Does God Really Suffer?

Did God really suffer? Did Jesus feel the pai of the crucifixion? Is it important that He suffered? Why?

I have posted Josh Hunt's Sunday School lesson on this topic below.

1. 1 Peter 2.21 – 24 What do we learn about Christian living from this passage?

Undoubtedly, even the strongest believer would raise the question, But why do we have to suffer? The believer has been called by God to the situation. God not only calls the believer out of darkness into his wonderful light (2:9); he also calls the believer to endure suffering that is unjust and painful. The believer’s appropriate response to unjust suffering carries a powerful testimony to an unbelieving culture.

Peter referred to the life of Christ as motivation or illustration. Here it serves as both. Jesus’ life was dominated by suffering (see 1:11). His life of suffering becomes an example for believers who follow him. We do not suffer the same agonies he endured, but we can follow Christ in the way in which he endured the suffering and responded to it. — Holman New Testament Commentary – I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude.

2. What are some examples of ways that Jesus is an example for us?

The word ὑπογραμμόν (hypogrammon) translated “example” was used literally of a pattern of letters of the Greek alphabet for children to copy and thus learn to write. It was also used figuratively, as here, for a pattern for behavior. Christ’s suffering is a pattern for Christian slaves to follow. Jesus himself had summoned his disciples to follow him in contexts in which he discussed his coming suffering (e.g., Mark 8:31,34). Peter’s wonderful addition of the phrase “in his steps” was the inspiration for the title of Charles Sheldon’s famous book In His Steps. Christians are called to imitate Christ’s willingness to suffer for doing good. He did it for us. We do it for him. — College Press NIV Commentary – 1 & 2 Peter.

3. What does this passage teach us that we need to remember when we suffer?

All that Jesus did on earth, as recorded in the four Gospels, is a perfect example for us to follow. But He is especially our example in the way He responded to suffering. In spite of the fact that He was sinless in both word and deed, He suffered at the hands of the authorities. This connects, of course, to Peter’s words in 1 Peter 2:19-20. We wonder how he would have responded in the same circumstances! The fact that Peter used his sword in the Garden suggests that he might have fought rather than submitted to the will of God.

Jesus proved that a person could be in the will of God, be greatly loved by God, and still suffer unjustly. There is a shallow brand of popular theology today that claims that Christians will not suffer if they are in the will of God. Those who promote such ideas have not meditated much on the Cross. — The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 2.

4. Isaiah 53.4 – 6 As we read this passage, look for all the verbs that relate to the suffering savior. What do we learn about Jesus from this passage, written 700 years before his birth?

This stanza multiplies the expressions for what the servant experiences (he is smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed; he receives punishment and wounds). Such a multiplication of terms represents typical Hebrew style in conveying the full range of pain and suffering. It also clarifies that these experiences are due to the transgressions and iniquities of others. Because of what the servant took up and carried, the guilty will enjoy peace with God and be healed. — College Press NIV Commentary – Isaiah: Volume 2.

5. What do we learn about the doctrine of man from this passage? What do we learn about ourselves?

Sin is serious. The prophet calls it transgression, which means rebellion against God, daring to cross the line that God has drawn (Isa. 53:5, 8). He also calls it iniquity, which refers to the crookedness of our sinful nature (vv. 5-6). In other words, we are sinners by choice and by nature. Like sheep, we are born with a nature that prompts us to go astray and like sheep we foolishly decide to go our own way. By nature we are born children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) and by choice we become children of disobedience (2:2). Under the Law of Moses, the sheep died for the shepherd; but under grace, the Good Shepherd died for the sheep (John 10:1-18). — Old Testament - The Bible Exposition Commentary – The Prophets.

6. What do you know about the stripes mentioned in this passage?

Pilate delivered our Lord to the lictors to be scourged. The Roman scourge was a most dreadful instrument of torture. It was made of the sinews of oxen, and sharp bones were inter-twisted every here and there among the sinews; so that every time the lash came down these pieces of bone inflicted fearful laceration, and tore off the flesh from the bone. The Saviour was, no doubt, bound to the column, and thus beaten. He had been beaten before; but this of the Roman lictors was probably the most severe of His flagellations. My soul, stand here and weep over His poor stricken body.

Believer in Jesus, can you gaze upon Him without tears, as He stands before you the mirror of agonizing love? He is at once fair as the lily for innocence, and red as the rose with the crimson of His own blood. As we feel the sure and blessed healing which His stripes have wrought in us, does not our heart melt at once with love and grief? If ever we have loved our Lord Jesus, surely we must feel that affection glowing now within our bosoms.

“See how the patient Jesus stands,
Insulted in His lowest case!
Sinners have bound the Almighty’s hands,
And spit in their Creator’s face.

With thorns His temples gor’d and gash’d
Send streams of blood from every part;
His back’s with knotted scourges lash’d.
But sharper scourges tear His heart.”

We would fain go to our chambers and weep; but since our business calls us away, we will first pray our Beloved to print the image of His bleeding self upon the tablets of our hearts all the day, and at nightfall we will return to commune with Him, and sorrow that our sin should have cost Him so dear. — Morning and Evening.

7. How would you explain the idea of substitutionary atonement to someone who had never heard of it?

According to the Chicago Tribune, on June 22, 1997, parachute instructor Michael Costello, forty-two, of Mt. Dora, Florida, jumped out of an airplane at 12,000 feet altitude with a novice skydiver named Gareth Griffith, age twenty-one.

The novice would soon discover just how good his instructor was, for when the novice pulled his rip cord, his parachute failed. Plummeting toward the ground, he faced certain death.

But then the instructor did an amazing thing. Just before hitting the ground, the instructor rolled over so that he would hit the ground first and the novice would land on top of him. The instructor was killed instantly. The novice fractured his spine in the fall, but he was not paralyzed.

One man takes the place of another, takes the brunt for another. One substitutes himself to die so another may live. So it was at the cross, when Jesus died for our sins so that we might live forever. — 750 Engaging Illustrations.

8. 2 Corinthians 5.21 What do we learn from this passage about how we can become acceptable in God’s sight?

The modern view of the death of Jesus is that He died for our sins out of sympathy. The New Testament view is that He bore our sin not by sympathy, but by identification. He was made to be sin. Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the explanation of His death is His obedience to His Father, not His sympathy with us. We are acceptable with God not because we have obeyed, or because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and in no other way. We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the Fatherhood of God, the loving-kindness of God; the New Testament says He came to bear away the sin of the world. The revelation of His Father is to those to whom He has been introduced as Saviour. Jesus Christ never spoke of Himself to the world as one Who revealed the Father, but as a stumbling block (see John 15:22-24). John 14:9 was spoken to His disciples.

