Doubter Questions

How do Christians hold fast to the stance that marriage is "one man & one woman," and justify the polygamy represented in the Old Testament?

While polygamy is practiced in the OT, this should not be interpreted as God being okay with it or condoning it.  Deuteronomy 17:17 actually prohibits kings from it. Sometimes the biblical writers were simply recording events and history without commentary; however, God clearly implies a one man-one woman definition of marriage in Genesis 2:24 and even more in the New Testament.

Does a poor prayer life show a lack of faith? 

We need to understand what is meant by “poor prayer life”. Prayer is first and foremost about a relationship with God and not about playing a slot machine to try and get God to give you something good. Second, prayer requests must be submitted to God’s will and for His glory. Third, we pray in faith, trusting God to give us the answer we need.

Are there any references to hell in the Old Testament? If not, why? 

There are references to hell in the OT. Sheol is the word in Hebrew and it is found in books such as Proverbs, Job, Isaiah, Daniel, and the Psalms. We will further discuss hell in future messages.

Why are there verses that on the face of them seem to teach universalism? 

I don’t know any that teach universalism (that everyone will be saved). Sometimes verses are addressed specifically to a group of Christians and the verse is talking about their salvation, but not meant to imply that everyone will be saved.

Does God love everyone? Does God love, his "children" more so than say a non-believer?

100% yes--God does love everyone. Not everyone experiences God’s love but everyone is loved by God. Think of a teenager that rebels from their family, they are still loved by their family, but are not experiencing that love.

My niece has been asked to become a member of Job's Daughters (freemasons) I have heard good & bad about them.  Should a Christian become a member? 

I am frankly not familiar with the freemasons; however, Christians should always exercise caution prior to joining any organization (including a church!) without first examining their beliefs and practices in light of the Scriptures and the lordship of Jesus.

Why do some denominations believe you can lose your salvation and some only consider it backsliding? 

We will address salvation and this question in part 5.

Why does God tell us to witness to certain people and they don't hear you out or ignore you? 

God frequently commanded this in the Bible. In Luke 10 and Isaiah 6, the command is given along with the fact that not everyone will respond. The Puritans used to say that the “same sun that hardens the clay, melts the wax.” God’s grace can cause us to melt and respond to God’s love, or we can reject that grace due to a hardening of the heart.

Will you go to Hell if you have never heard the word of God and of Jesus?

We will address this more in Part 5.

Is there the potential for humans to travel further in the universe and find a habitable world outside of this one, because the universe is God's creation?

Perhaps. The Bible does not address this issue.

Are there references in New Testament about gays? 

Yes. Romans 1:26. I Corinthians 6:9

Why does God bless and take care of people even when they are living sinfully?

I don’t think we can assume that God is blessing and taking care of people. God gives what is called “common grace” to everyone: the grace of air, sunshine, creation.  Ultimately, sin will result in a consequence. Christians are often called to sacrifice and at times suffer. These experiences are used to advance God’s kingdom and build our character (see Romans 5 and James 1).

When praying for a miracle, is it really about our unbelief that may cause it to not be answered or is there a bigger plan that God has? Example: when people die before we believe it’s their time. 

It depends what you mean by unbelief. If unbelief is that God can’t heal or that God is not who He reveals Himself to be, then yes unbelief is a barrier. However, we can’t think of “faith” as the magic key that forces God to do what we want Him to do either. God is in charge and has a plan. That plan will not be thwarted when the miracles we want do not occur, and that plan will be advanced when miracles do occur (and they do still occur)!

Do you believe in predestination? 

The Bible clearly teaches the idea of predestination (for example: Ephesians 1:4-5 and Romans 8:29-30). The debate is often over how God predestined. So yes, I do believe in predestination. God predestined to create the world, to create us, and to send Jesus to redeem us because God as all-knowing, knew we would rebel and need a rescue (Ephesian 1:4; 2 Timothy 1:9; Revelation 13:8). I do not believe in what is called “double predestination”, which is that God picked some for salvation and some for damnation. This view was condemned by the 2nd Council of Orange in A.D. 529. I believe God predestined through His knowledge of how His free creatures respond (or not) to Him and through His providence (control of things).

Today you will be w/Me in Paradise: what about Abraham, Moses, etc. befor Jesus?

The Bible indicates that these OT believers had future faith in the promise of God to save His people. This promise was actualized in Jesus. Therefore, we look back in the past to place our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, while believers in the OT looked forward to the future for redemption. See Hebrews 11:13-15

Where was Jesus after death but before resurrection? 

