NEW TESTA MENT

Commentary by Ray Comfort

HBOI The Atheist Bible Copyright 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved. Holman Christian Standard Bible Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-58640-5-113 The text of the Holman Christian Standard Bible may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of two-hundred-fifty (250) verses without the written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not account for more than 20 percent of the work in which they are quoted, and provided that a complete book of the Bible is not quoted. Requests for permission are to be directed to and approved in writing by Holman Bible Publishers, 1 Lifeway Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee 37234.

HBOI
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CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v Why the Atheist Bible? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xiii How Famous Atheists Went to Meet Their Maker . . . . . .xv Contradictions in the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvi Atheist Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xix The Ten Most Common Mistakes Atheists Make . . . .xxxvii Questions Atheists Cant Definitively Answer . . . . . . . . .xlii A Conversation with an Atheist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xlv Matthew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Luke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132 Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171 Romans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218 1 Corinthians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241 2 Corinthians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261 Galatians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274 Ephesians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281 Philippians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289 Colossians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .294 1 Thessalonians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299 2 Thessalonians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304 1 Timothy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307 2 Timothy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313

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Titus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318 Philemon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321 Hebrews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323 James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339 1 Peter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345 2 Peter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352 1 John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356 2 John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362 3 John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .363 Jude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .364 Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366 Why Christianity? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .391 Save Yourself Some Pain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .401 Holman CSB Bullet Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .413 Concise Topical Concordance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .419 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .429

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WHY THE ATHEIST BIBLE?

hen I first shared the concept of an atheist Bible, it wasnt exactly embraced by the ardent atheists who frequent my blog, Atheist Central. Their reactions included: Your stupidest idea to date. Atheists dont need a Bible. Were capable of thinking for ourselves, thank you. Others referred to the Scriptures as being some arbitrary magic book for fascists and drones. Although multiple Atheist Bibles already exist, they are not actually the Bible but merely a collection of irreverent [blasphemous and mocking] thoughts for non-theists to ponder. Rather than a cynical publication about the Scriptures, this book contains the Scriptures themselves. This gives you an easy way to examine what youre dismissing. While this Atheist Bible may not be read seriously by committed atheists, my hope is that it will help those who are tempted to doubt Christianity and to believe (have faith in) atheismwhich brings me to another reason this Bible is needed. A religion is defined as a cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion. That rightly describes the ardent atheists cause. Despite protests to the contrary by its adherents, atheism is a form of religion. In 1961, the Supreme Court described secular humanism as a religion and said it need not be based on a belief in the existence of a Supreme Being. What are known as the New Atheists have an unwavering faith that theres no evidence for the existence of God, and their congregations are quickly growing in Europe and the United States. Some even meet regularly for fellowship, where among other things they talk about their belief that God doesnt exist. Since much of what atheists claim to not believe is in the Bible, maybe those who follow the religion of atheism will consider using this publication as a Bible study. Its commentary is written specifically for those who believe there is no God. If you think that there are differing opinions within Christianity, take a quick look into the beliefs of contemporary atheism. At least Christianity has the mooring of the Bible. Atheism has nothing to hold

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on to when it comes to what they believe. I discovered the following on an atheist website:
Ray Comfort still does not understand what atheism is, which is why he cant competently fight it. He thinks we have official stances on things. In all of his debating atheists, he has failed to learn that we dont have official stances, because we dont have an official book, nor an official organizing body.

While atheism doesnt have an official stance on anything, nor does it have an official organizing body, it now has the unofficial and unauthorized Atheists Bible. As you read, its my sincere prayer that the God you dont believe in will reveal Himself to you.

RAY COMFORT

An Atheist and a Bible

Penn Jillette, the taller, louder half of the magic/comedy act Penn and Teller, is a well-known atheist. He is so committed to atheism that he claims, I cross the word God off every [dollar] bill I touch. However, late in 2008, Penn said that after one of his shows, a businessman approached him and gave him a Gideon New Testament. Penn noted, It was really wonderful. I believe he knew that I was an atheist, but he was not defensive, and he looked me right in the eyes . . . and then gave me this Bible. Ive always said that I dont respect people who dont proselytize. I dont respect that at all. If you believe that theres a Heaven and Hell, and people could be going to Hell, or not getting eternal life, or whatever, and you think that, Well, its not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward . . . How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you, and you didnt believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle youand this is more important than that . . . He cared enough about me to proselytize and give me a Bible.
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JHS8adO3hM)

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HOW FAMOUS ATHEISTS WENT TO MEET THEIR MAKER

he following is a list of famous atheists who have gone before us. It is very sobering to read their names, each of which stirs memories of that for which they stood. Yet they are all dead and gone. Think about that. We still remember them, but their fame means nothing to them now. They are gone forever. They are in eternity. The only thing that matters is, what did they do with Jesus Christ?

George Carlin (comedian) Arthur C. Clarke (author) Sir Nol Coward (actor) Marlene Dietrich (actress)

Heart failure; died June 22, 2008 Respiratory failure; died March 19, 2008 Heart failure; died March 26, 1973 Natural causes; died May 6, 1992

Friedrich Nietzsche (philosopher) Stroke; died August 25, 1900 Madalyn M. OHair (activist) George Orwell (author) Richard Rodgers (composer) Bertrand Russell (philosopher) Carl Sagan (scientist) Joseph Stalin (politician) Leon Trotsky (politician) Murdered; died September 29, 1995 Artery burst in lungs; died January 21, 1950 Cancer; died December 30, 1979 Influenza; died February 2, 1970 Pneumonia; died December 20, 1996 Murdered; died March 5, 1953 Murdered; died August 21, 1940

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CONTRADICTIONS IN THE BIBLE

t is common for atheists to point to what they see as contradictions in the Bible. However, the atheist looks at the Scriptures the same way an extremely nearsighted man would look at the Mona Lisa. To him, the painting is nothing but a meaningless blur, so he approaches it and studies the canvas from a distance of one inch (the only distance at which he can see anything in focus). Naturally, he concludes that the painting is horrible. This is because the only way he will ever appreciate its beauty and harmony is to step back and see the whole picture. The same is true of Scripture. The Bible is intended to be read as a whole; when the complete picture is viewed, it makes perfect sense and its flawless beauty and amazing harmony can be seen. Here are a few typical contradictions that skeptics present.1

1. War or peace? Exodus 15:3: The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name. Contradiction: Romans 15:33: Now the God of peace be with you all. The Bible tells us that God fought many wars for Israel, and that He promises the peace of God, which surpasses every thought to all who repent and trust the Savior. It is clear that Exodus 15:3 is a reference to war, while Romans 15:33 simply refers to peace of mind. 2. Who is the father of Joseph? Matthew 1:16: And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. Contradiction: Luke 3:23: Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli. Luke follows Marys genealogy, though he doesnt name any women in his list. He begins with the name of Joseph (her husband), who was Helis son-in-law (in legal terms, his son by marriage). 3. Is Jesus equal to or lesser than God? John 10:30: I and My Father are one. Contradiction: John 14:28: You have heard Me say to you, I am going away and coming back to you. If you loved Me,
1. To more closely reflect the Bible translation that skeptics quote, the contradiction verses in this section are taken from the New King James version.

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you would rejoice because I said, I am going to the Father, for My Father is greater than I. Jesus was God manifest in human form (see John 1:114). He was one with God in His preexistence (before He came to this earth), but in His earthly form He was made lower than the angels for a short time so that by Gods grace He might taste death for everyone crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death (Hebrews 2:9). In His incarnation He was made lower than the Father in that He set aside the glory He had in heaven and in His human weakness He became tired, hungry, and thirsty, and was limited to time and space. 4. Which came firstbeasts or man? Genesis 1:25,26: And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Contradiction: Genesis 2:18,19: And the LORD God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him. Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. Genesis 1 gives us the day-by-day account of creation, whereas Genesis 2 focuses on details of mans creation. Since the creation work was finished in chapter 1, Genesis 2 begins by recapping: So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. By the seventh day, God completed His work that He had done . . . (vv. 1,2). Clearly, the animals came first as Genesis 1 states. In the original Hebrew used in Genesis 2, it says that God had already (ytsar) formed the animals from the earth, and then He brought them to Adam. He didnt create them again. Rather, He showed what He had already made to Adam. So the order is this: God made animals first, He made man second, showed the animals to Adam, and then He created woman.

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5. God is not all powerful: Judges 1:19: So the LORD was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron. Contradiction: Luke 1:37: For with God nothing will be impossible. God was unable to drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron chariots. Skeptics often cite the King James version, which says he drove out the inhabitants; however, the he in this verse is not a reference to God, but to Judah (as the New King James clarifies). It is clear that God helped the tribe of Judah to take possession of the hill country, yet He didnt enable them to drive the people out of the valley. Perhaps it was because of their sin; regardless, God has His reasons. God helped the apostle Paul in many ways, but He didnt enable him to overcome what Paul called a thorn in his flesh. God left him with a valley experience. This is common in the life of the Christian. God leaves us with heavy experiences we cannot remove by ourselves. This keeps us on our knees, which is the safest place for the Christian. See 2 Corinthians 12:79 for details of Pauls chariot of iron. 6. How did Judas die? Matthew 27:5 states that Judas threw the silver into the sanctuary and departed. Then he went and hanged himself. Contradiction: Acts 1:18 says of Judas: falling headfirst, he burst open in the middle, and all his insides spilled out. The body begins to decompose shortly after death, and one exposed to air will decompose even more quickly. It seems that Judass dead body was left hanging, and fell because of decomposition. This seems very clear in that we are told that his insides spilled out. Each of the hundreds of contradictions in the Bible has a reasonable explanation. Sometimes it is a cultural explanation, a spiritual or metaphoric interpretation, or the verses need other scriptures to explain or qualify what has been said. If you will take the time to consider the Bible as a whole, you will be able to comprehend its flawless beauty and amazing harmony, and will see that it is indeed the inspired words of our CreatorGods revelation of Himself to man.

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ATHEIST ARGUMENTS
f you are an atheist, you may like to study the following questions and objections that are commonly put forward for the non-existence of God. Each item has a question or objection from a real atheist, along with a response that you may find helpful.

There is no evidence for the existence of God.

There is no reason to believe that a supernatural, intelligent Creator exists.

There are multiple trillions of reasons to believe in a supernatural, intelligent Creator. From DNA, to the basic atom, to the amazingly designed tiny fleas, to massive elephants, to the sun and its circuit, to the millions of stars and the entire universe, there is incredible complexity and order. Lets say you were walking along a beach and saw a message written in the sand: Johnny, Make sure you come home at 5:00 p.m. for dinner. See you then. I love you. Mom. Could you ever believe that the order of the words happened by a random process by sheer accident? Could you conclude that perhaps the incoming waves left the words written in the sand? I seriously doubt it. Their very order and their constructed logical coherency tell you that the message was written by an intelligent mind. However, atheistic evolution takes an even greater leap away from common sense than just believing that a wave created a logical message. It says that there was absolutely nothingno sand, no beach, or wave. It maintains that nothing created the sand and the waves. Such thoughts are totally illogical (bordering on insanity, or at least those of a simpleton) and are a departure from the laws of science. Something cannot come from nothing. If it did, then it wasnt nothing. It was some sort of creative force. Think for a moment about one small part of creationthe human body. Lets say that there is no God, and that something did come out of nothing, and it evolved over millions of years into the body that you have today. Which evolved firstthe blood or the heart? If the heart came first, why did it evolve when there was no blood? If the blood evolved first, how did it circulate without a heart? If it was circulating fine without a heart, then why would a heart evolve? Then you have

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the added intellectual dilemma of different sexes in the animal kingdom. Which came first, the male or the female? How did one survive without the other? If one did survive without the other, why was it necessary for another sex to evolve? How did the vastly complex, complementary reproductive system just happen to evolve in the same species, in the same place, at the same time, so that the first two such creatures could mate? You have the same dilemma for the blood, heart, male, and female of each species throughout creation. These are just a few mind-boggling questions that arise when we say that there was no eternal God (without beginning or end) in the beginning. What proof is there that this God exists? Even though through my natural senses I cant see, hear, touch, taste, or smell Him, there is one other sense that I mustnt overlook. Its called common sense. When I look at a building, how can I know that there was a builder? I cant see him, hear him, touch, taste, or smell him. Common sense tells me that the building is absolute 100% scientific proof that there was a builder. There cannot be a building without a builder. Buildings dont build themselves. I dont need faith to believe in a builder; all I need is eyes that can see and a brain that works. This same concept is true for paintings and painters. When I look at a painting, how can I know there was a painter? Common sense tells me that the painting is absolute 100% scientific proof that there was a painter. Paintings dont happen by themselves. I couldnt want better proof that there was a painter than to have the painting in front of me. I dont need faith to believe in a painter; all I need is eyes that can see and a brain that works. Exactly the same reasoning applies with the existence of God. How can we know God exists? We cant see Him, hear Him, touch, taste, or smell Him. Common sense tells us that creation is absolute 100% scientific proof that there was a Creator. We cannot have a creation without a Creator. We dont need faith to believe in a Creator. All we need is eyes that can see and a brain that works. This is exactly what the Bible says: From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse (Romans 1:20). So, just as I dont need faith to believe in a builder because I have the building in front of me, so I dont need faith to believe in a Crea-

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tor, because I have creation in front of me. However, if I want the builder to do something for me, then I need to have faith in him. The same is true with God: Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Albert Einstein may not have trusted in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, but he believed in the existence of God. He said, In the view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for support of such views. A little child and the genius of Albert Einstein have one thing in common: common sense.

