Grace Thoughts
Teaching Notes: On Christian Apologetics (Part 3)
Teaching Notes are Bible studies we taught before GraceLife Ministries began publishing articles online in 1995. Some were presented as sermons, others as group studies.
Our hope is that these older studies will be a blessing to you in your life and ministry. Please use them in any way God leads you.
These teaching notes are from a series of studies about Christian Apologetics. If you have not read the first part of this series, we invite you to look at it here. [link]
[These notes are from a study presented 45 years ago.]
I. The Problem of Immortality
A. The Meaning of Immortality
There are five types of immortality:
- Personal
- Impersonal
- Biological
- Sociological
- Metaphysical
Man seeks after personal immortality, that state of being in which individual centers of consciousness are preserved in endless existence after the shock of physical death.
B. The Verification of Immortality
Men seek after personal immortality, but how can it be proven? Hope in immortality and rational coherence must go together.
II. The Argument for Immortality
A. Inductive Science
Science is the savior of the world? No! Science is limited to that which can be observed with the five senses.
B. Arguments of the Mystics
Shall we hear and believe the testimony of the mystic’s inward vision? Dr. Carnell believes that it is ineffable “while the sine qua non for all evidence in any philosophic argument is the rational proposition to which the law of contradiction may be applied.”
C. Man is Conscious of the Eternal
In other words, the soul is related to eternity. This fails however in its logic. One need not be a fish to know a fish. One is not eternal because he can know the eternal.
D. Man is Endowed to Enjoy Eternity
Man has the capability of enjoying eternity, but it does not mean he will enjoy eternity.
E. The Pragmatic Argument
This is a naive view. A rose by any other name would be a mushroom?
F. Argument from Evolution
Man is nature’s highest “cross” and therefore he will remain forever.
Wrong!
How do we know though that man is the highest form of the present evolution? How do we know that man is the true goal of evolution? How do we even know that evolution is true?
G. Argument from the Rationality of the Universe
Since the universe is rational, man must live forever, since he is so valuable.
Nonsense!
It is the rationality of the universe under God’s control that exterminates men at the end of their 70 years.
H. The Justice and Goodness of God.
God is too good to destroy His highest work of creation.
Wrong!
Jesus disagrees with this thinking and says emphatically that because God is righteous He will cast men into an eternal lake of fire. Justice and righteousness are a true demonstration of goodness on God’s part.
I. The Argument from Grace
Man deserves death. He is wretched, wicked and vile. He will experience immortality only through the grace of God.
III. Objections
A. Heaven would be boring.
Who wants to play harps all day?
Wrong! Heaven is a “perfect” place and anything done there will be the best thing to do.
B. Resurrection based on a Faulty Induction
The resurrection of Christ does not prove immortality, but His uniqueness.
This is not true!
The God-Man came to destroy death and He did that through the resurrection. There will be a multitude to follow.
C. Christianity is Nicer, not Truer
This is of course false!
Christianity and Christ’s resurrection is the truth as well as being nice.
D. Hell is Irrational
Hell may be irrational to the modern man, but it is most certainly rational to the old fashioned Bible – the eternal Word of God.
Next Time
In the next part of our study on Christian Apologetics, we will look the Importance of the Resurrection.
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Founder & Director of GraceLife Ministries View all posts by gracelifethoughts
