Question 231: How can I know that I have forgiven someone who has hurt of offended me?

Question 231: How can I know that I have forgiven someone who has hurt of offended me?

Answer: If we know that God’s Word teaches us to forgive others who have offended us and to do it, if necessary, over and over and over again and to relinquish our natural desire to get revenge against the offender and that forgiveness is a choice that we make rather than a feeling that we follow, then how can we know when we have been successful in completing the process?

I grew up with a father who was a mean alcoholic. He would get drunk, come home and beat up my mom along with whichever of the 5 kids got in his way. Since I was the oldest boy, the responsibility to try to protect my mother fell on me. I was always unsuccessful in defending her until I got to be about a sophomore in high school, then the tide turned in my favor. We continued to fight physically and needless to say we hated each other.

When I turned 19, God invaded my life and changed my heart. Jesus became my Savior and Lord and my life began to change dramatically. However, the first thing He dealt with was my relationship with my father. God begin to put thoughts in my mind that were obviously from Him, like “I want you to honor your father.” I began several weeks of wrestling with God in my mind, arguing as to why I should not honor my father. The argument that I tried to use was that he didn’t deserve my honor or respect. In fact, I would argue, he is the one who should be apologizing to me. But the thought, not an audible voice, but the clear thought continued to repeat itself, “I want you to honor your father!” After about three weeks of sleeplessness, I surrendered. I said to God, “Okay. I’ll go to him and seek his forgiveness.” That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but one of the best lessons I’ve ever had.

I did a lot of praying leading up to meeting with him. I don’t remember word for word what I said but essentially, I confessed to him that I had been rebellious toward him and had not honored him like I should and that I was going to treat him with respect and that I intend never to dishonor him again. He began to cry and I followed his lead with tears as well. He continued to be critical of my mom but he never laid a hand on her after our encounter. He stopped drinking shortly after that. He was trying hard to clean up his act but as we know, that doesn’t work. However, fast forward about 30 years and he is in a hospital in Springfield Mo on his death bed. I flew from Houston to Springfield to spend the night with him. Because we had maintained a good relationship over the years, he allowed me to share the gospel and he prayed to receive Christ and died two days later.

Before I sought his forgiveness, when I would think of him or talk about him an outrage would almost overpower me. The anger was strong enough that it could have led to murder if I had been given the chance. But after going to him and seeking his forgiveness I had a perfect peace. I still remembered what he had done but there was no anger, I could talk about and to him with no negative thoughts.

One of the principles in seeking forgiveness is to follow our biblically informed mind, not our feelings. However, in a case where we wonder if we have truly forgiven another person, our feelings can give us a good indication. If we have genuinely forgiven an offender, our hurt and anger will have subsided. But, if there is still hurt, anger or any other negative feeling, we need to go back to the drawing board and talk to our Heavenly Father about our own hard heart. One of the biggest factors which makes forgiveness difficult is that we don’t realize the depth of our own sin. Neither do we understand what it cost our Savior to pay for our sins. The answer lies in asking God to show us our own sin and to show us what it cost Jesus to pay for them. See the passage on the Unforgiving Servant, (Matthew 18:21-35).

Question 230: I know the Bible teaches that I am supposed to forgive a person that hurts or offends me. How do I forgive? What does that entail? What does that look like?

Question 230: I know the Bible teaches that I am supposed to forgive a person that hurts or offends me. How do I forgive? What does that entail? What does that look like?

Answer: Forgiveness is at the very heart of the gospel. Jesus died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven. One of the phrases in the Lord’s prayer deals directly with us being forgiven for our sins and forgiving others who have sinned against us. “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Out of all the phrases in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus selects this one to elaborate on further at the end of the prayer. “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). This powerful passage is emphasizing a most important and sobering lesson that as believers in Jesus Christ who have been forgiven of all our sins, past, present and future, we must likewise be gracious and willing to forgive others of whatever offence or hurt that they have brought upon us.

 When we have been hurt, it is natural to want to get even with the offender and even add a few lashes for good measure. However, Jesus doesn’t allow us the perceived right to do any such thing. “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Forgiveness in the Greek literally means, “to let go.” When we forgive someone, we let go of the perceived right to get revenge. Carrying an offence around hoping to get revenge someday is like drinking poison hoping the other person gets sick. It makes no logical sense to torture ourselves by carrying bitterness when we can let go of it by obeying our Lord Jesus’ command to forgive. Forgiveness sets us free and gives us peace.

Paul, like Jesus, emphasizes the fact that since we have been forgiven, we must also forgive.  “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Scripture clearly teaches that we have been forgiven and we must, as genuine believers, forgive others their offences against us. But how are we to do obey such a difficult if not impossible command?

In order for us to forgive others in a biblical manner, we must be made aware of several helpful concepts. 1) Forgiveness is a decision to offer grace when we’ve been hurt instead of demanding justice. Forbearance and forgiveness must not be confused. Peter states, “…Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). In relatively minor things, we are to exercise forbearance and overlook the little things by reminding ourselves of God’s love and praying for the offender. However, forgiveness is for major offences that can’t be ignored. It is a decision and it is action oriented not feelings based.  2) Forgiveness is to be done from the heart between you and God in the form of a prayer. If the offender seeks your forgiveness, then you are to graciously grant it, but otherwise you are to forgive without going to that person. You should never go to a person and state, “I’ve forgiven you!” unless they have sought it from you. That approach will almost always create a new problem. 3) Forgiveness is reminding yourself how much you have been forgiven. 4) Forgiveness is relinquishing your perceived right to get even. 5) Forgiveness is choosing to respond to evil with good. We must not wait until we “feel” like it, we are to take action to obey regardless of our feelings. 6) Forgiveness must be repeated as often as necessary. 7) Pray for God to bless the offender and ask Him to deal with your feelings. 8) Feelings should follow the obedient actions, never should actions follow feelings. In other words, our biblically informed minds should be in control of our feelings. We remind our emotions about what God’s Word teaches. J.I. Packer tells us to preach to ourselves more and listen to ourselves less.

We don’t forgive because we are a loving and forgiving person. We forgive because we have been loved and forgiven by our Lord Jesus and He has commanded us to do likewise.

Question 229: In reading about the Cathars in the 12th century, what is dualism and what does the Bible teach about the concepts that they proclaimed?

Question 229: In reading about the Cathars in the 12th century, what is dualism and what does the Bible teach about the concepts that they proclaimed?

