Decoding DaVinci

The symbol for conflict in one Chinese dialect is a combination of the symbols for danger and opportunity. There is within every conflict the possibility for trouble or progress. Such is the potential faced by Christians today in regard to the popularity of Dan Browns book and movie, “The DaVinci Code.”

The work is fiction, but the author argues both in the book and in his numerous interviews that the historical background behind “The DaVinci Code” is entirely true. This has fueled great interest in this book. Many readers have accepted the author’s premise that information regarding the origins of Christianity have been suppressed for centuries. A secret society of Knights Templar have protected history’s deepest conspiracy. Namely, that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were secret lovers, that the gospels were chosen to advance the agenda of emperor Constantine, and that a blood line still exists that is traced back Mary Magdalene and Jesus. All this is woven into a thrilling story with intrigue, well crafted characters and fascinating historical sites throughout Europe.

Most who have an understanding of church history and the story of how we got our Bible are either entertained or annoyed at the silly ideas behind Dan Brown’s best seller. Those who believe everything they read may take some of his historical fabrications seriously, causing them to doubt the authenticity of the New Testament and the unique appeal of the gospel message.

“The DaVinci Code” presents five historical distortions as fact. Following is a brief summary of these key points:

FALSE ASSERTIONS of “THE DaVINCI CODE”

Jesus was only human. The miracles, the resurrection, his virgin birth, all that we believe about Jesus were fabricated by his followers after his death. In the book, Jesus is presented as an important historical figure, but He was not God. This violates the words of Jesus, and the writings of the apostles and church fathers. Jesus himself said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). You cannot uphold Jesus as a noble historical figure and ignore His claim that He was God. If the things He said about Himself are not true, He would be a liar and unworthy of the worship billions have given Him throughout the past two millennia.

Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had children. Without any historical facts to support this claim, Dan Brown lowers Jesus to the level of a common man. He claims that Christ’s physical passions could not be restrained and that Jesus succumbed to temptation just like every other human being. This denial of the deity of Christ dates back to the teaching of Ebionism in the 2nd century, and Arianism in the 4th century. The deity of Christ is an essential teaching of the Christian faith. Think of the consequences. If Christ is only a man and not truly God, then He is no better than me. I don’t need redemption. I don’t need God. I can continue to live as I please and believe what I please. There is no accountability, and ultimately no judgement. It is the perfect notion for those who want to live an unaccountable life and live by their own set of rules instead of God’s law. Of course, all of us are free and perfectly able to choose our own belief system. But demoting Jesus to a mere man does not change who He was nor the claims He made. It does not change the coming judgement. It removes accountability only in one’s mind. God is God whether you choose to acknowledge Him or not. The Bible presents Jesus as Lord, Savior and coming King. Regardless of what one may think of Jesus here on earth, there is coming a day when every person will stand before Him and confess that He is Lord: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9‑11).

Other books about the life of Jesus are as equally valid as the four gospels. Brown presents through his characters that the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were chosen because they minimized the role of women and advanced the myths associated with the birth of Jesus. But anyone who has studied the New Testament knows that the gospels and the rest of the New Testament books were carefully selected and agreed upon by the leaders of the early church. With almost complete unanimity, Christians have recognized the 26 books of the New Testament for the past 2000 years.

Christianity advanced the subjugation and subordination of women. The fact is that women, as well as slaves, minorities and all Gentiles were freed and elevated through the gospel message. Paul writes “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). This idea was revolutionary to the Roman world. Christian principles promote freedom, which is ultimately based in an understanding of our uniqueness as individuals created and loved by God.

Finally, readers of “The DaVinci Code” are left with another false concept: Secret knowledge is necessary to have a true religious experience. This idea is not new. A false sect known as Gnosticism emerged in the second century promoting the same philosophy. A new Gnosticism emerges in “The DaVinci Code.” According to Brown, secrets about the Jesus and the Church are hidden in art, architecture and obscure historic documents. This is where the fiction of “The DaVinci Code” blends with the author’s intention to discredit Christian theology. Brown claims in his introduction that “all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.”

Unlike the hidden codes and secret messages of “The DaVinci Code,” God does not hide himself from His creation! He is a revealing God and has communicated to His creation in the clearest of terms. His truth is contained for us in the Bible. All that we must do is read it, believe it and obey it. When we do, we will discover truth and life. Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). He also stated, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10).

“The DaVinci Code” has caused quite a stir. Some have suggested that this work will “rock the foundations of Christianity.” I can assure you that God is still on His throne, unaltered by the attempts made to demote Jesus, destroy the Bible and distract people’s attention away from obeying and learning the truth.

The Christian faith is based on important and observable truth. That’s why the apostles were required to have been eyewitnesses of Jesus and His resurrection. (Read Acts 1:21-22; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 John 1:2-5). The Bible is the most authentic, referenced, reliable ancient document we have. Over 5,000 manuscripts exist of the New Testament alone, far more than any other ancient text. No book has been scrutinized more closely than the Bible, and that with good reason. In the Bible we find the claim that God loves us and has provided His Son as our Savior. This is a serious claim, worthy of investigation. It is the greatest news that has ever been given on planet earth.

The Scripture declares to us God’s desire to be known. From beginning to end, the Bible details God’s plan of revealing Himself to man and providing the plan for redemption. Jesus clearly taught that He was the long awaited Messiah. He made numerous claims to His deity and backed them up with numerous public miracles - events that only God could perform, including the resurrection of people from the dead!

The apostles boldly communicated the gospel message, openly and plainly. Note the clarity of the following verses:

Acts 17:23 "For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you."

Acts 20:20 "You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you, but have taught you publicly and from house to house."

Acts 20:27 "For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God."

1 Corinthians 15:3 "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,"

1 John 1:2‑5 "The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."

2 Corinthians 4:3"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing."

The message of Christianity has not been kept in hidden codes or secret vaults. On the contrary, it has been clearly and boldly proclaimed for 2000 years. Why then this new attack on the person of Christ and the written Word of God, the Bible?

To me it seems consistend with Satan’s scheme to discredit God’s Word. Satan knows that salvation comes through the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." If we are saved by hearing and responding to the Word of God, Satan will do all that he can to discredit the Word so that people ignore it. Note these passages that emphasize that salvation comes through hearing the Word of God:

1 Corinthians 15:2 "By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain."

1 Peter 1:23‑25 "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you."

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."

This latest attack on the Bible and the claims of Christ is nothing new. In fact, “The DaVinci Code” presents a great opportunity to point people to the claims of the Bible. If you would have told me while I was in Bible College studying Greek manuscripts that one day there would be widespread interest in this kind of study, I would not have believed it. I have always refrained from preaching about the technical details of how we got our Bible, thinking it was too academic and that most people simply accepted the Bible of God’s Word to us. We should welcome the opportunity to talk about these things. The interest in the Bible and the person of Christ opens a door for witnessing with many who might not ordinarily be interested in spiritual things. God has nothing to hide. In fact, He delights when we seek Him and He reveals Himself to those who fear Him.

"The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them." Psalm 25:14