We really CAN'T answer some of these

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

A few weeks ago, I posted a link to a book entitled "75 Questions Your Instructors Pray You will Never Ask," Mostly, the whole thing was dismissed as beneath the dignity of a "true Christian" to bother to respond to. (I also felt this way...… UNTIL I actually tried to answer some of them.)

I am posting just the questions (none of the book's answers) here to see if any of you run across the same dilemmas I did in trying to HONESTLY defend many of my doctrinal positions in replying to these questions.

1. Didn't God Hate the Unborn Infant Esau?
2. Could Pharaoh Have Repented?
3. Does God's Absolute Predestination Make Him Unfair?
4. If We Can't Work Our Way INTO Salvation, How Can We Work Our Way OUT?
5. How Can God GUARANTEE Good for His People Without PREDESTINATING Good?
6. How Can We Escape the Love of God?
7. If We Can "Fall From Grace," Isn't Christ's Intercession Ineffective?
8. Are We LESS Than Conquerors?
9. Doesn't God Make "Vessels Fitted for Destruction"?
10. When Did God Decide to Give Us Eternal Life?
11. Isn't Our Heavenly Inheritance Fully Guaranteed?
12. Aren't Our Good Works Predestined?
13. Didn't Jesus Deliberately Hide His Message so People Wouldn't Repent?
14. Could Judas Have Refused to Betray Jesus?
15. Don't Evil Men Also Glorify God?
16. Can Satan Repent and be Saved?
17. Aren't Men Ordained in Advance to Eternal Life?
18. Doesn't God Compel Men to Believe in Jesus?
19. Didn't God Choose Us Long Before We Accepted Him?
20. How Can an Unregenerate Man Accept Christ?
21. Could the Authorities Have Acted Righteously and Released Jesus?
22. Isn't God's Grace Irresistible?
23. Isn't the Will of God Absolutely Sovereign?
24. Isn't Faith in Christ the Gift of God?
25. Did Christ Die for All Men?
26. Isn't it Immoral for People to Have Sex with Animals?
27. How Can We Love God But Ignore God's Law?
28. Is Profession of Faith Enough, or Do Our Acts Also Count?
29. If Men Won't Obey God's Law, Are They Saved?
30. Are We "Once Saved, Always Saved"?
(to be continued)

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

(continued)
31. How Can We Accurately Define Sin if We Deny God's Law?
32. Does God Answer Prayers of Lawbreakers?
33. Do We Really Love the Brethren if We Disobey God's Laws?
34. How Can We Identify Christians if We Ignore God's Law?
35. How Can We Know if We are "Dead to Sin" if We Ignore God's Law?
36. How Can We "Walk in Newness of Life" if We Disobey God's Law?
37. How Can We Stop "Serving Sin" if We Disobey God's Law?
38. Since God's Law Can't Kill Us, Won't it Help Us to Live?
39. How Can Sin Still "Reign" in Us if We Obey God's Law?
40. Aren't Those Who Disobey God's Law "Instruments of Unrighteousness"?
41. What Does "Under Grace, Not Law" Mean?
42. Are We Free to Ignore God's Law if We are "Under Grace"?
43. Is a Christian's "New Spirit" Opposed to God's Law?
44. Is the Law of God "Carnal," or Holy, Just, and Good?
45. How Can We "Walk After the Spirit" if We Disobey God's Law?
46. Isn't a "Carnal Mind" One Which is Opposed to God's Law?
47. How Can We "Mortify the Flesh" if We Disobey God's Law?
48. Didn't Paul Believe that the Specifics of God's Law Still Apply?
49. How Can We Separate the "Moral Law" from God's Laws?
50. Doesn't Faith in Christ Establish God's Law? 62
51. Aren't Those Who Obey God's Law the "Salt of the Earth"?
52. Isn't a "City on a Hill" to be an Example for the World?
53. Should We Limit the Areas to be Illuminated by Our "Light"?
54. How Can Christians be Resurrected Before the Millennium?
55. Doesn't God's Kingdom Grow Slowly Until it Fills the Earth?
56. Doesn't "Leaven" Mean Victory?
57. Didn't Christ’s Kingdom Begin Before the Crucifixion?
58. Wasn't Satan Cast Out of Heaven During Jesus' Earthly Ministry?
59. Isn't Faith Progressively Productive Until Christians Win?
60. How Can Satan Rule the World if Power Comes from Righteousness?
61. Aren't Christians Supposed to Crush Satan?
62. What Can Possibly Interrupt Christ's Dominion?
63. Isn't Christ's Kingdom in this World?
64. Doesn't the New Testament Teach that Christians are Powerful?
65. Aren't Christians Supposed to Execute Judgment?
66. Why Shouldn't Christians Become Civil Rulers and Enforce God's Law?
67. Doesn't the Bible Require an Appeals Court?
68. Won't the Resurrection Take Place After the Millennium?
69. Won't Men Live Longer as God's Kingdom Progresses?
70. Doesn't Christ's Kingdom Expand Over Time?
71. Doesn't God Want His "Heirs" to Inherit Everything?
72. Didn't The Prophets Foresee the Church Age?
73. Didn't David Foresee the Church Age?
74. Didn't Moses Foresee the Church Age?
75. Aren't There Two Kinds of Salvation?

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

I put this into two posts because the other thread with all 75 questions never showed up for me.

Now, 5 minutes later, they all showed up. But, I am just going to leave both up.

bbyrd009 · Apr 4, 2019

Willie T said:
I put this into two posts because the other thread with all 75 questions never showed up for me.

Now, 5 minutes later, they all showed up. But, I am just going to leave both up.

I think you posted three!

