Training: Penal Substitutionary Atonement Part 4

This is the fifth video in this training series.  You can find the previous videos in the links below.

• Intro
• Part 1: Defining Penal
• Part 2: Defining Substitutionary
• Part 3: Defining Atonement

You made it!  We've gone through the theological concept of the penal substitutionary atonement and learned that Jesus' death on the cross was God's way a paying the penalty of sins in our place so that we could be forgiven and at peace with Him again.  Today's video is the last in this series and the goal is to see how we can use what we know as we have normal, every day conversations with people.  

Well, that's it!  I hope you've found this series helpful.  As always, feel free to comment with questions or feedback.  God bless you and may He give you fruitful opportunities to share the gospel soon!

Training: Penal Substitutionary Atonement Part 3

This is the fourth video in this training series.  You can find the previous videos in the links below.

• Intro
• Part 1: Defining Penal
• Part 2: Defining Substitutionary

To recap, penal substitutionary atonement is a fancy theological term that answers the question, "What did Jesus do by dying on the cross?"  The word penal tells us that His death on the cross was the just penalty for the crime of sin.  The word substitutionary tells us that His death was actually paying the penalty for our crimes and sins. Jesus traded places with us sinners.  Today's video will focus on the word atonement.

Training: Penal Substitutionary Atonement Part 2

This is the third video I've put up to discuss the theological concept of Penal Substitutionary Atonement.  If you're just joining in, you can find the INTRO HERE and PART 1: DEFINING PENAL HERE.

As a recap, we have learned that phrases like "Jesus died for your sins" are often misunderstood by non-Christians and not necessarily fully understood by Christians either.  Penal Substitutionary Atonement is a theological term used to address the issue of what exactly Jesus' death did.  The word Penal is used to convey that His death on the cross was related to the crime of sin and the just penalty for sin which is death.  Today's video will hopefully explain the second word: Substitutionary.

Training: Penal Substitutionary Atonement Part 1

As I mentioned last week, I've created some training videos for people at my church.  You can find my quick intro HERE.

Before you hear what I have to say, take a look at the following Scriptures.

For the wages of sin is death... -- Romans 6:23a

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.--Daniel 12:2

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power--2 Thess 1:6-9

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.--Matthew 5:22

God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.-- Psalm 7:11

As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." -- Romans 3:10-12

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. -- Isaiah 64:6

The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. -- Psalm 5:5

Hopefully, this begins to unpack this theological concept of the penal substitutionary atonement for you.  Let me know what you think or if you have any questions!  Part 2 will be up next Thursday.

Trying Something New: Training Videos

I've created a series of videos to use as training for people at my church.  These videos cover the theological concept of Penal Substitutionary Atonement.  It's a long winded title that addresses the question "What did Jesus do on the cross?"  I've put the introduction to the training below.  Give it a watch and let me know what you think.

Apparent Contradictions: Does the Changeless God Change His Mind?

We've all heard that the Bible has contradictions.  I've been taking some time to debunk some of them and you've voted this next one in today.  So feast your eyes on these next two verses and think about them for a moment.

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?  --  Numbers 23:19


When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.  --  Jonah 3:10

Apparent Contradictions: God sends an evil spirit

How many demoniacs were there in the region of Gerasene... one or two?  If God can't change, knows the future, and is never wrong then how did the prayers of Abraham and others change God's mind?  Was Jehoiachin eight or eighteen when he became king?  If God cannot be tempted, then how was Jesus tempted three times by the devil?  Who incited David to number the people... God or Satan?

There are a number of things that are quite confusing at first glance in the Bible.  One such category of confusing parts are the apparent contradictions.  As Christians, we have to be honest and open about these.  We can't cover our eyes and shout at the top of our lungs whenever someone brings them up.  We have to be ready to respond with a reason for our faith as 1 Peter 3:15 tells us.  There are statements made in the Bible that do indeed look like contradictions.  But I believe when you examine the original languages, culture, context, and study hard, you will find that they are not truly contradictions.  I'd like to spend some time examining these individually and will begin tossing them up on the poll for you to vote on.

