Can God Make Mistakes?

A few days ago, I have listened to a news station that interviewed an author of a new Bible with helps, who said that some of the Bible is in error. This author is well-known and taught Sunday school for more than 25 years. In his Bible with commentaries, he stated some of the errors of the Bibles so in summary he says the Bible is God’s Word but there are some parts that are fallible and others not—some parts with errors and other parts true.

But here is the problem we face. It is a problem in logic and later common sense.

God cannot err;

The Bible is God’s Word,

Therefore the Bible cannot err.

This is basic logic. So what is this author talking about? Once we are certain the integrity of the initial writings or Scriptures are intact as well as its copies, then there ought not to be any errors found. Scholars and Biblical researchers for years have proven the correctness of the Bible and the copies found, so what are the errors this well-known author is talking about.

He mentioned that the Bible is wrong about its view on homosexuality. He has plainly stated that he sees nothing wrong about people being gay naturally and that homosexuality is not a sin. So he is saying the apostle Paul is in error in (Romans 1:26-27, NIV):

^"26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

We have to be careful of the individual Bibles written; we have to be careful of those special Bibles written by a popular pastor or prominent public figure claiming to be a Christian. Then, such a popular person putting their individual interpretations of God’s Word, is dangerous.

Because of the author’s popularity, our children—young people and teens—can be fooled. Many adults who do not have knowledge will be fooled. In (Hosea 4:6, NASB), the Bible says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  “The Bible advises, “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;” (1 Thess. 5:21, NASB).   

Why Should I Be Good?

To answer this question we have to keep in mind people have different meanings of “what is the good or what goodness is?” ‘Why should I be good?’ is an ethical question.  It implies that an appraisal has to be been done by myself and or others of my behaviour.  This appraisal would determine the right things I have done, thought, or felt.  From this, we can therefore formulate the moral law. Therefore there must be a lawgiver.  To refer to “the right things,” I am suggesting there are ‘wrong things’ too.  For how can I affirm one, unless I believe that the other exists?  The next challenge is what is right for me, may not be right for another person. This is the attitude the world is pushing and even doing so to our children in high schools and youths attending colleges or universities.

Ethics, according to The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, is “the general study of right action” which “concerns the principles of right and wrong that govern our choices and pursuits.” (p. 286).  The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, as explained in A Brief History of Western Philosophy, says, “the only thing that is good without qualification is good will” (Kenny, A. p. 270).  He says to act with duty is to exhibit this good will. Still he has not said what good means and by what standards are we to judge it.

Duty implies purpose.  This purpose is beneficial to both the individual and others.  Purpose seeks peace and activates goodness.  It motivates us to fulfill our natural duties in agreement with the moral law.  Now which moral law is Kant talking about? For if morality is different for different people then Kant maybe referring to some moral law that might be universal or accepted by all people. But here we have two ideas: (1) a moral law that is different for different people and (2) a moral law that is accepted by all persons. Now we have to wonder how did this moral law came about, for all people. Also we still have to be clear on how moral laws for different groups of people or different cultures or religions come about. 

Clearly we have a problem here. We have a problem of different standards. Can all these standards be right? Should there be one universal standard of right and wrong? Who will decide on these standards? God? What about people who do not believe in God? Whose standards will they accept or live by? Can we have goodness or can a person be good without God or belief in God? Who is to judge or decide on this question? Clearly there are many activities that are right for a Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Zoroastrian or Jew that vary. There are some that are common like “don’t steal;” “don’t kill” and so on. So how can we deal with the problem in society? How can we truthfully be fair to all people—no matter their country, class or creed? This question every individual has to deal with for it is real. So the question is not only, “Why Should I Be Good?” It is also, “How Can I Be Good?”

For me as a Christian it is simple. Be Christlike. The Bible says, "Imitate God," (Ephesians 5:1). The apostle Pauls says, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ," (1 Cor. 11:1). The Bible is God's Word, (2 Tim. 3:16). God's Word cannot be broken (John 10:35). But others will disagree of course.

Pain, Suffering, and Euthanasia

Do we have the right to end our own lives? Should doctor assisted suicides be made law? I read a flyer recently where it is doctor assisted suicide was legal on one country—even for teenagers. I was shocked. Now everyone gets pain; we all suffer to varying degrees; and some of us suffer so much pain daily in sickness that we just cannot take it anymore. We cannot move any of our limbs and we feel like vegetables and forever being attended too. I should not personalise or generalise this at all for I personally never had such experience. Good God I pray I don’t.

Such persons living with extreme pain and can’t go to the washroom by themselves or feed themselves often, according to many reports wish to die. But the argument continues even today. Do we have the right to end our own lives? Should doctor assisted suicides be made law? Some argue it is their own lives and bodies and they have free will so it is their right. Another view is that God created and gave life and human beings have no right to take lives. It is a matter for Him who gave and sustains life.

The thing that is most troubling is that many of us argue that it is wrong to take make euthanasia legal in some circumstances. But we argue this view often are not in daily pain and have to live our lives dependant on others. What is life? What is the meaning of life lived in this fashion. It is interesting to have the views of others. How does salvation work here? What then of the view of Karma? Feel free to share below.

God called But No one Answered

Is it our nature to be good or evil? Why is disobedience so easy? We get a little knowledge and we have pride; we discover a natural law and can heal some diseases, we no longer need God; we can replace organs and found remedies to many sicknesses and we replace science and medicine along with technology with God. We begin to question with cosmology whether or not God exists. We feel we have the right to choose and this choice depends on the person choosing.

God says, “I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen. And they did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight,” (Isaiah 66:4). This message is true today as it was at the time Isaiah stated it. God is passionately concerned about us. We humans are bent on doing evil. God wants all of us to be with Him in heaven. But the waywardness in Genesis is seen daily. Pride and disobedience.

Again in Ezekiel 18:23, 31-32, God asks, “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked? … Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies… Therefore, repent and live.” God truly wants all of us to be saved and have eternal life with Him.

But our hearts are so evil and tend easily to sin rather than to do good. Pop-psychology likes to say that everyone is basically good. That is our nature; but the Bible tells us differently. 

Too Busy To Go To Church

Recently one of the four horsemen of atheism, popularly called New Atheism, died. Many Christians prayed for him while he was ill and many had liked and admired him although they disagreed with him. The persons I come in contact with who said either they are atheists or agnostics, don’t see the value of church in society. Many friends who say they are Christians, are too busy to go to church but state that they regularly watch and contribute to a Television Ministry.  But should these ministries replace church attendance or should they be additional channels to help us build and feed ourselves?

Though theism or the belief in God is on the rise, the horsemen and sceptics continue in their work of publicly giving arguments why society does not need church or religion. One reason that many believers have held on to and use is that “they are too busy.” Our jobs now have us working on Sundays and some 24/7 that our financial needs make it easy for us to say, “we are too busy for church.” We need money for food, clothes, housing, education, medication, and all key services. Who can tell a believer or any individual, “make time for community worship!” in the face of an employer insisting work on Sundays or at other times where there is Bible study or prayer meeting?

Are you too busy for church? Have the sceptics given you sufficient arguments and reason to forget community worship?