Below, we have posted Biblical answers to some of the most common questions people have regarding Christianity. Please contact the church office @ 301-620-2255 for more information or any other questions you may have regarding Christianity.

Aren't all religions the same? How can you say that Jesus Christ is the only way to find God? If God is all-powerful, why doesn't he stop all the suffering in the world? If I do enough good works, won't that be enough to get to Heaven? How does anyone get to Heaven? How did the Bible become the Bible? Is the Bible really reliable? What about problems with the Bible? Can you prove that God exists without using the Bible? Does anyone really believe in the resurrection?

Aren't all religions the same?

There are only two options for this question: All religions are the same, or all religions are not the same. If we can show that even just two religions differ in some way, then we have shown that all religions are not the same. Let's take a simple example: Most religions have a belief about what happens after you die. For instance, Buddhism teaches that when you die, you will be reincarnated. That is, you will come back to live on this earth, either in a better or worse condition. How you come back depends on what kind of life you lived on earth. Eventually, you will die again. The cycle continues until you reach "Nirvana", which means "nothing". This is a state where you will have escaped the cycle of reincarnation, and will be at one with the universe. On the other hand, Christianity teaches that when you die, you will NOT be reincarnated. You die once only, and then are required to give an account of your life to God, who gave your life to you. Just from looking at one belief of Buddhism and Christianity, it's clear that they do not teach the same thing, and cannot be the same religion. For all religions to be the same, they would all have to agree on every point of their basic beliefs. As can be seen, religions are different! So, what? But if each religion is different, that means it's impossible for every religion to be true. In fact, it's only possible for one religion to be true. Two conflicting religions cannot both be right. Perhaps there is no religion that is true; that's a possibility. But the maximum number of religions which can be true is one. Actually, we have no way of "scientifically proving" any religion to be true. All we can do is to weigh the evidence for a religion, and make a decision based on that evidence. That's the easy part of this question... Does It Really Matter? The more difficult part is this: if each religion is different, does it really matter which religion I choose? If it does, how do I know I'll choose the right one? This is critical, because if we get it wrong, there might be more than just embarrassment. For instance, many religions (Mormonism, Christianity, Islam, etc.) teach that after death, there are consequences for those who do not believe. However, there are also some religions (Atheism, Humanism, Materialism, Evolution, etc.) which teach that there are no consequences for anyone after death. If Atheism is the true religion, then none of us has anything to worry about when we die. And it's not only consequences after death which might be a concern. Quality of life now could be vastly different depending on the religion you follow. In the movie "Gladiator", Maximus, the hero, utters these memorable words:"What we do in life...echoes in eternity..." This is very true, and particularly when we're talking about world views and belief systems. We also have a page about deciding between competing spiritual paths. You might find it helpful...As well, there's a related question: "How Can You Say That Jesus Christ Is The Only Way To Find God?" One thing we can say for sure is that all religions definitely are not the same. to the top

How can you say that Jesus Christ is the only way to God?

Jesus lived on earth about 2,000 years ago. He made some incredible claims about himself. One of the most noteworthy was when he said: "No one can come to God unless they come through me first." He might as well have said "I am the only way to find God." And so, Christians believe and teach that Jesus Christ is the only way to find God. How can Christians say this? The short answer is: The Bible teaches it, so we believe it. The longer answer is: It makes a lot of sense. Here's what we mean: Imagine that your best friend comes up to you one day and confidently declares that he is God. This person is your friend! He's not a casual acquaintance whom you barely know. He's someone you've grown up with. And now, it turns out he's God. Or so he says. Your first reaction is probably to wonder what medicine he's taking. But how do you know? Maybe he is God! How can you tell if he is or isn't? You decide to look at it from a common sense point of view. There are only two options: He's telling the truth, or he's not telling the truth. If he's not telling the truth, then there are another two options: He know's he's not telling the truth, or he doesn't know he's not telling the truth So ultimately, there are 3 positions for your friend: 1. He's not telling the truth and he knows that he's not: This makes him a liar. 2. He's not telling the truth, but he honestly believes he is telling the truth: This puts him on the same level as a fruit cake. 3. He's telling the truth: This makes him God. No doubt, you would soon convince yourself that your friend was not God. But what about Jesus? We can apply the same reasoning to Jesus. In other words, we can say for sure that Jesus was either a liar (he knew he was deceiving everyone), a lunatic (he had no idea he was completely mistaken), or the Lord (he was who he said he was). There are no in-between options here! Jesus cannot merely be a "good moral teacher". A good moral teacher would not make false claims about himself. A good moral teacher would not completely deceive a group of his closest friends. When we look at the records of his life and words, found in the Bible, we see neither a liar nor a lunatic. Jesus spoke of truth and light, and said that the truth would set people free. He modeled integrity of character. He never showed favoritism or hypocrisy, and often turned the accepted, but wrong values of the day, on their head. His life completely matched his claims. In the same way, Jesus was most definitely not a lunatic. Lunatics have imbalanced minds, and live erratic lifestyles. Inconsistencies are a hallmark, and they can be mental and emotional wrecks. Jesus was a man who displayed calm under pressure, a sound mind, and a balanced and consistent lifestyle. We are left with only one option: that Jesus is who he said he was: God. Christians teach that Jesus is the only way to find God, because Jesus taught that he is the only way to find God. His life and his claims go hand in hand. to the top

If God is all-powerful, why doesn't he stop all the suffering in the world?

The first point to note is that God is definitely powerful. In fact, he has all power. So don't let anyone tell you that God simply isn't able to stop the suffering in the world. The second point to note is that when people ask this question, they usually include pain, suffering caused by people to other people, and all kinds of "natural" disasters. The whole works. That's the assumption we'll make here. This begs the question: if God is able to stop suffering, does that mean he doesn't want to? Not at all. In fact, there will come a time when God puts a stop to all evil. Obviously, that time has not yet come. In that case, the even bigger question is this: Why hasn't God put a stop to suffering and evil yet? What is he waiting for? And the answer: He's waiting for as long as possible, to give as many people as possible the opportunity to make their peace with him. To put it another way: "God is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wanting anyone to perish, but wanting everyone to come to repentance." That's the bottom line. God could quite easily put an end to all suffering and evil now. Instead, he's waiting to give all of us an opportunity to respond to him. In any case, what if God decided to stop all evil at 5 pm today. How many people would be left living at 5.01 pm? What would God have to do? And think for a moment what God would have to do to get rid of the painful consequences of human choices. Every time someone used a weapon for violence, God would have to make the weapon harmless. He would have to turn bullets into paper, knives into plastic, and grenades into polystyrene beads. Every time someone drove a car out of control, God would have to intervene, somehow interrupting the laws of nature to protect that person. Every time a parent yelled at a child in anger, God would have to mute the sounds, and somehow turn the expression on the parent's face to an expression of care and love. How did it start? Evil and suffering made their appearance when the first humans, Adam and Eve, chose to disobey God. In a garden of every imaginable delight, they ate the one and only piece of fruit that God had told them not to. That was the first human sin. Since that time, the world has seen a lot of pain and suffering, but it was never God's preferred option. Natural disasters are all part of the suffering caused by sin. Sure, God could have removed the option of choosing to disobey him, but he wanted people who chose to love him. Love is never forced. And so, God put in place a plan to rescue humans from their own self-destructive ways. You can read more about it here. Here's a story to make the point: A minister and an atheist barber were walking through the seedy part of their city. As they saw the suffering around them, the barber said "This is why I could never believe in a God of love. If he is as kind as they say, why doesn't he do something about all this crime, disease, poverty, drug-dealing and vandalism?" The minister said nothing until they came across an unkempt and filthy man with hair down his back and far too much stubble on his face. The minister said to the atheist: "You can't be a very good barber, or you wouldn't let people live around here without a haircut and a shave." More than a little offended, the barber answered: "Why blame me for that man's condition? I can't help it if he's like that! He's never given me a chance! If he'd only come to my shop, I could fix him up and make him look respectable." The minister replied: "Then don't blame God for the condition of these people. They've never given God a chance. If they would only come to him, he would fix them up and turn their lives around." Even though God is completely powerful, he has not yet removed suffering and evil from the picture. He's waiting, waiting for as long as possible, to give as many people as possible the opportunity to make their peace with him. Seize the day! to the top

