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Skeptics Aren't Equipped to Evaluate the Bible
by Robert Driskell Religious skeptics often put themselves in the position of judging God. As if God should act the way they think He should. Armed with a distorted and hostile misunderstanding of the Bible they proceed to tear down something they obviously know little about. The questions they raise are not new. They have been raised and answered many times before. Anyone who is interested in knowing the truth will have no difficulty finding powerful answers to the straw men skeptics continue to construct. However; those who are looking for an excuse to ignore God's call will be content to swallow the misstatements, misunderstandings, and distortions these non-believers continuously produce. The God so often described by the religious skeptics is a god of their own construct. They reject the true God and make up one of their own (a straw god) that they then proceed to criticize. This god they have imagined has characteristics that allow the skeptic to feel justified in their rejection of him. Outside of a vital, living relationship with Jesus Christ, a deeper understanding of the Bible is unknowable: But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:14-16 NASB) The person who does not believe in Jesus Christ is not equipped to interpret the Bible. He has no understanding because he refuses to accept the truth which the Bible contains. Therefore, his perception is skewed from the beginning and he, whether knowingly or not, teaches lies. The apostle Paul wrote a letter to a young pastor named Timothy in which he warned of "false knowledge" and the result of believing untruth: O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge" which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. (I Timothy 6:20-21 NASB) It is not God who is the problem, but human beings who refuse to relinquish their illegitimate autonomytheir rebellious self rule. As long as they see everything through their own selfishness, they can never know the truth or reality of God. They will evaluate everything by a distorted set of values and, instead of recognizing and acknowledging their limitations, they say God is wrong. This is the height of arrogance. The creature accusing the Creator. Nevertheless, God still loves the skeptic and wants to bless them. The true God is not the petty, insecure, fame-seeking, mean-spirited caricature that the skeptics imagine. The Bible tells us that if we trust God, lay our lives at His feet, and live for Him, He will enable us to understand His Word: Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. (2 Timothy 2:7 NASB) Seeking to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to help them become "transformed by the renewing of their mind." Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |