Can We Prove Christianity Is True WITHOUT the Bible? | Ken Ham

if somebody comes to me and says look give me some evidence as a God and convince me you know about Christianity but you're not allowed to use a Bible I don't believe the Bible here's what I say in my mind I don't say this to them I just think this who do you think you are you don't believe the Bible no guess what I do you're going a problem with that come on make my day one of the things we need to do as Christians we need to be the ones on the offensive if we're so sure and understand that this is the right starting point we need to stand unashamedly and boldly on that and say you don't you don't believe that I do [Music] we can actually use observational science to confirm which starting point does make sense of the world cuz when you use observational science with DNA observational science with DNA actually confirms in the beginning God not in the beginning hydrogen in fact watch this short video from the Creation Museum [Music] if you found an ancient clay tablet with strange characters washed up on the shore you couldn't read it unless someone had cracked the code but you'd still know the letters represented a language even if you didn't know anything else about the author or his civilization language is recognizable even if you can't read it take Morse code it has three basic parts dots dashes and spaces these three simple parts are combined to represent letters there are 26 letters in the English language which are combined to form over 400,000 words those words can of course be combined into an infinite number of sequences or sentences there is evidence that DNA represents a language four basic units called nucleotides combin into a code for 20 Amino acids from those few amino acids the body forms more than 100,000 proteins even if you can't read DNA it still has all the Hallmarks of language a language that biologists are just now beginning to crack every tiny cell in our body is packed with three feet of DNA three billion nucleotides the similarity between DNA and human language is canny in addition to codes both use similar techniques to pack access rearrange copy and translate information DNA seems to represent a language the language of Life an unseen author the creator of Heaven and Earth has left a testimony of his existence in the DNA of every living thing you see DNA actually confirms your starting point of God's word does not conf confirm the starting point of man's word it is exciting being a Christian isn't it and then when you study genetics DNA actually confirms that there are distinct kinds and there's no mechanism to change one kind into another when you look at fossils and rock layers all over the Earth actually it confirms catastrophism that to lay down the rock layers to form the Canyons to form the fossils you see them is consistent with catastrophic processes covering something suddenly not slow processes over millions of years and when you look at the human race which we'll do in detail in one of these sessions observational science confirms One race just what you'd expect on the basis of scripture because you see the Bible is the right starting point God's word is the right starting point now we live in a culture I wanted to deal with a couple of issues to sort of bring all this together we live in a culture and where we're being told ah if you start with the Bible then you're being religious I don't believe the Bible don't give me that stuff about the Bible anybody you're imposing your religion on us and so on and and we live in a culture in which we're told if you're going to convince me that there's a God or Christianity you can't use the Bible so give me some evidence that there's a god without using the Bible and I have many people come to me at times and they say what's the best evidence to use for someone who doesn't believe the Bible so I can't use the Bible who who's heard something like that uh in in our culture yeah we have haven't we I want you to think about this from perspective of starting points because there are many Christians who say well I can't use the Bible because you know they don't believe the Bible so we can't use the Bible Well if you don't use the Bible if you give up your starting point and there are only two starting points then you're left with only one starting point what is it man's word if you give up God's word there is any one other starting point man's word see it's not a neutral position the Bible says he who is not with me is against me if you don't gather you scatter you're either for Christ or you're against there is no neutral position so if you give up your starting point then you've actually then adopted the only other starting point which is what man's words so who's won the debate your opponent you've just lost you've lost the debate I was at a religious uh Christian function uh couple of years ago and there was an atheist debating a Christian and at this particular uh organization they said this was going to be a great debate between a Christian and a non-Christian a Christian and an atheist and the first thing that the person who said you know said they were a Christian debating this atheist he got up and he said this because my opponent doesn't believe the Bible therefore in this debate uh we can't use the Bible uh to to argue about that and and and as soon as he said that I said to myself well waste of time being here he just lost the debate he just gave it to his opponent and may as well leave and that's right because he just gave it up now I have people say to me wait a minute wait a minute but you started with a verse of scripture from Romans 1 saying it's obvious from the creation that there's a God that's right well in other words you don't need to start from the Bible you can just look at the creation until there's a God In fact when you come into the Creation Museum we have a video that really details if you like Romans 1:20 I call that the intelligent design verse of the Bible and we have a room in the Creation Museum called the Wonders room which I call the intelligent design room of the Bible and when you come in you will see Romans 1:20 Illustrated like this [Music] there it is Romans 12 120 actually I'm really pleased you clapped I sometimes have audiences that don't clap and I have to say to them boy you're slack you know I go to churches and they see that and they clap and then everyone then decides we better clap so they clap and the reason I wanted you to clap is because I want to ask you a question you clap at that cuz you look at and say wow it's so obvious as a God but would you also clap at that or this