Was Satan the cause or the result of Adam and Eve's sin?

Q. Someone I was talking to said that since God can have nothing to do with evil, that Adam and Eve created Satan at the time of their sin. I know this is wrong, but I don't know how to respond. Do you know of any resource for me or him?

A. Thanks for your question Bruce. First of all you are correct. The person you were talking to was wrong. Man did not create the devil by their sin. They were tempted into their sin by the devil. It is always good to remember that the devil is not the equal opposite of God, but merely a fallen angel. He is a created being that became evil (sometime after Genesis 1:31 and before Genesis 3:1) that perhaps could be compared to a fallen version of the arkangel Michael. Some believe that Isaiah 14:12-15 may also describe the fall of Satan since Isaiah’s language seems to go beyond what could refer merely to the earthly king of Babylon. Ezekiel 28 is also believed to refer to the original state and subsequent fall of Satan, in the hyperbolic description of the king of Tyre.

As far as a resource for you to turn to on your own, I would recommend any well accepted book on systematic theology. We have a number of single volumes as well as sets in the several in the Church Library (Grudem, Bloesch, Chafer, Duffield & Van Cleave, Erickson, Finney, Oden, Otis, Wiley & Culbertson,) at the call number 230 or 230.046. Look up Satan in the index and find the section that deals with Satan and the nature of evil.

Do mentally challenged people go to Heaven?

Q: Do mentally challenged people who can't understand the concept of God go to heaven?

You asked if mentally challenged people who can't understand the concept of God can go to heaven. The simple answer is, “yes.”

I think there is a misunderstanding among some regarding faith – that faith is the acceptance of a truth proposition.  Yes, God reveals truth.  But more importantly, God reveals Himself in a personal way and invites us to know Him.  The Gospel story is one of love, centered on the cross, where the God who loves us looked at our helpless state and chose to bear the penalty of our sins so that we would know eternal life with Him.  The love of God is central to faith and it is the biblical message that is proclaimed from the first chapter of Genesis through the promise of a New Earth in Revelation.

You may be familiar with the passage in the Bible about children coming to Jesus.  It is in Matthew 19.  In it, Jesus blesses some little children.  It goes like this:

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 19:13-14 - ESV)

I think you would agree with me that mentally challenged people frequently express a child-like kind of love.  Note that the response of the children was not from their understanding of concepts, but of their love of Jesus.  What is interesting about this little story is that it is surrounded by stories of learned men coming to Jesus to ask about what He was teaching.  The Pharisees wanted to quibble over various understandings of the law.  The rich man wanted to know how to earn his way to Heaven through his behavior.  Even his own disciples didn’t understand the significance of the children’s’ response to Jesus – these children were the kinds of people to whom belong the kingdom of God!  The children simply desired to be in His presence and to enjoy Him.  We still need to share Christ with the mentally challenged and to take seriously their ability to respond to God’s love.  We should never underestimate the ability of the Holy Spirit to speak through the disabled mind and into the fully responsive heart.  There may be situations where the impairment is extreme – and you might wonder if even the love of God can be felt.  This is where we pray and trust God and remember our own faith in the good Creator who protects the innocent and charges us with the same.  

This is a personal question for me since my own son is a mentally challenged adult.  He cannot comprehend things many people take for granted.  But he knows what it means to be loved and what it means to love.  We teach concepts he can understand, but more importantly, we introduced him to Jesus so that he would know Him as we do.  In fact, as his love for Jesus is unfettered and secure, he is frequently the one teaching us.  I say with all humility that I sometimes wonder who has the mental challenge. Who among us can comprehend all there is to know about God?  Perhaps the best answer to your question about whether the mentally challenged go to Heaven is, “yes, we do.”  


Thank you for your question.  Feel free to contact me if you’d like to have more discussion about this.

Why doesn't God answer prayer right away?

Q: Why does God not answer our prayers right away?

It can be hard to understand when we pray and have to wait for an answer. However I don’t think that it is necessarily accurate to say that he doesn’t answer right away. I would follow up you question with another question: What makes you think that he hasn’t answered your question? By what matrix are you judging whether he has answered or not? If we expect God to do what we want and he doesn’t do it and we are still waiting for it to be done it would appear that he hasn’t answered, that he hasn’t come through for us. We have all probably been in that place at one time or another.

It may be helpful to consider what God’s loving, wise, answer to our prayer might be. There are at least three different answers possible:

• Yes
• No
• Not yet.

What would each of these answers look like in your situation? Take some time to consider this, even writing out your answer. Are you still sure he hasn’t answered?

