What About Halloween?

What About Halloween? 

A Biblical Perspective 

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI 

Biblical Authority Ministries, August 1, 2024 (Donate)

In the United States and other countries, Halloween has become one of the most popular unofficial “holidays”.[1] On the upside, retail sales boost the economy measuring in the multiple billions of dollars spent in the USA each year. 

On the down side, the “holiday” has become a time of increased crime (especially arson and other acts of violence) on Halloween night as well as the night before.  Even the author’s house was robbed one Halloween by forced entry. So although the retail industry loves Halloween, police and insurance companies dread it! Of course, there is also a tremendous amount of occult activity associated with this “holiday”. 

Kids and even many adults love getting dressed-up for Halloween.  And they love the candy, of course. It’s just innocent fun, isn’t it?  Let’s think carefully and biblically about that. 

When did this holiday begin and why?  Was it of pagan origins or is there something more behind it? How should Christians view this day in general? 

To understand these questions further, we need to go back to the roots of Halloween.      

When Did Modern-Day Halloween Get Started? 

In the early 1900s, the migrating Irish and Scots brought Halloween traditions to the United States. Over time, Halloween catapulted into mainstream culture.  

The “holiday”, though, has roots reaching much earlier. Some researchers claim that the “holiday” can be traced back about 2,000 years to the Celts of Europe, who occupied what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France (and the few other places).[2] It was a pagan festival called “Samhain” (pronounced “sow-in”) and was celebrated more or less in honor of the dead, and involved the offering of large sacrifices of crops and animals.[3]  

Although no original written accounts of this festival exist today from the ancient Celts, there is some reference to it in Roman records, when the Romans conquered Celtic lands around AD 43. With Roman rule, the day of Samhain was influenced by Roman festivals of the time. The first was called “Pomona” which was a type of harvest festival, and the next was “Feralia,” the Roman day of the dead. Interestingly, both Feralia and Samhain were festivals of the dead and celebrated at the end of October.[4] 

The Name “Halloween” 

Around AD 800, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1^st as All Saints’ Day in an effort to give a Christian alternative to this pagan holiday.[5] Christians who did not want to celebrate pagan festivals celebrated something of positive spiritual value – in this case honoring the saints and martyrs. With the overwhelming expansion of Christianity in Europe, All Saint’s Day became the dominant holiday.[6]  

In fact, the current name of “Halloween” originates from the day before All Saint’s Day, which was “All Hallow Evening” shortened to “All Hallow’s Eve” or “All Hallow’s Even.”  The name varied over time further and became “hallowe’en”. 

A couple of hundred years later, the Roman Catholic Church made November 2^nd All Souls Day to honor the dead. This may well have been influenced by the continued persistence of the day of the dead by the ancient Irish, Scots, and others in Europe. Today, many Christians celebrate October 31^st as Reformation Day in honor of reformers such as Martin Luther, who spearheaded the Reformation in the early 1500s.  

Because All Saints Day was such a huge event, placing the 95 Theses to the door of the church at Wittenburg on All Hallow’s Evening meant that more people would have the opportunity to read it. The door of the church was like the public bulletin board. So there is a direct connection to the All Hallow’s Eve and Reformation Day. 

Other Cultures Have A “Day Of The Dead” 

Although many claim Samhain as the origin of modern-day Halloween, it is significant to note how many cultures throughout the world have celebrated a “day of the dead” (often with sacrifices), occurring at the end of summer and fall. It seems too much of a coincidence. 

For example, in the Americas there is the Mexican Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos) that goes back to the ancient festival of the dead celebrated by Aztecs and the more-ancient Olmec. This was likely where the Guatemalans get their Day of the Dead.  Brazilians also celebrate Finados (Day of the Dead). Bolivia has the Day of the Skulls (Dia de los natitas). In Asia, there are similar festivals.7

The annual Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is celebrated in the fall, usually September/October.8 But it is distinctly different in purpose.  It is not in honor of the dead.  Rather it deals with soul searching, repentance, and is a time of great sacrifice for the sins of the people (Leviticus 23:27). The Day of Atonement was also celebrated in the fall, usually September/October.  Though the origin of this date, specifically for the Israelites, can be traced to Moses, the day may well have been chosen by God going back to previous events, as famous Bible chronicler Archbishop Ussher pointed out.9 

What Is The Original Source For Halloween?  