The first apparent contradiction we will look at involves these two verses.


Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!  --  Psalm 99:9


The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand.  --  1 Samuel 18:10

The conflict arises when we understand what the word holy means.  To be holy is to be apart from sin.  When the Bible says that God is holy, it means that He is sinless and separated from sin.  If this is true, then how can God send an evil spirit to Saul?  Is this not an evil or sinful action that incriminates God?


What is the Evil Spirit

"Evil spirit" comes from the Hebrew ruwach-ra’a.

The word ruwach means spirit. It refers to the immaterial part of life that moral creatures have such as humans or angels. Whenever the Bible refers to a spirit sent from God, it always means some sort of divine agent like an angel.

This word ra’a can be translated as both evil or harmful. But it does not mean evil in the sense of sinful but in the sense of bad. For example, the word ra’a is used in Hebrew to describe spoiled fruit or the Chinese food you left on the counter for three days with no refrigeration. That food is now evil, ra'a, harmful, bad. So this spirit is not necessarily “evil” in the sense we normally think of with that word today.  Just as we would not call the spoiled Kung Pao Beef sinful, this word ra'a is not always referring to a moral quality.  Instead its referring to what sort of effect something has on a person.  Its better to translate ra'a using the word harmful as the ESV Bible does.  

So, in the context of this passage, it is best to translate this as a harmful spirit or angel. This is a divine agent sent by God with the purpose of harming Saul.

Is it Sin for God to Harm Someone?

 Actually, no. Its very natural for us to think of harm or pain as a bad thing.  But harm can be a good thing and often it is.  It is a pain in your hand as you reach out to a fire that tells you not to touch the flame. It is pain when a parent smacks the bottom of a toddler who keeps trying to run into the street that teaches them not to take that dangerous action anymore.  Harm can be a good thing and there is no reason not to believe God was using this harmful spirit for good. In fact, Romans 8:28 tells us that God uses all things for the good of those who love Him.  

Why Did God Want to Harm Saul?

The harmful spirit came after Saul began growing jealous of David.  Saul knew God had removed him from being king but instead of stepping aside he clung to the throne.  As David rose in popularity, Saul wanted him dead and would even throw spears at him.  This harmful spirit may have been a way God was trying to rebuke and discipline Saul to get him off of his violent path. God allowed David’s music to ease the harmful spirit on Saul. This gives more reason to believe that God was using this whole experience to try to break Saul of his jealousy and get him to embrace David.

Conclusion

God does not sin.  At first glance this may look as if God is guilty of doing evil, but, when we look closely and carefully, we see that God is still holy and good.  The passage is best translated with the words "harmful spirit."  God uses this harm to bring about repentance and good like a father might lovingly discipline a child.

Please send me any apparent contradictions you've found in the Bible, vote at the top right of the site for the next one you'd like me to cover, and be sure to look deeper when you think you've found a contradiction in God's Word!

Theology Tuesday: Passive or Agressive?

Turn the Other Cheek?  

Its one of the most quoted verses in the entire Bible.  But what does it look like in real life?  Should Christians never stand up for themselves?  Should we allow others to harm us and take advantage of us?  Should we let people cut us in line, cheat off of us at school, and bully us?  Is it ever OK for a Christian to fight back with words or fists?  Must we always be pushovers?  What does the Bible say about this?

Theology Tuesday: Does Prophesy Happen Today?

 What is Prophesy?

This is a huge part of answering this question because there are actually two different categories when speaking of prophecy.  There is "Prophecy" and there is "prophecy".

