Whitten Q & A - Why do YOU believe that Christianity is the ONLY WAY?

Good afternoon and welcome to question and answer with Pastor Josiah Shipley of Witton Baptist Church. Got a pre-recorded video today, but please still comment and if you want I can do a follow-up on this.

In fact, I really would appreciate that. Today's question is why do Christians think they are the only way? Why do Christians think they are on the only way to heaven? How can they be right and everyone else be wrong and again?

Based on the comments of this video will determine if we do a follow-up video or two, which I would love to do. Okay, so What I want to do today is give five very quick reasons of why I believe Christianity is right.

Christianity is true and other quote-unquote. Belief systems are not. And I want to set a few preliminary factors first off all Religion is wrong. You may be thinking I thought you just said you believe in Christianity.

Yes, all religion is wrong. Religion is a man-made interpretation of God. Faith is directly from God you see. When we call the Bible the Word of God what we're saying is we believe there's 40-something writers.

But only one author God written over 1 ,500 years. So notes and Bible commentaries and church history books can be helpful. But they can also be flawed and I recognize that I don't hide from that, okay.

But I treat other belief systems the same way. I Want to know what their texts that they claim to be from God are in other comments or commentaries on that? I can read to learn from but I don't treat those as is as if they were divine.

So there's that so all religion is wrong. Satan has used religion better than he has any other type of demon music or or drugs or drinking. Religion is his best tool. Okay, because What Jesus told the Pharisees you teach us doctrine the commands of men.

Whereas we have always said as real Christians What the Bible says is the Word of God. Even if it goes against what I have previously believed or even if it goes against what I feel or what I want. So I want to give you five reasons why I believe Christianity is true and understand that each of these reasons I could spend a whole video on and if I need to do that, I want you to tell me.

So I'm about the list of five reasons. Okay. Reason number one personal experience. Reason number two history. Reason number three examination of other religions. Reason number four the Bible itself. Reason number five grace.

And. If you would like me to go in-depth on any of these five reasons in a future video I will and I will do it live or pre-recorded whatever you prefer. But if we do it live we need to keep the subject matter on that thing.

If that's what people are asking for me to be respectful of them. One of the benefits of doing pre-recorded videos is focusing on one topic. So again, these are the five reasons I'm gonna just spend a couple minutes on each of them.

But if you're not satisfied with my answer on that or you want more detail or Josiah, what about this. I promise you I will take the time and go in-depth on any of them that you guys need me to. I'm here to serve you not promote myself.

Okay, I Want everyone watching this to know whether you are a Christian a Muslim a Hindu a Buddhist? Whether you are a different sect or whether you are a Roman Catholic or Jehovah's Witness. Whether you are Baptist or Pentecostal.

Whether you're an atheist and agnostic. I want you to know from the bottom of the heart to listen to what I'm about to say. I Really believe this stuff you can and you are allowed to and I encourage you to Question what I say to think critically about it to even disagree.

But I would hope that you understand and look in my eyes when I say I Genuinely believe this stuff. I could pass a lie detector test right now saying that I really believe this is the Word of God and that what it says Happened is happening and will happen.

I genuinely believe that. Okay, so my sincerity is true now. Sincerity does not prove reality. There are billions of people on this planet that are Sincere about beliefs that doesn't make them true, you know, that doesn't make them true.

So keep that in mind. Reason number one why I believe Christianity is true is personal experience. Now if this were the only Reason I have why I believe it you shouldn't believe it personal experience is Not convincing and proving to other people.

What is true by itself? That's circular. However, it is true. It is true that personal experience can speak louder in your own heart in your own mind in your own soul more than all the books and all the sermons and all the YouTube videos can and All of us whether we're believers or not.

Have personal experience with something that has touched us whether it's something positive or negative that has stuck with us through our lives. Personal experience Can be a good indicator of truth so long as you can separate experience from feelings.

You see feelings are a really bad indicator of truth. I don't always feel like I love my wife. Does that mean I don't love her? Of course not because feelings emotions are bad indicators of truth. They're bad expressions of it.

They can vary a lot. But I just want everyone watching this to know that in my personal experience with God speaking to me not audibly. I'm not one of those people that say God has audibly spoke to me.

Maybe he has to you but not to me God speaking to me. I'm convinced I'm convinced that he is real and that this is his word and what it says really happened. I'm convinced of it. That is more real to me than this tape and that may sound crazy to you and some of you that may even sound dangerous.

