Category: Apologetics

There’s no way of knowing God!

Have you ever heard someone say, “There’s no way of knowing God”?

How did you reply?  Here are some possible replies that I hope you will find helpful

Validation:

With all the competing views of who God is, it is difficult to know which view of God is true.  If you mean that it’s hard to relationally know God, I’d agree with that too.  I mean, I know who the President of the United States is, but it’d be next to impossible for me to have relational knowledge with him.  I can’t just text him and meet up with for coffee as I could with any of my friends, and he’s just a human being, now imagine an all-powerful, all-knowing, eternal God, who happens to be everywhere at all times, oh, and he can’t be seen.  I agree; it would seem as if there is no way for us to actually know who he is.

Socratic Method:

“Does this mean you believe there is a God, he’s just not knowable? (if the answer is yes…) Why do you believe there is a God?  What makes you believe you can’t know God?  Do you think it’s possible that God has somehow revealed himself to us?”

“If there is a God and he created everything, why do you think he made us?  Do you think he’d want us to know him?  Do you think he would want to reveal himself to us if it was possible for us to know him?”

“If God were to reveal himself to us, how do you think he’d reveal himself to us?  The Bible teaches that Jesus was God incarnate, God in human flesh.  Who do you think Jesus is? How much do you know about Jesus?  Have you ever read the Gospels, the biographies written by eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ’s life, or written by people who wrote based on eyewitness testimony?”

Answer:

I think you are partially correct.  It’s impossible for us to know who God is on our own.  God is spirit and in our 4-dimensional existence of length, depth, width, and time, there is nothing we can do with our five senses of touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste to uncover or discover who God is.  However, that doesn’t mean God is incapable of revealing himself to us.  God is God and he can do anything he pleases, and he has shown himself to us indirectly and directly.  God has indirectly revealed himself to us through what he has created.  When we look around us and observe the universe, we see design, order, complexity, and beauty all of which point to a creator.  When we consider the first cause of the universe, an eternal, all-powerful God who exists outside of time is the best explanation for the genesis, the beginning, of the universe.  Nothing comes from nothing, and life does not come from non-life, as the atheistic model of Darwiniansm projects.  So simply from what he has created, God has made it plain that he exists.  But I would also say that God has directly revealed himself to us through the person and work of Jesus Christ.  In Jesus Christ, the fullness of God dwelled in human flesh and he proved his divinity through his life, death, and resurrection.

Jesus Christ Crucifix

Scripture:

Romans 1:18-20 – “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

Colossians 2:9 – “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”

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Why does it matter what you believe?

How would you respond to this question, if you are a Christian?  Have you ever heard this question asked?  Do you have a solid reply?  Is it hard for you to reply to it, or to speak up when you hear questions like this asked against the Christian faith?  I hope these possible replies will help you.  I think it’s good to first validate the question, to the let the person asking it know that you can relate to their doubts or confusion.  But a question like this should never be validated without a proper, and immediate follow-up, unless we leave the person thinking that they are correct in their thinking.  Sometimes, we can lead a person to the Scriptural answer simply through asking questions, in which case I have provided some possible questions for you to use.  It’s also good to know where the Scriptural backing is for your answer and to always turn the conversation back to the Gospel after an objection is raised.

If you are not a Christian, and you are reading this, I pray that these answers will help lead you to receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Let me know if you have further questions.

Validation:

I think I understand where you are coming from.  As Westerners we value personal freedom of choice, and in America we have built into our constitution that we all have the right to choose what religion we want to believe and follow.

Answer:

In many areas of our lives, our beliefs drastically matter.  If a person believes one race, or nationality, is inferior and exterminated and follows through with that belief, it causes a serious problem for the race that is considered to be inferior and for any other race who believes acts of genocide should be stopped.  (Many examples can be given similar to this in realms of morality, interpreting reality, or handling financial situations, and from any of these they’ll likely clarify that some beliefs matter, but in the realm of religion it doesn’t, or they’ll move into arguing that when it comes to religions the truth can’t be known, which is the next question on this list, but if they stick with this question, I’d continue with…)  It seems that you are treating religious faith as inconsequential preference choices such as what type of movies you enjoy to watch or what type of music you listen to, but religions pertain to matters after this life.  If Islam is true, I’d better submit to Allah and follow all that’s commanded in the Qur’an.  If Hinduism is true, I’m in for a rough reincarnation.  If Christianity is true, I’d better repent and turn away from sins and turn to Jesus for my righteousness and forgiveness.  If Atheism is true, then you’re right it doesn’t really matter what you believe, since we’re all destined to be worm food.