That Christ died for me, therefore I go scot free, is never taught in the New Testament. What is taught in the New Testament is that “He died for all” (not—He died my death), and that by identification with His death I can be freed from sin, and have imparted to me His very righteousness. The substitution taught in the New Testament is twofold: “He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” It is not Christ for me unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me. — My Utmost for His Highest.

9. Repeat after me: “I am the righteousness of God.” Is that how you see yourself?

We believe our way into behaving; we don’t behave our way into believing.

10. What are the practical implications of this verse? What difference does it make to our day-to-day lives?

“Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!” (Romans 5:9). How can we be sure that God will not deal with us in anger because of our sins? Because Christ took all of God’s anger upon Himself at the cross, and we are now in Him, hidden within His righteousness.

It has always hit me as very strange that in many Christian groups the good news of Jesus Christ seems to be reserved for the lost man, while Christians are living in guilt, insecurity, and fear of God’s anger. You could be an ax murderer or a Mafia hit man, and the message will be, “God loves you, and Jesus Christ died for your sins. All you need to do is receive Him by faith and you’ll be saved!” That’s right! Any man who comes to Jesus Christ will be saved, regardless of his past. However, the believers are getting a message like this: “You dirty, rotten backsliders! You’d better clean up your act, or God’s punishment will fall on you!” First you get the good news, then after you’re a Christian you get the bad news. — Classic Christianity (Bob George)

11. Who can quote this verse?

Here are seven things I have found helpful: Choose a time when your mind is free from outside distractions…perhaps soon after getting up in the morning. Learn the reference by repeating it every time you say the verse(s). Numbers are more difficult to remember than words. Read each verse through several times—both in a whisper and aloud. Hearing yourself say the words helps cement them into your mind. Break the passage into its natural phrases. Learn the reference and then the first phrase. Then repeat the reference and first phrase as you go to the second phrase. Continue adding phrases one by one. Learn a little bit perfectly rather than a great deal poorly. Do not go on to the next verse until you can say the previous one(s) perfectly. Review the verse(s) immediately. Twenty to thirty minutes later, repeat what you’ve memorized. Before the day has ended, firmly fix the verse(s) in your mind by going over it fifteen to twenty times. (You can do this as you drive or do your job.) Use the verse(s) orally as soon as possible. After all, the purpose of Scripture memory is a practical one, not academic. Use the verses in conversation, in correspondence, in teaching, in counseling, in everyday opportunities. Relate what you’ve learned to your daily situation. You’ll be thrilled with the results. — Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life by Charles R. Swindoll, © 1983 by Charles R. Swindoll. Published by Multnomah Press, Portland, Oregon 97266.

12. I think most Christians know our sins have been taken away. What else does this passage teach about us?

Most Christians, I find, understand the general idea behind forgiveness: God took our sins and gave them to Jesus. But that’s only half the message! God also took Christ’s perfect righteousness and gave it to us! Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” How could I stand up and declare that in the sight of God I am as righteous and acceptable as Jesus Christ? Because of what I do? No way! It’s because of who I am in Christ. — Classic Christianity (Bob George)

13. John 14.7 – 11. What is the best way to know what God is like?

The Lord had just said, “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye Know him, and have seen him” (14:7). In other words, the disciples would have had no need to ask the Lord about where he was going or how he was to get there if they had really known him. He himself was the full revelation of the Father.

Many times the Lord had spoken to his disciples about his Father. He delighted to use this novel name for God. Throughout the Old Testament, God is seldom spoken of as a Father. This lovely name for God was, really, the Lord’s revelation, and a wonderfully comforting one it is. God is not merely Elohim, the awesome God of creation, omniscient in his purpose, omnipotent in his power, omnipresent in his person; he is not just Jehovah, the God of covenant, wise and loving, but strict in his requirements; nor is he merely Adonai, God of command, sovereign Lord, and owner of the universe, who must be obeyed. He is a Father, a God of comfort, a God of compassion, one who has a home and a family. The Lord used this name for God over and over again. How well John remembered it! In his gospel the expression “the Father” or its kindred expression “my Father” occurs 156 times. — John Phillips Commentary Series – Exploring the Gospel of John: An Expository Commentary.

14. What exactly does it mean to know the Father?

What does it mean to “know the Father”? The word know is used 141 times in John’s Gospel, but it does not always carry the same meaning. In fact, there are four different “levels” of knowing according to John. The lowest level is simply knowing a fact. The next level is to understand the truth behind that fact. However, you can know the fact and know the truth behind it and still be lost in your sins. The third level introduces relationship; “to know” means “to believe in a person and become related to him or her.” This is the way “know” is used in John 17:3. In fact, in Scripture, “to know” is used of the most intimate relationship between man and wife (Gen. 4:1).

The fourth use of “know” means “to have a deeper relationship with a person, a deeper communion.” It was this level Paul was referring to when he wrote, “That I may know Him” (Phil. 3:10). Jesus will describe this deeper relationship in John 14:19-23, so we will save any further comment until we deal with that section.

When Jesus said that knowing Him and seeing Him was the same as knowing and seeing the Father, He was claiming to be God. From now on, they would understand more and more about the Father, even though Jesus was leaving them.

I appreciate Philip’s desire to know the Father. He had come a long way since that day Jesus found him and called him (John 1:43-45). The burning desire of every believer ought to be to know God better. We read and study the Word of God so that we might better know the God of the Word. — New Testament - The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 1.

15. Who can describe a time when you felt like, “Where is God?” Who has a story?

Where is God when it hurts? He is in us—not in the things that hurt—helping to transform bad into good. We can safely say that God can bring good out of evil; we cannot say that God brings about the evil in hopes of producing good. — Where Is God When It Hurts? (Philip Yancey)

16. Pain seems to draw some closer to God while others it drives farther away. What do you guess makes the difference? What makes some grow closer to God in pain while others run?

