Who or what can I trust?

[Anonymous]

This thread is primarily started for Chomputer relating to discussion of what a Christian can trust and why. Everyone is welcome to post questions and comments here but please bear in mind that this is for chomputer and not a thread to accuse each other one way or the other. With that said here's my initial thought.

I started reading the Bible when I was 13 years old. I grew up Catholic so I had a NRSV Bible that they gave me in sunday school. That's what I started reading and I never really doubted it's authority. In Catholicism it's like that a lot - "Do you believe in Abortion?" "No" "Why?" "I don't know..." So, I never knew why I believed what I was reading was true, I just sort of took it for granted there. Currently, I read from a King James Version which I'm beginning to learn from the godandscience website might not be the best choice. We'll see where the Lord leads in the coming months/years but that's besides the point now.

Scientific Facts prove Supernatural Nature of Bible:
My first comment relates to scientific facts in the Bible. Facts that were written WAY before science ever got around to discovering them. One that I like to quote often relates to circumcision. God commanded the children of Abraham to be circumcised on the 8th day after birth to establish a covenant between Him and Abraham.

Genesis 17:12: "And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed."
Why was circumcision to be carried out on the eighth day? Medical science has discovered that the eighth day is the only day in the entire life of the newborn that the blood clotting element prothrombin is above 100%.

Another scientific fact that proves the Bible is of divine nature comes in the form of light : )

Job 38:35 (written 3,500 years ago. God Himself speaking): "Can you send lightnings, that they may go and say unto you, Here we are?"
The Bible here is saying a scientifically ludicrous statement -- that light can be sent, and then manifest itself in speech. But did you know that radio waves move at the speed of light? This is why you can have instantaneous wireless communication with someone on the other side of the earth. Science didn' t discover this until 1864 when "the British scientist James Clerk Maxwell suggested that electricity and light waves were two forms of the same thing" (Modern Century Illustrated Encyclopedia, Vol. 12).

You can check out the rest of this 2 page article by Ray Comfort at http://www.livingwaters.com/various/science/.

I now have a great deal of wisdom as to why the Bible is supernatural in nature and why I can trust it - proven scientific facts before "science" even found out about them! I no longer just believe because that's what the Church sort of imputed within me, I have faith that all the promises in Christ are yes and amen!

A seperate topic that has helped my faith grow in the scriptures is prophecy. That's another area altogether but coupled with the scientific facts it gives me great firmness that the Bible is divinely inspired. No other religious book can claim fulfilled prophecies written 2000-3500 years ago! Maybe we'll get into some of those on other posts. I'd really like for you to become a soundly saved Christian - will be praying that the Lord is drawing and speaking to you through these posts and in your times of prayer.

A seeker of truth,
Mike

[RGeeB]

John 5:39 - I think one of the primary objectives of scripture was to reveal Christ. I think all translations of scripture have God's blessing - He knew that His Word would be made accessible to people of all nations. (There are no restrictions in scriptures to copy or translate, only to add or subtract). I personally use the KJV myself as I feel it uses a larger vocabulary. However, modern translations convey the message in familiar sentences. Anyway, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will be led into truth - The Truth, The Way and The Life. We have a faith in a God whose purposes come to pass and scripture plays a major part in the Church playing their part. I'm sure that the vast majority of committe translations are in accordance with His will and convey His message.

Disputes about interpretations? - Maybe its God's way of ensuring His word is explored, studied, memorised etc. Just look at the efforts people have taken to bombard each other with scriptural ammo on this forum. I think God smiles at this because people are seeking Him and His truth more

So, chomputer, a good suggestion would be to read the Bible with an intention of finding out the truth for yourself - not just books, articles, websites etc.

[Felgar]

For me, I seem to begin with the reality that God is real, and from there find the Bible. Now most religions extol a God, but a few things that reinforce Christianity for me vs. other religion are: Salvation through Faith and not works - that's the biggest one. It seems obvious throughout history that man is inherrently inclined toward evil - were it not for grace how foolish we would look to any being capable of speaking the universe into creation!

