7/20/2018 – Question of the Week: Where does the doctrine of Purgatory come from?
Verses: 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, Hebrews 7:27, 1 Corinthians 15:3
Purgatory is commonly taught among Roman Catholic circles. It is commonly defined as, “a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.” This tradition isn’t something they claim without biblical support. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:15 that there will be those who are saved as though through fire. With this in mind, they conclude that this process is something that happens in a state between Heaven and this life. Traditions and other non-biblical material aside, this proof text for Purgatory is taken out of context and conflict with other very clear passages in scripture. Firstly, Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 3 was referring to those being saved from the flames, not being saved through them. In full context, it is referring to those who will stand before Jesus saved from their sins with the possibility of rewards being given for the things they did through Him in this life. There will be those who have rewards, and others who will simply be grateful to have escaped Hell with nothing more to show for it based on how they lived their lives. That’s all. Secondly, the Bible is very clear that apart from Jesus we have no hope for salvation from our sins. When He died on the cross, He didn’t say, “That should get them far enough. A few thousand years of fire and they’ll make up the difference.” He said that it was finished. Hebrews clarifies with the Old Testament sacrifices in mind that Jesus’ sacrifice was made once for all sins. Not most of them. The moment a believer dies, they are in His presence on the basis of His mercy alone. For these reasons and many others, we’d conclude that purgatory is not a biblical teaching.

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7/6/2018 – Question of the Week: What should Christians believe about Climate Change?
Verses: Genesis 2:15, Revelation 11:18

The controversial topic has taken on many names the more it is examined. When Al Gore first proposed that “Global Warming” would destroy the Earth due to the abuses that carbon emissions were inflicting on the atmosphere, it was a matter taken very seriously in political circles. However, the more the issue was examined, it was found that a single volcanic eruption released more “hazardous” material into the atmosphere in moments that mankind has unleashed on it over the last 5,000 years. More research was needed and the name was changed to “Climate Alteration” and eventually “Climate Change.” The issue hasn’t been dropped and continues to be emotionally put forward in political circles for that very reason. It is a political issue. The argument isn’t being made for the preservation of the environment. The argument is being insisted and opposers to it are being shamed and silenced because of the real goal behind it. The argument isn’t that we should take care of the environment. The argument is that only the government has the power to fix the problems they have yet to clearly define. With all of this said, what should a Christian believe about the issue? First, do your research and know the real issues being argued for. Second, know that God created this world and out of respect for His creation we shouldn’t litter or deface it for the same reason you wouldn’t want to wreck the work of an artist you respected. And third, we would absolutely agree that man is the cause of the deterioration of the world’s environment. Not through fossil fuels, but through our sinful natures that introduced death to it. Our goal is to focus on and fix that issue by redeeming them back to a relationship with our world’s Creator.

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Question of the Week: What is the controversy about the beginning of John 8?
Verses: John 7:53-8:8, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The controversy about the beginning of John chapter 8 is that because it does not appear in the majority of early manuscripts, it may have been a later addition to the text and doesn’t belong in our bibles. There are good scholars on both sides that debate this issue respectfully. However, since absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, this claim isn’t why it’s controversial. There are two ways to test the Bible, what the majority of the copies say and what the earliest copies say. The earliest manuscripts are preferred because it’s closer to the originals, but the majority text is how we have tested whether or not the Bible has been changed over time. The evidence against John 8 is that on top of its absence in the earliest texts, in later copies it appears in different places. Some even put it in the gospel of Luke instead of John, and others include it later in the gospel of John. However, the evidence for it belonging in our Bibles is that the early church father Eusebius quotes it as a part of the gospel of John in his writings. Eusebius lived before the earliest complete greek manuscript of the Bible was written. Why it was excluded from some bibles is entirely speculative, but it ultimately comes down to this. If it doesn’t belong in our Bibles and is removed, no major doctrine of Christianity goes with it. If it does belong in our Bibles, as Eusebius affirms, then the Bible remains the same. Whichever position you take, it doesn’t make any difference. The key is that we’re honest about even controversial topics rather than censoring them. God’s word is an anvil that has worn out countless hammers of criticism, and we can have confidence that based on the evidence, it is true in its claim to be the inspired, preserved, and authoritative Word of God.

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