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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: disciple Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | The bible is a work of fiction - discuss | Gen 1:1 | disciple | 15668 | ||
It is really quite interesting that no one has yet attempted to answer chimaera's question. Irrespective of his or her motive for asking the question, there are several fundamental issues presented. First, is the Bible the only basis for our belief in God? Chimaera assumes this to be the case, but clearly it is not true. Certainly, the Bible is the primary basis for our belief in Jesus Christ, because it is an exceptional historical record of the events from his birth, death, burial, and resurrection (cf. 1 Corinthians 15, etc.), and because Christianity is based upon those events. But the Bible is not the only basis for belief in God as Creator, Sustainer, and Lord. First, the alternative of naturalism is unable to explain ultimate origin (even if you believe in a big bang, someone or something had to cause it - there can be no effect without a cause), any notion of progress (naturalism cannot evaluate change as good or bad), or why there can be so many common moral judgments across various cultures (see C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, for further explanation). Second, I think most believers would agree that they were led to the witness of the Bible by the Holy Spirit. God himself is the basis of our belief in Him. What he has given us in Scripture is a thorough and compelling account of his actions, character, and will, so that we might not be led astray from the truth. Another fundamental issue here is that we need to understand how people move from disbelief to belief. Obviously, non-believers (perhaps like Chimaera) consider the Bible at least to be flawed, if not outright "fictional." Otherwise, they would believers. The point is that a belief that the bible is fictional is the status quo - it is our responsibility to be able to give an account not only of why we believe that the Bible is true and that Jesus is the Christ who came to take away the sin of the world (through apologetics, historical studies, etc.), but also an account of why we believe that the Bible makes sense to the human condition. Thus, consider the argument above that some belief in "God" fits the evidence better than a naturalism that cannot explain ultimate origin, transcendant values, or common morality. Given a being who has the power to create and sustain the universe as we see it, we can rightly conclude that such a being is able to exercise his will (the sovereignty of God). We can also conclude that such a God would have to be wholly good, because if he were evil, he would take pleasure in our pain and destruction, and life could not be nearly so joyful. Given a good God, however, we must wonder how such a being could tolerate the existence of evil in human beings. In every other religion, the answer involves some notion that we can work to overcome our evil (sin), in order to please God and thus earn our way into his favor. Christianity, however, posits that an honest assessment of our nature cannot conclude with the (silly) idea that we are capable in ourselves of performing such a feat. Rather, we are at God's mercy, and if there is to be a relationship between God and man, only God can make it possible. Thus, God sent his only begotten Son to pay the penalty for our disobedience, and it is by His grace that we can accept His gift of salvation. To make a long story short, the reason so many people worship God is because each of us (Chimaera included) has been created by God to be in a relationship with Him, and until that relationship is realized in our lives, we are frustrated and empty, without meaning to our worldly existence. The worship of God consists of living our lives as a sacrifice to Him (Romans 12) in response to what He has done for us. Chimaera, you can have a relationship with the God of the universe through Jesus Christ, and it is not based upon myth or fable, but the true story of how God has created us, loved us, as rescued us from our own disobedience. Believe that (as a decision, in spite of silly doubts), as I pray you will, and the rest will follow in due course. If you cannot, keep asking questions, and perhaps eventually the Holy Spirit will draw you to God. As to your pity - the Apostle Paul agreed with you that IF there is no resurrection, we (Christians) are most to be pitied of all men (1 Corinthians 15:19). However, this is not the case, and pity is only for those who heard the good news of what Christ has done for them, but chose to dishonor him and continue walking in futility and disobedience. In Christ, disciple |
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2 | The burden of proof is on you. | Josh 10:12 | disciple | 6674 | ||
The way God has designed this force we call "gravity" did not change in 1905, 1906, or 1907. All that changed was our understanding of how it works in terms of our ability to calculate/predict its effects. Gravity did not become stronger or weaker, but we can now 'look' at it from a different perspective. As to this whole conversation about defining truth, the crux of the matter is that people tend to confuse 'truth' (as statements or propositions that are equivalent with objective fact -e.g., GWBush is currently serving as President of the United States government) with 'meaning' or 'significance' (as statements that reflect our understanding of evidence - e.g., someone claiming that GWB is not President of the United States because they believe that the evidence demonstrated in the election process did not warrant his swearing in, and they refuse to recognize him as President). In terms of the discussion re: the sun standing still, the considerable lack of evidence we have available as to the astronomic facts at that time would seem to allow for a variety of possibilities (including: the sun literally stood still, and God adjusted everything else to fit accordingly; the earth stopped rotating, then started again, also with God adjusting everything else accordingly, so Joshua did not shoot off into space or be crushed by 'gravity' without the counteracting centrifugal (centripetal? I got a C in college physics) force, etc.; God decreased the rate at which Joshua et al. traveled through time; etc. etc. The point being reminiscent of Yoda's advice to young Luke Skywalker, "size matters not." It is no more difficult for God to perform a universe-wide miracle than to turn a bit of water into the best wine. Returning to 'truth,' suffice it to say that Jesus' claim to BE THE TRUTH speaks volumes as to his eternal and divine nature, the factual guarantee of his Lordship, and the certainty of his return. Cheers! one 'disciple' among many |
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3 | How then should we live? | Jude 1:21 | disciple | 6030 | ||
The phrase prior to "waiting anxiously" suggests the answer to your question. It contains the imperative in Jude 1:21, that is, "to keep yourselves in the love of God." This is, of course, a bit open-ended, but would seem to indicate that we remember that the love of God protects us, and that we ought to demonstrate that same love to others. Verses 20-23 add to that imperative, that we should build ourselves up in our faith (i.e., discipleship), pray in the Holy Spirit (i.e., in accordance with the will of God), be merciful to those who doubt (we were there once, too), snatch others from the fire (i.e., evangelize the lost), and show mercy mixed with fear (understanding human weakness, forgiving, but not embracing sin). As to your main point, I agree that the intricacies of the interpretation of prophecies do not (or should not) have much of an effect on our behavior, aside from reminding us that there is an urgency in telling others about Jesus Christ. |
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