Answer: The Cathars were a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement in Southern Europe between the 12th and 14th centuries. The Cathars rejected the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and claimed that they were the only true Christians. They had their own bible, the Cathar Bible, which taught many strange things like reincarnation, that Jesus was did not physically existed. Instead, they believed that Jesus was an angel who took on human form as an illusion so that he could appear as a human being. They did not believe that Jesus was resurrected but that his imaginary resurrection was a symbolic representation of reincarnation including humans and animals mixed together in the process. However, their doctrines are difficult to identify with certainty since very little of their original texts have survived. Most information regarding the teachings of the Cathars were written by the medieval Catholic Church, who were defending themselves against the false teachings of the Cathars. Therefore, what we know about the beliefs of the Cathars may be inaccurate or biased. As Winston Churchill once stated, “History is written by victors.”

We do know that their main tenant was “dualism.” Dualism is the belief that there are two opposing deities, one good and one bad. The good deity, God, was the creator of the spiritual world and the bad deity, Satan, was the creator of the physical world. Human beings were fallen angels (created by God) trapped in physical bodies (created by Satan) and the only way to liberate themselves was to deny themselves of any physical pleasures. Unless they could separate themselves from their sinful bodies, they were condemned to be eternally reincarnated until they could set themselves free.

The Bible teaches most emphatically and very clearly that there is only one omnipotent power, not two. God Almighty created everything, including Satan, but God alone is all powerful, all knowing, all-present and He alone controls every molecule in the universe. Chapter 5:1 of the Westminster Confession summarizes the teachings of God’s Word on God’s power and authority beautifully. “God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and most holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.”

We must reject the false teaching that “God and Satan are equal powers and our vote makes the difference.” Satan was created by God as a glorious angel, but he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven with one third of the angels who are now called demons (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28: 13-17). They are real and have some power but Satan and his agents operate under the authority of Almighty God (Job 1:6-12; Luke 22:31-32). God has given the believer the Holy Spirit to protect us and to develop us into mature believers (1 John 4:4). The evil one cannot touch a believer in Jesus without God’s permission and if God allows Satan or his agents to do something to us, God uses what they are allowed to do to us for our own ultimate good. That is, it may be a very sad and an evil action, but God will use it somehow to make us more Christ like (Romans 8:28).

It is a wonderful and most comforting though that our good, loving and powerful Heavenly Father is in control of all things in the universe and we can place our trust in Him and enjoy the ride. Satan and his agents are real, but Jesus Christ lived a perfect life as our substitute and died on the cross in our place, so that we can have a relationship with God who has promised us eternal life with Him. His promises to us include the fact that He is with us, He is for us, and He is in us. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Question 228: “What is your biblical understanding of Psalm 82? What does it mean that there are other gods that are being judged by YHWH?"

Question 228: “What is your biblical understanding of Psalm 82? What does it mean that there are other gods that are being judged by YHWH?”

Answer: It appears that God is conducting a heavenly council similar to the one in which God and Satan struck up a conversation about the faithfulness of Job and God gives Satan permission to test Job. However, this short Psalm creates a few difficulties that are not easily answered. The biggest problem is the fact that “gods” are mentioned in verse 1 and 6. Every Hebrew word that we translate “god” (lower case) or “God” (upper case) means something. The word “Adonai” means “ruler. “The word “Yahweh” or “YHWH” means “alive,” “to be,” or “I am who I am.” The word “Elohim” means powers. Elohim is the Hebrew word used for gods in verse 1 and verse 6. It might indicate that the council is with angelic beings, some good and some bad but they do have power, but not unlimited power. But the more probable meaning is that God is talking about human judges and civil servants who are acting unjustly. We see in Romans 13 that civil servants are called servants or ministers of God three times. They, like the angelic beings are agents of God for the good of the people. Elohim can refer to our true Devine God or it can refer to false gods as well. That is one of the reason scholars like translations to be done by a group or a committee rather than one single individual. As a group, they can discuss what the writer was trying to communicate and the likelihood of a group of translators getting it translated correctly is much greater that one individual correctly translating it.

A loose paraphrase of this short chapter from my limited perspective could be, “As agents of Almighty God, whether angelic of human, you are to do the right thing, to judge justly and have mercy on the weak and needy. Since you are my agents, I will call you gods with a small “g” and the people may put you on a pedestal, but remember you will die like everyone else and will fall under my judgment. Since you are failing to reflect my justice, I will rise up and do it myself.”

The important thing for us to remember is that no matter how just, fair and compassionate we are or have been, if we do not know God through Jesus Christ, no amount of good works, will get us into heaven. The Apostle Paul tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 6:23). That simply means that every human being has sinned and is guilty of breaking God’s law. He goes on to say, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). That verse tells us that God is just and will hold us accountable for our sin, but He is also merciful and offers us a gift of eternal life if we will receive His free gift. He, Paul, tells us that God can give us a free gift because of what Jesus did for us. “But God shows His love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). His finishing touch on telling us how we can have eternal life is to tell us what our appropriate response should be, “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10: 9, 10).

There are two religions in the world, one can be classified as “do” and the other can be classified as “done.” The “do” religion teaches that we must do things to go to heaven. Obey rules, obey laws and give, serve and try harder. We are on our own and must earn our way to heaven. On the other hand, the “done” religion refers only to Christianity. Jesus has done everything that needs to be done. He came to earth to be our substitute. He took all of our sins, past, present and future and paid for them on the cross. He was our substitute; He died the death that we deserve. But that isn’t all, He lived a perfect life, one that we are supposed to live but can’t and his good works, His righteousness has been transferred into our account and we are declared by God as righteous because of our trust in Jesus, our Savior!

Question 227: a) Is salvation contingent upon continued belief?

Question 227: a) Is salvation contingent upon continued belief? b) Can one be deceived from right doctrines into false doctrines? c) Can one lose salvation if he does not remain steadfast until the end? (Matthew 24:11-13).

