Course 101. foundations for Christian beliefs

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2 Introduction: Course 101 is a four week course that explores the foundations for Christian beliefs and answers some of the most commonly asked questions about the Christian faith. The course will address misconceptions about God, Jesus and the Bible. Both those who have experience with Christianity and those just beginning to consider it will have the chance to explore how Christianity addresses questions about the meaning of life, our purpose and the longings of our hearts. Chapter 1 The existence of God Chapter 2 The problem of evil Chapter 3 The reliability of Biblical texts Chapter 4 The uniqueness of Jesus vs other religions

3 The existence of God Chapter 1 Does God exist? This might be one of the most important questions that a person can ask. Purpose and meaning are based on how a person concludes the answer to this very important question. The existence of God could be proven easily if God would simply reveal Himself. So the question could also be asked, why doesn t God reveal himself more clearly? Before we explore the possibilities lets look at the two most common views: Atheist; a person who believes that there is no god. Another name for this view would be a materialist. A materialist believes that all that exists is the material universe. Theist; a person who believes that God exists outside of the material universe and created all matter in the universe. Question? Why do you think people have such differing views? page 1

4 The existence of God Chapter 1 The Christian view is obviously theistic but also believes that God HAS revealed Himself clearly. Notice this verse from the bible: Psalm 19: 1 The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Q. Do the heavens (creation) display the craftsmanship of God (creator)? There are two reasons why Christians believe that God has revealed Himself clearly through creation itself: 1. The Cosmological Argument. (Why do things exist?) Our universe exists and can be easily observed. We see the stars, sunsets, landscapes, animals and Chic-fil-a waffle fries. Q. What are things that you find most impressive about creation? Here are three reasons that the existence of our universe actually points to a creator who must have intelligence. a. Our universe had a beginning. Almost every scientist agrees that our universe had a beginning which is commonly referred to as The big bang. Stephen Hawking on the Big Bang A Brief History of Time (New York: Bantam, 1988), pp Hubble's observations suggested that there was a time, called the big bang, when the universe was infinitesimally small and infinitely dense. Under such conditions all the laws of science, and therefore all ability to predict the future, would break down. If there were events earlier than this time, then they could not affect what happens at the present time. Their existence can be ignored because it would have no observational consequences. One may say that time had a beginning at the big bang, in the sense that earlier times simply would not be defined. It should be emphasized that this beginning in time is very different from those that had been considered previously. In an unchanging universe a beginning in time is something that has to be imposed by some being outside the universe; there is no physical necessity for a beginning. One can imagine that God created the universe at literally any time in the past. On the other hand, if the universe is expanding, there may be physical reasons why there had to be a beginning. One could imagine that God created the universe at the instant of the big bang, or even afterwards in just such a way as to make it look as though there had been a big bang, but it would be meaningless to suppose that it was created before the big bang. An expanding universe does not preclude a creator, but it does place limits on when he might have carried out his job! page 2

5 The existence of God Chapter 1 b. Something cannot come from nothing. Our universe is made up of material. Matter doesn t just spring into being on its own. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. This puts the atheist in a tough position. They must explain how the energy or matter got there. Atheists have been trying to come up with any possibility that excludes a creator. Watch: A universe from nothing (4 minutes) Q. What would your first question be for Lawrence M. Krauss about his theory? c. There must be a cause. There must be an uncaused first cause that would be beyond space & time, not physical or material and have intelligence. Watch: Kalam Cosmological Argument (4 minutes) 2. The Teleological Argument (Order points to a designer) The second law of thermodynamics states that things go from order to chaos rather than from chaos to order. The very complex order in our universe is hard to ignore and goes directly against this scientific law. A few examples: Our planet- we could only exist in a perfectly positioned planet in a perfectly positioned solar system. Our bodies- the systems in our body (skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, central nervous, reproductive and digestive) are all dependent on each other and seem to point to a very intelligent design. Our cells- our smallest common denominator is more complex than any man made computer or device. DNA seems to be a designed code. Antony Flew (Professor of Philosophy, former atheist, author, and debater) "It now seems to me that the findings of more than fifty years DNA research have provided materials for a new and enormously powerful argument to design." page 3

6 The existence of God Chapter 1 Q. In your opinion, which argument makes the strongest case for a designer? Why? The Cosmological and Teleological arguments do not prove that God exists, but seem to be a fingerprint of an intelligent designer. It appears to be a clear revelation of His handiwork. Q. Why do you think it is so difficult for people to believe in God? Q. What are the problems that might prevent a person from believing in God? In our next chapter we will be looking at the problem of evil in our world. How could a good and loving God create a world that would be filled with such suffering and evil? page 4

