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Why Do Christians Believe in Such an Old Book?

“Can I Ask That?” Video Series: Session 4 of 7

Why Do Christians Believe in Such an Old Book?

The Bible is a written testament to God’s Story—to His Story, or History. The Bible is a It’s been said that the Bible is not a book humans could write if they would, and it’s not a book we would write if they could

The Bible has proven the test of time. In terms of its manuscripts and veracity or “proofs of trustworthiness,” it’s the most attested piece of ancient literature, bar none. There’s every reason to believe the Bible is the actual Word of God. In fact, the more you study “ABOUT” the book and study the book “itself,” the more convinced you become that it is, indeed, God’s revelation about Himself.

But people don’t read it or believe the Bible just because it’s old. We believe it because it’s true. And because it’s true, it’s reliable and trustworthy. It gives the greatest wisdom of the ages throughout its pages—as a collection of 66 divinely-inspired books that form the one and only source of God’s Authoritative Word to humanity: the Holy Bible.

And why have people throughout the ages come to believe in this ancient book? Fundamentally, because it has live-changing power.

In other words, BECAUSE IT IS the “Word of God,” it is true. And because it is true, it works. And God, mysteriously and supernaturally found a way to take eternal wisdom and existential truth, and then embed them within the written and spoken languages of all people groups in our world, through the words of the Holy Bible, as it is made available in languages around the world. And, somehow, supernaturally, God infused human language with divine power so that, when we read it OR even hear it, and apply it to our lives by doing what it says, the Bible proves it is true and the power of God is manifested.

The Bible. There’s no book like it. Anywhere. At any time. It’ll change your life. Get it, read it, and see for yourself.

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Upcoming Videos (Released Each Thursday Through June 8)

5. What Does God Say About Sexuality and Identity?
6. Is God Really Violent?
7. Is Jesus Really the Only Way?

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Click to Learn More About Joining a Live Study by Pastor Brandon Bathauer on Wednesdays, 6:30pm PST from April 26-June 7, 2017 at Saddleback Church (Irvine South Campus) 18842 Teller Avenue, Irvine, Calif

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Is God Republican or Democrat?

“Can I Ask That?” Video Series: Session 3 of 7

Is God Republican or Democrat?
When it comes to God, we have to think completely different than we typically do. God completely transcends political parties.

God is infinite and directs the affairs of men, so He is above politics. He is, after all, the King of Kings. He is not Republican. He is not Democrat. He is not a green Party Member, Libertarian, and certainly not Communist. But neither is He ‘Independent’ or completely neutral. After all, He DOES care about all issues ethical and moral, and politics affects those things—and politics affects the lives of every person in the world. So He cares and we should care about politics for those reasons.

But, though God isn’t Democrat or Republican, in some ways, He is more involved with Government than anyone. Even Jesus was called the King of the Jews, after all—and Jesus will ultimately be installed as the King of Kings over all the universe. And the Bible says that God will form a government, an eternal Kingdom—organized as a theocracy, in the future.

The Bible calls God the Governor, Ruler, and Judge of All. He has all power and “rules” from on high. And as the Governor and King, He does not categorically register with political parties, as humans might.

That doesn’t mean, however, that people have that luxury. Indeed, scripture makes it clear that God has made us citizens of two kingdoms—kingdom of earth and the Kingdom of God. Jesus taught us to be good citizens. And as good citizens, we have an obligation to be biblically-informed and active in bringing about good in civil society, which means at least some degree of political involvement (voting, caring about people and causes that are affected by politics).

As citizens of those two kingdoms, we owe everyone the debt of love, and to be good citizens by taking biblical positions on important issues. But even then, and even if we have loyalty to causes , political positions, or even political parties—those are ALWAYS, A-L-W-A-Y-S secondary to our faith and the Kingdom of God. Remember the words of Jude 3, that we should contend earnestly for the Kingdom of God, once for all delivered to the saints.

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Upcoming Videos (Released Each Thursday Through June 8)

4. Why Do Christians Believe in Such an Old Book?
5. What Does God Say About Sexuality and Identity?
6. Is God Really Violent?
7. Is Jesus Really the Only Way?

