About Christianity - FAQ
See below for some answers to commonly asked questions about God, the Bible and Jesus.
Why does God allow bad things to happen?
Death - is not a natural thing but a spiritual consequence for sin.
Romans 6:23- The wages of sin is death.
There was no death before sin entered the world. When sin entered all of creation became cursed, even the ground.
The suffering we see now is a warning of the judgement that has begun, but is also to come.
Sin brings death and suffering.
But there is hope.
Revelation 21:4 says that Death will be no more.
Things will be restored better than they were originally at the end of the age.
Although the curse is great the answer is greater. The answer is Jesus.
He became a curse for us so that all who call on His name will be saved.
None of us deserve what Jesus did for us. He is love.
I'm not a bad person, and God's a forgiving God isn't He?
There is none good, no not one. Sometimes we compare ourselves with others and feel that we are quite good; at least better than most. But the standard that applies is God's standard of righteousness which involves inner purity also. Have you obeyed the greatest commandment, "to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength"? We have all sinned against God which is to fall short of his perfection. But do you know what God did for us so we can have eternal life with Him? He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross as a substitute for us so that all who call upon His name will be saved.
Why does God hate homosexuals?
God does NOT hate homosexuals, or the sexually immoral, or those practising any sin, or people of other religions for that matter, and neither do we. We love these people. Amazingly, God loves sinners and offers terms of peace. “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”- John 3: 16-17
It is really a question of truth. Are we free to do whatever we want, or is there a higher standard of right and wrong (outside of man) that applies to us? If there is no higher standard, then there is no basis at all for right and wrong, but if we are created by a creator God, then He has the right to lay down the terms of how we are to live. He is just and loving. All who reject Jesus as Lord and Saviour will spend an eternity separated from God in hell, that is justice for sin if their is no repentance. But all who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour will spend eternity with our God in heaven; that is because of God's amazing grace, love and mercy.
How can you know that you have the truth?
If there is a God as the Bible says, then He is able to reveal himself to whomever He pleases. This is actually the only way that any of us will be able to arrive at truth – if one who knows truth reveals it to us. God has revealed Himself and His truth to us in a variety of ways; through His Word the Bible, prophecy, history, miracles, eye-witness accounts and an inner witness within our hearts – our conscience. Conscience literally means, ‘with knowledge’. The greatest revelation of truth was the incarnation of Jesus; God became flesh and dwelt amongst us. This was not done in secret, but in real historical documented events that can be scrutinised by anyone who seriously seeks the truth.
Who made God?
God is eternal. He is from everlasting to everlasting. Psalm 90:2 So no-one made God. Perhaps this offends you because it is not understandable. The reality is that our world is not understandable. Who made matter? The answer comes; 'it came from energy'. Who made energy then? The reality of our existence in all its complexity and wonder is not explainable, not even by science. This is why there must be an unexplainable source which the Bible reveals to us as God.
Isn't faith the opposite of science?
The essence of science is the scientific method which involves a hypothesis (theory), which is tested by experiment to either confirm or disprove its accuracy in describing reality. Science does not prove anything, it only confirms by experiment. Some theories are so well confirmed, we call them laws, but even some of our ‘laws’ are known to breakdown under certain conditions – thanks a lot Einstein.
So be scientific, make the hypothesis that there is a God that the Bible speaks of. Does the experimental data confirm or disprove? There is real experimental data within you – your own personhood. There are very few people who maintain that they are mere machines. Most of us know that we are a person, not an object. This person-ness confirms the idea that there is a personal God who created you.
You will find that there is a lot of experimental evidence that actually confirms the idea that the God of the Bible is reasonable. Take for instance the concepts of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics which is the scientific way of describing that random chance does not produce the bewildering complexity of a living cell.
What about other religions, are they all wrong?
Other religions may have elements of truth, but one point of difference will always be their treatment of who Jesus is. Without Jesus, the perfect son of God, there is no remedy for the problem of sin. There is no other sacrifice acceptable to God's justice that can substitute or take away our sin except the perfect sacrifice; Jesus himself, who died on the cross and was raised again the third day. Without this sacrifice, there is no mechanism for your sins to be forgiven and justice maintained at the same time. Without forgiveness of sins, we will face pure justice.