Islam

According to Islam, you cannot trust the Bible. Since there are over a billion Muslims, with a rapidly growing presence in the United States, understanding their claims and why they are false is increasingly important. 

Islam teaches that all the true prophets throughout history have been Muslims. Although those outside the religion view Muhammad as the founder of Islam, Muslims themselves believe that Muhammad was the greatest in a long line of Islamic prophets, stretching back to the first man, Adam. Therefore, Judaism and Christianity represent groups that broke away from the true religion and teach false doctrines. Muhammad made known what the original, true religion was when he began to teach in 610 CE. 

The authoritative teaching for Muslims is found in the Qur'an. According to Islam, the angel Gabriel taught Muhammad the words of God. Muhammad memorized them and taught them to others. They wrote them down after Muhammad's life. Muslims believe that the Qur'an is direct revelation from God. Other books are either completely false or represent corruptions of earlier teachings that came from God. 

The Qur'an teaches that Christianity is wrong about several important issues:

1. The Bible contained God's Word at one time,but the version we now have was changed by false teachers. 

2. Jesus was a great prophet, but was in no way divine. He was not even the greatest prophet. Islam views the Christian understanding that Jesus is God as illogical, impossible, polytheistic, and insulting to God.

3. Salvation is based on good works and God's mercy. God offers no payment for sin. Islam argues that God needing atonement for sin is insulting to God's mercy. Why can God not simply forgive? Why would he need to have Jesus die on the cross in order to offer mercy to sinners? Islam also rejects the idea that God offers mercy to everyone. One must sincerely work hard at following God's commands as found in the Qur'an in order to have the best chance at being welcomed into heaven.

4. Jesus did not die on the cross or rise from the dead. Instead, Islam offers several alternatives, the most popular of which is that someone else was crucified who was mistakenly identified as Jesus.

How can Christians respond?

The real issue is which book to trust, the Bible, or the Qur'an? If God really sent Gabriel to teach Muhammad the words that are accurately recorded in the Qur'an, then Islam must be right and the Bible a corrupted form of the truth. However, if we can trust the Bible, then the Qur'an represents a false religion that we must reject. 

When we look at the evidence, it is easy to see how the Qur'an could be false, while it is much more difficult to explain away the evidence for the Bible. Consider the reasons for believing the Qur'an. The only witness to Gabriel teaching Muhammad is... Muhammad himself. Muhammad may have either deceived others about this or he may have been deceived himself (perhaps he saw a demonic being, not Gabriel). The only witness we have that Muhammad accurately related the teachings to others is once again Muhammad himself. After that, we do not even have much reason to confidently believe Muhammad's teachings were accurately written down.

The Bible is different. The truth of the Bible largely rests on whether or not Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. We do not need to simply believe one person's claim about this. Multiple sources (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, and more) give detailed records of these events, the times, places, and crowds of witnesses. (To see the full  argument for this, I recommend the following article from "Trust the Bible":

http://trustthebible.blogspot.com/2015/10/how-do-we-know-bible-is-gods-word.html)

Which is more likely to be true, that Jesus died on the cross as numerous sources report from within a few decades of the event by the people who lived in the area and knew the eyewitnesses? Or, that Jesus did not die on the cross, as recorded by Muslims living more than 600 years later, living hundreds of miles away with a different language and cultural background? Remember, the Muslim's only source for the claim is not historical evidence, but that their former political and military leader told them an angel appeared to him with this message. 

The problem with the Qur'an is that it one must simultaneously believe it is true without any evidence other than the claims of one man, and believe that the Christian message verified by many witnesses was somehow corrupted by an unnamed group of people, at some unspecified time, without any supporting evidence. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that the Bible we have today is unchanged from the time it is written. See, 

http://trustthebible.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-telephone-game.html

The only other argument for the Qur'an is the strength of the arguments themselves, which don't really stand up to scrutiny. I wrote previously about the Trinity here: 

http://trustthebible.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-trinity.html

The concept of the atonement does not question God's mercy, but rather demonstrates how he can be a just and holy judge of all the earth and simultaneously forgive sinners. Islam offers no solution to this problem.

