Truth Test Explanations
1. It’s impossible for some people to have faith because they are logical thinkers.
False!
Faith simply means we believe in something or someone we haven’t see. Faith is not illogical; in fact, even though we can’t see it, there are usually good reasons (evidence) to believe. In reality, everyone has faith and acts on it every day. When we fly in an airplane, we don’t see the pilot or check the maintenance logs because we have faith in the airline. When we eat in a restaurant, we don’t test the food before eating because we have faith in those who prepare the food even though we’ve probably never even seen them! Even scientists have faith that atoms exist even though they have never actually ever seen one. Why? There’s evidence for them. Which leads us directly to our next question.
2. There’s no evidence for the existence of God.
False!
The creation itself, with all of its intricate design and purposeful function, is evidence that there’s Someone behind it all. Just as you can’t have a building without a builder, a watch without a watchmaker, a book without an author, or glasses without an optometrist, you can’t have a creation without a Creator.
3. If God loved us and had all power, He would stop all suffering and pain.
False!
Sometimes God has a higher purpose in allowing pain and suffering that we don’t see at the time. Suffering often makes us better, kinder, more compassionate people. But at its core, pain tells us there’s something wrong and our pain reminds us there’s something wrong with the world. God loves us and His laws are given to us for our good, but we are in rebellion to God and we break His laws (this is called “sin”). Everyone sins and sin has consequences. Think about your own pain and suffering: Has it been brought on because you or someone close to you disobeyed God’s commands?
4. Science proves there no God and the Bible is out of date
False!
Science is a method of discovering the truth in the physical world, but it is inadequate to discover the truth in the non-material world. Science measures and weighs material things, but how do you measure love or weigh justice? Can you go to the store and say, “I’d like a pound of justice?” Or ask for “three feet of love?” The point is science is a fine tool for discovering material truth, but God is spiritual. He dwells in a different realm. Of course, you are spiritual as well. Science can deal with your physical needs, but only God can address your spiritual needs.
5. Creation is a myth; evolution is a fact!
False!
Historical events can’t be tested scientifically and no one observed the origin of the universe, our earth, of life, or of human beings. Those are the facts, and in light of those facts, it’s difficult to call evolution a fact. Not only has macroevolution (changes from one kind of biological life to another) never been observed, but one wonders how such huge transitions as cold-blooded to warm-blooded, asexual to male/female, invertebrate to vertebrate could realistically occur. And when one considers the complexity of the brain, the nervous system, the circulatory system, and how all of our organs are interdependent on one another, chance mutations and natural selection don’t seem to measure up. No, life itself in all its wonder and complexity cries out for a life-giver, Almighty God!
6. The Bible is filled with errors and contradictions.
False!
Actually, for a book the size of the Bible, containing 66 unique books, written over a period of 1500 years, by 40 different authors, what’s amazing is the Bible continuity of the Bible. It reads as one unfolding story of God’s love for humanity. Of course, in a book this large, there are statements that can be taken out context which appear to be contradictory, but upon further examination when read in context, we find otherwise. While we can’t address every apparent contradiction in this short “Truth Test,” there are plenty of online resources to answer even the most difficult Bible questions. We suggest www.GotQuestions.org as a great place to go for specific questions about alleged Bible contradictions.
7. The Bible has been changed so many times no one knows what it originally said.
False!
No book in the history of the world has been more attacked and scrutinized than has the Bible. It has long been assumed that the Bible must have been changed over its many years, but historical evidence shows otherwise. Have there been some errors made when previous manuscripts were copied or translated? Yes. But modern research and the discovery of thousands of ancient biblical documents, the Dead Sea Scrolls being chief among these, give us confidence that the Scripture has not been changed or distorted in any significant way.
8. Everyone can interpret the Bible however they want to
False!
