Critical Questions for Christianity

7/22/2019 Critical Questions for Christianity

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All quotations are taken from the New American Standard

Version unless otherwise indicated.

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For more booklets in this series go to

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Table of Contents

The Question of Evil 1-26

Lesson 1 1-14

What does Job have to do with the problem of evil? 4-7

Answer 1 – Satan is a possible cause. 8-10

Answer 2 – Sin is a possible cause. 10-13

Lesson 2 15-26

Answer 3 – God uses evil for good. 15-18

Answer 4 – God is great. 19-23Answer 5 – Evil is temporary 24-25

The Question of Authority 27-56

Lesson 3 27-39

The Bible Claims to be God’s Word 31-33

Evidence Supports that Claim 33-39

Lesson 4 42-55

The Bible contains a timeline. 43-45

The Bible contains various genre. 45-48

The Bible contains difficult passages. 48-52

The Bible contains unique material. 52-54

The Bible’s content has been preserved. 54-55

The Question of Origins 51-77

Lesson 5 51-65Definitions 59-61

The Bible’s Teaching on Origins 61-63

Faults in the Theory of Evolution 63-65

Lesson 6 67-77

Faults in the Theory of Evolution 67-77

Lesson 7 79-90

The Question of History 78-84

The Question of Intolerance 85-90



Introduction

When my youngest child, who was just learning to walk, he

was bothering my oldest daughter who was practicing piano

on a small keyboard in our living room. Hannah successfully

quarantined Asher from the entrance to her area by blocking

his way with a hamper. Asher tried and tried to access the

sounds coming from the piano just a few feet away but was

hindered by one small object. After repeated efforts, he

eventually squirmed successfully around the hamper and was

able to pester Hannah again. The roadblock was removed.

Often a person’s way to God’s truth is ‘road-blocked.’Whenever they think about the good news of Jesus there is a

question deep in their mind (or perhaps not so deep in their

mind) that blocks them from accepting the truths of Scripture.

This roadblock is usually nothing more than a bump or a small

pot hole that can easily be circumvented with the right

instruction. Nevertheless, they stay agitated, looking on to the

Gospel just a bit ahead, and yet unable to progress in their

faith.

The truth is that Satan has used the same minor road hazards

to distract people for centuries. In John Bunyan’s classic

allegory, “Pilgrim’s Progress” he tells of a man burdened to

have his sin removed from his back; however, the way to the

cross was blocked by a miry pit called “the slough of despond.”

This pit deterred his companion, “Pliable” from continuing totravel with him. However, Christian continued to fight his way

through the pit. A friendly man named “Help” turned Pilgrim’s

attention to stepping stones which helped Christian navigate

The Question ofEvil “Why do I

have trouble?”Part 1

1



this detour and safely make it to the other side. The pit that

Satan uses can take several forms: a difficult question of ethics

or philosophy, the opinion of friends or family, fear of loss of

financial gain or a sinful habit, a painful past event or

relationship.1 All of these can be used to detour a seeker from

the heavenly way. But these are all easy to navigate around if

you allow a helpful neighbor to show you the steps that others

have navigated before.

This booklet is an attempt to answer some of the common

questions that have blocked people from accepting the truthof Christianity. The answers are not new and have been

developed and presented in many ways since Jesus walked the

earth and even before. However, just because they are not

novel does not mean they are not valuable. In fact the well-

worn, "helpful" path actually testifies to its value to help you.

The first question I would like to answer is one of the most

common because we all feel pain and tragedy in life – the

question of evil.

Answering the Question of Evil

One of the reasons I love living in NYC is meeting people withdiverse backgrounds. Each person’s life could fill a library of

stories and many of these lives intersect and cross with so

many other lives that it is like a tapestry of world history

intersecting in one place and time. One part of that tapestry

is dark. As we view many strands of life, we can connect with

some of the worst parts of world history.

1 Bunyan’s description: “As the sinner is awakened about his lost

condition, there ariseth in his soul many fears and doubts, and

discouraging apprehensions, which all of them get together, and

settle in this place . . .”

2



I remember speaking with a dear lady in Brooklyn several years

ago. I approached her on the street and tried to begin a

conversation about spiritual things. She was not interested in

changing her opinion about God. She thought God was evil

and did not even want to hear what I had to say about God’s

goodness in conquering evil. In listening to her story I realized

that she had faced more evil than I will ever even see. She was

one of the few survivors of a Nazi prison camp. She showed

me the number tattooed on her arm and with a snarling look

stormed away in disgust. She was determined to remain bitter

at God and the world for how humanity had treated her.

Although I realize her plight, I wish she would have given me

ten more minutes of time not just to listen but to share more

about another individual from the Jewish people who suffered

greatly in life and was able to come out on the other side a

better person full of faith and contentment in Who God is.

That person is Job.

One of my favorite parks to

jog in here in NYC is just a

block or two away from

where our church meets. In

that park is a statue of this

same Bible character. This

sculpture was donated bylocal residents and is made

by Nathan Rapaport, a

Polish born man who fled

Nazi atrocity and eventually immigrated to NY. The statue was

made as a memorial of the holocaust on the twentieth

anniversary of the Nation of Israel. It represents the great

suffering that the Jewish people endured during the holocaust.

Rapaport saw the correlation between the horrific sufferings

of life and the biblical character of Job.

3



What does Job have to do with the problem of

evil?

Why do bad things happen? Several answers are given in the

book of Job so we will use the story as a guide through this

chapter and the next to help us answer this very difficult

question. Just as Rapaport used the biblical figure of Job to

epitomize sorrow, you can use this Biblical character to bring

you out of your sorrow and pain of the past to look to your

future in a positive way.

Before we do we must understand who Job was and what was

so difficult about His story.

Job’s Success

Part of Job's sorrow comes from the fact that he started with

so much! Look at the great pinnacle from which Job fell.

He was extremely wealthy. He owned great property and

livestock.2 This was the literal stock market of the ancient

world. In fact he was one of the richest men of his day. He

would have made it to the cover of Forbes magazine. And yet,

his financial blessing did not come in expense of his physical

health. He enjoyed a sharp mind and physical wellbeing.

His blessing went deeper than his wallet. Job was very well

respected as a man of wisdom and power. He mentions that

when he spoke in the gate (similar to our city hall) everyone

2 “His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of

oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man

was the greatest of all the men of the east” (Job 1:3).

4



was quiet to listen to his words. Job was one that they

respected and wanted to hear.3

And yet Job’s fortunes went even deeper still. Job was a godly

family man. What a beautiful picture is painted in the first

chapter of a loving father and his grown children. He had ten

children in all - 7 boys and 3 girls, a good round number. It

seems that each year the family would get together on each of

the children’s birthdays for a large celebration rejoicing with

that individual in the family. What a wonderful home to be a

part of! And yet after every birthday party, Job would offerspecial sacrifices for each member just in case they had said

or did something even in their heart against God. He was

preoccupied with pleasing God with all his heart!

Job’s integrity was unquestioned. The press could bring out

nothing from his closet to impugn his character. He was a

godly father a godly husband, a godly neighbor. What a great

example. What a great life!

Job’s Fall

But then everything went wrong. In a day, Job lost everything.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” is nothing compared to Job’s bad day.

Let's read this tragedy and let it sink in:

“Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were

eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house4,

3 "When I went out to the gate of the city, when I took my seat in the

square, the young men saw me and hid themselves, and the old men

arose and stood. The princes stopped talking and put their handson their mouths; the voice of the nobles was hushed, and their

tongue stuck to their palate” (Job 29:7-10).

