PREPARED TO ANSWER
SECOND EDITION
Bible Jubilee
What Is New in the Second Edition?
• The First Edition was my first full-length book,
written back in 1995.
• Much has changed in the religious climate of
America since that time.
• The new edition is now published by Illumination
Publishers, International (IPI) and has a strikingly
beautiful new cover!
• It is almost 40 pages longer, with much new
material, including the following:
– An up-to-date Introduction to the Catholic
sections.
– New interpretations of difficult passages.
– Chapter on "A Long History of Reactions"
rewritten to be kinder toward the Mainline
Church and more honest about ourselves.
– “Mainline Church of Christ” chapter is a broader
(also kinder) “Restoration Churches” chapter.
– A new chapter on Evangelicalism in the 21st
Century – the past, present and possible future.
– Two new appendices:
• Watchman Nee’s Teaching on Soul And Spirit:
A Form of Neo-Gnosticism
• Matters of Conscience: A Deeper Look
Prepared To Answer: 1 Peter 3:15-16
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for
the hope that you have. But do this with
gentleness and respect, keeping a clear
conscience, so that those who speak
maliciously against your good behavior in
Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
• Peter gives us some extraordinary insights into
being “ready to answer.”
–We must have a committed heart to Jesus as
the Lord of our lives.
–We must have trained minds − being
prepared to answer others demands that we
know what we believe and why we believe it.
–We must have controlled speech – with
gentleness and respect for others.
–We must have an exemplary life
characterized by good behavior.
Two Basic Purposes of This Jubilee:
• The first is to strengthen your biblical
convictions so that you can strengthen
the convictions of other disciples.
• The second is to help us know what is
incorrect about the doctrinal
backgrounds of the people we are
reaching out to, in order to help them
see God’s truths.
SESSION ONE
WORLD RELIGIONS
• The number of religions in the world is
staggering, and even the number of
major world religions is large.
• We will focus on the three having the
most followers: Hinduism, Buddhism and
the Muslim religion.
• In an extensive survey two years ago, the
world’s major religions were numbered
as follows:
• 2.2 billion in Christianity (32% of
population)
• 1.6 billion Muslims (23%)
• 1 billion Hindus (15%)
• .5 billion Buddhists (7%)
• 1.1 billion unaffiliated (16%)
• Only a majority of Jews and Buddhists
live in nations where they are the
minority.
•Christians
•Muslims
•Religiously
Groupings Unaffiliated
According •Hindus
to Size: •Buddhists
•Folk Religionists
•Other Religions
•Jews
Hinduism
• Founded about 1500 BC (but elements go
back thousands of years). No official founder.
• India is about 80% Hindu (largest population);
Nepal is 90% (largest percentage).
• For the Western mind, Eastern religions are
difficult to grasp.
• The complexities and variations add to the
challenge.
Key Concepts:
– The material world is illusionary ─ not real. If it can be
measured, it is an illusion.
– Humans ─ don’t deny our existence, but we live in a
cyclical world, which is where reincarnation comes in.
– Based on our karma (behavior), we may come back as a
human in a higher or lower social caste, but could come
back as any animal or even an inanimate object.
– We can be released through knowledge, meditation,
faith or devotion to a god or goddess (and they have
thousands, perhaps millions ─ you can find the number
33 million used).
– Our soul (atman) escapes by becoming a part of the
world soul, so we can find release (and relief).
• Few universal beliefs ─ highly complex, and the
followers chose something within Hinduism that
they focus on. No concern about logic.
• Professional priesthood handed down father to son.
• Popular level ─ the people don’t have much
knowledge of their “Scriptures” ─ many of which
are Epic Poems, although others (like the Vedas) are
texts.
• Polytheistic, atheistic, monistic (all is god),
pantheism (god is in everything)
• Difference between Eastern meditation (emptying
your mind) and biblical meditation (filling your mind
with God and Scripture).
Buddhism
• Founded around 500 BC by Siddhartha Gautama
(the Buddha). Interesting story (5 min on You
Tube).
• He rejected much (most?) of Hinduism.
• The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
– All is suffering.
– Suffering comes from desire.
– Desire comes from a (false) belief in self.
– To escape this illusion, we must follow the
eight-fold path (thinking and doing right).
A Few Concepts:
• There is no self, only a stream of consciousness.
