Question of the Week

Is Beauty Proof of God’s Existence?

Question of the Week: Is Beauty Evidence for God’s Existence?

When it comes to arguments for the existence of God, the ones you hear most often are things like the beginning of the Universe or the fine tuning of it to support life. However, research has been done and continues to be done into another aspect of Creation that requires there to be a Creator. If it can be established that beauty isn’t a subjective opinion, but as Plato described a foundational concept like Truth and Goodness, then it too can be used to give a reason for the hope that is in us regarding the reality of God. While it’s often easy to dismiss this with the slogan “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” the reality may be the opposite. In order to properly understand this argument, it is first important to give credit where it is due. The work of Alexander R. Pruss and Dr. Phillip Tallon have popularized and are working to perfect this argument. However, where it stands now is gaining more and more traction among the philosophically minded.

Claim #1: In order to make something beautiful; Skill, Talent, Effort, and Intent are required.
-No artist stumbles on a masterpiece. Function in of itself isn’t beautiful by definition. These characteristics (Skill, Talent, and Intent) are things that only exist in a conscious mind. If the Universe is beautiful, then that requires there to be a being with the Skill, Talent, and Effort required to make it so pleasing to the eye.

Claim #2: Man can see, appreciate, and create beautiful things.
-Man’s artistic endeavors have no evolutionary or survival-based benefit. It is something that is a part of our nature regardless of the fact that it can lead to significant personal risk or loss. That begs the question why something like appreciation for beauty became a part of our nature if it can’t be naturally explained.

Claim #3: Beauty is objective.
-Having an immature or under-developed perspective doesn’t make something less beautiful. You can have a majority of people with the opinion that 2+2=5 and the objective reality wouldn’t change. We may be able to perceive and appreciate certain aspects of beauty more than others, but it remains an objective part of something by definition.

Conclusion: Beauty, when properly understood and defined, demonstrates the existence of a personal, conscious, and creative Creator.

For more explanations on how this argument works, please listen to the explanations below:

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

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Does Communion Heal?

Question of the Week: Does Taking Communion Miraculously Heal People?

It’s not uncommon among Word of Faith ministries and Pentecostal Circles to hear testimonies of people who have experienced miraculous healings while they were taking Communion. The question is bringing attention to the object associated with the healing. Is Communion what is healing people or is God healing people? Most people would clarify that God is obviously the One doing the healing, but through the act of Communion. That is where we get to the claim that needs to be tested. Does Scripture ever define Communion as a means through which God accomplishes a healing? The answer is no. The act of Communion is defined and explained several times in the Bible, and never sets it up as something where we should expect a healing to take place. God is allowed to heal when and how He chooses. Ministries that would claim that the act of Communion will result in a healing are doing so based on their experiences rather than scripture. And that’s under the assumption their claims are true.

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NKJV)

The Purpose:

This is the plainest example of Communion being defined and clarified by the Apostle Paul. It is important to note that he begins in verse 23 by stating that this isn’t “his version” of Communion. He is communicating what he received from the Lord, and cites Matthew 26:26-27 in order to verify his claim by quoting Jesus directly from the eyewitness accounts. There is not a single mention of a healing to be expected from the practice. And there is only a point about its purpose being for remembrance. We “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” There are a lot of ways to take that statement. Coercing God into a specific kind of physically beneficial miracle is not one of them.

The Context:

1 Corinthians 11:17-32 is the whole conversation in context. Paul discusses with Corinth how it was being abused, how it ought to be used, and clarifying its significance and purpose in contrast with what they were doing. In fact, the only miraculous intervention is incredibly ironic given how certain ministries are advertising it. Instead of a miraculous healing, Christians were being struck dead or cursed with sicknesses as a result of their mishandling of Communion as a means of getting drunk. The irony isn’t lost on anyone that the only thing from God that we are told in scripture came from communion was the opposite of a healing.

Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
1 Corinthians 11:27-30 (NKJV)

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

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Is Annihilationism Biblical?

Question of the Week: Is Annihilationism Biblical?

The short answer is no. The long answer requires a clarification on the Biblical definitions of Hell, Justice, and Mercy. The reason why these terms need to be clarified is because of what Annihilationism claims. The problem isn’t in what it claims, but how it misunderstands the terms it is trying to reconcile with the nature of God. Under normal circumstances, this would be an entirely reasonable thing to do. If a conclusion we make from scripture conflicts with other plain truths about God, I test my conclusion in light of other Biblical truth claims. The Annihilationist claims that the doctrine of eternal Hell is unbiblical because it makes God out to be a sadistic and cruel torturer of sinners rather than a loving redeemer of the lost. In order to rationalize God’s merciful and forgiving nature with the concept of eternal Hell, they throw out the latter entirely. Instead, they would interpret the texts that mention Hell as synonymous with annihilation. Those who die apart from salvation merely cease to exist according to the Annihilationist view. The problem with this claim is three-fold. It fails to understand what Hell is. It misrepresents the concept of justice. And it ends up eliminating the concept of both justice and mercy entirely. We don’t diminish the wrath of God in order to glorify the mercy of God. Both have to be in place for either to mean anything.

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’
Mark 9:41-48 (NKJV)

“And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Isaiah 66:34 (NKJV)

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Revelation 14:9-11 (NKJV)

Problem #1: The Definition of Hell

Hell is often depicted as a place that is the equal and opposite of scope and influence as Heaven. Popular media and art portray it as a place where the Devil rules as the Anti-God and supervises a wide span of bizarre and ironic punishments taken out of the Theogony. Those who are more biblically literate would understand that the Devil isn’t in Hell presently and will be just as much a recipient of God’s wrath there as anyone else. However, a little knowledge ends up being a dangerous thing because it paints an equally incomplete picture. The Annihilationist view portrays Hell as contrary to God’s nature because it is such a cruel place of torture and evil. If God were to make such a place, it would reflect poorly on His character. The way He’s often portrayed by Atheists and Muslims is a sadistic and cruel God for sending people to a place of unimaginable suffering for even the smallest of infractions. However, even a cursory reading of a single passage that discusses what Hell is wouldn’t come to any of these conclusions. Not once in the entire Bible is the word “torture” used to describe the experience of Hell. Likewise, the definition of Hell is separation from God. Because God is the source of everything good and perfect, (James 1:17), then separation from that source would be one of deprivation and torment. What is the difference between torture and torment? Torture is external. Torment is internal. The reality of Hell is that it is everything people who reject God have always wanted. An existence apart from Him. God isn’t going to force anyone into Heaven, which means being with Him forever. (Revelation 21:22) He has given every possible means of making clear how to avoid separation from Him, but allowing the existence of an alternative to Him isn’t cruelty. It is respectful. The Annihilationist view has to subscribe to a false view of Hell where God is the cause of all suffering in Hell. When the opposite is the case biblically. Heaven is a paradise because of one reality. God is there. Hell is a place of torment because of one factor as well. God has separated Himself from those who have consciously chosen to be so forever.