Technically, it is possible to interpret the Bible however you want to, but watch out, because you might be wrong. That’s kind of like saying you can write whatever answer you want to the math test. Sure, but if it's the wrong answer, you’ll not pass the test. Likewise, with the Bible; there is a right interpretation for each passage. A good student of the Bible will always ask, “What was the writer trying to communicate to his audience when he wrote this passage?” After that, the Bible student can ask, “How does this passage apply to me personally?” But that second question is one of application, whereas the first question is one of interpretation. There is one proper interpretation, there are many personal applications.
9. Fallible men can’t write an infallible book.
False!
Why not? Everyone is fallible (prone to make mistakes), but everyone does some things perfectly well. I do, don’t you? Being fallible only means you make mistakes, it doesn’t mean every single thing you ever do is flawed. I think the bigger question here is how could fallible men have given us such a perfect book?
10. The Bible is a book of rules telling us who to hate and who to kill.
False!
The Bible is the greatest love story ever written. It tells of God’s love for people and commands that we love one another. No one ever preached a message of unconditional love quite like Jesus did. Sure, there are legal codes in the Old Testament which include punishments for those who commit crimes against other people, but that’s far from the central message of the Bible, and bringing justice to criminals isn’t an unloving thing to do.
11. Jesus isn’t really any different than Mohamed, Buddha, or Krishna.
False!
All religious leaders teach us how to treat others, but Jesus did far more than that. Jesus taught He was more than a prophet, guru, or teacher. Unlike any other great religious leader, He taught that He was God’s one and only Son come in human flesh.
How else was He different? He is the only One who
* Fulfilled dozens of prophecies made hundreds of years before His birth
* Performed miraculous acts in front of others to affirm His identity
* Never sinned in thought, word, or deed
* Voluntarily sacrificed His own life for the sins of others
* Physically rose from the dead
The list of ways Jesus was unique could go on, but these six things set Him apart as more than a teacher or prophet — He is the Lord and Savior of mankind.
12. All religions are essentially the same
False!
As we saw in the previous question, Christianity is different because Jesus is so different. He did not come merely to teach us but to save us from our sins. When He suffered and died on the cross, He bore the punishment for the sins (the wrongs) that we have done. Every religion teaches that the way to reach eternal happiness (heaven, paradise, etc), is to earn it through following that religions teaching. Christianity teaches that because we are sinners, we have failed in the requirements necessary to please God and are deserving of His judgment. Therefore, salvation is reached not by what we do, but by what Jesus did for us! Eternal life is not earned, it is God’s gift to all who have faith in Jesus Christ! Whereas other religions do good in order to be accepted by God, Christians do good as a loving response to God already accepting us because of what Jesus accomplished on our behalf.
13. There’s no evidence for the resurrection.
False!
Facts: Jesus lived, died, and was buried in a small cave tomb.
Fact: Three days later the body was missing from the tomb!
Fact: Over the next 40 days after the body went missing, hundreds of people, on at least ten different occasions and in different locations, claimed to have seen Him, talked with Him, eaten with Him, and touched Him.
Fact: Every single one of those people held to their story even when they were cruelly persecuted, imprisoned, and killed without a single person ever recanting his eyewitness testimony of the resurrection of Jesus.
Fact: That many eye-witnesses giving such unyielding testimony is a lot of evidence!
14. There are no moral absolutes.
False!
Genocide isn’t wrong? Rape isn’t wrong? Taking an innocent life isn’t wrong? Cheating on your spouse isn’t wrong? There are plenty of moral absolutes and the way we can tell is simple: See if the person claiming that something isn’t morally wrong would mind if you did that to him or her! The thief says it’s not wrong to steal, but he would be upset if you stole from him. The politician says it's ok to lie, but you’d better not tell a lie about him!
No, the people who claim there are no moral absolutes are simply the people seeking to justify their own immoral acts.
15. Gays and Lesbians are to be celebrated for coming out of the closet
False!
Our culture celebrates what God calls immoral and against nature. We should never celebrate that which is sinful. This does not mean we hate LGBT people. They are human beings loved by God whom Christ seeks to save. We should seek that as well. We care for them as we would anyone else, but we never want to affirm or celebrate that which God condemns.