A question can serve as a powerful tool to reveal the difference between what’s real and what’s preferred.
Depending on who you’re talking to, it’s not always an easy distinction to make because of the way some see themselves as their own absolute. Truth is whatever they choose to endorse based on the extent to which it makes them happy. However compelling the evidence may be that demonstrates the fallacy of their argument, they can undermine its effectiveness by insisting that it’s either irrelevant or unreliable. It doesn’t matter if the evidence is incontrovertible. When the only standard that you answer to is the one who stares back at you in the mirror every morning, you can restrict the information being considered to only those facts that reinforce the idea that you are your own bottom line.
When you ask a question, however, you control the conversation. A question requires an answer and a weak response is impossible to conceal.
But the right question can do more than just influence the direction of a dialogue, it can reveal the truth and those who are opposed to it.
That’s how Jesus was able to successfully contend with the Pharisees – He asked them questions that required legitimate answers and not just strategic responses. Just like it’s possible to be honest without telling the whole truth, you can sound like you have a point and yet be completely wrong simply by emphasizing certain aspects of an issue and ignoring all that would otherwise provide context and a more complete understanding of what is being discussed.
In some instances, it’s ignorance. But in other scenarios, it’s a willful disregard that masquerades as either critical thinking or a wounded disposition. Those that pose as either enlightened thinkers or victims that need attention are rehearsed, conditioned, and encouraged by a society that promotes the individual as his own absolute and if you have a complaint, you automatically have a cause.
You don’t reason with someone who’s god is their stomach (Rom 16:18; Phil 3:19), but that doesn’t change the mandate we have to always be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have (1 Pet 3:15). And that hope isn’t limited to what happens when your heart stops beating, it’s the hope that we have that regardless of the situation that we’re in, there’s a Truth to be discovered that translates to wisdom (Jas 1:5), strength (Eph 1:19; Phil 2:13; Col 1:29), and peace (Is 26:3; Phil 4:7).
So, while those who are determined to maintain themselves as their own deity are philosophically invested in a lie that will not be surrendered, regardless of the liberty and the power freely offered by the Truth (Jn 8:32), you still want to be able to champion what’s right and do it in a way that makes a difference and doesn’t just make a noise.
And one of the ways you can do that is to ask the right questions.
Here are some questions you can ask that demonstrate the validity of the Christian doctrine.
1) Every religion on earth empowers the individual with the ability to earn their way into heaven, except one. Which religion is it?
a) Islam
b) Judaism
c) Christianity
d) Scientology
As a Muslim, your eternal destiny is determined by your behavior on earth. You’re required to obey the Five Pillars of Islam and Jihad is also a way of being able to gain favor with Allah.
As a Jew, you’re status is improved with “mitzvahs,” or good works.
Scientology asserts that you are a thetan – an entity that exists separately from the body and you improve your thetan by clearing it from the engrams that prevent it from functioning more freely.
While there are no Eastern religions mentioned here, they fall into the same category. A Buddhist is looking to end suffering by achieving Nirvana in the context of following the Noble Eightfold Path. Hindus pursue Moksha in order to be liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth.
Christianity says that you are a spiritual corpse and there’s nothing you can do to improve your status or your destiny (Ps 14:3; Is 64:6; 1 Cor 2:12; Eph 2:1); . Rather, salvation is a gift that you receive by faith (Eph 2:8-9). You do not earn you way into heaven. It’s by God’s grace alone and, from that standpoint, it’s the only true religion because it’s the only creed where man cannot be his own deity.
For more reading on this, read “Either God is God or man is god” and “COEXIST.”
Bottom line: Not all religions are the same.
2) Which work of antiquity is considered to be the most accurate rendering of the original text? The Illiad by Homer or the New Testament?
a) The New Testament
b) The Illiad
When looking to verify the validity of any ancient text, you’re looking at two things:
- How many original manuscripts (MSS) do we have today?
- How long was it before the first copy and the initial writing of the text in question?
The Iliad, by Homer is considered to be classic and was a standard in intellectual circles for centuries. Look at how the two works compare with one another in terms of textual integrity:
From a purely academic standpoint, the New Testament is the most academically verifiable work of antiquity that we have today.
To read more about this, head out to “The Accuracy of Scripture: Part Two – The New Testament.”
Bottom line: The New Testament is an accurate rendering of the original text.
3) What did the early disciples gain by insisting that Jesus had risen from the grave?
a) Wealth
b) Power
c) Fame
d) none of the above
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best when he said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
There are no historical records that document how the apostles died, but there is certainly no documentation that suggests they got wealthy or became powerful. Instead, the only traditions that exist are those that say they all suffered a martyr’s death. John wrote the book of Revelation from the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9) and he may have been the only apostle who died of natural causes.
The thing to notice, however, is that if the resurrection of Christ was nothing more than a marketing campaign that could be used to make money and promote one’s social and political status, the reputation of the disciples would’ve been far better documented and underscored as something other than how to become a disciple of Christ, you must take up your cross and die. (Mk 8:34-35; Lk 9:23; Gal 5:24).
