Central Church - Who We Are

Question: What does 1 Samuel 16:14 mean when it is saying "But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him"?

Answer: There are two possibilities: (1) This is a fallen spirit in league with Satan but being used by God in His sovereign purposes to accomplish his will, though Satan would believe that he is getting his way with Saul. God would be judging Saul by using the evil spirit, whose intent is evil and to destroy Saul, though God's intent is to move Saul to repentance, if he will receive it. (2) The spirit is a servant of God but what he will accomplish is "evil" in the sense of "not good." That is, God is sending him for a purpose that is one of divine judgment, not blessing, and that can be termed "evil," though God's intent is not to destroy Saul but to lead him to repentance through this chastisement. Saul, and others, however, see it from the perspective only of the pain it brings and so it is termed "evil." The first option finds a parallel in Job's experience. The second in a statement like the one found in Ecclesiastes 9:1, "no man knows whether love or hate awaits him," where it likely means no one knows whether God will bring prosperity into his life or tragedy, termed as love or hate from God.

Randall Johnson

Question: I can definitely see how God can be grieved by what humans do, but the passage in Genesis 6 seens so extreme and makes it harder to understand than relating to the passage in Ephesians. Verse 6 of the NIV says that God was grieved that He had made man so He planned to wipe mankind from the face of the earth. The only other translation I have is the Catholic translation, and it says that God regretted that He had made man. Can God really regret something that He did? Doesn't that imply imperfection? Obviously God is perfect, so my feeble, human mind cannot comprehend this. Is there a valid explanation to this that I'm overlooking? Or is it something that we are not meant to fully understand?

Answer: As to the Genesis 6 passage, it may be that we cannot fully understand the heart and mind of God. But let me give you a few things to ponder. One, the Bible clearly teaches that God does not change (1 Sam. 15:29; Mal. 3:6; James 1:17). Two, the Bible does speak of God in human terms (Ps. 102:2, etc.) , a figure of speech called anthropomorphism. But this figure of speech likens God to humans, suggesting that they are similar, not exact, in some respects. There is a similarity to humans and God in terms of the emotions felt in this situation that is most graphically expressed by likening God to us. This helps us understand God's feelings better. So, three, what is being expressed in the passage in Genesis 6 is that God is not unemotional about our sin. In fact, it creates a painful feeling in Him and moves Him to action. That is not to say that He didn't plan that this was going to happen (because He did), or that He now wished He hadn't planned it this way or didn't realize it was going to turn out this way. Rather, it is a graphic way of saying that He was personally hurt when humanity turned its back on Him, hurt because He loves us, hurt because we could have avoided so much pain, hurt because He must deal justly with mankind and that meant destruction of His treasured creation. God did not coolly and unemotionally decide to flood the earth and kill every living thing except Noah and his family and representative species of animals. And He did not just do it in some fit of anger and resentment. It was painful.

Ephesians 4:30 suggests the same thing. God the Holy Spirit is grieved, emotionally hurt, when we relate to each other in destructive ways like lying, unwholesome speech, damaging anger, theft and any other behavior that destroys the unity of the Body of Christ. Our response of anger is so often a by-product of our hurt. In fact, we cover over our hurt with our anger. God doesn't do that. He embraces the pain and hurt and lives in it, and He acts consistently with what is the right thing to do without losing control. This becomes an example for us to not harden ourselves against the prospect of being hurt, which, in effect, kills part of our soul.

Randall Johnson

Question: Is there any mention of dinosaurs in the Bible?

Answer: There are some who have speculated that the Leviathan and Behemoth mentioned in Job 40 & 41 could be dinosaurs. The description of Behemoth's tail swaying like a cedar (v. 17) and Leviathan's invulnerability to spears and hooks and snorts of flashing light and fire does not seem exactly right for the usually suggested identifications of these creatures as the hippo and the crocodile. Those familiar with Hebrew poetry, however, suggest that the descriptions are not meant literally (was there a dinosaur who breathed fire) but are exaggerated descriptions meant to contrast God's power in subduing all he has created as opposed to man's inability to do so.