4 Remember we mentioned the birthday bash for each child – this is

what was going on most likely – horrible time for a tragedy!

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a messenger came to Job and said, ‘The oxen were plowing

and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans

attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with

the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.’

While he was still speaking, another also came and said,

‘The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep

and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have

escaped to tell you.’ While he was still speaking, another

also came and said, ‘The Chaldeans formed three bands

and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the

servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone haveescaped to tell you.’ While he was still speaking, another

also came and said, ‘Your sons and your daughters were

eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,

and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness

and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the

young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to

tell you.’ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his

head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said,

‘Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall

return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.

Blessed be the name of the LORD.’ Through all this Job did

not sin nor did he blame God” (Job 1:13-22).

What a horrible day. If you ever feel like your day is the worst

of world history, read Job chapter 1 and you will have to admitthat your day was a picnic. And yet, what a great response by

Job! He does not blame God, he blesses God. Soon he curses

the day he is born, but he never curses God.

Things get even worse. To add insult to injury, the next day

Satan plagues Job with oozing sores all over his body. There

is nowhere that he can gain comfort – he can’t find rest sitting

or lying or standing. What a test.

6



The one person left alive, Job’s wife, gives him horrible advice–

“curse God and die.” You can see why this is such a practical

book dealing with the issue of trouble in life. Job has not just

one tragedy, but a tragedy in every area of life where we

experience these tragedies. Tragedy in family, in health, in

finance/possessions, with close relatives, with foreign

invasion are all experience by Job in one day.

The Rest of the Book

Now you know the story. How can we learn from this book

then? If you look at the remainder of the book you will find it

is made up of several conversations. There are conversations

between Satan and God, between Job and his friends, and

between Job and God. In these conversations, God wrestles

with His people and with the enemy of His people regarding

the problem of evil. And it is in those conversations that we

find some answers to our question of the problem of evil. Let’slook at five answers.

1. Satan is a possible cause of evil (The Author’s

Perspective Job 1-2).

2. Sin is a possible cause of evil (The Friend’s Perspective

Job 2:11 - 31:40).

3. God uses evil for good (Job’s Perspective Job 23:10)

4. God is Great (Job 32-41).

5. Evil is temporary (Job 42).

7



Answer 1 – Satan Is a Possible Cause (The

Author’s Perspective Job 1-2:10).

So, in answer to the question of evil, one answer is that Satan

is evil and causes the evil in the world. Just as God is love,

Satan is hate. He causes as much evil as he is able.

I neglected to share with you one important point in our story.

Satan was the one that requested that this evil be done and he

was the one that orchestrated and perpetrated the evil.

It is so interesting that when evil things happen or when

tragedies occur people get mad at God. There is no reference

to the possibility of an evil being as the primary cause of these

things. Yet on the other hand, when something goes good

they make sure they get the credit (not God). In Job’s case,

Satan asked God to allow him to perform evil. God is not the

Author of the evil.

We have to realize in life and in death (for all of us will face

death), there is no evil on earth at which God is the first or

primary cause. He permits the agents of evil to do their

bidding and uses it for His good (as we will see soon). Read

these verses

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted

by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he

himself tempts no one” (James 1:13).

“Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot

look on wickedness with favor” (Habakkuk 1:13).

“For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may

not dwell with you” (Psalm 5:4).

When you see evil God is not the author of it. That event is

written by someone else. It is written by Satan. Last year, I

8



was so disgusted with a response given by a local Rabbi to a

horrible event when a young Orthodox Jewish boy was

slaughtered by a neighbor. The Rabbi was being interviewed

by the local news and said “We don’t know why God does these

things.”

No! I can’t allow you to say that. A sick, twisted, depraved,

man filled with sin and evil did that, filled with the motivation

of Satan himself! That is the explanation. God did not . . . evil

did.

And so first of all we have to put the blame where it lies. The

blame lies at the feet of the men that perpetrated the crime,

the organization that taught and enabled them . . . and the evil

one - Satan who put it in their hearts. God did not perpetrate

evil.

From here we do need to ask and answer more questions. For

some of you this may be

enough. But there is another

issue. One of my professors in

seminary described it as

“watermelon theology.”5 With

some truths in Scripture, you

can believe any two of three

truths, but the difficulty comesfrom trying to grasp all three.

You can carry one under one arm, the other under another arm

but it is difficult to carry that third one.

In this case, the first watermelon is the problem of evil. We all

experience the effects of evil. The second truth is that God is

good and does no evil. And the third truth (watermelon) is that

5 Dr. Robert D Bell, Systematic Theology, Bob Jones Memorial

Seminary and Evangelistic Center.

9



God is all powerful. We believe all three. But it is difficult to

hold all three of those watermelons at the same time; you have

to drop one to pick up the other two. So, some deny the first

fact – some streams of Buddhism deny that evil is a reality.

Evil is a myth. I find that hard to swallow. Others deny God’s

power. They say that there is evil in the world and God is

working at eradicating it. This view is popularized by Rabi

Kushner in his book “When Bad Things Happen to Good

People.” The seventh chapter is entitled “God can’t do

everything but He can do some important things.” This is a

very weak view of God. If we remove this leg of the threelegged stool we will fall on our backs. A limited God is not the

God of the Bible.

Others drop the third watermelon. They deny that God is

good. All too often people take this view. Instead of thinking

of other ways to get all three watermelons in their arms, they

drop God’s goodness and refuse to believe. Let me suggest a

few more answers from the book of Job to help you.

Answer 2 - Sin is a possible cause (The Friends’

Perspective Job 2:11 - 31:40).

Job’s friends quickly attend his side and bring up this option

through a huge chunk of the book. Actually from chapter 4-

30 there is this back and forth and back and forth of Job's

friends saying he is wicked and Job maintaining his integrity.

It eventually becomes a difficult read. They are not comforting

him at all they are just gloating over him and trying to belittle

him. Listen to one “friend.”

"I have seen the foolish taking root, and I cursed his abode

immediately. His sons are far from safety, they are even

oppressed in the gate, and there is no deliverer. His

harvest the hungry devour and take it to a place of thorns,

and the schemer is eager for their wealth. For affliction

10



does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from

the ground, for man is born for trouble, as sparks fly

upward” (Job 5:3-7).

How insensitive! He refers to the children of the foolish and

the crops of the foolish and how they will all fall. He is calling

Job a fool to his face and maintaining that his foolishness is

what has caused his calamity. But Job keeps searching his

heart and stating – I don’t think this is the problem, men. I

really am trying to live before the Lord in the right way. I’m

not perfect, but I’ve searched my heart and there is nothingbetween me and my Creator (See Job chapter 31).

This is a possible answer to the problem of evil in a situation.

This was not the answer in Job’s case. These men were

stepping on a friend when he was down. I like Job’s response

to these friends - "I have heard many such things; miserable

comforters are you all” (Job 16:2 ESV). They were wrong in this

case. And at the end of the story, God confronts these men

for their lack of help and “misdiagnosis” of the problem. He

tells Job to pray for them.

Although they were wrong, this does point to a valuable

answer with regard to the problem of evil. Let’s look at two

principles from this answer that will help you understand, at

times, why evil is evident in the world and in our own livesbecause of sin.

The principle of original sin

God made a perfect world. What a great thought that is! In

His perfect world no one mistreated anyone. Imagine a

business world where no one is mistreated. Imagine a nurseryor a third grade class with no bickering. That was the original

plan. There was no death or parting. There were no tears.

