Light on Christianity: Greek Mythology
Response to comment [from other]: "I am adament that Christianity and
the idea that Jesus is God is based on Greek mythologies."
Of course the Greek Mythology you speak of is heretical
teaching. During the apostle's life, Paul warned of this:
By flattering words Rom.
16:18
By false report 2
Thess. 2:3
By false reasoning Col.
2:4
By evil spirits 1
Tim. 4:1
By false prophets (Mark
13:22); 2 Tim. 3:13
[Jn 4:22-24]
Ye worship ye know not what: we
know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews [John 4:21–22].
"The thing that was important to
this woman was whether she should worship God in this mountain where the
Samaritans worship Him, or should she worship Him in Jerusalem. Jesus told
her the day was coming when He would not be worshiped in either place. Why?"
But the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth [John 4:23–24].
"It is irrelevant, therefore, where
you worship God. It is not where
but how you
worship Him that is important. Our Lord answered her very adequately. God is
a Spirit. You don’t have to run to this place or that place. True worshipers
worship Him in spirit and in truth."
McGee, J. V.
(1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru
the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:390). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.
How shall I give thee up,
Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah?
how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my
repentings are kindled together.
I will not execute the
fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am
God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter
into the city [Hos. 11:8–9].
"This is a plaintive note. It seems
as if God is on the horns of a dilemma here, as if He is frustrated. Listen
to Him: “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim?” He doesn’t want to give them
up. God loves them, but because of their sin God must judge them.
“How shall I deliver thee, Israel?”
My friend, God has no other way to save you except by the death of Christ.
You may think you have two or three different ways yourself, but God has but
one way. Since He says, “There is no saviour beside me” (Hos. 13:4), you had
better listen to Him. You and I are not in the saving business, but He is.
“How shall I make thee as Admah?
how shall I set thee as Zeboim?” Admah and Zeboim were cities down on the
plain which God judged along with Sodom and Gomorrah. God is saying to
Israel, “I hate to judge you like that.” However, God had to judge them, and
today it is just as desolate in Samaria as it is there along the Dead Sea
where these cities were once located.
“Mine heart is turned within me, my
repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine
anger.” In other words, Israel did not receive half of what they deserved.
Why? Because God says, “I will not return to destroy Ephraim”—He intends to
redeem them and to put these people back in that land some day. Their
present return to the land is not a fulfillment of this at all; do not blame
God for what is happening in that land today.
However, God
will put them back in the
land. Why will He do it? For one reason: “For I am God, and not man; the
Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.” This is
something else we need to learn today. We feel like we live in a democracy
and that our government exists for us and exists to carry out the decisions
we make, but God says, “I am the sovereign God. I’m not accountable to
anyone. I do not have a board of directors, and nobody elected Me to office.
I do what I please.” My friend, if you do not like what God is doing today,
it’s too bad for you, because God is going to do it—He is not accountable to
you. There are a lot of things which God does that I don’t understand, but
He is God, and He is surely not accountable to Vernon McGee. He does not
come down and hand in a report to me. The folk who work for me at “Thru the
Bible” headquarters hand in reports to me, but God doesn’t give me a report.
Why? Because He is God,
and He doesn’t have to report to me."
McGee, J. V.
(1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru
the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (3:652). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.
Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "Name me any
philosophy/religion, and I can find something terrible its followers have done."
Welcome NovusInquisitor. Christians (true
believers not make-believers) have done much good in the world. It is the
make-believer who has disparaged the name of the Lord (whether Catholic or
Protestant). Wouldn't you agree?
See:
What Christianity Has Done for the World
Response to comment [from an atheist]: "Greek mythological influence on
Christianity."
This is why the apostle Paul did not appeal to men's
intellect:
Which things also we speak, not
in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual [1 Cor. 2:13].
"Now Paul will make a very profound
statement, and it is one of the axioms of Scripture."
But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned [1 Cor.
2:14].
"But the natural man cannot receive
the things of God. Why not? Because they are foolishness to him. If you are
not a Christian, my friend, what I am saying seems foolish to you. If it
doesn’t, there is something wrong with you or there is something wrong with
me—one of us is wrong. God says the natural man finds the preaching of the
cross of Christ for salvation foolish. It simply does not make sense to him.
“Neither can he know them.” When I
was a student in college, I had the high-minded notion that anything that
any man wrote I could understand. Well, I have found that isn’t true.
Certainly I cannot understand the Word of God until the Spirit of God opens
my heart and mind to understand. It is spiritually discerned. Only the
Spirit of God can take the things of Christ and show them unto us. The Lord
Jesus said that: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will
guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever
he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He
shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you”
(John 16:13–14). My friend, unless the Spirit of God shows you the things of
Christ, this Epistle to the Corinthians will mean very little to you."
McGee, J. V.
(1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru
the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (5:15). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.
Light on Christianity:
Greek Mythology