Whenever any other religion besides Christianity approaches the issue of salvation, redemption, etc., the focus is ultimately on man.  While a supernatural figure or entity may enter into the picture, the responsibility of attaining perfection rests on man’s shoulders.  Christianity alone proclaims man to be incapable of achieving salvation on his own power.  The only way perfection can be attained is through someone who is perfect.  The Bible repeatedly states that mankind is fallen and sinful — by default, imperfect.  However, God sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to redeem mankind.  Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again three days later.  His death served as payment for the sins of humanity.  By confessing Jesus’ lordship and believing that He was raised from the dead, one may be saved.

The message of the Gospel truly is simple — confess and believe, and you shall be saved.  When a Christian understands the Gospel’s terms of salvation and recognizes the underlying assumption that all other religions hold, he can more confidently defend his faith.  Gaining a greater understanding of specific religions would certainly help in finding common ground when addressing non-believers — the apostle Paul provided an excellent example of this when he addressed the Greek Areopagus (Acts 17:16-34).  Even so, understanding that all other religions believe that man is basically good and capable of saving himself is a tremendous advantage.  How so?

If man is basically good, then it should be easily observed.  However, we see exactly the opposite.  Looking around on the news at all the crimes, violence, political corruption, and numerous other examples of immoral behavior should provide a clear picture of the state of mankind.  Some would argue that man only appears to be flawed because of society’s influence.  The problem is, people make up society.  How could society be the reason people are flawed, when society is made up of people?  If one truly considers the state of the world, it is readily evident that something is wrong; not just wrong on the surface, but inherently wrong.

Once we understand the true condition of man’s nature, we are better able to relate to any belief system we encounter.  Because other religions will teach — in some form or another — that man is basically good and can save himself, our response would be to point out the impossibility of this claim.  If man is basically good, then why does he continue to do bad things?

In order to stand before a holy God, man’s sinfulness must be fully atoned for.  Even so, the One who created mankind is eternally faithful, steadfast in His love, perfectly just and righteous, yet abounding in grace and mercy.  By accepting His gift of grace, there is no longer any need to seek salvation on one’s own might.  No one can satisfy the price for their sins — it’s too steep.  That’s what Jesus did on the cross 2,000 years ago. His death and resurrection are sufficient.  There need be nothing else.

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

One of the fundamental aspects of Taoism is its exploration of the existence and nature of the Tao.  The Tao is shrouded in mystery, so there is no specific way to define it.  In essence, it is a force that underlies all existence. It is believed that by becoming more in tune with the Tao, we can reach harmony with the universe.  This should be done via the principle of wu-wei.  Wu-wei advocates doing something because it is a natural action, as opposed to doing something that goes against the natural purpose of something or someone else.  Stated simply, wu-wei is performing an action because it comes naturally.  By aligning ourselves with the Tao through this “purposeful inaction” of wu-wei, Lao Tzu taught that the Tao would be able to work through us to achieve harmony.

Taoism holds that the Tao is divided into two parts — the Yin and the Yang — that are constantly opposed to yet interact with one another.  For example, where the Yin side represents dark, cold, and good, the Yang side represents light, hot, and evil.  This idea is represented by a circle with two halves, one white and one black, curling into each other.  While the opposite sides are opposed to each other, together they create balance and harmony.  Everything is believed to have a Te, or inner connection with the Tao.  Because the Te for one person, animal, object, etc. may be different from that of another, the characteristics present in one Te should not be imposed on that of another.  Doing so will cause the oppressed to resist, thus disrupting the harmony of the Tao.  According to Taoism, people should respect the different Te that others possess and abstain from imposing their own viewpoints on others.

