Where does Jesus get His Authority? Where do Jesus's Followers get Theirs? Conclusion

After arguments against God being the only good source of morality were presented, Fundamentals of Ethics said that every philosophical theory has difficulties and aren't necessarily insurmountable(1). I appreciate that the author would be compassionate enough to point that out, and highly agree. Just because there are other realities in the world that can seem to pose a problem doesn't mean that the side is correct.

There were categorized 7 claims that must be met intellectually before someone accepts they have real, objective morals from God. 

1. God exists.

2. There is proof of His existence.

3. God gives moral commands.

4. There is proof He does that.

5. There is proof of one particular religious book over all that contradict it.

6. There must be proof of a specific interpretation.

7. Interpretation must overcome tradition if there is a contradiction.

However, this isn't a "daunting" list(1). As a matter of fact, I don't even know what the point is with points 1 and 3 not being fitted together with what follows. We can't rationally talk about God and Him giving commands unless we can know that He really exists, beyond opinion. Moreso, 1-5 can all be lumped together. Consider the possibility of proof for a book of the Bible having miraculous origin because the miracles it reports are verified, That shows God exists because Him as an outside force did what nature cannot, God gives moral commands in the Bible, and any claim opposed to it is false. Then, 6-7 go together. Tradition itself does not necessarily have proof. If some people who didn't write the book say it means one thing and this catches on, they very well could be right, but others might see evidence that disproves the interpretation.

Speaking of interpreting the Bible:

"...there is important precedent among religious philosophers for thinking that God gave us reason and understanding in order to make the fundamental truths of morality available to everyone. After all, a caring God would want even nonbelievers to understand the immorality of rape and genocide, and to appreciate the goodness of generosity and loving kindness." (2) 

Romans 1:18-20 says, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

Acts 17:26-27 has Paul proclaiming, "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us."

It is especially true that Christianity has difficulties when it comes to negative things about humans. There will be no easy answers. I don't know everything, neither does any other human physically present on Earth. Even the most educated Christian philosophers and theologians grapple with hard issues that really are challenging for them. We are humans, limited in knowledge and not big enough to realize everything anyway. We are not God.

(Long ago I created the term "reason robots" to point out that were are not that way. A reason robot is someone [a real intelligence, not artificial] who can just believe wherever the evidence and logic points. But we have emotions, and care deeply for other members of our race. I would have mentioned this in the paragraph above and not put it in parentheses, but God isn't a reason robot either. While He has a perfect mind, God also perfectly loves. As I pointed out in the last post, we are made in God's image, and so God must have emotions. Out of love He offered Jesus as a sacrifice.) 

I'm what I like to call an "intellectual." I always use quotation marks so as to not seemingly elevate myself with someone who worked hard for a Ph. D. An "intellectual" can believe if the evidence is strong enough. They go by what they do know, not what they don't. For example, a non-Christian can only say Muslims in the Middle East are not really having visions of Jesus by potentially indirectly undermining Christianity. Scripture is vitally important for my knowledge. No relying on the existence of a conscience in general to prove morality here! God gives me written words in His book the Bible, and also evidence. 

Arguments for Christianity which have no subjectivity to them are an anchor from the subjective "If God, why evil?" challenges. If God, why not a universal proclamation? What about those living in third-world countries, who die before missionaries reach them? But what is going on inside a person's mind is subjective. Perhaps they should get a vision like many former Muslims cited in part 2. Maybe they wouldn't be willing to believe anyway and so don't try to chase God. Possibly God is working through the world around a person to reveal His presence by His creation and moral standard, and they will grow to desire to be forgiven and be willing to trust God. This is suggested in the verses quoted above.   

For us, if we can find it wise to wait until a vision to bowel us over, that means we know enough to be able to learn more about the Gospel and chase down answers. (Would such a person even have decided to be willing to be persuaded?) Every person I have ever talked to about Jesus, and everyone reading this, are not dead yet. 

The "good life" according to the Bible

What life does a Christian say is good? The only truly "good life" is the Gospel. If you have heard the term Gospel before, it doesn't only refer to salvation. The Gospel is learning God's truth and repenting, becoming saved from sin, and then living a life pleasing to God. Don't let this fool you though, because Christians are supposed to enjoy the good things God gives them, like TV or games or cool cars, even if they don't contribute to someone learning about Jesus (1 Timothy 6:17). 

