#STRask

Questions about apostasy in a time of persecution, balancing citizenship in Heaven and patriotism, and whether or not God hates Satan.

• Were the Japanese Christians in the film Silence who agreed to step on the picture of Christ committing an act of apostasy?
• How do you advise Christians to balance citizenship in Heaven and patriotism? 
• If it’s wrong to hate, then does God hate Satan?

Questions about why Rahab lied (and whether or not that was okay) and why God didn’t allow David to build His temple. 

• Why did Rahab lie, and was that okay?
• Why did “having blood on his hands” disqualify David from building the temple?

Questions about infinite regresses and responding to a naturalist who wants scientific proof that matter had a beginning.

• What is an infinite regress?
• How should I respond to a naturalist who wants scientific proof that matter had a beginning?

Questions about God’s forgiveness vs. human forgiveness, what John 20:23 means when it says the disciples had the authority to forgive sins, and whether Luke 12:47 means Christians can expect some punishment from God. (Tim fills in for Amy.)

• How would you compare God’s forgiveness to human forgiveness in terms of how the restoration is accomplished?
• What does John 20:23 mean when it says the disciples have the authority to forgive (or withhold forgiveness for) sin?
• Does Luke 12:47 mean Christians can expect to receive some sort of punishment from God?

Questions about cultivating a deeper trust in God, whether 2 Samuel 12:8 condones polygamy, and why Orthodox Jews don’t think Jesus fulfills Isaiah 52 and 53. (Tim fills in for Amy.)

• How can I cultivate a deeper trust in God?
• Does 2 Samuel 12:8 imply that God condones polygamy?
• Why don’t Orthodox Jews think Isaiah 52 and 53 is a prophecy that Jesus fulfilled?

Questions about how an omniscient God could regret His creation and how to fit together Adam and Eve with studies of early hominids. (Tim fills in for Amy.)

• Why would a God who knew the result of His creation feel regret about what He had created?
• How can I fit together Adam, Eve, and the studies of early hominids?

Questions about whether a complex designer mind is improbable, where Jesus was between the cross and the resurrection, and why we should think Paul’s writings are inspired. (Tim fills in for Amy.)

• If the existence of a complex universe is improbable, isn’t the existence of an even more complex designer mind even more improbable?
• Where was Jesus from the time He died on the cross until the resurrection?
• What do you say to someone who says Paul’s writings can’t be trusted as God’s word?

Questions about what Greg thinks about the rapture, whether prayers and fasts “count” even for people in other religions, and the importance of secondary values when choosing a spouse.

• Does Greg believe in a post-trib rapture or a pre-trib rapture?
• Do all prayers and fasts “count,” regardless of the person’s religion?
• To what extent should shared, secondary values matter to people pursuing a healthy, godly marriage?

Questions about how Jesus could be considered the first to be raised, how to respond to “That’s just your interpretation,” trusting in God vs. being apathetic, and whether self-affirmation is biblical.

• How could Jesus have been the first to be raised (as it says in Acts 26:23) if He raised other people from the dead before that?
• How do you respond when someone says, “That’s just your interpretation,” when discussing Scripture?
• How can I know if I’m not worrying because I’m trusting in God or because I’m just apathetic?
• Is it biblical to self-affirm?

Questions about whether Jesus’ death really counts if He was raised three days later and forgiving a verbally abusive family member who is unrepentant.

• If Jesus was raised three days later, did He really die, and does His death count?
• How do you forgive a verbally abusive family member you live with, who is unrepentant and whom you can’t leave?