Beyond that Christainity makes sense in the payoff. Like, why would I even want to be reincarnated? So I can return to life as my brother's cat, or maybe even a cow destined to be a Big Mac. Frankly, that makes no sense. The notion of Nirvana, or nothingness, also makes no sense. How much better to receive a glorified form and spend eternity in a loving relationship with the only all-powerful being in existance! And all the better because it's a gift, given freely to every man! Praise God!

So what convinces me that God is real - that Jesus is real? Well this thread got long on me but I thought I'd share of my experiences that serve to reveal the truth of the Lord to me personally. Such evidence can only be seen by starting with Faith:

- My Grandfather is the greatest man I've ever known - he was a janitor for 30 years at a gas plant outside of town, after farming on his family's homestead went bad. He was the embodiment of what it means to be a Christian, and everyone who knew him could see that. I'm 26 now, and about 28 years ago he had cancer and was pronounced about 6 months to live. The doctors had no explanation for how he was deemed completely free of cancer a year later. Looking back now though, it is clear to us that most of what me, my brother, and my 4 cousins have become in life is a direct result of the influence of my grandparents on my Mother's side. He passed away nearly 2 years ago, but the effect he had on our lives cannot be understated. This may well be the manifestation of generation blessings that are promised in the Bible.

- While on vacation in California my Bro, Uncle, a friend, and I were cruising through Beverly Hills checking it out. It was late evening and dark. We were happy and chatting "oh, look at that - that's a sweet pool" or whatever. As we passed one driveway there was a person walking up to the sidewalk near the road. As we approached something seemed a little strange and all 4 of us looked over at the person on the curb. What we saw seemed to be a transvestite with little or no operational/surgical help, though it was dark and he/she was kind of shadowed. Regardless, at that very moment when we all looked at his/her face, it was the strangest feeling... It was like we could see or "feel" her evil eyes, even though they were shadowed. Even worse, as she looked back, the evil literally pierced our souls. You feel 'empty' is the best word, though it is difficult to put into words. As if, for a moment, you have no breath of life. I honestly believe that at that moment what we were sensing was the presence of numerous demons within and around that person. My only thought was 'please don't let the car stall now.' For about 30 seconds no one said anything as we kept driving. And given that all 4 of us in the vehicle felt the exact same way, I can't see how it was just a 'feeling' or coincidence. The spiritual presence of evil at that moment was undeniable.

- And then there are the second-hand account of miracles and spiritual happenings. My uncle (while on a missions trip) came face-to-face with a witch doctor who he'd been told by the locals had killed and cursed many people. So the doctor comes out of the bushes and everyone else flees, but my uncle sits down on a nearby bench. The doctor speaks broken english but threatens him to leave, so my uncle starts telling him about Jesus! So the doctor starts screeming in native tongue and flailing his arms, etc. Naturally the doctor's curse had no effect, as guardian angels will protect the Lord's children.

- At a local Bible camp here in Alberta on a particularly tranquil evening a group of 10-15 are singing around a campfire in the late evening. The fire overlooks a valley. First it becomes clear to the group that the precense of holiness is very strong, then a bit later they begin to hear more voices... Many more, coming from the valley. They look out through the valley and actually see a host of angels praising the Lord.

- I also know this guy who was in Cuba (I think Cuba) and he sees these evil people actually flying on brooms. So he prays to Jesus and they all fall to the ground.

Well that's enough. Needless to say that all these things take some measure of Faith to believe in the first place, but when we do, they reveal the Lord to those who will seek him. We're told in scripture that with the Holy Spirit the truth can be seen, while the rest of the world remains deceived. And if the Lord is real, it follows that his Word is real.

[Christian2]

Hi,

I chose Christianity as my religion and my truth based on a lot of factors. I didn't want to have blind faith based on what my parents and church said was the truth. I had to discover for myself what was truth for me. Even though I was brought up as a Christian, I was not a Christian until about three years ago. I first had to decide that there was a God (Yes). Was this God the one described in the Bible (Yes). In other words, I started from scratch. In the process of finding my truth, I found that truth from several sources.