Once Dr. Paul Brand and I were discussing individual Christians who had undergone great suffering. After he had related several personal stories, I asked whether the pain had turned those people toward God or away from God. He thought at length, and concluded that there was no common response. Some grew closer to God, some drifted bitterly away. The main difference seemed to lie in their focus of attention. Those obsessed with questions about cause (“What did I do to deserve this? What is God trying to tell me? Am I being punished?”) often turned against God. In contrast, the triumphant sufferers took individual responsibility for their own responses and trusted God despite the discomfort. — Where Is God When It Hurts? (Philip Yancey)

17. Why is there so much pain in the world?

Much of the suffering on our planet has come about because of two principles that God built into creation: a physical world that runs according to consistent natural laws, and human freedom. By committing himself to those two principles, both good principles in themselves, God allowed for the possibility of their abuse. For example,water proves useful to us and all creation because of its “softness,” its liquid state, and its specific gravity.Yet those very properties open up its rather disagreeable capacity to drown us—or the even more alarming possibility that we might drown someone else. Take another example, from wood. It bears the fruit of trees, supports leaves to provide shade, and shelters birds and squirrels. Even when taken from the tree, wood is valuable.We use it as fuel to warm ourselves, and as construction material to build houses and furniture. The essential properties of wood—hardness, unpliability, flammability—make possible these useful functions. But as soon as you plant a tree with those properties in a world peopled by free human beings, you introduce the possibility of abuse. A free man may pick up a chunk of wood and take advantage of its firmness by bashing the head of another man. God could, I suppose, reach down each time and transform the properties of wood into those of sponge, so that the club would bounce off lightly. But that is not what he is about in the world. He has set into motion fixed laws that can be perverted to evil by our misguided freedom. — Where Is God When It Hurts? (Philip Yancey)

18. Isaiah 53.10 – 11 What pleased God?

To whom do you think this is referring? [Isaiah 53] Barry had a good idea who. Reading out of his own Tanach, he was startled at the parallels to Jesus, but he was still a bit confused. He wanted to give his rabbi a chance to explain it.

“I vividly remember the first time I seriously confronted Isaiah 53, or better still, the first time it seriously confronted me,” Barry explains. “Being rather confused over the identity of the Servant in Isaiah 53, I went to my local rabbi and said to him, ‘Rabbi, I have met some people at school who claim that the so-called Servant in Isaiah 53 is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. But I would like to know from you, who is this Servant in Isaiah 53?’”

Barry was astonished at his response. The rabbi said, “Barry, I must admit that as I read Isaiah 53 it does seem to be talking about Jesus, but since we Jews do not believe in Jesus, it can’t be speaking about Jesus.”

Barry didn’t know a lot about formal logic at that point, but he knew enough to say to himself, “That just doesn’t sound kosher to me! Not only does the rabbi’s so-called reasoning sound circular, it also sounds evasive and even fearful.” Today Barry observes, “There are none who are as deaf as those who do not want to hear.” — I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek)

19. Matthew 27. 46 What is Jesus feeling in this verse?

Two of the prayers in troubled times (the Abba in Gethsemane and Eloi from the cross) were so moving that words from the original Semitic language stuck in the minds of hearers. Of the seven cries from the cross, at least three were prayers. Hebrews reports that “he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death” — but of course he was not saved from death. Like the people who wrote me letters, like all of us at times, Jesus knew the sensation of getting no answer to his pleas. — Prayer (Philip Yancey)

Is God more tolerant than He used to be?

We continue to study about the "10 Lies About God," using Erwin Lutzer's book book as our study God. Last Sunday's lesson focused on the question, "Is it safer to sin today than in the Old Testament?" The answer is no; God says in Malachi 3: that He is unchanging. Read on to se Josh Hunt's approach to the discussion.

David Ashcraft

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1. How do you answer those who say God is more tolerant today than he was in the Old Testament? Is it safer to sin today when compared with the Old Testament days?

It is possible to look at a few isolated events like Uzzah and say that doesn’t happen anymore. It didn’t happen very often back in the day. Ananias and Sapphira are a New Testament example of the idea that God times says enough is enough, even in the New Testament.

2. Why does it matter whether God is more tolerant today?

Lutzer speaks of those who want to live without the consequence of sin. God sometimes does punish sin, but even if he did not, sin would not be a good idea. Sin is the stuff that messes up your life. Even if God did not punish, sin usually brings its own consequence. This is the central message we want to present each week: God is good. Sin is bad. It is bad for us. It ruins our lives. God is a rewarder. It is always in our best interest to live the Christian life.

3. How would you respond to a critic that said Christianity was too intolerant?

Whenever you hear Christians criticized as intolerant, ask, “What do you mean by ‘intolerance’?” True tolerance doesn’t mean accepting all beliefs—the good and the goofy—as legitimate. After all, one who disagrees with Christians doesn’t accept Christianity; he thinks Christians are wrong! Historically, tolerance has meant putting up with what you find disagreeable or false. You put up with strangers on a plane who snore or slurp their coffee. Similarly, you put up with another person’s beliefs without criminalizing him. — The Apologetics Study Bible: Understanding Why You Believe.

4. What are those that wave the flag of tolerance intolerant of?

A sophisticated presentation of this point is found in Stanley Fish’s “The Trouble with Tolerance” in the November 10, 2006, issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. This is a review of Wendy Brown’s Regulating Aversion: Tolerance in the Age of Identity and Empire (Princeton University Press, 2006). Her point (and Fish’s) is that the Western idea of “tolerance for all views” is itself a very particular set of assumptions about reality that is then used as a criteria to determine who society will tolerate and who it won’t. Fish says that our society has its own set of holy, unquestionable beliefs, like “the sanctity of choice.” Brown and Fish argue that many historic, traditional beliefs have only become “intolerant” in our society because of the new construction our liberal Western society puts upon them. “It assumes that people do things not because of what they believe, but because they are Jews, Muslims, blacks or gays…they are immune to rational appeal.” Therefore any religion that values its own truth ahead of tolerance is considered “over-attached” to their culture and incapable of being rational. “Once a group has rejected tolerance as a guiding principle and opted instead for the cultural imperatives of the church or tribe, it becomes a candidate for intolerance that will be performed in the name of tolerance.” — The Reason for God (Timothy Keller)

5. What do we learn about God from Psalm 90.2?

The love of God is eternal. The psalmist expresses the greatness of God’s fatherly care in the imagery of birth. It is not entirely clear who is giving birth; is it God (NIV, “you brought forth the earth”) or the earth (“before the earth and the world gave birth”; cf. Prov 8:25)? The metaphor of God’s giving birth is possible (cf. Deut 32:18; P.D. Miller, Jr., “Psalm 90,” Interpreting the Psalms pp. 125-130). It is more likely to render the phrase in favor of the earth giving rise to mountains, while not denying the creative role of the Lord in the process of the formation of the earth (cf. Gen 1:11, 20).

The confessional statement “you are God” (v.2) affirms both God’s kingship over creation and his otherness. The designations for the Lord in these verses have been carefully chosen, as the psalmist sings praise to “the Lord,” the Ruler of the world, who alone is “God” (El; cf. Isa 44:6; 48:12). The Canaanites believed in El as the father of the gods whose supremacy had gradually been taken over by Baal, his son. The psalmist states that there is no other Lord than the God who is eternal and who is the “dwelling place” of his own. — Expositor’s Bible Commentary – Volume 5: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs.

