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what I believe
God exists.
God created the universe. He created people in His image. Since God exists outside time and space, it will always be impossible for us to prove this scientifically, just as it's impossible for those who don't believe in God to prove their viewpoint using science. Yet there is more than enough legal-historic evidence to convince me that God is real and that He has lovingly guided people for millennium.
Legal-historic evidence is the same kind used in a court of law. You can't scientifically prove that any historical event happened, because you have to recreate the event to do so. Instead you use legal-historical data like eyewitness accounts and physical evidence. There's lots of this regarding the events described in the Bible. You can study the evidence to arrive at a personal decision about the existence of God, but to write off His existence without serious study is the act of a fool.
I believe God sees all things, knows all things, and can do all things. He knows our innermost thoughts and hears our prayers.
The Bible can be trusted
The Bible has been under attack, especially in recent years. Critics describe it as a flawed book of myths. After considerable study, I've discovered that the Bible is actually the most accurate book ever written. Nothing in it has ever been proven false, and new discoveries are always proving the Bible correct, never contradicting biblical accounts. I believe that God inspired people to write the various books and letters that make up the Bible, over a period spanning centuries. The way that these books tell one cohesive story of the past and the future without a single contradiction is uncanny and cannot be explained in any human way. Some people say there are contradictions yet none have ever been validated.
Evidence of authenticity
According to the Bible, God himself declares that he uses the foretelling of future events (referred to as prophecy) as a way of validating his authorship of the Bible:
"This is what the LORD says -- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come -- yes, let him foretell what will come." (Isaiah 44:6-7)
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." (Isaiah 46:9-10)
One
of the most remarkable examples of the Bible's authenticity
is the prophet Daniel's exact timing of the cutting off
of the Jewish Messiah as described in
Beginning with the exact day on which Persian
King Artaxerxes gave the commandment to rebuild the walls
of Jerusalem (The Greenwich Observatory identified this
date as
What's interesting about that date is that is was the only day in Jesus' life when the people declared him to be "Messiah the King." When the religious teachers asked Jesus to stop those chants because they amounted to blasphemy in their eyes, he told them that if the people would be quiet even the rocks would cry out that reference.
I challenge you to make this calculation for yourself -- learn how here. There are hundreds of similar passages in the Bible that can't be explained unless they were inspired by God.
I believe God gave us His word, the Bible, as a guide to living in this world and as a way for us to know Him better. The Bible is neither a history book nor a rule book. It is a guidebook showing us the heart and mind of God, and pointing to Jesus Christ. The principles contained within its pages can be applied to our lives even in this high-tech age.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God
Jesus was fully human like us, but He was also totally free of sin. He was perfect, the only person ever to be perfect. He was both God and human at once. He came here to pay our debt for sin, and through His human experience to take on the role of Mediator between God and mankind. Every other person who has ever lived sins from time to time. Sin is the process of doing things our way instead of recognizing and seeking God's authority and power. None of us are free of sin.
Jesus Christ took our sins onto Himself when He died on the cross, so He can stand up for us when we come before God's Throne in Heaven. Like a pinch-hitter in baseball, or a player taking a goalie's penalty in hockey, Jesus took our penalty because He is the only One perfect enough to do so.
Jesus is the only way to Heaven
This is probably the hardest concept for many people to accept, because human nature instinctively wishes there were many different paths to God. A curious argument, that. If there were only one cure for cancer, would people actually reject the treatment on the basis that there aren't more cures?
Since God is perfect and perfectly Holy, we can't do anything in our own power that makes us "good enough" for God's perfectly Holy Heaven. He wants us there, but our own rebellion makes that impossible. Only through our faith in Jesus Christ can we be granted entry into this everlasting place of perfect joy and peace.
People like to feel that if they behave a certain way then they can get brownie points for entry into Heaven. The Bible says this can't happen. Only our faith is good enough for God. Eternal life is a free gift that only needs to be accepted by us through an act of faith and gratitude. Our public acceptance of this gift enables Christ to represent us before God's throne in Heaven.
The Holy Spirit is real
I believe that God also exists in an invisible spirit form as the Holy Spirit -- both within us (in our soul) and in the world (through the church). The Spirit works in us, transforming our lives and bringing us joy, peace and knowledge. The dramatic changes people have gone through in their lives after accepting Christ is the result of the Holy Spirit changing their attitudes and thoughts. I have seen my own life change in ways that I never thought possible.
I also believe there is an invisible but very real devil, who attempts to keep us from seeking or following God. This may be hard for you to understand because the only physical evidence of this is in the evil actions and thoughts of people. But the Bible makes it clear that this spiritual battle is very real and raging all around us. The apostle Paul wrote, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)
Jesus will return someday
The Bible provided hundreds of detailed prophecies describing the first coming of Jesus Christ, including the timing, where he would be born, how he would be betrayed, how he would die (predicted long before crucifixion was invented), and even what the betrayal money would be used for. All of these prophecies were fulfilled in exact detail.
The Bible spends an equal amount of time describing the second coming of the Messiah. There is no reason to believe that the first prediction was true and the second one isn't. There will be a return of Jesus Christ, first appearing in the sky to take all Christians into heaven in an event generally referred to as the "rapture," and then actually standing on the Mount of Olives at the battle of Armageddon. If you're wondering where in the Bible it actually talks about the return of Christ, you can find more details here.
These are the things I believe.
You may doubt any or all of the items above. Skepticism is good, but only if it inspires you to examine the facts for yourself. I urge you to do that. It is not my duty to convert anyone, but it is my duty as an ambassador of Christ to present you with the facts and ask you to consider them carefully. Decide what you will, but decide.
This is the most important decision you will ever make. Either God exists and allowed His son to die on your behalf, or all the evidence is a bizarre set of coincidences. Please give this issue the time and attention it deserves.
Can the soul be restored in our modern world?
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