Doubts Series &Questions Answered
4-13-08 :: What Do We Do With Our Doubts?
Watch :: MP3 Audio
4-06-08 :: Making the Wavers' Day
Watch :: MP3 Audio
Questions and Answers Page 1
Thank you everyone for submitting your questions. Below are some of your questions along with biblical answers. We will be posting additional answers in the upcoming days.
Page 1, 2 , 3 , 4
QUESTION: This is a question about how God treats unbelievers. A two part question.
Those who have heard the Good News. Those who never have heard the Good News. It is hard to swallow that our loving God will damn someone who does not accept Jesus as their savior, especially people who have not heard the Word.
a. Here's the situation with the first part of the question. My niece was born and raised Catholic. At 29 years of age converted to Judaism and married a very religious Jewish man. She is a good wife, mother, and is very involved with Temple life. She is raising her children in her new faith and lives as a good citizen and good person.
Before she married we discussed her decision to convert. It seemed clear to me that in order for her to marry this man she would have to convert. He made it clear he would only marry a Jew. I respected her desire to love and marry this man and build a religious/spritiual home with him and children. (who is a lovely man and good father).
But, I explained that because she has heard the Good News and had accepted Jesus in her life, by converting she was turning way from Jesus and all that it means. I told her that I personally could not ever imagine walking away from Jesus. I am deeply saddened by this and worry that she has sacrified her soul l in order to have whats she wants on this earth now.
So, the question is: By converting will Jesus turn away from her?
ANSWER: This is an interesting question, and your heartfelt concern is understandable. Your friend has not necessarily turned from Jesus. If, she has in fact, has asked Jesus into her heart and life at some point and trusted Him as her Lord and Savior, as mentioned in Romans 10:9-10, then she is saved, as opposed to being raised in a specific denominational tradition and believing one’s salvation is secure by association. Simply being Jewish does not necessarily mean someone does not believe Jesus is the Messiah. Messianic Judaism is a movement whose followers believe that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah prophesied about in the Old Testament and appearing in the New Testament. There almost 200,000 Messianic Jews in the US and many more worldwide, including Israel.
Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Although only believers can claim this verse for themselves, God may use your friend to be an agent of change within her own family so that the truth may be known, and Jesus magnified. The other side is that if she has, in fact, willfully turned away from Jesus, was her salvation secure to begin with? Oftentimes people who are raised in denominational traditions are taught that their salvation comes through their church relationship rather through a personal relationship with Jesus. We often are mistaken in thinking that simply because one is raised in church, attended Sunday school, or attends church now that they are saved. Salvation based on these is not biblical, but rather we are “saved by grace through faith” ( Epheisans 2:8-9).
You surely need to continue praying for your friend and her family, and for the Lord to create an opportunity for you to share your heart of love and concern for your friend. Give her a chance to share her heart with you about her relationship with Jesus. If you discern that she has not, in fact, asked Jesus into her heart and life, share the gospel message with her and invite her to open her heart and life to Jesus now, making sure her salvation is secure. It will be important for you to lead with love first and your lips last. Be careful not to condemn, but let the Holy Spirit convict according to God’s perfect wisdom and timing. The most important of all is to magnify Jesus Christ in your own heart and life for her to see Him through you.
You can find much information and witnessing materials for Jewish friends at www.jewsforjesus.org.
QUESTION: I have doubts about: God's voice: I prayed about a situation for 2 months and felt for the first time in my life that God was telling me to do something so I followed through and made the decision. This decision led to a lot of negative things including loosing lots of friends and having people question my reputation. The decision seemed logical and feeling that God led me to make it made it feel even better yet so much negative and no good came out of it. I dont understand why God would let all this happen if I followed him. I am doubting whether I heard His voice or not.
I have questions about: Whether God did speak to me or not because it felt like He did.
ANSWER: The apostle Paul surely was able to discern the voice of God, trusted, and obediently followed Him which clearly led to many difficulties and much adversity, including losing lots of friends, and having his reputation called into question (2 Corinthians 11:22-33). Those things alone, then, are not sufficient as confirmation of God’s marching orders. Being able to discern the voice of God from other competing voices does take some spiritual maturity, as Elijah found out in 1 Kings 19:11-18. The young boy Samuel did not recognize God’s voice, in 1 Samuel 3:1-10, as he spoke to Samuel three times before he understood this to be the voice of God.
There are many other voices that are loud, filled with promises, and are even very seductive. Oftentimes it is not God speaking at all, but our emotions, or the enemy. When there is confusion it clearly is not of God as His Word tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.” The enemy loves to confuse, complicate, frustrate, humiliate, and intimidate. . Some people claim to have heard God tell them to get divorced, play the lottery, or even have an abortion. God would never go against Himself and lead someone into sin, as it is not His nature to do so. The voice of God is clear and distinct.
