Guidelines for Defending Your Faith, part 2

November 7, 2007

Dear Friend,

Last week in our Pastor’s Corner we talked about some basics of defending our faith and a few points to remember when people come up and question our beliefs. Now, over the next few weeks, let’s look at some common statements that people make and some responses to them. Many of these arguments have had chapters and books written in response to them, so my goal is to simply list some short and concise responses that I have found helpful in dealing with these issues.

“The Bible is full of contradictions, and no one can really trust it.”

A contradiction is where both statements cannot be true. For example, if one person says Mark is a boy and another says Mark is a girl, that is a contradiction. But when we look at the Bible, we find statements that initially might appear to be contradictory but really are not, especially when looked at scientifically and legally.

For instance, if there is a car crash, and four people who are witnesses are brought into court to testify of what they have seen, and each of them tell the exact same story, most would suspect that they had gotten together, had come up with a story, and there is some falsehood involved. Why? Because it’s well documented that when several people see the same thing, their stories will be slightly different based on their perceptions, their background, etc.

So when we see different perspectives in the Bible, like one gospel says there are two blind men, and another says there is one, that is not a contradiction. If I testify about a car accident that I responded to, and I tell about the one mangled patient that I focused all my efforts on, and a police officer testifies of the four teenagers he ran after, our stories will be very different, but indeed factual. The Bible has no true contradictions when one researches them out.

“If God is sovereign, and all powerful and all knowing, how can there be any choice? What’s going to happen is going to happen, in spite of your prayers or your faith or your beliefs.”

Okay, I can’t explain this one. But I believe that God is powerful and all sovereign, and that prayer does make a difference. Now, since I can’t explain it, scoffers will say it can’t happen. But I also believe in electricity, in diesel engines, and in the ozone layer, but I cannot explain them at all. But I’ve seen them work, and I’ve seen prayer work again and again. Remember, we don’t have to explain everything. Some things just have to be believed. Can you explain love? But I bet you believe in it!

“You Adventists are stuck in the Old Testament, but Christians today only need the New Testament.”

Yep, Adventists are stuck on the Old Testament that points to Christ, as well as the New Testament, that tells us about Christ. To not use the Old Testament is like tearing out the pages of a book, and just keeping the index. But why do I believe and study the Old Testament? Quite simply, because Jesus and the Apostles that wrote the New Testament did. Jesus said, “Search the scriptures.” “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (John 5:39; Luke 16:31; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). As Adventists we believe that all Scripture, including the Old Testament, is God-breathed and useful for us today.

Next week let’s talk about the new commandment that Jesus gave that cancels all the rest, as well as some other misconceptions of the Bible.

Mark