WEBVTT 00:00:01.229 --> 00:00:03.589 You know, something we hear all the time is that 00:00:03.589 --> 00:00:06.549 Christianity is so narrow -minded. I mean, how 00:00:06.549 --> 00:00:09.310 can you say that there's only one God? I mean, 00:00:09.330 --> 00:00:11.470 as long as a person is sincere in their belief, 00:00:11.589 --> 00:00:14.150 does it really matter? Well, today I want to 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:16.829 tell you, it really does. And I'll tell you why. 00:00:16.969 --> 00:00:23.929 Stay with me. Welcome to this edition of Living 00:00:23.929 --> 00:00:26.750 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Our mission is 00:00:26.750 --> 00:00:29.309 to inspire Christians to be genuine followers 00:00:29.309 --> 00:00:32.270 of Jesus and to empower them to be active disciple 00:00:32.270 --> 00:00:34.810 makers in our world. Today, we're continuing 00:00:34.810 --> 00:00:37.329 our series, Dealing with Doubts, Reaffirming 00:00:37.329 --> 00:00:39.909 Your Personal Faith. Over the next two programs, 00:00:40.109 --> 00:00:42.149 Chip will challenge us to think about God in 00:00:42.149 --> 00:00:44.500 a different way. That'll cause us to worship 00:00:44.500 --> 00:00:47.320 him more intentionally and remind us why we can 00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:50.299 trust his promises. But before he dives in, let 00:00:50.299 --> 00:00:52.600 me encourage you to use Chip's message notes 00:00:52.600 --> 00:00:55.219 while you listen. They include his brief outline 00:00:55.219 --> 00:00:57.420 and all the supporting scripture he references. 00:00:57.700 --> 00:01:00.799 To download these message notes, go to the broadcasts 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:04.079 tab at livingontheedge .org, app listeners tab, 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:07.019 fill in notes. Well, if you're ready, here's 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:09.239 Chip with his talk, Why I Believe in the God 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:13.000 of the Bible. I was recently walking through 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:15.379 the hallways of our church in between services. 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:18.299 And I mean, it was chaotic. You know, one service 00:01:18.299 --> 00:01:21.060 was coming in and another was leaving and people 00:01:21.060 --> 00:01:23.379 had their kids and the place was super crowded. 00:01:23.400 --> 00:01:26.500 And I was walking, I saw an Asian couple that 00:01:26.500 --> 00:01:28.239 were just kind of standing there and I couldn't 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:31.219 tell whether they were lost or needed help with 00:01:31.219 --> 00:01:34.140 their child. We're a multicultural church, so 00:01:34.140 --> 00:01:35.920 lots of people from all kinds of backgrounds. 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:38.340 And so I just was prompted. I said, excuse me, 00:01:38.359 --> 00:01:42.299 can I help you all? Everything okay? And they 00:01:42.299 --> 00:01:45.060 said, yeah, actually you can. And then it went 00:01:45.060 --> 00:01:48.719 from not their child being in a class to, he 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:50.299 said, you know, my wife and I have been coming 00:01:50.299 --> 00:01:52.480 for several months and we're exploring Christianity. 00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:56.920 And the place has been very warm here. Our children, 00:01:57.060 --> 00:02:00.379 the impact on our kids is really good. And my 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:02.739 wife actually, after the first few months, she 00:02:02.739 --> 00:02:05.640 put her faith in Christ. And we were just sitting 00:02:05.640 --> 00:02:07.920 here talking because we're on our way back to 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:10.580 Asia and we're going to visit our families. And 00:02:10.580 --> 00:02:14.020 we come from a multi, multi generation of Buddhists. 00:02:14.750 --> 00:02:17.009 And we want to thank you. We feel like the teaching 00:02:17.009 --> 00:02:19.409 has been clear. We feel like it's been intellectually 00:02:19.409 --> 00:02:22.729 grounded, that we had no idea about the history 00:02:22.729 --> 00:02:26.569 of Christianity and the reasons to believe. And 00:02:26.569 --> 00:02:30.150 I'm on the verge of making that commitment. But 00:02:30.150 --> 00:02:34.830 he said, the price will be very, very high. Because 00:02:34.830 --> 00:02:38.189 when we tell our relatives that we are trusting 00:02:38.189 --> 00:02:40.909 in Christ, we're telling them that they are wrong 00:02:40.909 --> 00:02:45.009 and past generations are wrong. And I don't know 00:02:45.009 --> 00:02:46.889 about you, but there's probably not anything 00:02:46.889 --> 00:02:51.930 more unpopular, but more important than asking 00:02:51.930 --> 00:02:54.469 and answering the question, is it intellectually 00:02:54.469 --> 00:02:59.569 feasible that there is only one true God and 00:02:59.569 --> 00:03:02.210 that God is the God of the Bible? You know, we've 00:03:02.210 --> 00:03:04.729 talked about a lot of reasons why I believe, 00:03:04.810 --> 00:03:07.270 and we've talked about thinking through faith 00:03:07.270 --> 00:03:11.129 issues, but this is at the core. And this is 00:03:11.129 --> 00:03:13.590 our final time together. So I want you to really 00:03:13.590 --> 00:03:16.409 lean back and more than just taking information, 00:03:16.550 --> 00:03:21.169 ask yourself, do I really believe? And I want 00:03:21.169 --> 00:03:23.509 you to know that I always know there's a mixed 00:03:23.509 --> 00:03:25.569 group of people and whether it's small groups 00:03:25.569 --> 00:03:29.650 or big groups, I wanna give you a chance before 00:03:29.650 --> 00:03:32.050 we end our time that if you have never placed 00:03:32.050 --> 00:03:34.569 your faith in Christ, you'll have that opportunity. 