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Click to Learn More About Joining a Live Study by Pastor Brandon Bathauer on Wednesdays, 6:30pm PST from April 26-June 7, 2017 at Saddleback Church (Irvine South Campus) 18842 Teller Avenue, Irvine, Calif

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Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

“Can I Ask That?” Video Series: Session 2 of 7

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

This issue is called the Problem of Evil. And it’s fair to say that Christianity and the Bible must answer it… and it does. But so must every other faith. Human pain is universal. So Buddhism must answer this question. And Hinduism. And Islam. And all other religions.

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Listen to My World Religions Podcast Series

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But if you ask the question, you may not like the answer you receive, and become an Agnostic or Atheist, then what? Then you get to answer the question yourself—because, if you reject faith, then your worldview has to stand on its own and answer these questions without God’s help.

Thankfully Christianity offers answers to the problem of evil.

The Bible teaches that bad things happen because the world and the people in it, are broken. People are capable of bad motives, bad actions, and bad consequences are often the result.
And there’s the rub—the fact that innocent people sometimes get hurt.

When God made the world, He gave people freedom. Freedom means genuine choices. And those choices may be good or bad. When people make bad decisions, there are consequences. And those consequences are indiscriminate—they hurt people who don’t deserve to be hurt.

And God hates that. It grieves God that people do evil things. But that is not only a natural consequence of freedom—but a necessary consequence. In other words, you can’t have genuine freedom without the necessity that people might choose evil, and its resultant consequences.

For Christians, we learn that IN SPITE OF evil, God has a plan for our good and will ultimately right every injustice we’re subjected to.

God is working out a master plan. It involves the interwoven lives of billions of people interacting in real time on earth, every one of them with complete free will. And as they use their free will, often wrongly, and as Satan orchestrates all kinds of evil in the world. But in the midst of all the apparent chaos, God brilliantly weaves both His global and individual plan for us. And that can take time—because of billions and billions of people doing almost whatever they want.

But God cares intimately about our pain. And ultimately—now or later, God WILL settle the score. He will outwit all the schemes and will untangle all the contradictions. And He promises in His Word that He will either make it up to us here on earth—OR, if we suffer unaddressed injustice, that He has all of eternity to make it up to us. Right now, we see through a glass dimly, but time and eternity will bring resolution, redemption, and reward. And our light and momentary afflictions here on earth are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed within us later on.

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Upcoming Videos (Released Each Thursday Through June 8)

3. Is God Republican or Democrat?
4. Why Do Christians Believe in Such an Old Book?
5. What Does God Say About Sexuality and Identity?
6. Is God Really Violent?
7. Is Jesus Really the Only Way?

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Click to Learn More About Joining a Live Study by Pastor Brandon Bathauer on Wednesdays, 6:30pm PST from April 26-June 7, 2017 at Saddleback Church (Irvine South Campus) 18842 Teller Avenue, Irvine, Calif

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Secret Sin: How to Understand and Avoid It

One of the most tricky and insidious forms of disobedience is Secret Sin. Secret sin “happens” because of all kinds of reasons, but they seem to be rooted in either raging against living in a fish bowl of maintaining a life of perfection OR the simple desire for living with unaccountable personal autonomy (to do whatever we want) without suffering the ramifications of our decisions.

Most of the time secret sin tempts us because we feel as if we’re living in a fishbowl– a life where we live with ‘glass houses’ and everybody knows our business and scrutinizes our lives to the nth degree. That can be too much to take, especially when we live for people’s approval instead of seeking the authenticity of living for the Lord and Him alone.

Let’s face it, certain types of behaviors are not tolerated in society– nor by conscience. So people learn to cover their tracks by being crafty. This leads to the issue of secret sin.

Secret Sin Can Contaminate Us in Part and as a Whole

Though sin cannot be completely contained—since it, in truth, corrupts our entire beings—at the same time, humans have the ability to partition our hearts. When we want to hide our sin from being exposed, we partition our lives—like a house, where certain interior rooms have no doors and complete access is given, but other rooms have locked doors where those rooms’ contents are hidden. Humans are like that—we sometimes lock certain areas of our hearts from God and others, and allow ourselves unfettered freedom in those areas—areas that Satan exploits by concentrating certain areas of our lives with targeted contamination.