If I do enough good works, won't that be enough to get to Heaven?

Many people believe that if the sum total of their lives is more good than bad, then they'll make it to heaven. Even if people don't actually say they believe this, they live as though they do. It's a popular belief, and it's worth taking a look at. In fact, almost every religion known to man relies on good works to get to its version of heaven. Christianity is the one religion where people need to rely on something completely different: Grace. Note that Christianity is still big on doing good, but never for the sake of getting to heaven. There are 3 problems with relying on good works to get to heaven. 1. Good works provide no measure of "good enough" 2. Good works offer no assurance of making it to heaven 3. Good works ask God to turn a blind eye to evil Let's look at each one in turn. 1. Good works provide no measure of "good enough" Who decides what the necessary standard of good works is? Do we need to keep the Ten Commandments? The Five Pillars of Islam? The Golden Rule? Do we just need to do more good than bad? How much more? Is 51% good enough? Or is 85% the cutoff point? Who decides? And how do we know? Even if we could all agree on one standard (and who says it's up to us?), how many could claim to have perfectly kept that standard? Could anyone claim to have kept every one of the 10 commandments perfectly, all the time? What about motives, as well as actions? What if you did more good actions than bad, but your motives were completely wrong? There are too many unresolved questions! And without a definite standard from God, we don't know how he grades us. Does he grade on the curve, like schools do? Does he compare us against the best we could be, or against others? If others, do we get compared to Adolf Hitler, or to Mother Teresa? 2. Good works offer no assurance of making it to Heaven. When people hope that they do more good deeds than bad deeds, they are placing their lives on a scale. If the scale is tipped in the favor of good deeds, they make it! If not, they don't. Only problem is, no one can be absolutely sure of the final outcome, until the end. And then it's too late. Maybe all through life, a person thinks he has enough good deeds, but if he's wrong, there's nothing that can be done when the flame of life flickers away. 3. Good works ask God to approve of evil. Let's imagine that 51% was the cutoff for making it to heaven. Everyone who had done at least 51% good works through their life would be in heaven. But that means heaven would become a place of evil and suffering. Even if each person in heaven contributed less than 50% evil, heaven would still be almost half full of evil! That's not what heaven is all about! Heaven is a perfect place, and only those who are perfect will make it. It's a place of no suffering, no sin, and no evil. If God were to let in people who had less than perfect records, heaven would become as bad as earth. God would basically be saying that a little bit of evil doesn't matter. This doesn't sound too good!! If you're starting to wonder how anyone will make it to heaven, then your understanding of the problem is crystal clear. God is a God of justice, and so he can't "bend the rules". But God is also a God of love, and he wants to make it possible for everyone to get to heaven. In a sense, God has a problem. But He also has an incredible solution to this problem. In another article, we look closely at the problem God had, and the solution He came up with. We also see just where good works fit in. And, we see how grace makes it possible for everyone and anyone to get to heaven. to the top

How does anyone get to Heaven?

In another answer, we made this statement: Heaven is a perfect place, and only those who are perfect will make it. It's a place of no suffering, no sin, and no evil. If God were to let in people who had less than perfect records, heaven would become as bad as earth. God would basically be saying that a little bit of evil doesn't matter. This time, we'll look closely at the "problem" God had, and the solution He came up with. We'll also see just where good works fit in. And, we'll see how grace makes it possible for everyone and anyone to get to heaven. Love and Justice God always does what's right. He never cheats. He never falls for bribes. And He's always concerned with justice. This means that when it comes to heaven and evil, He won't compromise one bit. There will never be any evil in heaven. On the other hand, God cares deeply about every person who has ever lived. He loves everyone regardless of what they have done, or not done. And He wants everyone to be in heaven. But to get to heaven, people have to be perfect. Without sin. Faultless. The Problem: So how do people with sin, get into heaven, a place without sin? We've already seen that doing enough good works won't get anyone into heaven. The only way for any of us to make it there, is if God takes away our sin. We can't do that ourselves. But if God comes up with a plan to remove our sin, then we're fully qualified to go to heaven. The only way that we can have our sin taken away is if it's transferred to someone else. If you have the debt of a house mortgage, you only become debt-free when your debt is transferred to someone else. If you pay off your home loan, you transfer your debt to the bank, and you become debt-free. If you sell your home to someone else, the proceeds of the sale enable you to pay back the money you owe to the bank. Again, you become debt-free. When your sin is transferred to someone else, you become sin-free. The Plan: God offers us this plan: if we trust that He alone has the solution to this problem, then He will transfer our sin onto His Son Jesus. Jesus is in effect a substitute in our place. Jesus qualifies for this job for three reasons: 1. Jesus is completely human, just like us. In any substitution, the substitute needs to be of the same kind. 2. Jesus is completely God. He has committed no sin of His own. Because He has no sin of His own to worry about, He can take the sin of others. 3. Jesus is an infinite Person. This is important, because it means He can take the sin of any number of people. If you had never sinned, you would still only be able to substitute for one other person. But Jesus can substitute for everyone. All God asks is that we accept that no amount of good works can ever get us into heaven. If we come to that point, then we can accept His offer to transfer our sin to Jesus. Once our sin is transferred to Him, our standing before God is "sin-free". It's a legal transfer. God declares that legally, we are in right standing before Him. There is no longer anything preventing us from getting to heaven. Grace? This double-transfer is free to us, and without any conditions. Our sin is taken away. Jesus' good standing before God is transferred to us. We give this transfer the name grace. Grace is when we get something good that we don't deserve. Grace is not a wage, or the result of us doing any kind of works. If that were the case, grace would no longer be grace! No, grace is the completely undeserved good favor from God. God offers grace to everyone and anyone. Grace is what makes Christianity different from any other spiritual path. All other spiritual paths require us to do something to earn our way to heaven. God requires us to simply accept His solution, and trust in Him alone. What about good works? Good works are still an important part of Christianity, but as we've seen, they will never get us a ticket to heaven. Good works should stem from a person's thankfulness to God. If we were in jail, and someone paid the bail to release us, we would be grateful! We would realize that nothing we had done contributed to our release. But, no doubt we would want to show our appreciation to that person in any way we could. Good works are simply our way of showing our appreciation to God. God is concerned about justice in the world, about the poor, the homeless, the hungry, orphans, and those who cannot defend themselves. When we take on His concerns, we show that we want to join with God in addressing His concerns. This true story shows how God cares about both justice and love. One day during the Great Depression, police hauled a frightened old man before the magistrate in a New York City night court. They charged him with petty larceny; he was starving and had stolen a loaf of bread. By coincidence, the mayor himself, Fiorello La Guardia, was presiding over the court that night. La Guardia sometimes sat in for judges as a way of keeping close to the citizens of the city. La Guardia fined the old man $10. "The law is the law, and cannot be broken" the mayor pointed out. At the same time, he took a $10 bill out of his own pocket, and told the man he would pay the fine for him. Then La Guardia turned to the others in the courtroom and "cited" each of them for living in a city that did not reach out and help its poor and elderly, tempting them unduly to steal. The mayor fined everyone in the audience $0.50 each, passed around his famous fedora to collect the fines, and turned over its contents to the amazed defendant. The hat contained almost $50. The old man left the courtroom with tears in his eyes. to the top

