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The Challenge to the Sceptic….
"The Christian
journey has several parallels. We have a map, the Bible, that tells us
much about Christ. It is God's amazing precise story, given to
each believer as an infallible guide. The Bible tells us how e may know
Christ and follow Him. It imparts essential and accurate information"
Dr. Charles Stanley "The Glorious Journey".
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We
challenge any sceptic who considers him or herself to be
intellectually honest, to investigate and test the authenticity
and veracity of the Bible. To take time to read it and check it
out, using whatever means available to discover if the following
statements regarding the Bible are true.
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The
Bible is the only book in the world that offers objective
evidence to be the Word of God. Only the Bible gives real
proof of its divine inspiration.
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The
Bible is the only religious Scripture that offers eternal
salvation as a free gift entirely by God’s grace and mercy.
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The
Bible is the only major ancient religious Scripture whose
complete textual preservation is established as virtually
autographic.
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The
Bible contains the greatest moral standards of any book.
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Only
the Bible begins with the creation of the universe by divine
design and contains a continuous, if often brief and
interspersed, historical record of mankind from the first
man, Adam, to the end of history.
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Only
the Bible contains detailed prophecies about the coming
Savior of the world. Prophecies have been proven true in
history.
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Only
the Bible has the most realistic view of human nature, the
power to convict people of their sin and the ability to
change human nature.
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Only
the Bible offers a realistic and permanent solution to the
problem of human sin and evil.
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Only
the Bible has its accuracy confirmed in history by
archaeology and other sciences.
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The
internal and historical characteristics of the Bible are
unique in their unity and consistency despite being produced
over a 1,500 year period by 40-plus authors, in three
languages, on three continents discussing scores of
controversial subject yet having agreement on all issues.
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The
Bible is the most translated, purchased, memorized and
persecuted book in history.
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Only
the Bible has withstood 2,000 years of intense scrutiny by
critics, not only surviving the attacks, but prospering and
having its credibility strengthened by such criticism. (Voltaire,
and not a few intellectuals down through the years,
predicted the demise of the Bible, however, within 50 years
of Voltaire’s death his house became a warehouse of the
Geneva Bible Society.)
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The
Bible has had more influence in the world than any other
book.
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Only
the Bible proclaims a resurrection of its central figure
that is proven in history.
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Only the Bible
provides historic proof that the one true God loves mankind.
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If these statements encourage you to continue along the road
of discovery, and you desire a more intimate and personal
encounter with the Jesus of the Bible, consider the following
seven facts, supported by Biblical evidence, and you will arrive
at a point of enlightenment.
What is the importance of the death of Jesus Christ on the
cross?
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It was on the cross that Jesus Christ presented Himself
as the spotless (sinless) Lamb of God on which in one
magnanimous and loving act of God’s grace he made it
possible for everyone who has ever and will ever draw
breath upon the face of the earth to have eternal life.
It was for this act of love and grace upon the cross of
Calvary that God in the person of Jesus Christ left the
glory of heaven.
(There is value in reading that paragraph again.) |
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Fact
1
God
created you, loves you and wants you to personally know
Him.
“For
you created my inmost being; you knit me together
in my mother's womb.” (Psalm 139:13)
“For
God so loved the world that He gave His one and
only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish
but have eternal life.”
(John
3:16)
“Now
this is eternal life: that they may know You, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
(John
17:3) |
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Fact 2
Because of your sins you are spiritually dead (separated
from God).
“For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.”
(Romans 3:23)
“For the wages of sin is
death ....”
(Romans 6:23)
“But your sins have
separated you from your God ...”
(Isaiah 59:2)
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Fact
3
God does not want you to perish in your sin, but wants
you to be saved
(have eternal life).
“He
[God] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish ....”
(2
Peter 3:9)
“This
is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all
men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the
truth.”
(1
Timothy 2:3, 4) |
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Fact
4
You can do nothing to save yourself. i.e., your works or
any system of religion won't do it.
“For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and
this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not
by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8, 9) |
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Fact
5
Only Jesus Christ can save you.
Jesus
answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me."
(John
14:6)
“For
there is one God and one Mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus.”
(1
Timothy 2:5) |
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Fact
6
Jesus Christ provided for your salvation with His
sacrifice and resurrection, by which He took your sins
and "became your sins" upon the cross to pay the penalty
for your sins once and for all in your place.
“But
God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8)
“For
Christ died for sins once for all. the righteous
for the unrighteous, to bring you to God ....”
(1 Peter 3:18)
“God
made Him
[Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us,
so
that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
(2
Corinthians 5 :21)
“For
what I received I passed on to you as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, that He was buried.
that He was raised on the third day according to
the Scriptures.”
(1
Corinthians 15:3,4) |
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Fact 7
You need to turn to Jesus Christ alone in faith for your
personal salvation. This means that you are in the same
instance turning from anything and everything else this
world declares can save you (this is true biblical
repentance), such as good works, religion, other
persons, education or any philosophies. It is only by a
genuine and conscious act of your will of placing
your total confidence (trust, belief, faith) in Jesus
Christ and His sacrifice on the cross that you can be
saved. Once you make this decision of faith in Christ
you are "instantly" saved, given eternal life that can
never be taken away.
“Yet to all who received
Him [Christ}, to those who believed in His name,
He gave the right to become children of God.”
(John 1:12)
“For God so loved the world
that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal
life.”
(John 3: 16)
“For it is
by grace you have been saved, through faith-and
this [salvation is] not from yourselves, it is the gift
of God.” (Ephesians 2:8) |
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