Chizuk Emunah Under the Microscope: Chapter 48

Chapter 48 is short enough that I will quote it in its entirety.

          We would submit to discussion the question whether the Christians have any foundation for the belief that Jesus wrought his beneficial works for the salvation of the souls of his believers, and through his sufferings and his blood, he saved the followers of his creed from everlasting perdition in hell? If that were the case, the Christians would be dispensed from doing good actions, and be irresponsible for evil deeds. A passage occurring in St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians (chap. 6:9,) will moreover show that the fall of Jesus was only of advantage to the upright, but not to sinners. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Of this we find a detailed explanation in the subsequent verses. Now, if sinners devoid of merit cannot be saved, why should the righteous who have merits require any intercession in order to obtain the Divine favour? It would appear then that the death of Jesus serves neither for the salvation of the sinner, nor for the salvation of the righteous.
          Should the Christians argue that the death of Jesus was intended only to rescue from hell the souls of those who were involved in the sin of Adam, then we would refer back to the pages wherein we have fully proved that the prophets and the pious could not reasonably, and according to Scriptural evidence, incur damnation on account of the fall of Adam. 

Troki refers to 1 Corinthians 6

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
(1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

 As you can see, the passage says the exact opposite of what Troki intends. Many people are slaves to sin, and it is their salvation and regeneration in Jesus that frees them from this sin. Troki implies that we first have to be righteous in order to receive salvation. The New Testament says the exact opposite.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11)

 Troki is right in one sense: our salvation is not dependent upon our good and evil deeds. Instead, our salvation frees us from our addiction to wickedness. Those who grow in him find sin less and less appealing, until the day that we receive full restoration, and sin loses its appeal entirely.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

 Paul also mentions this issue in Romans 6.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-4)

 As to what the Rabbi says about original sin, the early church before Augustine, and Eastern Orthodoxy to this day, agrees with him. We are not guilty of Adam's sin. We do not have a sin nature. Instead, sin is something we do. I will leave the reader to my other article for the rest of the story.

Materialism, Dualism, and the Incarnation

Skeptics ask whether Jesus could be both omniscient and ignorant. How is it that God could retain his property of being all-knowing while also experiencing fear, doubt, and not knowing when he would return. The answer, surprisingly, comes from the Kalam Cosmological Argument.

In the Kalam argument, the proponent argues that the past cannot be infinite because an infinite number of things cannot exist in the real world (and to say that distances are composed of an infinite number of points is begging the question). When David Hilbert evaluated the role of infinite quantities such as . These quantities are used in abstract thought, so that we can make generalized statements that apply to all numbers. The problem is that as soon as you start performing operations with these numbers, you run into paradoxes like Hilbert's hotel.

Worse, operations like - or / are undefined. You cannot perform inverse operations on actual infinites, but if actual infinites existed in the real world, there would be nothing stopping you from performing these operations.

The question then arises: how is God omniscient? If God knows an infinite number of propositions, wouldn't that contradict these mathematical laws? It seems they would.

Therefore, we need to think of omniscience not as knowledge of distinct propositions, but as some kind of non-propositional super-thought, from which he can derive propositions.

Another question relates to the biblical teaching about the soul and how it relates to neuroscience. The Bible repeatedly teaches that the body and the immaterial soul are two distinct things. This view, called dualism-interactionism, has come under fire from philosophers. If our soul is different, then why do we lose consciousness when we are hit over the head? Why do things that damage the brain also affect memory, and why is it when you are knocked unconscious for surgery, that you have no recollection of the passage of time? There are also numerous instances of people able to obtain information and have conscious experiences at times when their are brain dead.

All of these problems are answered by a single solution. When the soul is left on its own, the soul has its own mental faculties, such as reason and memory. That is why people can know about conversations across the street even when they are brain dead. When the soul is connected to a brain, it relies on the brain's faculties, even if they are damaged. The soul will not rely on its own faculties until it is completely severed from the brain.

Think about how this applies to the incarnation. Jesus had the super-thought from which he was able to derive propositions, until he became incarnate, at which point he relied on the faculties of his human brain. Since the human brain does not have the ability to derive propositions from the divine super-thought, that is how he could be both omniscient and ignorant.

Chizuk Emunah Under the Microscope: Chapter 47

Troki presents us with a fun dilemma that you do not hear very often from anti-missionaries today. Was Jesus crucified with is will or against his will? If he was crucified against his will, then how could he be designated a God while he was incapable of resisting the power of those who brought him to the cross, and how could he be held as Savior of all mankind who had his will taken away from him?

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” 
(John 10:17-18)

If Jesus was crucified in agreement with his will, as the New Testament teaches, then how can the Jewish crowds be vilified for what they did? And also, why then did Jesus make the following statements?

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 

(Matthew 26:39)

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

The answer is obvious: Jesus was crucified in agreement with his will. A. Lukyn Williams poses the following dilemma to Troki.

I will answer his dilemma fully when he will answer this, this very old one: Is the sin of any man committed with the will of God or against it? If he answers "with the will of God," then every sinner ought to find favor with God; if he says "against the will of God," then God is not supreme. In other words the dilemma proposed by the Rabbi is precisely the same as that of the existence of evil, and the commission of any act of sin. 

Of course, the dilemma is a little different as it relates to Jesus, who did not merely allow himself to be crucified, but had planned on it. These passages also stress the importance of two doctrines: the incarnation and the trinity. God is one being with multiple centers of self-consciousness, and this is the difference between unitarian monotheism and trinitarian monotheism. This passage is not compatible with the former, but it is with the latter. 