Problem #2: The Definition of Justice

A philosopher from the Baltic States in Eastern Europe once observed that the idea that of eternal punishment being unjust could only have come from a cole de sack in Western Europe. His point is telling. As a man who lived in a region of the world that knew war and the cruelty of man like most would know the weather, the kind of people who diminish the necessity of punishment are those who have never really seen evil before. The kind of person who has seen the worst of mankind in the form of being cut off in traffic or lied to about a bill may entertain the thought that God could wave those things aside if that’s the worst He has to deal with. People who work in police departments and the military are of a far more conservative opinion about the matter. Why? It isn’t because their perspective is cruel. It is informed. All over the world, there are people who live without any deterrent towards their behavior. When the word “lawless society” is spoken, we don’t think of a paradise. We imagine crime, evil, and injustice left unanswered at every corner. The reason for this is because there is a real need for justice. Our ignorance of its necessity is a mark against us.

In the system of biblical Justice, wrath of God is met out on those who violate God’s perfect nature in any way. This is often caricatured to be a situation where God punishes a jay-walker the same way He would a mass murderer. Like prior annihilationist misunderstandings, the term “consequence” is conflated with justice and these errors in language end up producing a faulty picture of what is actually happening. The consequence of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) The consequence of jay-walking is getting hit by a car. The judge doesn’t punish the jay-walker the same way as the mass murderer. They are both identified as law-breakers because they both involve behavior that can cost the life of a human being. This is why the Bible identifies sin categorically as deserving of death (Romans 1:32), but punishes specific sins in different ways when the law of Moses was given to Israel. Exodus 20-23 doesn’t judge a murderer the same way as a liar. Not because God is inconsistent, but because of the system of Punitive Justice. If we aren’t aware of there being serious consequences for certain behaviors, those who want to perform them will do so with impunity. In a horizontal sense, the Bible acknowledges there being a valid approach in deterring criminal behavior this way. A perfect example is the account of Ananias and Saffira. (Acts 5:1-6) Their willful lying to God and stealing money from the church was severely punished. This was not only because they had seen the miracles that verified the Apostles really were speaking for God, but also knew in the text itself what they were doing before God. They were held accountable for what they knew, and the church as a whole learned that they ought to avoid committing the same crime they did. (Acts 5:11-16) We can give a variety of examples in modern society, but the point has been made. The fact that there are deterrents legally for the crimes we commit against one another only exist because they are drawing attention to the severity of their consequences. If God provides a serious deterrent against separation from Him, it only demonstrates that the consequence of sin is just that severe. It’s not unjust for God to take sin more seriously than we do. Whether we see our sin as jay-walking or mass murder, He’s just trying to keep someone from getting killed.

Problem #3: The Consequence of Annihilationism

The greatest casualty of Annihilationism is that it ultimately ends up throwing out what they’re trying to preserve. The goal most are trying to achieve by adopting this doctrine is to avoid diminishing God’s mercy. The ultimate consequence of those who reject a relationship with God merely cease to exist according to this view. Apart from the passages that directly contradict this conclusion, understand what that ends up doing to the character of God. While most may put themselves above mass murderers like Stalin or the Columbine Shooters, these men believed the same thing the Annihilationist view supposes. When they die, there is no answer for their crimes. They simply cease. There is no conscious answer for the lives they destroyed. There is no retribution for the actions they’ve committed. In the end, they won. They got away with literal murder and the God of the Annihilationist set up a system where that would always be the case. The hope of the victim is not only for comfort from how they’ve been hurt, but for the cause of their hurt to answer for it. When Jesus experienced the Wrath of God, He wasn’t unconscious. When the Annihilationist describes the reward of Heaven, it isn’t unconscious. When scripture describes for us the severity of sin, we were shown the price that was paid to free us from that consequence. If the reality of punishment is to merely give the sinner freedom from consequence, then the price that was paid on the cross to redeem us from it was equally inconsequential. Any teaching that diminishes the severity of the Cross of Christ is not glorifying God’s mercy. They are merely misrepresenting it. In Annihilationism, there is nothing to forgive because there is nothing that would have been punished. In the Cross, the Severity of Sin is judged in its entirety so we don’t have to experience the very real consequences that await those who reject a relationship with God.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

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Are Aborted Children Better Off From A Christian Perspective?

Question of the Week: Are Aborted Children Better Off In Heaven From A Christian Perspective?

Those who argue in favor of abortion do so because of a fundamental disagreement about what life is. Due to the fact that the Christian worldview does not allow their perspective regarding human identity after birth, many have attempted to reach over from our perspective in order to justify the act of purposely ending a baby’s life. The argument is usually phrased in a way similar to this; If God isn’t going to judge people to be separated from Him forever when they never had an opportunity to receive or reject Him, (or something along the lines of the Age of Accountability providing salvation to those too young to come to a decision on the matter), then aren’t those who abort their children simply sending those kids to Heaven? If Heaven is better than this life, then isn’t the act of aborting children better from a Christian perspective? They never had to suffer, experience pain, and only ever knew life present with Jesus. This is the argument point by point;

Premise 1: Children who die young go to Heaven. (Genesis 18:25)

Premise 2: Heaven is better than this World. (Philippians 1:23)

Conclusion: Causing the deaths of children is good because it sends them to Heaven. (Psalm 116:15)

Hopefully hearing these things out loud reveals to most just how horrific a claim it actually is. While modern culture has prided itself on indifference to most issues, the only reason most subscribe to this kind of thinking is hopefully because they haven’t fully thought the issue through. In the face of unfiltered and unapologetic evil, it’s best to not meet irrationality with more irrationality. Like any other claim about anything, they should be tested according to their own standards as well as the worldview they claim to be challenging. Is this a rational conclusion from a Biblical perspective, or is it just as Satanic as it sounds?

