Key Questions

The word 'Bible' simply means 'book'. It is like no other book ever written, and a book for all people. It is the best-selling book in the world, having sold an estimated 5 billion copies.

The Bible is really a collection of 66 books, including books of law, history, poetry and letters. It was written over a period of 1500 years or so by about 40 different authors. Despite this, there is a unity to the Bible that points to the true Author: God himself. 

The Bible itself claims to be God's Word. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is God-breathed". In other words, God inspired the human authors to record His message to humanity.

The Bible is huge, and it can be daunting to begin! Some people begin at Genesis, the first book, which describes creation and introduces important themes and characters, like Noah and Abraham. 

However, it might be easier to begin with one of the gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. These describe the life and work of Jesus on earth. Mark is the shortest and fastest-moving! John contains a lot of the things Jesus said. Luke also wrote the book of Acts, which is the sequel to his gospel and describes the spread of the Christian message, so you might want to start with those two: Luke and Acts. 

If you want to read the Bible for the first time, ask us for help and we can provide a Bible and some guidance to get you started. 

The word 'gospel' means 'good news'. At the heart of Christianity is the good news about Jesus Christ, who is God the Son. 

But to understand why it is such good news, we first have to understand the bad news. Through the Bible, God tells us that we have turned away from Him and gone our own way. We have rejected our Creator and chosen to worship ourselves and God's gifts rather than God himself. In our actions, words and thoughts, we have broken God's laws. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." As the perfect and holy Judge, God cannot ignore sin. One Bible writer says this: "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing" (Habakkuk 1:13). The Bible pulls no punches but states that every person will 'reap what they sow' (Galatians 6:7). If we choose to reject God, the harvest we will reap is to be rejected from God's heaven. The sentence God will pass on unrepentant sinners is eternity in hell (Matthew 25:46).

This is not what anybody wants to hear... but now comes the good news! The central theme of the Bible is God's love and mercy in planning a way for people to be rescued from sin and brought into His family. This rescue plan led to God the Son taking human form and coming into our world to save sinners. This verse sums up the gospel:

 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Since God is holy and just, he cannot turn a blind eye to sin. Instead, Jesus took our sin and died on a Roman cross to pay the price for our wrong-doing. He was raised to life again and lives forever, able to rescue anyone who puts their trust for salvation and forgiveness in him. Through faith in Jesus Christ, a person is made right in God's sight and adopted into God's family as his child. The Holy Spirit of God is with them to help and lead them on their Christian journey. 

The good new about Jesus is for all people. It is that God has reached down to us, making for us a way of rescue that does not depend on our efforts or goodness, but on Jesus Christ. God's salvation is offered as a free gift that we receive simply by believing in Jesus and entrusting our lives to Him. 

Nowadays the word Christian can be misunderstood as being a person who believes in God, or was born in a western country, or attends church. But as someone once said, attending church doesn't make a person a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes them a car!

It's best to check the Bible, beginning with the words of Jesus:

"Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again" (John 3:3). Jesus went on to explain that a person must have a 'spiritual birth'; they must be brought to life by the Spirit of God. 

A Christian is someone who:

• realises that Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). They understand that their own efforts cannot make them right with God.

• turns away from sin (repents), wanting to begin a new life (Matthew 4:17, Acts 2:38).

• believes in Jesus, or, puts their complete faith in Him (John 1:12). They believe that He shed his blood and died on the cross to pay the consequences for their sin (Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 3:18). They believe that He came back to life and is alive today to be their Saviour and represent them before God (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25). They believe that He will return to judge all people and to bring final salvation and joy to those who are trusting in Him (Hebrews 9: 27-28).

• submits their life to Jesus, beginning a life journey of trusting and following Jesus as their Saviour and King (John 8:12, Luke 9:23-24).  

Practically, Christians build their lives on what the Bible says, meet together to encourage and help each other, and bring their thanks and needs to God in prayer. They also confess their sins to God in prayer, because Christians are not perfect! However they depend on the Holy Spirit to help them live in a way that reflects the love of God to others (Galatians 5:22-23, John 15:34-35). 

When we hear the word 'church', we usually picture a building. However, in the Bible the word church refers to people - all those who are following Jesus. 

Through Jesus, every Christian is reconciled to God - no longer enemies or strangers, but sons and daughters, part of God's family. Therefore, Christians are brothers and sisters, brought together into one family. This family should love one another, as Jesus specifically commanded (John 13:34-35).

