Christian Questions Bible Podcast

Are we as humans innately physical beings or spiritual beings? If physical, then our lives would by definition begin and end based upon their physical, tangible aspects. We would “come to life” when we are biologically alive, and we would cease to exist when our biology ceases to support life. If we are spiritual beings, then the biological part of the human equation would simply house the essence of that intangible spiritual existence. The scriptural definition of the soul The answer to this question rightfully begins by focusing on Old Testament teachings. Genesis 2:7, explains that humans became living beings through the combination of breath and body. This clearly indicates a physical nature rather than a spiritual one. The term "soul" (Hebrew: nephesh) is used to describe both humans and animals as breathing creatures. Humanity’s superiority to animals While this similarity may be surprising, Genesis gives us two strong distinctions between humans and animals. First, human beings were specifically created in God's image and the animals were not. Second, humanity was given dominion over all other creatures and over the earth. In spite of these privileges, we all know Adam sinned by disobeying God. The consequence of his disobedience was death, as outlined in Genesis 2:16-17. God explained that death meant man would return to nonexistence, dust to dust. This same death is a universal experience for all living creatures, as highlighted in Ecclesiastes 3:19-20. Death equals an absence of activity Man does not have an immortal soul. While this conclusion of death as a universal experience for all earthly creatures may be surprising, it does have a solid foundation. The fact is many scriptures emphasize a complete absence of activity in death. Ecclesiastes 9:10 describes the grave as devoid of work, knowledge or wisdom. Psalm 115:17 notes the silence of the dead, reinforcing that death is the absence of life rather than a continuation of existence. Ezekiel 18:4 emphatically states, "The soul who sins will die." Conclusion As Bible-believing Christinas, we must be careful to affirm the Old Testament's clear teaching that humans are mortal beings created to live on earth with the requirement of obedience. We do not possess an immortal soul. Without obedience, life is removed, and the soul becomes nonexistent. This examination provides a foundation for understanding life, death, and God's sovereignty, paving the way for Part II, which explores the New Testament teachings on this important subject.

Jesus plainly tells us in Matthew 7:1 that we are not to judge others. Ah, if only it were that easy! The fact of the matter is, the New Testament gives us many examples of things we are to make judgments about. At first glance, this can sound like a massive contradiction. Don’t judge! Wait; DO judge, and here is your list! As with any apparent Bible contradiction, all we need do is understand the two apparently differing views in their appropriate context and we will end up with a harmonious and powerful lesson. The reason our Christian responsibility towards judgment comes across this way is to remind us of the importance of how we do things. Standing as a representative of Jesus means working to respond to all things the way Jesus did. On this episode, we explore Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 7:1-2: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” While this statement seems straightforward, the New Testament provides instances where judgment is necessary, creating an apparent contradiction. However, this paradox is resolved when judgment is understood within its proper context, as actions guided by humility, self-awareness, and Christlike love. Warnings Against Judgment: Jesus cautions against judgment with wrong motives, such as jealousy, self-righteousness, or revenge. The “speck and log” analogy (Matthew 7:3-5) highlights the need for self-examination before addressing others’ flaws. Without addressing personal faults, one’s judgment becomes hypocritical and destructive. Proper Judgment as a Responsibility: The document emphasizes that righteous judgment is required in certain circumstances: Disputes within the Christian community: 1 Corinthians 6 advises resolving conflicts among Christians rather than relying on secular courts. Identifying false prophets: Matthew 7:15-20 calls for discerning false teachers through their actions and “fruits,” ensuring biblical integrity. Addressing moral issues: 1 Corinthians 5 stresses confronting immoral behavior within the church with humility and firmness. Selecting church leaders: 1 Timothy 3 outlines qualifications for overseers, emphasizing Christlike character. Acts 14 describes congregations independently electing their leaders. Defending the gospel: Christians are tasked with guarding the gospel’s purity (Galatians 1:6-8) and refuting distorted teachings. Guidelines for Righteous Judgment: To judge righteously, Christians must align their actions with scriptural principles and examine their motivations. They must avoid presuming others’ motives and practice empathy to soften judgment. The ultimate goal is to glorify God through humility and love. Christ as the Example: Jesus exemplified righteous judgment and humility, choosing not to retaliate against his persecutors. His teachings emphasize focusing on personal growth, achieving “sanctified eyesight” by fixing one’s eyes on Christ (Hebrews 12:1-2). This clear, single-minded focus enables Christians to judge with compassion and wisdom. Christian Liberty: Romans 14 reminds believers to respect differences in faith practices, refraining from judging others in matters of conscience and personal convictions. Practical Applications: The document underscores that judgment should never be arbitrary or lead with ego. Instead, Christians are to approach situations with humility, scriptural insight, and a genuine desire to uplift others. By prioritizing empathy and understanding, they can avoid toxic, superficial judgments. Conclusion: While Christians are called to judge in specific circumstances, they must approach judgment with humility and godliness, ensuring their actions mirror Christ. The focus remains on fostering love, good deeds, and mutual encouragement within the faith community. Ultimately, righteous judgment glorifies God and strengthens Christlike character.