Furthermore, the Qur'an seems to have a faulty understanding of Christianity, making it seem as though Christianity teaches worship of Mary and Jesus as separate deities (see Sura 5:115). Perhaps Muhammad misunderstood Christianity, or perhaps he only knew of a heretical Christian group. However, the misunderstanding is hard to explain if the Qur'an is of divine origin.

The Qur'an also seems to say that the Scriptures were yet unchanged during the time of Jesus. (Sura 3:50, 5:46-47) For Islam to be true, the corruption of the Bible must have occurred after Jesus' time and before Muhammad's. The problem is that since the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 20th Century, we now know that the Old Testament Scriptures in Jesus' time did not change by Muhammad's time. Muhammad's claim may have seemed reasonable in his time, but the records discovered since then completely dismantle it. Once again, it seems that a book claiming to have divine origin is in error.

Although there are many exceptions, most Muslims today do not support violence. They sincerely seek to honor God the way that they are taught. The problem is that they are trusting in a book that only has the claims of one man to support it. The key question to ask those of any faith is, "How do you know that is true?" No other book has supporting evidence like the Bible. 

Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html

The Goal of Life

In soccer, if you start kicking the ball the wrong way, things may seem like they are going really well. I've seen this myself as a coach of a soccer team made up of three-year-old children. When you get going the wrong way, the defense gets out of your way. You seem to have it made, an easy goal! Except, it's the wrong goal. 

Jesus says the same thing about life. "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:24) This means that if you live for yourself, you will ultimately fail in life. Even if you seem to succeed for a time, you will fail. The Bible gives many examples of this, including King Belshazzar in Daniel 5. He was the most powerful and wealthy person in the whole world. Everything seemed to be working according to his plan. But in one night everything he worked for was gone, and he was put to death by the Persians. This is the inevitable outcome if everything you are living for has to do with gaining the things of this world for yourself.

The Bible says our goal must be to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9). When you live for God, you are living for something with eternal value. No matter what happens in this life, you are setting yourself up for true success. The way we live for God is to study, understand, and live out the commands he gives us in the Bible (Joshua 1:8).

When you live God's way, life will get easier. Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest," (Matthew 11:28).

At the same time, Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23).

That sounds hard! How can life get easier when you follow Jesus, and yet it is hard to follow Jesus? The chart below aims to make sense of this. If you live for yourself, you make easy decisions. Do whatever "feels right!" However, over time, this will make life get harder. Proverbs 13:15 says "the way of transgressors is hard." 

Making decisions that put God and his law first in your life can be difficult at the time, but they lead to life getting easier. When you face temptation to go the "easy" and selfish direction, remember 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Ultimately, our thinking controls our decisions, and our thinking flow from the heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it everything you do flows from it."

Look at the chart below. The passages on the chart are all in this post, with the references underlined so that you can find them easily. The top verse is 1 Corinthians 10:31, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

This chart is a biblical guide to decision making, and it applies to all areas of life. For example, when you cannot get along with your spouse, divorce may seem like a solution to help your life get back on track. But many people who go through a divorce and all the pain and complications that go with it, often realize later that it would have been easier to make the hard choices earlier and work harder to improve their marriage, as God's law says. 

However, the most important thing is not any one particular issue. The key is the goal of life. Are you heading in the right direction? Are you living to glorify God? Nothing else will bring success.

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." -Joshua 1:8

Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html

Communication

Communication is a BIG deal. How you communicate will greatly determine your success in life. The Bible teaches this and it is not hard to see why. James 3:5-6 says,

"Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire..."

Poor communication skills can set the whole course of your life on fire! Good communication can also save you from trouble. According to Proverbs 14:3,

"A fool's talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them."

Now many people think, "Sure, that's true, but I know how to talk. I know I need to be careful about what I say, but what can I really do to get better?" Well, the Bible has a lot to say about communication. Communication is something that God wants us to learn about and work to improve. Think how much time you spent studying math and many other subjects in school that you use little (if at all) in life today. Communication is something you use constantly every day and usually we put little thought into how to get better.