Answer: Part a) Jesus in the parable of the sower gives us four types of soil which represents four types of believers (Luke 8: 5-8). Out of the four types of soil there was only one that was good soil and it took roots, while the others never got beyond a brief start and faded out. The Apostle John addresses this sad situation, “They went out from us, but they were not one of us, for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us” (1 John 2:19). Theologians call our persevering until the end, the perseverance of the saints. However, our perseverance does not rest on our ability to persevere but on God’s promise to keep us. Paul writes to the Philippians, “I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Additionally, Paul gives us further testimony that it is God who keeps us, “And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those He justified He also glorified” (Romans 8:30). Paul goes even further with another great promise that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). However, our churches are loaded with people who are deceived with a false faith and will only realize it on Judgment Day when Jesus gives them the most terrible news they could ever hear, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23). Those people are people who thought they were believers, church people, but obviously were not true believers. It is vitally important to get it right. We must know that we are saved by placing our trust in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. Our destiny depends upon on it!

Part b) In order to deal with this question, we must make a distinction between error and false doctrine. All of us make biblical errors. For example, we see numerous teachings on the end times, some of them could be right, all could be wrong but for certain some are wrong. All of them are not correct. Someone is making an error. But this does not necessarily qualify as a false doctrine. The denomination in which I was ordained states, “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.” To be a genuine believer, there are certain essentials that we must live together in agreement. A short answer to part b of the above question is yes, a true believer can be deceived and fall for a season, but God the Holy Spirit will not allow a genuine believer to fully or finally fall away. Jesus in His high-priestly prayer stated, “While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, (Judas) that the Scriptures might be fulfilled” (Luke 17:12). The golden chain in Romans 8:30 affirms our assurance that God will finish what He started.

Part c) “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). The elect refers to true believers in Jesus. There are two reasons why the answer to this question is “no.” First of all, the parenthetical statement “if possible” strongly points to the fact that it is impossible for that to happen. God’s grace will prevail. His chosen ones will not be drawn away into deception. Secondly, Paul tells us that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (Ephesians 1:4). If we are going to be presented in glory to God as holy and blameless, God will keep us until the end. God is our sovereign God and we can know Him through Jesus Christ and be with Him forever in heaven.

Question 226 In Philippians Paul tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Question 226 In Philippians Paul tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  That almost sounds that we have something to do with our salvation. But he also says, of course, that we have been saved by grace through faith and not by works so that no one can boast.  Is there some type of contradiction here?

Answer: In dealing with God’s Word, there are three very important I’s: Inspired, Inerrant and Infallible. The Bible is inspired, God is its ultimate author (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is inerrant. That means that God used human authors to write exactly what He wanted them to write without error. However, He did not dictate word for word to them but He used them with their personalities, writing styles, and their life experiences to express His message as He wanted it. The Bible is infallible. His Word is incapable of error because He is perfect and His Word must be perfect and it will accomplish exactly what God wants it to accomplish (Isaiah 55:11).

With that said, there cannot be any contradictions. However, there are what theologians call paradoxes or antinomies and mysteries. Paradoxes or antinomies may appear to exist as a contradiction but the error is with us, in our interpretation of the passages. (We will return to this again in a moment below). A mystery, on the other hand, is that we simply do not have enough information at the present to solve it even though we believe it is true.

When there are two passages which appear to contradict each other, a helpful principle is to allow the clearest passage to shed light on the obscure passage. Since the question concerns Philippians 2:12-13 and Ephesians 2:8-10, let’s take a look, first of all, at the one which seems to be the clearest in what is being taught. In this passage Paul states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10). It is clear that we are saved through faith not works and it is important to note that even our faith is a gift from God. We cannot muster up our own faith, God must provide it. However, once we have been made alive by Almighty God, good works are vital and must follow our faith as evidence of our salvation. If there are no good works, there is good reason to question if there has been a conversion.

In the Philippians passage there appears to be a contradiction but let’s now take a look at it. Verse 12 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presents but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” verse 13 “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). We know from Ephesians 2 that our salvation is completely of God. If God was responsible for 99% of our being made alive, converted, regenerated, and we were involved in only 1%, we would still have reason to boast, but Paul makes it clear that we have no right to do that. It is all God. These two passages complement each other rather than contradict one another. Since we know that we are saved by God’s grace through faith, we can’t work to earn our salvation, so what is Paul saying? In the Ephesians passage Paul is talking about our regeneration, that we are saved through trusting in what Jesus has done for us. In the Philippians passage, Paul is talking about how we work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit to do good works after we have been converted. We participate in the sanctification process. That is, we work with the Holy Spirit in becoming more Christlike. He states in verse 13 that God works in us to give us the will or desire to do good works. We are to work out what God has worked in us. He has worked in our heart to regenerate us and we then are to work out the good works that He has ordained for us to do. What a Savior!

Question 225: Are the fallen angels the gods of today? If so, does this shed light on humankind always worshipping in all cultures? Do they have power?

Question 225: Are the fallen angels the gods of today? If so, does this shed light on humankind always worshipping in all cultures? Do they have power?

Answer: The answer to this question is one that all believers need to know. C S Lewis in his famous Screwtape Letters stated, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall into about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves (the devils) are equally pleased by both errors.” 

Fallen angels do exist (Luke 10:17-18) and they can interfere in our lives (Ephesians 6:12). Fallen angels are beings who decided to follow their leader, Lucifer, later known as Satan, in a rebellion against God (Jude 1:6; Revelation 12:9). About one third of the angels rebelled and were cast out of Heaven (Revelation 12:4). When the angels rebelled their fate was set, they will face eternal punishment and torment (2 Peter 2:4). Because they, the fallen angels, have no hope of salvation their mission is to take as many human beings as possible with them into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10).

Angels are mentioned over 300 times in the Bible. They are glorious and powerful creatures created slightly above human beings (Psalms 8:5). But they are God’s servants carrying out His will and ministering to God’s people. When they reveal themselves to people, they almost aways state, “Do not be afraid!” We do not know why one third of them rebelled with Satan, but it is speculated that when Lucifer received his assignment from God that his job was to minister to human beings, since he was a glorious creature, he may have taken his assignment like a proud and gifted human being might have difficulty accepting his lifelong job assignment to serve and care for a multitude of rats. His pride caused him to rebel against Almighty God. The Devil and his demon’s fate is certain, at the Judgment, they will be sent to the Lake of Fire which was created for them (Matthew 25:41).

Satan does have power, but not ultimate power. We are not operating in a dualist system in which we have two equal powers fighting for ultimate control. I heard a pastor once state that “God votes for us and Satan votes against us, and our vote makes a difference.” I met with that pastor a few days later and he was persuaded that he was absolutely wrong. God is Sovereign over all. There is not a loose molecule in all the universe, God is in total control over every single molecule (Colossians 1:16-17). However, He has given Satan a lot of control, but Satan can only do what God allows him to do.  Satan requested permission to afflict Job (Job 1:12). Satan requested permission to sift Peter (Luke 22:31-32). However, Satan can possess a person who does not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. But Satan and his demons cannot possess a genuine believer in Jesus Christ because the Holy Spirit indwells them (1 John 4:4).