He told the thief on the Cross “today” that they would be together in Paradise. I would tend to accept that. However, using the Apostles’ Creed and some verses in I Peter others have concluded that Jesus preached in hell and/or experienced the torment of hell. I am not convinced based on the context that Christ went after His death to preach or experience torment; however, I cannot say this with 100% certainty.

As sin entered the world through Satan; how did sin enter Lucifer as an angel?
Was he always evil? 

He was tempted. He had a choice in the matter.

Angels existed before humans, so why create humans? 

Love. Angels are not made in the image of God as people are. Apparently, God enjoys a special relationship/partnership with people that He does not have with angels.

What about prophecy/healing/tongues (sign gifts)? Are they no longer possible/needed? 

We will answer this later in the series.

I understand as a Christian we ask for forgiveness for things we have done. Are we completely forgiven and not ever when we reach the pearly gates questioned about what we have done in the past? 

We will answer this later in this series.

I have heard so many different thoughts on judgment day that it has become confusing as to if there will be any difference from the non believer and the true Christian in how judgment day will be. If we have truly repented of sins will we still be judged the same or have to answer the same as if we haven't? 

We will answer this later in this series.

Where do Orthodox Jews go when they die or have died. I say unless they believe in Jesus then they don't go to heaven. Others think because they are God's chosen people they will get a 2nd chance. 

Based on Romans 9 and Paul’s burden for the Jews, they need Jesus.

Is it ever Gods will for divorce if adultery HAS NOT occurred? Only problems like money, health, loss of interest, arguments etc? 

The Bible is clear that divorce is permissible in cases of abandonment and adultery. I would include abuse as a form of abandonment. Besides those two (or three) reasons, there is no reason for divorce.The problems you mention can be resolved through faith in God, wise counsel, and obedience to God’s plan for marriage (see Ephesians 5:22-33). It indicates a lack of belief and faith in God to divorce for reasons other than the ones the Bible gives.

Wanted to ask about time in Genesis- in 5:4-5 it says that Adam lived 930 years...is this to be taken literally? 

Two possibilities: one is that they counted time differently than we do. The other is that the effects of the Fall on our biology occurred over a period of time. Our physical bodies were originally designed to last forever and the effect of the fall was progressive (not immediate) on our life expectancy.

Also, was Cain's wife a niece or cousin? In the beginning of time was it really just Adam and Eve and everyone descended from them? How did people get so different looking? - where does the Bible explain all the different races? Was incest ok at the beginning? 

Yes it just started with 2 people. Yes they would have been “related”. Remember the problem with incest is certain harmful genetic traits get passed down easier but these traits are products of the Fall and were not progressive in developing. The different races seem to have originated as described by the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11.

How can God be omnipotent and omniscient and good and people still have free choice because without God we will always choose what is wrong and evil? He must send the Holy Spirit to prompt us to make the "right" choice. 

God allows us to have freedom and make meaningful choices. This is part of what it means to be created in His image. Yet our unwise and sinful choices have enslaved us like someone who drinks too much alcohol (they were free to do it but restricted because they did so). Now God gives us grace through the Holy Spirit to bring us back to Him and free us once again to love and serve Him. I think you can have BOTH a God who is sovereign and all-knowing and people who can make meaningful choices. God is so powerful and sovereign, He still rules and controls through, and in some cases, in spite of our choices.

In the wake of horrific tragedies like school shootings, a lot of focus is on mental illness. What is the correlation between mental illness and evil?

There is often a lack of medical care and attention given to medical illness. This is an issue that needs medical as well as spiritual care. Ultimately, all of us have bodies and a biology that are affected by the fall of man; this certainly could include mental illness but not in all cases.

I know that wives are called to submit to their husbands and that the husband is suppose to be the spiritual leader of the home, but how does that work if the husband is not a Christian? For example, I feel it is right to continue to tithe even though things are really tight, but my husband has asked me not to do so. I am torn because I'm not sure which is worse; not tithing or not respecting my husbands request.

The main issue is to let your husband see Christ in you (see I Peter 3:1-2). It is hard to convince a non-Christian to do things Christians do, such as tithing. However, you might suggest tithing off your individual income and explain why this is important to you.

My kids told me recently about something called "illuminati" what are your feelings on this?

I think I incorrectly answered this question in the message. I think “illuminati” is a reference to a secret society that apparently attempts to influence world affairs. While I am not familiar enough with this to respond fully, I would rest in God’s ultimate control of world history.

How do you know you're in the right denomination? 

What needs to be central in choosing a local congregation is their view of Jesus and the Scriptures. Also, does the church serve God’s mission in the community and the world?

Can you post some of the sources that verify the history on the blog to help me with my friends? 

I would recommend The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel. Josh McDowell wrote a book called More than a Carpenter that is also very useful.

