Building Christians Up From The Foundation & Unto Perfection
Hebrews 6:1-3
Hebrews 6:1-3
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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.
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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You’re just using the Bible to prove itself; that’s like saying a book is true because it says it’s true.
The Bible is not a single text but a collection of 66 books, written by various authors over many years, each documenting their understanding of God. These books are in agreement with one another. Therefore, using the Bible—a compilation of 66 distinct historical works—to verify itself (with each book corroborating the others) is not circular reasoning. It is similar to how a historian verifies other historical writings.
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Not all the prophecies in the Bible have come true—what about the ones that seem vague or haven’t been fulfilled yet?
First, let me explain that there are several types of prophecy. Some are very direct and detailed, while others are more metaphorical. Some are conditional, and others you may not even realize are prophecies until they come to pass. Therefore, understanding the context of a prophecy is essential in order to interpret it correctly.
You should also understand that prophecy is not typically given for the purpose of knowing the future in advance. Instead, it is meant to show that God knows the future after the prophecy has been fulfilled.
With that in mind, there are very few prophecies, out of the many, that have yet to come to pass. Almost all of these are related to end-time events, meaning they aren’t supposed to be fulfilled yet.
The few prophecies some claim are unfulfilled stem from misunderstandings on the part of the reader. For instance, Ezekiel 26:7-14 is often seen as unfulfilled.
This is because many believe the verses state that Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would destroy the city of Tyre and that the city would never be rebuilt. However, this did not happen because that’s not actually what the scripture says. The text states that many nations would attack Tyre like waves, one after another. For more details, please see the ‘Answering Skeptics’ section of this website.
The key point is that context is crucial. This is why some people mistakenly believe certain prophecies have failed—they don’t fully grasp what the scriptures are truly saying. There are no prophecies that were meant to have been fulfilled by now that remain unfulfilled.
Regarding vague prophecies, the Bible typically provides very clear details. Prophecies that appear vague are usually end-time prophecies that have not yet come to pass. They may seem vague because we are trying to foresee the future based on a small portion of text. But remember, prophecy is not given so that we can predict the future. It is meant to prove that God knows the future after it unfolds.
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Even if people were inspired by God, humans make mistakes or add their own opinions, so how can you trust every word?
The Bible states that its authors wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The word under indicates that they were in submission to the Holy Spirit, meaning their words were under the Spirit’s control. This is why what was written wasn’t merely the words of men who ‘felt inspired,’ as we typically think of inspiration. Instead, it was written by men who were subject to the leading of the Holy Spirit—in other words, the Spirit gave them what to write.
But let’s just imagine for a moment that the Bible is nothing more than the testimony of men. Each book agrees with the others, each testimony aligns with the overall narrative, and these testimonies have never been discredited. So, even if it were just the testimony of men, it would still hold up in court. The witness found in the scriptures is true and has been proven time and again.
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How can the Bible be perfect when it has contradictions, like the differences in the resurrection stories across the Gospels?
Just as any witness in court gives their testimony from their own point of view, so do the writers of the Gospels. Some include different details that build on the overall picture, but the testimonies do not contradict. Together, they form a puzzle that, when assembled, reveals the complete story.
If several witnesses gave the exact same testimony, you would (or should) suspect collaboration to ensure their stories matched. It’s natural for there to be some differences in genuine testimonies, which actually adds more credibility to the Bible.
Contradictions usually arise when the reader does not fully understand what they are reading or cannot piece the puzzle together. This is an error on the part of the reader, not the Bible. For more information, please see the ‘Answering Skeptics’ section.
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Plenty of people suffer for what they believe in—just because people died for their faith doesn’t mean the Bible is true.
This is true. But how many people would suffer and die for something they knew was a lie? The original eyewitnesses to the events of Jesus died at the hands of others because of their testimony. They didn’t just lie, convince themselves of the lie, and then die for that belief. They preached what they saw with their own eyes.
Those who came after believed enough to die for it as well, even though they only had the testimony of the people who were with Jesus. However, they also had the witness of others at the time. As the Bible says, these men ‘turned the world upside down.’ The people of that time were all talking about Jesus. What happened was well known.
So, even their belief wasn’t blind—they had evidence in their day. This wasn’t something a small group of cultists fabricated. It was an event that the entire world witnessed and has talked about for over two thousand years.
However, today there are people unaware of this evidence, but the Spirit of God is a witness to their souls. These are the witnesses of today. People like myself who have not only heard of Jesus but have also met Him in a personal way.
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The Quran also claims to be the word of God and makes prophecies, so how do you know the Bible’s claims are more valid?
There are many reasons, but one reason is that the Quran itself acknowledges the previous scriptures:
Sura Al-Baqarah 2:136 in the Quran says:
Say, ˹O believers,˺ ‘We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants, and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them. And to Allah we all submit.’
Sura Al-‘Ankabut 29:46 in the Quran says:
Do not argue with the People of the Book unless gracefully, except with those of them who act wrongfully. And say, ‘We believe in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to you. Our God and your God is ˹only˺ One. And to Him we ˹fully˺ submit.’
These verses place the books given to the Jews on the same level as the Quran. There are many places in the Quran that claim its words—and by implication, the previous revelations—are incorruptible. Yet, some Muslims claim the Bible has been corrupted, which creates a contradiction within the Quran itself.
Furthermore, if the Bible was truly corrupted, where is the uncorrupted version? Some claim it was lost—how convenient. The only proof they claim to be incorruptible and unchangeable has just mysteriously disappeared. So, all they can offer is, ‘Just trust me.’
In contrast, the Bible has a long history of verified preservation.
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You’re assuming the Bible is true without giving fair consideration to other religious texts and their claims.
If I find the Bible to be true why do I need to give consideration to other things that contradict it? Am I supposed to be unsure about the Bible and my beliefs?
The only reason to give consideration to other texts as far as finding truth is if I think I could be wrong. As a human I often am. But, unless I have an actual reason to believe I am there is no need to keep searching for the truth. This is true for anyone in any religion.
This is why there is evangelism. I believe the Bible to be true. Therefore I try to share it with others. This puts me in the position of discovering different views. If there are views I have not considered and that make sense I look into it. I expect this of other people that believe in other religions as well.
Nevertheless I have studied many other religions for the purpose of evangelism. I find it good to know what they believe so that I can communicate on their level. In my studies I have found NONE that come close to the Bible in truth.
But again, when you have the truth you don’t need to keep looking for the truth. I welcome discussion from others on their religions because I want to help them. Sure, they, like myself, may believe THEY have the truth. But they have always been proven wrong. The Bible never has.
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