It seems no coincidence that cultures all around the world in both present and ancient times have had a holiday when the dead were remembered and animals were sacrificed. If cultures around the world have had this, it is one additional argument for there being a time when all the peoples of the world lived together. 

Otherwise, it seems strange and difficult to explain how these cultures developed celebrations that are so similar.  This pushes the true origin of “Halloween” to the time before the dispersion at Babel, Genesis 11, over 4,200 years ago, after which, early cultures were beginning to have variations of this day set in.   

According to Archbishop Ussher, the timeframe between these events was about 106 years, with the Flood ending in 2348 BC and the dispersion occurring about 2242 BC.10 In this timeframe, Noah would have still been alive, and Noah’s sons, too. We are not given much information in Genesis about the wives of Noah and his three sons. But Noah’s son’s wives were busy having children after the Flood, producing a total of 16 grandsons for Noah. 

There have been several claims for so many cultures having a day of the dead.  Consider these: 

1. Were they days celebrated in honor of an ancestor or group of ancestors after they died?  Perhaps the day was to celebrate at the time when a great patriarch or matriarch of a given family that left Babel finally died. The death of a great ancestor would happen to each culture sooner or later. But the odds of most of them dying in the late summer/fall is very low so it would be more difficult to explain the holidays all being at about that time. 
2. Was it a harvest festival of grains and animals, which were prepared for winter, thereby signifying death? Then later this festival was transformed spiritually to honor the dead? This might explain the sacrifice of animals and why the holidays occur in the fall. But it fails to address why each culture deviated toward a spiritual day of the dead. Also, this doesn’t make sense for cultures that are in the southern hemisphere, where September/October is spring, not harvest time. 
3. Did Noah’s wife die soon after the Flood and this day honored her? By the time Ham had fathered Canaan and Ham sinned against Noah (which was before the dispersion at Babel), Noah’s wife is not mentioned, and Japheth and Shem were left with the task of covering their father’s nakedness after he got drunk and lay uncovered in his tent (Genesis 9:20-27). One would suspect that Noah’s wife should have had this responsibility, but she is nowhere mentioned.  Had Noah’s wife died fairly early, prior to Babel, this well-known matriarch’s death would have been remembered by each culture after the dispersion at Babel. But there is no mention or reference to a great woman, which would be expected if this were the case.11 
4. Did Satan, the one who comes to kill and steal and destroy (John 10:10), move throughout all the pagan cultures after the dispersion to develop these days of the dead? Though this is possible, it seems Satan would almost have to have an omnipresence and omnipotence about him do such a thing. And although Satan would like us to think he has these attributes of God, he doesn’t.   
5. Was it a day to remember those who died in the Flood and a continuation of the sacrifices that Noah made after coming off the Ark? Because the celebrations call to remembrance the dead and have sacrifices, then it is reminiscent of the large sacrifice that Noah and his family did after the Flood. This would also explain why many other cultures have a variant of this regular sacrifice. When Noah and his family exited the Ark, they offered sacrifices to God (Genesis 8:18 – Genesis 9:1); of course, deviations in this sacrifice over the year and its meaning would have varied down the ages. This author seems to lean more toward this explanation than the others. 

Other Christians have recognized this connection.  For example, Alfred Rehwinkel, a Professor of Theology at Concordia Seminary, put together the idea that nations throughout the world had a similar day of the dead, and directly related this to the Flood of Noah’s day.12 This was realized as far back as 1951 when Rehwinkel published his book called “The Flood.” Also, scholar John Urquhart pointed this out as far back as 1931.[8]  

The many varied accounts and sad celebrations of the day of the dead worldwide confirm that its origin was a time when people groups were still gathered together or had closer ties. Is it possible that the event of Noah’s sacrifice is where the day of the dead really originates?  

