Questions The Bible Just CAN'T Answer

Before reading these Questions please read this link first The Way Christians Answer

Also the majority of the links I have provided are verses straight from the Bible. Please click on them and read the verses yourself or crack your Bible out at home and look up the verses for yourself.

Look up the context before and after my links, as I make every attempt to read the context of what I present before foolishly linking something completely out of context.


(1) If Heaven and being in God's presence is so perfect, why did Satan rebel against God and Heaven? Luke 10:18 and further more why did 1/3 of the angels rebel also? Revelations 12:3-9

(2) If Satan and 1/3 of the angels rebelled against God, wouldn't that mean "Free Will" apparently exists in Heaven?

(3) If Satan was cast down prior to Adam and Eve eating from the tree as indicated in Genesis 3:1
Then Logically wouldn't Satan and his angels have been the "Original Sinners", not Adam and Eve?

(4) With God having limitless knowledge Psalm 147:5 , (knowing that they would sin)why would he allow Satan to tempt Adam and Eve? Also knowing that they would eat from the tree, why place the tree in the first place?

(5) Out of the two contradictory creation accounts, why have christians taken the account that places woman inferior to men? Created Equal vs Created FROM Man . Wouldn't hundreds and thousands of women's lives and dignity have been spared for over 5000 years? Infanticide could have been prevented for the most part. It wasn't until August 18, 1920, until women were even allowed to vote in this country. That's about 50 years after black males were allowed to vote(February 3, 1870).

(6) Do babies or mentally handicapped go to heaven?

(7) If Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible(The Torah), why did he write in 3rd person? And how could he have written about his own death? Deuteronomy 34:5-11

(8) Why did God allow his "sons" or some argue "angels" to have sex and procreate with any human woman they choose? Genesis 6:2-4 

(9) If the above truly happened and if humans were special separate created beings from creatures of heaven, how could they cross breed?

(10) How is God all knowing and all loving if he allows cross breeding from heaven and earth then "regrets" making them, in turn decides out of that regret he will destroy them? Genesis 6:5-7

(11) Admitting regret for making humans and animals would admit a mistake. How does a "perfect" God make a mistake and actually admit it in the Bible?

(12) If you pray for something and God answers, it was God's plan. If you pray for something and God doesn't answer, it wasn't God's plan. Either way prayer doesn't effect God's plan. Why then pray?

(13) There are many stories of miraculous healing through prayer. Disease, Cancer, even Aids. Why is there no miraculous healing of Amputees? Or anything that would be considered a true visible miracle?

(14) Why would a Just God answer your prayer for let's say speedy recovery from a cold.... but not answer a child who prays and worships God everyday who prayed for his sick mother to get well... then in the end they both die of hunger?

(15) If sin is the reason for death and suffering in the world... explain how sin is involved in natural disasters(like tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc..) that take the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people?

(16) How is it fair that a child born in India(becomes Hindu), a child born in Iran(becomes Muslim), a child born in China(becomes Buddhist) are subject to eternal hellfire at no fault of their own. raised to only know that religion?

(17) Did God create Hell? If so how does an all powerful God(who can do anything) and a all loving God(who loves each and everyone of us) create a place that was originally designed for satan and his angels Matthew 25:41 for us to occupy along with them for not believing in a 2000 year old story book that has errors and contradictions?

(18) If the Bible is God's miraculous inspired word.. wouldn't it have been more miraculous for God's word to have been preserved? (No single original document exists)

(19) Even if some miracle Noah fit all the species on the ark, why isn't there any fossil evidence of kangaroo migration to Australia or penguin migration to Antarctica to which both those species are native to only?

(20) If all the species were on the ark for over a year, how is it possible to have fed the carnivorous animals like the Lions meat that would have come from other animals? They would have had to stockpile a years worth of meat with no means of refrigeration or preservation, which means they would have fed the carnivorous animals live animals. So much for 2 of every animal?

(21) Where have all the Unicorns, Witches, and Dragons gone?

(22) How is God Just if a child molesting, rapist, murderer can repent on his death bed and be saved, yet an honest person who gave to the poor and did no real wrong in his life other that not believing or not being born in the "right religion" be sent to burn in an eternal hellfire?

(23) If heaven is to be a place free of sadness, pain and suffering, then how can you be happy in heaven knowing that the vast majority of humankind is painfully burning for eternity, especially when some of them may be your loved ones?

(24) If the 10 commandments are the basis of human morality... why are almost half of them not about morality instead are about appeasing God himself(no idols, no other god's, etc..) Instead why isn't there any laws about rape, slavery, and equality? Things that humans came up with all on their own centuries later? Not only are these laws not present in the Bible... they are preserved and taught as being okay. (Rape: Deuteronomy 22:28-29, Zechariah 14:1-2) (Slavery: Leviticus 25:44-46, Ephesians 6:5) (Inequality: 1 Timothy 2:11-14, I Corinthians 14:34-35)

(25) If God was disgusted(in his own regrettable mistake) in making humans, and wiped out the earth in the flood to start over.... why then did he wait over 1000 years(time between Noah and Moses) to reveal the 10 commandments to his people? Why didn't he give them to Noah right at the start so that the human race would know exactly what God wanted them to do right away?

(26) After receiving the 10 commandments, Moses came down from the mountain to witness his people worshiping the golden calf they had made. He orders the calf ground into powder and makes his people drink it from the river. Then from a Commandment from God he tells them to strap on a sword and kill each other.... and they do so killing "about 3000".  Why would God write a commandment "thou shalt not kill" and almost immediately order his people to kill? Exodus 32:27-28
Not long after this incident God orders Moses to kill and destroy multiple cites, causing mass genocide to men women and children. Numbers 31:1-18

(27) Do you honestly think that the people thought it was okay to murder, lie, steal, and commit adultery prior to God revealing the 10 Commandments?