6. Page 87. How would you respond to someone who said, “God just keeps getting better and better.”

I wouldn’t be too hard on them. Although I understand it is technically not true, my experience with God seems to keep getting better and better.

7. 1 Peter 1.15 – 16. How does this command to be holy make you feel?

It tends to not make us feel so good because we don’t think holiness is so good. We don’t think it really is good for us to live the Christian life.

8. What exactly does it mean to be holy?

Continually restate to yourself what the purpose of your life is. The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. Nowadays we have far too many affinities, we are dissipated with them; right, good, noble affinities which will yet have their fulfillment, but in the meantime God has to atrophy them. The one thing that matters is whether a man will accept the God Who will make him holy. At all costs a man must be rightly related to God.

Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe God can come into me and make me holy? If by your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it must reveal that I am unholy; but it also awakens an intense craving. God has one desfined end for mankind, viz., holiness. His one aim is the production of saints. God is not an eternal blessing machine for men; He did not come to save men out of pity: He came to save men because He had created them to be holy. The Atonement means that God can put me back into perfect union with Himself, without a shadow between, through the Death of Jesus Christ.

Never tolerate through sympathy with yourself or with others any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means unsullied walking with the feet, unsullied talking with the tongue, unsullied thinking with the mind—every detail of the life under the scrutiny of God. Holiness is not only what God gives me, but what I manifest that God has given me. — My Utmost for His Highest.

9. What is the difference between holy living and good Christian living?

I see them as the same.

10. Malachi 3.6 What difference does it make to our day to day lives that God doesn’t change?

Even when our hearts grow cold toward God and our devotion to Him weakens, His love remains steadfast. We may forget God, but He remembers us.

God was concerned because the people of Judah had allowed their hearts to drift far from Him. In a powerful moment, God shared His heart with His people, recalling what it was like when they first began loving Him. He remembered how they had loved Him, as a new bride loves her husband, with excitement and enthusiasm for the future. He recalled the kindness they had expressed as they willingly followed Him wherever He led them. God reminded them of the love they had once had for Him, so that the memory might rekindle feelings of devotion and their hearts might return to Him.

If you do not guard our heart, you will grow cold in your love for Christ. A time may come when He approaches you and reminds you what your relationship was once like. Do you recollect the joy that permeated your life when you first became a Christian? Do you recall the youthful commitments you made to Him, pledging to do anything He told you to do? Do you remember the thrill you experienced each time you came to understand a new dimension of His nature? Spiritual memory is important. You may not realize how far you have drifted from God until you contrast the love you are expressing to Him now with that of earlier days.

God has not changed. He is the same Person you gave your heart to when you became a Christian (Mal. 3:6–7). If your love for God is not as intense as it once was, return to Him. He will restore the intimate fellowship you once shared with Him. — Experiencing God Day by Day: A Devotional and Journal.

11. What is not attractive—to some—about God’s unchanging nature?

Men and women wish that they could get God to change. They do not like him for his godly attributes: sovereignty, holiness, omniscience, justice, wrath—even love, because it is a holy love. But they could endure these perfections if it were possible to think that given time God might change in some of them.

We could endure God’s sovereignty if we could think that given a bit more time God’s grip on the universe might weaken and another strong personality might take over. Perhaps we could take over. Maybe men could be sovereign.

We could endure God’s holiness if we could think that given a bit more time his tough moral standards might change. What we are forbidden to do now we might be able to do then. We could wait to sin.

We could endure omniscience if given the passage of years it might be possible for God to forget. We could wait for him to become senile.

We could endure his justice if with the passage of time it might become more of an abstract ideal than a reality.

We could even endure his love if it could cease to be the perfect and properly jealous love the Bible describes it to be.

But God does not change. God is the same today as he has always been; he will be the same in what we would call billions of years from now. God will always be sovereign. He will always be holy. He will always be omniscient. He will always be just. He will always be loving. It is appropriate that we be reminded of this in the closing pages of the Old Testament. — Boice Expositional Commentary - An Expositional Commentary – Philippians.

12. Doesn’t it seem like God has changed—that he is meaner in the Old Testament than the new? How would you respond to someone who suggested that God changed in this way?

“Isn’t there a big difference between the often-cruel God of the Old Testament and the loving God of the New Testament?”

Geisler smiled. “It’s interesting you ask that,” he replied, “because I just did a study of every time the Bible uses the word that the King James Version translates as ‘mercy.’ I found it occurs 261 times in the Bible—and seventy-two percent of them are in the Old Testament. That’s a three-to-one ratio. Then I studied the word ‘love’ and found it occurs 322 times in the Bible, about half in each testament. So you have the same emphasis on love in both.

“Ironically,” he added, “you could make a case that God is more judgmental in the New Testament than the Old. For example, the Old Testament talks very little about eternal punishment, but the New Testament does.”

“There’s no evolution in God’s character, then?”

“That’s right. In fact, the Bible says, ‘I the Lord do not change.’9 In both testaments you’ve got the identical, unchangeable God—the one who is so holy he cannot look upon sin, and yet the one whose loving, merciful, gracious, and compassionate heart wants to pour forgiveness on all people who repent.”

Compassionate? I thought to myself. Merciful? The time had come to get to the crux of the character issue. — The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity (Lee Strobel)

13. Hebrews 12.18 – 24. How did Mount Sinai differ from Jerusalem?

Whereas Sinai was forbidding and terrifying, Zion is inviting and gracious Sinai is closed to all, because no one is able to please God on Sinai’s terms—perfect fulfillment of the law. Zion is open to all, because Jesus Christ has met those terms and will stand in the place of anyone who will come to God through Him. Zion symbolizes the approachable God.

Sinai was covered by clouds and darkness; Zion is the city of light. “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth” (Ps. 50:2). Sinai stands for judgment and death; Zion for forgiveness and life, “for there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forever” (Ps. 133:3). — MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Hebrews.

14. What is the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant?

Forgiveness was different under the law (also called the Old Covenant). It was a good news/bad news situation. Let’s say that you are an Israelite living under the law. All year long God is keeping a record of your violations of the law, and the entire nation’s as well. All year long you feel the guilt of your sins; you live in fear of God’s punishment, which was threatened for transgressions of the law. But the great Day of Atonement is coming! The annual day of fasting and praying and confessing your sins. The day each year when the perfect bull is sacrificed on behalf of the nation. The one and only time that a single mortal man, representing the whole nation, can enter into the most holy room of the temple, the Holy of Holies, which represents the very presence of God. Taking sacrificial blood, the high priest fearfully enters behind the veil and there sprinkles the blood which covers the nation’s—and your—sins for the previous year.