00:03:35.030 --> 00:03:38.430 But I want you to know why I believe. There's 00:03:38.430 --> 00:03:42.349 three... 120 million gods in the world today. 00:03:42.430 --> 00:03:45.949 There's 22 major religions, each with a half 00:03:45.949 --> 00:03:48.409 million followers or more. So the question you 00:03:48.409 --> 00:03:51.729 got to ask is, why do you think the God of the 00:03:51.729 --> 00:03:55.830 Bible is the one true God? Now, just so we are 00:03:55.830 --> 00:03:59.810 unequivocal, God makes no bones about this. He 00:03:59.810 --> 00:04:03.110 writes through the prophet Isaiah, this is what 00:04:03.110 --> 00:04:06.889 the Lord says, Israel's King and Redeemer, the 00:04:06.889 --> 00:04:10.830 Lord Almighty. I am the first and I am the last. 00:04:11.349 --> 00:04:15.270 Apart from me, there is no God. Who then is like 00:04:15.270 --> 00:04:17.930 me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and 00:04:17.930 --> 00:04:21.750 lay it out before me. God is very, very clear 00:04:21.750 --> 00:04:25.089 with Israel. And as we'll learn, Jesus is very, 00:04:25.129 --> 00:04:28.410 very clear that there is a narrow road and that 00:04:28.410 --> 00:04:31.930 he is the way, he is the truth, he is the life, 00:04:32.069 --> 00:04:35.490 and no one comes to the Father except by him. 00:04:36.329 --> 00:04:38.949 Now, before we jump into this, there's a couple 00:04:38.949 --> 00:04:42.350 big word presuppositions that I need to talk 00:04:42.350 --> 00:04:45.129 to you about. Presupposition is an unconscious 00:04:45.129 --> 00:04:49.029 set of thoughts or values that are so a part 00:04:49.029 --> 00:04:51.949 of the culture and so a part of your life that 00:04:51.949 --> 00:04:53.889 you don't even know you believe them, but you 00:04:53.889 --> 00:04:56.189 just believe them. But like the foundation of 00:04:56.189 --> 00:04:58.769 the house that's underground, everything is upon 00:04:58.769 --> 00:05:02.310 it. So we have presuppositions, especially about 00:05:02.310 --> 00:05:05.790 religious things and in our culture today. And 00:05:05.790 --> 00:05:07.610 I think there's two presuppositions I want to 00:05:07.610 --> 00:05:11.129 talk about, get really clear on, and then I will 00:05:11.129 --> 00:05:14.389 walk through very systematically the reasons 00:05:14.389 --> 00:05:17.189 why I personally believe that the God of the 00:05:17.189 --> 00:05:20.329 Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the one true 00:05:20.329 --> 00:05:24.449 God. Presupposition number one is that aren't 00:05:24.449 --> 00:05:28.189 all religions essentially the same? The answer 00:05:28.189 --> 00:05:32.550 is no. Now, if you... kind of listen to pop psychology, 00:05:32.769 --> 00:05:35.810 or I was recently on a plane with a fellow from 00:05:35.810 --> 00:05:37.949 another country and he lives in the Bay Area. 00:05:38.269 --> 00:05:41.629 And we got into discussion about religion and 00:05:41.629 --> 00:05:44.509 relationship with God. And he basically said, 00:05:44.629 --> 00:05:46.790 well, you know, I know all religions are basically 00:05:46.790 --> 00:05:49.689 the same, you know, like this God is on the top 00:05:49.689 --> 00:05:51.569 of the mountain and there's many paths and people 00:05:51.569 --> 00:05:53.889 go up different paths and they give him many 00:05:53.889 --> 00:05:56.529 names. And so this is very, very common, very, 00:05:56.610 --> 00:05:59.689 very common. What I can tell you since I've studied 00:05:59.689 --> 00:06:03.290 this, if I got a Buddhist, a Taoist, a Mormon, 00:06:03.509 --> 00:06:07.269 someone from Islam, someone from Judaism, believe 00:06:07.269 --> 00:06:09.170 me, if I got the top seven or eight religions 00:06:09.170 --> 00:06:11.389 and got these guys in a room and say, okay, now 00:06:11.389 --> 00:06:15.269 line out what you actually believe, do they conflict 00:06:15.269 --> 00:06:18.850 at all? Well, the Eastern religions are all impersonal. 00:06:18.850 --> 00:06:21.529 God's not even a person. Specific other religions 00:06:21.529 --> 00:06:24.649 are dramatic. They would start arguing. What 00:06:24.649 --> 00:06:28.519 I can tell you is, You can choose to believe 00:06:28.519 --> 00:06:31.079 what you want to believe, but one of the options 00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:33.959 is not. All religions are basically the same, 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:37.339 possibly with the exception of Baha 'i. Baha 00:06:37.339 --> 00:06:40.180 'i is a sort of interesting religion. I remember 00:06:40.180 --> 00:06:42.339 sitting actually next to a lady who was Baha 00:06:42.339 --> 00:06:44.379 'i and I asked her what she believed and she 00:06:44.379 --> 00:06:46.620 said everything. Well, that conversation went 00:06:46.620 --> 00:06:48.980 in amazing ways. But here's what I want you to 00:06:48.980 --> 00:06:52.399 know. It's very clear that there's distinctions 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:55.980 between religions in terms of who God is, what 00:06:55.980 --> 00:06:58.420 it means to have a relationship with him, what 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:00.439 it requires to have a relationship with him, 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:02.620 and what each of the different religions teach. 