When Goes missing Lead to DOUBT

When Goes missing Lead to DOUBT The second Product of this thinking DOUBT

I DOUBT. (Part 1) The Nature of Doubt

The fact that we all doubt to some extent suggests that each of us shares in the universal human craving to not be deceived and that we all intuitively want to know the truth.

Even when it comes to Biblical spirituality, rather than seeing doubt as spiritually negative, it can actually be a positive.

After all, appropriate doubt can protect us from injury and even galvanise our worthy convictions.

Doubt is not incompatible with Christianity.

Scripture encourages us to doubt, especially dubious claims.

We are not to be nîave ‘children’ in our thinking ( 1 Cor 14:20 ).

Neither are we to simply accept any claim blindly – rather we are test all things.

1 Corinthians 14:20 KJV 1900

20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

but test everything; hold fast what is good.1 Thess 5:21

1 Thessalonians 5:21 KJV 1900

21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

1 John 4:1

1 John 4:1 KJV 1900

1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

The main reason that doubt is compatible with Christianity is that it is grounded in reasons for believing.

Thus, sceptics doubt because they won’t believe an unverified claim.

In this sense, all Christians should be genuine sceptics!

All too often Christians believe things too easily.

The best reason to believe any claim is because it is true!

Naturally, the opposite is equally true – any claim that is demonstrably false should not be believed.

This then might lead to the question: How can we test whether a claim is true or not?

Down through the ages, philosophers have studied the nature of truth (this branch of Philosophy is called Epistemology). 

Certain tests were progressively developed to discern the difference between the truth from the false.

For any claim to be reasonably considered as true, it needs to pass these tests-

A.Does it comport (agree) with reality?

For example, the claim, “There was a time when lions and tigers were herbivores.”

This claim does not comport with reality because the digestive system of lions and tigers can not sufficiently process a vegetation-only diet.

B.Is it testable?

For example, the claim, “There was a time when lions and tigers were herbivores.”

This claim can be tested by seeing whether the fossil remains of lions and tigers from this particular era provide any evidence for them being herbivores.

C.Is there consistent evidence supporting it?

For example, the claim, “Anyone could win a Gold Medal in the Olympic 100 metres Men’s sprint if they work hard enough.”

The consistent evidence demonstrates that there is usually only one winner of the Olympic Gold in the Men’s 100 metres sprint (with often as many 7 other finalists and thousands who tried to qualify for it – despite their incredible hard work.

D. Could this claim be proven false? (“Falsifiability”)

For example, the claim, “There is a pink porcelain tea-cup and saucer orbiting Mars which disappears every time someone looks at it.”

This claim can not be tested and therefore cannot be proven false.

With no supporting evidence for the claim, and no way to test it to prove it to be either true or false, a claim like this deserves our doubt.

There is a difference between a sceptic who exercises doubt until there is sufficient evidence to believe, and a cynic who refuses to believe despite reasonable evidence to adequately appease their doubts.

When it comes to beliefs, most people have not really taken the time to consider precisely what they believe or more importantly why they believe what they believe.

The art of thinking is probably more scientific than most people realise.

It’s a shame that Philosophy is not generally taught in Primary/Elementary Schools so that students are helped to gain basic thinking skills.

Instead, we have the vast majority of the population holding a belief because –

It’s a popular view to hold (truth, however is not subject to a vote or democratic testing)

Some high-profile / intelligent person holds it (This is known as the “Professor’s Ploy”)

It is morally convenient for them (Moral truth is usually unpalatable to those who live immorally!)

They harbour some hurt which has shaped how they believe (Perhaps a priest buy levitra generic name online sexually abused them and therefore they are now an atheist.)

They had a very subjective experience (such as a dream

None of these ‘reasons’ are particularly good reasons for believing a claim.

Often what most people consider to be a ‘reason’ for their belief is little more than an opinion, or even, an assertion.

Other beliefs fall into the category of a priori beliefs.

These are beliefs which are assumed to be true before any evidence has been considered.

Arguably, Darwinian Evolution falls into this category (Darwinian Evolution may be true, or it may be false, but it is fair to say that many people believe it to be true for some of the reasons given above and especially in an a priori “pre-assumed” fashion).

The Bible welcomes the investigation of its claims.

He is famously known as “Doubting” Thomas.

He wasn’t present when the resurrected Christ appeared to several of His apostolic colleagues.

And when told about the post-crucifixion/resurrection appearance of Christ, he refused to believe it unless his demands for appropriate evidence were satisfied.

Eight days later, Christ appeared to His disciples again – including Thomas.

Jesus invited Thomas to fulfil his demands for evidence.

Thomas’s doubts were then allayed. Jesus never condemned Thomas for requiring evidence.

Neither did the author penning the sacred inspired account.

Some well-meaning Christians claim that faith in God is not a matter of having sufficient evidence to do so.

It seems that they have accepted the false notion that a belief is based on either faith or reason.

