Examining My Faith
Common questions about Christianity:
- How do we know that the bible is reliable and hasn't been corrupted by humans?
- What is the nature and moral character of God?
- How does God love us?
- What does it mean to be saved by God?
According to Jesus, to love God is the ultimate purpose of our life. To love others is the next step.
A fish that leaves its aquatic habitat will die. The violation of natural laws results in natural consequences.
The issue of free will and the brokenness of mankind.
Living for man's approval means living a life of insecurity.
Why didn't God instead create beings that can only choose to do good?
Good and evil are abstract concepts that exist only because a moral distinction has been made between the two. In order to have the freedom of choice, free moral beings have to exist.
We do not have all the information in contrast to God, therefore we are not qualified to question His moral judgment, as in the case of a court hearing between a prosecuting and defense attorney. The one who has access to the most evidence is likely to win the case. God, being omnipresent and omniscient, knows all things on a grander scale.
Christianity is not a ticket to heaven. Being in a relationship with God means experiencing heaven on earth now and forever.
When you are in Christ, you will naturally bear spiritual fruits.
If the future is predestined, why does God only save some people and not all?
Having foreknowledge of a person's character and behavioural tendencies is not equivalent to having control over individual freedom and choice. You may know a person so well that you can predict what they are likely to eat during mealtimes but that doesn't necessarily mean you had any influence in their choices. Both God's control and man's control are in play at all times but not to their fullest extent because both God and human wills are in constant tension. God does not impose His will on us if we choose to live out our own will.
We do not have all the information in contrast to God, therefore we are not qualified to question His moral judgment, as in the case of a court hearing between a prosecuting and defense attorney. The one who has access to the most evidence is likely to win the case. God, being omnipresent and omniscient, knows all things on a grander scale.
Christianity is not a ticket to heaven. Being in a relationship with God means experiencing heaven on earth now and forever.
When you are in Christ, you will naturally bear spiritual fruits.
If the future is predestined, why does God only save some people and not all?
Having foreknowledge of a person's character and behavioural tendencies is not equivalent to having control over individual freedom and choice. You may know a person so well that you can predict what they are likely to eat during mealtimes but that doesn't necessarily mean you had any influence in their choices. Both God's control and man's control are in play at all times but not to their fullest extent because both God and human wills are in constant tension. God does not impose His will on us if we choose to live out our own will.
There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened. - C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
Gaining more knowledge about God is not the same as having a relationship with Him.
God's quality of love is much better than man's quality of love. It's an unregistered love technology from a different realm, so we cannot fully comprehend it and often doubt or question God's logic.
Session 2: If God is all-powerful, why am I trapped by anxiety?
The heart of man longs for more.
2 extreme attitudes towards life:
Full confidence VS desperate helplessness
Recommended reading:
Johann Hari - Lost Connections
In his book, Johann shares his journey of disconnections and reconnections with the world from an atheist perspective. His observations of depression and anxiety in relation to social connectivity offers insights that are relevant to today's global society. One thing we can all agree on is that thinking individualistically correlates with depression and anxiety.
Our observations of the world - whether as believers or non-believers - can be used as evidence to fact-check the claims in the bible.
Mankind is constantly striving for more. We are deeply interconnected, interdependent and volitional beings.
We worry because we have future goals that seem impossible to attain.
Ask ourselves: Why do human connections matter from a Darwinistic standpoint? Do we do good deeds for its own sake? Outside of the Judeo-Christian narrative, we do not have an adequate answer and justification for our wants and desires (and why they should matter to anyone else).
When we disconnect our sense of identity in relation to God, we lose our connection with God and His creation. We lose the connection between our head knowledge and our purpose of living.
We can gain knowledge yet not act upon it. Having an explanation for something does not mean having the means to fix it. We all need hope and help in our daily lives, but we also need to exercise both hope and fear, courage and caution. Courage without caution is rash. Caution without courage paralyses us.
Some people are mistaken that God inflicts the pain on us. In fact, we are impositional creatures. We suffer the consequences of sin imposed by man on each other. No one is exempted from the agony and pain of life on this earth. Only the God who understands our pain can empathise with us and help us through it.
Our life is not meant to be lived on autopilot. We were not redeemed by God to become perfect robots.
We need to ask Jesus to teach us how to live.
Lyrics from a hymn written by Ira F. Stanphill:
Verse 1
I don't know about tomorrow
I just live from day to day
I don't borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to gray
I don't worry o'er the future
For I know what Jesus said
And today I'll walk beside Him
For He knows what is ahead
Chorus 1
Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand
Verse 2
Ev'ry step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter
Ev'ry cloud is silver-lined
There the sun is always shining
There no tear will dim the eye
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky
Verse 3
I don't know about tomorrow
It may bring me poverty
But the One who feeds the sparrow
Is the One who stands by me
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood
But His presence goes before me
And I'm covered with His blood
Pain and anxiety is real. We are all looking for answers and a helping hand. However, sin is always crouching at our door.
Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. The only one who determines the state of our individual souls is God, not us. It is our responsibility to master our sinful nature and nurture our faith. In our suffering, one either turns towards God or away from Him. No one ever holds their position.
Why do we need God?
Truth is indispensible. Suffering is unavoidable. Happiness is never enough. But God's joy is eternal. The English dictionary defines happiness as a subset of joy, but the joy that we can derive from God is undefined.
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Why do we need God?
Truth is indispensible. Suffering is unavoidable. Happiness is never enough. But God's joy is eternal. The English dictionary defines happiness as a subset of joy, but the joy that we can derive from God is undefined.