1. The Bible
2. Prophecies
3. Archaeological evidence
4. Studying other religions

One thing that really impressed me was the continuity of the Bible. It has so many authors, but yet has a unity that is comforting. Jesus confirmed the Old Testament by quoting from it many times and by pointing to the prophecies about Him. And, I believe Jesus and His disciples. Jesus' disciples were persecuted and most died because of their faith in Him—that He was the Messiah, that He was the Son of God, that He was crucified, died and rose again. I believe them. My faith started before the books of the New Testament were written with the historical evidence that the disciples were changed dramatically—almost overnight—by His resurrection. Was Jesus a historical figure? (Yes) Did He die on the cross? (Yes).

I read a lot of books that convinced me that I was on the right track. I had confirmation from God Himself that I was on the right track. You can read the type of evidence I found in my books that helped me find my truth on some websites.

Authority of the Bible can be found at:

http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main ... 68,00.html

The Inspiration of the Bible can be found at:

http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main ... 68,00.html

Historical and Archaeological Evidence for Christianity can be found at:

http://www.rationalchristianity.net/his ... _evid.html

and this site has many good links.

Bible prophecies can be found at the following:

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/prophecy.htm

http://www.quiknet.com/~dfrench/evidence/prophecy.htm

http://www.greatcom.org/resources/aread ... efault.htm

http://www.greatcom.org/resources/aread ... efault.htm

Science in the Bible:

http://www.quiknet.com/~dfrench/evidence/science.htm

http://www.av1611.org/amazing.html

My life has changed since becoming a Christian—dramatically changed for the better.

God bless

[jpenney]

Sooo.... you chose Christianity because it was comforting. I'm happy for you. But stop claiming to be more sure than the rest of us, because you're not. Christianity is a faith - which means you believe in it or you don't, period. Yes or no question. But then, can you explain to someone what you believe? No, you can't. Why? Because you're reading books. You need to understand how your faith translates into action. Do you have an expensive house? Are you selling it for something more modest and giving the proceeds to the homeless? Then you're not acting Christian. It's that kind of stuff you should be doing, not bragging about how "I started from scratch". Go be Christian, instead of acting like a Pharisee.

[FFC]

Sooo.... you chose Christianity because it was comforting. I'm happy for you. But stop claiming to be more sure than the rest of us, because you're not. Christianity is a faith - which means you believe in it or you don't, period. Yes or no question. But then, can you explain to someone what you believe? No, you can't. Why? Because you're reading books. You need to understand how your faith translates into action. Do you have an expensive house? Are you selling it for something more modest and giving the proceeds to the homeless? Then you're not acting Christian. It's that kind of stuff you should be doing, not bragging about how "I started from scratch". Go be Christian, instead of acting like a Pharisee.

Man, where does all of this anger come from?

[Byblos]

JPenny,

You do realize that post you responded to was posted Nov. 21 2004. That's over 3 years ago, man. For all we know the poster is by now a Southern Baptist preacher running for the president of the U.S. Chill, brother!

[jenna]

[Kurieuo]

Sooo.... you chose Christianity because it was comforting. I'm happy for you. But stop claiming to be more sure than the rest of us, because you're not. Christianity is a faith - which means you believe in it or you don't, period. Yes or no question. But then, can you explain to someone what you believe? No, you can't. Why? Because you're reading books. You need to understand how your faith translates into action. Do you have an expensive house? Are you selling it for something more modest and giving the proceeds to the homeless? Then you're not acting Christian. It's that kind of stuff you should be doing, not bragging about how "I started from scratch". Go be Christian, instead of acting like a Pharisee.

There is only one "Pharisee" I can see lauding it above others here.

[jenna]

Sooo.... you chose Christianity because it was comforting. I'm happy for you. But stop claiming to be more sure than the rest of us, because you're not. Christianity is a faith - which means you believe in it or you don't, period. Yes or no question. But then, can you explain to someone what you believe? No, you can't. Why? Because you're reading books. You need to understand how your faith translates into action. Do you have an expensive house? Are you selling it for something more modest and giving the proceeds to the homeless? Then you're not acting Christian. It's that kind of stuff you should be doing, not bragging about how "I started from scratch". Go be Christian, instead of acting like a Pharisee.

There is only one "Pharisee" I can see lauding it above others here.

(again)