It was a time when there was a sacrifice to cover sins and a reminder why death reigns in this sin-cursed world. It was a spiritual time, a time when people remembered the sudden disaster, a global Flood, which took virtually the entire population because of sin. Consider Noah for a moment: he even lost brothers and sisters in the Flood; the grief would have been overwhelming (Genesis 5:30).  

Halloween’s roots could easily extend this far, but I concede that there should be no dogmatism about it.  

Why Sacrifices? 

Proper sacrifices in the Bible were associated with sin and death. This goes back to the first sacrifice in Genesis 3:21, when the first two humans (Adam and Eve) sinned against God. The Bible says that the punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:22).  Due to their sin, Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness. So, God made coats of animal skins to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:21).  God sacrificed animals to cover this sin. So, we have illustrated the principle that an innocent substitute must die to provide forgiveness. 

In a fashion similar to God, Abel offered sacrifices from his flocks (Genesis 4:4) and Noah did the same after the Flood. Later, the Israelites did this as well, giving sin offerings of lambs, doves, etc. The blood of animals, however, was not enough to remove sin; they were only enough to cover it (Hebrews 10:4), as finite animals could never really take the infinite punishment from an infinite God.  These instances of sacrificing animals were foreshadowing Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who as the perfect infinite sacrifice on the Cross fully paid for our sins, so that everyone who trusts in Him will be saved and given eternal life. 

With most of the celebrations of “the days of the dead,” sacrifices were involved. This suggests that cultures around the world understood this concept of sacrificing to God to cover sins. A Christian should expect this since all people groups have descended from those at Babel.  

So logically, when people migrated to different parts of the world after God confused their language, they took the concept of sacrifice with them. Of course, their methods and meaning of sacrifice changed and varied over the years, so the true intent was lost.   

Understanding the true meaning of sacrifices in the Bible can be used as a tool for Christians to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Death and suffering are a result of sin, and sacrifices were continual reminder that sin is punishable by death. This is the foundation for the Gospel and why Jesus stepped into history.  

The true meaning of what sacrifices meant and culminating with Jesus being the final sacrifice and now such sacrifices of animals are no longer required.  The bad news of sin and death, which sacrifice is a continual reminder going back to Adam, has been conquered by the Son of God and the free gift of salvation is now offered.  

If the days of the dead really have their roots in Noah’s sacrifices (and even back to the first sacrifice), then consider this: the Lord has even given the command to Christians to celebrate in remembrance this final sacrifice – it is called the Lord’s Supper.  Paul says: 

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." 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." (1 Corinthians 11:24-25; NKJV) 

The Evils Of Modern-Day Halloween And What A Christian Can Do? 

It should be obvious from a Christian perspective that modern practices of Halloween and days of the dead have evil intent. There has been considerable paganism associated with Halloween over the years. Even evil acts such as vandalism, fires, pranks, pretending people are something they are not by dressing up, and so on are painfully in opposition to the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:19-23).  So, a word of caution must be made to evangelicals who promote the modern practices of Halloween.  

If anything, an alternative that would oppose Halloween should be offered by Christians.  Psalms 24:1 points out that everything belongs to the Lord. Therefore, there is no reason to let Satan have Halloween. It is not his day in the first place. When Satan tried tempting Jesus, he offered Jesus something that was not his to offer (Matthew 4:8 – all the kingdoms of the world).  

Jesus obviously didn’t go for it; because it wasn’t Satan’s to give anyway, nor did Satan exercise any authority over Him. Many today believe that Halloween is Satan’s day, and recommend staying away from it. But recognizing such a thing would be to disregard that Satan owns nothing and that all days belong to God. Christians can take this day and make better use of it, such as Reformation Day, Harvest festival, an extra day of communion to remember Christ’s sacrifice, and so on (Colossians 2:15).     

So where do you go from here? Please encourage your pastors and elders to have some sort of church function to counter modern practices of Halloween. Of course, the only “good” thing that Halloween really has to offer should also be involved –tasty, but often unhealthy, candy! You may also visit the AiG website, www.answersingenesis.org or www.biblicalauthorityministries.org to learn more, as well as searching the Scriptures find answers.  

