Lesson Goal: to help expand your understanding of Christianity's uniqueness.
Scripture Background: Acts 17:16-31(we briefly touched)
The defending of one's faith or answering questions about what the bible says is done through apologetics. The Greek word "apologia" means, "a verbal defense." I started our lesson out with a few objections that someone might have about Christianity.
Books say dinosaurs are millions of years old and the bible says the earth is only about 6,000 year old.
I don't want to go to a place full of hypocrits.
If God is in control of everything then why do bad things happen to good people?
I tied this into 1 Peter 3:15 "Always be prepared to to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.........."
I retrieved information from 2 websites: www.christiananswers.net and www.carm.org (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministries). We took a 20 question quiz about how well we know the doctrine that we base our faith on. We discussed why there are different denominations(different interpretations of the core values) and different religions(wrong interpretations of core values).
If you are struggling with questions about your faith or have been challenged by someone about your faith visit Carm.org and search for the answers. Christiananswers.net also will help guide you in things such as movies and if they contradict bible teachings and if the content is appropriate for mature Christians.
I do know that I need to be reading more books that will help solidify my faith or help me be ready to defend it or lead someone else to the faith that I have. One book that is recommended was, More Than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell. He also wrote a powerful book Evidence that Demands a Verdict which talks about how he tried to disprove Christ as the savior and in this quest the evidence was so strong FOR the case of Christ that he became a Christian in his passion to discount the faith.
Why the Christian faith? It only has 2 simple rules: 1) Love God with all your heart, strength, mind and soul. 2) Love your neighbor and others as you would love your self. The rest would then be for you to figure out.
Last, the following 7 are non-negotiables to the Christian faith:
1. Jesus is/was both God and man.
2. Jesus rose from the dead physically in the same body.
3. Salvation is by GRACE thru FAITH.
4. The gospel hangs on the death, burial and ressurection of Jesus.
5. There is only ONE God.
6. God exists as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
7. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary.
All other things are not deal breakers: church on Saturday or Sunday, music lead by a man or women, okay to consumer alcohol or not, which denomenation is correct, etc.
We had 5 in attendance, but had good conversation.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Greetings
Interesting presentation.
However, I must question
your 7 non-negotiables
Although I can agree, scripturally with most of them;
Nos 1 & 6 are not scriptural!
That is, there is no verse in Scripture that states that the ONE GOD is a Trinity of persons!!
So how can one say that it is a non-negotiable; when NO verse in the Bible states such a fact!!!
The Bible rather identifies ONE GOD, namely, The Father.
[1 Cor 8.4,6]
Jesus the Messiah likewise identifies the Father as the only true GOD.
[John 17.3]
Jesus therefore, is the Son of the Father,
[2 John 3]
the Son of the ONE GOD,
[John 20.31, Matt 16.16, etc],
a man approved of the ONE GOD!
[Acts 2.22]
So there is solely ONE GOD, the Father.
That is non-negotiable!
The ONE GOD has made one man both Lord and Christ,
that is, Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah.
The ONE GOD raised him from the dead, glorified him, and set him at His right hand.
[Acts 2.34-36]
Therefore, ...
(1 Cor 8:4) ... that there is none other God but one.
(1 Cor 8:6) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
(1 Tim 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
That is non-negotiable!
For more info,
I recommend this video:
The Human Jesus
Take a couple of hours to watch it; and prayerfully it will aid you in your quest for truth.
Yours In Messiah
Adam Pastor
Adam Pastor, thanks for the challenge. I picked up some information from Carm.org and it seems that it is "hinted" biblically that God is 3 in 1. I do personally believe that, but this is what the church that I'm affiliated believe in as essential to our faith:
The Bible is God’s perfect guidebook for living.
Nothing in creation “just happened.” God made it all.
There is only one God. He has always existed as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He is bigger and better and closer than we can imagine.
Jesus is God showing himself to us. He was God, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death, and bodily rose again.
Heaven and hell are real places. Death is a beginning, not the end.
Jesus died for our sins. We must put our faith and trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of our sins. No works are required. Jesus is man’s only way to heaven.
There is nothing a believer can do to lose his salvation.
Through His Holy Spirit, God lives in and through us now.
All life is precious to God, even an unborn baby.
Jesus is coming again.
God Bless.
Post a Comment