or this or this or this or this the answer is no but that's part of what we see out there and see here's a point I want to make to us you know we live in a time in which people talk about the the term intelligent design and I want you to understand something we use intelligent design arguments do you realize the DNA the DNA section that we just did that DNA video and so on when talking about DNA that's an intelligent design argument and we use at answers and Genesis intelligent design arguments but we also have today what's called an intelligent design movement and there are many people in the Christian world who think oh the intelligent design movement that's the answer to the creation Evolution issue in schools and so on let me just say this to you we need to understand something the intelligent design movement is not a Christian Movement they may use intelligent design arguments but they're not a Christian Movement and when we look at the intelligent design movement there are people in them that are Christians but there are people in them that are non-christians and the intelligent design movement doesn't have a history uh in regard to the universe what do I mean by that well biblical creationists have a history I summarize it as the Seven Seas God created man fell there's a global flood the Tower of baabes a very specific history evolutionists have a specific history Big Bang billions of years man evolved the intelligent design movement is not on about a specific history the all they're against is naturalism that's it they're against naturalism what they're saying is life came about by some intelligence not by natural processes who is that intelligence they they don't tell you who that intelligence is and here in lies the problem you see if you just look at the creation without looking at the word of God you see in looking at the creation through the word of God we know it's a fallen creation so we know why there's death and suffering in the world it's not God's fault it's our fault but if you don't have the word of God and just look at the creation and say there's an intelligence responsible for this is that intelligence an ogre is that intelligence responsible for all the suffering and death we see in the world and then if you think about this as well the Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God if you're not using intelligent design arguments in the context of the word of God then I suggest to you that you could drive people in the direction of a false god I personally believe the intelligent design movement potentially is a dangerous movement for this reason that if you're not telling people who the real God is the scripture makes it clear we don't want the real God we'll go after any God but the real God and so if you're not telling them who the real God is and you're not on about the the word of God then you could drive someone in the direction of well maybe maybe it's the Muslim God maybe it's a new age God maybe it's a Hindu god maybe it's a Shinto God you see and Answers in Genesis we will not give those intelligent design arguments devoid of the context of scripture the word of God those two go together and what we need to understand is this if you're not using God's word there is only one other starting point that is man's word and that's not a neutral position you're either for Christ or against or what does it say in James 4 friendship with the world is enity or at war with God is Not neutral towards God in Romans 1 we read that men suppress the truth and unrighteousness actually if you think about it from a perspective of an atheist like Richard Dawkins think about it for a moment if there's no God wh why even bother worrying about people who believe in God why would it matter you know why it matters the Bible says the knowledge of God is written on our hearts it's crying out there's a God and so to overcome that people like Richard Doran suppress the truth and unrighteousness and they actively fight against it that's why they're so active in doing what they do that's why the atheists are so active they're suppressing the truth because they don't want to acknowledge that that they're a sinner in submission to a Creator Romans 8 tells us that the carnal mind is Amity against God we need to understand there is no neutral position you imagine two knights fighting and one Knight says to the other before we begin throw down your sword oh okay that's a great idea you know we laugh at that but think about it you know what's happening in our culture he's a Christian and a non-Christian a non-Christian says well we can talk about uh life in the universe and so on but you must leave the Bible out of it and we say oh okay and we think we're now in neutral ground no we're not see look at that textbook again that biology textbook used in the public schools this is just one of many how do they Define science you can only use natural processes they're defining science as naturalism the Supernatural is not allowed what have they done they've said our standing point is not God's word it's man's word and therefore our religion is naturalism or atheism people that's not a neutral position it's not a neutral position at all and we've got to remember that faith comes by hearing and hearing by what the word of God it's God's word that is living powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword it's God's word that goes forth from his mouth and shall not return unto him void and so people say to me okay so how how do you say we should argue well I look at it like this if somebody comes to me and says look give me some evidence as a God and convince me you know about Christianity but you're not allowed to use a Bible I don't believe the Bible here's what I say in my mind I don't say this to them I just think this who do you think you are telling me that you're going to set the terms of this debate so that you win so that I lose how dare you how dare you set the terms of the debate like who who do you think you are telling me that I got to have your starting point I'm not going to do that that's what I think up here I think a lot of things when you ask me questions but here's what I say you don't believe the Bible no guess what I do you got a problem with that come on make my day you see one of the things that one of the things we need to do as Christians we need to be on the offensive not being offensive you understand what I mean we need to be the ones on the offensive if we're so sure and understand that this is the right starting point we need to stand unashamedly and boldly on that and say you don't you don't believe that I do you know what