In today’s age, where Halloween has a foothold, people will likely come by “trick or treating.”  If a Christian alternative is not possible in your location, then take advantage of this opportunity to share with people the message of the gospel (tracts available) and how Jesus Christ has conquered death, and the forgiveness that can only be found in God. In the same way, God offered His own Son to save sinners from the punishment we all deserve by being that ultimate sacrifice on a cross.    

Death is a terrible reality for all of us and not something to celebrate or treat as fun.  Death is the punishment for sin.  Since all of us are sinners (Romans 3:23), we must realize that death is coming. But God is a God of grace and mercy, and in His love He has offered a means of salvation through His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who suffered and died the ultimate death, in our place, so that all who believe can receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23; NKJV).

Originally published: https://answersingenesis.org/holidays/halloween-history-and-the-bible/ 

Republished by Permission 

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[1] I am hesitant to call this a holiday, since a holiday is a “Holy Day” and there is little, if anything, holy in today’s Halloween. But for the sake of this article, I will call it a holiday.

[2] The Celts were descendants of Gomer and were often equated with ancient Gauls or Galatians. For more on this, see the book Tower of Babel: The Cultural History of Our Ancestors, Bodie Hodge (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2012).

[3] Ancient Origins of Halloween, History.com (A&E Television Networks, 1996–2008).

[4] Christine Nyholm, “Halloween Based on Ancient Beliefs,” September 10, 2007, http://ancienthistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/ancient_beliefs_and_halloween, accessed 13 June 2008.  See also Reference 3.

[5] "Halloween." Encyclopædia Britannica (Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008).

[6] The modern definition and use of the term “saint” in the Roman Catholic Church was not instigated until 1588 by Pope Sixtus V. At this point, Catholics began their stage of proclaiming saints in a three-step procedure: Venerable, Blessed, and then a “Saint”. There is no reason to assume that before this, saints were different than the view of saints that Protestants held to. Even Luther used the term saints correctly in his 95 Theses and had no complaint toward it use. It wasn’t until after Luther that the word was redefined and its use was corrupted.

7 “Day of the Dead." Encyclopædia Britannica (Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008) and “Day of the Dead,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead, accessed 7 April 2008; For example in Asia, the Ghost Festival celebrated by the Chinese, which was a day to pay homage to dead ancestors. The Japanese celebrated something similar called O-bon or merely Bon. Even Vietnam has a variant of the Ghost Festival called Tet Trung Nguyen. In Korea, there is Chuseok or Hankawi where deceased ancestors are ritualized. In Nepal, there is the cow pilgrimage called Gia Jatra to honor the recently deceased. In the Philippines, there is the Day of the Dead (Araw ng mga Patay), where tombs are cleaned and repainted.  The list can go on and on. 

8 The date is the 10^th day of the month of Tishri on the Jewish calendar.  When translated to the current Gregorian calendar that we use today, it falls in September or October.  The Jewish calendar has a 360-day year, with a leap month every few years to get it back to about 365 days per year.  So the date moves a round on the Gregorian calendar. 

9 James Ussher, The Annals of the World, translated by Larry and Marion Pierce (Master Books, Green Forest, AR: 2003), p. 22.

10 Ibid.; with caveats, the Tower of Babel date is estimated based on historical, no biblical data.

11 I doubt that Noah’s death was the reason for the days of the dead since Noah lived for about 250 after the event at Babel, if Ussher’s calculations are essentially accurate.  Though it is possible that news would have spread through the world about Noah’s death, it seems less likely so many years after Babel.

12 Rehwinkel, A., The Flood: In the light of the Bible, geology and archaeology, 17^th Printing, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO, 1951 pp. 169-171.

[8] Urquhart, J., in Bible League Quarterly. October-December, 1931, pp. 181-183.

Being Saved

 

What Does It Mean to Be “Saved”?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, July 18, 2024 (Donate)

All Scripture, NKJV

People might tell you that you need to be saved. But do you feel like you’re only getting half the story? Are you like me? I get tired of sitting down in the middle of something like a story, show, etc. and wondering what’s going on. I think most people feel like this when they hear about Jesus for the first time. In my past, I would hear things like:

Bottom of Form

“Good news! Good news! Here’s how to get saved: Believe in Jesus!!”

