Questions about your walk with God

A Reason for Hope Question of the Week – November 13th, 2020

Question of the Week: Why is the Deity of Christ an Essential belief in Christianity?

There are certain things we can disagree agreeably about among fellow Christians because those positions don’t undermine what it actually means to be a Christian. If a fundamental doctrine of Christianity is disagreed upon, then it’s not a disagreement among Christians. The person who rejects that core doctrine has demonstrated their opposition to the definition of Christianity itself. The nature of Jesus is one of those non-negotiables. Jesus of Nazareth made claims about Himself and acted in ways that were exclusive traits of the God of the Old Testament. This is what sets Him apart from any prophet in Israel’s history. This is also what elevates Him in the eyes of those who take His claims seriously to the level of the True and Living God. To reject Jesus’ claims and how He supported those claims is to reject the reason we consider Him worth following in the first place. The only thing that remains in making this case legitimate is where and how Jesus made claims and performed deeds that could only rightly apply to the True and Living God.

The first and clearest example of Jesus’ claims to divinity was His ability to forgive sins. When speaking to the Jewish audience that determined their understanding of who God was through the Old Testament, He claimed the right to forgive sins. This is something that anyone can say, but only God could rightfully do.

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Mark 2:5-12 (NKJV)

The audience that witnessed this miracle rightly concluded that God alone could forgive sins. This understanding of God’s nature came from a Psalm of David where he acknowledged that his adultery and murder were ultimately violations of God’s standards. Therefore, ultimate forgiveness needed to come from Him.

Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
Psalm 51:4 (NKJV)

Jesus went on to verify His words with an observable miracle. If Jesus was blaspheming, then God wasn’t going to work through Him. If Jesus was telling the truth, then the God of Israel was verified to be the One working and speaking. He is the only one with the right to forgive sins in the Jewish mind, and demonstrated that ability to a Jewish audience. Not as an agent, but the one acting in His own name.

Another example of Jesus making the sort of claims that only God could rightly say is taking a divine title for Himself used exclusively of God in the Old Testament.

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.
Isaiah 44:6 (NKJV)

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 ofHades and of Death.
Revelation 1:17-18 (NKJV)

The prophecies of Isaiah mention an exclusive trait and title for God as “The First and the Last.” His eternal nature is unique to Him apart from anything else and could only be rightly spoken about the One who existed before time itself. Jesus claims this title for Himself as he is speaking to the Apostle John, who knew this Old Testament reference as an ethnic Jew. This title is applied to the individual who was dead and is now alive forevermore.

A very significant example of Jesus’ exclusive claims to divinity was the nature of the miracles He performed in the sight of His disciples.

He alone spreads out the heavens,
And treads on the waves of the sea;
Job 9:8 (NKJV)

Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.
Mark 6:47-52 (NKJV)

It is worth noting in this passage that the translation of “It is I” spoken by Jesus as He’s doing something only God can can do is the phrase “I AM.” This is the same way God introduced Himself to Moses in Exodus.

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.’“
Exodus 3:14 (NKJV)

These are only a small handful of examples that are found throughout Jesus’ entire earthly ministry. With a working knowledge of the Old Testament, there is no room for doubt concerning the sort of claims Jesus is making about Himself. If you are saying the sort of things only God can rightly say, and doing the sort of things only God can rightly do, then you’re either God or lying. If you disregard the claims of Jesus and don’t consider Him a reliable source of truth, then it doesn’t matter how highly you regard Him. You aren’t a Christian. This is why the divinity of Christ is so essential. It is the natural conclusion of the things He did and said. If you reject those statements and actions, then you’re rejecting Him as a fraud and a liar. That doesn’t sound like the sort of claims that a believer in Jesus Christ should be making.

Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:3 (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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How Should Christians Respond to Corrupt Politicians?

Question of the Week: How should Christians respond to corruption going unchecked or celebrated in politics?

The short and honest answer is not much. When evil people prosper and people who try to do things honestly end up suffering, the temptation is to turn to God and ask why He is allowing these things to take place unanswered. Asaph made the same observation in Psalm 73, where in Psalm 73:1-28, he makes the following observations;
1. Evil people tend to get away with what they do.
2. Evil people tend to live longer and happier.
3. Evil people brag that God doesn’t see or care about what they are doing.
4. Evil people will answer for everything they have done before God.
5. Evil people are shown the same mercy and patience that we are.