7 The problem of evil Chapter 2 How could a good and loving God create a world that is filled with such suffering and evil? This is a legitimate question. It is very easy to see that suffering exists. Natural disasters, disease, hunger and mans own inhumanity toward man are very evident. Every person has been touched in one way or another with the reality of suffering. Question? If you were all powerful and could rid the world of one area of suffering, what would you get rid of first? Why? If you had the power that God has you would ease suffering around the world. So why doesn t God do the same? Most people doubt the existence of God due to this issue. This objection can usually be separated into two arguments. 1. Intellectually, it is irrational to believe that a God would allow suffering and evil to exist. 2. Emotionally, it is very difficult to accept that a God would allow suffering and evil to exist. Before we explore these arguments, let me ask you a few questions about these views. What would you say is the difference between these two views? In your opinion, which of the two views is stronger? page 5

8 The problem of evil Chapter 2 It may seem irrational to believe or difficult to accept that a God would allow suffering and evil to exist, but this actually becomes a big problem for the atheist. An atheist would have to explain why we see suffering and evil as wrong. In fact, refusing to believe in God on these grounds (God must be wrong to allow suffering and evil) begs the question; where do we get our sense of right and wrong from? The Christian view is that our sense of right and wrong (morality) comes directly from God and can be proven with three lines of reasoning. A. If God doesn t exist than Objective Morality doesn t exist Objective Morality is a truth that is binding and independent of peoples opinions. exp. Even if the Nazi s won the war and convinced everyone that they were right, the holocaust would still be wrong. Subjective Morality is a view based on the opinion of others. exp. Slavery was once socially acceptable and now considered a stain on our countries national history. Key=If God doesn t exist, humans are no more special that any other living creature. Our morality is completely subjective. Atheist Sam Harris defines morality as what is best for human flourishing. This is subjective at best. Why not bug flourishing? Isn t it subjective to exterminate the bed bug population in your home? That doesn t sound very moral from their perspective. If morality is based on human flourishing than you could argue that any act such as rape or even murder could benefit the flourishing of that individual. B. Objective Morality does exist Almost all people (atheists, philosophers, students) believe that objective morals do exist. For example: murder, rape, abuse of children are all considered wrong even if the person committing those acts doesn t realize it. They are considered morally broken people. On the other hand: everyone agrees that love, mercy, justice & sacrifice are absolutely good. Key- An atheist cannot make the claim that behaviors are evil. If someone decides to rape for their own flourishing it might not be socially acceptable, but you cannot say that it is wrong. Many animals practice rape (great white sharks, dogs and even cute little mallard ducks) and if we all are here through random chance we are no more significant than those animals. Why should we even be aware that these behaviors are considered wrong. page 6

9 The problem of evil Chapter 2 C. Objective Morality does exist, therefore, God must exist If A and B are true, you are driven to the conclusion that God must exist. Objective Morality must come from something higher than us that has imprinted His moral values into us. This is consistent with what the Christian believes. Consider these verses: Romans 2:14,15 when Gentiles who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness. This verse implies that Gentiles, those growing up with out knowledge of Gods laws, also have knowledge of Gods laws written into their own consciences. Conclusion: Our sense of right and wrong actually point to a moral law giver. So, if God allows us to recognize good and evil, why would He allow it in the first place? Is it rational to believe that God might allow suffering and evil for a higher purpose? Does God have morally sufficient reasons for allowing the suffering and evil to exist? Let us look at four reasons why Christians embrace God in spite of the reality of the existence of evil and suffering in our world. 1. The chief purpose of life is not happiness, but knowledge of God We are not just pets for God and deserve some very happy and safe playground. We can freely choose to know and love God or we can freely choose to reject God. 2. Mankind is in a state of rebellion against God and His purposes for our lives We are more consumed by our drive for happiness than Gods purposes. Many of the worlds evils are caused by mans own selfish decisions. We are not in the best position to assess the probability that God has morally sufficient reasons for permitting the suffering and evil that occurs due to our own drive for happiness. 3. The knowledge of God is an incomparable good A person can easily weigh the good that might come from suffering. For example: A mother loving a child after the pain of child birth, the benefits of a painful surgery or even the benefits that come from painful physical training. Most often, a person will only pay attention or search for God when they suffer. Watch: Lunchbox: Suffering UCCF (3:30 minutes) page 7

