This past Sunday at Calvary Church we began a series entitled “Confessions of a Cynical Christian” and started the series talking about “It’s All Fake.” (You can join us in person or online the next two Sundays at 10:30am) We were diving into the conversation that often happens around the validity of what Christianity teaches and what the Bible illustrates regarding God. At the end of the message I provided opportunity for people to text in questions and answered the ones we had time and space to answer that morning. Below is a summary of some of the additional questions that were asked that we didn’t have a chance to answer that morning.
Why do we have to suffer because of Adam and Eve’s sin?
This idea of sin entering the world because of Adam & Eve’s sin is referred to as the Doctrine of Original Sin. This concept has been explained in a lot of different ways throughout history, but one of the best ways I can explain its impact is this. It’s like taking the toothpaste out of the tube and trying to get it back in. Once sin entered a sinless world, it forever tarnished the human race because human beings for the first time became aware of sin’s existence. And once we become aware of something we are more likely to experiment with it. This is why you tell a child not to do something, and although they weren’t even thinking of doing that ‘thing’ at first, now that you told them not to, they have to do it.
We see this in the conversation Adam & Eve have with the serpent recorded in Genesis 3:2-5,
“2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
The death referred to wasn’t a physical death, but a spiritual death. We see this in Paul’s epistle to the Romans.
Romans 5:12,
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned…”
So Adam & Eve’s original sin now brings pain and suffering on us, both because of the curse of sin as well as the practical nature of our awareness of sin as an option, and our tendency to explore our options.
Why can’t we hear God? It’s hard to tell the difference between the voices in my head and God?
Hearing God has been a challenge for human beings since the beginning of creation, but oftentimes we overcomplicate things. The struggle of recognizing and following God’s voice is the same struggle we can experience with people in our lives. The only way to recognize a voice and acknowledge that voice’s influence on your life is through ongoing, regular conversation. That’s because it’s not simply the tone or nature of the voice that allows us to recognize it, but also what that voice influences us or challenges us to do. For example, if a total stranger walked up to me and said, “You should go be a missionary to Africa,” it wouldn’t carry much weight. But if a long-time, trusted friend said that I’d lean in and listen more intently. The reason for the difference is the history I have with that person and therefore their voice. Over time, that voice has become more recognizable and trusted because of ongoing conversations and interactions.
The struggle in hearing the voice of God is a real struggle for a lot of people. The solution to this struggle, though, isn’t an easy quick solution. It’s not a matter of training your ‘spiritual ears’ to hear something unique and recognizable, but rather cultivating a familiarity with God and his voice. The only way to do that is through regular ongoing conversations with Him, or what we might call prayer. And if it is to be a true conversation, that means it’s not one-way communication, but that you create space to listen. It might be taking times of silence to listen to the voice or promptings of God’s Holy Spirit, or it could be putting yourself in a place where the ongoing noise of our world is silenced. Either way, we will eventually recognize more clearly the voices we spend more time listening to and being around.
Last thing, I wanted to provide a simple filter that I’ve always used to confirm something I sense or feel God is speaking to me. There are three areas of confirmation:
- Does it line up with a dream, passion or purpose God has been stirring in you? Our feelings are not a good indicator of much because they are ever changing, so this isn’t a gauge of ‘how do you feel about it’? Instead this is a question of does this line up with God’s ultimate purposes for your life?
- Does it align with God’s Word? The Bible is not simply a guide but it communicates the heart and intention of God. If you are sensing God is speaking something to you, it should never contradict God’s Words in scripture, but should rather be confirmed by scripture.
- Does Godly counsel in your life see the validity of what God is speaking into your life? Godly counsel are mature, Godly individuals that know you and your trust. These are people that have proven their spiritual maturity and ability to hear God’s voice in their own lives.
These three are so important that I would go as far as to say if even one of these does not line up, I would strongly question whether or not what you are sensing God is speaking to you is actually of God. The truth is God is always speaking to us, but there are so many distractions and obstacles present in our world that keep us from clearly hearing His voice. But as you cultivate that voice in your life, you will come to a place where it’s familiarity brings peace and confirmation to the things you face and the callings God speaks into your life.
How can you defend the validity of the bible? A lot of people that have doubts about the faith have doubts that it was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Defending the validity of the Bible is a complex task that involves multiple aspects, including historical, archaeological, philosophical, and theological considerations. Here are a few things to consider when discussing the validity of the Bible:
- Historical and Archaeological Evidence: Many events, people, and places mentioned in the Bible have been corroborated by historical and archaeological findings. For example, the existence of significant ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, is well-documented, and their interactions with Israel align with biblical narratives.
- Manuscript Reliability: The Bible has a large number of manuscript copies, some dating back to early centuries after Christ. The consistency among these manuscripts provides confidence in the preservation of the biblical text over time. Scholars utilize textual criticism to analyze and compare these manuscripts, reconstructing the original text to the best of their abilities.
- Fulfilled Prophecies: The Bible contains numerous prophecies that were later fulfilled. For example, Old Testament prophecies about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are seen as evidence of divine inspiration. Jesus fulfilled anywhere from 300 to 570 Old Testament prophecies. The statistical improbability of these prophecies being fulfilled often hundreds or thousands of years later by chance alone lends support to the Bible’s validity.
- Internal Consistency: The Bible is a collection of books written by close to 40 different authors over a span of centuries, yet it presents a cohesive narrative and consistent theological themes. The unity of its message despite diverse human authors is seen as evidence of divine inspiration.
- Impact and Influence: The Bible’s impact on world history, culture, and literature is undeniable. It has shaped societies, inspired great works of art and literature, and influenced moral and ethical frameworks. Its enduring significance suggests a source of wisdom and truth beyond human invention.
- Personal Experience: The number of people is unmatched and more numerous than we could count that can attest to personally experiencing a life transformation, comfort, guidance, and encountering God through their engagement with the Bible. While personal experience is subjective, the mass cohesion of these experiences over the span of thousands of years is yet another powerful aspect in defending the Bible’s validity.
Last thing I want to mention is that we put together a video that provides a list of some additional resources that can help you continue to pursue God’s truth in your life. From processing questions of faith to better understanding the Bible, the resources we provided in this video are ones that we would recommend and are well respected. You can watch the video HERE.
Nick Poole 
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