#STRask

Does Hebrews 1:5 Indicate Jesus Was Created?

Questions about whether Hebrews 1:5 indicates Jesus was created and the difference between the sinful way of testing God (e.g. Matthew 4:5–7) and the right way of testing him (e.g., Psalm 34:8 and John 7:17).

• How should I respond to a Jehovah’s Witness who points to Hebrews 1:5 (“I have become your father,” in the New World Translation) as evidence Jesus was created?
• Matthew 4 says it’s a sin to put God to the test, but isn’t there another sense in which we’re supposed to test him (e.g., Psalm 34:8 and John 7:17)? What’s the difference between the two?

When Atheists Say, “That’s Not Evidence”

Questions about how to reply when atheists respond to the evidence you offer by saying, “That’s not evidence,” and how Christians can say we have free will to choose God when we’re threatened with Hell if we don’t choose God.

• How should I reply to atheists who respond to any evidence I offer by saying, “That’s not evidence”?
• How can Christians say we have free will to choose God when we’re threatened with Hell if we don’t choose God?

What Should I Say to Someone Who Claims to Be a Christian but Doesn’t Live Like It?

Questions about how to talk to someone who claims to be a Christian, but doesn’t live like it, without pushing her away and what a church should do about a “married” LGBTQ couple that’s been attending.

• How can I talk to my cousin, who claims to be a Christian but doesn’t live like it, without pushing her away?
• What should my church be doing about a “married” LGBTQ couple that’s been attending?

What’s the Best Way to Talk to Mormon Missionaries about Their View of Baptism?

Questions about the best way to talk to Mormon missionaries about their view of baptism and their belief that only they have the authority to baptize. 

• What’s the best way to talk to Mormon missionaries about their view of baptism and their belief that only they have the authority to baptize?

What Should Christians Think about the Death Penalty?

Questions about what Christians should think about the death penalty, how it can be moral if it’s not applied fairly across people groups, whether Matthew 6:25–34 is a promise given to all believers, and whether we should pray for friends who have died and were not believers.

• What should Christians think about the death penalty?
• How can capital punishment be moral when we know it’s not applied fairly across people groups and some innocent people have been sentenced to death?
• Is Matthew 6:25–34 a promise given to all believers or just to the ones Jesus was speaking to?
• Should we pray for friends who have died and were not believers?

Is Deconversion Grounds for Divorce?

Questions about whether deconversion is grounds for divorce, why non-Christians misuse the Lord’s name, whether the sower in the parable deliberately sowed seed upon the hard ground and into thorns and weeds, and the meaning of the parable of the foolish virgins.

• If a spouse deconverts, is that grounds for separation or divorce?
• Why do non-Christians say the Lord’s name in vain?
• Do you believe the sower in the parable deliberately sowed seed upon the hard ground and into thorns and weeds, or was he just trying to fully cover the good soil?
• Are the foolish virgins in the Matthew 25:1–13 parable faux believers or non-believers, and what does it mean to “be ready”?

Why Do Some New Testament Passages about Salvation Ignore Faith and Focus on Works?

Questions about why some passages about salvation in the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 25:31–46) seem to focus on works rather than trust in Jesus and whether the symmetry between Adam and Jesus described in Romans 5 indicates everyone will be saved from Hell.

• Why are there so many passages in the New Testament that seem to focus on works rather than trust in Jesus when it comes to dividing the saved from the unsaved?
• Doesn’t Matthew 25:31–46 sound like we’ll be saved by our deeds rather than grace?
• Since Romans 5:18–19 talks about the symmetry between being condemned in Adam and righteous in Jesus, would that mean that just as we don’t opt into Adam’s sin, so we don’t opt into Jesus’ salvation, and therefore everyone will be saved from Hell?

How Do You Know You’re Not a Man Trapped in a Woman’s Mind?

Questions about whether there’s any issue with responding to “I’m a woman trapped in a man’s body” with “How do you know you’re not a man trapped in a woman’s mind” and how to respond to a meme that says God makes transsexuals so they can share in the act of creation.

• Is there any issue with responding to “I’m a woman trapped in a man’s body” with “How do you know you’re not a man trapped in a woman’s mind?” 
• How should I respond to a meme that says, “God blessed me by making me transsexual for the same reason God made wheat but not bread and fruit but not wine—so that humanity might share in the act of creation.” 

Are Christians Not Supposed to Judge?

Questions about a response to the claim that Christians are not supposed to judge, what John 7:24 means when it says we are to “judge with righteous judgment,” and advice about how to choose between a few different ministry job offers.

• Can you give a response to the claim that Christians are not supposed to judge and touch on what John 7:24 says about “judging with righteous judgment”?
• Do you have any advice about how to choose between a few different ministry job offers?

Why Should I Thank God for Fixing a World of Pain and Sin That He Created?

Questions about why we should love and thank God for creating a world where pain and sin exist and then fixing it by sending his son.

• Why should I love and thank God for creating a world where pain and sin exist and then fixing it by sending his son?