There was joy and only joy. There was no cancer. If you read

11



the end of the story (Revelation 21:1-7), God will make all

things like this again. However, there is this big gap of time

where sin is reeking devastation. This is the principle of the

original sin.

Adam and Eve were made without sin, but with a choice to sin.

They had the possibility for rebellion. You know the event

where this happened in Biblical history. God made a perfect

garden of harmony and peace – peace between all of humanity

and God. But humanity chose to rebel against God’s original

command in the garden (eat of the fruit); they fell. This fallhad an impact on all of God’s creation.

Our first parents – Adam and Eve, declared war on God by

disobeying His one command. After that time, we are all born

at war with God and under the same effect of that sin. We all

face death. The result is that the effect of this sin has spread

to all of creation. The Bible teaches that all of creation is now

groaning under this curse of sin like a woman in childbirth,

longing for the end.

The story of the Bible is the story of how God is erasing the

effects of original sin by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

God came in flesh to take upon Himself the punishment of that

sin and every sin in order that humanity can enjoy fresh

fellowship with God again–just like the Garden of Eden! Thoseof you who have gone through our “Summary of the Bible’s

Message” will remember this principle. God is bringing

everything back to his perfect order.

Much of the evil we see in the world–disease, natural disasters,

are not caused because God is mad now. They are the

distorted, broken world that God is redeeming. At the end of

History all will be made new and this principle will be revoked.

12



The principle of sowing and reaping

Consider also the principle of reaping the effects of sowing asinful lifestyle. This is a definite possibility. Of course we have

to realize that this is not always the problem. As in the case

of Job, just because you or I are going through a difficulty, it

does not mean that we are paying for the results of our sin.

At times, God has other purposes for trials and tragedies just

like we will see in the next lesson.

However, at times, you are paying for the results of your

personal sin. This is the principle of sowing and reaping. If

you sow wickedness you will reap evil.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a

man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to

his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the

one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternallife” (Galatians 6:7-8).

Reaping Pain in Love

Perhaps it would be good to consider that the sowing and

reaping principle is actually a loving thing for God to

orchestrate. As a loving Father, God allows pain to keep us

from touching a fire in the future. Parents realize that the

school of hard knocks is often the only way a child will learn a

lesson. We don’t want them to fall. But when they fall, they

realize they better not run full force in the house. If God never

allowed us to feel the consequences of bad choices, then we

would always do those bad things and destroy our lives. Pain

is one of the best gifts of God to humanity.

We have considered the first two answers to the question of

evil. In the next lesson we will finish this and bring up three

other valuable answers.

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1. List some of the events in life that could be considered evil.

2. What is an example of sin causing trouble?

3. What are the three “watermelons” that are difficult to carry

when considering the problem of evil?

4. God causes evil (True/False).

5. Group Discussion – With friends like Job’s, who needs

enemies! Discuss ways to be a friend to another personwhen they are going through a difficult time in life.

QUESTION AND ANSWER

14



As we consider the problem of evil and its effects on our lives

it is never an easy issue to deal with. Usually this question

brings up deep seated pain or loss from our past and should

be considered patiently. The Lord gives us several examples

of suffering in Scripture that come along side us like a friendthat has walked the same weary road and can give us a

shoulder on which to cry or a hand to hold to gain stability in

moving forward. Job is just such an individual. He has lost

everything and is grappling with his new life as he reveals to

us answers to the questions like – Why does God allow bad

things to happen? Why is there evil in the world?

In this lesson we will give three additional answers to last

week’s two answers.

Answer 3 – God uses evil for good (Job s

Perspective - Job 23:10).

Although this is not a primary theme in the book of Job, it is

mentioned, and is a prominent theme elsewhere in the Bible

as an answer to the question of evil. Job tells us that God uses

trials to test His servants. The first answer above came from

the author of the Book of Job, the second answer came from

Job’s friends, and now we have a third answer recommended

by Job.

Although he does not understand completely what is going on,

and he prefers death to what he is experiencing, he can still

attest while in the midst of the valley–he will come through on

the other side a better person.

The Question ofEvil “Why do I

have trouble?”Part 2

15



"But [God] knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I

shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

What an amazing perspective to have! Job is not looking back

on the tragedy. He is patiently dealing with the arguments of

his conceited, so-called friends that are accusing him of guilt.

And he concludes that this is just a furnace that is melting

away the dross his dross. This is just a fiery trial of testing

through which he will be become a more pure, more valuable,

more useful instrument.

Try to think of the positive that the Lord is working in your life

and if you don’t see it immediately, trust that God is doing it

in any case. In our church in Brooklyn we had a dear believer

who was a beautiful testimony of this. While putting herself

through Nursing school–coming close to finalizing her degree,

she looked in the mirror one day and noticed a black spot right

in the middle. This black spot did not go away but continued

to expand until she completely lost her vision.

Because of this she lost her

occupation, and shortly after this,

her husband left her. What a

difficulty! Why would God allow

such a tragedy? Sandra did notallow this to stop her. She secured

a dog to help her and finished a degree in a different area –

social work. What a brave lady, taking the subway from

borough to borough with her somewhat disciplined

companion dog. Anyone who knew her, would agree that

Sandra was such a joy to be around, never allowing to let her

circumstances ruin her. They actually made her a stronger and

more respected testimony to the Lord. I am amazed and

humbled by her faith.

MAKE YOUR

STUMBLING BLOCKS

STEPPING STONES.

16



Answer 4 – God is great (Elihu and God’s

Perspective Job 32-42)

There were a total of four friends who came to talk with Job –

at least we have a record of the conversation of four of them.

Three friends fixate on the idea that Job’s suffering was caused

because of his sin. But one other friend – the youngest, had

another view. His name was Elihu, and his view was the closest

to correct.

However, the view is not too comforting unless you are a

believer. If you are a believer, this reason will minister peace

to your soul. And this is actually what God answers Job in His

discussion with him.

Elihu’s Message

As the youngest, Elihu could not speak until the other men

were through–that was the way their culture respected age

(our culture could learn much from that principle). In this

case, the youngest knew what he was talking about. But he

was very angry. Angry at the friends for not helping Job.

Angry at Job for casting aspersions at God’s name for

suggesting that what he was going through was wrong.

You could summarize Elihu’s message (Chapters 30-37!) as

God is great you can’t fault Him or His ways. His ways are not

our ways so although we cannot understand them we have to

trust Him. The main emphasis is upon God’s greatness.

"Behold, let me tell you, you are not right in this, For God

is greater than man” (Job 33:1-12).

19



Job's response is to the greatness of God is cathartic. God is

so great he had no need of any answer to his suffering . . . I’ll

just keep my mouth shut and glorify You for Your greatness.

This is a wonderful lesson for us.

“Then Job answered the LORD and said, ‘Behold, I am

insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my

mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even

twice, and I will add nothing more’" (Job 40:3-5).

And so Job's problems melted awayin the glory of God. And so this is

more of a way to deal with tragedy

and evil than it is an answer to the

question. This gives us a release.

It tells us how to deal with the

stress and pain of evil. Put your eyes on the greatness of God.

The greatness of the glory of God gives perspective on how

small you are and therefore how small your problems are. And

so Job repents of his demanding spirit and he sits in silence.

This is the primary salve for a sorrowful soul. This is the

answer for really every problem of life. Get a view of the glory

of God.