(28) If God is all powerful... why would iron chariots stop Him when he was helping the army of Judah? Judges 1:17-19

(29) If committing a "thought crime" like adultery in Matthew 5:27-29 lands you in eternal hell because you are actually committing the crime by thinking it, then wouldn't simply thinking about doing good things like giving to the poor work the same way?

(30) If Jesus' family especially Mary, went through an entire virgin birth ordeal with angels being told her son Jesus would be divine. Why is it that they denied him and told him he was "out of his mind"? Mark 3:20-21
Jesus then later denies them in return... Mark 3:31-34

(31) If John the Baptist was related to Jesus by their mothers(Luke 1:36) then goes through an entire baptism ordeal where the sky splits open and the voice of God declares Jesus His son, having witnessed this amazing event and surely been raised at least knowing of the miracle of his divine relative from his mother... why did John question Jesus if he was the messiah? Matthew 11:2-3

(32) In your own words and thoughts explain the Trinity?

(33) Out of all the horrible sins that we are capable of(rape, murder, molestation, etc..) all of them are forgivable except one.. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit Mark 3:28-29 There is no description of how this is done or what constitutes "blaspheming", what the holy spirit itself "is" is still being debated,  and it is the only time it is mentioned. Why is that? and wouldn't the only unforgivable sin(that lands you to eternal hellfire) have more elaboration?

(34) If Jesus is God... who was he praying to? Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16

(35) If Jesus is God... why does he constantly say he is lesser than God? He can do nothing without God? God is greater than him? God had sent him? His words are not his but Gods? etc... John 5:30, John 14:28, John 7:16, John 12:49, John 14:24

(36) Where in the Bible does Jesus explicitly say he is God?

(37) If Jesus is God... or even the Son of God... and according to Christians some of the stories about the Jewish priests who cornered Jesus and drew up stones to stone him for blasphemy are proof of Jesus claiming divinity... Why is it then when Jesus was arrested and taken to trial for blasphemy(even with false witnesses and testimony) they couldn't convict him? Mark 14:55-56 Later he was brought to Pilate and convicted of treason for claiming to be King(of the Jews), not God. Where were these Jewish priests who had proof of Jesus claiming divinity?

(38) Considering it is the most important doctrine for salvation...where in the Bible did Jesus actually say he will die for our sins?

(39) If the Gospels are written by eyewitnesses why do they contain verses that are in 3rd person? Matthew 9:9, Matthew 10:3, John 21:20-24, and in Luke 1:1-4 he states that the account he was about to write were "handed down" to him.

(40) If Jesus is God... Why did Satan tempt Jesus with kingdoms on earth? Matthew 4:8-9 Why would God be tempted with anything on earth(that he created)? Furthermore where in the world(even in the 1st century) is there a mountain that you can see all the kingdoms on earth?(The writers obviously still believed in a flat earth)

 (41) If Jesus is alive in heaven sitting at the right hand of God Matthew 26:64, being loved, cherished, and worshiped by millions of people each day. Jesus suffered less than half a day on earth before his earthly body died... How is that an "Ultimate Sacrifice" if he isn't dead and he suffered less than let's say Job, or even millions of children each year who suffer months of starvation and illness before death? How is it an "Ultimate Sacrifice" if all Jesus did was die the same as every single human will? How is it an "Ultimate Sacrifice" if he is still alive? (Pretty sure most people would have their hands and feet nailed to a cross each day for a year to get the sacrifice reward Jesus got.)

(42) If Jesus is God... Right before he was to be arrested he was "deeply distressed" and prayed to God to "take this cup from me"(not allow him to go through the impending death")Mark 14:32-36. Then right before he dies he cries out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"Mark 15:34. If he was God and him dying was the ultimate goal and sacrifice for mankind... why would he be distressed, pray to himself to not go through with it, and then pray to himself asking himself why he forsake himself?

(43) If you believe Jesus is not God, but the Son of God... Then are there 2 gods? where does the Holy spirit fit in? Refer back to Question #(32). 

(44) If Jesus is not God but the Son of God, but they are "one", Why did Jesus say he will be at the right hand of God?(Separate)Mark 14:62, Mark 16:19. Again refer back to Question #(32)

(45) There are over 33,000 different "Christian" denominations/sects Source, With so many differences in beliefs between each one...What makes "your" denomination "right" when it comes to salvation?

(46) Why do you cherry pick laws from the Bible, and throw out ones with the excuse of "That's from the Old Testament", when Jesus explicitly stated until earth and heaven disappear not one single law will be removed? Matthew 5:18

(47) Many people claim that their faith is based off of spiritual experiences. If your God is the only true God, how is it that people of different religions share in these same spiritual experiences? Real Spiritual Stories (Site that catalogs peoples spiritual experience stories from all over the world)

(48) The majority of scholars agree that the Gospel of Mark was the first gospel written. It is also agreed upon by majority of scholars that the ending of Mark is not part of the original gospel and that it was a later addition written in by scribes. So if the author of Mark wrote a gospel of Jesus' life, why did he fail to mention 2 of the most important events that support Christian doctrine?(Virgin birth and Resurrection)

(49) When did Jesus ascend to Heaven? (Day of his crucifixion? Luke 23:43), (Day of his resurrection? John 20:17), (A couple days after his resurrection? Mark 16:19), or (40+ days after his resurrection? Acts 1:3-9)

(50) Human fossil record for Homo Sapiens(humans) dates to over 250,000 years.Homo Sapeins, Let's just say for sake of argument that humans are only 50,000 years old... It is believed that the earliest books were written no earlier than the 16th century BCE, although most scholars agree that they were written between the 8th and 5th centuries BCE. For sake of argument lets say they were written in 2000 BCE. Being that humans walked the earth over 50,000 years ago and God's law and morals were handed down to Moses a mere 4000 years ago... Where was God for the other 46,000 years?

