Sometimes I forget how smart teens are... Part 2

"As humans is there something in us that seeks to pray to someone higher then ourselves?"

Yes. The Bible does give some indication that God has placed something in us that causes us to naturally seek something higher than ourselves. Ecclesiastes 3:11 & Romans 1:19-2:15 both suggest this.

"Why do we always say Jesus is coming back are their alot of signs saying this?"

Yes. There is actually quite a bit of Biblical prophecy concerning this, from all over the Bible. Matthew 24:4-44 is just one example. There are other much more specific prophecies as well.The book of Daniel has a lot to say as well. Revelation doesn't have as much to say about what is leading up to the rapture and tribulation, since it mostly describes the tribulation and the millennial kingdom. In fact, there are many Christian scholars who would argue that every Biblical prophecy concerning what must take place before the rapture has already happened, so the rapture could literally happen any moment now.

"As Christians do we have to fast?"

There is no command in the New Testament for Christians to fast. However there are plenty of examples of fasting, especially in conjunction with prayer when making an important decision - Acts 13:2-3. Also Mark 2:18-20 suggests that Christians should fast occasionally until Jesus returns. Ultimately, fasting is a matter of discipline - mastering your control of your own body and mind to focus on the things of God.

"If God knows all what is the point of us praying to him if he knows what we need before we ask?"

When we pray we are not informing God of a new problem that He was not aware of. Rather, we are submitting this problem or situation to God and admitting that we can't do it ourselves. We need to pray because we are not strong enough to handle things on our own - prayer is for our benefit, not God's. Check out what Christ says in Matthew 6:7-18. In verse 8 he actually points out exactly what you are referring to. Prayer is a discipline that changes our hearts, attitudes, and minds to be more like Him.

"Can we really try God and his promises for us?"

Yes. In fact, there is at least one promise that God has given that He encourages the people to test: Malachi 3:10. God promises to bless the people of Israel if they give their tithe to Him. However, we have to remember that there is a difference between testing Him by obeying Him and testing Him by doing something stupid. Testing Him by doing something stupid was the Devil's temptation of Christ in Luke 4:9-12.

"What is fearing God?"

We should fear God the same way we might fear police officers or the military. Even if we have done nothing wrong we should still have respect for their position of power and authority. More so with God. Fearing God just means that we recognize and respect His power and authority. We obey Him because we know that He has the power to apply consequences if we disobey Him. Proverbs 1:7, and actually the entire book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the importance of fearing God.

"Is it a sin not to tell everyone about God?"

The short answer is no. There is no command to tell absolutely every person that we meet about God. However, it is a sin to disobey the leading and conviction of the Holy Spirit in your heart. If you feel led to witness to someone and you don't, then it is sin - James 4:17. Please do not let this be an excuse for you not to witness to someone. We are commanded to make disciples - Matthew 28:18-20.

More Old Posts: Problem of Evil? Part 2

Consider the following scenario:

A young woman is preparing a meal for her husband and 4 year old son. Something distracts her, and she walks away from the kitchen, leaving the uncooked hamburger meat and 4 year old boy unattended. Overcome with curiosity, the boy takes a small piece of the pink, appetizing goo. Within three hours of consuming the raw, e-coli infested meat the boy dies. The family is overwhelmed by tragedy.

An atheist has recently presented this as a case-study example of the problem of evil. He tried to demonstrate that surely a good god, especially the God described by most Christians, would not let this kind of tragedy happen. However, the tragedy did happen, so therefore the God described by Christians - a good, loving, all-powerful, all-knowing God - must not exist. Surely a god that is capable of stopping such a tragedy would be morally obligated to do so, yes?

This is a powerful argument, requiring serious consideration. If God would indeed be morally obligated to prevent human suffering, especially the kind described by the scenario above, then, having allowed such tragedies to occur, either God does not exist or God is malicious.

Is God morally obligated to prevent human suffering? To answer this question the terms must first be defined. In what sense should "moral obligation" be understood? What about "human suffering"?

My impression is "human suffering" is generally understood, in this context at least, to refer to a human getting what s/he doesn't deserve (or not getting what s/he does deserve). Therefore, when most people suggest that God is morally obligated to prevent human suffering, what is generally meant is that a just god would see to it that every human gets exactly what s/he deserves. Therefore, because God is morally obligated to do what a just god would do, he is obligated to see to it that all humans get exactly what they deserve.

So, rephrasing our question, is God morally obligated to see to it that all humans get exactly what they deserve? On this point I must agree with the atheist. Yes, God has an obligation to ensure that life is fair and that all people get exactly what they deserve.

You may ask, "How can you believe that and still be a Christian?" This is a fair question. Indeed, on first look it seems like there are all sorts of things happening all around the world that just aren't fair. Surely the family in the story did not deserve the tragedy that happened to them, much less did the little boy deserve to die! However, when I read the Bible I get a different story. If, indeed, everyone is a sinner, born with sin (Romans 3:23), and the just penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23), then the death of an individual - anyone, no matter the age - is the outworking of perfect justice. Moreover, if a person does indeed deserve to "reap what you sow," then all human suffering is deserved insofar as all human suffering is the outworking of human choices and human sin.