God’s Botanical Gardens

I love to visit the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens; it is probably my

favorite spot in NYC. Its immense, 52 acres are filled with

different gardens-beautiful gardens like the rose garden with

5,000 rose bushes and 1,400 different kinds of roses. Also,

there is a fragrance garden, a children's garden, an herbgarden, more than 200 cherry trees - which are brilliant when

blossoming together. So in this garden there is nearly

unlimited beauty that points to God's magnificence in creation.

THE GLORY OF

GOD IS A PANACEA

TO THE TROUBLED

SOUL.

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What if I went there and shortly after coming in to take a nice

stroll I stepped up to one of these brilliant double bloomed

cherry blossoms and pick off a pedal to smell it. I smell the

pedal and let it fall from my hands and begin to walk away - I

stop and look back and see that someone has rushed over and

picked up the pedal from the flower. And the man that picked

up the pedal seems despondent.

The little angry man tries to put it back on the blossom only

to see it fall again. So he goes off the deep end screaming inhorror at what has happened! He takes pictures as he

documents every little detail. He ignores me completely and

storms off to the curator of the park to sling outlandish

accusations.

He blames him for my actions. He starts belittling him and

threatening him. “You people don't know what you are doing!

You don't know how to run a garden! Why don't you get

control of the people walking in here and you can't let this

happen? Why can't you stop this terrible mess?”

His tirade increases still as he threatens to sue the gardens for

the negligence. He documents his claims on his blog and

sends out a press release – “Blossom plucked of rare beauty in

full bloom!”

Would he get much of a hearing? The mad little man would

not be taken seriously. In fact, we could put are arm around

him and say, “Look, friend, there are hundreds of thousands

of beautiful blooms and they are all being maintained as well

as possible - you can come back and enjoy them each year!

Here is another blossom over here – smell this one.” Or at

least find fault with me. I’m the one that caused the evil , not

the curator of the whole park.

22



That pedal was small and almost insignificant in comparison

to the beauty of the whole. So when you step back and view

the whole garden - the pedal is minor. And I think that is the

perspective Job has. He looks at his life and realizes - he is

just one pedal on the blossom of a beautiful tree of God’s

goodness.

If he examines how huge the garden is and how detailed and

how well maintained the pedal is not very significant. If

someone comes and plucks the pedal of his life. The blame

should not go to the Creator, but the individual who crushedthe pedal.

At first, Job is up in arms at the pedal of his life that has been

snatched away by the whim of the devil. And he is tempted to

find fault with God for allowing it. So, instead of God

answering him as to the direct cause, God puts His arm around

Job and guides him around the rest of creation, showing him

all the different aspects of that garden.

Instead of addressing the specific issue God gets Job's mind

off of himself and his problem - because even though it was a

great tragedy . . . in comparison with how great God is and

how majestic He is it was not that big an issue.

And so Job is humbled - as God gives him a tour of the gardenof creation Job concludes – “I am insignificant.”

We have looked at four reasons so far that there is evil in the

world, but we still have to look at one of the most helpful ones

given to us in the book of Job.

23



Answer 5 – Evil is temporary (God’s Perspective

Job 42).

Job’s story ends well. The final chapter tells us that the Lord

repays Job twice what he lost.

“The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for

his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had

twofold... The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more

than his beginning” (Job 42:10-12).

Of course, this does not always happen, but it does teach us a

valuable principle. No matter what happens in this life, we

know that suffering is temporary. God will eradicate all evil

one day.

We should not take the presence of evil as God’s approval of

evil in the world. We know the end of the story. He hates evil

so much that He came in human flesh to bring us out of the

evils of sin. It took His life – His suffering the greatest evil to

bring us out of evil one day. And so His death is for our life.

He came to suffer evil in order to put an end to evil forever.

I never like when someone tells me the end of a movie or book.

Some people like to look at the final chapter to see how thingswork out. That normally bugs me. But not in this case! In this

case, we read the end and see that God does away with all

these trials, pains, all evil.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… And I heard a

loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of

God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be

his people, and God himself will be with them and be their

God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be

no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old

24



order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on

the throne said, ‘I am making everything new’” (Revelation

21:1-5)!

This is God’s desire, His end goal. Don’t let His patience and

forbearance with evil today be misinterpreted as acceptance.

25



1. What is the ultimate example of God turning evil upside

down and using it for good?

2. Summarize God’s perspective on Job’s trials.

3. Match the answer to the correct situation.

a. Answer 1 – Satan

causes evil.

__ Fanny Crosby rejoices that

although she is blind the

first face she will see is

Jesus’ face.

b. Answer 2 – Sin

causes evil.

__ Repeated attempts over

history to destroy the Jewish

people.c. Answer 3 – God

uses evil for

good.

__ Get your eyes off your

problems and your trials.

d. Answer 4 – God is

great.

__ Paul and Silas led the jailor

in Philippi to eternal

salvation after being beaten

and imprisoned there.e. Answer 5 – Evil is

temporary.__ Billy is loses his license and

his job after drinking and

driving.

QUESTION AND ANSWER

26



Introduction

The next question I would like to answer is central to all other

questions. It is the question of authority. In Pilate’s words

“what is truth?” How do you know the Bible is true? Or, we

could broaden the question a bit; how do you know anything

is true? I say this is the question of authority because all that I

believe to be true of God and this world is based on something

– the Bible. That is the ultimate authority.

The question of authority is a question of worldview. What do

you base your life on? Your ultimate authority is the basis for

which you view your environment and make sense of your

existence. Your authority base colors all you see. They are

the glasses through which you make decisions and think.

Cultural Glasses - Some people base their values and beliefs,

their worldview, on the culture around them. These people

are chameleons. As the population goes so do they. They

don’t just pick up on the culture around them, their culture

shapes them into a

particular mold of

thinking. At times that

culture is close to

mirroring Biblicalauthority, often it is not.

This is the easiest

worldview because it is

The Question ofAuthority “Can I

trust the Bible?”Part 1

27



passive and does not cause friction. But it is also spineless,

and in the end empty. You are a person. God has given you a

mind to think for yourself.

Counter Cultural Glasses - Similar to the cultural chameleon is

the counter cultural chameleon. These people choose ways to

be extreme in their counter culture. The goal is not adopting

a biblical worldview, but to be anti-culture. Quite a spectrum

here. There are countercultural trends that can be quite

bizarre, but the group itself is still a subculture. So they are

not thinking through an objective worldview but are adoptingthe group’s worldview. You would be surprised how much a

person’s pier group in their particular niche of culture or

counter culture affects their decisions.

Family Glasses - Other people simply accept the worldview

placed around them by their parents like a nice fence around

their back yard growing up. At times they may test the

strength of the fence, but all in all they trust and go along with

the values they have inherited at birth. This is me by nature.

I love my authority as I’ve been blessed with parents who

nurtured and loved me. But eventually, I had to come to the

place where I investigated other options. I could not stay in

their back yard.

Religious Glasses – Other religions, too, foster a system ofviewing the world that colors the adherent’s thoughts and

actions. Usually there is a group of teachings on which the

worldview is loosely or strictly based. Christianity should fall

in this type of glasses. I’ll develop that more below. There are

Islamic cultures where every thought and decision in the day

is permeated with what the Koran says or how their religious

community has interpreted that book (sharia law). So, in this

case you have people as cultural chameleons following a

religion based on that being the set of values the entire group

takes on.