Prophecy

In the Old Testament, there were men called Prophets who spoke the very words of God.  They would say things like "Thus saith the Lord..."  In fact, they wrote down the words that they spoke and their writings became part of the Bible and we treat them with God's authority to this day.  These are men like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and others.  In the New Testament, we see men who did similar things.  We call them Apostles.  This includes Peter, James, John, Paul, and others.

This kind of Prophecy (upper case P) is fully authoritative, 100% accurate, and always to be obeyed.  This kind of Prophecy produces Scripture.  This kind of Prophecy can be defined as "Declaring the very Words of God."

What Jesus Endured and Accomplished on the Cross

 
Today is Good Friday.  Its the day that we remember the death of our Savior as a sacrifice in our place.  But do we get it?  The only place I've ever seen any really violent deaths is through the television.  When I hear that Jesus was crucified, I don't have any experience to draw on to fully understand what he went through.  My guess is that most of you are in the same boat as well.  A crucifixion is so far from reality to us that its hard to comprehend.  So let's look briefly at what our Savior endured for us.  This will be detailed and may make some readers feel uncomfortable.  It should.  The goal here is not gore, but the truth of what our Savior went through for us.

Theology Tuesday: Women and Head Coverings

Did you know that in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, Paul says that women should wear head coverings, like hats, in church?  If you had never heard that before, you may now be wondering why we don't do that in most churches these days.  If its in the Bible, why don't we follow it?  Somebody recently asked me this question and my honest answer was that I hadn't studied this issue a whole lot.

I asked Christy for her opinion and she said she wasn't sure.  We decided we would have to look into it and we both decided that whatever the Bible convinced us that it was saying was what we would do.  With a smile, Christy said, "Cool, I may get to go buy some cute hats!"  So, as I lay out what I've found, please have that same attitude.  Be willing to follow whatever the Bible says, rather than making up your mind first and trying to excuse away what the Bible is saying.

Theology Tuesday: Can God make a rock so big He can't lift it?

I love debating theology and talking apologetics.  I love it when people bring me tough questions about God and hang out long enough to talk through the answers.  But what about this question?  What do you do with it?  How do you answer it?  Can God make a rock so big that even He can't lift it?

I've Only Heard It Two Ways

Tons of people have asked me this question and, as far as I know, its always been for one of two reasons.  More than half of the time that people ask me this question, its meant as a goofy joke question to stump you sort of like asking if the chicken or egg came first or like telling someone to repeat a tongue twister.  The goal is to have fun and watch people squirm through the riddle.  In this case, you don't really need an answer.  Talking it through is half of the fun and everyone is happy in the end.

Less often though, the question comes from a very different motive and goal.  There are some people who have posed this question of me as if it were the deathblow to any and all arguments for God.  They'll often add a word like, "BOOM!" at the end of the question to show just how much trouble you are in because they themselves have come up with the most clever, original, and effective proof that God is not real ever.  I exaggerate a bit, but has anyone ever brought this question up to you like this?  In this case, you kind of need to know how to respond in order to defend your faith.  So what can we say?

Theology Tuesday: Proving God Exists - Part 6

Proving God: Jesus' Testimony

We've looked at a whole lot of different things to examine the evidence that God exists.  Rather than turning to science or philosophy, today we are going to examine the testimony of a single witness.  Imagine you are on a jury in a courtroom.  A crime was committed and there are various witnesses being called to the stand.  There are two conflicting stories that emerge as the witnesses are questioned.  Half of the witnesses tell one story and the other half tell another.  Both stories cannot be true as they say completely opposite things.

So what happened?  How would you, as a member of the jury, decide?  Would you take into account the character of the witnesses?  Would it change the way you felt if you found out that one half of the witnesses were gang bangers and the other half of the witnesses were police officers with clean records?  What if one of the witnesses was Martin Luther King Jr. or Mother Theresa?  Would that sway your thoughts?  What if one of the witnesses who stood up to testify was Jesus Christ Himself?

Theology Thursday: Is Jesus Still Human in Heaven?

