Myth busters: Bible Edition!

EQUIPPING BELIEVERS TO DEFEND THE HISTORICITY, VALIDITY, AND
RELIABILITY OF THE BIBLE:

There have been various myths that I have been approached with regarding the Bible which I wanted to address.  Let’s get right into it!

Myth: “The Bible is old and irrelevant. People have changed, times have changed, we’re living in very ‘scientific’ times; therefore, its’ useless!”

Exposing the Myth: 1 John 2:16 states: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

Time goes by; minute by minute, day by day, year after year, but human beings remain the same. Always have; always will. We have not “out-evolved” the Bible, so to speak. The Bible speaks about three key elements that have always been present and will always be present in human beings and the world. In fact; it’s only getting worse as time goes by, which directly contradicts evolutionary thought that the ‘human race is constantly improving, or ‘evolving’.

1 John 2:16 states these three elements:
“The lust of the flesh (satisfy ME now!), the lust of the eyes (I want ‘that’ NOW!),
and the boastful pride of life (Look at ME and MY status) . . .”

It’s amazing to read the truths of the Bible and see how: “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new”. – Ecclesiastes 1:9

Myth: “The Bible is not scientific”.

Exposing the Myth: It is true that the Bible should not be read as merely a science textbook. However that doesn’t mean the Bible contradicts science (e.g., Psa. 19:4-6; Rev. 7:1). Fact is; the very foundation of the scientific method is rooted in a biblical worldview. Christianity considers the world to be knowable, observable, descriptive, and above all, orderly because it has a designer of infinite knowledge and wisdom. Based on this premise, early scientists like Kepler, Bacon, and Newton believed that by studying creation, they were obeying not only the great commission, but the cultural mandate to subdue the earth as well. Maybe the best way to put it is to “think God’s thoughts after Him.”

It’s ironic that in an age of scientific enlightenment, skeptics still claim that science deals with what is observable while theology only deals with what is unobservable — especially in light of the fact that we can’t even explain what science is in the first place. Not only this, but much of what is being touted today as science isn’t really observable at all — things like quarks, electromagnetic fields, and even the evolving big bang theory. In fact, if we’re to consider only what is observable to be scientific, we’d still be saying that the earth is flat.

Truth is; God Himself bases his own integrity upon certain scientific premises (e.g., Jer. 31:35-37). For instance: the fact that Christ rose from the dead is testable and verifiable. To prove that he rose bodily, Jesus said to his disciples, see, touch, and eat with me (Luke 24:36-42; John 20:24-31; 1 John 1:1-4). The point is, the Bible and science are neither mutually exclusive nor contradictory — they fit together like hand and glove (Hank Hanegraaff, 2009, Accessed 8/8/13: http://www.equip.org/perspectives/what-is-the-relationship-between-science-and-the-bible).

Food for thought: The WHOLE premise of evolution is from an unobserved “accident” where the earth just happened to ‘perfectly’ end up on its’ axis; and don’t forget, most importantly, there is that pre-mordial slime which is where the evolution of creation got its’ start! Christian’s must respond and not be afraid to give answers instead of letting themselves get bullied and pushed around.

Myth: “Morals came from man; not from God”.

Exposing the Myth: There is no doubt God has put His moral code in the hearts of each human being. It is the evidence of mankind being made in His image (Gen 1:27). Even if we have the hardest of hearts, we still know that lying, stealing, murder, and adultery are wrong deep inside. These are just a few of the 10 Commandments (Exodus Ch. 20) that have served to give mankind loving boundaries. God set up this moral code because in His Sovereignty He knew we’d need a Savior because no human being is capable of keeping the law perfectly. Why is this significant? Jesus Christ.

Jesus was born as God in the form of a man to specifically die for us; to save us, because no man could save himself. Jesus willingly died the most brutal death possible as the ultimate sacrifice. He took our place. But, He would never force anyone to accept His forgiveness, however. You can’t force love. If He forced everyone to take His free gift of love and spend eternity with Him; that would actually be more like hell for the one who does not want to, wouldn’t it? This answers another myth actually as well. There is an age old question: “Why would a good God send anyone to hell?” He actually doesn’t send any person to hell; we choose it.

An eternity away from Him means an eternity away from His presence completely; a place completely de-void of God. This is unfathomable to human beings since everyone benefits from God’s creation while they are alive; and whether they acknowledge it or not. That’s why Jesus Christ is the single most important figure in the history of the world- For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17). As a recovering atheist for the last 10 years of my life, to not accept Christ’s free gift is something that BREAKS my heart in two like you wouldn’t believe; and it also breaks the hearts of every single ‘real’ follower of Christ. True Biblical Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship. This is why ‘real’ Christians share the gospel. Not to “offend” anyone, or prove anything. It’s not for us; we don’t get “brownie points” with God. We are just beggars telling other beggars where we found food. That is the real motive of the true follower of Jesus Christ.

References:

Hank Hanegraaff, 2009, Accessed 8/8/13: http://www.equip.org/perspectives/what-is-the-relationship-between-science-and-the-bible.