A Letter to a Skeptic: Beyond the Questions

Dear Friend,

I’ve been thinking about the questions you’ve raised about the Bible—its challenges, its apparent contradictions, and especially your concerns about the actions of God in the Old Testament. I appreciate your honesty in grappling with these issues, and I want to acknowledge how deeply these questions matter. But as I’ve reflected, I’ve come to believe that the heart of the issue isn’t the specific actions or teachings in Scripture. The deeper question is this: Are you willing to approach the God of the Bible for who He is, rather than who you think He should be?

Faith and the Nature of God

I’ve noticed that many skeptics (and I was no different at one point) are more open to the idea of the God Jesus represents—the loving, merciful, and forgiving Savior—while struggling with the God revealed in the Old Testament. This tension is understandable, but it’s also revealing. The God Jesus spoke of is the same God of the Old Testament. Jesus didn’t present a new God; He revealed the fullness of God’s character, a character that includes justice and mercy, sovereignty and grace.

The real question isn’t about reconciling one view of God with another—it’s about whether you’re willing to approach the God of the Bible as He reveals Himself, rather than as you might wish Him to be.

Moving Beyond Intellectual Barriers

I also wonder if the intellectual questions you raise might serve as a shield. It’s easy to focus on perceived difficulties or moral objections in the text and never confront the bigger, more personal question: What would it mean for me to know this God?

The Bible’s central message is that God invites us into a covenant relationship with Him. That’s what the rainbow in Genesis 9:13 signifies—a covenant rooted in His faithfulness, not ours. But entering that relationship requires us to move beyond ourselves, our conditions, and our preconceived notions of who God should be.

Faith isn’t about getting all the answers upfront. If it were, it would depend on human intellect, not divine revelation. God’s call to us is to trust Him for who He is, even when we don’t fully understand. Isaiah 45:22 says, “Turn to me and be saved.” It’s an invitation to look past our objections and fix our gaze on Him.

The God Revealed in Jesus

If you’re struggling to approach the God of the Old Testament, consider this: Jesus affirmed and embodied the God of Scripture. He didn’t come to replace the God of justice and holiness but to show how that same God offers mercy, forgiveness, and redemption. If you can trust Jesus, perhaps that trust can open a door to see the fuller picture of God’s character—a picture that encompasses both the justice you question and the love you long for.

A Personal Step

For me, the breakthrough came when I stopped trying to fit God into my expectations and instead asked Him to reveal Himself as He truly is. It wasn’t about solving every intellectual or moral objection—it was about humbly approaching Him and seeking to know Him. That step of faith didn’t erase my questions, but it changed the way I approached them.

If you’re willing, I’d encourage you to take a similar step. What would it look like to approach God with the simple prayer, “If You are who You say You are, help me to see You”?

I’d love to continue this conversation, but above all, I hope you’ll consider this: The God of the Bible isn’t just an idea to evaluate—He’s a person to be known. And if you start with Jesus, you may find the answers you’re seeking in the person of God Himself.