All three of the responses above are answers to prayer, but sometimes if it is not an immediate “Yes” we might think that he hasn’t answered. In those times when it seems that what we asked was according to God’s will, but has not come to pass yet, we need to default back to the character of God. He is always good, holy, loving, faithful, wise, and powerful. We can praise Him for who he is, even and especially, when we are still waiting for deliverance, healing, and vindication. I love the Psalms because they show us how to communicate honestly with God, and how to trust in his character even when we don’t see his answer yet.

Once you finish answering the question above, if you want I would like to see your answer. Then I will add my annotation to the Yes, No, Not yet.

What About "The Shack?"

Q: What's your opinion on the book The Shack? I understand it's written by an author who is a Christian but I've heard stuff that is critical.

I assume from your question that you have read it. What did you think? How did you respond? I have asked many people about The Shack and to a person if they have read the book then they were profoundly moved by the love of God, even though the most horrific tragedies and traumas of life. And to a person, if they have read the critiques and not the book they were incensed at the perceived theological liberties taken.

William Paul Young is a gifted writer who wrote a moving book about a man who encountered the living Triune God at the worst point of pain imaginable and he discovered God’s love, care and forgiveness. At a time when Christianity is being generally maligned by our culture as insensitive and condemning, this book has impacted people who long to know God as a loving and forgiving Father. For those who have suffered pain that has left them unable to resolve their world with the thought of such a loving Father, the book is a Godsend.

Yes, there are a number of things to critique if you were reading The Shack as a book of theology, which it isn't. It is a fictional novel. Just as in the Narnia series by CS Lewis, if it was held to the standard of a theological treatise, it would be found wanting. The most obvious theological issue of the book is that of presenting God the Father as a human. In doing so, Young emphasizes the personal nature of the Father – characterized by grace, mercy and love – without including any portrayal of the righteousness of the Father – characterized by holiness, justice and even wrath. To the person who does not know the God of the Bible, that leads to a misunderstanding regarding the seriousness of God’s plan for mankind and the reason Jesus came to die a substitutionary death on the cross. The demands of God’s righteousness met the provision of his personal care at the cross, where God Himself did what we could not. The cross, the central revelation of Scripture, is where the love of God meets the wrath of God. And we can learn this all in the Bible.

Which brings up another important issue regarding Young’s book: the relative absence of direct Scriptural quotes from the Bible. Young puts words into God’s mouth, but they are rarely directly from the one source that we understand to be God’s revelation of Himself. It would have been helpful if Sarayu (the Holy Spirit) had made clear the connection between how “she” peaks into the spirit of a man and the Word where that interaction takes place – the Bible.

Having said that, in our opinion, many of the criticisms leveled against The Shack are out of step with the tone of the book, which is fictional and not theological. Though there are some legitimate concerns, it really is a good story and a good read. Story can be very powerful and effective at importing a message into the heart, and for many people, The Shack has been a doorway to a re-engagement with God. I encourage people to read it and then talk about it. And remember, that author (Young) wrote about another Author (God). If you liked The Shack, you really need to read the book by the Author of whom Young wrote, the Bible. Then you can have your own encounter with the living Triune God!

Statements & Questions from a Seeker

Statement: I have lately been studying religion on my own and while never having read the Bible, I believe that I have gleaned a decent amount of knowledge though other books and Wikipedia. I honestly find the Bible a bit difficult to understand properly.

Answer: The Bible is not really so hard to understand properly. It was written in plain language so that people could read and hear the voice of God. Reading about the Bible without reading it is a bit like dating a picture of a girl. There is no relationship until you are with the living, breathing, face-to-face girl in the picture. I would encourage you to get a copy and begin reading in the New Testament. If you have questions, our pastors would be more than happy to answer questions (as we do here).

My questions are these . . .
Q. In the days of Jesus, the hand of God seemed to be plainly visible on the Earth. Why did God need to make His presence seen more then He does now? Where did God go?
A. God is plainly visible in the Earth. That did not depend upon Jesus. God’s fingerprints are evident everywhere. The Bible teaches that the skies themselves proclaim the glory of God. From my perspective, as a pastor, I do see Him plainly, as do believers who open their eyes to see what He is doing. You’ve heard it said that “seeing is believing.” But in God’s economy, “believing is seeing,” which is why it is important to seek God in faith. Jesus’ entry in to the world was not so that God could be seen, but so that sin could be atoned for by His sacrificial death. It would be interesting to be able to sit with you and speak about this. We could review a series of Scriptures that deal with this question.

Q. In addition to Earth, is there any belief that God created other worlds?
A. God created a distinctly different spiritual world that is populated by angelic beings, and that is part of the biblical record. In addition, there are creatures in Heaven who are distinct from men and angels. As for whether there are planets that are populated in the universe, the Bible does not address that. Traditionally, Christians have not viewed the Universe to be populated apart from Earth.

