Answers

By   •   February 8, 2012   •   Topics: ,

Q:

Our son came home from college over Christmas and told us about a religion course he took. He said the professor scoffed at people who believed the Bible was God's Word, and said modern scholarship proves it's just a collection of ancient myths. It's shaken our son's faith, but what can we tell him? We're not Bible scholars.


A:

What your son is experiencing isn’t new; for centuries people have attacked the Bible and tried to discredit its message. In spite of this, however, the Bible still stands, and its message still has the power to transform lives.

We shouldn’t be surprised at such attacks; after all, if you were Satan, wouldn’t you try to turn people away from what the Bible teaches? Of course you would. In fact, the very first question in the Bible came from him, urging Eve to doubt the truth of God’s word. “Did God really say…?” he asked (Genesis 3:1). Tragically, she chose to believe Satan instead of God — with devastating consequences.

How can you help your son? First, assure him that there are answers to the questions his professor has raised; your local Christian bookstore can suggest books by reputable scholars who defend the reliability of the Bible. Second, urge him to keep his eyes on Jesus Christ. In the midst of the confusion and turmoil of our world, Christ alone can bring hope and healing.

Then urge him to discover the Bible for himself — not filtered through someone else’s biases, but seen through his own eyes. When he approaches it with an open heart and mind, he’ll discover that the writer of Proverbs was correct: “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Proverbs 30:5).