"Well, doesn't God still have an obligation to alleviate human suffering?!" you may respond. However, the answer is no. God does alleviate suffering, but that is called grace and mercy. By definition if God is obligated to be graceful and merciful then it is not grace and mercy at all. Grace is a gift that is undeserved, and mercy is withholding a punishment that is deserved. If God is obligated to be fair, how can He also be obligated to be unfair - granting grace and mercy? The answer: God is not obligated to give grace or mercy to anyone.

Then how does God justly apply grace and mercy to sinners that deserve death? The death of Jesus Christ provided the necessary substitutionary sacrifice, making grace and mercy available to anyone that would be willing to accept Christ as Savior and Lord.

Christianity paints a coherent picture of human suffering and justice. Thankfully, it also provides a coherent portrait of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Does your worldview have a coherent understanding of suffering, justice, and salvation?

Sometimes I forget how smart teens are...

I have been getting a lot of tough questions from students lately, and I have decided to share them with you. Maybe some of you can answer them better than me...


Alright, here goes nothing....

"Why do we have to pay the price for someone else's sins? Like, why do we have sin in us that we cant control because of Adam and Eve?"

Adam and Eve were created absolutely perfect, so when they sinned it was proof that any and every person would sin. In that way we are guilty of the same sin as Adam and Eve. Also, it seems that in a way sinfulness is genetic - passed down from Adam and Eve to our parents and then to us - so we all are born with a tendency to sin. So, since we definitely would have failed the way Adam and Eve did then we can't complain that we are born with the sin nature that they passed down to us. Ultimately, though, we are paying the price for our own sin - which is why if someone dies before they reach an age where they are consciously rebelling (the age of accountability) they still go to heaven. They have not actually sinned for themselves, so God doesn't hold them responsible for their sin.

"Why does god put people through stress and everything if he loves us."

I'm afraid that your blame is a little off. We feel stress because we sin. Even if we are just worried about something, worry itself can be a sin. Here is what we do know - God puts us in situations that cause us to mature and grow spiritually, but because of our sinfulness we tend to not like those situations very much - hence the stress. Besides, this isn't that much different from what any good parent does. Potty training is pretty stressful for a kid - but very necessary. Same is true for bed time, taking the kid off the pacifier, forcing the kid to do her homework, etc.

"Why don't any literally any of my prayers come true?"

A prayer is not the same as a dream or a wish that may or may not "come true." God is not a genie. He is our Heavenly Father, so He wants the best for us and will give us what we want as long as what we want is good for us. If God is not giving you what you want, then He is working to change your desires so that they line up with His - that way eventually He can give you what you want. Besides, the primary purpose of prayer is definitely not just to get what we want. God allows us to talk to Him and bring our requests to Him so that we can get to know Him better and be changed to be more like Him. Prayer is just conversation with God, so when you pray try not to just make requests. Instead, try to just talk to Him like you would your best friend.

"If god is all knowing why did he put people on this earth to endanger others or know that somebody will be homeless or go to hell and make them suffer?"

I could answer your question with a question: why do you think this is unfair? If someone rightly deserves to go to Hell, then why is God at fault? If sinners really deserve eternal suffering in Hell, then why is suffering on Earth (like homelessness) considered unfair? Actually, the thing that is unfair is that any of us sinners actually get to enjoy anything at all! That is unfair to God. The most unfair thing at all is that Jesus Christ died for our sins - He was perfect and definitely didn't deserve death, but He died for us anyway. That is unfair. Yes, God does knowingly allow things to happen to us that can make us sad. But remember, every bad thing that happens to a sinner - any of us - is much much less suffering than we actually deserve. God did know about the suffering ahead of time, but since the suffering is deserved He is not obligated to prevent it.

"Isn't it rude for him to put himself here on earth for us to worship him and the ones who don't burn forever?"

Is it rude for a lifeguard to jump into a pool when someone is drowning - pull them out, give them mouth to mouth, etc? Is it rude for that lifeguard to tell people going to the pool "Hey, I'm the lifeguard - if you get into trouble then call for me." Jesus endured the only undeserved suffering a human has ever endured. Period. The one's who don't worship Him deserve Hell because they have rebelled against their Creator. Also, we have to remember that every single good thing that happens to us, every good feeling/emotion/sensation/etc happens because God allowed it. Hell is what happens when God stops allowing all those good things. When someone goes to hell they are getting what they asked for - space away from the God of the Bible and our Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of the day, the real rudeness isn't God trying to save us, it is us rejecting Him. Just imagine if you sacrificed everything to help someone and they just walked away hating you....

"Does he have favorites? By giving some people so much more than others have handed to them?"

God uses everyone in different ways and for different purposes. Some people have more because God's purpose for them requires more. Some people have less for the same reason. As I have already said though, none of us deserve anything good that God has given us. Just remember, the more God gives a person, the more responsibility that person has to give back to God. From our perspective it may look like God has given some people as easy life and others a hard life, but everyone is going to be judged by how they used the gifts God gives them - so the person that is given more is going to be judged more.