Christian Questions Bible Podcast

One of the very basic tenets of Christianity is the belief that God does not change. We see him as omnipotent, above the fray and the embodiment of clear vision and intention. As such we believe that when God’s plan has been put in motion it is a universally unstoppable force. Enter the concept of prayer. Not only are we instructed to pray for and about things, we are shown several scriptural examples where prayer seems to have changed God’s mind. How can these things be? Why would we pray if God has already decided and how is it even possible to change the mind of He who is unchangeable? Does prayer change God's mind? The answers, as is usually the case, are not found on the surface. They are rooted in the depth of scriptural meaning and provide profound biblical insight into the extraordinary character of God!

Sometimes we have people in our lives who seem to create difficulty wherever they go. This can be for a variety of reasons including the fact that WE could be actually attracting such folks into our experiences. For now, let’s assume there are some people who simply live unhappy and unfulfilled lives. In their search for feelings of significance they become a drain to others! Being in their presence diminishes hope, poisons happiness and upsets relationships. Their influence quietly becomes a centerpiece or even an obsession in our daily experience. What do we do? Should we walk away?  Tell them off?  Mount an attack of our own? What is the Christian thing to do? How does the Bible guide us through such extreme circumstances of dealing with toxic people?

The life of Jesus as a man on earth was filled with wonder, teaching and miracles.  His obedience to his Father’s will was the centerpiece of his mission, as he came to pay the ransom price for Adam.  Critics say Jesus’ earthly life was also filled with contradictions.  They say these discrepancies are reasonable cause to doubt the validity of what he did, taught and stood for.  They also point to these inconsistencies as proof the Bible is not the unerring word of God.  Once again, we will look at some of the Scriptures the critics bring up and examine them. Our objective is simple – find out what these several citations actually mean in the light of context, history and common sense! 
 

Genesis is the first book of the Bible and its foundation.  It lays out for us the origin of the intricacies of our world, as well as the origins of the human race.  Morality is introduced, and this book takes us through the first few thousand years of the human experience.  Genesis - particularly the creation account - is profoundly important to our understanding of God and our place in His universe.  Critics of the Bible seem to love this creation account.  They are quick to point out that in its very first chapter the book presents itself as not only wildly contradictory, but clearly unscientific as well.  They conclude it is simply a collection of tales and imaginations.  Are they right?  Does the creation account support fanciful stories to give the ignorant something to hold onto, or is it actually based in fact?

Special Guest: Tom Ruggirello
Ask any Christian and they will tell you one of the greatest - if not THE greatest - events in all of biblical history is the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion.  We laud this event as the undeniable guarantee that God’s plan for the world’s salvation is entirely unstoppable.  This event not only sealed the ransom payment as received, it also sealed the fate of Satan as well.  With so much riding on this event, you would think the narrative given us in Scripture would be the most crystal clear account in the entire Bible.  That is NOT the case.  The event is recorded by all four gospels and each of them seems to contradict the others!  Why so many resurrection contradictions?  Those who seek to destroy the Bible’s credibility are quick to say these discrepancies are proof of the Bible’s fallibility.  Are they?  Let’s take them one at a time and find out.

This continues our series on biblical contradictions.   See Part I and Part II for more.  We all need foundational principles to believe in and solid ground to stand on.   Human nature thrives where such a firm base can be found.  Achievement can flourish when there is unflinching belief, in a relationship, the science of a matter or one’s own talent.  For Bible-believing Christians, this foundation does not get any more significant than the unwavering character of God Himself.  All that we stand for relies on the truth of who God is and what drives Him.  It is this very foundation of God’s own character that many critics boisterously attack.  Accusations fly, claiming the Bible itself condemns our God. They claim it shows the contradictions about God in His actions, flaws in His character and general confusion about what He wants from us.   Let’s be honest, there are several Scriptures that certainly seem to expose contradictory views about God. What do those texts really say, and are we willing to accept truth over opinion?

It is a sad thing to say, but slander and gossip are easy.  They are.  Whether by spoken word or social media interaction, we are set up to say things, write things and imply things about others without recourse.  For some reason we think it is okay to slam those we don’t like with twisted facts and partial truths.  It is looked upon as cool or even clever to attack those whom we see as our opposition with innuendo and unverified stories!  Wait a minute – we need to ask ourselves – do I consider myself to be a moral person?  Am I a professed follower of Christ?  Do I ever contribute to this mess by dishing it out OR receiving it? Let’s face it, any participation in this kind of slanderous and evil behavior is in no way and under no circumstances EVER justifiable for any Christian or moral person!  So, how do we stop it?

Jesus died for our sins, and if we believe in him we will go to heaven.  This common Christian belief that ties Jesus’ sacrifice and our salvation up into one neat package sounds simple, but it actually raises many questions.  What does it mean to “believe” in Jesus?  Is belief in his teachings the point or is it believing in the fact of and reason for his death? What is salvation? Is it just praying the Sinner’s Prayer?  It it a change of heart or a complete life overhaul?  Does everyone who experiences salvation go to heaven?  What about Jesus praying for God’s kingdom on earth?  To sort this all out, we need to look at how the Bible says the pieces go together.  First, we need to understand Jesus’ ransom and the specific role it plays. Once this is in place, understanding salvation becomes much easier!

Special Guest: Becca Marten
Jealousy and envy are often very secret sins.  We invite them into our lives and harbor them deeply in our hearts where they fester and grow.  One day we look around, and if we are observant, we realize we are seeing our world through different and damaging eyes.  Jealousy and envy not only damage our personal character and outlook, they can easily damage our relationships and our perceptions of others as well.  What brings us to the place where these things creep in and take hold of our very lives?  How do we recognize them and how do we take steps to not only fight back but overcome and defeat them?

The New Testament gives us a clear picture of Jesus replacing the Old Testament Law being our path to life.  As Christians we all agree with this,and yet so many of us still follow parts of that old Jewish Law.  Why?  Are certain aspects of it supposed to be carried over?  Are we required to keep the Sabbath or tithe?  What about “honor your father and mother”?  Shouldn’t we always do that?  With these particular questions on the table, we might conclude that Jesus didn’t really override the Law but instead just made some major adjustments.  Can that be true?  Fortunately the New Testament makes this all clear.  It all comes down to what Jesus did and did not do...and the answer is powerful!