Problem #1: The Ends Justify the Means?

The first part of this argument that needs to be challenged is the fact that it’s based on a fallacy. The claim that “The Ends Justify the Means” is rejected in the realm of rational thought because of just how far it can be abused. People who justify their actions by claiming they meant well or are doing it in the name of a greater good are making the assumption that their reprehensible actions will, in fact, produce their intended outcome. People assumed at a certain point in history that the elimination of rights for certain groups of people were justified because it would produce a perfect society. They were not only wrong, but caused the deaths of hundreds of millions of people in the process of a misguided goal. When applying this to abortion, there’s too many false assumptions that conflict with both parties interests in this conversation. Those who support abortion are in conflict with the Bible’s claims about this life and the afterlife. To justify your position with an outcome you fundamentally deny is insincere at best, and deceptive at worst. It’s not an end they acknowledge. People who argue this way demonstrate that they are simply indifferent about the death of a child. This is why the majority of those who argue in favor of abortion have to focus on the definition of life and the identity of the unborn as worthy of less rights than those who are born. Anything apart from the dehumanization of others puts them in a dilemma. Either they’re acknowledging the fact they are supporting the deaths of the innocent, or are proving they could care less about the outcome of their actions.

Problem #2: Why stop at Children?

The second problem this argument fails to take into consideration isn’t just the indifference it reveals about its speaker, but exactly why its conclusion is limited to children. If the conclusion is that causing the deaths of children are a good thing because it sends them to Heaven, why would that not apply to humanity in any other age group? Causing the deaths of young children would be a good thing as well because it spares them the pain and suffering that come with puberty, bills, and the stresses of later life. The deaths of teenagers would be seen as a good thing because it spares them the heartache of failed relationships and the anxiety that comes with the future. The deaths of adults would be seen as a good thing because it spares them the suffering that comes with old age. The deaths of the elderly would be seen as a good thing because it spares them a difficult transition into Heaven. If your system can be used to justify the extermination of the human race in any scenario, you either need to rethink your position or have yourself admitted for serious psychiatric evaluation. The potential for suffering is no excuse to end a human life.

Problem #3: What is the Christian Perspective?

The third problem with this argument is that it fundamentally misrepresents the worldview it’s claiming to meet halfway. Normally it’s a reasonable approach to argue your conclusion from the perspective that’s contrary to it. If you can demonstrate that we both agree on the fundamentals, then there ends up being no disagreement with what both people are saying. The only problem is when one or both views aren’t actually what’s being explained, you end up creating a whole new disagreement in addition to what the first argument was about in the first place. If the person you’re talking to won’t even let you explain what you believe, then they have demonstrated they’re not there to argue. They’re merely dictating and enforcing their own ideas onto you. Then when you refuse to fit yourself into their box, they shame you for not being what you weren’t to begin with. That’s not how reasonable conversations happen.

The Christian perspective in regard to life is as follows;

Jesus of Nazareth is the example Christians consider following as the standard for right and wrong.

Imitate me as I imitate Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV)

Jesus of Nazareth lived the perfect life according to God’s standard.

For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
1 Peter 2:20-22 (NKJV)

Jesus of Nazareth didn’t distance Himself from our suffering, but voluntarily became a part of it.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)

Jesus of Nazareth never justified the death/murder of anyone by claiming it would prevent them from suffering. In fact, just the opposite. He predicted the suffering of His followers and prayed they would be preserved through it.

I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
John 17:15 (NKJV)

The Christian perspective is not indifferent towards the intentional ending of someone’s life, regardless of age. The Christian perspective does not justify murder in order to prevent potential suffering. The Christian perspective is based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, not the summations of people who don’t believe His claims about life before and after birth.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

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What Happened to Jephthah’s Daughter?

Question of the Week: What happened in the account of Jephthah’s Daughter?

When asking what happened in any section of scripture, it’s important to read it first. Anyone can summarize a passage and tell you what it means. It takes someone with a conscious desire to know the truth to examine what the passage actually says for themselves before coming to conclusions. Like any other event recorded in history, we need to come to conclusions from what is said before we start making new conclusions with what wasn’t said. And even then, good historians don’t make assumptions unless they find evidence for those assumptions elsewhere. Jephthah’s account during the time of Israel’s Judges tell us very gristly details about his life. However, those who jump the gun and make it out to be worse than it says aren’t doing history any favors.

What do we know about Jepthah?

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah.
Judges 11:1 (NKJV)

Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.
Judges 11:3 (NKJV)

Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.
Judges 11:11 (NKJV)

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
Judges 11:29-31 (NKJV)

And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Hebrews 11:32-34 (NKJV)

From the Old and New Testament, Jephthah is made out to be a man who trusted and was used by God. The accounts of embarrassment make the history out to be more reliable by mentioning that Jephthah was an illegitimate child and exiled by his own family. He sent his early days using his skills as a warrior among bandits (worthless men). And the most significant, he promised to make a burnt offering to the Lord if He gave him victory over the Ammonites oppressing Israel. And of all the things that the New Testament takes away from his life, it was his faith that enables him to turn to flight the armies of aliens (foreign invaders). There is no mention of his daughter as something he did right or that should be modeled. That is the first key in this conversation.

What do we know about Jephthah’s Daughter?

When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
Judges 11:34 (NKJV)

So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.” So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man.
Judges 11:36-39 (NKJV)

This is the beginning and end of it. She was Jephthah’s only child. She went through the door her father swore he would offer to the Lord as a burnt offering. She spent two months mourning her virginity. And she never was married. There is no mention of her being thrown on a pyre or even dying. And given the fact that details about her father’s history with criminals or being the child of a prostitute are mentioned, the absence of this information is telling.

