Three things to keep in mind when wrestling with hard questions about the Bible

Many people have hard questions about the Bible and about God. The Bible can be a challenging book to accept as truth. It has inconsistencies between certain passages. It makes claims that aren’t always historically valid or verifiable. It contains stories about miracles and a risen Savior who defeats death. For people who aren’t dyed-in-the-wool Christians, this can all be a bit hard to accept.

Heck, even if you are a question, you’re probably going to wrestle with hard questions about the Bible and God. Everyone deals with these questions differently, but we hope to help you out by outlining three things below to keep in mind when wrestling with hard questions about the Bible. 

1. Look for what you can learn about God

Every story in the Bible contains something about God’s character or what people perceived of God’s character. When engaging with a section of the Bible that’s hard to understand or accept, you should lay a baseline of identifying what the story says about God.

Even if you come to no ultimate conclusion or understanding of a hard passage, you might at least walk away with a deeper sense of God thanks to something the passage reveals about Him.

2. Look for what you can learn about people

God is the central character of the Bible but not the only one. There are many people across many cultures across thousands of years who play roles in the stories of the Bible. Many of the books of the Bible itself are separated by hundreds of years. 

With this in mind, you can approach challenging or confusing texts with the goal of learning more about people and how they viewed and interacted with God. What you learn about them might be helpful for you when wrestling with hard questions about the Bible. 

3. Try to figure out what God wants you to think or believe

Many passages in the Bible contain stories or lessons that can help you try to figure out what God wants you to think or believe. Many of these passages aren’t explicit in stating a blunt lesson or application but require careful investigation and discernment. 

If you’ve encountered a passage that’s tripping you up, think of it as an opportunity to investigate the text further and find out what God might want you to think in response to it. 

Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey

At Centerpoint, our community doesn’t shy away from asking hard questions about the Bible, and we would love to walk with you on your journey. We hope to meet you at one of our three services on Sunday morning in Valrico, Florida.