The Bible also depicts the church as a body - the 'body of Christ' (Ephesians 1:22-23). Just as a body has many parts all working together for the good of the whole body, so the church is made up of different people from different backgrounds, brought together by God, working together to serve each others' needs, and pulling in one direction (Romans 12:4-5).

Each local church meets together regularly to sing, pray, and to read and teach the Bible. What is the point? To worship God, to share fellowship together, and to make the gospel known to their community. The church is not a human invention, but God's plan for a 'nation' of people who make him known to the rest of the world (1 Peter 2:9). Therefore, the goals and activities of each individual church group should be determined by God's word.

At LREC, our aims are 'Following Jesus, Sharing Good News, Loving Our Community'. We believe that these aims sum up how our church should live, based on the Bible.

There are plenty of religions to choose from. It might seem that Christianity is just another option; perfect for some, but not for others. It might also seem nice to assume that it doesn't matter which religion we follow, or if we follow any at all: they all lead to the same place.

But Jesus didn't present Himself as an option from a list of alternatives. He made very clear statements, like this one in John 14:6:

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus taught that He had come from God and was one with God. Only faith in Jesus can make us right with God, because He is the only One who can forgive our breaking of God's laws. 

1 Timothy 2:5 says, "There is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people." Jesus is uniquely both God and man, so that He could mediate, or make peace, between us and God. 

This points to a key difference between Christianity and other religions. 'Religion' is people trying to reach to God, or heaven, or the divine, by their own efforts and disciplines. Christianity is God reaching down to people; it is heaven's rescue mission.

This objection implies that God should be so hurt by the idea that people don't believe in Him, He should desperately present himself each time someone demands him to. 

But God doesn't need our belief. He exists independently of us, and is not at our beck and call. He has created a world that provides all that we need, and that demonstrates His design and power. The Bible says in Romans 1:19-20, "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." In other words, the universe itself demonstrates the power and nature of the God who created it. People choose to 'suppress the truth', refusing to honour or thank God for all He has provided.

So is that the answer? God has created the world, but will always be invisible to us and independent of us? Some might conclude that God is uncaring or distant!

But according to the Bible, God did more than just 'show Himself' to humanity - He came and lived a human life with people like us. We just weren't there at the time! However, it was all recorded so that we can read about it.

The coming of Jesus Christ into our world was more than just an interesting event, or something we only sing about at Christmas. It was God the Son identifying with us in our humanity, walking in our shoes, living life with all of its trouble - yet without sin. Jesus experienced exhaustion, hunger, thirst and grief. He knew the pain of rejection and abandonment. Yet he travelled from town to town, teaching and doing good; telling the people about how they could be forgiven and know God as their Father. He explained that He was the Saviour foretold in the Old Testament, the only one who can bring us to the Father. Finally Jesus was slandered, falsely convicted, tortured and executed. But to the joyful amazement of His followers, and the pained confusion of those who hated Him, He appeared alive again, and is living today. Following His resurrection, the Holy Spirit came to lead and teach Christians, allowing them to experience Christ with them at all times. 

"Why doesn't God show himself to us?" He did a lot more than that, and we can read about it for ourselves. Christians all around the world today are praying to God, knowing that their prayers are heard, and seeing the reality of God working in their lives.

Isn't the Bible just a collection of myths and fairy-tales? How could it be relevant in the 21st Century?

If the Bible is God's message to humanity, we would expect it to be truthful and historically accurate, and that is the case. The Bible mentions characters from human history who have been proven to exist, and events which undeniably took place. Many biblical characters and events cannot be verified by other sources, but that doesn't mean they didn't exist or happen. Archaeological discoveries in the Near East continually back up the truth of the Bible. 

The Old Testament (the first section of the Bible) contains many prophecies regarding the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. These were written centuries before Jesus was born, yet they are incredibly specific descriptions of real details which were later recorded by eyewitnesses (e.g. Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, Jesus' clothes would be gambled for.)

In the New Testament, the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and the book of Acts were written by men who knew Jesus personally or who spoke to eyewitnesses. The manuscript evidence for the New Testament is overwhelming, with far more manuscripts discovered than for any other ancient document. The authenticity of the New Testament cannot be reasonably doubted. 

Many people will point to the miracles of Jesus as reason to believe that the gospels are only legend. Whether we believe miracles can or cannot take place depends on our 'worldview'. If we believe that our universe came about by itself, and that God does not exist, then we will conclude that miracles are merely the stuff of stories. If we believe that there is an all-powerful God, we have no problem believing that He can intervene in our world in supernatural ways. 

