Basic Propositions for the Unbeliever, the Agnostic and the New Believer
These studies are designed for believers in Jesus Christ only. If you have exercised faith in Christ, then you are in the right place. If you have not, then you need to heed the words of our Lord, Who said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten [or, uniquely-born] Son, so that every [one] believing [or, trusting] in Him shall not perish, but shall be have eternal life! For God did not send His Son into the world so that He should judge the world, but so that the world shall be saved through Him. The one believing [or, trusting] in Him is not judged, but the one not believing has already been judged, because he has not believed in the Name of the only-begotten [or, uniquely-born] Son of God.” (John 3:16–18). “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life! No one comes to the Father except through [or, by means of] Me!” (John 14:6).
Every study of the Word of God ought to be preceded by a naming of your sins to God. This restores you to fellowship with God (1John 1:8–10). If we acknowledge our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). If there are people around, you would name these sins silently. If there is no one around, then it does not matter if you name them silently or whether you speak aloud.
This chart came from the Introduction to the Basic Exegesis Series (HTML) (PDF), Introduction Part IV, which was entitled “Logically, What Should I Expect from Religion?”
There is something there which speaks more fundamentally to the soul of man than does science or politics or technology. Jesus said that we are more than the food that we eat; we are more than the clothes that we wear. What I hope to present, in this Bible course, is: |
1. There is more to life than just the externals. Having enough food on the table, having a place to live, having clothes to wear, and having an assortment of things to entertain us is not enough. There has to be more to life. |
2. When we have all of these external things, but nothing else, there is a fundamental part of our lives which is missing. |
3. The God of the Bible is real, He is logical, He is dependable, He is perfect righteousness, He is perfect justice; He is omnipotent and omnipresent. It is possible to know Him, even though we do not see Him with our eyes. |
4. Jesus is God in the flesh. He is not just a great moral teacher or a man who suffered great indignities; He is God come in the flesh, living as we do and suffering as we have suffered (in fact, suffering far greater than we could imagine). Furthermore, this is not some coat of divinity which we, hundreds of years later, have put upon this man; He claimed, in no uncertain terms, to not just be from God, but to be God. |
John 14:6 Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Then Philip had a question for Jesus: John 14:8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." John 14:9 Jesus replied to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. Therefore, how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? |
5. As has been pointed out many times by many other teachers, you cannot simply call Jesus a good man or a good teacher without acknowledging that He is also God, because what man would claim to be God, except a charlatan, an insane person or God Himself, come in the flesh? A good man or a good teacher would not lie about such a thing. |
6. Everything that we view in this world has order, design, and purpose. Whether we examine a molecule, a mouse or a mountain, there is order, design and purpose; as well as an adherence to a specific set of laws. |
7. Our lives make sense. Our lives have meaning. We are not just a random collection of molecules meandering about aimlessly, without purpose, direction or boundaries. We are actually put here on earth for a reason. |
8. The Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is everything that we would expect it to be. Even among other religious literature and sacred books, the Bible is unique. It is as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. |
9. We should expect anything related to the Bible to be attacked, including a high school course on the Bible or Christmas hymns. |
10. We will find that spiritual information cuts across cultural lines and time. What Jesus said 2000 years ago is pertinent to our lives today. What Moses wrote 3500 years ago is pertinent to our lives today. What the writers of Genesis said 4000–5000 years ago is actually more meaningful today than it was when written, as we now have science to verify much of what we find in the book of Genesis. |
11. These things in our lives which we view as evil or wrong or in a negative sense—war, man’s inhumanity to man, sickness, natural disasters—do make sense. They are not just random events in a random universe, without meaning. The good things in our lives also make sense. |
12. All of these things require time to learn. A short 5 or 6 lesson Bible study or even a year in a seminary, is not enough time to put it all together. Life takes a long time, and God designed our spiritual lives to occupy that entire time. We do not run out of things to know. We do not reach a point in our lives when, everything is completely clear and completely explained, and we know all of our next moves. However, God did design our lives to be fulfilling and meaningful and happy. Even in the midst of a world filled with suffering, pain and heartache, God designed us to be content, even when these things touch us directly. |
13. You will eventually find that, learning about God, God’s plan and God’s Word, is not an imposition on your life, but time well spent, which will give your life meaning, guidance, purpose and definition. No longer will your life seem random or purposeless. |
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