Bottom line: You don’t become a Christian to improve yourself. Rather, you become a Christian when you’re ready to surrender yourself (Lk 14:33; Rom 6:13).
4) Simeon bar Kosba was a second century Jew that was endorsed as the Messiah by the greatest rabbi of the time, Akiva ben Yosef. Why is he not more well known?
a) he didn’t win any military battles
b) the Romans didn’t have to work hard to defeat him
c) because he’s dead
Simeon bar Kosba is not more well known because he’s dead.
H.P. Liddon said in one of his more well known sermons, “Faith in the resurrection is the very keystone of the arch of Christian faith, and, when it is removed, all must inevitably crumble into ruin.” (“The Power of Christ’s Resurrection“) He makes a good point in that Jesus didn’t just preach and perform, He died and came back to life. That what makes Christ distinctive and what makes Christianity such a standout in that a Christian doesn’t put their faith in a messenger or a great teacher. Rather, they are putting their faith in God Incarnate.
The Bible is very transparent about this when it says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Cor 15:19). It is the Resurrection that makes all the difference and that is why we know about Jesus Christ and all of the others who claimed messianic status don’t even register.
Bottom line: The reason we worship Christ and don’t just remember Him is because His tomb is empty.
5) Which miracle did Jesus say would prove that He was the Son of God?
a) healed people who were blind
b) feeding of the 5,000
c) his death and resurrection
d) bringing Lazarus back to life
Jesus stated specifically that what would “prove” that He was the Son of God was His death and Resurrection:
He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. (Matt 12:39-41)
Bottom line: Jesus, through His Resurrection, demonstrated His Authority over death and, ultimately, His Authority over all things (Matt 28:18-20).
6) When you see a painting, you see a painter. When you see a building, you see a builder. When you see a cupcake, you see a baker. When an atheist looks at the universe, he sees…
a) an accident
b) a cosmos created by a loving God
c) the work of an impersonal deity
The Pew Research Center, in their survey entitled, “Views About Human Evolution Among Atheists” concluded that the vast majority of atheists and agnostics believe that human beings are the result of Natural Selection. And for those who are looking for a scientific sounding reason to deny the need for God to have created the heavens and the earth can find what they’re looking for in articles such as “The Big Bang Didn’t Need God to Start Universe, Researchers Say.”1
The problem with the atheistic approach is that, regardless of how they attempt to explain the origin of the universe, they can’t do so without assuming the preexistence of the necessary matter and processes that have the capacity to somehow combine into a molecule.
For example, some want to assert the idea that a quantum vacuum qualifies as absolute nothingness and fluctuations within this quantum vacuum could conceivably create an entire universe.
Sir Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton. A brilliant scientist that is aptly described by a quote coming from Neil deGrasse Tyson, when he was asked which scientist he would like to meet. He responded by saying, “Isaac Newton. No question about it. The smartest person ever to walk the face of this earth. The man was connected to the universe in spooky ways. He discovered the laws of motion, the laws of gravity, the laws of optics. Then he turned 26.”4
It’s an insanely unlikely scenario, but what makes it even more absurd is the fact that however a “quantum vacuum” implies the complete absence of matter, it is actually a sea of fluctuating energy. So, with that theory, however popular it may be, it is nevertheless a self-defeating axiom because it isn’t a vacuum at all.
Dr. William Lane Craig is a member of nine professional societies, including the American Philosophical Association, the Science and Religion Forum, the American Scientific Afflilation, and the Philsophy of Time Society. He’s written several books and he makes a great observation about the nonsensical plight of the atheist who wants to eliminate God from the debate pertaining to the origin of the universe, specifically when attempting to use the idea that a quantum vacuum can produce life as we know it in that quantum physics has to have a starting point and you can’t use it to explain itself.
…you’ve got to account for how this very active ocean of fluctuating energy came into being…If quantum physical laws operate within the domain described by quantum physics, you can’t legitimately use quantum physics to explain the origin of that domain itself.2
Atheists often attempt to validate their position by declaring their theories to be rooted in science, yet their explanations are rarely observable let alone repeatable. And however cynical they may be when it comes to faith based paradigms pertaining to the origin of the cosmos, they seemingly forget that some of the greatest scientific minds that humanity has ever produced saw their scientific vocation in distinctively Christian terms.
