Seeking Proof Finding Grace

Ron Campbell

Every week we take a close look at God's great love for us. Along the way we will answer some of the most difficult questions like: Were we created or are we a cosmic accident? If there is a God, how can I know who He is? Does God really love me? If so, why does He allow so many bad things to happen? Come join us on the greatest journey of all!

  1. 3d ago

    Who Were the Minor Eyewitnesses? Podcast 121

    The last group of guarantors of Jesus’ Gospel message and the story of His life are given to us in the Gospels themselves, although many times we don’t recognize these smaller characters.  Who are these characters and how can we tell the role they played to preserving the story for us?   Luke 24, “13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.  17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?  18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”  NKJV, 1982   “Why should one of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus be named (Cleopas) and the other not?  While most beneficiaries of Jesus’ healings and resuscitation miracles are anonymous, Jarious (whose daughter was raised) is named in Mark and Luke, Bartimaeus in Mark, Lazarus in John.  Since people who encounter Jesus on one occasion are usually not named, why should the Pharisee who entertains Jesus to dinner in Luke 7 be named (Simon, 7:40)?  Why should Simon of Cyrene be named?”  Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006  page 40   “If the names are of persons well known in the Christian communities, then it also becomes likely that many of these people were themselves the eyewitnesses who first told and doubtless continued to tell the stories in which they appear and to which their names are attached.  A good example is Cleopas (Luke 24:18): the story does not require that he be named and his companion remains anonymous.  There seems no plausible reason for naming him other than to indicate that he was the source of this tradition.  He is very probably the same person as Clopas, whose wife Mary appears among the women at the cross in John 19:25.  Copas is a very rare Semitic form of the Greek name Cleopas, so rare that we can be certain this is the Clopas who, according to Hegesippus, was the brother of Jesus father Joseph and the father of Simon, who succeeded his cousin James as the leader of the Jerusalem church (apud Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.11; 4.22.4).”  Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006  page 47    Mark 10, “46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.”   Mark 15, “15 So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified. 16 Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison. 17 And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, 18 and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. 20 And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. 21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. 22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.” Romans 16, “13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.” “Why should he have been influenced by a novelistic tendency to name unnamed characters in the case of Malchus but not in the cases of the Samaritan woman, the paralyzed man, or the man born blind, all of whom are much more prominent characters than Malchus?”  Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006  page 43   John 18, “8 Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,” 9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.”  10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”

  2. Aug 16

    Acts Tells Us How the Gospel Was Taught: Podcast 120

    This week we look at how the Gospel message and the truth about Jesus’ life and ministry was protected by the early Church.  Spoiler alert, the early Church wasn’t shy in telling us how carefully they protected the most important thing in the world to them and it isn’t what the form critics led us to believe!    Acts 2, “14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:”  NKJV, 1982 Pointing to the Old Testament as well…   Acts 3, “13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” NKJV, 1982   Acts 4, “32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” NKJV, 1982   Acts 8, “4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.”  NKJV, 1982    Acts 8, “14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” NKJV, 1982    Acts 9, “26 And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28 So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. 29 And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists,  dbut they attempted to kill him. 30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.” NKJV, 1982    Acts 11, “Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, 3 saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!...20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. 26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” NKJV, 1982    Acts 13, “Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers… 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.” NKJV, 1982    Acts 16, “4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.” NKJV, 1982    6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.” NKJV, 1982    “The first Christians were not all illiterate peasant laborers and craftsmen, as the form critics supposed, but evidently included people who studied the Scriptures with current exegetical skills and could write works with literary quality of the letter James.  Leaders who were themselves not literate could employ the services of other believers who were.”  Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006  page 289    2nd Timothy 4, “9 Be diligent to come to me quickly; 10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. 12 And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.” NKJV, 1982

