Gospel e-Letter

"You only live once, so enjoy the ride while it lasts! Don't bother about tomorrow!" The Apostle Paul makes an interesting point: if death is the end of everything—if there is no resurrection—then the logical approach to life would be to indulge in all the pleasure we can while we have the chance. He writes, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’” (1 Cor. 15:32). Isn’t this the very mindset of our world today? Many people reject the idea of Jesus’ resurrection or the hope of life beyond the grave. But if death is truly the final curtain, what is the point of it all? Why spend years studying for exams, working hard to build a career, saving to buy a home, or striving for success—if, in the end, everything vanishes like mist? If our existence is nothing more than a fleeting moment between birth and oblivion, then life itself becomes absurd. The wise and the foolish, the rich and the poor—all share the same fate: emptiness, darkness, noth...

Every person has the unique privilege of being created in the image of God. All of us carry the likeness of our Maker (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 5:1-2; Genesis 9:6; James 3:9). For this reason we ought to respect one another. Moreover I will be greatly offended if someone spits on and tears a photograph of my wife, even though it’s just a picture. Even so, when someone mistreats, injures or kills a fellow man, God considers such behaviour as a personal affront against him (see Genesis 9:6). The way I treat other people is a sign of my attitude to God in whose image they are made. I cannot be ‘for God’ unless I am also ‘for life’ – from its beginning to its end, from conception to death. What does it mean to be pro-life? It is a celebration of the gift of life given to us by the Lord. Despite the sorrows and pains that come our way, we need to learn to enjoy all that is beautiful and good, with thanksgiving and a grateful heart. We need to care about others too. We should do ever...

(Gospel e-Letter - March 2013) What do evangelicals mean by the term ‘sola Scriptura’ – by Scripture alone? An evangelical may answer, ‘As a Christian I do not need anything else besides the Bible – there is no need for tradition, creeds, councils or even a statement of faith. I can interpret the Bible for myself apart from the church, ministers, teachers or fallible human books.’ Unfortunately many evangelicals would agree with that description of sola scriptura. But that popular concept is NOT what the Reformation principle of ‘sola Scriptura’ stands for. 1. Sola Scriptura asserts that the Bible is the complete Word of God to the church, and thus it is sufficient as a rule of faith and practice for God’s people. The Bible is God’s full message to us and there is nothing missing that we must discover through tradition or further divine revelation. Nonetheless there is a legitimate place for tradition. ‘Tradition’ is not a dirty word; it simply means the handling down of b...

If I were a Catholic apologist, I would concentrate my attacks on evangelicals on two doctrines, namely sola scriptura and sola fide . Given the gross spiritual ignorance and rampant error among evangelicals, I should be able to destroy the very foundations of their religion in no time. Take the popular concept of sola scriptura among many evangelicals. They think that the Bible teaches that the Bible alone is the only authority, and thus they reject the claims of an infallible magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church, and indeed of every other authority, including the authority of their own local churches and their pastors. There is no need for many arguments. One is enough. I would ask a very simple question: “Since you believe that the Bible is the only authority, show me from the Bible alone which books should be included in the Bible and which should be excluded?” Their answer will be dead silence. You cannot show from the Bible alone which books are inspired and which b...

My five-year-old son is a great fan of Fireman Sam. He has converted our living room into a fire station complete with fire-trucks, a rescue boat and a helicopter. It seems that he has plans for further development of the fire department as he asked his mum if we could buy him a fire-engine crane truck for his birthday. ‘Yes, of course,’ his mother promised, ‘as long as you are a good boy.’ John knows that his birthday, which is on the 16th December, is close to Christmas. So he asked her again, ‘Can I get another helicopter for Jesus’ birthday?’ Joanne could have answered that we do not really know the exact date when Jesus was born, but again she promised to buy him that toy for Christmas. Encouraged by his success, John went on to ask for yet another toy ‘for the birthday of Jesus’ Father.’ Now he had crossed the theological red line! My wife gently corrected his error. ‘Jesus’ Dad does not have a birthday.’ Without realizing John had touched two big life questions which al...

It’s hard to defend the faith in the face of unbelief. Recently I was invited on a TV discussion about faith. The panel included a Roman Catholic priest (who happened to be a very good friend of mine), an atheist and a humanist (that’s an atheist by a different name). The atheists presented themselves as non-religious, rational and scientific. They claimed that science has done away with the concept of God. Science has explained how we came about through millions of years of evolution, they said; we are not any different from other animals, it simply happened that Homo sapiens evolved a bigger brain. As humans we are not dependent on or accountable to any higher Being; we only have ourselves to decide what is good and bad for us. We can construct our ethics on the human value of love without any divine revelation. Furthermore, they said, there is no design in nature, and this is the only life that we will ever live. At death, we simply cease to exist. It was impossible, of cours...