Bible Study using book by Paul Little, "Know Why You Believe" with thought-provoking questions and colorful artful images for chapters 1 & 2. Created by Carmen Burns, who used it to teach a bible study class.

1. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Know Why You Believe
Chapter 1 – Is Christianity Rational?
Chapter 2 – Is There a God?

2. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Is Christianity Rational?
We live in a world where new
choices compete for our attention.
Our certainties become diluted and
our belief systems wobble. This
kind of world heightens our need to
know why we believe and examine
the truth to support the belief.
What truths do we live by?

3. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Faith is a Key Element
• Faith is simply trust; It is a normal part of
our lives. We use faith everyday. We all
use faith.
• Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) - Now faith is
confidence in what we hope for and
assurance about what we do not see.
(NKJ) Now faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

4. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Are we clear about Christianity?
• Objectivity is impacted by our prior thinking
about Christianity. What facts do we know about
it?
• Lack of information or misunderstanding of basic
concepts is harmful to your Christian faith.
• In what areas have we been crystal clear about
true Christianity and where have we been
clouded in our thinking?

5. Saturday, January 22, 2011
How can this be? Page19 & 20 - Graphic tale
of two explorers who
couldn’t agree if there was a
gardener attending to the
many flowers and weeds.
A gardener who is invisible
is tending the garden. This
can be likened to Matthew
6:25-34.
Christianity Tested

6. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Faith vs. Superstition
Christian faith - involves
submitting our minds,
emotions and will to him,
that is the whole person in
faith.
Superstition according to
Merriam Webster means a
belief or practice resulting
from ignorance, fear of the
unknown, trust in magic or
chance, or a false
conception of causation.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart.. With
all your mind. Matthew
22:37

7. Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Evidence of Creation
God gives us logical
reasons:
• Look at the natural
world
• Look at the universe
• Look at your body
They know the truth about God because
he has made it obvious to them. 20 For
ever since the world was created,
people have seen the earth and sky.
Through everything God made, they
can clearly see his invisible qualities—
his eternal power and divine nature. So
they have no excuse for not knowing
God Romans 1:19-20.

8. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Who am I and Why am I here?
• We do need God
• He created us for His
purposes – Romans 8:28-
30
• But, He created us as free
moral agents; that is we
can believe or not.

9. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Is My Faith Genuine?
• Is it based on
confidence or trust in
parents because
upbringing in
Christian home?
• Is it based on
friendships?
How do you know the bible is true and God is
real? What is your self talk on this subject?

10. Saturday, January 22, 2011
If you can’t find answers
•Ask Questions
•Pray
•Meditate
Full answers to every possible question may
elude us, some answers may be considered
one of those secret things belonging to the
Lord our God. Deuteronomy 29:29

11. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Christianity is true and rational
Jesus states in John 10:10:
The thief does not come except to steal, and
to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they
may have life, and that they may have it
more abundantly.

12. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Is There a God?
• Can’t prove God by usual scientific
methodology. In order for something to be
proved, it must be repeatable. Page 30.
• Scientific methods only useful for material
things.
• Our God is greater than the scientific
methods for measurement.

13. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Evidence that there is a God
• Anthropological research indicates a
universal belief in God.
– Tower of Babel – God confounded their
speech while building the tower and the
project was ceased. Genesis 11:5-8
– The Law of Cause and Effect – God is
uncaused – pg 32

14. Saturday, January 22, 2011
God is the Creator
– Design & Order of our bodies, Universe, the
Sun – refer to pg 37
– Psalms 102:25 In the beginning you [Lord]
laid the foundations of the earth

15. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Theories about Creation
• Continuous Creation/Steady State model.
The flaw is a hydrogen imbalance problem
Pg 38
• Oscillating model. The flaw is the universe
is loosing density with disparities - Pg 39
• Big Bang model. The universe exploded
into existence. What cause produced this
effect? – Pg 40

16. Saturday, January 22, 2011
God states even the rocks cry out!
Luke 19:28-40
• Psalms 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of
God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. –
David.
• Romans 1:19-20 - since what may be known
about God is plain to them, because God has
made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation
of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal
power and divine nature—have been clearly
seen, being understood from what has been
made, so that people are without excuse.

17. Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Moral Law
• God has a mind, emotions, conscience
and a will himself – a complete personality.
• He made man in his own image and
includes a moral law with right conduct –
Galatians 5:22
• God’s Law is woven into us. Romans 2:15

18. Saturday, January 22, 2011
Infinite vs. finite
• Can we fathom the mysteries of God – Job
11:7
• It is possible for the infinite to penetrate
the finite. But, not vice versa.
• Invisible does not mean unreal.

19. Saturday, January 22, 2011
The True Evidence of God
When Jesus Christ is believed and trusted a
profound change takes place.
There is convincing evidence from creation, history
and contemporary life that there is a God, and this
God can be known in personal experience.