Let me focus on two points in this article. The first is listening, the other is assertive speaking.

Listening

Listening is probably more important in our communication skills than speaking. If we are not good at listening, we will not communicate well. "He who speaks before he hears a matter, it is folly and shame to him," (Proverbs 18:13). Here are some basic tips on listening:

1. Actually listen! Focus on what the other person is saying when they speak, rather than thinking about what you want to say or preparing in your mind what you will say next.

2. Reflect. Briefly summarize what someone has told you in your own words. Make sure that you have understood what they are saying and communicate that you are listening and want to understand.

3. Guard against wrong assumptions. Anytime someone tells us something, we could probably think up 20 or more reasons why they might have said what they said. When we assume that a bad motive is behind someone's speech or actions, communication can go wrong quickly. Always assume the best motive possible.

In a discussion about the new color for the carpet at church, someone might express a different opinion than yours, saying, "I like the blue carpet." Now, what is their motive? You don't know. It may be:
A. They don't want the color to be the one you want. That's because they haven't liked you for sometime and they are tired of you always getting your way in church decisions. They see this as an opportune time to begin to take more control of decisions themselves.
Or,
B. They were married in a church that had blue carpet and they have always liked blue carpet in a church.
We could think of many other possibilities, but you can see how assuming "A" will lead to an escalating conflict. The Bible says,
"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5)
Always assume the best possible motive behind someone's actions.

4. Observe. Although we can't know someone's motives, we can seek to understand their emotions. People generally do not state their emotions with words, but they come through with their body language and the way they say things. Understanding both can help us communicate better. We can use reflection to make sure we have the right understanding of emotions.

Assertive Speaking

When we are listening, we have the opportunity to speak the right way. In our speaking, we all tend to gravitate towards one of two mistakes. A passive speaker wants to avoid conflict. When someone expresses an opinion or perspective that is different from their own, they want to ignore it, especially if it is an emotional issue for them. Their reason is that they "don't want to cause trouble," or "start an argument." For minor issues, this is appropriate. However, if you are upset about something and you continue to hold it in, trouble is not far away.

Ephesians 4:25 says,
"Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body."
This means that you must speak truthfully, which includes speaking. Refusing to speak because it feels easier to keep quiet is not the loving thing to do. It actually insults others because you are communicating that you don't think someone else cares about your ideas or is unable to listen to a different point of view. If you do keep silent, understand that you need to give up trying to get your way later on. When you try to get your way later on (by talking to other people or simply doing something yourself) you are really escalating a conflict that could have simply been dealt with through conversation.

The other mistake is to become aggressive. You get angry. You may shout or insult the other person. You demand your way. You may do these things subtly, but the other person senses you are ready for a fight.

Ephesians 4:29 says,
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Is there another option besides being passive or aggressive? Yes, it is called assertive communication. You state your viewpoint and feelings in a non-judgmental way. Here is a model for how you can do this:

"When you (describe the behavior in a factual, non-judgmental way),
I feel (use a word or two to express your emotions such as "angry")
because (explain exactly how the behavior negatively impacts you)"

So the sentence will look like:
"When you _______ I feel _______ because __________."

For example:
"When you are going to be late getting home from work and you don't call me and let me know, I feel frustrated because I work hard to have dinner ready at the right time for all of us to enjoy a hot meal together."

In the example above, there is no assumption of the other person's motives, just a statement of the facts. A poor example would be, "When you are thoughtless and don't let me know you are going to be late it tells me that you don't care how hard I work to have dinner ready at the right time."

Assertion is really a way to express love. It is not about "getting your way," but about thinking of others. Philippians 2:3-4 says,

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

If we make statements in a way that shows we are looking at issues from the other person's perspectives (which requires good listening), we always assume the best motives for others, and we are willing to do the hard work of communicating in order to solve problems with assertive statements, we have everything to gain. You may be thinking, "Who does all that?" Exactly. Most of us are poor communicators. Improvement requires overcoming bad habits that we all have. However, change is possible and the benefits are well worth the effort.


Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html

Powerful Testimonies

When you truly know the living God for the first time, it transforms your life. Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan king and possibly the most powerful person who had ever lived. As King of the Babylonian empire, many people in the world also viewed him as the most evil person in the world. Yet, Daniel 4 tells of how God struck him with insanity for seven years in order to humble him. Through this experience, Nebuchadnezzar began a relationship with God, and was forever grateful for what God did for him. He declared, "It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me" (Daniel 4:2 NIV). What an unusual and amazing testimony! In reality, every testimony, or account of how a person comes to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, is amazing. Everyone who has a testimony should take pleasure in sharing it.

Paul is another person in the Bible who shares his testimony. He was a religious scholar and devout Jew. Many religious people in his day were impressed with his devotion and academic credentials. Yet, he also persecuted Jesus. That is, he sought to imprison and even put to death anyone who worshiped Jesus. But Jesus appeared to him while he was on the way to find more Christians. Jesus spoke to him, and Paul realized he had been completely wrong about Jesus. Paul went on to spend the rest of his life preaching and teaching about the salvation found only in Jesus Christ.

There is great evidence for the Christian faith in Paul's testimony. The historical facts that Paul was committed to persecuting Christians and then dramatically changed to preaching the Christian message because of a vision are well supported. The question is how to explain the transformation.

When I was a student at the University of Florida, I took a class on Roman in history. A Jewish atheist (Michael Grant) wrote the text for the class. I was surprised when I noticed a whole section in the book on Paul and that the historical facts of Paul's conversion were readily accepted by such a scholar. However, he attributed Paul's conversion to "photism" a psychological phenomenon where someone believes they are seeing a bright light. I understand why he would rely on such an unusual explanation. The alternative is to accept that Jesus really appeared to Paul, an admission that would acknowledge the truth of Christianity. However, "photism" has significant problems. Why would someone like Paul assume that this experience was an appearance of Jesus Christ and then endure persecution and hardship to support Jesus? One would think any other explanation would be favored by Paul.

If you know Christ, you have a testimony as well. God can use that to reach others with the truth of the Gospel. Simply tell others what your life was like before you came to know Christ, what happened when you came to know him, and what your life is like now that you know him.

I came to faith in Christ when I was six years old. I know others who believed in Jesus at a young age as well. Often they assume that they don't have a "powerful" testimony. However, I can tell you that before I came to know Christ I did not care about God. I did not care about following his law. I was living only for myself and was headed down a path that led to nowhere. My grandmother and some men from our church began to tell me about the Bible. I learned that my sin was so serious, God sent his only Son to die on a cross to make payment for my sin. I also learned that God cared about me that much. I came to want to know Him more, and I trusted that what Jesus did made that possible. It completely changed the direction of my life. Now I love His law and seek to live for His glory. I know I have forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Like Nebuchadnezzar, it is now my pleasure to share that story with others.

I would love to hear about your story as well!

Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html

Do I Have Free Will or Is God in Control? Yes!

For centuries people have questions about how much control they really have over their own lives. Some believe in free will in an extreme way that limits God's sovereignty. Others believe in God's sovereignty in an extreme way that limits man's free will. Either extreme is full of dangers and do not follow biblical teaching.

For instance, if you put too much emphasis on free will, you have no reason to hope in the future. How do we know God will win in the end? Or, how do we know that a nuclear war won't start at any moment and wipe out the planet? More importantly, how do you know that the pain and suffering you are going through has any purpose? Maybe bad things just happen, and you have had bad luck. If God is not in control, there is no reason to truly believe that "all things work together for the good for those who love God," (Romans 8:28).

On the other hand, consider what happens when you doubt that free will is real. If God determines every event and every decision, one begins to lose a sense of individuality. Do I really decide what I am going to do? Am I responsible for my actions? If God has decided everything I will do and think, aren't I just a puppet with no influence on others or even my own direction in life?

Consider Romans 9:17-19: For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?"

Paul points our attention in this debate to the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Interestingly, the account about Pharaoh's hard heart in the book of Exodus alternates between saying that God hardened his heart and that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. 