If God exists, why doesnt He say something?

Why do you suppose God needs people to speak for Him? Why cant your God speak for Himself? Audibly? Where I and everybody else in the room can hear Him?

He did speak audibly to Israel when He gave them the Ten Commandments, and the Bible says that Israel was so fearful at what they saw and heard, they pleaded that He no longer speak to them. When He spoke on the Mount of Transfiguration, He terrified the disciples. When He once spoke audibly to Jesus, the people thought that they heard thunder. So why didnt God just whisper on these occasions? Perhaps He did. However, God (in His infinite wisdom) has chosen what the Bible calls the foolishness of the message preached to bring the gospel to humanity (see 1 Corinthians 1:21). He has condescended to use lowly man to deliver the message of everlasting life to dying humanity. When it comes to God speaking to us, its important to make sure that we dont exaggerate our importance. We are but very tiny specks on a tiny speck of a planet, moving through the massive infinitude of space. If you want a special audience with the President, he likely will not come running to speak especially to you when, how, and where you want. Only a person with delusions of grandeur indeed would expect such treatment. How much more so with the Creator of the universe? You are not going to get a special audience with God. So humble yourself, repent

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of your sins, trust the Savior, and then seek God through prayer and listen to Him speak to you through the Bible. Prayer is you speaking to God, and the Bible is God speaking to you. Make sure you listen carefully to what He says. Your eternity depends on it.

God violates the laws of nature.

The Universe consists of laws that are inviolable. God, by definition, violates these inviolable rules. The miracles He has wrought, the creation He has made, even His very existence defy the mundane nature of the Universe. Gods existence is, in a fundamental sense, logically impossible, and since even God himself must be constrained by logic, He could not possibly exist.

God is constrained only by His own righteousnessHe cannot lie (see Titus 1:2). He is without sin; there is no darkness in Him at all (see 1 John 1:5,6). However, He can and does defy human logic. His very omniscience is illogical. How can He hear and see every thought of every human heart at one time (see Psalm 139:110)? That makes no sense. We struggle to entertain two thoughts at once. Try it (not while you are driving). Opening the Red Sea isnt logical. How did the water stand upright on each side of the Hebrews as they walked through on dry land? Where was gravity when this went on? Its not logical to feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. How were the fish multiplied? Did new fish appear, or did the two miraculously divide into thousands of pieces? Then again, invisible television waves sending live news anchors to my home doesnt make sense either. Neither is it logical that old movies invisibly and instantly (in full color) speed through the air and manifest themselves on my TV screen. Nor does it make sense that a 747 jet floats through the sky, packed with hundreds of people. Instant communication via email with my family in New Zealand (7,000 miles from the U.S.) isnt logical. How can I email digital photos to them? Photography, both still and video, makes no sense. Imagine trying to explain the concept to Galileo. He would think you are crazy. So many natural things we now take for granted defy logic of earlier days. So its not logical to reject the idea that the Creator of this universe could turn water into wine, still storms, curse a fig tree, and raise the dead. God made the sea; He can part it if He so desires. He

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can also walk on it. Since He created the human body, He can fix it without medicine. He can create pillars of salt, pillars of fire, and pillars of goose feathers, if He wants. Virgin birth? No problem. Resurrectioneasy (see Acts 26:8). If I acknowledge that a supernatural Creator exists, everything becomes possible.

The God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament.
Richard Dawkins refers to, very specifically, The God of the Old Testament and not the general concept of God with the phrase megalo-maniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

The God of the New Testament is just as offensive to unbelievers as the God of the Old Testament, because they are one and the same. He never changes. Jesus warned us to fear Him because He had the power to throw [people] into hell after death (see Luke 12:5). Look at His terrible New Testament judgments: He killed a husband and wife, simply because they told one lie (see Acts 5:111). His wrath abides on every unbeliever for their sins (see John 3:36; Ephesians 5:6). He will punish the unsaved with a fearful wrath and indignation, . . . affliction and distress (Romans 2:8,9), and He warns that He is going to be revealed from heaven with His powerful angels, taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who dont know God and on those who dont obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus (see 2 Thessalonians 1:7,8). He is so angry at this world that He calls us His enemy (see James 4:4) and promises to shake not only the earth but also heaven in His wrath (Hebrews 12:26). Our God is a consuming fire (see Hebrews 12:29) and His justice will cause some to gnaw their tongues in pain (see Revelation 16:10). He is so serious about sin that He will cast all liars into the lake of fire (see Revelation 21:8). So the two Gods scenario is imaginary, and He isnt a megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully, but an utterly perfect, holy, and righteous Creator. He will see that absolute justice is done on what the Bible calls the day of wrath. That is what is offensive to guilty sinners. They are at enmity with Gods Law (see Romans 8:7). They hate His moral government. However, the same God who said in the Old Testament to love

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your neighbor as much as you love yourself (see Leviticus 19:18) is also rich in mercy. He provided a way for us (in the New Testament) to be saved from His just wrath. This was through the blood of the cross. However, if we are unreasonable and refuse His gracious offer of mercy, we will have to stand before His fearful justice. The New Testament warns, It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God! (Hebrews 10:31) and further adds, How will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2:3).

The burden of proof is on Christians to prove that God exists.

If a theist asserts that his God exists, then the burden of proof rests with him to prove it.

The demand for the burden of proof is a favorite with the modern atheist. It means that he can sit back as judge, and require the Christian to provide credible evidence. If the Christian doesnt supply what he considers adequate proof, he feels exonerated in his belief that God doesnt exist, and instantly dismisses the case. The problem here is that the existence of God is axiomatic, and God Himself says that we are without excuse when it comes to His existence (see Romans 1:1820). The atheist is demanding evidence when God Himself says he has more than sufficient proof. There is creation (which demands a Creator) and the conscience (which gives him moral light). The Commandments show him that there is a moral Law he has brokenhe is a sinnerand therefore there is a moral Lawgiver. And finally there is conversion, which proves experientially the reality of God. The atheist, instead of seeing himself as a judge of the Christians evidence, should rather see himself as a terminally ill person (with the fatal disease of sin), in desperate need of a cure. I had no interest in God until I had a most sobering thought. It was the revelation that, in time, I was going to have everything that I held dear to me ripped from my hands by this thing called death. It slowly dawned on me in my teens that I was part of the ultimate statisticten out of ten die. The second part of my revelation was that every human being will die. When it struck me that only God doesnt die, it suddenly made sense as to why so many are interested in God. If we can somehow

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reach the eternal God, there is a chance that we will find immortality. So when an atheist adamantly denies the obvious (that which is axiomatic), he willingly yields to the power of death. The dying patient gives up the fight. But if we value our life, instead of saying, Give me evidence, we should be humbly seeking God. When we do that, we have His promise that we will find Him: You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

Which Bible is right?

Which Bible? The KJV? NIV?

Atheists will often ask which Bible is right, and point to the fact that there are many versions. The implication is that each one is different, and therefore they have no credibility. How can they if they differ? They are right about the number of versionsthere are thousands. There are Chinese versions for the Chinese, Russian versions for Russians, Arabic versions, Korean versions. There are modern English and very old English translations. Theres the King James Version, the New King James Version, paraphrases, revised versions, large print, pocket size, Greek and Hebrew versions, and even an Amplified version. All of these have been written so that people of any nation or culture can have access to and understand the Word of God.

The Bible was written by men.

Like other holy books, the Bible was written by people; the books were collected by people. It didnt magically drop from the sky into everyones homes.

It is true that the Bible didnt magically drop from the sky.2 It was written by men. Men who penned its pages were inspired by God (see 2 Timothy 3:16). Another argument against the Bible is that it has changed down through the ages. However, in the spring of 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. These manuscripts were copies of large portions of the Old Testament, a thousand years older than any other existing copies. Study of the scrolls has revealed that the Bible hasnt changed in content down through the ages. Anyone can now obtain
2. Ironically, atheists believe that the whole of creation magically came into being without a first cause.

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access to computer programs that give the original Hebrew and Greek words, and the only changes that have been made are for clarity. For example, the old English translation of 2 Corinthians 12:8 is For this thing I besought the Lord thrice... , while a contemporary translation is Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times . . .

I used to be a Christian.
I am an ex-Christian. My father is a fundamentalist pastor. I was taught at a young age about Jesus, God, Heaven, and Hell. At the age of five, I asked Jesus to come into my heart. Maybe I did it because I was scared. But I do know that I was sincere. How can a five-year-old not be sincere? Later in life, I rededicated my life to God. Later still, I rededicated my life again. I was very sincere. Sincere enough to read the Bible I read the Bible. I read every word. The further I got into the book, the less I believed. When I got to Deuteronomy 21:1821, my belief was out the door, never to return. I still finished the Bible, but I read it a little more objectively than I used to.

First, let me address the passage of Deuteronomy referred to here. It contains the threat of capital punishment for a rebellious son who was a continual glutton and a drunkard. But note that there is no case recorded in Scripture of anyone carrying out this punishment. No doubt, having such a harsh threat in civil law kept youths on the straight and narrow (that it was an effective deterrent shows Gods wisdom in setting such a harsh penalty). In contrast, hundreds of thousands of young people have died in modern America, from rebellious drug- and alcohol-related lifestyles. More importantly, a Christian is someone who knows the Lord (see John 17:3). Did you know Him? The answer becomes a dilemma for you, because if you say that you thought you knew Him, but you didnt, then you were never a Christian in the first place. If, however, you say that you did know Him, then you are admitting that He is a reality, and you are wrong in your atheism. Also, it is important to understand that salvation doesnt come from just reading the Bible, but by obedience to its words (see Hebrews 5:79). Most children who are encouraged to ask Jesus into their heart have false conversions. This is because few children have the maturity to understand the nature of their personal sin, and they

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therefore dont exercise biblical repentancewhich is essential for salvation. They may have a relationship with the church, but not with Christ. They therefore tend to fall away from the faith (church) when they become sexually aware. The opposite sex suddenly becomes more attractive than Jonah and the great fish.3

If Heaven and Hell exist, where are they?

Where exactly are Heaven and Hell located? Where in the universe are these huge places?

Do you know where the city of Invercargill is located? More than likely you dont (its at the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand). So, does the city not exist because you cant tell me where its located? We know Hell exists because we have the greatest authority on this earth stating that it doesthe Word of God. We also have reason on our side. If God is good, He will see to it that murderers and rapists get justice. However, He will be so thorough in His justice, He will see that thieves, liars, adulterers, fornicators, etc., are punished, and Gods prison is a place called Hell. While the Bible says that Heaven is up and Hell is down, I dont need to know any more than that to know that I dont want to go to a horrible place of eternal torment.

Our morals are based on society.

