Tag Archives: Bob Prichard

BIBLE QUESTIONS, HEBREWS, NEW TESTAMENT

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF FAITH, SUBSTANCE, HOPE, AND EVIDENCE IN HEBREWS 11:1? — BOB PRICHARD

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Many, both in the religious world and otherwise, have a gross misunderstanding of what constitutes faith. Contrary to scripture, many believe that faith is necessary to “fill in the gaps” in the absence of real, tangible evidence. Carl Sagan, the late and noted atheist and author, once said, “Faith is believing in something in the absence of evidence.”

Hebrews 11:1 answers and clarifies this misunderstanding. The verse: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

The word translated “substance” comes from the Greek hupostasis (Strong’s # 5287), which means “a placing or setting under, a substructure or foundation.” This word appears elsewhere in the New Testament as “confident” or “confidence” (2 Corinthians 9:4; 11:17; Hebrews 3:14).

The word translated “evidence” comes from the Greek word elengchos (Strong’s #1650), meaning “a proof, or that by which a thing is proved or tested; conviction.”

The context in question deals with the existence of the universe, for verse 3 says, “through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

Biblical faith comes from careful observation and the weighing of all available evidence. For example, the atheistic, evolutionary “explanations” for the origins of the universe don’t even qualify as bad science. They are more akin to science fiction. There are only two explanations for the existence of the universe that don’t include a divine creator:

  1. the universe has always existed, or
  2. the universe created itself out of nothing.

Who is willing to accept either proposition? Certainly no intelligent, thinking individual!

Consider also the vast evidence of design in our world and in the universe generally. Is the design present in the earth’s position in relation to the sun (controlling the environment, etc), the moon’s position in relation to the earth (controlling the ocean tides) simply a matter of dumb luck? What about the intricacies of the eye of a housefly, or the human brain (not to mention the magnificence of the entire human body)? Where does the evidence point? It points to an intelligent creator.

Men are sent to prison every day for crimes no one saw them commit. How are such verdicts reached? Through the presentation and consideration of all available evidence. In like fashion, just because no man was present when God created the universe doesn’t mean there is no evidence to support the fact that it happened. If Mr. Sagan was correct in his assessment of what constitutes faith, then it takes a lot more faith to be an atheist than to believe in the God of the Bible!

Finally, because the Bible is a book that can be trusted to be accurate in everything it addresses, we have faith in God and His promises, both to bless the obedient and punish the disobedient. For the obedient, we have the confident hope of heaven. – Bob Prichard

BIBLE QUESTIONS

IF ONLY EIGHT PEOPLE WERE ON THE ARK, WHERE DID THE RACES COME FROM? — BOB PRICHARD

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The census of those on the ark included Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons (Genesis 7:13). With these four men and four women, the earth was repopulated after the flood.

The Bible does not tell us when the races originated. It is possible that the races developed from the division of mankind at the tower of Babel, although Moses only says that God confounded their language and scattered them abroad (Genesis 11:1-9). As people scattered and separated, the races could have developed from the gene pool in each area. As people intermarried within a region, certain racial characteristics developed, as well as individual languages.

Modern science has tried to differentiate among the races, recognizing four basic races: Caucasoid, Mongoloid, Negroid, and Australoid. The problem with these classifications, however, is that the dominant characteristics that are specific to a race, such as skin color or hair type, are found in the other racial groups. Skin color, the most obvious racial characteristic, is determined primarily by the amount of melanin in the skin. Thus a “white” person may actually have darker skin than a “black” person. Although general racial characteristics may predominate among certain populations, all human beings are part of the same species, the human race.

We know that all humans came from the original man and woman, Adam and Eve, and that all living human beings are descendants of Noah and his family. Paul declared that God “made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). The words “of one,” literally mean “out of one male,” thus all mankind has descended from Adam.

Since all humans descended from the eight people on the ark, then all racial characteristics must have been available in the genetic makeup of Noah and his family. It is likely that Noah’s family members were a combination of all modern day races. The separation into current races was gradual over time.

Neither the biblical nor the non-biblical evidence supports the evolutionary theory, coming from racial prejudice, that the races descended from different primates or “pre-human” men. Since all races of humans can intermarry, all humans are interrelated. —Bob Prichard

BIBLE QUESTIONS

MUST WE GIVE THANKS IF WE ARE IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES? — BOB PRICHARD

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When the world seems to be closing in on us, or when we feel like we have our backs up against the wall, giving thanks may be the last thing we would ever think of doing. We may reason, If I am in difficult circumstances, then I have no responsibility or need to be thankful. After all, we are to be thankful for blessings, not difficult circumstances. This reasoning is not correct, however, because all of God’s children need to be thankful.

To be thankful in the midst of difficult times is very hard, yet Paul said, In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18). How is this possible? Sometimes when we think the situation cannot get any worse, it does! But we must remember that when we belong to and serve God, no situation is hopeless. God’s children can count on His providential care, and His never ending love. In the midst of our difficulties, we sometimes have a sort of spiritual amnesia. We forget all that God has done for us, and the difficulties He has helped us through. The psalmist reminded Israel of his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments (Psalm 78:4-7).