God has created us to worship Him and Him only. If a person does not worship Almighty God, he or she will worship someone or something created. In other words, every human being will worship God, the creator, or something He created. If a person does not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they will worship someone or something that was created by God. Satan will do all in his limited power to get us to worship the creation. Our most complete biblical defense against our enemy is covered in Ephesians 6: 10-20. Paul teaches us to stand firm in understanding our identity in Christ, put on Christ’s righteousness, remind ourselves of the gospel, share the gospel with others, remember our salvation and God’s faithfulness, make sure our minds are saturated in the bible and be committed to bold prayer.

God, in his loving sovereignty has promised us that he will use whatever happens to us for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). That means that He will bring good out of whatever He allows Satan to do to us.

Question 224: How can we expect non- Christians to agree with certain political ideas, like abortion?

Question 224: How can we expect non- Christians to agree with certain political ideas, like abortion?

Answer 224: This is a great question and there are two options in answering it. However, before we look at the two-options let me be clear about one thing. All of God’s Word is important but we don’t have to agree on everything in order to be saved, to be made acceptable to God.  Scripture teaches that Jesus is the only way to heaven (John 14:6) and if a person has that correct, then He is adopted into God’s family. But that does not mean that other things are unimportant and can be ignored.

When someone has a different or wrong view on something vitally important to us, one option is to seek to persuade the person who is not a Christian to change his or her mind on the political or moral issue. Incidentally, since abortion was mentioned in the question, it is much more that a political issue, it is also a very important moral issue which according to Psalm 139:13-16 it could be called murder. But we must ask the question, since the person is a non-believer and holds a position of a non-believer, why should we expect them to believe anything else? Jesus never blamed pagans for believing and acting like pagans, but He did call out religious leaders who were living self-righteous hypocritical lives. Jesus was called a friend of sinners (Luke 7:34). When Jesus encountered people who were living in sin, and did not believe in Him, He was kind and gentle with them because He knew that the problem wasn’t with their behavior but with their heart. His approach was to emphasize the need to have a heart change. Judging and condemning a non-Christian for behaving like a non-Christian is not an attractive way to influence them for Christ. The Apostle Paul emphasized that we as church members are to judge the behavior of those inside the church if they are behaving hypocritically, but we are to leave those outside the church for God to judge (1 Corinthians 5:12, 13).

When I was about 6 years old, the pastor of our church came to our house as a result of my mom wanting him to visit with my alcoholic dad with the intent of getting him to come to church. My dad wanted nothing to do with church. The pastor had a good visit with my dad talking about fishing, hunting and growing things on our farm. But when he went to leave our house, he said to my dad, “Fay, why don’t you quit your drinking and start coming to church?” My dad never when to church but about 30 years later he did stop smoking and drinking on his own. Fast forward a few more years and I flew to Springfield Missouri to visit with him on his death bed. During my 24-hour visit, I asked him, “Dad, if you were to die tonight and appear before God and He were to ask you, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven, what would you say?’” He replied, “I’m as good as the rest of them!” I immediate made the connection between what the pastor told him about quitting drinking and then coming to church. He did it on his own, he did not need the church to help him. The pastor communicated to him that if he would clean up his own life, then come to church he would be acceptable to God. I explained to him that we could never be good enough to earn our way into heaven. That Jesus has done everything for us and all we have to do is to believe in who He is and what He has done for us and God will accept us into His family and into heaven. He prayed to receive Jesus as His Lord and Savior and died two days later.

The other, a far better option, I believe,  is when someone holds a different or wrong opinion and is a non-believer, we should befriend that person, love and accept him and in time share the good news of Jesus Christ with him. If and when he does become a believer, God will change his heart and give him a new desire to obey Jesus. God changes us beginning on the inside and then on the outside as well. That is, once God changes us on the inside, our behavior begins to change as well. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to change a person’s behavior. We too often try to do His job for Him and that messes everything up. Our job it to love, accept and be ready to share the gospel when the occasion arises and God will do His job.

Question 223: What are your thoughts on Hebrews 13:17? I believe we should honor and pray for our pastors and leaders. But not worship them. Am I off base?

Question 223: What are your thoughts on Hebrews 13:17? I believe we should honor and pray for our pastors and leaders. But not worship them. Am I off base?

Answer: Hebrews 13:17 states, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. ‘Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.’”

God has established various levels of authority under His ultimate authority. For example, God has established three institutions and ordained a source of authority for all three institutions, the family, the church, and the state. In the family the husband has been appointed by God as the authority to protect, provide, lead and bless their wives and children (1Timothy5:8; Ephesians 5:23-33). In the church, God has appointed elders, or pastors (shepherds) to oversee the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-4). In the state, God has appointed civil authorities who are called in Romans 13, servants or ministers of God, to insure justice and to defend their borders and to punish those who do evil (1 Peter 2:13-17).

The Hebrew 13:17 text, the word, “leaders” is plural. God’s Word is clear that there is to be a plurality of leaders (Acts 14:23; Acts 20:17; Titus 1:5) to safeguard against the abuse of power. Scripture does not endorse a pastor alone to be the ruling authority. We have seen many examples historically of a charismatic leader abusing his unbiblical authority and leading 100’s and 1000’s of followers astray. The individual pastor or elder has the power to serve but not to rule. It is only when a called meeting of the elders is in session that they can discuss and make ruling decisions which impacts their flock. Abusive leaders should be confronted and given a chance to repent, defend themselves or be removed from office. The pastors and elders are to serve the congregation and be examples to them because every leader will have to give an account of the way they led.

Being under an authority is not a popular concept in our culture. Our natural inclination is that we want to do what we want to do. Doing what we want rather than what God wants is essentially what sin is all about. Adam and Eve were the first ones to resist God’s authority in order to do what they wanted to do and we’ve all experienced and continue to experience the result of their rebellion. John Scott, theologian, writer and pastor, stated in 1982, “Seldom if ever in its long history has the world witnessed such a self-conscious revolt against authority.”