For instance, "The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go." (Exodus 4:21)

But, in Exodus 8:15, "But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

These are just two of many examples. I believe they reveal that the Bible teaches God's complete sovereignty and man's freewill work together.

First, understand that God knows everything about the future. He knows what people will do before they do it. This does not mean that he causes them to do things, only that he knows what they will do. For example, imagine you watch a recorded football game with your friend. Your friend saw the game last night, but you haven't. You are excited when your team wins the game with a last second touchdown. Your friend knew exactly what was going to happen, because he already saw the game. Does this mean your friend caused your team to win the game? Should you thank him for giving your team the victory? Of course not. He simply knew what would happen.

However, God's knowledge of the future goes beyond this. He knows more than what will happen. He knows what will happen in every possible scenario. Going back to the football game, God doesn't simply know who will win the football game and how, he knows who would win the game in every possible scenario. Would there be a different outcome if the weather was 10 degrees warmer and the wind was 5mph stronger? God knows the answer to questions like that, and he also has the ability to influence the weather (and an infinite number of other things).

Consider 1 Samuel 23:10-13: David said, "O LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will."  Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will." So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

God was able to tell David what would happen if David did not leave the city of Keilah. David did not stay, so these events did not happen, but they would have happened if he did stay.

In this instance we can say that David determined whether or not the citizens of Keilah would hand over David and his men to Saul. It was his choice. If he stayed, the citizens would have done so. Since he left, they did not. David was ultimately in control of their actions. Notice, however, that the citizens of Keilah still acted according to their free will. David did not force them to do anything, he simply knew what they would do in certain circumstances and made choices to bring about the circumstances he wanted. David was able to do this because God told him what would happen in the future in different circumstances.

God's sovereignty works in the same way. The difference is that he knows what would happen in an infinite number of circumstances and has an infinite number of ways of directing those circumstances. 

God knew that Pharaoh would harden his own heart if Moses and Aaron approached him a certain way. God decided to send Moses and Aaron to him. Thus, it is completely accurate to say that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. God made the decision as to what was going to happen. However, it is also accurate to say that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. It was his choice to do what he wanted in the circumstances he was in. It is true that God determined the circumstances knowing what Pharaoh would do, but Pharaoh is completely responsible for his choice.

Understanding events this way is helpful when it comes to trusting the Bible. We can have confidence that all events are part of God's good and perfect plan. We can also understand that we are not simply robots that have no control over our lives. We are responsible to obey God.

Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html

Meme Responses

 *

April 11-15 was "Meme Week" on Trust the Bible. I have posted 5 memes that challenge whether or not you can trust the Bible. Here are my responses.

The Bible teaches that Jesus' death and resurrection makes payment for our sins. This was planned out and accomplished by God the Father ("It was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer," Isaiah 53:9). Now, the wrath of God that was pointed at us because of our sin is satisfied by Christ, for all who believe in him (John 3:36). 

This basic message of the Gospel is the hope of all true Christians. Yet, it is often ridiculed. Really all the memes for the week criticize some aspect of this teaching, known as "substitutionary atonement," (Jesus is our substitute, taking God's wrath upon himself in our place). 

The problem with all criticisms of the Gospel are that they take part of the Bible's teaching out of the context of all the other things that the Bible teaches about God. They demonstrate that you cannot pick and choose which essential Bible doctrines you will believe in. They all stand or fall together. 

For instance, the Bible does teach that a man cannot die for the sins of another. The context is that human governments cannot execute someone for a crime that only their father committed. This is a basic principle of justice. But Jesus was not only a man, he was also God. Without the Trinity, the biblical teaching that God is three persons in one being, this meme would correctly identify a contradiction in the Gospel. The reason the Trinity is so important is that it demonstrates that Jesus is not a different being from God the Father. When Jesus suffered on the cross, it was in accordance with the Father's will AND Jesus' will. He went to Jerusalem knowing exactly what would happen. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit accomplished our salvation together. 

