Theology For the Rest of Us | Quick Answers to the Questions About God and the Bible

The question answered herein this episode comes from a regular listener, after he listened to episode 55: Why Does Sexual Purity Matter? His questions is about cohabitation before marriage. Many people in today's culture have abandoned traditional values, and many couples jump into cohabitation situations before marriage. In this episode, Kenny answers the questions, "Is it Wrong to Live Together Before We're Married?" Kenny says yes, and he gives three primary reasons: 1) The reality of sexual temptation makes cohabitation a really bad idea. 2) If we live with our future spouse before marriage, we are not above reproach. 3) Living together violates the pattern God established in Genesis. These reasons need to be seriously considered and evaluated before any person jumps into any cohabitation situation.  

Some times people claim that the God of the Old Testament seems so much angrier than the God we see in the New Testament, reflected in the man Jesus. But the God of the Old Testament is the same God that is incarnated in the New Testament. God never changes. In this episode, Kenny explains how God has always been loving and kind and gracious and merciful, and that God has also always hated sin; God demands that sin be atoned for and that justice be served. God has always loved human beings, and yet God has always hated the sinful choices committed by human beings. The God of both Testaments (Old and New) is the same God, filled with desire to glory Himself through demonstrating His kindness to us, while simultaneously being filled with the desire to glory Himself through the justice that we see when sin is thoroughly punished. That is why the cross took place. The cross is where both the kindness of God and the justice of God are fully on display. Sometimes people believe that God was angrier in the Old Testament than He was in the New Testament, but that is simply a flawed perspective that must be challenged and corrected. Highlighted Passages: Malachi 3:6 Hebrews 1:8 James 1:17 Hebrews 13:8 Psalm 103

Many of us have heard someone say, “Don’t judge me!” or "Only God can judge me!" Should we, as Christians, follow those sorts of requests? Kenny answered this question in a previous episode entitled: Should Christians Judge? In that episode Kenny made the point that we need to judge rightly and fairly. After that episode, Kenny received an email from a listener challenging the idea, claiming that Christians should never judge other people at all. In this episode, Kenny responds to the email and defends his original point. Kenny also seeks to bring clarity to several elements presented in the previous episode that may have needed to be clarified. Kenny explains that we all make judgments of people and we all make conclusions about people, this is not inherently evil or wrong in any way at all, but we ought to seek to be Christ-honoring in the way we come to those judgments. There is a righteous form of judgment and there is an unrighteous form of judgment. When we make wrong judgments, we hurt people. When we judge rightly, we honor God. It is essential that we know the difference and we seek to honor Christ through righteous judgments.

There are many people in the world that claim to be angry at God. That begs the question: Are we ever justified in any such anger towards God? Are there any circumstances that would allow this to be an appropriate emotion towards God? In this episode, Kenny starts off by talking about how pain and suffering are often the cause for any anger towards God, and Kenny explains the appropriate manner to handle such feelings towards God. Then Kenny explains the moments when it is appropriate to be angry towards a person, and demonstrates how God never falls into any such category, therefore it is always wrong to be angry with or at God. Furthermore, it is extremely important to remember that it is God who has many reasons to be angry with us because it is we, humans, that have sinned against Him. It is God who has the right to be angry, but instead of remaining angry, and instead of holding a grudge, God demonstrates His love towards us by coming to planet Earth and making a way for us to receive grace and mercy (Romans 5:8-10).  

Throughout the course of the podcast's history thus far, Kenny has mentioned, quoted, and even praised Martin Luther several times. However, history tells us that Martin Luther was extremely combative. In addition, there is some evidence that he held to some antisemitic views. If this is the case, why quote from his works? And more importantly, why praise him at all? In this episode, Kenny explains why Martin Luther is worthy of the praise he is often given, but Kenny also clearly outlines the areas where Luther was flawed; and Kenny makes no attempt to condone or justify Luther's negative words about the Jewish people. Kenny clearly condemns any antisemitic sentiments Luther may have embraced. Kenny points out that Luther was profoundly flawed, as all humans are flawed. However, Kenny also points out that Luther was still profoundly used by God. This is the evidence that God is gracious, choosing to see beyond our flaws, using us for His glory in profound ways, despite our own profound weaknesses and flaws.