What do we know about the time Jephthah was living in?

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Judges 21:25 (NKJV)

If there was ever a time in Israel’s history where we told up front that what took place during this time was wrong until we’re told otherwise, it was the time of the Judges. Those who would argue that Jephthah actually committed human sacrifice would not be able to conclude that it was a good thing biblically. The only thing commended about Jephthah’s life was him delivering Israel from the Ammonites. And we aren’t given a single positive example of human sacrifice being something God is honored by. This goes all the way back to Genesis 22 where Abraham is stopped from offering Isaac and from that establishes a prohibition on that form of sacrifice in Israel.

What happened to Jephthah’s Daughter?

And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man.
Judges 11:39 (NKJV)

This is the only thing we’re told at the end of the matter. She never had a child. That was the form the “sacrifice” took. Those who would argue that this involved more than abstinence and a commitment to singleness need to focus entirely on Judges 11:31. In any context, it is inappropriate to form conclusions on how something happened before you finish reading what happened. Because the account itself says nothing more, we shouldn’t read into the matter anything more than what we’re told. Those that argue that this was an example of human sacrifice do have their reasons, but not in a way that would set a godly example for anyone going forward due to the setting and later mentions of the passage itself.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

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Will Christians Be At The Great White Throne Judgment?

Question of the Week: Will Christians Be Judged At The Great White Throne Judgment?

The short answer is yes. In order to properly contextualize this conclusion there are a few things that need to be properly understood. Judgment, in biblical terms, isn’t always referring to condemnation and punishment. The word means “to come to conclusions.” Likewise, the Judge present at the Judgment should be established to understand who will judge those who have received mercy and those who have rejected it. And finally, with both of these facts in place, a careful reading of the passage mentioning the Great White Throne Judgment will hopefully allow all of this biblical material to fall properly in place.

Who Will Judge Non-Believers?

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
John 5:24-30 (NKJV)

In this passage, Jesus is speaking to an audience hostile towards Him following a direct claim that He was equal with God. In order to further emphasize His point, He claims for Himself a right that only belongs to the God of Israel. The audience He was speaking to rightly understood that God alone would judge the earth according to Genesis 18:25 and Isaiah 33:22. For Jesus to claim this right for Himself would be to claim to be that God in the same way the One He referred to as His Father was. By the voice of Jesus, the dead will be raised. Something God alone has the power to do. By the authority given to Jesus by the Father, He will judge all nations. And through the judgment given by Jesus, there will be a resurrection for both the good and evil. With this truth statement made by Jesus and confirmed through His own resurrection, any claim of God judging would have to rightly refer to God the Son given this information.

Who Will Judge Believers?

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
2 Corinthians 5:9-11 (NKJV)

Paul the Apostle identifies Jesus as the one who our lives ought to be pleasing towards due to the fact that our good and bad deeds are not only known to God, but will be judged by Him. Due to the fact that the audience is clarified to be those who are believers, (we are well known to God, rather than I), they are the ones in mind who will stand before this judgment seat. In further confirmation of Jesus’ point, Paul the Apostle also identifies Christ as the one who who judge those who belong to Him.

What Is The Great White Throne Judgment?

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV)

The book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible for a reason. If something isn’t explained, it is stated under the assumption that it already has been explained. Someone is sitting on this great white throne and is later identified as God. The dead, small and great, are standing before Him. And judgment takes place according to their works. Ultimate separation from God, the lake of fire, is determined by whether or not your name is written in the Book of Life. Given what we are told in John, the Father isn’t the one sitting on this throne due to the fact that Jesus Himself clarified that all judgment (including the final judgment) has been committed to the Son. Paul’s point further emphasizes the detail that Christians will also stand before Christ to literally receive rewards for what they have done. Given the complete witness of scripture, Jesus is the one judging everyone, including believers at the Great White Throne Judgment.

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Do Babies Go To Heaven?

Question of the Week: Do Babies Go to Heaven If They Die?

The hardest questions are the ones we don’t have a direct answer for. If it could be established, chapter and verse, then the question would have a simple answer. Because we don’t have a verse that directly states a yes or no, we have to use the same line of reasoning concerning whether pets are in Heaven. (Note: This isn’t comparing pets to newborn babies. The same line of reasoning is used to come to a biblical conclusion on that very same question.)

What do we know about God’s character?
Are there any Old Testament examples that mention infants in the afterlife?
Are there any New Testament examples that mention infants in the afterlife?

What Do We Know About God’s Character?

Beginning with the One with the most influence on our eternal destinies; if the character of God can be established as reliable, then the assumption that God would send unborn or newborn children to Hell would be inappropriate. If the only reason this question about the eternal state of infants is a lack of information, then we need to form conclusions off the information we actually have. In terms of alternatives, would it be a good thing for God to separate Himself forever from someone who never had the opportunity to make a decision to accept or reject Him? Those who would argue in favor of the idea of infants going to Hell would cite Psalm 51:5 mentioning our sinful natures as a part of us from the time of conception and therefore guilty before God. In response to this, Jonah 4:11 is cited as an example of God taking into consideration the fact that people who aren’t old enough to know their right hand from their left as worthy of His pity. The key in coming to proper conclusions about this point is the ultimate reality that everyone left wondering about the eternal state of their loved ones needs to fall back on. God will be their judge. He won’t punish the innocent. Of that much we can be certain.

Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Genesis 18:25 (NKJV)

Are There Old Testament Examples that Mention Infants in the Afterlife?

During the time of King David, we are given a record of the good and the bad things he did throughout his life. In this collection of honest history, God judges David for committing adultery with a married man’s wife. One of the consequences included the child conceived from that adultery would die. When the prophet Nathan informed David of this, he prayed for the child to be spared through fasting and wearing uncomfortable clothing. The child finally died and David allowed himself to eat and wear normal clothing again. When asked about this, David’s perspective regarding the child is worth noting concerning this issue. David acknowledges the child has gone to the place of the dead. He also mentions that the place the child has gone, he himself would also go to. Unless we assume David thought he was going to Hell, it would be unbiblical to conclude from David’s statement as one of despair. He expected to see his child again after this life. He also expected to see his God after this life. If we put these ideas together, we conclude from the Old Testament that infants have a provision in the eyes of God that the finished work of the Messiah would ultimately cover.

