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

A regular listener of the podcast sent in an email asking, "Can gay people go to heaven?" This is a question often asked when people read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 where it states that a person practicing homosexuality will not "inherit the kingdom of God." In this episode, Kenny gives a clear answer about all sin, not just homosexuality. If you have a pattern of practicing sin over and over again, without any resolve to overcome that sin, then your faith in Christ may not be genuine. If you continue to live in sin, then we need to examine whether or not you are really a believer. If you are a genuine believer, you are labeled as righteous, you have been justified, therefore you are not identified as a sinner. Anyone with faith in Christ is labeled as a "saint" not a sinner. Saints will inherit the kingdom of God. But if you have not placed your faith in Christ, then you are labeled unrighteous, enemy of God, therefore you are indeed still identified as a sinner and the passages that talk about not inheriting the kingdom of God do indeed apply to you. This ought to be a sobering and inspiring truth. Highlighted Passages: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Revelation 22:15 Galatians 5:19-21 Ephesians 5:5 2 Corinthians 5:21 Romans 5:1-2 Romans 5:8-11 Related Episodes: WHAT IS JUSTIFICATION? WHY IS HOMOSEXUALITY A SIN?

In this episode, Kenny interviews author, speaker, and college professor Dr. Preston Sprinkle about homosexuality, but more specifically about how Christians ought to engage with people who identify as gay. Dr. Sprinkle makes it clear: Homosexuality is not about an "issue" to be dealt with, but it is much more about people than need to be loved. Dr. Sprinkle gained national attention several years ago when he co-wrote the best selling book Erasing Hell with Francis Chan, which was a response to Rob Bell's Love Wins. Dr. Sprinkle has earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Master's Seminary as well as a Ph.D. in New Testament from Aberdeen University in the Scotland. He currently serves as the Vice President for Eternity Bible College's Extension Campus in Boise, ID. He previously taught at Cedarville University (Ohio) and at Nottingham University (U.K.). Check out Dr. Sprinkle's Personal Website Follow Dr. Sprinkle on Twitter: @prestonsprinkle Check out Dr. Sprinkle's podcast: Theology in the Raw Resources Recommended by Dr. Sprinkle:  People to be Loved (by Preston Sprinkle, Ph.D.) Washed and Waiting (by Wesley Hill) Is God Anti-Gay (by Sam Allberry) Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate (by Justin Lee) Additional Recommended Resources: What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? (by Kevin DeYoung) Tim Keller's Response to Matthew Vines & Ken Wilson Resources from Rosaria Butterfield Christopher Yuan's Response to Justin Lee's "Torn" Christopher Yuan's Response to Matthew Vines Is Gay the New Black? (Video) How Can Homosexuality Be Wrong If It Doesn't Harm Anyone? (Video) Previous Related Episodes:  78: Why is Homosexuality a Sin? 70: How Does God Determine What Is Sin And What Is Not Sin? 65...

In this episode, Kenny clearly explains why God labels homosexuality as a sin. Kenny starts the episode apologizing to any person who identifies as gay who has been mistreated by Christians. Kenny then challenges Christians to be consistent in their evaluation of sins. Kenny then makes the point that the Bible does indeed label homosexual behaviors as sinful (citing 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, 1 Timothy 1:10, Romans 1), but then Kenny begins to answer the question "Why?" There are typically multiple levels as to why something is sinful. The deepest layer when it come to understanding sexual sin is rooted in understanding God's ideal design, and that is one man and one woman, within the bounds of covenant marriage. During the act of sex there is something mysterious and supernatural that happens that emotionally unites the man and woman. The book of Genesis says they will become "one flesh" which is translated from the Hebrew word "echad" which speaks to plurality and diversity, but still points to a perfect unity. This is designed to reflect the Trinity. Through the creation of genders, God is reflecting both His unity and His diversity. The members of the Trinity are committed to one another, they are in covenant with one another, therefore God desires covenant before the unity, which is why we believe premarital sex is wrong. God's design for humans is for us to function as He functions, that we would mirror Him and His character. Therefore, when two men have sex, they are not mirroring the diversity of the Trinity, for this reason God labels this as sin. Our understanding of the creation account and our understanding of the Trinity point towards God's ideal for sexuality. Any behavior outside of the ideal design is sinful, including homosexual behavior. Recommended Resources:  What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? (by Kevin DeYoung) Tim Keller's Response to Matthew Vines & Ken Wilson Resources from Rosaria Butterfield Christopher Yuan's Response to Justin Lee's "Torn" Christopher Yuan's Response to Matthew Vines Is Gay the New Black? (Video) How Can Homosexuality Be Wrong If It Doesn't Harm Anyone? (Video) Previous Related Episodes:  11: Why Is Premarital Sex Sin? 55: Why Does Sexual Purity Matter? With Dr. Corey Allan 58: Why Is God Consumed With His Own Glory? 65: Is It Wrong To Live Together Before We’re Married?

