Our Goal

When we first talked talking about this question and answer concept something that kep coming up was that we didn't want to be the period at the end of the sentence. Meaning we didn't want people to walk away from the answer night or leave this website and just accept the answer as being complete. Most of these questions require in depth research and would take much more than one night and a simple blog to answer. They require individuals willing to dig deeper in their personal study time. Concepts like predestination vs free will are issues that people have been debating over for years and years. I believe that God is not impressed or well pleased with christians bickering and debating over small details of the debate. I do however believe that God loves when the issues leads His children to wrestle with His Word. We must remember that God is much bigger than us and our finite brains, just because something seems wierd or different from how we always thought it was doesn't not mean it isn't true.

Is there such a thing as an unforgiveable sin?

Many believers have often questioned the meaning behind what is referenced in parallel in Mark 3:29, Luke 12:10, and Matthew 12:32 which state that someone can commit an unforgivable sin by blaspheming the Holy Spirit. There is a popular movement amongst an atheist group called the Rational Response Squad who have issued the “blasphemy challenge” to encourage people to publicly state that they deny the Holy Spirit. They encourage this because they think that this means that a person can never be forgiven by Christ and thus not saved. In my opinion, it seems like they are expending a lot of energy speaking against someone who they believe does not exist! Anyway, upon a careful examination of this text we find the real meaning behind what Jesus was saying. At this particular moment, Jesus is talking to a group of men called Pharisees. They were one of the strictest sects of Judaism. He had been showing them who he was through miracles, wise teaching, and fulfillment of prophecy for a good amount of time and yet they still did not believe. In verse 32 of Matthew 12, Jesus lays it out for them in a very simple way. The Holy Spirit had clearly been active in Jesus’ ministry and the Pharisees were claiming that Jesus did this through the power of Satan. So even though the truth of Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah was revealed to them, they still would not believe. So they denied Jesus as their Lord and Savior and thus this is an unforgivable sin because in their unbelief they would spend eternity in Hell. The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out that while many of these particular Pharisees would never become believers, Jesus’ brothers initially rejected Jesus as Messiah (John 7:5), but would later come to faith (Acts 1:14).[1] So while at some point in our lives, in our ignorance of God we may speak against Jesus, we may still be moved to believe by the Holy Spirit, but if the truth is revealed to us and we do not respond to the call to believe by the Holy Spirit then when we die we will not have a chance to respond to the invitation to follow Christ. (See Hebrews 10:26-27). This is the unforgivable sin...An unrepentant heart which knows not Jesus Christ as it's Lord and Savior.

1 John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:237.

How can a person who has never been exposed to the gospel (through no fault of his own) be expected to come to a saving knowledge of Christ?

While I was preparing this week to be on a panel for the discussion of theological issues I came across a very difficult question that pushed me to spend some time solidifying my own doctrine on a certain issue. The question came from a student in our youth group: "How can a person who has never been exposed to the gospel (through no fault of his own) be expected to come to a saving knowledge of Christ?" This simple question has been discussed for centuries and divided denominations since the first denomination was formed. Dr. Ken Keathley, now a professor at a Southern Baptist seminary wrote an interesting work on this very question. His paper delineates the differences between the three schools of thought on the issue presented. The excerpt presented below is from his paper titled, "None Dare Call it Treason: Is an Inclusivist a Paul Revere or a Benedict Arnold?" appearing in the Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry, Vol. 1 No. 2."Exclusivism holds that an explicit response of repentance and faith to the preaching of the Gospel is necessary for salvation. Until recently, this has been the dominant position of the church and still is the majority position in conservative evangelical circles. Pluralism looks upon the non-Christian religions as alternative and valid venues for the salvific work of God. Unlike the classic liberal of times past, the pluralist does not see the various religions as expressions of the same religious impulse, but as unique systems in their own right, believing there should be no attempt to reconcile or judge between the competing truth claims. Offered by its proponents as a mediating position, inclusivism posits that even though the work of Christ is the only means of salvation, it does not follow that explicit knowledge of Christ is necessary in order for one to be saved. In contrast to pluralism, inclusivism agrees with exclusivism in affirming the particularity of salvation in Jesus Christ. But unlike exclusivism, inclusivism holds that an implicit faith response to general revelation can be salvific. God expects from man a response proportional to the light given. Saving faith is not characterized so much by its cognitive content as it is by its reverent quality. Perhaps pluralists are the most fond of the threefold taxonomy since the terms cast them in the most positive light. This should not be surprising since the pluralist Alan Race coined the terms."So in light of this article here is my response to the question posed by our student.Paul was very clear that mankind has no excuse for its sinful state. He reminds us that God has revealed Himself to us through natural revelation (Rom. 1:20) and thus we cannot plead ignorance in our sinful state. So knowing this, what happens to those who die never having heard the Gospel? Let’s first examine Christ’s command to all of us as believers. He commands us to go out to preach the Gospel message to all people everywhere (Matt. 28:19-20). Paul then has the same concerns that we do in Rom.10:14-17. How will people believe unless they hear the Gospel message? This should spur all of us on to spread the Gospel wherever we are. As to the fate of that person who lived 1,000 years ago who did not hear the Gospel message. What happens to that person? First we must remember that God works in incredible ways, so we can in no way pass judgment on someone’s salvation. We know not the absolute destination of any one person. What we do know is that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ so consequently if someone doesn’t believe in Him then he or she will not be saved from the wrath of God for his sin and will go to Hell. Many times we get so concerned with that man or woman who lived 1,000 years ago who may or may not have been saved while our friends or neighbors who we see every day most certainly do not have a relationship with Jesus. We all have so much work to do.

