Truth Be Told

Last week's video was a wild one. I really did hope to have an even-toned discussion regarding the merits of the Christian claim of the sinless life of Jesus Christ. It turned into QUITE a bit more than that and I had comments as wide-ranging as requests for me to prove the supernatural, accusations against the validity of the manuscript evidence of the Bible, and flat out name calling.

In amidst all of this, however, there were some really pleasant people that took the challenge seriously and offered biblical arguments in favor of their beliefs, or on-topic discussions on logic and the rules of it.

Many believed me to be making use of the logical fallacy of circular reasoning. This, I found interesting.

I'm often asked by atheists to prove that a God who transcends the natural world exists while ONLY using the laws of nature. This has always seemed circular to me but I've been happy to oblige to do the best I can at building a plausible, rational case for His existence based on history, archeology, philosophy, textual criticism, and science, but it never seems to be enough.

In this video I respond to a few of the more respectful comments from atheists from last week's video. If you haven't seen it, the link is below:

https://youtu.be/eEiGSAOA0aA?si=PAEfjUoD68GjGElX

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Atheists, I am truly trying to come to you respectfully and with humility. I have no desire to call you out or to get into a shouting match in the comments. I do, however, have a challenge for you:

So often Christians and Atheists spend a lot of time debating the plausibility of the resurrection of Jesus. Let's take one step back from that and discuss the Christian claim that Jesus lived a sinless life.

This is a HUGE claim. Not only is it impossible for a human, by their own strength, to live a morally perfect life, but if Jesus DIDN'T accomplish this, He couldn't be the perfect sacrifice for our sins we claim Him to be.

Atheists, if you can find one instance in Scripture of Jesus transgressing the Law, Christians will either HAVE to admit that Jesus sinned OR that the Bible lied. The stakes are massive.

I realize, most of you won't take this challenge seriously because you don't trust the Bible to tell an accurate account that didn't make Jesus seem like a shining star - but this isn't the precedent the Bible has set for itself as a well attested to, historically accurate collection of books from a people with a culture that didn't seem to shy away from showcasing the weaknesses of its' leaders.

Take a genuine look at the first five books of the Bible. Comb through them to try and understand the requirements of the Law. Next, familiarize yourself with the life of Jesus through the Gospel accounts. If you give these works a fair look you will, at the very least, gain immense credibility in the eyes of your believing friends. Possibly you won't find anything new and all you'll be out is your time - but there's also a possibility that spending THAT much time in the Word of God might leave you changed from when you started.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Certain verses in the Bible act as summary verses for some of the complex and nuanced commands of God. They aren't meant to oversimplify or ignore the depth in the rest of Scripture but, in my view, to reorient the reader to the broader principles that we're being directed to.

One such passage is Micah 6:8 where God is talking to wayward Israel and tells them the 3 basic things He called them to - to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him. In this episode we survey these 3 things, focusing primarily on the "love mercy" aspect.

While justice isn't always simple, it's something that makes sense within our human reasoning. While humility isn't a comfortable thing to grow in, it does have its own, natural reward that comes along with it.

Loving mercy might seem like the easiest of these commands because.. we all need it and are grateful God extends it to us, but does this mean we ACTUALLY love mercy the way God intended us to?

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Our relationship with God is one of the "already" but the "not yet." Yes, God lives in His people via His Holy Spirit in an intimate relationship. But also, we're waiting for the time when He will FINALLY dwell with mankind and we can see Him as He is.

In a way, then, our relationship with God is similar to a long-distance relationship. We have to make time to spend with Him. We have to plan out our interactions. This is just the nature of things as we wait for the fulfillment of Scripture.

However, just like any other long-distance relationship, we might be prone to adding pressure to ourselves that we simply can't live up to. In long-distance relationships, there's often a pressure for every in-person interaction to be PERFECT. Our dates have to be enjoyable. Our interactions cannot have conflict. Our time has to be utilized well and none of it wasted.

In this episode we explore how we put the same pressure on ourselves in our relationship with God and I offer some encouragement in persevering through the less than ideal moments as we press on toward perfection.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

When I take an honest look at Scripture, I don't see anywhere that the food laws of Leviticus 11 were abolished. I realize there are some verses that people will often use to defend that belief but, looking at them in context, rules that out as an option. Jesus Himself said that He didn't come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, and most Christians would agree that sin (i.e. transgression of the Law) still exists. So what makes us think we can pick and choose from God's commands when we try to express believing loyalty out of love for what Jesus did for us on the cross?

