Dear Pastor Charles: I have been reading your column for the past few weeks and I disagree with almost everything that you have said. You keep referring to the Bible as the “Word of God” and it very plainly was written by man and not God. If God did create man in his own image and gave him free choice in moral issues, then he would have no right to judge us since it was his decision to give us free choice. Since man is basically good in his nature don’t you believe that man can solve his own problems without creating an imaginary God to do it? Get Real.

Dear Get Real:  
      Do you really believe that man is basically good in his nature? Pick up any newspaper and read about the rapes, murders, drug busts, drunk driving arrests, child abuse and spouse abuse and then tell me that man is basically good in his nature. Not even animals act the way we humans do toward one another. You must have your head buried in the sand to make a statement like that. Did you know that there has only been 268 years of world peace in the entire history of mankind? If man could solve his own problems he would have done it long ago. No, I don’t need to create an imaginary god because I have a real one who loves this dirty old world so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die for it.

    
      God did create man in His own image and He did give us free choice concerning moral issues, however, He did not relinquish His right to be our judge. To even make the statement that morality exists presupposes that there must be a moral standard of right and wrong. Where do you think that standard comes from? Guess what, Get Real? “Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not bear false witness.” That’s right, it comes from the Word of God, the Bible. Without the Bible we would have no standard of right and wrong and our world would be in even worse shape than it is right now, if that were possible. Because man has free choice concerning right and wrong is the very reason that we need courts, lawyers and judges. You see, more often than not, we make the wrong choice. It is even difficult to find justice in our courts today though I am sure there are many fine judges and lawyers out there. God knows our hearts and He knows that no one on this earth is always capable of judging rightly, because no one really knows all the facts. No one that is, accept God.

    
      Man did put the Bible into writing. It was written by at least forty different men over a period of 1500 years. They were not professional writers by trade. They were farmers and fishermen for the most part. These men did not know each other or have complete access to each others work. However, the completed Scriptures tell one continuous story with unbroken theme and that theme is Jesus Christ. I would challenge anyone to pick five of the world’s best writers, give each of them the same theme and send them off in different directions with the instruction to write one fifth of a story without collaboration. I guarantee that the completed work would make no sense whatsoever. Though there were forty different writers of the Bible, there is only one author, the Holy Spirit. We Christians call this the “Inspiration of the Scriptures”. In fact, the Bible claims this about itself in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” and also in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, “For this cause also we thank God without ceasing, because, when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually works also in you that believe.”

    It all comes down to this, my friend. Either the Bible is the Word of God and is true, or it is false as you claim. If it is false, then please tell me what hope you have for your life? If we die into nothingness and there is no judgment for our actions, then why not live it up and do whatever we want to do with no eternal consequences? But what if the Bible is true? It says in Hebrews 9:27 “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” What will you do then? Will you say to God, “You have no right to judge me because I didn’t believe your Word in the Bible.” 

      The Bible teaches us that we will be condemned by our own words that are idly spoken so I ask you to please consider these things. I want you to know that as a Pastor and a follower of Christ, I do care about your soul. I want you to know that God loves you so much that if you were the only person alive on earth, He would have still sent His Son to die for your sins. I challenge you to search the Scriptures each week to prove me wrong and if you do, I will print a retraction. How’s that for a challenge? I pray that God will open the eyes of your understanding as you read the Scriptures that are able to make you wise. 

                                                                          God Bless,  
                                                                             Pastor Charles.