Posted: Jan/20/2006 at 1:59pm | IP Logged

How do we as christians explain to non-believers that the Bible is inspired by God, but there are holes? Such as not having the original manuscripts, so we're not exactly sure who wrote them (like was the book of matthew written by matthew or levi). Also, all the books cycled through oral tradition, could anything have been summarized or left out that altered the book? So there's two questions which can be summed into one. When people ask (or our own faith doubts) how or why we believe something that's not totally solid, how do we respond? I know the answer is probably "faith." But how can you explain that to someone w/o sounding weird?

I had somebody comment my xanga site with this question, and I do not quite know how to answer it. Please post your thoughts.

Posted: Jan/22/2006 at 2:55pm | IP Logged

Because if you didn't it will happen to you.

Okay maybe not so harsh..
God is a God of Love, God is Love, if He were to do something to anybody, then they must have given Him reason to. He is a fair judge, unless ofcorse He judges His followers, it is then that I believe He is not a fair Judge to our advantage. (The beauty of God's Grace - It makes life unfair)

Why worship God although He would do these things? He has created everything, including you and me. He is worthy of so much more than what we can offer, therefore we should give Him what we can.

Onto the first question, It is extremely hard to show people that our faith is real! Because really, what religon would not claim that the god they worship is the true God? Every buddhist has to see their religon and belief as the only true hope, and I would imagine they see our belief as nonsense. Just like we would see theirs, no offense intended.

So how can we bring those who have not decided in a relegon to the One True God? I have given scripture, along with my thoughts. I have had somebody find scripture and thought up a good little paragraph about how, they believed, Jesus Lied. I did my best to help them understand what they had brought up. But although I tell them they will not understand the scripture without the Holy Spirit in their lives. They don't understand!

I do not know how to help them. So I continue to pray.

I have an idea! I remember somebody from a corps telling me about this thing they would do for a special subject, world services for them...

Every day at noon wherever you are, stop doing what you are doing and say a short prayer for the subject. In this case, it would be those who blindly refuse God. Can you imagine the impact it would make if we did this? LETS START A REVOLUTION!

Thoughts..?

Posted: Jan/23/2006 at 5:57pm | IP Logged

It's not "all the answers" but Josh McDowell's "evidence that demands a verdict" or "A ready defence" have some of the best arguments (apologetics) on those questions Chris. "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel are also good sources.

If you present the evidence in these books and someone still does not accept that the Bible is exactly how it was written, then you'd have a hard time convincing anyone!!!

Posted: Jan/24/2006 at 8:40am | IP Logged

Please don't gloss over this because you feel you have read the entire Bible before.  Take the time to read it slowly and really think about what it says.

1 Corinthins 2 says: "6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9However, as it is written:
   "No eye has seen,
      no ear has heard,
   no mind has conceived
   what God has prepared for those who love him"^[b]— 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
      The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.^[c] 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:
 16"For who has known the mind of the Lord
      that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

It seem like a Catch-22 but in reality, God asks for a step of faith and once we are willing to give that, He gives us His Holy Spirit which gives us understanding of all things spiritual, if we take the time to bring our questions to Him and wait patiently for the insight.

Posted: Jan/24/2006 at 1:23pm | IP Logged

Should we tell them this though? Or would they take this passage offensively?

I've been witnessing to this guy on xanga and and he's tried using scripture against the Bible itself, I've explained with other scripture refrences how what he said did not work or agree, and how the verse before explained what was going on, he still does not understand.

I now see why that is, he needs the Holy Spirit in his life to fully understand. I have prayed and prayed for him but he still rejects God. I have given him scripture and have wrote about the scripture to help grasp the concept but he just refuses to accept God.

I was going to give him a link to these forums but the things I've seen him say are way out of line, rude and just wrong! Am I right to not give him the link to these forums? I think he can recieve better and more full answers to his questions on here, rather be limited to my knowlege and understanding of the Bible for answers.

However I do not think he should be on these forums because of, again, things he has said. And knowing the homepage is a site for a camp where many children go, it isn't worth the risk.

What do you all think?