There are no moral absolutes. Human beings are social animals. All social animals have to create a system of rules in order to live together without killing each other.

We are more than animals, and we have more than a set of social rules. We are bound by moral absolutes whether we know it or not, just as we are bound by the law of gravity, whether we know it or not. A criminal may steal a car and drive dangerously on a freeway as the law chases him, but his pleading ignorance will not exonerate him from violating civil law. He clocks up its wrath every time he transgresses its precepts. The same happens every time we violate Gods Law. Each time we lie, steal, lust, fornicate, commit adultery, or blaspheme, we are storing up the moral Laws wrath, and God will see to it that we get exactly what we deserve on the Day of Judgment.
3. For a better understanding of this issue, see How to Bring Your Children to Christ . . .& Keep Them There (Genesis Publishing Group).

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The atheist who doesnt believe that is like a man who says that the law of gravity has no influence over him. He jumps from a tenth floor to show you, and as he passes the third floor he calls, See, Im flying! Hes right. He is flying. But he will eventually suffer the terrible consequences of his foolishness. Science discovered that when a certain object moves at a particular speed it actually supersedes the law of gravity, and can fly. If we could go back 500 years in time, almost every thinking scientist would have said that such talk is utterly foolish. They would have maintained that it was impossible for an object the size of a 747 jumbo jet to fly like a bird. However, we now know that even though the law of gravity remains, the flying object has moved into a higher law, the unseen law of aerodynamics. Atheists mock at the fact that the Christian has discovered a higher law that supersedes the law of death. Their thought is that everyone dies, not knowing that theres another law of which the Bible speaks. Listen to what the apostle Paul said: the Spirits law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death (Romans 8:2). We need to open our minds to the fact that theres more in the realm of the invisible than we can begin to imagine. The moral Law (the Ten Commandments) is eternal. It is written in stone, and its written on our hearts via the conscience. So we are without excuse for breaking it. The Law isnt going to go away. It will judge us on Judgment Day, whether we believe that or not. See Romans 2:12 and James 2:12 for details.

Were all born as atheists.

I am an atheist because I was born an atheist, as you all were. Some people become emotionally stunted along the way and choose to believe in one of thousands of superstitions to assuage their feelings of insecurity and fear of death, which is normally instilled on them by certain people in their environment. Since there is no logical means to decide if any of them are valid, I choose to remain the atheist that I was born.

Its actually the exact opposite. In reality, were all born with an innate sense that God exists. Anthropologists report a universal belief in a Supreme Being, with over 97% of the population worldwide believing

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in God. This puts atheists in a tiny minority. In truth, there is no such thing as an atheist. All professing atheists are actually agnostics. This is why. The statement, There is no God, is what is known as an absolute statement. An example of an absolute statement would be, There is no gold in China. For that statement to be true, I need to have knowledge that there is no gold in China. I need to know whats in every rock, in every river, in the soil, etc., because if even one person in the entire country has a gold filling, my statement is wrong. To make an absolute statement that there is no gold in China, I need absolute knowledge. (Conversely, I dont need absolute knowledge to say that there is gold in China. All I need is to see a gold ring on a finger for the statement to be true.) The same applies with the statement, There is no God. For it to be true, I need to have access to all the knowledge in the universe, and no human being has anywhere near absolute knowledge. So if Im a professing atheist, I am forced to refine my statement to, With the limited knowledge I have at present, I have come to the conclusion that there is no God, but I really dont know. So Im not an atheist but am actually an agnosticsomeone who doesnt know if God existsand the evidence of creation leaves the agnostic without excuse:
For Gods wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. (Romans 1:1820)

The Bible tells us that we are composed of three parts: spirit (our God-conscious part), soul (our self-conscious partthe emotions, the will, and the conscience), and body (the amazing machine in which we walk around). Even though we are aware that God exists (via creation and conscience), until we are born again we are not aware of His presence because our spirit is dead in sin. The plug is pulled out of the receiver. That is why the Bible tells us that we must be born again (see John

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3:16). When we are, we come to know Godand that experience deals forever with the fallacy of atheism. Also, the fear of death is more than something that is normally instilled on them by certain people . . . It is inherent in every human being (see Hebrews 2:14,15). No one in his right mind wants to die. We have a God-given will to live.

I dont believe in God anymore.

I used to believe in God, Jesus and the Bible. After I grew up, I realized people worldwide have millions of different ideas about thousands of different books and godshow should we tell which is true? My own reasons for believing were just as arbitrary as everyone elses. So I decided to stop believing until, maybe, one day someone will show me some convincing evidence for why their faith is true and everyone elses is false.

Its vital to realize that being a Christian is more than intellectually believing in the existence of God. The Bible warns that even the demons believe in Gods existence: You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believeand tremble! (James 2:19, NKJ). A Christian is someone who has experienced the new birth (see John 3:35). He has been radically moved by God Himself from darkness to light and made a new creature in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). When this experience takes place a sinner has his sins forgiven and he comes to know the Lord. He stops believing in Gods existence, and comes to know Him experientially through the Holy Spirit. It is so radical that the Bible calls it being born again, and the result is that the believer comes to know absolute truth, and the truth sets him absolutely free, not only from confusion about which is the right way, but from death itself. As for convincing evidence, God gave us creation, the conscience, hundreds of fulfilled prophecies, many infallible proofs (see Acts 1:3), and He even promises to reveal Himself to those who obey Him (see John 14:21). For more details on why Christianity is true and all other religions are false, see Why Christianity? in the back of this book.

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The idea of God dying on a cross is foolishness.

Please logically explain why an omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-benevolent God would need to sacrifice Himself (as Jesus) to Himself (God) in order to forgive man of sins against Him (God)? The entire premise seems totally absurd.

The Bible is in agreement about the cross seeming absurd: For to those who are perishing the message of the cross is foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is Gods power (1 Corinthians 1:18). Theres good reason that it seems absurd. Imagine if I said to you, I just sold my house, my car, and used all my savings to pay a fine for you. You would understandably think that I am rather weird. My paying a fine for you, when you dont think you have done anything wrong, is absurd. But if I put it this way it may make more sense: Angry police officers showed up with a warrant for your arrest. They have video of you going 80 mph through an area set aside for a blind childrens convention. There were ten clear warning signs everywhere saying that 15 mph was the maximum speed. You are in big trouble! Add to that the fact that just ten minutes earlier, they had stopped you for drunk driving and confiscated your drivers license. You are in serious trouble with the law. There is a massive fine, and if you cant pay it you are going to be thrown into prison for a very long time. I knew you didnt have any money, so I sold my house and my car, and used all my savings to pay that fine, and then told you, You are free to go. Now the fine being paid for you makes sense, because you are aware that you have seriously violated the law. Like you, I had no understanding of the cross before I became a Christian. I believed that Jesus was crucified, but it made no sense to me. This was because I didnt realize that I had seriously broken the moral Law (the Ten Commandments) and that I was in big trouble (see 1 John 3:4). In my drunken stupor I ignored the clear warning signs of my violated conscience, and I sped with reckless abandon into sin. All the while the recorder had been rolling. God is omnipresent and omniscient. He has seen our lust (see Matthew 5:27,28), our fornication, lies, anger, blasphemy, and rebellion. He sees our thoughtlife, and even sees the darkness as if it were pure light (see Psalm 139:112). To say that He was angry at me was a massive understate-

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ment. His wrath abided on me (see John 3:36). I was His enemy (see James 4:4). Every time I sinned against His Law, I was storing up His wrath (see Romans 2:5). When we are confronted with our violation of Gods Law, we can be tempted to trivialize our crimes. People often speak of justified lies, fibs, etc., or of taking little things from other people. Sin to them is no big deal. But If I lied to my dog, it wouldnt be a big deal. If I was caught in a lie to my wife, I may have to spend the night on the couch. If I lied to my boss, I may lose my job. But if I lied to a Supreme Court judge, I will spend a long time in prison. Even though its the same crime, the penalty increases according to the importance of the one to whom I am lying. All sin is against Almighty God (see Psalm 51:14). It is His Law that we have violated with our lust, lying, stealing, hatred, fornication, blasphemy, etc., and so the penalty is greatly increased because of the One we are sinning against. We are as guilty as sin, and whats more we cannot justify (make things right) ourselves. So, how can our fine be paid? What could save us from being sent to Hell? Could we offer all the gold, all the diamonds, or all the oil in the world? That wont work. It all belongs to God anyway. We have nothing to offer God as a payment for our crimes against His Law. Nothing. Think of the ancient Aztecs. They could see that they had angered their dozens of gods (the evidence of suffering, disease, and death), so they would try to appease them with a payment. They would take the most precious thing they hada handsome youth, or a beautiful virginand sacrifice them on a bloody altar to try to make atonement. However, the Bible says that any sacrifice we make is an abomination to God (Proverbs 15:8). Besides, He forbids human sacrifice.4 Besides being a murderous act, human sacrifice offers tainted sinful blood. It would be like me offering a judge drug money to pay your fine. So what is precious enough to pay our fine and justify us, so that we are free from the wrath of Gods Law? Heres where the payment (the sacrifice) makes sense. As with Abraham, God Himself provided
4. God once tested Abrahams love for Him by telling him to offer his only son. As Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, God stopped him and then He provided the sacrifice Himself. This foreshadowed Gods sacrifice of His only-begotten Son for the sin of the world.

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the sacrifice. Jesus was the morally perfect Lamb of God. His blood wasnt tainted with sin like yours and mine: For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things, like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish (1 Peter 1:18,19). When He shed His blood on that terrible cross, He was paying the fine for the Law that you and I violated. Many people dont understand that Jesus of Nazareth was Almighty God in human form. God prepared a body for Himself and filled that body as a hand fills a glove (see John 1:1; Colossians 1:15,16; 1 Timothy 3:16). The Creator was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). One of the last things Jesus uttered on the cross was, It is finished! In other words, The debt has been paid! That now means that God can legally dismiss your case. He can commute your death sentence and let you live forever. This was confirmed by the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead. It was God saying, Humanity can now be justified from their sin and have everlasting life. Religious works (giving money to charities, praying five times a day, lying on beds on nails, or sitting on hard pews) cannot justify us. God will not be bribed (see Ephesians 2:8,9). The only thing that can save us from damnation (the just punishment for our sins) is the grace of God (unmerited favor, mercy from the judge)and that comes only through our repentance and faith (trust) in Jesus alone. Some may ask why God didnt just simply forgive us. This is because He is bound by His own holy character. The Bible tells us that His Law is perfect, holy, just, and good. We are also told that God is perfect, holy, just, and good. So, we cannot separate God from His Law. It is His very essence. Scripture calls Him the habitation of justice, and perfect justice demands retribution. That wrath-filled retribution fell on the Savior. If you refuse to repent, it will fall on you. Jesus warned that it would grind him to powder! (Luke 20:18). When something is ground to powder, a thorough job is done. The Law will search out every sinful thought, word, and deed. So there you have it. God loved you so much that He provided a sacrifice to save you from death and Hell. Call upon Him today, and He will save you. You have His immutable promise:

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Now the Scripture says, No one who believes on Him will be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. (Romans 10:11,12)

Man is just a primate.

We are apes. If there is such a thing as God, and if such a God made us to His image, well, He obviously made the other apes to His image too.

God did make man in His image The difference between man and apes is that man is a moral being. If you dont believe it, look around the animal kingdom and see if you can find any animals that set up court systems, and punish those that transgress their laws. Whats more, God made man as a man. He made male and female human beings and gave them the ability to reproduce after their own kind. He created sheep as they areas sheep, both male and female. He created birds and fish as they arebirds and fish (male and female). They were in the beginning as they are now. Nothing evolved and nothing is evolving. Tadpoles still change into frogs and caterpillars still change into butterflies in a matter of weeks, and they do that because God made them that way, not because of the theory of evolution.5

Nature reveals cruelty, not the hand of God.

When Christians look out at the universe they see the precarious balance of the planets and the beauty of a sunset, and they believe they see the hand of God. When I look at the universe I see the rubble of planets that have collided and died. I see in the sunset the making of skin cancer, global drought, and famine. Nature, to me, is not about the beautiful fawn in the forest, but in the cruelty that will be inflicted on it. It will die, likely horribly, either of freezing cold, horrid disease, or beneath the teeth of a predator whose life will continue on just as miserably as the fawn it eats.

