Bible Believing

Dear Victorious,

I've read your blogs enough to know that you believe the Bible is entirely true. In fact, you seem to base all your conclusions in life on whatever the Bible has to say. I'm not going to challenge that, but seriously - aren't there things in the Bible that even you have trouble believing?

Charles C. - Baton Rouge, LA

Dear Charles,

There are things in the Bible that I find phenomenal or remarkable. Do they challenge my faith? I'm not sure they do. Believing or not believing are not choices I can make. I've said before that belief - or disbelief - overwhelm me and I don't have the power to reject them based on what I know, see or can confirm.

That being said, there are plenty of things in the Bible that I don't understand. But that's not to say I don't believe them. I just find them to be so counter to what I know or can confirm that they leave me dumbfounded as to how they can be true. An example might be Jonah living in the belly of a whale for three days, and then being spit out on the beach. I don't understand how that could have happened.

Another example might be how the Red Sea parted for the Israelites to cross. What we know about science and nature doesn't seem to explain or even support these kinds of truths. But I still accept them as true. I just hope that one day God will give me understanding as to how they are true.