I hold to
biblical Christianity rather than one of the cults because the cults have to
fudge the translation and interpretation of the Bible to hold to their set of
beliefs. I hold to biblical Creationism rather than evolution (theistic or
otherwise), because proponents of evolution have to fudge-it on so many pieces of
evidence that I could never believe such a speculation with any degree of
confidence at all. I hold to biblical Christianity over other religions because
only faith in the Bible enables me to live a fudge-free life.
Over the
decades of considering conflicting viewpoints about everything under the sun,
the Christian Bible has stood out as the most complex, consistent, message
about life that has not required me to fudge anything to hold to all that it
reveals.
I suspect that
this would sound quite surprising to some. Over the years, I have had many
people tell me that they cannot believe the Bible because it is so full of
contradictions. However, in checking out the supposed problem passages, I have
found quite the opposite to be true.
Perhaps I
could make sense of this by explaining that my exploration of these things has
led me to look at contradictions as one would look at light through a prism. On
one side of the prism, we see the light that we tend to think of as white (although
we aren’t really seeing the light itself, but what it does to things it shines
upon). On the other side of the prism, we see the colors of the spectrum of
light as the prism refracts each color at a slightly different angle.
Those who see
contradictions in the Bible hold to such a belief in the way that someone might
suggest that believing that light is green, and believing that light is red, is
a contradiction. Those who understand light (and God is Light[1]),
do not see any contradiction at all, since we are really talking about different
expressions of the attributes and activity of the same infinite and eternal
God.
In a sense,
the Bible allows me to believe that God is Light, and that God is every color
of the spectrum of Light, all at the same time, no fudging required. The Bible
also allows me to believe everything it teaches about everything without having
to fudge the Bible to match some real, verifiable evidence of history,
archeology, science or any other category of discoveries we can think of.
There are so
many books, and blogs, and videos out there that would help anyone explore
these things for themselves. My purpose in this post is to give a brief
testimony to my own lifetime of having to test everything that people suggest
are contradictory beliefs or worldviews. I can sincerely say that, I can hold
to a sincere, biblical, faith-in-Jesus-Christ worldview, without having to
fudge anything at all.
I encourage
anyone who has given up hope in trusting the real Bible that it is not belief
in the Bible that is doing all the fudging that is going on out there. Even the
Bible’s declaration that falsehood and deception will be chosen by the
majority, and truth and faith will be followed by the few, is precisely what we
see around us all the time.[2]
God is still
seeking those who will delight[3] in
him “in spirit and in truth”.[4]
Jesus continues to invite each of us to be one of these children[5],
no fudging required.
© 2013 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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