28



I’m currently working with a young man from Uzbekistan who

is very interested in reading about Christianity. When we gave

him a Bible, he covered it with a paper placemat from the

restaurant where he was working. He was afraid to take it into

the house where he lived with his sister. He is now in the

process of being deported and fears to say anything about

what he has learned in the Bible to his parents or friends in

Uzbekistan. He has been given the glasses that his culture

makes him wear. They are religious/culture glasses. There is

no freedom to discover for himself.

Secular Glasses – There is a growing number of people in

American culture who are adopting this view. And so, there is

a growing cultural pressure to act and live by this standard.

The worldview is continually evolving. After all, there is

nothing objective about where its values are based. But many

pillars of our society are championing these glasses as the

ones to wear. Entertainment and educational system enjoys

this view. In this view you can believe, just don’t talk about it.

The secularist does not want to eradicate religion, but just put

it in the margins of life so no one really knows or cares. The

problem with this worldview in the past is that it has no

mooring. It is a ship at sea. If you have no basis for what is

right or what is wrong, then the society can state what it

desires as right or wrong.

Biblical glasses – What I would like to present is a Biblical

worldview. This goes beyond a nominal Christian to someone

who actually believes that the 66 books of the Bible are God’s

Word. They take the Bible seriously and go there to find how

God wants them to live. This worldview, then is not based on

a religious communion, historic tradition, current experience,

birth, internal feelings, or imagination. It is based on an

ancient book you know as the Bible.

29



I believe that we have in the Bible the answers to the big

questions of life, and that the Biblical worldview gives the

greatest way forward for my life and for culture.

Answering the Question Authority

Those who disagree with the Biblical worldview, will try to

attack the source. They have to discount the Bible as being

other than the Word of God. People who have discounted

Christianity have done so by attacking the Bible. Their

objections usually fall along two lines of reasoning. Someone

will either deny its source or its preservation. Questions

usually follow along these two lines as diagramed below.

Statements questioning the

Bible’s Divine Source

Statements Questioning the

Bible’s Divine Preservation

The Bible was written by a

bunch of men to gain

power.

The Bible is out of date and

not in touch with reality.

The Bible is filled with

errors.

I believe in Jesus’ teachings,

but they have been

distorted and changed by

religion over the years.

The Bible contradicts itself. What we have in the Bible

was written generationsafter Jesus inflated by

culture’s infatuation with

heroes.

Other writings give

additional accounts about

Jesus that contradict the

Bible.

These are formidable questions. Books have been written on

each of them, so we will have to be brief in our answers. We

30



will examine each one briefly in the next lesson. Before we

get down to answers, let’s take a minute to summarize some

of the evidence in favor of the Christian Bible.

THE BIBLE AS GOD’S WORD

As we look at the evidence together, first let me gather

together some of the claims that the Bible has of being God’s

Word. Does the Bible actually claim this for itself? If so, then

the claim must be taken seriously. After we look at these

claims, we will examine whether or not there is evidence to

back up that claim.

The Bible claims to be the Word of God

The Bible was revealed to us over many years through many

different individuals. How this collection of writings came to

us will have to be left to a different study. However, it isimportant for us to recognize that each section of Scripture

claims to be the Word of God. Let's look first at the claims of

the Old Testament (Tanakh ) and then the claims of the New

Testament. You may want to think of these as two

bookshelves. These bookshelves also have separate sections

just as a library may divide books into history, biography, and

poetry. Each of these sections and each of these books claim

to be God's Word.

Old Testament Claims

The first section of the Old Testament (O.T.) is the Torah or

Law and was written by Moses. Moses clearly states that what

he wrote was actually commissioned by God directly.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this as a memorial in

a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua" (Exodus 7:14).

31



And the LORD said to Moses, "Write these words, for in

accordance with these words I have made a covenant with

you and with Israel" (Exodus 34:27).

And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of

writing the words of this law in a book, until they were

finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, which bare

the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, ‘Take this

book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the

covenant of the LORD your God’" (Deuteronomy 31:24-26).

The next section on the Old Testament shelf is the prophets.These were men that God commissioned to speak His Words

to the people, just like Moses. Often these were words of

warning to turn them back to Him. One phrase that occurs

repeatedly in the prophets is "thus says the Lord." In fact, out

of the 419 times this phrase occurs in the English O.T., over

300 occur in three of the prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah,

and Ezekiel). The prophet is claiming that his message is not

his own but was given to him from the Lord.

The section of the writings is similar to the prophets in that

throughout these records of Israel's history and poetry, there

is a repeated phrase - "Thus says the Lord." We learn

something of the dynamic of this through David's account of

what happened when he wrote poetry. God was actually

speaking through him. 'The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me,and His word was on my tongue.'"

New Testament Claims

The New Testament (N.T.) is no different. It also clearly shows

that the Bible is God's Word. Just before Jesus left His

disciples, He told them that they would be a conduit of newrevelation from God. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom

the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things

and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you"

32



(John 14:26). These writings are recorded in the New

Testament (N.T.).

Once these documents were written, the authors and early

Christians realized that they were part of that group of Holy

books referred to among Jewish believers as "Scripture." This

was a technical term only used of the O.T. books and of the

N.T. books as they began to be collected and distributed by

hand (See 1 Timothy 5:18, Luke 10:7, 2 Peter 3:16). Two

pillars of the early church, Paul and Peter described how it was

that God spoke through these men like a musician speaksthrough instruments.

There is Evidence to Support that Claim

It is obvious that the Bible claims to be God's Word. However,

is there evidence that points to the same conclusion? As wewill discover next, the answer is absolutely yes. We will look

at two different types of evidence. First, evidence that we

come to through examining the text itself (internal evidence).

Second, evidence that we come to through examining other

evidence that supports the text (external evidence). We will

consider two types of internal evidence and three types of

external evidence below.

Internal Evidence

Unity of Content

This may seem to be a small thing. However, when you

consider that the Bible had about 40 different authors

spanning over 1,500 years this is an astounding fact! Thereare so many different values, languages and cultural norms

that change from one civilization to the next. However, the

33



Bible developed consistently throughout all these changes

with a single major theme.

One great example of this is the four records called the

Gospels. These are the first four books of the New Testament

and they each tell the Gospel (Good News) that Jesus lived and

died for our sins. There were three different authors, each

writing from a different perspective. Two were eye-witnesses.

One was a historian who researched the facts through local

interviews and historical analysis. The other was a very simple

account by someone who used very simple language. And yet,these accounts do not contradict each other in any point! A

reasonable conclusion is that God was superintending each of

these accounts and bringing about four different perspective

of the same life.

Prophecy

Another fascinating evidence that supports the Divine origin

of the Bible is prophecy. At times God predicted events

through Biblical authors. If a book did this once or twice we

would be interested and perhaps attracted to read the rest.

However, with Scripture it is not just a curiosity because it is

more than just once or twice. The numbers of prophecies that

have come to pass and the detailed nature of them are beyond

human explanation. They had to have a Divine origin.

A large group of these prophecies are classified as Messianic

prophecies. Many passages in the Old Testament foretell

specific aspects of Jesus' life and ministry. JP Payne in his book

"Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecies" records 191 different

prophecies concerning Jesus as the Messiah. Many of these

prophecies were events that Jesus had no control over.

34



Read a few of the Messianic Prophecies below and then circle

yes or no depending on if Jesus would have been able to

manipulate the outcome of these events in his own life.

1. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem

(Micah 5:2).

