Since I became a Christian, I have endlessly sought answers to difficult questions. After all, according to my faith the Bible and the doctrines we develop from the Bible are the study of God Himself. I should expect that the kinds of questions the reality of God raises will be difficult for us mere humans to understand. And so I have sought for answers to all kinds of questions, and I have tried never to shy away from the more difficult questions. I want to understand; not so that I might justify my faith, (this faith that God has given me is not something I can lose), but so that I might learn more about God and marvel at His glory and wisdom, and so that I can share my understanding with others seeking the Truth.
This year coming, I have decided to write about some of the questions that I have struggled with over the years. But also, as I have spoken with all kinds of people about my faith, these are the questions that people have asked me. But there's something very important that I wanted to achieve in writing this blog. I have always felt that one must be authentic in expressing one's beliefs. You have to tell people what you truly believe and not simply what you've heard other Christians say. So I think that to answer a question by going to some commentary or quoting some article on the Web doesn't reveal what you truly believe. You might be just regurgitating some answer you haven't arrived at yourself and don't fully understand, or fully believe. Whenever I am challenged with a question, people want to hear what I think. I remember having a lengthy conversation on a certain forum where I was being challenged with many questions. There was a phrase they would always post after each question they asked me... "NO COPY/PASTE!" I totally understood that. So what I intend to do in this blog is to give my own understanding of Christianity. These are my own answers to these questions. I'm not saying that I won't ever be relaying things I have learned from books or Bible teachers, because these things have shaped my theology. But what will be important is that I won't ever be telling you merely what some other person thinks. The materials I study, I consider carefully to decide whether I agree or disagree. The things I am taught become my own because I think through them carefully. And I would rather tell you "I don't know" than to give you an answer I've merely heard before but don't necessarily agree with or understand myself.
Another thing I have found is that people appreciate a good answer when you've been "put on the spot". I suppose it proves that you really do "live and breathe this stuff." What I hope to do in this blog is post an answer each day, which is the best I can do to simulate being "put on the spot".
And so, since we're so close to the 1st of January, I will begin my first post on 1/1/11...
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding. (Proverbs 3:13)