In this episode, Kenny interviews Dr. Corey Allan for a second time. This time they talk about "sex toys" and how married couples can approach the topic of being "diverse" in their quest to enhance their sexual relationship. Dr. Allan is a therapist, author, blogger, speaker, and podcaster. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor. He has coached hundreds of people through issues related to sexual integrity. After the interview, Kenny gives some additional thoughts and commentary on the issue of sex toys related to single people, masturbation, celibacy, and homosexuality. Resources: Check out our previous interview with Dr. Corey Allan (Episode 55: Why Does Sexual Purity Matter?) Connect with Dr. Corey Allan at www.simplemarriage.net 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  

With the ever changing cultural landscape of North America, many companies are now passing policies that are not in line with a Biblical worldview. This means more and more that Christians will be faced with the predicament of working for a business that promotes something that Christians may morally object to. In this episode, Kenny dives into this topic and gives Christians several things to remember as they navigate these sorts of issues. The legal questions around this topic are certainly still very "grey" in many ways, but we need to make moral resolutions and build our ethics upon Biblical truth, regardless of whatever laws are passed. But it is also imperative to remember that our convictions will vary from person to person. As we determine our convictions, we must do these things: 1) Ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth (John 16:13; 1 John 2:27); and ask yourself good questions as you determined your convictions such as: - Is this really a big deal? - Can I reconcile this? - Am I being inconsistent or being a hypocrite? - Am I directly participating in the destruction of another human being or their God-given potential? 2) Be clear and precise with your language. 3) Dialogue with your boss, peers, or clients. 4) Be kind, respectful, and gentle (1 Peter 3:15).  

There has been a recent debate around the topic of transgender people, specifically their usage of public bathrooms. So, that begs the question, How should we, as Christians, respond to this recent transgender people bathroom usage debate? In this episode, Kenny attacks this recent debate with clarity. First, Kenny reminds Christians that we need to be sensitive to people with emotions we may not be familiar with. Secondly, Kenny affirms that it is okay for Christians to reject certain ideologies based on Biblical convictions. Lastly, Kenny gives Christians three practical things to remember as they engage with this debate: 1- Be kind. 2- Invest extra energy into protecting your children. 3- Be consistent with your voting and how you spend your money.

Many Christians compartmentalize their lives in such a way that their theology never bleeds into certain areas, but our theology should impact every area of our lives. In this episode, Kenny interviews pastor and podcaster Stephen Mackey, for a third straight episode, but this time they dive into a topic that few Christians ever talk about: "How should our theology impact our eating habits and our approach to being physically healthy?" Mackey has lost more than 70 pounds over the last few months and he has become passionate about living a healthy life. Mackey says that living a healthy lifestyle does two very important things: 1- Health honors God. 2- Gives us the power to say "no" to things that are unhealthy, physically and spiritually. 3- Exposes the fact that we find satisfaction in food more than Christ. 4- Enables us to live a longer healthier life, so that we can do more Gospel work. 5- Impacts our self-esteem and how people see us.

In this episode, our host Kenny is joined, once again, by pastor, speaker, and podcaster Stephen Mackey (M.Div.) to discuss the importance and magnitude of each individual person's view of Jesus Christ. The most important answer you will ever give in your life is the answer you give to the most important question in the world: Who do you say Jesus is? In this conversation, Mackey examines and unpacks a famous quote from C.S. Lewis wherein he made the claim that Jesus must be either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord; there is no fourth option, neither is there a hybrid. You must either reject Jesus' words or embrace them as absolute truth. We must either reject Jesus as having any value or we must worship Him, there is no middle ground option.

In this episode, Kenny interviews a pastor friend Stephen Mackey (M.Div) to answer a tough theological question that came in from a regular listener of the podcast. The question was: "I came across John 20:23. After appearing to the disciples, Jesus breathes on them and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive another's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." Doesn't this seem to negate the work Jesus just did on the cross. I am not sure from a historical point how his was interpreted." Kenny and Mackey dive into the Greek nuances of the Gospel of John to help in order to help bring clarity to this particular passage.