The hardest part of learning to discern God voice from all others is that it takes time and a humble heart to learn. Jeremiah 29:12-13 tells us “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” We can't make demands of God or demand that He speak to us when we want. However, as Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7-8 we can ask, seek, and knock, and we will receive, find, and it will be opened. God does, in fact, reveal Himself to those who will humbly seek after Him.
It is difficult to determine if, in fact, you heard the voice of God, your own emotion, or the enemy. Take it to God in prayer and ask Him to help you learn to discern His voice from all others. Humbly bring the issues in question back to Him and seek His heart, asking for wisdom, discernment, guidance, counsel, grace, and peace. Then patiently wait on Him.
QUESTION: My cousin died of HIV+. He contacted it through gay sex. He was raised Catholic and was a believer. I believe Jesus forgives and loved my cousin. No church I have ever attended supported me on this. Actually when I tried to talk about this and understand where Jesus Christ our Savior stood on this I was pretty much blown off. It was if folks did not know how to address me on this topic.
What do you say? What does the Bible say?
ANSWER: Since the Bible is our source of authority and truth we will defer to it rather than the wisdom of man. Jesus did, in fact, love your cousin. He loved him so much that he was willing to die on the cross for Him. The Bible tells in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” This very same thought appears in Ezekiel 18:23, 32 and 33:11.
Being raised Catholic does not make someone a believer by itself. This diminishes the sufficiency of Christ. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” John 14:6 tells us “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” These passages are key to understanding the doctrine of salvation.
Although God’s heart is that none shall perish He knows that some will make decisions to reject Him and choose to perish rather than have everlasting life (John 3:16). Deuteronomy 30:17 is the hard reality for those choosing to serve other gods; “But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.”
Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” God is surely loving, compassionate, merciful, and gracious, but He is also just. People think they can live by the dictates of their own hearts rather than those of God, and don’t take God at His Word or sin seriously. Romans 6:23 teaches, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It is clear that God hates sin, whether idolatry, murder, deceit, pride, covetousness, sexual immorality, or the like as mentioned in the Bible. We are called to purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage. There are 25 verses in the Bible that speak to the issue of sexual immorality, with 5 of them specifically addressing homosexuality. Homosexuality clearly is sin according to God’s Word. However, we are told in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This should give us all great encouragement, as we will sin. We are not sinners because we sin, rather we sin because we are sinners. It is our nature to sin. But, God made provision for us to be set free from sin, and the bondage of enslaving sin, through His Son Jesus.
Yes, God loved your cousin, as He does us. But He hated his sin, as He hates our sin. But, if we have a repentant heart, meaning turning away from sin, confess our sin to Him, He will forgive us (1 John 1:9). If Jesus died for us, the proper response is to live for Him. If Jesus is our Lord and Savior then our eternity is secure.
QUESTION: I have doubts about whether Jesus Christ is truly the "only" way to God. There are so many religions in the world, all believing something different. How can I be 100% sure that the Christian way or Bible way is the right way?
The first part of this question is: “There are so many religions in the world, all believing something different.”
ANSWER: There is a pretty clear distinction between Christianity and “other Religions.” Every Religion outside of the Christian faith is a religion based on the premise that man must attempt to earn God’s favor in some way, shape, or form, by being “good”. Or, in the New Age movement, which believes that man can become “a god” or at least they become “one with god” and the universe, etc. What separates orthodox Christianity from all other religions, is the fact that Christianity is the only Religion whose God came down to rescue His people, based on His own goodness and love, and not their own.
In simplest terms, the reason we know that that the Christian way is the only way to God is because Jesus Christ is God’s only Son (John 3:16), and the only mediator that God has given to us to have a right relationship with Him. The Bible tells us, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). The Bible also tells us, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12), and “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-12).
Many have tried to argue that Christians are narrow-minded by having this mentality. But the truth of the matter is this; Christians are NOT narrow-minded, it is Jesus who is narrow-minded! Jesus is the one who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus also said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Therefore, it is not Christians who are narrow-minded. It is Jesus. Christians are only trying to obey the One who loved them, saved them, and is coming back for them at the end of the age.
The truth of the matter is this. All other Religions are slapping God in the face by rejecting Jesus. You see, the Bible tells us that Jesus was severely beaten for us. The Bible says, “When they saw him, he was beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person (Isaiah 52:12). Not only was Jesus beaten and bloodied for us, but He was spit upon, mocked, and had his back ripped open with a Roman torture device known as a cat of nine tails. After Jesus took this brutal beating, He carried His cross up to Calvary and was crucified. This is what God did to show His love for all the world. This is what God did so that we might be saved. But those who turn around and say, “No thank you God! We don’t need Your only Beloved Son’s sacrifice. We will do it our way!” They are slapping God in the face. It is not unfair that they should be excluded from Heaven. What is unfair is that God would go to such great lengths to save them, only to have them reject Him.