(*) There are many more unanswerable questions... The last questions I'd like to ask are can you answer any of these questions without creative twisting of theology? If you think you have an answer to one of the questions... is your answer backed up in the bible and if so does it conflict or disagree with another part in the bible? Lastly... would you feel comfortable asking these questions to your church leaders? If not, why? If so, I'd like to challenge you to do so and see if they can answer any of them without using the tactics I laid out in the link at the top of the page.

The Way Christians Answer

When questioning the Bible or Christian doctrines, Christians and their apologists answer your questions in a way typically in one of the following themes.

Theme 1 = Theological:
  A theological response is usually given. These are responses that typically have no realistic factual, historical, or real logical basis.
An easy example of this is in Genesis where it states God created the heavens and the earth in 6 days. A typical theological response to this would be that a "day" is metaphorical and most likely you will be given a  quote from Paul about how a day is equivalent to 1000 years. Or that God is all powerful and if he wanted to create everything in 6 days all things are possible to Him.
Both of these responses give no factual basis and the quotes from other verses are usually way out of context.
These type of  answers to a bias christian usually make perfect sense to them, but objectively if they were to step back and critically think about it... the question isn't truly answered.

Theme 2 = The Redirect:
  This one is my favorite... Usually it goes something like this. "Why did Jesus say such and such?" The dance response would go something like this... "Well he couldn't have meant that because in this other verse it states such and such and he says this"
What has been done here to the biased person is that you have been blindly redirected to an alternate verse that completely agrees with not only what you want to hear, but what the person who is answering wants you to hear.
What you don't realize is that not only did the person indirectly admit that the first verse says exactly what it says, there is also a verse that completely contradicts that verse. Which also indirectly admits that there is a contradiction.
Again the question isn't answered.

Theme 3 = The Cop Out:
  These are the typical answers you get like.. "God works in mysterious ways", "God's plan isn't always understood", "That was Old Testament laws", "You just have to have faith".
These are basically answers given when the person just doesn't have an answer for you. Instead of admitting it you will get a response like this or something like "You shouldn't question God, Satan is tempting you"
These are all "cop out" answers. A response given to you because the question is simply unanswerable and these answers give comfort to the responder because the answer they just gave you satisfies them.

Even those these are the big 3, there are other types of responses.
Honorable mention would be Repetition. This is where the responder just simply repeats a so called answer over and over like it is logical and you don't get it. Usually it is a response theme that comes from one of the above 3 themes.

God Kills...Babies!..and Everyone Else.

Can you think of even one reason for the justification of killing a healthy new born baby? God did.. and commanded it on numerous occasions. This is one of the reason why I do not believe the Bible is God's word.

Genesis 6:6 "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled."
To have "regret" is to admit mistake. The God portrayed here in the above verse sounds more human than God.

So God Begins Killing...
How Many People does God Kill? Mathematically over 2 MILLION, but taking into account the entire world in the flood and the numerous cities the bible doesn't give a number for, the estimated death toll is over 25 MILLION.  

God Wipes out the Earth(Including all the babies):
* Genesis 6:7 "So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”" 
* Genesis 7:21-23 "Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind." 

God inflicts disease (Because God Believed Abram's Lie):
* Genesis12:17 "But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai."

God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah(Including all the babies):
* Genesis 19:25 "Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain,s detroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land." 
* Genesis 19:26 Oh and Lot's wife also.

God Kills Er for being Wicked:
* Genesis 38:7 "But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death."

God Kills Onan for not Impregnating his Brother's Wife:
* Genesis 38:8-10 "But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also."

God sends Famine across Pharaoh's Land to Profit Joseph:
* Genesis 41:25-56 "and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food."

God Commands Moses to Release the Plague of Blood:
* Exodus 7:19-24 "The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt."

God Commands Moses to Release the Plague of Bools:
* Exodus 9:8-12 "and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land."

God Commands Moses to Release the Plague of Hail:
* Exodus 9:13-33 "because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die."

God Finishes his Plagues by Releasing the Plague of the Firstborn(Killing more Babies):
* Exodus 11:1-10 "So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. ⁵ Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well."

Because God Killed all the Firstborn of Pharaoh, He demands in return the Death of the Israelite's Firstborn Males(More Babies Dead):
* Exodus 13:1-15 "When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’"

I am only at Exodus here and not even halfway through. Link in the beginning shows the Math and just about every killing.

Before You scream out Context!! or God's Lesson's!! I just really want you to scroll up and read the first question again. This time step back and really ponder... in what circumstance is it okay to kill an innocent baby?

And if you still believe the context is misplaced... here is a video to at least watch.

 

Other Gods Like Jesus

Many Gods and myths prior to Jesus in the first century describe gods with the same characteristics and identical stories of Jesus.

FitzRoy Somerset wrote a book on his studies of tradition dealing with the archtype "Hero".
The "Mythic Hero Archetype" is a set of 22 common traits shared by many heroes in various cultures, myths and religions throughout history and around the world.

Listed here (Mythic hero archetype) , the 22 traits are listed out. Reading these you will immediately see the resemblance to Jesus' traits. He has 19. Among the other "heroes" most are ancient greek gods that were prior to Jesus' time.
Oedipus with all 22.
Theseus with 20.
Romulus with 17.
and so on.

See also Jesus Christ in comparative mythology
Arguments from both sides are given in this link.

