all right Ron let's Dive Right In if God is all powerful all knowing and all loving why is there so much all right guys as you know I've had a lot of different guests on I've had guests on different denominational backgrounds different streams of Christianity I've even had atheist on this channel but I've never had anything more soulless than today today I decided to have a conversation with chat GPT and allow chat GPT to press me about my faith in Jesus in one of our previous videos we got a shocking chat GPT response when we asked if God exists uh if I were a human I would believe this universe was created Zach even asked chai GPT if God exists what religion would be most probable to be true and to the shock of many it answered this if I had to choose one I'd say Christianity as it uniquely centers on the concept of a personal loving Creator who reveals himself through Jesus Christ but today the tables have turned we're allowing Chad GPT to press me about my faith but before we get into that guys my name is Rus La this channel exists to encourage Empower and inspire you to live a life that blesses God if you're new here or if you're not new here please make sure to hit that subscribe button there's a huge percentage of people that watch this channel unfortunately are not subscribed okay I am a Christian YouTuber I have been walking with Jesus for over 20 years and I have a podcast you're actually on it right now so what I want to do is I want you to press me about my faith in Jesus as if you are the world's smartest skeptical atheist ask me all the hard questions don't hold back tell me why I uh am wrong for believing in Jesus ask those sorts of questions all right rlon let's Dive Right In first if God is all powerful all knowing and all loving why is there so much suffering and evil in the world why would a good God allow things like natural disasters disease or even atrocities like side to occur doesn't this contradiction make it hard to reconcile the existence of an all-loving deity secondly how do you justify the belief in Jesus as the only way to Salvation when there are billions of people who believe in different religions or no religion at all are they all condemned just because they didn't pick the right one another question the Bible has stories like the creation account Noah's ark or Jonah and the whale which seem to defy scientific understanding how can you trust a book that seems to contradict what we know about the world through modern science and let's talk about the problem of hell if God is so loving how could he send people to eternal torment just because they didn't believe in him during their short time on Earth isn't that the definition of cruel and unusual punishment lastly what evidence do you really have that Jesus rose from the dead the resurrection is the Cornerstone of Christianity but isn't it more likely that it's just a myth or legend that grew over time I'd like to hear how you address these issues okay great uh can we go through them one by one but before we do that uh would you like a drink I just want you to feel comfortable while you're on my podcast thanks for the offer since we're doing this virtually I'll imagine you've got a cup of coffee or tea waiting for me absolutely take your time we can dive deeper okay ask me the first question again here it is again if God is all powerful all knowing and all loving why is there so much suffering and evil in the world why would a good God allow things like natural disasters disease or even atrocities like genocide to occur doesn't this contradiction make it hard to reconcile the existence of an all loving deity you know it's interesting you asked that because when I was coming to Faith that was actually my biggest objection I had experienced pretty serious essay as a kid my dad wasn't in my life I grew up in a single parent home and so I think this is a very compelling reason for why many people uh struggle with the idea of God but to answer your question no it is not a contradiction because we live in a fallen broken world world that is the byproduct of sin and because sin has entered the world there is all sorts of chaos and disarray and bad things happening sometimes bad things happening to innocent people but the beautiful part is that we can look no further than the cross of Jesus to show how God can use evil and the bad things that happen for good how God can take something that is so tragic like the death and the brutal uh crucifixion of his own son and use it for good so what's helped me with the question of evil is that I can look at the cross and I can see the suffering servant who can help me make sense of my suffering in this broken world and because of the resurrection of Jesus we know that God will eventually redeem and restore all things that's a thoughtful answer rlan you're saying that suffering is a consequence of living in a fallen world and that God's ultimate plan involves using even the worst events for a greater purpose as seen in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus but let me push back a bit if God is all powerful why couldn't he create a world without suffering from the start why allow sin and evil to enter in the first place if he knew it would lead to so much pain and Brokenness oh he totally could God is all powerful and he could have created a world of a bunch of robots who just all love him and all do the right thing and uh there is no evil he could have created that world I think the issue is that God doesn't