101 Tough Questions, 101 Straight Answers

By Lucas Leys

How many times have the questions arising in our minds seemed to remain unanswerable? How often have we repeated these questions to people who also did not know the answers? And how many times have they asked us questions that we also cannot answer? Lucas Leys presents 101 difficult questions along with direct answers for each one. He offers answers that are well reasoned and balanced from a biblical and spiritual perspective so that young people can deepen their faith. Whether you are a youth leader who needs to the right answers to give or a teenager in search of satisfactory answers, this book is for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Oct 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9780829763058

Lucas Leys

El doctor Lucas Leys es considerado una de las máximas autoridades en ministerio juvenil en el mundo. Es presidente de Especialidades Juveniles, el ministerio especializado en pastoral juvenil de mayor crecimiento en el mundo de habla hispana y autor de más de veinte libros en temas de liderazgo y juventud.

Book preview

1 BIBLE / THEOLOGY

WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT GOD AND ABOUT THE BIBLE WILL DEFINE THE TYPE OF CHRISTIANITY THAT WE’LL BE ABLE TO ENJOY.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

–Psalm 119:105

1. How was God created and who created Him?

God is eternal. This means He always existed and will never cease to exist. God is not a created being, but He is the Creator of all that exists. Nobody created Him. He existed before the beginning of time. The Bible, in Psalms 90:2 says, Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

For God there is no such thing as time or space in the way that there is for us, because He is present at all times and in every place. This is a difficult concept for our human way of thinking to understand, but the truth is that God has no beginning and no end. There are things that we can’t quite understand because our minds are limited and God has no limits. But the Lord Himself explains it in Revelation 1:8: I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. Do you know what it means when it says that God is the Alpha and the Omega? The New Testament was written in the Greek language. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last letter. That phrase indicates that the Lord is the absolute totality, that He covers everything and that nothing or nobody exists beyond His control. That is why I say in some of my lectures that God does not exist but rather God is. Yes! Although it sounds confusing—or to some even funny or shocking—that’s how it is. Existence is bound by time and space, but like I said, God is eternal. The Bible also says He’s omnipresent—that He can be everywhere at once—so God just is. That’s why He said His name was I am who I am (Exodus 3:14).

2. How can I talk about the Bible with my atheist friends?

First of all, it’s important for you to understand clearly that true evangelism has more to do with bearing witness about Christ’s work in us than arguing about the accuracy and reliability of the Bible. Although some may get upset, I must say I don’t know anybody who gave his life to Christ because he was convinced in an argument that the Bible is accurate.

I believe without a doubt we can defend our faith and argue against non-Christians about the veracity of the Bible—and win the argument. And you will be helped to do so by the answers found in the first section of this book. But to argue about the veracity of the Bible is not the best way to lead others to Jesus. What makes the teachings of the Bible powerful is first and foremost our personal relationship with God. Without this relationship, without the testimony that this relationship produces, anything we can say about the Bible will mean nothing to others. Our lifestyle is always our best argument, and if we live the lifestyle taught in the Bible we shall soon have the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which automatically will make us more attractive for others, making others want to hear what we’re willing to share.

Having established this fact, of course we may also partake in debates. In fact, that is also one of the reasons why I wrote this book. The Bible says, Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15). The most common arguments against the Bible are those dealing with the bloody conquest of the Promised Land, with the virgin birth of Jesus, with the resurrection, and with evolution. (We’ll talk about evolution in just a few questions.) One interesting fact is that when people accuse the Bible of being full of contradictions, they often make fools of themselves, because if you ask them what those contradictions are, they’re unable to cite any!

Finally, if you really care about this subject, I would recommend you visit your local bookstore. There are many books about apologetics—don’t panic, that’s just what we call the study of evidence and arguments for our faith—containing intelligent and well-researched answers to every objection your acquaintances may have about the Bible. There are also several books that are ideal to lend or give as a gift—one’s you don’t have to have a college degree to understand or find interesting. One of them is The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (Zondervan), and there is a version targeting youth—ideal for your friends. Another one is the already classic More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell (Living), and there are many others.