How did the Bible become the Bible?

Christians make the claim that the Bible, as we know it today, is actually God's Word written to us. As well, they claim that it's God's only word to us. But how did the Bible we know today come to be? This is the first of three articles which look at whether the Bible can be trusted.  Bible This word comes from the Greek word Biblos, which means "book". Covenant This word refers to an agreement made between two parties. A covenant can be unconditional or conditional. In the Old Testament, there were quite a few covenants made between God and people. The two most important were the covenant between God and Abraham, and the so-called "New Covenant", spoken of in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Both these covenants were unconditional. Early Christian writers correctly recognized that Jesus, as the promised Savior, was the center of the New Covenant. And so, the biblical writings before Jesus were termed the Old Testament. Naturally, those writings after Jesus were termed the New Testament. Today, a testament is the written will of someone. In early Christian times, a testament was interchangeable with a covenant. Old Testament The collection of 39 books written between about 1500 B.C. and 400 B.C. New Testament The collection of 27 books written between about 45 A.D. and 95 A.D. Apocrypha Seven books which were written during the same time as the Old Testament, but which 1st century Jews recognized were not part of God's word. Gospel This word comes from a Greek word meaning "good news". Inspired By this word, Christians mean "God-breathed". The idea is that rather than a piece of writing simply being the product of a human mind, an inspired piece of writing is the product of God writing through the conscious efforts of a human. This is how some writings can be seen as the inspired Word of God. to the top Old Testament Overview Today, we tend to categorize the Old Testament into five sections: 1. The Law 2. History 3. Psalms and Wisdom Writings 4. Major Prophets (called "major" only due to the length of these books) 5. Minor Prophets However, the Jews simply categorized them into three sections: 1. The Law 2. The Prophets 3. The Writings Whichever way you view the books of the Old Testament, there are 39 in all. Here is a summary of each book in the Old Testament, under the five headings of law, history, psalms and wisdom writings, major prophets and minor prophets.The Law Genesis This word means "beginnings", and in many ways, Genesis sets the foundation for the rest of the Bible. Exodus This word means "way out". The book describes the rescue of God's people from their slavery in the land of Egypt. Leviticus The name of this book comes from the Levite family, one of the the 12 families of Israel. The Levites were the priests of the nation, and were responsible for the law between God and the people, as well as between the people themselves. This book contains detailed laws for the nation. Numbers This book is, as it sounds, a book of numbers. There are some historical stories, but it is mainly records of the families of Israel. Deuteronomy This words comes from the words deutero, meaning "second", and nomos, meaning "law". The book is mainly an address from Moses to the people of Israel, outlining the law to them, before they entered the land of Canaan. History Joshua This book describes how Israel entered the "Promised Land", Canaan, under the leadership of Joshua. It includes those occasions when Israel didn't do what God told them to do - and the consequences of their actions. Judges Once Israel had entered the land of Canaan, their leaders were called Judges. This book describes the successes and failures of Israel, as they cycled through times of peace and war with neighboring countries. Ruth The book of Ruth is a short book, set in the time of the Judges. It shows how a woman from the country of Moab is welcomed into the family of Israel. It is a reminder of God's original command to Israel, that they should be a light to the rest of the world. 1 Samuel This book is thought to be written by the prophet Samuel. It covers the time from Israel's first king, Saul, until Saul's suicidal death. 2 Samuel This book continues where 1 Samuel left off. It covers events from the installation of David as king, until David is old and close to dying. 1 Kings This book begins by following the line of kings through David. When David's son Solomon dies, a power struggle takes place between Rehoboam, Solomon's son, and Jeroboam. The nation of Israel is then split into two separate nations. Two families, Judah and Benjamin form one nation, while the remaining families form another. The book follows the fortunes and failures of the kings of the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). 2 Kings This book continues where 1 Kings left off. It covers the history until both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah have been taken into captivity, by Assyria and Babylon, respectively. 1 Chronicles 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles are quite similar to 1 Kings and 2 Kings. However, there are important differences. 1 Chronicles begins by tracing the line of David from Adam, through to David's descendants at the exile of Judah. It contains other historical records, and then focuses on the life of David, from the time he becomes king, until his death. 2 Chronicles 2 Chronicles selects historical material from the reign of Solomon, through to the last king of Judah before its exile. Whereas the two books of Kings swap between the northern and southern kingdoms, the books of Chronicles focus exclusively on the kingdom of Judah. (Jesus is a descendant of the family of Judah, so emphases like this are designed to prepare the reader for Jesus.) Ezra This book describes the return of the Jews from exile. Persia had conquered the kingdom of Babylon while the Jews were in exile, and so it was the Persian king who allowed them to return. The book, with the priest Ezra as main figure, focuses on the temple being built. Nehemiah This book focuses on the building of the wall of Jerusalem. It also provides various lists of people. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the Persian king, and it is he who returns to Jerusalem to oversee the completion of the wall. Esther This book describes the "meteoric" rise to fame and power, of Esther, a Jew living in Persia during the exile. Esther becomes queen, and due to her influence, prevents the Jews from being destroyed. The word "God" is not found in the book of Esther, and this has caused some to wonder why it is in the Bible. Nevertheless, the book shows how God has always been protecting his people from complete destruction. to the top Psalms and Wisdom Writings Job This book is one of the world's greatest writings on the subject of pain and suffering. Unbelievable tragedy afflicts Job, his family, and his possessions. After questioning God about what he has done, God asks Job a few pertinent questions. The book explodes the popular myth that good things always happen to good people, and bad things always happen to bad people. Psalms This is a collection of 150 psalms. A psalm is basically a piece of poetry designed to be sung with music. The Psalms are often the favorite book of people, because they express the whole range of feelings towards God. The cry "How long O Lord? Will you forget me forever?" is heard with "I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me". Proverbs This is a collection of wise sayings, or proverbs. It has an emphasis on how life should be. Ecclesiastes The title of this book means "Teacher". It has an emphasis on how life really is. The book is a poetical record of the exploits of King Solomon, who tried everything life could offer him, and concluded that "everything is meaningless!". The end of the book offers his perspective on how to live life successfully: Fear God and keep his commands, for this is the whole duty of people. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Song of Solomon This book is a poem concerning Solomon and his love for the woman who will soon be his wife. Due to the sometimes explicit nature of the writing, people have often seen this book as an allegory. However, the book should be taken literally. It shows the importance God places on real love, and on a continuing passion between husband and wife. Major Prophets Isaiah Isaiah's name means "God saves". Isaiah wrote to the nation of Judah before the exile. His purpose was to remind Judah of the special relationship they had with God as members of His covenant community. Jeremiah Jeremiah's name means either "God establishes" or "whom God appoints". Jeremiah wrote to the nation of Judah before and just into the exile. He is often called the Weeping Prophet, due to him weeping for the fate of his people, and also because he is thought to have written Lamentations. His purpose was to expose the darkness of Judah's sin, along with the piercing brightness of God's word. Lamentations This book is a collection of poetry written after the fall of Judah. It has only five chapters, but was placed after Jeremiah, since Jeremiah was believed to be its author. His purpose was to show how the curses predicted in Deuteronomy 28 had come to pass. Ezekiel Ezekiel's name means "God strengthens". Ezekiel wrote to the both the nation of Judah and Israel during the exile. His purpose was to show the glory and perfect character of God. Daniel Daniel's name means "God is Prince". Daniel wrote to the nation of Judah, as well as to non-Jews in Babylon, during the exile. His purpose was to show that regardless of what happens in the world, God is completely in control. Minor Prophets Hosea Hosea's name means "salvation". Hosea wrote to the nation of Israel before the exile. His purpose was to show how the curses of Deuteronomy were coming to pass, as well as ultimate restoration to Israel. Joel Joel's name means "Yahweh is God". Joel wrote to the nation of Judah before the exile. His purpose was to focus attention to the Day of the Lord, when justice would be complete. Amos Amos' name means "burden-bearer". Amos wrote to the nation of Israel before the exile. His purpose was to show that