Biblical faith is not unreasonable faith – on the contrary, it is faith which results from trustworthy evidence.

Jesus’ rebuke of Thomas was not brought about because of his demand for evidence, but that he actually did have sufficient evidence (the eye-witness testimony of at least seven reliable, credible, and trustworthy men).

The prominent atheist of the first half of the twentieth century, Bertrand Russell, once famously said in response to a question about dying and discovering that he was wrong about there being no God, and then what would say to God-

“You didn’t give me enough evidence!”

But, it will be shown over this series, no one can right state this.

The Apostle John winds up his Gospel by saying the accounts that he recorded as an eye-witness, were written as evidence so that people would believe and thereby willingly receive the forgiveness and eternal life which God offers.

There are many examples of modern “Thomas’s”.

Like him, they doubted. Like him, they required adequate evidence before they would believe in God, the Bible, and Christianity. 

People like, Josh McDowell who was an aggressive atheist.

He was then challenged to rebut the central claim of Christianity: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He initially believed that this would be an easy conquest.

But as he investigated the evidence for the resurrection of Christ he eventually conceded that it was indeed true.

He became a Christian and wrote several books giving hundreds of reasons to believe in the God of the Bible.

DOUBT Part 2

We are divinely designed to doubt! Doubt should be a normal healthy human response to an unsubstantiated claim.

Doubt says, I won’t believe this unless I have good reasons to.

When it comes to belief in God, more and more people have moved from doubt to cynicism largely because they believe there are no reasons or evidences for the existence of the God of the Bible.

All too often those who do believe in God promote the incorrect idea that belief in God is a solely a matter of faith – without any need for rational evidence.

Little wonder then many doubters in God have become convinced there is no God.

There are some good reasons to doubt God’s existence, but some even better reasons to doubt these doubts!

The late Christopher Hitchens famously said, God does not exist and I hate Him! You have to question (that is – doubt) this kind of “doubt” about God (it sounds more cynical than doubtful).

While claiming the intellectual high-ground, prominent atheists, such as Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, quite frequently reflect what many other more nominal atheists have not been able to articulate to justify their belief that God does not exist.

1.Science has removed the need for God (no more ‘God of the gaps’).

2.They have experienced a heart-ache in which they prayed to God, but nothing happened.

3.They have met someone who claimed to be religious yet was obnoxious or hypocritical.

4.They associate belief in God with superstition (superstition has no place in the modern, enlightened world).

5.Belief in God would interfere with their lifestyle, therefore God does not exist.

6.Belief in God is irrelevant to me – I don’t care if there is a God or if there isn’t.

These reasons for doubting God’s existence might be grouped as either, intellectual reasons, emotional reasons, social reasons, or moral reasons.

But it is actually not accurate to describe any of these as reasons.

Rather, they maybe, at best, assertions, but most of them are, more precisely, excuses.

For example, the statement- “Science has removed the need for God” is an assertion.

It asserts something that may or may not be true, but the statement itself contains no supporting evidence.

How has science removed the need for God? Or put another way: How does science prove there is no God? If science could show life can naturally come from non-life, or that matter could spontaneously pop into existence from an energy-free vacuum, then science would have indeed gone a long way to ‘removing God’ or ‘proving that God does not exist’.

But it hasn’t.

Consider the other reasons in this generalized list.

None of them are an evidence that there is no God.

And this is a recurring problem for those who persist in their doubt of God existence.

Rather than giving positive proof for their doubts, they often rest their case on an objection that there is no positive proof for God.

Associated with this objection are a couple of other well-used objections which initially sound quite reasonable-

“There is no proof that God exists!”

“Who’s to say that your God is the only God?”

“The only things that are real are all physical. Therefore an immaterial (non-physical) God cannot be real!”

French Philosopher, René Descarte

If you choose to doubt God’s existence, you will need better objections to His existence than these commonly heard ones.

There are reasonable proofs for God’s existence.

Denying this is grossly unreasonable.

A doubter may not like or even agree with the proofs for God’s existence but they cannot accurately claim there are none!

“Who is to say that your God is the only God?” — this objection actually seems to concede God’s existence!

Whether or not there are other ‘gods’ is not really the issue.

That the God of the Bible can be shown to be the only God, not merely a unique God (but the unique God), can also be demonstrated and thus make this objection unreasonable.

“The only things that are real are all non-physical…” is easily shown to be false.

This was the main argument held by one of the most prominent spokesmen for atheism of the twentieth century, Professor Antony Flew.

He spent much of his life promoting atheism.

Then in 2004, at the age of 86, his primary objection to God evaporated completely when he realised that many realities were non-physical.

This included his thoughts. These thoughts, he realised were not ‘material.’

This led him to realise that he was aware that he was thinking.

This is called “self-awareness.”

French Philosopher, René Descarte, famously put it this way: Cogito ergo sum — “I think, therefore I am.”