The Bible does contain fictional stories, such as the parables of Jesus, but mostly it is the story of history, told by God himself. It is 'His story'! Millions of people have read the Bible and found it to be more than an ordinary book. Through the Bible, God speaks to people, making sense of life and showing us who we really are, and who Jesus really is. The best way to see that the Bible is God's Word is for each of us to read it and discover for ourselves. 

Many people assume that Christians deny scientific discoveries, and blindly believe traditions instead. Christians have been accused of spreading unscientific myths and holding back advancement. 

On the contrary, since Christians believe that the world was created by an intelligent designer - God - we expect to find a universe governed by laws and order. This is exactly what we find! Many Christians find science exciting, and love to see the amazing detail and order in our universe. Scientists throughout history have been inspired to study the world scientifically through their belief that it was created by God. Johannes Kepler, who established laws of planetary motion, said, "We see how God, like a human architect, approached the founding of the world according to order and rule and measured everything in such a manner." Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday and Samuel Morse are other examples of scientists and inventors who believed the Bible. 

Science is not only concerned with what we can observe around us today, but what those observations tell us about the past. Many scientists approach their work already assuming that God does not exist, and that the universe came into existence from nothing. They then interpret their observations in ways which back up these beliefs - their worldview shapes the way they interpret the evidence. But scientists who believe the Bible approach their work assuming that God created the world. They take the very same evidence used by atheistic scientists, and demonstrate how it backs up the biblical accounts. There are many things that science cannot ultimately prove or disprove (such as the existence of God, the meaning of life, or if there is an afterlife).

Although scientists are capable of great discoveries, they are also human, and make mistakes. Science in the past has been wrong about many things, and as humans we are always learning more and revising what we know. The Bible tells us that God does not make mistakes; instead he is the author and originator of the things that continually astound us. Isaiah 55:9 says, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." 

The resurrection is an event of central importance to the Christian message. If it could be disproved, Christianity would collapse! How could a dead Saviour help anyone? It certainly couldn't be claimed that he is God. 

Yet even historians who do not believe the Christian message concede that there are certain facts related to the resurrection that cannot be seriously disputed. 

1. Jesus' tomb was discovered empty. 

The disciples made this claim in the city in which the tomb was located, so their claim could have been easily refuted - but it wasn't. According to Matthew's gospel, and early Jewish writings, the religious leaders instead claimed that Jesus' body had been stolen - they had to concede the tomb was empty. 

2. The disciples believed that they had met the risen Christ. 

They described multiple meetings, including an occasion when Jesus appeared to a group of over 500 people (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). It is clear that they truly believed Jesus had risen. Almost all of the disciples were martyred for their belief in the resurrection. Why would the disciples have stolen the body, then have been prepared to endure persecution and death defending a deliberate lie? They would have gained nothing from such deception, not to mention they would have had to overpower the guards and hide the body so well that it was never found. 

The idea that the disciples were hallucinating is also a non-starter. It doesn't explain the empty tomb, and forces us to accept the idea that all of these people had the same hallucination at the same time! If they weren't lying or hallucinating, we must conclude that they really did meet with the risen Christ. 

3. The Christian church was established and grew from the preaching of the disciples, which was centred on the resurrection. 

As Jews, the disciples were directly opposed by their religious leaders and society. Not long after the ascension of Christ, the believers were being persecuted - yet Christianity exploded across the Roman Empire. There is no plausible explanation for the origin of Christianity other than the reality of what the apostles preached. 

The resurrection is impossible from a human point of view. But if Jesus is God, why would it be impossible? If it did happen, then we should not ignore it but should urgently consider what the Bible has to say about Jesus Christ. 

The Bible presents God as all-powerful and just. So why doesn’t He put an end to all of the evil things we see in our society and around the world? Why does He let people get away with it? Doesn’t this prove that there is no God?

The Bible makes it clear that God has given humanity a set of standards to live by. The 10 commandments include “Do not kill”, and, “Do not steal”. Jesus said, “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). If all people obeyed the laws our Creator has put in place, this world would be a wonderful place!

But in reality, the world is full of problems. The Bible makes it clear that God sees all of the injustice and cruelty in the world, and condemns it. Proverbs 5:21 says, “For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths”, and Romans 1:18 says, “The wrath [or anger] of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people”. So why doesn’t God stop the evil now?

The uncomfortable truth is that we are all part of the problem. We might be law-abiding citizens who go out of our way to be kind to others; however, we fall far short of God’s standard of perfection (Romans 3:23). God knows even our most secret thoughts of hatred or jealousy, and hears every lie, threat and curse. To remove sin from the world entirely, God would have to remove all of us!