Secret Sin Causes us to Compartmentalize Bad Behavior

Sin creates psychological disorder. It affects us at a very deep and profound level. It disfigures our souls. It corrupts our minds. But we have the ability to be or pretend to be good and upright in certain areas of our character. So certain parts of us seem upright, while allowing other areas of our character to be corrupted.

There are times that certain areas of our lives seem untouched by sin, and that it destroys other areas of our personality entirely. We’ve seen this all our lives. Think of the many news stories where someone is the greatest neighbor in the world— but is found out to be a sadist and sociopath.

Secret Sin Makes Integrity Impossible

There’s the sad story of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a man who had dozens of bodies buried in the crawl space under his home. This same man has photos with him and the wife of President Jimmy Carter together. He was able to keep it together and seem like a pleasant person while “part” of his life was cordoned off, while the other part contained this monster.

He regressed into a wonderfully kind person who dressed up like a clown and, by all accounts, entertained children at birthday parties and, as far as we know, never harmed a child. But that same man was demonized toward young men. He victimized 33 people in all, while being known as a public do-gooder.

That’s an extreme example, but it’s a common thing for people to have areas of secret sin, where our lives are allowed to be out of control—areas that Satan uses to corrupt us.

So as people, we sin—and can become enslaved to sin. But the problem is that sin never does, nor can it, satisfy. Because only God can fill the deepest needs of human beings.

Sin Predictably Fails to Bring Lasting Satisfaction

At last, sin fails to bring lasting satisfaction. Sin has lots of effects. It harms us and besets us. We should do everything we can to avoid it.

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Watch the Video Version of this Post

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Secret Sin: How to Understand and Avoid It

One of the most tricky and insidious forms of disobedience is Secret Sin. Secret sin “happens” because of all kinds of reasons, but they seem to be rooted in either raging against living in a fish bowl of maintaining a life of perfection OR the simple desire for living with unaccountable personal autonomy (to do whatever we want) without suffering the ramifications of our decisions.

Most of the time secret sin tempts us because we feel as if we’re living in a fishbowl– a life where we live with ‘glass houses’ and everybody knows our business and scrutinizes our lives to the nth degree. That can be too much to take, especially when we live for people’s approval instead of seeking the authenticity of living for the Lord and Him alone.

In this video, we’ll learn more about this problem– and how to rethink our lives and move more fully into a life of spiritual authenticity and personal impact.

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Watch the Video

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Is It OK TO Ask Hard Questions About Faith?

“Can I Ask That?” Video Series: Session 1 of 7

Is It OK TO Ask Hard Questions About Faith?

Life can be confusing. There are times that life doesn’t make sense. Even people who’ve walked with God for decades, people with a truly intimate spiritual relationship, confront situations and circumstances that plague them and that shake their faith down to its very foundations.

If that’s you— meaning, if YOU sometimes have questions, uncertainty, and even doubts, you’re normal.
What’s one good reason that it’s OK to ask hard questions? BECAUSE , in the Bible, we learn that both skeptics, and the greatest men and women in the history of faith asked really, really hard questions.

These include Pilate, Nicodemus, David, Mary, the Apostle Peter, Job, a Philippian jailer, and even Jesus Himself!

So I think it’s plain to see—not only is asking hard questions OK. When you do so, you’re in good company. People who ask hard questions show they’re seeking faith that is GENUINE.
So not only is it OK to ask hard questions… it’s necessary. We must. Not asking hard questions is a sign of cowardice. Not asking hard questions about your faith implies that it is flimsy, rather than indestructible.

Asking questions about faith doesn’t make you weak. It shows you’re strong.

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Upcoming Videos (Released Each Thursday Through June 8)

2. Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
3. Is God Republican or Democrat?
4. Why Do Christians Believe in Such an Old Book?
5. What Does God Say About Sexuality and Identity?
6. Is God Really Violent?
7. Is Jesus Really the Only Way?