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:06.660 The second presupposition is, does it really 00:07:06.660 --> 00:07:09.480 matter what a person believes as long as he or 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:14.319 she is sincere and practices those beliefs? These 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:16.920 are so common. The fellow that I was talking 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:20.089 to on the plane, Our discussion first was, well, 00:07:20.170 --> 00:07:22.089 they're basically the same. And then he said, 00:07:22.129 --> 00:07:23.889 oh, you're probably right. You know, Buddhists 00:07:23.889 --> 00:07:25.870 are really different than this. And that group 00:07:25.870 --> 00:07:28.230 is really different. But he said, you know, as 00:07:28.230 --> 00:07:30.790 long as they're sincere. I mean, this is in the 00:07:30.790 --> 00:07:33.550 water system. This is what people unconsciously 00:07:33.550 --> 00:07:35.850 believe. And what I want to tell you is that 00:07:35.850 --> 00:07:40.689 the answer is no. You can be very, very sincere, 00:07:41.009 --> 00:07:45.600 but you can be very sincerely wrong. In fact, 00:07:45.620 --> 00:07:49.779 think about this. Imagine if you will, your child 00:07:49.779 --> 00:07:52.160 is very sick and you go to the doctor and he 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:54.279 writes a prescription and it's a little bit hard 00:07:54.279 --> 00:07:57.620 to read and the pharmacist sincerely fills it 00:07:57.620 --> 00:08:00.779 out and he sincerely believes this is the prescription 00:08:00.779 --> 00:08:04.399 and gives your child something different. And 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:08.040 your child dies. Being sincere isn't good enough. 00:08:08.220 --> 00:08:11.279 Or in our relationships, no one buys that. Imagine 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:13.990 your mate. falls in love with someone else and 00:08:13.990 --> 00:08:16.329 says, I'm very sincere. I used to love you. Now 00:08:16.329 --> 00:08:20.629 I love them. Is that okay? Or current example, 00:08:21.009 --> 00:08:25.329 I will guarantee those in ISIS are absolutely 00:08:25.329 --> 00:08:30.149 sincere. They actually believe in their Quran 00:08:30.149 --> 00:08:33.950 and the radical version that you are an enemy 00:08:33.950 --> 00:08:36.450 and you're an infidel and they are sincerely 00:08:36.450 --> 00:08:39.309 killing people thinking they're doing it for 00:08:39.309 --> 00:08:43.909 God. But think of this. even in all the world 00:08:43.909 --> 00:08:45.470 religions, you know who one of the great heroes 00:08:45.470 --> 00:08:47.350 is? It's Jesus. They don't believe he's the son 00:08:47.350 --> 00:08:51.789 of God, but Jesus, he's the ideal man. He's the 00:08:51.789 --> 00:08:54.470 most loving. He cares for the poor, the marginalized. 00:08:54.830 --> 00:08:58.009 We all want to be like Jesus. Would you like 00:08:58.009 --> 00:09:00.309 to hear what the most loving person who's ever 00:09:00.309 --> 00:09:03.629 walked the earth says? This is the loving Jesus. 00:09:03.789 --> 00:09:06.049 Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the 00:09:06.049 --> 00:09:08.710 gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, 00:09:08.970 --> 00:09:12.519 and many enter through it. but small is the gate 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:16.019 and narrow that leads to life and only a few 00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:23.360 find it. Jesus is, not was, is the most loving 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:27.639 person in the world. And what he says is it's 00:09:27.639 --> 00:09:30.840 not about sincerity. It's about accuracy. Now 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:32.980 we need to be sincere in our love for Christ. 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:35.259 Now here's what I wanna do. And some of this 00:09:35.259 --> 00:09:38.440 will be review, but I wanna pretty quickly go 00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:42.080 through. These are the reasons why I'm not throwing 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:44.960 my brain in the trash, but that I absolutely 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:49.659 believe the God of the Bible is the one true 00:09:49.659 --> 00:09:54.580 God. Reason number one, the historical evidence. 00:09:55.340 --> 00:09:58.539 Christianity is subject to objective verification. 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:03.740 It happened in a crucial place, crucial time, 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:07.519 real people, real events in space -time history. 