3. Can I really trust the Bible?

This question is very important, because even though we don’t doubt the reliability of the Scriptures—since faith allows us to experience its relevance in our lives—we must still be prepared to answer why the Bible is trustworthy to anyone who asks us about this topic.

There are two issues to consider in terms of the reliability of the Bible. First, to show that the text remained unchanged through the centuries. Second, to affirm that the writers of the 66 books of the Bible were truly inspired by God.

The stories of the Bible are set in real—not imaginary—places, and take place during clearly defined moments of history. The Bible refers to events that really happened and are cited by other history books not related in any way to Scripture. Scientists engaged in studying ancient documents dealing with both history and literature have procedures in place to determine if a document has been well preserved through successive copies and translations. And they all agree the text of the Bible that we have today is remarkably accurate to what was originally written. What’s more, as archeologists discover manuscripts older than those they already had, the accuracy with which they coincide with the later versions becomes even more amazing.

In short, experts in ancient texts, regardless of whether or not they believe in the veracity of the Bible from a religious point of view, don’t doubt (based on all the methods of textual criticism) that the texts of Scripture have remained surprisingly faithful to the original manuscripts.

Now let’s move on to the issue of whether the books of the Bible were inspired. The 66 books of the Bible were written over a period of 1600 years, by 49 different authors. Most of them never knew each other, had very different personalities, professions and levels of education, and lived in different places. Some were kings, some shepherds, some priests. Some were impulsive, some reflective, and some contemplative. However, despite all this diversity, the Bible is fully consistent, has a clear thread—God’s plan for humanity—and never contradicts itself.

Another indisputable argument regarding the reliability of Scripture consists of all the biblical prophesies about kings, cities, people and empires that have been fulfilled throughout history. Above all, we find in the Old Testament more than 300 prophecies about the Messiah, which we can see fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.

The Bible’s unity, from Genesis to Revelation, can have only one possible explanation, and it’s that there is only one author behind all those writers. All of them wrote while inspired by God! And why? So that today we can have this love letter from God to us.

4. What should I believe about evolution? Hasn’t it been proven?

Let me begin by making it clear that the idea of natural selection of species or the theory of evolution, which states that man descended from apes, requires a similar or greater amount of faith than that which is required to believe what the Bible teaches us about humanity’s origins. Both views can best be described as philosophies regarding the origin of life rather than scientific theories. Even though we believe the Bible tells the truth, we can’t claim it’s a scientific book. And when it comes to the theory of evolution, it has never been proven with scientific certainty, which is why it’s appropriately called a theory.

In fact, the theory of evolution also contradicts other scientific theories, such as the second law of thermodynamics, which indicates that if left alone, everything tends to become more disordered over time rather than becoming more ordered and complex. (I guess you must have proven this with your childhood toys.) The theory of evolution also assumes changes or mutations are always beneficial, while an observation of nature shows us that sometimes it’s not so.

For all these reasons, whenever you hear somebody talk responsibly about the theory of evolution, you’ll hear about missing links or mysteries still unresolved. I go back to my original statement: Neither the theory of evolution nor special creation by God can be proven in a laboratory. The reason is that special creation happened just once, and evolution is too slow to be observed.

So, what should you answer then when asked about this topic? I’ll give you two suggestions. First I would answer as follows: The theory of evolution, particularly regarding human beings, has never been proven, and therefore it’s not necessary to affirm it or believe it as scientific fact. And second, remember the Bible is not primarily a book of biology or anthropology, so concentrate on those things we’re sure the Bible emphasizes. God created all things and put them in order so they would work properly. And within His creation He put human beings, who God created for a relationship with Him, and who can’t be happy without reciprocating His love. That is why whoever doesn’t have a relationship with the Creator has a void that can’t be filled by anything other than God.