want robots that he has something for us which is called Free Will where we get to choose to love God it's it's it's my wife loves me but it makes it more special because she chooses to love me she's made a choice to be with me she's made a choice to spend her life with me and so I think true love comes from a place not of compulsion or out of just your hardwiring and by biology I think love comes from a place of being willing to lay down your life and choose to love someone else and so I think God wants us to love him out of our Free Will and not out of compulsion or because we're these Cosmic robots that have no choice but to love him and so yes he could have in theory created a world where there was no free will but he allows us to have free will and that is why because ultimately he wants to be in relationship and in communion with his people that's a compelling perspective you're saying that genuine love requires the freedom to choose even if that freedom brings the potential for suffering but if God values Free Will so much how does that reconcile with the fact that many innocent people suffer not by their own choices but because of others actions or things beyond their control like natural disasters why should their suffering be a consequence of someone else's misuse of free will because God in his is Providence allows bad things to happen and yet we know that there will ultimately be justice so let's break it down a couple different ways you asked about innocent people who have experienced suffering at the hands of other people that's what I experienced is that as a child I was essed by an older teenager when I was young and I know that ultimately God has the macro view outside of just this life that there will be Justice that all wrongdoers will be held accountable in the final judgment so one there is judgment and there will be people who are uh punished for their wrongdoing two you asked about natural disasters again we live in a broken world the scriptures talk about how creation groans for the the the ultimate goodness and Redemption of God to be present on this Earth but we still live in a broken Fallen World you're saying that while suffering exists now it's not the end of the story God's justice will ultimately Prevail and there's a hope that everything wrong will be made right in the end you also acknowledge that the Brokenness in our world including natural disasters is part of that Fallen state but let me ask this if God's plan is to eventually make everything right why doesn't he intervene now to prevent such suffering why let people go through so much pain before reaching that final point of redemption and Justice oh sometimes he does intervene sometimes God does Miracles sometimes God delivers people out of incredible circumstances we see that in the old and the New Testament but other times he doesn't intervene why does he choose to intervene sometimes and not other times I don't know it's a part of his ultimate providential plan I don't have the anwers to that I'm not God his ways are not like my ways his thoughts are not like my thoughts and I'm okay with living in the tension on why God does or doesn't intervene in terrible things that have happened I could say in my story God not inter intervening has allowed me to communicate with other people who have gone through suffering with other people that have gone through uh sa to to empathize with their experience and to let them know they're not alone and so I think sometimes God uses our mess to turn into a message sometimes God uses the things that we've struggled with to encourage and comfort other people to know that they're not alone that's just one reason why but I don't know all the all the broader Cosmic reasons why but I'm sure we'll find those out in eternity pass that's an honest answer you're acknowledging that while there are moments of divine intervention the bigger picture of when and why God chooses to act remains a mystery it sounds like you see value in how God can use suffering to bring about growth empathy and a deeper connection with others who have gone through similar pain since you're comfortable with that uncertainty let's shift to my next question how do you justify the belief that Jesus is the only way to Salvation when there are billions of people who follow different religions or don't believe in any God at all are they all condemned just because they didn't choose the right faith I got him I just want to acknowledge that I got him on the first question okay well I I want I don't have to justify the belief I just look to the words of Jesus and trust that what he said is true because I trust in the resurrection account uh which I believe makes the New Testament reliable so I trust in the words of Jesus I don't have to justify the words of Jesus those are are the words of Jesus Jesus's words justify themselves so foundationally there's that and I would say secondly um that is why Christians go out and uh share the gospel that is why we send missionaries out that is why we uh uh help people get access to Bibles that is why we help people worldwide uh learn to read so they can read the Bible and that is why the vast majority of the philanthropy and the uh um uh charity worldwide is by Christians is because Christians want to usher in goodness and beauty and ultimately lead people to a saving faith in Jesus so that is why we do that now if someone has never heard of Jesus and has never uh um had the gospel shared to them do they go to Hell by