although God would punish Israel for rebelling against him, he would preserve a small group of people who had not rebelled. Obadiah Obadiah's name means "servant of the Lord". Obadiah wrote to the nation of Edom. His purpose was to declare that Edom would be judged by God for its constant hatred towards Israel. Jonah Jonah's name means "dove". Jonah wrote to the nation of Israel before the exile. His purpose was to remind Israel that they were to bless the nations of the world. If any nation turned away from evil and turned towards God, God would forgive and restore. Micah Micah's name means "who is like God?". Micah wrote to the nation of Judah before the exile. His purpose was to show that God was fair in disciplining Judah, since Judah had turned from God. Nahum Nahum's name means "comforter". Nahum wrote to the nation of Assyria. His purpose was to announce the fall of Assyria, and to comfort Israel that God was in control. Habakkuk Habakkuk's name means "embracer". Habakkuk wrote to the nation of Judah before the exile. His purpose was to show that God was always fair in dealing with evil, even if his ways were different to the ways of people. Zephaniah Zephaniah's name means "protected by God". Zephaniah wrote to the nation of Judah before the exile. His purpose was to show the coming judgment on Judah because of its disobedience to God. Haggai Haggai's name means "festive". Haggai wrote to the nation of Judah after the exile. His purpose was to arouse the leaders and people of Judah from their spiritual apathy, and encourage them to continue building the temple. Zechariah Zechariah's name means "God remembers". Zechariah wrote to the nation of Judah after the exile. His purpose was to motivate the people to spiritual renewal, and motivate them to rebuild the temple, by showing them God's plans for their future. Malachi Malachi's name means "messenger of God". Malachi wrote to the nation of Judah after the exile. His purpose was to put the finger of judgment on the nation, and to motivate the people to return to God with all their beings. to the top How the Old Testament Became the Old Testament There is an old saying that the Church does not decide what the Bible is; it discovers what the Bible is. This distinction is essential. The process of the Bible becoming the Bible, took place as the Church recognized that certain books and letters were "the Word of God", whereas other pieces of literature were not. However, the Old Testament became the Old Testament in a slightly different way. The phrase "Old Testament" was never used by Jews, since they only had one collection of Scripture. This was called the TANAK. The TANAK derived its name from the first letters of the three types of writings. We referred to these writings above: the Law, the Prophets and the Writings.This collection of writings was written between about 1500 B.C. and 400 B.C. Around 200 B.C., a group of 70 Jewish scholars translated the TANAK into Greek, since Greek was the language of the day. This effort took 70 days, and the resulting Greek translation of the TANAK was called the Septuagint (meaning "70"). However, the Septuagint included seven books that were not part of the TANAK. These books are known today as the Apocrypha. Around 90 A.D., another group of Jewish scholars met at the Council of Jamniah, and decided to include only the 39 books found in the original Hebrew collection. They excluded the books of the Apocrypha, which were entirely written in Greek. The collection of the Old Testament was now closed and finalized. to the top New Testament Overview The Gospel of Matthew Written by Matthew, one of Jesus' followers, this book emphasizes that Jesus was indeed the long-awaited King of the Jews. The Gospel of Mark Written by Mark, one of Jesus' followers, this book emphasizes that Jesus came to serve people, not to be served by them. The Gospel of Luke Written by Luke, a traveling companion of Paul, this book emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, as well as his compassion for "outsiders". The Gospel of John Written by John, one of Jesus' followers, this book was designed to give people evidence to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, so they might have eternal life. The Acts of the Apostles Written by Luke, this book is part two of his gospel. It shows how the early Church spread rapidly throughout the known world. Romans Written by Paul to the church at Rome, this is a legal document explaining how the death and resurrection of Jesus makes available new life to all. 1 Corinthians Written by Paul to the church at Corinth, this letter outlines some guidelines for church worship. 2 Corinthians Written by Paul to the church at Corinth, this letter is an encouragement to that church to help other churches by giving and praying. Galatians Written by Paul to the church at Galatia, this letter is a sharp rebuke to those who were saying that people had to keep the law in order to hold on to their salvation. Ephesians Written by Paul to the church at Ephesus, this letter describes what God has done for people, and how people should act toward God. Philippians Written by Paul to the church at Philippi, this letter is a thank you letter to that church for their gracious financial gift to the poor in Jerusalem. Colossians Written by Paul to the church at Colosse, this letter is a rebuke to those who were saying that was not God. 1 Thessalonians Written by Paul to the church at Thessalonika, this letter is an encouragement to Christians that death is not the end. 2 Thessalonians Written by Paul to the church at Thessalonika, this letter is an instruction to the church to continue doing what is right, and not be lazy. 1 Timothy Written by Paul to Timothy, this letter outlines instructions for running a local church. 2 Timothy Written by Paul to Timothy, this letter is Paul's last letter before he dies. He encourages Timothy to carry on where he left off. Titus Written by Paul to Titus, this letter is similar to 1 Timothy, and is an encouragement for Christians not to give up doing good. Philemon Written by Paul to Philemon, this letter is a request to Philemon to welcome back a runaway slave, and to forgive him. Hebrews Written by an unknown author, this letter is an appeal to Jewish Christians, to leave behind the old ways of Judaism, and press on with Christianity. James Written by James the half-brother of Jesus, primarily to Jewish Christians throughout the Roman Empire, this letter is a call to practical Christianity. 1 Peter Written by Peter, one of Jesus' followers, this letter is a call to Christians to follow Jesus no matter the cost to their own lives. 2 Peter Written by Peter, this letter is a warning of false teachers in the Church, and a call to be ready for Jesus' return at any time. 1 John Written by John, the author of the gospel, this letter is written to Christians, so they can be sure they have eternal life. 2 John Written by John to "the chosen lady and her children", this letter is an appeal not to welcome false teachers into her home. 3 John Written by John to Gaius, this letter is an appeal to show hospitality to those who work hard in spreading the good news of Jesus. Jude Written by Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, this letter is an appeal to Christians everywhere to contend for the true faith, and not to let false teachings creep in. Revelation Written by John to the churches in the province of Asia (present day Turkey), this letter is largely a vision of what is to take place in the future. It outlines, often in symbolic form, how Jesus will ultimately return to earth, and how in the end, death will be gone and justice will be complete. to the top How the New Testament Became the New Testament During the first and second centuries A.D., the only "Scriptures" available to the Church, were those books we know today as the Old Testament. Gradually, certain letters and books became circulated throughout the known world. It began to be evident which of these were inspired by God.Over the next few centuries, certain books were gradually accepted, while others were rejected. The following progression should be seen as an overview of the making of the New Testament. Once a book has been accepted, it is shown in bold type. 90 - 160 A.D. All the New Testament has been written, but there is almost no sense of a closed collection. Matthew Mark Luke John Acts 2 Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation 160 - 250 A.D. There is an awareness of a collection of inspired writings, and the phrase New Testament is first used. Matthew Mark Luke John Acts 2 Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation 250 - 325 A.D. All the letters of Paul are now accepted. Matthew Mark Luke John Acts 2 Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation 325 A.D. The Council of Nicea. Matthew Mark Luke John Acts 2 Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation 325 - 397 A.D. In 367 A.D., Athanasius first lists the current number and order of the New Testament books. In 397 A.D., at the Council of Carthage, the collection of the New Testament is finally closed. Matthew Mark Luke John Acts 2 Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation to the top Why do some groups have different books? The main group which has a different set of books is the Roman Catholic Church. As a result of decrees by the pope in the 16th century, the Catholic Church takes the Apocrypha to be inspired also. They believe that these writings are just as much the Word of God as the standard books. Protestant Christians don't agree with this, and hold to the 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books mentioned above. Chapter and Verse It is interesting to note that the chapters and verses we see in the Bible today were not in the original writings. In fact, chapters and verses were not added to the Bible until around the 13th century A.D. Usually, these divisions capture the thought of what was written. However, sometimes the divisions seem strange. Chapters and verses were added simply to help us find our way around the Bible. In another article, we ask whether we can be confident that the Bible we have today is what was originally written. to the top