Taoism teaches that while there is a degree of chaos and disorder in the world, this chaos can be remedied by aligning oneself with the Tao.  As one is aligned more with the nature of the Tao, he achieves peace and harmony in himself and helps bring order to society.  However, because good and evil are not only coexistent, but also considered mutually dependent, this harmony is achieved with no regard for moral absolutes.  After all, if the Te of each person is different, what if the natural flow of the universe would require someone to perform horrendous atrocities, all in the name of maintaining the balance of the Tao?  Since it is considered more worthy for balance and harmony to be achieved through the Tao, this is a necessary price that must be paid.

Taoism provides no standard for moral absolutes, and therefore no way of knowing justice.  The Tao is supreme, and allowing it to produce balance and harmony is considered the highest order.  However, approaching reality with such a relative attitude  towards moral standards is extremely dangerous.  If people are supposed to follow their Te in order to achieve harmony with the Tao, then we need to understand what the true nature of man is.  Regardless of whether man should pursue harmony with the Tao or not, his natural character is going to come out.  One can look at the world as a whole to see what happens when man follows his natural character.  It’s not pretty.  A look at the newspaper or news channel provides clear evidence that we live in a fallen world.  Taoism would argue that the deterioration we see in society is a result of falling out of harmony with the Tao.  The irony is that by telling people to follow their natural character, Taoism is encouraging the perpetration of brokenness and pain.  It fails to take into account man’s nature: fallen, helpless, and incapable of achieving perfection on his own (Romans 3:10-18).

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith….” (Romans 3:23-25)

God’s Word tells us what man’s true character is.  Man is sinful, and he has fallen short of God’s glory. He has no way of being justified on his own.  Even so, God sent his Son, Jesus, to pay the price for man’s sinfulness and rebellion towards Him.  The payment of Christ’s blood is sufficient for man’s sinfulness and satisfies God’s justice. Christ gave his life as a gift of grace, to be received through faith in Him.  As a result, no one can claim that through his own works he is justified in God’s sight (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Seeking to bring harmony to the universe by looking within oneself will only further the depravation in the world around him.  The only way man can be rescued from the vicious consequence of sin and death is to look beyond himself, placing his faith in Christ.

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

While the history of the Jewish people reaches much farther back in time, the term “Judaism” will be used to refer to the system of beliefs that developed in Jewish culture between 200 BC and 70 AD.  From 200 BC on, new traditions and ways of life developed that moved Judaism further from the religion of ancient Israel.  One of the primary developments was the impact of the office of the rabbi — a Jewish leader who holds religious authority.  After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, rabbis became the authorities for establishing religious traditions and laws.  As a result, Judaism is heavily influenced by the teachings and insights of these leaders.

While much of Judaism was heavily influenced by the teachings of the early rabbis, the religion has since divided into three major groups — Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative.  Orthodox Judaism places a heavy emphasis on tradition and strict adherence to the Law of Moses, as interpreted by the rabbis.  When the Enlightenment swept across Europe during the eighteenth century, many Jews felt the best way to preserve their identity was to pursue modernization.  The denomination of the faith that this movement gave rise to was eventually termed Reform Judaism.  Because of its emphasis on innovation and modernization, this branch is more liberal than the other two.  Finally, Conservative Judaism takes a more middle-ground approach.  While not as strict as Orthodox, Conservative Judaism does have some liberal elements as well.

Regardless of the denomination, Judaism maintains the basic premise that man is naturally good.  As a result, man is supposedly able to earn his salvation.  Whether that be ultimately realized in the legacy a person leaves (Reform and Conservative) or in a future physical resurrection (Orthodox), man is believed to be capable of achieving it on his own.  However, man isn’t in that kind of situation.  Romans 3:23 says that “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”.  Psalm 14:2-3 provides an Old Testament reference, as well:

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

When addressing the Jewish religious leaders on one occasion, Jesus put it a bit more bluntly:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.  So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” – Matthew 23: 27-28

While Jesus was addressing the hypocrisy of these leaders, the diagnosis of the human condition is the same.  Despite any attempts at attaining righteousness on his own, man’s efforts to earn salvation are like whitewashing a tomb.  People may appear to be good by the things they do and the ways they live, but their hearts are “desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9).

