Short Answers to Big Questions about God, the Bible, and Christianity , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - E. Arnold Clinton , Jeff Arnold

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177 pages

English

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This accessible reference offers short and to-the-point answers to fifty pressing questions people have about God, the Bible, and Christianity, including- Are there errors or contradictions in the Bible?- Do science and faith conflict?- Is hell a real place?- What will heaven be like?- Is it possible to prove God exists?- Why did Jesus have to die?- Does God hate sex?- Do Christians have to go to church?- and many moreThis book is for those who want a clear introduction to the essential teachings of Christianity to help them grow in faith and in preparation to share the basics of Christian belief.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Christian theology

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 septembre 2015
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493400423
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0518€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

© 2015 by Clinton E. Arnold and Jeff Arnold
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-0042-3
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007
Scripture quotations labeled HCSB are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2010 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“This book is a rare treasure because it combines the scholar’s mind and tough thinking with a pastor’s heart, all written in an interesting and very accessible style. The book does a wonderful job of presenting honest, authentic answers to many typical questions people ask about Christianity. But what makes this book stand out from all other book of this sort is the fact that Arnold and Arnold incorporate, in their questions about the Christian life and its central practices for maturity, a treatment about how to know God intimately and a section on the supernatural world. I love this book, and the Arnolds have put us in their debt by writing it.”
— J . P . Moreland , Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University; author of The Soul: How We Know It’s Real and Why It Matters
“If you’ve ever wondered whether the Bible contains contradictions, or how science and faith can work together, or whether Jesus truly represents the only way to Heaven, this book is for you. It is filled with practical, easily digestible answers to some of the most pressing questions about the Christian faith.”
— Jim Daly , president of Focus on the Family
“Two trends happening in our culture today give me pause for concern. Christians are not as biblically literate as they once were, and the seismic shifts in our culture over the past decade necessitate answers to questions we once took for granted. I’m so grateful to my former professor, Dr. Clint Arnold, along with Jeff Arnold, for writing a theologically robust volume in language readily understood by a broad audience. Short Answers to Big Questions will go a long way in serving both those within and outside the body of Christ for years to come.”
— Bryan Loritts , pastor for preaching and mission at Trinity Grace Church , New York City ; author of An Indestructible Life
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Endorsements 5
Foreword by J. I. Packer 13
Preface 16
1. What Is Christianity? A Summary of the Christian Faith 19
The Bible 25
2. Are There Errors in the Bible? 27
The Inerrancy of Scripture
3. Was the Bible Written by God or Humans? 34
The Inspiration of the Bible
4. Has the Bible Changed over Time? 41
The Reliability and Transmission of Scripture
5. Are There Contradictions in the Bible? 47
The Inner Consistency and Truthfulness of the Bible
6. Why Were Some Books Left Out of the Bible? 53
The Canon of Scripture
7. How Many of the Old Testament Laws Should We Obey? 59
The Relevance of Old Testament Law
8. How Can I Get the Most Out of the Bible? 65
Understanding the Bible
Tough Questions 71
9. Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? 73
The Problem of Evil
10. Do Science and Faith Conflict? 80
The Relationship between Science and Faith
11. What Should I Do When I Have Doubts about Christianity? 86
Handling Doubts
12. Is Faith a Blind Leap? 92
A Biblical Understanding of Faith
13. Why Are There Hypocrites in the Church? 98
Hypocrisy in the Church
The Supernatural 105
14. Do Angels and Demons Really Exist? 107
The Supernatural World
15. Can a Christian Be Demon Possessed? 113
Demonic Influence in a Believer’s Life
16. Are Miracles Really Possible? 120
The Supernatural Works of God
Life after Death 127
17. Will Believers Face God’s Judgment? 129
God’s Final Judgment
18. Is Hell a Real Place? 135