I'm going to do I'm going to show you when I start with the Bible it makes sense to the world I'm to use observational science I'm going to show you over and over again it confirms that the Bible is the right starting point because you got the wrong starting point you got a problem number one most Christians don't even know they have a starting point you know one of the problems we've got in our churches the Bible's here and we got dinosaurs over here and we've got abortion here and gay marriage over here and so on and we're trying to bring all these things together because we're not taught by and large that we start from the Bible to build our whole world view it starts from God's word and that's one of the reasons why many Christians have problems how do you explain dinosaurs what about the the big bang how do you explain the Grand Canyon what you know people often say to me how do you fit that into the Bible you don't fit anything in the Bible you start with the Bible and build a worldview that explains the evidence and then you use observational science to investigate the present which confirms your starting point but then we got another problem the non-Christian doesn't think they have a starting point illustration I had an atheist in my office interviewing me for the BBC before the Creation Museum opened and she was from California has an anti- creation organization in California and she said to me at one stage she said so you admit you start with the Bible I said yes and she said and you're not prepared to change anything in the Bible are you no you're not prepared to change anything in the account of Creation in Genesis are you I said no she said see that's religion I'm a real scientist we start with evidence we develop theories as new evidence comes along we're prepared to change our theories your view a set you can't change anything she said whereas I'm prepared to change cuz I'm a real scientist when new evidence comes along I change my views my theories I said oh it's very interesting I said can I ask you a question yes now you're an atheist is that right yes she even won secular humanist of the Year award at one stage so you're an atheist yes you don't believe in God that's right so the Bible's not true that's right and so the account of Genesis and the Bible is not relevant to this discussion of Origins that's right I said tell me you prepared to change any of that and you know I can't prove it but I saw a little just a little quiver in the side of her mouth because you know what I just showed her you have a starting point your starting point is a starting point of the public schools you're throwing God in the Bible and out and and you're saying whatever I find out there it can can only explain by natural processes there is no God the Bible is not true you have a starting point you see we all have that starting point either God's word or man's word and you know as you start to think about this do you realize when Christians accommodate millions of years in evolution into the Bible as soon as you introduce fallible man into God's infallible word your starting point is no longer God's word because now you can never know that you've got all evidence your starting point now is what man's word now as you look at that there's something else we want to consider to finish off with here it's this and people say to me okay so so what you're really saying is when I'm as a Christian start with God's word and I'm talking to a non-Christian who starts with man's word that really the argument's not up here cuz we're interpreting the same evidence differently because we have different starting points so the real AR arents down here that's right so really what we've got to do is to get that person to change their starting point that's right how do we do that oh we can't do it what do you mean you know what the Bible says the Bible says that we are dead in trespasses and sins Lazarus couldn't raise himself from the dead only God could when I'm in the office with an atheist like that person I I was being interviewed by or I'm sometimes on radio interviews or debates on radio being on TV here's what I have to remind myself now when you're talking to a non-Christian they're a walking dead person and as a walking dead person you can't raise them from the dead the Bible says there's none righteous no not one we're told there is none who does good no not one there's none that seeks after God and it's by grace you've been saved through faith and not of yourselves it is a gift of God there's nothing we can do to save ourselves only God can save us it's only a work of the Holy Spirit on their hearts that can change their starting point and then but then the question comes well what's the role of observational Science Why do you have a Creation Museum why are you giving all this an these answers in geology and biology and astronomy and anthropology what's the point of all that oh I'm glad you asked that question because the Bible also says concerning the Lord that is not his will that any should perish and he says how shall they call on him in whom they have not believe and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher and how shall they preach unless they be sent we need to go out there and preach we need to go out there and give answers always be ready to give a defense or to give an answer in fact God's word calls our preaching foolishness of foolishness of of preaching foolishness through the message pre and the message message we preach to them is is foolishness and Hebrews tells us but without faith is impossible to please him for who comes to God must believe that he is and he's a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him and if you confess with your mouth of the Lord Jesus believe in your heart God is raised him from the dead you'll be saved how do we bring all that together you know what when we do it God's way it is phenomenally relaxing do you know how I relax when I'm facing some of these atheists and these scientists who PhD secular scientists who just hate God and they're interviewing me on radio or for a newspaper article whatever it is here's how I relax provided I have studied to show uh ourselves approved as workmen under God rightly unashamedly you know dividing the word of Truth we studied God's word we know what we believe know why we believe it we've been to Answers in Genesis and God all those resources out there to be equipped that was a little ad we get those answers to be equipped so that we have the answers to be able to defend our faith and answer the skeptical questions of the age and provided we've done our best and done our