Theology is extremely important because theology impacts how we live our lives. Theology is simply learning more about God. If we refuse to study theology, we are then, in essence, refusing to learn more about God. Our lack of understanding in the arenas of theology will eventually have a negative impact on our lives. It is also very important to note that, as we study theology, we develop doctrines, and there is always the potential to develop doctrines that are different than those developed by some of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Knowing how to deal with those types of disagreements is vital to the unity and health of the church. In this episode, Kenny interviews blogger Jerome Danner about the importance of guarding our theology and our doctrines. They also talk at length about how to properly manage and navigate doctrinal disagreements amongst our fellow believers. How we handle such differences can make or break our Christian relationships as well as potentially impact the unity and health of our local churches. Connect with Jerome Danner at watchyourtheology.blogspot.com

It has been asked by inquiring minds, "Why did God create us as humans here on planet Earth? Why not just create us in heaven?" Sometimes this question is rooted in legitimate curiosity, while other times it is used by secular progressives seeking only to antagonize the Gospel. In this episode, Kenny refers to the fact that everything God does is for His own glory. God intentionally created us, and the world in which we live, with specific purposes in mind, and those purposes all feed into one greater overarching purpose. That grander purpose is His own glory. Everything God does is to maximized His own glory and for the maximum amount of His own pleasure. God saw fit that creating us on planet Earth and living this life would bring Him more glory than if He had just created us in heaven in the first place. Highlighted Passage: Revelation 4:11 (KJV): “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Sometimes people accuse God of being an egomaniac. People often wonder, "Why Is God Consumed with His Own Glory?" This is a great question that has a very simple Biblical answer. In this episode, Kenny explains what it means to "glorify" something or someone by using a silly metaphor from his favorite Chik-fil-A sandwich. Then Kenny uses the recent Villanova University Men's Basketball National championship as a metaphor to explain the absurdity of any being praising something or someone other than God; and this includes God Himself. It would be absurd to assume that we should be consumed with His glory, but expect God to be consumed with something other than His own glory. Highlighted Passage: Revelation 4:11 (KJV): "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

There are many different Christian denominations around the globe, with a variety of different theological perspectives. In response to a recent episode, Why Are There So Many Denominations?, one of our regular listeners asked about the fact that so many Christians disagree on doctrines. The listener asked, "How can we read the same Bible and claim the Holy Spirit guides our interpretation of the meaning of Scripture and yet believe mutually exclusive doctrines?" This is a great question. In this episode, Kenny gives three reasons: 1) In some cases the people are not really Christians. 2) Humans are all incredibly biased and overly subjective. 3) Mass ignorance is rampant among contemporary Christians. Kenny also outlines why it is important to always keep an open mind when studying theology and keeping quality dialogue open with other believers to guard ourselves against our own arrogance and biases. Then Kenny pivots to explain closed-hand theology versus open-hand theology, with the understanding that there are only a few areas where the Bible is absolutely clear, and in those areas we happen to see a lot of agreement and unity among believers. Kenny then outlines why it is important that we do not allow our doctrinal differences to fracture our friendships and relationships.

In a previous episode of the podcast, episode 35: Why Are There So Many Different Denominations?, a regular listener of the podcast made this comment: "[You described] the Reformation as being a significant benefit for mankind. How can splintering dogmas and denominations be beneficial for the church?" This a great question that deserves a quality answer. If the Reformation caused so much division among Christians, how can we consider it a positive event in human history? In this episode, Kenny makes the point that the positives of the Reformation far outweigh the negatives. The Reformation was started by a German monk and Catholic priest named Martin Luther. This event ushered in an era where hundreds of thousands of people all across Europe were reacquainted with the essential doctrine of justification; and the Reformation caused a mass revival, which has had incredible positive impacts on the world.