10 The problem of evil Chapter 2 4. The knowledge of God spills over into eternal life In light of eternity, current periods of suffering will be extremely brief. 2 Corinthians 4:17,18 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Conclusion: The Christian is not surprised at all by the sufferings of this life. In fact, most Christians would actually say how their sufferings have been a benefit to them in getting to know God and become necessary in learning how to empathize with others who are suffering. Moreover, the Christian view offers hope to those who are suffering. There is a purpose for the person who goes through suffering in this life. Question? Why do you think that we might not be in the best position to assess our circumstances in relationship to God? Question? Why do you think people are more likely to turn toward God when they are going through a very difficult time in their life? In our next chapter we will be discussing the reliability of biblical texts. How can books written by men over 2000 years ago have any relevance for our lives today? Haven t they been changed over the years? Isn t the bible full of contradictions? How can we know and trust that the bible is true? page 8

11 The reliability of Biblical texts Chapter 3 Is the Bible reliable? How can a book written over 2000 years ago have any relevance in our lives today? Isn t the bible full of contradictions? How can we know that the bible is true? These questions are very important and deserve answers. Christians believe the Bible is reliable, relevant, without contradiction and absolutely true. Before we look at the reasons why Christians believe this let me ask a question? Question? What are the top reasons that people might be skeptical of the Bible? Almost all Christians would say that they know the Bible is true and that it is trustworthy because of the way the words have had impact on their lives. This might be true, but this is unlikely to hold up in court. Let us explore three other reasons why Christians believe the Bible to be true. 1. Historicity affirms the reliability of Biblical texts The first question people should ask is wether or not what we have today in our Bibles is the same as what was originally written. Historiographers determine the authenticity of ancient writings using a simple historicity test. They look for the number of ancient copies (hand written manuscripts) in possession to see if accurate copying was done. If there are only a handful of manuscripts it means that any error introduced during the copying process would propagate more easily and it would be exponentially harder to detect the mistakes because of the lack of manuscripts to compare it with. For example, if we only had one copy in existence, we would have no idea if there were any corruption or errors introduced during the copying process since the original and subsequent copies are no longer in existence. If there were three copies total we could have a slightly higher level of confidence, however, if there were any differences between the copies, we would not have much confidence which is the more accurate copy of the original. If there were thirty copies in existence you can imagine that even if there were differences one could potentially look at the other copies (especially if some of them were earlier) and arrive at a more approximation of the original. page 9

12 The reliability of Biblical texts Chapter 3 Here is a chart to show how many manuscripts we have of ancient writings and the time gap between the original and the earliest copies. Obviously, the New Testament documents enjoy an extremely high level of confidence in terms of their fidelity to the original. We also have over 89,000 quotes from the early Church fathers that corroborate the manuscript evidence. There is no ancient work in history that comes close to the amount of manuscript evidence that affirms the Bible. 2. Accuracy affirms the reliability of Biblical texts The Bible shows precise historical accuracy in the events that it mentions. It would be easy to disprove the Bible if it made up fictitious names, places or kingdoms. In fact, the Bible stands out amongst other religious texts by using specific places and events that can easily be checked out. Here is what the Smithsonian Museum states about it. In short, it is impossible to verify the actual events recorded in the Biblical account of the flood. On the other hand, much of the Bible, in particular the historical books of the old testament, are as accurate historical documents as any that we have from antiquity and are in fact more accurate than many Egyptian, Mesopotamian, or Greek histories. These Biblical records can be used as are other ancient documents in archeological work. The Bible as History, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History page 10

13 The reliability of Biblical texts Chapter 3 Many critics of the Bible have tried to look for holes in the Bible. They asserted, for example, that chapter 53 from Isaiah (in the old testament) MUST have been written after Jesus by the Church to insert prophecies back into history because it contains such explicit prophecies of Jesus. This was a popular practice by secular academia until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Famously, the entire scroll of the book of Isaiah was found. The scrolls were dated around 150 years before Jesus was born. Today no reputable scholar would continue to hold to the same argument that they would have had before the discovery. Watch: Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (2 minutes) Randall Niles One other interesting fact about the book of Isaiah, which was written about 700BC, is found in chapter 40 verse 22. He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. Isaiah 40:22 Science taught that the earth was flat until 1492 or over 2000 years after Isaiah was written. How did the writer know that the earth was round? What we have in our Bible today matches the scroll of Isaiah almost perfectly. The accuracy of Biblical texts are good enough for the Smithsonian and would hold up in court today. 3. The consistency of Biblical texts affirms its reliability The Bible contains 66 different books, written by 40 different authors, in 3 different languages, over a 1500 year period. The harmony of the Bible is demonstrated by the readers ability to cross reference the Bible on thousands of subjects. Subjects that are still relevant today. The Bible shows a remarkable unity in its message and even in controversial subjects. It persistently presents one problem (sin) and one solution (Jesus). Every eyewitness and authors is consistent with himself, with each other, and with other eyewitnesses and historians of the events. page 11