When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, He made a covenant with them.  That covenant required them to observe numerous laws and regulations.  However, many years after the Israelites had taken possession of the Promised Land, the nation that had been so magnificent under David and Solomon’s reign split in two.  Eventually, both Israel and Judah would turn away from the Lord, be invaded by a foreign nation, and taken into captivity.  Despite their unabashed apostasy, God promised the establishment of a new covenant:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.  And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord.  For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34

The new covenant that God promised was ultimately realized in His Son, Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for every sin committed by every human being.  Whereas the sacrifice of animals was required to sanctify a person under the old covenant, Jesus’ death freed us from sin and is able to “…purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”  (Hebrews 9:13-14)

“Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”
Hebrews 9:15

Judaism proclaims that good works are required for salvation to be obtained.  However, the covenant that God has made with mankind through Christ leaves no room for us to obtain salvation on our own.  It is only by His grace and mercy that we can ever receive eternal life.  (Titus 3:5-7) Because of his sinful nature, man maintains the belief that he can better himself on his own power.  While the “word of the cross” (1 Corinthians 1:18) may seem foolish to many, it is the only hope that mankind has for eternal redemption.

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

The term “Islam” means “submission”.  Consequently, a follower of Islam is known as a “Muslim”, or “one who submits (to the will of Allah)”.  In order to please Allah and gain entrance to paradise, Muslims must have their good works outweigh their bad works here on earth.  Though their entrance to paradise is determined by Allah alone, Muslims may make progress toward this goal by following the “Five Pillars” of Islam.  The Five Pillars are: 1) reciting the Shahadah (There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet), 2) praying five times a day, 3) giving alms, 4) regular fasting, and 5) if financially and physically able, making a pilgrimage to Mecca.  Additionally, Muslims hold the Quran to be the sacred word of Allah.  Certain other scriptures are accepted as well, but only the Quran is believed to have endured uncorrupted.

Because Muslims must perform good works in order to gain entrance into paradise, Islam is yet another religion that relies on the belief that man is basically good.   After all, if man were able to save himself by his own deeds, he must be perfectible by his own power.  As a result, if performing good works and following the Five Pillars are what make one good enough to gain entrance to paradise, man must be intrinsically good.  However, who determines what is “good enough”?  According to Islam, only Allah knows for sure.  One might spend their entire life as a devout Muslim, but still not perform enough good deeds to satisfy Allah.  While it might be satisfying to attempt to achieve salvation, what if all of one’s good deeds still weren’t good enough?

God understands our nature better than we do.  He realizes that we are sinful, lost, and totally incapable of performing enough – indeed, any – good deeds on our own power.  In essence, left to ourselves, we’re hopeless. However, in His infinite and unfathomable grace, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life on earth and to die for our sins.  His death paid the price for our sins – in full.  Consequently, if we accept His gift of grace, God accepts Christ’s death as payment for our sins.  Because it must rely on someone’s own deeds, Islam can only hope to cover over one’s sins with good works – much like covering an ink blot with white-out.  You might not be able to see it, but the blot’s still there.  It hasn’t been taken away. The question isn’t how many good deeds one must perform.  The problem lies in what must be done about the bad deeds. If the bad deeds can be taken away, the situation is resolved.  Islam can only hope to use enough good deeds to cover the bad ones.  Christ’s blood is sufficient to pay for every one.

While many may not consider Secularism to be a religion, it nonetheless holds a number of basic beliefs.  Fundamentally, Secularism denies the existence of God and seeks to provide an explanation for life apart from His sovereign rule.  As a result, it strives to explain reality only by the use of science and natural laws.  The belief that God doesn’t exist produces a number of additional consequences as well.  Without God, there is no standard of morality, no purpose or meaning to existence, and no afterlife.  Secularism holds that we only exist for the here and now, with no hope for an eternal future.  Therefore, any form of “salvation” is simply what one makes of life.  If there is no life after death, then the best thing one could do is to live their life to the point of maximum enjoyment.  Apart from any purpose or solid moral foundation, all of life becomes relative.