If these are not descriptions of dinosaurs, and they are probably not, then there are three explanations for how they fit into the Biblical description of the animal kingdom. One answer has been that there was a time prior to the description of God's ordering of the creation in Genesis 1 in which great creatures like the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Genesis 1 then presupposes a previous ordering of creation that went bad, perhaps due to conflict with Satan. Though a popular view at one time, this view has fallen into disrepute. It was based on a supposed possible translation of Genesis 1:2 ("and the earth became without form and void") that is no longer viewed as possible.

The second possibility is that the Genesis record is not intended as a literal account of creation but one that allows for the evolutionary process to fill out the description given there. In this case, the Genesis account is said to allow for millions and millions of years to transpire, during which dinosaurs could have come and gone, just as science observes they did, and that they disappeared before Man's appearance on the scene.

If, however, one takes the timing of Genesis 1 as a literal six days, the best explanation seems to be that dinosaurs were created during the fifth and sixth day along with all the other creatures. They may have had favorable conditions that allowed them to grow to huge proportions, conditions that no longer exist since the flood. Some propose a water canopy that surrounded the earth creating tropical conditions all over the world and diffusing harmful UV rays, changed the density of the air and allowed for much longer lives. Once this canopy was dissipated at the flood, creatures, including man, were no longer able to live as long or grow as large. Extinction would account for the disappearance of several species.

If the last two views are correct, the Bible mentions dinosaurs but without specific identification. They were some of the sea, air and land creatures God made just like all the rest.

Randall Johnson

Question: Why does 1 Kings 4:26 say Solomon had 40,000 stalls or horses for his chariots and 2 Chronicles 9:25 says he had 4,000? This is used by people I know to defend that the Bible is not historically accurate but has blatant errors.

Answer: Instead of using numbers the Hebrew writers used letters to spell out names of numbers. The word for 40 is arba im and the word for 4 is arba ah. In the Hebrew these look even more alike than I can represent in the English version of the words I just put there for you. A number of copyists got the number correct, apparently, as agrees with the Chronicles figure, but some got it wrong and their mistake was copied over and over through generations of manuscripts and became standardized in the main manuscript tradition (the Massoretic tradition) that our Old Testament translation is based on. As we have uncovered other textual or manuscript traditions we have found the "4,000" number in 1 Kings in their manuscripts. If you are the kind of person who accepts the Bible as authoritative, you believe that apparent discrepancies will be figured out eventually, especially since you've seen the Bible proved historically accurate in so many other instances. If you are predisposed to see it as a product of human foibles, you will not want to give it that chance but will be quicker to accept something as a hopeless contradiction.

Why does the writer of Kings and Chronicles even care to mention how many horses Solomon had? Two reasons have been given: (1) He wanted to highlight how wealthy God had made Solomon. (2) He wanted to foreshadow that Solomon was already in a small way turning from God to dependence on a physical army. In Deuteronomy 17 future kings are warned not to multiply horses, that is, not to become dependent on powerful armies instead of God. The author may be hinting that Solomon was already beginning to do that and was in violation of the Law of Moses.

Randall Johnson

Question: To what or whom does the thief in John 10:10 refer? I heard someone identify the thief as the Law of Moses.

Answer: The purpose of Jesus' discussion about the sheep is to declare his commitment to the sheep in contrast with that of the present religious leadership and to declare the future inclusion of new sheep not of Israel's flock. In this description Jesus depicts two kinds of people who have vied to be the shepherds of God's people: (1) thieves and robbers (whom Jesus says fits all those who came before him) and (2) the hired hand. Both are committed to themselves and ultimately care nothing for the sheep.

