Qualification Range
A Course Study Into Christianity - Part 2
You may be of the opinion that the Bible is just a bunch of myths. The evidence suggests otherwise. The Bible has proven to be authoritative and reliable. If this is a concept that is at all surprising to you, you may first want to take a look at certain articles on our website which offer some of the evidence why you can trust the Bible:
We recommend the book I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. If you find that you are unable to read the Bible with an open mind because of various intellectual pre-conceptions, this book will be extraordinarily helpful.
One of the important themes of Scripture is how God is active in people’s lives. Indeed, it can be said that the Bible is largely about God’s take on reality; it is the story of God at work. The skeptic rolls his eyes at this thought and it becomes one reason why some people are inclined to reject the Bible. It seems hard for them to appreciate that God does regularly work in the lives of people. But let us offer a line of logic or reasoning to counterpoint. Here is a series of questions that we first read from Stan Telchin, a Jewish believer in Jesus (http://www.telchin.com/):
· First, is it reasonable to believe that there is a God? (Most people will say yes.) If so,
· Is it therefore logical to believe that God knows what is going on down here on earth? If, so,
· Is it then reasonable to believe that He cares about what is going on down here? If so,
· Is it also reasonable to believe that He cares enough to communicate his concerns to us? Then,
· How might he communicate to us? Isn’t it reasonable that he would communicate to us in ways that we could grasp, including historical events recounted in the Bible, and in fact, a permanent written communication such as the Bible itself?
This logical thought progression encourages us that we should not reject the Bible and its events out of hand. It is reasonable and logical that God would communicate to us in history and through the written word in the Bible. We hope that you will take this into consideration and approach this study with an open mind.
We recommend the book I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. If you find that you are unable to read the Bible with an open mind because of various intellectual pre-conceptions, this book will be extraordinarily helpful.
One of the important themes of Scripture is how God is active in people’s lives. Indeed, it can be said that the Bible is largely about God’s take on reality; it is the story of God at work. The skeptic rolls his eyes at this thought and it becomes one reason why some people are inclined to reject the Bible. It seems hard for them to appreciate that God does regularly work in the lives of people. But let us offer a line of logic or reasoning to counterpoint. Here is a series of questions that we first read from Stan Telchin, a Jewish believer in Jesus (http://www.telchin.com/):
· First, is it reasonable to believe that there is a God? (Most people will say yes.) If so,
· Is it therefore logical to believe that God knows what is going on down here on earth? If, so,
· Is it then reasonable to believe that He cares about what is going on down here? If so,
· Is it also reasonable to believe that He cares enough to communicate his concerns to us? Then,
· How might he communicate to us? Isn’t it reasonable that he would communicate to us in ways that we could grasp, including historical events recounted in the Bible, and in fact, a permanent written communication such as the Bible itself?
This logical thought progression encourages us that we should not reject the Bible and its events out of hand. It is reasonable and logical that God would communicate to us in history and through the written word in the Bible. We hope that you will take this into consideration and approach this study with an open mind.
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You can read the Bible online. One good source is Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway offers many different translations of the Bible. The New King James Version (“NKJV”) and the New International Version (“NIV”) are popular versions. One of our favorites for serious Bible study is the English Standard Version (“ESV”). The NKJV and ESV are word-for-word translations, while the NIV is a phrase-for-phrase translation and may take a little liberty with the text to make it easier to understand. For just everyday reading of the Bible, consider the New Living Translation (“NLT”). It makes reading the Bible as easy to read and as exciting as a novel! While not a word-for-word translation, the NLT is delightful.
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 http://www.biblegateway.com/ |