Since we are to be under various authorities, that does not mean that we are to blindly follow them. We are to be like the Bereans and examine our pastors teaching with Scripture to make sure it is sound as the they did with Paul’s teachings (Acts 17:11). If the church leader is teaching or proclaiming something inconsistent with Scripture, we are to confront him and if he doesn’t repent, we must leave the church. In all cases of authority, we are to submit unless we are asked to do that which God prohibits or if we are prohibited from doing that which God commands. We are to resist any authority who requires us to disobey God’s Word and be willing to suffer the consequences for our disobediences (1 Peter 5:29).

We are to submit to the Godly leadership of our churches but it must be a plurality of elders running the church, not one pastor. We are to pray for our leaders in every institution because God put them there. An American minister once asked the great English preacher, Charles Spurgeon, what was his secret to having such great influence? Spurgeon replied, “My people pray for me!”

We are to support, honor and pray for our pastors but, we certainly are not to put them on a pedestal and worship them. Praise God for the Godly leaders in the home, church and in the government.

Question: # 215, When is Jesus coming back? Very important to know.

Question: # 215, When is Jesus coming back? Very important to know.

Answer: In Revelation 22:20, the Lord Jesus simply states, “Surely I am coming soon.” From our limited perspective, it is difficult to grasp Jesus’ “I am coming soon” statement, because it has been 2,000 years since Jesus made that declaration. To us, we tend to think of “soon” in terms of something happening immediately, in the near future, but to Jesus the concept of soon could refer to next week, next year, the next decade, the next century or even the next millennium or even longer. The Greek word,”tachu” which is translated “soon” does not mean “immediately” but “without unnecessary delay.” The meaning seems to be that events have been set in motion by Almighty God that will usher in Jesus’ return without unnecessary delay. Historic events are moving along according to God’s predetermined timetable. In Matthew 24, Jesus answers the disciple’s question, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Among the signs that Jesus mentions are false Messiahs, wars and rumors of wars, nation will rise against nation and famines and earthquakes, Christians will be hated, persecuted and put to death for His name’s sake. However, Jesus concludes this discourse with words of hope and encouragement, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

For centuries Bible students have felt that Jesus’ second coming was going to be during their lifetime. Many of these students who have carefully studied, or carelessly studied, the Bible prophecies concerning Jesus’ return have even predicted months, days and years in which they believed Jesus was going to return. However, none of them have been correct and I can say strongly and knowledgably that none of them will ever be correct, because of what Jesus said about His return. “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, ‘keep awake.’ For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore, stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:32-37).

It is clear that God does not desire for us to attempt to calculate the day that Jesus is coming back. Anyone who attempts such a task is misguided at the least and could be a false prophet or a heretic at the worst. What we do know, however, is that Scripture does teach that Jesus will return and we are to “keep watch” and “be ready” and to live everyday in light of His imminent return.

I’m very hopeful, like all Christians in the past have been, that Jesus will return “soon” as in my lifetime, but I want to be prepared to face the final enemy called, death, and to look forward and long for His welcoming me into His presence with, “Well done, good and faithful servant, come and enjoy the happiness of the Master.” Those welcoming words can be anticipated by all believers, not because of our performance, our good works, but according to His grace.  Because of His grace, He took our sins and placed them on Jesus at the cross and He transferred all of Christ’s good works into our account which enabled God to declare us to be sinless and righteous! Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Question: 205 How will we be able to enjoy heaven if we have loved ones who are in hell?

Question: 205 How will we be able to enjoy heaven if we have loved ones who are in hell?

Answer: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passes away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away’” (Revelation 21:1-4).

Paul states, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

John in Revelation and Paul in 1 Corinthians both make it very clear that man, in our fallen sinful state cannot even imagine what heaven will be like. It is an absolute perfect place where there will be no death, no sorrow, no pain, no tears but only a certainty of joy, bliss, comfort, peace, love and perfection. To show how heaven will be far greater than our wildest imagination, look at the dimensions of the city. For example, the New Jerusalem is a cube shaped place which is approximately 1500 miles wide, 1500 miles long and 1500 miles high. After Jesus returns that will be our home forever. Being with God in Heaven is an altogether different dimension. (Revelation 21:15-21)

First of all, we don’t know God as He really is. We especially do not know Him as the God who is Holy, Holy, Holy. God’s holiness is different from how we use holiness. When we use it, the primary meaning is referring to people who have been, “set apart,” for special work. But God’s holiness refers to His transcendent majesty, His unmatched superiority which makes Him worthy of our honor, reverence, adoration and worship. It refers to God’s righteous actions. God does what is right. He never does what is wrong. For us to think that God will make a heaven whereby we will not be completely 100% happy and joyful beyond our imagination shows how inadequate our knowledge of our Almighty God really is.

Secondly, we do not know ourselves very well. Try as we might, we remain oblivious to how truly heinous our sin is. We don’t and can’t know how truly filthy we are in the sight of God and how incredibly wonderful our salvation is. We need better self-knowledge; the kind God gives to us through His Spirit when we are seeking a realistic knowledge of ourselves through His Word. We cannot imagine how we could be content in heaven while loved ones are in hell because we do not know ourselves and our sinful condition very well.

Thirdly, we do not know what it means for us to be changed at our death into Christlikeness. At that instance, we are made morally perfect. We will not only be without sin; we will have been removed from the very presence of sin. When we were saved, we experience the removal of the penalty of sin, justification. From that moment until we die, we are in the process of being removed from the power of sin, sanctification. At our death, we experience the removal of the very presence of sin, glorification. At that point, we will love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind in an undiluted perfection. This may sound harsh, but our compassion, our love, our concern will be much more for the vindication of God’s holiness than for a loved one who refused to repent and seek the salvation that was available to him/her. In the meantime, we are to pray for the lost, plead for their souls, share the gospel with them while at the same time placing our trust in the God who is good and who does only what is good.

Question: When someone dies do they have the opportunity to receive and recognize Christ as their Savior at that moment even after they have died?

Question: When someone dies do they have the opportunity to receive and recognize Christ as their Savior at that moment even after they have died?

Answer: The idea of a second chance to believe in Jesus after we die is appealing and we sometimes wish it were so, but the Bible is very clear that death is the end of all of our chances to ever believe in Jesus. The writer of Hebrews, inspired by the Holy Spirit stated, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). As long as a person is alive, he or she may have many chances to place their trust in Jesus, but when a person dies, there are no more chances.

