Advice: Re: Christian Faith- Response to a Skeptic

Faith 102: "Response to a Skeptic" of Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask about the Christian Faith by Josh McDowell and Don Stewart

A reader from Ohio on Amazon.com book reviews writes, "Joke, this book is a joke. The typical run-around answers Christians always seem to give when posed with a paradox in their faith"

Dear Reader: by Lynette J. Hoy, NCC, LCPC

I'd like to ask you some pointed questions. I wonder whether you have ever really studied the evidence for Christianity? Have you ever read C.S. Lewis' books:* Mere Christianity, The Case for Christianityt or The Problem of Pain or Josh's book Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Historical Evidences for the Christian Faith or Know Why You Believe by Paul Little or Letters from a Skeptic by Gregory & Edward Boyd"?
I guess I also wonder if you have ever read the Bible Holy Bible : The Niv Study Bible/, especially the gospel of John in the New Testament?
To write off Christianity implying that the leader of Christianity, Jesus Christ, is a joke, is very sad & probably the greatest mistake a person can make in his/her lifetime. Many people at least call Him a great moral teacher.
Have you truly thought about it? Jesus is the one Person Who claimed to be God and backed it up with miracles, teachings, knowledge, and his own resurrection which was verified historically by over 500 eye-witnesses. If you don't believe Jesus was who He said He was- God, then you have only 2 other choices: to believe that He was a liar or a lunatic, because only a liar or a lunatic or God would make such extraordinary claims. C. S. Lewis, converted atheist, wrote in Mere Christianity...

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

And what are His claims? That He forgives sins; that He is God: "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." and , "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I Am!" John 8:24 & 58.
Jesus claimed to have power to raise the dead and give life, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live..." John 11:25. Christ stated that He must receive the same honor & worship that His Father receives & that He will be the judge of mankind: "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent Him." John 5:21-23. He claimed to be the only way to heaven...."I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me." Jn. 14:6; that He is the Light of the world; that He is the Good Shepherd; that He came to seek and save the lost; that He is the Redeemer, Savior, a Friend, that He is coming back; that He is the Creator.....
Can you mock and laugh at this Man Jesus... the Son of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords?
Someday, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Will you be for Him or against Him? Jesus said, "If anyone is ashamed of Me..., the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels." Mark 8:38.
I will pray that you might begin seeking the only One, Jesus
Christ, Who can save you from sin and death. For Jesus said,
"He who believes in me has eternal life, but he who does not believe in
me shall suffer the wrath of God." John 3:36

Won't you consider asking Christ into your life today. Once you have received Jesus Christ personally, you will be saved. When you meet God at the pearly gates and He asks "Why should I let you in?"..... you can say, "because I have trusted in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and it is His death on the cross that has paid for my sins."
Prayer this prayer if you want to be certain you are going to heaven: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. I turn my life over to you because I believe that You died for my sins and You are the only way to heaven and to have peace with God. You are the only One who can save and forgive me. Please cleanse me of my sins, come into my life and change me today. In Jesus' Name I ask this. Amen
In Matt 28:20 Jesus says this: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (NIV)
I Jn 5:20 says: "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true-- even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."(NIV)
If you have just placed your trust in Jesus Christ, you are now a Christian on your way to heaven and nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. You are starting a brand new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says it this way, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!". Your sins have been paid for. Your slate has been wiped clean. Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." He was saying that you will discover that your present life is more meaningful and hopeful now that you have a relationship with the God of the universe.
To grow in your new relationship with Christ, attend a solid Bible teaching church to learn more and to fellowship with God's family. You can contact the WillowCreek Association for a recommendation to a churrch near you. Read your Bible and pray everyday. Start by reading the gospel of John in the New Testament.

If you have prayed this prayer please email Lynette Hoy and include your address. You will receive the free book: An Anchor for the Soul: Help for the Present, Hope for the Future by Pastor Ray Pritchard. God bless you!

Read the articles on Faith and Consider Jesus and Death for more answers to questions you may have about Christ and Christianity.
*Read this Book Review of Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

Lynette Hoy

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More on Living for Christ:
There is nothing like living fully for Christ. When you walk with Christ wholeheartedly you will experience: His love, presence, power, peace, purpose and victory over sin. There is nothing like living for Christ. He is the living water and will satisfy your needs. Your needs will never be satisfied by anything or anyone else the way that Jesus can satisfy them. These verses talk about the experience you will have as you grow in Christ.
John 15:1-2 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that
does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
John 16:24 "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."
John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 16:27 "No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God." (NIV)
With Christ there is freedom & forgiveness from our sins and self-centered lives:
I Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Rom 6:18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Rom 6:22-23 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)
I encourage you to write to Pastor Ray Pritchard about any questions for a pastoral/ theological perspective.
Read the article on Faith in order to understand how to become a Christian.

Lynette Hoy, NCC, LCPC

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Check out the following website for more help about the Christian faith: Christian Answers Network and Christian Answers for Teens Various respected Christian ministries join together to tackle your tough questions about life and the Christian faith. Look up these articles: Who is Jesus?, The Claims of Jesus

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Notice: This advice column is not intended to take the place of direct professional mental health services but rather to provide insight into various problem situations and possible helpful resources and interventions. Please contact AACC for a referral to a mental health professional.