Is the Bible really reliable?

Christians make the claim that the Bible, as we know it today, is actually God's Word written to us. As well, they claim that it's God's only word to us. But how did the Bible we know today come to be? This is the second of three articles which look at whether the Bible can be trusted. First Things First Often, people wonder whether the Bible is reliable. How can we be sure that a collection of documents written many centuries ago has been faithfully and correctly transmitted to us today? This is a good and valid question. Fortunately, we don't need to rely on the myth of 'blind faith' to answer it. We apply the same tests to the biblical documents as we would to any other ancient writing. In 1952, a professor of military history, Sanders, set down three tests which can be used for any historical writing. He named these tests the bibliographic test, the internal test, and the external test. We can examine the Bible with these tests, in the same way we would examine other ancient documents. The Bibliographic Test - How well were the original documents transmitted to us today? Whenever a document is written, there is always only one original. This is the document from which copies are made. Sometimes, many copies will be made. Other times, only a few will be made. What we want to find out is, if we had to construct the original document from the copies, how accurate would it be? Clearly, 100% accuracy would be a perfect copy. The Old Testament There are very few copies of the original Old Testament writings. This is because copies were lost, ceremonially buried when worn out, or destroyed if imperfections were discovered. Before 1947, the earliest Hebrew manuscript available was the Masoretic text. But in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The amazing thing about these scrolls is that they are dated between 200 BC, and 68 AD. Yet there are very few variations between these two manuscripts. No variations affect the meaning of the documents in any way. The New Testament Archaeologists have found copies of quite a few ancient manuscripts, written by different authors. This table is a good comparison. to the top author date written earliest copy time span # copies accuracy Homer 850 BC     643 95% Herodotus 450 BC about 900 AD about 1350 years 8 There are not enough copies to reconstruct the originals. Euripides 440 BC about 1100 AD about 1500 years 9 Thucydides 420 BC about 900 AD about 1300 years 8 Plato 380 BC about 900 AD about 1300 years 7 Aristotle 350 BC about 1100 AD about 1400 years 5 Caesar 60 BC about 900 AD about 960 years 10 Catullus 50 BC about 1500 AD about 1600 years 3 Livy 10 BC     20 Tacitus 100 AD about 1100 AD about 1000 years 20 New Testament 60 AD about 130 AD about 100 years 14,000 99.5% Taken from I'm Glad You Asked, by Boa & Moody to the top

What about problems with the Bible?

