How do I overcome my doubts of the Bible as the truth? I know it's a matter of faith but my brain is telling me to question it. I keep going back to it being written by men in order to explain the events that took place & why we are here. What about the Quaran? It talks about Jesus in it. Why is it not true as well? I do love Jesus and attend a church that studies the Bible. But my doubts keep getting in the way. Is this what surrender means? To just give up doubt & believe without question?
2006-07-07 05:18:29 · 38 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Ok, anyone can answer it you have some good advice & don't put down Christian beliefs.
2006-07-07 05:28:35 · update #1
No, that's not what it means to surrender. You need to decide where your foundation as a Christian is going to be. Is it going to be based in the bible, and "proof" that it is true and right. Or is it going to be based on a personal relationship with God. You can learn a great deal about God in the scriptures, but only a personal relationship will help you "understand" the person of Christ and God the father.
2006-07-07 05:24:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's actually very healthy, and I think necessary to have a true relationship with God, to question the things that have been told to you. You should never blindly believe ANYTHING no matter who tells you. Anything that seems not to sit right in your brain, you should question it, study it, research it, pray about it, and wait for God to give you an answer. That is the way to truly believe anything! I don't think a person can really have faith without having had a "crisis of faith". Heck, even Jesus questioned God while he suffered in the Garden.
You are right about the Bible. It is not 100% true and infallible. It was translated many times. However, the overarching messages and rules to live by are the true word of God. Most of all, you should have faith that God wouoldn't put you here without some sort of guide. The Bible is part of that guide. The Holy Spirit is part of the guide. Church leaders are part of that guide, so long as they really are in touch with God's will and are not leading you astray. How to tell the difference? That's what you need to figure out.
I guess I need to edit what I have said. I completely agree that the Bible was written by men of God with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. I hope you didn't take what I said to mean that the Bible is wrong. I guess the biggest problem comes in the translation. Think about it: sometimes even when just translating from Spanish to English, some words or phrases just don't have a perfect translation. Now, imagine translating something from Spanish to French to German to Italian to Russian to Greek to Swahili to Chinese to Japanese to English. Do you really think every single word and phrase would come through unscathed? Probably not.
Everything in the Bible that has been translated correctly is 100% true. However, it is not possible for every single thing to have been translated perfectly every single time.
2006-07-07 05:30:40 · answer #2 · answered by MDPeterson42 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have to admit that as a christian I have my own doubts about the bible and its validity. If you want a breakdown of evidence I would suggest the "case for..." series by Lee Strobel. Personally, here is what came to my mind. Remember that believing without question is not the goal. Questions are good, they mean you are actively seeking the truth- ultimately God. Even David, a man "after God's own heart" was plagued with doubt on a seemingly daily basis- have you read the psalms lately? In our society we should be earnest to question what we are taught because we tend to take much for granted. We should never take God for granted. The bible is difficult. We are told we shouldn't trust it because it was written by men, it is full of myths, it is oppressive to women, and yet, it has lasted all these thousands of years throughout so many generations of men AND women, all types of people and cultures. This is because even though it stretches our minds and imaginations there is still that monstrously evident line of truth weaved throughout it. Truth keeps it alive, not man. If Christ became the word of God and the bible is a manifestation of the word then we can be confident that we are not wasting time studying an irrelevent fairy tale. Some people claim that christianity, religon in general, is nothing but "opium for the masses," but what is so painless about believing in God? Those who pursue Him can find comfort through their trials but experience no less in severity or number of trials then those who do not pursue Him. We are in fact more heavily impressed upon with the question "Why?" knowing that we have a creator and yet there is still so much misery in the world. As for the Quaran that is a split in history going back to Abraham. Just keep in mind that they believe Jesus was only a prophet not a savior and they do not believe in the concept of grace. Feel free to investigate that too. There are some good questions/answers right here on this site about the Quaran. And keep studying the bible- not to know whether a ship sailed with two of every creature or if a calf was formed of gold or a man walked on water, but to know God's character better so when life's questions come up you'll know where you and God stand, not your bible study leader or some political hypocrite.
