Search — Theology Explorer

Philippians 4:8 John 13:2 Ephesians 6 Peter Philippians 4:8 Satan

Intrusive/unwanted thoughts: possible demonic origin and the Philippians 4:8 remedy

Question from Turka Orenzova about horrifying thoughts that pop into her head unbidden.

Romans 11 Hebrews 6:4-6 Romans 11 Judas Iscariot Repentance

Hebrews 6:4-6 — apostasy, hardness of heart, and the possible national Israel interpretation

Question from A.D. Chan about whether Hebrews 6:4-6 applies to Judas and what "falling away" means for someone who has experienced the Spirit.

Hebrews 10:25 Hebrews 10:25 Christian conscience Corporate worship / assembly

Hebrews 10:25 and the obligation to gather: absolute or contextual?

Question from The Invisible Hand about online-only churches during COVID and whether they violate the command not to forsake assembling.

Deuteronomy / Joshua conquest texts Theodicy Children and salvation Canaanite conquest

The Canaanite genocide: why God commanded Israel to kill rather than drive out or convert

Question from Lindsey Kelso about the moral difficulty of God commanding Israel to kill thousands of Canaanites.

Luke 23:34 Ezekiel 18:23 Luke 23:34 Ezekiel 18:23 God's wrath / anger

Can we anger God to the point where he will never forgive us?

Question from Dominique Cohn about whether God's anger can make him permanently withhold forgiveness.

1 Peter 1:3 R.C. Sproul Arminianism Regeneration

1 Peter 1:3 and the rejection of total depravity — God causes regeneration, but faith is not causal

Question from Joshua Stuckey about how Winger reads 1 Peter 1:3 given his rejection of total depravity.

Galatians 5 John 8:36 2 Corinthians 13:5 Fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5 Sanctification

Can someone be justified without being sanctified? Can habitual sin coexist with salvation?

Question from Kate Channel about justification, sanctification, and habitual sin.

1 Corinthians 15 1 Corinthians 15 Apologetics Burden of proof

The Mandela Effect cannot explain the disciples' confidence in the resurrection

Hypothetical question from Ethan Hawking about whether the Mandela Effect could account for disciples' resurrection belief.

Children and salvation Having children / parenthood Fear and faith

Should a Christian woman avoid having children because her future children might reject Christ and go to hell?

Question from Susan about a friend afraid to have children for fear they will go to hell.

Mark 2:10 Mark 8:31 Mark 9:9 Christology Transfiguration Son of Man

Son of Man in Mark's Gospel: Jesus clearly uses the title self-referentially

Question from Skeptic Reviews claiming Jesus used "Son of Man" in the third person to refer to someone other than himself.

Exodus 20:7 third commandment taking God's name in vain Exodus 20:7

Taking the Lord's name in vain: biblical command is broad and applies beyond formal oaths to casual, empty use of God's name.

Q1 from Tanya in South Africa: is it wrong to watch movies that use phrases like "Oh my God" or "JC" even if the viewer is not personally using God's name in vain?

entertainment and media financial complicity blasphemy

Christians financially support entertainment content they watch, making passive viewing of blasphemy morally problematic even if personally unaffected.

Continued Q1 discussion on watching movies that use God's name in vain.

Colossians 1:13 Acts 26:18 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 Satan spiritual warfare kingdom of darkness

Christians are delivered from Satan's kingdom but remain in an ongoing spiritual battle; kingdom transfer does not eliminate all Satanic influence.

Continued Q2 discussion on Colossians 1:13 and Acts 26:18.

discernment false prophets/teachers guilty by association

Sharing a stage with false prophets does not necessarily constitute endorsement; guilt-by-association logic can lead to unfair heresy-by-proxy labeling.

Q5 from Ricardo Sierra: are sound-doctrine pastors who share stages with false prophets guilty by association?

Hebrews 12:5-6 Proverbs 3:11-12 Septuagint (LXX) Hebrews 12:5-6 Proverbs 3:11-12

Hebrews 12:6 uses "scourges" (from the Septuagint of Proverbs 3:12) to describe God's fatherly discipline; the intensified language is contextually appropriate fatherly correction, not brutal punishment.

Q6 from Stephanie: Hebrews 12:5-6 quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 but ends with "scourge" — why does it imply God brutally whips every believer?

spiritual disciplines spiritual dryness faith and the will

Spiritual dryness and keeping God at arm's length: the will precedes the heart; make obedient decisions and let the heart follow over time.

