Two Ways

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17 ESV)

See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. (Deuteronomy 30:15 HCSB)

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." (Deuteronomy 30:19 NASB)

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2 ESV)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (John 5:25-29 ESV)

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15 ESV)

There are only two ways - the way of life and the way of death. It was so from the beginning. It was so from Genesis to Revelation.

There are only two ways - the way of truth and the way of lies. If we reject the truth, we will get lies.

"For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess." (Deuteronomy 32:47 NASB)

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6 KJV)

True Christianity treads the narrow path between legalism and antinomianism

True Christianity treads the narrow path between legalism and antinomianism.

Existence Truth Morality

Existence, truth, morality. I think I heard this from some Q&A by Ravi Zacharias. I cannot remember what he was talking about, but I have my own ideas on how to relate these.

Existence
You exist. There is no other option. You did not choose to, neither did your parents, though they are part of the process, but they are not in full control.

Truth
Truth is a dictator, intolerant and exclusive. It allows no exception and does not believe in democracy. Truth sets you free from contradiction.

Morality
Morality needs authority. Otherwise, why should I obey your moral codes?

Spreading the Faith - A Look At Three Religions

Buddhism spread because a great king was converted.
Christianity spread because of a great missionary was converted.
Islam spread because of a great general was converted.

King Asoka
King Asoka (304–232 BC) was the third emperor of India's Mauryan dynasty and the first powerful monarch to embrace Buddhism. For the first two hundred years of Buddhism, missionary work were carried out Buddha's disciples dressed in yellow robes, wandering around the countryside. But the conversion of King Asoka changed all that. Asoka became a Buddhist after witnessing the horrific atrocities in his conquest of Kalinga. Thanks to the state resources that Asoka deployed, Buddhism was spread throughout the Mauryan Empire and beyond. He posted edicts engraved on iron pillars throughout his realm exhorting his people to lead an ethical life, and by following the principles himself, he inspired others to adopt Buddha’s teachings. He also sponsored missionaries who were sent to all the religions of India, Sri Lanka and Burma and to as far away as Libya, Egypt and Syria. If not for Asoka, Buddhism would remain a Indian small sect like Jainism.

Paul the Apostle
In Paul's own words on what he had done, "For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed, by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God's Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the good news about the Messiah from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. (Romans 15:18-19 HCSB)"
Paul was on the way to persecute the Christians in Damascus when Jesus met him and converted him. Paul went on to become Christianity's greatest missionary, spreading the gospel within about 12 years to areas which is now Italy, Greece, the former Yugoslavia, Turkey, Syria and Israel. He did all these on foot and by sea, with no modern communication or transport technology, under persecution, without the patronage of political power or the might of an army.

Khalid ibn Al-Walid
Before his conversion to Islam, Khalid ibn Al-Walid (died 642AD) was renowned as being the only commander to have inflicted a serious battlefield defeat against Muhammad at the Battle of Uhud in 625AD. After his conversion, Khalid helped Muhammad to conquer Mecca and unite Arabia for Islam. After the death of Muhammad, he helped Caliph Abu Bakar (632-634AD) put down the apostasy and reunite Arabia for Islam. He conquered Mesopotamia (634AD) and Syria (637AD) and captured Jerusalem (637AD) under Caliph Umar (634-644AD).

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. (Matthew 23:2-3 ESV)

Actions speak louder than words. However, do not use the hypocrisy of the hypocrites as an excuse for sin. Rather do what they preach, but not what they do.

Truth Is A Dictator

Truth is a dictator. 1 + 1 = 2. The whole world can vote against that, but it remains true. Democracy cannot prevail against truth. Now what happens if someone claim to have the truth and use this truth to dictate the world?

Truth is provable. Anything that is true can be proven. If it cannot be proven, it is not true. Thus if anyone claim to have the truth, let him prove that it is true.

Truth allows no exception. It is not possible to say that because the king's son write 1 + 1 = 3, it is correct because he is an exception, the son of the king. 1 + 1 = 2 is for all, whether he is king or pauper, because truth allows no exception.

For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. (2 Corinthians 13:8 ESV)

Answering Ho Kum Fei

Question by Ho Kum Fei in my Facebook:
"This reminds me of a question that I wanted to ask you for a long time. Long long long ago, there is only one church, the Roman Catholic church in Rome. The state church of England, the Church of England renounced papal authority when Henry VIII failed to secure an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon in the 1530s. Thereafter many other also started their protestant churches and apparently interpret the bible slightly differently. Who has the correct interpretation of the Bible?"

Answer:
TEXT
In the interpretation of any text, there are two ways, exegesis and eisegesis.
1. Exegesis - let the text speak to you;
2. Eisegesis - make the text speak for you.
This is the fundamental reason why the same holy book(s) of any religion can produce many sects.

To get the correct interpretation of the Bible is not an easy thing to do because:
1. The Bible is a library of 66 books written by more than 40 authors that spanned 1500 years;
2. Everyone has pre-suppositions that they are extremely unwilling to let go.

However, the following should help:
1. Text - let the text speak to you (exegesis);
2. Context - interpret the text within the context;
3. Use the Bible to interpret the Bible - interpret unclear text in the light of clearer text;
4. The Bible never contradict itself - so there should be no contradictory conclusion.

ORGANISATION
An organization may be founded based on certain beliefs, but then the beliefs may be reinterpreted (eisegesis) over time. An example is the Communist Party of China, which now reinterpret that capitalism as socialism.