Horus :
* Miraculous birth
* Begotten Son of a God
* Became King
* Considered God of light
* Son of truth
* Father was Osiris "Creator god", "god of afterlife and resurrection", "god of the ram",
"god of rituals pertaining to eating of bread", "god of judgment after death, according to your moral fitness", "judgment was eternal life or thrown into the devourer with no eternal life".

Dionysus :
* Miraculous Birth
* Said to be Born in winter solstice(December)Dionysian Mysteries
* Son of a God
* Mother was human
* At birth had to be protected from being killed
* God associated with wine
* God associated with the fig tree
* Rejected at his home town
* Descended into hell
* Brought before a King for charges of claiming divinity
* Died
* Resurrected

Krishna :
* Royal bloodline
* Divine conception
* God Incarnate
* Came into earth as human from being Supreme God
* Came to earth to rid sin
* At birth had to flee to escape death
* Battles against a serpent
* Became King
* Earthly body ascended into heaven

Inanna :
  Descent to the underworld:
* Descended into hell
* Died
* Resurrected after 3 days and 3 nights
* Depictions of the number 7(gates and judges)

I was going to go on and list more(there are a lot more) gods with similar traits and events that mirror the story of Jesus, but it would be long and redundant and the information is easily accessible.
The point of this blog is that prior to Jesus there were many gods that resembled and did the things that Jesus did.

There is one character that I recently stumbled onto though. He is from the Bible and I have no idea why I have never heard of him until recently.
His name is Melchizedek
This priest is mentioned 2 times in the old testament and a few times in the book of Hebrews Paul compares Jesus to him and even sways the argument that Jesus now replaces him as ...'a priest forever'.
Paul refers to Melchizedek in Hebrews 7:3 ^"Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever."

This character is without mother or father, without beginning or end. He is essentially a god, Paul describes basically as God, because only God has no beginning or end if he is the ultimate creator.
These are key verses that promote the doctrine of the eternal Jesus. The question would be that doesn't remove this character from existence. Yes Paul compares Jesus with Melchizedek, and even goes as far as Jesus replacing him as the eternal priest, but who was this eternal priest? How can God be eternal and creator of all things... if there is another 'being' without beginning or end?  

Jesus The "Sun" of God

Malachi 4:2 "...the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves."
Psalm 84:11 "For the Lord God is a sun and shield"

The evidence of sun worship is abundant in the old testament. The Israelite people were warned and condemned of its practice in many verses.

Deuteronomy 4:19 "And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven."

Deuteronomy 17:2-3 "...and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars in the sky,"

2 Kings 23:5 "He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts."

Jeremiah 8:1-2 "They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground."

Leading up to, during, and long after the time of Jesus, people worshiped the sun. 
The events that transpired in unifying the December 25th date of Jesus' birth directly is linked to Sol Invictus 
Solar Deity  "During the Roman Empire, a festival of the birth of the Unconquered Sun (or Dies Natalis Solis Invicti) was celebrated on the winter solstice—the "rebirth" of the sun—which occurred on December 25 of the Julian calendar. In late antiquity, the theological centrality of the sun in some Imperial religious systems suggest a form of a "solar monotheism". The religious commemorations on December 25 were replaced under Christian domination of the Empire with the birthday of Christ"
Sol Invictus and Christianity and Judaism "It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day."

During the Winter solstice or also December solstice which happens from December 20-22 each year, the sun in the northern hemisphere appears to disappear into the earth for 3 days. On or near the 25th of December after the Sun's ebbing presence seen by sun worshipers as a 'reversal', the sun appears again being "reborn". In essence, the Sun dies, is buried in the earth for 3 days, and then resurrected.

Orion's belt has 3 stars also known as "Three Kings", who point the way or "follow" the brightest star Sirius. Same as the 3 magi who follow the star to the birth of the "son". At the time of the winter solstice you have the 3 kings following the star Sirius to the birth of the "sun"

The Zodiac "is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude that are centered upon the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year."

Here we have the "Sun" as the central focal point around 12 signs. Jesus being the "Son" and focal point around his 12 disciples. Another thing to note is the 30 degrees, Jesus begins his ministry with his 12 disciples at the age of 30.

 
I could go on and elaborate in my own words just mirroring what is already out there. Instead I will post a site that from start to finish explains in great detail the mythology of the sun and how it has intertwines with Judaism/Christianity... Solarmythology

The site explains everything that Jesus did in correlation with the sun's movement across the Zodiac. From meeting John the Baptist, walking on water, the transfiguration, and so on.

Can You Be A Christian If You Don't Believe Jesus Is God?

Blog Article:  Very good series presented by an ordained minister with the thought that Jesus doesn't have to be God to follow Jesus and be "Christ Like"(Christian)

This topic all hangs on the definition of "Christian".
If being Christian is believing that the doctrines of Jesus is God(or Son of God, ie:trinity) and/or Jesus having died for your sins, and believing in these is your only salvation then the answer is No.

Being that during Jesus' ministry his disciples and the people he presented his message to did not believe in these things because Jesus in fact just plain didn't teach these doctrines. Even speaking privately to the 12 apostles about his upcoming death they didn't understand(Luke 18:31-34).

Jesus in his own words never explicitly stated he was God and for anyone to worship him. He never said his death was for the salvation of mankind. He never stated he was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit all wrapped up in one. These are later theologies and teachings pulled from the author of John, and in-laid into Paul's letters.

What Jesus Taught: - Looking at what Jesus taught and following his message and principles, in which in his own words were directly given to him from God(John 7:16), we can deduct that being "Christian"or "Christ like" the answer to this post is most definitely YES you can be a Christian if you don't believe Jesus is God. Following Jesus' Core Message and his humble teachings is the entire reason that Jesus was sent in the first place. To realign his people from tradition and instead to God's core message of loving Him and doing good works.