Atheist George Carlin (who passed into eternity in 2008) said, But I
5. For a thorough look at evidence for the theory of evolution, see How to Know God Exists (Bridge-Logos).

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want you to know something, this is sincere, I want you to know, when it comes to believing in God, I really tried. I really, really tried. I tried to believe that there is a God, who created each of us in His own image and likeness, loves us very much, and keeps a close eye on things. I really tried to believe that, but I gotta tell you, the longer you live, the more you look around, the more you realize, something is . . . wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption . . . Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed. When an atheist rejects Genesis 1 (about creation), he automatically rejects Genesis 3 (about the Fall of mankind). God created all things perfect, but when Adam sinned against God, it brought Gods curse on all of creation. Thus, disease, suffering, pain, and death are ultimately the fault of man, not God. Reject that explanation and you end up with a philosophy similar to George Carlin. The sufferings of this world shouldnt be used as an excuse to reject the Scriptures, but should be seen as very real evidence that what the Bible says is true.

Why does God want to torture people?

If God loves us all, then why does He want to torture me in Hell?

Atheists often accuse God of torturing His children, presumably speaking of Him sending sinners to Hell. There are two important truths to understand here. First, God will not torture anyone. He will give them justice. A criminal who viciously raped three teenage girls may believe that his being thrown into a cold prison is torture. The judge rather knows better. He calls it justice. God will damn rebellious sinners from all that is good in a prison called Hell. He gave them life and lavished His goodness upon them, and they despised Him, violated His Law, and then refused His mercy. He is extremely kind and rich in mercy, and offers complete forgiveness to all who repent and obey the gospel. Those who despise that mercy will get what the Bible calls equity (see Psalm 98:9). Equity, according to the dictionary, is the quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality: the equity of Solomon. In law, it is the application of the dictates of conscience or the principles of natural justice to the settlement of controversies. In other

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words, impartially doing that which is right, fair, and just. Second, sinners are not Gods children. The Bible makes that clear. Until we are born again, we are children of Satan, and its his will that we gladly run to do. Isnt it true that we love the darkness and hate the light (see John 3:19)? We are not Gods children until we are washed from our sins and are born of His Spirit through the new birth (see John 3:15).

Why does the Bible call for the stoning of non-virgins?

The Bible says non-virgins should be stoned to death on their wedding night, yet it also says they should only be stoned by those without sin.

The Law of God did call for the Israelites to stone rebellious drunken youths (Deuteronomy 21:1821) as well as non-virgin brides (Deuteronomy 22:1321), with the purpose that all Israel shall hear and fear. However, there is no recorded incident in Scripture of either happening. It seems that the Law was feared in those days. That same Law will judge humanity (see Romans 2:12; James 2:12), and we would be wise to heed its fearful warning. The Scriptures are written for our instruction, so, although this was a literal command for Israel, we can understand the spiritual principle behind it. The Bible is filled with what are commonly called antitypes, which the dictionary defines as one that is foreshadowed by or identified with an earlier symbol or type, such as a figure in the New Testament who has a counterpart in the Old Testament. Christians are what the Bible calls chaste virgins. We are referred to in the Bible as the Bride of Christ, and we are waiting for the Bridegroom (the Lord Jesus Christ) to come for us. (Every human marriage is a type of Christ and His Church.) However, those who are hypocrites (who profess to be chaste virgins but in truth are committing spiritual adultery by loving this sinful world) will come under the severe judgment of God. Jesus said a stone will fall on them and grind them to powder (see Matthew 21:44). Rather than mock the Old Testament (like a child who mocks the writings of a great scientist because he doesnt understand them), let me encourage you to discover its spiritual truths for yourself.

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1. Atheists blame religion for the many religious wars that have taken place throughout history. Even today, religion is used as the catalyst to advance political agendas. However, the atheist makes the mistake of thinking that religion is the root cause of the problem. It is estimated that violence done in the name of God has been responsible for the deaths of more than 100 million people, down through the ages. However, religion is only number two on the atrocities list. Number one is atheistic communism: With recent documents uncovered for the Maoist and Stalinist regimes, it now seems the high end of estimates of 250 million dead (between 19001987) are closer to the mark. The Stalinist Purges produced 61 million dead and Maos Cultural Revolution produced 70 million casualties . . . This number does not include the countless dead in their wars of outward aggression waged in the name of the purity of atheisms world view.6 So the problem isnt with atheism or with religion. It is rather with the sinful nature of mankind. 2. The atheist doesnt realize that his concept of Godthe God in which he doesnt believedoesnt exist. Until we come to Christ, most of us create an image of what we think God is like. We make up a god in our minds with which we feel comfortable. This is standard idolatry. The new atheist goes one further. He is guilty of what could be called atheistic idolatry. He paints an image of God as a cruel and unjust bloody tyrant, a god with which he feels uncomfortable. He may even construct his idol with out-of-context Scriptures and call it a megalo-maniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. Then, once his not-sonice god has been eliminated as being too evil to exist, he feels justifiably free to live according to the moral dictates of this god. However, the Creator revealed in Scripture not only made the infinite universe, but He fills its space with His holy presence. He is perfect in righteousness, absolute in justice, and sees even the very
6. www.scholarscorner.com/apologia/deathtoll.html.

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atoms He used as building blocks for creation. He sees darkness as light, every hair on every human head, and every thought of every human heart. This massive earth fits into the volume of the sun a million times, and God spoke it into existence. He created it, and its only a tiny part of this unspeakably massive universe. The concept of a Being that could do such things is too high for human minds to even begin to comprehend. He is nothing like any of us imagine Him to be. Let me tell you about my father. He regularly stuck me and my siblings, left my mother alone to take care of us kids, and I once saw him kill a defenseless animal with his bare hands. It was horrible. From what you know of my father, you could easily come to the conclusion that he was a cold-hearted and cruel man. But let me fill in some blanks. He did strike us, but this was in loving correction when we were brats. He loved us enough to spank us. He did leave my mom to take care of us, but that was so that he could work to provide food, shelter, and clothing for us. And he did kill a bird with his bare hands. A motorist had struck it and left it suffering on the side of the road. My dad stopped his car and put it out of its misery, and it grieved him to do so. Now that you have the missing information, you can make a correct assessment of my father. He was a wonderful dad, a loving father, and a compassionate man. Atheists often take ordinances from Israels civil law about capital punishment, and verses where God told Joshua to kill every man, woman, and child, and paint an image of God that shows Him to be a cold-hearted and cruel tyrant. However, they fail to fill in the blanks. They neglect to say that God told Israel to love their neighbor as themselves, or that His judgments are true and righteous (Revelation 19:2). They neglect to say that God revealed Himself as a human being and told us to love our enemies, and to do good to those who hate us. It was God the loving Father who gave us the Golden Rule, and then proved His incredible love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 3. Atheists dont realize that Almighty God sees their thought-life. This wouldnt be a problem if God was just like us, and that He actually enjoyed evil. But Hes not like us at all. He is perfect, holy, just, and good, and that means that when we sin, we store up His

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wrath (see John 3:36). So His omniscience is extremely significant. The Bible says, Can . . . the One who formed the eye [with its 137,000,000 light-sensitive cells] not see?(Psalm 94:9). He created the brain and sees every thought that passes through its cells. Unbelief doesnt negate the reality of the omniscience of God. 4. They dont know that God holds them accountable for their thoughts. This was the big revelation for me on the night of my conversion. It was the knowledge that God actually saw my unclean sexual desires, and that He saw them from the point of view of utter holiness that showed me I desperately needed His mercy. 5. Atheists think that they and those who believe as they do are deep-thinking intellectuals, when the Bible says, The fool says in his heart, God does not exist (Psalm 14:1). It was Dwight Eisenhower who said, It takes no brains to be an atheist. Any stupid person can deny the existence of a supernatural power because mans physical senses cannot detect it. But there cannot be ignored the influence of conscience, the respect we feel for the Moral Law, the mystery of first life . . . or the marvelous order in which the universe moves about us on this earth. All these evidence the handiwork of the beneficent Deity . . . That Deity is the God of the Bible and Jesus Christ, His Son. 6. Many think God doesnt exist because their prayers werent answered. Yet, we are warned in Scripture that if we have sin in our hearts, God will not hear our prayers (see Psalm 66:18; John 9:31). So rather than being disillusioned and thinking that God didnt exist, they should have repented and trusted the Savior, and their prayers would have then been answered. My prayers are always answered. Sometimes I know that God has said Yes, because He grants me my request. Sometimes I know that He has said No because He doesnt grant them. However, when I dont get an immediate response, I console myself with the thought that He may be saying, Wait a moment. The Bible tells us that we inherit the promises of God through faith and patience. That doesnt come easy to the give it to me now generation that we have become. So Yes, No, and Wait a minute are all answers to prayer. They just may not be the answers we wanted.

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But actually, the atheist has a problem with both unanswered and answered prayer. Heres a scenario that no doubt happens daily somewhere in the world. A young boy becomes deathly ill. The entire family gathers for prayer. However, despite earnest and sincere prayer, the child tragically dies. Their explanation for the death is that God took him to Heaven because He wanted the child there. Thats seen by the atheist as unanswered prayer. Or the child miraculously makes a recovery, which the family hails as an evident miracle. God obviously answered the familys prayers by saving the child from death. The atheist maintains that it wasnt answered prayer but that the child recovered because his body healed itself. Was the recovery a miracle? Perhaps. Then again, perhaps it wasnt. Only God knows. The fact is that we have no idea what happened. However, one thing we do know is that answered or unanswered prayer has nothing to do with Gods existence. Let me explain. My wife has a Dodge Caravan. Lets say it has a problem. What would be my intellectual capacity if I concluded that it had no manufacturer simply because I couldnt contact them about the dilemma? The fact of their existence has nothing to do with whether or not they return my calls. Neither does Gods existence have anything to do with the fact that there are those who have experienced miracles, seen visions, or supposedly heard His voice. The sun doesnt exist because we see its light, or because we feel its warmth. Its existence has nothing to do with any human testimony. Nor does it cease to exist because a blind man is not aware of its reality, or because it becomes cloudy, or the night falls. The sun exists, period. Gods existence isnt dependent on the Bible or its authenticity, the existence of the Church, the prophets, or even creation. God existed before the Scriptures were penned, before creation came into being. Even if the Bible was proved to be fraudulent, God would still exist. Adamant atheist April Pedersen7 writes, The human trait of seeking comfort through prayer is a strong one. This is true. However, April fails to see that human nature itself is very predictable. If men will not embrace the biblical revelation of God,
7. April Pederson was converted to Jesus Christ not long after making this statement.

