When in doubt about or concerning scripture...

[DavidFirth]

I recommend the following 3 things:

1. PRAY
2. PRAY
3. PRAY

1. Approach our Father in heaven and tell Him that you know He is holy and His word is holy.
2. Confess your sin and ask for forgiveness.
3. Ask God to help you understand the scripture in doubt, quote it and ask Him to enlighten you about why it is in the Bible.
4. Praise the Lord.
5. Amen.

Job 40 answers a lot of questions about scripture and life itself, really. Some things about God we just don't have the right and/or cannot possibly understand with our minds of flesh. God starts off in Job 40 giving Job reasons why He is supreme and is to be at all times trusted.

Basically, just ask your heavenly Father. He loves you and cares about everything about you. He created you to be you and no one else can be you. Yes, you are the apple of His eye.

 

[Halbhh]

Christ said how to pray in several ways, and we need them all I believe.

Believers, who believe in Christ Jesus, will want to read through a gospel to hear what He says.

I can testify that if you put all of His instructions on prayer into action the results are amazing and good. Every last prayer where I have done as He said to do has been answered, each and all, often amazingly.

 

[DavidFirth]

Christ said how to pray in several ways, and we need them all I believe.

Believers, who believe in Christ Jesus, will want to read through a gospel to hear what He says.

I can testify that if you put all of His instructions on prayer into action the results are amazing and good. Every last prayer where I have done as He said to do has been answered, each and all, often amazingly.

Thanks for that beautiful testimony.

 

[Tolworth John]

. Ask God to help you understand the scripture in doubt, quote it and ask Him to enlighten you about why it is in the Bible.

It is highly unlikely that a 'new' problem or a 'new' question or a 'new' doubt has been found.
google your problem or use some of the many Christian web site and blogs to find out what other Christian leaders have said about your problem.

 

[Halbhh]

It is highly unlikely that a 'new' problem or a 'new' question or a 'new' doubt has been found.
google your problem or use some of the many Christian web site and blogs to find out what other Christian leaders have said about your problem.

This can help with some esoteric questions like the problematic notions people read into words like "elect" and "predestined", sometimes, even if just provoking us to read more context than they used for their theory, or better sometimes showing just how some doctrine is incomplete or misreading. In the end though, we want to remember to lay these notions and counter notions carefully back in the dusty libraries of speculation, and rely on returning to read words of Christ we are pulled to hear again, letting Christ's words get past our defenses and cleanse us and change us.

 

[Tolworth John]

This can help with some esoteric questions like the problematic notions people read into words like "elect" and "predestined", sometimes, even if just provoking us to read more context than they used for their theory, or better sometimes showing just how some doctrine is incomplete or misreading. In the end though, we want to remember to lay these notions and counter notions carefully back in the dusty libraries of speculation, and rely on returning to read words of Christ we are pulled to hear again, letting Christ's words get past our defenses and cleanse us and change us.

Actually the esoteric questions I would advice people to talk to their minister.
It is the more basic questions like can I trust the bible, did Jesus really exist, what about suffering/evil, have I committed the unpardonable sin, when I jesus coming back.

It is these basic questions that have been answered thousands of time that I would suggest use the internet and find out what Christians say about these questions.

Oh if the minister isn't dealing with these sort of questions in his sermons. Then it is worth asking him and to keep asking him, till he starts doing his job and teach his people about Christian theology.

 

[DavidFirth]

It is highly unlikely that a 'new' problem or a 'new' question or a 'new' doubt has been found.
google your problem or use some of the many Christian web site and blogs to find out what other Christian leaders have said about your problem.

Thanks, but I find I can trust God and not so much what men I don't know on the internet might say. Jesus is truth, not Google. Men we know in our church who we respect can help a lot but ultimately all the answers lie in Christ Himself.

 

[DavidFirth]

This can help with some esoteric questions like the problematic notions people read into words like "elect" and "predestined", sometimes, even if just provoking us to read more context than they used for their theory, or better sometimes showing just how some doctrine is incomplete or misreading. In the end though, we want to remember to lay these notions and counter notions carefully back in the dusty libraries of speculation, and rely on returning to read words of Christ we are pulled to hear again, letting Christ's words get past our defenses and cleanse us and change us.