With our limited understanding, it is natural for us to believe that if people were given a second chance to believe after they die and have come face to face with our Savior, they would do it. However, Jesus teaches otherwise in His story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. A reasonable person would think that the rich man, who is in hell, would have repented and pleaded with God to give him a second chance, but he didn’t. Although he was in torment in hell, he only asked that Lazarus would be sent to warn his brothers so they wouldn’t have to suffer the same fate. There was no repentance in his heart, only regret for where he found himself. But the answer that he received about someone going back from the dead to warn his brothers says it all, “But, Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he (the rich man who is now in hell) said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He (father Abraham) said to him, if they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead’” (Luke 16:29-31). The point of Jesus’ parable was to show that God uses His Word to bring people to repentance and to salvation, not spectacular events or miracles, not even if someone comes back from the dead.

Since no one will ever be saved after they die, we should be motivated to share the gospel with all of our loved ones and with others with whom we care about. Jesus gives us a great promise which should be comforting to us, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). And the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8 that God chose us, He justified us and He will glorify us and that nothing in all creation can separate us from His love. However, we have a responsibility to share the gospel with others as Paul tells, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’”

May God bless each one of us with “beautiful feet!”

Question #208 “Does God assign a guardian angel to each of us?”

Question #208 “Does God assign a guardian angel to each of us?”

Answer: The Scriptures nowhere state that an angel is assigned to an individual. Angels were sometimes sent to individuals but there is nothing said about a permanent assignment. The idea that each believer has an angel to guard them, and a demon to tempt them came into existence during the early extrabiblical writings and none of those writings made it into the books of the Bible.

However, God’s Word does present angels as messengers and ministers who are sent by God to serve a particular purpose. God sent an angel to protect Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:22). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were protected by an angel from the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:28). In the New Testament we see many angels appearing to communicate some special message like the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus to the mother and fathers. We are told that angels rejoice when someone receives salvation (Luke 15:10), carry the souls of believers at death to heaven (Luke 16:22), that they desire to watch the gospel unfold (1 Peter 1:12), and that we sometimes could entertain them and be unaware of the fact that they might be an angel (Hebrews 13:2).

There are books written about people who have had personal encounters with angels, movies and television programs abound, but we are not to develop our theology from our culture or from experiences that we or others have had. Our doctrines are to come from what the Bible teaches. People who claim to have had an experience with an angel may have had a real experience but a wise person who is a student of God’s Word must be skeptical about what they experienced. The enemy is a great deceiver and as Jeremiah warns us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Lots of people have taken great comfort in thinking that an angel is with them watching and protecting them. However, in reality, why would we be satisfied to have an angel, a created creature caring for us when God’s Word tells us that Almighty God, the creator of the universe, is always with us, He is for us and He is in us? If we are His children through faith in Christ, He works all things that goes on in and around us for our good (Romans 8:28-30). That ought to be the greatest protection and security that we would ever want. If we have an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, all loving God with us, does it really matter whether or not an angel is there?

Question: Hitler was raised as a Catholic by his mother…could he possibly have gone to heaven?

Question: Hitler was raised as a Catholic by his mother…could he possibly have gone to heaven?

Answer: God’s Word does not say anything about people going to heaven based on what denomination they belonged to or even in what great things they have done or not done. It seems that the real question is: “What does God require from all of us, even Hitler, to enter into His Heaven?”

In Acts 16:31 Paul states, …” Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved….” 

In Romans 10:9-10, Paul stated, “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

It is clearly taught in Scripture that we are saved as a result of what Jesus has done for us. If we place our trust in who He is and what He has done for us, the benefits from His life and death are transferred into our account and God accepts us based upon our faith or trust in Jesus. Specifically, Jesus took all of the sins of believers, past, present and future upon Himself on the cross. Since our sins were transferred to Him, we are now declared to be sinless. Likewise, all of His righteousness from His holy life has been transferred into our account and God declares that we are now righteous. That makes us acceptable to our Holy God and He will grant us entry into His Heaven because of our trust in Jesus. That is Good News!

Just before His death on the cross with two criminals the following conversation took place. “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43.) 
Jesus saved the one who believed in Him during the last minutes of his life, but let the other one alone. 

Since we are saved by God’s grace alone through faith in Jesus alone, it is a gift from God. 

Therefore, if Hitler in the last minute of his life would have turned from his self-sufficiency (repented) and placed his trust in Jesus (believed in who He was and what He had done) he would have been saved. 

Incidentally, it is reported that Hitler rejected his Catholicism belief later in his life and turned to Protestantism, specifically Lutheranism, but God’s standard for going to heaven does not include what denomination one believes in. 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Question: The 5th commandment is for us to honor our fathers and mothers. Suppose your father and mother are bad people who rob, kill, do drugs and criminal activity?

Question: The 5th commandment is for us to honor our fathers and mothers. Suppose your father and mother are bad people who rob, kill, do drugs and criminal activity?

Answer: It is not by accident that this commandment is the first of six commandments that deal with our relationships with mankind. The first four deal with our relationship with God and the last six with people. But, the position of this commandment, number five, and the topic of it, authority, is the anchor of our society, and it is the foundation of establishing respect for all authority, even the authority and honor of our Heavenly Father. The commandment states, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12).

Honoring our parents or any authority does not depend upon their character qualities or any other qualification. We are commanded to honor them whether they deserve it or not. God’s love for you and me does not depend on our performance. Likewise, the commandment for us to honor our father and mother should not depend upon their performance. Interestingly, this commandment has a beautiful promise attached to it. “That your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” However, the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6, after he quotes this verse and the promise that goes with it does say a word of warning to the fathers, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). But, even if the fathers don’t follow their admonition, we still are under the command to honor our parents.

There are three God ordained institutions in which we are to be in subjection to the appropriate authorities. The family, the church and the state. The family has the father and mother as the authority, the church has the ruling elders, or overseers, as the authorities, and the state has the civil servants with whom we are to honor and obey. The civil servants are called “servants or ministers” of God three times in Romans 13. Then in, 1 Peter we read, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by Him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Peter2:13-17). The interesting thing about this command to be in subjection to and to honor the emperor is that Nero was the Roman emperor at that time and he would have made Hitler look like a moderate leader.

The point is that God gives us our parents, He gives up our church leaders and He gives us our government leaders and we are to be obedient to them and honor them unless they require us to violate God’s law. If they require us to do something that God forbids or not to do something that God commands, then we are to resist and be willing to suffer the consequences.