Two goats are sacrificed as well: One is slain at the altar; the other, called the scapegoat, becomes the subject of an unusual ceremony. Elders of the nation place their hands on the head of the goat, symbolizing the transfer of the nation’s sins to the animal. Then, before thousands of witnesses lining the streets, the scapegoat is driven from the city, out into the wilderness, symbolizing the removal of your sins. You watch with relief and thanksgiving, the innocent animal symbolically taking your guilt away. What relief! That’s the good news.

A man under the law could enjoy the blessing of God’s forgiveness, but that system provided no final solution.

What’s the bad news? Tomorrow your sins begin adding up again. Next year there will need to be another sacrifice. And the next year. And the next. — Classic Christianity (Bob George)

15. Were the sins of Old Testament saints paid for by the blood of animals?

God graciously gave this system to Israel as a means for man to experience relief from the guilt he experienced under the law. The key Old Testament word is atonement, which means a covering. Those sacrificial offerings did, indeed, cover sins, but they could not take them away, “because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). A man under the law could enjoy the blessing of God’s forgiveness, but that system provided no final solution. It is similar to the use of a credit card, which enables a person to have the benefit today of the coat he wants to buy, without paying cash. That’s the good news. But the bad news is that somebody is going to have to pay the tab! The card didn’t pay for the coat; it only transferred the debt to an account. That account will still have to be paid.

Sin Is Taken Away!
Then in God’s perfect timing, Jesus Christ was introduced to Israel by John the Baptist: “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). From that point on, the finished work of Christ is presented in the New Testament in total contrast to the old system:

And by [God’s] will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:10-12).

Relentlessly the New Testament hammers home the message that Jesus Christ offered Himself as one sacrifice for all time. When will we believe it? In contrast to the Old Covenant priests who are pictured as “standing” and making continual sacrifices, Christ is shown as having sat down. Why is He seated? Because “it is finished!” (John 19:30). The writer of Hebrews reaches the climax of his argument in 10:14: “Because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Jesus Christ has done it all!

I find that few Christians can read that verse without flinching and trying to water it down. It is too bold, and the implications are too threatening. Notice that it doesn’t say we act perfect; this is talking about identity. But the Bible says that through Jesus Christ we have been made totally acceptable in the eyes of a holy God! — Classic Christianity (Bob George)

16. How does Hebrews 12.5 – 6 describe our relationship with God?

They had forgotten an important point: Scripture links suffering and sonship, as Proverbs 3:11-12 shows. The address “My son” is normal for a maker of proverbs who assumes a superior but caring position. The author, however, sees a fuller meaning in these words than that, for they are words from God to his people. When God speaks of discipline and rebuke, it is sons that he addresses. It is interesting that this warning is called “that word of encouragement.” The certainty of suffering encourages the believer rather than dismays him because he knows that it is God’s discipline for him. Incidentally, it seems not improbable that the words might perhaps be taken as a question: “Have you forgotten?”

The word for discipline combines the thoughts of chastening and education. It points to sufferings that teach us something. In v. 4 the striving was against sin, but somehow the hand of God was in it, too. No circumstances are beyond God’s control, and there are none he cannot use to carry out his purpose. So the believer is not to belittle the significance of his sufferings nor lose heart in the face of God’s correction. “Those he loves” comes first in the Greek, which gives it a certain emphasis. God disciplines people he loves, not those he is indifferent to. The readers should see the sufferings they were experiencing as a sign of God’s love, as Scripture already assured them. It is the son that is punished and “every son” (panta huion) at that.

In the ancient world it was universally accepted that the bringing up of sons involved disciplining them. Therefore, we should not read back modern permissive attitudes into our understanding of this passage. The Roman father possessed absolute authority. When a child was born, he decided whether to keep or discard it. Through out its life he could punish it as he chose. He could even execute his son and, while this was rarely done, the right to do it was there. Discipline was only to be expected. — Expositor’s Bible Commentary – Volume 12: Hebrews through Revelation.

17. How do we know if a trial that comes our way is God’s discipline on us or something else?

The question becomes: how do we know whether the difficult times we face are part of the discipline of the Lord or something else? For example, they could be the result of our own foolish behavior or attacks by Satan. Regardless of their sources, we can treat all difficulties as opportunities for us to grow and learn from God. The context of this chapter shows that these words apply to the suffering that believers face from hostile nonbelievers, those who mistreat Christians who stand for their faith. In many parts of the world, Christians face persistent persecution. Even if we are not experiencing persecution (and perhaps we should be if we are truly standing for Christ), we can pray for those who are. — Life Application Bible Commentary – Hebrews.

18. 2 Peter 3.9 What does God seeming slowness reveal about God?

Peter now explains why it is that the Lord has not yet returned. While from a human perspective he seems “slow in keeping his promise,” the apparent delay has nothing to do with being slow. The “some” who accuse God of “slowness” are undoubtedly the scoffing teachers.

Far from showing a lack of concern for people, the Lord is actually showing mercy. The theme is a common one in the Old Testament, as time and again God waits to execute his judgment in order to give people a chance to repent. Joel 2:13 provides an excellent example: “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” Peter does not deny that from a human point of view the return of Jesus seems delayed; but that apparent delay is actually patience, allowing for repentance.

The statement that God does not want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance,” has always created problems for certain theologians. Those who believe that God has chosen some to be saved (and not others) have trouble explaining why God wants all to be saved but has chosen only some. A standard response is to ask who is actually included by the words “anyone” and “everyone.” Since Peter writes that God is patient “with you,” suggesting that some of his readers were in need of repentance, it is argued that Peter means “any of you” and “all of you.” That is, God wants all those he has chosen to repent and therefore shows patience in sending Jesus. However, it must be noted that some are apparently in real danger of being caught unrepentant when Christ comes “as a thief in the night.” And it is far from clear that “anyone” and “everyone” refer to God’s chosen ones. For what sense does it make to say that God wants his saved ones to repent so they can be saved? Surely it is more reasonable to think that God wants everyone to repent and be saved.

As explained above, Peter does use the language of “election” in order to reassure his readers (see comments on 1:3). However, this letter as a whole tends to resonate better with a free-will doctrine rather than that of predestination.-- College Press NIV Commentary – 1 & 2 Peter.

Lydia - Example of Market Place Evangelism

Lydia, Paul's first convert is a great example of Market Place Evangelism at work. The following comments by Os Hillman tell the story of Lydia.

"One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God"(Acts 16:14).

