A debate took place between a Christian and an Atheist. The Atheist raised an argument about the Pillar Jacob erected on Rachel’s tomb in the Bible (Genesis 35:16-22). The Bible says the pillar is ‘‘there to this day.’’ His argument was that the Bible’s validity hinges on locating the pillar it claims is still present to this day. Once we discover the pillar, he won’t hesitate to believe in God.
The Bible reveals that Joshua and the Israelites killed the king of Ai and buried him under a heap of stones that remains to this day (Joshua 8:28-29). The Atheist was adamant that we locate that pile of rocks to validate the accuracy and reliability of the Bible. He employed identical arguments for the Temple of Solomon and other biblical passages, asserting that we must discover these things today for the Bible to hold true.
In another debate between a Muslim and a Christian, the Muslim asked the Christian to show him where in the Bible Jesus says ‘‘I am God, worship Me.” Several Muslims consider this apologist to be a genius for employing that argument against the Christian, as if it is the only way to show that Jesus is God.
I had a discussion with a brother in the Christian faith. I voiced my concerns about the lack of agreement among our many theological perspectives. The Christian brother, who was studying theology said, ‘‘that’s okay, everyone needs to have their own theology.” Well, if that’s true, what should we do with the many verses in the Bible that emphasize unity? I asked. The conversation suddenly grew quiet.
It’s not always necessary to rely on someone to interpret certain things in the Bible. Often, basic logic and common sense are all that’s needed. That the Bible mentions something ‘‘is there to this day’’ doesn’t imply its continued existence in our era. Without preservation efforts, a pile of stones or wooden pillar from over 2000 years ago would have decayed into the ground. It is clear that these things were present when the writer wrote this part of the Bible. You can figure this out without the help of a teacher.
Believing that Jesus is God doesn’t depend on a specific statement He makes in that Bible stating ‘‘I am God, worship Me.’’ There are many other ways to show that He is God from the same Bible. The president of your country doesn’t have to announce himself from a rooftop if he visits your area for you to know he is the president. You can identify him by observing the security guards and the special honors surrounding him. There’s no need for anyone to inform you about that. So, you can know that Jesus is God by observing the events that surround Him.
The Bible has faced relentless criticism from skeptics throughout history. Many individuals have gone to great lengths, working behind closed doors, to discredit its value to mankind. Truth is, people who criticize and battle against the Bible often struggle more with their own belief systems than Christians do with the Bible’s teachings. Sin remains unresolved in the belief systems of Muslims, Buddhists, modernists, and New Age movements. Atheists, agnostics, and other groups offer countless contradictory explanations regarding the meaning of life. But all these groups treat the Bible as if they possess flawless understanding and explanations within their own belief systems. The Christian worldview exceeds these groups by a large margin in revealing life’s meaning and purpose.
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