When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me— Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.
Psalm 73:16-17 (NKJV)

It isn’t wrong to be angry when you see evil people seem to get away with it. The consolation we all need to remember as Christians is the reality check Asaph went through as he made these observations. God is the judge of all the Earth and He will do what is right. Everything they got away with in this life will be answered for. The attitude we need to take is understanding we are one of those evil people too. If God is showing mercy and patience towards those who brazenly reject Him, that also means He’s going to be just as patient and merciful with us when we stumble into areas of sin ourselves. The consolation is that no crime will go unpunished. The reality check is that no justice done in this world will hold a candle to what God will ultimately see done when everything they have done is answered for. The fact is that we all need mercy and grace. Some people show their need for it more than others, but we need to recognize that we have been called to forgive like we have been forgiven. The impact these decisions have on the people around them will not be forgotten or be censored from the attention of God. However, our calling as Christians is to pray for our leaders regardless of how they got there or what they are doing while they are there. If the cross of Christ remains our standard for how we view ourselves and others, then we’ll understand just how much we have been forgiven and be capable of showing grace accordingly.

Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
Luke 7:47 (NKJV)

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:17-21 (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:

[email protected]

Follow Twitter: @ScottR4H

Follow on CCF Facebook: facebook.com/ccftucson
Watch our Frequently Asked Questions on YouTube.

What Is the Difference Between Temptation and Sin?

Question of the Week: When is the line crossed from temptation into sin?

The difference between temptation and sin is the difference between desire and decision. Temptation naturally produces sin, but there is an intentional distinction between the two. In order to establish an informed understanding of the difference between the two, we will look at how scripture defines both in their own context. We will also then apply those definitions consistently to Jesus of Nazareth and how scripture presents Him as our example.

Beginning with the definitions of Temptation and Sin, Temptation is defined biblically by the Apostle James in his epistle. And fortunately for the sake of the question being asked, he also explains how it relates to sin without necessarily being sinful.

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
James 1:12-15 (NKJV)

James defines temptation as being drawn away by desires and enticed. What you’re being drawn away from and enticed into were explained in the verses that led up to when he provided his definition. The claim that God is the one tempting you is impossible because God by nature can’t be tempted and is incapable of being tempted. This is also true of sin, but we’ll establish that in a separate context. Temptation is drawing us away from God’s nature because it naturally follows that God’s nature wouldn’t be to draw something away from Himself. James then goes on to explain the transition from temptation into sin, showing there is a distinction between the two. Illustrating the conception of a human child, the desire he defined as temptation can produce sin if given time and nourishment. The desire that draws you away from God puts you in a state that is sin by definition.

Sin is an archery term that literally means “to miss.” In the context of biblical morality, to sin means to miss God’s nature. Temptation would be the desire to miss this standard, but not the missing in of itself. A desire isn’t an action, but rather a call to action. The reason a Bible-believing Christian needs to clarify the difference is because Jesus demonstrated this first hand. He was tempted, but did not sin. Therefore, it is not a sin to be tempted.

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV)

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 2:21-22 (NKJV)

Peter’s quotation of Isaiah 53:9 in reference to Jesus as well as the author of Hebrew’s point about Jesus being tempted in all ways as we are makes the Christian incapable of concluding that temptation is sinful. Having a desire is something Jesus experienced without sin because it did not draw Him away from the Father’s nature in action or attitude. The desire was there because of His adopting of human nature, but the follow up action of sin those desires were leading Him to were never acted upon because of His nature as God. This is the same premise that James establishes when calling Christians to endure temptation like our Lord did. Through the Holy Spirit, we have the capability of choosing God’s nature above our own.

In conclusion, the differences between Temptation and Sin are as follows;
1. Temptation isn’t sinful. Sin is.
2. Temptation is a desire for separation from God’s nature. Sin is actual separation from God’s nature in action or attitude.
3. Temptation was something Jesus experienced and endured. Sin was something Jesus never committed.

“You can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from making a nest in your hair.” -Martin Luther

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:

[email protected]

Follow Twitter: @ScottR4H

Follow on CCF Facebook: facebook.com/ccftucson
Watch our Frequently Asked Questions on YouTube.

Are miscarriages judgement from God?

Question of the Week: Are miscarriages judgement from God?

The answer is no. Whenever anyone goes through any form of suffering or endures some kind of loss, the first and easiest question we ask ourselves is if we are to blame. Without a solid understanding of the character of God and a sound understanding of how God judges anyone will keep you from this form of self-deception. This will not only keep us from a false view of God, but also prevent us from making an already tragic situation worse.