Why would a loving God cause a mass destruction such as the flood to erase almost all of mankind? Why start over?

God did not completely start over because He saved Noah and his family. We must remember that God is also just and holy; therefore, sin is incredibly offensive to God.

Are there any other historians from the 1st century that talk about Jesus? 

Josephus: famous Jewish historian. Tacitus: Roman historian.

Are there more books written during biblical times but not included in the bible? If so, why were they not included? 

There were some other works that were either not deemed to be authoritative or judged to be spurious works. Other works were composed well after the 1st century. There was almost universal agreement on the vast majority of the New Testament by the mid-to-late 2nd century.

Why do we not worship on the Sabbath? 

Short answer is that it is not required (Colossians 2:16). Additionally, the evidence we have indicates the day of “gathered” worship changed to Sunday to match the day of the resurrection.

Do Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses go to heaven? 

Next week!

Is smoking pot a sin? 

Yes because it is illegal and Romans 13 asks us to submit to government. Additionally, anything that causes us to come under control of anything other than God is a sin.

How do I distinguish God’s answer to my own? 

We will discuss this issue in the next 2 weeks.

In my religion class we have been talking about Christianity and we talked about how it started out as basically a cult and we adopted a lot of pagan holiday rituals.  Ex: Bringing greenery indoors and burning the yule log.  Why did we adopt these?

We must remember that these holiday traditions are not biblical, nor should we pretend that they are. Most likely, these developed after Constantine legalized Christianity in A.D. 313 as various Roman festivals merged into Christian celebrations to become traditions.  Nothing right or wrong at stake here.

Do you think Jesus looked like Jim Caviezel?  Or have we "Americanized" Jesus, so that He doesn't look Middle Eastern, to make us more comfortable? 

Not sure. Probably looked more Middle Eastern.

In the Apostles Creed, we say "I believe in the holy Catholic Church". Does this mean we are confessing that we believe the books of the apocrypha to be true? 

Not at all. The Apocrypha were not added to the Catholic canon until after the Reformation in the 15th-16th century. The Apostles’ Creed was developed well before then. Additionally, “holy catholic church” is not a reference to the Roman Catholic Church, but the universal church.

What if the government, like it already is starting to in some states, legalizes weed?

Ephesians 5:18 applies. Christians are not to come under control of anything other than God.

Today's message was about true history. Jesus died for our sins. He paid the price for our sin; which is death. This being true; then is it possible to believe that we can live forever without suffering death.

The Bible speaks of two deaths: one physical and the other spiritual. Salvation does not prevent physical death.

Joseph Smith and the plates is part of history with the Mormon community. How true is that? 

To my knowledge there is no evidence that supports those claims.

Speaking of the Dan Brown book, why would Jesus being married make him less God?

The issue with Dan Brown’s book is the veracity of his sources.

If you die from drugs do you go to hell?

No. We will discuss heaven/hell this coming week.

Can you explain the Trinity in a way that will make me believe in it? Because I do not think, for some reason, that Jesus is God. I think they are completely separate entities. If God literally had a son would He not be in the same form and not a human?

Describing the Trinity is very difficult but remains central to core Christian beliefs. Remember, the reason Jesus was killed was that He claimed to be God. The very earliest hymns we have of the church speak of Jesus as God.
The earliest Christians long debated this issue and came to the conclusion that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. I John and Colossians are written, in part, to demonstrate that Jesus is God.
Also, the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus as the Son, has always existed. He just entered history in what we call “Christmas.” God, being God, is free to take on any form He desires. Some of the confusion comes because we often refer to the Trinity as the “persons of the Trinity”. However, it is probably more accurate to describe them as personalities. Therefore, God subsists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; God is one in essence, but three in personality or distinction within the Godhead.

How do you know the whole Bible isn’t just a parable? 

Because the various books and authors are clear about what genre or type of literature they are using. They use poetry, historical narrative, parables, proverbs, and letters to communicate the message and story of God. Additionally, Jesus certainly did not interpret the OT as a parable, but treated it as actual history and revelation from God.

Why do we break the laws if Jesus said it wouldn't pass away until heaven and earth passed away? 

What laws? Jesus fulfilled some laws, such as the sacrificial system, the dietary laws, etc. In Acts 10, God specifically declares all food and animals “clean”, which replaces the OT dietary laws. Therefore, Christians say that Jesus fulfilled the laws of the old covenant. However, the moral laws of God are still in effect and Jesus gives His disciples the desire and ability to keep these laws as “new creations” in Christ who have the law of God written on their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33).

Why is the religion of the Israelites wrong? 

The story of Israel is incredibly important as it culminates in the revelation of Jesus. The Jewish faith is incomplete with Christ.