Socratic Method:

“What if someone believed that rape was OK?  Or incest?”

“What if someone believed that doctors and medicine should not be used because of their religion, and thus deny their children medical care that could save their lives?  This is a real scenario that has arisen in America amongst followers of Christian Science.”

“Are you afraid of death?  Do you believe that there is life after death?  What if religions teach contradictory ways to obtain life after death, would it matter which one you believed and followed?”

“Why do you think it doesn’t matter what you believe in the realm of religion?  Do you believe that all religions have the same core beliefs?”

Scripture:

Mark 16:16 – “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Romans 10:9-13 – “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Back to the Gospel:

Have you heard the verse John 3:16 from the Bible?  It’s a verse that is oftentimes quoted by Christians because it contains a summary of the Gospel message, and Gospel means “good news.”  John 3:16 says, “”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  According to this verse, belief in Jesus is necessary for salvation.  Later in the same chapter, Jesus says about having faith in himself, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).  If Christianity is true, what you belief concerning religion does matter.

Andy Wrasman1 Comment

All Religions Teach the Same Thing.

Have you ever heard someone say, “All religions teach the same thing”?

I know I have.  Here is a response that I find helpful.  It comes in a few different segments.  First, it is good to validate the argument, you know, show that you understand where the person is coming from and that you can relate to why he or she might feel this way.  Don’t validate the argument, unless you will provide the appropriate rebuttal.  Here you can spoon feed the correct answer to the person, or you can ask a bunch of questions that lead the person the fault in professing that all religions have the same doctrines.  It’s good to know a few Scripture verses to support what you are saying from God’s Word and it’s always the goal to present the Gospel in any apologetic endeavor.

Symbol of the major religions of the world: Ju...
Symbol of the major religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Validation:

I think many religions agree on certain points, such as there is life after death, or that there is some sort of higher power or entity in the universe, and most religions have similar moral laws, so I can see where people can come to this conclusion.  I think the real reason people come to this conclusion is because they don’t want to exclude anyone from having the best existence possible after this life.  We don’t want to say anyone is wrong and we want to avoid drawing lines of division which lead to segregation, elitism, and at times hate and violence.

Answer:

It might be possible to squeeze the world’s religions into teaching the same thing on secondary, or superficial, levels, but on the primary, or fundamental, doctrines, they contradict each other.  For instance, Christians believe that Jesus is God and the Savior of the world, where as Muslims believe that Jesus is just a prophet who should not be worshiped, and Jews, at least conservative Jews, would say that Jesus was a false prophet.  These are just the views of three religions concerning one person in history!  Clearly, they don’t all teach the same thing and they can’t all be true due to their contradictory teachings.

Socratic Method:

“How do they all teach the same thing?”

“On what doctrine do they all agree?”

“Do they all teach the same thing concerning the afterlife?”

“Do they all agree on what mankind’s ultimate problem is and how that problem can be overcome?”

“Do they all agree on who, or what, God is?  Do they all even believe in an eternal, transcendent God?”

“How do Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism teach the same thing?”

Scripture:

1 Timothy 4:1 – “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

Acts 4:12 – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name [Jesus] under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Back to the Gospel:

Let’s look at what Christianity teaches concerning the way of salvation.  Romans 4:4-5 says, “Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.”  In Christianity, salvation is free for men.  God steps into redeem and rescue mankind through the work of Jesus Christ.  None of us can save ourselves by our own work, or merit, because we are all sinful people who do evil.  In all other religions, people must work to earn a good afterlife.  In Hinduism, a person must practice yoga and have good karma.  In Buddhism, a person must follow the eight-fold path.  In Islam, a person must excel in the five pillars of the Islamic faith.  In Judaism, Jews have rejected Jesus their Messiah and have chosen to justify themselves through observance of the Law.  All religions do not teach the same thing.  In Christianity, salvation is free.  In all other religions, salvation, if they call it salvation is not free and must be earned through personal works.