Christians make the claim that the Bible, as we know it today, is actually God's Word written to us. As well, they claim that it's God's only word to us. But how did the Bible we know today come to be? This is the third of three articles which look at whether the Bible can be trusted. First Things First The Bible we have today is an extremely accurate copy of the original documents (see here for details). Yet, this is only one aspect of trusting the Bible. If there were specific areas that caused concern for some people, then for them, the Bible would not be trustworthy. So, it is important to look at some common problems people have with the Bible. The Problem of Inspiration OK. So we have a reliable copy of the Bible, but to claim that it is inspired by God is another thing altogether. This problem, which people sometimes have with the Bible, is the problem of inspiration. The word inspired literally means "God-breathed", and the idea is that God authored the Bible through the people who wrote the words. The writers were in full control of their minds and wills, and would not always have perceived that they were writing down God's words. Nevertheless, Christians claim that the Bible is indeed the written Word of God. But a claim like this does not prove that the Bible was inspired by God, any more than a similar claim in the Koran or the Book of Mormon. What evidence is there for the inspiration of the Bible? What the Bible says about itself First, we can look at what the Bible claims. If it never claimed to be the Word of God, this would be significant. But it does, in many places. Jesus said that everything written about him in the Old Testament would be fulfilled. Jesus also said that the Scripture cannot be broken. Paul, writing after Jesus' life on earth, said that all Scripture is inspired by God. Peter, one of Jesus' closest followers, wrote that no prophecy was an act of human will, but that men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Fulfilled Predictions This is a great way to show evidence for or against the inspiration of the Bible. If it really is God's word, then we would expect any detailed predictions about the future to be accurately fulfilled. After all, only God would have the required knowledge to make firm predictions. And this is where the Bible differs so much from writings such as The Oracles of Nostradamus. Nostradamus made predictions so vague and cryptic that many "fulfillments" would fit. But the Bible makes predictions so clear and detailed that there is no doubt when a prediction is fulfilled. Here is a very small list of predictions which have been fulfilled. Isaiah 7:14 - Jesus would be born of a virgin. This was fulfilled in Matthew 1:18-25. Micah 5:2 - Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. This was fulfilled in Luke 2:4-7. Zechariah 11:12-13 - The price Jesus would be betrayed for. This was fulfilled in Matthew 26:15. Isaiah 53:9 - Jesus would be buried with the rich. This was fulfilled in Matthew 27:57-60. Ezekiel 26 - The destruction of Tyre. This prediction says that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, would besiege and destroy Tyre, and that many nations would come against it. It says that its ruins would be scraped from the site, and thrown into the sea, leaving a bare rock. It says that Tyre would become a place for fishermen to spread their nets, and that the city would never be built again. All these predictions have been remarkably and accurately fulfilled today. The ancient city of Tyre is today a place where fishermen spread their nets. The Problem of Interpretation You have your interpretation of the Bible. Some other Christian have their own interpretation. There must be hundreds of interpretations! What makes you think yours is the correct one? This is the problem of interpretation. In the face of differing opinions about what a particular part of the Bible really means, it can seem impossible to arrive at a consensus among Christians. This gives the impression that the Bible, while being reliable, is not understandable. Fortunately, within Christendom, there is no disagreement over the foundational truths of Christianity. Christians the world over believe these points: God is one God in three persons. People have been made by God, but are in need of rescuing from sin. People are unable to rescue themselves from sin; they need someone else to do so. Jesus, who is fully God and fully human, is God's solution to the problem of sin. People are rescued from sin only when they trust in Jesus. This rescuing from sin happens only by the grace of God. However, among Christians, there may be differing interpretations of parts of the Bible which are not foundational. Normally, different interpretations occur because Christians follow different methods of interpreting! Most (not all) of these "problems" could be avoided by following some common sense principles. 1. Find out what a passage (part of the Bible) says before asking what it means. 2. When looking at a passage, leave behind preconceived ideas (which everyone has). 3. Interpret a passage in light of the immediate and broader context. 4. Interpret a passage literally, in its plain sense, unless its plain sense makes no sense. 5. Interpret any unclear passages in the light of clear passages. In any event, the greater problem for most people is not how to understand a part of the Bible, but how to do it. Mark Twain said as much: Most people are bothered by those passages in Scripture which they cannot understand. The Scripture which troubles me most is the Scripture I do understand. to the top The Problem of Science and the Bible But hasn't science disproved the Bible? Normally, there are two issues with science and the Bible. The first is evolution, and the second is the apparent incorrect scientific claims the Bible makes. Let's look at each briefly. Evolution and the Bible The Bible is concerned far more with who brought the universe into existence, rather than how. While Christians believe that God made everything, they disagree over how. Did God make everything in 6 literal 24-hour days? Or did God intervene at various points in the process of evolution? However, the big difference is this: either the universe was brought into existence by God, or it was brought into existence by nothing. The latter is a far greater leap of faith. Evolution, at best, is a theory, and can never explain what did happen. It can only explain what might have happened. Creation by God is also a theory. It is not provable any more than evolution is provable. So the basic point of contention is whether the universe arrived because of God, or because of nothing. Here is what must be believed with the theory of evolution. Non-living systems generated life through a combination of time plus chance. Micro evolution (changes within species) leads to macro evolution (changes from one species to an entirely different species). The huge problem with evolution is that it makes the effects (including complexity, life, intelligence, personality) greater than the causes (disorder, non-life, random interactions, impersonal events). Nowhere else have effects ever been observed to be greater than causes. For this reason, it is a far more believable proposition that a personal God designed a universe with personal beings in it. Apparent Incorrect Scientific Claims The Bible is not a science textbook, and makes no scientific claims. The problem comes because people in the Bible describe nature as it appears to them, not as it actually is. People today do exactly the same thing. The Bible talks about the rising of the sun. Of course, the