The Giving Part 2: Judas the Betrayer, a Balanced View of the Sovereignty of God

[Music] the giving is a balanced view of the sovereignty of God God's sovereignty is vitally important for us to know God yet it's God's sovereignty taught as a system of theological thought which can lead to a person reading into the biblical text an outside concept that is foreign to the writers i...

Was the death of Jesus evil? Calvinism and ordained evil

This question is often asked of those of us who do not believe that God initiates evil. If God predestined the death of Jesus, does this mean that God commanded or ordained the evil acts of men? A Calvinist website describes God’s ordaining of evil this way:

Purposeless evil?

Calvinists often talk about “purposeless evil.” In fact, Dr. James White, a Calvinist apologist from Alpha and Omega Ministries , has stated that if God did not ordain all things including the evil actions of men, then evil has no purpose. Dr.

The context surrounding John 6

In explaining the meaning of John 6, we need to pay close attention to the context surrounding John 6 as well as the relevant context from the entire book of John. Here are some verses that are HIGHLY relevant and some questions for you to ponder.

Why are people not coming to Jesus?

Dr. James White has stated on his Dividing Line program that he wants to see how I line up the John 6 passage to show why people are not coming to Jesus. This post will summarize my view from my previous verse by verse exposition and tie in reasons for unbelief from the book of John.

The Path Of The Last Adam

The path of the last Adam was a path that took Him from Heaven to earth, from the earth to the grave and from the grave to resurrection power on display as our  Lord, Savior and King. But a study in contrast with the first Adam shows us the stark contrast to the faithfulness that the last Adam offer

@DefiantLs 5. He turned His gaze to the establishment and said “F* you Pontius Pilate.” FALSE. Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world. Jesus encouraged Pilate that if he was on the side of truth he would listen to Him. Jesus said ...

@DefiantLs 5. He turned His gaze to the establishment and said “F* you Pontius Pilate.” FALSE. Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world. Jesus encouraged Pilate that if he was on the

@narrow_road_2 @Crystalisives @MikeWingerii Responsibility often comes with knowledge, ability, experience or maturity. “John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.’” (Jn 3:27) Later, Jesus said to ...

@narrow_road_2 @Crystalisives @MikeWingerii Responsibility often comes with knowledge, ability, experience or maturity. “John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given h

Ephesians 1:4-5

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

Romans 8:28-30

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

προορίζω (proorizō)

to predestine, to foreordain, to determine beforehand

Psalm 22's 'dogs' and 'bulls of Bashan' are metaphors for human enemies, not literal animals

Ra argues Psalm 22 depicts David being chased by literal dogs, making it inapplicable to Jesus

John 19:11 — Jesus tells Pilate that the one who handed him over 'has the greater sin,' demonstrating a qualitative comparison of two specific sins.

Mike examines the conversation between Jesus and Pilate during the Passion narrative as a direct statement by Jesus about comparative sin.

Some skeptics claimed Pontius Pilate was a Gospel fiction. The Pilate Stone (discovered 1961, dated AD 26-36) is a 2x3 foot inscription naming 'Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea,' providing secular confirmation of a key Gospel figure during the exact period of Jesus' ministry and crucifixion.

Beyond David and Pilate, archaeological and historical sources have confirmed the existence of Gallio, Erastus, Caiaphas, Annas, James the brother of Jesus, Peter, and Jesus himself — showing the NT was not fabricating characters wholesale.

There is near-universal scholarly consensus that Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate. This is treated as one of the most firmly established facts of ancient history.

1 Timothy 6:13 — Paul references Jesus's testimony before Pontius Pilate

Paul's specific mention of Pontius Pilate ties Jesus's death to a named Roman governor, confirming his historical existence.

Q&A: How to use the Bible as evidence with non-believers who don't accept it as God's word — the prophecy approach

Viewer question from Kate about apologetic method.

Q&A: How did the Gospel writers know about private conversations (Jesus and Pilate)?

Q&A on the epistemological question of how private Gospel scenes were recorded.

Q&A: Did New Testament writers invent Gospel narratives from OT prophecies? — Refuted by extra-biblical confirmation of historical facts

Q&A from a persistent atheist questioner (Doug) suggesting Gospels were reverse-engineered from OT texts.

Tacitus (Annals, 109 AD) as non-Christian confirmation of early Christian persecution, crucifixion of Christ under Pontius Pilate, and the movement's origin in Judea

Mike quotes Tacitus as an external, non-Christian source confirming early persecution

Twitter response 2: Eyewitness testimony from various continents, plus written testimony from Pilate or Sanhedrin

Second respondent's examples of extraordinary resurrection evidence.

Twitter response 7: Signed first-century testimony from Pilate — Paul is a better answer

Seventh respondent; Mike argues Paul's conversion is more powerful than any Pilate testimony could be.