Q9 from Arrivederci: struggling with trusting and wanting Christ — how to stop keeping the Holy Spirit at arm's length?

Luke 12:44-48 purgatory parable interpretation Luke 12:44-48

Luke 12:44-48 teaches proportional eschatological judgment, not purgatory; the parable presents two servants (faithful/unfaithful) plus a closing lesson on degrees of punishment based on knowledge.

Q10 from Tony: does Luke 12:44-48 teach purgatory? There appear to be four servants — faithful, sent to unbelievers, and two others receiving only punishment.

Jeremiah 17:9 (deceitful heart) 2 Corinthians 10:12 women's ministry humility human dignity

Biblical self-worth holds extreme value (image of God) and extreme humility (sinfulness) in tension; neither arrogance nor false modesty is biblical.

Q13 from unnamed questioner: what is the biblical view of self-worth, asked in the context of a young ladies' group?

self-deception pride humility

True humility is accurate self-assessment, not performance; pride in one's humility reveals the humility was never genuine.

Q14 from Silas Abrahamson: how do you deal with pride when you get proud of how humble you are, leading to infinite regress?

Josephus apologetics Richard Carrier

The claim that Jesus was based on Jesus ben Ananias (from Josephus) is historically untenable given the robust bedrock consensus of historical facts about Jesus.

Q16 from Aaron Rampersad: what do you think about the claim that Jesus Christ was based on Jesus ben Ananias in Josephus's Jewish War?

Proverbs 3:5-6 Genesis flood narrative Proverbs 3:5-6 perseverance spiritual dryness

Spiritual doubt overcome through volitional trust: Mike's personal testimony of months of intellectual and emotional doubt resolved by choosing to trust God regardless of feelings.

Q17 from Healthy Bleach: feeling cut off from God, wondering if prayer is talking to oneself, if faith is wishful thinking.

self-defense (biblical) just war theory military service

Scripture permits self-defense and defense of innocent others; military service can be just, but soldiers retain moral responsibility to refuse unjust orders.

Q18 from Zane Potter: is a willingness to fight for one's country compatible with faith in Jesus? Is there scriptural provision for self-preservation in home invasion or foreign threats?

Isaiah Isaiah purgatory God's goodness

How to biblically grieve the death of an unsaved loved one: grief is good, blame is bad

Q1 from Megan Chan: How do we biblically grieve the death of a loved one who was not saved, and how do we respond to those who offer to pray for the dead?

John 1 Plato Philo of Alexandria John 1

Plato's influence on Christianity: limited and often overstated due to caricatures of ancient thought

Q2 from Tony Oshikonlu: What does Plato have to do with Christianity? Was Plato as influential on Christianity as the Bible?

creation faith and reason natural law

Was Christianity guilty of impeding science and critical thinking? No — authentic Christianity supports scientific inquiry

Q3 from Adidam Ayaji: Was Christianity guilty of impeding critical thinking and exploring the cosmos and natural world?

Psalm Matthew 7 God's character asceticism humor

Does God have a sense of humor? Yes — Scripture confirms it, and pleasure/humor are good gifts not inherently sinful

Q4 from Silas Abrahamson: Does God have a sense of humor?

1 Corinthians 10:19-20 Numbers 33:3-4 Exodus plagues Michael Heiser elohim 1 Corinthians 10:19-20

Are the gods of other religions real? Three views: false polytheism, Heiserian divine council, and Pauline demonic identification

Q6 from Loretta Taylor: Numbers 33:3-4 says Yahweh executed judgments on Egypt's gods — does this mean gods like Allah and Zeus are real?

1 John 1 sin divine omniscience forgiveness

God's forgetting of sins means he will not bring them up again, not literal amnesia — Christians cannot claim sinlessness post-forgiveness

Q7 from Earl Grey: After forgiveness, sin is wiped clean — can a person claim to have never taken part in certain sins since the Lord remembers them no more?

apologetics atheism debate strategy

Responding to online skeptics who call God evil and Christianity irrational: focus on one argument, watch for dumping tactics

Q9 from Dora Ashby: Skeptics say belief in God is irrational, that Christians must approve of rape and torture, and that God is evil. How to respond?

James 4 Revelation 2:20 personal responsibility Jezebel James 4

Praying against "spirits of laziness, offense, depression" — most are human failures not demonic spirits; Jezebel spirit is not a biblical category

Q10 from Arfish: Is it biblical to pray against spirits of offense, laziness, depression, confusion? What is the Jezebel spirit and is it real?

