I have heard many say that there are foundation points that cannot be ignored or skipped if you are on a true spirit walk with God, one of the most blantant and obvious one being you must believe God exists beyond the scope of a universal referee. Another is you have to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and he is our only access to God. In the past, I've questioned that respectfully and admittedly still have questions about that, but can we as Christians question these foundations without it appearing as though we are being influenced by a non-believer's dogmatic ideology?
2006-09-02 03:25:29 · 17 answers · asked by Anthony L 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I think it's possible to search for a better understanding without looking like we have lost faith.
2006-09-02 03:31:18 · answer #1 · answered by TJMiler 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This is a good question. It is a once and for all decision to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, crucified for your sins, your only means of salvation. If you have not yet made the decison to believe that, they you are not born again. Now, a child of God that is young in his/her faith may begin to have questions in their mind - and that is natural. The mind was created to reason and to ask questions, to want to know and understand. There is a lot of information in the Bible that you can read and learn and study, which will satisfy the desires of your mind to know and understand. But there are somethings which ultimately have to be taken on faith alone.
I was not standing on the hill of Golgotha some 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ was crucified. But I have made a decision to accept the testimony of the Bible and to believe what it says. By faith I accept that it is the divinely-inspired word of the living God. Some think that is naive. But I have a peace on the inside of me that a lot of other people don't - and can't - have apart from faith in the God of the Bible. I am able to answer a lot of people's questions with my knowledge of what the Bible says - these are answers that are not found anywhere else. So many people are asking the same questions in different ways. The answers are the same, and they are only found in the Bible.
It's O.K. to ask questions. God actually wants for you to ask questions. When Jesus was here on earth, people asked Him questions all the time - and He gave them answers. Sometimes they were able to receive the answer, sometimes they weren't. Sometimes they were asking out of a hidden motive of attacking Him, but He always saw through that and answered them accordingly.
It's O.K. to ask qestions, it's how we learn. But there are things that cannot be questioned, but must rather be accepted as truth. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, period. That's not up for debate. If He was not, then there is no Savior for the world from sin, and we are all lost and going to hell, or maybe something worse. But you see, there is absolutely no hope in that scenario whatsoever.
The Apostle Paul put it this way, "...if Chist is not raised (from the dead), your faith is pointless; you are still in your sins...but now is Christ risen from the dead" (I Corinthians 15:17-20).
The Bible is clear, you don't get into the life of God by questioning what He has told us in the word, and by that I mean calling into question the things that He has made abundantly clear to us. If you have questions, make sure that they are pertaining to things that are not clearly stated. Get involved with a church where the Bible is being taught. Ask the Lord to direct you in this, and He will help you (I am saying this from many years of experience with this).
2006-09-02 10:55:32 · answer #2 · answered by firebyknight 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why not? Any faith that is worth anything can stand the test of questioning. If they don't want you to question things, maybe there is a good reason why they don't want you to. Maybe they don't have the right answers and they are afraid you will find out and leave the church and maybe even take others with you. If it is legitimate and true, there is no reason that anyone should not be encouraged to ask questions so they will be well founded in the faith. You can ask me any question you want about my failth and I will answer with no thought of you not believing. You see, I am confident in what I believe.
2006-09-02 10:32:04 · answer #3 · answered by ramall1to 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You ask a question and then, in my mind, talk about something else. So I'll just answer yur question.
When a person "questions their faith" it means they are not sure of their faith, that they have doubts, and possibly is looking to walk away from their faith...as though they are saying "prove it to me".
.
On the other hand, when a person has a question about their faith, it means they want something clarified so that they can understand it better.
2006-09-02 10:32:10 · answer #4 · answered by sophieb 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There is a difference between those two types of questionings. Those who don't believe often question things in an effort to prove that what the Bible teaches is wrong. Those who do believe are looking for proof that what they believe is true.
2006-09-02 10:40:21 · answer #5 · answered by Irish1952 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God gives you free will
God sends angels to watch over you and even guide you
God sends words to help your learn
The rest is up to you
One day Peter or another person, will read from the book of life and YOUR NAME may not be in there.
You got a problem with that and you believe in Jesus, through JEsus you can get an audience with God, who might explain it to you. That still doesn't mean you'll get into heaven. You'll just get the word stright from God.
Those without Jesus, may not get such access.
Jews who are NOT in the book of life or Atheists, may have NO court of appeals or explaination.
Only Christians get that.
That's all the Bible, essentially, promises.
That and everlasting life, but it doesn't say WHERE.
WHERE is up to God and only up to God.
An Atheist who doesn't beleive in God or JEsus and is not in the book of life goes out to the river of fire and eventually gets consumed.
A Christian who beleives in God and Jesus and is not in the book of life goes out to the river of fire and lives eternally in that river.
If you read the Bible and interpret, it, you easily see this is a possiblity.
The Bible does not say, believe in Jesus and you can steal, fornicate, womanize, cheat, adulterate and STILL get into heaven.
A lot of Christians do those things. That is a sad reality.
God CAN throw you out of the book of life for simply wishing death on a homosexual OR God can rewards you for thinking that way.
The choice is yours
It's a 50/50 filp of the coin.
Get it wrong, you are in the lake of fire
Get it right, you go to heaven
It is THAT simple.
Now chose, God is listening to your voice and your thoughts and what's in your heart.
2006-09-02 11:06:11 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
the more you know someone, the more you trust what he say is true. eg. you may trust your wife more than a friend on the rumor. this mean when you get to know God more & closely contact with him, you will have less doubt about some of these principles.
2006-09-02 10:34:40 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes there is a difference. Asking questions of your faith is one way to grow in your beliefs, whereas questioning your faith is challenging its followers as to whether it is true or unbiased.
2006-09-02 10:35:40 · answer #8 · answered by rillegas08 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sure you can. The Bible or God never shies away from being questioned by a seeker.
2006-09-02 10:29:56 · answer #9 · answered by P P 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Questioning your faith means you are not sure if you believe what yout learning.Questions of your faith means you ask a question and you learn more about your faith.
2006-09-02 10:29:00 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