I'm not denying the reality of the physical world and that our actions have consequences. I am saying the supernatural is even more real. We're living in the matrix the real world. Is the world to come in one common?

Stab at Religion but again, I don't believe in religion. I believe in faith that a Atheist make is that well, you're just living for eternity. We're living for the hearing now. Therefore we recognize you only have one life make the most of it however.

And and they make this altruistic claim that they can be selfless. But the believer cannot because they're doing it to obtain salvation first off. No good work. We can ever do can attain salvation. Secondly, no a regenerated spirit will seek the things above and God sums up the things above by saying love the Lord your God with all your heart so mind and strength and love each other as you love yourself and.

That doesn't obtain salvation that as a result of it. Okay, my example of that is electricity. If I turn off the light in here. Right and then turn it back on real fast you see light. But you see the electricity was present in the walls before that light came to be.

The light is an expression of the electricity. Okay. Our good works don't save us. They just bear fruit that we already are. Okay, our salvation is like that electricity and it will produce light. If it doesn't produce light then it's probably not active in the first place.

There's a lot of church people that have never truly been regenerated. Personal experience number one number two history. There's so many examples. I just want to give you a few. Flavius Josephus. He's a Jewish historian.

Who betrayed his Jewish brethren? To save his life during the Jewish revolt of the 60s and 70s AD. He was a general. Titus is kind of like his translator. I guess you'd say when he invaded Jerusalem. Just a couple things you can read about this in the antiquities of the Jews or Jewish antiquities.

Historical source not a believer not a Christian. Alexander the great you can read about this, you know, Alexander sieged and killed and pillaged a lot people in a lot of cities history tells us That he did not Conquer Jerusalem the same way he did everyone else.

He didn't he he conquered it without any complications. No killing no sieging. No murder. No slaughter. Josephus tells us in his book Jewish antiquities that when he went to destroy Jerusalem the priest the Jews came out brought him into the city and Showed him the book of Daniel.

Written before Alexander was even born. Alexander read it and realized that Daniel was prophesying about him that he was the goat from the east. Well, excuse me. From the West moving east from Greece and he realized wow, this is about me and didn't conquer Jerusalem.

It's amazing book of Daniel written before Alexander was born was shown to Alexander. Alexander recognized the prophecy was about him and didn't destroy Jerusalem. That really happened. Josephus speaks of John the Baptist and That Herod killed him.

So does the Bible? Josephus speaks of Jesus dying under Pontius Pilate. So does the Bible. Bart Ehrman an agnostic borderline atheist. Wrote a book called misquoting Jesus. It's critical of the New Testament.

Says that it's mostly an embellishment not that its events can't be trusted. But Bart Ehrman says this. In his book did Jesus exist no matter what you believe. No matter what you believe and what you disagree about who Jesus of Nazareth was whatever else you may think about Jesus.

He certainly did exist. That's Bart Ehrman an unbeliever. Says that we have more evidence of Jesus Existing than we do any other first century Palestinian with maybe the exception of Josephus himself who also credits the existence of Jesus.

What do you think about that if you deny the existence of Jesus now? I'm not saying this in and of itself proves that he is divine son of God or anything like that. I'm saying Evidence shows that we have more Manuscript evidence for the existence of Jesus of Nazareth.

Then we do any other first century Palestinian other than maybe Josephus who also gives credence to the existence of Jesus. If you deny the existence of Jesus you have to deny the existence of every other first century Palestinian who ever lived there during that century you have to say none of them existed.

It was just a barren land number three Examination of other religions, so I just gave a few examples of history examination of other religions guys. I am NOT like some of these other quote-unquote Baptist pastors who just want to hide truth from you.

So you just believe what you're told and never critically think for yourself. I want you to critically think. I want you to question the Bible. I want you to Because I believe you'll find out that it's true guys other books by other religions.

It's not like the return of the mummy where if you open it up and read it, you'll become demon possessed. They're just books. But I don't believe they're true or divinely inspired. I've read them. I really have this is the New World Translation.

This is the Jehovah's Witness Bible. Okay, watchtower, right? This is the Quran in English. No, I can't read Arabic yet one day maybe Book of Mormons downstairs and Pastor Jeff's office guys. Even among quote-unquote Christians I have.

I went to a Roman Catholic high school. I have Read documents. I've listened to debates. I have read the Quran. I'm still studying it. I have read the New World Translate. I've read and studied other religions and I think all Christians should I've examined it for myself.