Probably the trickiest set of verses to this worldview that holds the Leviticus 11 food laws as still being in place are found in Romans 14 and Acts 10. Paul is clearly talking about divisive matters regarding food between Jews and Gentiles, and my translation does say it is matter of "clean" or "unclean."

So, doesn't this show that, when Paul says these foods are only unclean to the one who believes them to be, that this Old Testament Law has become a thing of the past?....Not so fast.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

The 5 Love Languages (physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, and acts of service) are categories meant to help people understand which acts of love are the most effective in making those around them feel the most loved. In this theory, love is a form of communication. It's a language.

Knowing how someone communicates helps understanding to flourish. If your wife appreciates gifts but you typically show love through acts of service, understanding her preferences and your tendencies will make actual displays of love that much more meaningful.

If we could know God's love language, what would we do? Would we spend time trying to make Him feel loved? Fortunately, God has told us, very explicitly, what makes Him feel loved. Unfortunately, most people tend to opt for OTHER WAYS to show love to Him that He hasn't, explicitly, asked for.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Obedience is a tricky word in today's world. Talking about obedience in a marriage relationship? Even harder.

Immediately, images of harsh dictators and timid followers come to mind, and we bristle at the idea. This can take a real toll on our relationship with God because - like it or not, He does have commandments and does call us to obedience. He also desires a covenantal, marriage relationship with us so.. once again, we have to wrestle with this idea of marriage and obedience.

In the DreamWorks movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2, there's a beautiful scene between Stoick, the Viking chief, and his long-lost wife that, I believe, illustrates an excellent model for understanding our relationship with God as it comes to obedience and loyalty.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

This is one of the most common questions I get asked about Bible Study. It's easy to get frustrated when we feel like we see others navigating different tools and resources with ease while we barely know how to read our Bibles for more than 10 minutes without it feeling like serious work!

In this episode, we walk through 3 important things to consider before diving in to extrabiblical sources and consider some good first steps to take so we don't get overwhelmed with all the information out there. One of the most important things to remember when we approach the word of God or a tool meant to help us in our study is that, no matter how comfortable we get in our Bible study, it will always be a labor.

These tools and resources can help it become a labor of love that doesn't frustrate us so much, but no software, book, or scholarly source is going to DO the work for us.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

In this episode, we open up by examining the joke phrase "that'll preach." Typically this is said about sermon topics, theological points, or certain exciting deliveries that inspire another speaker, preacher, pastor, or teacher to want to deliver the same type of message when THEY next speak.

This shouldn't pose a problem if the information is true. However, sometimes, something "preaches" so well, that we forget to vet whether or not it's completely true. I think all speakers are bound to do this in one way or another and even most lay-people have the problem of repeating information that sounds good without first checking its authenticity.

One example of this "that'll preach" phenomenon that I've heard repeated countless times without much challenge (to the point that I've even repeated it myself), surrounds the Greek word, "agape."

If you've ever heard this word expounded on, you might have heard some variation of: "Agape is the highest form of love. It is Godly and spiritual! It is self-sacrificial and all-encompassing. It stands out against all other Greek words for love."

However, if we do a brief survey of the Scriptures where this is, and other words for love are, used, we might be surprised to find that the ground we stand on when we make these claims, isn't as firm as we once thought. Certainly, it'll preach, but is it true?

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

The Shroud of Turin is, probably, the most controversial relic in history. However, this controversy doesn't necessarily speak to its illegitimacy. In fact, the ambiguity surrounding its authenticity might actually speak to a solid potential that it is the genuine article.

In this episode we explore all things shroud related. What is it? What's the evidence for or against it being the ACTUAL burial shroud of Jesus Christ? Does the Bible speak to this at all, or is this only a matter for science, history, and tradition?

Keep in mind, we are surveying an artifact that spans AT LEAST a thousand years. In fact, most relics have fascinating backstories covering various kingdoms and countries, kings and churches, time periods and important events and it is A LOT to cover.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly