I was at the One Day conference that you brought your friend to for a conversation. It was genuinely the first church-sanctioned event that showed love in that way. Not love in conversion, but simply love in conversation and understanding. Thank you so much for this video. It was a great reminder of not only the place of disbelief I came from, but where the intentional care from others has taken me in my relationship with Christ.
I appreciate the respectful way you address these questions. So often Christians treat all athiests as sinners, but some just have questions and want to understand. Sadly the Bible is just not very clear when searching for those kinds of answers. I'd love to check out your book.
I love listening to you John. I'm so excited every time you preach because I learn so much. I will usually listen 2 or 3 times just to pick up what you said. Because so often it is so profound and yet so simple. I have read your book and given it away to at least 3 other persons. It has helped me immensely. I highly recommend it to anyone listening to the podcast. I look forward to the next segment of these question answers.
I didn't know John had a book, would love a copy to read! Super appreciate you guys getting to the point at the end about how we are witnesses and we're not 'selling' Jesus/The Gospel to people. But that the best way is to be genuinely curious about other's views, beliefs, and experiences! Please do more Pods like this, super helpful/practical content.
John touched on some things tonight that we have been talking about in our Bible study group from West York. We have been studying Cold Case Christianity by James Warner Wallace. We have been talking a lot on how to answer tuff questions about how we can trust what the scriptures say are true, John mention Polycarp & Irenaeus who we just discussed in our Monday study group. Great discussion tonight, look forward to the next one.
You touched on the idea that love allows people to make a choice. God not did create us as "robots". If evil no longer exists in heaven, does that negate free will? Do we then no longer have a choice?
If God created us as robots, how do you think Lucifer and 1/3rd of the Angels were able to rebel against God and be cast out of Heaven? That happened in Heaven and before the fall of man in the garden of eden which makes me think that there is free will in Heaven.
@@Blinc32 I tend to agree. But I have a hard time doing the right thing in a 24 hr. period...doing it through eternity is going to be a bit of a challenge! 🥲
@@thommiller7866 I'm right there with you. Like Chad and John mentioned, if it was about perfectly living up to God's standards I would be out by 9am everyday. Paul explains in Romans 10:9-11 that when confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that God has raised Jesus from the dead that we are saved. (That's a paraphrase, you can look it up for yourself) So, my salvation and eternal security is based on Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. The resurrection being the sign that God accepted Christ's sacrifice as payment for my sins. And earlier in Romans Paul explains that once you've accepted Christ the only sinful part of you left is your flesh which dies with your body here on earth. So, in Heaven the sinful part of me is left behind. That's probably why God reveals to us that in Heaven we receive new bodies not affected by sin. Kinda heady to explain but if our earthly bodies are the parts of us, post-salvation, that are sinful and we get new bodies in Heaven then even if we are free, in Heaven, to sin we won't have anything in us that desires to. I've never thought all that out before, thoughts?
@@thommiller7866 @user-rm3ne6jr3x 0 seconds ago This is a great question - one that I have wrestled with often! The question is whether we become unable to sin or able to sin but choose not to. Ultimately we are not given a whole lot of information about this - but here is my best shot at this point . . . You start with 1 Cor 15:36-38 - "When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed." Paul is talking about our physical bodies here but goes on to indicate overall that there is a fundamental change that occurs within us in which we no longer want to be a part of the darkness.. In the same way that Jesus chose the way of obedience on this earth and now is in a glorified state in heaven, we too will change. We become more like Jesus who was 'pecare non posse' (unable to sin because of His divine nature). This comes about, though, from the decision here to be like Jesus - so in the eternal scheme of things we chose to be in a state that no longer is able to sin - which cannot be robotic. Does that make sense?
Hey - just checking to see if you got my answer - I submitted it but sometimes I see it and sometimes I don't. I see it now below, but wanted to make sure you got it.
I was at the One Day conference that you brought your friend to for a conversation. It was genuinely the first church-sanctioned event that showed love in that way. Not love in conversion, but simply love in conversation and understanding. Thank you so much for this video. It was a great reminder of not only the place of disbelief I came from, but where the intentional care from others has taken me in my relationship with Christ.
