'The Da Vinci Code' — Teen to Teen

How to talk with your friends about The Da Vinci Code book and movie, and how to explain the true message of Christ
by Alex McFarland

The Da Vinci Code has sold over 7.35 million copies, and it will soon be released as a major motion picture. This broad exposure is going to produce many questions among your peers. The following talking points are designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to effectively, yet gently, defend the truth of Christianity.

(Note: Quotes from The Da Vinci Code will be referenced as "DVC.")

  1. "All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." (DVC, p. 1)

    The author introduces his book by claiming that the contents are based on fact. However, in many cases, he twists the facts to fit his purpose. In other cases, he is flat out wrong:

    a) He claims that early Jewish tradition involved ritualistic sex. Although a few of the Jewish kings brought pagan idolatry and sexual practices into their worship, the Old Testament steadfastly condemned sex outside marriage and pagan rituals (Genesis 2:24, Deuteronomy 23:17-18).

    b) He claims that Da Vinci painted the Apostle John as a representation of Mary Magdalene. However, John's appearance actually reflects the way Florentine artists traditionally depicted John. (See The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, Richard Abanes, pp. 71-72.)

    c) He claims that there are " . . . hidden documents that detail the truth about Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and their lineage." (DVC, p. 160) His claim is based on forged documents, created in the last half of the 20th century. (See The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, pp. 51-54.)

  2. "One particularly troubling earthly theme kept recurring in the [Gnostic] gospels. Mary Magdalene. . . . More specifically, her marriage to Jesus Christ" (DVC, p. 244).

    To some, this claim may be shocking. To others, it is nothing new. The claim has its roots in the Gnostic Gospel of Phillip, written in the 3rd century. In this gospel, the word translated "companion" is claimed to mean, "spouse." However, Professor Craig Blomberg of Denver Seminary states, "No Aramaic or Hebrew words for ‘companion' normally mean spouse."

    The novel also cites The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. This work was also written late, after the New Testament Gospels had been written and accepted by the early church. Further, none of these writings contain any reference to a "union" between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

    Finally, in 1 Corinthians 9:5, Paul defends his right to have a wife, even though he was unmarried. He cites the marriages of the other apostles, including the Lord's brothers and Peter. If Christ had been married, Paul would most certainly have cited Him as conclusive support for being accompanied by a wife.
     

  3. "The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan emperor Constantine the Great" (DVC, p. 232). "The Bible is the product of man . . . Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book" (DVC, p. 231).

    The novel repeatedly attacks the Bible, its content and origin. Constantine did not collate the Bible. The Old Testament was completed and accepted even before the birth of Christ. By the time of Constantine (he died in 337 A.D.), the early church had already accepted most of the books in the New Testament. Athanasius recorded the earliest list of New Testament books in 367 A.D.

    If men wanted to create a new religion, they would never choose one with a God-man as its central figure and a resurrection from the dead as its foundation (1 Corinthians 15:14, Ephesians 2:20). If man had produced Christianity, it would be man-centered, as are all other religions. In other words, man would earn his salvation through his own good works. Therefore, man would receive the glory.

    However, the Bible consistently proclaims that man cannot work his way to God. He must have a substitute that is acceptable to God according to His holy standard — perfect righteousness. Christianity is unique among all other religions because only Christianity provides that perfect substitute: Jesus Christ. Therefore, God gets all the glory
    (Isaiah 64:6, Philippians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 3:18).

  4. "Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ's human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike" (DVC, p. 234).

The novel also attacks Christ's divinity, asserting that His divine nature was an invention of men. Consider the following facts:

  •  Jesus claimed to be God. At His trial and under oath, Jesus affirmed the He was the Christ, the Son of God. The judge and the Jewish court understood His claim and condemned Him to death (Mark 14:61-64, Matthew 26:63-64).

  •  Jesus claimed a unique relationship with God: equality.  His hearers understood His claim and sought to kill Him (John 5:17-18).

  •  Jesus claimed eternal existence. His hearers understood His claim and sought to kill Him (John 8:58-59).

  •  Jesus claimed to be God manifested in the flesh (John 14:8-9).

  •  Jesus claimed power reserved only for God. He claimed that He could forgive sins. His hearers understood that only God could forgive sins (Mark 2:5-12).

  •  He accepted worship, which was reserved for God alone. Jesus Himself stated that worship was for God only (Mt 4:10, Luke 4:8, Mt 8:2, Mt 14:33, John 9:35-39, John 20:26-28).

  •  The men who proclaimed Christ's deity were martyred because they would not deny their faith in His resurrection from the dead. Professor J.P. Moreland writes, "For one thing, the disciples had nothing to gain by lying and starting a new religion. They faced hardship, ridicule, hostility, and martyr's deaths." (See The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell, p. 242.)

After you have answered questions about The Da Vinci Code, consider asking your friend this question, "Has anyone ever taken a Bible and shown you how you can know for sure that you're going to heaven?"

Then, take your Bible and share these truths with them: The Bible contains both Bad News and Good News. The Bad News is something about you. The Good News is something about God.

There are two truths that are Bad News:

  1.  God tells us in Romans 3:23 that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." "Sinned" means that we have missed the mark. When we lie, hate, lust or gossip, we have missed the standard God has set.

    Suppose that you and I were to throw a rock and try to hit the North Pole. You might throw farther than I, but neither of us would hit it. When the Bible says that we have all sinned and fall short, it means that we have come short of God's standard of perfection. (The Bad News gets worse.)

  2.  God tells us in Romans 6:23 that "The wages of sin is death." When you work for someone, what you are paid is your wages. Your wages reflect what you earn. The Bible states that when we sin, we earn death. This death means that we deserve to die and be separated from God forever.

    But, since there was no way for us to come to God, God came to us. That is the Good News!

There are two truths that are Good News:

  1.  In Romans 5:8 we read, "God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

    Suppose you were in a hospital dying of cancer. If I came to you and was able to take all of the cancer cells in your body and move them to mine, what would happen to me? What would happen to you? I would die in your place. I would die instead of you.

    The Bible tells us that Christ took our sins and died in our place. His resurrection from the dead demonstrates that His death was sufficient to pay for our sins, and that His claims to be God are true. (The Good News gets better.)

  2.  God tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that "We have been saved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one should boast."

    Faith means trust. We must depend on Christ alone to forgive our sins and give us eternal life. In the same way that you trust a chair to hold you up with no effort of your own, you must trust in Christ and His payment for your sin to get you to heaven, with no effort on your own.

If these four truths make sense to you, you can place your faith in Christ's payment for your sins right now. Just ask Him. Then you can know for sure that you're going to heaven.  
 
For further study:

The Da Vinci Deception, by Erwin Lutzer
The Da Vinci Code: A Companion Guide to the Movie, by Josh McDowell
The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, by Richard Abanes
The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? by Hank Hanegraaff and Paul L. Maier
The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell
Stand: Core Truths You Must Know for an Unshakable Faith, by Alex McFarland
May I Ask You a Question? Evantell Inc., 9212 Markville, Dallas, TX 75243

 

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