Q. What is the reasoning behind going to church instead of learning of and worshiping God in your own way?
A. Jesus’ introduction of the New Covenant, which is the covenant under which the church exists, is that we would love one another, as He loved us. The church is a community and Christianity is defined by Jesus as a fellowship of the sons and daughters of God. To be a Christian and not be in communion with other believers makes no sense – a kind of spiritual oxymoron. Furthermore, getting to know God takes place within the context of community (as He prescribed it) and not in isolation. Christianity is not a set of facts we acknowledge and agree to, it is the presence of the living God in a very real relationship – and we are aware of His presence – in our lives individually and more so collectively. Worship is one of the expressions of that.

Q. I'm unemployed and don't have much money. If I came to church would I still need to pay a tithe? What is the purpose of tithing besides supporting the church? Is there a religious reason?
A. We do not require anyone to tithe. The New Testament doesn’t prescribe tithes. Rather, we are told to make gifts and offerings out of our heart’s desire – God loves a cheerful giver. You are under no obligation to our church to pay a tithe. However, I want to help you understand the nature of the concept of the tithe (Old Testament) and giving (New Testament). Our giving is an act of trust in the God who said that if we will give faithfully, He will honor that giving. The Sabbath is a similar concept. One day a week I put aside productive time (during which I could earn money) and God says that if I will trust Him, I will not have suffered for giving that up, but would in fact be blessed. The Sabbath becomes a day of rest and a time to enjoy relationships with God and others. You should only give as an act of faith, and not out of obligation.

You have asked some intriguing questions. We would love to meet with you and answer these questions if you are interested. Just give us a call or meet us between services.
Pastor Mark

Statements and Questions from a Skeptic

Statement: I don’t believe, and never will, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
Never will? If I could provide him with convincing proof, would you still say that? The Bible is absolutely clear on this, so your questions hinges on the reliability of the Bible. Are you willing to do the homework to discover the reasons why we know it to be reliable? I can point you in any number of directions to learn this on your own if this is your major stumbling block. A careful study of all the facts will give you confidence in its reliability. There is a historically verifiable path you can follow – real places, real people, witnesses and evidence.

Statement: I’ve read a lot about other religions, and they claim to have answers, too.

I like to summarize comparative religion in a nutshell like this…All religions in the world basically establish the format, regulations, and requirements, whereby mankind can earn his way back to God, heaven, Nirvana, etc. Christianity is different, because, right from the outset it admits that this is impossible to accomplish. Further it states that God in his love for us came down to us (since we couldn’t make it to up him), took our place. Christianity is a relationship with the One who saves me from my own rebellious, selfish, harmful actions and even our well-intentioned, but weak efforts at altruistic behavior.

The distinction that I like to make regarding other religions is that of revelation (in other words, God reveals it). Man has always sought to understand the nature of God. Unless man rejects God all together, he is left to wonder and to try to come to conclusions about what God must be like, which accounts for the many varieties of religion in the world. Man also seeks to understand how to be made right, knowing that he has failed some kind of moral code that he senses in his own heart. But God did not leave us to figure out for ourselves. He came and lived as a man so that we would know. He did not leave us to repay or make up for every sin we have committed. He died for our sins in order that they would be settled in the eternal account of grace and mercy that God provides. And He left a witness not only in the Bible, but importantly, in the Holy Spirit who speaks into the heart of all who seek Him earnestly. The questions that other religions leave unanswered are answered completely in Jesus Christ.

Question: What about Heaven and Hell? How can someone who has never heard of Jesus be condemned to hell? Hell must be filling up pretty fast if every person who has ever lived without hearing about Jesus is in hell.

This is the uneasy reality of the honor God has bestowed on man’s free will. We are not forced to go to heaven. God says that there is enough witness in nature itself for men to acknowledge Him. In our day and age, such an acknowledgement will lead to openness to the Gospel, which answers the very question in man’s heart – “if you are out here God, do I matter and will you speak to me?” The resounding answer is yes and yes. The fact is that men’s hearts are inclined inward and we reject God, until He does something to replace our “heart of stone” with a “heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). He doesn’t condemn us for not hearing about Jesus. We are condemned already, by our own actions and inactions. Hell doesn’t sit well with God either and he determined to do something about it. He sent Jesus to make it possible for us to be set free from the penalty and power of our sin, at the horrible cost of his own life. He took our penalty upon himself because he loved us.