These memes imply that the Father took some innocent bystander, a man named Jesus, and killed him so he wouldn't have to kill guilty people like us. That is not the Bible's message. In addition, when the Bible says that human governments cannot kill someone for the sins of someone else, the Bible is not talking about atonement. It is saying that the innocent can't suffer because it violates justice. The idea of someone suffering to make payment for someone else's sins isn't addressed at all. But much of the Bible does teach the principle of substitutionary atonement. It is in the sacrificial system, in Passover, and in many of the stories of the Old Testament. Jesus was the fulfillment of these prophetic events. He willingly became our substitute, demonstrating God's love (John 3:16), not his injustice. God the Father did not enjoy causing the suffering of his Son, but he did it in coordination with the Son to display his great love and that he is "just and the one who justifies sinners" (see especially Romans 3:25-26). In short, the problem with all of these memes is that they rip one of the Bible's teachings out of the context of the others, creating an apparent "problem" that is solved by placing the teaching back into the full context.

*Note: I removed the face of God in the second meme because I think any imagery of God violates the second commandment, you shall make no graven images. Images of Jesus are fine because he was a man who walked on earth, but not of God the Father because any human made image will necessarily detract from the glorious appearance of God.

The God of the Bible does kill people. Bible skeptics are often frustrated when they read numerous passages in the Bible that say just that (two examples should immediately come to mind: the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah), but Christians seem to gloss over them and pretend that God is always nice to everyone. I really have two responses to two different groups. 

First, to Bible skeptics: you use this meme to suggest there is something immoral about God, that he is cruel. Once again, the problem is that you have separated one Bible teaching from the others. You are taking it out of context. If God swooped in from somewhere out in the universe, he would be cruel to kill people. But this is not the God of the Bible. He created the universe. No one would exist at all apart from his will. Since we are his creation, he has ownership of us and we reflect his glory (much like a painting reflects the abilities of a painter). God is not out of place when he judges, his own glory is at stake. We cannot ask God, "Who are you to judge?" He is God, he is the judge of all, because we are all his, by definition, because he is our creator. In addition, God himself came to the cross to die for us! God kills people in judgment because he is just, but much more shocking is that God himself actually died for us. The fact that God doesn't kill everyone of us in judgment for our sin is a shocking display of his mercy and love. 

The second group to address is Christians. Do you feel the need to defend God about this? Don't. Sometimes it seems that we are embarrassed by God when someone points out that he kills and judges. We don't need to be. He is demonstrating his justice. We simply need to point out that this just judge has also offered us forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus.

Jesus does command love (Mt. 22:37) and will send people to hell (see especially Matthew 25:31-46). But something seems wrong about this meme. Once again, it is out of the context of all the other things Jesus says and does. According to the Bible, people are headed towards hell because of sin. Even if you have an admiring love for Jesus, you have sinned in other ways, and deserve to go to hell. The only people who avoid hell are those who are saved by Jesus. He does not want anyone to go to hell, and his choice to experience the agonizing death on the cross was so that a great multitude would not go to hell. The Bible says that because of Jesus' great love for us, we can repent of our sins and trust in Jesus to save us from hell.

Many do go to hell, because God is just. He cannot simply forget about our sin. That is good news. If God was not just, there would be no perfect being that we would have the opportunity to spend all eternity living with and worshiping.  

Love in the Bible is not a romantic feeling. It is action. It is action that benefits others even at a personal cost to you. Jesus loved us while we were sinners. Being a sinner means you do not obey God's commands - you do not really love Jesus. You actually don't and can't love Jesus until you are already saved and promised eternal life in heaven. Even then, we often fail to love Jesus by our actions, and yet, Jesus continues to love us no matter what!

This one is easy. God will ultimate stop all these things. God is also not responsible for them. God created the world without any of these things, man's sin has brought them into the world. God allows pain and suffering for a time in order to accomplish a greater good that is coming.