With our parents, they may have poor character qualities and they may be bad examples of humanity, but we are to honor them even if we don’t like them. However, we must humbly and respectfully resist them if they command us to violate God’s laws.

So the question is raised: What is the unpardonable sin that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 12 and can a Christian commit it?

So the question is raised: What is the unpardonable sin that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 12 and can a Christian commit it? 

(1) What the unpardonable sin is not: a) it is not murder (cf. Moses, David, Paul); b) it is not adultery (cf. David and Ps. 32:1-2a); c) it is not suicide (no other supportive Scripture). 

(2) Context is decisive. The statement is made in the midst of Jesus' earthly life/ministry. The Pharisees had not merely been rejecting Jesus' work. They had been attributing to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit. They did so, not out of ignorance, but out of a conscious disputing of the indisputable. 

(3) Therefore, blasphemy of the HS is willful, wide-eyed slandering of the work of the HS, attributing to the devil what is undeniably divine. These men had seen as well as anyone could see and had known as clearly as anyone could know that Jesus performed his miracles by the power of the HS, yet they defiantly insisted, contrary to what they knew to be true, that it was Satan who empowered him. This was not a one-time, momentary slip or inadvertent mistake in judgment, but a persistent, life-long rebellion in the face of inescapable truth. Blasphemy of the HS is not a careless act but a calloused attitude. The Pharisees had seen Jesus heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, teach the Sermon on the Mount, give sight to the blind, heal the paralytics. Blasphemy of the HS, therefore, is not just unbelief but unashamed unbelief that arises not from ignorance of what is true but in defiance of what one knows beyond doubt to be true. It is not mere denial, but determined denial; not mere rejection, but wanton, willful, wicked, wide-eyed rejection. 

(4) Why is there greater guilt in blasphemy against the HS than in blasphemy against the Son of Man? It certainly isn't because one has greater dignity or glory than the other. Perhaps to reject Jesus during his earthly humiliation was forgiveable because his glory was veiled. To reject the power of the HS, as seen in his miracles, was unforgiveable because it was unmistakably divine; no doubts were possible. The distinction is between a failure to recognize the light and a willful rejection of the light once it is truly seen. 

(5) Why is it unpardonable or unforgiveable? It isn't because there is a defect in Christ's atoning work. It isn't because God is incapable of granting forgiveness. This sin precludes pardon because by its very nature it precludes repentance. A sin of which one may repent is not the unpardonable sin. Blasphemy of the HS is by definition, unrepentant repudiation of the HS, unrepentant i

Question: 1) Do we need to soften the gospel by compromising it to make it more attractive? 2) Is everything in the Bible black or white? 3) When does life begin according to the Bible?, etc

Question: 1) Do we need to soften the gospel by compromising it to make it more attractive? 2) Is everything in the Bible black or white? 3) When does life begin according to the Bible? 4) Could euthanasia ever be justified for economic reasons or any other reason?

1.       Answer:  The gospel is the “good news” concerning who Jesus is and what he did. He is the Son of God, the God/man who came to earth to live a perfect life in our place and He died a death that we deserve to die. He became our substitute in living the perfect life and dying a horrible death that we deserve. By placing our trust in Jesus and what He did for us, not in our own good works, we are born again, regenerated, adopted into God’s family and will spend eternity in heaven with God. Those are the facts of the gospel and we cannot compromise the facts. We must present the facts of the gospel in a loving manner not in an arrogant or harsh manner. the Apostle Paul says, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:5). It takes both truth and love to share the gospel and to make disciples. Tim Keller stated, “Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it.” Therefore, we should never compromise the truth or the love for the other person.

2.       The Bible deals with black and white issues. That is, the Bible presents the truth and nothing but the truth. God either created the world or He did not. There was a man and woman named Adam and Eve or there was not. The world was created in 6 days or it was not. There was a world-wide flood or there was not. Jesus came to earth as a baby to save mankind or He did not. He died for our sins or He did not. He was resurrected from the dead or He was not. Etc., etc., etc. Either God’s Word is absolute truth intended for us to follow and obey or He has played a terrible cosmic joke on us. Adam and Eve tried to compromise God’s Word with Satan and we are still experiencing the results of their awful attempt to compromise. Trying to compromise God’s Word qualifies us to be guilty of what Jesus accused the Laodicea church of doing, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot or cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).

3.       The Bible does not explicitly tell us when life begins but it does implicitly tell us clearly that is occurs at conception. “For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 119:13-14). “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Therefore, aborting a baby, from God’s perspective would be murder. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Genesis 9:6).

4.       We’ve all watched people suffer and die a long and agonizing death and often the suffering person would rather die than to go on suffering. Even though euthanasia can be understood, God does not give us that option. Only God controls when we come into his world and when we will leave it. We don’t understand it and sometimes we don’t like it, but He is God and we are not. We can know that His timing is perfect and that He has a purpose in everything that He does. He never tells us why He allows a person to live when he or she wants to die but we can claim a wonderful promise from His Word. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Will God’s anger be forever and who are the recipients of His anger?

Question:222, Will God’s anger be forever and who are the recipients of His anger?

Answer: Most people do not like the idea of an angry God. We naturally tend to create our own god in our own image. Our idea of God is generally similar to a grandfather who allows his grandchildren to do whatever they want without ever suffering any consequences for their choices. But the most famous verse in the Bible John 3:16 and following verses clearly rejects that type of god. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life…. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God…. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:16-36). This passage clearly makes a distinction between those who believe in Jesus and those who do not believe. The believers receive eternal life and those who do not believe are condemned and will receive the wrath of God.

The wrath of God is not to be confused with human wrath. Human wrath is essentially an attempt to get revenge on a person who has offended you. “For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). The Apostle Paul gives us a clear picture of why God’s wrath is different from human wrath and why it is necessary.  “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 1:20). Paul is telling us that those who do not repent of their sins and place their trust in Jesus will face God on judgment day and will experience the wrath of God.

Matthew gives us a sobering picture of what the wrath of God will look like on Judgment Day. “Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…. Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:32-46). Therefore, God will be angry with the wicked (unbelievers) forever.