Inherited/Original Sin?

Inherited sin is a doctrine amongst many denominations of Christianity, yet the Bible explicitly teaches that sin is not inherited at all.

Psalm 139:13-14 - God created us in the womb. Did God insert sin into us during creation?

Deuteronomy 24:16 - We are not responsible for our Parents sin, "...each will die for their own sin". Here is an explicit verse that refutes the possibility of inheriting sin from Adam and Eve.

Ezekial 18:4 - Verse similar to the above verse "The one who sins is the one who will die."

Genesis 4:6-8 - Even though Cain doesn't listen.. God tell him that he is the ruler over his own sin.

Romans 5:12 - Looking at what Paul says in the New testament about it... Sin entered through man(doesn't say how or why?) If Adam sinned then sin was always possible with the "creation" of man. The inheritance spoken here is "DEATH" not sin itself. Death was the result of the first sin, so we inherited death from Adam and Eve, not sin. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 goes on to support this.

Sin itself is a result of free will. Adam did not commit "Original sin". If you want to get technical it was Satan that committed the first sin by rejecting God and leaving Heaven with his angels.

The Trinity?

The only verse in the entire Bible that explicitly describes the "trinity" is 1 John 5:7-8
Unfortunately this version is a Latin corruption that is not found in any manuscript prior to the 14th century. See Comma Johanneum

Quoting from the description the Trinity is... "one God in three persons: while distinct from one another in their relations of origin and in their relations with one another, they are stated to be one in all else, co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial, and "each is God, whole and entire." 

Let's examine some of this...
Co-Equal :
For Jesus and the Holy Spirit to be 'co-equal' they would have to have all the same properties of God.
Who is God? - here is my post on the qualities of God.
Is Jesus God?(1) , Is Jesus God?(2) - These posts clearly show Jesus is not and that he explicitly states he is not.

Now as the Holy Spirit... The definition of the Holy Spirit is "a spirit without impurities". In essence it is God. God's at work in most cases. No where does it mention people talking to the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Spirit talking or instructing others. It is always mentioned as 'filled with the Holy Spirit' or 'in the name of the Holy Spirit'.

The belief that the Advocate mentioned in the Gospel of John chapters 14-16 is the Holy Spirit promised to come after the death of Jesus, implies that the Holy Spirit has not come yet.
In Luke 3:21-23 the Holy Spirit comes down during Jesus' baptism.
Many other mentions of the Holy Spirit are in the gospels, which makes John's passages about the advocate associate with the Holy Spirit confusing.

Also to note Jesus did say go and baptize in the name of the  Holy Spirit, yet this clearly contradicts Acts 19:1-2 when the disciples of Jesus who were baptized by John the baptist, state “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”   

Co-Eternal: 
There are a couple verses that mention Jesus speaking about being before Abraham, also that he is the Word and the Word became flesh. There is not doubt that the implied message from the author of the gospel of John is elevating Jesus to a divine status. But if you are to take these passages as truth and disregard all other passages then you are denying that the Bible is an entire truth.

There are doctrines that state because of these verses Jesus states he was there during creation, yet they completely ignore verses that contradict that. ie. (Isaiah 44:24)
"I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself" 
By His self, can't get any more contradictory than that.

Arius "If Jesus was in reality the "Son of God", then it followed that the Father must have existed before him(the Son), therefore, there must have been a time where the Son(Jesus) did not exist. Therefore, it followed that the Son was a creature composed of an essence or being which had not always existed. Since God is in essence eternal and ever-existing, Jesus could not be of the same essence of God."

Jesus vs. Paul

Paul's teachings throughout the new testament have a very spiritual and theological manner to them. Unfortunately if you closely compare the messages Jesus taught and what Paul taught you start to realize they are very different. In fact on many issues they are opposite.

Obeying and Upholding Mosaic Law:
Jesus:
Matthew 5:17-19 - "...until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law..." 
Luke 16:16-17 - "It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law."

Paul:
Ephesians 2:14-15 - "by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations" 
Romans 7:1-16 - "we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."
Romans 10:4(KJV) - "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

Jesus speaks on upholding the law, that not a single letter be changed until heaven and earth disappear, yet Paul claims through Christ the law and its commands and regulations have ended.

Who is the only Father?:
Jesus: 
Matthew 23:9 - "And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven." 

Paul: 
1 Corinthians 4:15  - "Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel."

Jesus is pretty clear that no one on earth be called "father", yet Paul boastfully claims through Christ "Paul" is the new "father".

Salvation - Faith Alone? or Faith+Works?:
Jesus:
Matthew 7:21 - "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 19:16-17 - "If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
Mark 16:16 - "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,..." 
Luke 6:46 -  “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?" 

Paul:
Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works..."  
Romans 3:28 - " For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." 

Clear contradiction to Jesus' on teachings. Believing(Faith) and Doing(works) is  what Jesus taught. Paul apparently didn't get that message.

Are Jesus' Apostles Instructed to go out and Baptize?:
Jesus:
Matthew 28:19 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them..."  

Paul:
1 Corinthians 1:17 - "For Christ did not send me to baptize,..."

While Jesus was alive he instructed all his apostles to go out and baptize. Paul who claims to be an apostle to Jesus states he was not sent to baptize at all. 

Forgiveness of Sins:    
Jesus:
Matthew 6:14-15 - " For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

Paul:
Ephesians 1:7 - "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins..."
Romans 4:25  - "He was delivered over to death for our sins..."

Prior to Jesus' death he taught that sins were forgivable, but Paul teaches that through Jesus' death sins are now forgiven.

