God in 60 Seconds

By John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs

God in 60 Seconds boils down more than 100 issues that affect people’s beliefs about God. Time-pressed readers will appreciate these impactful one-to-two-page treatments of topics like: How is Christianity different from other faiths? What is God like? How can we know that what the Bible says is accurate? Was the Jesus described in the Bible invented by the disciples? Why does God sometimes seem distant and inaccessible? A great resource to help readers bring theology into their everyday lives—which is where God has always meant it to be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Ankerberg
• Release date: Apr 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781941135587

John Ankerberg

John Ankerberg, host of the award-winning John Ankerberg Show, has three earned degrees: an MA in church history and the philosophy of Christian thought, an MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a DMin from Luther Rice Seminary. He has coauthored the 2-million-selling Facts On series of apologetic books, as well as Taking a Stand for the Bible and Israel Under Fire.

Book preview

God in 60 Seconds

By John Ankerberg & Dillon Burroughs

Published by ATRI Publishing

Copyright 2020

ISBN 9781941135587

License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this eBook may be resold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved worldwide.

Contents

Title page

Spiritual Truth on the Go

Part One: Questions about God and Creation

Part Two: Questions about Jesus

Part Three: Questions about the Bible

Part Four: Questions about Salvation and Spiritual Growth

Part Five: Questions about the Afterlife

Part Six: Questions about Other Religions

Part Seven: Questions about Contemporary Issues

Appendix A: How to Begin a Relationship with God

Appendix B: Praying for Those Who Do Not Believe

About the Authors

About the Ankerberg Theological Research Institute

Spiritual Truth on the Go

Ask a person how they are doing today, and the number one answer will likely be, keeping busy. Americans no longer work nine-to-five and sit down together for a nightly meal. Instead, we talk on mobile phones while driving, eating, working, and maybe even transporting kids—all at the same time. Americans average less sleep and more hours of work per week than ever before—all with fewer required vacation days than any Western nation!

This frantic pace of life has left its mark on our Christian faith as well. Rather than making a practice of a daily devotional and church attendance multiple times per week, many people struggle to find time to read anything about God or the Bible from one Sunday to the next.

While there is no replacement for serious, extended study of the Scriptures, God in 60 Seconds is designed to help you grab serious spiritual truth on the go. A bit of history: The Ankerberg Minute, first began as a daily 60-second radio segment on a few stations. It has rapidly grown into a major portion of our work, broadcast or otherwise presented nearly 700 times per day nationwide in addition to thousands of hits per day online. These sound bytes of spiritual truth have found a receptive home with many listeners during commutes, workouts, office hours, and countless other activities.

We’ve now compiled and adapted many of these programs into the book you are holding. Our hope is that you’ll be better equipped in your faith, yet also be challenged to take appropriate actions toward further spiritual growth through additional study and resources. Along the way, we encourage you to stop by our website at JohnAnkerberg.org for over 2,500 videos, audio downloads, and articles to help fuel your learning each step of the way.

Thanks for picking God in 60 Seconds to assist in your faith journey. We look forward to how God uses it to help you become more like Christ every second of your day as your strive to follow our risen Lord and King.

Part One: Questions about God and Creation

1. What can I do when God feels far away?

Do you ever feel like God is distant when you pray? You’re not alone. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 10, Why, O Lord, do You stand far off? Now God was not really far away, but the Psalmist felt like he was. When you feel God is distant don’t stop praying. God promises that if we draw near to him, he will draw near to us. Our problem is not that God is distant, our problem is that we often give up before we hear His response to our situation. Don’t quit – God is there. In Jeremiah 33:3 God says, Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

2. Does God care for us individually?

Does the Creator of the universe really care about each one of us individually? The answer from the Bible is yes. A brief glimpse at what God’s Word says about who we are as believers reminds us of how much we matter to God. For instance, we are God’s workmanship, God’s temple, we are the salt and light of the earth, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. These are just a few examples of the hundreds of promises God makes to his children. If you’re feeling a bit discouraged, take a moment to look once again at the love that God has revealed to us, especially in the life of his only Son, Jesus Christ. You won’t be disappointed.

3. Where did everything come from?

Whether you’re a scientist or a garbage collector, there are just three answers to the important question, Where did everything come from? Frances Schaeffer has said the first view is that everything that exists came from absolutely nothing. Very few hold this view. The second view is that everything that exists came from an impersonal something, such as energy or matter. The impersonal is mixed with chance plus time, and out of that everything came to exist. But this view cannot explain why humans are of any more value than a tree or a drop of water. The third view is everything that exists came from a personal someone. The Bible says, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Only this third view explains why people are of great value and there is meaning to our lives.

4. What is God like?

Do you know what God is like? We live in a culture where people want to pick and choose their view of God like ordering from a restaurant menu. They make him up to suit their own desires.

The Bible is our most accurate source of information about God and it tells us he knows everything and knows all about us. He is everywhere in the universe at once. He is all-powerful. He is infinite love and he is holy. These are just a few attributes that reveal the true nature of God.

If you want to learn more about what God is like, read his own words found in the Bible. Psalm 119:2 tells us that we are blessed when we seek him with all of our heart.

5. Does it really matter where we all came from?

Many have grown tired of the heated debates about the beginning of the universe and human life. More and more often people ask, Does it really matter where we all came from?

The short answer is, yes it does. Whatever we decide about the creation of the universe and the beginning of human life influences our beliefs on a whole array of other issues. Who am I? What is my purpose in life? What happens when I die? These basic questions rely on a biblical worldview for meaningful answers. If we believe that we are simply the product of matter mixed with chance plus time, then we miss out on God’s purpose and plan for our lives. It does matter where you and I came from. God is our Creator and worthy of our worship.

6. If God, why evil?

If God is real, why do