I was thinking, “Saved from what? Jesus who?” Obviously, there was something missing in the approach that these well-meaning Christians used with me, and it is important, then, to learn to be better witnesses.

Perfect Creation . . . Then the Bad News

First of all, it’s tough to understand the good news of being saved if you don’t understand the bad news. So, let’s go back to the beginning. In the beginning, God created everything:

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[1]

When God created everything He said it was “very good.” This meant that everything was perfect. The whole creation was perfect. In fact, God says that all His works are perfect, and we would expect that from a perfect God. Man lived in the perfectly created earth (i.e., a paradise) with a perfect relationship with God.

Genesis 1:31
Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

Being that the original creation was perfect, there was no death before this (Genesis 1:29–30).[2] God gave man and woman the freedom of contrary choice.[3] The first two people God created were Adam and Eve, who were allowed to freely eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They were to live forever with God. Again, there was no death. However, Eve was tempted by a serpent (being influenced by Satan, who had rebelled against God in the heavenly realm), and then both Adam and Eve also rebelled against God by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; thus, they sinned (sin is rebellion against God[4]).

Genesis 2:16–17
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; “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 3:1–6
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; “but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

The result of Adam’s sin (rebellion against a Holy Creator) was God’s judgment through many curses. God cursed the ground, which mankind had dominion over (Genesis 1:28), to bring forth thorns and thistles. He sentenced man and woman to die, fulfilling what was spoken in Genesis 2:17. He also cursed the animals and, especially, the serpent.

From this act of rebellion, we (i.e., humans, descendants of Adam) inherit “original sin.” This, in a layman’s sense, means that we are sentenced to die and are prone to sin because we were in Adam when he sinned.[5] In essence, these curses are like God removing some of His sustaining power, so the creation is no longer upheld in a perfect state, but in bondage to sin and death (Romans 8:21)—hence, we now suffer things like cancer, sickness, suffering, and finally, death.

Genesis 3:14–19
So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread    Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. 

In spite of our sin, God loved us so much that He had already planned a way for us to return to a perfect relationship with Him. To provide forgiveness and salvation, God gave the first prophecy of many regarding the way back to a restored relationship with Him. Genesis 3:15 says that the seed will be that of a woman.[6] This refers to the future event—the virgin birth of Jesus—being the “seed of a woman” and not of a man.

Death and Sacrifice Point Toward a Savior

In the New Testament, Paul confirms what is written in Genesis 2:17 when he says that the wages of sin is death. One sin is enough to cause death!

Romans 6:23a
For the wages of sin is death

Since the wages of sin is death, God, in Genesis 3, shows that a life must be taken to cover the sin of Adam and Eve. Therefore, to make a temporary atonement (cover the sins for a time), God killed these animals on behalf of Adam and Eve clothing them with the skins.

Genesis 3:21
Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

The punishment demanded from an infinitely holy God, who cannot look upon sin, is an infinite punishment. Animals are not infinite, and so, they cannot ultimately take away the sin, but merely cover it. Mankind needed a perfect, infinitely holy sacrifice. Jesus Christ, who is the infinite and holy Son of God, stepped into history to take that punishment on Himself. We ultimately need a perfect sacrifice, and the perfectly obedient life of Christ was God’s plan for the ultimate atonement.

But after Adam and Eve sinned, people began making animal sacrifices to cover their sins—an animal life for sin. A few examples follow.

Abel

Genesis 4:4
Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering.

Noah

Genesis 8:20
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Abraham

Genesis 22:13
Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

Israelites

Leviticus 1:3
‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD.

The Law of Moses (i.e., Genesis–Deuteronomy) revealed sin as rebellion against God. The moral laws are summarized in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5). Even with the Law, people continued rebelling and turning away from God (Romans 3:20). But God sent the ultimate and final sacrifice—far greater than any animal sacrifice—that would be sufficient to cover sin against a perfect God (Hebrews 10:1–14).

