Christian Questions Bible Podcast

Theme Scripture: Colossians 3:17
Sin is a difficult thing to handle. We are constantly challenged to daily live up to godly standards of righteousness. As our social order expands into countless variations of perceived freedoms, there are many questions that need clarification regarding what is right and wrong in God’s eyes. Today we examine two of those questions. First, is it a sin if I as a Christian get a tattoo? Opinions on this question vary to an amazing degree. Does the Bible guide us on this? Second, is it a sin of I get a blood transfusion? While this is perhaps a small issue for most of us, there are some who have very deep convictions on this matter. What does the Bible say and doesn’t say?

Theme Scripture: John 14:3
Jesus’ true disciples go to heaven. Not only did Jesus make this clear, but several other scriptures show this amazing result of God’s grace upon a life dedicated to walking in Jesus’ sacrificial footsteps. In the first two parts of this three-part series, we uncovered many heavenly privileges, inheritances and responsibilities that these faithful ones will have. However, at the end of our last episode, we left one question unanswered. This question has to do with another group of Jesus’ followers. Several scriptures allude to this second group of followers as being faithful - but not as faithful - as his truest disciples. What happens to them? Do they also go to heaven, or do they have another destiny? Fortunately, the Bible gives us this answer and gives it in surprising detail!

Theme Scripture: John 14:3
Going to heaven is a really big deal. Last week was Part I of our three-part series on what heaven-bound Christians will be doing when they get there. So far we uncovered the mechanics of why only chosen ones are privileged to go to heaven. We began to scratch the surface regarding what these disciples of Jesus will be doing. Turns out the job descriptions we focused on were nothing like what most people envision as heavenly life. In this episode, we dig deeply into what the responsibilities of those heaven bound will be. In addition, we will attempt to understand the “why” of it all by connecting several prophecies and scriptures. Our discoveries will reveal absolutely inspiring details and descriptions of how God’s plan is destined to work!

Theme Scripture: John 14:3
It’s pretty safe to assume that most every Christian looks forward to being in heaven with Jesus if they are faithful to their call of discipleship. While this can be an exciting and positively overwhelming prospect, it can also be a future that is filled with questions. What exactly will the faithful be doing when they get to heaven? How will they spend their time? Many say that the faithful will be continually worshipping God and His son, and there is truth to this. However, there is more. Much more. Understanding what Jesus’ faithful disciples will be doing in heaven requires first putting all of Jesus’ missions in order. If we know what he came to do and NOT do when he walked the earth as a man, we will then know what he has yet to accomplish and how his faithful followers will help him later.

Theme Scripture: James 1:12
God is all-powerful and all-knowing. The problem is, we often don’t think about what that really means. Not only has knowledge of God diminished in our day, but respect and reverence for Him are now scarce commodities. Humanity in this technology-driven age is prone to judge without understanding. Our benevolent Creator is an easy target of this. We have discussed many supposed contradictions about God in our Bible Contradictions Series, and we will bring up a few more today. Primarily, we want to look at the relationship between God, us and our hard experiences in life. Does God tempt us? Does God purposely place temptations in front of us as a way to teach or punish? Some say the Bible says yes and others say the Bible absolutely says no. So, who’s right? Let’s actually look at the Bible and find out!

Theme Scripture: Genesis 22:1-2
The actions of God in the Bible are an easy target for criticism. It is so easy to look into this ancient book and pick out events that may not look sensible and even make God look bad and wildly inconsistent. Examining these events carefully does reveal truth and harmony - if we are willing to look for it. One such event is the account where God specifically tells Abraham to take his son Isaac and kill him as a sacrifice to Him. This sounds absurd! How can a God of love, compassion and justice just arbitrarily ask someone to murder their son? What possible good could ever come from such an action? And what about other accounts in the Bible that seem to show God as minimizing the value of human life? These are hard questions. The good news is, the Bible has clear and legitimate answers!

heme Scripture: Matthew 19:25-26
The Bible is a really big book. It was written by about 40 people spanning a period of over 1,500 years and in three different languages. Just these facts alone create a likelihood of its writings being misunderstood, misinterpreted and misrepresented. Claims that the Bible is a wildly contradictory book are numerous and easy to find. In our Contradictions Series, we continue to look at these questions and attempt to answer them one by one. Our process is to consider the immediate context of the scriptures in question and the larger context of the Bible itself. We examine the original meanings of the words involved and attempt to assign the meaning that best fits the scriptural point being made. Solving apparent biblical contradictions is possible; we just need to see the Bible as God would have us see it!

Theme Scripture: 1 Kings 4:29
To seek and acquire wisdom seems to be a lost art in our technology-laden world. Why spend the time, seeking, gathering, learning, absorbing, internalizing and applying wisdom when you can simply Google it and be told what something means? Why invest time and effort into trying to become a “wise person” when most of your friends and family are likely to disagree with such “wisdom” anyway? Face it, acquiring “godly wisdom” spells social media disaster! While this may be true, we need to step back for a moment and consider some things. While social media may rule the day, godly wisdom is timeless. It never changes, never diminishes and never loses its potency. It is always right and inevitably brings, supports and enhances life. Our first “words of wisdom” for today are: choose that which is eternal!

Theme Scripture: Mark 2:22
One of the great Christian challenges of our day is living a God-honoring life in a world that basically thinks you’re nuts. What role should our differences with the world around us play in how we do or don’t fit in with all that goes on each day of our lives? What specific principles do we have that govern our thoughts words and deeds to keep us godly and yet approachable? Jesus’ Parable of the Wineskins answers this. This parable is part of a specific answer Jesus gave to a specific question. His answer also included two other very simple parables. As we will see, these three short examples combine to teach some important lessons relating not only to prophetic events, but to our personal behaviors and choices as well.

Theme Scripture: Psalm 23:1
Among Christians, some of the most often quoted and beloved Old Testament scriptures are found in Psalm 23. In very few words, these six verses paint a vivid picture of God’s overwhelming care for His children. The imagery of a shepherd knowing and caring for his sheep speaks to our helplessness as we as God’s children attempt to navigate the harsh terrain of a sin-sick world. Without our shepherd the tumult of everyday life makes it hard to find true spiritual nourishment. Without our shepherd we would not find absolute rest and we would always feel vulnerable. Here is the big question. Do I put myself completely and faithfully into the hands of my shepherd Jesus? Do I really trust him for all things? Is Jesus the true shepherd of my life or do I merely give him that title?