And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
2 Samuel 12:22-23 (NKJV)

Are There New Testament Examples that Mention Infants in the Afterlife?

During the earthly ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, He went out of His way to describe children (on more than one occasion) as the kind of people Heaven belongs to. It would be nonsensical to conclude from Jesus’ statement that the people Heaven belongs to would never see it. It would also be inappropriate to claim that Jesus’ treatment of children is the exact opposite of how He’ll react to their presence as the Judge of all the Earth. Jesus’ example and teachings would both conflict with the assumption that children/infants who die would be unwelcome in His presence.

Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 19:13-14 (NKJV)

People who experience the death of a child need comfort. Scripture is full of harsh realities that people don’t always want to hear, but this is not one of them. God’s character as the Judge of all the Earth wouldn’t judge the innocent. We have precedent in the Old Testament to conclude God sees children as worthy of His pity in the direct context of judgment. We have the observations of King David (that were never corrected) assuming his dead son went to the same place he expected to in the hereafter. We have the words of Jesus Himself describing Heaven as meant for children. And we also have the example of Jesus showing He isn’t the kind of person who would send them away from His presence. (The definition of Hell) Therefore, it is proper to conclude biblically that children who die will go to Heaven on the sole basis of God’s mercy.

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Can Hypothetical Questions Help Us Study the Bible?

Question of the Week: Can Hypothetical Questions Help Us Study the Bible?

The question of hypothetical scenarios usually come in the form of “What if?” This can be entertaining to pass the time in long car rides, but at the end of the trip the fact remains that everything talked about didn’t actually happen. When people ask how would everything be if God had done things differently, it’s important to clarify two things;
1. He didn’t do things differently.
2. What is the reason this question is being asked?

Example: What if God had made mankind more durable? (Teflon lined arteries and titanium bones for example)

The first thing to clarify is that God didn’t make us that way. The reason this needs to be brought up first is because it brings the conversation back to reality. Imagination can make mincemeat of anything practical and lead to every possible conclusion. The includes the wrong one. We don’t want to end up wasting time on a question that has no answer, because by the time we realize that’s the case there may be a temptation to justify the time with a conclusion that’s based on something that wasn’t true to begin with. That is why the second clarification is also key. Why is this being asked? This example in particular was taken from the book “The Panda’s Thumb” by Stephen Jay Gould. The reason this hypothetical question was being asked was to challenge the idea of intelligent design by suggesting that God could have done a better job according to Gould’s hypothetical and imaginary scenarios. A response was given by Frank Turek and Norm Geisler by drawing attention to two key facts. Stephen Jay Gould wasn’t our Creator, therefore didn’t know what that Creator had in mind when He made us. Using the example of a car or iphone, there are certain things in designing something that require tradeoffs. Making an iphone small and light requires there to be less room for data storage and battery life. Likewise, making a car safe and able to carry more people requires the tradeoff of small size and light weight. In order to be practical in the universe we live in, certain things had to be true about us that excluded the possibility of the other things Gould suggested could have been done “better.” They also make several side comments to make the issue more light-hearted. What exactly did Gould intend to do with his body that would require the Creator to make him so durable? This is what brought the whole issue back to reality. The reason Gould wrote his book was to demonstrate through the inferior design of the Panda’s Thumb that there was no designer. It doesn’t function like Gould’s thumbs. The only purpose it serves is to strip bamboo. This is the real problem with these kind of hypotheticals. “What if God doesn’t exist since I could think of more things a Panda could do with a thumb?” can be responded to with “What if God does exist since the only thing He intended for the Panda’s thumb than what they’ve always done with it?” It never gets us anywhere and is therefore unproductive.

The only positive that could potentially be produced from hypothetical questions and scenarios is to test bad thinking. Like math problems train thought to take place in multiple steps within a set structure, logic problems can also train these “mental muscles” for where they’ll be needed in real life. What needs to be in place before this happens is a complete understanding of reality so at the end of the exercise you can still tell the difference between what was thought about and what actually is.

Hypothetical questions do not aid us in studying the Bible. What needs to be studied is what actually happened. Not what number of infinite possibilities could have happened were things different. The only use hypothetical questions have in any productive sense is to learn how to test good thinking. The person who spends all of their time thinking needs to ask themselves what they’re thinking about. Are they examining reality or exploring everything apart from it? That’s the difference between good and bad thinking. Does it lead you away from or closer to the truth?

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What is the definition of Worship?

Question of the Week: What is the formal definition of worship?

The definition of worship is literally “to bow down.” It is any expression that recognizes who someone is or attributing worth to them. Worshipping God biblically isn’t limited to music or singing. Any recognition of Him as worth your time, talent, or treasure is a form of worship. Worship is also often misunderstood to mean “praise.” Praise is recognizing what someone has done, rather than who they are. A more appropriate synonym would be “glorify.” Glory, or weight, refers to someone’s worth. So when the Christian life is described as one that involves constant worship and glorifying God, it is describing even our heavenly state as doing anything and everything we do as demonstrating just how amazing He is.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:17 (NKJV)

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What Did Jesus Mean When He Told Us To Believe In Him?

Question of the Week: What did Jesus mean when He told us to believe in Him?

The best way to clarify a point someone makes is to consider each possible meaning and eliminating the absurd until only the most rational interpretation is left. In the case of Jesus’ statement in John 8:24, we are told the following;

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
John 8:24 (NKJV)

There are three general understandings of what it means to “believe that I am.” You either acknowledge that they exist, you accept who they are, or you affirm the title “I AM” belongs to them.