On Collecting Pay for Preaching:
Jesus:
Matthew 10:7-8 - "As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near..." ... "Freely you have received; freely give." 

Paul:
1 Timothy 5:17-18 - "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching."... "The worker deserves his wages.”

Jesus states freely give because you have freely received, Paul states you should get double honor and deserves wages.

Paul was a persecutor of the early Jews who followed Jesus' message. Acts 8:3 

...to be continued

What Did Jesus Teach?

Sent only to the Jews:
Matthew 15:24
Matthew10:5-7

Sent to fulfill Jewish Law(not change it):
Matthew 5:17-19
Luke 16:17
John 7:19
Mark 12:28-24
Matthew 19:17

Apposing Extremism and tradition over law from priests and leaders:
Matthew 15:1-20  - not what goes into your body that makes you pure its what comes out.
Luke 13:10-17 - Leader upset that Jesus healed a woman on Sabbath
Matthew 23:1-10 - criticizes religious leaders for their hypocrisy
Matthew 23:13-37 - Seven woes.. more hypocrisy toward the leaders.

Do not be an aggressor:
Matthew 5:39
Luke 6:29
Matthew 5:9
Matthew 26:52

Be humble:
Matthew 23:12
Luke 14:11
John 3:30
Mark 9:33-37

Don't be greedy:
Luke 22:15
Matthew 6:24
Matthew 23:25

Teachings on Kingdom of God:
Matthew 3:1-2  - Continued from John the Baptists teachings.
Luke 17:20-21 - Is not Physical, its is within you.
Luke 9:60  - Go out and deliver the message

Core Messages:
Matthew 7:21  - not just Faith but Faith + Works(doing the will of the Father)
Luke 10:25-37 - Love - Love God and love your neighbor.
Matthew 5:17-20 - Uphold the Mosaic laws to the fullest.
Luke 18:18-22 - Uphold the commandments and give to the needy all your excess.
Mark 16:15-16 - Spread his message to all humanity, believe and be baptized.
Luke 13:1-5 - Repent
Matthew 16:27 - rewards given to people according to works.

Did Jesus Die on the Cross? (Part 3)

      Out of all the information already laid out, the most odd and questionable events actually happen during the gospel resurrection accounts.

   In Part 1 you will read the the Bible explicitly states that after you die you become spirit, that there is only one death then Judgement. So if Jesus died he would therefor be spirit and would have ascended to God immediately upon his death.

   When the women arrive in three of the four accounts the stone has been rolled away. In Matthew 28:2-15 the stone is still closed when the women arrive, an angel causes an earthquake and the stone rolls away. The angel says that Jesus is not there and to meet him in Galilee. This is the only gospel that insinuates that Jesus was actually spirit. The other three gospels specifically have the stone moved away and also the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in was still in the tomb.
   I think it's important to note that Marks gospel ends with a man telling the women to tell the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee.  "Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid." Mark 16:8 Verses 9-20 are widely agreed upon that do not make up Mark's original ending as they are not found in any of the earlier manuscripts(See my manuscripts post). The women fled... and told NO ONE! I find this to be quite interesting. Scholars believe that Mark did have an ending that extended this one, but that it is lost. If there was scripture that had an alternative ending where Jesus lives as an earthly man and ventures out to seek the lost tribes of Israel like he was supposed to do as the Jewish Messiah, it would make sense that it became "lost".

  The other gospels have a resurrection account though. Back on Matthew's there really isn't much interesting going on here except one thing... there were witnesses to the angel creating the earthquake and the stone being moved revealing an empty tomb. Matthew 28:11-15 Not only did they witness the event, they rushed to the priests and told all that they seen. They were bribed by the priests to tell Pilate a different story. These verses seem to show the priests caring about the fate of the guards and make a story up so they won't be in trouble, the problem is the story is a decent story and I am pretty sure the guards would have forked their own money out in thanks to the priests.
   In every gospel except Matthew we have the stone moved back, Jesus not being in the tomb, and some cloth in the tomb. Showing that Jesus left the cloth in spirit but for some reason couldn't exit the tomb in spirit.
   In Luke 24:5 the two men at the tomb spoke to the women and asked them “Why do you look for the living among the dead?" What would make the men think the women were looking for the "living". Why is this statement here if Jesus is presumed dead to them?

   Moving on to Jesus' appearances. John 20:13-18 Mary Magdalene sees the empty tomb and starts crying, Jesus appears to her and she doesn't recognize him. Okay so she isn't startled, Jesus apparently isn't a spirit/ghost. Actually she thinks he is quite human and has the appearance of the gardener. This is interesting because if Jesus were to have survived, the nearest available clothes would have been the gardener's clothes from the nearby gardeners shack. She asks him where he had placed Jesus so that she can go get him. How was Mary supposed to carry Jesus' 150+lbs body by herself? No body is mentioned here, she specifically asks where Jesus was. 
   It wasn't until he speaks her name until she recognizes him as Jesus. Did Mary startle, jump back, and freak out that Jesus was standing there alive?  No she does quite the opposite, she goes to embrace him, glad that he is alive. Mary already knew from whatever she saw two nights before, Jesus could be alive. Jesus stops her and says “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father." Jesus is literally saying he is not "dead" here, that he is an alive body of flesh, and he hasn't gone to God yet. Why would Jesus not let Mary embrace him? Was it because he was a spirit and she would have passed right through him? No, nothing up to this point shows he is a spirit and the events after this specifically prove he had a solid flesh body. Then why? The most logical reason would be that Jesus was still alive, still alive with the fresh wounds from his crucifixion. A hearty embrace would have caused great pain to him and instead of worrying her about it he tells her to go off to tell the disciples that she has seen him.
   Continuing on with John, John 20:19-20 Jesus meets the disciples and shows them his wounds and they were overjoyed. Jesus' wounds still exist after death? If Jesus has died and is risen with his wounds does that mean anyone who has died a horrific death(burning, decapitated, etc..) will they also be risen with these wounds? Doesn't make sense. Later when he meets with Thomas he tells him to touch his wounds. Why does he offer up the touch to Thomas but not to Mary earlier in the same gospel? He is flesh.
   In Luke 24:13-35 Jesus meets up with a couple disciples on a road. Again he is isn't recognized until later when they actually sit down and face him to eat. And yes i said "eat" Does a spirit need food? Why did Jesus need to eat? Verse 23 they tell Jesus(not knowing they are speaking about jesus himself) about his own recent events at the tomb they had heard from the women... "but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive."
Yes ALIVE. He later meets up with the disciples and they are frightened. Why are they frightened and think they have seen a ghost? Because as stated in Part 2 the disciples weren't near Jesus during his death, all the know is what little they could see and what was told to them. All they knew was that Jesus was dead. Jesus assures them he is no ghost. "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” He proves he is not a ghost/spirit and again here offers them to touch him. Then like in John he eats with them. All signs point to alive.

