Skip to Questions and Objections List
There are often disagreements about any given theological topic. These disagreements frequently arise from misunderstandings of more foundational doctrines; much like a house with a poor foundation, the roof will not fit properly. This is why I encourage you to begin our Christianity 101 course from the beginning.
Even then, disagreements may still occur. I have included this list of FAQs and objections raised by others related to this study. Sometimes, certain verses need to be explained in greater detail, as we might read things into the Scriptures that are not there without realizing it. This usually clears up any confusion.
However, some objections are common to every topic. These are typically the first objections addressed on the objection pages to quickly address them.
FAQs and Objections
Common Objections
1. This goes against orthodox Christianity and what the church has taught for centuries.
4. No one else believes this! In fact, the majority believe something totally different!
5. Such and such scripture says what you are saying is untrue.
Study Specific Objections
This goes against orthodox Christianity and what the church has taught for centuries.
First, let me say that this statement is incorrect. Since the beginning of the church, there have been many different doctrines taught. Not all were true, but not all were false.
There are false doctrines that have been believed for centuries, alongside the truth of Scripture, which has also been believed for centuries. So the church actually has taught this, along with other doctrines, for centuries.
The argument that this goes against “orthodox” Christianity is another matter, though. The term “orthodox” means conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true; established and approved.
Essentially, orthodox Christianity is defined by a majority of Christians who hold the same view. However, orthodox teachings are not always correct, since the majority can be (and often are) wrong. For example, the religious leaders at the time of Jesus would have been considered orthodox. Yet, time and again, Jesus showed their teachings to be incorrect.
Our test for what is or is not true should never come from majority opinion or the age of a teaching. Our test is Scripture and Scripture alone. Any teaching about what Scripture says is subject to the Scriptures themselves. Thus, the Scriptures interpret themselves.
So it doesn’t matter if something goes against the majority opinion. If they were wrong, then they were wrong. The word of God is always right. We should know the word of God from the Bible itself rather than just rely on someone else’s commentary (even mine) about the word. Teachers can guide you, but you must understand that only the Bible itself is 100% correct 100% of the time.
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Aren‘t you being prideful because you think you know better than the great theologians of the past?
No, not at all. Just because someone considered to be of high esteem says something different from a person of lower esteem, it doesn’t mean the person of higher esteem is correct. This is not a matter of pride; it’s a matter of truth.
Jesus was also accused of being prideful because He acted and spoke with greater authority than others, such as Moses. It wasn’t about pride, though; it was about truth.
Why do I believe I understand the truth of these things? It’s not because I believe I am somehow greater than others. It is because I have read the Bible and come to a different understanding—an understanding that I believe is true based on the information given, not on how highly I esteem myself.
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“Someone else (a link I would like to send or a well known teacher) can explain this subject and why the doctrine on this site is wrong better than I can. So please see…such and such”
There have been many times when I’ve been given links to other ministries that teach things contrary to what I do. The funny thing is, I’ve often already seen those articles and have included explanations in my own writings as to why they are incorrect.
So, I find it both laughable and annoying when someone tries to refute what I teach by showing me what someone else teaches, which I’ve already proven to be incorrect.
The reason many people point to the teachings of others is often because they do not fully understand the subject well enough to defend it themselves. So, they rely on others who “understand it better” to do that for them.
What they don’t realize, however, is that the reason they don’t fully grasp it is that those they point to as great teachers don’t have a firm grasp on it either. Thus, their students are left without understanding as well.
In fact, the same arguments the student would make are the very ones their teacher will make. If those arguments don’t hold up for the student, the teacher will also fail, since they are saying the same thing. So do yourself a favor: don’t pretend you aren’t smart enough to figure this out, allowing someone else who is “smarter” to do it for you. Use your own brain.
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No one else believes this! In fact, the majority believe something totally different!
Since when has majority opinion been proof of something being true? Majority opinion is merely an endorsement from many people who may themselves be incorrect. The objection that no well-known or respected group or intelligent person believes something was also used against Jesus. They said, “Have any of the scribes or Pharisees believed in Him?!”
So, denial of something based on this comes from peer pressure, not truth.
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Such and such scripture says what you are saying is untrue!
A common theme in never-ending debates occurs when one person uses a scripture that seems to say one thing, but another person cites a different scripture that appears to give a different view. Typically, we just keep quoting our supporting scriptures back and forth.
But this only leads to frustration. Instead, we need to lay down our arsenal and learn how to use it properly. The Bible will not contradict itself, so if we see two opposing views, we need to ask ourselves how they work together.
Is it possible that one of us is reading something into the scriptures that it doesn’t actually say? Could it be that other foundational doctrines we believe are not true, forcing us to interpret certain scriptures in a way that tries to make them fit? I’ve often found that misunderstanding scripture can lead to this. A little help in understanding what we read might be in order. For more on this, please see Unit 1:7 in this course.
