Expert: Rev. Stuart Woodward - 10/24/2005

Question
Dear sir. I'm a 28-year-old conservative Baptist. I just have some questions regarding the Bible that I hope you can help me understand. I've joined some healthy discussions on the Net with believers and non-believers. Although I know our belief relies heavily on the individual's faith, of course this faith should be founded upon facts and truths. I came across an arguement once that says that there a lot of inconsistencies in the Bible. Although I believe I've done a good job in trying to disproved most of them through my studies and research, I still don't have convincing answers for a few. An example is this: that God is shown to be very different in the old testament and in the new testament. We see an angry, vengeful, jealous God in the old testament, which non-believer says is not the qualities of a compassionate God. He is even shown to kill and asked people to kill. In the new testament, we see a God that is more calm, very forgiving, and more compassionate. I just don't understand why there is a huge contrast between these two "eras." Also,  Pastor, how do I go about answering the question "How do you prove that God exist?" to a non-believer? Also, how can I prove to someone or convince someone that the Bible is really the word of God. Thank you Pastor for your time. Also, may I ask if you could pray for my wife. She is on her 30-week of pregnancy and she is having some spotting/bleeding. This is our first baby. We are very worried, especially since her family has a history of miscarriages. Thank you again. God bless you and your ministry.

Answer
Hello Mark,
Thank you for you question. We reallty need to let God be God. He alone is the arbiter of right and wrong and the decider between life and death. The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New. All that has changed is that in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ we have a more complete picture of who God is.
We need to realise however that God is still a God of judgement in the New Testament too. The book of Revelation makes that clear. He is also a jealous God in that He will not share His glory with any other. Vengeance belongs to God alone. Only He has the right to exact it and that is true in New as well as Old Testament. However, in the cross we see how God has provided a way of escape for those who will repent. He has demonstarted His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. But to reject the grace of God still brings judgement and hell.
There is no way to convince people by logic of the existence of God but a good starting point that I have used is this. I ask people to imagine a circle in which nothing at all exists. Then I ask them how something can begin to exist in the circle. The only answer is that unless something is put in from the outside then it can't happen. But if that circle is the sum total of reality then it is impossible. In this case for something to exist, something must always have existed. That something we believe is God.
I would not try to convince someone that the bible is the word of God I would simply use it in witnessing to them. Once faith begins to dawn, then they will be open to the nature of scripture.
I hope these comments are of some help to you and I will of course pray for your wife and yourself.
Stuart Woodward