Transcript PowerPoint Template - Renew-Your

“I Have Some Questions For You…”
The TOP TEN Questions of the Christian Faith Answered
WhyIBelieve.org
The Top Ten Questions of the Christian
Faith Answered
10
Good Enough – Can’t I make it to Heaven if I’m ‘good enough’?
9
The Trinity – Isn’t it a contradiction and a ‘made up’ doctrine?
8
Crutch – Isn’t Christianity a crutch for weak minded people?
7
Miracles – How can educated people believe in miracles?
6
Exclusivity – Aren’t Christians intolerant for claiming that Jesus is ‘the only way’?
5
Hell – How could a loving God send people to Hell for eternity?
4
Biblical Contradictions – Don’t they make the Bible invalid?
3
Heathen – Are those who have never heard the Gospel lost forever?
2
God – Where did God come from?
1
Evil – How can an all-powerful and all-good God allow evil and suffering?
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#10 – Can’t I Make It To Heaven if I’m
‘Good Enough’?
“To Make It To Heaven, All I Have To Do Is “Be Good”
You May As Well Believe In Santa!
 Where does it say you can be ‘good enough’?
 Wishful Thinking
 How Good Is Good Enough?
 Infinity!
 Causes Apathy or Worry
 Bottom Line: Made Up Belief
“…no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the
law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”
Romans 3:20
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he
gave the right to become children of God”
John 1:12
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#9 – Isn’t the ‘Trinity’ a Contradiction,
and a ‘Made Up’ Doctrine?
“After all, the word ‘Trinity’ isn’t even found in the Bible!”
 Is an ‘implied doctrine’ – derived directly from the Bible’s statements
 Is not a contradiction, is a descriptive statement of essence
 One God (what), in Three Persons (who)
 One God in Three Gods would be a contradiction
 Examples of descriptive statements of essence in everyday life:
 Families (4 persons (whom) in one family unit (what))
 Orange (3 items (peel, pulp, seed) in one essence)
 Time (Past, present, and future = Time)
And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the
water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: And
lo a voice from heaven saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased.' (Matthew 3:16-17)
Jesus’ Own Words: “Go ye therefore and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
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the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19)
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#8 – Isn’t Christianity Just a Crutch for
the Weak Minded?
aka “Isn’t Christianity Just ‘Wish Fulfillment’”?
 This charge commits a logical
error: “The Genetic Fallacy”
 It attacks intent, not the
merit of the faith – so lets
get to those!
 Besides, if Christianity is
indeed true, it would make
sense that we would desire it!
 Worst of all for this argument
against Christianity is that it
backfires against the arguer.
 Doesn’t he realize that the
non-believer just ‘wished’ that
Christianity is not true?
“We have this hope as an
anchor to the soul, firm and
 But most of all, Christians
openly admit that we are a
fallen and desparate
people, in need of help!
 Can a non-believer truly
claim we are not fallen?
 Who would deny a broken
person support, aka
‘crutch’?
secure.” Hebrews 6:19
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#7 – How Can Educated People Believe
in Miracles?
Isn’t This Really Just a Question of the Nature of God?
If God exists, then by
definition He is
Supernatural, meaning
‘outside of nature’
Since He created Nature,
He can do anything within
it that He pleases! The
question becomes ‘why
would He’?.
‘Extraordinary’ or
‘Repeatable’ Evidence is
by definition not required.
God’s activities in the
Bible had to do with
some sort of Revelation
to His people…
Natural Law vs. “God of
the Gaps” vs. Predictions
Notwithstanding the
claims of Miracles today
“The Word became flesh and made His
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dwelling among us.” John 1:14a
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#6 – Isn’t Christianity Intolerant for
Claiming to be the ‘Only Way’ to God?
“I am the way, the Truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me” John 14:6
Jesus Said So!
Tolerance?
Test It!
 These are Jesus’ words, not ours! Is He a liar or lunatic?
 Is simply a Truth Claim – are the other religions ‘intolerant’ too?
 Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Atheism, even Bahai’
 Lets’s talk about the evidence for Christianity…
 “Do you have a better alternative”?
 We are simply telling ‘the Truth’!
 “Not telling you would be insensitive”
The Truth Hurts!
 “You decide for yourself – as the Spirit moves you”
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#5 – How Can a ‘Loving’ God Send
Someone to Hell for Eternity??
'As surely as I live', declares the sovereign Lord, 'I
take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
rather that they turn from their ways and live.'
Ezekiel 33:11a
Who Decides Who Goes There?
 “God is Love” vs. Holy Wrath
 God’s Nature Demands Perfection
 The Greatest Violation…
What is Hell Anyway?
 Torture?
 Physical / Spiritual?
 Purpose Wasted…
 A Choice… “Thy Will Be Done…”
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#4 – Isn’t the Bible Full of Contradictions,
So Therefore it is Not Reliable?
A Difficulty is NOT Necessarily a Contradiction…
Interpretation Difficulties
Writers Perspective
 “You cannot legislate
morality.”
 “At dinner last night I sat
next to Uncle Joe…”
 Are there 2 different
creation stories??
(Gen 1:1-2:3 vs 2:4-9)?
 Are there four different
Gospel accounts?
1) 1)
Account
all creation
Don’tof
force
your
Separate, but equally
2) Focused
discussion
morals
on me!
legitimate meanings
about
creation
2)
Youthe
cannot
force/
(e.g. a double meaning?)
worth
of to
mankind
people
be moral!
