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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Aren’t you using circular reasoning by claiming the Bible proves itself, since you’re using the very text you’re trying to validate as evidence?
Scientific studies work by having one person or group conduct an experiment and document their findings. Then, another person or group repeats the same experiment and records their results. This process continues until you have a collection of, let’s say, 66 documents that all support the same conclusion. Is it circular reasoning to use these additional texts to verify the first one?
This is similar to how the Bible works. It’s not a single text, but a collection of 66 books written by many people over many years, each recording what they know about God. These books are in agreement with one another. So, using the Bible—a compilation of 66 distinct historical books—to verify itself is not circular reasoning. It’s the same process a scientist would use.
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Isn’t it possible that there are alternative explanations for the empty tomb, like body theft or a symbolic resurrection, rather than a literal rising from the dead?
No, it isn’t, and here’s why. The entire foundation of Christianity hinges on the literal, physical resurrection. If it were not literal, then the testimonies in the Bible would be false. That’s how central this event is.
The fact is, the tomb was guarded by multiple trained Roman soldiers and sealed with a large stone. The best excuse the religious leaders could offer was that all of the Roman guards fell asleep on duty (a crime punishable by death) while Jesus’ disciples supposedly tiptoed around them, rolled away the massive stone, retrieved a decaying body, and made a quiet getaway.
This was all supposedly done just to make it look like He had risen. But then, these same disciples spent the rest of their lives sharing the Gospel, enduring suffering, and even facing death—just to perpetuate a hoax? That’s hardly believable.
Additionally, there was no investigation that found the body, and no evidence anyone had stolen it. On the other hand, you have hundreds of people claiming they saw Him alive.
In the end, even the claim that He rose from the dead after three days is more believable than the story the authorities tried to pass off.
This is similar to how the Bible works. It’s not a single text, but a collection of 66 books written by many people over many years, each recording what they know about God. These books are in agreement with one another. So, using the Bible—a compilation of 66 distinct historical books—to verify itself is not circular reasoning. It’s the same process a scientist would use.
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If miraculous events and historical figures prove a religion’s truth, why should we accept Christianity over Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism, which also make similar claims?
Because these things alone do not prove a religion’s truth. The foundation of the religion itself must be true. This means the figures involved didn’t just have to exist—they also had to do the things recorded about them.
This includes prophecy, which must be 100% accurate. Its scriptures must also be free from contradictions. Other religions face problems in these areas, but the Bible does not.
For every supposed contradiction, failed prophecy, or inaccuracy in the Bible, there is a logical explanation. It’s often said that no objection to the Bible can be proven beyond doubt—and this remains true to this day.
There is historical and physical evidence supporting the Bible’s accuracy, and this evidence has never been disproven.
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Isn’t it just cultural bias that you focus on Christianity as the true religion simply because it has the largest number of followers?
No. I could end with that one-word answer, because bias and majority opinion do not change the truth. It doesn’t matter if you come from a culture that believes in one religion over another—you still have the opportunity to think for yourself and not simply follow the crowd.
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How can you claim that the Bible is scientifically ahead of its time when its accounts of creation, the age of the Earth, and other events directly contradict modern scientific findings?
Because the Bible’s accounts do not directly contradict modern scientific findings. Scientific findings are observations—like discovering a canyon with a stream at the bottom. That’s a fact. But the conclusions you draw from that fact depend on your understanding and worldview.
Some may say the canyon was formed slowly over millions of years, while others may argue it formed much more quickly. The only true scientific finding is the existence of the canyon and the stream. Everything else is interpretation and speculation.
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What about the numerous contradictions within the Bible itself, such as differing Gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection or genealogies?
There are no actual contradictions in the Bible, though there are misunderstandings on the part of the reader. For example, the genealogies of Jesus are sometimes thought to be incompatible. However, this is because Matthew traces the lineage through Solomon and the line of kings, while Luke follows Nathan, Solomon’s younger brother.