sun does not "rise" and rotate about the earth. Yet, when we talk about sunrise and sunset, neither do we mean that the sun rotates around the earth. The Bible talks about the four corners of the earth. Even though the earth is not flat, from the vantage point of any one of us on earth, it appears flat. to the top The Problem of Ethics in the Bible What really bothers me about the Bible is its attitude towards genocide, slavery and the problem of suffering. We have looked at the problem of suffering and evil in a previous article, so here we will look at genocide and slavery. The ethical problem of genocide In the light of the 6th commandment, "You shall not murder", this command may seem like an over-reaction from God: However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them - the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites - as the Lord your God has commanded you. While this is one of the more troubling sections of the Bible, there are enough factors in the surrounding context, which suggest that perhaps God was not over-reacting. Perhaps no explanation will completely satisfy everyone, but some thoughts may help. 1. This command was unique in the history of Israel. When the people heard this, they would not have yawned, turned to one another, and said "Oh...another search and destroy mission...". More likely, the people would be asking for a repeat of the command, just to confirm what they thought they heard. This was an extremely unusual command, so there must have been special circumstances. 2. In fact, the command goes on to say: Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshipping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord. These foreign nations were not simply "in the way"; it was possible that they might completely turn Israel away from God. Later in Israel's history, this comment is made: The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. They took their daughters in marriage, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God. The evil done by the Israelites was the evil done by the surrounding nations. Archaeological finds confirm that these nations were grossly immoral and wicked. Religious male and female prostitution, infant sacrifice, and bestiality were a few of the practices of these nations. 3. Rather than a cruel command from a sadistic ruler, this command was far more like the painful command to remove a cancerous growth from the body, so that the body can continue to live. 4. There is no violation of the earlier command to not commit murder. Killing in wartime and capital punishment are two examples of taking a life, which are not called murder. This command to destroy the wicked nations is another. 5. God never plays favorite. When Israel did turn away from God, he did not sweep their sin under the carpet: Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals [gods of the Canaanites]. They forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshipped various gods of the people around them. They provoked the Lord to anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. In his anger against Israel, the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress. The ethical problem of slavery This problem diminishes when a few background facts about slavery in the Bible are known. Slavery in the Bible was quite different from the slavery we think of today. Slaves were to be treated with dignity and respect. If a master violated the basic rights of a slave, or abused a slave, that slave was to be set free. If a slave ran away from his master, he was not to be mistreated or even returned. Slaves were able to participate in the religious and cultural practices of the day. One New Testament writer advised his readers who were slaves to "gain your freedom if you can do so..." The issue with slavery in the New Testament was on the heart attitude of both the slave and the master. Slaves were to "obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for God." Masters were to "provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven". The Bible is not, and was not meant to be, a policy document on slavery. When it encounters slavery, it applies principles of justice and mercy. The emphasis is much more on one's attitude to God. to the top The Problem of Apparent Contradictions Many people make the claim that the Bible is full of contradictions. But normally, when asked for their favorite three, they are hard-pressed to list any. This is because people rarely read the whole Bible before making this sort of claim. The Problem of Miracles "Most of the Bible, I don't have a problem with. But when it starts talking about miracles, that's where I draw the line. Everyone knows that miracles don't happen!" This paragraph makes clear why some people have a problem with miracles in the Bible: ...a miracle occurs when God steps in to do something beyond what could be accomplished according to the laws of nature as we understand them, and which actually may be in violation of them. Moreover, a miracle is beyond man's intellectual or scientific ability. In this technological and scientific age, miracles don't seem to fit. Examples of miracles found in the Bible are as follows: Jesus fed 5,000 men, as well as their wives and children, from 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. The sea was parted, so that about 1 million Israelites could flee from the Egyptians Jesus walked on water Jesus came back to life, after being dead for 3 days All these fit the description above. The laws of nature can't explain them, and in fact, every one of them violates the laws of nature. More to the point, humans can't explain them by any intellectual or scientific method. Perhaps miracles are so hard to stomach for scientists, because they just don't fit. Science is about making observations, collecting evidence, and interpreting that evidence. It is also about repeatability. Clearly, miracles are not something we can repeat by following a list of detailed instructions. If we start with a boundary condition that miracles are impossible, we are cheating. The better approach is to make observations. If the evidence fits with a hypothesis, well and good. But if it doesn't, the evidence is still evidence! The hypothesis is not complete! So, from this perspective, a boundary condition which leaves no room for God is possibly what needs changing. Basically, if someone has a world view where God does not exist, then miracles are impossible in that world view. Nothing will change that. On the other hand, if a world view includes God who made everything, then miracles are also entirely possible. In recording miracles, the Bible authors were not offering a commentary or analysis of the miracles. They were simply recording them. And as the evidence from reliable witnesses, miracles need not be a problem. to the top The Bottom Line This article is the last of three articles on the reliability of the Bible. In a nutshell, we've tried to answer the question "Can the Bible be trusted?". First, we looked at how the Bible became the Bible. Next, we looked for any evidence which supported the claim that the Bible is reliable. And in this article, we worked through some common "problems", which people often have with the Bible. What we've discovered is that ultimately, the Bible is incredibly reliable. It is not simply a collection of documents written by people. It is no less than the message from God to us. God can be trusted; the Bible is his message; the Bible can be trusted. But that's not quite the bottom line. The bottom line is: "Will we hear the message God has spoken to us?" to the top