Well said.

 

[Neal of Zebulun]

When I'm faced with new information, I know that sometimes what I think I know is wrong, and I take that into account while in prayer and study.

I'll give some examples of incorrect beliefs to show what I mean. Maybe one or more you didn't know? I encourage you to look them up and see that they're not True!

• Three wise men went to see Christ as a baby
• The root of all evil is money
• Two of each animal was let on Noah's arc
• The beginning of knowledge is the love of Yahweh

 

[DavidFirth]

That's good to know. But the most important thing you learned is to look it up and study it for yourself.

Acts 17:11
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Paul commended them for this.

 

[Neal of Zebulun]

Wow. You looked up my list really fast. Anyway, I was reading further ahead, and I liked the next verse:

Acts of the Apostles 17:

11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.​

12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.​

 

[DavidFirth]

I knew all but one of them already. I have debated the Bible's reliability many times.

 

[Neal of Zebulun]

How does any of those relate to its reliability?

 

[DavidFirth]

How does any of those relate to its reliability?

Well, people say all kinds of things to "prove" God's word isn't inerrant, which of course it is inerrant. God is incapable of error.

People will say things like, "Some Bibles say that Noah took two of each kind on the ark and some say he took seven of each kind on the ark." Usually the person challenging is just unfamiliar with scripture and has no idea what it actually says.

I've also heard things like, "the Bible says pi=3, the Bible says bats are birds, etc." Of course The Bible does not say pi=3 nor does it say that bats are birds in a scientific way. People back then categorized bats as birds, that's no big deal. Its just a classification issue.

 

[Tolworth John]

Thanks, but I find I can trust God and not so much what men I don't know on the internet might say. Jesus is truth, not Google. Men we know in our church who we respect can help a lot but ultimately all the answers lie in Christ Himself.

The internet doesn't post anything by itself, it is people who post men like William lain Craig, J Warne Wallace, John Lennox, josh Mcdowell, Lee Strobell to name but a few.
Talk to your pastor or to the men you respect and ask them for recomendations for sites on the internet for you to read about Christian theology.

 

[DavidFirth]

The internet doesn't post anything by itself, it is people who post men like William lain Craig, J Warne Wallace, John Lennox, josh Mcdowell, Lee Strobell to name but a few.
Talk to your pastor or to the men you respect and ask them for recomendations for sites on the internet for you to read about Christian theology.

Again, thanks but no thanks. I prefer to go to Jesus and His apostles first, then other men only after that. Usually (about 95% of the time) I can readily find the answers in the Bible with the use of biblegateway.com.

 

[Tolworth John]

Again, thanks but no thanks. I prefer to go to Jesus and His apostles first, then other men only after that. Usually (about 95% of the time) I can readily find the answers in the Bible with the use of biblegateway.com.

You have a soldid grasp of the bible and of its teaching. Not everyone has that and that is where using the internet to see what other Christians have said about a problem can be helpfull.

 

[DavidFirth]

You have a soldid grasp of the bible and of its teaching. Not everyone has that and that is where using the internet to see what other Christians have said about a problem can be helpfull.

While that's true, I try to urge Christians to find answers in the Bible for themselves by using the search feature in sites like biblegateway.com.

 

[Tolworth John]

While that's true, I try to urge Christians to find answers in the Bible for themselves by using the search feature in sites like biblegateway.com.

And if they are confused by what the bible says or are convinced they have committed the unpardonable sin?

Then praying or reading the bible is unlikely to help them.
As I've said earlier.
There are no new problems, other wise Christians have encountered and have answered these problems long ago.

 

[DavidFirth]

And if they are confused by what the bible says or are convinced they have committed the unpardonable sin?

Then praying or reading the bible is unlikely to help them.
As I've said earlier.
There are no new problems, other wise Christians have encountered and have answered these problems long ago.

Well, only if there are questions concerning the understanding of scripture do I recommend going outside of God's word. Prayer and research, asking godly men what they think only comes second.