Speaker 1: All right, Ruslan, let's dive right in. If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving,

Speaker 2: 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 atheists on this channel. But I've never had anything more soulless than today. Today, I decided to have a conversation with ChatGPT and allow ChatGPT to press me about my faith in Jesus. In one of our previous videos, we got a shocking ChatGPT response when we asked if God exists.

Speaker 3: If I were a human, I would believe this universe was created.

Speaker 2: Zach even asked ChatGPT, if God exists, what religion would be most probable to be true? And to the shock of many, they answered this.

Speaker 3: 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.

Speaker 2: But today, the tables have turned. We're allowing ChatGPT to press me about my faith. But before we get into that, guys, my name is Ruslan. 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 am wrong for believing in Jesus. Ask those sorts

Speaker 1: of questions. All right, Ruslan, 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 genocide 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

Speaker 2: how you address these issues. Okay, great. Can we go through them one by one? But before we do that, would you like a drink? I just want you to feel comfortable while you're on my podcast.

Speaker 1: 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

Speaker 2: asked that because when I was coming to faith, that was actually my biggest objection. I had experienced a pretty serious essay as a kid. My dad was into my life. I grew up in a single-parent home. And so I think this is a very compelling reason for why many people 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 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 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.

Speaker 1: That's a thoughtful answer, Ruslan. 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?

Speaker 2: 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 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 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 hard wiring and 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

Speaker 1: 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

Speaker 2: misuse of free will? Because God, in his providence, allows bad things to happen, and yet we know that there will ultimately be justice. So let's break it down a couple of different ways. You asked about innocent people who have experienced suffering at the hands of other people. Well, that's what I experienced, is that as a child I was essayed 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 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 ultimate goodness and redemption of God to be present on this earth, but we still live in a broken, fallen

Speaker 1: 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.

Speaker 2: 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 answers 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 intervening has allowed me to communicate with other people who have gone through suffering, with other people that have gone through S.A., 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 broader cosmic reasons why, but I'm sure we'll find those out in eternity past. That's an honest answer. You're acknowledging

Speaker 1: 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

Speaker 2: him on the first question. Okay, well, one, 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, 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 the words of Jesus. Jesus' words justify themselves. So foundationally, there's that. And I would say, secondly, that is why Christians go out and share the gospel. That is why we send missionaries out. That is why we help people get access to Bibles. That is why we help people worldwide learn to read so they can read the Bible. And that is why the vast majority of the philanthropy and the charity done worldwide is by Christians. It's 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 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 two, where it talks about those Gentiles who didn't have the law had a law unto themselves in terms of what was written in their hearts. And so I think people who haven't heard, 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.

Speaker 1: So, you're grounding your belief in Jesus' 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

Speaker 2: 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 first 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 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 Alan Parr and his wife Jen Parr from the Beat YouTube channel, my man John McRae from Dr. Sean McDowell and Preston Perry. And this will all be happening in Carlsbad, California, March 27th, 28th, and 29th at the beautiful Westin Resort and Spa. To get more information, including the full lineup of speakers and access to tickets, go to BlessGodSummit.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. God ultimately gets to decide who and how people get to be in relationship with him. Just like I get to 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 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 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, verse 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 at other times even defending them. This will take place on the day when God judges people's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares." So we know that there will be Gentiles, according to verse 14, who do not have the law, 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, who have never heard of Jesus, have a law unto themselves, and I believe that God can and does reveal himself to people in supernatural ways, and I believe we are commanded to 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

Speaker 1: that while Jesus is the only way, God is ultimately fair and just, and 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

Speaker 2: God, not God having to submit to modern science. That's a false presupposition on your part. 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 laws of science. It is a miracle. I believe in miracles. I think there's enough precedent to acknowledge that miracles exist, whether that's someone that I personally know getting healed of cancer, whether that's Jesus rising from the grave, or whether that's Jonah being trapped inside of the whale for three 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.

Speaker 1: So you're saying that if you accept the miracle of the resurrection as a historical event, it sets a 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 follow-up. 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

Speaker 2: 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 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, 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 outside of space, time, is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving, then miracles aren't unreasonable to believe in. You're pointing out that if verified miracles

Speaker 1: 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. If God is so low, 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

Speaker 2: 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. C.S. 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 agree with me on this—but I believe that people send themselves to hell, that God just gives people over to what they ultimately desired, which is to not be with God in eternity. So I don't think the question of why does God send people 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 sounds unfair to them, so I think God just hands people over to their own conclusions and desires.

Speaker 1: 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 inconsistent with a loving God?

Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so. I think if we flip the question and don't judge God, instead, understand that God is a good judge, that changes the entire framing of the conversation.

Speaker 1: 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?

Speaker 2: Yeah, I love having those conversations with skeptics and people who may be on the fence about the faith because I think they sometimes don't understand how many things they have to borrow from God in order to judge God. 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 can I ask you

Speaker 1: some questions before we wrap it up? Absolutely. Feel free to ask your questions.

Speaker 2: Okay, so what did you think about my conversation with ChatGPT? Did I do good? And if you want to see the original video where me and Zach pressed ChatGPT, check this out over here. If you want to see the extended version available on our Patreon community, sign up for a free seven-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.

Speaker 1: 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

Speaker 2: answer for you in order to get you to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior

Speaker 1: 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...

Speaker 2: 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? Bruce Lawn.