• Hinduism, all is one, and your soul (atman)
becomes a part of the world soul; Buddhism says
you have no soul.
• Buddhism changed much after the death of the
Buddha. He was basically non-theistic (but most
can’t live without some god).
• Relationships, right and wrong, etc. – all illusion.
• Yet, compassion is highly valued in Buddhism,
which is to us weird. Their monks shared kindness
as they spread the religion.
• Reincarnation (rebirth) big focus in Eastern
Religions.
• Different in Hinduism and Buddhism.
• Popularized in Western World by New Age
Philosophy.
• Nirvana – not what we typically think of as a state
of ecstasy.
• Mantra is a holy sound (aum, om being the most
basic) – different types of chants.
• Tibetan Buddhism – known because of the Dalai
Lama, who is seen as the reincarnation of the god
of compassion by his followers).
How Did Paul Deal With Pagan
Religions? (Acts 17:22-31)
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the
Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see
that in every way you are very religious. 23 For
as I walked around and looked carefully at
your objects of worship, I even found an altar
with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.
So you are ignorant of the very thing you
worship—and this is what I am going to
proclaim to you.
24 “The
God who made the world and everything
in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not
live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is
not served by human hands, as if he needed
anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life
and breath and everything else. 26 From one man
he made all the nations, that they should inhabit
the whole earth; and he marked out their
appointed times in history and the boundaries of
their lands. 27 God did this so that they would
seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find
him, though he is not far from any one of us.
28 ‘For
in him we live and move and have our
being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We
are his offspring.’ 29 “Therefore since we are
God’s offspring, we should not think that the
divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an
image made by human design and skill. 30 In the
past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he
commands all people everywhere to repent. 31
For he has set a day when he will judge the world
with justice by the man he has appointed. He has
given proof of this to everyone by raising him
from the dead.”
Key Points from the Text:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
There is but one God.
He is Creator of all.
He is Spirit (not idol) and does not need man.
But he wants a relationship with man.
He provides for man to demonstrate this.
He calls for us to repent.
There is a Judgment Day coming.
Jesus’ resurrection guarantees this.
•
•
•
•
My study with the Chinese young men at UCSD.
Tolerance – past and present, people & concepts.
All roads lead to heaven???
John 8:24 – I told you that you would die in your
sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim
to be], you will indeed die in your sins."
John 14:6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.”
• Acts 4:12 – Salvation is found in no one else, for
there is no other name under heaven given to
mankind by which we must be saved.”
Muslim Religion
• Founded by Muhammad (spelled a variety of ways)
when the angel Gabriel began appearing to him in
610 AD.
• Their Scripture is the Koran (Qur'an), consisting of
114 chapters (Suras, Surahs) each divided into
verses (ranging from 3 to 286 verses).
• Of the 114 chapters in the Quran, 86 are classified
as Meccan, while 28 are Medinan.
• The Hadith contains the many traditions, tells
more about Muhammad, is more inflammatory.
Five Pillars of Islam (word means submission):
• Confession: that Allah is the one God and
Muhammad is his messenger. This is how one
becomes a Muslim – much like the "Sinner's prayer"
of many Protestant Christians.
• Prayer: five times daily, facing Mecca. (Originally
Jerusalem).
• Alms: giving to the needy is also required, about 2%
of one's income (Sunni Muslims) or 20% (Shi’ites).
• Fasting: a daylight fast (from food and drink) during
the Muslim month of Ramadan.
• Pilgrimage: once in one's lifetime one should try to
visit the holy city of Mecca.
Issues in the Koran:
• “marry the women whom you like – two at a time,
or three or four; then if you fear that you cannot
keep two women equally then marry only one or
the bondwomen you own…” 4:3
• “Men are in charge of women, as Allah has made
one of them superior to the other…and the women
from whom you fear disobedience, advise them and
(then) do not cohabit with them, and (lastly) beat
them; then if they obey you, do not seek to do
injustice to them…” 4:34
Jihad (meaning “struggle,” physical or spiritual)
• “When your Lord revealed to the angels: I am with
you, therefore make firm those who believe. I will
cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve.
Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every
fingertip of them.” 8:12
• Fatwa – legal pronouncement (death threat).
• Three types of sins – accepting any Deity besides
Allah is the worst (shirk), carrying a death sentence.
• Make no mistake about it, the writings of Islam give
the right to kill one’s enemies, and the infidels (all
non-Muslims) are the enemy.