It is natural to seek solace in the face of something as devastating as a miscarriage. The question we need to avoid asking is the same question Job’s friends asked of him when his suffering didn’t fit their understanding of God. The mindset that God owes a trouble-free life to those who diligently seek Him is an unbiblical assumption to make. Our first foundation to avoid this mindset is the life of Jesus Himself. He died young, was abandoned by His family and friends, was subjected to torture on account of the false accusations of a mob, and endured all of this having lived a perfect life. While Jesus’ death was offered as a ransom for our sins, the things He endured in His earthly ministry had nothing to do with what He deserved or didn’t deserve. People were evil to Him because people are evil. This world was cruel to Him because this world is cruel. It was no more judgement from God for Jesus to endure a difficult life then it would be for us. Since Jesus deserved no judgement from God on account of the ways He lived His life, we can’t informatively conclude the same about us.

When getting into specifics, God’s method of judging sin in scripture is very specific. When the nation of Israel and others were judged in the Old Testament, it followed a specific pattern;
1. A Prophetic Warning is given.
2. A Means of Escape is provided.
3. Judgement Falls on those who reject that means of escape.

Example: Noah’s Flood – Genesis 6:13-22, Genesis 7:1-16
1. Noah is warned of the flood and spends 120 years telling everyone it is going to happen.
2. Noah is told to build an ark available to anyone who wanted to get on.
3. God closes the door of the Ark and only then does the Flood begin.

We can also look at the Judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh, Israel, Judah, Babylon, and dozens of other examples. Without an established covenant that includes an explicit description of the consequences when they violate that covenant, you couldn’t biblically support your circumstances as judgement from God. Even Solomon observed that poor circumstances are a constant regardless of whether you’re righteous or wicked. In fact, Solomon concludes the opposite. The people who actually deserve judgement the most see the least amount of consequences for it this side of eternity.

Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity. Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
Ecclesiastes 8:10-13 (NKJV)

Likewise, it was common for people who were following Jesus to face persecution for doing the right thing. It wasn’t judgement from God anymore than receiving Jesus as our Lord warrants punishment. The world simply doesn’t like those who go against its programs. Paul the Apostle, for reasons he immediately goes on to give, reminds the Roman Church that while they are persecuted, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t love them.

As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:36-39 (NKJV)

He makes the same point to the church in Corinth.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you.
2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (NKJV)

If it can be soundly established that the things we go through in this life aren’t necessarily or even possible to come from God as a form of judgement for the way we lived our lives, the real question is how to properly respond to them. The answer is to grieve. Recognize something horrible has happened and that Jesus will see you through it every step of the way. Take advantage of the people around you, especially in the church, who have gone through similar heartache and receive the necessary comfort. And most importantly, make yourself available to be one of those people for someone else someday.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (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:

[email protected]

Follow Twitter: @ScottR4H

Follow on CCF Facebook: facebook.com/ccftucson
Watch our Frequently Asked Questions on YouTube.

Why do some people get saved in church after hearing certain messages over others?

Question of the Week: Why do some people get saved in church after hearing certain messages over others?

It’s important to remember that the primary goal of church gatherings is not for evangelism. It can include that, but the primary focus of hearing sermons and ministering to each other in fellowship is equipping the saints for evangelism. The pastor’s job is to explain what you have to share. It’s the job of church members to take that information and share it with people who haven’t heard it before.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (NKJV)

The reason some people get saved at certain times over others is because people aren’t robots. People are all individually having, growing, or even developing a relationship with God. This isn’t necessarily happening at a universal rate. Some things may be happening in their lives or have happened in their past that causes them to resonate with or dismiss the information they are hearing about God. It is between that individual and the Lord when they have personally changed their mind about Him and are willing to trust His promises. We can’t assume that people have heard, understand, and are willing to make the same kind of decisions that we have in life. God reaches out to every person individually. If they find themselves coming to a decision in or outside of a church service, the result is what matters. As long as they know salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, where and when they came to that decision is a secondary detail.

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:

[email protected]

Follow Twitter: @ScottR4H

Follow on CCF Facebook: facebook.com/ccftucson
Watch our Frequently Asked Questions on YouTube.

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A Reason for Hope Question of the Week – November 13th, 2020

How Should Christians Respond to Corrupt Politicians?

What Is the Difference Between Temptation and Sin?

Are miscarriages judgement from God?

Why do some people get saved in church after hearing certain messages over others?

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