However, for those who have repented of their sins and placed their trust in Jesus Christ, the wrath of God is no longer aimed at them because Jesus experienced the full measure of God’s wrath on the cross. Jesus became our propitiation. That word occurs four time in the New Testament. Romans 3:25, 1 John 2:2, I john 4:10 and Hebrews 2:17. It means that Jesus satisfied God’s wrath. By placing our trust in Jesus, God has declared that all of our past, present and future sins have been covered by Jesus on the cross and we are declared to be righteous because all of Jesus’ good works have been transferred into our account. All of us rightly deserve to experience God’s wrath but Jesus took our place, so we can now be at peace with God. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). We have been adopted into God’s family; we are declared to be His children. However, because of His great love for us, He does discipline us. Hebrews 12:5-11 tells us that God puts all of His children through difficult times for their own good. He tells us that it, “seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Being a child of God does not exempt us from pain.

God’s wrath will continue forever in hell for those who have not placed their trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But, for those who have repented and have trusted in Jesus as their Lord and Savior the wrath of God has been completely removed, appeased by Jesus on the cross. He experienced hell on the cross as our substitute. Hallelujah what a Savior! 

Why has there always been such hatred of the Jews?

Question 221: “Why has there always been such hatred of the Jews?

Answer: This is a question that every believer in Jesus Christ should ask himself/herself. There are volumes written on this subject and I cannot give a complete answer in a one-page reply, but I’ll touch on a few reasons why fallen and sinful people are guilty of antisemitism, hatred of the Jews.

In Genesis, Moses wrote, “Now the Lord said to Abram, (Abraham) ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:1,2). God made a covenant with Abraham and promised him that he and his people would be blessed and given land if they would obey Him. Abraham’s offspring, all 70 of them ended up in Egypt and over time became enslaved by the Egyptians. After 400 years, God sent Moses to lead them to the Promised Land. As God’s chosen people, God fought for them and enabled them to eventually take possession of the land, but they were ordered by God to kill the Canaanites, Perizzites, Jebusites and many others who occupied the land. As the groups of people heard and saw how God favored them, they likely feared them, but they also may have hated them. When Jesus, the promised Messiah came as a Jew, the Jewish leaders did not recognize Him as the Messiah and ended up killing Him after Pilate declared that Jesus was innocent from his perspective and he did not want to crucify him. At that time, “All the people (the Jews) answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children’” (Matthew 27:25). On the cross, Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). However, this statement by the Jews, “let his blood be on us and on our children,” has been used against them, unfortunately by some professing Christians as well as the secular world, to foster hatred for centuries.

In 570 AD, Muhammad was born and started his own religion, Islam. He did not believe that the Jews were God’s chosen people and the Jews did not believe that Muhammad was a prophet of God. As a result, there were great and still are great disagreements and conflicts between them with much hatred.

Martin Luther was one of the greatest theological minds in church history and is responsible for Christianity as we know it today when he started the Reformation. Most of Luther’s life involved him trying to win the Jews to Christ along with the rest of the world. However, late in his life he turned against the Jews because so few had become believers in Jesus. He condemned them and said some awful things about them which Hitler used to support his attempt to do the world a favor by destroying all of the Jews. Hitler also leaned heavily on a falsified document in 1903 from a Russian newspaper which quickly spread all over the world. It was called “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” This document claimed a sinister plot by the Jews to rule the world. Hitler was responsible for turning the Nazi party of Germany against the Jews and killing over six million of them during World War 11. The Allied countries were appalled by Hitler’s treatment of the Jews but others countries were not so sympathetic. Hatred continued to abound.  

After World War II, the United Nations gave a portion of the Palestinian territory to the Jewish people. In May of 1948, the first day of Israel’s existence as an independent state, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Syria attached Israel in an attempt to drive them into the sea but were defeated. For the last 75 years, continued conflicts and wars have existed between the Palestinians, who are predominately Muslim, and Israel with little hope of every having a peaceful coexistence. With two billion Muslims in the world, that makes for a lot of enemies. However, to be fair, not all Muslims hate the Jews. The good news for the Jews is that the last part of Romans 11 indicates that God may not be through with the Jews. As believers in Jesus, we should pray that, “All Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25a). There is hope!

Did Christ have the ability to sin?

Question # 220: Did Christ have the ability to sin?

Answer: The answer to this question has been hotly debated by great thinking theologians for hundreds of years without a consensus. The theological terminology used to make a distinction between whether he had the ability to sin or the inability to sin is peccable and impeccable. The doctrine of peccability states that Jesus did have the ability to sin even though He was able to resist and not sin. The doctrine of impeccability teaches that Jesus did not have the ability to sin.

Throughout church history most of the leading theologians defended the impeccability of Jesus. However, in the last 150 years many theologians have argued that Jesus had to have the ability to sin in order for Him to sympathize with us, His people. They quote Hebrews 4:15 to support their position, “For we do not have a priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” They state that in order for him to fully understand our temptations, He had to have the ability to succumb to the temptation. However, the impeccable advocates seek to answer the Hebrews 4:15 peccable conclusion with the argument that, as W. G. T. Shedd stated, “The fact that Christ was almighty and victorious in His resistance does not unfit Him to be an example for imitation to a weak and sorely-tempted believer. Because our Lord overcame His temptations, it does not follow that His conflict and success was an easy one for Him…. Because an army is victorious, it by no means follows that the victory was a cheap one.”

Neither side has explicit Bible verses to support their position. That is, neither side can quote a verse that says that Jesus had the ability to sin or that he did not have the ability to sin. But both sides rely on implicit passages. That is, verses whereby one can seek to gain enough evidence to make a reasoned conclusion which supports their belief. Both sides do this.

I tend to support the impeccability of Jesus. I do it in spite of the fact that two of my great theological heroes are on the peccability side. However, a study of church history will reveal that almost all of the recognized great theological minds, like Luther, Calvin, Edwards and Gerstner were strong advocates of the impeccability of Jesus.

One of Jesus’ attributes is that He is immutable, unchanging. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If Jesus never changes, it would seem that if He were capable of sinning and if He had yielded to one of His many temptations, not only was our salvation uncertain but He would have changed, no longer being holy. If he is immutable, then He could not have changed which makes it impossible to have sinned.

Christ inability to sin does not make His temptation less genuine. It is likely that Jesus’ temptations were more intense than ours because He never yielded. With our temptations we sometimes withstand them and sometimes give in to them. But Christ never gave in which would seem to made His temptation grow harder and harder as time went by. With our fallen nature, we are attracted to sin, wanting to do our own thing. But Jesus only wanted to please His Heavenly Father and wanting to displease His Father by doing what He wanted to do was disgusting to Him. Christ is able to sympathize with us in our temptations. even though as the God-man, He was incapable of sinning.