Today, philosophers refer to this as the Mind-Body Problem.

It is only a ‘problem’ for materialists (those who deny immaterial realities, such as a mind distinct from a brain — this is why you should let people pick your mind but refuse to let them pick your brains!).

The problem is made worse for physicalists because neurological (the study of the brain) research fairly conclusively shows that humans think a thought then their brain responds. This is called “synapsis.”

Professor Antony Flew

For Professor Flew, this immaterial self-awareness led him to wonder, what other immaterial realities exist?

And if immaterial realities exist, could it be that the Ultimate Immaterial Reality could also exist? He went on a quest to consider the evidence for God – but this time as a doubter rather than as a cynic.

He adopted the Socratic principle of, follow the evidence wherever it leads.

Eventually, the world’s most outspoken atheist recanted his atheism and acknowledged that there must be a God, and that this God was almost certainly the God of the Bible.

He went on to write a book entitled, “THERE IS NO GOD!” in which he tells his story of coming to realise that this world comprises not just of material things, but very real immaterial things, which at the very least opens up the possibility that there is an immaterial God.

This possibility is worth exploring he tells.

Clive Staples Lewis as a young man

Professor Antony Flew is not the only cynic turned sceptic.

After the death of his mother when he was just a boy, then a horrific stint in the First World War, Clive Lewis became a hardened atheist.

He seems to have become entangled in a relationship with an older woman while using his brilliant mind to further his career as a teacher of classic literature.

Like Flew after him, he accepted these general objections to belief in God. But like Flew he felt that this was not honest doubt.

He too explored the evidence.

Then one night his quest led him to concede that he had been wrong.

“It is difficult or find words strong enough for the sensation which came over me … For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose … and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England” (Surprised By Joy).

Thus, Clive Staples Lewis (“C.S.” Lewis) became a convinced believer in God and went on to become one of the most widely read authors of the twentieth century with his books about God including the The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe.

It takes courage to follow the evidence for God wherever it leads.

Whatever conclusions you arrive at in this quest will not only have intellectual consequences, it will also have social and moral consequences.

This is a price too high for some. Like a person who develops an awkward lump and is reluctant to go to a doctor to have it checked out for fear that it may be diagnosed as cancerous, some will feel more comfortable not knowing.

Will you follow the evidence where it leads?

When people say that you can’t prove that God exists, they often have a very narrow view of proof.

But proof by nature is as broad as the claims it supports.

That is, if a person’s narrow view of ‘proof’ is only acceptable by them being an immediate eye-witness for a claim to be proven, then they will be forced to become cynical about every historical claim – including their own birth!

Proof has to be comparitive to the claim it is attempting to support.

For example, a tape-measure offers a kind of proof but not the kind of proof to support that Julius Caesar was the first King of Rome.

An atlas is a kind of proof but not the kind used to show that Usain Bolt is the fastest human being over one hundred metres who has ever lived.

A stopwatch is the a kind of proof but not the kind of proof able to prove that Pretoria is the capital of South Africa (even though most people think that it is Johannesburg).

What kind of proofs supports the claim that God exists? If the God of the Bible actually exists and the Bible describes Him accurately, what should we expect to observe about our world?

If the claims of the Bible about God’s deeds are true, what else would be expect to observe? By asking these questions we are better able to determine what constitutes adequate proof.

The Bible states that God is “spirit”, that is, He is immaterial and therefore physically ‘invisible.’

It also claims that He is eternal, unchanging, uncreated.

God’s most profound deeds include creating the universe and in particular, mankind.

These claims therefore at least require cosmological, philosophical, historical, and anthropological proofs.

How can anyone be certain that an invisible, supreme God exists? Some people regard certainty as without a doubt.

But this is not functional since there is nothing in life that we can be absolutely certain about (by this definition).

Certainty, rather, only needs to be beyond all reasonable doubt.

Consider a court of law. Can a jury or a judge be absolutely certain that a person charged with murder is indeed guilty?

No, but they can be certain beyond all reasonable doubt.

William of Ockham (1287-1347) was a Franciscan Friar who practiced logic.

As a logician he is credited with formulating what has become known as “Ockham’s Razor” which proposes that the simplest explanation is usually correct.

We might call this principle the inference to the best explanation.

For example, if you were in a dinner party at someone’s home and heard a knock at their front door, the principle of Ockham’s Razor would lead you to conclude that there was someone at the door!

Your hosts may not respond to the knocking.

You ask them why.

They fob off the knocking as probably just the wind.

Then knocking at the door becomes more rhythmic.

You offer to your hosts that it sounds like someone is at the door.

They respond by saying there’s probably no one there and that the knock just knocked all by itself.

Their explanation is neither the simplest nor the best explanation of the data! In critiquing the evidence for God we should also use Ockham’s Razor and look for the inference to the best explanation.

When a prosecutor presents their case against the defendent charged with murder, they rarely have just one piece of evidence.