  3. Aug 9

    Who Were the Keepers of the Gospel Message: Podcast 119

    On this weeks podcast we look at who were the guarantors of the Gospel message in the years before it was committed to writing.  What do the writers of the New Testament tell us about this important time period?    “The works of our Savior were always present, for they were true: those who were healed, those who rose from the dead, those who were not only seen in the act of being healed or raised, but were also always present, not merely when the Savior was living on the earth, but also for a considerable time after his departure, so that some of them survived even to our own times.”  Eusebius quoting from Quadratus, Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., p. 4.3.2   “I shall not hesitate also to put into properly ordered form for you everything I learned carefully in the past from the elders and noted down well, for the truth of which I vouch.  For unlike most people I did not enjoy those who have a great deal to say, but those who teach the truth.  Nor did I enjoy those who recall someone else’s commandments, but those who remember the commandments given by the Lord to the faith and proceeding from the truth itself.  And if by chance anyone who had been in attendance on the elders should come my way, I inquired about the words of the elders – [that is,] what [according to the elders] Andrew or Peter said, or Phillip, or Thomas or James, or John or Matthew or any other of the Lord’s disciples, and whatever Aristion and the elder John, the Lord’s disciples, were saying.  For I did not think that information from books would profit me as much as information from a living and surviving voice.”  Papias quoted by Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.39.3-4   “We may therefore trust the most significant implication of what Papias says: that oral traditions of the words and deeds of Jesus were attributed to specific named eyewitnesses.”  Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006  page 20   1st Cor 11, “23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”  NKJV, 1982   1st Cor 15, “3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”  NKJV, 1982   Galatians 1, “18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)”  NKJV, 1982     Galatians 2, “Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.”  NKJV, 1982   Luke 1, “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”  NKJV, 1982

  4. Aug 2

    How Oral Traditions Were Really Passed On: Podcast 118

    This week we look at how oral traditions are really passed on in the area around Judea.  How wrong did the form critics gets it?  The answer is very, very wrong!  This makes much more sense as we look at how the Gospels themselves took shape when they were committed to writing.   Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006    “The Gospels are unreliable sources for the history of Jesus not merely because of the fallibility of human memories but more decisively because the Christian communities had no real interest in preserving traditions about the past but formulated Jesus’ traditions for quite the different purpose of witnessing to the present, living Lord Jesus.”  Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006  page 241    Bauckham quoting Vincent Taylor “if the Form-Critics are right, the disciples must have been translated to heaven immediately after the resurrection.”  Vincent Taylor, The Formation of the Gospel Tradition, 1935    “The assumption of the comparability with folklore – freely altered and created in transmission – can be questioned at several points.  The time span between Jesus and the Gospels is much shorter than the periods of time spanned by the tradition studied by folklorists.  Moreover the nature of the traditions is very different.  If the analogy with oral traditions in traditional societies is to carry any weight, there must be much more careful distinction between different types of traditions and the different ways in which they are treated.”  “Virtually every element in this construction has been questioned and rejected by some or even most scholars.  Many of these criticisms are rooted in the much better and fuller information that is now available about the way oral traditions operate in predominantly oral societies.”  Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006  page 247    “That the Gospel traditions were transmitted purely orally for several decades was assumed by the form critics rather than demonstrated.  The world of the early Christian communities was not a purely oral one, but a predominantly oral society in which written texts had a place that was closely related to orality.”  Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006  page 248    “The fact that these informants – whether the Twelve or the other disciples – were not the only eyewitnesses but also prominent teachers in the early Christian movement shows, in coherence with what we have learned from Papias, that they did not merely start the traditions going and then withdraw from view, but remained for many years the known sources and guarantors of traditions of the deeds and words of Jesus.”  Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2006  page 30    “The traditional setting is the gathering of villagers in the evening for the telling of stories and the recitation of poetry.  These gatherings have a name: they are called the haflat samar.  Samar in Arabic is a cognate of the Hebrew shamar, meaning to preserve.  The community is preserving its store of tradition.  By informal we mean that there is no set teacher and no specifically identified student.  As stories, poems and other traditional materials are told and recited through the evening, anyone can theoretically participate.  In fact, the older men, the more gifted men, and the socially more prominent men tend to do the reciting.  The reciters will shift depending on who is seated in the circle…I have often been seated in such circles when some piece of traditional oral literature is quoted.  I might not happen to know the story and so proceed to ask what it is all about.  Someone then says, “Elder so-and-so knows the story.”  The ranking social/intellectual figure then proceeds to tell the story with pride.”  K.E. Bailey, “Informal Controlled Oral Tradition and the Synoptic Gospels”, Themelios 20 (1995) 363-367.