Why is God a man, not a woman?

First thing’s first. We must remember that God is so much more then man. In Genesis we learn that man was made in the image of God and that woman was made in the image of man. This helps us understand many of the important dynamics in the marriage relationship but that’s not relevant here. So what makes God a man and not a woman? Well, in the original text we know that the name “God” (Proper Noun or name) was always referred to in the masculine or male tense and the pronoun used in place of “God” is “He”. In the New Testament we read that Jesus always referred to God as the Father or used He in reference to God (John 15:26, 16:25). So on these accounts alone we can be quite sure that God possesses traits that would make him appear to be more masculine then feminine. We must remember, however, that He is much more then we could ever understand Him to be. He is not a simple man. He is God perfect in every way, able to be everywhere at once, knowing all things of past times and in the future. Our mind can never conceive all that our God is we only know what He has chosen to reveal to us.

Why if God destroyed the earth with a flood does He not destroy evil civilizations in the past or even now with another thing?

God did destroy evil civilizations after the flood. God has used a gamut of different tools to destroy those civilizations that were against Him. The flood encounter begins in Genesis 6:13 when God makes a covenant with Noah and promises to destroy the rest of mankind from the earth because of their evil ways. One of the next known mass destructions from God upon a nation of people is found in Gen. 18:20. This is the well known account of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground,” (Gen. 19:24-25). Let’s not forget what our Lord did to the Egyptian people when the king would not release the Israelites from bondage beginning in Exodus 7. God has not always used supernatural events to destroy people groups. All throughout the book of Joshua God uses the Israelite people to destroy people groups as they claimed their promised land (See Joshua 6 on).
So why doesn’t God destroy evil civilizations in our age? That question cannot be answered by anyone because God has not revealed the answer. We do know that we are in the last days before the return of Christ and that we are in a different age then those who lived during the Old Testament times described above. We are living in a new part of God’s plan. While we may desire for God to rain down fire and brimstone on our enemies we must remember that we are also sinners who deserve the same death as our enemies, but God by His mercy has given us the gift of life in Jesus Christ and thus we are saved from the wrath from Him that we deserve.

How Does God Choose?

Anyone who has taken time to reflect on the salvation that God has freely given them eventually comes to the question; why me? That is, why did God choose me among all of the people in the world? Is there something special about me, am I better than the rest? The answer is no.

Some venture to say, that God looked far into future and saw those who would eventually have faith in Him and He chose them. This wrong for two reasons. First, they forget the fact that God has created all things - including this so called "predisposition to faith". Secondly, this is just a human way of crediting our salvation to us.

I believe that there is a better way to think about how God chose us. Here are two verses that will help us think biblically about God's choosing of us.

Ephesians 1:4
"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world..."