In addition, this argument once again leaves out the context of suffering. God is not unfamiliar with suffering, but went to the cross, suffering because of our sins. He could have simply wiped out the world in the flood and left no survivors. He would be perfectly right and just to do so. But his love is far greater than we can imagine. I finish my response to the meme above by remaking it into the meme below:

Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html

Marriage

Jesus taught his followers that the Bible guides us to true success in life. Down to the smallest detail, if there is something we need to know in order to live a successful life, God has included it in the Bible. Certainly we should expect the Bible to have a lot to say about one of the most important aspects of life, marriage. In an ideal situation, you will spend more time with your spouse than anyone else in your life. Marriage can bring the greatest joys, and also some of the greatest sorrows in life. More importantly, your view of marriage, how strong your commitment to your spouse must be, when to get married, who to marry, what you can and cannot do outside of marriage, and more present some of the greatest challenges to living a life faithful to God's teachings. As a pastor I find people struggle with these kinds of questions more than any other when it comes to choosing God's ways rather than what seems right in our own eyes.

What are some basic biblical teachings on marriage? First, marriage was created by God as a blessing for humanity. God says in Genesis 2:18, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." The Bible says some have a special ability given by God to be satisfied without a "helper," or companion in life, others are prevented from this blessing due to tragic circumstances. However, the normal pattern is that a man and a woman are created to be together.

Second, marriage is for a lifetime. Jesus says, "I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matthew 19:19). Why? Jesus quotes from Genesis 2 in his explanation of marriage: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." (Matthew 19:5-6)

The idea is that a marriage occurs when God joins two people together. A divorce that a government issues does not undo what God has done. Divorce and remarriage in God's view is adultery. Who is guilty of adultery in a divorce? Sometimes both are, sometimes one spouse was faithful and the other spouse left the marriage to be with someone else. That is why Jesus adds, "except for marital unfaithfulness." Only the spouse who broke the marriage vows is guilty of adultery. The point is that even in circumstances that may require a legal divorce (abuse, drug problems, etc.) in God's view this does not free you to be with someone else. Only when the other spouse has abandoned the marriage is the marriage really over. Marriage cannot end without sin on the part of one or both parties.

Third, marriage is between one man and one woman. Although there are many instances of polygamy in the Bible, these relationships are never condoned. Genesis teaches that "the two will become one flesh," and Jesus quotes this as the authoritative teaching on marriage. Jesus also rules out any type of marriage that is not between a man and a woman, once again citing Genesis: "The Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'"? (Matthew 19:4-5). "Male and female" is a quote from Genesis 1. In other words, Jesus goes out of his way to emphasize that marriage is a special relationship designed for a man and a woman. Despite the interpretive gymnastics done by some to suggest the Bible might allow for same-sex marriages, Jesus clearly disagrees.

Fourth, and perhaps most controversial, the Bible teaches that sex is reserved for those in a marriage relationship. "The two will become one flesh," is a reference to the sexual relationship that displays physically what is happening spiritually between the two. Sex is not designed to be enjoyed outside of the bond of marriage. There is an assumption in Israelite law that when sex does occur between two people who are not married, they should then marry (see Exodus 22:16 and Deuteronomy 22:28). While this is the preferred response, it is not absolute (see Exodus 22:17). The implication is that sex is an act that is designed as part of the marriage relationship. Leviticus 18 also gives a rather lengthy list of outright prohibited sexual activities, including homosexuality. The context demonstrates that this list is not simply Old Testament commands that are for the Israelites alone, but for all cultures and times (see Leviticus 18:24-28).

In conclusion, God has created marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman for a lifetime, and sexual intimacy is reserved for the husband and wife who have entered into this covenant relationship.

A number of questions and objections immediately come up. What if I have already broken one of these principles? Paul writes, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Then the question is, what does God want you to  do now? Once you answer that, the next question is, will you obey? Never use the offer of God's forgiveness as an excuse to sin.

Another response is, "Why does God want me to be miserable?" Or, "Why doesn't he want me to have any fun?" Here is where trusting God is so important. You may feel like this is what following God's law will do. In fact, it may require sacrifices. However, following God's law will always be for your good in the long run. God is more concerned with your holiness than your level of happiness right now. God is your creator and knows everything about you - even your eternal future. He is infinitely better equipped to know what is really best for you.

Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html