To say that the Law of Moses is the thief that only comes to steal, kill and destroy is a suspect interpretation. The Law is never depicted by Jesus or the apostles as something that is evil. It is something that Jesus came to fulfill and whose statutes will never pass away. The Law is "holy, righteous and good" according to Paul (Romans 7:12). The problem with the Law is not the Law itself, but the human heart's inability to keep it. Paul says the "law was powerless" to free us from the law of sin and death "in that it was weakened by the sinful nature" (Romans 8:3). He says the "law is good if one uses it properly" (1 Timothy 1:8). It is not the law that is the thief but fallen human beings who might seek to make the requirements of the law our basis for salvation, rather than the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

If there were any particular face we might put on the thief Jesus speaks about, it would be Satan. He is everywhere described as one who seeks to "devour" us (1 Peter 5:8). He may feign concern and care for us, but he only cares about himself and will quickly discard us once his purpose for us is served.

Randall Johnson

Question: I have a Christian friend who battles with mental illness. She, at times, is suicidal and has attempted suicide several times. My question is, "If one commits suicide will they be forgiven and still go to heaven? Are there any unforgivable sins?"

Answer: It is wonderful that your friend has someone like you to support her during her battles with mental illness. I trust she is also receiving counsel from one trained to deal with the suicidal behaviors you say she exhibits. As her friend, it will be important for you to alert someone who can intervene should it seem she is likely to harm herself in any way. As to your question about suicide or any other sin that could be unforgivable, here are some thoughts. First, if your friend is a Christian, meaning she has a personal relationship with Christ believing in His death on the cross as payment for all of her sins (past, present, future), the simple answer is, "No." No sin escapes the full payment that Christ made on the cross for her. His atonement on the cross was complete and a once-for-all-time event (Hebrews 9:25-28; 10:10; I Peter 3:18). No matter how evil our sins, there is pardon for them (I John 1:9). The unpardonable sin is actually an issue of a person so hardening his/her heart toward the truth of the Gospel that this person dies in unbelief. So, as far as your friend is concerned, if she is a Christian, there is nothing that can separate her from the love of God (Rom 8:38-39)...not even suicide.

Additionally, there are some other important, sobering aspects to consider regarding this subject. Suicide is a sign of hopelessness, which from a Christian perspective leaves God out of the picture. Hope should be a quality in the life of every growing Christian and should be strongest during times of suffering.

Another major concern for Christians is the belief that God is the source of life to begin with. If we believe that, then who are we to end prematurely what God has given us? We usually think of marriage when we read, "What God has joined together, let man not separate" (Matthew 19:6, NIV). But if we believe that God gives us life just as He breathed the breath of life into Adam, then we dare not take the initiative to separate ourselves from that life flow. We must come to see that essentially any problem, given a month or a year or some amount of time, is capable of being solved.

From a purely spiritual perspective, death isn't something we should fear. In a particularly honest moment, the Apostle Paul even confessed that he had given the matter some thought: "I’m torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ. That would be far better for me, but it is better for you that I live" (Philippians 1:23-24). This wasn't a consideration of suicide, but of the value of death over life.

Perhaps Paul's explanation provides the best possible anti-suicide logic. As human beings, and particularly as believers, we have an obligation to look beyond our own feelings and concerns. We see in the aftermath of suicide what a toll it takes on the friends and loved ones who remain. Suicide is perhaps the ultimate act of selfishness. People who take their own lives rob their families and friends of potential years of growth and affection.

To be sure, everyone's life contains a fair amount of suffering. In some cases, the amount of suffering is definitely unfair. Yet in the context of eternity, life, as well as suffering, is short.

Like Job, we cry out in confusion and disappointment. Like Job, the best human advice we receive might seem to be, "Curse God and die!" Like Job, we may be unaware that God sees our every injustice and hears our every cry, because all we feel is pain and frustration. And like Job, if we can persevere through the trials, God will eventually restore a sense of stability to life and reward our faithfulness.

