Questions Answered

Here you'll find responses to numerous questions we have been asked over the years.

Topics

  • Why should Christians study Christology?

    It’s amazing, in a sense, that anyone would have to ask that question. Christians are about Christ. To have to convince Christians that knowing about Christ is important seems like such a counterintuitive reality. What we need to see is …Read More

  • What is the biggest issue we face in the church today?

    I think the biggest problem we face in the church today is a very, very serious failure to understand the person and work of Jesus. Christology has been the single most important thing throughout the ages. The great eras of …Read More

  • Does every person need a specific divine calling to do their job?

    I believe that every person who is a Christian and is seeking to serve God in whatever they are doing is fulfilling a calling in the service of God. The idea of calling relative to the ministry and to other …Read More

  • Can a person be 100% sure of his or her salvation?

    When you talk about “100% sure,” you are asking me if I think something is the case. And I could answer that question in a multitude of different ways. I can say to you, “No.” I could say, “I don’t …Read More

  • What’s your favorite teaching series from R.C. Sproul?

    That’s sort of overwhelming. R.C. was such a master verbal communicator that, almost every time, the last one I heard was my favorite. The Holiness of God, Chosen by God – those early works of his were foundational for so …Read More

  • Were the Old Testament saints indwelt by the Holy Spirit?

    We distinguish among various different works attributed to the Third Person of the Trinity. For example, regeneration is so vitally important, and the Holy Spirit is the One who changes the disposition of our hearts. Anyone who was a believer …Read More

  • Is it true that God “loves the sinner but hates the sin”?

    You hear this statement all the time. It comes under the category of us trying to help out God. There are elements of the revelation of God that are difficult for us to take. One of these is anytime we …Read More

  • What’s the difference between regeneration and conversion?

    The difference between regeneration and conversion is a slight difference, but it’s an important one. Regeneration is the work of God the Holy Spirit as He supernaturally and immediately changes the disposition of the soul from spiritual death to spiritual …Read More

  • Should all Christians pursue missions?

    It is good to hear that there are young people out there pursuing missions because that’s a pursuit the Lord has placed upon the church. We all are responsible for the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20). Whether one …Read More

  • Who was Zwingli, and what was his impact on the Reformation?

    I love when someone brings up Zwingli. He is sometimes a forgotten Reformer. He’s at Zürich, and if you’ve seen any spy movies, Zürich is always in the storyline. Zwingli’s career as a Reformer spans about ten years, and he’s …Read More

  • How important are creeds and confessions?

    From the very earliest time in the history of the church, the church has not only proclaimed the truth of sacred Scripture, but also dealt with distortions and radical departures from biblical truth in the appearance of multiple heresies that …Read More

  • What is a good source for learning Bible study methodology?

    At our seminary in California, Dennis Johnson has published a series of books, one of which is called Walking with Jesus through His Word. It is a wonderful aid to seeing how all the Bible points to Jesus. I think …Read More

  • Are faith and belief the same thing?

    We use the terms basically interchangeably, but belief can also be used simply to talk about making an intellectual assertion of a particular proposition. For example, “I believe that George Washington was the first president of the United States.” Faith …Read More

  • Is suicide the unpardonable sin?

    No. I think one can say absolutely and definitely that the unpardonable sin is not suicide. Jesus speaks about the unpardonable sin in a very particular context. It seems to be an ongoing settled resistance to Jesus Christ that is …Read More

  • Is God present in hell?

    It is one thing to talk about God’s choosing not to be present somewhere. If He ever chose not to be present in any particular place, then He wouldn’t be inherently, infinitely, and eternally omnipresent. The problem with hell is …Read More

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