Paul and James as enemy/skeptic witnesses to the resurrection — more powerful than Pilate would be

Mike argues we already have the category of evidence (non-follower witnesses) that skeptics demand.

Tacitus places Jesus's execution under Tiberius Caesar while Pontius Pilate was procurator; both Tacitus and Lucian are hostile to Christianity

Significance of hostile sources attesting to Jesus

Tacitus spells "Christos" correctly even while initially writing "Chrestus" — the full passage explicitly identifies Christ as executed under Pontius Pilate under Tiberius

Addressing the "different group" objection to Tacitus

Roman historians didn't mention Jesus more because he wasn't significant to Roman history — they didn't even mention Pontius Pilate, known only from Philo, Josephus, and NT sources

Explaining the relative silence of Roman sources about Jesus

Virtual scholarly consensus on historical facts about Jesus: lived in Palestine, believed special relationship with God, performed astonishing deeds, taught in parables, criticized Jewish leaders, crucified under Pilate

Summarizing the bedrock facts about Jesus accepted by virtually all historians including non-Christians

Luke's technique of embedding source hints — Herod's household and Pilate's conversation with Jesus

How the Gospels account for private scenes between Jesus and officials

The claim that Jesus was based on Jesus ben Ananias (from Josephus) is historically untenable given the robust bedrock consensus of historical facts about Jesus.

Q16 from Aaron Rampersad: what do you think about the claim that Jesus Christ was based on Jesus ben Ananias in Josephus's Jewish War?

Points 3-5: (3) Lamb had to be male — Jesus as male representative of all humanity, as Adam represented all (1 Cor 15:22,45). (4) Without blemish — Jesus was sinless (Hebrews 4:15, 1 Peter 1:18-19: "precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without blemish"). YOU didn't have to be holy; your SACRIFICE had to be holy. (5) Lamb was examined/inspected before sacrifice — Jesus was examined by Pilate, Herod, Sanhedrin and found faultless (John 19:4-6).

Points 3-5 — male, without blemish, inspected

Points 6-7: (6) Lamb was one year old (prime of life) — Jesus began ministry at 30, the age of full maturity for priestly/sacrificial service. (7) Lamb selected on 10th of Nisan — Jesus entered Jerusalem on the same day (Triumphal Entry, Palm Sunday). The crowd cried "Hosanna" (Psalm 118) = "save us" — presenting himself as the Messianic King. He was then "inspected" for 4 days through questioning by religious leaders, found faultless.

Points 6-7 — age, selection date, triumphal entry

Leviticus 20:10 objection: if adultery = death, how can it be grounds for divorce (the person would be dead)? Four responses: (1) The death penalty wasn't practiced after 30 AD under Roman rule — John 18:31: "it is not lawful for us to put anyone to death." (2) The Mishnah has rules for divorced adulteresses (can't marry their lover) — proving they weren't killed. (3) Adultery was hard to prove (requires 2+ witnesses). (4) Jesus uses porneia (broader than adultery) to include lesser sexual offenses.

Adultery death penalty objection — four rebuttals

The chief priests, scribes, and elders = a delegation from the Sanhedrin (Jewish supreme court, ~70 members). This is a significant escalation — Jesus is now on their turf in Jerusalem, confronting the highest authority in Israel.

Identifying the Sanhedrin delegation in Mark 11:27-28

Private Convos w/Pilate and the Resurrection: In John 18 from verse 33, Jesus & Pilate share private conversations inside his residence without any of Jesus’ followers being present. How would the disciples know what was said? Did He tell his disciples post resurrection, proving that the resurrection is TRUE?

Q&A question: Private Convos w/Pilate and the Resurrection

Was Jesus Silent?: In Mark and Matthew, Jesus remains silent which amazes Pilate, but in John, He delivers explanations. What are your thoughts on this subject, and how would you handle it when presented?

Q&A question: Was Jesus Silent?

Winger advises a 16-year-old in an egalitarian church on how to approach leaders: do self-assessment first (Matt 7:5, Gal 6:1), don't become one-sided in critique, acknowledge blessings from women's ministry even if the role is unbiblical, bring SPECIFIC evidence rather than just conviction, and start with encouragement.

Q from 16-year-old who has been studying Winger's Women in Ministry series and wants to discuss egalitarianism with church leaders.

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Mark 15

Roman Governors Releasing Prisoners for Civic Celebrations

Barabbas

Day of Atonement

Verse 8

The Crowd Asks Pilate To Release a Prisoner

Writings of Martin Luther

Jesus vs Pilate

Pilate demonstrably cared about Jewish sensitivities — he removed Roman standards from Jerusalem when Jews protested, and Rome generally allowed subject peoples to maintain their customs (Josephus, Against Apion 2.73). The argument that Pilate would ignore Jewish burial customs for crucified victims contradicts the historical pattern of Roman governance in Judea.

Pilate's demonstrated sensitivity to Jewish customs undermines Ehrman's argument