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THE TEN MOST COMMON MISTAKES

their nature is to delve into idolatry. Idolatry is the act of creating a god in our image, whether it is shaped with the human hands (a physical idol), or shaped in the human mind through the imagination. Those who create their own god then use it as a good-luck charm to do their bidding. The idolater uses his god for his own ends. He calls on his god to win a football game, a boxing match, the lottery, or a war. Idolatry is as predictable as it is illogical. 7. Atheists think the Bible is filled with mistakes and that it actually says things like the world is flat. Rather, it speaks of the earth as being round (Isaiah 40:21,22written 800 B.C.) and having a free-float in space (Job 26:10written 1,000 years B.C.). Skeptics point to Revelation 7:1 which mentions four corners of the earth, and maintain that it is therefore referring to a flat earth. But modern meteorologists also often refer to the four corners of north, south, east, and west. They use similar terminology when speaking of the suns rising and setting, even though it does neither (the earth turns). Bible writers often used the language of appearance, just as we do today. 8. They justify their atheism by pointing to hypocrites in the Church. But the Bible also mentions them, and it warns that hypocrites will not enter Heaven. The fact that there are pretending Christians doesnt prove or disprove the existence of God. 9. They believe that seeing is believing. Yet they have never seen love, history, or the wind. Any magician will testify that seeing is not believing. 10. Atheists ignore the fact that the whole earth is under the Genesis curse. Atheist Carl Sagan said, But amid much elegance and precision, the details of life and the Universe also exhibit haphazard, jury-rigged arrangements and much poor planning. What shall we make of this: an edifice abandoned early in construction by the architect? Like Sagan, they accuse God of being incompetent, something they fail to do when they espouse the genius of evolution. Genesis completely explains why there is so much pain and imperfection throughout creation.

xlii

QUESTIONS ATHEISTS CANT DEFINITIVELY ANSWER

1. What was in the beginning? Atheists have a dilemma when they say that there was nothing in the beginning. This is because nothing cannot create something. If they say that there were gases (or something) in the beginning, then its not the beginning, because the gases or the something already existed. Who or what made them? This is why reasonable atheists admit that they just dont know, humbling though it may be. 2. Do human beings have more intrinsic value than animals? If your pet dog and your neighbor are drowning, and you can only save one of them, who would you save? If its your neighbor, why? To an atheist, both the dog and the human being are mere species of animal, so their value is completely subjective. Most, if pressed, would say that they would save the human being, but they have no real explanation as to why he has more worth, other than to say that there is moral pressure from the social order to value a person more than a dog. 3. What happens after death? The only way any of us can speak with any authority about the subject of death is to have reliable information from someone who has been there. God has been there. He transcends death. He is both on this side and on the other side. When we remove God from the equation, we are left with mere conjecture. 4. What is the purpose of life? Without reference to a Creator who made us with the purpose of eternal fellowship with Him, life has no real rhyme or reason. We are just tiny specs on a big ball of dirt, flying through space, striving to be happy, but with no purpose for existence. 5. Why is there order throughout creation? If we believe that creation came into being through a big bang, it is important to understand that all explosions cause chaos. Order can come only through an in intelligent designer. Why then is

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QUESTIONS ATHEISTS CANT ANSWER

there order from the tiny atom to the massive universe? Why do the four seasons occur each year, at different times of the year, in different parts of the worldalways in the same order? Why can we predict the suns rising to the second 100 years into the future? Why is there order in the makeup of the brain, the eye, the ear, the blood, the heart, liver, kidneys, hands and feet? Every part of creation screams (to a thinking mind) that there is a Creator. 6. Why is there a sense of morality in every civilization? How do we instinctively know that its wrong to kill, to lie, to steal, etc. Where did this universal morality come from? The only reasonable explanation is the one given by the Biblethat the work of the Law is written in their hearts (Romans 2:15), and that God Himself has given light to every man (see Romans 1:1820). If we didnt accept that the conscience is inherent within every human being, we could never rightly administer civil justice. Morality is shaped by, but does not originate from society. 7. Why does every civilization acknowledge God? While atheists may argue that some religions within certain cultures (such as some Buddhist sects8) are atheistic, mankind has never found any civilization (no matter how primitive) that didnt worship some sort of Creator, whether it be the sun or some other idol. 8. Which came firstthe chicken or the egg? Evolutionists believe simple life forms, with ability to reproduce, became increasingly complex, until a bird developed a slightly different feature and became the new species chicken. Like its predecessor, it had the ability to reproduce. However, there is no such thing as a simple life form. If any form of life were simple, science could easily create it from nothing in a laboratory. Yet, the most progressive of greatest geniuses in the scientific world havent got the slightest clue how to make a grain of sand from nothing, let alone a living form with the ability to reproduce. Without the book of beginnings (Genesis) to tell us that God made the chicken first (see Genesis 1:20), we are merely guessing
8. While Buddhism denies a Supreme Being, it is deeply spiritual in nature.

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as to the birds origin. If an atheist believes it was a chicken that evolved first (over time) from a simple life form, where did it come from, and how was it given life when there was no initial Genesis cause? If it evolved without the involvement of an egg, why did evolution change its mind and begin introduce eggs, if the chicken was doing okay without them? Also, why and when did a rooster become necessary to fertilize the egg so that a chicken would form within it, and which came first, that rooster or its egg? If the atheist maintains that the egg came first, who then made it, (and again) who fertilized it, and who sat on it so that it would hatch? And thats just the beginning of the beginnings dilemma. Which came firstthe eagle or its egg? How about the duck? The owl, the emu, the ostridge, the tiny humming bird, and the big old albatross? There is no end to it, if you reject In the Beginning God created . . . 9. Why do females exist? All animals, fish, and reptiles have the ability to reproduce of their own kind because they have females within the species. No male can reproduce and keep its kind alive without a female of the same species. Dogs, cats, horses, cows, elephants, humans, giraffes, lions, tigers, etc., all came into being having both male and female. If any species came into existence without a mature female present (with complementary female parts), that one male would have remained alone and in time died. The species could not have survived without a female. Why did hundreds of thousands of animals, fish, reptiles, and birds (over millions of years) evolve a female partner (that coincidentally matured at just the right time) within each species? 10. Why does entropy exist? If everything evolved without a Creator, and from the beginning evolved from the primitive to the modern, from simple to complex, why is everything deteriorating? Our bodies, trees, flowers, birds, fish, animals, the earth, and the sun are winding down. If evolution is true, everything should be continuing to evolve and improve. Why has evolution stopped? Instead, we see the exact opposite of the evolving process. Everything is dying and deteriorating, something the Bible addresses from Genesis to Revelation.

xlv

A CONVERSATION WITH AN ATHEIST

f you are an atheist, please take the time to see how a Christian should speak to you. He should be gentle, respectful, loving, kind, and uncompromising when it comes to truths of the Bible. This is not because he is a bigot, but because he is there as a witness to the truth. As in a court of law, a judge isnt interested in opinion, but only in what the witness has seen and heard. The following is based on hundreds of conversations I have had with those who profess to believe that there is no God:

John: Hello. How are you doing? Jenny: Im okay. John: Where are you from? Jenny: Im from Berkeley. John: Interesting. My name is John. Jenny: Im Jenny. John: Nice to meet you, Jenny. I have a question for you. What do you think happens after someone dies? Jenny: Nothing. John: How do you know that? Jenny: Its just something I believe. John: Are you an atheist? Jenny: Yes, I am. John: Why would you be an atheist? Jenny: Because theres no proof that God exists. John: Let me ask you a question. When you look at a building, how do you know that there was a builder? Jenny: The building exists. John: Right. When you look at a painting, how can you know that there was a painter?

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Jenny: Because the painting exists. John: Right. The painting is proof that there was a painter. Paintings dont happen by themselves, and creation is proof that there is a Creator. Think of all the things that surround usflowers, birds, trees, the sun, the moon, the stars, the seasons. Think of the marvels of the human bodyyour eyes, for instance. Man has never invented a camera lens anywhere near as intricate as the human eye, with its 137 million light-sensitive cells. Does that make sense? Jenny: Nope. I dont buy it. You cant relate a painting and a building to creation. Theres a big difference between the two. Creation is alive. It came through evolution over millions of years. Theres no proof that God exists. Besides, who made God? John: He is eternal. He dwells outside of the dimension of timewith no beginning or end. Jenny: No. Theres no proof that God exists. You guys are just antiscience and you use religion and the fear of Hell to get simple people to do what you want. John: Jenny, lets suppose that there is a Heaven, just for a moment. Do you think you are good enough to go there? Are you a good person? Jenny: Of course. Im a very good person. John: How many lies do you think you have told, in your whole life? Not white lies, but real lies. Jenny: A bundle. John: Real lies? Jenny: Yeah, real lies. John: How many? Ten? Hundreds? Jenny: Hundreds. John: What do you call someone who tells lies? Jenny: They are humaneveryone lies. John: Yes. But what would you call me if I told lies?

xlvii Jenny: A liar.

A CONVERSATION WITH AN ATHEIST

John: Have you ever stolen anything, in your whole life, regardless of value? Jenny: Yes. But they were only small things, and it was in the past, when I was younger. John: What do you call someone who steals things? Jenny: A thief. I see where you are going with this. You think Im going to Hell. John: I didnt say that. Stay with me, Jenny. I know that you dont believe in God, but have you ever used His name in vain? Jenny: All the time. So what? Its just a word. John: Let me explain what you are doing. I know you arent convinced of the fact that God gave you life, but He did. He gave you eyes to see the beauty of this incredible creation, ears to listen to good music, and taste buds to enjoy all the wonderful foods. He lavished His kindness upon you, then you have taken His holy name and used it as a cuss word to express disgust. Thats a very serious crime in His eyesits called blasphemy. Jenny: I dont buy it. John: That doesnt matter. One to go. Jesus said that whoever looks with lust has already committed adultery in the heart. Have you ever lusted? Jenny: Plenty of times. John: So, Jenny, heres a summation of what we have found about you. You are not a good person at all. Youve admitted that (and Im not judging you) you are a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, and an adulterer at heart; and you have to face God on Judgment Day whether you believe in Him or not. You were right about going to Hell. The Bible says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire, and that no thief, blasphemer, or adulterer will enter Heaven. Jenny: I dont believe in Hell. John: That doesnt matter either. If I stood in front of a judge and said, Judge, I know that I am guilty of murder, but I dont believe in

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the electric chair, its not going to change anything. My unbelief doesnt change reality. So, does it concern you that if you died right now and God gave you justice, you would end up in Hell forever? Jenny: Not much. John: Have you ever been in a dentists chair when he hits a raw nerve in your tooth? Jenny: Yes. John: Did you like it? Jenny: No. John: Imagine what Hell will be like. It is a place of terrible, unending pain and torment. Jennyl, its got to concern you. You love life, dont you? Jenny: Of course I do. John: Do you know what God did for us, so that we could avoid Hell? Jenny: No. What did He do? John: He became a morally perfect human beingJesus of Nazarethand gave His life as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. We broke Gods Law (the Ten Commandments) but because Jesus paid our fine on the cross 2,000 years ago, God can dismiss our case. He can commute our death sentence. The Bible says, God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). God proved His great love for you through the cross. Then Jesus rose from the dead, and defeated the power of the grave. Jenny, if you repent and trust the Savior, God will forgive your sins and grant you everlasting life. Does that make sense? Jenny: Yes, it does. John: So where would you go, according to the Bible, if you died right now? Jenny: I would probably go to Hell. John: What are you going to do about it? Jenny: I will think about what you have said.

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John: Please do that. Theres nothing more important than where you will spend eternity. Thanks for listening. May I give you a Bible? Jenny: Okay, but I may not read it. Hey, before you go, I have a couple of questions. I know an atheist named Dan Parker. He was a Christian singer and preacher for 19 years. But he saw the light back in 1984, and became an atheist. How do you answer that? John: Dan never new the Lord. He was a false convert, what the Bible calls a stony-ground or thorny-ground hearer, who fell away from Christianity when temptation exposed him as being spurious. Judas only lasted three years, but Dan faked it for an amazing nineteen years.9

9. You can freely listen to True and False Conversion and Hells Best Kept Secret on www.livingwaters.com.

391

WHY CHRISTIANITY? Solving lifes most important question

magine the excitement you would have if I offered you a choice of these four interesting gifts: The original Mona Lisa The keys to a brand new Lamborghini A million dollars in cash A parachute

You can pick only one. Which gift would you choose? Before you decide, heres some information that will help you to make the wisest choice: You have to jump 10,000 feet out of an airplane. Does that help you to connect the dots? It should, because you need the parachute. Its the only one of the four gifts that will help with your dilemma. The others may have some value, but they are useless when it comes to facing the law of gravity in a 10,000-foot fall. The knowledge that you will have to jump should produce a healthy fear in youand that kind of fear is good because it can save your life. Remember that. Now think of the four major religions:

Hinduism Buddhism Islam Christianity

Which one should you choose? Before you decide, heres some information that will help you determine which one is the wisest choice: All of humanity stands on the edge of eternity. We are all going to die. We will all have to pass through the door of death. It could happen to us in twenty years, or in six months, . . . or today. For most of humanity, death is a huge and terrifying plummet into the unknown. So what should we do? Do you remember how it was your knowledge of the jump that

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produced that healthy fear, and that fear helped you to make the right choice? You know what the law of gravity can do to you. In the same way, we are going to look at another law, and hopefully your knowledge of what it can do to you will help you to make the right choice, about lifes greatest issue. So, stay with meand remember to let fear work for you.

