My article from today's Algona Upper Des Moines about Satan:
Q: Is the Devil a real being, a mythical character, or a symbol of evil in the world?
The Bible describes a being, most frequently called Satan or the Devil, who is portrayed as the originator of sin and evil in the world. Other names, such as Lucifer or Beelzebub, are also used in reference to this being, as well as “prince of this world,” “god of this world,” “evil one,” and other descriptive phrases. His work is described as accusing (Zechariah 3:1-2) and tempting (1 Chronicles 21:1) humans.
The Bible tells us some things about Satan with clarity and certainty. He was originally created by God as an angel. At some point after the heavens and earth were created (Genesis 1-2), he led a rebellion in heaven against God, and he was cast out of heaven, along with one third of the angels, because they had followed him in rebelling against God (Revelation 12). These angels are now known as demons. The images of a red, hoofed, devil with a pitchfork and horns are based more in human imagination than Biblical teaching. Instead, Satan and the demons are spiritual beings without bodies.
After he was cast out of heaven, Satan took on the appearance of a serpent in order to tempt the first humans, Adam and Eve, to sin against God (Genesis 3). They followed his temptation, and Satan and the demons continue to tempt humans even today. However, contrary to popular opinion, the primary goal of Satan and his demons is not specifically to entice humans to immoral behavior, but rather to persuade them to regard anything more highly than the One True God and to trust in anything other than Jesus for salvation. (2 Peter 3:8-9) Satan personally tempted Jesus during the 40 days He spent in the wilderness after being baptized (Matt. 4, Luke 4), by attempting to persuade Him away from His mission of being sacrificed for the sin of the world.
Greek and Roman mythology described a wide variety of gods, some good and some evil. In light of this framework, it is a common misunderstanding that the Christian God is the “good god” and Satan is the “evil god,” and that they are in competition with one another. In contrast, the Bible teaches that there is only one God and that Satan is merely one of his creatures gone bad. While Satan is the enemy of humans and of God, he is not an equal adversary. He has already been defeated by Jesus (Colossians 2:15) and is awaiting eternal punishment (Revelation 20). In contrast to a related misunderstanding, Satan is also not the ruler of the place of eternal punishment. Although he is often imagined to be the one in charge of Hell, tormenting its captives, he is actually one of the inmates rather than its ruler.
The Bible often describes a far different Satan than centuries of human imagination have led us to envision. In spite of the fact that many people have attempted to portray this biblical character as symbolic or mythical, the Bible clearly describes him as being an actual spiritual being. Although he is real and has some degree of power, he is infinitely inferior to the True God, and those who trust Jesus for salvation need have no fear of Him.
Readers are encouraged to submit questions for inclusion in future issues. According to your preference, you may include your first name or submit questions anonymously, and I will do my best to answer your questions as my knowledge and research allow and according to their suitability for publication. You may submit questions by email to revjpeterson@yahoo.com or by mail to P.O. Box 195; Burt, IA 50522.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Apocrypha and False Gospels
My article from today's Algona Upper Des Moines about the Apocrypha and False Gospels:
Q: What is the “Apocrypha,” and why isn’t it included in my Bible?
The typical Bible which you find in a book store will generally consist of two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. If you examine a Bible which was printed for purchase by Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Christians, it will contain 13-15 additional books between the Old and New Testaments, depending on how they are numbered. In general, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians consider these books as part of the Bible, while the remainder of Christian groups do not. Many Christian scholars use the term “Apocrypha, which means “something hidden,” as a title for this group of books because of the disagreement about whether they are properly considered part of the Bible.
Although most Christians outside of the Catholic and Orthodox churches do not consider these books to be part of the Bible, they do still hold them in high regard. Martin Luther included these books when he translated the Bible into German, although he set them apart as an appendix, and John Calvin still approved of Christians studying the Apocrypha, even though he did not consider it Scripture. The primary reasons given for distinguishing the Apocrypha from the Bible are that it contains teachings which are not found in the rest of the Bible, and Jesus, Paul, and other New Testament authors do not quote from them or mention them as Scriptural. Christians generally consider the Apocrypha to be valuable historical information and a useful view into the religious thought during the 400+ years between the end of the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus, but the majority of churches do not consider them as part of the Bible itself.
Q: I have also heard much said recently about other books, such as “The Gospel of Mary” and “The Gospel of Thomas.” Why aren’t these included in my Bible?