Bill Bellican

Question: There are different opinions on the Rapture. Some wait in anticipation of it and others say that it is not going to happen. Some also say that the bad or evil are the ones to be taken out of this world and others say it will be those in Christ. There is also belief that a lot of what is mentioned in Revelations has in fact already taken place. Example would be the "abomination of desolation" standing in the holy place. Some believe this was fulfilled when the Romans conquered Jerusalem. What are your views?

Answer: The Bible clearly says in 1 Thess. 4:13-18 that there will be a catching up (v.17) of living believers to meet the Lord in the clouds at his return. This will be immediately following the resurrection of deceased believers and the rejoining of their bodies and spirits, the latter being brought by Jesus when he comes (v.14). Though there are good arguments that this return of Jesus is the one at the end of the time of "great tribulation" (Mt. 24:21 KJV), it seems more likely to me that this is a return only to the air above the earth that occurs before the time of tribulation. This time of tribulation is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel 9:27 that the ruler (in my view, the antichrist) will break covenant with Israel and invade her land and desolate the sanctuary, which Jesus (Mt. 24:15-22) and the Revelation (Rev. 6-19) depicts as the beginning of the outpouring of God's wrath on the unbelieving of earth. Jesus does talk about a "taking" of people in Mt. 24:36-41, but this is at his coming to earth (not the clouds only) and, in parallel with the "taking" that occurred in Noah's day, is a taking in judgment of unbelievers. There is a sense in which the Roman conquest of Jerusalem was a foreshadowing of the tribulation but it was not the fulfillment of all that Jesus predicted. The abomination of desolation that Daniel described has not happened yet and cannot happen, of course, until the temple is rebuilt. The judgments of Revelation 6-19 have not occurred yet, but when they do they will be immediately followed by the second coming of Christ to earth to establish his kingdom.

Randall Johnson

Question: There are several Christian clichés that really bug me. One of them is when Christians say, "God is in control." This statement can mean two different things. It can mean that everything is within the limits of God's control or that God is controlling everything. The first is true, while the second is false. The first definition is true because God is guiding the overall course of history, and He can intervene however and whenever He chooses. However, God is not controlling every detail of our lives. People who say that God is in control of all things are implying that He is responsible for all the bad things which happen. You see, if God is in control, then He is the one killing babies, He is the one spreading sicknesses, He is the one causing war. Right this instant, someone is in pain, and if God is in control, then He is the one causing that pain. If God is in control, then He is the one responsible. Please, don't blame God. The Bible teaches us that God is not in control. That is why we pray: "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven...." We need to pray God's will shall be done on earth, because right now His will is not being done here. Demons are causing all kinds of evil, many people are living in rebellion to God, and many things are happening outside of the will of God. For example, God wishes that all people would be saved, but they are not. A day will come in the future, when every knee bows and every tongue confesses Jesus Christ as Lord. Then He will fill all and be in all, with His perfect will being done throughout heaven and earth. During the present time, God is not controlling everything. That's the problem: things are out of control. Praise God He does intervene in this world at times. Think about that: If God was controlling everything He never could intervene in the affairs of this world. Intervention would be meaningless if God was already controlling everything. Yet, the Bible reveals to us a God who frequently intervenes in the affairs of humanity. He answers prayer. He acts whenever and however He chooses. Yet, He intervenes selectively. He does not control everything. Hence, we must act. He wants us to be His vessels, His voice, and His hands in this world.

Answer: When God called Moses to go and bring His people out of Egypt, Moses complained that he was slow of speech and tongue. God said, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" (Exodus 4:11). Jesus taught us that our heavenly Father takes care of birds and flowers (Matthew 6:26,30) and that not one sparrow will fall to the ground without the will of our Father (Matthew 10:29). The Bible also teaches that every casting of the lot brings a decision from the Lord (Proverbs 16:33) and that a decision that Joseph's brothers meant for evil God meant for good (Genesis 50:20). God tells Ezekiel, in regard to the idolatrous elders of Israel coming to him for a word from Yahweh also, "If the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the LORD have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand and destroy him from among my people Israel. They will bear their guilt -- the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him" (Ezekiel 14:9,10). All this is to say that God does not seem embarrassed to take credit for some pretty nasty things and that He seems to be concerned about the smallest details of life. I do not by this mean to imply that He takes moral responsibility for evil decisions or tragic occurrences, because He puts all the blame on mankind and the fall for that. Nevertheless, He represents Himself as controlling all that occurs, good and bad, and establishes His sovereignty in the world. We may have a qualm about Him causing all things and yet not taking moral responsibility for evil, but as Paul says, "One of you will say to me: 'Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?'" In other words, why does God not take moral responsibility but put it squarely on our shoulders when no one is able to resist doing whatever He purposes for them to do? Paul's answer: "But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" (Romans 9:19,20).