Jesus Christ, the Savior, Steps into History

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God sent His Son (i.e., the second person of the Triune God[7]), Jesus, to humble Himself and enter into a sin-cursed world to live a servant’s life on earth just like one of us (Philippians 2:8). He entered the world just as was prophesied—through the virgin Mary.

Jesus was without sin (1 John 3:5) and did everything perfectly according to the Law. Then, He would allow mankind to sacrifice Him on the cross. Jesus would be the final sacrifice because he obeyed God completely and was without defect—only He could satisfy the infinite punishment we deserve. His method of sacrifice (crucifixion) was even outlined many years before in Psalm 22. He was the perfect sacrifice (far exceeding the most perfect, unblemished animal) because He was the perfect man and also perfect God (Colossians 2:9).

Matthew 5:17
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

When God stepped into His creation, He offered what is called “grace.” Grace means that we were to be rightly punished for our wrongdoings, and then the one who sentenced us to that punishment took the punishment upon Himself because of love for us. We rightly deserved death by God’s judgment. But God took that punishment upon Himself by dying in our place as Jesus Christ. He exercised that grace because of His love for us.

Jesus didn’t come to the world to sentence it to death—the world was already condemned by sin. He came to save us from that sin. This indicates that God really is a God of love.

John 3:17
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Ephesians 2:1-7
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

A second death is still the punishment that God will give to those who do not turn to Him. The second death is called hell and is separation from God—being completely separated from all that is good.[8] Even Satan himself has no power there. Jesus came to be the final sacrifice to allow us to be saved from this penalty due to sin against a holy God.

When Jesus rose and conquered death, people no longer needed to present an animal sacrifice to cover up their sins. For those who trust in Christ will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Bible warns that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. All other sins can be forgiven up to the moment of death.

Matthew 12:32
“Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is rejecting the Holy Spirit to the point of death. The only way to reject the Holy Spirit is not receiving Jesus as your Savior during your lifetime. This corresponds to Jesus saying that He was the only way back to God the Father.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The Free Gift of Salvation: Belief in Christ

Jesus, being the perfect sacrifice, offers the free gift of salvation. God loves you so much that He sacrificed His own unblemished Son to suffer the wrath against sin and die on the Cross. He commands you to repent (change your mind and turn from sinful ways) and trust in Him:

2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.[9]

The Bible is clear in several passages how to receive salvation. It doesn’t mean you are perfect after you are saved, but it does mean that you are perfectly forgiven and saved from the penalty of sin by God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8–9
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Romans 10:9–10
That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Mark 16:16
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Acts 16:30–31
And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

These verses point out the importance of belief in Jesus Christ. It is a simple and free gift. It doesn’t matter how many steps you’ve taken away from God; it is only one step back. If you are not a Christian, then consider more deeply the claims of Jesus, and please take a few minutes to pray to God in the name of Jesus to forgive your sins and to receive Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life. Then please take some time to sit down with a Bible-believing pastor in a local church to help direct you as you begin your new life with Christ. Read your Bible every day and seek to understand and obey what you read.

Originally published: https://answersingenesis.org/gospel/salvation/what-does-it-mean-to-be-saved/

Reprinted with permission.

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[1] See also John 1:1–3.

[2] Ken Ham, “Two Histories of Death,” Creation 24(1):18–20, December, 2001.

[3] Whether this is still the case has been up for debate for centuries and is not for discussion in this short article.

[4] Bodie Hodge, “Who Sinned First?” March 14, 2008.

[5] See Romans 5:12–14 and 1 Corinthians 15:22.

[6] See also Isaiah 7:14.

[7] Mark Bird, “The Trinity,” July 30, 2008; Bodie Hodge, “God Is Triune,” February 20, 2008.

[8] See Matthew 10:28; 23:33; 25:41–46.

[9] See also Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3–5; Acts 17:30.

Presuppositional Intro

 

What Does It Mean To Be Presuppositional?

Bodie Hodge M.Sc. B.Sc. PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries July 17, 2024 (Donate)

Presuppositions are the most basic and foundational beliefs that shape our thinking. Everyone has presuppositions, even if we don't always realize it. For Christians, we strive to think "God's thoughts after Him" in our presuppositions.