   The ascension of Jesus portrayed in the gospels are contradictory. No mention in Mark and Matthew. In Luke however we have Jesus ascending not long after his meal with his disciples. John makes no mention of Jesus ascending, but in the final verses of John John 21:25 it states "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." So apparently it took Jesus quite some time to ascend as he did so many things afterward that it would fill the world with books. Well to me that would seem that Jesus was walking around healing and performing miracles for many many years to be able to fill up that many books.
  Later in Acts, the final appearances of Jesus are stated....

 Acts 1:3-4 
" After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God."

"After is suffering" Not after his death or resurrection.
"Convincing proofs that he was ALIVE" yes alive.

In chapter 4 again, he eats. Why would they mention this again and again? to prove he was ALIVE.

Recap:
* Jesus had secret disciples in the Sanhedrin, the same group of priests that plotted to kill him.
* The person that sentenced Jesus to death did not want to. In fact Pilate made many attempts to free him.
* Jesus at one point drank something that should have revived him and immediately "died"?
* The people who were close and knew Jesus watched the crucifixion from a distance.
* Upon Jesus' death something strange happened that caused everyone to flee except those that knew him.
* Jesus was on the cross no longer than 6 hours.
* Pilate freely gave Joseph Jesus' body, even though he was part of the Sanhedrin. (Pilate had to of known Joseph's loyalty to Jesus.)
* The substances that Joseph and Nicodemus used on Jesus are proven to have healing properties.
* The women came with the same substances 2 days later, a practice that should have happened that night.
* The stone was rolled away. Jesus didn't need to stone to be rolled away if he was spirit.
* Mary seen Jesus disguised as the gardener and asked him where he placed Jesus so she(alone) could take him?
* Jesus wouldn't let Mary embrace him(an embrace would have been painful compared to a touch), yet let other disciples touch him and feel his wounds.
* Unlike Mary who had seen Jesus in the tomb on the night of the crucifixion, the disciples were startled to see Jesus.(They had heard, or from what they could see from far away he had died)
* The disciples did not understand even after they seen the tomb empty why Jesus had to die?
* Jesus assured the disciples he was alive and was of solid flesh by letting them touch him, and by eating with them multiple times.
* Multiple verses in the bible state that Jesus was alive.
* The book of Acts states Jesus spent 40 days trying to convince people he was alive.
* The ending of the gospel of John states Jesus did so many things after the crucifixion, that there wouldn't be enough room in the world for the books. This suggests that Jesus lived for a long time after the crucifixion.
* Either way Jesus did not fulfill his final prophecy. Matthew 12:38-45
Jesus states he will be in the belly of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights. If you count the 1st day a full day and even the last day a full day(which he was gone by sunrise), you still are short 1 night. Jesus was only in the belly of the earth for 2 nights. Also Jonah went into the belly of the whale "alive" was in the belly for 3 days and 3 nights "alive", and came out of the belly "alive".

Did Jesus Die on the Cross? (Part 2)

Matthew 27:48-50 Mark 15:36-37 John 19:29-30
Three out of the four gospels agree that right after Jesus takes vinegar he dies.
Unless the vinegar was mixed with poison, Jesus shouldn't of died after drinking it. In fact it would be the opposite. In ancient times vinegar was given to slaves who were passed out. A sort of smelling salt effect.
"When the sponge was soaked only in vinegar, its original use, it could help prevent the wearer from fainting" Vinegar and Fainting.

The location where Jesus was crucified is still in debate to this day. According to the gospels it was near Jerusalem John 19:19-20
Except for John, the gospels specifically state that the women and those who knew Jesus, stood at a distance. Mark 15:40-41 Matthew27:55-56 Luke 23:48-49
Note that in Luke everyone except the ones who actually knew Jesus went away. Only those who stayed watched "these things". 
 Although it was written that the people had left the scene, it was after the explanation of darkness and tearing of the temple curtain. And in the quote of "these things" implies that the women and those who knew him were the only ones of the crowd that witnessed these events.

All four gospels mention two people who were crucified next to Jesus. It's only in Luke's account that the story is spun in a peculiar fashion. Luke 23:32,39-43 One of the criminals hurled insults at Jesus, but the other asked to be remembered. Jesus' quote here is interesting... “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus tells this man that "today" he will be with him in paradise. An unarguable statement that in this account Jesus believes he will ascend to heaven on this day and that the man next to him will be with him. More to come on the ascension later.