Possibility #1: Existence
The first possibility places a grammatic emphasis on the word “that.” If this was the point Jesus was making, then everyone He ever interacted with during His earthly ministry qualified for salvation. The main problem with this interpretation begins in the next verse. John 8:25 continues the conversation with what His immediate audience understood Him to be emphasizing. It wasn’t a concern “that” He existed, but “who” was the one they all acknowledged the existence of. And given the fact they would be attempting to murder Him by the end of this chapter, it’s obvious that there wasn’t a positive relationship between them simply by acknowledging His existence.

Possibility #2: Acceptance
The second possibility stresses the term “believe” above anything else. This conclusion is one that can be supported elsewhere in the Old and New Testaments. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he quotes Isaiah 28:16 and Joel 2:32 to support his conclusion about belief being the direct means by which we are made right with God. (Not dying in our sins) This is a very probable interpretation of the passage given the extended literary context.

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:10-13 (NKJV)

Possibility #3: Recognition
The only other interpretation that would carry more weight than the previous possibility is the one whose interpretation fulfills both of the prior criteria in a positive sense. If we can make our case within the very chapter Jesus spoke these words, then support our conclusion through the Bible as a whole, it would be the strongest possible conclusion to come to concerning the text. The grammatic focus of this interpretation draws attention to the statement of who Jesus is. “I AM” is the title God introduced Himself to Moses as when asked who was sending him to Israel. This claim by Jesus to believe in who He was claiming to be is also one He made elsewhere when claiming that we’re required to worship Him the same way we worship the Father. (John 5:23) It is for this reason that Jesus’ audience rightly concluded He was claiming to be the God of Israel when He repeated this title in John 8:58-59.

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’
Exodus 3:14-15 (NKJV)

Given its ability to answer the most possible information and the fact that the interpretation lines up with truth statements made within and beyond the immediate context, it would be the most reasonable conclusion to make about the text.

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Does God Give Believers Up To Sin?

Question of the Week: Does God Give Believers Up To Their Sin?

This question is in reference to a passage discussing non-believers. While it is true that God allows His people to sin, the passage being quoted to describe the deeper implications of that would not be appropriate to apply to believers.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Romans 1:28 (NKJV)

If the act of God “giving up” a believer to their sin is possible in this sense, then they would have been mentioned. The problem is that the verse itself specifically mentions this kind of giving over as a direct consequence of people not liking to retain God in their knowledge. A willful rejection of God does not sound like the behavior of a believer.

How then does God allow believers to sin if it isn’t in this sense? In matters of discipline, we have examples of God allowing His children to see the full consequences of their sin with the intention of ultimately saving them from a worse state down the road. (1 Corinthians 5:4-5) In matters of salvation, we are told that acknowledging the sins we commit are a prerequisite for being forgiven for them. (1 John 1:8-10) And in matters of sanctification, we are told that our struggle against sin is a daily one. (Galatians 2:17-20) In order for there to be a struggle, there needs to be a legitimate adversary. The assumptions that God permanently separates Himself from Christians who fall into even the most grievous sins, that Christians don’t sin after coming to Christ, and that our salvation before God is dependent on our ceasing from sin are not biblical ideas. Our salvation is dependent on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for the sins we struggle with daily. The fact that there is a struggle proves the Spirit had fundamentally altered our natures from what they were. We can’t allow the legalistic and pride-based assumptions to corrupt our understanding of our relationship with God. The best case scenario is that you deceive yourself into never dealing with your sin because of your unwillingness to acknowledge it as God brings it to your attention. The worst case scenario is that you give up on having a relationship with God that was never properly defined to begin with.

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Will People Have Scars In Heaven?

Question of the Week: Will People Have Scars or Disabilities in Heaven?

The question is an excellent one because it comes from two completely appropriate assumptions. The first assumption is that Jesus’ glorified body is our model for what we’ll be like when we receive our glorified bodies. (1 John 3:1-3) The second assumption is that since Jesus had physical scars on His glorified body that came from His crucifixion, (John 20:24-29) we have physical scars that came from our time on this earth as well. So far, everything makes sense. However, in order for this conclusion to be valid, both assumptions need to be true. Is Jesus our model for what we’ll be like when we are resurrected? And did Jesus retain all of the physical scars He received during His earthly ministry post-resurrection?

Premise 1: We will be like Jesus in our glorified state.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1 John 3:2 (NKJV)

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Philippians 3:20-21 (NKJV)

So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, madeof dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
1 Corinthians 15:41-49 (NKJV)

So far, all of these passages would completely support this premise. John directly compares what we shall be to what we’ll see when Jesus is revealed. Paul notes in Philippians that Jesus will transform our bodies into His glorious body. And also in his first letter to the Corinthians, he directly states that we will bear the image of the Heavenly Man upon our resurrection. This premise is entirely biblical.

Premise 2: Jesus kept all of the scars He received on the Cross.

Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:24-29 (NKJV)

This is the only passage we are given referring to Jesus retaining physical scars after His resurrection. When He appears to Thomas, three scars in particular are noted by the eyewitness account. He did, in fact, receive nails in His wrists and a spear wound in His side during His crucifixion. The problem is that these weren’t the only scars Jesus received. He was subjected to a full Roman Crucifixion. If you read William D Edwards’ book “On the Physical Death of Jesus of Nazareth” the Roman historians detail for us everything that entailed someone being crucified. To be crucified according to Josephus, Tacitus, and Julius Caesar’s Gaelic Wars, they describe it universally as a three step process. Stage 1 involved a Scourging at the hands of a Lecter. A Lecter was a professional torturer who would use a whip made of metal balls and shards of animal bones and teeth. They would whip someone to the point where organs were reported to be exposed. Most didn’t survive this stage of the process. Once you were reduced to a state without any skin and severe bloodloss, you would be handed over to the Roman Garrison who could do whatever they wanted with you. Most reports include them playing games like Hot-Hand or other forms of violation. The eyewitness reports of Jesus’ death detail that they put a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head, a robe on his back, beat Him with a makeshift scepter, and then tore off the robe to reopen the wounds of the scourging. (John 19:1-3, Mark 15:15-20, Matthew 27:26-31) Following this abuse from the Roman Garrison, they would then be required to carry their crossbeam a full mile to the site of their execution as their crime was announced on a banner in front of them to warn the rest of the city. (Matthew 27:32-33, Mark 15:20-22, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) This was the first stage. Stage two involved nailing the victim to the cross in a position where they’d have to pull up against the nails to breathe. Stage 3 began when the victim stopped moving, and thus wasn’t breathing. A deathblow was delivered to verify their death, which in Jesus’ case was a spear between his ribs. (John 19:31-37)

