2001-5-28 08:13:00
Peter in talking to believers says to: "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." I Peter 3:15
This chapter is written for believers of various faiths in the hope that they will be stirred out of complacency and examine the reason they believe what they do believe as Peter advises. If an examination reveals that a belief is either unreasonable or unscriptural then such a belief should be reexamined in the light of truth. The author believes that many believers currently accept many religious ideas that are not logical, or Biblical, just as Paul prophesied: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, AND SHALL BE TURNED UNTO FABLES." II Tim 4:3-4
The people in this age are not much different from those in the days of Jesus of whom he said: "By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." Matt 13:14-15.
Paul also tells us that we should have "sound minds" (II Tim 1:7) so let us logically examine some illogical and unsound beliefs that may border on being called fables and see if we are really open as Jesus said we should be.
We shall go through a series of questions and answers. The questions are designed to make the believer think. The answers are those given by typical believers. Hopefully, these thought-provoking questions will cause the reader to re-examine his beliefs in the light of reason, Biblical truth, and the Holy Spirit.
WHAT IS GOD
QUESTION: What is God?
ANSWER: He is a Spirit.
QUESTION: Where can I find him?
ANSWER: He is everywhere
QUESTION: Is God then in the Devil?
ANSWER: No.
QUESTION: Then, may I take it that the Devil occupies a space where God is not present?
ANSWER: Yes, God could not dwell in such an evil being.
QUESTION: Then you do not really believe in a God who is omnipresent, or is everywhere?
ANSWER: He surrounds everything and His influence is everywhere.
QUESTION: You mean he influences the Devil and surrounds him, but the spot the Devil occupies is a place where God is not?
ANSWER: I guess so.
QUESTION: Now the God of the Bible says: "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" Jer. 23:24. David said: "If I ascend up to heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there." Psalms 139:8 Now we are told that God fills heaven, earth, and hell, but the place the Devil occupies He does not fill. Is that correct?
ANSWER: I can't see how God could be in the Devil.
QUESTION: But if God is not in the Devil, then He is not really omnipresent is He?
At this point the believer usually closes his mind and desires to shut off communication. He does not to follow reason to its inevitable end. Nevertheless, let us continue.
QUESTION: God said: "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." Isa 45:7. Do you accept from this Scripture that God created evil?
ANSWER: I guess, if the Bible says it.
QUESTION: Then did God create the Devil?
ANSWER: I suppose so.
QUESTION: Is God's Spirit then present in all of his creations or just part of them?
ANSWER: God certainly is not in the Devil.
QUESTION: The Bible tells us that there are many devils (Luke 8:30) Is God in any of them?
ANSWER: No.
QUESTION: How about wicked men like Nero or Hitler? Is God in them?
ANSWER: No.
QUESTION: Then you believe there are many places where God is not?
ANSWER: I told you His influence is everywhere.
QUESTION: Then do you believe like the Mormons, in a God Who dwells in one spot, but has an influence everywhere?
ANSWER: No, of course not.
QUESTIONER: But you just said that God is a Spirit that is everywhere. On the other hand, you retracted and said He is not in places of evil. I can then only conclude that you do not believe in an omnipresent God.
Here the believer becomes confused and is unable to utter a logical statement. If he is open-minded he may ask: How can God be in the Devil or evil persons?
The answer is quite simple. Jesus was with the men who crucified him, but they ignored him and continued to be evil. Similarly, God's Spirit is everywhere, just as the Bible teaches--even in devils, but evil entities ignore God's Spirit and may even fight against it. That does not mean that God is not there.
IS GOD ETERNAL
QUESTION: Is God eternal?
ANSWER: Yes.
QUESTION: Was there a beginning to creation?
ANSWER: Yes.
QUESTION: Then before there was any creation there was only God. Is this true?
ANSWER: Yes.
QUESTION: Then there was a time when there was nothing at all?
ANSWER: Yes. Nothing but God.
QUESTION: Then God had to make everything out of one of two things: nothing or Himself. Which was it?
ANSWER: Nothing.
QUESTION: Does it say anywhere in the Bible that God created everything out of nothing?
ANSWER: Not specifically.
QUESTION: Then you don't really know if God made everything out of nothing or Himself do you?
ANSWER: I guess I can't prove it.
QUESTION: Is God Something or nothing?
ANSWER: Something.
QUESTION: Then before there was any creation something did exist and that was God. Is that correct?
ANSWER: YES.
QUESTION: So if God made the worlds out of anything it had to be Himself, right?
ANSWER: I suppose.
QUESTION: This seems logical, since no one has ever demonstrated the creation of something from nothing. After all, do you know how something can be made from nothing?
ANSWER: It's done by the Will of God.
QUESTION: But even the Will of God is something, and if we are created from His Will, then we are still created out of God. After all, the Scripture does say that God fills heaven and earth. If God created heaven and earth out of Himself, then He would be everywhere and fill all things, wouldn't he?
ANSWER: Yes.
QUESTION: But if God created the Universe out of some nothing that was separate from Himself, when did he fill this creation? Was it as the creation was being formed or after it was formed?
ANSWER: I'm not sure.
QUESTION: If God is everywhere, then the smallest particle of matter has to have God in it. If God is in all things, then God has to be all things. Can you think of a logical reason why this is not true?