By the way, we make a leap when we assume that God is not able to meet people in ways that we do not understand – regardless of whether a Christian trudged into the village with a message. As Abraham asked God, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” He is a superb communicator. Hell’s doors are locked from the inside. The sad reality is that even when people are provided with compelling evidence of God, some still would say, “No, I will be my own god over my life.” God honors that response.

Question: How do you know your religion is right?”

First, we do not believe in something that is not reliable – the historical witness of the Bible is something that can be verified (see the first statement). It is not too difficult for people to understand – it is told in plain language. But more importantly, we know because the Holy Spirit lives within us and God is able to reveal it to us personally. We who know Him could no more deny His presence than deny our own existence. We have seen the difference He has made in our own lives and the lives of others. Encounters with God are always one-on-one. Our prayer is that you will have such and encounter and will be able to rely on the witness that God gives you in a direct revelation.

Answered by Pastors Mark and Greg

How can I learn to be the man God wants me to be?

Your Question:  I am 25 years old. I grew up without a Dad and though I was raised by an amazing single mother, I have always had to sort of figure out what a real man is and how they act. It is something I have always struggled to do and I unfortunately have made more mistakes than I would like to admit, but it is something that is really important to me. I want to set a good example for all men and hopefully for my family one day. I was wondering if you know of any specific bible passages, books, audio books, websites, seminars/conferences or people I can talk with to seek out help with this. I want to make sure that I am consistently growing in this area of my life as well as the rest.

This is a great question Will! It is a struggle for most of us to figure out “what a real man is.” Whether we were raised by a single mom, or had an emotionally distant, or physically absent father or a dad that was abusive or inconsistent at best, it is a question more men today should ask. Even good fathers and husbands make misstates and fall short! We all have to learn to trust God and follow his lead on a daily basis if we hope to be a good example to others, to our spouse, and to our children. We can’t help the example or lack of it we had when growing up. What we can change is what we do going forward!

The most important thing in discovering how to be a “real man” is to have a personal, vital, growing relationship with our heavenly Father. We can allow him to be our mentor, our teacher, our coach in the process. I once had a youth leader that was supposed to be discipling me, but he kept missing our meeting times. Later I bemoaned the fact that I had never had anyone disciple me and someone said to me, “That’s not true. God discipled you.” Take advantage of God’s narrative history in the Bible (how he reveals who he is and what he is like through history). Intentionally look at Jesus’ life and relationships as a model for masculinity. Look at the apostles and other heroes of the faith. Get involved in one of our men’s ministries or serving God alongside other men and you will have a wealth of examples to learn from even as you are being an example yourself.

If I had to sound like a preacher in addressing this question I would suggest four things (all starting with “S”) that are keys to becoming the man that God intends for you to be. They are . . .

1. Seek: Real men admit need. They confess when they are wrong and seek to make things right. Real men are comfortable seeking the biblical Jesus (as opposed to some feminized cultural Jesus) as a mentor in being a man. They also are teachable and seek to learn and grow, celebrating lessons learned and answers discovered and then seeking to apply them more consistently in their lives.

2. Study: What the Bible says about being a man; the lives of men who left a lasting positive impact on the world; books and other teachings on being a man of God; with other men, especially intergenerationaly, to encourage each other in the journey “as iron sharpen iron.” We facilitate many men’s study groups, journaling groups, and support groups at many different times during the week.

3. Serve: Children only want to be served. Real men serve others. One of the best ways to learn about being a man is by joining other men to serve others. I can think of many projects hosted through our Missions department locally (Vernonia relief, Season of Serving), at a distance (Biloxi rebuilding), and overseas (Sierra Leone, China, Indonesia). There are great opportunities to serve here at the church with mature men (Ushers, Safety Team, CM, Youth, even the Library)

4. Share: Real men don’t isolate themselves from others. They are generous with what they have and what they learn. They seek to encourage others with the encouragement they have received. Our cultural heroes of masculinity may be loners (Superman, Spiderman, etc.) or nearly so (Lone Ranger, Batman, etc), but we are placed by God in a community and need to function effectively within it. That only happens when we share our life with those around us. Just as you would want someone to come alongside you and show you the way, be such a person for others behind you.

Other Resources

You also asked about resources for men. We have a ton of materials in our church library from books and audio books, to DVDs and magazines. Come by some time and we’ll get someone to show you where the men’s section is (248.842). Here are just a few items:

• Disciplines of a Godly Man, R. Kent Hughes
• Tale of Three Kings, Gene Edwards
• To Own a Dragon: Reflections on Growing Up without a Father, Donald Miller
• Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart, Stu Weber
• Man to Man, Charles Swindoll
• Every Man’s Battle, Steven Arterburn