Loving the people we know and appreciate can be hard work in general, never mind loving our enemies. There is so much emotion involved in loving others, and let’s face it, sometimes even those we appreciate can act in ways that cause us aggravation! When it comes to how we are to treat ALL of those around us - whether we like them or not - Jesus taught us a very high standard to live by. Luke’s account of Jesus' words from the Sermon on the Mount clearly lays out the way we should be striving to live, especially in relation to those who stand against us. If we give it a chance, focusing on what Jesus said and working at practically, applying it to our everyday lives, can fundamentally change the way we see and treat everyone around us.

Human beings are different from all the rest of God’s creation. Of all the creatures on this earth, we were the only ones created “in God’s image.” God was intentional with this, as the human race was meant to be an extension of God’s family here on this planet. He created us as social and relationship-oriented beings. We were created to be connected - not just with our Creator, but with each other. In many spiritually based groups, this connectivity is defined by the phrase “soul ties.” These are often described as the most intense connections people can have between them. They are credited with having their basis on a mystical level. The question is, do these soul ties accurately represent what God intended humanity’s connections to look like, or are they way off base?

The biblical definition for sin is "to miss the mark." To illustrate the point, let’s think about shooting an arrow at a target. As you aim for the bullseye, you shoot. You hit the target but missed the bullseye. Because your shot did not hit the mark, it fits the definition of sin. You can say, "But wait a minute! I hit the target," and you did, but you were aiming for the bullseye. Seeing sin through this "all or nothing" lens can be frustrating and even scary. What does God do with all of our “just missed” sins? How about those bigger sins, where at times we may not even aim the arrow? Are we simply lost causes? Fortunately, the Bible explains all of this to us in great detail. The conclusions the Scriptures draw us to are both dramatic and inspiring!

In the book of Proverbs, it says a friend loves at all times. So, what does that really mean? Jesus called his followers "friends." This should give us a sense of its importance. Marriage can and should be between friends. Brotherhood in Christ should be fertile ground for forging deep and powerful friendships. It turns out, there is a lot to this friendship thing. Fortunately, we have many biblical examples of what true friendship looks like and what principles need to be present to build a friendship that will not only flourish but become a vital contributor to faithfully following Jesus. As we will see, God created the concept of friendship for our happiness, wellbeing and fulfillment!

What is the status of promises these days? Has the making of a promise become a simple figure of speech? When we say, “I promise,” are we really saying, “I'm going to try,” or “I really do intend to accomplish what I said I would do”? Have we lost our connection between our promises and our integrity? It seems as though the power of a promise has gone from being a guarantee of what will happen to a way of showing effort in getting things done. So, what does God see in us when we make a half-hearted promise to someone else? Does this kindle His wrath, or does it just disappoint Him? What should we know and do when it comes to making and keeping our promises?

In our last episode about God’s vengeance bringing the end of the world as we know it, we examined several Old Testament prophecies that pointed to how God’s vengeance works in the dismantling of all vestiges of our present and sin-ridden world. When these dramatic prophecies are focused on without the context of the rest of God’s character, they are often understood to paint a bleak and harsh picture of who God is. In this episode, we will again focus on Old Testament prophecies. However, this time we will be looking at what happens AFTER the vengeance of God is exercised. What we will find is a breathtaking view of not only who God is, but what His plan REALLY has in store for ALL of humanity. If you truly want to know who God is, then follow along as we unfold the rest of the story!