ANSWER: (He will not be able to think of one.)
IS GOD PERFECT
QUESTION: Is God perfect?
ANSWER: Yes.
QUESTION: Then you believe that God does not make mistakes?
ANSWER: Yes. He doesn't make mistakes.
QUESTION: Did God create you?
ANSWER: Yes.
QUESTION: Are you perfect?
ANSWER: No.
QUESTION: But if God created imperfect beings such as ourselves then God would have to be imperfect, wouldn't he?
ANSWER: No. God is perfect and created us perfect, but He has given us our freewill and, using this freewill, we make imperfections.
QUESTION: But who created your freewill?
ANSWER: God.
QUESTION: So we come back to the same conclusion. God created you and your free will in an imperfect state. How can you believe that God is perfect?
ANSWER: You are twisting things. (This is the answer a person gives when he doesn't want to face truth or admit that he has been wrong.)
QUESTION: Did God create the earth, the minerals, plants and animals?
ANSWER: Yes.
QUESTION: I notice that animals are also not perfect. Some get sick; others are dangerous and bite people. Did God make them imperfect?
ANSWER: I'm not sure.
QUESTION: How about plants and minerals? Very few crystals are nearly perfect and many plants are misshapen and off color. If God is perfect and He created everything, then why is everything not perfect?
ANSWER: It's because of man's original sin that all this imperfection came into the world.
QUESTION: But, apparently imperfection was already in the world, for the imperfect serpent was here when man arrived. Was man responsible for the creation of the imperfect serpent?
ANSWER: No.
QUESTION: So one must conclude that man is not responsible for all the imperfection in the world. Is this right?
ANSWER: I guess.
QUESTION: So who is responsible for imperfect creations?
ANSWER: The Devil. God makes things perfect, but man and the Devil corrupt them.
QUESTION: So when were you created perfect by God?
ANSWER: When I was born.
QUESTION: Are you saying then that all babies are perfect when they are born?
ANSWER: Well, I know that some are born without limbs and with defects. I must have been perfect when I was conceived.
QUESTION: But you were not created when you were conceived, and we know that nature aborts many conceptions, so even they are not perfect. If God is perfect and you are created at birth by Him, then why are not all babies perfect?
ANSWER: You are twisting things.
QUESTION: Do you really believe that God is perfect or is that just what you have been programmed to think?
ANSWER: You've got me confused. What's your answer?
COMMENT: The word used in reference to the perfection of God and Jesus was TELEIOO which implies the finishing of a job, assignment or mission. Thus the Bible references of the perfection of Jesus and his Father imply that when they accept a mission they are able to successfully complete it.
The word that implies perfection as we use it today in relation top God was the Greek word AKRIBELA. This is the perfection which implies never making a mistake. The interesting thing is this word was never used in reference to Jesus, or even God for that matter. BUT it was used in reference to the belief system of those who crucified the Christ. They saw Jesus as far from flawless and therefore it would be blasphemous to assume that he was the son of God.
The scripture which reads: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matt 5:48 is better translated as: "Therefore finish (or complete) the work you are given to do even as your Father in Heaven completes His."
No creator, not even God manifests flawlessness at the beginning of his work, but when the end is approached then the creation is perfected.
THE BIBLE
QUESTION: Is the Bible the infallible word of God without error?
ANSWER: Yes.
QUESTION: Which version is the perfect version?
ANSWER: They all say essentially the same thing.
QUESTION: Obviously, you have not studied different translations, for they often have great differences in meaning. For instance, in speaking of the Word of God, the King James reads: "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." John 1:3. The Concordant version reads: "All came into being through IT, and apart from IT not even one thing came into being which has come into being." One version makes it sound as if the Word was Jesus the man. The other version makes it sound as if the Word is a power or an aspect of deity, rather than a man. Do you believe that both of these versions are perfect?
ANSWER: Obviously, the King James Version is correct there.
QUESTION: Then is the King James the perfect version?
ANSWER: Actually, the original Greek and Hebrew are perfect. Some versions may distort the Word of God somewhat, but the King James is very close.
QUESTION: How about the word "perfect" being mistranslated as we mentioned?
ANSWER: I'm not so sure you are correct.
QUESTION: Let us pick another example. Fob instance, the scripture reads: "What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?" Matt 24:3
There are two mistranslations here "coming" comes from the Greek PAROUSIA which more correctly is translated as "presence". This word is used by Paul to demonstrate this: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence (PAROUSIA) only, but now much more in my absence." Phil 2:12 Thus we see that PAROUSIA means the opposite of "absence".
The second word that is mistranslated is "world." This comes from the Greek word Aion and means an age. A correct translation of this verse would read" "What will be the sign of your presence at the end of the age?"
All Greek and Hebrew scholars accept the fact that the King James or any other version has some translation that are not accurate. Do you disagree with them?
ANSWER: I do not think that God would allow us to have a flawed Bible.
QUESTION: But which version is the one with no flaws?
COMMENT: Obviously, no translation is perfect, for they all disagree with each other in numerous ways. We cannot even say that the earliest Greek and Hebrew manuscripts are without flaw, for we have no copies of the originals, and many things could have been added to or taken away from them.
Can you think of any questions that a believer would have a difficult time answering?
Copyright 2001 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved