Posts Tagged ‘apologetics’
How can God kill people and steal their stuff?
Question: As a new Christian, I’m now studying the Old Testament. I am struggling with all the killing and death that God either does himself or makes his people do. I find it extremely difficult to wrap my head around the fact that he sent Moses up the hill and gave him the 10 commandments…
Read MoreHow Long Was the Egyptian Bondage?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/HowLongWasTheEgyptianBondage.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Exodus 12:30-41 I. As Christians, we need to be prepared to make a defense – Jude 3; I Peter 3:15 A. People don’t want to follow God’s word, so they figure if they can cast doubt in one area, they can ignore the Bible in all areas. B. One way is…
Read MoreIf everything comes from God, doesn’t evil come from God?
Question: You said in a writing, that all good things come from God. I can understand this and agree with it. But what I don’t understand is if by that same logic don’t all things come from God directly or by proxy, including all the bad and evil in the world? I don’t understand this…
Read MoreHow do I prove that Jesus exists and the Bible is true?
Question: How do I prove to an atheist that Jesus exists and that every word in the Bible is true? He believes in “om” and the energy runs the world. That life is made of energy. Answer: This person is not an atheist. An atheist does not believe in any higher being or force. The…
Read MoreWhy Is Evil Allowed?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/WhyIsEvilAllowed.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 8:6-13 I. It has happened again. Incomprehensible horror has struck to kill innocent children. A. But we want to know why? Why did it happen? Why couldn’t it be stopped? B. I’ve seen guns blamed, drugs blamed, psychological problems blamed, schools blamed, and, yes, even God blamed – Psalms 10:1…
Read MoreCould you review this debate on whether God exists?
Question: Can you look at this is a video of a debate asking if the God of the Bible exists? Now it’s lengthy, but I imagine you will skim through the main points. My question is if you could address some of the statements that were made because I feel the Christian side did a…
Read MoreProphetic Proof
Prophetic Proof – Part 1Prophetic Proof Part 2 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Deuteronomy 18:18-22 I. Throughout history there have been people claiming to know what others do not A. They claim to know mind of God and the future B. If you hint at questioning the truth of their claim, they get upset. C. Yet, Moses told…
Read MoreIs there any non-biblical evidence that proves the prophecies in the Bible?
Question: A friend and I talked for a little while tonight regarding Bible evidence, and when we talked about prophecy, he raised the argument that prophecies from the Bible verified purely from within the Bible can’t be used to prove the Bible. Is that a fair argument? And are there non-biblical evidence of prophecies coming…
Read MoreHow do I answer the claim that the Scriptures have some truth but can’t be infallible because men were involved in its writing?
Question: I was talking about the inspiration of Scripture with a friend. He claimed that the Scriptures had some truth and were inspired by God, but were not infallible because men had to have messed it up in our fallibility. He also said that there was no way God forced men to have written the…
Read MoreWhy do Christians always try to justify the Bible’s error?
Question: Peace be with you, My dear friend, why do Christians always try to justify the Bible’s error? Answer: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a…
Read MoreWhat if I say you can’t prove God is real?
Question: If religion (Catholicism) is the absolute truth, then how come when questions are asked about it no one can ever answer with facts, only faith and belief? Basically, if I say “you can’t prove God is real”, you can only prove it with faith and belief, no facts. Why is this? Where’s all the…
Read MoreCan you comment on the video “Real proof that Jesus is not real”?
Question: Can you just watch this video, “Real proof that Jesus is NOT real” and disprove it if you can? I’m a Christian but watching this tossed a curveball at me. I need your overview. Answer: It is so easy to forget that just because a claim is made, it doesn’t make it true. The…
Read MoreHow do you argue against abortion with a non-Christian? And how do you know when it is time to end a debate?
Question: I’ve found myself in a pretty heated abortion debate. I’ve had no problems finding inconsistencies in most of the arguments, but I’m seeing no progress made, and it’s taking quite a bit of time to answer the arguments, especially with things I’ve already said a number of times. I’m not seeing an end on…
Read MoreDidn’t You Already Say That?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DidntYouAlreadySayThat.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 119:9-16 I. Readers’ Digest back in 1982 release a condensation of the Revised Standard Version. The goal was to produce a more readable, shorter Bible that might attract people to the full Bible. A. It was soundly and universally rejected because the result ended up distorting the biblical message.…
Read MoreDid God condone rape?
Question: Can you show me with any credible, moral, and compassionate justification how passages such as Numbers 31:18 and II Samuel 12:11-14 are not examples of divine-sanctioned rape? Answer: In Numbers 31, the Lord ordered punishment on the nation of Moab. “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be…
Read MoreTactics for Defending Our Faith
Tactics For Defending Our Faith Part 1Tactics For Defending Our Faith Part 2 by Taylor Ladd Influence and Evangelism
Read MoreWhy Did God Have Children Killed?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/WhyDidGodHaveChildrenKilled.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Samuel 15:1-9 I. Some questions, by their very nature are difficult topics to take up. The things discussed make us queasy. A. Yet, you will find that those opposed to Christianity will often attack with these same topics for the very reason that they know it makes you uncomfortable.…
Read MoreThe Sacrifice of Isaac
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/SacrificeOfIssac.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 22:1-14 I. There are stories that cause some concern because they involve the concept of sacrificing a human being to God. A. They cause concern because the Bible is very clear about God’s opinion on human sacrifices. B. The slaying of humans invokes a death sentence – Genesis 9:5 C. False…
Read MoreWhy did God order the death of children?
Question: The Bible identifies, describes, and labels God in many ways. God is love, He is the redeemer, the savior, the beginning, the all-knowing, etc. God is also perfect and the Bible also says that God is a Judge, a righteous Judge above all. A righteous Judge administers the most fair and the most just methods…
Read MoreHow do you handle questions you can’t understand? Does it cause you to doubt that God exists?
Question: Have you ever doubted if God really exists? Have you ever been bothered about Eve coming from Adam’s rib or the apes theory? Or just anything science comes up with? Because I have. I don’t know how to get rid of it because I honestly don’t want to be an atheist. I think my Bible…
Read MoreWhy is Solomon hearing ants absurd, but Jesus turning water into wine or Moses parting the Red Sea not?
Question: The Qur’an said Solomon talked with ants and Christians claim this is absurd. But didn’t Jesus turn water into wine, and didn’t Moses divide the Dead Sea? Doesn’t all this fall into the same category as Solomon’s issue? Answer: The Qur’an claims that Solomon communicated with ants through the great wisdom that God gave…
Read MoreIs there any scientific evidence that Christianity is the true religion?
Question: I am not a Christian! But I have been thinking about that religion. I would like to know more about Christianity. Is there any scientific evidence that Christianity is the true religion? And didn’t the church oppose science some centuries back? Thanks. Answer: “Scientific evidence is the result of objective testing of a theory…
Read MoreThe Church of Oprah
by Dan Gatlin For decades, Oprah Winfrey has proclaimed faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, when one examines Oprah’s Jesus, he is not the same Jesus found in the New Testament. Oprah’s Jesus is not God in the flesh, but merely a “good man.” He is non-condemning and tolerant of “alternative lifestyles.” In short, her Jesus…
Read MoreDoesn’t the Bible say the earth is a circle as opposed to a sphere?
Question: Quick question or comment about the statement of the Earth being flat: You refute that claim with this: The real core of the argument is a claim that the Hebrew word tehom implies that something is flat. There is just one small problem. “Flat” isn’t in tehom’s definition. Tehom is “A noun meaning ‘the depths of the ocean'” But…
Read MoreWhy I Believe the Bible Is God’s Only Revelation
by Terry W. Benton There is something unique about the Bible that sets it apart from all other books that claim some kind of divine authority associated with them. Human Wisdom Alone Can Account For All Others When we examine each book there are features that lend credibility to the claim of inspiration in one…
Read MoreAnswering a Muslim Critic
by Larry Rouse Part 1 This week I received an e-mail from a Muslim, Mr. Husain, that was severely critical of those who believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. He reasoned that because the Bible was so discredited that our only alternative was to believe in the “only 100% purely existing…
Read MoreThe Bible is not meant to be read literally!