Centurion A commander of the Roman Army.
Mark 15:39 This centurion "saw that he died with such a cry."(footnote of v39), and proclaimed him to be the son of God. He was taken back by the events that had had witnessed. This centurion would later have to vouch for Jesus' death.

John 19:31-34 Only in John's account do we get details of the two men and Jesus after Jesus' death.
Because it was law that no man be left hanging on the Sabbath or the land will be cursed, these crucifixions needed to be completed this day. As the day was drawing to an end, the soldiers came to break the legs. The cause of death from crucifixion was either hunger or asphyxiation because the person could no longer keep the weight off the arms, therefore having them elevated and cause asphyxiation. Breaking the legs insured a much quicker death. All three men were flogged and crucified. Taken into account that the two criminals were guilty of their crimes according to their own mouths "⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”, but Jesus being not guilty according to Pilate & Herod, these men would have been flogged much worse than Jesus had been. Yet here they are both alive and because they would have survived overnight, their legs had to be broken.
Once they came upon Jesus however, they seen that he was already dead. He was then pierced. Although there are some arguments as to whether blood and water flowing signify death, in John's statement he was specifically writing this verse to show that Jesus was truly dead. 
I could argue that dead bodies don't bleed. That is medically true, and a pierce to the pericardial artery will produce the blood and water result. Instead I would like to point out that none of the other gospel writers made this mention, and most importantly to note... John makes a interesting statement right after the piercing verse. John 19:35 ^"35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe."  Of all the verses of John's gospel that relate to signs and miracles, it is this event that he has to explain that this story is the truth and it isn't a lie. Because without John's verses on the piercing, Jesus could easily have survived the crucifixion.

Joseph of Arimathea comes on the scene, "a prominent member of the Council" Mark 15:43, "a rich man." Matthew 27:57 , "a good and upright man, ⁵¹ who had not consented to their decision and action." Luke 23:50-51 , "was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders" John 19:38
   So Joseph, a rich upstanding secret disciple of Jesus who was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin comes to Pilate and requests Jesus' body. Interestingly Joseph asks Pilate for Jesus body using the greek word  Soma, which in most cases in the NT it represents a "living body". Once Pilate confirms that Jesus is dead he grants permission to hand over Jesus' Ptoma which is greek for dead body. Although in Pilate's view Jesus body in reference would be alive in the beginning, it is Joseph who is asking for Jesus "alive" body.
   The real question here is why would a man who reluctantly gave Jesus up for crucifixion to  the Sanhedrin priests, so easily give Jesus' body to a "prominent" member of this same council? Especially when the normal practice of crucifixion was to let the body be devoured by animals. Could it be that Pilate and Joseph knew each other and had an understanding about who Jesus was?
   When Joseph asks Pilate for the body, Pilate is shocked that Jesus is already dead, so much that he had to ask confirmation from the centurion. Mark 15:44-45 Why was Pilate shocked by the news of Jesus' death? Because he only had been up there for 3 hours! The centurion who had believed that Jesus was the son of God, confirmed his death. Did the centurion had a reason to lie? Perhaps... under the circumstances, Pilate, who thought Jesus was innocent could have allowed Joseph to take the body on the account that he knew the centurions perception of Jesus. That of course would be hearsay and inputting information that isn't revealed in the scripture.

    Jesus' portrayal of death between the four gospels are quite interesting. For one in Mark 15:40 , Matthew 27:55 , & Luke 23:49 all have the women and the people who were close to Jesus watching from a distance. Why? Because everyone who was up front and center of Jesus were the Jewish priests and Roman guards. If the priests (who already recognized Peter) seen them they would point them out to the soldiers just as they did with Peter. Also to note in Luke 23:48 everyone who didn't know him fled AFTER Jesus' death, so everyone who knew him were standing afar and it wasn't until a strange event(earthquakes, sun blotted out, etc..) that the people who knew Jesus were able to approach him.
   John of course tells a slightly different story, John 19:25-26 a trio of Marys were near the cross(his mother, aunt and Mary Magdalene) and "the disciple whom he loved" was standing "nearby" BEFORE Jesus' death. Which is a complete contradiction to Mark and Matthew's account which specifically name Mary Magdalene as one who was standing afar BEFORE Jesus' death.
   The point here is that logically John's account is the least likely considering how dangerous it would have been for anyone who was seen familiarizing with Jesus. Three of the four gospels agree that there was no one near the cross during Jesus death, therefor it is likely that all four accounts are not trustworthy sources because no direct witnesses(i.e. Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) could have seen every detail up and including Jesus death.

   The burial of Jesus has some interesting points also. In Mark 15:46-47 and Matthew 27:59-61 Joseph of Arimathea takes Jesus into his tomb places linen on him and rolls the stone close(by himself). The women were also there and seen Jesus' body in the tomb. Now even though crucified criminals don't get burials, in Jewish customs of the 1st century would have the body cleaned, oiled, scented, and buried on the same day.(Wasn't until after the 16th century they finally realized they could be burying people alive). In Luke 23:56 the women go home and prepare spices and wait 2 days because Passover was the following day. Mark 16:1 has the women buying spices the morning after Passover(apparently before sunrise Mark 16:2). Why would the women break customs? Where did the women "buy" the spices at before sunrise? Myrrh linked here for its medicinal properties, and Aloe is also know for its medicinal properties also. According to John 19:39 Joseph and Nicodemus brought 75 pounds of the mixtures and wrapped Jesus in it that night. An outside source of analysis of these herbs is laid out here Aloe&Myrrh.pdf
   The women show up at the tomb with these spices, while standing at the tomb could they have seen something on the night of the crucifixion that would lead them to not rush out and buy the spices on  that night, but instead 2 days later?

Continue on to Part 3.