The Koran Examined:
• It calls for acceptance of the Gospel and the Torah
(Law).
• However, the modern approach is to say they have
been corrupted and cannot be trusted.
• The Koran has many historical, textual and
scientific errors, in spite of claims to the contrary.
• Many modern translations try to tone down and
even remove the original readings.
• The Koran and the Book of Mormon show the
evidences of the biblical ignorance of their
authors.
Suggestions For Reaching Out to Muslims
(Jacoby):
•
•
•
•
•
Connect
Search for common ground
Talk about Allah
Talk about Jesus
Be faithful – reach out
Study done by a professor at Fuller Theological
Seminary of six hundred ex-Muslims – The
nature of Jesus and the nature of Christians
were the main two things quoted as reasons for
converting.
SESSION TWO
TULIP
(Not a Flower!)
Calvinism
PTA – CHAPTER SEVEN
Calvinism: Doctrinal Basis of
Protestantism
Basic Foundation
T—total depravity
U—unconditional election
L—limited atonement
I —irresistible grace
P—perseverance of the saints
TOTAL DEPRAVITY
Calvinistic Claim: Every person is born guilty of
Adamic sin, and, in fact, is totally depraved.
Bible Truth:
• Jesus spoke of those with “good and honest”
hearts, who could thus choose to obey God (Luke
8:11-15).
• Cornelius had impressed God with his heart, even
as a non-Christian (Acts 10:1-4).
• Deceivers were said to go from “bad to worse,”
which makes no sense if they were already totally
depraved (2 Timothy 3:13).
UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
• Calvinistic Claim: Due to man’s supposed
total depravity, God’s election of man must of
necessity be unconditional.
• Bible Truth: God does not show favoritism,
but accepts those who choose to do right
(Acts 10:34-35).
• God does not want the wicked to die, but
rather to repent (Ezekiel 33:11).
• The potter and clay illustration of Romans 9
does not mean that the clay has nothing to do
with how it is shaped (2 Timothy 2:20-21).
• God calls us by the gospel (2 Thessalonians
2:13-14), and he wants all to receive this call
(Mark 16:15), but we have the responsibility
to accept the “clothing” offered to us as we
choose to be chosen (Matthew 22:1-14).
LIMITED ATONEMENT
• Calvinistic Claim: The atonement was
limited, hence Christ died only for the elect.
• Bible Truth: Jesus clearly died for everyone,
although everyone will not accept him.
–See Luke 2:10; John 1:29;John 3:16; 2
Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 Timothy 2:5-6;
Hebrews 2:9; 1 John 2:2.
• Hebrews 2:9
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower
than the angels, now crowned with glory and
honor because he suffered death, so that by
the grace of God he might taste death for
everyone.
• 1 John 2:2
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not
only for ours but also for the sins of the whole
world.
IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
• Calvinistic Claim: God’s grace is irresistible to
the ones whom he has elected.
• Bible Truth: All of the choices given by God in
his Word would make no sense at all unless
they are indeed genuine choices (Luke 9:23;
Acts 2:40; Romans 2:6-11; Hebrews 3:25;
12:25).
–Jesus says very pointedly that we can
choose to do God’s will (John 7:17).
• John 7:17
If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find
out whether my teaching comes from God or
whether I speak on my own.
• Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let
him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is
thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let
him take the free gift of the water of life.
PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
• Calvinistic Claim: If a person is one of the
elect, he will become a Christian, and he will
persevere (cannot fall away).
• Bible Truth: Hebrews is an entire book
warning about this possibility (Hebrews 2:13; 3:7-13: 6:4-6; 10:26-31; 12:25).
• Compare the will not’s in John 3:36 and John
5:24. Why would one be reversible and the
other irreversible?
John 5:24
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and
believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not
be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but
whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s
wrath remains on them.
• An unbeliever can become a believer, and a
believer can become an unbeliever.
• Hebrews 3:12-13 – See to it, brothers, that
none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart
that turns away from the living God. 13 But
encourage one another daily, as long as it is
called Today, so that none of you may be
hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
• See John 15:5-6; 1 Corinthians 9:27;
Galatians 5:4; and 2 Peter 2:20-22 for
similar passages.
SESSION THREE
DENOMINATIONAL
CONVERSION I
Question: Does Doctrine Really
Matter That Much?