Question: Jesus never once hit a child to teach his lessons about love. The absence of true love for your child is the reason you hit them! Open your eyes to the fact that most Christians don’t know how to read the Holy Bible correctly. The Bible is not meant to be read literally! The…
Read MoreHow do you answer someone who doesn’t believe the Bible?
Question: Greetings Brother. I pray the Lord continues to bless you and the works you have undertaken. A month or two ago I posed a biblical question on a forum that quickly turned into a small argument over the Bible’s validity with another individual. I have known him to be an extreme liberal and unbeliever.…
Read MoreDoes the Bible state the world is flat?
Question: [This is the first point in an overly long document that was sent, purporting to prove there are errors in the Bible. This first point claims that the Bible states the world is flat. I’m not going to give space for false teaching, but I want to illustrate with this first point the errors…
Read MoreIs the Condemnation of Homosexuality Universally Immoral?
by Doy Moyer I know. Sounds like an odd question, but it’s one posed to an atheist recently based on all the condemnation of those who believe homosexual practice is sinful. He was objecting to the idea of universal, objective morality. In the process of this, he asked what kind of “objective morality” condemns homosexual…
Read MoreHow could a just God put a man in a place where he is unable to hear about Jesus and then send him to hell?
Question: From your sermon “The Lost Who Never Heard the Gospel”: “If people could be saved without going through Christ, then why would God have sent him to die?” Then is it safe to say that this God you say is a just God of love would create a human being, place him in a location where…
Read MoreWhy do you believe in God? If God loves us all, why doesn’t He let us all in heaven?
Question: Why do you believe in God? If God loves us all, why doesn’t He let us all in heaven? Answer: Why do you believe there is a Sydney, Australia? Assuming you have never been down under, what makes you believe it exists? There are multiple interlocking reasons why believing in God makes sense. I have…
Read MoreWhy did God prove He existed before but not now?
Question: My son has come to me asking questions about the church. He is a member of the church but has fallen away. His asking questions is a crack in the door I don’t want to miss out on. He’s asking why did God allow proof that He existed then, but doesn’t now. He said…
Read MoreGod cannot be tempted, but Jesus was tempted; so, is Jesus not God?
Question: My friend, who is an Arian, gave me this puzzling logic: God can’t be tempted, but Jesus was tempted; therefore, Jesus is not God. Is this true? Answer: For a Christian, it would be easy to spot this line of reasoning as a falsehood because it ends with a statement that contradicts the Bible.…
Read MoreAre the trials of Jesus historically accurate?
Question: Are the trials of Jesus historically accurate? I ran across a web site that claims that some of the details of the trial were not historically accurate, but rather made up. The web site also claims that Pilate was not portrayed accurately and that the trial before the Sanhedrin (or I assume the questioning…
Read MoreHow do you answer a teacher who claims religion is not based on evidence?
Question: How would you answer a professor who claims that religion and faith are not based on evidence, but rather they are based on what people “want” in life, contrary to scientific evidence and that what is considered scientific has to be “peer-reviewed”? To me it seems that my professor is operating on the assumption…
Read MoreThe Sum of God’s Word
by Frank Himmel via Gospel Power, Vol. 15, No. 25, June 22, 2008. Do you remember math class? We were taught that in multiplication the answer is called the product; in division, it is called the quotient; in subtraction, it is the remainder; in addition, it is the sum. Psalm 119:160 says, “The sum of…
Read MoreHow can such a loving God condemn people who have never heard of Jesus or the Bible?
Question: I came across an old teacher of mine today and we started talking. She tells me I should join the service or go to college. So I started telling her my views of how I think that the Rockefellers and other rich families run this world and have influence in all the educational outlets and…
Read MoreDoesn’t God want us to follow parts of the Old Testament?
Question: I appreciate the information you have on your page regarding the Old Testament. However, I am going to bring a challenge to you. Primarily for the purpose of learning myself. So please do not take any offense. It occurs to me that following the Old Testament was never intended for atoning permanently for our sins.…
Read MoreIt’s your fault that people are biased against homosexuality
Question: I find your “explanation” of homosexuality intended for young viewers to be detestable. I am rather sickened at the notion that you would take advantage of the ignorance of children and plant the seeds of hate within them. A person’s sexual orientation is no business of anyone but the one in question, and God. It’s because…
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