Christian Questions Bible Podcast

Theme Scripture: Romans 8:20-21
Let’s begin by stating the obvious: the world is a mess! Now, we all know the world has been a mess for a very long time, so the question is, is this even news? The answer is yes, it is! Our present-day mess has everything to do with the ability to be connected with as many perspectives on and interpretations of truth as we would like. We can now easily and often categorize, judge or ignore anything and everything that doesn't fit into our personal world view. All of this brings us to a place where we effortlessly define good and evil according to preference and not principle. We believe Jesus died and was raised to redeem the world from sin, and yet, we are now so much further from godly principles than ever before. How can we harmonize these seemingly conflicting thoughts?

Theme Scripture: Nehemiah 1:4
Everyone experiences loss in their lives in one way or another. How we attempt to cope with those losses depends upon several things. First, the kind of loss we are facing can dictate whether our response to it is mild, strong or severe. Second, our cultural environment offers up expectations as to how our mild strong or severe responses are to be displayed. In biblical days, grieving over difficult losses was often displayed in a very outward, very public manner. The Bible is full of examples of such public crying, wailing, renting of clothes and despair. For many of us in our present-day mindset, these things may seem to be over-the-top and too dramatic. Actually, when we seek to understand all of this lamenting, we find very strong lessons of faith, growth and acceptance.

Theme Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:19
Every serious Christian knows about God’s holy spirit. We not only know about it, but we also often talk about what we believe to be its effects upon our lives. Christians speak of being provoked, directed, protected and guided by the spirit. Some of us claim the spirit speaks to us, or perhaps to our pastor, for the purpose of giving us not only instruction, but prophetic utterances regarding our lives as well. In short, our brand of Christianity or denomination has much to do with how we believe the holy spirit works. So, how does it work? Who is right, and who may be mistaken when it comes to understanding and following this mighty power of God in our lives? Not surprisingly, the Bible says a lot about this subject. It also doesn’t say things about God’s spirit we might assume are true.

Theme Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17
We don’t know much about the spiritual world, especially before the creation of humanity. What we do know is that it was an entirely harmonious world with loyalty and obedience to God at its center. God foreknew that when pride crept into Satan’s heart and was exposed, it would lead to a massive shift in the way things would run. In heaven, it would no longer be business as usual, for now the lessons of sin and disobedience would be unleashed. These painful but necessary lessons would - under God’s power and providence - ultimately bring the whole of His creation back into the harmony it had left behind, only this time that harmony would be for eternity. How would He make this happen?

Theme Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:45
Jesus is the Savior of the world. We all know how he left his heavenly glory with the Father and was reduced to the human condition so he could be the ransom - the corresponding price - for Adam and his fall from obedience and grace. By so doing, Jesus gave the whole human race an opportunity for everlasting life. So, when we look at Jesus, we see him as Savior, Redeemer, the Lamb of God, the Author and Finisher of our faith, and I could go on and on. So, why address him as the "last Adam”? Simply looking at such a title actually invites a lot of questions, especially since all the other ways we know Jesus seem to be so much higher and honorable. As we look into this, we will find what we always find: inspiring reasons and lessons that unlock an even deeper understanding of all Jesus has done!

Theme Scripture: Romans 12:9-10
Honor and respect. These seem like simple enough words but try and find them actively functioning in everyday life and you will find that they are surprisingly rare. As we speculate about why this is, we may conclude that we as a social order simply don’t perceive a need for them. The further we go down the road of each of us primarily answering to only ourselves, the less important honor for others becomes. While this may now be socially acceptable, it is far from being scripturally authorized. On the contrary, as Christians, we are solidly instructed to be people who exemplify honor in every aspect of our lives. As we began laying the “how to” groundwork in Part I, we began to see what a difference this practice of giving honor can make in everyday life.

Theme Scripture: Romans 12:9-10
Our society is in trouble. In many ways, it seems that we have lost our way, and we no longer have a general sense of societal respect. Maybe it’s just me, but when I was a kid, I was clearly shown the importance of valuing others. We were taught to respect those in charge, and respect those who enforced the law and kept order. We were taught to have high esteem for parents and educators. We were taught to appreciate and value all who did whatever their part was, be it big or small. Now it seems we are taught respect should be demanded from others and not given. Our go-to approach encourages disrespecting and demeaning any who don’t fit our personal perceptions of how we think life should look. Interestingly, the Bible has a lot to say about how honor and respect should work!

Theme Scripture: Genesis 2:23-24
It would seem that most entering into marriage do so with high expectations of a life of happiness, fulfillment and companionship. Unfortunately for far too many, these expectations are foreign to their reality. Excluding marriages that end in divorce, how many are truly happy and fulfilled, and how many are simply going along to get along? These are hard things to look at. In order to do so in a positive and growth-oriented way, we need to establish two basic truths for our conversation. First, let’s understand that “Happily ever after” is a fairy tale ending. The feelings it ignites of an everyday bliss-filled life are unfair and not real. Second, let’s understand that our marriages CAN be happy, fulfilled and full of companionship, IF we know what we’re striving for and are willing to put in the effort!

Theme Scripture: Matthew 23:27
Jesus was at odds with the scribes and Pharisees. They stood for traditions that had been built upon the foundation of the Jewish Law but were not part of the already complex rules and guidelines God had commanded through Moses so many generations before them. No, these traditions were fabrications, and were likely in place to separate the ruling class from the people. Meanwhile, Jesus stood for the people. He stood for those who were less educated, less fortunate and less prominent, as they were the ones most likely to be open to God’s grace and mercy. This division came to a head shortly before Jesus was crucified, as he directly confronted these leaders with their hypocrisy. In Part I, we began to address the seven powerful "woes" Jesus had proclaimed to them.

Jesus was a wise, loving and compassionate man. His whole reason for becoming a man was to give his life as a ransom for every single human being who ever lived, and you can’t be more selfless and giving than that. Yet, with all of his compassion, Jesus was also one to not mince words when a hard message was needed. This becomes extremely evident when we examine the seven woes he proclaimed to the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 23. Of all the words we have recorded from Jesus’ earthly ministry, these are the most blunt and direct. So, what was Jesus really saying to the scribes and Pharisees? Was he showing a fundamental dislike for them? Was he exposing their true characters so everyone could see? Or was he simply expressing his dislike for who they were and what they stood for?