Without Excuse: Apologetics Blog

Some Christians believe that the Jews have been replaced by the Church and the modern state of Israel is of no importance. But the reaction from the world would tell a very different story. Let's take Israel, for example. Why is the whole world so focused and passionate about a tiny strip of land the size of New Jersey? Why is Israel so vilified? There's no other country that comes close to the kind of vitriol that Israel receives. I'm sure if you asked them, they would provide some answer. But it still wouldn't explain why they are so invested in a country that none of them have probably been to and have no connections with. And why are people so laser-focused on the Jews? They are the most scrutinized people in history as well as the most hated. For the last couple thousand years, they have faced discrimination, persecution, genocide, and attempted genocide throughout the ages. Yet while other ethnic groups like the Hittites, Jebusites, Edomites, and all the other “it...

How did we get here? There are really only two possibilities. Either we were created, or we evolved. That's it. There is no third possibility (at least none with any credibility). So, let's focus on a few of the problems of evolution. This is far from an exhaustive list; it is merely eight major reasons why I don't believe it is a viable option. 1. Evolution is a theory that can't be proven using the scientific method. In the scientific method, you form your hypothesis and then test it with experiments to determine if it's true or not. But with evolution, there's nothing to test. It can't be duplicated in the lab; therefore, it can't be proven. That also highlights a big problem for evolution. If life was so simple to start by happenstance, we should be able to add a few crucial ingredients and create new life in the lab, but that hasn't been the case. Some people will point to evidence of a moth changing colors or insects becoming immune to pesticid...

The answer to this question lies in Jesus' temptation in the desert. The devil, who is Satan, tempted Jesus three times. One one occasion, the Book of Matthew says: Mat 4:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Mat 4:9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Jesus, of course, rebuked him, and Satan left. But Satan made a claim that all the kingdoms of the world belonged to him. How do we know that Satan was not merely bluffing? Because it was a claim that Jesus never refuted, and he acknowledged in Matthew 12:26 that Satan has a kingdom. Moreover, Satan couldn't tempt Jesus with something he didn't have. Luke 4:1 goes into a little more detail. Satan says the kingdoms had been handed over to him. The question is, who handed the kingdoms of the world over to him? This goes all the way back to Adam. God gave Adam, and all humanity by birth...

The question is often posed why do we need to be resurrected if we have an immortal soul that can exist apart from the body? Let's first define what a soul is. A soul is our mind (consciousness), thoughts, emotions, and will. It is the intangible inner things that makes us who we are. But a soul needs a body to interact with the world around it. Here on earth, we have a physical body to interact in our three spatial dimensions. After our physical body dies, our soul (consciousness) departs from the body much the same way a hermit crab discards an old shell. Contrary to popular belief, we don't become disembodied spirits any more than angels are disembodied spirits. On the contrary, we will still have a body, just made of a very different substance, one capable of operating in higher dimensions and withstanding the full glory of God. Is it a temporary interim body just as our mortal bodies are temporary interim bodies. A physical body can't operate in the heavenly realm, and...

It is sometimes asserted that Jesus never claimed to be God because he never plainly said, "I am God." However, he did allude to it on several occasions: Jesus claimed to be Lord and had authority over the Sabbath: Matt 12:8 “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Jesus was recognized as God by the demons: Mar 1:24 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus forgave sins, something only God can do: Luk 5:20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Luk 5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus claimed that He and God were one and the same: John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.” Jesus was worshiped by His disciples and others, something only reserved for God: John 9:38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. Jesus claim...

There is an argument, particularly from the Hebrew Roots Movement and the Sacred Name movement, that the name Jesus is a pagan corruption of the name Zeus because they sound phonically similar, but there are a few problems with that theory: 1. There is an etymological explanation of how the name Jesus came to be that has nothing to do with Zeus. The modern name "Jesus" comes from the Latin Iesus, which comes from the Greek Iesous, which comes from the Aramaic Yeshu'a and the Hebrew Yehoshu'a. Words tend to get lost in translation. Due to the differences between languages, some letters are dropped while others are added. For a full explanation, see: Where did the name "Jesus" come from? 2. The argument could only be made in English. Neither the Greek names for Zeus (Ζέυς) nor Jesus (Iesous) sound phonetically similar. 3. The names "Jesus" and "Zeus" are both English names. "Jesus" entered the English lexicon much earlier than ...