The Leap
After we die we have to face what is called the law of sin and of death.1 That Law is known as The Ten Commandments. So lets look at that Law and see how you will do when you face it on Judgment Day. Have you loved God above all else? Is He first in your life? He should be. Hes given you your life and everything that is dear to you. Do you love Him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Thats the requirement of the First Commandment. Or have you broken the Second Commandment by making a god in your mind that youre comfortable withwhere you say, My god is a loving and merciful god who would never send anyone to Hell? That god does not exist; hes a figment of the imagination. To create a god in your mind (your own image of God) is something the Bible calls idolatry. Idolaters will not enter Heaven. Have you ever used Gods name in vain, as a cuss word to express disgust? Thats called blasphemy, and its very serious in Gods sight. This is breaking the Third Commandment, and the Bible says God will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Have you always honored your parents implicitly, and kept the Sabbath holy? If not, you have broken the Fourth and Fifth Commandments. Have you ever hated someone? The Bible says, Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.2 The Seventh is Do not commit adultery, but Jesus said, Everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart3 (the Seventh Commandment includes sex before marriage). Have you ever looked with lust or had sex outside of marriage? If you have, youve violated that Commandment.
1. See Romans 8:2. 2. 1 John 3:15. 3. Matthew 5:27,28.

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Have you ever lied? Ever stolen anything, regardless of value? If so, then youre a lying thief. The Bible tells us, Lying lips are detestable to the LORD,4 because He is a God of truth and holiness. Have you coveted (jealously desired) other peoples things? This is a violation of the Tenth Commandment.

Little Jessica
That is Gods moral Law that we each will face. We will be without excuse when we stand before God because He gave us our conscience to know right from wrong. Each time we lie, steal, commit adultery, murder, etc., we know that its wrong. So here is the crucial question. On Judgment Day, when God judges you, will you be found innocent or guilty of breaking this Law? Think before you answer. Will you go to Heaven or Hell? The Bible warns that all murderers, idolaters, liars, thieves, fornicators, and adulterers will end up in Hell.5 So where does that leave you? Perhaps the thought of going to Hell doesnt scare you, because you dont believe in it. Thats like standing in the open door of a plane 10,000 feet off the ground and saying, I dont believe there will be any consequences if I jump without a parachute. To say that there will be no consequences for breaking Gods Law is to say that God is unjust, that He is evil. This is why. On February 24, 2005, a nine-year-old girl was reported missing from her home in Homosassa, Florida. Three weeks later, police discovered that she had been kidnapped, brutally raped, and then buried alive. Little Jessica Lunsford was found tied up, in a kneeling position, clutching a stuffed toy.

How Do You React?

How do you feel toward the man who murdered that helpless little girl in such an unspeakably cruel way? Are you angered? I hope so. I hope you are outraged. If you were completely indifferent to her fate, it would reveal something horrible about your character. Do you think that God is indifferent to such acts of evil? You can bet your precious soul He is not. He is outraged by them.
4. Proverbs 12:22. 5. See Revelation 21:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9,10.

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The fury of Almighty God against evil is evidence of His goodness. If He wasnt angered, He wouldnt be good. We cannot separate Gods goodness from His anger. Again, if God is good by nature, He must be unspeakably angry at wickedness. But His goodness is so great that His anger isnt confined to the evils of rape and murder. Nothing is hidden from His pure and holy eyes. He is outraged by torture, terrorism, abortion, theft, lying, adultery, fornication, pedophilia, homosexuality, and blasphemy. He also sees our thought life, and He will judge us for the hidden sins of the heart: for lust, hatred, rebellion, greed, unclean imaginations, ingratitude, selfishness, jealousy, pride, envy, deceit, etc. Jesus warned, I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.6 The Bible says that Gods wrath remains on each of us,7 and that every time we sin, were storing up wrath8 that will be revealed on Judgment Day. We are even told that we are by nature . . . children under wrath.9 Sinning against God comes naturally to usand we naturally earn His anger by our sins.

Instant Death
Many people believe that because God is good, He will forgive everyone, and let all sinners into Heaven. But they misunderstand His goodness. When Moses once asked to see Gods glory, God told him that he couldnt see Him and live. Moses would instantly die if he looked upon God. Consider this:
[God] said, I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you . . . and when My glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.10

Notice that all of Gods glory was displayed in His goodness. The goodness of God would have killed Moses instantly because of his personal sinfulness. The fire of Gods goodness would have consumed him, like a cup of water dropped onto the surface of the sun.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Matthew 12:36 (emphasis added). See John 3:36. Romans 2:5. Ephesians 2:3 (emphasis added). Exodus 33:19,22 (emphasis added).

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WHY CHRISTIANITY?

The only way any of us can stand in the presence of God is to be pure in heart. Jesus said, Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.11 But as weve seen by looking at the Law, not a single one of us is pure in heart. These are extremely fearful thoughts, because the God we are speaking about is nothing like the commonly accepted image. He is not a benevolent Father-figure, who is happily smiling upon sinful humanity. In the midst of these frightening thoughts, remember to let fear work for you. The fear of God is the healthiest fear you can have. The Bible calls it the beginning of wisdom.12 Again, your knowledge of Gods Law should help you to see that you have a life-threatening dilemma: a huge problem of Gods wrath (His justifiable anger) against your personal sins. The just penalty for sinbreaking even one Lawis death, and eternity in Hell. But you havent broken just one Law. Like the rest of us, youve no doubt broken all these laws, countless times each. What kind of anger do you think a judge is justified in having toward a criminal guilty of breaking the law thousands of times?

Lets See
Lets now look at those four major religions to see if they can help you with your predicament. Hinduism. The religion of Hinduism says that if you have been bad, you may come back as a rat or other animal.13 If youve been good, you might come back as a prince. But thats like someone saying, When you jump out of the plane, youll get sucked back in as another passenger. If youve been bad, you go down to the Economy Class; if youve been good, you go up to First Class. Its an interesting concept, but it doesnt deal with your real problem of having sinned against God and the reality of Hell.

11. Matthew 5:8. 12. Psalm 111:10. 13. Is it possible for a man to be reborn as a lower animal? Maharshi: Yes. It is possible, as illustrated by Jada Bharatathe scriptural anecdote of a royal sage having been reborn as a deer. <www.hinduism.co.za/reincarn.htm>.

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Buddhism. Amazingly, the religion of Buddhism denies that God even exists. It teaches that life and death are sort of an illusion.14 Thats like standing at the door of the plane and saying, Im not really here, and theres no such thing as the law of gravity, and no ground that Im going to hit. That may temporarily help you deal with your fears, but it doesnt square with reality. And it doesnt deal with your real problem of having sinned against God and the reality of Hell. Islam. Interestingly, Islam acknowledges the reality of sin and Hell, and the justice of God, but the hope it offers is that sinners can escape Gods justice if they do religious works. Muslims believe that God will see their works and because of them will hopefully show them mercybut they wont know for sure.15 Each persons works will be weighed on the Day of Judgment and it will then be decided who is saved and who is notdepending on whether they followed Islam, were sincere in repentance, and performed enough righteous deeds to outweigh their bad ones. So Islam teaches that you can earn Gods mercy by your own efforts. Thats like jumping out of the plane, and believing that flapping your arms is going to counter the law of gravity and save you from a 10,000-foot drop. And theres something else to consider. The Law of God shows us that the best of us is nothing but a wicked criminal, standing guilty and condemned before the throne of a perfect and holy Judge. When that is understood, then our righteous deeds are actually seen as an attempt to bribe the Judge of the Universe. The Bible says that because of our guilt, anything we offer God for our justification (our acquittal from His courtroom) is detestable to Him,16 and only adds to our crimes. Islam, like the other religions, doesnt solve your problem of having sinned against God and the reality of Hell.
14. When you transcend your thinking mind in the realization of your own pure, timeless, ever-present awareness, then the illusion of time completely collapses, and you become utterly free of the samsaric cycle of time, change, impermanence, and suffering. <www.buddhistinformation.com>. 15. Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy, they will be successful. But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their souls; in hell will they abide (Surah 23:102,103). 16. See Proverbs 15:8.

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WHY CHRISTIANITY?

Christianity. So why is Christianity different? Arent all religions the same? Lets see. In Christianity, God Himself provided a parachute for us, and His Word says regarding the Savior, Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.17 Just as a parachute solved your dilemma with the law of gravity and its consequences, so the Savior perfectly solves your dilemma with the Law of God and its consequences! It is the missing puzzle-piece that you need. How did God solve our dilemma? He satisfied His wrath by becoming a human being and taking our punishment upon Himself. The Bible tells us that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. Christianity provides the only parachute to save us from the consequences of the Law we have transgressed.

Back to the Plane

To illustrate this more clearly, lets go back to that plane for a moment. You are standing on the edge of a 10,000-foot drop. You have to jump. Your heart is thumping in your chest. Why? Because of fear. You know the law of gravity will kill you when you jump. Someone offers you the original Mona Lisa. You push it aside. Another person passes you the keys to a brand new Lamborghini. You let them drop to the floor. Someone else tries to put a million dollars into your hands. You push the persons hand away, and stand there in horror at your impending fate. Suddenly, you hear a voice say, Heres a parachute! Which one of those four people is going to hold the most credibility in your eyes? The one who held up the parachute! Again, it is your fear of the jump that turns you toward the good news of the parachute. In the same way, knowledge of what Gods Law will do to you produces a fear that makes the news of a Savior unspeakably good news! It solves your predicament of Gods wrath. God loves you so much that He became a sinless human being in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The Savior died an excruciating death on the cross, taking your punishment (the death penalty) upon Himself. The demands of eternal justice were satisfied the moment He cried, It is finished!
17. See Romans 13:14.

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The lightning of Gods wrath was stopped and the thunder of His indignation was silenced at Calvarys bloodied cross: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.18 We broke the Law, but He became a man to pay our penalty in His lifes blood. Then He rose from the dead, defeating death. That means that God can now forgive every sin you have ever committed and commute your death sentence. If you repent and place your trust in Jesus, then you will experience this wonderful promise:
The Spirits law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.19

You no longer need to be tormented by a fear of death, and you dont need to look any further for ways to deal with the dilemma of sin and Gods wrath.20 The Savior is Gods gift to you. The gospel is unspeakably good news for the entire, sinful human race! God Himself can justify you. He can cleanse you, and give you the righteousness of Christ. He can make you pure in heart by washing away your sins. He can shelter you from His fierce wrath, in the Rock of Ages that He has cleft for you.21 Only Jesus can save you from death and Hell, something that you could never earn or deserve.22

Do It Today
To receive the gift of eternal life, you must repent of your sins (turn from them), and put on the Lord Jesus Christ as you would put on a parachutetrusting in Him alone for your salvation. That means you forsake your own good works as a means of trying to please God (trying to bribe Him), and trust only in what Jesus has done for you. Simply throw yourself on the mercy of the Judge. The Bible says that Hes rich in mercy to all who call upon Him,23 so call upon Him right
18. Galatians 3:13. 19. Romans 8:2. 20. Beware of cults such as Jehovahs Witnesses and Mormons. They masquerade as Christian, but they are rooted in self-righteousness (trying to do good works to earn salvation). 21. See 1 Corinthians 10:4. 22. See Ephesians 2:8,9. 23. See Romans 10:12,13.