14 The reliability of Biblical texts Chapter 3 The honesty of the Bible is consistently presented. In most mythological stories the heroes are portrayed in glorifying ways. The heroes of the Bible are embarrassingly portrayed. Here are just a couple of examples. 1. Moses was a murderer, afraid and a poor public speaker who had to be bailed out by his brother 2. David was an adulterer and murderer who s own son tried to have him killed 3. The disciples constantly misunderstood Jesus and ran from the people who took Jesus captive 4. Peter, who was a leader in the early Church, denied that he knew Jesus before he was crucified 5. Jesus refused to defend Himself at His trial that led to execution while no one came to His rescue Question? If you were going to make up a religion, wouldn t you leave out the most embarrassing parts of the story? Wouldn t it have been easy for them to re-write the script and put themselves in a better light? The Bible is consistent in theme, unity and honesty. The Historicity, Accuracy and Consistency show the reliability of the Biblical texts, but does not necessarily prove that what it says is true. You would have to read it yourself, with an open mind, to determine wether or not you think it is true. Question? Which line of reasoning do you find most impressive that affirms the reliability of Biblical texts? Question? On what ground might you still be able to attack the credibility of the Bible? In our next chapter we will be discussing the Uniqueness of Jesus vs other religions. What is it that makes Jesus so special? Aren t all religions pretty much the same? What does this have to do with my life and the longings of my heart? page 12

15 The uniqueness of Jesus vs other religions Chapter 4 Many studies show that only 2% of the worlds population identifies as being atheist. Similar studies show that only 9% of the people consider themselves to have no religion at all. That means that the overwhelming majority of people claim to be religious. Many people believe that all religions are the same and that they all lead to the same place in the end. In many philosophy classes today they use the old parable of the elephant and the blind men in order to explain this idea. Watch: The blind men and the elephant (2 minutes) Question? What is the obvious flaw in this philosophical parable? The problem with the claim that all religions point to the same thing is that the argument is radically flawed. The foundations of the different religions are contradictory. Imagine two people describing an airplane. One describes an airplane perfectly and the other describes a snail. Both descriptions are contradictory. This is exactly what happens when you describe claims from world religions. For example; Christianity claims that Jesus is God and Islam claims that Jesus is not God. Judaism claims that there is only one God while Hinduism claims that there are many gods. They cannot all be true. Jesus made the claim that He was the only way to God (John 14:6) and many people say that it is a very arrogant statement. Only a narrow minded person would believe such a statement. Consider this critique. If you believe that Jesus is being arrogant, you are actually making a truth claim. Isn t that being narrow minded? To say that Jesus and His followers are blindly touching the elephant is to say that you are in a better position to see and completely describe the elephant. Everyone should be listening to you because you must know the way to God. Can you see how this is just as arrogant? Let me explain why Christians actually believe that Jesus is the only way to God. It is almost universally accepted by secular historians that Jesus was born around 3BC and died around 27AD. Many people think that He was a very good teacher or possibly a political revolutionary. Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to God based on His resurrection from the dead. They believe Jesus was resurrected based on four facts. page 13