This is just one small example of how scripture is often misunderstood. More complex misunderstandings can also be explained by those who have studied the texts thoroughly.
As the Skeptics Annotated Bible once stated: “I’ve never seen a contradiction that believers can’t resolve, at least to their own satisfaction.” While the remark is meant to be snide, the point still stands—if a contradiction can be resolved, it’s not a true contradiction but rather a matter of personal interpretation or bias.
For more information, please refer to the Answering Skeptics page on this website.
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Why is it that only some historical evidence, like the Pilate Stone, is used to support biblical claims, while other events and miracles mentioned in the Bible lack verifiable proof?
First, it’s important to note that you can use the Bible to support the Bible, and I address that point Here.
The testimonies in the different books of the Bible serve as their own verifiable evidence. But beyond the Bible itself, there is also secular evidence supporting many of the events and miracles it describes, though I’ve only provided a few examples on this site.
You should also consider that we don’t always find abundant historical evidence for many past events. It’s not as if people were constantly documenting everything with photographs or writing books and then preserving them in disaster-proof containers for future generations.
Besides, if you witnessed a blind man being healed today, what evidence would you immediately think to leave behind for people centuries later? Would you even think about it?
The point is, we have as much evidence for the historical events and miracles mentioned in the Bible as we do for many other events in history.
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Isn’t it problematic to rely on sources like Josephus and Tacitus, which were written long after Jesus’ death and may have been altered by later Christian writers?
First let me say that any source for any history would be problematic to rely on for anything by this logic. For example, can we be sure the writings of Jane Austin were not altered later by other writers? Can you think of anything that could cause doubt about it?
For example, perhaps she had sent the works in to the publisher and the publisher changed it? Or perhaps there is some other conspiracy to change it? This is the kind of reasoning this question uses. The objections to these sources also use this kind of non-solid reasoning.
The writing of Josephus is dated to 93-94 AD. This is only 60 years after the crucifixion of Jesus. He was born in 37 AD which is just 4 years after the crucifixion of Jesus. So it wasn’t long after Jesus that this testimony was written at all.
Tacitus was born in 56 AD. Again, not long after the crucifixion of Jesus. The crucifixion of Jesus is dated to around 33 AD. So the parents of these men were there at the time Jesus was there!
These sources carry as much if not more validity than many other sources used by historians for other subjects.
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How can you claim that the God of the Bible is the true God when millions of people from other religions have equally profound spiritual experiences?
Its true that there are many “experiences” people can have in every religion. Some may “feel” the presence of a spirit. Some may experience incredible emotions. Some may see visions. There are a lot of experiences people can have. This includes mass psychosis.
But your feelings don’t determine reality. Seeing visions doesn’t mean you are a prophet. Signs and wonders aren’t even what determines if a religion is true.
In fact, the Bible tells us there will be false prophets. Yet we are instructed not to fall for it. We are instructed not to lean on our own wisdom and experience.
In short, these things aren’t evidence of truth. The Bible doesn’t present it as such either. While many people do actually come to Jesus through their own emotional experiences they must grow beyond that as their only reason for belief.
I first believed in God because I heard about Him as a child. I first came to God for salvation because I heard His still small voice saying “Do you really want to chance it?” But I have had to grow beyond my emotions and my own experience.
When the Christian no longer “feels” God they normally end up not knowing what to do. The common thought is that God must have left them. I counsel people like this daily it seems. Because their feelings are the only way they know to experience God in their lives.
But as Christians we have to learn to walk by faith. But the word faith is often not understood. Faith is not blind. It isn’t just a belief in something you can’t prove to be true. Faith actually has EVIDENCE of what is unseen. The scriptures say “now faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things unseen.
What makes the God of the Bible different is the evidence. No other religion has the evidence to back it up like Christianity. There is evidence from science, history, archeology, and prophecy. No other religion can truly tell you the end before the beginning.
The God of the Bible can.
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