2006-07-07 06:23:37 · answer #3 · answered by Rach 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1 Peter Chp 5
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. That last sentence always grasps my attention, every believer has their own battle, you can overcome your doubt!
That is why believing the bible is called FAITH! Have the same faith you have when you drive over a bridge, you know it's going to hold up you and your car, you don't question that it was built by men. You are on your way, when you start to doubt then know that the devil is trying his hardest to keep you from the Truth. Keep the Faith. Peace.
2006-07-07 05:34:15 · answer #4 · answered by TheShield 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Doubt can be a stumbling block or a boon. I am a priest and while I went to Bible College and Seminary I too had a crisis of faith. It was only after I read the works of the "Anti-Nicene" fathers of the church that many of the scriptures started to make sense in the context that they were written. These are the ones who were taught by the disciples themselves and the ones who wrote the scriptures. When I learned the depth of what was being said by these men who actually sat under the writers of the NT it was then I began my walk of faith again. None of these men were gnostics or heretical and it gave me a glimpse what the early church held true. Hope it helps.
2006-07-07 05:26:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
People make the mistake of continually saying the bible was written by men. That is true, but God (Jehovah) told these men what to write. That's why the bible is called the word of God, because they are God's word, God's message to us, not men's. So if you believe in God then you can believe in the bible because it is like a story from God to you. Embrace his word and study it. Stop saying men wrote the bible, because that's why people don't believe. They wouldn't even believe it if God himself wrote the bible with his own hand, but his hand was guiding the human writers. Ignore the world and surrender completely to God. Do not question him, cause the questions that you ask, the answers are far too complicated for you. Just trust in him.
2006-07-07 05:27:13 · answer #6 · answered by Ahhh....Me Time 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The bible was written by men of old when the Holy Spirit moved upon them to write Gods words. If you question, that's OK, just do some research in the bible and find the answers to your questions. Gods word id true and you can be inspired by it. As a Christian ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into the truth as you read Gods word.
2006-07-07 05:25:43 · answer #7 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely not. God says, "come, let us reason together"....there is nothing to fear in examining the bible and putting it to the test. Because anything that is true will stand up to scutiny.
I'm glad to hear that you attend a good bible teaching church. Are you in a bible study, though? The way I became absolutely sure that I could trust the bible as God's true word was an in-depth bible study. I've been in bible study for ten years and have studied most of the books of the new testament. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God".
Please keep studying God's word, pray to God for guidance and keep asking those questions. God also says, seek and you will find; and He never, ever says anything idly.
2006-07-07 05:24:08 · answer #8 · answered by christian_lady_2001 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's natural to have doubts about the Bible and your faith. God gave you a brain and it's ok to use it. To put yourself in a position of either believe all that you hear or be an unbeliever is just a difficult position to take.
God gave us reason so that we can decipher for ourselves what sounds reasonable. Being a Christian involves a journey, I believe, in which we are continually learning and adapting our belief system. There are plenty of grey areas.
It's possible that there are other means with which God gets his message to us. The Bible does not have to be the only resource tool for Christianity. For example, there are plenty of works out there by historical Christians that we can look at for comfort and information (Martin Luther, John Calvin, the Wesley brothers).
You can also spend time in prayer. Time with the Lord in prayer can be helpful in pointing you the right directions and in maintaining your relationship with him.
2006-07-07 05:31:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can understand where you are coming from ... but it does have a great deal to do with faith. It was written by men - but men who were under the inspiration of a Holy God who compelled them to write what they did. Also, we have the testimony of Jesus in the Gospels, where he quoted scripture. He never quoted the Koran, but we find him quoting scripture from the OT (temptation of the devil). It is difficult and it is okay to doubt ... just don't let your doubt become a stumbling block for your faith.
One last thing -- the Bible is infallible and without error. I do not agree with the above poster - I truly believe that the Bible is without error. Men wrote it, but God is the author (through them) of what was written, and I do not believe he would give us a book with errors.
2006-07-07 05:31:06 · answer #10 · answered by mattx7 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