Topics related to mental illness are very sensitive for many people, therefore it is essential that we have quality Biblical theology around the topic of mental health and related issues. A few weeks ago Kenny received an email from a regular listener, in response to episode 43: Is Judas in Heaven or Hell? In the email, the listener praised Kenny for not "blanketly condemning" all mental illnesses, and those individuals who suffer from them, as merely being "unChristian." In this this episode, Kenny addresses that comment and clearly answers the question: "Is mental illness caused by demonic activity?" There are some people that believe demons cause mental health issues and mental illness. In response to that, Kenny says that sometimes they do, but other times they cause other health issues. Furthermore, there is Biblical evidence that only some health issues can be directly attributed to demonic activity. Recommended Resources: Overwhelmed (by Perry Noble) Highlighted Passages: Luke 17 Mark 6:5 Matthew 13:58 Luke 8:2 Mark 16:9 John 21:25 Luke 9:39 Luke 13 Mark 9:17 Mark 9:25 Matthew 12:2 Luke 8:27-28 Luke 9:1-2 Luke 13:32 Acts 5:15-16

Sometimes people believe that God seemingly condemns certain things or certain behaviors arbitrarily, randomly, or haphazardly. This is not true. In this episode, Kenny explains that we were created to glorify God and reflect His character, therefore anything in us that does not glorify or reflect Him violates the purpose for which we were created. Furthermore, we were all created by God to function in certain ways, with an ideal design in mind. Anytime we do not function as we were created to function, or anytime we go outside of His perfect ideal design for us, then we will cease to glorify and reflect Him. Kenny asserts that God determines certain things to be sinful based upon the ideal design with which we were created. Anything that goes outside that design can potentially be labeled sinful, or at least will eventually lead us down the road to sin.

In this short episode, Kenny makes it clear that God never punishes believers. The Father has already punished his own Son Jesus at the cross, therefore there is no need to punish you. However, God does discipline His people. God steps in to coach us and He also corrects us, and sometimes those moments of correction can be painful, but we are never being punished. Our discipline comes from the hand of a loving Father, molding us into the image of His Son Jesus. Highlighted Passages: - Romans 5:1 - Romans 8:1 - Romans 8:29 - Hebrews 12:5-6  

In this episode, Kenny interviews David Schrock (Ph.D., SBTS) about the importance of studying the character and nature of God; being diligent in seeking to understand all areas of theology. David outlines that theology isn't just a study or discipline, but a delight in getting to know God better. He also tells us about the importance of theology because good theology has real positive impact on our lives and bad theology has the potential to be a significant detriment to our lives.   Recommended Resources:  Blog: Theology is Not Just for Theologians David Schrock's Blog The Gospel Coalition 9 Marks of Healthy Church Desiring God Ministries Timothy Keller Ministries

A somewhat frequently asked question is, "Was God unjust when He asked Abraham to kill his own son Isaac?" Sometimes this question is asked by Bible skeptics as an attack, while other times this is asked by inquiring believers. In this episode, Kenny answers the question with several thoughts: 1- Every human deserves to die, so decreeing Isaac's death would not be unjust. 2- We are not entitled to anything at all; Isaac was not entitled to life, therefore God can take away Isaac's life if He sees fit to do so. 3- God has the right to do whatever He pleases with His own creation, at any times, for the expansion of His own glory and His own pleasure. 4- The point of the story is the foreshadowing of the cross; we are "Isaac" and Jesus is the "ram in the thicket" that is ultimately killed. This Bible narrative was orchestrated by God to illustrate the Gospel.

The discussion about the duality (or dichotomy) of mankind versus the triune nature (or trichotomy ) of mankind is a mini-debate among some Christian theologians. People have asked, "Are we made up of a body, a soul, and a spirit?" or "Are we just a body and soul?" In this episode, Kenny defines the difference between the material substance of humans versus the immaterial substance of humans. Then Kenny uses several passages of Scripture, as well as our overall understanding of the "imago dei" that is indwelled within humanity, to point to the fact that we are indeed made up of three substances: Body, Soul, and Spirit. Highlighted Passages: - Mark 7:19 - Proverbs 4:23 - Luke 16:19-31 - 2 Corinthians 5:8 - Romans 12:1-2 - Hebrews 4:12 - 1 Thessalonians 5:23