|
The Strongest Evidence
By Patrick Richardson, Torrington
Noel Ambery claims that current Christian thought seems to have veered away from the avenue of sanity [The Crucifixion, March 29]. If we were to take Ambery’s misleading statements and his understanding of Christian doctrine at face value, then I would agree it appears that Christians have been sadly deceived for centuries. However, when we examine the misconceptions and faulty information that Ambery penned in his article, it becomes clear that someone else has veered from the path of truth.
Ambery’s statement concerning the reliability of the gospel accounts is unwarranted. The gospel of Mark does not give a location concerning Jesus’ ascension. It says that after He spoke to his disciples He was taken up from them; no time frame or location is specified. The gospel of Luke does say "the vicinity of Bethany." If one were to look at a map it is very clear that the Mount of Olives is very close to Bethany. These accounts are not contradictory; they are complementary.
The authors of the gospel offer different details in their accounts concerning the crucifixion, which actually shows that these authors were not part of a cover-up or conspiracy. When people conspire to falsify a story, they take great pains to make sure every detail is identical. With this in mind, it is clear that the supposed contradictions of the crucifixion actually serve to strengthen the validity of the Biblical accounts.
And we do not only trust in the Bible for our evidence of the crucifixion. Not only is there evidence of the reliability of the gospel accounts from Christian sources, there is also evidence from non-Christian sources. If the crucifixion was not a historical event, then where is all the contradictory evidence of the crucifixion and resurrection? The burden of proof lies on the accuser, and Ambery has not succeeded in proving that these events did not occur.
Ambery states that the Bible is silent on how a person may achieve salvation, but even a cursory reading of the New Testament makes it very clear how our salvation has been secured. I wonder how Ambery could have missed this. It is the very heart of the New Testament, and the Old Testament supports it very well. Salvation is conferred on the believer through the sacrificial death of the perfect, sinless Son of God. Romans 10:13, one of many verses dealing with salvation, states: "Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." This would hardly qualify as silence!
The Gospel writers had eyewitness accounts as well as a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Secondary mythological fairytales were the furthest thing from their minds. Therefore, Ambery’s list of "savior-gods" needs to be addressed as well. The mythological account of the mummy-god Osiris is vastly different from the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Osiris never rose from the dead; rather he supposedly lives an existence that is a replica of his earthly existence while he reigns over the dead (The Bible and the Ancient Near East, 1971, p. 236). The myths of Attis and Adonis actually serve to illustrate the influence of the one true Savior—the earliest texts available are dated over one hundred years after the resurrection of Jesus! It sounds like the transfer of a "savior- god" may have occurred in the opposite direction. Other questions must be asked concerning these legends. How many followers of these myths have died for what they believed? How many believers do these "savior-gods" have today? Do they have millions of people claiming to have the same personal relationship with their mythological gods that Christians have claimed to have with Jesus Christ for 2,000 years?
Seeing that Ambery missed the central message of the New Testament, it is not a surprise that his understanding of the Trinity is also suspect. Scripture teaches that there is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They are distinct from one another, all existing at the same time. There is one being, three persons who are unified in nature.
Jesus Christ offered us a sample of the true nature of God. The atonement of Jesus Christ offers forgiveness and redemption for the believer. Ambery is evidently under the impression that Jesus’ death was meant to eradicate sin from the world. This is not the case. People are inherently sinful, and as long as there are people, there will be sin in the world. Because of the death of Jesus, we can overcome the consequences of our sin and have eternal life. Once the believer experiences spiritual rebirth, the spirit leads them to become more like Jesus as they follow Him.
There is not enough space to address evolution, but science and anthropology are divided over this issue. Many prominent scientists are actually moving toward accepting the idea of a Creator, and every day scientific discoveries such as the complexity of DNA actually point to the fact that the idea of a randomly produced universe is simply infeasible. However, that’s another subject entirely. Even if life began 7 to 10 million years ago, the perfect atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ still serves to provide for the forgiveness of sins. The Bible also teaches us that when we accept Christ, God chooses to toss our sins into a "sea of forgetfulness." This may meet Ambery’s requirement for a "loving God."
In an earlier article [Mythology Gone Crazy, March 8] Ambery also stated (referring to the darkness that occurred at the moment of the crucifixion) that "no one—and I mean no one—anywhere in the world noticed this ‘noontime darkness.’" This is also incorrect. A secular historian named Thallus, who wrote a history of the Eastern Mediterranean world from the Trojan War to his time (approx. 52 AD), described an eclipse of the sun occurring during the afternoon that Jesus Christ was crucified. Ambery should refrain from making such sweeping statements unless he can back them up with evidence!
Noel Ambery asks good questions and seems to take his quest for truthful answers seriously. However, he begins his quest with a presupposition that Christianity cannot possibly be true. In doing so, he closes his mind to a system of belief that has withstood time, persecution, perversion, and social change. I would encourage him to consider the firsthand testimony of people today who have had their lives changed by experiencing the resurrected Christ. This above all else is the strongest evidence there is.
| 