Can you prove that God exists without using the Bible?

There are two distinct questions here, and and the second follows logically from the first. But before we start, we need to resolve a background issue. What is Proof? In asking this question, we're basically asking "What kind of proof will be good enough? How much proof is needed?" When we talk about proof, we're talking about establishing some degree of certainty about something. Scientific knowledge is based on repeated observations, but scientific knowledge is only one kind of knowledge. Other kinds include historical knowledge, philosophical knowledge, moral knowledge and personal knowledge. These types of knowledge lie outside the bounds of scientific knowledge. For example, take historical knowledge. Can you prove that King Henry the Eighth existed? Using the scientific approach of observation and repeatable experiments, impossible! But using historical methods, it is certain that he existed beyond a reasonable doubt. This phrase is the key. While not one person living today has ever seen King Henry the Eighth, we know he existed beyond a reasonable doubt. This is why in law courts, a jury must be convinced of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, not beyond a shadow of a doubt. So, when we look to prove whether God exists today, a scientific approach will not work. The amount of proof needed is enough so that we can say: "God exists beyond a reasonable doubt". The Question Restated We can now restate the two questions above: 1. Is it reasonable to accept that there is a 'Higher Being' behind this universe? 2. If so, how do we know 'what' or 'who' the Higher Being is? Is there a higher being? There are many different arguments for the existence of a Higher Being, none of which rely on the Bible, and none of which can be scientifically proved. Here are a few: The Argument From Design When we look at anything which has a design, we rightly conclude that it had a designer. Somebody designed chairs for a purpose. Somebody designed a glove to fit over a hand. The universe, and particularly human beings, show an unbelievable amount of design. This points to a Designer. The Argument From Anthropology Humans have a complex personality. It seems (and is) absurd that such complexity could have emerged from nothing, with no cause. Rather, the human personality would need to be made by a Being with the same, if not greater, complex personality. The Argument From Cause-Effect Everything we can think of, and which we encounter, has been caused by something. Every effect has a cause. In something as complex and awesome as the universe, there is no difference. The Big Bang Theory does not destroy this argument, for no-one can explain the cause of the Big Bang. The Argument From Ontology If there is a concept of something, this implies that the something does exist. For example, there is the popular concept of 'true love'. Although this concept might often seem elusive, the fact that we have the concept of true love in our heads, points to the real probability of the existence of true love. The Argument From Morality The sense of morals which most people have 'built-in', points to the existence of a moral Maker. More than this, the other option of evolution, has no way of explaining how morals came from pond-slime, and ultimately, from nothing. These arguments, on their own, and even collectively, cannot possibly 'prove' that God exists. However, they provide enough of a starting point to accept that there is probably a Higher Being of some kind. At this point, we are in a position to try and answer the second question. to the top Who is this higher being? To discover this (if such a thing is possible for us to discover) we can approach it by starting from what we know, and moving to what we don't know. 1. This physical universe was caused by something 'beyond' it. Everything we encounter and can think of, has a cause. The words you are now reading were caused by a person typing them on a keyboard. Cars move because they have an engine. A tennis court didn't suddenly come into existence one day. It was built by someone. People speak words because their brains instruct the muscles in their mouths to move. It is reasonable that the world we can see, and of which we are a part, also has a cause. 2. This 'beyond cause' has to be at least as complex as this universe. In all the universe, the most complexity is found in the human body, and specifically, in human personality. This means that the cause of this universe must be at least as personal as we are. 3. This 'personal cause' [from now on, referred to as 'Higher Being'] brought about a universe with a number of characteristics: The universe has an amazing amount of unity and diversity in it. Imagine life without color, music and rainbows. Imagine not being able to imagine. Humans have emotions and intellect, which bring about hopes, dreams and fears. They also bring about the recurring Why Am I Here? What Is My Purpose? questions. Humans have the ability to make their mark on this world, for good or for bad. This is why we see extremes such as Adolf Hitler and Mother Teresa. Humans are not automatically 'clued in' about the existence of a Higher Being. But the incredible number of spiritual paths points to the fact that most people are interested in finding out. 4. The only reasonable way we can expect to find out who this Higher Being is, is if the Higher Being chooses to reveal him/her/itself to us. We would expect either a direct communication from the Higher Being, or perhaps an indirect communication through a 'middle-man'. We would expect to be able to understand the communication. We would expect that many, many generations would have received the communication. In other words, it would be strange and suspicious, if the Higher Being chose only to communicate to the last few generations, and not the thousands of generations before that. 5. When we survey the historical landscape, a number of candidates for such a communication appear. However, on closer examination, many of them disappear. Of the several major world spiritual paths, only some claim that the universe was brought about by a Higher Being. Animism is the world view that spirits and forces have power over human lives, and that humans must find out which spirits are impacting them. But there is no Higher Being behind it all, and therefore no communication. Atheism is the world view that there is no Higher Being of any kind. Since no-one has all knowledge in the world, this is not a position that can be defended or taken seriously. Clearly, there is no communication, as there is no-one to communicate. Buddhism is the world view that there is no Higher Being of any kind, and that the universe has no beginning or end. Guatama Buddha never claimed to be 'God', and he never claimed that Buddhism would lead to 'God'. Since there is no Higher Being, there is no communication. Christianity is the world view that there is a personal God, who has communicated to humans through the Bible. Hinduism is the world view that the universe is an illusion. Some Hindus believe there are 33 million god, while others believe that there is one ultimate reality, Brahman. Yet, Brahman is not a personal Higher Being. He is more like a force, who is completely uninvolved with the universe (which is an illusion anyway). While there are sacred writings in Hinduism, there is no communication from a personal Higher Being. Islam is the world view that one God, Allah, brought everything into existence. Through the prophet Mohammed, Allah gave to humans the Koran. Allah has personality, but he is not the same God as the God of Christianity. Clearly, Islam is a candidate for a communication. Judaism is the world view that one God, Yahweh, brought everything into existence. Yahweh communicated to His people Israel, by inspiring various people to pen the Old Testament (the Jewish Bible). Various more recent spiritual paths have emerged, such as Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphianism, Scientology, Christian Science, the Unification Church, etc etc. All of these must be rejected as candidates, since they have only emerged in the past 1 or 2 centuries. Surely a personal Higher Being would not wait until the very recent past to communicate with people. From the survey above, only Christianity, Islam and Judaism emerge as serious contenders for a communication from a Higher Being. We can narrow down our options even further, by asking what such a communication might 'look like'. Here are some pointers that may help. It would probably: 1. Be within history - so we could have any access to it at all 2. Be recorded - so we all could have access to it 3. Be translatable - so anyone in any language could have access to it 4. Be in everyday language - so that understanding was not restricted only to a certain elite 5. Be a written communication - since an oral communication only might go the way of a Chinese Whisper... 6. Make some 'way-out' claims - to differentiate it from the sacred writings of a normal person 7. Offer some evidence to back up those claims 8. Have an authoritative and/or exclusive tone 9. Affect people quite strongly - either causing feelings of comfort, or anger Of the Bible (Christianity), the Koran (Islam) and the Hebrew Scriptures (Judaism), the one that stands out is the Bible. The difference with the Bible is that it focuses on Jesus, a carpenter from the Jewish town of Nazareth, who told people that he was God in the flesh. We have looked at the evidence for these claims elsewhere, and it is more than a reasonable conclusion that Jesus was exactly who he said he was: God. God Today? The original question asked whether it could be proved that God existed "today". If Jesus had died, and stayed dead, we would have to say "No". But Jesus came back to life, and lives today. This is the biggest claim for him being God, and it is understandably also the most controversial claim debated among people today. The message Jesus communicated with us is the same today as it always has been. I, Jesus, have come so that people might have life, and have it to the fullest. Beyond A Reasonable Doubt? First, we concluded that it is definitely reasonable to accept that there is a Higher Being of some sort. Next, we asked whether it was possible to discover who this Higher Being was. We then showed that beyond a reasonable doubt, this Higher Being was Jesus. Remember, that we only need to establish this kind of 'proof' beyond a reasonable doubt, not beyond any doubt. God does exist today, and the personal, moral and philosophical knowledge of many people adds further evidence to this. No-one can ever prove that God exists by scientific methods. We should be thankful for that: what kind of 'God' would that be? No mystery, nothing hidden, everything reducible to a set of principles. God is far bigger than that. to the top

Does anyone really believe in the resurrection?

The short answer is "because the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is overwhelming". For the longer answer, read on. For Clarity's Sake What exactly do we mean when we talk of "the resurrection"? Christians believe that around 2,000 years ago, Jesus, the Son of God, was born in the Middle East. He lived a life without sin, was assassinated by the religious leaders, and was buried in a sealed tomb. After 3 days and nights, he came back to life, complete with a physical body, and showed himself to many eyewitnesses. This key event, sometimes called "rising from the dead", is what we mean when we refer to the resurrection. Understandably, the resurrection has been the subject of much debate. Eight Historical Facts There are 8 historical facts which provide the data for the resurrection. They are as follows: 1. Jesus suffered death by crucifixion. Late in the afternoon, Joseph of Arimathea...went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate questioned whether he could be dead that soon, and called for the captain to verify that he really was dead. Assured by the captain, he gave Joseph the corpse. 2. Jesus' body was placed in a securely guarded tomb by his friends. Joseph took him down [from the cross], wrapped him in a shroud, placed him in a tomb that had been cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the opening. After sundown, the religious leaders arranged a meeting with Pilate. They said, 'Sir, we just remembered that that liar announced while he was still alive, "After 3 days I will be raised". We've got to get that tomb sealed until the 3rd day. There's a good chance his disciples will come and steal the corpse, and then go around saying "He's risen from the dead".'...Pilate told them, 'You will have a guard. Go ahead and secure it the best you can.' So they went out and secured the tomb, sealing the stone, and posting guards. 3. Some of Jesus' friends found his tomb empty on the third day. At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn't find the body of Jesus. Even the enemies of Jesus admitted this, since they had to bribe the guards to say that his followers stole his body: The religious leaders took a large sum of money, and gave it to the soldiers, bribing them to say, 'His followers came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping'. They assured them, 'If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we'll make sure you don't get blamed. The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around. 4. Jesus' friends and followers were discouraged because of his death, and were not expecting a resurrection. The women left the tomb after seeing that Jesus was alive, and broke this news to Jesus' followers, but they didn't believe a word of it; thought they were making it up. 5. The Roman seal on the stone was broken, and the stone was moved away from the tomb. 6. The guards told the religious leaders that the tomb was empty. 7. The grave clothes of Jesus were found undisturbed in the empty tomb. Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck in neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Peter arrived after him, went into the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths, but separate, neatly folded by itself. 8. The followers of Jesu