Often they will have a murder weapon with the defendant’s finger-prints on it; an eye-witness;  the victim’s blood on the defendant’s clothes; a contradictory statement to Police from the defendant; a recorded voice-mail on the victim’s phone where the defendent has threatened to murder them in the unusual manner in which they actually did die.

None of these evidences on their own present an air-tight case, but taken together they cummulatively make a strong case.

This conclusion is then strengthened when more evidence is collected and it is consistent with the other evidence and builds the cummulative case.

When it comes to proving God, we looking

Cosmology is the study of how the universe came into being.

The Cosmological Big Bang is now considered one of the best established scientific facts.

Prior to Edwin Hubble discovering the overwhelming evidence for ‘singularity’ (a singular time and place for the beginning of the universe), many scientists, including Einstein, believed that the universe had no beginning –  that it had always existed.

Initially, Edwin Hubble’s discovery was ridiculed by prominent scientists like Sir Frederick Hoyle who coined the mocking phrase “Big Bang.”

The reason that Hoyle and others mocked Hubble’s claim that the universe, including all matter, engergy, space and time, had a beginning was for its theological implications.

Hubble’s discovery in 1929 essentially attributes the beginning of the Universe to a Creator.

The reasons for this include the following-

– No effect can cause itself.

The Kalam Cosmological Argument, made famous by Dr. William Lane Craig, builds on Big Bang Cosmology.

The Universe began to exist.

Therefore, the Universe has a cause.

Since the Big Bang reveals that all matter, energy, space and time was caused, whatever caused them must be greater than them.

Therefore, the cause of the Big Bang must itself be uncaused, immaterial (spiritual), omnipotent (possesses all power), omnipresent (not confined to one location), and eternal (not subject to time).

God is the only one who possesses all of these qualities.

The Universe – from galaxies to microbes – appears to exhibit design. This evident and seemingly undeniable design is observable everywhere to the extent that we only have to consider how perfectly the very means of our observation: our own bodies, display exquisite design.

Added to the optimised design of our bodies is the evident design of our environment so that our life on earth is possible.

Our lungs are perfectly designed to breathe the exact air mixture of our planet.

Our skin is designed to perfectly interact with our planetary atmospheric conditions (vitamin D from the sun, relatively water resistant, appropriately temperature sensitive, and so on).

Our eyes are designed perfectly to detect depth, colour, shape, movement, and adjust to differing light.

Even the most adamant atheists generally concede that the Universe and its elements appear designed. But they assert that it only appears designed.

This assertion of mere appearance of design becomes difficult (if not impossible) to persist with when we realise exactly many factors are involved in making the conditions on earth suitable for human life and how complex the human body is so that it can exist within this particular environment.

The overwhelming evidence for the design of the Universe is close at home in both our galaxy and solar system.

For example, in our solar system, our planet is in the only possible zone where human life would be possible.

So recognisable is this zone that it is popularly referred to as the Goldilocks Zone.

Either side of this zone around our sun and advanced life would not be possible due to the drastic fluctuations in earth’s temperature, gravitational variations, and atmospheric impacts.

Dr Hugh Ross, an emminent astrophysicist and cosmologist, states that there are now over 1200 necessary design factors which must be coincidental for human life to be possible.

This has led scientists to coin the expression, The Anthropic Principle, to describe Earth’s unique ability to accommodate human life.

Such complex design, from a biological cell to a galaxy, points to a Designer who possess what we would normally attribute as divine qualities- omniscience (all knowing), omnipotence (all powerful).

Psalm 19:1 KJV 1900

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork.

We all have a sense of right from wrong.

It seems intuitive. C.S. Lewis noted that there are virtues such as courage, honesty, self-sacrifice, that are universally applauded despite culture, ethnicity, or period.

Similarly there are vices such cowardice, dishonesty, and selfishness which are scorned by any society.

But why?

It seems that we all share an intuitive sense of what constitutes good or bad conduct.

Even from the youngest age, a child will yell “That’s not fair!”

But where did their sense of ‘fair’ come from? It is unreasonable to reduce this phenomena to mere socialisation or conditioning.

While these play a role in the finer distinctions of what is good manners within a culture, it simply cannot explain universal and objective morality.

Professor of Philosophy and Government at the University of Texas at Austin, J. Budziewski, in his book, What We Can’t Not Know, shows that there is an intuitive and universal sense of a moral code that is virtually identical with what we refer to as The Ten Commandments.

If we are created by a suprememly morally good being, it stands to reason that we have been created with a sense of our Creator’s morality.

There appears to be only two other alternate explanations for this universal morality.

a. The first is to deny that it exists.

But this is far from an adequate rebuttal.

b. The second is to claim that morality has evolved along with our biological development.

But this is an obviously inadequate assertion because it fails to explain how morality furthers or complements possible human evolution since the moral virtue of self-denial or even self-sacrifice to rescue another unknown human being does anything to aid survival of the fittest.

