Andy Stanley, Jordan Peterson and Christ's virgin birth
Pastor Andy Stanley recently said, "You only have to believe in two miracles to be a Christian."
He pointed to "the miracle of the universe" and the miracle of Christ's resurrection. Unfortunately, Stanley's statement waters down the full reality of what it means to become a follower of Christ. After all, why intentionally highlight only two of Christ's miracles, while implying that something as monumental as Christ's virgin birth is an optional belief when entering the Kingdom of God?
Does it matter whether or not Jesus walked on water, healed the sick and turned water into wine? Absolutely! Since the New Testament accounts are true and God's Word is completely trustworthy, there is no benefit in telling people that belief in only two miracles is all you need to become a Christian. God invites people to place their faith in the Messiah revealed in Scripture. Picking and choosing which miracles to accept when receiving Christ as Savior is terribly unwise.
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Christians proclaim the sinless Savior who died for our sins, rose from the dead and performed all the miracles ascribed to Him in the Bible. Since all of those events are historical facts, there is no reason for any follower of Christ to be shy about celebrating and joyfully promoting every single miracle Jesus performed. When speaking to an unbeliever, why downplay the vast majority of Christ's miracles, especially since those powerful miracles only add to the Lord's glory and fame? Andy Stanley's approach feels evasive, and even a bit deceptive.
Why separate Christ's resurrection from the Savior's atoning death on the cross? Andy Stanley referred to the miracle of the universe and the miracle of Christ's resurrection as "the foundation of our faith." But it is inaccurate to say Christ's resurrection is the foundation unless you also point to the cross. The New Testament clearly presents Christ's death and resurrection as the foundation of our faith.
While it takes awhile for new believers to read about all of Christ's miracles, it actually undermines the infallible Word of God to say that "you only have to believe in two miracles to become a Christian." It suggests that a prospective believer is free to accept or reject the biblical accounts concerning most of Christ's miracles, and free to accept or reject the historical fact of Christ's virgin birth. Imagine someone preaching a false "Jesus" who was not born of a virgin. Anyone who preaches "another Jesus" ends up preaching "a different gospel" (2 Corinthians 11:4).
Evangelist Billy Graham (1918-2018) said, "The main reason for Jesus' (miracles) ... was to demonstrate that God was with Him, and that He was the promised Savior sent from God." Whoever is empowered by the Holy Spirit to believe in Christ as Savior will also be enlightened to believe in Christ's virgin birth, and to accept all the miracles Jesus performed. Believers of course also affirm the doctrine of the Trinity.
Andy Stanley deliberately downplayed the Old Testament in 2018, and now he is minimizing belief in the Lord's miracles for those who consider coming to Christ. It feels like a "bait and switch." After all, the same Jesus who created the world (see Colossians 1:15-17) and rose from the dead, (see John 20:11-18) also multiplied the loaves and fish, (see John 6:1-15) and raised Lazarus from the dead (see John 11:38-44).
Jesus said, "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves" (John 14:11). Rather than soft-pedaling His many miracles, Jesus highlighted them and invited people to accept Him as the promised Messiah based on the evidence of the miracles themselves. If you are interested in following Christ, then simply recognize and believe that all of the Lord's miracles truly took place.
Atheist Richard Dawkins recently asked psychologist Jordan Peterson if he believes Jesus was born of a virgin: "Did a man have intercourse with Mary and produce Jesus? That's a factual question." Dawkins then prodded him, "You won't answer it." Peterson finally admitted that he simply doesn't know whether or not Jesus was born of a virgin.
Peterson obviously struggles to believe key doctrines of the Christian faith. He said, "There are elements of the text that I am incapable of fully accounting for. I can't account for what the fundamental reality and significance of the notion of the resurrection is. My knowledge just ends."
In my CP op-ed, "Atheist Alex O'Connor Presses Jordan Peterson on Exodus, Christ's Resurrection." I wrote, "Jordan Peterson's spiritual journey would obviously benefit greatly from having personal confidence in the historicity and biblical significance of Christ's atoning death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. Christian faith looks outside ourselves for salvation and trusts in the work Christ finished on the cross 2,000 years ago."
We need the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds enabling us to believe and know that the Bible is true from start to finish. And we need Jesus to do for us what He did for His disciples after He rose from the dead. "Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45).
Jordan Peterson needs "sanctified reason," which allows a follower of Christ to believe and even to know that Christ was born of a virgin as Scripture declares (see Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23; Luke 1:27). Believers also know "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time" (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
Thankfully, the Bible reveals God's love for us and the Lord's plan of salvation, as well as the miracles the Messiah worked so that we "might believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves" (John 14:11).
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
