In previous talks in the series we have looked at God—his holiness and, coupled with this, his role as judge—and our rebellion against God’s right to rule us. But in Genesis 3 there was also promised a son of Eve who would crush the serpent. Later in Genesis, God himself makes promises to Abram. He promises several key things: that Abram’s descendants would become a great nation, and also that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”. (Genesis 12:2-3).

Hmm Apologetics—what is it? Well, put simply apologetics gives answers to people’s questions about the validity of Christianity, with the hope of pointing them towards the truth of Jesus and his message.

Firstly, it's important to point out that Christianity doesn’t demand intellectual suicide, or that we put aside reality, give up using common sense and resort to fairytale beliefs. Instead, Jesus commands us to use our minds:

‘Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”’ [emphasis added] Matthew 22:37.

We as Christians do not in this present age have all the answers, but we do know enough. There is no lack of evidence for us to be sure of what the Christian message claims and to believe it entirely rationally.

Take C.S. Lewis for example. He started out completely unsure as to whether or not God even existed. Yet he was compelled by the evidence to become a Christian and he then set out to use logic to urge people to take Christianity seriously. Perhaps most helpful is his Lord/Liar/Lunatic theory:

1. The Bible is very clear that Jesus said he was God, claiming the authority to forgive sins and be one with the Father (eg. John 14)
2. If this claim was false, then Jesus was either a LIAR or a LUNATIC
3. If this claim was true, then he really was LORD.

If one examines the soundness and integrity of Jesus' life and teaching, nothing suggests the wicked or unstable nature that would be necessary to persuade people to put their lives into his hands for no good reason and then to maintain this lie all the way to the cross. So it seems that there is really only one option left to us; that Jesus really was, and indeed is, Lord.

So do ask questions of Christianity and don't just dismiss it as a fairytale, Jesus has lots of hard evidence going for him! We as mere mortals don't have all the answers, but be prepared that as you ask questions of God, he will also ask questions of you.

So—who do you say Jesus is?

We took a step back in the first talk to look at the creation, where the universe has come from. The clear message of the Biblical account is that it was all God’s work. It should be no surprise, then, to learn that the Bible teaches that humans too were created by God.

In the Genesis account, humans were not just created like any other creature, but as the pinnacle of creation, enjoying a special position. They were commanded to rule creation, but not alone. Their relationship with God meant that they were to rule under Him, because they were rulers within His kingdom, the one He had created.

Say “prayer” and most will probably think of the Lord’s Prayer (and probably the old English version). And the first reaction might be to bow head and put hands together. Yet in the Bible, prayer doesn’t require fancy words or particular actions.

The previous talk was about the creation—and how God was at its centre. He created it in its entirety, with astounding order and diversity. He approved of what he had created, it was very good. We also discussed how the God revealed in the Bible is also a relational God—the humans he created were to enjoy a unique and personal relationship with himself. But who is God? What can we learn about God from the Bible?