The Doctrine of Hell
19. What Will Heaven Be Like? 141
The Doctrine of Heaven
20. Do We Need to Fear Death? 148
Death and Afterlife
God 155
21. What Is God Like? 157
The Personal Nature of God
22. How Is God Three in One? 163
The Trinitarian Nature of God
23. Is It Possible to Prove God Exists? Part 1 169
The Cosmological Argument
24. Is It Possible to Prove God Exists? Part 2 175
The Fine-Tuning Argument
25. Is There a Dark Side to God? 181
God’s Moral Perfection (His Holiness)
26. Is God Actively Involved in Our Lives Today? 187
God’s Providence
Jesus and the Spirit 193
27. Was Jesus Really God? 195
The Deity of Christ
28. Did Jesus Literally Rise from the Dead? 202
Historical Evidence for the Resurrection
29. Who Is the Holy Spirit and What Is He Doing? 208
The Identity and Work of the Holy Spirit
30. What Do We Know For Sure about the Second Coming? 214
Christ’s Final Return
How to Know God 221
31. Am I Good Enough to Go to Heaven? 223
The Problem of Sin
32. What Must I Do to Be Saved? 229
The Gospel as the Solution
33. What Do I Need to Prove to God before He Will Accept Me? 236
Justification
34. Why Did Jesus Have to Die? 243
Atonement
35. Can We Really Have Freedom from Sin? 249
Redemption
36. Is Jesus the Only Way to Get to Heaven? 255
The Exclusivity of Christianity
37. Why Does God Feel Distant? 262
The Role of Feelings in the Christian Life
Questions about the Christian Life 269
38. Does God Want Me to Be Happy? 271
Joy and Purpose
39. What Is My Purpose in Life? 277
The Purpose of a Christian’s Life
40. What Does It Mean to Be in a Relationship with Christ? 283
Identity in Christ
41. What Are Spiritual Gifts? Do I Have One? 290
The Role of God’s Special Grace for Each Believer
42. Does God Hate Sex? 296
Biblical Sexuality
43. Does the Church Just Want Your Money? 302
God and Our Money
44. What Does It Mean to Be in the World but Not of It? 309
Being a Light in the Darkness
45. Are Real Christians Perfect? 315
Sanctification
Essential Christian Practices 321
46. How Can I Communicate with a God I Can’t See? 323
Prayer
47. Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers? 329
Unanswered Prayer
48. Do Christians Have to Go to Church? 336
The Purpose of Church
49. Do I Need to Be Baptized to Go to Heaven? 343
The Role of Baptism
50. Do I Have to Take Communion to Be Forgiven? 349
The Role of Communion
Epilogue 355
For Further Reading 357
Notes 362
Back Cover 367
Foreword
C hristian people live under the marching orders that Jesus gave his first disciples: “Go . . . and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20). “Go make learners” is how a friend of mine, brilliantly I thought, rendered that imperative many years ago as a book title. Learners, however, presuppose teachers, persons who make teaching their priority. I still recall the joyful impact it made on me in seminary when I heard a visiting lecturer say, “In ministering to a congregation you have three priorities. The first is teach, and the second is teach, and the third is teach. Never stop teaching.” I could have jumped out of my seat and hugged him, so profoundly right by biblical standards did his words seem to me—and he was making a point that, however obvious, I had not heard made in that place before. Surely no one who reflects on the rich instructive content of Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Hebrews, 1 and 2 Peter, James, and 1 John, and on the drumbeat of exhortation to teach and keep teaching that is expressed a dozen times over in Paul’s Pastoral Epistles, can doubt the truth that teachers and teaching are key ingredients in healthy Christianity.
Teaching requires resources, and disciplers have produced books of various shapes and sizes to fill this need. These range from overview beginner books, written to guide new Christians in their new life, to oversize works of reference and detailed topical analysis for purposes of heavyweight instruction. This book belongs in the former category.
Whichever type of resource one sets oneself to write, a complication in communication also arises from the prior effect on the readers’ minds of our post-Christian, secularized culture on the one hand and our substandard Protestant church life on the other. When public education, the media, and the worlds of entertainment and industry are all committed to treating Christianity as outmoded, and look now only to science, material advance, and unlimited tolerance of other people’s beliefs and behaviors to make the world better; when Protestant congregations are so largely in the grip either of liberal religion or of reactionary fundamentalism; and when the personal turning of individuals to Christ, with minimal doctrinal background, has become the entire goal of so many parachurch endeavors and so much preaching in evangelical congregations—it is no wonder i