Clearly we were not around when God did the deciding. This leads me to believe that we in no way earn or merit our salvation - it is a free gift of God's grace and that's it.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29
"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise...so that no man may boast before God"

I think this verse is very clear that not only are we chosen because of no good thing in us, God takes things one step further and chooses the foolish, weak, base, etc - so that we may not boast. That is, God will get ALL the glory for our salvation.

Calvinism: A Simple Explanation

In a previous blog I mentioned that I would offer a simple explanation of the 5 points of Calvinism, so that everyone who does not know would have a simple reference for the conversation. I am in no way promoting this, though I believe it is an accurate summary of what Scripture teaches. It is is only my desire that the readers of this blog would search the Scriptures in order to settle the matter in their own minds.

Calvinism can be summarized in 5 easy points, which are remembered by the word TULIP. Each point beginning with a letter from the word tulip. Though much more could be said about each point, I will try to keep the explanations as brief as possible.

T: Total Depravity
This does not mean that humans are as bad as they could possibly be, but that every aspect of the human being (visible and invisible) has been touched or tainted by the effect of the Fall. Sin effects all that we are and all that we do and our will is in bondage to that sin until God frees us through regeneration

U: Unconditional Election
That is, God chooses those who will inherit salvation as out of his own free will and not for any foreseen goodness or merit in that person. God doesn't pick out people because He can tell that one day they will make a good Christian, He elects people out of His grace.

L: Limited Atonement
Simply put, this means that when Jesus died he bore God's wrath for the sins of those who would ultimately be saved and not for those who would ultimately reject Him and go to hell. Or another way to say it is this; Christ shed his blood only for those who would be saved and not for the whole world.

I: Irresistible Grace
This means that once God has, by His Holy Spirit, regenerated someones heart they will follow Him in faith and will not turn away from the grace that has been shown to them.

P: Perseverance of The Saints
This means that once someone is saved, they will remain saved and will not lose their salvation, because God has saved them apart from their works and it is impossible to lose their salvation according to their works.

As a side note it must be said that Baptist usually hold to at least one of these points. Typically is is the last one (The Perseverance of The Saints). Once one gives up this last point they would typically follow more in line with the Methodist or Wesleyan tradition.

Predestination or Free Will?

Which is true, predestination or free will? The answer is that both are true. They are both true because the Bible affirms that both are true. God does choose those who will be saved and it is settled, and those who follow Christ freely choose him as an act of their own free will or volition.

Since the Bible affirms both, why then is there is still debate? The debate comes when some choose to emphasize the one and not the other. If one is emphasized over the other, it should be because one has strong convictions that the Bible emphasizes one stronger than the other.

Those who emphasize the predestination side of salvation are Calvinists, after the French Reformer John Calvin. Those who emphasize the free will aspect of salvation are typically referred to as Arminians, after Jacob Arminius.

It is however, impossible to answer this question without giving away my position. I am a Calvinist (5 points, if you are counting; and if you want to know what the five points are I will post that in a separate blog). I believe that man does have free will, but I believe that it is wrong and unbiblical to say that God will not or could not over-ride man's free will in order to accomplish His good purposes.

What We Are About

This is my perspective. If we do not seek good biblical answers, both as youth and as adults, we will teach ourselves to be content with whatever answer is handed to us. This is the sort of soil that heretics [false teachers] thrive in. So, with that said, I hope that this blog and the question and answer session at FBC Orange Park will help all of us to reach new levels in our biblical understanding.

I am thankful for the opportunity to work with Ryan, David, and Josh on this project and I hope that this will be a useful tool for everyone who visits this sight.

How This All Started

This whole idea started back in late June of 2007 when the student ministry at First Baptist Church of Orange Park decided to ask real, authentic, and vulnerable questions. I didn't want to just answer them in the normal setting that the youth were used to, so I decided to bring in some guys that I respect to help answer them. As a result David Tarkington, Josh Dryer, Mitch Landress, and me (Ryan Rouse) made up the answering panel. After talking with David about the details we decided it would be a good idea to bring in the rest of the church to listen in on the answers. This website is designed to provide more answers to more questions. In addition we will post the answers we presented on the orginal questions and answer night.
If you would like to add a question please e-mail it to ryan@opfirst.org and I'll forward it to the other three guys.