Though, of course being saved from sin is most important. Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes." Acts 3:19 has Peter preaching, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Indeed, when a person accepts Jesus as their Savior, He blots out every sin staining their soul. Times of refreshing are achieved when someone realizes that even though as a believer they will still do wrong things sometimes, God forgives all their sins and does not hold it against them. He is a Loving Father who wants to correct and have a relationship with His children.

 The Bible says that one must believe in Jesus to save them from their sins (John 3:16). Jesus is the Divine Son of God, God Himself who came down to Earth and put on humanity (John 5:18). He is the second member of the Trinity. God is the Father, Son, and Spirit, three distinct persons in one Divine Essence.  No one needs to totally understand this. No one can completely understand Him. But people just need to be willing to accept what the Bible says about Jesus is true, and everyone can say "Jesus is fully man and fully God," even though we can't imagine how this all exactly works. 

Jesus Christ is the ONLY payment for sins. He died on a cross, the worst torture imaginable back then, but did this willingly. Jesus died, taking the punishment for sin on Himself. By believing in who Jesus is and what He did for you, you have your sins forgiven. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." No one is saved by any works (Galatians 5:4; Romans 3:19-24). Rather, by putting faith in Jesus you will have your sins forgiven and one day go to Heaven, a wonderful place of friendship and love. 

Salvation cannot be lost. Jesus said in John 10:28-29, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who gives them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."  There is literally no power "in all creation" that can separate believers "from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

But when someone believes, they should also pray about it. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says "Pray continuously." God wants to hear from anyone who believes, for they are a child of God (John 1:12). A common prayer goes like this:

"Dear God, I know that I have done wrong things and can't save myself on my own. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die on the cross for me to take the punishment for my sins. Please forgive me of my sins and come into my heart and help me live for you. In Jesus's name I pray, amen." 

While no one needs to do works to be saved, God loves you too much to leave you where you are at. When a person believes in Jesus, the Holy Spirit (the third member of the Trinity, also God along with the Son and the Father) comes to live in their heart (1 Corinthians 2:9-16). God strongly desires to and will, as long as the believer complies, help them live the way He wants them to live.

This is vitally important, because being a Christian means that there will definitely be challenges in your life. I mean, there is trouble in every person's life, but how you know you should live is distinguishable from non-believers, and you might even be persecuted in some form, like ridicule or someone in authority taking away what is rightfully yours. Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

1 Corinthians 13, a beautiful chapter about the selflessness of love, ends with verse 13: "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 John 4:8b says, "God is love." Jesus said in John 13:34, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Everything comes down to love.

Suggested Readings

The very next chapter after the one on Divine Command Theory starts by calling humans animals. I wrote a post on that, and there cited the main argument I use. In my opinion it is easy to reject determinism (the belief people have no free will). How can the brain force something to happen if they can't even touch it?

The Matter of an All-Loving God... and EVIL Here I say again that "I go by what I do know, not what I don't." I believe God has reasons for suffering, and we can believe in Him even with pain in the world.

Should Atheism be in Modern Public Education? This is the original argument, defending God as the source of truth and how we are specifically made in His image.

Are Humans Just Biologically Advanced Animals?  This has some more thoughts on suffering and consciousness.

Suggested Plan for Reading the Resurrection of Jesus Argument This is long, although I enabled the reader to skip significant portions, including some entire posts. 

The True Lost Gospel of Peter -- Ultimate Conclusion: Who is the Historical Jesus? There is links to all earlier posts with the evidence. The argument is that the Gospel of Mark goes back to Peter, and even miracle claims can be directly supported. 

My Case against the True Lost Gospel of Peter (and refutations) Skeptics like Bart Ehrman can make a big point when claiming no Gospels go back to eyewitnesses, but I think there is proof against Mark not having Peter in mind. This post came later than the preceding argument I cited and so isn't referenced there.

Are the Acts of the Apostles Accurate? Here the book of Acts is defended as a first-rate historical document. The most evidence is contextual credibility (archeological or written history), but some unlikely inventions, including one miracle cited in part 2.

Citations:

1. Russ Shafer-Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, ed. 5 (Oxford University: New York, NY. 2018), 75.

2. Ibid., 76.