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now. He will hear you if you approach Him with a humble and sorrowful heart. Do it right now because you dont know when you will take that leap through the door of death. Confess your sins to God, put your trust in Jesus to save you, and you will pass from death to life. You have Gods promise on it.24 Pray something like this:
Dear God, today I turn away from all of my sins [name them] and I put my trust in Jesus Christ alone as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me, change my heart, and grant me Your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Now have faith in God. He is absolutely trustworthy. Never doubt His promises. He is not a man that He should lie. The sincerity of your prayer will be evidenced by your obedience to Gods will, so read His Word (the Bible) daily and obey what you read.25

24. See John 5:24. 25. See John 14:21.

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SAVE YOURSELF SOME PAIN Helpful principles for new Christians

t is my sincere hope that you have made peace with God through trusting in Jesus Christ. Becoming a Christian is the most incredible event that will ever take place in your life. If you have obeyed the gospel, by turning from your sins and placing your trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, you have found everlasting life! (See John 3:16; Romans 6:23; 10:913; 1 John 5:1113.) Be assured, God will never leave you nor forsake you. He has brought you this far and He will complete the wonderful work He has begun in you. He knows your every thought, your every care, and your deepest concerns. Lets look at some of those possible concerns. First, and of primary concern, do you have assurance of your salvation? The Bible says to make every effort to confirm your calling and election (2 Peter 1:10), so lets go through a short checklist to confirm that you are truly saved:

Are you aware that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 3:16), and that He died for the sins of the world? Did you come to the Savior because you knew that you had sinned against God? Are you convinced that Jesus suffered and died on the cross for your sins, and that He rose again on the third day? Did you truly repent (turn from your sin) and put your faith (trust) in Jesus?

God acquits us from the Courtroom of Eternal Justice on the grounds that Jesus Christ paid our fine. We are justified (made right with God) by His suffering death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was Gods seal of approval signifying that His precious blood was sufficient to pay the fine. If we repent and trust in Jesus, God will grant us mercy. However, if youre not sure of your salvation, read Psalm 51 and make it your own prayer. Following are several important principles that can save you a great deal of pain.

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1. Feeding on the Word: Daily Nutrition A healthy baby has a healthy appetite. If you have truly been born of the Spirit of God, you will have a healthy appetite. The Bible says, Like newborn infants, desire the unadulterated spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it in [your] salvation (1 Peter 2:2). So feed yourself daily without fail. The more you eat, the quicker you will grow, and the less bruising you will have. Speed up the process and save yourself some painvow to read Gods Word every day, without fail. Job said, I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily food (Job 23:12). Be like Job, and put your Bible before your belly. Say to yourself, No Bible, no breakfast. No read, no feed. If you do that, God promises that you will be like a fruitful, strong, and healthy tree (see Psalm 1). Each day, find somewhere quiet and thoroughly soak your soul in the Word of God. There may be times when you read through its pages with great enthusiasm, and other times when it seems dry and even boring. But food profits your body whether you enjoy it or not. As a child, you no doubt ate desserts with great enthusiasm. Perhaps vegetables werent so exciting. If you were a normal child, you probably had to be encouraged to eat them at first. Then, as you matured in life, you learned to discipline yourself to eat vegetables. This is because they nourish and strengthen you, even though they may not bring pleasure to your taste buds. 2. Faith: Elevators Can Let You Down When a young man once said to me, Ray, I find it hard to believe some of the things in the Bible, I smiled and asked, Whats your name? When he said, Paul, I casually replied, I dont believe you. He looked at me questioningly. I repeated, Whats your name? Again he said, Paul, and again I answered, I dont believe you. Then I asked, Where do you live? When he told me, I said, I dont believe that either. His reaction, understandably, was anger. I said, You look a little upset. Do you know why? Youre upset because I didnt believe what you told me. If you tell me your name is Paul, and I say, I dont believe you, it means I think you are a liar. You are trying to deceive me by telling me your name is Paul, when its not. Then I told him that if he, a mere man, felt insulted by my lack of faith in his word, how much more does he insult Almighty God by

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refusing to believe His Word. In doing so, he was saying that God isnt worth trustingthat He is a liar and a deceiver. The Bible says, The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar (1 John 5:10). It also warns, Watch out, brothers, so that there wont be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart (Hebrews 3:12). Martin Luther said, What greater insult . . . can there be to God, than not to believe His promises. I have heard people say, But I just find it hard to have faith in God, not realizing the implications of their words. These are the same people who often accept the daily weather forecast, believe the newspapers, and trust their lives to a pilot they have never seen whenever they fly. We exercise faith every day. We rely on our cars brakes. We trust history books, medical books, and elevators. Yet planes can crash. History books can be wrong. Elevators can let us down. How much more then should we trust the sure and true promises of Almighty God. He will never let us down . . . if we trust Him. Cynics often argue, You cant trust the Bibleits full of mistakes. It is. The first mistake was when man rejected God, and the Scriptures show men and women making the same tragic mistake again and again. Its also full of what seem to be contradictions. For example, the Scriptures tell us that nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37); there is nothing Almighty God cannot do. Yet we are also told that it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). So there is something God cannot do! Isnt that an obvious mistake in the Bible? The answer to this dilemma is found in the lowly worm. Do you know that it would be impossible for me to eat worms? I once saw a man on TV butter his toast, then pour on a can of live, fat, wriggling, blood-filled worms. He carefully took a knife and fork, cut into his moving meal, and ate it. It made me feel sick. It was disgusting. The thought of chewing cold, live worms is so repulsive, so distasteful, I can candidly say that it would be impossible for me to eat them, even though I have seen it done. It is so abhorrent, I draw on the strength of the word impossible to substantiate my claim. Lying, deception, bearing false witness, etc., is so repulsive to God, so disgusting to Him, so against His holy character, that the Scriptures draw on the strength of the word impossible to substantiate the claim. He cannot, could not, and would not lie. That means in a world where we are continually let down, we can

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totally rely on, trust in, and count on His promises. They are sure, certain, indisputable, true, trustworthy, reliable, faithful, unfailing, dependable, steadfast, and an anchor for the soul. In other words, you can truly believe them, and because of that, you can throw yourself blindfolded and without reserve into His mighty hands. He will never, ever let you down. Do you believe that? 3. Evangelism: Our Most Sobering Task Late in December 1996, a large family gathered in Los Angeles for a joyous Christmas. There were so many gathered that night, five of the children slept in the converted garage, kept warm during the night by an electric heater placed near the door. During the early hours of the morning, the heater suddenly burst into flames, blocking the doorway. In seconds the room became a blazing inferno. A frantic 911 call revealed the unspeakable terror as one of the children could be heard screaming, Im on fire! The distraught father rushed into the flames to try to save his beloved children, receiving burns to 50 percent of his body. Tragically, all five children burned to death. They died because steel bars on the windows had thwarted their escape. There was only one door, and it was blocked by the flames. Imagine you are back in time, just minutes before the heater burst into flames. You peer through the darkness at the peaceful sight of five sleeping youngsters, knowing that at any moment the room will erupt into an inferno and burn the flesh of horrified children. Can you in good conscience walk away? No! You must awaken them, and warn them to run from that death trap! The world sleeps peacefully in the darkness of ignorance. There is only one Door by which they may escape death. The steel bars of sin prevent their salvation, and at the same time call for the flames of eternal justice. What a fearful thing Judgment Day will be! The fires of the wrath of Almighty God will burn for eternity. The Church has been entrusted with the task of awakening the lost before its too late. We cannot turn our backs and walk away in complacency. Think of how the father ran into the flames. His love knew no bounds. Our devotion to the sober task God has given us will be in direct proportion to our love for the lost. There are only a few laborers who run headlong into the flames to warn them to flee (Luke 10:2). Please be

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one of them. We really have no choice. The apostle Paul said, Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16). If you and I ignore a drowning child and let him die when we had the ability to save him, we are guilty of the crime of depraved indifference. God forbid that any Christian should be guilty of that crime when it comes to those around us who are perishing. We have an obligation to reach out to them. The Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, said, Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that. A Christian cannot be apathetic about the salvation of the world. The love of God in him will motivate him to seek and save that which is lost. You probably have a limited amount of time after your conversion to impact your unsaved friends and family with the gospel. After the initial shock of your conversion, they will put you in a neat little, ribbon-tied box and keep you at arms length. So its important that you take advantage of the time you have while you still have their ears. Heres some advice that may save you a great deal of grief. As a new Christian, I did almost irreparable damage by acting like a wild bull in a crystal showroom. I bullied my mom, my dad, and many of my friends into making a decision for Christ. I was sincere, zealous, loving, kind, and stupid. I didnt understand that salvation doesnt come through making a decision, but through repentance, and that repentance is God-given (2 Timothy 2:25). The Bible teaches that no one can come to the Son unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). If someone makes a decision but has no conviction of sin, you will almost certainly end up with a stillborn on your hands. In my zeal without knowledge I actually inoculated the very ones I was so desperately trying to reach. There is nothing more important to you than the salvation of your loved ones, and you dont want to blow it. If you do, you may find that you dont have a second chance. Fervently pray for them, asking God for their salvation. Let them see your faith. Let them feel your kindness, your genuine love, and your gentleness. Buy gifts for no reason. Do chores when you are not asked to. Go the extra mile. Put yourself in their position. You know that you have found everlasting lifedeath has lost its sting! Your joy is unspeakable. But as far as they are concerned, youve been brainwashed and have become part of a weird sect. So your loving actions will speak more loudly than ten thousand eloquent sermons.

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For this reason you should avoid verbal confrontation until you have knowledge that will guide your zeal. Pray for wisdom and for sensitivity to Gods timing. You may have only one shot, so make it count. Keep your cool. If you dont, you may end up with a lifetime of regret. Believe me. It is better to hear a loved one or a close friend say, Tell me about your faith in Jesus Christ, rather than you saying, Sit down. I want to talk to you. Continue to persevere in prayer for them, that God would open their eyes to the truth. Remember also that you have the sobering responsibility of speaking to other peoples loved ones. Perhaps another Christian has prayed earnestly that God would use a faithful witness to speak to his beloved mom or dad, and you are that answer to prayer. You are the faithful witness God wants to use. We should share our faith with others whenever we can. The Bible tells us to proclaim the message and persist in it whether convenient or not (2 Timothy 4:2). Keep the fate of the ungodly before your eyes. Too many of us settle down on a padded pew and become introverted. Our friends are confined solely to those within the Church, when Jesus was the friend of sinners. So take the time to deliberately befriend the lost for the sake of their salvation. Remember that each and every person who dies in his sins has an appointment with the Judge of the Universe. Hell opens wide its terrible jaws. There is no more sobering task than to be entrusted with the gospel of salvationworking with God for the eternal well-being of dying humanity. Have the same attitude as the apostle Paul, who pleaded for prayer for his own personal witness. He said, Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should (Ephesians 6:19,20). 4. Prayer: Wait for a Minute God always answers prayer. Sometimes He says yes; sometimes He says no; and sometimes He says, Wait for a minute. And since God is outside the dimension of time, to Him a thousand years is no different than a day (see 2 Peter 3:8)which could mean a ten-year wait for us. So ask in faith, but rest in peace-filled patience. Surveys show that over 90 percent of Americans pray daily. No

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doubt they pray for health, wealth, happiness, etc. They also pray when Grandma gets sick, so when Grandma doesnt get better (or dies), many end up disillusioned or bitter. This is because they dont understand what the Bible says about prayer. It teaches, among other things, that our sin will keep God from even hearing our prayers (Psalm 66:18), and that if we pray with doubt, we will not get an answer (James 1:6,7). Heres how to be heard:

Pray with faith (Hebrews 11:6). Pray with clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:3,4). Pray genuine heartfelt prayers, rather than vain repetitions (Matthew 6:7). Make sure you are praying to the God revealed in the Holy Scriptures (Exodus 20:36).