I appreciate the respectful way you address these questions. So often Christians treat all athiests as sinners, but some just have questions and want to understand. Sadly the Bible is just not very clear when searching for those kinds of answers.
I'd love to check out your book.
I really love when John speaks and shares and explains with humor and intelligence! More please!
I love listening to you John. I'm so excited every time you preach because I learn so much. I will usually listen 2 or 3 times just to pick up what you said. Because so often it is so profound and yet so simple. I have read your book and given it away to at least 3 other persons. It has helped me immensely. I highly recommend it to anyone listening to the podcast. I look forward to the next segment of these question answers.
I didn't know John had a book, would love a copy to read! Super appreciate you guys getting to the point at the end about how we are witnesses and we're not 'selling' Jesus/The Gospel to people. But that the best way is to be genuinely curious about other's views, beliefs, and experiences!
Please do more Pods like this, super helpful/practical content.
More more more... this was a great listen. Could you do more podcasts with John. Or does he have his own podcast?
John touched on some things tonight that we have been talking about in our Bible study group from West York. We have been studying Cold Case Christianity by James Warner Wallace. We have been talking a lot on how to answer tuff questions about how we can trust what the scriptures say are true, John mention Polycarp & Irenaeus who we just discussed in our Monday study group. Great discussion tonight, look forward to the next one.
PS- would really love more apologetics at LCBC
Awesome content! I tried to find John's book...but was not able to...where can we find it?
"Evil is a gamble in the choice of true love." Wow!
Garcia Margaret Gonzalez Charles Thomas George
Perez Brian Lopez Patricia Davis Robert
Lewis Jason Thomas Jessica Anderson James
You touched on the idea that love allows people to make a choice. God not did create us as "robots". If evil no longer exists in heaven, does that negate free will? Do we then no longer have a choice?
If God created us as robots, how do you think Lucifer and 1/3rd of the Angels were able to rebel against God and be cast out of Heaven? That happened in Heaven and before the fall of man in the garden of eden which makes me think that there is free will in Heaven.
@@Blinc32 I tend to agree. But I have a hard time doing the right thing in a 24 hr. period...doing it through eternity is going to be a bit of a challenge! 🥲
@@thommiller7866 I'm right there with you. Like Chad and John mentioned, if it was about perfectly living up to God's standards I would be out by 9am everyday.
Paul explains in Romans 10:9-11 that when confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that God has raised Jesus from the dead that we are saved. (That's a paraphrase, you can look it up for yourself) So, my salvation and eternal security is based on Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. The resurrection being the sign that God accepted Christ's sacrifice as payment for my sins.
And earlier in Romans Paul explains that once you've accepted Christ the only sinful part of you left is your flesh which dies with your body here on earth.
So, in Heaven the sinful part of me is left behind.
That's probably why God reveals to us that in Heaven we receive new bodies not affected by sin.
Kinda heady to explain but if our earthly bodies are the parts of us, post-salvation, that are sinful and we get new bodies in Heaven then even if we are free, in Heaven, to sin we won't have anything in us that desires to.
I've never thought all that out before, thoughts?
@@thommiller7866
@user-rm3ne6jr3x
0 seconds ago
This is a great question - one that I have wrestled with often! The question is whether we become unable to sin or able to sin but choose not to. Ultimately we are not given a whole lot of information about this - but here is my best shot at this point . . . You start with 1 Cor 15:36-38 - "When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed." Paul is talking about our physical bodies here but goes on to indicate overall that there is a fundamental change that occurs within us in which we no longer want to be a part of the darkness.. In the same way that Jesus chose the way of obedience on this earth and now is in a glorified state in heaven, we too will change. We become more like Jesus who was 'pecare non posse' (unable to sin because of His divine nature). This comes about, though, from the decision here to be like Jesus - so in the eternal scheme of things we chose to be in a state that no longer is able to sin - which cannot be robotic. Does that make sense?
Hey - just checking to see if you got my answer - I submitted it but sometimes I see it and sometimes I don't. I see it now below, but wanted to make sure you got it.