00:10:08.330 --> 00:10:11.070 I can verify that. We've already talked about 00:10:11.070 --> 00:10:13.809 the actual historical events from archeology, 00:10:13.909 --> 00:10:16.529 the trustworthiness of the manuscripts of the 00:10:16.529 --> 00:10:19.470 Bible, the evidence from extra biblical sources. 00:10:19.669 --> 00:10:22.070 So it's not just what the Bible says about Jesus. 00:10:22.309 --> 00:10:24.970 It's what even historians have said. And then 00:10:24.970 --> 00:10:28.039 the eyewitness accounts. I mean, in any court 00:10:28.039 --> 00:10:29.840 of law, I've been on a number of juries. I don't 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:31.559 know how that works, but I end up on juries. 00:10:31.820 --> 00:10:34.759 And I mean, when you have two or three eyewitnesses, 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:38.840 it's a slam dunk. There's 500 eyewitnesses and 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:41.340 it didn't happen out there somewhere. It happened 00:10:41.340 --> 00:10:43.700 where it could be verified right in Jerusalem. 00:10:44.039 --> 00:10:48.620 The second reason that I believe God of the Bible 00:10:48.620 --> 00:10:51.360 is the one true God is the prophetic evidence. 00:10:52.419 --> 00:10:56.159 Predictions of specific future events. with 100 00:10:56.159 --> 00:11:00.580 % accuracy, confirmed the authenticity. I call 00:11:00.580 --> 00:11:04.799 it the Isaiah principle. Follow along as I read 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:08.899 this passage from Isaiah chapter 44, verses 24 00:11:08.899 --> 00:11:12.279 to 28. This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, 00:11:12.299 --> 00:11:14.960 who formed you in the womb. I am the Lord, the 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:17.100 maker of all things, who stretched out the heavens, 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:20.179 who spread out the earth by myself, who foils 00:11:20.179 --> 00:11:22.279 the signs of false prophets and makes fools of 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:25.220 diviners. Who overthrows the learning of the 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:28.159 wise and turns it into nonsense? Who carries 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:30.399 out the words of his servants and fulfills the 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:33.559 predictions of his messengers? Who says of Jerusalem 00:11:33.559 --> 00:11:35.940 it shall be inhabited, of the towns of Judah, 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:39.039 that they shall be rebuilt and all of their ruins? 00:11:39.690 --> 00:11:43.110 I will restore them. Who says to the watery deep, 00:11:43.210 --> 00:11:46.730 be dry, and I will dry up your streams. Who says 00:11:46.730 --> 00:11:50.110 to Cyrus, he is my shepherd and I will accomplish 00:11:50.110 --> 00:11:53.009 all that I please. He will say of Jerusalem, 00:11:53.289 --> 00:11:57.009 let it be rebuilt. And of the temple, let its 00:11:57.009 --> 00:12:01.820 foundations be laid. God is authoritatively saying, 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:06.159 I am the Lord God Almighty, and he makes prophecies 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:09.539 that are very, very specific, that are undeniable, 00:12:09.580 --> 00:12:13.460 and that aren't vague. You're listening to Living 00:12:13.460 --> 00:12:15.850 on the Edge. We'll get you back to our series 00:12:15.850 --> 00:12:18.429 dealing with doubts in just a minute. But first, 00:12:18.490 --> 00:12:20.870 if this teaching has ministered to you, consider 00:12:20.870 --> 00:12:23.669 becoming a monthly partner. Your regular financial 00:12:23.669 --> 00:12:26.230 support goes a long way to help us encourage 00:12:26.230 --> 00:12:29.370 pastors, create resources, and share Jesus with 00:12:29.370 --> 00:12:32.629 today's youth. Visit livingontheedge .org today 00:12:32.629 --> 00:12:35.110 to learn how to support us. Well, with that, 00:12:35.129 --> 00:12:38.669 here again is Chip. Now, this is one that I wanted 00:12:38.669 --> 00:12:40.980 you to get. Spend a lot of time in one of the 00:12:40.980 --> 00:12:43.539 other messages talking about prophecy and the 00:12:43.539 --> 00:12:46.940 fulfillment of all the prophecies of Jesus. But 00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:51.820 this is 150 years before Cyrus was born. And 00:12:51.820 --> 00:12:56.480 Isaiah is getting a clear prophecy from God telling 00:12:56.480 --> 00:13:00.519 what's going to happen. 150 years Cyrus the Great 00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:03.340 is born. And if you go into this passage very 00:13:03.340 --> 00:13:06.840 specifically. All the specific things that God 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:10.159 says this person will do is accomplished and 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:14.399 he names them by name. And in Jewish prophetic 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:17.740 literature, it's quite different than today. 00:13:17.779 --> 00:13:20.000 Often people make lots of predictions, you know, 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:22.480 like some are right, some are wrong. Here's the 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:26.299 way it worked with God. A real prophet is right 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:29.340 100 % of the time or he's not one of God's prophet. 