Frequently Asked Questions
Dr. Walter R. Martin (09/10/1928 - 06/26/1989)
taking questions on his radio program (he was known as the
).
Q1: [Are all religions equally true?]
A: [This may be a very popular held idea in today's society; however, it
is not a rational belief. If such an idea were true, then the opposite
would be true, that is, all religious beliefs are not true. You have
only two logical choices: 1. Either they are all false; or 2. There is
only one true religion.]
Q2: [Is it intolerant to claim that the
Biblical Jesus Christ or Yeshua Ha-Mashiach is the only way to be saved
and true religion?]
A: [No, it is not intolerant to claim something is true to the exclusion
of other claims. If we cannot test truth claims, then truth loses all
meaning or value. We believe in "legal" tolerance and "social"
tolerance, but not "uncritical" tolerance.]
Q3: [Are we to judge? What about "Judge not,
lest ye be judged?" (Matt. 7:1)]
A: [Christ was rebuking hypocrites who were practicing the same things
that they were condemning. Jesus tells us to judge certain kinds of
people as being wild savage dogs and pigs (Matt.
7:6). He tells us to judge people as being false
prophets (Matt. 7:15). We
are told to "judge with righteous judgment" (John
7:24). "But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is
translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the
faith. Then Saul, who is called Paul filled with the Holy Spirit, looked
intently at him and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son
of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease
perverting the straight ways of the Lord?" (Acts
13:8-10). "Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so
these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and their faith is
a counterfeit. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of
those two men, their stupidity will be plain to everyone." (II
Timothy 3:8-9, International Standard Version.) It appears the apostle
Paul was not an "Evanjellyfish." It is unfortunate that the Church and especially the Christian college
clubs on campuses have been affected with the heresy of non-judgmental,
positive-thinking relativism.]
Q4: [Are Christians guilty of "Circular
Reasoning" when quoting from one book in the Bible such as Isaiah 7:14
to show the fulfillment in another book such as Luke 1:26, 27, 30 & 31?]
A: [No, they are not--this is applied to all scientific research. The
Bible is not one book, but consists of a library of 66 books written by more than 40 authors over several
thousand years. It would be "circular
reasoning" if you quoted from the "Qur'an" to prove the "Qur'an" or quoted from the "Book of Mormon" to prove the "Book of Mormon" because it is one book.
Definition of Circular Reasoning: A formal fallacy that should be avoided when constructing a simple
syllogism. If you assume in your premise what you are trying to prove in
your conclusion, you end where you began.
Everyone begins somewhere with something, which is called in Greek
philosophy "first principles" or "starting
points." A materialist begins with the assumption that
all is matter--he does not prove that this is true. His denial is a
deduction from his first principle of materialism. They assume evolution
or materialism, etc. (They are taking these things from faith and
deducing from them the rest of their system.
Dr. Greg Bahnsen in some of his tapes is actually referring to what
is called in philosophy a "hermeneutical
circle." In geometry we begin with maximums or
theorems that are assumed as true. For example, geometry is built upon
these theorems.
Recommended material on Logic:
(includes Booklet) and
.
Q5: [How should we Interpret the Bible?]
A: [The Bible is the Word of God and the Prophets, Apostles were
inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Bible in the language of their
day. The Bible has many different types of genres such as historical narrative, prose, poetry, dialogue, apocalyptic literature, etc. One's hermeneutics (understanding and use of those
literary and linguistic principles) should be not
be different for the Bible than any other piece of literature. Since the Bible is composed of different
types of literature, it should be interpreted by the looking at the
syntax and grammar and the intent of the author. The Bible is Rabbinic
literature, not Western European literature. I am often asked the
following question, "Do you interpret the Bible
literally?" This is a stupid question, which was answered above.
Many people think you can interpret the Bible any way you want--I told
them that they should take English 101. I
also asked them if they read and interpreted the newspaper any way they
want. For example, a red car hit a tree--can
we interpret this as an airplane hit a tree? There are wrong ways and right ways
of interpreting the Bible--see
;
. Recommended booklet:
.]
Q6: [What is the Gospel?]
A: [We must confess "that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory
of God" (Rom. 3:23). "Indeed, there is not a
righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins." (Eccles.7:20). By nature, sin renders us
guilty before the Law in the sight of God. We are born into sin as a
result of Adam and Eve. Ezra confesses sin in terms of being guilty
before God (Ezra 9:6-13). James mentions
"whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, has become
guilty of all" (Jas.2:10). Those individuals
who trust in their own good works to get them to heaven will not have
eternal life. You will be condemned to hell. Praying to Mary, and the
saints will not save you! It is idolatry and necromancy--prayer is
offered to God, never to any created thing (Rev.
19:10, I Sam. 28 & Lev. 19:31). "For there is one God and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5). (Did you know that the rosary came from
Buddhism?--the Catholic Missionaries adopted it when they went to Asia.
The ungodly are justified "solely" (i.e. "only") through faith in Jesus
Christ. It is "imputed righteousness." Day after day every priest
stands and repeatedly offers the same sacrifices that can never
take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, "he sat down at the right hand of God."
Since that time, he has been waiting for his enemies to be made a
footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has
perfected for all time those who are being
sanctified. (Hebrews 10:11-14, ISV.) Rome teaches that Christ dies every time the Mass is prepared. Dr. Scott
Hahn (a Roman Apologist) gave a lecture at Princeton University in 2001 and stated that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was not enough! He also
bashed the Protestants on their understanding of salvation; however, he
could not prove biblically that one has to work for their salvation.
Whether you are Protestant or Catholic,
the ultimate authority is the Bible.
It was finished at the Cross. "It is finished" (John 19:30). That Greek term (tetelestai) was written on bills of sale during the time period of our Lord, and it
translates, "Paid in Full!"]