Randall Johnson

Question: David is called a man after God's own heart, yet we know of his adultery and schemes to have Uriah murdered. How is this reconciled?

Answer: Like Saul, David fell into sin (spurred, no doubt, by arrogance). Saul tried to shift the blame to others when confronted by Samuel (1 Samuel 13:1-15). David, on the other hand, when confronted by Nathan, broke down in contrition and repented (2 Samuel 12:1-14). His psalms about this time (32 and 51) indicate that he was struggling with guilt and remorse all the time up to this point. This indicates that he had a heart after God's heart, and that he felt the separation from God as painful, unlike Saul, who just seemed to be upset about how others would perceive him.

The phrase, "a man after God's own heart" is meant to describe the general tenor of David's life, rather than a specific period in his life when he was definitely not acting in accord with God's heart. God looks at our lives as a whole and not just in terms of the bad parts. Abraham was described by God as unwavering (Romans 4:20), yet we know that his faith momentarily wavered at times (when he lied about Sarah being his wife, twice, and when he produced a child through Hagar). But the general tenor of his faith was unwavering, and that is what God graciously comments on.

Randall Johnson

Question: In one of my conversations with a mother of a retarded child, she told me that she was visiting a church in this area and was in a Sunday School class discussing the "age of accountability". Someone in the class raised the question of where do babies go when they die? (pre-birth or infant death.) The teacher had scripture to back up that babies are in Heaven with the Father (I think Matthew 18:10 and the story of David's child dying), but when asked about those who are incapacitated, the teacher had no answer and referred back to the age of 8 as the age of accountability. This mother's son is over 8 years old and she is terrified that because he cannot make a decision for Christ that he is doomed. This is a wedge of anger between her and her relationship with Christ.
Where in the Bible is the "age of accountability" discussed, and if it's there, what is it? (I don't recall ever reading about it.)
If a person is incapable mentally of making a decision for or against salvation or a relationship with Christ (whether it is because of retardation or some other mental condition), isn't that person under His grace?

Answer: In 2 Samuel 12:23 David, upon the death of his first son by Bathsheba almost immediately after birth, stopped his mourning and fasting and praying. He explained to his surprised servants, "Now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." Because the understanding of life after death was a cloudy one in the Old Testament, it is uncertain what David means. He will certainly go to his son in the sense that he will go to the grave, but David seems to suggest that he will go to him in some conscious way, and that helps him stop grieving as painfully.

In Matthew 18:10 Jesus remarks, "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." In 19:14 He says, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Neither of these passages directly says that children are automatically saved, but that the Father has special concern for them, listening always to angelic servants concerned about them, and that their kind of humility is what is necessary for kingdom access.

There is no passage that speaks to the issue of an age of accountability. Individuals become "accountable" at different ages, and we recognize that some never become "accountable" for decisions like trusting in the God of Creation. What we do know, however, is that our God is absolutely fair, loving, and wise. We can trust Him to do what is right by infants who die before they can believe, and by the mentally challenged who may be unable to believe. Our God is a God of grace.

It is important that this mother be encouraged to understand the loving heart of God, who desires that all would know Him and who has mercy on whomever he wills to have mercy. He loves her son and He loves her. She need not fear that He would mistreat her son.

Randall Johnson