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

I really don't know what I may have done. My connection to this forum has been fouling up for two days, and sometimes taking two minutes or more to respond to most any input.

Angelina · Apr 4, 2019

Interesting questions.

Stranger · Apr 4, 2019

Perhaps the book should be entitled '75 questions that if you cannot answer, or are unwilling to answer, you have no business being an instructor or teacher of the Bible to God's people'. I read all the questions. Many are just 'yes' or 'no' answers. Some require explanation. All are answerable.

Stranger

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

Stranger said:
Perhaps the book should be entitled '75 questions that if you cannot answer, or are unwilling to answer, you have no business being an instructor or teacher of the Bible to God's people'. I read all the questions. Many are just 'yes' or 'no' answers. Some require explanation. All are answerable.

Stranger

Yeah, that was my impression, too. UNTIL I read the book, and saw some of the answers the Bible College professors gave.

BTW, a "Yes" or "No" answer means nothing other than the fact that you can utter those two words, if you cannot, additionally, show why your answer is Biblical based.

FHII · Apr 4, 2019

Do you really want answers? I can answer some of them. But they won't be popular.

Enoch111 · Apr 4, 2019

FHII said:
Do you really want answers? I can answer some of them. But they won't be popular.

Was Dirty Harry in a popularity contest?

Enoch111 · Apr 4, 2019

Willie T said:
Mostly, the whole thing was dismissed as beneath the dignity of a "true Christian" to bother to respond to.

Well they were dismissed for the simply reason that they were there to somehow persuade people that Calvinism has some merit. Since it does not, why bother? Notice, this is already a loaded question:

Does God's Absolute Predestination Make Him Unfair?

Since predestination is never for salvation, it is eminently fair. Only those who are already saved are elected to be PERFECTED. That is logical, reasonable, fair, and just.

On the other hand, if predestination was for salvation (which is what is being presented) then it would not only be GROSSLY UNFAIR but a violation of Gospel truth.

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

No, I don't want even one answer to any of them. I just posted that to show us that when the rubber meets the road, the tired old arguments on both sides of the Calvinistic fence really do come up weak and short.

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

Stranger said:
Perhaps the book should be entitled '75 questions that if you cannot answer, or are unwilling to answer, you have no business being an instructor or teacher of the Bible to God's people'. I read all the questions. Many are just 'yes' or 'no' answers. Some require explanation. All are answerable.

Stranger

That "Unqualified to be teaching if you won't answer" was really the whole premise of the book.

FHII · Apr 4, 2019

Enoch111 said:
Was Dirty Harry in a popularity contest?

My avatar isn't Dirty Harry... But it's the same guy!

Ok... Willie T and Enoch111. Let's make it a challenge! I can answer them all! Here are the rules:

1. I must do so in 15 minutes. I get 1 minute extra to set it up.
2. Lightening round answers. 1-3 word answers with a short 10 word or less explanation.
3. It doesn't matter if you think I am right or wrong, but the answers must be reasonable. I can't give off the wall answers like "no, because Chicken soup is good for colds".
4. I get 5 passes.
6. If I win ( by answering all questions except my 5 defaults), you must give me a thumbs up emoji or a trophy emoji. PLUS you must by me the first round of coffee, soft drink or beer if we ever meet.
7. If I lose, I will post the turd emoji or the face of shame emoji, PLUS I must buy the second round of coffee, soft drink or beer if we ever meet.

FHII · Apr 4, 2019

Oh

Willie T said:
No, I don't want even one answer to any of them. I just posted that to show us that when the rubber meets the road, the tired old arguments on both sides of the Calvinistic fence really do come up weak and short.

Oh., Ok.Never mind the challenge then. Yea... I agree.

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

That's kind of what I mean.... Most of the answers any of us would give WOULD be the quick, pat, responses we have been trained to give (from either side) And the rest of the answers would be nonsensical nothings, designed to dazzle with BS.

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

BTW this is one of the 40, or so, books I have on my computer in MS WORD Format, and I can email it to anyone who wants to see the rest of what was said.

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

If people really WANT to give some sort of answer, I happen to think #25 is one of the best to try and answer.

FHII · Apr 4, 2019

Willie T said:
That's kind of what I mean.... Most of the answers any of us would give WOULD be the quick, pat, responses we have been trained to give (from either side) And the rest of the answers would be nonsensical nothings, designed to dazzle with BS.

Well let's go further in thought with this. They are all difficult questions, but questions we may face from unbelievers. How are we to answer on the spot?

This is why I think studying and meditating on doctrine is so important. Some of the questions may be unanswerable. But certainly we can have a thoughtful response beyond, "only God knows".

I am not for dazzling with BS. In that case it's better to admit ignorance. And if this is about Calvinism, I get a bit touchy about it because not many who complain about Calvinism have read his work. There is a whole set of different questions about his teachings if you have been exposed to them and not this modern version of Calvinism we have all come to know and groan about.

Willie T · Apr 4, 2019

FHII said:
Well let's go further in thought with this. They are all difficult questions, but questions we may face from unbelievers. How are we to answer on the spot?

This is why I think studying and meditating on doctrine is so important. Some of the questions may be unanswerable. But certainly we can have a thoughtful response beyond, "only God knows".

I am not for dazzling with BS. In that case it's better to admit ignorance. And if this is about Calvinism, I get a bit touchy about it because not many who complain about Calvinism have read his work. There is a whole set of different questions about his teachings if you have been exposed to them and not this modern version of Calvinism we have all come to know and groan about.

This is the exact reason I went back and spent almost three weeks on trying to answer these questions rather than just going by what I have been told to say over the years..

We really CAN'T answer some of these

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