Let me explain basic presuppositions to get us started. Imagine we are looking at a fossil found on the top of the Andes Mountains in Peru, over 2 miles high.

When an atheistic evolutionist examines this evidence, they might conclude that this fossil was laid down in a small, local flood millions of years ago and was then raised to its current height through slow, gradual uplifts.

When I look at this evidence, I conclude that this fossil was laid down during the Flood of Noah and was elevated over 2 miles high during the mountainous uplifts of softer sediments during the Flood, solidifying in place.

Notice that we are both analyzing the same evidence. We are looking at the same fossil found in the exact same location in the mountains, yet we reach vastly different conclusions. This indicates that our conclusions are not based solely on the evidence but are influenced by our previously held beliefs about the world and its history. This same divergence in interpretation can be seen with many other pieces of evidence—we interpret the evidence differently based on our worldviews.

Basic Presuppositions

This brings us to the differing presuppositions we have about history. These presuppositions form our worldview. They are like lenses through which we view the evidence. The evolutionist presupposes a particular worldview based on man's arbitrary opinions. I do too, but we start from different points.

The evolutionist begins with a secular, atheistic worldview (based on man's arbitrary ideas) as their basic presupposition [e.g., big bang models (cosmological evolution), long ages (geological evolution), materialistic origin of life (chemical evolution), and biological evolution]. I begin with God's Word (based on God's absolutes) as my most basic presupposition.

You need to understand that it is a battle between two different worldviews because we have two different sets of basic presuppositions. So, instead of battling over evidence, we need to address the interpretation of that evidence at a more foundational level—a presuppositional level.

Going Deeper—Using Presuppositions To Devastate False Worldviews

Got it? Okay. Let's delve deeper into presuppositions and how they can be used to disprove false worldviews and religions.

Now that you understand that the battle is actually at a foundational level, this is where presuppositions become powerful.

Did you know that the atheistic worldview excludes God? Of course you did. "A" means without, and "theistic" means God, so an atheistic position means without God. To clarify, the atheist doesn't just say, "there may not be a God"; their position is that there is no God.

The atheistic position also includes a belief in a materialistic universe, meaning they believe that only matter and energy (material) exist. They do not believe in anything spiritual or non-material. If they did, they would have to leave open the possibility that God could exist, which would contradict their atheism. So, atheism is inherently materialistic.

This is why it is common to say that atheism is built on materialism. In short, the atheistic religion is presupposed by the materialistic religion. It is a more basic presupposition. So, let's critique this materialistic (atheistic) position.

If the only things that exist in this worldview are matter and energy (material), then immaterial things can't exist within this worldview—if they want to be consistent. This means that things like knowledge, logic, conclusions, dignity, common sense, intelligence, love, and so on cannot exist if this religion is true. Oh, wait—you can't say if this religion is "true" because truth isn't material either!

See the blatant inconsistency within the atheistic and materialistic worldview at the very onset of their position? Yet the evolutionist wants to have "conclusions" regarding evidence like the fossil mentioned earlier, but their worldview cannot account for "conclusions" because they are not material! This tension shows that their religious worldview is false from the onset.

As Christians, starting with God's Word as our presupposition, we have a basis for both a material universe and the existence of non-material things like truth, knowledge, and logic. We, as descendants of Adam, are made in the image of a logical, all-knowing, spiritual God of truth. We can have dignity, common sense, intelligence, love, and arrive at conclusions because these are Christian concepts predicated on the God of the Bible. At a worldview level, there is no competition—God wins against all worldviews, not just the secular atheistic ones (naturalism, agnosticism, secular humanism, etc.).

In other words, the 66 books of the Bible are the basic set of presuppositions that form a believer's initial beliefs. When we start with God's Word, that is our ultimate presupposition.

When we start with God's Word, we have a basis for logic, knowledge, and truth since we are made in the image of a logical, all-knowing God of truth. God created and upholds the world in a logical way and has promised to do so in the future, which makes observable and repeatable science possible (uniformity of nature). God also sets absolute morality since He is the ultimate lawgiver.