James (brother of Jesus) John the Apostle John 19:26-27 James (brother of Jesus) John the Apostle brothers of Jesus

Mary did not remain a perpetual virgin — Scripture clearly indicates she had other children with Joseph after Jesus

Q11 from Lovisa Bengtsen: Did Mary remain a virgin? Were the brothers of Jesus actually cousins? If she had other sons, why did John need to care for her?

conscience persecution COVID-19

Church COVID restrictions and pastoral imprisonment: uncertain whether it qualifies as persecution, but it feels like it

Q12 from Crystalline Sloan: Can you define persecution and speak to whether pastors imprisoned for defying public health orders are being persecuted?

1 John 2:1 1 John 3:4-10 habitual sin limited atonement propitiation

1 John 3:4-10 does not teach sinless perfectionism — the Greek present tense indicates habitual lifestyle of sin, not single acts

Q14 from Shauna Whitting: Does 1 John 3:4-10 mean you are not a real Christian if you still struggle with sin?

Jeremiah 1:5 Jeremiah 1:5 foreknowledge divine providence

Are individuals made by God? Yes — through both direct soul creation and divine foreknowledge/providential design

Q16 from Mary Strickland: How do I know I personally was made by God if I was conceived out of sin through ordinary biology?

John 14:26 eyewitness testimony Holy Spirit inspiration temptation of Jesus

The NT reliably narrates events where Jesus was alone — he could have told disciples, and Holy Spirit aided gospel authors

Q19 from Stephen Richeson: How do we know the NT is reliable for events where Jesus was alone, such as the temptation in the wilderness or Gethsemane?

Leviticus Leviticus Levitical purity laws ritual uncleanness

Levitical purity laws: ritual uncleanness restricted temple access and contact — many laws have pragmatic sanitary value

Q20 from Bluegreen: What happens to people who become ritually unclean in Leviticus — is the whole day negative or just can't enter the temple?

Mark 13 Daniel 11:36-45 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Abomination of desolation Antichrist Mark 13

Daniel 11 points to the future Antichrist: Second Thessalonians 2 and the Olivet Discourse confirm it

Continuation: reasons for reading Daniel 11 as ultimately about a future Antichrist figure.

Genesis 6:3 Genesis 5 Literal interpretation Genesis 6:3 Genesis 5

Long ages in Genesis 5 — multiple interpretive views

Listener Ben Johnson asks about the extreme longevity in Genesis 5; his wife takes them literally while he leans symbolic.

Revelation 6:12-17 Mark 13:24-27 Cosmic signs Revelation 6:12-17 Mark 13:24-27

Mark 13:24-27 and Revelation 6:12-17 describe the same end-times event

Listener Tony Grabowski asks whether Mark 13 and Revelation 6 describe the same event.

Apologetics Atheism Graham Oppy

Should Christians be shaken by brilliant atheist philosophers like Graham Oppy?

Listener Silas Abrahamson says he is sometimes shaken that brilliant philosophers like Graham Oppy are atheists.

Evangelism Repentance Sinner's Prayer

Alternative to the Sinner's Prayer for leading someone to salvation

Listener Marie asks for a good alternative to the sinner's prayer.

Molinism Free will Avengers: Infinity War

Molinism explained and distinguished from determinism

Listener Solomon Dahlberg asks whether on Molinism people's choices depend only on circumstances God places them in, and if so why doesn't God make everyone believe.

Esther Ecclesiastes 3:3 Old Testament canon Typology Pacifism

Why is Esther in the Bible? Self-defense in Esther 8-9 is not problematic

Listener The Christian Metalhead questions the moral purpose of Esther and finds the final chapters' battle "dangerous."

Acts 2:38 Acts 8:36-38 Hebrews 5 Philip the Evangelist Ethiopian eunuch Acts 2:38

Baptism: biblical basis and urgency; no reason to delay

Listener Kenneth asks how to explain the importance of baptism to a new Christian who has not yet been baptized.

Psalm 37 Kingdom of God Seek first the kingdom Psalm 37

Waiting on the Lord is active, not passive — Psalm 37

Listener Derek Beeler asks what it means to wait on the Lord and how to counsel someone in that season.

Titus 2 Discerning the Holy Spirit Obsession vs divine prompting Good works

Distinguishing the Holy Spirit's burden from personal obsession

Listener Keys of the Kingdom wonders whether concern about a friend who broke contact is the Spirit's prompting or personal obsession.