Yes No

2. The Messiah would come from the tribe of

Judah (Genesis 49:10).

Yes No

3. The Messiah, while suffering death would

have His hands and feet pierced (Psalm

22:16).

Yes No


have His side pierced (Zechariah 12:10).

Yes No


have his garment bartered over (Psalm

22:18).

Yes No

6. The timing the Messiah's death was

predicted (Daniel 9:24-16).

Yes No

7. The Messiah would be raised from the dead

(Psalm 2:7; 16:10).

Yes No

A scroll is on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem that

archaeologists have dated to be many years before Jesus was

ever born. You can actually scroll through the entire document

online at the museum's

website. This is such anastounding document when

you consider some of its

clear references to Jesus.

Read the following text

remembering that there is

still physical evidence that

clearly pre-dates Jesus birth,

life, and death by hundreds of years.

35



When you consider all the coins, pots, names, and details of

ancient history that have been unearthed over the centuries, it

is truly remarkable that these all document and establish the

facts of Scripture rather than contradicting them. Let's

examine a couple of these examples.

Egyptian Plagues: The Ancient Egyptian priest Ipuwer recounts

a river turning into blood; crops being destroyed; fire and

darkness; the destruction of the firstborn is described this

way:

“Forsooth, the children

of princes are dashed

against the walls . . . The

prison is ruined . . . He

who places his brother

in the ground is

everywhere . . . It is

groaning that is throughout the land mingled with

lamentations (Papyrus 4:3; 2:13; 3:14)

Senacharib’s Prism:

Accounts the siege of

Jerusalem recorded in

Isaiah 36-37. (Leavingout the details that are

not very pleasant to

record in the history of

Assyria.)

or exact detail historical statements in the Bible.” Gleason Archer

Old Testament Introduction.

37



Since that is a reasonable conclusion – God speaks with what

He makes, and if the Bible claims and demonstrates (based on

what we have read in this lesson) to be that revelation. Then

try it! Pick it up and read it for yourself. God will speak with

you.

There are two ways to convince someone that your product

tastes the best. Let's say you are convincing someone that

Coke tastes better than Pepsi (another no-brainer I might

add). One way is to state several factors - objective facts that

you think would convince them. Perhaps the amount sold orhow long the company has been in business. You might tell

them the results of nationwide surveys that substantially

favored your company. These may all be convincing factors.

But another way is to just take out a coke, pop it open and ask

them to taste for themselves.

If you are doubting whether or not the Bible is God's Word,

there is sufficient evidence to give you to show the reliability

of its claims. However, it might be best to crack it open for

yourself. Have you ever read the Bible? If you have never read

it, then you can hardly say you don't believe it. Taste it for

yourself. I recommend it to you heartily.

39



Introduction

There are certain places in NYC where you cannot get through

a crowd without someone whispering in your ear “Rolex,

Rolex.” If your eyes happen to meet you will be given a lengthy

sales pitch for a Rolex wrist watch. The cost varies from $50-

$20. “What a great deal! I have got to shop in NYC more

often!” Sounds great till you actually look at the watch. And

it gets even worse when you pick it up. Definitely plastic. You

immediately know that you are not holding an authentic Rolexwatch. In this case, finding the authenticity is easy.

In our last lesson, we gave some reasons to believe that the

Bible is the authentic Word of God. There are doubters who

try to undercut the Bible’s authority. In this lesson we are

going to highlight a few of the common questions raised.

Although there are some valid questions to be answered, many

of the questions I have come across on this subject, are given

by people who have not taken time to search them out and are

looking for reasons to come to the conclusions they have

already reached. I hope that is not you. There are also

common misunderstandings that can be cleared up fairly

easily. That is the primary goal of this chapter. As you read

or hear these misconceptions you will not be fooled, and

perhaps you can help someone else to look a little closer.

As we saw in the last chapter, these questions fall into two

different categories. Some deny the Bible’s reliability – they

Question ofAuthority “Can I

trust the Bible?”Part 2

42



say that it is not from God and so it is filled with human error.

Another group may believe that the Bible began well, but over

the years it has been changed and manipulated to serve the

ends of others.

Statements questioning the

Bible’s Divine Source

Statements Questioning the

Bible’s Divine Preservation

The Bible was written by a

bunch of men to gain power.

The Bible is out of date and not

in touch with reality.

The Bible is filled with errors. I believe in Jesus’ teachings,

but they have been distorted

and changed by religion over

the years.

The Bible contradicts itself. What we have in the Bible was

written generations after Jesus

inflated by culture’s infatuation

with heroes.

Other writings give additional

accounts about Jesus that

contradict the Bible.

Often these accusations point to some common

misconceptions that we can help work through by examining

three different principles.

1. The Bible contains a timeline.

2.

The Bible contains various genre.3. The Bible contains difficult passages.

4. The Bible contains unique material.

5. The Bible’s contents are preserved.

The Bible contains a timeline.

Did you know that the Bible was written over a period of 1,500

using more than 40 different writers from different cultures

and periods of world history? The History of humanity is a

43



history of God’s interaction with us. The Bible is a record of

that story. To get a summary of the whole message of the

Bible, see our study “What does the Bible say? A survey of the

message of the Bible.” As time developed, God’s dealings with

humankind developed as well. He did not change. God is

always the same. But the main interaction changed.

As you read the first five books of the Bible written by Moses

you find God’s revelation to Israel, the Theocracy. In this time

of Israel’s history, God was the direct King. He spoke through

His prophets, but the Nation was under God in a way that wecannot understand today. His Laws were the Laws of the Land.

The speed limit was dictated by God. Those Laws were specific

to those people of that land. There are some things there that

God was teaching Israel that are not applicable today because

I live under a National Law that is different from the National

Law of Israel from 3,500 years ago.

People read of things that God asked the Nation of Israel to do

and don’t understand that these are not written as Laws for

people in America. We derive principles from these Laws, but

we do not obey them in the same way that Moses or Aaron did.

Unbelief was punishable by death in that economy. No

Christian would advise this today.

Many questions are answered when you apply this principle.How many times have I read an Atheist throwing down the

‘trump card’ of the Bible telling us to kill witches!? Then with

silly sneer, thinking that is the end of the debate they glare.

“See, what the Bible says there - complete with chapter and

verse.” Yes. In God’s Theocracy, witchcraft was a capital

offence, as was rebellion, adultery, and several other things.

Was this extreme? Yes! Do Christian politicians use these

regulations as their platform for running for office in America?

No. The Laws of the Torah were written for a specific group

of people at a specific time. This does reveal God’s disposition

44



The Bible contains unique material.

By this I mean that there other writings have survived to thisdate that are about Jesus, but they are not like the NT writings.

I get a little perturbed each year around Easter, when someone

comes out with a “New View” of Jesus based on other sources

outside of the New Testament record. The same material that

was written a year or two ago is copied and pasted into a new

author who has slapped a new cover on a book. The cover is

new but the argument is not.

Christian scholars are not ignorant of other documents that

talk about Jesus. But they are not the same. Several big factors

separate the two. First, the type of literature. There are some

very silly thing said that have no correlation to what we read

in the New Testament.

The primary difference, is the time of writing. Usually thedateline specials that are drummed up as new investigations

refer to Gnostic writings from hundreds of years after Jesus.

Let’s take the Gospel of Philip – on a few scraps of this Gospel

there is a possible assumption that a disciple asked Jesus why

He loved Mary Magdalene more than the rest of the disciples.