I haven't. I've tried my best to not go into it with already an innate bias like okay what this says is true is it or is it not and examined it from a logical critical thinking perspective and What I have found is that I don't find them to be convincing for example, I'm sorry the Jehovah's Witness Translation is just a plagiarism of the Bible.

We can look at the Greek manuscript evidence, which I'm going to speak about in a minute and see this is an inaccurate translation in fact a paraphrase. Quite frankly, it doesn't take a doctorate in manuscript evidence to see that.

This is a forgery. Sorry, not sorry. It's just the reality. Mormonism is a known fake. From the 18th century Joseph Smith's claims to have received revelation from golden tablets written in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

And then when it's translated, it's translated in 16th century English that no one spoke in the 18th century. Or the 1800s, excuse me. It's known fake. The Quran when I read this I Find it too plainly and clearly believe plagiarism of the Bible.

Remember guys people get this wrong. Islam started 500 years after Jesus had already died 500 Years while it's an ancient quote-unquote religion. It is not older than Christianity and no Older does not mean true.

But when you read it and see but it's clearly a plagiarism. I'm sorry I don't know what else to tell you. Doesn't mean there's nothing true or good or moral in them. An atheist can be a good moral person.

But it doesn't make it divine. Okay when I study the Eastern religions and really also Islam I Find that they are all basically the same story of man. Piling up merit piling up good works piling up morals.

Whether that's through asceticism whether that's through meditation whether that's through giving good works sacrifice prayers. Whatever it is piling up merits to try to reach God is man climbing the ladder to try to reach God.

Christianity is the story that God reached down the man. God reached down the man. Do not do not try to go show me a two-minute YouTube video where Christians based on Osiris or one of the other ancient Egyptian God, it's not even close.

It's not even close. I'll go into it if you want, but don't bore me with YouTube theology on that no serious scholar buys into that. Okay. The fact that we find other Ancient stories of the underground and there's no connection to the God of the Bible.

It's not even close. So an examination the other religions is something we should all do. But I believe if you go to it with an open mind, you'll find it to be unconvincing Bible. I could spend a long time speaking on prophecy because there's a lot of it in this book and What it said happens, I'll give you one example.

Isaiah Book of Isaiah was written in the seven hundreds BC. So the 8th century BC. That's before Jesus or before the common error if you prefer 700 years, you know, it's funny. And can make so many prophecies they end up happening like the birth of Jesus who already proved to be existing.

How he would be born where he would be born how he would be killed. Isaiah 53. Isaiah predicts the return of Israel from captivity before they were ever captured. How amazing is that it predicts Darius releasing?

The Israelites back to Jerusalem. Before he captured. In the Medo-Persian Empire after the Babylonian Empire remember work world powers Assyrians to Babylonians to Medo-Persians to reach the Romans.

We have a Manuscript the great Isaiah scroll found him in Dead Sea Scrolls. That has been carbon dated to 125 BC. Now everyone recognizes this is not the original scroll that Isaiah wrote down on. It's a copy of the copy of the copy of the copy of the copy of the copy of the copy of the copy of the copy and won't recognize that and that.

Copy of the copy of the copy of the copy of the copy that we recognize not the original has been carbon dated to 125 BC 125 years before Jesus was ever born. Even if that were the original it still predicts his birth where he would be born how he would die, etc, etc.

It is a complete copy of the book of Isaiah minus a couple verses that I think fell off or it's hard to read. It's actually a collection of scrolls. I think it's 17 scrolls. You can't fit all of Isaiah on one scroll all 66 modern-day chapters.

We have more manuscript evidence manuscripts handwritten documents of the Bible than we do any document of history. We have 5 ,700 Greek Copies of the New Testament alone 5 ,700 now we could do a bunch of comparisons, but I just want to Read again from Bart Ehrman.

This is Bart Ehrman an unbelieving agnostic who used to be a Christian he says and then he fell away and He does not believe that the New Testament is convincing that Jesus is God and provided salvation.

But he does not deny that Jesus existed in that the New Testament writers truly believed who he was. Let me read a quote from him. This is from if I remember right this is from his article on his website the Ehrman blog from July 18th 2015.

The title of the article is New Testament manuscripts good news and bad news. Now keep in mind. I am NOT trying to say that Bart Ehrman is a believer. He's not. I'm not trying to say that he believes the Bible everything that says it's true and that it's inerrant and fallible.