There was a business woman whom Paul encountered in Philippi named Lydia. She was an early church entrepreneur dealing in purple cloth, the most expensive type in the 1st century Middle East. Most accounts believe this was Paul's first known convert. I find it interesting that his first known convert was a woman and an entrepreneur.

"We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home" (Acts 16:13-15a).

This encounter with Lydia and her women associates ultimately opened the way for ministry in that region. God often worked in and through women in the early church. Lydia was an influential businesswoman, and the gospel was affecting all strata of society, just as it does today.

Lydia was a maker of beautiful cloth mainly used by members of the royal families and Roman senators who were required to have a purple band around the edge of their togas, or robes. Purple cloth was both valuable and expensive in the culture of the first century. It was often worn as a sign of nobility or royalty. Lydia's ministry would be to the upper class business community.

Evidence of her conversion was immediate. She told the men if they considered her a believer in the Lord, she would like for them to come and stay at her house. Evidently she had plenty of room to accommodate the four of them; Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke was with them also. She continued to urge them and they accepted her invitation and stayed at her house.

Lydia's heart was like the good soil in the parable of the sower. When she heard the word of God, she received it with joy and obeyed the words of the apostle.

Who are the "Lydias" God has placed in your circle of influence? Pray that you will be the instrument, like Paul, to bring the gospel to influential women entrepreneurs

Lie No. 2 All Paths Lead to God

Perhaps the most pernicious lie the devil promotes about God is that all paths lead to Him. The following Sunday School lesson by Josh Hunt attacks the lie with the truth: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh to the Father except through me."

1. Read the story on page 74 (Masterwork week of April 10). How would you respond to this lady?

Still, I wasn’t through attempting to harmonize them. “Maybe the various religions each have a slice of the truth,” I suggested. “Theologian John Hick said the world religions are different culturally conditioned responses to the ultimately ‘Real,’ or God.15 Isn’t this like the old story of the three blind men feeling the elephant—each religion is a sincere but inadequate attempt to explain the mystery of God, and so each one is valid in its own way?”

Zacharias started with a bit of philosophical judo. “Either Hick is the product of his own culture or he has transcended his culture in making that statement,” he countered. “And if he has transcended his culture, why hasn’t anyone else transcended culture? It sounds very academically sophisticated, but it has too many problems at its heart.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“For instance, does the atheist have a piece of the truth, or is the atheist marginalized here? If the atheist does have a piece of the truth, which piece is it, since the fundamental tenet of atheism is the denial of God’s very existence?”

He paused, letting the question answer itself. Then he added: “I will say this: there are aspects of truth in virtually all of the major religions. They contain some great thoughts and ideas. Reading the notable Eastern philosophers is very, very stimulating. But it’s not like we are blind people exploring the elephant, with one person feeling the leg and thinking it’s a tree; the other person feeling the trunk and thinking it’s a rope; and the third feeling the ear and thinking it’s a fan.

“The point is,” he said, his voice rising for emphasis, “the parable has already given away the fact that this, indeed, is an elephant! The blind man may tell you it’s a tree, but he’s wrong. It is not a tree or a rope or a fan. The seeing man knows this is an elephant. He knows the truth; his sight has revealed it to him. And Jesus Christ has made it clear that the eternal truths of God may be known. Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of the gospel—in him, all of truth came together. So while there may be aspects of truth elsewhere, the sum total of truth is in Christ.

— The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity by Lee Strobel

2. Read Romans 1:21-23. These verses describe who know know but something is missing

They glorified him not as God. They did not honor him as God. This was the true source of their abominations, To glorify him as God is to regard with proper reverence all his perfections and laws; to venerate his name, his power, his holiness, and presence, etc. As they were not inclined to do this, so they were given over to their own vain and wicked desires. Sinners are not willing to give honor to God as God. They are not pleased with his perfections; and therefore the mind becomes fixed on other objects, and the heart gives free indulgence to its own sinful desires. A willingness to honor God as God-to reverence, love, and obey him, would effectually restrain men from sin.

— Notes on the New Testament Explanatory and Practical.

3. Exodus 20.3. What gods do people put ahead of God today? What are some examples?

Fans can go to the extreme in their devotion to musical performers.

In the April 25, 1994, news section of Christianity Today, it was reported that some fans of Elvis Presley were actually revering the king of rock and roll as a god. Pockets of semi-organized Elvis worship had taken hold in New York, Colorado, and Indiana. Worshipers raised their hands, spelled and then chanted Presley’s name, worked themselves into a fervor, and prayed to the deceased star.

At the First Presbyterian Church of Denver, a Reverend Mort Farndu said that Elvis worship was spreading. Followers believe Elvis watches over them. If someone reports seeing Presley, the high priests at the Church of the Risen Elvis in Denver hold Elvis worship services. They enshrined a look-alike doll of Elvis in an altar surrounded by candles and flowers.

Idolatry is alive and well in America.

— 750 Engaging Illustrations.

4. Genesis 4.4 – 5. Why did God reject Cain’s offering? What do we learn about following God from this?

The reason for this contrast is never stated. Perhaps the issue was the attitude of the respective worshipers rather than the nature of the offering. Some interpreters suggest that the attitudes expressed were faith versus non-faith (cp. Heb. 11:4). Others suggest that the contrast was between a careless, miserly offering and a choice, generous offering (cp. Lev. 3:16; 1 John 3:12).

But if the Lord had given prior revelation about sacrifice, it is likely that he would have included some specifics about the nature of the sacrifice as well. Although later sacrifices could include grain (i.e., bloodless), this was usually given in conjunction with another sacrifice (e.g., Lev. 2). The Book of Hebrews speaks of the “better sacrifice” of Abel (Heb. 11:4a) and that God “spoke well of his offerings” (Heb. 11:4b). Later the author of Hebrews wrote of “Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Heb. 12:24).

The contrast here is not between the death of Abel and the blood Cain spilled (this blood did not create fellowship) but the acceptable blood sacrifice of Abel and the better sacrifice of Jesus. The contrast then is not primarily about faith, although faith is absolutely required, but between offering what the Lord had declared was acceptable and what Cain decided was admissible.

Like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the word of God must be accepted as precise and authoritative. If the Lord declared that Cain’s sacrifice was unacceptable, then this was true. What was now required of Cain was to offer what was acceptable to God.

— Holman Old Testament Commentary – Genesis.