Non-Christians have presuppositions too—obviously, they don't start with God and His Word. The problem is that non-Christian worldviews (e.g., evolutionism, Hinduism, paganism, cults, etc.) don't have good presuppositions but faulty ones. Ultimately, these non-Christian worldviews can't account for certain things like knowledge, truth, logic, uniformity of science, and absolute morality like the Bible does.

A good way to arrive at these basic presuppositions is to ask, "What must be true for X to be so?" For example, if an atheist tells me evolution is true, I'm going to ask, "Why do you think truth exists in the atheistic worldview (atheism is built on materialism)?" The reason I ask this is to point out a presupposition tension between his professed belief (materialistic atheism) and the non-material concept of truth.

You see, the various materialistic religions cannot account for truth, logic, or knowledge! They fail. They must borrow from a biblical worldview. Therefore, their worldviews are false.

In monistic worldviews (i.e., only spirit exists—you are deceived into thinking material things exist), like Eastern religions (e.g., Hinduism, Taoism, New Age, etc.), all is one.

So, (1) being logical and illogical are one and the same; (2) having truth and falsity are one and the same; (3) having knowledge and no knowledge are one and the same; (4) being moral and immoral are one and the same, and (5) the world is an illusion (maya), so observations of the world (i.e., science) are also an illusion. Did you see how monistic presuppositions fail reality? Again, these religions must borrow from God's Word.

Cults openly borrow from the Bible, and pagan worldviews are just arbitrary. The point is that the Bible must be predicated to evaluate and prove anything. This is called the ultimate proof, or more properly, "transcendental" proof. By the impossibility of the contrary, God's Word is the truth just to proceed. In other words, you can't prove anything unless the Bible is true.

This is really what it means to be presuppositional. And it is pretty powerful when you grasp it.

Images: Fossil, Bodie Hodge; Others purchased for use in Presentation Library.

Welcome

 

Welcome to Biblical Authority Ministries! 

As the name implies, this Christian ministry is focused on biblical authority. 

Simply put, the 66 books of the Bible are the supreme authority in all matters—faith, education, life, science, history, practice, apologetics, theology—every subject. As a point of note, this doesn’t just mean “faith and practice”—but all areas.

In our culture, God and His Word have been attacked in many ways because so many have been influenced to believe the religion of secular humanism—whether they realize it or not. Secular humanism (atheism, evolutionism, agnosticism, naturalism, Darwinism, materialism, etc.) dominates our schools, media, politics, museums, and so on. Even I was influenced by this type of religion to a certain degree. 

As a result, Genesis 1-11 have come under severe attack. Consider these common attacks: 

 

1. Creation in six days has been largely usurped by [false] big bangs models. Sadly, some Christian’s try to mix their Christianity with this religion and thereby compromise (or syncretize) two different religions together. 

 

2. The fall into sin and the origin of death (which is the foundation for the Gospel) has been replaced with Darwin’s worship of death as the hero for an evolutionary worldview—with millions of years of death supposedly occurring over long ages (because of rock layers that contain fossils). 

 

3. The global Flood of Noah—which explains from where most of those fossil-bearing rock layers came—has been replaced with slow gradual accumulations over millions of years! 

 

4. The events at the Tower of Babel which explain why people look a little different (the gene pool was split apart as different families spread to different parts of the world). Furthermore, the origin of language families has been replaced with Darwinian racism and the “evolved out of Africa” model for the evolution of languages. 

At Biblical Authority Ministries, the hope is to reclaim the truth of Scripture from the very first verse of Genesis. We want to help believers get back to God’s Word as the ultimate authority on these types of issues. 

But we also hope to proclaim the truth of the whole of Scripture including the Gospel—because without the Gospel, what’s the point? I don’t just want people to turn from false worldviews like evolution and hold to creation; but I want to see them receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. From here, I want to encourage new believers to continue growing in their faith by getting involved in a local Bible-believing church.

This is why Biblical Authority Ministries exist—to help provide biblical, scientific, and theological answers to the church and culture to remove barriers to the Gospel to the glory of God. 

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, July 12, 2024