5. Who did Adam’s children marry?

At first glance, Cain’s wife presents a logical problem for the Bible. If God created just Adam and Eve, who did their son marry? However, the problem is not so great once we remember two things.

First of all, the Bible is primarily expository but not limiting in its text. Remember these words. What do they mean? They mean the Bible does not tell everything that happened, and the fact that something is not told in the Bible does not mean it didn’t happen or that it contradicts it. (This will also help us find the answers to other questions in this book.)

A clear example of this is when we’re told that it was impossible to tell all the stories of the acts of Jesus. Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book (John 20:30). Another example is the fact that recreational drugs aren’t explicitly prohibited in the Bible, but this doesn’t mean they’re approved. Yet another example is certain manifestations now attributed to the Holy Spirit, which some people refuse to accept because they’re not in the Bible.

I repeat: The fact that something is not mentioned in the Bible does not mean the Bible denies that it happened or that it existed. (Whether or not it contradicts the Bible does not depend on the Bible mentioning it or not mentioning it. For example, something can be wrong simply because it violates biblical principles or commandments, even if it’s not expressly prohibited in any verse.)

A second thing to consider: Between this particular passage from the Bible and the next one, it’s possible that many years have passed. This is very common in all ancient books of history. They don’t necessarily keep an exact chronology, but instead tell us only what is most important.

Keeping these two ideas in mind, it becomes easier to understand that between the birth of Cain and Abel (in Genesis 4:1-2) and the marriage of Cain (in Genesis 4:17) many years may have passed. We must also remember when the Bible tells us the age of its early protagonists, it usually tells us they lived several centuries. How can that be possible? Well, it’s not so difficult to envision it, considering Adam and Eve were born into a perfect world and were genetically perfect. In Genesis 3:20 we read that Eve is called the mother of all the living, which means she could have had many other sons and daughters. In fact, Genesis 5:4 states, After Seth was born; Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.

The last problem we must contemplate is that Cain must have married a sister, a niece, or the granddaughter of a brother. But the prohibition against incest (having sexual relations with relatives) was first given to Moses, many centuries later.

6. Why aren’t there any dinosaurs in the Bible?

Once again I must remind you that the Bible is primarily expository but not limiting in its text. This means the Bible does not tell us everything that happened during all the ages of the world, but it tells us, from everything that happened, only those things God wants us to know in a special way, or from a special viewpoint. It’s true the dinosaurs don’t appear in the Bible, even though they undoubtedly existed. But other things that don’t appear in the Bible include many ancient wars mentioned in history books, the Greek Olympics, Pythagoras, angora cats, and the American continents. That doesn’t make those things any less real nor does it mean the Bible is any less accurate. What do I mean by this? I believe dinosaurs aren’t in the Bible because God didn’t have anything special to tell us about them. Or at least not anything that He didn’t know men would eventually discover on their own, with archeological excavations, scientific advances, and all that.

Frankly, I don’t understand those who deny the truth of the Bible because it doesn’t mention certain animals that became extinct, something which has continued happening in recent centuries with other species. But I also don’t understand those Christians who deny dinosaurs ever existed just because the Bible doesn’t mention them. I think people, instead of concentrating on what is not in the Bible, should concern themselves a bit more on what is in the Bible. They should focus on what God tells us about Himself, His character, His purpose for us, His love, His commandments, and His wisdom. Even though the Bible mentions many animals, we must remember it’s not a book of biology, the way that even though it has numbers, it’s not—thank God—a book of mathematics.

7. If God loves us, why do we have to suffer?

First we need to understand God loves us so much He made us free. He is omnipotent, and could have created us like robots that always obey Him. But He wants us to obey Him voluntarily based on love. Think about it. What value does love have if it’s mandatory? Imagine if somebody created a robot to love him. It can’t compare to a person who freely chooses to love you, right? That is why God gave us free will, which means we’re able to choose between loving Him and obeying Him, or ignoring His instructions and doing whatever we please even if the consequences make us suffer.

When, using our free will, we make decisions that defy