It it normal for christians to be hated by their family?

Last try! The evidence of the historicity of the New Testament. The evidence of the transmission of the original NT documents to our modern day bible. And given these were both reliable, the evidence of the empty tomb. Would say more but it will probably get moderated.

I have tried to answer you twice and both times I think it got moderated, either too long or maybe because I included a web link.

The other thing which I cannot explain if Jesus was not the Son of God is Isaiah chapter 53. Look it up on biblegateway.com How did Isaiah predict so precisely the manner of Jesus's death and mission 700 years before he was even born? There are 60+ prophecies in the old testament about the Messiah which provide blueprint only Jesus could fulfil.

I did a long response which must have been moderated. The short answer is that the bible is main source of evidence, and as it's a historical document should be examined the same as any ancient document. Good places to find out more can be found by researching the historicity of the new testament.

Jesus's resurrection is the key event in the New Testament, and it is very well supported as a historical fact. This is a good article if you're interested. http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection

Thanks for asking this question! As Christianity is a religion based on events which took place in history, it's really important to know what the facts are and to question their reliability. I can answer briefly, but can point you to other reliable sources if you want to follow this up.

Most of what is written about Jesus is found in the various books of the New Testament in the Bible. So a key questions is, did these books - and especially the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - record events which really happened, and if so, did they get passed down to us intact? The fact that there are four accounts, both from eye-witnesses and those who spoke directly to eye-witnesses, which all present a similar picture of this person is good evidence to support the fact that they happened. A good article to follow this up would be http://www.bethinking.org/is-the-bible-reliable/the-historicity-of-the-new-testament

If we are satisfied with the first step, then the words of Jesus are important. CS Lewis famously argued that Jesus was either mad, bad, or God, based on what he said. Read Mark's Gospel for yourself - I recommend a more readable version like the New International Version unless you're really into thee's thou's. Also CS Lewis's book Mere Christianity where that argument appears.

Central to the events in the Gospels is Jesus's death, resurrection and ascension. If these events did not happen, Christianity is a lie. See http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection for lots more on this.

And lastly, we have to look at the world and the impact of those events. If they did not happen, can we come up with a more convincing explanation for why the world turned out like it did? What was the impetus behind the rapid expansion of the early church? Could this have happened if Jesus was not who he said he was, the Son of God, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament (I didn't mention the 60+ direct references to Jesus written centuries before he was born and recorded in the Old Testament, and the staggering poetry of Isaiah 53 which I will post in a minute).

Apologies for not replying, I was sleeping. I'll try to answer that later today in my lunch break.

Yes, that is quite true, but it's also a conundrum. God predestined some to be saved, and some not. But if God sends people to hell, how can he be good, right?
Underlying this question is the assumption that everyone is basically good - and therefore deserves to go to heaven, whereas the Bible teaches that everyone is not basically good, but fallen. We don't like to admit this about ourselves because we are proud.

We all want justice too though, and if we look at ourselves honestly, we realise that we don't deserve to go to heaven. It would be wrong for bad people to go to heaven, and that includes us. But God loves us so much, he sent Jesus to die instead of us. That's better than I could ever be.

Why he chooses some, and not others, the bible doesn't say, apart from to say it's for his glory. He's the centre of the Universe after all, not us, even if we would like to be.

I'm saying all this as a fellow bad person, who has been saved. I don't have all the answers because at the end of the day, after all the arguments have been put forward and debated, we have to trust God because of who he is, rather than we've been smart enough to win an argument. And that starts with getting to know him. I hope this helps, because you raised a really important point which puzzles many people.

Great question! Adam: not sure. He started the whole mess by rebelling against God. Was he subsequently saved? Don't know. Abraham: he trusted God and it was credited to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6), but his sin still had to be dealt with by Jesus on the cross, same as us. The key word is "trust". Abraham was not perfect but he trusted that God would somehow account for his sin. Me & you: Jesus came so that God's justice could be satisfied. Sin results in spiritual death. Either it's our spiritual death, or it's Jesus's (once for all) death. We all have to choose, and no religious works (religion of Do) can satisfy God's justice. Only Jesus, because he was perfect and free of sin, can do that.

2. In Matthew 10, the context is clearer. He's preparing his disciples for mission and quotes from Micah 7. Here it's clearer that the opposition comes from our families, but if we follow him we must not give in to family pressure.

Two points:
1. Jesus sometimes uses shock tactics to teach. He's not instructing us to hate our families but to get our priorities right.. He must come first.

Good spot! See also Matthew 8:18-22, and Matthew 10:34-36. These are all passages about the cost of following Jesus.

I have replied to this question but seems to have been moderated. I'll try again. Maybe the moderators don't like the answers.

Good spot! See also Matthew 8:18-22, and Matthew 10:34-36. These are all passages about the cost of following Jesus, which is what prompted my question in the first place. Two points:
1. Jesus sometimes uses shock tactics to teach. The language of hate here draws a stark contrast between our love for him and for our families. He must come first.
2. In Matthew 10, the context is clearer. He's preparing his disciples for mission and quotes from Micah 7. Here the prophet foretells of a time when the world is hostile, and in confusion, and allegiance to God will bring conflict, even in your closest relationships. By quoting it, Jesus was saying that time is now - and continues for his followers today, including me.