The only scars Jesus retained from the Crucifixion were during Stages 2 and 3. Isaiah’s prophecy as well as the Gospel’s descriptions of our Lord’s treatment described Him as unrecognizable as a human being. The Resurrected Christ wasn’t completely brutalized as a result of His Crucifixion. We are only told that the scars that Thomas demanded to see were shown to him. Which is what brings us back to how we will model this. Jesus’ scars in His wrists and His spear wound verified God’s Word to Thomas. It served a purpose. Likewise, it will remind the Jewish nation and all others for eternity what He did for us. (Revelation 1:7) God is glorified as a result. It is an assumption unsupported in the text we have of anyone else retaining their handicaps or injuries in a glorified state. We are only told about Jesus retaining specific wounds for a specific purpose. We do not share that purpose, therefore it should be concluded we will not share those wounds.

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men; So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.
Isaiah 52:13-15 (NKJV)

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If God Is Against Abortion, Why Does He Allow Miscarriages?

Question of the Week: If God Is Against Abortion, Why Does He Allow Miscarriages?

In order to properly respond to these kind of questions, the reason this objection came up first needs to be examined. If the moral equivocation of Abortion and allowing a Miscarriage are made out to be the same because the result is the death of a child, then there’s no argument to be had. Both of us agree that abortion is ending a child’s life and is therefore a bad thing to consciously pursue.
If the moral accusation is being made against God for violating His own standards by committing murder, the point still stands that the person trying to justify abortion has admitted to it being murder.
And if the moral justification is being made that God ends the lives of children, therefore we also share that right; then the issue is that of clarifying to the person that they do not share exclusive rights that God has.

The goal in any conversation should be for both parties involved to listen to each other. The problem is that like many terms used in arguments in favor of abortion, definitions of terms are changed on a whim. Listening doesn’t mean agreeing. Talking doesn’t mean that there isn’t going to be a conflict of ideas. And conflict isn’t a bad thing when it’s addressing a serious issue. If those in favor of abortion are correct and legitimate rights are being taken away from people in the name of a lie, that needs to be addressed and corrected. Likewise, if those against abortion are correct and human lives are being ended at the hands and will of their own mothers, that also needs to be addressed and corrected as well.

Good Philosophy has to exist if for no other reason than that bad philosophy needs to be answered. -C.S. Lewis

Claim #1: God Allowing a Miscarriage and a Mother Allowing an Abortion are the same thing.

The goal of this claim is meant to prove that if our beliefs are consistent, then we’re believing in a God who permits the same thing that takes place during abortions. We obviously don’t want to disagree with our God. But we need to be careful to define our terms as well. A Mother aborting her child is a decision she consciously pursues. A Miscarriage is not something God consciously pursues. There is not a single example in scripture of God causing a miscarriage in scripture the way those trying to prove its virtue make it out to be. The loss of the child is the only common factor between a miscarriage and abortion. The only assumption being made in both arguments is that a child is being lost, which is what the person supporting abortion is hopefully trying to disprove and not prove. And ironically, that leaves the actual topic of the conversation on the losing end of the person using this to support abortion. If there is actually something wrong with ending a child’s life, then they’ve admitted what the Pro-Life position is trying to prove. At worst, all that’s been established is that God is as cruel as a mother pursuing an abortion for killing their child. At best, they’ve proven that God’s inaction is the same thing as a Mother’s action. Either way, it’s a nonsensical claim to make.

Claim #2: If Abortion is Murder Then God is a Murderer.

The goal of this claim is meant to prove that the act of taking a child’s life is immoral for all people at all places at all times. This includes God. The problem with this attempt to dodge the issue is the same as the previous blunder. It fails to understand that there is a difference between us and God. God can create out of nothing. We can’t. God existed before the universe without a beginning. We didn’t. God is the standard for morality and ethics. We aren’t. God is the giver and taker of life. We aren’t. If the accusation of biblical murder is being leveled against the God of the Bible for ending lives, then at least define the term murder biblically. The only reason why taking someone’s life is ultimately deemed an evil is because it’s taking an exclusive right of God into our hands. If you’re going to accuse God of a crime you decided was evil, He isn’t going to care about your opinions. If you’re going to accuse God of a violation of His character without understanding what is meant by; “God, violation, and His character” then we shouldn’t pay any mind to their conclusions. Ultimately, the problem with this claim is that it falsely equivocates murder with killing, and grants the Pro-Life position the main point it’s trying to prove. People shouldn’t be given the power to determine when their baby dies. That power belongs to God alone.

Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.
Genesis 9:5-6 (NKJV)

“The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.”
1 Samuel 2:6 (NKJV)

Claim #3: God Kills Babies So Why Can’t Their Mothers?

Hopefully anyone reading this out loud can conclude why that doesn’t make any sense. In light of what’s been said, the problems the assumptions behind these claims cause for the person trying to prove something from them, and the fact that the real issue is granted to the Pro-Life position in every one of them, these aren’t the kind of arguments that someone trying to justify abortion should make unanswered and uncorrected. Just because God allows something doesn’t mean He’s the cause of it. Just because God does something doesn’t give us the right to do it. And just because a life is ended in one instance without being anyone’s fault doesn’t mean that ending the lives of children in every instance should be viewed the same way.

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What Will Heaven Look Like?

Question of the Week: What Will Heaven Look Like?

If you’re looking for a religious text that gives us extensive and sensory-based descriptions of what Heaven in like, the Bible is not for you. When it comes to what we know about Heaven itself, we can count on one hand the number of passages that give us anything as far as a description of what “seeing” Heaven is like. It is for this reason that people who overemphasize its appearance and what it felt like pertaining to the senses should be met with harsh skepticism. This has not and never has been God’s focus whenever Heaven is brought up. In order to have an accurate understanding of what makes Heaven paradise, we should allow scripture to be and remain our authority on the matter.

