You may have had an experience where you were confronted with an anti-Christianity worldview. Maybe that was when you went off to college; or you grew up in a non-religious household; or you are challenged because of your faith every single week at work. These conversations have the potential to shake our faith. Have you moved beyond those initial doubts and researched your own faith? Can we really trust in an Eternal God and still believe the scientific facts we see right before us? Are faith and science mutually exclusive?
What you will need: A Bible or your Bible app, a notebook, pen, and highlighter. The verses highlighted below are linked so that you can easily access them during your study time.
Jump Start
Leader: This section is designed to get discussions started, examine God’s truth, and apply it to our week. Life Group leaders should not assume everyone in their group is a Christ follower. Because they are participating in a Life Group, they must have some openness to knowing more, exploring. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work and let Him lead you as well.
1. If you could ask God one question about the earth, creation, or science, what would it be?
Leader Note: These can be funny (Why did God make mosquitos?) or deep (But how did God make the earth? Do you believe it was literally by His Word?). Do not get stalled out on a big discussion of dinosaurs or evolution, etc. Instead, acknowledge the tough questions as mysteries that demand faith. Also affirm that it is not blind faith: Science often supports (or at least does not disprove) some of the most audacious claims of the Bible.
2. Build your faith through knowledge. Read 1 Peter 3:15, Psalm 19:1, and Acts 17:26-28. As believers, what is our responsibility? As the Father of all humanity, what is God’s responsibility and how does He accomplish it? What questions cannot be answered by science? Is science inherently wrong?
Leader Note: As believers, we are told in 1 Peter to be ready to explain our faith and what we base it on, which is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The passages from Psalms and Acts show that God is revealing Himself, making Himself known if people are looking to find Him. It is evident in creation and in the spirituality we all have within us. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has put eternity in the hearts of men. This accounts for the yearning we have for a purpose, a higher calling, and spirituality and faith, even if misplaced in other gods or things like Scientology. Science cannot answer these spiritual questions of “why?” No, science is not “wrong” - it has given us great advances in our way of life. Yet a scientific worldview that denies God is the “wrong” thinking that is anti-faith.
3. Study for yourself. Read Acts 17:11, 2 Timothy 2:15, and 2 Peter 1:5-8. Why would God ask you to study? What are the issues with “blind faith” or “my parents’ faith”? Have you found that when you dig deep into hard questions, you get more confused, or you are drawn closer to God? The 2 Peter passage takes knowledge and adds to it “godliness” and other behaviors which are indicative of a maturing believer. What is the result of this pairing?
Note: Check out these websites to further your ability to explain the Gospel or defend your faith: AnswersinGenesis.org, CrossExamined.org, GotQuestions.org and Josh.org.
Leader Note: God wants you to study to get to know Him, His Word, and His plan for your specific life and situation. If we never examine our faith and salvation (2 Corinthians 13:5), we are easily shaken when things do not go as we assumed they should, or when challenged by professors or coworkers who are attacking Christianity and a worldview that honors God. We need to base our faith on a firm foundation of what we know from His Word and what we have experienced through our relationship with the Living God. If we keep studying and apply what we know to our lives and behavior, we are not “ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” but are using it to shine forth for Him.
4. Teach others. Read Colossians 3:16 and Deuteronomy 6:4-7. Where do you see teaching others occurring in these verses? Are you part of passing on the knowledge of the faith that you have gained from your own study and experiences?
Leader Note: Within the family of God, we should all be teaching each other. There should not only be one “preacher” or teacher. Even our songs and worship should teach and show the truth of God. In Life Groups, the leader facilitates as we all share what God has shown us. In Deuteronomy, there is clear instruction to parents to pass down Godly wisdom and knowledge to their children. There are many other admonitions, such as Titus 2:3-5, where older women are to teach the new wives.
5. Behave like you believe. Read 1 Peter 3:15-16, 1 Peter 2:12, John 13:35, and Philippians 2:14-15. No matter what you know, the “rubber meets the road” where? What does your behavior have to do with leading others to Christ? Discuss this statement: “The greatest evidence of Jesus is how He has changed our lives.” How does 1 Corinthians 13:13 impact your actions every day in every situation?
Leader Note: The Gandhi quote is powerful: “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. You Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Our faith should cause us to be gentle and respectful, honorable, and visible to Gentiles (unbelievers), free of conflict within the body of Christ, and shining brightly for the rest of the world to see. The Corinthian passage tells us that even if you know all there is to know about the Bible, the Gospel, even God, if it is just a head-knowledge that does not bring about life change, it is worthless, noisy junk.
Deeper
Leader: This section is designed for further use in your Life Group or for personal study. These can also be used as discussion points and ways to stay connected with your group throughout the week. Encourage your group to take time daily to walk through these questions.
6. Study these passages. Look for the speaker and the audience: who was discussing faith verses philosophies, religion, or creation? What was the outcome? How should we react to doubt in others (or ourselves)? Can you always know the outcome when you begin a spiritual discussion?
a. Acts 17:16–34: LN: Paul talked to the Jewish leaders, in the public square and the council to the unbelievers / pagans. And his logical arguments gave him credibility, the opportunity to interact with many, share the Gospel, and lead people to Jesus. The converts likely formed the nucleus of a new church of Christ-followers in Athens.
b. John 20:24-29: LN: The other disciples tried to explain to Thomas. When he said “I won’t believe it unless I have evidence” they stopped talking. Then Jesus Himself appeared to Thomas to provide the evidence he requested. We are called to tell the story, not convince others. That is Jesus’ job. Notice that Jesus did not condemn Thomas for his doubt. Instead, He encouraged his faith. And He blessed those of us who come to faith without seeing.
c. Hebrews 11:1-3 and Colossians 1:15-17: LN: Neither Paul nor the author of Hebrews attempts to “explain” the creation of the world in scientific terms. It is a matter of faith and acknowledgment of the power of God. However, neither do these passages disagree with science. For example, in Christ, all things “hold together.” Who is to say whether gravity or the pull of protons and neutrons within each atom are the laws God put into place, or the presence of Christ in creation? Also consider that these passages address things that are outside the limit of what science can provide. Science describes these laws but does not tell us how or why they are the way they are or how they came to be. *
*For more on this see: J.P. Moreland, “Chapter 7: Science and Christianity,” in Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1987) (p. 197-200)