Andy Wrasman9 Comments

Qur’an and the Injeel #4

Quran
Quran (Photo credit: kevinschoenmakers)

Please visit Crescent Project.  The bulk of this series is outlining the Bridges series from Crescent Project.

The Qur’an says that the Injeel (Muslim’s Arabic name for the Gospels) is the word of Allah.  They however, say that it’s been changed, or corrupted, which is why Allah had to send the Qur’an through Muhhammed.  It’s also why many of them haven’t read the Injeel.  So how can a Christian respond to a Muslim who says, “Yes, the Injeel is the word of God and Jesus was a prophet, but it has been changed!”?

Logical Response

Simply ask questions.

“When was the Injeel (NT) corruptued?”

“How was it been corrupted?”

“Who corrupted it?”

“What parts are corrupted?  Has the whole Injeel been changed?”

Muslims generally won’t have answers to these questions.

You can then ask,”Did Muhammad tell Muslims to read the Bible in the Qur’an?  Did he say it was the word of Allah in the Qur’an?”  The answers to these questions are yes, and if you want check the first post in this series and you’ll see the verses from Qur’an which claim this.

The next statement to follow up the answer to these questions is, “If Muhammad said to read the Bible and didn’t make any mention of it being changed or corrupted, then it must have been changed after Muhammad.”

That then leads into the “Historical Response” which shows that the Bible hasn’t been changed before or after Muhammad.

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The Qur’an and the Injeel #2

The first post in this series showed verses from the Qur’an that teach that the Injeel (the Arabic name Muslims use for the Gospels) is revelation given to us by Allah and that Muslims are called to believe in it.  There are blatant contradictions between what is taught within the Qur’an and the Injeel.  Muslims handle these contradictions by saying, “The Injeel has been corrupted, and the Qur’an has replaced the Injeel.”  There are several responses that a Christian could give to Muslims who say this.

Please visit Crescent Project.  The bulk of this series is outlining the Bridges series from Crescent Project.

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Books which Muslims recognize to be from Allah are first the Torah (the books of Moses), the Psalms of David, the Gospel of Jesus (Injeel), and the Qur’an.
Muslims believe that Allah sent the Torah (Tawrat, Arabic name), but that the Torah was changed.  Because of this change, Allah sent the Zabur (the Psalms of David).  These were also changed, so God sent Jesus and his Gospel revealed in the Injeel.  The Injeel was also changed, so Allah sent the Qur’an, given to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel.
Islamic Understanding
Muslims truly believe that Allah’s word was handed down in phases to mankind after each revelation had been corrupted.

Muslims believe that the Qur’an will not be corrupted, since Allah will protect His word.

Muslims will say that the Injeel has gone through many versions and that the real one cannot be found.

They say that Christians have changed many of the stories in the Torah, the Psalms of David, and the Injeel. For instance, Muslims say that Jesus never died on the cross.  It was either someone else or an apparition who appeared to be Jesus.  This means that Jesus never died, he just ascended into heaven.  They also say that Ishmael was the promised son to Abraham, not Isaac, and that Abraham was asked to sacrifice Ishmael.

Christian Understanding

The Injeel is the word of God.

God will keep his word.
There are not many versions of the Injeel (NT).  Instead, there are many translations.  Some translations contain the word “version” in their title which helps lead to this confusion.  Scholars have gone to great lengths to study the original Koine Greek to make accurate translations that truly represent the original text and language.  The many translations when compared, maintain the one message.  A problem that arises from this with Muslims is that they believe the only authoritative text of the Qur’an is in Arabic, and when they pray to Allah they must pray in Arabic, even if they don’t know or understand Arabic.
Now that these two different perspectives on the nature of the Injeel have been presented the next posts will share three approaches, or responses, a Christian may take to encourage a Muslim to read the Injeel. 

Andy Wrasman1 Comment