study there and we go in there and saying now they're a walking dead person there's nothing I can do to raise them from the dead only God can raise them from the dead but what I'm going to do I'm going to be like Paul and confute and dispute and powerfully argue I'm going to use every argument I can I'm going to go out there and I'm going to do what the Bible says I'm going to give them answers I'm going to defend the faith going to contend for the faith but I'm going to do it in the context of always pointing them to the scriptures I'm I'm on about the Bible and faith comes by hearing hearing by the word I'm on about the gospel so I'm going to use everything I can to convince them of the truth to to answer their skeptical questions to point out uh their logical fallacies but always in the context of the word of God I'm not going to to separate this from the word of God it's not just going to be intelligent design arguments cuz what I'm on about is my starting point the word of God and then I'm going to stand back and recognize I've done the best I can it's God who opens their heart to the truth you see God brings those two things together people we're finite beings we can't understand infinite God I don't understand how God does that how does God work on our hearts to open our hearts it's God who brings it all together but we have to go out there and be faithful and do it his way you know what that's basically it do it God's way go out there and preach and teach and give them answers and do the best you can to convince them and stand back and say and provided provided I'm I'm I'm doing it in the context of the word of God it's God's word that's sharper than a two-edged sword faith comes by hearing hearing by the word of God and you know I've had people come to me afterwards theyve given a presentation like this and they said you know I've been arguing with my uncle about Christianity for years and you know what though because you didn't believe the Bible I thought you couldn't use the Bible I just realized I've been arguing the wrong way other people have come to me and said I've been trying to argue with one of my close relatives and I've been trying to convince them and I've done the best I can I feel a failure but but I realized tonight provided I've done my best and I'm honoring God's word it's God who opens their heart that's right and you can relax in that we do the best we can but we relax knowing it's God who raises people from the dead now let's apply this your starting point determines your world view when the starting point in America was God's word the world view that permeated the culture marriage one man for one woman abortion was considered murder and and so on there's right and there's wrong and there's good and there's bad but you see if your starting point is man's word then who decides truth when they had no king to tell them what to do they all did what was right in their own eyes it's moral relativism it depends on who can impose their view on the culture what's happened in America America Has Changed starting points starting points from God's word to man's word it's happened in the government it's happened in the courts it's happened in the education system and people saddest of all which is why we're losing this culture it has happened in the church because you see when so many church leaders have done what they've done in England and all across Europe adopted the Pagan religion of the age man's ideas to explain life without God Evolution millions of years man's fallible ideas into God's word contaminated God's word undermined the authority of the word we're losing the coming generations and the reason that many people in the church and and and they're in the majority in this nation are not affecting the culture but we have a small group of secularists who are affecting the whole culture is because Christians have been in a sense they've been ashamed of the word of God we have given up our starting point do you know why we lost the battle in the public schools we gave up the starting point and you know even when we're fighting in the courts we're told by the attorneys oh but if you mention the Bible they say that's being religious and you know you can't people we need to honor God's word and we need to stand up for what's right and and and just because the world tells us that God's word is not true or you know when the world is telling us you can't use the Bible we need to honor God's word because God will honor those who honor him and God will bless those who honor him and you see we've been ashamed of God's word and so we've been out there fighting the abortion issue and the gay marriage issue with all sorts of uh arguments like conservative values it's wrong it's what's good for the culture tradition founding fathers and we've got all these so-called conservative values but people they're just opinions ultimately they're just opinions and remember faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word and it's God's word that sharpen the then a two-edged sword and shall not return un him void we need to be out there unashamedly fighting these issues waving the Bible if you like standing on God's word out there helping people understand this is why abortion is wrong this is why gay marriage is wrong because this is true because this is the right starting point and when they accuse us of imposing a religion on on the culture we need to say but you're imposing your religion cuz you've got a different standing point they don't want to acknowledge that but you know what we need to be out there using that argument you know what you know what's happened we've had years and years and years of Christians trying to fight the issues without the Bible has it worked no it has not worked and you know what we've lost the education system we're losing the culture what this nation needs to do is to return to the authority of the word of God unashamedly uncompromisingly let's get out there and stand on the authority of the word I really want to encourage you as to what can happen when you give logical answers to a non-Christian I remember being at the University of Wales and after my lecture a student came down to me and said that was Radical I said to him what was Radical he said Christians having answers well that's the radical response you want to get and you can get when you give those answers [Music] a

Channel: Ken Ham

Views: 56,493

Keywords: Ken Ham, ArkEncounter, Creation Museum, Answers In Genesis, Biblical Apolgetics, existence of god

Id: UPUYPh81KJ0

Length: 27min 57sec (1677 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 15 2024