Dobra Family Blog

The Bible Knights Quest! - Bible Challenge 2010 - Week 16 - 07/25/2010

Week 16 - Luke Chapter 16
 
Knights and Ladies,
 
"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
Luke 16:31

The rich man in hell asks for a sign to be sent warning his family. But would they believe it? “Unbelief is due, not to a lack of evidence, but to a rebellious heart.”

I used to be a die hard anti-religious skeptic. Of course, as I investigated the evidence in order to shred it and humiliate those that followed it in “blind” faith, I couldn't help but notice that it took more faith to not believe! God captured my heart. Jesus did what he said he did and is who he says he is. “He claimed to be God, and He promised to die and come back to life. Then He did it. . . the foremost thing that sets Jesus and Christianity apart from every other 'belief system' is the resurrection of Christ.” (1)

There was once another die hard skeptic, “Saul had killed numerous Christians, yet when Jesus (after His resurrection) appeared to Saul, the man became one of the greatest defenders of Christianity. It is an undisputed fact of history that Saul was a prominent persecutor of Christians. It is also a matter of record that he changed radically and became known as Paul, a powerful leader of the early church.”

Yeah, but didn't he just do it for fame and fortune? “With the exception of John, every one of Jesus' disciples died a martyr's death. Peter was crucified, Paul was killed after several long imprisonments, and Thomas, who had been a 'doubter' until he saw the resurrected Christ, carried the message all the way to India, where he ministered for many years before finally being martyred. It is simply not plausible that so many disciples would endure martyrdom for a lie.” They saw Jesus return from the dead, they knew His claims were true!

Believe it! Jesus is the Christ! He died, taking the punishment for my sins, and rose again!

Receive it! All of us deserve the punishment Jesus endured, and none of us deserved the free gift He gave by taking our punishment for us. It is a gift from God, receive it.

Become a child of God! Grow in the love of a heavenly father.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:12

“The Jews refused to accept Christ, though Moses and the prophets testified of him. They asked for a sign, and 'the sign of the prophet Jonah,' his resurrection from the dead, was given. Still they refused to repent. Unbelief is due, not to a lack of evidence, but to a rebellious heart. The seat of skepticism is in the moral nature. ”
(“The People's New Testament” 1891)

Commentaries:
www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries
 
Accept the challenge, take the quest!

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
 

1. “Christian Worldview For Students: A Priceless Gift in 30 Daily Readings” Brannon Howse, Worldview Weekend Publishing, 2006