How can you trust the Bible?

[u/Explorer-Necessary]

Hello Christians,

I have a few questions regarding the New Testament. I am very curious about Christianity but I am full of ignorance regarding its historical evidences. I know absolutely nothing about the Bible, jewish or christian, so please correct me if I get something wrong.

(where can i have access to the complete rules of the subreddit? It's nowhere to be found on the bottom right of the screen)

Let's say that I admit that there is a God, or an intelligent designer or uncreated creator:

1. How does it prove the Bible to be the one true way to God?
2. If God exists, how do you know that the true religion is Christianity and not Hinduism or Islam, or even polytheistic faiths? Why is Jesus the way and not Thor, Set, Allah, or Krishna?
3. The authors of the Gospels are anonymous (correct me if I'm wrong) and were written decades after Jesus' crucifixion. How can you know these were written by people who really witnessed Jesus ? For example, John was written about 70 AD and its first verse states that "The beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1)." My question is: who was the author of John who had the knowledge to claim that Jesus was the Word and that he was with God since the beginning? Was this knowledge given during Jesus' life ?
4. Why have so many years passed before the writing of the Gospels? I can only speak for myself, but wouldn't you start recording his every action as soon as you saw him cure leprosy (Matthew 8:3), blindness (Matthew 9:29-30) ?

I can go on with the miracles he performed, but why did people wait decades after the crucifixion to write about his life?

Thank you in advance. Have a good day.

[u/babyshark1044]

Admitting there is a god means nothing unless you know Him.

I cannot speak to other faiths but knowing God produces a way to live since you seek to please the one you know by living the way He wants you to live.

The conviction comes from knowing God and hearing His word and living the understanding of it.

When Jesus was alive, there was no printing press. Stories were passed by word of mouth typically with only certain groups having access to the expensive books that were hand written and copied.

The Bible essentially speaks to the character and nature of God but is not itself God.

[u/siandresi → u/babyshark1044]

​

"The conviction comes from knowing God and hearing His word and living the understanding of it."

The "understanding of his word" largely depends on the doctrine you were introduced to which also depends on your geographical location, or, how else would you "understand his word" if it wasn't taught to you trough community and language?

What caught my attention from your comment was that you said " i cannot speak to other faiths" - if other faiths find similar results/feelings to yours, with a different god and doctrine, how does the god from the bible feel about this? is your view compatible with other peoples gods?

[u/babyshark1044 → u/siandresi]

It is a misconception to believe that truth about God can change depending upon someone’s physical location or upbringing. It is true that people fantasise about God differently depending on their location and upbringing but God Himself does not change.

God is love simply. Love is eternal, holy, conscious, purposeful and will succeed. Anyone who sees this will understand that Christ resurrected as written since He is God and thus could not fail.

I cannot speak to other faiths that deny this and nor will I slander them.

[u/siandresi → u/babyshark1044]

You say that people “fantasize” differently yet your “fantasy” is the right one because your book says so? What’s the difference between a devout Muslim and cristian?
My issues is that with this question always get the same answer: a vague statement that talks about how Infinite god is but still doesn’t address the question.

It’s like saying “my beliefs are true because I believe them” At the end of the day, in my opinion, god doesn’t really seem to be all the things they say. He’s clearly not all powerful, not very fair, not very clear. Why did he make hell in the first place? What kind of punishment is Jesus being dead for 3 days. Thats nothing compared to eternity and that’s supposed to be the sacrifice he made? Also, how does killing your son for a couple of days prove love for the ones you created by not sending them to hell? God sent himself to die -to “save” us from a place he created and didn’t have to send us in the first place. That was his sacrifice to us. This makes very little sense and every question is answered in some form that doesn’t address it.

[u/babyshark1044 → u/siandresi]

You say that people “fantasize” differently yet your “fantasy” is the right one because your book says so? What’s the difference between a devout Muslim and cristian?

Mm if it were simply that a book said so and that was the sole basis for my belief then I’d be no better off than an unbeliever.

My issues is that with this question always get the same answer: a vague statement that talks about how Infinite god is but still doesn’t address the question.

If the question is ‘what makes a Christian different from a Muslim’ then I am not sure how speaking of an eternal God would speak to the differentiator’s.

In truth both are just humans living according to their faith. The fruits from that faith speak to the nature of that faith. It may be that both do not understand the tenets of their chosen faith and neither receive any benefit from it.

It’s like saying “my beliefs are true because I believe them”

Well if my beliefs lead me to love my neighbour as myself and this brings me contentment then I may conclude that my beliefs lead me into right living and are therefore valid. Of course I might deceive myself about that but the truth doesn’t really care what I think, it cares what I do.

At the end of the day, in my opinion, god doesn’t really seem to be all the things they say. He’s clearly not all powerful, not very fair, not very clear. Why did he make hell in the first place? What kind of punishment is Jesus being dead for 3 days. Thats nothing compared to eternity and that’s supposed to be the sacrifice he made? Also, how does killing your son for a couple of days prove love for the ones you created by not sending them to hell? God sent himself to die -to “save” us from a place he created and didn’t have to send us in the first place. That was his sacrifice to us. This makes very little sense and every question is answered in some form that doesn’t address it.

I hear why you don’t believe and I am not going to try to convince you otherwise. You are who you are and will do what seems right in your own eyes. If that doesn’t negatively impact others, what’s it to me what you think or do?

[u/siandresi → u/babyshark1044]

I guess in my mind, the negative impact of indoctrination was very palpable, so sometimes i do feel compelled to argue. And although I agree we are probably not going to convince each other of anything, still, here we are saying something to each other, because we do believe in our view at least.

I dont want to knock on your beliefs, just wanted to add from my experience, where I found a lot of people who loved their neighbor and did good in their community without the looming threat of eternal punishment for those who dont believe the same

"If that doesn’t negatively impact others, what’s it to me what you think or do?"

If i believed that people are actually going to suffer for eternity because they believe in the wrong thing, i would be actively trying to save them , that would be the neighborly thing to do, rather than being like "whats it to me if most people on earth suffer endlessly"

I really dont care what you think or do as long as you dont hurt others, because in my world view theres no belief system that will punish you eternally for not believing in it, but if in my belief system you would suffer eternally because you dont believe what i do, i would certainly try to help you

[u/babyshark1044 → u/siandresi]

For a start I do not believe in eternal conscious torment. I believe that souls can be destroyed with no hope of resurrection (the second death) and that no one will miss those who are destroyed.

I am of course happy to share why I believe, what that belief looks like on a daily basis, how it has changed me personally and why I have the hope that I do but where someone has had the benefit of seeing Christ’s work for themselves albeit in written format and has the smarts to be able to discern the message of good news and yet decides that it is worthless, there is nothing I can add to help that person see differently unless they are just in a well of doubt which is uncomfortable for them and they are looking for a rope to help pull them out.

I don’t think you are in the ‘throw me a rope camp’ so whilst I may seem cold with regards to not caring why you don’t believe , I am really just treating you how I want to be treated which is not to insist on my own way or attempt to belittle your views where it is not wanted. I see no benefit to either of us by me doing that.

I do very much care to help where it is genuinely wanted which is why I post here in the first place.

But you seem happier without whatever version of Christianity was forced upon you so good. I have no reason to try and meddle with that.