5. Leviticus 10.1 – 3. What do we learn about seeking God from this passage?

Another case of trivializing that which is holy can be seen in the brief reference to Nadab and Abihu offering strange fire on the altar of God (Leviticus 10:1-3). It is impossible to say whether the two sons of Aaron, the high priest, erred in the manner in which they lighted their fire-pans, the timing, or in the place of the offering. The connection with strong drink and the possibility of intoxication cannot be ruled out, given the proximity and discussion of that matter in the same context (Leviticus 10:8-11). If that was the problem, then the drink may have impeded the sons’ ability to think and to act responsibly in a task that called for the highest degree of alertness, caution and sensitivity.

The offense, however, was no trivial matter. Nor was it accidental. There was some reversal of everything that had been taught, and what had been intended to be most holy and sacred was suddenly trivialized so as to make it common, trite and secular. Exodus 30:9 had warned that there was to be no “other incense” offered on the altar to the Lord. From the phrase at the end of Leviticus 10:1, “which he did not command them” (literal translation), what was done was a clear violation of God’s command.

As a result fire comes from the presence of the Lord and consumed Nadab and Abihu. Again, the fact that they are ministers of God makes them doubly accountable and responsible. Moses then used this as an occasion to teach a powerful lesson on the holiness and worship of God (Leviticus 10:3).

— Hard Sayings of the Bible.

6. Ecclesiastes 5.1 – 2. What sin is warned against here?

The possibility of presumptuous and foolish worship is described in this opening verse. The fool’s sacrifice is a habit that is hard to break because he is ignorant of the fact that he is doing evil. Religious sincerity not anchored in truth is lethal. Our inclination to self-deception is taught in both testaments of God’s Word (2 Sam. 12:1-13; Ps. 19:12; 1 Cor. 4:1-5; Heb. 3:13). Without regular intake of the Bible, Spirit-led prayer, and the accountability of others, we are doomed to keep repeating our foolish prayers.

If we don’t come to God with a willingness to hear from him first, we are doing something far more sinful than we could ever imagine. We should “not talk to God as boldly and carelessly as we do to one another, not speak what comes uppermost” -(Henry, 1006).

— Holman Old Testament Commentary – Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs.

7. Habakkuk 2.20. What attitude should we have in approaching God?

Now let’s be specific. What are these feelings or affections that make the outward acts of worship authentic? For an answer, we turn to the inspired psalms and hymns of the Old Testament. An array of different and intertwined affections may grip the heart at any time. So the extent and order of the following list is not intended to limit the possibilities of pleasure in anyone’s heart.

Perhaps the first response of the heart at seeing the majestic holiness of God is stunned silence: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk 2:20).

In the silence rises a sense of awe and reverence and wonder at the sheer magnitude of God: “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” (Psalm 33:8).

— Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist.

8. Habakkuk 3.2. What is Habakkuk feeling here?

Spiritual fervor can ebb if left unattended. We all begin our walk with the Lord enthusiastically, with an excited sense of anticipation. But over time, busyness creeps in. We become distracted and let our sin go unchallenged. We may take our relationship with God for granted and not notice the gradual decline until we find ourselves drained of spiritual vitality.

This descent can happen in your church just as it does in your personal life. Do you remember a time when the Holy Spirit was moving mightily in your church, and the members sensed God leading in an exciting direction? Are the services now lifeless and the power of God only a memory?

At a time like this it is futile to try to bring back life yourself. You can organize many activities and exhort those around you, but only God can resurrect what is dead. If God has initiated something in your life, or family, or church, only He can sustain it or revive it. If you sense that the spiritual vigor has gone out of your life or the life of your church, this is God’s invitation to pray. He wants you to intercede with Him so that He might revive His work. Jesus said that He is Life. It is unnecessary to remain spiritually lifeless when He has promised vibrant, abundant life if you will claim it. — Experiencing God Day by Day: A Devotional and Journal.

9. Ephesians 3.12. Should we be fearful in approaching God?

Only because of Christ and people’s faith in him can they approach the holy God. Paul described the most awesome privilege any mere human could have—to be able to come fearlessly into God’s presence. Most of us would be apprehensive in the presence of a powerful ruler, but faith gives us confidence. The Greek word translated “approach” implies a formal introduction into the presence of a king. Thanks to Jesus Christ, Christians can enter directly into God’s presence through prayer, assured of his glad welcome (see also Hebrews 4:16; 10:19-22). — Life Application New Testament Commentary.

1) How does Christianity differ from other faiths in this regard?

The Christian has the great blessing of being able to approach God through Jesus Christ. Those who serve other gods do not have it so good.

Oswana lives with her tribe in Africa. Her god is not approachable at all. Being an animist (one who believes that god is in everything), she spends the majority of her time appeasing the good and bad spirits. She fails most of the time.

Prima is a good Hindu. Her access to her god is framed by three ways to salvation: 1) the way of works, 2) the way of knowledge, and 3) the way of devotion. Just in case one god is unapproachable, there are a million others from which to choose. And if she does not like the way this life is going, she can always come back as a cow.

If you are a Buddhist, your goal is not access to god but to a place called Nirvana to become a god. Your goal of life is the end of existence. The only “catch” to Nirvana is that it is impossible to get there from here. Ask Dali. He was convinced that “the eightfold path” would get him to Nirvana: simple for a god; impossible for a mortal man. In order to get to Nirvana and have access to the gods and become a god, he had to: 1) have right views, 2) have right aspirations, 3) have right speech, 4)have right conduct, 5) have the right livelihood, 6) have the right effort or endeavor, 7) have the right mindfulness, and 8) have the right meditation or concentration.

What a glorious privilege Christians have, for our goal in life is to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father both now and forever! That guarantee does not depend on how effectively we can work out the details, nor does it depend upon our becoming gods. We have access to the Father as a result of one thing and one thing only: the shed blood of Jesus Christ. — Practical Illustrations

– Volume 9: Galatians-Colossians.

10. Jeremiah 5.22. Do you think we are too nervous, or not nervous enough in approaching God?

In light of God’s omnipotence, the people should have stood in awe of him. The Hebrew word used in verse 22 and translated fear is quite often translated “reverence.” The word translated tremble comes from a Hebrew verb that means “to turn about, twist, whirl, dance, writhe, be in pain.” It can mean “to shake or be brought forth.” The cumulative effect of these two verbs is that the prophet felt God’s people should behave carefully and respectfully toward God. Verse 22 closes with a metaphor, the sea. Even this great body of water obeys the limits God has set for it. But the people of Jeremiah’s day exalted themselves above any restrictions God had set for them. What arrogance and folly!

— Holman Old Testament Commentary – Jeremiah, Lamentations.