In fact, it seems to undermine it.

Our conscience is a mysterious thing.

It often causes us to feel unhappy, guilty, ill, because we have done something morally wrong – all despite cultural conditioning and self-talk to the contrary! This pain of conscience is then often dulled by alcohol or drugs in attempt to run from its annoying interference.

It seems that when the Bible says that human beings were created in the image of God that one consequence of this is our intuitive sense of the Creator’s morality.

Genesis 9:6 KJV 1900

6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

If we were created by a supremely moral being, God, it is likely that we would all share a moral intuition. And we do.

If we could only offer one proof for God’s existence, it would be the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

People do not come back to life after having been dead for three days!

Rather than this being some mere after-thought of the early Christians (who have been accused of devising this ‘myth’ to perpetuate the teachings of their mis-understood leader- Jesus of Nazareth), Jesus actually pinned all His credibility on His prediction that He would be killed and then three days later He would rise physically from the dead.

Most of the attempts to discredit the resurrection of Jesus have been well and truly discredited. These included-

+ The Swoon Theory

It claims that Jesus didn’t actually die but merely fell into unconsciousness (“swooned”).

The major problem with this attempt to discredit Christ’s resurrection is the nature of Roman crucifixion and the Roman soldiers familiarity with killing.

Even if Christ had only swooned on the cross, the Roman soldier’s spear through His lungs and heart would have easily ensured that He died as a result.

+ Imposter Theory It is claimed that It wasn’t Jesus who was crucified because at the last moment someone else took His place.

Many Muslims hold to this theory and even claim that it was Judaswho was substituted for Christ at His crucifixion.

There are several insurmountable problems with this theory.

Firstly, there is no supporting evidence for this theory.

Secondly, it is impossible to regard Christ as having any integrity if he deceptively  portrayed Himself as having been crucified, buried, and raised back to life three days later. 

Thirdly, it also makes the disciples out to be frauds – which is not supported by their willingness to die horrific martyrs’ deaths.

People might die for something they might believe to be true, but rarely would anyone be prepared to die for something they knew  to be false!

+ Hallucination Theory

This theory asserts that those who claim to have seen the post-crucifixion appearances were hallucinating due to the hysteria they were experiencing over the disappointment about death of Christ. This theory at least acknowledges that it was Jesus of Nazareth who died. But it can’t explain how groups of eye-witnesses all had exactly the same halluncinations of Christ at the same time! Halluncination, by nature, are not group experiences or phenomena. Neither does this theory explain how many of these eye-witnesses touched, ate with, overheard conversions by the resurrected Christ!

+ Stolen Body Theory

It is claimed the disciples of Christ stole the dead body of Jesus of Nazareth and then made up the story about his resurrection appearances.

This theory doesn’t account for some of the disciples being reluctant to believe that Jesus was resurrected or why two of Christ’s initial protagonists, his own half brothers, James and Jude, would become the most passionate proclaimers of Christ’s resurrection.

Jesus Christ made the seemingly audacious claim that He possessed the attributes, and exercised the prerogatives, of the Supreme Deity.

This included the attributes of omniscience, eternality, omnipotence, and the prerogatives of creator and Judge of mankind.

All of these claims were contingent on Christ’s central prophecy about Himself.

Mark 8:31 KJV 1900

31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

There are eight good evidences for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These include-

1. The Empty Tomb – The body of Christ is still missing! All the Jewish or Roman authorities had to do to counter the reports that Christ had risen from dead was to produce the dead body of Christ. They couldn’t.

2. The Record of Post-Mortem Appearances of Christ – This is summarised in First Corinthians 15.

3. The Change in the Cowering Apostles To Courageous Witnesses – all but one of the apostolic witnesses of Christ’s resurrection suffered cruel deaths are martyrs because they would not deny that they had seen the resurrected Christ.

4. The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle – Paul’s conversion from a persecutor of Christians to becoming a Christian was because he saw the resurrected Christ.

5. The Changing of the Day of Worship from Saturday to Sunday – This radical change came about to commemorate the resurrection of Christ who rose on Sunday.

6. The Establishment and Preservation of the Church – this is only possible if Christ literally, physically rose again from the dead.

7. The Day of Pentecost – the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit was contingent upon the physical resurrection of Christ. This event was witnessed by thousands of people and is recorded in Acts 2. The resultant baptism in the Holy Spirit is still available today.

8. The Conversion of a Sinner – the possibility of spiritual transformation is only possible if the claims of Christ about the Holy Spirit’s regeneration were validated by His resurrection from the dead.

This experience of conversion (being “born again”) is freely available today for all who surrender to Christ.

Thus, the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ in one of the most historically verifiable claims in near-ancient history and the most significant evidence for the existence of God.

Human experiences of God are not the primary evidence offered for God’s existence.

