Lead:

When should you bail out on Christianity? If you’re a skeptic, when should you bail out on your investigation?

Intro:

When should you bail out on Christianity? If you’re a skeptic, when should you bail out on your investigation?

Yup, believe it or not I think there’s a reason or three, and we’ll get to that in today’s All Our Minds segment.

That said, as I was prepping for today’s program, I found an interesting nugget — and since here we’re all about highlighting, sometimes anyway, points of interest on our journey that might not get addressed on Sunday morning, I thought I’d share.

So remember that yesterday we heard Paul argue that the old covenant written on stone is now, in the new covenant, written on our hearts that that his new ministry — and by extension yours and mine, too — is totally worth affliction which we now see as bearable and totally worth it when compared to what we’re being transformed into and the new bodies that await us.

Today, listen for the reason for our joy early in what we read…you’ll hear the word guarantee in the translation we’re using, and elsewhere you might see it translated “deposit” or “pledge.” The Greek word is actually a financial word, like “down payment,” except that Paul’s talking about a certainty that is quite the reason for hope.

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Bible:

Passage: 2 Corinthians 5-6
Translation: NCV (New Century Version)
Verses: 39
Words: ~853

All Our Minds:

The entirety of our text today was Paul continuing to talk about the new covenant — the motivation it should give us, the ministry of reconciliation it gives each one of us, and even his continued argument for the validity of his ministry…part of the purpose of this letter to Corinth.

Now after he has just kept making a positive case, can you think of a negative case? Why should you just avoid this whole Christianity thing? Or if you consider yourself Christian, when should you just bail out and do something easier?

Remember Dallas Willard, professor of philosophy at USC for many years? I like the way he answers this:

If you can find a better way than what is Jesus Christ offers he would be the first person to tell you to take it. ~ Dallas Willard

In other words, you should bail out if it’s not true.

Now here’s the thing. Remember that a key theme in 2 Corinthians is suffering. Why is that? Because sin — the brokenness in every human heart that breaks relationship with God — results in brokenness in the world. And the darkness doesn’t like the light until we accept Him who is The Way, The Truth, and The Light. It’s why one thing we’ve always had and will always have until Jesus returns are A) false teachers who water down truth, burnish off the corners they find a little too sharp for their sinful sensibilities and B) people with “itchy ears” who similarly want a Jesus of their own making.

The bottom line

It’s so popular, it’s almost a cliche’, but it’s also true: as C.S. Lewis put it, Jesus is actually Lord of all and isn’t just truthful, He IS Truth…or he’s a self-deceived loonie or a masterful liar. And like Dallas Willard, it’s not about my arguments for the truth claims of Christianity…I can imagine Jesus Himself saying, “Great! Got a better way that me, the Creator of the cosmos? Go for it!” And as Paul has been arguing, there’s plenty of evidence. The question is just what you’re going to do with it.

Wisdom:

Passage: Psalm 119:65-96
Translation: NCV (New Century Version)
Verses: 32
Words: ~525

Love you!

-R

ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.

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The new translation we’re trying this week: New Century Version

Not used today, but stuff I like:

Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993). <—this, and it’s OT companion, are great commentaries if you like something more than a study Bible and less than a set of 66 books — they add a lot of interesting details. Keener’s a killer apologist, too.

The Story of Reality, Greg Koukl — Love this book. A killer intro to the Christian worldview that is philosophically and theologically sound while being accessible to all readers.

#935: 2 Corinthians 5-6 | Why avoid or leave Christianity | Psalm 119:65-96