• 1 Timothy 4:16 says that it does.
• But it also says that life matters just
as much.
• We live in an “either/or” day, but I’m
a “both/and” man on many subjects
– because that is what I read in the
Bible.
Question: What Is Sound Doctrine?
• The basic meaning of the Greek term for
sound means “whole” or “healthy.”
• We use the phrase “of sound mind and
body.”
• Many passages in the NT translate the
the Greek term, hugiainô, as “sound” or
“healthy.”
Doctrine Matters To God For At Least
Two Good Reasons:
• Holding to it shows that we honor God as
God – He’s the Boss!
• It is what makes us healthy, whether we
understand just why and how it does it.
• God always wants the best for us, but we
have to accept that by developing a
balanced view of him and the life he asks
us to live.
A KEY PASSAGE
Romans 11:22: “ Consider therefore the kindness and
sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but
kindness to you, provided that you continue in his
kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.”
• The question of balance in religion is of paramount
importance – in many, many areas.
• One key area, of course, is in how we see God – which this
verses addresses.
– Background of both Jews and Gentiles in the church
(self-righteous, for different reasons)
– What about us in our past and present in this same
regard?
• Another area that grows out of this one is
how we think God views us (the ends of
the spectrum explained).
• Then we get to the whole issue of grace
and obedience – and how performance fits
into the picture.
• Another area for our movement is how we
view our past – good and bad.
• Overreactions are a plague and one of
Satan’s finest tools – which we must learn
to avoid like the plague.
Who Is My Brother?
• Short answer – anyone who comes into a
saved relationship with God through Jesus is
my brother.
• But let’s look biblically for the answer to that,
beginning in the Book of Acts – the history
book of the establishment of the church and
its spread all over the known world.
• Let’s ask the basic question of what the
conversion process is and let God answer it.
Acts 2:36-41
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made
this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the
heart and said to Peter and the other apostles,
"Brothers, what shall we do?“ 38 Peter replied, "Repent
and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for
you and your children and for all who are far off--for all
whom the Lord our God will call.“ 40 With many other
words he warned them; and he pleaded with them,
"Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.“ 41 Those
who accepted his message were baptized, and about
three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your
sins may be wiped out, that times of
refreshing may come from the Lord.
Acts 8:9-13
Now for some time a man named Simon had
practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the
people of Samaria. He boasted that he was
someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and
low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This
man is the divine power known as the Great Power.“
11 They followed him because he had amazed them
for a long time with his magic. 12 But when they
believed Philip as he preached the good news of the
kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they
were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon
himself believed and was baptized. And he followed
Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs
and miracles he saw.
Acts 8:34-39
The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the
prophet talking about, himself or someone else?"
35 Then Philip began with that very passage of
Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to
some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is
water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?“ 38 And he gave
orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the
eunuch went down into the water and Philip
baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the
water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip
away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but
went on his way rejoicing.
Acts 10:46-48
Then Peter said, 47 "Can anyone keep these
people from being baptized with water?
They have received the Holy Spirit just as
we have.“ 48 So he ordered that they be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then
they asked Peter to stay with them for a
few days.
Acts 16:25-34
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners
were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was
such a violent earthquake that the
foundations of the prison were shaken. At
once all the prison doors flew open, and
everybody's chains came loose. 27 The jailer
woke up, and when he saw the prison doors
open, he drew his sword and was about to kill
himself because he thought the prisoners had
escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm
yourself! We are all here!“
29 The
jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell
trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought
them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?“ 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus,
and you will be saved--you and your household.“ 32
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to
all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the
night the jailer took them and washed their wounds;
then immediately he and all his family were
baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house
and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy
because he had come to believe in God--he and his
whole family.
Acts 18:8
Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his
entire household believed in the
Lord; and many of the Corinthians
who heard him believed and were
baptized.
Acts 19:1-5
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road
through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There
he found some disciples 2 and asked them, "Did
you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
They answered, "No, we have not even heard that
there is a Holy Spirit.“ 3 So Paul asked, "Then what
baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they
replied. 4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism
of repentance. He told the people to believe in the
one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.“ 5 On
hearing this, they were baptized into the name of
the Lord Jesus.