Some of the most frequently asked questions asked by younger believers are about the topic of sexual purity and sexual integrity. In essence, does it really matter? Do my sexual choices today really have any impact on my life in the future? In this episode, Kenny interviews therapist, speaker, author, and podcaster Dr. Corey Allan about the topic of sexual purity and sexual integrity, particularly about the impact sexual choices have on our future marriages. Dr. Allan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor who has coached hundreds of people through issues related to sexual integrity. He makes it clear that all of our choices in life have impact later on, positive and negative, in every arena of our lives, but especially when it comes to the arena of sexual purity. Connect with Dr. Corey Allan at www.simplemarriage.net Follow Dr. Corey Allan on Twitter: @simplemarriage Check out "Sexy Marriage Radio" co-hosted by Dr. Allan & Shannon Ethridge Check out our interview with Dr. Corey Allan on the Inspiring Awesome Podcast  

While it may seem like there's an obvious answer to the question "What is Sin?" our podcast host Kenny feels that many people often miss the real definition of sin. Many people would define sin as "bad things." While there is certainly an element of "bad" when it comes to our sin, the idea of sinning against God is much bigger than just doing something that might be classified as a bad thing. In this episode, Kenny gives a clear, holistic, and Biblical definition of sin. In addition, Kenny explains God's ultimate desire to have humans reflect His character and nature to one another, as well as the damaging effects on our lives when we fail to reflect God well.

The now-famous Quaker author Richard Foster wrote a well-know book Celebration of Discipline to discuss the things that we can do to engage with God and grow in our faith. However, our guest on this episode of the podcast has a different perspective on how we grow in our faith. Our interviewee David Mathis points to grace as the means for growth in faith. Grace is abundantly available to us each day, and it us by the grace of God that we enjoy Jesus. There are a variety of things we can strive to do everyday to enjoy Jesus, but so often as many of us seek those "things" we end up falling into legalism. Enjoying Jesus is not about doing something, but rather it's about engaging with His grace. There are three seemingly unremarkable principles that can shape and strengthen our Christian life: 1) Hearing His voice. 2) Having His ear. 3) Belonging to His body. In his recent book, Habits of Grace, David Mathis talks about the importance of listening to God’s voice, speaking to him in prayer, and joining together with his people as the church. Though seemingly normal and routine, the everyday "habits of grace" that we cultivate each day in our lives give us access to these God-designed channels through which his love and power flow; and it is by engaging with these habits that we can truly know and enjoy Jesus. - Get a copy of David Mathis' book: Habits of Grace - Follow David Mathis on Twitter: @davidcmathis - Check out the great ministry of Desiring God - Check out more info about Bethlehem College & Seminary  

The last several episodes of the podcast have been a mini-series on the doctrine of the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead, including several evidences for the resurrection and responses to several common attacks from skeptics and liberal theologians. This is the capstone episode, bringing the mini-series to a close. In this episode, Kenny answers the question: "Why do I believe in the resurrection of Jesus?" highlighting the eye witness accounts from the people who saw Him on planet Earth after He rose from the dead. And then Kenny outlines why this doctrine matters so much. Kenny asserts that the resurrection is the lynch-pin of the Christian faith, the foundation upon which our entire faith rises and falls. There is no doctrine more important to examine, critique, defend, and embrace than the resurrection of Jesus. Recommended Books: - The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (by Gary R. Habermas and Michael Licona) - Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (by N. T. Wright) - The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict (Josh McDowell) - The God Who is There (Frances Schaeffer) - The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Michael Licona) - Resurrected! (John Morris) Other Resources: - "He Has Risen: The Worldview of Easter" DVD Series (by John Stonestreet and T. M. Moore) - Chuck Colson's Classic Commentary about The Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Article from 1992 published in the New York Times about Discovery of the Bones of Caiaphas

Over the last several episodes, Kenny has been in a mini-series about the evidences for the physical resurrection of Jesus. There are three common theories used by skeptics and liberal theologians to attack the validity and credibility of the traditional resurrection story. Those three common attacks are: 1) The Swoon Theory 2) The Stolen Body Theory 3) The Wrong Tomb Theory In this episode, Kenny explains the basics of all three theories and thoroughly explains why he rejects them. Kenny highlights several concessions made by skeptics that point to the credibility of the resurrection as well as outlining the reasons why these three theories are simply illogical, and in some ways they ignore several well-documented historical facts. The most rational and most logical explanation for the events of the first century is the fact that Jesus did indeed raise from the dead. Recommended Books: - The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict (Josh McDowell) - The God Who is There (Frances Schaeffer) - The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Michael Licona) Other Resources: - "He Has Risen: The Worldview of Easter" DVD Series (by John Stonestreet and T. M. Moore) - Chuck Colson's Classic Commentary about The Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Article about The Church of the Holy Sepulchre from RC.net - Article from 1992 published in the New York Times about Discovery of the Bones of Caiaphas