  5. Jul 19

    Part 7 Paul’s Imprisonment Gives Us Lots of Clues: Podcast 116

    In this eight-part series we will be looking at a timeline from Jesus’ death and resurrection in 33AD up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD and how the gospels and nearly all of the New Testament came together during this time.  This week in Part 7 we start at Paul’s imprisonment around 57AD and discuss how the events mentioned and not mentioned in Acts from 57AD to 62AD help us potentially date the Gospels.     Luke 1, “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”  NKJV, 1982    “Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others…and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law he delivered them to be stoned…” 20.9.1, Flavius, Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews    From Lexham Bible Dictionary - Josephus provides a brief account of the circumstances and details of James’ death (Antiquities 20.197–203). According to Josephus, the high priest Ananus (the younger) took action against James (circa ad 61) after Festus’ death and Albinus had arrived as the new Judaean procurator (Antiquities 20.197–99). Ananus “convened the judges of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned” (Antiquities 20.200). This action did not go over well with “the most fair-minded and were strict in observance of law,” who secretly reported Ananus’ actions to Agrippa and Albinus (Antiquities 20.201–3a). As a result of his unauthorized action, Agrippa deposed Ananus after only a three-month rule as high priest (Antiquities 20.203b).  Lexham Bible Dictionary quoting from 20.9.1, Flavius, Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews

  6. Jul 12

    Part 6 The Gospels Start to Take Shape: Podcast 115

    In this eight-part series we will be looking at a timeline from Jesus’ death and resurrection in 33AD up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD and how the gospels and nearly all of the New Testament came together during this time.  This week in Part 6 we finally break into the 50’s and what might be the beginning of the Gospels themselves being committed to writing.      Acts 15, “36Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” 37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. 39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”     “So Matthew published a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own language, while Peter and Paul were preaching in Rome and founding the church.  After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also hand down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter.  Luke also, the companion of Paul, recorded in a book the Gospel preached by him.  Then John, the disciple of the Lord, the one who leaned back on the Lord’s breast, himself published a Gospel while he resided in Ephesus.” quoting from Irenaeus (120-202 AD); Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., pp. 5.8.2-4   “The Elder used to say: Mark, in his capacity as Peter’s interpreter, wrote down accurately as many things as he recalled from memory – though not in an ordered form – of the things either said or done by the Lord.  For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied him, but later, as I said, Peter, who used to give his teachings in the form of cheriai, but had no intention of providing an orderly arrangement of the logia of the Lord...Consequently Mark did nothing wrong when he wrote down some individual items just as he related them from memory.   For he made it one concern not to omit anything he had heard or to falsify anything.””  Quoting from Papias, Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., pp. 3.39.14-16

  7. Jul 5

    Part 5 The First Church Council: Podcast 114

    In this eight-part series we will be looking at a timeline from Jesus’ death and resurrection in 33AD up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD and how the gospels and nearly all of the New Testament came together during this time.  This week in Part 5 we look at the very first Church Council in Jerusalem around 50AD and how their decision shaped the future of how the Church operates today.  Spoiler alert!!  It might be better to get your theology from someplace other than network television.       Jeremiah 31:31-33 NKJV "[31] Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah- [32] not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. [33] But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.   Matthew 26:27-29 NKJV [27] Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. [28] For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.      Acts 15, “6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.  7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they…22 Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.”  NKJV   Acts 15, “23 They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.  Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment—25 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.”  NKJV

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Every week we take a close look at God's great love for us. Along the way we will answer some of the most difficult questions like: Were we created or are we a cosmic accident? If there is a God, how can I know who He is? Does God really love me? If so, why does He allow so many bad things to happen? Come join us on the greatest journey of all!