- How do we know we have the same Bible written so long ago?
- How is the Bible's fulfillment of prophecies any different than that of other sacred books or of famous psychics today?
- Aren't all religions basically the same? Why do Christians believe Jesus is unique?
- Why can't I view him as just a good person and great moral teacher?
- How can anyone today believe Jesus rose from the dead?
- Why do Christians believe Jesus is God?
- Why do Christians say we get right with God by faith? Doesn't the Old Testament portion of the Bible say it's by obeying rules and commandments?
- Doesn't the old testament picture an angry, vengeful God and the New testament a loving one?
- Why do some Christians seem angry, burned out and unfulfilled in their service for the church?
- How can I regularly nurture my relationships with God through prayer and Bible reading?
Q: How do we know we have the same Bible written so long ago?
A: Because according to the science of textual criticism, the Bible is the best preserved and accurately attested document of all ancient writings, secular or religious!
Most people don't realize that we have no originals of ancient documents; we have only copies. That's where the science of textual criticism comes in. To determine the authenticity and accuracy of an ancient document, the science of textual criticism looks at the number and quality of copies (in whole or in part), the date of the copies (with those closest to the date of the original having the most value), and how the copies compare to each other (variants etc.).
Q: How is the Bible's fulfillment of prophecies any different than that of other sacred books or of famous psychics today?
A: Because while the Bible contains hundreds of specific prophecies which have come true, none of the other sacred books do, and psychics and predictors today are notoriously inaccurate.
Of the 26 other books purporting to be Scripture/sacred literature or having adherents making that claim, the issue of specific predictive prophecy is glaringly absent. It's not found in the writings of Buddha, Lao-tzu or Confucius. In the Koran we have Mohammed making the prophecy that he would return to Mecca, which is, of course, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Also no founder of any cult in this country can rightly identify any ancient text specifically foretelling his appearance.
Q: Aren't all religions basically the same?
A: Certainly many religions speak about similar topics and themes; but that doesn't make them equal or one because they may have quite different, even opposite, teachings on the same subjects...In fact, on every major point there is indeed disagreement with the Bible - on the nature of God and man, our central problem and its solution, the meaning of life, and the significance of death and what follows this life.
Take the concept of God: Some religions are polytheistic (many gods), some pantheistic (God impersonal and identified with the world), some deistic (God transcendent and does not intervene in the world), some theistic (personal infinite God who is beyond the universe but acts within it), and there are several other views like panentheism, finite godism, and more. So the how and why and what of a relationship with "God" are quite different depending on the "God" being presented.
Q: Why do Christians believe Jesus is unique? Why can't I view him as just a good person and great moral teacher?
A: Jesus is totally unique in who he claimed to be and what he claimed to do!
Jesus often drew his disciple's attention to his person, who he was. "Who do people say 1 am?...Who do you say I am?" (Matt 16:13-20). He was constantly saying, I AM this and I AM that...(for example, "I AM the bread of life") yet he was very humble - not one trace of bloated ego! How do we put those two together (continually drawing attention to his person, yet being very humble)? Jesus went willingly to Jerusalem to die on a cross. Not only could he have avoided death, but his death is considered by his followers, past and present, not as a tragedy, but as something wonderful. How do we explain that?
Q: How can anyone today believe Jesus rose from the dead?
A: The Bible's view of truth is not a foggy, mythical, "spiritual" truth but a 2+2=4 kind of truth...the only kind there really is! The Bible isn't an abstract philosophical treatise, it's thoroughly rooted in history...a history which reports about real people living in real places, real events in real time, and about a real God who's entered our history in Jesus and left his footprints all over the place. Therefore, we can investigate the truth of the Bible's claims using the same tools we use to investigate anything else.
For example, let's take the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Bible reports as sober history that Jesus Christ, after dying on the cross, was in the tomb for three days and then physically rose from the grave. Listen, for example, to the words of the Apostle Paul: "If Christ was not raised then our preaching is useless and your trust in God is useless...and we apostles would all be lying about God...you'd still be under condemnation for your sins and all who've died believing in Christ have perished...but the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead and He's become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again." (I Cot 15:14-20).
Q: Why do Christians believe Jesus is God?
A: Consider the following:
(1) How is Jesus different from other religious leaders? Why don't the names of Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius offend people? The reason is that these others didn't claim to be God, but Jesus did. This is what makes him so different from other religious leaders.
Q: Why do Christians say we get right with God by faith? Doesn't the Old Testament portion of the Bible say it's by obeying rules and commandments?
A: On approaching the Bible, many wonder whether there are not two ways of getting right with God.
In the OT, at first glance, it seems to be following the ceremonial system of sacrifices, rituals, feast days, and obedience to the law of Moses (10 Commandments, etc.). One might get the impression the people earned and deserved God's favor by their good behavior. On the other hand, the NT seems to state clearly that forgiveness of sins and eternal life come not by our earning or deserving, but by God's grace, mercy, love & compassion through the gift of faith alone.
Q: Doesn't the old testament picture an angry, vengeful God and the New testament a loving one?
A: Many people say that in the OT we have an angry vengeful God; while in the NT we have a loving God, especially in the person of Jesus Christ. An open reading of the entire Bible, however, yields one God who is holy, just and righteous and who loves His people with an everlasting love. Consider the following:
(1) If you have the idea that the God of the OT was angry and vengeful in a capricious sort of way, especially during the wilderness journey after the Exodus, simply read through the books of Exodus and Numbers. There you will find a God of righteousness and justice to be sure, but also of great mercy and patience; and you will find yourself saying repeatedly, "If I were in control I'd have wiped out the people a long time ago, rather than simply punishing them. And I certainly would not have come back to them again and again in grace and mercy like God did."
Q: Why do some Christians seem angry, burned out and unfulfilled in their service for the church?
A: Because in many ways they've mistaken servitude for servant-hood. Click here for a comparison between Servitude and Servant-hood
Q: How can I regularly nurture my relationships with God through prayer and Bible reading?
A: Bible-Enriched Prayer gives some good guidelines.