#STRask

Why Does Jesus Compare Himself to Those Who Are Merely Called Gods?

Questions about what Jesus meant in the passage where he says, ”It is written that you are called gods” (John 10:34–36), and why he would compare himself to those who are merely called gods.

 

• Can you give a more detailed explanation of the passage where Jesus says, “It is written that you are called gods” (John 10:34–36)? It seems like he’s downplaying the fact that he’s God by comparing himself to those who are merely called gods.

Where Does Scripture Teach Unambiguously That Jesus Is God?

Question about where Scripture teaches unambiguously that Jesus is God.

 

• Where does Scripture teach unambiguously that Jesus is God? Jesus also said he wasn’t God when being called a blasphemer, so when you say “unambiguously,” what do you actually mean?

How Does the New Earth Tie in with Going to Heaven After We Die?

Questions about how the new earth ties in with the the teaching that we go to Heaven after we die, whether the Isaiah 65:17–25 passage about the new earth is metaphor, whether people in Heaven are aware of things happening on earth, and the prohibition against communicating with the dead.

 

• How does the new earth and the new Jerusalem mentioned in Revelation tie in with the teaching that we go to Heaven after we die, how can we be taken directly into God’s presence if we’re not as worthy as Elijah and Enoch, and are we misleading people about the afterlife because of unbiblical assumptions?
• Is the Isaiah 65:17–25 passage about the new earth metaphor, especially the part about having babies?
• Are people in Heaven and Hell aware of things happening on earth?
• Is the prohibition against communicating with the dead merely against our trying to get them to respond, or should we not talk to them at all, even if we’re not expecting a response?

Someone Who Died Saving the Life of Another Shouldn’t Be Punished with Hell

Questions about responding to the claim that someone who died saving the life of another shouldn’t be punished with Hell, and answering someone who says they don’t need a relationship with God and that if there’s a just God, then we should all be judged according to our deeds.

 

• How would you respond to the claim that someone who died saving the life of another shouldn’t be punished with Hell?
• What would you say to someone who says they don’t need a relationship with God and that if there’s a just God, then we should all be judged according to our deeds?

How Is God’s Divine Prerogative in Romans 9 Different from the Capriciousness of Allah?

Questions about how God’s divine prerogative in Romans 9 differs from the capriciousness of Allah, why we should bother with evangelism if God draws those whom he draws and no one has a choice, and the role of faith in the elect in Reformed theology if God guaranteed their salvation.

 

• How is God’s divine prerogative shown in Romans 9 different from the capriciousness of Allah?
• If God already knows who goes to Heaven, and he draws those whom he draws, then why bother with evangelism since it isn’t like someone can have the choice to choose God?
• In Reformed theology, what’s the role of faith in the elect if God guaranteed their salvation?

Would a Human Clone Have a Soul?

Questions about whether or not a human clone would have a soul, when each identical twin receives a soul, whether anencephalic babies have a soul, and whether the fact that scientists can use AI to decode people’s thoughts by analyzing their brain activity disproves the soul.

 

• Would a human clone have a soul?
• When identical twins form from a single-cell fertilized egg, when does each receive a soul?
• Do anencephalic babies have a soul?
• Does the fact that scientists have been able to decode people’s thoughts by using AI to analyze their brain activity disprove the idea that the soul is real and that consciousness is an immaterial, private experience?

This Culture Turned Our Dear Daughter Away from the Faith

Questions about advice for parents whose daughter was turned away from the faith by the culture, and what to do when you’ve been a Christian for 35 years and are feeling cold to evangelism and a deeper understanding of Scripture.

 

• Do you have any advice for us after this culture turned our dear daughter away from the faith she grew up in?
• As someone who’s been a Christian for approximately 35 years, I'm feeling very cold to evangelism and a deeper understanding of Scripture, and I’m looking for some advice on where to get started.

If We’re Not Under the Old Testament Laws, Why Are We Using Them to Condemn People?

Questions about why people are using the Old Testament laws to condemn people if we’re not under those laws, thoughts on Christians celebrating the feasts of the Law out of obedience to the Lord, and whether we should keep the feasts so we’ll recognize Christ at his second coming. 

 

• If the Old Testament laws were not even meant for us, then why are so many using the old laws to condemn people now?
• What do you think about my friends insisting that Christians celebrate and honor the various feasts of the Mosaic Law—not out of a spirit of legalism, but merely out of obedience to the Lord who saved them?
• Just as part of the purpose of the Mosaic Law and sacrificial system was to teach God’s people how to recognize Jesus when he came, should Christians be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles and other commands so we can recognize Christ at his second coming?

Everyone Deserves Love and Happiness

Questions about how to answer someone who says, “Everyone deserves love and happiness,” in response to objections to same-sex weddings, and how to think about same-sex adoption when looking through the lens of the greater good.

 

• How would you answer someone who said, “Everyone deserves love and happiness,” in response to my objections to same-sex weddings?
• How should I think about same-sex adoption when looking through the lens of the greater good? If same-sex marriage is legal, what is the greater good in terms of children—giving a child a home or fighting against same-sex adoption ever occurring?

What Is a Biblical Case for Submitting to God’s Good Design for Our Bodies?

Questions about how to make a biblical case for God’s good design in creating two genders and the rightness of submitting to his design for our own bodies, and how “gender-affirming” care can be wrong if it’s not discussed in the Bible.

 

• Would you make a biblical case for God’s good design in creating two genders and the rightness of submitting to his design for our own bodies? My trans, Episcopal brother is asking why “gender-affirming care” is wrong and harmful if it’s not discussed in the Bible.