00:13:29.539 --> 00:13:32.539 And if you claim to be and you're wrong, it's 00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:35.720 the capital offense. So what I want you to know 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:39.259 is that my faith is in a God who's sovereign, 00:13:39.419 --> 00:13:41.960 who knows the end from the beginning and the 00:13:41.960 --> 00:13:44.700 beginning from the end. The third reason I believe 00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:46.840 in the God of the Bible is what I just call the 00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:50.539 philosophical evidence. The triune nature of 00:13:50.539 --> 00:13:54.820 God and the testimony of scripture best answers 00:13:54.820 --> 00:13:58.320 life's most timeless and difficult questions. 00:13:59.149 --> 00:14:01.649 Now, we could spend years on this one, and this 00:14:01.649 --> 00:14:04.250 is an area that was really a part of my coming 00:14:04.250 --> 00:14:06.970 to know Christ and really believing what's true. 00:14:07.129 --> 00:14:09.649 It's a bit on the metaphysical and the philosophical 00:14:09.649 --> 00:14:12.909 side. But let me just highlight three things 00:14:12.909 --> 00:14:15.610 that the God of the Bible answers that other 00:14:15.610 --> 00:14:18.370 religions don't. Number one, the problem of unity 00:14:18.370 --> 00:14:21.620 and diversity. If you look at Egyptian gods, 00:14:21.799 --> 00:14:24.460 if you look at Hindu gods, if you look at the 00:14:24.460 --> 00:14:27.620 Western gods of the Greeks and the Romans, they 00:14:27.620 --> 00:14:31.120 solve the problem of individual gods, diversity. 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:34.899 If you look at the Eastern gods of Buddhism or 00:14:34.899 --> 00:14:37.700 reincarnation, what you find is the Easterns, 00:14:37.700 --> 00:14:41.379 they solve unity. We're all one, one drop going 00:14:41.379 --> 00:14:45.200 back into the ocean. The challenge is the individual 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:48.879 gods competed with one another. The gods of unity 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:53.019 are impersonal and only the triunity of the one 00:14:53.019 --> 00:14:57.240 God, three persons and one essence, really answers 00:14:57.240 --> 00:14:59.600 the question of how can there be both unity and 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:02.159 diversity in the world? Second is the problem 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:06.190 of evil and justice. Every religion has this 00:15:06.190 --> 00:15:08.950 problem. How do you account for the evil and 00:15:08.950 --> 00:15:11.090 the suffering and the injustice in the world? 00:15:11.389 --> 00:15:13.950 Many religions have a God that has a good side 00:15:13.950 --> 00:15:17.289 and a bad side, or there's two gods, or the force, 00:15:17.409 --> 00:15:21.129 right? The dark side of the force. It's interesting. 00:15:21.990 --> 00:15:24.830 Biblical Christianity answers this, I think, 00:15:24.850 --> 00:15:28.049 in the most compelling way. God is a good God 00:15:28.049 --> 00:15:30.809 who is perfect, who's made a perfect world. He 00:15:30.809 --> 00:15:34.309 gives humankind, mankind freedom. And the world 00:15:34.309 --> 00:15:36.549 that we live in is not the world that he desired. 00:15:36.750 --> 00:15:39.929 It is our sin that separates and brings what 00:15:39.929 --> 00:15:43.230 was called the fall. And now we have a good God 00:15:43.230 --> 00:15:46.169 who is sovereign, who gave us freedom to accept 00:15:46.169 --> 00:15:49.090 or reject him and that the evil in the world 00:15:49.090 --> 00:15:53.470 is a temporary evil that he will actually come. 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:57.700 and die in our place to pay for our sin and then 00:15:57.700 --> 00:16:01.000 make all things right. So evil and suffering 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:05.659 has a very clear source and beginning. And there 00:16:05.659 --> 00:16:09.399 is a good God who gives us the freedom, but in 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:11.940 essence is willing to love us so much to solve 00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:14.799 that very problem. I think the third philosophical 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:17.039 issue is, I would just call it the enigma of 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:21.659 man. I mean, think about this. Mankind is noble. 00:16:23.669 --> 00:16:26.470 I mean, our technology, we put a man on the moon. 00:16:26.509 --> 00:16:28.309 We have a cell phone for everybody in the world. 00:16:28.549 --> 00:16:31.830 Medicine, heart transplants, heart -lung transplants. 