If we take a look around us, what we see can be confusing. On the one hand, we live in a time where science, technology and medicine are incredibly advanced. Billions of people throughout the world hold the world in their hands with their smart phones. That’s amazing! We are creating artificial intelligence that can solve problems and do research. That’s unbelievable! A doctor in one location can do surgery on a patient in another location through technology. That’s breathtaking! On the other hand, we have depths of unrest, partisanship, dissatisfaction and egotism that are striking and disturbing. We have so much, and yet we wallow in our discontentment. All in all, what’s lacking is a foundational respect for and loyalty to our Creator. God is the one who gave us minds capable of such amazing things, and yet we disdain His presence in our society. No wonder He is unhappy! There are several Old Testament prophecies that talk about the wrath and vengeance of God, and to be honest, they aren’t pretty. We have prophecies that talk about mountains quaking and falling into the sea. We have prophecies about hills melting like wax and the fire of God’s anger consuming the earth. Then there are the problems of the sea drying up, the kingdoms of man tottering and there being nothing left but desolation. What does all of this really mean? Is God so mad at us that there will be nothing left of the earth but burnt and desolate ruins? Is it the end of the world? The answer to this is a resounding NO! It’s easy to say "God is love" and it will all work out in the end, but how do we explain all of the death and destruction in those prophecies? Understanding can only come if we are willing to back away from our preconceived conclusions and view the big picture. The fact is, God is bigger than the ruthless, thoughtless and furious vengeance that some attribute to him. Putting these numerous prophecies into their proper context by applying biblical symbolism to them helps us see more clearly. What was I thinking? Imagine you need major surgery because you live with severe daily pain and suffering. You consent to the surgery and your doctor assures you all will be well. The problem is, recovery can be lengthy, painful, discouraging and draining. As you go through the recovery, you scream to yourself, “What was I thinking?” Eventually the horror ends, and you have a new and full life. Think of God’s vengeance as this harsh process of surgery and rehabilitation. It is there to bring something better! Check out our January 27, 2025 podcast, “Will God’s Vengeance Bring the End of the World?” for details. Join us as we look deeply into several harsh biblical prophecies about the end times and piece together their meaning and their ultimate purpose. These lessons help us to clearly see who God is and grasp the importance of His anger. The end result is better than most can imagine!

The vision on the Mount of Transfiguration was one of those magnificent events in the life of Jesus that gives us some insight into just how remarkable his earthly ministry was. This vision had everything - it had Jesus’ very appearance changed to one of brightness and glory. It had the appearance of two Old Testament powerhouses who were talking with this glorious version of Jesus. It had the booming voice of God from heaven. And then it had the sudden removal of all these amazing elements and the world suddenly became normal again. In the midst of all of the glory and splendor shown here, we need to ask some simple questions. First, why did this happen? Second, what can we take away from this for our own benefit and understanding?

There are several scriptures in the Bible that really capture our imaginations. The account of Jonah and the great fish is one, Elijah being taken up in a whirlwind is another. One more of these is the account of the disciple Philip when he was instructed by God to find an Ethiopian man on a deserted road and witness the gospel to him. After this amazing and well-known encounter, the Scriptures say Philip was snatched away by God’s spirit. What does that mean? Many believe it was a miracle, and that Philip was supernaturally transported away from that place in an instant. Others believe he was simply and powerfully compelled to leave. Which perspective is true? Let’s unfold the events that lead to this detail and see what we can learn from the Scriptures!

Many know the story of Jacob wrestling with an angel. When we just drop in on the account and read what happened, there are many unanswered questions. Why would you pick a fight with an angel anyway? Why would an angel even let you fight? Couldn't the angel have overwhelmingly defeated Jacob even before the altercation began? What could possibly be gained by such a confrontation? Once we begin to understand who Jacob was and the experiences of his life that led up to this confrontation, it all begins to fall into place. What we will find is that Jacob lived a life filled with experiences of great faith, as well as experiences of great deception and rivalry. God allowing him to wrestle with the angel gives us a clue as to how God knows us and meets us where we are.

We have all heard the saying, “Life is what you make it!” It is usually at the approach of a new year or a birthday or some landmark life event when we turn our focus inward and think about changes we would like to make. Normally, these changes are aimed at finding a greater measure of happiness, health or fulfillment in our daily lives. So, what should we decide needs changing? Even more importantly, how will we decide to implement those changes? On the surface this may sound easy, but for the vast majority of us, it is not. Life tends to get in the way, along with old habits and second thoughts. Then there is our old friend, our comfort zone! Why would we want to leave that, as it is so, well...comfortable? What can we learn from the Scriptures to help us actually implement God-honoring life changes?