If you truly believe something to be untrue, feel free to contact me. As long as it’s not something I’ve already addressed, I’d be happy to hear you out.
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The Bible was compiled by councils of men who chose which books to include or exclude. How do we know their decisions truly reflected God’s will?
The canon of the Old Testament came about in this way:
The first 5 books (the Torah) in the canon were not compiled by a council. They were compiled by Moses. The Nevi’im (or the Prophets) was canonized by Ezra, not a council.
The Council of Yavneh (Jamnia), a meeting of Jewish scholars around 90 AD, was responsible for the canonization of the Ketuvim (The Writings) in the Old Testament.
The books chosen to be included were based on several criteria that had to be met.
Authorship: Books associated with well-known Jewish figures (such as David for Psalms or Solomon for Proverbs) held authority.
Language: The majority of books in the Ketuvim were written in Hebrew, although some, like parts of Daniel, include Aramaic.
Usage in Worship: Books like Psalms and Lamentations were widely used in worship and personal devotion, which helped solidify their sacred status.
Consistency with the Torah and Nevi’im: Books that did not contradict earlier sacred texts were more likely to be accepted.
Divine Inspiration: Jewish tradition placed emphasis on whether the texts were believed to be divinely inspired.
This is why some books were excluded from the canon. They simply didn’t meet the criteria. But it’s important to note that the books put into the canon were already seen as authoritative. All the council did was acknowledge it officially.
At the time of Jesus, this canon was complete, though scholars still debated for a long time after. But the people in that day knew these books were scripture and authoritative.
Jesus Himself put His words and the scriptures on the same level of authority. When He said, “If you believed the scriptures, you would believe Me,” it also implies that if you believe Him, you would believe the scriptures as well. And Jesus said the scripture cannot be broken.
I can think of no greater endorsement of this canon than His.
The New Testament came about this way:
The first canon of the New Testament was the Muratorian Canon, dating around 170 AD. Like other scriptures, it required the same kind of requirements for a book to be included.
Apostleship: An apostle or someone closely associated with an apostle had to author it.
Theological Consistency: Theological ideas had to be compatible with other accepted scriptures.
Date of Writing: The book had to be written early on.
Already Authoritative: The book had to have been used by earlier Church Fathers and read publicly during worship services. The book was acknowledged by major Christian communities in the Mediterranean world.
For example, Gnostic gospels were attributed to apostles, but they did not line up with their known teachings, so they were excluded. The Apocrypha (books of doubtful authenticity) were not included in the final canon for this very reason.
In short, councils had a very strict method of determining the canon of the Bible. Also, some parts were canon without the approval of councils because the people that canonized them are the people in the Bible itself.
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The Bible was written in a completely different time and cultural context, which might make some of its teachings less applicable or understandable today.
The time and culture don’t make it less applicable or understandable. It simply means we need to study it in proper context and apply it to our lives today. The things contained in the Bible are for every time and culture.
For example, if the Bible were to say thy camel should never be thirsty (just a silly example, not something actually in the Bible), you could say it is no longer relevant to us. But if you understand the context and meaning, you could see that it implies you should always have transportation ready to go (again, just a silly example). So the application to our life today is to keep our car full of gas.
The fact is that the Bible is timeless. It is no less applicable today than yesterday and it is just as understandable now as in the past.
If, however, you’re arguing that Greek makes it less understandable, you would be partially correct. That language may not be known to many people today. But it can be studied and learned. It also isn’t necessary since we already have translations. So even this argument is a moot point.
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Different denominations and scholars interpret the Bible in wildly different ways. How can we be sure one interpretation is the absolute truth?
The reality is that no scripture is of private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). Every verse in the Bible is connected in some way, and it will not contradict itself.
What this means for us is that the scriptures interpret themselves. So if one scripture seems to contradict another, you need to find the verses that put them in proper context. Please see Unit 1:7.
Now, what typically happens is something called proof texting. This is when you take a single verse and ignore others that seem to contradict it rather than looking at the whole picture. This is often what people do in internet debates.
Many people will try to prove their view is right by quoting a certain verse. Others will try to tell them their view is wrong due to another verse. What typically happens is that you now have two people trying to use scriptures to fight against scriptures. This doesn’t work! The scriptures are not opposed to themselves.
Instead of finding out how the scriptures can both be right, people try to prove one wrong if it doesn’t support their view. This is why you will find many different denominations and different interpretations. It is due to personal bias.
So, the way you determine if your interpretation is the correct one is by letting the scriptures interpret themselves for you. If you are confronted with something in scripture that opposes your understanding, you should look into it further until you discover the real truth.
Thankfully, we don’t have to know every right doctrine in the Bible to be saved! So we shouldn’t worry about being wrong as long as we are willing to learn. Humans are usually wrong about something anyway.
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