7/13/2018 – Question of the Week: What can’t Christians disagree with each other about?

Verses: Romans 10:9-10, John 6:28-29, Romans 12:18, Titus 3:10

Our goal as Christians is to follow Christ, yet throughout history it seems like we’ve spent more time focusing on circling our wagons and shooting each other than following in line behind our Lord. Human nature has always been what it is, Christian or not. We can’t change the mistakes made in history. We can only avoid making them ourselves. The key to avoiding conflict is to know what we can and can’t disagree on. What are the beliefs everyone who calls themselves Christian needs to believe?
1. Jesus is the True and Living God.
2. God has revealed Himself to man as a Trinity. 1 in essence, but with 3 unique centers of consciousness. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. Salvation from sin is through mercy provided by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, once for all, in a moment of history.
4. The Bible is the inspired, preserved, authoritative, and infallible Word of God.
If we agree on number 4, numbers 1-3 can be clarified. Even if you don’t completely understand every one of them, you can still recognize them as true. If someone compromises on them and won’t hear any other position than what they’ve decided, then they simply aren’t Christians and should be left alone until they’re ready to hear the gospel.

For more excerpts from A Reason For Hope, visit our page HERE.

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Question of the Week: Does the book of Numbers support the use of abortaphagents/chemical abortions? (7/18/2018)
Verses: Numbers 5:11-21

There are three very important things we need to remember about scripture. 1. Always read the whole text before coming to conclusions about it. 2. Make sure you aren’t assuming certain things before you read the text. And 3. Make sure what you take away from the passage lines up with the Bible as a whole.

1. The whole text is talking about how to legally deal with the accusation of adultery. They will stand before God and the woman will either admit or deny her guilt. The priest will take dirt, only dirt, mix it with the paper and ink that includes her charge and be required to drink it. What made the situation unique was that it was to take place before the presence of God in the Tabernacle. If she’s lying, she will gain weight, her thigh will rot, and she will become a curse among her people. If she’s telling the truth, the guy will be required to pay a fine for the false accusation and be known for the rest of his life as a loser. If she’s guilty of adultery, she will be charged with it. How? God will curse her for lying in His presence. It has nothing to do with the special dirt and chemical mixture of the ink on the paper. Other scholars have claimed it was a psychosomatic drug, meaning all in their heads, to persuade the woman not to lie lest the things no woman wants will end up happening to them. I.E. Massive weight gain, infertility, etc. I don’t think this is the case personally, but you’re welcome to check those out on your own time.

2. The assumption that her thigh rotting and becoming a curse among her people equating to abortion requires two vital assumptions. 1. The woman being pregnant in the first place, which isn’t mentioned in the passage. Only assumed. And 2. Being a curse among her people means having a miscarriage. When I compare that to other examples in the Bible like John the Baptist’s parents in Luke 1, you’ll recall Elizabeth praised God when she became pregnant for taking away her reproach among her people. Was this because she had a miscarriage? Not at all. She hadn’t had any kids as explained earlier in the chapter. It was a cultural curse by God to not have children, and the result of this curse from God would make her infertile. Not to lose her child, which you have to assume is in her womb in the first place to think this is talking about abortion.

3. If you take this passage on its own and compare it to the rest of scripture, you see God’s justice as well as His desire for truth and equal treatment. The man is given a penalty for a false accusation because he’s violated a relationship. In that culture, women didn’t have a voice and we see that in Islamic cultures even today. The accusation of adultery was a death sentence until God’s law required it to have a fair trial that included a curse. Why? Because truth matters as well. Lying before Him is not something recommended in scripture. However, is abortion? Is the death of an unborn child? Some may look at David’s act with Bathsheba and the child of their adultery dying as a result, but it fails to hold water when you actually read that passage and see the child was already born and taken to Heaven by God personally after a prophetic warning, and not as a result of being put through this test in Bathsheba’s womb. We don’t read a single situation where this test was used to end pregnancies. Only to come to verdicts. Likewise, God specifically condemned child sacrifice as something so abhorrent to Him that it was one of the reasons He kicked Israel out of the land for 70 years. See Jeremiah 7:31, 19:5, and 31:25.

For more excerpts from A Reason For Hope, visit our page HERE.

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Question of the Week: How should Christians view suicide?
Verses: 1 John 3:15, James 4:7-8

The topic of suicide is not an easy one to discuss. There are people on both ends who either have loved ones who have committed suicide and are looking for hope, or are struggling in life and considering it for themselves. Whichever position you or the person you are talking to finds themselves in, the last thing we should do is to go beyond scripture. It is not the unforgivable sin, and therefore shouldn’t be assumed a one-way ticket to Hell. Likewise, it isn’t something any Christian should do because it is by definition self-murder. The struggle with suicide is a spiritual battle, and the solution to any spiritual battle is bringing our Savior into it. If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts of suicide, don’t overwhelm them with reasons why they should avoid what they want to do. Focus on and pursue Jesus, who can give us something worth living for even when we felt there are none left.

For more excerpts from A Reason For Hope, visit our page HERE.

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Question of the Week: Is Shyness a form of Pride?
Pride is a sin committed in our attitudes and our worldview. It is an unrealistic and dishonest view of yourself. Lucifer was the greatest example of pride in action. He was an exalted Cherub. One of the highest beings in God’s creation. Yet in spite of this, his eyes went off of God and onto himself. He became unrealistic in thinking he was greater than he was and dishonest in his claim to be higher in status and honor than God. Shyness is neither dishonest or unrealistic. It simply is a description of how some people are more cautious in forming relationships than others. It isn’t sinful, let alone proud.

For more excerpts from A Reason For Hope, visit our page HERE.

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Question of the Week: Why does God give us such painful and powerful emotions that make us feel so lonely?
Verses: Genesis 1:27

God is a relational being. We are made in His image. Therefore, our emotions don’t only come from God, but are a reflection of His own. There is nothing God desires more than relationships. That’s why our emotions are so powerful. However, because of our separation from God due to sin, the ultimate fulfillment of our greatest need has been cut off. When we feel lonely, we often turn to people or things to meet that need only to have it left unfulfilled. This is because our desire for a relationship can’t be met by anything less than God because that is how it was ultimately meant to be fulfilled. Our loneliness shows just how desperately we need Him. We can’t and won’t find our desire for unconditional love and acceptance anywhere else.

For more excerpts from A Reason For Hope, visit our page HERE.

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