Needless to say, Secularism and Biblical Christianity are entirely at odds.  Secularism places its foundation solely on scientific reasoning, while Biblical Christianity is grounded on God’s Word.  Many would claim that because Secularism is supposedly able to explain reality by only natural means, Christianity’s acceptance of the Bible makes it entirely irrelevant.  However, they neglect to understand that true Biblical Christianity doesn’t discount scientific reasoning or natural laws.  In fact, those things would be unable to exist apart from a sovereign creator God.  If there was no omnipotent Creator over the universe, how could order be brought to chaos?  What about the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that the amount of disorder within a system can’t decrease, but can only increase?  Biblical Christianity doesn’t discount scientific reasoning.  Rather, it makes it possible!  Additionally, claims of moral relativism are completely illogical, as they contradict themselves.  If I say that all truth is a matter of opinion, is my statement true?  Secularism attempts to explain reality apart from God, but, upon serious consideration and honest analysis, it is entirely unable to provide a reasonable explanation.

If you’d like to explore the evidence for the reliability of the Bible, check out the “Apologetics” tab in the category menu to the left.  There’s also a series of posts addressing evolution in this section as well.

The central focus of Buddhism is the denial of desire.  According to the Buddha’s reasoning, desire is the root of all suffering.  The reason we experience pain is because we desire things.  Therefore, if we are able to end desire, we can also eliminate suffering from of our lives.  When we reach the point that desire no longer has a hold on us, we become enlightened and enter a state called “nirvana”.  While there are different variations of Buddhism that outline different doctrines, the goal of attaining nirvana is the same.  According to Buddha, salvation (nirvana) can be attained by following a list of teachings known as “The Four Noble Truths”, as well as “The Eightfold Path”, a list of characteristics and disciplines one should develop in their life.

Although some of the principles taught by Buddha are worthy goals to live by (doing good deeds, living a morally upright life), they fall short of satisfying the true need of every human being: freedom from sin.  Seeking to be free from desire in order to eliminate suffering is an impossible task.  After all, if one decides to eliminate desire in order to get rid of pain, aren’t they desiring to do that?  Pain is an inevitable part of life in a fallen world.  There is simply no way to dodge the presence of pain.  Suffering will still be present, regardless of how much one seeks to put an end to desire.

Buddhism’s teaching of becoming free from desire is inadequate because its focus is fundamentally flawed.  Pain is present only because the world itself (and consequently humanity) is broken.  Instead of focusing on a consequence of this brokenness, we need to look to its origin.  Pain and suffering are present because man rebelled against a holy God.  (Genesis 3) However, redemption is found in the death of Jesus Christ.  (Romans 3:21-24) By understanding that we are hopelessly lost and unable in any way to save ourselves (John 14:6), our eyes are opened to the truth of the Gospel, where true, eternal freedom from pain and suffering will certainly be found.

Many people today would claim that all religions are basically the same; that while they have their differences, all will eventually lead to the same place.  These folks would likely consider one’s religion to be of no more consequence than their favorite soda or sports team.  In the secularized society we live in today, religion has been downgraded significantly.  Instead of holding a place of reverence and awe, religion has been relegated to a point of mere preference.  As a result of this attitude, many people have fallen out of touch with the numerous differences in doctrine that various religions hold.

In the next few posts, we’re going to take a look at several religions.  Contrary to the view of many, we will see that there are in fact significant differences among these different belief systems — whether it be in the belief in an afterlife, the terms of salvation, the nature of God, the nature of man, etc.  Once we’ve briefly explored many of their basic doctrines, we will contrast them with Biblical Christianity.  As we delve into the foundational beliefs of these religions and uncover their bedrock assumptions, pay close attention to how they specifically clash with Christianity.  Once we’ve finished the series, we’ll take a closer look at the common thread that runs through every religion contrary to a Biblical Christian worldview.

