#STRask

Is It Okay to Ask God for the Repentance of Someone Who Has Passed Away?

Questions about asking God for the repentance of someone who has passed away, how to respond to a request to pray for a deceased person, reconciling Hebrews 9:27 with people who have died twice, and whether we’ll be judged according to the revelation we received.

 

• What are your thoughts on asking God for the repentance of someone who has passed away?
• When asked to pray for a friend’s deceased mother’s soul, what is a compassionate response that may lead to an opportunity to share the gospel?
• How do we reconcile Hebrews 9:27, which says it’s appointed for each of us to die once, with people being raised from the dead by Jesus, Peter, and Paul and then dying a second time?
• Are people judged differently by God according to the revelation they received?

Can You Really Say Evil Is Just a Privation of Good?

Questions about whether one can legitimately say evil is a privation of good, how the Bible can say sin and death entered the world at the fall if angels rebelled before man, and why God would judge Israel with a famine so great they would eat the flesh of their children.

 

• Saying that evil is a “privation” is simply wordplay. How is the privation of a thing not creating the result of that privation? If one is denied oxygen, he will die, but you would blame the one denying the oxygen for that death.
• Scripture says sin and death entered the world at the fall, but didn’t angels rebel before man? Wouldn’t sin have been introduced then?
• Why would God judge the Israelites for sacrificing their children to idols by pronouncing upon them a famine so great that they would eat the flesh of their children?

Can Secular Books Assist Our Christian Walk?

Questions about how secular books assist our Christian walk and how Greg studies the Bible.

 

• How do secular books like Atomic Habits assist our Christian walk?
• How do you personally study the Bible?

How Do You Know You Have the Right Bible?

Questions about the Catholic Bible versus the Protestant Bible, whether or not the original New Testament manuscripts exist somewhere and how we would know if we found one, and the implications of not having the original manuscripts of the Bible.

 

• How do you know you have the right version of Christianity? The Catholic Bible was assembled closer to the time of Jesus, and your church just took books out of that Bible. If an all-powerful God can’t maintain the truth over time, he probably isn’t real.
• Do you think the original New Testament manuscripts still exist somewhere, and if we ever found one, how would we know it was the original?
• What do we mean when we say we don’t have an original copy of the Bible? Which parts aren’t right, and how would we ever know?

Can God Be Real and Personal to Me If the Sign Gifts of the Spirit Are Rare?

Questions about disappointment that the sign gifts of the Spirit seem rare, non-existent, or fake, whether or not believers can squelch the Holy Spirit, and whether 2 Peter 1:21 points to the Holy Spirit “impressing” us during prophecy.

 

• I came to faith because the gifts of the Spirit that seemed integral to church life in the Bible made God so real and personal, but now that I’ve found the gifts to be rare, non-existent, or fake, I have doubts I know anything about God.
• Can the squelching of the Holy Spirit be supported biblically, and can we, as believers, squelch the Holy Spirit?
• Does 2 Peter 1:21 point to the Holy Spirit “impressing” us during prophecy?

Can Someone Impart Spiritual Gifts to Others?

Questions about whether or not someone can impart the gifts of healing, prophecy, words of knowledge, etc. to others and whether being an apostle necessarily means one is part of the foundation of the church according to Ephesians 2:20.

 

• Can someone impart the gifts of healing, prophecy, words of knowledge, etc. to others?
• Is being the foundation of the church (see Ephesians 2:20) a necessary or accidental property of being an apostle?

What Discernment Skills Should We Develop to Make Sure We’re Getting Wise Answers from AI?

Questions about what discernment skills we should develop to make sure we’re getting wise answers from AI, and how to overcome confirmation bias when evaluating claims related to theism and Christianity.

 

• What discernment skills should we develop to make sure we’re getting wise answers from AI when asking the question “What would Jesus have me do in this situation”?
• How do you overcome confirmation bias when evaluating claims related to theism and Christianity, and is it possible to have strong beliefs and still be objective?

How Should I Respond to the Phrase “Just Follow the Science”?

Questions about how to respond when someone says, “Just follow the science,” and whether or not it’s a good tactic to cite evolutionists’ lack of a good biogenesis theory in support of the teleological argument.

 

• How should I respond to the phrase “Just follow the science?”
• Is it a good tactic to cite evolutionists’ lack of a good biogenesis theory in support of the teleological argument?

Should We Not Say Anything Against Voodoo?

Questions about how to respond to someone who thinks we shouldn’t say anything against Voodoo since it’s “just their culture” and arguments to refute a proponent of the African traditional religion as a means of worshiping the almighty God.

 

• When I expressed concern about a movie dealing with Voodoo magic, one of the students said that it’s “just their culture,” as if we shouldn’t say anything against voodoo since it’s a cultural practice. How should I have responded?
• What arguments would you present as a polemic to refute a proponent of the African traditional religion as a means of worshiping the almighty God?

If People Could Be Saved Before Jesus, Why Was It Necessary for Him to Come?

Questions about why it was necessary for Jesus to come if people could already be justified by faith apart from works, and what the point of the Old Covenant was if God was going to make the New Covenant.

 

• Since Old Testament Jews and Gentiles could be justified by faith apart from works, it seems there was already a path for salvation in place, so why was it necessary for Jesus to come?
• What was the point of the Old Covenant if God was going to make the New Covenant?