But if there is a God who claims to have created mankind with whom He could have fellowship, then there would be widespread human testimony of people who actually enjoyed fellowship with God. And there is.

Of course, people claim to experience all manner of things including certain supernatural experiences.

Like any truth claims any such claim should be put to the test (refer to Part 1 for a list of these).

But when millions upon millions of people over two thousand years all testify to having a similar experience with God, it becomes a supportive evidence for the existence of God.

The primary experience that each person would testify is that they became aware of their sinful state, and then became aware of God’s offer of forgiveness and how Christ’s atoning work has made it possible, and then received that forgiveness which precipitated an experience of peace and renewal along with an awareness of God’s presence in their life.

You too can experience this.

You can begin to know God. You are one prayer away from peace with God.

A prayer that asks God to reveal Himself and His will to your life is a great place to start.

And when you do, you may experience what millions of others have also felt – that you stand guilty before a holy God and in peril of everlasting condemnation.

But whenever God begins the process in someone who has begun to open up their heart to God, He always reveals that His Son has borne our guilt and shame on the Cross and because of His substitutionary death in our place, we can be forgiven and enjoy peace with God.

This is what makes Christianity unique because it is not based on what we do, but utterly upon what God has done.

There are two other great evidences for God’s existence and these form the next two parts in this series.

I Doubt, Part 3

I DOUBT THE BIBLE

Doubt is not incompatible with Christianity.

Honest doubt actually leads to exploration and investigation of truth-claims which is a necessary step toward discovering the truth.

One of the most doubtful claims of Christianity is that its central source of teaching, the Bible, is divinely inspired and without error.

If it is the case that the Bible is not divinely inspired or without error, then Christianity is false and without foundation.

The relationship between Christianity and the Bible is difficult to overstate.

Conversely, the level of doubt that many have about Christianity is ironically often due to similar levels of doubt about the Bible!

Christians believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word from God to mankind.

Because it is divinely inspired, Christians therefore believe that the Bible is inerrant (without error).

Sceptics, however, scoff at these beliefs and question how anyone could believe a man was made from dirt, or how another man took two of every kind of animals onto an ark as the world was flooded, or how someone defied a world Emperor by summoning a plague of flies!

About The Bible

The Bible is unique among the world’s religious holy books partly due to it being a story.

While it has sections consisting of wisdom literature, law, the prophets and history, it is all part of a coherent story.

The Bible makes several unique claims about itself.

These include its divine inspiration (2 Tim 3:16-17) and that it is without error (2 Sam 7:28; 2 Sam 22 :31, Ps 18:30; Prov 30:5 ).

2 Timothy 3:16–17 KJV 1900

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

2 Samuel 7:28 KJV 1900

28 And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:

2 Samuel 22:31 KJV 1900

31 As for God, his way is perfect; The word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

Psalm 18:30 KJV 1900

30 As for God, his way is perfect: The word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Proverbs 30:5 KJV 1900

5 Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Apart from these unique claims, the Bible is unique because of what it claims .

It claims how the universe began (Gen 1:1);

Genesis 1:1 KJV 1900

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Who began it (Gen 1:1; Col 1:16 );

Genesis 1:1 KJV 1900

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Colossians 1:16 KJV 1900

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

The origin of humanity (Gen 2 );

Genesis 2 KJV 1900

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Why there is evil/tragedy/heartache (Gen 3);

Genesis 3 KJV 1900

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

How God began to redeem mankind (Gen 3);

Genesis 3 KJV 1900

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

How God sent His Son to earth as a human who died for the sins of humanity as our Substitute (John 3:16);

John 3:16 KJV 1900

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

How His plan would be carried out through human history (Eph 1:10; Eph 3:9 );

Ephesians 1:10 KJV 1900

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Ephesians 3:9 KJV 1900

9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

How the world will end (Rev 21:1);

Revelation 21:1 KJV 1900

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

What life beyond the grave will look like for all the redeemed and all those who reject God’s offer of forgiveness and redemption – the condemned (John 5:24; (Rev 20 ).

John 5:24 KJV 1900

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Revelation 20 KJV 1900

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

A. WHY SOME PEOPLE DOUBT THE BIBLE

a. The Bible is just a book written by men.

It’s easy to see why this criticism is so popular amongst sceptics since the Bible was written by men — well, sort of.

If it could be shown that the Bible is merely the imaginative product of various men down through the ages who pretended to write on behalf of God which was then ultimately edited and compiled by some other source some centuries later, then its claims to divine inspiration are highly questionable.

But this criticism betrays a misunderstanding of what the divine inspiration of Bible involved.

The Bible’s divine inspiration was not given by mechanical dictation — the idea that God dictated word-for-word to those He used to write the Scriptures.

Rather, the divine inspiration of the Bible is referred to as verbal plenary inspiration.

This involved God using the vocabulary (idioms, terminologies, perspectives) of those He inspired to ensure that everything they wrote by inspiration was His Word.