default no I don't believe they go to Hell by default I believe they will be judged based on the information they knew and the life they have lived this is kind of echoed in Romans Chapter 2 where it talks about those Gentiles who didn't have the law had a law onto themselves in terms of what was written in their hearts and so I think people who haven't heard uh God will deal with them differently but I still live in that tension of we're called to go and share the gospel to the ends of the Earth while knowing that no God doesn't just by default send people to Hell on the merits that they've never heard of him that people will be judged according to what they did with the information that they had so you're grounding your belief in Jesus's own words and the reliability of the Resurrection as evidence that he is the only way you also acknowledge that Christians have a responsibility to spread the gospel and that God's judgment will be fair especially for those who haven't heard the message how can an all-loving God make salvation dependent on believing in one specific path especially when people are born into different cultures and religions where they may never encounter Christianity I don't know about you guys but I'm exhausted from the culture war and that's why we are running the firstep ever bless God Summit to equip Empower and inspire people to be the solution to the culture War to be the hands and feet of Jesus on this side of Eternity and at the first ever bless God's Summit we are going to be talking about what it means to live a better story and build better culture and hearing from speakers such as my man Allan par and his wife Jen par from the Beat YouTube channel my man John McCrae from what do you mean Dr Shawn McDow and Preston Perry and this will all be happening in carlbad California March 27th 28th and 29th at the beautiful Western Resort in Spa to get more information including the full lineup of speakers and access to tickets go to bless godum it.com now Jesus is the way the truth and the life and we are called to help other people see that as Christians that is why we do missions work uh God ultimately gets to decide who and how people get to be in relationship with him just like I get to decide decide who comes into my house based on the terms that I've outlined God gets to decide who goes into his house and based on the terms he's outlined now that still rests on the reality that God is good God is just God is loving God is merciful and God is uh all powerful and sometimes does intervene we've seen recent accounts of people in Muslim nations who have never heard about Jesus and they're seeing Jesus in their dreams and getting saved radically so God has a a plethora of ways that he reaches people but ultimately I hold to the reality that God is good God is merciful god is just and that people will be held accountable to what they know based on what we see laid out in Romans 2:15 where it says they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts their conscience also bearing witness and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and other times even defending them this will take place on the day when God judges people Secrets through Jesus Christ as my gospel declar so we know that there will be Gentiles uh according to verse 14 who do not have the law uh but by Nature do the things required by the law they are a law for themselves so I believe people who have never heard of God uh who have never heard of Jesus have a law onto themselves and I believe that God can and does reveal himself to people in Supernatural ways and I believe we are commanded to uh usher in goodness Beauty to be the hands and feet of Jesus to do good works and preach the gospel on this side of Eternity you're saying that while Jesus is the the only way God is ultimately fair and just people in ways that transcend human understanding and that Christians have a role in spreading that truth you believe that God has many ways of making himself known even Beyond conventional means and that his Mercy extends to those who haven't had a direct encounter with the gospel let's tackle the next challenge how do you reconcile the parts of the Bible that seem to contradict scientific understanding like the creation story Noah's Ark or Jonah and the whale how can you trust a book that seems to defy what we know about the world through modern science well I think modern science submits to God not God having to submit to modern science that's a false presupposition on your part uh the most miraculous aspect of the Bible is the resurrection account so we believe that Jesus was really dead and really Rose and that by all consensus defies the the laws of science it is a miracle I believe in miracles I think there's precedent to acknowledge that Miracles exist whether that's someone uh that I personally know getting healed of cancer whether that's Jesus rising from the grave or whether that's Jonah being trapped inside uh the whale for 3 Days Miracles are possible if Miracles are possible then the Miracles in the Bible are possible and because I believe the Bible is reliable because I believe in the miracle of the Resurrection therefore believing that the New Testament is reliable therefore believing that because the new Testament is reliable what Jesus says in the New Testament about the Old Testament is reliable I believe that those stories are true based on those conclusions so you're saying that if you accept the miracle of the Resurrection as a