April 2007 Newsletter


"Awakening"  

By: Brian Buehrlen


Have you ever had one of those moments? I'll call it…an awakening, because that's just how it feels. It's almost as if you were Rip Van Winkle himself! And some time ago you had found yourself nestled down, to take a bit of a nap, only to wake up and find that everything had changed. Well, I had one of those moments about a year or so ago and it became a foundation for several more of those moments.We have all heard people use the phrase "throw caution to the wind," I am sure of it. But doesn't it seem like everyone these days, rather than throwing caution, instead are throwing sound logic to the wind. I found myself just days ago reading an article claiming to shed new light on the real Jesus. This was an article comparing the Jesus of the Bible, to the Jesus mentioned in what are called the Gnostic gospels. The logic therein, was inconceivable. Norman Geisler says, "Logic is a way to think so that we can come to correct conclusions by understanding implications and the mistakes people often make in thinking." The key to that statement, and where awakening comes in, is the part about mistakes people often make in their thinking. Logically speaking, an argument or claim is invalid when a mistake is made in the reasoning. In short, the claim might be labeled inconceivable. It is amazing, when you are looking, how many mistakes people often make in their thinking. I am sure that these mistakes are just that for most people, yet at times, considering the source, it appears people use logic as a sleight of hand trick to win people to a conclusion that may not be valid. Nevertheless, when a mistake is made, false conclusion is made. Allow me to demonstrate.

Smith – "Christians are good people!"

Joe – "You know Smith, others say we are pretty good people."

Smith – "Well then my young padawan, we must be Christians."

*Nothing about being a good person means you are a follower and believer in Christ. Just because you believe you're a good person doesn't mean you're a Christian.

Mark 10:18 - …no one is good except God alone.

The article I mentioned above sought to give legitimacy to the Gnostic gospels. These are gospels claiming to tell the real story of Jesus, some of which are written two hundred years after His death. It was obvious there was mistake in the reasoning of the Gnostic supporters. For instance, the Gnostic's claim that truth is found within. If that is the case, then why did Gnostic's claim they received special knowledge from the Godhead. This article is to introduce us to the real Jesus, but what if my knowledge tells me otherwise. Is Gnosticism suddenly untrue according to its own definition of what truth is? Inconceivable! The logic of modern Gnostics is much like the logic of Joe and Smith.

Desi – "People often deny the truth!"

Mallory – "Yes, and you know early Christians denied Gnosticism."

Nolan – "Well then my slobber soaked friends, Gnosticism must be true."

*There are obvious reasons as to why the early church denied those gospels, the foremost reason being they were false in both content and authorship.

Imagine, someday in the distant future, a little boy discovers one of my 4th grade math tests. My grandmother use to keep some of them tucked away in photo albums. Upon close examination, it is realized that I missed one single problem. The teacher had marked out my original answer, and wrote in bold red ink, "I KEEP TELLING YOU 2+2 IS 4! I can see it now; the little boy would begin to ponder, "Why was the teacher so adamant that the answer be 4?" Why is this test, not all tests, hidden secretly in this album?" "What if this Brian is right?" And people said I would never be responsible for mathematical revolution.

The story above, as silly as it sounds, is just what modern believers in Gnosticism have done. But why does this matter?

1 Timothy 6:20,21

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.

Brothers and sisters, we can be easily deceived if we aren't careful. People are continuously attempting to make the Bible just another book. If we are sleeping, we might awaken someday only to find that things have changed completely. So I urge you, open your eyes to the illogic that surrounds you.