With that said, there’s one last thing I want to point out.  In light of 1 Peter 3:15 — where we are called to give a reason for the hope within us — it can seem extremely daunting to believe that we would have to study every single belief system in order to understand how to defend our faith against it.  However, as we will see at the end of this series, there is a much more “efficient” way to address the beliefs we come into contact with. Even so, this still doesn’t give us the freedom to take a “Cliff’s Notes” summary approach — we need to be willing to dig deep into understanding other belief systems.  We need to be willing to do the research on Islam so that when we meet a Muslim, we can better relate to his position.  Paul did this with the Athenians in Acts 17. Through prior research and understanding of the culture he was in, Paul was able to effectively speak to the people in the Areopagus.  We too need to be ready to address those in our culture.  Over the next few weeks, we’ll take a closer look at just how we can do that.

Is there a particular dessert that you find absolutely mouthwatering?  One of those sweet-tooth satisfying dishes that makes a four-course meal look like a garnish?  All kinds of desserts come to my mind right now, but one in particular seems to stand out.  I really like mint chocolate chip ice cream.  Whenever I realize that there’s a carton of it in the freezer, my mouth gets excited.  Eating a scoop of mint chocolate chip is like having a fireworks show go off in your mouth.  The creamy texture and bold flavor of the cream bursts on your palate, while the chocolate chips go rolling around, tickling your taste buds wherever they travel.  No other ice cream can come close to rivaling the thrill of eating a waffle cone of this mouth-watering flavor.

Needless to say, mint chocolate chip ice cream is definitely my favorite.  But let’s say I meet someone who can’t say enough about how much they savor a cone of pistachio.  I could suggest that they are mistaken.  I could correct them and explain that what their taste buds truly desire is a delectable bowl of mint chocolate chip.  They would probably counter and say that they were perfectly fine with pistachio, and have no intentions of converting to a different flavor.  And thus the debate could go on and on, until we finally decide to quit and go to Baskin Robbins.

When the pistachio-lover and I part ways, will anything have been accomplished?  More than likely, no.  If anything, we’ll probably leave even more solidified in our respective ice cream preferences.  Arguing about which flavor is better is ultimately a lost battle on each side — neither person is going to concede their position.  The dispute will go back and forth, back and forth, with no change in sight.  While this may be a rather silly and humorous illustration, there is a much more serious parallel.

Whenever a Christian witnesses to an unbeliever or engages in apologetics, there is a strong tendency to bring the conversation down to the argument level.  One person presents their position, the other refutes them, and on and on they go.  Nothing is accomplished.  No one is ever going to enter the Kingdom of God because some Christian blasted their position with a superior argument.  It never works that way.  In Matthew 6:44, Jesus said that “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…”  People are not argued into the Kingdom of God.  They are drawn in by the Father.  When this truth is realized, witnessing and apologetics take on a whole new face.  The burden is not on us to present an argument that wins people to Christ.  We may be the instrument God chooses to use in sharing or defending our faith to someone, but we are never the ones who draw them in.  Our job is to simply share the gospel and give a reason for the hope that we have.  We need to leave the rest up to God.

The purpose of apologetics is not to create arguments, but to give a response to them.  There is nothing wrong with responding to someone’s challenge, but the response needs to be courteous and loving.  That’s rarely an easy thing to do, especially when you feel hurt and defensive after your faith is challenged.  However, consider what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

Whenever we engage in apologetics, our ultimate goal is to point people to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  What they choose to do with our presentation is completely up to them.  As long as we are faithful in our representation of Christ, present an answer for the hope that we have and make our responses in love, we can be content to leave the rest in God’s hands.  Again, none of us come to the Father by our own efforts.  We only come if He draws us. Witnessing and defending the faith are tough assignments, but choosing to give the results over to God make them all the more exciting and refreshing.  Even mint chocolate chip has to take second place in this one.