This passage also shows that Jesus felt the human emotions of panic and fear that we all feel, although he did not allow them to bring him to sin and disobedience.

The second problem is: how can the Jews of the time be blamed if Jesus was willing to be crucified, and that his crucifixion brought about the greatest good? The answer is that Troki is assuming a view of ethics called consequentialism, which states that the rightness or wrongness of a decision is based on the consequences it produces. Here is the problem: consequentialism is the moral system of a comic book supervillain. Every supervillain thinks that they can create a better world if only they could take it through a painful reshaping process. "If you want to make an omlette, you have to break some eggs" they will say. That seems well and good until you realize that your eggs get broken.

Furthermore, Judas's betrayal also brought about the greatest good for the world, yet Judas was still the villain. The New Testament teaches strongly against consequentialist morality.

Chizuk Emunah Under the Microscope: Chapter 46

In this chapter, Troki writes that there has never been a persecutor of the Jews who has been spared the wrath of God. Pharaoh, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Haman, and other persecutors have faced retribution for their persecution. He quotes from Leviticus, Isaiah, Deuteronomy, Joel, Zechariah, and the Psalms to show that every group that has tried to destroy the Jews has failed. This did not merely take place in ancient times, but also in later times. Even Rome was overthrown. Nations like England, France, and Spain faced political and economic disaster when they tried to expel the Jews.

Israel was holy to the Lord,

the firstfruits of his harvest.

All who ate of it incurred guilt;

disaster came upon them,

declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 2:3)

I agree with A. Lukyn Williams that we can do nothing but agree with Troki on this one. God's promise to the Jews has been made good to this day.

As a minor gripe, Troki's argument regarding the enemies of Israel is a weak one. Of course the empires that oppressed Israel fell. Every empire that was around at that time has fallen, regardless of whether they oppressed Israel. Troki may be right, but his argument is trivial.

The Jewish people have not been eliminated despite being one of the most hated groups in the world. Covenantal theologies, which state that the church is the New Israel, have a hard time explaining why this is the case. Tens of thousands of tribal groups have come and gone, but the Jews have stayed. How could this be the case without divine intervention? And why would God preserve the Jews, allowing the creation of a secular Israeli state, if they are not still the people of the original covenant?

Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:18)

And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000. 
(2 Samuel 24:9)

 Out of close to a half million people, only 7,000 were loyal to God. Yet God did not remove his covenant with them, even though they were apostate. Again, the apostasy of most Jews is no reason to think that they are not still part of Israel. Not all who are part of Israel will go to heaven when they die. Instead, we should think of "the saved" as one group and "the people of Israel" as another. It was this way during the times of the Tanakh, so why shouldn't it be this way today?

Chizuk Emunah Under the Microscope: Chapter 45

Even the Jewish scholars at Bar Ilan University and the Hebrew University at Jerusalem mention that the New Testament legitimately interprets the Tanakh. They believe that the New Testament uses pesher interpretation. The writers of pesharim believe that scripture is written in two levels: the surface for ordinary readers with limited knowledge, the concealed one for specialists with higher knowledge. Pesher interpretation was a common form during the era when the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. In modern contexts, this interpretation is sometimes called a sensus plenior, or a fuller sense.

Troki spends chapter 45 going through New Testament interpretations of prophecies, but I will leave my analysis of this for the second section of Troki's book. The key point here is because of sensus plenior or pesher interpretations, and the fact that Second Temple Jews considered these to be legitimate uses of the Scriptures, Troki cannot demonstrate that the New Testament is false by showing that it does not quote the literal or pashat meaning of the original text.

Chizuk Emunah Under the Microscope: Chapter 44

In this chapter, Troki argues that in the days of Messiah, there will be one faith and one religion throughout the world. This is prooftexted in the following verses:

By myself I have sworn;

from my mouth has gone out in righteousness

a word that shall not return:

‘To me every knee shall bow,

every tongue shall swear allegiance.’(Isaiah 45:23)

Isaiah 45 is right in the middle of what scholars call Deutero-Isaiah, which comprises chapter 40-55. This section features Isaiah's written works, as opposed to his spoken oracles. In this section, he states that God alone exists, and that there are no other gods. Yahweh will triumph over his rivals until he alone is worshiped.

“For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples

to a pure speech,

that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord

and serve him with one accord.
(Zephaniah 3:9)

Awake, awake,

put on your strength, O Zion;

put on your beautiful garments,

O Jerusalem, the holy city;

for there shall no more come into you

the uncircumcised and the unclean.(Isaiah 52:1)

Also in Deutero-Isaiah.

“So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,

who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.

And Jerusalem shall be holy,

and strangers shall never again pass through it.(Joel 3:17)

“Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig's flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord.

“For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.

“For as the new heavens and the new earth

that I make

shall remain before me, says the Lord,

so shall your offspring and your name remain.

From new moon to new moon,

and from Sabbath to Sabbath,

all flesh shall come to worship before me,

declares the Lord.(Isaiah 66:17-23)

And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.
(Zechariah 14:9)

As I have written in earlier posts, this is happening right now. Belief in the God of Israel has been growing for 2,000 years, to the point that over a tenth of the world worships him. This is contrasted with the time of ancient Israel, where a very tiny fraction of the population even knew who Yahweh was. Today, most of the world's population has some idea of the God of Israel, and this is directly due to the influence of his church.