In a recent Monday Night Live! Q&A, I commented off hand that John the Baptist was never in doubt that Jesus was the Christ. When John, who was in prison at the time, sent his disciples to question Jesus about whether or not He was the Christ, it was for their own benefit, not John’s.…
A Polemic for the Church “Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” (Titus 3:9 NASB) It only hinders the Gospel to become entangled in such matters as non-essential Christian doctrine. At the same time, there are some non-essential Christian doctrines that, though truly non-essential,…
The Christological Witness of the Old Testament Then, beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. Luke 24:47 Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus met two of his disciples traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. He engaged them in a unique and…
Answer the Christian: Why do people suffer for a sin Adam committed long ago? 1. Adam’s sin introduced death into the world. God created the universe and began its human population by creating a man and a woman, whom He called Adam and Eve. They were given freedom to lives their lives with one restriction. …
Just as darkness is defined in regards to the absence of light, so Christian thought has often defined evil as the absence of good; or to use Augustine’s (354-430) words, the privation of good (privatio boni). Evil then is what ought not to be, for evil is at the least unpleasant (as in a rotten…
Suffering is to endure pain or anguish, whether willingly, as in the case of martyrdom, or unwillingly, as in the case of cancer. Christians throughout history have responded to suffering differently than other religions and philosophies. Suffering Is Real Contrary to some Eastern religions and Christian Science, Christianity holds that suffering is real. Also, Christians…
The word translated as “Word” in John 1 is the Greek word logos, and is a reference to Christ The Greek speaking world understood this word to refer to more than just “word.” It included the concepts of expression, wisdom, reason, and order. Jesus, whom John has in view when using the word in John…
The concept of a Purgatory is mythical, not biblical. The concept suggests that people who are not bad enough to go to Hell and are not good enough to go to Heaven when they die are instead sent to a place called “Purgatory” to be “purged” (or purified) of their sins. They receive punishment for…
There are 3 responses to this question: First, we are not more merciful than God, are we? When we ask this question, we are really questioning God’s mercy. We are suggesting that we are more merciful than God. We indict God and place ourselves in the judgment seat against him. But, the Bible presents this…
Limbo is a now defunct doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. It was abandoned by the current Pope, Benedict 16th on April 20, 2007 (Catholic News Service). The false belief, which was held by Catholics since the middle ages, was the basic concept that just or innocent people who died prior to baptism (infants, for…