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Gyms are interesting places.  The equipment is interesting, the variety of people — and their workout routines — are interesting, and the music is interesting.  I’ve used my share of the equipment, I’ve observed several very unique workout regimens, but I’ve only recently thought very seriously about the music.  Most gyms play guitar-induced rock anthems that get the adrenaline flowing and keep you focused on your workout via their monotonous rhythm.  The gym I go to is no exception.  It’s odd in that downstairs in the locker rooms one hears all those gushy songs about love, life, and all that good stuff, but when you migrate upstairs to the weight systems, the mood quickly changes.  Guitars start crunching, drums start throbbing, and the occasional scream is elicited from the pulsing speakers.  Even though I can’t understand the words to most of the songs, there are a few that are intelligible enough to grasp something of a meaning from them.  And it just so happens that those few songs are also some of the most catchy.

Some songs are just destined to be catchy.  I don’t know what the formula is, but those exceptionally well-crafted pieces of music that conquer it can be mighty hard to get out of your head.  Sometimes that’s a good thing, but all too often it isn’t.  For a time I never really thought about the potential impact of the songs playing around me as I worked out, but when I would catch myself humming them later, I began to realize just how powerful the influence of a finely made song truly is.  Some songs are so well produced that they can enter your mind and embed themselves to the point that you sing them without realizing it.  However, therein lies a problem: just what are the songs we sing and listen to telling us?  Are we ingesting truth, or are we gulping down lies?  Be that as it may, songs are not the only area where this subconscious ingestion takes place.  What about movies, TV shows, speeches, books, or information taught in a classroom?  Just how often do we step back and take a look at the information that is flying at us and test it against Biblical truth?  Just how often do we, as Christians, choose to think critically about the messages around us?

Critical thinking is not an easy task, but it needs to be a very integral part of every Christian’s life.  2 Corinthians 10:5 instructs us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  While this truly is a tall order, it is of extreme importance if we are to lead our lives as obedient and effective Christians.  If our minds are not in order, we can hardly expect our lives to be any better.  Learning to take control of our thoughts in order to bring them under Christ’s control will drastically improve our focus and set our eyes more fixedly on Him.  Test your thoughts about a particular situation, person, etc.  Do they line up with Biblical truth?  Test the music you listen to, the movies you watch, the literature you read.  Are you allowing it to influence you negatively?  Or, even worse, is it something that should be influencing you in the first place?

I have already written one post that provides a basic definition of critical thinking (LINK).  This one isn’t written as a sequel to it, but more so as an accent mark. Critical thinking is a highly valuable pursuit that everyone — Christian or not — should cultivate in their lives.  However, we will never reap the benefits without first implementing the process.  I will be one of the first to say that I have a great deal of improvement to make in this area.  Disciplining yourself to stop and analyze all the messages that bombard you every day is indeed a challenge, but, like so many other disciplines in the Christian life, it is a challenge worth pursuing.

Internal Consistency

 The internal consistency and unity of the Bible is truly an amazing testimony to its divine authorship.  The forty men that God inspired in writing the Scriptures came from several different walks of life.  For example, Matthew was a tax collector, Peter was a fisherman, David and Solomon were kings, and Amos was a shepherd.1  Despite the different occupations, locations, and circumstances surrounding these men, the writings come together and give a solid, coherent book that maintains internal agreement throughout its pages.  Considering that the Bible was written over fifteen hundred years2, the fact that it is internally consistent becomes even more compelling!

Many critics of the Scriptures claim that the Bible contradicts itself.  However, claims of  “contradictions” are oftentimes the result of a desire to believe that the Bible is false, not as the product of careful research.  This link provides an example of an apparent contradiction and its very rational solution.  Many of the supposed contradictions are results not of an author’s mistake, but rather of a misunderstanding or a confusing translation from a manuscript’s original language into another.  Consider also that different Biblical authors wrote with different styles.  The four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — are all written with different stylistic techniques.  Much of the information provided in the different accounts on particular miracles and events doesn’t point to contradictions, but rather to the author’s decision to include specific information relevant to his telling of the Gospel.  After all, if all four Gospel accounts were identical, it would be easy to assume that corroboration was involved in their writing.