11. Isaiah 8.13. What difference does fearing the Lord make in our day to day lives?

When you fear the Lord, you don’t need to fear people or circumstances. Peter referred to this passage when he wrote, “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord” (1 Peter 3:14-15, niv). Isaiah compared the Lord to a sanctuary, a rock that is a refuge for believers but a snare to those who rebel. The image of Messiah as a rock is found again in Isaiah 28:16 (and see 1 Peter 2:4-7 and Rom. 9:33). “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1). — Old Testament - The Bible Exposition Commentary – The Prophets.

12. What three things are we commanded to do in Revelation 14.7?

At the time of final judgment, everyone will acknowledge God, as expressed in three commands:

1. Fear God. They must reverence him instead of the monster.
2. Give him glory. They must honor him instead of the dragon.
3. Worship him. They must fall before him instead of the beast’s image.

These commands are based on acknowledging God as the one who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water. In other words, although people may refuse to worship Christ as Savior, they will certainly worship God as Creator. The reference to sky, land, salt water, and fresh water reminds us that the Creator who had already destroyed a third of these (8:7-13) is on the verge of unmaking them completely in his terrible judgment (16:3-21). — Holman New Testament Commentary – Revelation.

13. Hebrews 10.11 – 14. What do we learn about God from the posture of standing and sitting?

Standing was a position of continuous work. Sitting was a position of accomplishment. The priests continued to stand because their work was never done. Christ sat (v. 12) because he had made payment for the price of sin.

The standing priest performed his religious duties, doing what he was commanded but without permanent results. Again and again translates a single Greek word which stands in contrast with Jesus’ once for all work (v. 10).

The work of the priest was ineffective, offering repetitious sacrifices which could never take away sins. By contrast, Christ’s single offering effectively removed sins for all time.

— Holman New Testament Commentary – Hebrews & James.

1) What does this passage teach us about what we are to do if we feel guilty?

I once shared a conference with a fine Christian psychiatrist whose lectures were very true to the Word. “The trouble with psychiatry,” he told me, “is that it can only deal with symptoms. A psychiatrist can remove a patient’s feelings of guilt, but he cannot remove the guilt It’s like a trucker loosening a fender on his truck so he won’t hear the motor knock. A patient can end up feeling better, but have two problems instead of one!”

When a sinner trusts Christ, his sins are all forgiven, the guilt is gone, and the matter is completely settled forever.

— The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 2.

14. How were people saved in the Old Testament?

Same way we are: by faith. The difference is, for them it was faith in what they did not know. It was faith in God, but they did not know how God would work it out.

15. John 14.6. How would you respond to the criticism that Christianity is too exclusive—that it is arrogant of us to believe there is only one way to God?

“You believe that all truth—” I began.

“Is, by definition, exclusive,” he said. “Yes, yes, I do. If truth does not exclude, then no assertion of a truth claim is being made; it’s just an opinion that is being stated. Any time you make a truth claim, you mean something contrary to it is false. Truth excludes its opposite.”

“There are those who deny that,” I observed.

“Yes, but think about this: to deny the exclusive nature of truth is to make a truth claim, and is that person then not arrogant too? That’s the boomerang effect that the condemner often doesn’t pause to consider. The clear implications of Jesus saying he’s the way, the truth, and the life are that, first, truth is absolute, and second, truth is knowable. His claim of exclusivity means categorically that anything that contradicts what he says is by definition false.”

“It’s one thing for Christians to believe that,” I said. “It’s another thing to communicate it without sounding smug or superior. But Christians often come off that way.”

Zacharias sighed. It was a charge he had heard all too often. “Yes, if truth is not undergirded by love, it makes the possessor of that truth obnoxious and the truth repulsive,” he said. “Having been raised in India and having all Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Sikh friends growing up, I can appreciate some of their criticisms of Christians. Christianity’s history has some explaining to do with its methodology. Violence, antagonism, and hostility are contrary to the love of Christ. One cannot communicate the love of Christ in non-loving terms.

— The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity (Lee Strobel)

16. How did you come to believe that Jesus was right and all others are wrong?

“On what basis do you believe this claim by Jesus is true?” I asked Zacharias. “Ah, yes, that is the heart of the question,” he replied, his head nodding. “On one hand, you can say that the resurrection of Jesus established him as being the son of God. If that’s true, then all other faith systems cannot be true, because they each assert something contrary to his divinity. And of course, the historical record concerning the Resurrection is extremely compelling.

“On the other hand, you can approach this issue by looking at the four fundamental questions that every religion seeks to answer: Origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. I believe that only the answers of Jesus Christ correspond to reality. There is a coherence among his answers unlike those of any other religion.”

That was a bold statement. “Can you back that up with examples of how other faiths fail those tests?”

“Consider Buddhism,” he replied. “Buddha’s answer on the question of morality does not cohere with his answer concerning origins. You see, Buddhism is technically nontheistic, if not atheistic. But if there was no Creator, from where does one arrive at a moral law? Or consider the Hindu version of reincarnation. If every birth is a rebirth, and if every life pays for the previous life, then what were you paying for in your first birth? You see—incoherence dominates.”

He was quick to add that he was not trying to denigrate those religions. “Great scholars will tell you there is incoherence,” he said. “Even Gandhi said that if he had his way he would expunge some of the scriptures from Hinduism, because they are so contradictory with each other. By contrast, Jesus provides answers to these four fundamental questions of life in a way that corresponds with reality and has internal consistency, unlike any other faith system.”

— The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity (Lee Strobel)

17. Is having faith in Jesus something you can try real hard to do? Why is it hard to try to believe?

You cannot make yourself believe something through willpower. Oxford professor Richard Swinburne writes, “In general, a person cannot choose what to believe there and then. Belief is something that happens to a person, not something he or she does.”10

Sometimes people with “iffy” faith will think, I have to try harder to believe that I’m going to get the answer that I want to my prayer. It doesn’t work. Trying hard to believe is toxic. It is a dangerous practice. I can say, “I’ll try to learn. I’ll try to study. I’ll try to grow. I’ll try to know God better. I’ll try to pray.” But I cannot directly generate belief through willpower.

Alice learned a lesson about the nature of beliefs on her trip to Wonderland.11 (Lewis Carroll was both an Oxford mathematician and an Anglican clergyman, so he was very interested in the nature of belief.) In the middle of a dizzying conversation, the Red Queen says to Alice, “Now I’ll give you something to believe. I am 101 years, five months, and one day old.”

This is too much for poor Alice. Although one would guess it is hard to gauge the age of an animated chess character, it is clear that the queen can’t be beyond middle age.

“I can’t believe that,” said Alice.

“Can’t you?” asked the queen, in a pitying tone. “Try again. Take a deep breath and shut your eyes.”

Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said. “One can’t believe impossible things.”

“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

— Faith and Doubt (John Ortberg)