self-consciousness localizes consciousness to one particular set of experiences. In this way, one can be certain that one's self exists.
Nevertheless, everything except consciousness could be an illusion. But since there exists no known way to determine whether everything except consciousness is real or an illusion, then by default it really does not matter. One might as well accept everything as real because no method exists to test whether everything is real or an illusion.
Later, he speculated that the mind interacts with the world through the pineal gland. But he forgot that the pineal gland, being but an object to the mind, could itself be but an illusion. Had he thought of that, he would have realized that his thoughts must be solipsistic, and he would have been forced to return to his skeptical position that everything could be an illusion.
However, whether everything is an illusion or not, one can still be certain that an experience in process is happening. The quanta of experience is happening. Light and darkness, shapes and mist, hard and soft, motion and stillness are happening whether these are illusory or real. This can only mean that the basis of all experience must be consciousness. Consciousness itself must be real whether everything else is illusory or real. All of the objects of consciousness may be an illusion, but consciousness itself has to be real.
At this point, consciousness realizes that consciousness can be conscious of itself, and that this self-consciousness is located to one position. Since consciousness itself must be real, then so must self-consciousness. Self-consciousness localizes consciousness to one particular set of experiences. In this way, one can be certain that one's self exists.
Nevertheless, everything except consciousness could be an illusion. But since there exists no known way to determine whether everything except consciousness is real or an illusion, then by default it really does not matter. One might as well accept everything as real because no method exists to test whether everything is real or an illusion.
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