16 The uniqueness of Jesus vs other religions Chapter 4 Fact #1. Jesus was crucified and buried There is little to argue about the historicity of Jesus crucifixion. Not only is it recorded in the New Testament documents, it is affirmed by non-christian secular sources such as the Jewish Talmud, Josephus (Jewish historian), Tacitus (Roman historian), Lucian (Greek satirist) and Mara Bar-Serapin (Syrian philosopher). The Gospel accounts record that Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin. The historicity of the burial account is agreed upon by the majority of scholars for a couple of reasons. There was a strong resentment against the Jewish leadership for their role in the condemnation of Jesus and Christians wouldn t invent a member of the court that could be easily verified. No other burial story exists which lends credibility to the original source because it was never in dispute. Fact #2. The empty tomb. Shortly following His crucifixion, Jesus tomb was discovered to be empty. The site of Jesus burial was known to the Christian and Jews alike. If the tomb were not empty it would have been nearly impossible for a movement founded on the belief of the resurrection to have begun in Jerusalem, the very city where Jesus was publicly executed and buried. Secondly, the Gospels report women as the first witnesses of the empty tomb. This report supports the authenticity of the account because it would have been embarrassing for the disciples to admit. Women were not regarded as reliable witnesses in a court of law at that time. It would be more credible to say that one of the disciples discovered the empty tomb. Fact #3. The Post Mortem Appearances The disciples believed they had seen the risen Jesus. The disciples were radically transformed by their belief that they had seen the risen Jesus. These men were seen running away during Jesus trial and even denied knowing Him. Suddenly they emerge as men who died teaching about the hope of the resurrection. Paul, the author of much of the New Testament documents, also was an eye witness to the risen Jesus. Paul once arrested Christians and gave his approval to their executions became a defender of the resurrection. He held this position until he was killed for his beliefs. James, the brother of Jesus, didn t believe his brother was God until after he witnessed the risen Jesus and later was killed for this belief in 62AD. Over 500 people witnessed the risen Jesus at one time (1 Cor 15:6). This letter was widely circulated less than 20 years after the events of the resurrection had occurred and could easily be verified by the people who had been there as the letter suggests. page 14

17 The uniqueness of Jesus vs other religions Chapter 4 Fact #4. The birth of the Christian Church. Shortly after Jesus death, the Christian religion erupted onto the scene, rapidly spreading throughout the Roman Empire. The fact that it spread about in Jerusalem is telling because that is the very city where Jesus was publicly crucified and buried. If the disciples claims were fabricated, there would have been a lot of people in Jerusalem who could disprove the disciples and Christianity would have died. It would have been easier to make up a story that Jesus appeared somewhere other than Jerusalem where no one would dispute the claims. These four facts demand an explanation. What could have happened which could make sense of all of these facts outlined above? Critics have suggested a few alternative ideas. A. The disciples hallucinated- The disciples, the women at the tomb, Paul, James the brother of Jesus and the 500 people would have all had the same hallucination. Gary Collins, the former president of national association of psychologists wrote, by their very nature only only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. B. The disciples stole the body- The disciples would have had to create a conspiracy that included Jesus bother and Paul. All of these men went to their deaths, some in horrible ways, claiming that Jesus rose from the dead. C. The resurrection became a legend that developed over time- The story would have had to be gradually exaggerated and you just don't see this in the documentary evidence. The New Testament documents are dated within the same generation of the events that were recorded. They would have been easily challenged by the people who were there. The best explanation, although a super natural explanation, is that Jesus actually rose from the dead and appeared to the eye witnesses. The resurrection makes Jesus unique among other religions. If Jesus rose from the dead then you must consider His claims. Jesus claimed to be God and came to us in order to save us from our sins. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life All other world religions have one similarity in contrast to the claims of Jesus. The world religions all have a system of attaining favor from a god or gods based on your own ability to perform good works in order to make up for the wrongs that you have committed. Jesus claimed to have come down to us in order to perform the works that we could not do ourselves. page 15

18 The uniqueness of Jesus vs other religions Chapter 4 Jesus claimed to be the only way to God and our faith in Him gives us eternal life based on what He did rather than on our ability to perform good works. This makes us totally dependent on Him rather than our abilities. The famous author, C.S. Lewis, argued that it is impossible to believe that Jesus is just a good teacher. If He wasn t who He said He was than he was a liar or possibly crazy. The other alternative is that He was telling the truth. We would have to decide how we will respond to the claims of Jesus. Christians believe that their sin has separated them from a holy God. God sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sins in order to reconcile our relationship with Himself. His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead satisfied the justice of God and stands as proof that God loves us. He calls us to follow Jesus with our lives and turn away from living our lives for ourselves. Like a marriage, we can be united to God through our relationship with Jesus. He promises to guide us through life with His Holy Spirit, His Word and the help of other believers (the church). Question? If this is true, how is this relevant to your life today? The strongest evidence is the super natural interaction with His followers. It is almost impossible to ignore the change that happens inside of the believer when they decide to become a follower of Jesus. The relevance for the Christian believer is the daily impact of God in their lives. page 16