So-called “gospels” and other questionable books like these have been made popular recently by news stories and books or movies such as The Da Vinci Code. Unlike the Apocrypha, which are respected as authentic books, even if not Scriptural, these other books are widely acknowledged to be inauthentic or even forgeries. While the four Gospels found in our Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are known to have been written by Jesus’ followers within decades after His resurrection, these other gospels are known to have been written at least 300-400 years later. They were usually written by people called Gnostics, who were followers of a teaching which departed from Christianity, and they often used the names of well-known Biblical figures like Peter, Thomas, Mary, or Judas in the title of their “gospels” to make them look authentic, even though those figures had died centuries before. Unlike the Apocrypha, which Christians respect in spite of excluding it from their Bibles, these Gnostic “gospels” are generally regarded as fantasy, forgery, or fraud without any value for the student of the Bible.
You may also encounter other ancient non-biblical books such as the Didache, The Shepherd of Hermas, and the letters of Polycarp, which are of a far different sort than the false “gospels.” These are pieces of literature written during New Testament times, but not included in the Bible because the author was not an Apostle of Jesus, the author was unknown, or they were written at too late a date. Christians do not consider these equal to the Bible, but unlike the Gnostic “gospels,” these writings are considered useful history and are often seen as important information about what the church was like during its earliest years.
Readers are encouraged to submit questions for inclusion in future issues. According to your preference, you may include your first name or submit questions anonymously, and I will do my best to answer your questions as my knowledge and research allow and according to their suitability for publication. You may submit questions by email to revjpeterson@yahoo.com or by mail to P.O. Box 195; Burt, IA 50522.
Q: What is the “Apocrypha,” and why isn’t it included in my Bible?
The typical Bible which you find in a book store will generally consist of two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. If you examine a Bible which was printed for purchase by Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Christians, it will contain 13-15 additional books between the Old and New Testaments, depending on how they are numbered. In general, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians consider these books as part of the Bible, while the remainder of Christian groups do not. Many Christian scholars use the term “Apocrypha, which means “something hidden,” as a title for this group of books because of the disagreement about whether they are properly considered part of the Bible.
Although most Christians outside of the Catholic and Orthodox churches do not consider these books to be part of the Bible, they do still hold them in high regard. Martin Luther included these books when he translated the Bible into German, although he set them apart as an appendix, and John Calvin still approved of Christians studying the Apocrypha, even though he did not consider it Scripture. The primary reasons given for distinguishing the Apocrypha from the Bible are that it contains teachings which are not found in the rest of the Bible, and Jesus, Paul, and other New Testament authors do not quote from them or mention them as Scriptural. Christians generally consider the Apocrypha to be valuable historical information and a useful view into the religious thought during the 400+ years between the end of the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus, but the majority of churches do not consider them as part of the Bible itself.
Q: I have also heard much said recently about other books, such as “The Gospel of Mary” and “The Gospel of Thomas.” Why aren’t these included in my Bible?
So-called “gospels” and other questionable books like these have been made popular recently by news stories and books or movies such as The Da Vinci Code. Unlike the Apocrypha, which are respected as authentic books, even if not Scriptural, these other books are widely acknowledged to be inauthentic or even forgeries. While the four Gospels found in our Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are known to have been written by Jesus’ followers within decades after His resurrection, these other gospels are known to have been written at least 300-400 years later. They were usually written by people called Gnostics, who were followers of a teaching which departed from Christianity, and they often used the names of well-known Biblical figures like Peter, Thomas, Mary, or Judas in the title of their “gospels” to make them look authentic, even though those figures had died centuries before. Unlike the Apocrypha, which Christians respect in spite of excluding it from their Bibles, these Gnostic “gospels” are generally regarded as fantasy, forgery, or fraud without any value for the student of the Bible.
You may also encounter other ancient non-biblical books such as the Didache, The Shepherd of Hermas, and the letters of Polycarp, which are of a far different sort than the false “gospels.” These are pieces of literature written during New Testament times, but not included in the Bible because the author was not an Apostle of Jesus, the author was unknown, or they were written at too late a date. Christians do not consider these equal to the Bible, but unlike the Gnostic “gospels,” these writings are considered useful history and are often seen as important information about what the church was like during its earliest years.
Readers are encouraged to submit questions for inclusion in future issues. According to your preference, you may include your first name or submit questions anonymously, and I will do my best to answer your questions as my knowledge and research allow and according to their suitability for publication. You may submit questions by email to revjpeterson@yahoo.com or by mail to P.O. Box 195; Burt, IA 50522.
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