Fulfilled Prophecies

 As the Biblical authors wrote their respective books, they made hundreds of prophecies.  All of these prophecies — minus a few regarding Christ’s impending return — have come true.3  No other religious book can claim anything near the number of prophecies fulfilled in the Biblical Scriptures.  Consider these examples.

In Ezekiel 26 — which was written in 587 B.C. — a prophecy was given about the destruction of the city of Tyre.  The city was divided into a land-based section and an island extension.  Ezekiel prophesied that God would “bring many nations against” Tyre (v.3), specifically stating that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would “ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword” (v. 8).  Ezekiel also prophesied that “They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea.” (v. 12)  He further stated that God said He would make Tyre “a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets.” (v. 14)  Let’s take a look at what happened, shall we?

Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the mainland city of Tyre in 573 B.C.  Refugees from the devastated city fled to the island extension.  However, their escape from disaster proved only temporary.  240 years later in the year 333 B.C., Alexander the Great besieged Tyre.  In order to reach the island city, rubble from the demolished mainland portion was thrown into the sea to form a causeway.  Able to cross over to the island, Alexander and his troops finished the job, and Tyre was completely annihilated.  Over 2,000 years after these astonishing events, the once mighty city of Tyre is now nothing more than a small fishing town where fishing boats spread their nets.4

In addition to prophecies concerning cities and nations, there are nearly one hundred prophecies about Jesus throughout the Old Testament.  For example, in Micah 5:2, Bethlehem is prophesied to be the city in which the Messiah will be born.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4-7).  In Zechariah 11:12,13, there it is prophesied that the Messiah will be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver.  Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15).  In Psalm 22, details are given about the Messiah’s crucifixion.  (This is especially fascinating, since this Psalm was written 800 years before crucifixion was ever employed as a means of execution.)5  It is stated that the Messiah will be pierced in His hands and feet (v. 16), that his garments will be divided among those who crucify Him, and that lots will be cast for His clothing (v. 18).  Matthew 27:35 affirms that, “When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”

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 When all the evidence for the veracity of the Bible is laid on the table, it truly conveys a compelling case.  The Bible is a God-inspired book with insight into the human condition unlike any other piece of literature.  Not only does the Bible provide astounding insight, but it also conveys the most hope-filled message of all time.  While the Bible clearly states that man is sinful, it outlines the steps a person needs to take to be free of his or her sin.  Those steps are found in Romans 10:9.

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Saved from what?  From our sin.  Many people believe that simply being a good person is enough to get into heaven.  Going to church, giving money to charity, volunteering for a cause, etc. are all good, but they don’t ensure eternal salvation.  The Bible gives a list of things a person must do — perfectly.  That list is the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20: 1-17)  If a person breaks just one of them, they are unfit to enter heaven.  Sin has hideously blemished them.  However, there is hope.  Because it is impossible for man to live his life perfectly, he is in desperate need of a savior.  That Savior is Jesus Christ.  God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die a horrible, bloody, and tortuous death on a cross for the sin of the world — past, present, and future.  Three days later, God raised Him from the dead.  Because Jesus died and shed His blood for us, we can be eternally cleansed from our sin.  What one needs to do is “confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead”.  And then you will be saved.

1. – Patrick Zukeran, “Authority of the Bible,” Probe Ministries, (2005), http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4227389/k.6202/Authority_of_the_Bible.htm (accessed February 5, 2010).
2. – Ibid.
3. – Mark Cahill, One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven (Rockwall, TX: Biblical Discipleship Publishers, 2007), 157.
4. – Zukeran, op. cit.
5. – Cahill, op. cit., 157-158

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.