 
The second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, became flesh as John 1 tells us.  God became a man in Jesus Christ.  He lived a human life, went through our human struggles, and even faced human temptation.  He suffered real human pain and faced a real human death and was able to die in our place because He truly was one of us.

But then He rose from the dead.  Was He still really human?  Was He a ghost? 

What about when He ascended into heaven?  Is He still human up there?  Why would He be?  Don't we all become angels up there or are we just spirits without bodies?

Theology Thursday: Is Hell Real?

*I apologize for typos, I have a packed day and don't have time to go over this with a fine comb yet!

As far as serious subjects go, its hard to get much more serious than when talking about Hell.  If Hell is real, then it should definitely be a scary and saddening thought.  Thinking of anyone suffering in a place of eternal torment is heart-wrenching.  Hell is not pleasant to think about.


Out of that discomfort with the thought of Hell, modern opinions are changing.  While 74% of Americans believe in Heaven, only 59% believe in Hell.  Rob Bell recently released a book called Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.  In his book, Rob proposes that Hell is nothing more than the evils we commit in this life and that no one will actually be separated from God in Hell forever.  Instead, Bell proposes that everyone will one day be reunited with God because God's love will win everyone over (Bell has claimed that's not what he necessarily believes, but that's hard to accept given the way his book lays this out).


So is Hell real?  Is it just some old myth that we have outgrown?  Is it foolish and silly for a modern and educated person to believe in such a childish thing?  Was Hell simply made up to scare people into religion?  Does the existence of Hell mean that God is evil and cruel?


Its Not Up to Us


Whether or not Hell exists is just not up to us.  I hope you don't have a hard time agreeing with me on this.  Its either real or not.  Its the same with the fabled water city of Atlantis.  If I really want it to be real but its fake, then my wanting it to be real doesn't make it real.  If I hate the idea of it and don't want it to be real but it actually is real, then my disgust of it won't make it stop existing.  We all have opinions of whether or not Hell is a good idea or a bad idea.  We all have opinions of whether it should exist or shouldn't.   We can imagine if we were God what we would do.  But at the end of the day, our opinions and guesses don't make Hell any more real or any less real.

Can I be honest?  As a Christian, I understand that God is just and that sin has a penalty.  I get that.  But if I'm totally honest, I don't want to believe in Hell!  To me, it seems like a terrible idea.  I have family members who don't believe in Jesus.  Should they suffer and suffer and suffer forever when they die just because they didn't accept Jesus?  What if they were more or less nice people?  I don't want Hell to be real.  There comes a point in my mind where even Hitler has suffered for enough centuries and should be let out.  How do you feel?  Do you want to believe in Hell?

But again, the bottom line is that we don't get to choose and our opinion just doesn't make it so or make it not so.  What we need is revelation from God about what is true regarding Hell.  As Christians, we look to the Bible for that.  If you have trouble believing that the Bible is God's Word, then please CLICK HERE for notes on this and HERE for a sermon I preached on this.  So, let's look to God to answer this question for us.

What's the Bible Say?


The Old Testament prophet Daniel says...


Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.  --  Daniel 12:2

The New Testament writer and apostle Paul says...

without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God. --  Philippians 1:28

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power  --  2 Thess 1:6-9

The New Testament writer and apostle Peter says...

if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.  --  2 Peter 2:9

The New Testament writer and brother of Jesus Jude says...

They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.  --  Jude 13

The New Testament writer and close friend of Jesus says...

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.--  Revelation 20:14-15

To sum it up, the Bible teaches that there will  be a day of judgment.  On that day, some will be condemned to a place of darkness and fire.  This place is a place of punishment.  This place is everlasting.

What's Jesus Say?

Most people I know regard Jesus as the most loving person to ever live.  Did you know that Jesus spoke of Hell more than any other person in the Bible?  Let's just look at what Jesus has to say about this from the gospel of Matthew.