From that little fragment, Dan Brown became a millionaire on

selling the Da Vinci Code (ok, that’s an exaggeration, he

misused other ancient records too). One paragraph. But what

Dan does not say – and what a PBS special will not take the

time to tell you is that these additional Gospels (Gospel of

Judas, Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Thomas) are written by a

heretical group hundreds of years after Jesus lived.

The New Testament was written by the first eyewitnesses and

their close companions. What was written could be verified atthat time. An entirely different account written hundreds of

years after the even should not be taken seriously. And yet it

is. I still remember a co-worker approaching me about the Da

52



Scholars spend their entire lives dedicating their talents to

examine the thousands of existing portions of Greek text to

compare where the copies differ (The are all hand copied!) to

know exactly what the original text is.12

The differences of versions lies primarily in the nature of

language. Use a thesaurus some time. You can say the same

thing multitudes of ways. The tricky part here is translating

the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic into English (which is also

constantly changing). Some translations try to be more

accurate to represent the wording of the original language.Other translations are more interested in making the meaning

of the text clear and readable.

In conclusion, what data do you focus on? Are you constantly

scouring the internet or other books to find contradictions and

errors in the Bible? That is proof that you do not have an

authentic desire to hear from God. If you will approach God’s

Word as from Him and listen to His voice, you will see that His

Words are self-authenticating. Respond in Faith and you will

not doubt again.

If there is a specific question that bothers you, I would be

happy to communicate with you and offer a reasonable

explanation that someone has already found for you. Please

let me know, and may God use His Word mightily in your life.

12 We don’t have space here to go into all the arguments and proofs

for the reliability of the Greek text. If you would like to pursuefurther study see Daniel Wallace resources with the Center for the

Study of New Testament Manuscripts. Among other books –

“Reinventing Jesus” and “Revisiting the Corruption of the New

Testament.” Where Wallace takes up these issues in great detail.

55



1. What does “read the Bible normally” mean?

2. Match the following principles on the left that solve the

“problems” on the right.

a. The Bible contains

a timeline.

__ If you add up the number of

years each Judge reigned,

they would far outnumber

the years given to the time

of the Judges in the Bible.

b. The Bible contains

various genre.

__ What about the discovery of

the Gospel of Thomas?

c. The Bible contains

difficult passages.

__ How can you obey a book

that tells you to kill

witches?

d. The Bible contains

unique material.

__ Constantine changed the

Bible to reflect his bias.e. The Bible’s

contents are

preserved.

__ Isaiah says that “the trees

of the fields will clap their

hands”, but anyone knows

trees have no hands.

3. What is the best thing to say to someone who is doubting

the authenticity of the Bible?

QUESTION AND ANSWER

56



their hand at answering.13 We will see during our study now

that this is one of the building-blocks of the Christian

worldview.

Another answer was proposed to this question by Charles

Darwin (and his colleagues). In this theory, you came here by

chance through a series of accidents (mutations) that provided

better breeding capabilities over billions of years. (I admit that

is not a very good description.)

As we look at this question I want to come to two primaryconclusions. First, the Bible teaches that God created the

world in a six-day period of time. Second, the theory of

macro-evolution has significant problems. We do not have

space and time to show how natural evidence supports the

biblical account of creation. Many great books have been

written that help support this view. Nevertheless, I think we

can provide a few thoughts that will make you dissatisfied with

the popular scientific view of origins and perhaps encourage

you to pursue a more thorough investigation.

Definitions

Before we get to our study, let's define some terms. We need

to be clear about what we mean by evolution and creation in

this study.

Evolution: By evolution I am referring to macroevolution. You

should know the difference between macroevolution and

microevolution. Macroevolution refers to the naturalistic

13 Question #1 - Where did I come from (or who am I)? Answer -

God made me (God's creation). Question #2 - Why am I here?

Answer - To bring God glory and praise. Question #3 - Where am I

going? To enjoy God's presence forever.

59



1. What is the difference between microevolution and

macroevolution?

2. How do Genesis 1:5, and 1:31 define a day?

3. How many days did it take for the Lord to complete His

work?

4. Matthew 19:4 is a quote from Jesus. What does He believe

regarding God’s creation of man as revealed in Genesis 1?

5. Does Paul allude to God using other natural processes tomake things (Col 1:16)?

6. What does John tie to God's creative ability in Revelation

4:11?

QUESTION AND ANSWER

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Question 3-Where are all the missing species to the

puzzle?

Let's review what we have covered so far. The first question

that the theory of evolution cannot answer is, “Where does

stuff come from?” We do not observe something coming from

nothing, so when did that first happen? It is scientifically

impossible. The second question that the evolutionist cannot

answer is, “how does life evolve from the stuff?” Even if you

are given a cloud of energy and gas (stuff) for a big bang, or a

primordial soup bowl (stuff), how do you go from a bang and

a bowl to a self-sustaining, living organism? So far we do not

have a sufficient answer from the evolutionist. However, even

if you give him a pass on these two extremely large problems,

the holes in the theory still do not disappear.

The third question fast-forwards a bit. According to the

evolutionary timeline the little single cell organism developedfurther into a fishish species which developed into every other

species. That is a tall order! Yet this is the major assumption

underlying Darwin's theory. How can a scientist explain the

development of different species? According to Darwin, to get

from one species to the next there were small changes in the

organism over long periods of time either by environmental

changes or by genetic mutations. One species would

eventually develop a trait that helped it adapt and reproduce

better in order to survive. The other members of its species

that did not adapt became extinct. And so the species

developed. An innate hunger for survival developed the

evolution of man from fish. Those organisms that were more

capable of reproducing through either natural conditions or

genetic mutations outlived other species under the same

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Of course we do not observe this happening today. There are

no genetic mutations that actually change a species enough to

develop a new species. The evolutionist answer to this is that

we do not observe this cross-species evolutionary process

today because these events take long periods of time. Even

all the thousands of years of recorded history are not enough

to observe one of these transitions between species.

But this does not let the evolutionist off the hook. We do havea steady record of data in the ground—fossils. Fossilized

skeletons provide scientists with a map to observe past history

and see what species have looked like in the past. Considering

what we have learned from the evolutionary theory so far you

would expect to observe hundreds of thousands of different

transitional forms between each species. From one species to

the next we would even discover some of the major factors

that allowed the species to outlive or “out-reproduce” the

previous transitional form. The current species of animals

would actually be a small minority compared with the

abundance of transitional forms that bridge one species to the

next. Is that not a logical conclusion based on the theory of

macroevolution?

However, if God created the earth, we would not see suchtransitional forms in the ground. We may find a smaller

human or a taller human, but it would still be a human

skeleton.

So what does the fossil record tell us? It gives none of these

transitional forms. Remember, again what we would expect

according to the theory to see an overabundance of

transitional forms in the fossil evidence. We don't find any.

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This is a key question because of the nature of science.

Science is observation. Fossils are one of the major ways we

can observe the past. Of course our observations are flawed

and imperfect. But if the major way to observe the past does

not lend support to the theory of macroevolution then why has

this theory gained so much ground in our society?

Question 4-Why don't living dogs lie?

A fourth question to consider has to do with the origin of

morality. When I was a child I had a pet cat named “Kitty.” Yes,

I showed no limit to my originality in naming animals. Because

my dad was allergic to cats, Kitty was an outside cat. This

made her pretty tough and made me proud of her. She had

some serious claws and was not afraid to use them. Every

once and a while Kitty would deposit a nice surprise for us onthe front porch—a dead mouse. My mom was not impressed

with where she deposited her trophy but the whole family was

proud of our little lioness. After all, a cat killing a mouse and

bragging about it is cute.