Instead, God gives to all people an opportunity to repent – bringing our sin to Him to deal with, and experiencing His forgiveness. If we reject God’s mercy, in the end we will face the consequences for our sin when we face Him in eternity. Nobody will ‘get away’ with anything, even though they may have seemed to get away with it in this life.

This is the biggest objection that many people have towards God and Christianity. After all, the Bible presents God as loving and powerful. How then can He watch people struggle with illness and death? Wouldn’t a loving God put an end to injustice and pain? Doesn’t He care?

This is a very sensitive subject since we have all experienced pain and loss. It would be unfeeling to address this topic coldly and matter-of-factly when the reader may be feeling raw and angry as a result of suffering or tragedy. But although the Bible is at times blunt in presenting truth to us, it also assures us that God is not at all cold or unfeeling towards us. In fact, He is compassionate and understanding, commanding people to care for the poor and stand up for those who are weak (Psalm 82:3-4, for example). He is described as “a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows” (Psalm 68:5). Jesus, who is God in human form, was ‘moved with compassion’ towards those who were sick (Mark 1:41), wept with those who were bereaved (John 11:35) and was indignant when his disciples overlooked children (Mark 10:14). He healed people’s diseases and even raised the dead back to life (Luke 7:14, 8:54).

According to the Bible, God created a perfect world. Everything He made was good. But by the third chapter of the Bible, humans had chosen their own path, rejecting God’s authority. They chose sin, ignoring God’s warning that sin would lead to death. As a consequence, decay and death entered the world, and God’s creation was no longer the perfect paradise it had been. People had to deal with problems they had never known before.

In many ways, we can describe the world we know as broken. Many of the world’s problems are caused directly by human wrongdoing. But there are other kinds of suffering that are not a direct consequence of someone’s actions. Natural disasters, for example, are also very much a part of humanity’s struggles. Our bodies fight against sickness all through life, and as we age, our problems increase.

The people Jesus spoke to wrongly assumed that a person killed in a catastrophe or afflicted with a serious condition must have done something terribly wrong and were being punished for it. But Jesus made it clear that sadly, bad things can happen to anyone living in this broken world. Because we know that life can be very brief, we should use the time we have now to put our trust in Jesus.

That brings us to thinking about Christ’s mission in our world. Through the kindness, compassion and miracles of Jesus, we see God’s heart for humanity. But why did Jesus go around doing good for only three years or so, before being crucified? It might seem that, although He helped individuals, most of the world missed out.

Firstly, according to the Bible, humanity’s greatest need is for our sins to be forgiven, and for us to be back in a right relationship with God. This affects not just this life, but our eternal destiny. Jesus came to deal with our sin, which he did by paying the price for sin through his death, taking God’s punishment for sin on himself. By trusting Him as our Lord and Saviour, we are brought into God’s family. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

Secondly, the miracles Jesus performed are a pointer to what God is going to do in the future. The fullest description of this is found in the book of Revelation where the apostle John describes this scene:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:3-5).

This Bible teaching is very special to Christians, as it shows that although this life is often difficult and confusing, we have unimaginable joy to look forward to: life after death, and a day when God will reverse the effects of humanity’s rebellion and make everything new and perfect once again.

 As humans we recognise that this present life is not what it should be. We think, “There must be something more!” We love to imagine our deceased loved ones in a better place. If there is no God or higher purpose to life, this would be a completely pointless way of thinking, since the universe doesn’t care about pain or struggles, and death is the absolute end for us. But the Bible says that God has “set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We have an inbuilt sense that we were created for a purpose and that this world is not the way it should be. We wonder what lies beyond. And God has given us a book full of answers! He does not answer every question fully. There are lots of things we will never know in this life. But just as a driver on a foggy night follows the taillights of the car in front, the Bible gives us enough truth to guide us and to satisfy our souls, even though we can’t see all of the details.

Jesus’ mission on earth was to ensure that we could experience what John described in Revelation. To be one of God’s people, as described in those verses, we must simply accept God’s free gift of eternal life, by putting our faith in Jesus rather than our own efforts of goodness. Being a follower of Jesus gives a person a different perspective on life and even on pain and suffering. Through our struggles, we learn to depend on God, and to hold less tightly to this world, and to look forward to the next. As we pray for help, we know that Jesus empathises with us. He became human like us in order to suffer for us, so He understands everything we can experience as humans and can help us through each difficulty.

This is a long answer which still only scratches the surface of a huge issue. If you have any questions, you are welcome to share them with us if you feel that would be helpful.