But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.  --  Matthew 5:22

"I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  --  Matthew 8:11-12


"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  --  Matthew 13:40-42


This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  --  Matthew 13:49-50 

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.  --  Matthew 18:8


"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  --  Matthew 22:13


"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?  --  Matthew 23:33


And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matthew 25:30


All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. . . Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  --  Matthew 25:32, 41

I would certainly agree that Jesus is the most loving man who ever lived.  Yet He believed that Hell was real.  He warned us of it often.  The God-Man Jesus said very clearly that there was an eternal place of fire, darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth where the wicked would be sent after judgment.

Is Hell Fair?

Now this is a tough question.  Let's be honest, we don't all agree on what exactly is fair and what is unfair.  A few weeks ago, I was talking to a group of friends about a couple that is dating.  Guy A and Girl A have been dating for over a year but they aren't engaged yet.  A different girl, Girl B,  is interested in Guy A and she has been trying to get his attention and holding out hope for a future relationship with him.  Is that fair game?  Is it fair for her to try to get his attention and text him or Facebook him while he is dating?  Well, none of us could agree.  Some said that it was fair game until they were engaged.  Others said it was fair all the way up to til they were married.  Others said it wasn't fair at all because they were dating and Girl B needs to back off.

My point is, we don't agree on what is fair.  So, is Hell fair?  Fair according to whom?  Ultimately, the only person who can say what is truly right and fair is God.


God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.  --  Psalm 7:11


The Bible tells us that God is a righteous judge meaning that His judgments are always correct and right (fair).  Yet in the same breath, the Psalmist writes that He expresses His wrath every day.  According to the Bible, God is the One who created Hell and He is the one who will send sinners there on judgment day.  Despite this, the Bible tells us that God is a righteous Judge.  Is Hell fair?  Well, it appears that God believes it is.

Does it feel or seem fair to me?  I'll be honest.  No, it doesn't.  It is truly hard for me to grasp how my loved ones who have not accepted Jesus, will suffer in Hell FOREVER.  How could their limited number of sins not be paid off over eternity?  There are loads of ways that theologians have tried to answer this.  Many of them make sense.  But instead, let me just say this.

Could it be, that if God says something is fair and I disagree and think it isn't fair, could it be that I am the one that is wrong?  Could it be that my sense of justice is off and His is right?  Could it be that my understanding of fairness is skewed while God's is perfect?  Could it be that I am failing to grasp just how infinitely holy God is and therefore I am failing to grasp how serious it is to commit one sin against Him?  Could it be that if I disagree with God on this, that I am the one that is wrong?  After all, the Bible does say...


"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  --  Isaiah 55:8-9

How Should We Respond?

First, don't argue with God.  The Bible is very clear.  Hell is real and God thinks that is fair.  So, don't rise up arrogantly and say that God is evil for sending people to Hell.  Don't stand as judge over God and declare Him unfair.  Don't claim that if you were God, you would do the right thing and get rid of Hell.  Instead, humble yourself and heed the Word of God.  Even if you don't like it, believe it.  Even if you don't agree with it, declare that God is just and right and you must be mistaken.

Second, get yourself out of the line of fire!  Hell is real and we all, as sinners, deserve to go there!  Grab on to the only way out God has made!


"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. --  John 3:16


God loves you and desires to rescue you from Hell so you can live eternally with Him in heaven.  But your sins have separated you.  So turn to faith in Jesus to be saved.  Jesus lived the sinless life you and I have failed to live, suffered the wrath you and I deserve, and rose to give eternal life you and I could never earn.  Put your faith in Him today.

Third, take up the call to share the good news of Jesus with the desperate world.  According to the Bible, our family, friends, coworkers, classmates, and all are heading to Hell without Jesus.  Let's share this great news of salvation with anyone with ears!


How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"  -- Romans 10:14-15

As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments.  Also, if you are interested in exploring this topic further, check out Erasing Hell by Francis Chan.  I apologize for typos, I have a packed day and don't have time to go over this with a fine comb yet!

