Do you think of the Trinity as a boring doctrine which doesn't really have much practical application to your life?

Do you shy away from thinking about the Trinity because it seems too complicated?

I use to think the same way. In this episode, I try to simplify some of the main concepts of the Trinity. This is part 1 in a series on why I believe the Trinity.

Next week, I will discuss several passages from the Bible which support the 3 Foundational Truths of the Trinity discussed in this episode.

1. There is only 1 God.
2. There are 3 Persons. (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
3. The 3 Persons are co-equal and co-eternal.

The Forgotten Trinity by James White

Approaching the Trinity by Fred Sanders (Podcast Episode)

Gregory of Nazianzus quote:

"No sooner do I conceive of the one than I am illumined by the splendor of the three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the one."

Music by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay (Intro/Outro)

Music by JuliusH from Pixabay  (A Bear in the Woods)

In Dan Brown's bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code, the divinity of Jesus was a conspiracy by the church hundreds of years after Jesus' death. In this episode, I discuss why I believe Jesus is divine.

1. Did the early church believe Jesus was God?
2. Did Jesus claim to be God?
3. In what sense is Jesus God?

"Bear, I have young kids. Sometimes they eat well, but other times we buy them food and they barely touch it. Any suggestions?"

"Libby" is an app allowing you to download digital books and audiobooks from the library. Simply put in your library card information to get signed up. It's all free!

Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Romans 1:25; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17; Isaiah 43:11; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1

Exodus 3:14-15; John 8:51-59; John 17:5; John 10:27-33; John 5:17-18; Mark 2:1-12; Mark 2:28; Mark 4:41; Mark 14:12-25; Mark 14:61-64;

Sir Leigh Teabing from The Da Vinci Code Movie: “until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by many of his followers as a mighty prophet, as a great and powerful man, but a man nevertheless. A mortal man.”

C.S. Lewis: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”

Music by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay (Intro/Outro)

Music by JuliusH from Pixabay (A Bear in the Woods)

I discuss alternate theories for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and why I do not find them convincing. This episode is highly dependent on the information from the previous episode so please listen to Part 1 first. (Who would have thought???)

The Resurrection of the Son of God by NT Wright

Why Are There Differences in the Gospels? by Mike Licona

Investigating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by Andrew Loke (Free Download)

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Mike Licona

Bergeron, Joseph and Habermas, Gary R., "The Resurrection of Jesus: A Clinical Review of Psychiatric Hypotheses for the Biblical Story of Easter"

William Lane Craig critiques Hallucination Hypothesis

Music by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay (Intro/Outro)

Music by JuliusH from Pixabay (A Bear in the Woods)

I share the "Minimal Facts Argument" proposed by Dr. Gary Habermas and Dr. Mike Licona as the foundational evidence for my belief Jesus was raised from the dead. These "Minimal Facts" are well accepted among New Testament scholars, even those scholars who are not Christians. After stating the facts, I explain how they arrived at those facts, and I close the episode talking about what Jesus resurrection means for Christians in eternity.

1. Jesus died by crucifixion.
2. His disciples had experiences, as individuals and groups, in which they believed they saw the risen Jesus.
3. Jesus’ resurrection was preached from the very beginning of Christianity, and his disciples were willing to die.
4. Paul, initially an enemy of Christianity, also had an experience in which he believed he saw the risen Jesus, and this changed his life.

The Historical Facts Argument for the Resurrection - Dr. Gary Habermas

Minimal Facts and the Historical Jesus - Dr. Mike Licona

The Case for Christ (Movie)

The Case for Christ (Book)

"If you could have one superpower, what would it be?"

Music by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay (Intro/Outro)

Music by JuliusH from Pixabay (A Bear in the Woods)

How can God show love and mercy without compromising His Holiness? A perfect judge must always be just. Because of our sin, we all deserve the justice of God. In the Old Testament, we learn our sin can only be covered in the way God provides. In this episode, I discuss the Passover and the Day of Atonement as Old Testament symbols giving us a picture of what Jesus will be in the New Testament.

This episode could be considered "part 2" of the previous episode. We deserve God's judgment, yet through Jesus, He is both "the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus".

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@the_real_bear_martin (Instagram)

“Bear, my kid’s birthday party is next week, and I don’t know what gift to give all their friends who come to the party. Any ideas?”

Music by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay (Intro/Outro)

Music by JuliusH from Pixabay (A Bear in the Woods)

Genesis 3: Adam and Eve

Exodus 12: The Passover

Matthew 26:26–28: Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 5:7: Jesus is our “Passover Lamb”

Leviticus 16: The Day of Atonement

Hebrews 10: The Day of Atonement interpreted in light of Jesus

Romans 8:1, 34: No condemnation for those in Jesus Christ the Intercessor.

1 John 1:9: Confess sins and He will forgive and cleanse.

2 Corinthians 5:21: The Great Exchange. Jesus’ perfection for our sin.

Romans 3:25-26: The Just and the Justifier

Revelation 5: The Lamb standing as though it had been slain

Have you ever thought, "Eternal punishment in hell seems pretty severe for telling a few lies and disobeying your parents"? Me too!

In this episode, I talk about God's Judgment and share my journey in discovering why God's judgment is necessary and often misunderstood. The basic outline is this:

1. God's judgment is necessary.
2. I underestimate God's view of sin.

We like the idea of people being punished for wronging us. When people wrong us, and seem to get away with it, we hate that. The good news is that God sees all and will punish those who wrong us. The bad news is that we have wronged others and therefore deserve punishment as well. 

I also explain how God's judgment and wrath are an outflowing of His holiness and love. Why can't God just be a God of love and mercy, without justice and punishment?

God's judgment seems harsh because I often underestimate God's view of sin.

• I underestimate God's value.
• I underestimate God's Holiness.

Special Segments

• A Bear in the Woods: What do you think about postage stamp prices increasing from 55 cents to 58 cents?
• Bear's Biscuits: Cheers (The TV Show)
• Bear's Books: "Are People Basically Good" by R.C. Sproul (Free on Kindle)

Music

• Music by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay (Intro/Outro)
• Music by JuliusH from Pixabay (A Bear in the Woods)

Why do I believe God exists? I compare atheism and theism, and then present the Moral Argument for God.

Every human seems to know there are fundamental moral truths all humans are responsible to obey. If these objective moral laws are violated, humans feel they have the right to say to the violator, "You are wrong". Here are the basics of the Moral Argument for God:

1. If objective moral laws exists, then God exists.
2. Objective moral laws do exists, therefore, God exists.

Basically, laws require a Law Giver.

I address some arguments presented by atheists as to why these moral laws may exists, and show the atheists' inconsistencies in their beliefs. 

SPECIAL SEGMENTS

1. A Bear in the Woods: "Do I have to write thank you cards for wedding gifts?"
2. Bear's Biscuits: Collision (Documentary of a debate tour of Christopher Hitchens (Atheist) and Douglas Wilson (Christian). Directed by Darren Doane.

OTHER REFERENCES

1. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
2. Michael Horner: Misunderstandings and Objections to the Moral Argument for God

MUSIC

1. Music by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay (Intro/Outro)
2. Music by JuliusH from Pixabay (A Bear in the Woods)

Welcome to Bear Christianity!

In this episode, I explain the reason for starting this podcast and what to expect in future episodes.

Inspired by C.S. Lewis' book, Mere Christianity, I challenged myself to investigate why I believe what I believe.

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, (1 Peter 3:15, ESV)

Follow me and submit comments/questions on Instagram @the_real_bear_martin

Andrew's Daily Five Podcast

Music by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay (Intro/Outro)