He doesn't. What I am saying is he recognizes the Greek Manuscript evidence we have in the Bible is far more than any other work of antiquity to read his quote. We have more manuscripts from the New Testament than for any other Book for the ancient world.

I'm gonna read that again. We have more manuscripts for the New Testament than any other books in the ancient world. Many many more manuscripts than we have for the writings of Homer Plato Cicero or any other important author.

So listen what he's saying. We have more evidence for the New Testament than we do for Homer Plato or Cicero. We have something like 5 ,700 manuscripts of New Testament from small fragments of tiny parts of a single book or complete copies of the entire New Testament in The Greek language which they were originally written.

Along with manuscripts in many other ancient languages like Latin Syriac Coptic. This is good news. Indeed the more manuscripts to have the more likely you can figure out what the author originally says.

He goes on to say the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of differences between those manuscripts because there's differences are completely and utterly unimportant and insignificant and don't matter at all.

By far the most common differences simply show us that the scribes in the ancient world could spell no better than most people can today. So what he's saying is. In those 5 ,700 manuscripts, they all say the same thing the differences between them don't matter in our spelling 1 of them we have to make a decision about what was originally said and I don't hide from that.

I love that kind of stuff like John 5 for and 1st John 5 7 and John 8 March. I love going to that stuff. I don't hide from that. I think we can know. But my point is if you deny the Bible to be well, we'll start with the New Testament to be a first century documentation of history.

Even if you don't believe it's inerrant or infallible. You have to deny Plato, Cicero, the Gaelic Wars, notes on Julius Caesar. You have to deny all work in antiquity all of it. See because there's more evidence for the New Testament than any other by far.

Lastly reason number five why I believe Christianity is true is one word grace. As I mentioned before all the religions are Ultimately about piling up merit to reach God. Christianity is a story where God came down to man.

You see we are so dead in our sin that we can't find God. You never found Jesus. Jesus found you. I'll tell a story real quick. This is a story we've used before. To help define grace the best we can father mother have one son.

They love this son. One night a thief breaks into the house. Walks past the parents room goes upstairs and kills that child. Takes what he wants and leaves. Revenge or vengeance would be the father grabbing a shotgun.

Tracking down the killer in the night. Shooting him and killing that would be revenge. Justice at least in the United States would be for a father to call the police the police to catch the criminal the judge to say guilty and.

For the criminal the killer the murderer of the son to spend the rest of his life in prison. We would call that justice mercy is. Not getting the punishment you deserve. This would be mercy. They call the police the police find them the judge says guilty.

But then the parents walk in the courtroom say hey, I don't want to press any charges. He can go free. That's mercy. But grace is this. The parents go in that court and say your honor. Not only do we not want to press charges.

See grace is getting a gift. You don't deserve your honor. This young man clearly doesn't have a good home life. He can come live with us. We have a bunch of empty clothes now. Don't have anyone to fill them because our son is dead.

He can wear those clothes. We have an empty chair at our dinner table. He can sit at. He can live in our son's room. We will treat him as our child and we will call him son and never treat him as if he wasn't.

That's grace. Ladies and gentlemen Christianity is not is not the story where the hero died for the villain and slayed the dragon Christianity, I'm not bad. I just misspoke. Christianity is not the story where the hero dies from the damsel in distress in the tall tower and kills the dragon.

Christianity is a story where the hero dies for the villain. Guys in our sin you and I are the bad guys. We have all turned our back on God and by his grace he has provided a way for salvation. And yes, ladies and gentlemen Jesus said I am the way I am the truth.

I am the life. No one can come to the father except through me guys. I preach the truth and the truth is there is one way to salvation is through Jesus Christ, and I pray you consider that. Guys, I think it is the most logical the most critically thought out and the most historically sound.

The best option by far when you look at the other quote-unquote options of religions. But I want you to remember that I don't believe in a religion. That's a man-made interpretation all religion. Baptist Pentecostal Islam.

Jehovah's Witness. Roman Catholic Buddhism. Daoism. Hinduism Atheism. It's all man-made. It's all wrong. It will all send you to hell only faith in Jesus Christ. Has the power to forgive sin provide eternal life.

Grace is what separates Christianity from all the would-be faiths in. That it's story where God reaches down to man. Not man reaching up to God and sometimes some Christians distort that and then make it a different gospel whether intentionally or not.

Don't add to grace. Nothing can be added to it. I Love you guys very much. Whatever follow-up videos or follow-up questions. You have please put in the comment section. I promise you I will answer. I love you guys very much.

Hope this was helpful.