Fact #1: The Reliable Eyewitnesses of Heaven Couldn’t Describe It

Every Christian’s final authority on what the Afterlife is like should be from the ones who have actually been there. Starting with Jesus of Nazareth and continuing with the eyewitnesses of His Resurrection that spoke with His authority, the Apostle Paul was given credibility by the Apostle Peter (2 Peter 3:15-16) and treated his writings as if they had the same reliability as his own. In one of his letters, Paul described a vision he was given of paradise and said that it would be a crime to put it into human language. To ask what Heaven is like is to ask something so incredible that our very language couldn’t properly express it. Therefore, attempting to do so is either a losing game on our part, or a deception on someone else’s.

It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
2 Corinthians 12:1-4 (NKJV)

Fact #2: Scripture Itself Isn’t Explicit About What Heaven Is Like

All accounts of Heaven in the Bible are limited to one area of focus. The Throne of God. Ezekiel 1, Isaiah 6, Revelation 4-5, and Revelation 20-21 give us some details, but not enough to come to a complete understanding of everything that is in store for us there. Attempts are made by using the Tabernacle as a model, but its focus is on the same material given in Ezekiel and Isaiah. People point to the streets of gold in Revelation, but fall short when they leave out the fact that this will be part of the new Creation and that this gold is like transparent glass. City gates composed of a single pearl, foundations of a city the size of our moon filled with precious stones, and the like are all things we simply couldn’t compare anything else to in this life. And that’s the point. We can’t compare it to anything. Therefore, we can only go off of what we already know.

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Revelation 21:22 (NKJV)

Fact #3: Jesus Himself Described Heaven As “Knowing Him”

What makes Heaven paradise is the fact that Jesus is there. What makes Heaven beautiful is the fact that Jesus is there. What will prevent Heaven from ever getting boring is the fact that Jesus is there. Anything else we attempt to add or take away from what we’re told is settling for less than the best part. Heaven’s greatest feature is something we can already enjoy today. The more you abide in a relationship with Jesus, you’re getting a taste of what will be fully known and enjoyed by us forever. That is why Heaven is so often referred to as Eternal Life. He isn’t offering us a new living arrangement or preserving us for a particular length of time. We’re restored to Eden and are able to enjoy fellowship with Him again. Living forever is one thing. Living with Life’s true meaning and fullness is what will make living forever worthwhile.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 17:3 (NKJV)

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

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questionsforhope@gmail.com

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How Do We Have A Relationship With God If We Can’t See Or Hear Him?

Question of the Week: How do we have a relationship with God if we can’t see or hear Him?

This kind of objection had more teeth before the age of the internet. Before we regularly interacted with people in very personal and meaningful ways despite never having physically seen or heard from each other in person, the idea of the “Hiddenness of God” was a stumbling block to some people. The problem with leveling this kind of objection today is that we are all too familiar with exactly how a relationship with Him is possible this way. There are benefits and hindrances to having the kind of relationship with God that doesn’t exclusively depend on sight and hearing. All of which are acknowledged in scripture.

whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory
1 Peter 1:18 (NKJV)

Benefit: The Relationship is Based on His Character

The foundation of all meaningful relationships begin with trust. Trust is something properly determined by proven character over time. God has established this through the promises He’s made and kept. The more He has demonstrated Himself worthy of our trust in history, the more reasons we have to trust His character as a whole. Over and over again in scripture, and in every category, trusting what God has promised was and remains the standard by which the saints experienced a fulfilling and personal relationship with God despite having never seen Him. You don’t need to see someone to know whether or not they’re trustworthy. You just need examples of them demonstrating how worthy they are of your trust. We have this through the historical, poetic, and prophetic observations made throughout scripture.

“And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.
2 Samuel 7:28 (NKJV)

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalm 9:10 (NKJV)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV)

Benefit: The Relationship isn’t Coerced through His Majesty

If God were to physically interact with us the way He did in Exodus 19 by physically appearing to Israel, there would be two problems creating in having a genuine relationship with Him. Most people would see His sheer power and submit to His authority out of fear. This isn’t what God wants. He is the source of all power and good things. The lifelong process of sanctification is the miraculous work the Holy Spirit does in our hearts to see Him as the better option above our idols and impulses. If all of this was brought to the surface before a work was done in our hearts to see Him as better, then the moment God’s majesty wasn’t in view we’d just go back to our counterfeits. A physical appearance wouldn’t solve the real issue between us and God. It would just force a surface level acknowledgment of reality and no more. A heart that sees God as wonderful without actually seeing how wonderful He really is, they’ll continue to do so the moment they see their beliefs proven true. This is the fine line between a relationship and being intimidated into service. God wants us to know Him before we enjoy Him to the fullest.

Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all.Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all.
1 Chronicles 29:10-12 (NKJV)

Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
Revelation 1:12-18 (NKJV)

Hindrance: We don’t enjoy God the way we were created to

Jesus Himself longed for the fellowship He had with the Father for all eternity. As a man and as God, He rightly identified even a superficial separation from the Father as a problem to be fixed. He even told His disciples that they should rejoice that He was returning to the Father. The reason being that to be with the Father is a far better place to be than on this earth. We think the opposite, ironically, for the same reason. We don’t see a physical separation from our loved ones as a good thing even if they’re with someone far better than anyone they could know on this earth. This is the point that is made. Where we are now is less than ideal when it comes to our relationship with God. Scripture doesn’t dismiss that. The key is to use that longing as further incentive to look forward to and prepare yourself for Heaven while there’s still time.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
John 17:3-5 (NKJV)

You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because ^[h]I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
John 14:28 (NKJV)

Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Romans 8:23-25 (NKJV)

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

Email your questions:

questionsforhope@gmail.comFollow on CCF Facebook: facebook.com/ccftucson
Watch our Frequently Asked Questions on YouTube.

Follow us on our social media platforms!

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