Over the years questions have risen here though the response is so brief, it wouldn’t fill a blog post. They are important enough to those asking the questions that I thought I’d dedicate today’s blog to them. There are more than these, of course, and we’ll probably look at some of those later, but for now, here are the top five:
Is Christianity a religion or a relationship? I often hear people say Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship. That simply isn’t true. Christianity qualifies completely as a religion. It has a set of doctrines, rituals, and is centered around a divine figure. That’s a definition of a religion. It’s the “Born Again” experience that is a relationship. It requires only that we trust in Jesus for our salvation.
Does an omnipotent God choose or decide? I don’t see how a God Who knows all things including the best “choice” or “decision” before it needs to be made can be said to choose or decide anything. I often will say “the one true God chooses to exist in three divine persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” but that is simply because language falls short for describing God and His dealings. God doesn’t choose. He just knows.
How can we trust the Bible when it has been translated again and again, translation after translation after translation? There are really two questions here, I’ll address the second one first: How can we trust the Bible if it is a translation of a translation of a translation? Very few Bibles are translation from another translation. Most are translated directly from copies of the originals in the original languages of Greek and Hebrew. So the premise is faulty. In answer to the first half of the questions, each new translation is fresh, a fresh translation from copies of the originals. A truly accurate translation must be directly from the originals or copies thereof.
Why do we have so many different translations? This is related to the last question. Today there are more than 900 translations of the New Testament into English. Why do you suppose we need so many? There are actually several reasons. First let me say there are some terrible “translations” such as the New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses which is written to support their views rather than changing their views to follow Scripture. Another reason is anyone can publish a “translation.” But is it a reliable translation? The Twentieth Century New Testament was written by a group of non-scholars seeking a more modern English version than the KJV: nice idea but a terrible translation. Some “Bibles” are not translations at all but paraphrases.
As far as academics are concerned, new translations are needed as we come to better understand the use of the Biblical languages. Sometimes a word is used only once in the Bible, and the context does not give clear enough evidence to understand the word completely. Decades later, scholars may find that word in a secular text that clarifies its meaning. The 1611 a.d. version of the KJV, for instance, famously mentions a unicorn several times because the translators had not see the Hebrew word for wild ox before and so decided to translate it as unicorn. The better we understand biblical languages, the better and more accurate our newer translations can be.
Can we prove scientifically God exists? The question is akin to asking what color the number six is. It’s a category error although it’s a little hard to see at first. Science deals strictly with the physical world. Since God is not physical but metaphysical, He cannot be tested scientifically. The closest we can come to examining God is through philosophy, but even that is not quite the same as the metaphysical. We can show God exists through philosophical arguments such the moral, teleological, cosmological, ontological, and other arguments and from those understand a little of who God is and what sort of being He is. But to say “Show me God” is a metaphysical request not a scientific one.
We can see the effects of God’s work in our universe and in the lives of people around us, but we can’t see God unless He chooses to enter into the physical realm and manifest Himself as He did in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
Why is this important?
Sometimes it’s good to have a short and concise answer for questions people throw at us. I just thought you might like a few of the answers I’ve found. God bless you all in the coming New Year.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 