#STRask

Should Christians Make Use of the Concept of Meditation?

Questions about Christians making use of the concept of meditation, advice for discussions with panentheists, and how to not be discouraged when pastors don’t use apologetics when it would be the perfect time to do so.

• How might Christians appropriately make use of the concept of meditation, or should this sort of thing be avoided?
• Do you have any tips or questions for discussions with New Age spiritualists—in particular, panentheists?
• How can we not become discouraged when pastors or teachers do not use apologetics when it would be the perfect time to do so?

Is It Okay to Pray for the Destruction and Downfall of Our Enemies?

Questions about whether it’s okay to pray for the destruction and downfall of our enemies, how to reconcile the idea that God doesn’t tempt people with the fact that he led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted, and why believers need to ask forgiveness for their sins.

• We use psalms in worship and model our prayers after them, but is it okay to pray for the destruction and downfall of our enemies like we see in the imprecatory psalms?
• How do we reconcile the idea that God doesn’t tempt people and isn’t the “author of evil“ with the fact that he led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted in Luke 4?
• If God sees believers as blameless, why do we need to ask forgiveness for our sins?

Can I Be Acting on Godly Wisdom if My Choice Is Giving Me Deep Pain?

Questions about whether you can be acting on godly wisdom if your choice is giving you deep pain, how a combat vet who has difficulty going to church due to PTSD can find peace with who he is, and whether a Christian can be a public defender and represent criminals.

• Can I be acting on godly wisdom if my choice is giving me deep pain?
• I am a combat vet with PTSD who has difficulty connecting with people and doesn’t do well in crowds, which makes it difficult to go to church and have friends and fellowship and leads me to question my faith. How can I find peace with who I am?
• Can a Christian be a public defender and represent people charged with a crime?

Is Humanity’s Justice Better Than God’s?

Questions about whether humanity’s justice is better than God’s, what to say to a Muslim who asks why God’s justice requires him to punish sin instead of just forgiving without punishment, and why so much blood, torture, and slaughter for Jesus.

• God is not just. Humanity’s justice attempts to fit a punishment to the crime and aims for rehabilitation and restoration to the community rather than eternal damnation.
• What would you say to a Muslim who asks why God’s justice requires him to punish sin instead of just forgiving without punishment?
• Why so much blood, torture, and slaughter for Jesus?

Why Didn’t God Start Humanity Over Right Away by Destroying Adam and Eve?

Questions about why God didn’t start humanity over right away by destroying Adam and Eve instead of waiting for the flood, whether another fall will be possible in the new creation (and what that means for our free will), and why God didn’t make us “fall-proof” from the beginning.

• Why didn’t God start humanity over right away by destroying Adam and Eve if he knew he was going to have to destroy an evil generation with the flood later on?
• In the new heavens and earth, will another fall of humanity be possible, and could this create an infinite loop of creation and fall? If not, does this mean there will be a lack of free will in the new creation, and why wouldn’t this “fall-proof” design have been God’s original choice for creation?

What Does Boasting in Our Weaknesses Look Like?

Questions about what the Bible means by “boasting in our weaknesses” (2 Cor. 12:7–10), what it means to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” (1 Pet. 3:13–15), and whether giving our lives to Christ means we can’t have other interests besides God.

• What does the Bible mean by “boasting in our weaknesses,” and what does this look like in our lives?
• In 1 Peter 3:15, what does it mean to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts”?
• We’re to give our lives to Christ, but how much living do we get to do outside of Christ? Can we have hobbies, jobs, relaxation time, further education, or other interests besides God?

How Could God Kill All the Firstborn Babies in the Tenth Plague?

Questions about how God could kill all the firstborn babies in the tenth plague, how to respond to someone who says God committed genocide when he destroyed the earth during the flood, and whether God still creates calamity today as it says in Isaiah 45:7.

• How could God kill all the firstborn babies in the tenth plague?
• How should I respond to someone who says God committed genocide when he destroyed the earth during the flood?
• Does God still create calamity today as it says in Isaiah 45:7?

Does the Bible Say That Someday Everyone Will Worship God?

Questions about whether the Bible says that someday everyone in the world will worship God, the purpose of worshiping God, and whether it might be the case that God has created another universe where that creation also gives him glory.

• Does it say anywhere in the Bible that someday everyone (all the world) will worship God? [Note: after recording this episode, we also came across Psalm 66:3–4, which says that “all the earth will worship” God, but also that his enemies will give him “feigned obedience.”]
• What is the purpose of worshiping God?
• If God maximizes his glory in this universe, is it reasonable to think he’s maximized his glory in another universe or in some other creative act that involves his creation giving him glory?

Is Post-Mortem Salvation an Orthodox Doctrine?

Questions about whether post-mortem salvation is an orthodox doctrine, reconciling a verse about God removing our transgressions from us with verses about each of us having to give an account to God on judgment day, and how to recognize true conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit.

• Is post-mortem repentance and salvation an orthodox doctrine?
• How do we reconcile Psalm 103:12, which says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us,” with Matthew 12:36 and Romans 14:12, which speak of each person having to give an account of himself to God on the day of judgment?
• How do we tell the difference between conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit and feelings that are just either scrupulosity or the devil’s accusations?

Doesn’t Acts Argue That Not All Believers Receive the Holy Spirit?

Questions about why we should think the new believers in Acts 5:14 received the Holy Spirit when Acts seems to argue that not all believers necessarily receive the Spirit and whether “Holy Ghost” is a degrading term for the Holy Spirit.

• Why should we think the new believers in Acts 5:14 received the Holy Spirit when it doesn’t say so? Doesn’t Acts argue that not all believers necessarily receive the Holy Spirit, especially given 8:9–17?
• Is “Holy Ghost” a degrading term for the Holy Spirit?