00:16:32.549 --> 00:16:35.970 Mankind is brilliant, amazing, creative, art, 00:16:36.129 --> 00:16:40.629 music. And yet, on the other side, the enigma 00:16:40.629 --> 00:16:47.110 is cruelty, hate, jealousy, prejudice, Hitler, 00:16:47.590 --> 00:16:54.840 Stalin, the Holocaust. I mean, it's hard to imagine 00:16:54.840 --> 00:16:58.919 how the human species could be so beautiful, 00:16:59.100 --> 00:17:02.279 so wonderful, so noble, so made in the image 00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:05.880 of God, and yet so cruel. The history of mankind 00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:11.059 is war after war after war after war. Unmentionable 00:17:11.059 --> 00:17:16.079 cruelty and pain and the marginalizing of people 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:19.160 that look different or a different color, hatred 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:23.210 and starvation. How can that happen? The Bible 00:17:23.210 --> 00:17:26.269 would say, man is made in the image of God and 00:17:26.269 --> 00:17:29.230 so he's noble, but he's a fallen sinful creature 00:17:29.230 --> 00:17:33.789 and he needs to be redeemed. The fourth reason 00:17:33.789 --> 00:17:36.410 that I believe in the God of the Bible is I'll 00:17:36.410 --> 00:17:39.930 just call it the evidence of impact. You know, 00:17:39.930 --> 00:17:42.589 every religion has impact. You can go to different 00:17:42.589 --> 00:17:44.869 countries and you can know sort of what their 00:17:44.869 --> 00:17:46.769 religion has been and you can kind of look around 00:17:46.769 --> 00:17:50.160 and say, wow, this is what. is produced after 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:53.460 hundreds of years. I've spent some time in India, 00:17:53.539 --> 00:17:55.799 a lot of time in China, time in the Middle East. 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:58.940 I don't know anyone that travels in India for 00:17:58.940 --> 00:18:02.859 business that it's heartbreaking. I mean, so 00:18:02.859 --> 00:18:05.559 much of India, despite the technology and the 00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:08.960 growth in some areas, is the same that has been. 00:18:09.789 --> 00:18:12.430 You see, there's a caste system, formal or informal, 00:18:12.730 --> 00:18:15.130 and people are getting what they deserve. So 00:18:15.130 --> 00:18:17.890 I shouldn't help that person because that's karma. 00:18:17.970 --> 00:18:20.029 They're just getting what they deserve. And there 00:18:20.029 --> 00:18:23.210 is poverty everywhere. They're fearful of their 00:18:23.210 --> 00:18:26.890 ancestors. Limited education except for missionaries 00:18:26.890 --> 00:18:29.410 came and began to do the teaching and create 00:18:29.410 --> 00:18:31.869 the hospitals that were Christians. See, the 00:18:31.869 --> 00:18:35.009 impact of Christianity, when you begin to study 00:18:35.009 --> 00:18:38.269 what happened as a result of the teaching of 00:18:38.269 --> 00:18:41.819 Jesus, and actually the laws of the Old Testament. 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:46.079 The nation of Israel from one nomad, I mean, 00:18:46.099 --> 00:18:48.660 Abraham. You know, he's running around on a camel 00:18:48.660 --> 00:18:51.680 somewhere and God chooses him. And from that, 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:54.819 he develops this nation, Abraham, and then Moses, 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:58.259 the laws of Israel. I mean, we don't think about 00:18:58.259 --> 00:19:01.240 all those ceremonial laws. Guess what? They didn't 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:03.640 know about germs. The circumcision on the eighth 00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:05.519 day, they didn't know that's when the blood clots. 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:09.440 I mean, you think of the laws of hygiene. the 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:12.319 economic laws. Here is a religion that says, 00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:14.480 this is what we're gonna do for the poor. Every 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:16.759 seven years, we're gonna reset the dial. Every 00:19:16.759 --> 00:19:19.740 50 years, economically, we're gonna reduce things 00:19:19.740 --> 00:19:22.000 back to the way it was so you don't have this 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:25.200 super rich and everyone else is poor. I mean, 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:27.960 what the Bible has done and what God has done, 00:19:28.059 --> 00:19:31.039 the mustard seed conspiracy, this tiny little 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:34.059 group of people following Jesus that gets birthed, 00:19:34.059 --> 00:19:36.599 that changes the world, the liberation of women. 00:19:37.869 --> 00:19:41.930 The liberation of slaves, the basis of our jurisprudence, 00:19:41.930 --> 00:19:45.109 economic impact, the care for the poor, Wilberforce, 00:19:45.309 --> 00:19:48.470 you know, he stood on scripture in England and 00:19:48.470 --> 00:19:52.329 stopped. It took decades and stopped the horrendous 00:19:52.329 --> 00:19:55.589 slavery that was happening. When you find and 00:19:55.589 --> 00:19:58.269 do research, you find that Christians have been 00:19:58.269 --> 00:20:00.849 in key areas that have changed the course of 00:20:00.849 --> 00:20:06.720 history. This is Living on the Edge with Chip 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:08.920 Ingram, and you've been listening to Part 1 of 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:11.339 Chip's message, Why I Believe in the God of the 00:20:11.339 --> 00:20:14.000 Bible, from our series, Dealing with Doubts. 