QUESTION: With that being said, let’s move on to the second part of this question, which is; “How can I be 100% sure that the Christian way or Bible way is the right way? Is Jesus Christ truly the only way to God?”
ANSWER: The reason we can be “100% sure” that the Bible way is the “right way” and that Jesus Christ is the only way to God is because the Bible is the only book in the history of the world that is written by God, is divinely inspired, prophetically and historically proven, and which has been credited with the transformation of the lives of men, women, and children, from every nation and culture on the face of the planet.
When approaching the Bible we must remember that the Bible itself claims that it alone is God’s word. The Bible tells us, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible also informs us that “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). Jesus told His followers the night before His betrayal, that the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). Jesus tells His followers that God the Holy Spirit will “bring” to their “remembrance ALL THINGS” that Jesus said to them. That is a comforting thought!
Unlike any other book in the history of the world, the Bible has internal and external evidences, which support its supernatural Divine claims. Internally, there are many proofs that support its Divine origin. First of all, common sense would tell us that if the Bible were a “manmade” document it would have traces of man throughout it. Meaning this, all “Religions” outside of the Christian faith boast about their “good deeds” that are pleasing in the sight of God and that will help ensure their spot in heaven. It is only natural for man to boast about his intellect, his strengths, his beauty, his achievements, and all other glorified areas of life. Even in our day and age, we see this being lived out. Super Models, Super Star Athletes, American Idols, Celebrities, and all of the other successful people we are called to emulate and worship. Man sure is great! Look at what we have achieved! You get the point?
However, the Bible paints an entirely different picture of humanity. The Bible does no boasting about any man, or any achievement of man. From the horrific fall in the Garden of Eden throughout the entire Bible, all the way to the great judgments that we read about in Revelation, we easily recognize that humanity is a mess. The Bible is very quick, in fact, uncomfortably quick in pointing out our failures and shortcomings, and our utter and desperate need of God’s saving grace. The Bible gives no merit to man’s ability to please God outside of our faith in Jesus Christ.
Other convincing internal evidence of God’s handiwork upon the Bible is the unity we find within its pages. It has been well documented that the Bible contains 66 books within it, written by over 40 different men, on three different continents, in three different languages, over 1,500 years apart, and yet fits together like a beautiful puzzle with all of its pieces. Its message is clear throughout. Humanity has been separated from God because of their disobedience, and God has sent His Son to restore us back to Himself.
The most powerful internal evidence that is found within the Bible to substantiate its Divine origin is Bible Prophecy. The Bible contains many prophecies in it concerning humanity, the nation of Israel, the future events that will take place upon planet earth, and most importantly, prophecies concerning Jesus’ first appearance as well as His Second Coming. When reading through the Bible we realize that there are over 450 prophecies concerning Jesus. Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies at His first coming. What is even more amazing is that there are at least 109 separate and distinct prophecies that Messiah must fulfill. A mathematician did an interesting study on this. He calculated the probability of even 20 of the 109 prophecies being fulfilled in one man. He came up with odds of one in one quadrillion, one hundred and twenty-five trillion! Now that is an amazing statistic! The Old Testament predicted the very town God’s Son would be born in, where He would live as a small child, and where He would live as a young man. The Old Testament foretold of where His ministry would be, and what the outcome of His ministry was. It foretold of Him being born of a virgin, and that He would be God in the flesh. The Old Testament even accurately predicted the very day He would announce who He was, and the very animal He would be riding on when He did announce it. The Psalmist predicted He would die on a cross hundreds of years before crucifixion was used for capital punishment. The Old Testament predicted that He would die for the sins of His people, but then rise from the dead. The New Testament confirms that all of these prophecies, and many more were all fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
Externally, there is ample evidence that the Bible has been accurately protected throughout the ages to its original writings as well. There are over 5700 Greek manuscripts from the New Testament alone, which still exist today. There are also over 19,000 non-Greek manuscripts, for a total of 25,000 plus manuscripts in all languages! The New Testament has more manuscript support than any book of ancient history, including Homer, Plato, Aristotle, and Caesar.
Archaeology is another external evidence supporting the authenticity and accuracy of the Bible. There have been literally thousands of archaeological discoveries to confirm aspects of the Bible without contradiction. Over 30 people in the New Testament have been cited by non-Christian writers through historical documents and/or confirmed by archaeological research. There have been over 60 confirmed historical details in the Gospel of John. There have been over 80 confirmed historical details in the book of Acts that have been documented.
The most powerful external evidence that exists is the personal testimony and moral transformation of millions upon millions of people throughout the history of the church. Jesus said that His followers would be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16), and that by our love for one another as Christians, the world would know that we are His followers (John 13:35).
Page: 1, 2, 3, 4 |