The difficulties most of us have faced pale into insignificance compared to the pain and suffering Job faced. His response to the loss of all of his possessions, and all ten of his children was to worship God. Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:20-21). Job was able to do this because he was a man totally devoted to God. God described him as being a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil (Job 1:8). When the difficult times came, Job was ready to trust in the Lord. He did not understand why he was suffering as he was, but He knew that God is worthy to be praised, even in the midst of the most trying times.

The attitude of gratitude, the spirit of gratefulness, must mark those who would follow the Lord. As Paul and Silas sat in the depths of the jail at Philippi, their feet in the stocks, having been beaten for their testimony of Christ, they prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them (Acts 16:25). They would not allow the circumstances to keep them from offering praise to God. In the midst of so many things we cannot understand or do not like, we must thank Him for those things we can understand, and the blessings He so richly gives us. Looking back, we should thank Him. Looking ahead, we should trust Him. Looking around, we should serve Him. He is worthy of all the praise and thanksgiving we can give Him. – Bob Prichard

BIBLE QUESTIONS

ARE WE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS? — BOB PRICHARD

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Yes, we are living in the “last days.” It should not be a cause for alarm, however, because we have been living in the last days for almost two thousand years! The ‘last days’ refer to the last great period of history, the Christian Age. There have been three great dispensations or ages of God dealing with mankind. The first was the Patriarchal Age, when God dealt directly with the heads of families (from Adam to Moses). This period ended with the beginning of the Mosaic Age, when God gave the Law of Moses to Israel. The Mosaic Age (the age under which Jesus lived) ended with the advent of the Christian Age, ushered in by the preaching of the Gospel and the establishment of the first century church.

On the Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ, Peter rose up with the rest of the apostles to speak and said, concerning the things that were happening, ‘This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; and it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams’ (Acts 2:16-17). Peter said that the events of that day were the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy concerning what would happen ‘in these last days.’

Succeeding verses describe dramatic events: ‘…wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire and vapour of smoke: the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come’ (Acts 2:19-20). This ‘apocalyptic’ language describes cataclysmic events that man could hardly imagine. Some have suggested that these events refer to the crucifixion of Christ or the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies.

The Spirit was poured out on ‘all flesh,’ as the Gospel message was to go from Jerusalem to all the nations of the world, a message of salvation: ‘And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved’ (Acts 2:21). To the Jews it was almost unbelievable that the Gospel could be for the whole world, including Gentiles, but Peter promised such: ‘For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call’ (Acts 2:39). He called all present to respond: ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins’ (Acts 2:38).

Later Peter wrote that Christ ‘was manifest in these last times’ (1 Peter 1:20). Time may be drawing to an end.  Today may be the last day. Or, the Lord may delay His coming for a thousand years so more can ‘come to repentance’ (1 Peter 3:9). Look for no special ‘last days’ signs in present events. Do not listen to false teachers who set dates for the second coming or the end of the world. Do not be lulled into thinking you have plenty of time to make your life right with God, either. We should prepare to meet Christ-the angel may be getting his trumpet ready (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Now is the time to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 6:2). – Bob Prichard

BIBLE QUESTIONS, NEW TESTAMENT

WHO WERE THE PHARISEES? — BOB PRICHARD

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‘Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites!’ (Matthew 23:13). It seems that the word hypocrite is almost a synonym for Pharisee, because the members of this Jewish sect seemed to always be in conflict with Jesus and the disciples. But there was much more to being a Pharisee than being a haughty hypocrite. They emerged from persecution about two hundred years before Christ, emphasizing the importance of keeping the law and traditions. Their number included Simeon, who held the baby Jesus, Zacharias, Gamaliel, Nicodemus, and Saul of Tarsus.

Pharisees were considered the strictest sect of the Jews because each member had taken a pledge to devote his life to keeping every point of the law. Because of their piety, they were generally well-respected by the people. Jesus acknowledged, ‘The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat’  (Matthew 23:2). Many were also scribes (men with official status who had been formally trained in rabbinic law), so the scribes and Pharisees are often mentioned together.

While their devotion to the law and to the traditions about the law made them zealous students of the Torah (books of Moses) and the prophets, many became legalists concerning their traditions. It was in their traditions that they strayed most from God’s will.

Their greatest conflicts with Christ came in two areas. First, while the Pharisees often ignored the plain meaning of the Scripture when it conflicted with the teaching of the rabbis, Jesus held to a strict interpretation of the Scriptures. For example, the Pharisees allowed many grounds for divorce, but Jesus restricted divorce to the one ground of adultery (Matthew 19:3-9). And Jesus defended His healing on the Sabbath as correct, ‘the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath’ (Mark 2:27), even though this conflicted with the Sabbath prohibitions of the Pharisaic rabbis.

Second, Jesus called for a much higher standard of righteous living that truly came from the heart, applying the Scriptures to real life. The Pharisees were so tied to ‘keeping the rules’ of their traditions that they thought they could attain righteousness by all of their elaborate rituals concerning cleanliness, tithing, and prayer, with little concern for the inner man. For this reason, Jesus told them, ‘Ye are like unto whited sepulchres [whitewashed tombs], which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness’ (Matthew 23:27). While traditions are important, they cannot replace the authority of Scripture.  – Bob Prichard