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Click to Learn More About Joining a Live Study by Pastor Brandon Bathauer on Wednesdays, 6:30pm PST from April 26-June 7, 2017 at Saddleback Church (Irvine South Campus) 18842 Teller Avenue, Irvine, Calif

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Red Hot: How to ‘Catch on Fire’ in Your Spiritual Life

We’ve all experienced it… Getting “stuck” spiritually, and bogging down to where your devotional life is slowed to a crawl.

A common problem in the Christian life is knowing how to build and stoke the spiritual flames deep within our souls.

In this vlog, I unpack an important secret I’ve learned from the wisdom of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:13 (especially in the NLT version of the Bible). Then I share the single most important secret to getting and staying red hot in our spiritual lives.

Like it? Share it! Subscribe and get freebies– and automatically receive my latest content!

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“Can I Ask That?”

Recently I was posed a handful of questions by a current Saddleback Pastor, Brandon Bathauer of Saddleback Church’s Irvine South and Great Park Campuses. He asked if I could give a one-minute response on 7 different questions about faith.

Here are the 7 questions in this series:

1. Is It OK to Ask Hard Questions About Faith?
2. Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
3. Is God Republican or Democrat?
4. Why Do Christians Believe in Such an Old Book?
5. What Does God Say About Sexuality and Identity?
6. Is God Really Violent?
7. Is Jesus Really the Only Way?

Follow Along Each Week for Another Installment of This 7 Part Video Series!

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Click to Learn More About Joining a Live Study by Pastor Brandon Bathauer on Wednesdays, 6:30pm PST from April 26-June 7, 2017 at Saddleback Church (Irvine South Campus) 18842 Teller Avenue, Irvine, Calif

 
Christians Should Love Learning
I’m of the opinion that all committed Christians should (and do) have a genuine love of learning. Christians have been serious students of knowledge since Jesus called the Original Twelve. From Jesus’ example as the Master Teacher, to the scholarship of monks that led to the first and best universities, Christians have always been in the forefront of teaching, learning, and education. If you think about it, that’s the way it should be.

God Wants Us To Know More Than We Currently Know
First, God is omniscient— meaning He knows everything. This all-knowing God made part of His infinite knowledge available to us. He has done this through the process of “revelation.” Divine revelation is the act of God revealing knowledge to us. God has given us both General Revelation and Special Revelation.

General Revelation (the cosmos, science, history, and the human faculties of reflection and conscience) has two main purposes: (1) To provide knowledge that helps people survive and thrive in our earthly lives, and (2) To help us realize that a Supreme Being exists, so we will begin to seek to know the true identity of this God (which is discovered through Special Revelation).

Special Revelation (including the Bible, Jesus Christ, and God’s supernatural activity) provides us with the information we need to know God personally and to cultivate a never-ending relationship with Him. Together, God’s Revelation helps us live lives informed by God’s knowledge, truth, and wisdom.

Acquiring Great Knowledge Isn’t Effort-Free
But there’s a catch… Though God has revealed enormous amounts of information, we do not naturally or automatically possess all of this knowledge. In other words, “revelation” is everything that God has made knowable or discoverable. Some of it we already know, but we’re born with very little innate knowledge. The rest has to be learned.

God helps us discover new knowledge in two ways: Through reflecting on life experiences and by intentionally and deliberately committing ourselves to learning.

Christians, of all people, have a responsibility to learn. The Apostle Paul, in writing to Christians in the city of Ephesus, made this clear. He prayed that God would “give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God” (Eph 1:17, NLT). Not only that, but “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him” (Phil 2:13, NLT). For these reasons, Christians who walk with God have a supernatural desire to obtain information, knowledge, truth, and wisdom— and they are willing to do what it takes to learn them.

Christians Should Study Regularly and Systematically
Since there’s so much we need to know, Christians should be life-long learners. And because time is limited, we should be discriminating about how we study and what we learn.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give about building a strong Christian mind is this: study regularly and systematically. Don’t just pick and choose books or subjects willy-nilly. Rather, identify important categories of knowledge in which you should be informed, then deliberately, intentionally, regularly, and systematically use solid materials from reliable sources to build your mind and worldview.

No One Said It Better Than Paul
The Apostle Paul said it best: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2).