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
6. Atheists actually believe there were multiple universes before ours.
7. Quantum mechanics removes the need for a God.
8. We don’t know how it began, and that’s OK. We may discover something else in the future.
10. None of this is testable, observable, and falsifiable proof.
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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Atheists actually believe there were multiple universes before ours.
They have many theories as to the beginning of the universe AFTER it was created. But they do not have a clue what happened BEFORE it was created. There are theories of multiple universes existing at one time, a whole history of universes expanding and contracting, and a lot of others. But there is one thing NONE of those theories has been able to provide a solution to. None of those theories is able to provide an answer to what the first cause of the universe was.
They try to establish more time for things to have gotten to this point. But that doesn’t change the need for a causeless cause. They try to establish paradoxes, but despite a paradox being able to go in circles it has to have something to cause it’s existence. The chicken or the egg must by all logic have had a first chicken that didn’t come from an egg, or vise versa. This is the problem ALL atheists theories have and none have come close to solving.
The only logical theory is that there is something or someone that has always existed without the need to have been caused by something else. It must not be ruled by the laws of cause and effect. Since the universe is ruled by cause and effect that can tell us the universe itself is not self existing.
The reason this is not something that many people can grasp is because they are stuck in the loop. They are always learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. They fall back on “Well then what created God?” But this once again is them thinking in the loop. Until they are able to come to the understanding that the loop itself must have an outside creator not ruled by cause and effect they will remain in a never ending search for the chicken or the egg. It’s like a dog chasing his tail.
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Quantum mechanics removes the need for a God.
Quantum Mechanics is “the field of physics that explains how extremely small objects simultaneously have the characteristics of both particles (tiny pieces of matter) and waves (a disturbance or variation that transfers energy),” according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
In other words, it is the field of physics that explores how particles at the smallest scales behave in ways that challenge our traditional understanding of matter and energy. Some may suggest that this strange, probabilistic behavior points to the possibility of the universe emerging from such phenomena without the need for a creator.
However, this idea still leaves open the question of where the energy, matter, and laws governing quantum mechanics originated. These questions can only be answered by the existence of a God (a form of eternal energy).
Acts 17:28
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
So, in a way, Quantum Mechanics actually supports what the Bible has said all along: matter is made of energy, and that means we (as matter) live, move, and have our being through this energy (God).
This is why I sometimes say that, in a way, both God and the universe are eternal—because the universe is actually made out of God Himself! The difference is that the universe is ruled by the laws of nature, making it impossible to exist on its own. God, however, is eternal, and He created the universe by and out of His own self.
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We don’t know how it began, and that’s ok. We may discover something else in the future.
I’ve heard people say that Christians made up God because they can’t handle not having an answer to how we got here. On the surface the idea that it’s ok to not know something seems reasonable. But not when it’s willful ignorance.
Often, the atheist will ask for proof. Or they will say that some form of experimentation is needed to prove there is a God. Without that they will not believe. Again, it seems reasonable. But, not when you ignore the proof.
I’ve heard it said that science is mans best guess. Our experiments and experiences tell us certain things are true or not. What goes up always comes down. It has been proven over and over. An object at rest will stay at rest until another force is applied to it.
We easily accept these things as facts. We don’t search for another possible answer because we don’t need to. If one comes up then sure, we will go with it. But why fix something that isn’t broken? This is science. This is our best guess being accepted as fact.
Now, if I show you a candle burning would your best guess be that it has always been burning forever? If you see a race car on a circular track has it been racing forever? We don’t believe these things because all of the science says it’s not possible. The car can’t run forever with a limited amount of fuel. The same goes with the candle. The same thing applies to the universe.
All of our observations show a universe that is ruled by cause and effect. Therefore scientifically our best guess would have to be that it had a beginning cause. Naturally the next question would have to be “What began the beginning?” Scientifically, there is no guess that works except one. There must be something that is not ruled by cause and effect or time. This is the best guess you can get.
Now, with that said I want to turn our attention to the issue of willful ignorance. We accept gravity because it has been proven time and again. We don’t jump off of a cliff because of it. But when it comes to the only best guess ever given for the creation of the universe there are people who refuse to accept it. Time and again we have proven there must be an outside force that is eternal which created the universe. All our observations point to this. But this one best guess is not acceptable by many.
And so the real problem is exposed. It’s ok to not know something. But it’s not ok to ignore something. What are the consequences of ignoring our observations of gravity? SPLAT! It’s not ok to not know about gravity. What are the consequences of ignoring our observations that point only to a God? Much worse. So no, it’s not ok to not know something when it’s right in front of your face. It’s willful ignorance. That’s not good science.
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Insert other reasons God isn’t real here (objections that aren’t about the existence of God but about the existence of a certain type of God).
This study has been only for the purpose of showing there is evidence for a God. There are those who claim there is no God not based on intellectual reasons, but on emotional ones. Some feel hurt and think surely a God would do something else. Some are proud and believe they are better than God. But these objections to God are not things that remove God as being a possible solution to creation. These objections are focused on the denial of a certain TYPE of God. For those I suggest you continue reading this course or take a look at the link Answering Skeptics.
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10. None of this is testable, observable, and falsifiable proof.
The funny thing about this is that Atheism has no testable, observable, and falsifiable proof either. But, this claim is actually untrue when it comes to the existence of a God. In order to test the idea that God exists and find observable evidence one can test and observe causality.
Of course this has been done over and over. We learn actions have reactions when we are children. If this were to be proven untrue then the idea that a God is required to cause the universe is a falsifiable theory. It would prove there is no need for a creator. But so far this has not been the case.
The problem isn’t a lack of testable, observable, and falsifiable proof. The problem is about what we consider to be the nature of a God.
For example, an Atheist may say they prayed once but got no answer and concluded there was no God. But this is not a test of the existence of a God. Its a test of how God will respond to your prayer. If the response is not an answer it doesn’t prove there was no God there. It just proves God would not answer your specific prayer.
Often if a test like this doesn’t turn out the way you would expect it to its because of variables you have not taken into account. Variables such as God may not like being tested and will therefore ignore you. Which is in fact something scriptures show.
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11. Just because there are gaps in current scientific knowledge it doesn’t mean there must be a divine being.
This is correct. Just because we don’t know how something works it doesn’t mean a God must have done it. But when we DO know that the laws of nature require an eternal intelligent power (God) for the universe to exist it DOES mean there is a God that did it.
This is also addressed in the next study, Unit 1.1a.
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