VERY SIMPLE CHURCH HISTORY
Long, long, long ago, there was only one church, a church under persecution, first by the Jews, then by the Romans. Those who believed were called Christians (Acts 11:26) and the church had no label.  It was simply known as an assembly (ἐκκλησία). But even for a church under persecution, there were many people who had pre-suppositions that they were extremely unwilling to let go and they taught their doctrines which contradict the Bible. That is why the Bible has warnings about false teachings.

Then a Roman Emperor, Constantine, became a Christian. Suddenly, to be a Christian was no longer a risk, but an opportunity. While political recognition had helped many religions, in the case of Christianity, it became a corrupting influence. The bishop of Rome, by being the bishop at the capital, started to crave for political power. To legitimize his power, ideas that the church ought to have an earthly head (not found in the Bible) had to be reinterpreted (eisegesis) into the Bible.

The Roman Catholic Bible was written in Latin, called the Latin Vulgate, and could not be understood by the common people. The Bible had to be interpreted by the priests. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic church forbid the common people from reading the Bible and also prohibit the translation of the Bible into native languages.

Council of Toulouse (1229): "We prohibit also that the laity should be permitted to have the books of the Old and the New Testament; unless anyone from the motives of devotion should wish to have the Psalter or the Breviary for divine offices or the hours of the blessed Virgin; but we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books."

Council of Tarragona (1234): "No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days after promulgation of this decree, so that they may be burned..."

Council of Trent (1564) added the Bible into its list of prohibited books, and forbade any person to read the Bible without a license from a Roman Catholic bishop or inquisitor.

The Reformation started by Martin Luther set of a chain of events which led to the Bible being translated into the language of the natives. Suddenly, the Bible was in the hands of the people and they were able to let the text speak to them. Not everyone support the Reformation because they love the Bible and its truth. When King Henry VIII of England failed to secure an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, he got the Parliament endorsed himself as the Head of the Church of England, giving himself the authority to annul his own marriage. Nevertheless, the Reformation in England was real and the Bible was translated into English. King Henry, like the Popes, tried to restrict the translation and circulation of the Bible in order to control the religion. But he gave up in 1539.

This is really a very simplified church history, omitting the split between the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. Basically both bishops (Rome & Constantinople) want to be the boss of the Christian world and so they excommunicated each other.

WHO HAS CORRECT INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE
Although the Bible is now available to most of Europe, the Reformation did not produce one denomination. Instead there are many denominations, leading to questions like, "Who has the correct interpretation of the Bible?"

Why denominations happen:
1. Text - Different interpretation, application or emphasis of certain minor Bible doctrines or peripheral issues which Christians can agree to disagree;
2. Practice - Applications of a denomination's or a church's practice deemed not according the Biblical principles causing break off;
3. Culture and language;
4. Church politics (usually masquerade as doctrinal or practice issues).

However, anyone who truly interpret the Bible correctly will agree on these fundamentals:
1. The inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture;
2. The deity of Jesus Christ;
3. The virgin birth of Christ;
4. The substitutionary, atoning work of Christ on the cross;
5. The physical resurrection and the personal bodily return of Christ to the earth.

The 14th Dalai Lama Concedes He May Be The Last

Vesak Day is here and let us talk about Buddhism and who can be more Buddhist than the 14th Dalai Lama? The following quote was taken from "Dalai Lama concedes he may be the last - BBC News (17 December 2014)".

QUOTE
In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC's Newsnight programme, during a visit to Rome for the 14th World Summit of Nobel Laureates, the 79-year-old spiritual leader conceded that he may not have a successor.

Whether another Dalai Lama came after him would depend on the circumstances after his death and was "up to the Tibetan people", he said.

He pointed out that the role no longer included political responsibilities; in 2011 the Dalai Lama handed these to an elected leader of the Tibetan government in exile, Lobsang Sangay.

The move was seen by many as a way the Dalai Lama could ensure the Tibetan community would have an elected leader in place outside the control of China.

China has said repeatedly that it will choose the next Dalai Lama.

"The Dalai Lama institution will cease one day. These man-made institutions will cease," the Dalai Lama told the BBC.

"There is no guarantee that some stupid Dalai Lama won't come next, who will disgrace himself or herself. That would be very sad. So, much better that a centuries-old tradition should cease at the time of a quite popular Dalai Lama."
UNQUOTE

Is the 14th Dalai Lama a real incarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama? Is reincarnation true? Can the man who claimed to be an reincarnation of another prove to us that he is a reincarnation while is he still alive?

Can the Dalai Lama stop himself from reincarnating? Does he has the power? Does he have complete control over his own reincarnation? Why is his reincarnation "up to the Tibetan people"? How does the living influence the dead and reincarnation? Can he explain? According to the Kalama Sutta, we should question everything, so I am not being disrespectful.

Monarchies and presidencies are man-made institution because the selection and succession is clearly natural. The Dalai Lama's succession is by reincarnation, which is supernatural. Is Dalai Lama a man-made institution? If the Dalai Lama is a man-made institution, does he mean that the reincarnation thingy is just a hoax to trick the Tibetan people into believing that he is more than human?

"Ma paramparaya" - Buddha in The Kalama Sutta
Translated from Pali:
Do not accept anything just because it is ancient and has been handed down from past generations.