When Jesus came to earth 2,000 years ago, he came to pay the price for Adam’s sin by willingly offering himself as a just and equal ransom price to redeem Adam - and therefore the entire human race - from sin and death. To prepare for his coming as a man, God sent the angel Gabriel to deliver preparatory messages to John the Baptist’s father Zacharias, and to Jesus’ mother Mary. Joseph would be guided by spiritually driven dreams. When Jesus was born, a whole host of angels made the announcement to some lowly shepherds who were in the fields with their flocks. When this angelic announcement came, it was prefaced with some beautiful words of assurance, "Fear not!" This reassuring “fear not” sentiment would echo repeatedly throughout Jesus’ entire ministry!

Jesus was here 2,000 years ago. His message was clear, as he had come to pay the price for Adam’s sin. He preached, he healed, he called some to follow him, and he gave people hope. Jesus called himself “the way, the truth and the life” and announced that the “kingdom of God was at hand.” Fast forward 2,000 years, and we have to ask, where are we? It’s plainly obvious that the world has not come around to follow Jesus. And to be blunt, it is also obvious that much of the history of Christianity does not reflect well on the principles Jesus lived by and taught. So, what conclusions should we draw from all of this? Has the gospel message failed? Has the redemption Jesus promised the world just gone by the wayside, or is the gospel message doing precisely what God had always intended it to do?

How does someone become a follower of Christ? Does it begin by becoming curious about this Jesus person and all of the world-changing influence he has? Perhaps we are living in fear and are searching for a kind of security that is different and higher than anything else we know. Maybe we’re overwhelmed with despair in our lives, and we’re searching for powerful hope and encouragement. Or maybe we've been awakened to the realization that there is more to life than what this world has to offer - much more. While any and all of these things can play a role in coming to Christ, the one common factor in all cases of true discipleship is beyond us. It is God drawing us to Him through Jesus. So, how does that work? How can we identify the drawing of God and differentiate it from our own emotions? By invitation only During his ministry on earth, Jesus plainly stated that no one comes to him unless God has drawn them. The context of this statement was Jesus talking about what it takes to become a true disciple of his. He was indicating to those listening that there was more to becoming one of his followers than they may have thought. True discipleship would always begin with God’s providence in someone’s life. An individual’s decision to truly follow would be an outgrowth of that invitation. So, what does that drawing from God actually look like? The answer to this is best understood by looking at actual biblical examples of some who were called to follow Jesus from widely diverse backgrounds. Observing someone’s actual life circumstances coupled with what we are told was their heart attitude helps us see the process of how God calls. Take Cornelius the Roman Centurion for example Cornelius loved God, even though his life was far outside of God’s favor as a Roman Gentile. In spite of that lack of favor, he remained devoted to honoring what he knew of God’s ways. When God’s timing arrived, the Apostle Peter was sent to him to witness about Jesus. Cornelius was ready, and the despair of his previous lack of favor was transformed into fulfilled contentment as a follower of Jesus. This is just one example of how God may call us. Check out our December 9, 2024 podcast, “How Do You Know If God Is Calling You?” for more. We also dig into the lives of the Apostle Paul before his conversion, Zaccheus the tax collector, and the Apostle Peter at the time he was drawn by God to Jesus. All four examples show us differing life circumstances through which God would draw individuals to Him as they came to Jesus. The lessons here are eye-opening as we learn how varied and unique God’s calling can be. Join us as we walk through the lives of these faithful disciples of Jesus and appreciate their responses to God’s drawing.

This may sound like an oversimplification, but I’m going to say it anyway: God is intentional. He always knows what He is doing and what it will eventually lead to. While this knowledge should serve as a great comfort to us, it can, because of our limited and imperfect minds, have the exact opposite effect. We may see things in the Bible that on the surface just don’t seem to click. We start wondering, why would God do it THAT way? It doesn’t make any sense! Take the two trees mentioned in the creation account. Both the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil were placed in close proximity to each other. They were both in the center of the garden. Why two trees? Why have one there to eat from daily and the other there to avoid?

Life is forever busy. Whether it’s a holiday season or tax season or baseball season or following this, that and the other influencers on social media, we always have too much to do and not enough time or energy to do it. With all of this being said, how often do we stop and think about being generous? You know - just giving of our time or resources because we see a need. Built on the question of giving generously is the matter of how to go about it. How do we know what to give, how much to give and when to stop? Is generosity always appropriate? What if there is no appreciation for a gift? Is that an indication that we should focus our giving elsewhere? So many questions! It looks like the subject of freely giving needs some "generous" consideration!