How do you pray with faith? Someone once said to me, Ray, youre a man of great faith in God, thinking that they were paying me a compliment. But they werentthe compliment was to God. For example, if I said, Im a man of great faith in my doctor, its actually the doctor Im complimenting. If I have great faith in him, it means that I see him as being a man of integrity, a man of great abilitythat he is trustworthy. I give glory to the man through my faith in him. The Bible says that Abraham did not waver in unbelief at Gods promise, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform (Romans 4:20,21). Abraham was a man of great faith in God. Remember, that is not a compliment to Abraham. He merely caught a glimpse of Gods incredible ability, His impeccable integrity, and His wonderful faithfulness to keep every promise He makes. Abrahams faith gave glory to a faithful God. As far as God is concerned, if you belong to Jesus, you are a VIP. You can boldly come before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). You have access to the King because you are the son or daughter of the King. When you were a child, did you have to grovel to get your needs met by your parents? I hope not. So dont pray, Oh, God, I hope you will supply my needs. Instead say something like, Father, thank You that You keep every

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promise You make. Your Word says that you will supply all my needs according to Your riches in glory in Christ Jesus [Philippians 4:19]. Therefore, I thank You that You will do this thing for my family. I ask this in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen. See how Jesus prayed in John 11:42. The great missionary Hudson Taylor said, The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see Divine power wrought in the place of weakness, failure, and disappointment, let us answer Gods standing challenge, Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things of which you know not of (Jeremiah. 33:3). How do you get clean hands and a pure heart? Simply by confessing your sins to God, through Jesus Christ, whose blood cleanses us from all our sin (see 1 John 1:79). God promises not only to forgive your every sin, but to forget them (Hebrews 8:12). He will count it as though you had never sinned in the first place. He will make you pure in His sightsinless. He will even purge your conscience, so you will no longer have a sense of guilt that you sinned. Thats why you need to soak yourself in Holy Scripture; read the letters to the churches and see the wonderful things God has done for us through the cross of Calvary. If you dont bother to read the will, you wont have any idea what has been given to you. How do you pray genuine heartfelt prayers? Simply by keeping yourself in the love of God. If the love of God is in you, you will never pray hypocritical or selfish prayers. Just talk to your heavenly Father as candidly and intimately as a young child, nestled on Daddys lap, would talk to his earthly father. How would you feel if every day your child pulled out a pre-written statement to dryly recite to you, rather than pouring out the events and emotions of that day? God wants to hear from your heart. And when your prayer life is pleasing to God, He will reward you openly (see Matthew 6:6). How do you know youre praying to the God revealed in Scripture? Study the Bible. Dont accept the image of God portrayed by the world, even though it appeals to the natural mind. A gentle, kind, Santa Claus figure, dispensing good things with no sense of justice or truth, appeals to guilty sinners. Look to the thundering and lightning of Mount Sinai. Gaze at Jesus on the cross of Calvary

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hanging in unspeakable agony because of the justice of a holy God. Such thoughts tend to banish idolatry. 5. Warfare: Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition When you became a Christian, you stepped right into the heat of an age-old battle. You now have a threefold enemy: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Lets look at these three resistant enemies. Our first enemy is the world, which refers to the sinful, rebellious, world system. The world loves the darkness and hates the light (John 3:20), and is governed by the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). The Bible says that the Christian has escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Lust is unlawful desire, and is the lifes blood of the world whether it be lust for sexual sin, for power, for money, for material things. Lust is a monster that will never be gratified, so dont feed it. It will grow bigger and bigger until it weighs heavy upon your back, and will be the death of you (James 1:15). There is nothing wrong with sex, power, money, or material things, but when desire for these becomes predominant, it becomes idolatry (Colossians 3:5). We are told, Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him, and, Whoever wants to be the worlds friend becomes Gods enemy (1 John 2:15; James 4:4). The second enemy is the devil, who is the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4). He was your spiritual father before you joined the family of God (John 8:44; Ephesians 2:2). Jesus called the devil a thief who came to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The way to overcome him and his demons is to make sure you are outfitted with the spiritual armor of God listed in Ephesians 6:1018. Become intimately familiar with it. Sleep in it. Never take it off. Bind the sword to your hand so you never lose its grip. The reason for this brings us to the third enemy. The third enemy is what the Bible calls the flesh. This is your sinful nature. The domain for the battle is your mind. If you have a mind to, you will be attracted to the world and all its sin. The mind is the control panel for the eyes and the ears, the center of your appetites. All sin begins in the heart (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 15:19).

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We think of sin before we commit it. James 1:15 warns that lust brings forth sin, and sin when its conceived brings forth death. Every day of life, we have a choice. To sin or not to sinthat is the question. The answer is to have the fear of God. If you dont fear God, you will sin to your sinful hearts delight. Did you know that God kills people? He killed a man for what he did sexually (Genesis 38:9,10), killed another man for being greedy (Luke 12:1521), and killed a husband and wife for telling one lie (Acts 5:110). Knowledge of Gods goodnessHis righteous judgments against evilshould put the fear of God in us and help us not to indulge in sin. If we know that the eye of the Lord is in every place beholding the evil and the good, and that He will bring every work to judgment, we will live accordingly. Such weighty thoughts are valuable, for one turns from evil by the fear of the LORD (Proverbs 16:6). Jesus said, My friends, dont fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw [people] into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the One to fear! (Luke 12:4,5). 6. Fellowship: Flutter By Butterfly One evidence that you have been truly saved is that you will have a love for other Christians (1 John 3:14). You will want to fellowship with them. The old saying that birds of a feather flock together is true of Christians. You gather together for the breaking of bread (communion), for teaching from the Word, and for fellowship. You share the same inspirations, illuminations, inclinations, temptations, motivations, and perspirationsyou are working together for the same thing: the furtherance of the kingdom of God on earth. This is why you attend churchnot because you have to, but because you want to. Pray about where you should fellowship. Make sure the place you select as your church home calls sin what it issin. Do they believe the promises of God? Are they loving? Does the pastor treat his wife with respect? Is he a man of the Word? Does he have a humble heart and a gentle spirit? Listen closely to his teaching. It should glorify God, magnify Jesus, and edify the believer. Dont become a spiritual butterfly. If you are flitting from church

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to church, how will your pastor know what type of food you are digesting? The Bible says that your shepherd is accountable to God for you (Hebrews 13:17), so make yourself known to your pastor. Pray for him regularly. Pray also for his wife, his family, and the church leaders. Being a pastor is no easy task. Most people dont realize how long it takes to prepare a fresh sermon each week. They dont appreciate the time spent in prayer and in the study of the Word. If the pastor repeats a joke or a story, remember, hes human. So give him a great deal of grace and double honor. Never murmur about him. If you dont like something he has said, pray about it, then leave the issue with God. If that doesnt satisfy you, leave the church, rather than divide it through murmuring and complaining. God hates those who cause division among believers (Proverbs 6:1619). 7. Thanksgiving: Do the Right Thing For the Christian, every day should be Thanksgiving Day. We should be thankful even in the midst of problems. The apostle Paul said, I am overcome with joy in all our afflictions (2 Corinthians 7:4). He knew that God was working all things together for his good, even his trials (Romans 8:28). Problems will come your way. God will see to it personally that you grow as a Christian. He will allow storms in your life, in order to send your roots deep into the soil of His Word. We also pray more in the midst of problems. Its been well said that you will see more from your knees than on your tiptoes. A man once watched a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. In an effort to help it, he took a razor blade and carefully slit the edge of the cocoon. The butterfly escaped from its problem . . . but immediately died. It is Gods way to have the butterfly struggle. It is the struggle that causes its tiny heart to beat fast, sending the lifes blood into its wings. Trials have their purpose. They are a cocoon in which we often find ourselves. They make us strugglethey bring us to our knees. It is there that the lifes blood of faith in God helps us spread our wings. Faith and thanksgiving are close friends. If you have faith in God, you will be thankful because you know His loving hand is upon you, even though you are in a lions den. That will give you a deep sense of joythe barometer of the depth of faith you have in God. For exam-

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ple, imagine if I said Id give you one million dollars if you sent me an email. Of course, you dont believe I would do that. But imagine if you did, and that you knew 1,000 people who had sent me an email, and every one received their million dollarsno strings attached. More than that, you actually called me, and I assured you personally that I would keep my word. If you believed me, wouldnt you have joy? If you didnt believe meno joy. The amount of joy you have would be a barometer of how much you believed my promise. We have so much for which to be thankful. God has given us exceedingly great and precious promises that are more to be desired than gold. Do yourself a big favor: believe those promises, thank God continually for them, and let your joy be full. 8. Water Baptism: Sprinkle or Immerse? The Bible says, Repent . . . and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38). There is no question about whether you should be baptized. The questions are, how, when, and by whom? It would seem clear from Scripture that those who were baptized were fully immersed in water. Heres one reason why: John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there (John 3:23). If John were merely sprinkling believers, he would have needed only a cupful of water. Baptism by immersion pictures our death to sin, our burial, and our resurrection to new life in Christ (see Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12). The Philippian jailer and his family were baptized at midnight, the same hour they believed (Acts 16:3033). The Ethiopian eunuch was baptized as soon as he believed (Acts 8:3537), as was Paul (Acts 9:17,18). Baptism is a step of obedience, and God blesses our obedience. So what are you waiting for? Who should baptize you? It is clear from Scripture that other believers had the privilege, but check with your pastor; he may want the honor himself. 9. Tithing: The Final Frontier It has been said that the wallet is the final frontier. It is the final area to be conqueredthe last thing that we surrender to God. Jesus spoke much about money. He said that we cannot serve both God

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and money (Matthew 6:24). Either money is our source of joy, our great love, our sense of security, the supplier of our needs . . . or God is. When you open your purse or wallet, give generously and regularly to your local church. A guide to how much you should give can be found in the Old Testament tithe: 10 percent of your income. Whatever amount you give, make sure you give something to the work of God (see Malachi 3:811). Give because you want to, not because you have to. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6,7), so learn to hold your money with a loose hand. 10. Troubleshooting: Cults, Atheists, Skeptics If you know the Lord, nothing will shake your faith. It is true that the man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument. If you are converted and the Holy Spirit testifies that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16), you will never be shaken by a skeptic. When cults tell you that to be saved you must call God by a certain name, worship on a certain day, or be baptized by an elder of their church, dont panic. Merely go back to the Instruction Manual. The Bible has all the answers, and searching them out will make you grow. If you feel intimidated by atheistsif you think they are intellectualsread my book God Doesnt Believe in Atheists. It will reveal that they are the opposite. It will also show you how to prove Gods existence, and also prove that the atheist doesnt exist. (See also How to Know God Exists: Scientific Proof of God.) Finally, the way to prevent sports injuries and pain is to keep yourself fit. Exercise. The apostle Paul kept fit through exercise. He said, Herein do I exercise myself, to always have a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men (Acts 24:16, KJV). Do the same. Listen to the voice of your conscience. Its your friend, not your enemy. Remember the words of Solomon: Fear God and keep His commands, because this [is for] all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14). Keep the Day of Judgment before your eyes. On that Day, you will be glad that you cultivated a tender conscience. I hope these principles have been helpful and that they will some day save you some pain.

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RESOURCES

f you have not yet placed your trust in Jesus Christ and would like additional information, please feel free to check out our resources at www.livingwaters.com. The following items may be helpful to you: How to Know God Exists The Charles Darwin Bible God Doesnt Believe in Atheists Scientific Facts in the Bible The Science of Evolution (DVD) The Evidence Bible You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence But You Cant Make Him Think

For Christians
Please visit our website and sign up for our free weekly e-mail update. To learn to share your faith the way Jesus did, dont miss these helpful resources:

Hells Best Kept Secret and True & False Conversion audio messages (listen freely online) The Way of the Master Hells Best Kept Secret How to Bring Your Children to Christ . . . & Keep Them There The Way of the Master television program (www.WayoftheMaster.com) Transformed and Deeper conferences For Ray Comforts resources, online Bible School, and training Academy, visit www.livingwaters.com, call 800-437-1893, or write to: Living Waters Publications, P.O. Box 1172, Bellflower, CA 90706.

The Evidence Bible

The Evidence Bible is specially designed to reinforce the faith of our times by offering hard evidence and scientific proof for the thinking mind. DR. D. JAMES KENNEDY The Evidence Bible, based on more than two decades of research, has been commended by Franklin Graham, Josh McDowell, Woodrow Kroll, and many other Christian leaders.

Learn how to show the absurdity of evolution. See from Scripture how to prove Gods existence without the use of faith. Discover how to prove the authenticity of the Bible through prophecy. See how the Bible is full of eye-opening scientific and medical facts. Read fascinating quotes from Darwin, Einstein, Newton, and other well-known scientists. Learn how to share your faith with your family, neighbors, and coworkers, as well as Muslims, Mormons, Jehovahs Witnesses, etc. Glean evangelistic wisdom from Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, George Whitefield, D. L. Moody, John MacArthur, and many others. Discover answers to hundreds of common objections to Christianity: Where did Cain get his wife? Why is there suffering? Why are there contradictions in the Bible?. . . and much more!