Theology Thursday: Why do bad things happen to good people? Part 3

The votes are in and we are returning to our third installment of this question.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  This is a very difficult question and if you are going through a hard time right now, this may not be very helpful.  I think we need to address this question for ourselves before the hard times come so that we have a foundation to stand on in the midst of the storms of life.  During the storm, its difficult to focus on anything other than the lightning and flooding.  So, lets ingrain these lessons now and be ready when life gets tough.

In our first look at this question, we saw that really none of us are good people.  We are all sinners who have rebelled against God and deserve Hell.  Because of that, we should be shocked by all of the good things that God blesses us with that we don't deserve.  In our second look at the question, we saw that hard and difficult times are often the only ways for us to grow in character and learn valuable lessons.  Just like we press through the pain of exercise to gain physical strength, it is vital to press through the pain of loss, conflict, and more to gain strength of character.  That brings us to our third look at the question today.  Why do bad things happen to good people?

Theology Thursday: Is Abortion a Sin?

Before we start, lets take a moment to recognize that for many this is a deeply emotional issue.  Pregnancy is a life changing event and many women wind up pregnant before they are ready to have a baby.  Most women who have an abortion wrestle with the decision and don't make it lightly.  Many of these women go on to struggle with the decisions they have made wondering what could have been.  This is a sensitive issue.  My heart truly goes out to women who find themselves in a situation where they face this decision.  And shame on the boys who claim to be men in their lives who have left them with so few options that abortion seems to be best.

With that said, let's address the question.  As Christians, our view of right and wrong must come from the Bible.  On issues not directly addressed by the Bible, we must allow the Bible and its principles to guide us.  So let's ask the question and look to the Bible for answers.  Is abortion a sin?

Theology Thursday: Is Downloading Torrents a Sin?

Ready for the short answer?  Is it a sin?  YEP!  Do you like that answer?  Does that bother you?  Do you disagree and want to continue doing it anyway?  Before I give you my reasons, let me ask you this.  If God told you to stop doing this, would you?  If God showed you that it was a sin, would you actually listen and stop downloading torrents?  Would you choose to obey Him even though it meant giving up your free music and movies?  If you said yes, then please keep reading and honestly consider what I have to say.  If you said no, then you have an idol issue that you need to deal with.

Theology Thursday: Proving God Exists - Part 5

Your votes are in and today's theology topic will be taking another look at the evidence we have for God's existence.  Up until now, we have been covering general arguments that show that some sort of divine being or beings do exist.  Today, we are going to take a look at evidence that takes that one step further and shows that the God of the Bible is real.  We will be looking at many of the fulfilled prophecies within the Bible.

Declaring the Future is Strong Evidence

If I told you that you were going to trip today and fracture your left femur, you would probably look at me strangely.  But what if it then happened?  Maybe at first you'd be in too much pain to think straight.  But after the doctors had done their thing and you were laying in a hospital bed with a big cast on your leg, it would hit you.  Mark told me this was going to happen!  What would you do?  How would you feel?  What would you want to say to me?

Theology Thursday: Can Christians use Anti-depressants?

This is an incredibly tough topic to tackle.  Discussions get very heated because this question is about more than just right or wrong but actual people.  People who are hurting and vulnerable and need help.  I'll be perfectly honest in saying that I'm a little undecided as to where I stand on this (I used to fall into the first view but now I'm leaning heavily toward the third view).  But the question was asked and you guys voted it in a few weeks ago.  So what I'll be doing is presenting the three views as I've come across them so that you can make a more informed decision as you prayerfully consider this if its in any way applicable to you. 

*This whole blog will be referring to severe and lasting clinical depression.  I am not discussing the occasional bad mood or grief we experience through the bumps of life.  I'm talking about the kind of depression that consistently disrupts day to day living through anxiety, worry, fear, etc.