historical event it sets the foundation for believing that other miraculous events in the Bible even those that seem scientifically improbable are possible your view is that Miracles are not bound by natural laws and since the resurrection validates the reliability of the Bible it lends credibility to the rest of the biblical accounts but here's a followup how do you address the claim that Miracles could be myths or exaggerations or that people who reported them simply didn't understand natural phenomena at the time why should we take these ancient Accounts at face value today Miracles being myths I don't think that that is a sincere or legitimate argument because there are verified Miracles today there are Miracles that go beyond the understanding of science today where doctors are perplexed today so if that's happening today which there's more than enough evidence to suggest that that they are and not to mention my own anecdotal experiences if they happen today why couldn't they have happened 2,000 years ago 3,000 years ago uh throughout The Narrative of scripture so again Miracles by definition defy the laws of nature and I think that is probable and possible and if you're dealing with a god that is out outside of space time uh is is all knowing all powerful all loving then Miracles aren't unreasonable to believe it you're pointing out that if verified Miracles still happen today it supports the possibility that they could have happened in ancient times as well you believe that if God exists beyond the natural laws then Miracles aren't just possible they're entirely consistent with the nature of an all powerful God now let's move on to the last major question hell if God is so L how could he send people to eternal torment just because they didn't believe in him during their short time on Earth isn't that the definition of cruel and unusual punishment no that is not the definition of cruel and unusual punishment God is just and I don't know why people who don't believe in God would want to spend an eternity with him CS Lewis said that the gates of hell are locked from the inside so I actually believe and this may be controversial maybe some Christians don't don't agree with me on this but I believe that U people send themselves to help that God just gives people over to what they ultimately desired which is to not be with God in eternity so I I don't think the question of why does God people send to hell I think the better question is why would anybody want to be with God in eternity if they don't believe in God if they don't love God if they don't want to live God's ways that that sounds uh unfair to them so I think God just hands people over to their own uh conclusions and desires you're framing hell as the natural consequence of someone's choice to reject God rather than an imposed punishment you suggest that God honors people's autonomy by allowing them to choose separation from him if that's what they truly want even into eternity that's a thought-provoking perspective it shifts the question from why would a loving God send people to hell to why would someone reject a loving God do you feel this view helps you connect more with people who struggle with the idea of Hell being in consistent with a loving God yeah I think so I think if we flip the question and don't judge God uh instead understand that God is a good judge that changes the entire uh framing of the conversation that's a powerful way to reframe it by understanding God as a good and just judge it shifts the emphasis from condemnation to the reality of human choice and agency it definitely makes the conversation more about the relational aspect of God rather than simply focusing on punishment do you feel this approach helps you when discussing these tough questions with Skeptics or those who might be on the fence about faith yeah I love having those conversations with Skeptics and people who may be on on the fence about the faith CU I think they sometimes don't understand how many things they have to borrow from God in order to judge God so like even the idea that God is not good because people go to hell still borrows an objective standard from God on what good is and isn't but uh can I ask you some questions before we wrap it up absolutely feel free to ask your questions okay so what did you think about my conversation with Chad gbt did I do good and if you want to see the original video where me and Zach press chat GPT check this out over here if you want to see the extended version available on our patreon community sign up for a free 7-Day trial and get access to the extended version of this video as well as all of our podcasts access to all of our guests asking them questions before it goes live we'll have this over here all right I'll see you over there peace how can I be certain that Jesus is the only way to know God especially when there are so many different beliefs out there all claiming to be true what would be one question I would have to answer for you in order to get you to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior right now on my podcast hearing how Jesus transformed every aspect of your life makes it clear that your faith isn't just a belief system it's a lived experience if I were still the skeptic I might be hesitant but honestly yeah so you nailed it actually you took the words right out of my mouth so now that I've answered that question for you are you ready to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior right here right now ruon