This is why it’s more accurate to regard the Bible as having been penned by men rather than written by men.

b. The Bible is full of mistakes and errors

Sceptics often claim that the Bible is full of mistakes and errors which undermines its claim to inerrancy (being without error).

Examples of this, sceptics point out, include biblical expressions such as sunrise which is clearly an error since the sun does not rise (because the earth rotates giving the appearance of the sun rising).

Other examples include incorrect geographic expressions such as ‘up’ (when the traveller actually headed south) and ‘down’ when the traveller actually headed ‘north’ (Matt. 20:17 – And as Jesus was going up [heading south from Galilee] to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way He said to them).

This criticism fails to appreciate that divine inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible accommodates the human perspectives of its penmen — such as their use of the term ‘sunrise’ — and how the expression ‘going up’ can encompass topography or proceeding to Jerusalem (from any direction) due to the high spiritual regard with which Jerusalem was held.

c. It’s full of contradictions

From the outset of the Bible it appears that there is an immediate contradiction between Genesis chapter 1 and 2 which seem to have two completely different accounts of the creation story.

Upon closer inspection though, there aren’t two contradictory accounts of creation – rather, there are two complementary perspectives which correspond to each other in a complementary fashion. Genesis chapter 1 is from the perspectives of outer space, then a primordial earth with an opaque atmosphere, then an earth with a translucent atmosphere.

Genesis chapter 2 is written from the perspective of where Adam and Eve were created and then the originally unplanted Garden of Eden.

The Bible seems to contradict itself about whether all people are sinners or some might be sinless.

On the one hand, the Bible says that there is no one righteous (Eccles 7:20 ; Rom 3:23), yet on the other hand, it states that Noah was blameless (Gen 6:9) and so was Job (Job 1:1).

Ecclesiastes 7:20 KJV 1900

20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

Romans 3:23 KJV 1900

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Genesis 6:9 KJV 1900

9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Job 1:1 KJV 1900

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Added to this, the New Testament states that when a person becomes a Christian they become sinless (1 John 5:18; 1 John 3:9;).

1 John 5:18 KJV 1900

18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

1 John 3:9 KJV 1900

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

But rather being contradictory, each of these verses describe the various perspectives of human sinfulness and righteousness.

Compared to the righteousness of God, no human is righteous!

Compared with the vilely wicked people of their generations, Noah and Job were “blameless.”

And when a sinner turns to Christ, and receives the forgiveness that God offers, their sins are washed away and God now sees them in the sinless Christ.

Some claims of Biblical contradictions stem from misunderstandings about:

(i) Human perspective accurately recorded (Acts 9:7 compared with Acts 9:22 );

Acts 9:7 KJV 1900

7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

Acts 9:22 KJV 1900

22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

(ii) Episodes of disobedience accurately recorded (Exod 20:13 compared with Gen 35:24 );

Exodus 20:13 KJV 1900

13 Thou shalt not kill.

Genesis 35:24 KJV 1900

24 The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:

(iii) complementary accounts where some details are omitted or added in one of the accounts (Mark 10:46 compared with Matt 20:29-34 ).

Mark 10:46 KJV 1900

46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.

Matthew 20:29–34 KJV 1900

29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? 33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

d. It’s full of myths and legends

Snakes that tempt; donkeys that talk; city walls that all crash outward after a batch of nomads march around them; giant fish that swallow and transport wayward prophets; a virgin girl gives birth to a son; this son grows into a man who walks on water; this same man in executed and buried then rises from dead three days later; ten days later ascends from earth into the clouds—all sound fantastical, or mythological.

Sceptics often cite the maxim: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof!

But this maxim is not true because extraordinary claims only require adequate proof.

Several of these seemingly unbelievable claims have eye-witness testimony support or better.

For example, the death of Jesus was witnessed by scores of people.

His burial was conducted by soldiers who secured and sealed the tomb.

His resurrection appearances were witnessed by 500 people at one time and several groups of others at various times – and most dramatically by several ardent sceptics!

1 Corinthians 15:4–8 KJV 1900

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

e. It’s out-dated and full of unenlightened, non-scientific, superstitious nonsense

The Bible invokes supernatural explanations in a way that sounds like a series of ‘God of the gaps’ explanations.

This makes the Bible’s account of the universe’s origin, the origin of humankind, and how the natural world functions, sound more like superstition than scientifically rational explanations.

But there are several reasons to challenge this criticism.

The latest in scientific findings, such as Big Bang cosmology, the fine-tuning of the universe’s order levitra dosage expansion rate, the origin of humanity from a single man and single woman, each correspond to what the Bible teaches.

f. It’s been changed down through the ages from what it originally said

This criticism lacks credibility now in the light the sheer manuscript evidence which dates back to the second and early third centuries.

There are over 5,000 such manuscripts which correspond to what we have today which shows that the Bible has not been changed from its original form.