Doing God’s will should be a given for any and every Christian. After all, the mere fact that we are called "Christians" implies that we follow in Jesus’ footsteps and are therefore obliged to do God’s will as Jesus did God’s will. While this all sounds pretty straightforward, the big question has to do with knowing. How do we know what the will of God is? Answering this question may be harder than we would like to think. It would be easy to assume that because we love and worship God, He will in turn show us His love by giving us the good things we want. After all, that IS what it says in Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Sounds exciting and almost easy, but as you might have guessed, it's not. So, how do we know what God wants for us? There are many factors we need to put in order to understand God’s will for us in our daily lives. The first thing we need to grasp is more or less an introductory statement: God will NOT whisper His will to you into your ear. He will not send an e-mail or text; He will not post or message. He will not speak. Why? Wouldn’t these kinds of things make it easier to follow Him? On the contrary, these simple things would be counterproductive, as finding His will for us means we need to be looking for it. So, where do we look? We search in the Bible of course, after all, it is His holy word! The Bible gives us two very broad categories of what doing God’s will looks like. The first category is full of things NOT to do. One very blunt scripture plainly makes this point: 1 Thessalonians 4:3: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification - that you abstain from sexual immorality." The point is simple. If you want to do God’s will, then you completely avoid immoral behavior. Several other scriptures give us specifics on the many kinds of thoughts and behaviors we need to avoid. The good news is that there are many more scriptures that tell us about the second broad category of things we SHOULD do. These are things like rejoicing, praying, being thankful and doing good. With all of this said, there is so much more! Check out our November 18, 2024 podcast, “What is God’s Will, and How Do I Make It My will? For more. We outline how Jesus daily went about doing God’s will in every area of life. We take his example and overlay it onto our lives, and we suddenly have a clear guide. No texts or posts, just God’s holy word showing us His holy will. Don’t miss this wonderful journey towards living a much fuller Christian life!

Every Christian will tell you that Jesus is the embodiment of righteousness, compassion and mercy. We all agree that his impact on the world came through his uncompromising actions of selfless love that led to sacrificing himself as a ransom for all of humanity. Couple these actions with his words of encouragement and uplift to any and all who would listen, and you have a model of how God’s love should unfold within humanity. It is with this resume in hand that we need to examine Jesus’ Parable of the Unprofitable Servant. It sounds like the exact opposite of all that Jesus stood for. In this parable, he seems to tell his followers that whatever they do in God’s service is what is expected of them and nothing more. What did Jesus mean? How does this harmonize with the rest of his teachings? There are a few places in the Gospels we can get a glimpse of Jesus being deeply engaged with crowds of people. In Luke 15, 16 and the first part of 17, Jesus was talking to such a crowd, and it was a very mixed audience. He was addressing the “sinners” and tax collectors, those who were considered undesirables in Jewish society. He was addressing Pharisees and scribes, those who were considered the elite of their society. And right in the middle of these two polarized groups, he was addressing his own disciples. Jesus took this opportunity and showed them all God’s grand plan of salvation and the roles they would play. How did he do this? He told stories. The Parable of the Unprofitable Servant would be the sixth and last of a series of stories that would paint a picture of each of these segments of society. For the tax collectors and sinners, his stories would be encouraging, as they would reveal how God loved them. The Pharisees and scribes found his stories offensive, as they were grossly misusing the privileges God had given them. For his disciples, his stories would be humbling, as they gave them a glimpse of the kind of responsibilities they would come to have relating to the gospel. This Parable of the Unworthy Servant was spoken directly to Jesus’ disciples. At first reading, it seems to come across as downright discouraging. He seems to be saying, "You are servants of God, and He has given you a long list of chores to do. Just do them and don’t expect to be thanked because they are your job!" Is this the message Jesus had for his disciples as he ended this time of teaching? Absolutely not! Check out our November 11, 2024 podcast, “Did Jesus Teach That We Are All Unprofitable Servants?” for more. We put this parable into its proper context and see how it was the outgrowth of all of Jesus’ other lessons. The lesson here was actually one of great hope and encouragement. Join us and find out what Jesus was really teaching!