I sat
nextemphasize
to Uncle Joe
Matt:
Jews,
OT
AND Aunt Martha, I just
Mark: Miraculous deeds
chose to tell you about
Luke: Care and concern
Uncle Joe because it was
John:
Jesus’
relevant
todeity
my story…
Cultural Understandings
 “Go jump in a lake!”
 Did Jesus rise on the 2nd
or the 3rd Day (Friday to
Sunday?)
Everybody
inin
our
culture
Everybody
ancient
knows what I mean when
Jewish Culture knows I
I say that! You just need
meant 1-Friday,
to understand our culture
2-Saturday,
3-Sunday!
a little better!
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#3 – What About the Heathen? Are
They Automatically Condemned?
Just Because They Never Had the Chance to Hear?
Jesus
is the
ONLY Way!
“…God our Savior
…wants all men to
be saved and to come to
a knowledge of the truth"
(1 Tim. 2:3-4)
GRACE!
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 ALL are condemned
 NOT because we haven’t heard, but
because we all sin
 God seeks us
 Has given us ALL General Revelation
 Precedent: Job, Abraham, Moses!
"Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things
required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do
not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are
written on their hearts, their consciousness also bearing witness, and
their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them. This will take
place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus
Christ, as my gospel declares." Romans 2:14-16
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#2 – Where Did God Come From?
aka: Who/What Created God?
This is a question about the Nature of God…
So…Something,
outside of nature,
had to start it all off
We see that everything
that has been created
has a beginning/cause
Observe Nature
Impossible
Infinite
Regress
But if we look back in time
we see an infinite regress,
which is impossible
Supernatural
Prime Mover
So – asking for the cause /
beginning of an “uncaused
cause” is a category mistake
God is an
“Uncaused
Cause”
“I am who
I am”
Exodus 3:14b
Since this cause is outside of
nature, it does not necessarily
require a beginning
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#1 – The Problem of Evil
Several Different Views, Each Requiring Unique Answers
Logical Problem
Moral Evil
 If God is all powerful and all loving, why does He allow evil to exist?
 If God created everything, and evil exists, did God create it?
How could He if He is all-good?
 Evil that arises out of someone’s conscious ‘choice’
Natural Evil
 Evil that comes about by ‘natural’ acts (e.g. not moral acts)
 Tsunami, tornado, fire, earthquake, etc etc etc
Existential
Problem
 Why did my daughter have to suffer and die?
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#1 – The Problem of Evil
Theodicy: “God Justified”
Considerations Regarding Evil




Does it truly ‘exist’?
Or is it the ‘absence of good’?
Do we see in all of nature the ‘potential’ for evil?
Is it a ‘cause’ or an ‘effect’?
 Is it ‘primary’ or ‘secondary’?
The Logical Problem of Evil Solved
Alvin Plantinga
 The “Best Possible World / Free Will ” Defense
 Free will requires choices and consequences
 God cannot violate His nature (logical consistency)
 A ‘greater good’ may be His desire
 Value Issues? What value is placed on infinity?
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#1 – The Problem of Evil
Moral Evil: That which Man does to Man
 The evidence is overwhelming that mankind can do evil things
 Indeed, doesn’t it seem that MOST evil in the world is caused by man?
Indicts Who?
 But why is this a Problem for the existence of God?
 Men CHOOSE to be evil to each other for myriads of reasons
 If God stopped us from being evil, He would violate our free choice
It’s MAN’s Fault!  Our evil actions are evidence of our fallen nature – a signal for us to
look beyond ourselves and repent
Survival of the
Fittest?
 It also drives us back toward the question: What is Evil without a
transcendent benchmark (e.g. God’s will)?
 Majority vote? Result of evolution?
 If so, then nothing is TRULY and INHERENTLY evil
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#1 – The Problem of Evil
Natural Evil: That Which Happens to Us Within Creation
Examples
 Fire, Earthquakes, Tornados, even Death
Why Does It Happen?
 God created a world to enable our existence
AND our free will
 Laws of nature must be constant or there
would be no consequences for our actions
Consistent Laws of Nature
 Fire, Hot/Cold, Plate Techtonics, etc etc etc
...giving a child a pair of ice skates, knowing that he may fall,
is a very different matter from knocking him down on the ice."
Phillip Yancey; Where Is God When It Hurts
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#1 – The Problem of Evil
Existential Evil: Living with Personal Suffering
Displays our Faith in Action
But It Happened to Me!
 A chance to see what we
are really made of…what
our beliefs really are.
 Am I being ‘punished’?
 Reality: We are here to
serve, not be served!
 Reality: It‘s only by Grace
that we survive at all!
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 Is it ‘too much’ to bear?
 Is it ‘not fair’?
Two Important Facts
 Someone suffering needs
comfort, not philosphy
 It WILL Happen to YOU!
Get ready for the storm
BEFORE it happens
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, our inner
man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for
us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at
the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things
which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
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#1 – The Problem of Evil
Christianity is UNIQUE
Christ is Right Here Along With Us!
 We acknowledge the need
 We understand the nature of the World
 One of the ways He shows us His love!
 The ultimate comfort…
"Because he himself suffered when he
was tempted, he is able to help those
who are being tempted.”(Hebrews 2:18)
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this
man nor His parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of
God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him
who sent me." John 9:2b-3
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