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:16.299 Chip will be back shortly to share some helpful 00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:19.359 application for us to think about. Did you know 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:22.359 there's a lot of solid, verifiable evidence that 00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:24.619 supports the truth of Scripture and the existence 00:20:24.619 --> 00:20:27.839 of Jesus? The real challenge lies in communicating 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:30.680 that proof and the hope of the gospel to those 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:33.720 sincerely seeking answers. So how do we do that? 00:20:34.109 --> 00:20:36.009 Well, in this series, Chip and guest teacher 00:20:36.009 --> 00:20:38.650 John Dickerson share ways to effectively and 00:20:38.650 --> 00:20:41.309 winsomely address honest questions about our 00:20:41.309 --> 00:20:43.710 faith that will attract people to the Bible, 00:20:43.809 --> 00:20:46.490 not repel them from it. Also, we want you to 00:20:46.490 --> 00:20:48.829 have all the necessary tools for those conversations. 00:20:49.289 --> 00:20:52.470 So whenever you hear a book, podcast, or article 00:20:52.470 --> 00:20:55.529 mentioned in this series, visit livingontheedge 00:20:55.529 --> 00:20:59.180 .org and check out our resources page. we want 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:01.059 to point you to relevant, biblically grounded 00:21:01.059 --> 00:21:03.799 experts who will equip you to engage with the 00:21:03.799 --> 00:21:06.640 doubters and skeptics in your life. Find that 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:11.019 resources page at livingontheedge .org or through 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:14.160 the Chip Ingram app. And before we move on, here's 00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:17.059 Chip. I want to pause just for a minute, and 00:21:17.059 --> 00:21:19.000 if you're a financial partner with Living on 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:21.839 the Edge, I just want you to hear a message that... 00:21:22.970 --> 00:21:25.849 we received from a lady named Kelly who listens 00:21:25.849 --> 00:21:28.369 every single day. She said, thanks so much for 00:21:28.369 --> 00:21:30.569 your ministry and daily podcast. I listen every 00:21:30.569 --> 00:21:33.089 day. I'm a recovering addict of many things. 00:21:33.349 --> 00:21:35.289 I grew up in a Christian family and was saved 00:21:35.289 --> 00:21:38.069 at the age of 17. Shortly after that, because 00:21:38.069 --> 00:21:40.329 of peer pressure in school, started doing drugs. 00:21:40.609 --> 00:21:43.730 I now have a few years of sobriety and God saved 00:21:43.730 --> 00:21:46.049 my life and he has totally removed the physical 00:21:46.049 --> 00:21:49.069 urge to use drugs and alcohol and cigarettes. 00:21:49.369 --> 00:21:51.809 I've now joined an awesome church that has small 00:21:51.809 --> 00:21:54.559 groups and Christ has blessed me in recovery 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:57.440 meetings. Anyway, thanks so much for sharing 00:21:57.440 --> 00:21:59.519 your life with others. You've made a positive 00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:02.599 difference in my life. You know, Kelly is one 00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:05.440 of hundreds, actually thousands of emails that 00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:08.039 we get at Living on the Edge. I just call them 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:10.980 life change. Spirit of God took the Word of God, 00:22:11.099 --> 00:22:13.039 and it might have been on a podcast, could have 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:15.019 been on the radio, could have been in a small 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:17.700 group, could have even been a CD or a book. But 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:20.640 God intervenes with their life and something 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:22.920 happens that changes the course of their life. 00:22:23.160 --> 00:22:26.680 And I just want to pause and thank you. You know, 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:28.859 some of you write a check every month. Some of 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:31.299 you have it taken out of your account every month. 00:22:31.400 --> 00:22:34.000 Some of you like once a quarter, twice a year. 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:36.779 You give to Living on the Edge. I want to remind 00:22:36.779 --> 00:22:40.240 you what it actually does. It's not about giving 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:43.539 money. It's about extending ministry and changing 00:22:43.539 --> 00:22:47.859 lives. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And 00:22:47.859 --> 00:22:49.599 if by chance you're listening and you're thinking, 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:51.640 you know, I've never given to Living on the Edge, 00:22:51.700 --> 00:22:53.819 but I'd like to get in on that. We'll give you 00:22:53.819 --> 00:22:55.920 a very simple way of how you can join. Join the 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:58.339 team and really make a difference. Thanks, Chip. 00:22:58.440 --> 00:23:00.940 Well, if you were inspired by this story, pray 00:23:00.940 --> 00:23:03.160 about becoming a financial partner with Living 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:05.599 on the Edge. Your support helps us reach more 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:08.359 people with sound Bible teaching as we encourage 00:23:08.359 --> 00:23:11.039 Christians everywhere to live like Christians. 00:23:11.259 --> 00:23:14.380 To give a gift, go to livingontheedge .org or 00:23:14.380 --> 00:23:21.440 call us at 888 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:26.140 or go to livingontheedge .org. App listeners 00:23:26.140 --> 00:23:28.900 tap donate. Well, here again is Chip to share 00:23:28.900 --> 00:23:31.880 a few final words for us to think about. As we 00:23:31.880 --> 00:23:35.180 close today's program, I went through what I'd 00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:37.900 call four reasons that I have personally come 00:23:37.900 --> 00:23:41.319 to of why I believe in the God of the Bible. 00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:44.519 The historical, the prophetic, the philosophical, 00:23:44.839 --> 00:23:48.559 and then the impact. And I really want to encourage 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:51.599 you as we think through this together. As we 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:53.779 learn how to articulate this to people in our 00:23:53.779 --> 00:23:56.720 culture that somehow think that if you disagree 00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:59.339 with them that you're narrow or bigoted, the 00:23:59.339 --> 00:24:01.740 fact of the matter is that there are some really 00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:05.740 sound reasons that are verifiable about why we 00:24:05.740 --> 00:24:08.200 believe in the God of the Bible. But here's the 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:11.900 thing for today. In reality, every religion or 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:14.920 truth claim thinks their way is the only way. 00:24:15.099 --> 00:24:19.500 The real issue is, what is really true? Let me 00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:22.380 just ask you, in light of your study or lack 00:24:22.380 --> 00:24:25.559 of it, of other religions or Christianity in 00:24:25.559 --> 00:24:28.259 general, or even your family of origin and where 00:24:28.259 --> 00:24:32.000 you come from, what choices have you made and 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:34.940 what do you believe, honestly, about the God 00:24:34.940 --> 00:24:37.720 of the Bible? Here's what I can tell you and 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:40.799 why this series is so important. it is going 00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:43.779 to be more and more challenging, and the cost 00:24:43.779 --> 00:24:46.500 of being a follower of Jesus is getting higher 00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:49.859 and higher. And so as a follower of Jesus, it's 00:24:49.859 --> 00:24:51.980 going to be important for you to know what you 00:24:51.980 --> 00:24:55.099 believe and why, and then be able to articulate 00:24:55.099 --> 00:24:58.220 that in a kind and winsome way. And I want to 00:24:58.220 --> 00:24:59.940 speak to some of you that you might even call 00:24:59.940 --> 00:25:02.720 yourself a skeptic and the farthest thing from 00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:04.900 a follower of Christ. But as I was speaking, 00:25:05.160 --> 00:25:09.099 you said to yourself, almost reluctantly, I should 00:25:09.099 --> 00:25:11.819 check this out. I want you to know there is a 00:25:11.819 --> 00:25:15.140 God who loves you and who's for you and wants 00:25:15.140 --> 00:25:18.140 to reveal himself to you. And could I encourage 00:25:18.140 --> 00:25:22.140 you to give us a call or email us and the book, 00:25:22.140 --> 00:25:25.039 Why I Believe, it's my personal journey. I've 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:27.099 done the research and I would love to share that 00:25:27.099 --> 00:25:30.230 with you. Thanks, Chip. During this series, we've 00:25:30.230 --> 00:25:33.029 bundled Chip's Why I Believe book together with 00:25:33.029 --> 00:25:36.190 John's book, Jesus Skeptic. We hope that through 00:25:36.190 --> 00:25:39.069 these resources, you'll encounter Jesus the God 00:25:39.069 --> 00:25:41.910 -man and understand why we can fully trust and 00:25:41.910 --> 00:25:44.509 follow the teachings of the Bible. For complete 00:25:44.509 --> 00:25:47.009 details about this two -book bundle, call 888 00:25:47.009 --> 00:25:53.880 -333 -6003 or go to livingontheedge .org. App 00:25:53.880 --> 00:25:56.559 listeners tap special offers. Well, be sure to 00:25:56.559 --> 00:25:58.839 join us next time as Chip continues our series 00:25:58.839 --> 00:26:01.720 Dealing with Doubts. Until then, I'm Dave Drewy 00:26:01.720 --> 00:26:03.779 saying thanks for listening to this edition of 00:26:03.779 --> 00:26:04.980 Living on the Edge.