…here’s a partial list of leading scientists who were believers: Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Brahe, Descrates, Bolye, Newton, Leibiz, Gassendi, Pascal, Mersenne, Cuvier, Harvey, Dalton, Faraday, Herschel, Joule, Lyell, Lavoisier, Priestley, Levin, Ohm, Ampere, Steno, Pasteur, Maxwell, Palnck, Mendel. A good number of these scientists were clergymen. Gassendi and Mersenne were priests. So was Georges Lemaitre, the Belgian astronomer who first proposed the “Big Bang” theory of the universe. Mendel, whose discovery of the principles of heredity would provide vital support for the theory of evolution, spent his entire life as a monk in an Augustinian monastery. Where would science be without these men? Some were Protestant and some were Catholic, but all saw their scientific vocation in distinctively Christian terms.3
In short, however dogmatic atheists may be in declaring the universe to be a byproduct of purely random and unexplainable phenomenon, their logic is quickly revealed as being more metaphysical baggage that scientific integrity. The beauty and mathematical elegance of creation is so compelling in terms of the way it points to God, that to dismiss Him with theories that require massive probability values in order for them to be plausible is simply not reasonable.
For more information, read, “I Dare You: Part One-Creation.”
Bottom line: Everything that’s been made has a Maker (Rom 1:20).
7) What does man deserve from God?
a) an explanation
b) a verdict
c) an accommodation
Some want to believe that if God doesn’t function in the way they believe He should behave, that proves He doesn’t exist. You’ll hear some suggest that if God was everything He claimed to be, there wouldn’t be any natural disasters or nonsensical tragedies.
Others want to believe that they deserve a special accommodation, in that their conduct isn’t as bad as others and for that reason they should be granted some kind of Divine concession rather than the judgement they would otherwise receive.
But every bit of pain and suffering is a result of a choice that humanity, not only made in the Garden of Eden, but the choice that every human being makes every day when they walk up to God as He’s sitting on His Throne and tells Him to get out of their chair (Gen 2:17; Ps 14:1; Rom 3:12).
What makes sin so toxic isn’t just the sin itself as much as it’s Who you’re sinning against (Is: 40:12-14; 45:9-10).
When you take an honest inventory of Who God is, the idea that a human being would have the audacity to disobey Him or to rebel against Him is unconscionable, and yet..; .
…that’s what we do all day, every day (Rom 3:23).
He made it clear that the consequences of sin would have a terrible impact, not just in the context of eternal judgment, but even in the context of natural disasters (Rom 8:19-21). This is what we choose and for that reason we deserve a verdict and nothing less.
But while we chose to rebel against Him, He nevertheless chose to save us (Rom 5:8). The havoc we brought upon ourselves, the death that we choose everyday, the rebellion we stage and the consequences we embrace are all a result of a sinful disposition against God and not because of a weak or an indifferent God.
It’s not that you accept or dismiss the pain caused by a tragedy as an unavoidable curse leveled against humanity by a cruel deity. Instead, you regard it as a chosen part of the human experience that God in His Grace offers to help, heal, and ultimately redeem.
But in order to experience that redemption and assistance, you first have to be able to admit that you need redemption and assistance, and that’s why Christianity is such a challenge for some. They would rather pretend to be their own absolute so they can be evaluated according to a standard of their own making, rather than have to answer to their Creator and be told that they can’t secure admission into heaven according to their own merit.
Bottom line: “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” (
Jonathan Edwards)
1. “The Big Bang Didn’t Need God to Start Universe, Researchers Say”, Mike Wall, June 24, 2012, space.com, https://www.space.com/16281-big-bang-god-intervention-science.html, accessed January 20, 2025
2. “The Case For a Creator”, Lee Strobel, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2004, p101
3. “What’s So Great About Christianity”, Dinesh D’Souza, Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois, 2007, p99
4. “Neil deGrasse Tyson > Quotes > Quotable Quote”, goodreads.com, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/598930-when-asked-about-which-scientist-he-d-like-to-meet-neil, accessed January 20, 2025
Recently I had the chance to write the adult bible study curriculum to compliment what compliments the “
“Are you a Christian?” There are a lot of people who will answer “Yes” to that question. But if you ask them to elaborate you get stuff like “I believe in God” and “I believe that Jesus died on the cross.” These are elements of a believer’s creed, certainly, but imagine an interview where you’ve got two people being asked the same questions and consider their answers in light of what the Bible says.
Now, hang on… It is entirely appropriate to recall the distance that stands between who we were as spiritual corpses and who we are now as regenerated souls (Eph 2:1, 5). As a matter of fact, when you factor in the Lord’s Supper and the Scriptures that admonish a perpetual attitude of gratitude and humility, it’s evident that acknowledging who we were before Christ is more than a mere courtesy, it’s an act of obedience that we’re commanded to perform in order to maintain a healthy perspective on who we are in Christ (Rom 12:3; 1 Cor 11:26; 1 Thess 5:16-18).
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a resource out there that got your entire congregation genuinely interested in studying the Word of God, spending time in prayer and being genuinely engaged and not just present when it came to church attendance?
I’ve always been inspired by Caleb. You meet him for the first time in Numbers 13. He was a standout from the tribe of Judah and was selected as one of 12 men to go out and explore Canaan. Their report was positive in terms of the land itself, but the inhabitants represented an overwhelming obstacle and all but two of twelve were convinced that God had led them into a no win situation.