Acts 22:14-16
"Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has
chosen you to know his will and to see
the Righteous One and to hear words
from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness
to all men of what you have seen and
heard. 16 And now what are you waiting
for? Get up, be baptized and wash your
sins away, calling on his name.‘
Other Key Passages:
Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All
authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. 19 Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end
of the age."
Romans 6:3-4
Or don't you know that all of us who
were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? 4 We were
therefore buried with him through
baptism into death in order that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, we too may live
a new life.
Galatians 3:26-27
You are all sons of God through faith in
Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who
were baptized into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ.
Titus 3:3-5
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient,
deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions
and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy,
being hated and hating one another. 4 But
when the kindness and love of God our Savior
appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of
righteous things we had done, but because of
his mercy. He saved us through the washing of
rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit…
1 Peter 3:20-21
God waited patiently in the days of Noah
while the ark was being built. In it only a
few people, eight in all, were saved
through water, 21 and this water
symbolizes baptism that now saves you
also--not the removal of dirt from the
body but the pledge of a good conscience
toward God. It saves you by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ…
Bottom Line Conclusion
• There’s water in the plan!
• In studying with hundreds of people through a
number of decades, here is what I have
experienced:
– Those with no religious background (thus not
mis-taught) have never questioned the
necessity of baptism.
– Those who have questioned it are always
those with different religious backgrounds.
• Let’s go back to the first conversion example in Acts 2:38 –
both repentance and baptism are for the forgiveness of
sins.
– My background in the Mainline Church of Christ.
– What I saw about repentance being taught.
• Stop doing wrong, but not so much emphasis on
starting to do right – representing Jesus and carrying
out his mission to seek and save the lost.
• My experiences in my home town with the preacher’s
wife and very young kids being baptized.
• My experience in Oregon during the PE workshop
with the hippy.
– A recent example in Phoenix at a large Christian Church.
Luke 14:25-33 is Still in the Bible!
• The Book of Luke is written to a Gentile
audience, and is all about repentance.
• Luke 14 is one of the strongest passages in
the New Testament defining repentance.
• Three “cannots”:
–Hate your family and your own life.
–Take up your cross and follow Jesus.
–Give up everything you have for Christ.
SESSION FOUR
DENOMINATIONAL
CONVERSION II
PTA – CHAPTER EIGHT
Protestant Doctrines of Salvation:
the Relationship Between Faith
and Baptism
Infant Baptism: No Relationship
• Colossians 2:12 demands personal faith.
• Original sin is the mainstay of this doctrine.
• Another argument comes in trying to parallel
baptism with OT circumcision.
• Colossians 2:11-13 often used to support this
comparison.
• List of reasons against this comparison in PTA, page
102.
• Read Hebrews 8:11 in its context carefully – in the
OT, people were born and then taught; in the NT,
they are taught and then born.
Evangelical Adult Baptism:
The Wrong Relationship
• Evangelicals teach that a person is saved at the
point of faith (their definition) and then baptized
at some later point.
• Baptism is viewed as "an outward sign of an
inward grace."
• They argue that since many more passages
mention faith than mention baptism, faith must
be the essential ingredient while baptism is
important but not essential.
Faith Only VS Faith Plus Baptism
Helpful Explanations and Illustrations:
• Figure of speech (synecdoche) where a part is
mentioned to indicate the whole (like repentance
in Luke 24:44-49). Think “Steak Dinner!”
• Recipe concept.
• Answers to the question of how to be saved in Acts
were based on the present position of those being
addressed. (Compare to asking the distance to a
given city as you are en route.)
• The fall of Jericho – compare Joshua 6:2 with
Hebrews 11:30 (not what, but when).
• Marriage analogy.
• Citizenship analogy.
• What about the thief on the cross? (a
covenant issue)
• Restricted sense and comprehensive
sense.
–Restricted sense: Acts 18:8; Acts
11:21; Mark 16:16; John 12:42; and
James 2:19.
–Comprehensive sense: John 3:16; John
20:30-31; Romans 1:16; Acts 4:4 and
Acts 16:34.
CONCLUSION
• These kinds of questions are the ones we have to
find God’s answers for.
• We have gotten closer to where we need to be,
in a variety of ways – let’s face the future with
wisdom, but a wisdom undergirded with faith in
God and a total commitment to his Son!
• May he help us to dig into his Word as we move
forward – being ready to answer others
regarding our faith – but most importantly, being
ready to answer to him on that Great Day!