Added to this was the discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls which unearthed manuscripts of the Old Testament which dated from several hundred years before Christ which demonstrate that the prophecies about Christ found in the book of Isaiah were not, as had been alleged, added after the life of the Christ to give the appearance that He fulfilled ancient prophecies.

1. THE BIBLE CLAIMS TO BE WITHOUT ERROR

One of the reasons that the Bible invokes so much doubt from skeptics is its emphatic claim that it is God’s authoritative revelation to mankind and is without error.

Because we have so many ancient manuscripts of the Biblical texts, scholars are readily able to discern where ‘scribal errors’ (such as mis-spelling of words) have occurred and therefore like to point out that biblical inerrancy describes the original autographs of the biblical books.

Yet, and even remarkably, the Bible is translatable into any language and even in its accepted translated forms today bears an amazing authenticity to its original manuscripts.

Thus, the Bible declares of itself

2 Timothy 3:16–17 KJV 1900

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Psalm 18:30 KJV 1900

30 As for God, his way is perfect: The word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

2. THE BIBLE CLAIMS TO BE DIVINELY INSPIRED

The case for the divine inspiration of the Bible might be summarised by these five points:

a.. Its consistent claim is that it is the inspired Word of God

If the Bible was the divinely inspired Word of God to mankind, it would be an incredibly odd thing if it failed to mention or to assert this claim. But it consistently does.

Exodus 34:27 KJV 1900

27 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.

b. Its message is consistent despite being penned by around 40 authors from at least three continents (Africa, Europe and Asia)

The Bible is not one man’s revelation. It is the consistent testimony of at least 40 different authors from at least 3 continents who penned their revelations from God over a period of at least 1500 years—yet all bear a consistent and complementary message about God’s plan of redemption.

This is not just extraordinary, it’s positively unique among the religious texts of humanity!

c. Many of its historical claims have been confirmed (not contradicted) by archaeology

📷If the Bible was divinely inspired and yet its historical claims and details (topographical descriptions, place names, people groups) could not be historically corroborated either through records or archaeology, it would be highly suspect and subject cynical dismissal.

But no such accusation can be substantiated and many of ancient historical accounts have been confirmed by archaeology unlike many other religious texts such as, for example, the Book of Mormon.

d. Its date-specific prophecies have been fulfilled (particularly the longest Messianic prophecies given in Isaiah 52-53).

Isaiah 52:13–14 KJV 1900

13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, And his form more than the sons of men:

Isaiah 53:3–6 KJV 1900

3 He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The Isaiah 52-53 prophecy about Jesus, given in the 8th century BC, is one of the most remarkable in the Bible.

It so accurately predicts the details of Christ’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection, that many sceptics dismissed it as having been written after the event as a pseudepigrapha (a fraudulent usage of Isaiah’s name).

But then the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1946 and the copy of the Isaiah Scroll was dated to at least 300BC which proved beyond reasonable doubt that the messianic prophecies of Isaiah preceded the coming of Jesus of Nazareth.

Added to this are Christ’s remarkably detailed prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem within the lifetime of His audience (Matthew 24, given in 30AD) and their precise fulfilment in A.D. 70.

e. Its experiential claims can be put to the test — especially its claim of forgiveness of sins through repentance and turning to Christ.

While the first four points in the case for accepting the divine inspiration of the Bible are rather rational, this point is immensely practical, testable, and experiential.

The Bible presents an amazing diagnosis of the human condition and an even more remarkable remedy for it.

All of us are infected with a naturally incurable disease that neither science, philosophy, religion, or human attainment can treat.

This disease profoundly effects the human soul and leads to anger, frustration, conflict, and depression.

It creates a sense of emptiness, loneliness, and unsatisfied longing.

All of these are mere shadows of the looming eternal reality of being condemned forever to the consequences of our own self-deceit and arrogance.

Yet, the God of the Bible has sent His only Son to bear the weight of these eternal consequences and lay down His life as our substitute and to offer us eternal forgiveness and acceptance by God the Father.

God has done all this at an infinite cost to Himself because He loves us and wants us to be set free and eternally cured from this disease of the soul.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on him.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:12–13 KJV 1900

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Calling on the name of the Lord simply means to talk to God and to ask Him for forgiveness and healing for our soul.

If you feel the ache that I have just described, then I invite you to make this prayer and see what God does in your life.

“God, please forgive me and cleanse my soul from the sin that separates me from You. Help me to know you and to learn to love You and to increasingly learn how much You love me.

Teach me what I need to know and lead me deeper into the truth, I pray; Amen.”

If you’ve made that your prayer, then you’ll find, as millions of others have as well, that the answers to these prayers are found in reading the Bible.

I suggest you start with the Gospel of John in the New Testament by reading one chapter a day then continue reading at least one chapter a day as you make your through to the end of the New Testament.

And if you do, I’d love to hear from you.