Why didn't I punish our cat? Why didn't I put her in jail for

several years? Cats are not charged with murder or deception.

They are not moral beings. The same is true for any animal.

This is our fourth question. Why don't dogs lie? Or perhaps

the better question for the evolutionary scientist is “why do

humans lie?” How do we, as humans, have a sense of right

and wrong?

For thousands of years humans have had similar ideas of right

and wrong. In fact, some of the Babylonian laws in

between monkey and man read Chapter 4 (Monkey Business in the

Family Tree) in Marvin Lubenow's "Bones of Contention.

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Hammurabi's code dating back thousands of years are the

same as our laws today (we considered this subject in lesson

four).

“If any one be too lazy to keep his dam in proper condition,

and does not so keep it; if then the dam break and all the

fields be flooded, then shall he in whose dam the break

occurred be sold for money, and the money shall replace

the corn which he has caused to be ruined.”

“If any one steal cattle or sheep, or an ass, or a pig or agoat, if it belong to a god or to the court, the thief shall pay

thirtyfold; if they belonged to a freed man of the king he

shall pay tenfold; if the thief has nothing with which to pay

he shall be put to death.” (Note as well that even though

the rules are often similar to our own laws, the penalties

are far harsher.)

How is it that different societies have considered the same

types of things wrong for ages? Why don't dogs lie but

humans do? Why do we call an elk killing another elk just a

part of nature, but a human killing a human is murder?

For the Christian there is a clear and simple answer. Again

this is another way in which the Christian worldview makes

more sense than the secular worldview. Biblically weunderstand that we are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26).

Our sense of right and wrong came from our Creator; it is

ingrained into our nature. The Bible illustrates by saying the

law is written on our hearts (Romans 2:15).

There is no simple answer in macroevolution. And the reason

that this is such a big issue is that macroevolution points to a

very different and scary answer. What if we are all just evolved

fish? What if our sense of morality is just a bi-product of the

evolutionary process that can be thrown out? Perhaps the next

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GROUP ACTIVITY: Read the verses and answer the following

questions

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His

eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, beingunderstood through what has been made, so that they are

without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not

honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in

their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the

glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of

corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and

crawling creatures" (Romans 1:20-23).

1. How are God's eternal power and divine nature clearly

seen (v. 20)?

2. What exchange did the "professors" to be wise make (v.

22-23)?

3. Discuss what a transitional form is and why there should

more evidence of transitional forms.

QUESTION AND ANSWER

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that there must be limits to the paths up the mountain.

Certainly people that try to kill others by hijacking airplanes

and blowing themselves up with as many others as possible

are not going up to the same place that I am. Neither was

Hitler. In fact, you would have to say that there are some

religious systems that are actually downhill paths to a rocky

precipice. So not all religious systems are equally true. Some

are definitely false.

Second, two opposing views may be equally valid opinions, but

only one can be true. If you think that a certain color is redand I think a certain color is green, only one of us is correct

(or both are wrong). We can't both be right. This is the nature

of reality. Two opposing views cannot both be true. Our

culture tries to make this blurry. However, if you take the

example of red and green and make them open to

interpretation based on your own opinion, you have a serious

mess—especially with traffic signals! The nature of truth and

error is that there is only one truth. Two opposing views can

be equally plausible but two opposing views cannot both be

true. There is only one truth. That is simply the nature of

truth.

I accept the Bible’s interpretation of life after death. Those

who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved from the

punishment of eternal Hell. They will experience the joys ofGod’s presence forever. This is not my opinion; this is the

teaching of Scripture.

In John 14:6, Jesus told His followers that He was the only way.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the

life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’”.

Peter preached that salvation only is given in through Jesus.

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is having a large family and driving in an HOV lane. These

lanes are made for those with passengers riding with them.

Driving on Interstate 95 through Washington DC, there are

several lanes between the two sides of the highway which can

be opened up in either direction, depending on where the bulk

of the traffic is moving. If you carry more than two people you

can use these less traveled lanes.

Let’s suppose that it is your responsibility to flip the switch (or

push the button… or however it is done) to close off the HOV

lanes from Northbound traffic and open it for Southboundtraffic. You are sitting at lunch with your co-lane-change-

lever-flipper and you discuss changing the lanes over. Your

friends says to you. “I didn’t see you flip the switch, Jim. Are

you sure you flipped it? If those two lanes are open to

northbound traffic and southbound traffic at the same time we

are going to have a heap of cars in the HOV lanes!” You reply,

“Of course I flipped the switch. You were with me; or was that

yesterday? Well, no matter, I’m pretty sure I’m right on this

one, so let’s just sit down and eat.” “No,” he says, “I think you

are wrong. Let’s go check it out.” You start getting angry at

your co-worker’s persistence. “You are so intolerant!” “Just

let me believe the way I want to believe!”

First of all, disagreement here would not be considered

intolerance. That is certain! But I would go further and saythat in issues of importance, we should be prepared to voice

our opinion—especially if what we have to say will save others

from harm.

That is why Christians are very vocal with the Biblical view of

the afterlife. You need to know this news. It is for you to

believe. But you must hear the Good News from a speaker.

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Similarly, different Christians may have a horrible bed-side

manner. And yet, if what they are saying is true, then try to

take medicine and overlook the manner in which it is

administered.

Let me take the same illustration a different way. What if there

was a Doctor at this Pediatric Office who had a great bedside

manner. He or she was so great with people that I just wanted

to get each of my children a check up to get to chat. My child

loved them and looked forward to getting shots so that they

could talk with Dr. Xyz. But as we got to know them, werealized that they never gave the correct advice. In fact, they

only miss-diagnosed cases. We would immediately find a new

Doctor. Because I’m not paying to have a good talk. I’m

paying to have professional advice for my child. In the same

way, just because someone sounds nice does not mean that

they have truth. Conversely, don’t let the poor manner in

which someone has shared truth with you keep you from

believing the truth.

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one

comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). These words

are truth. Jesus is the way, and He opens His arms in love

wanting to invite you into His family if you will believe that His

way is true. Won’t you believe in Him today? If we can help

you further with this question of knowing the way to Godthrough Jesus Christ, please contact our office and we would

be happy to share His Way.

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1. Why have people been mistreated by Christians. How was

Jesus treated? How did He respond?

2. Give reasons supporting the view that truth is singular.

Why is there only one truth?

3. How can arrogance be misinterpreted as intolerance?

QUESTION AND ANSWER

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What are L.I.F.E. Groups?In the blueprint for church ministry found in Ephesians 4,

God explains that He gives

church leaders who will equip

each individual in the church to

do the work of building others

up. Look at three primary

principles from this passage:

Loving—In the Ephesians 4 blueprint, all building that is

done is done through people who are speaking the truth in

love. Love is the great greenhouse of the church. Our

motivation in these groups should not be selfish. We must

strive for another person's spiritual maturity.

Individuals—In the blueprint found in Ephesians 4, the

spiritually maturing church is one where each joint in the

body is functioning properly. We are like a clock filled with

cogs, gears, and other intricate moving parts. Each part in

that clock must be working properly for the goal to be

reached. You are needed in this clockwork—you are needed

in God's blueprint for church ministry!

Furthering Edification—In

the blueprint in Ephesians

Critical Questions for Christianity

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