Questions to ask Mormons

July 19, 2015 Apologetics, Evangelism, Mormonism 3 comments
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I have only had a few encounters with Mormons. In those encounters I asked them some of the questions below. We pray for Holy Spirit to work with those questions and hopefully that encounters with other Christians will bring them to repentance and faith and a knowledge of the truth (2 Tim 2:24-25). I am not an expert on Mormonism but I like to be as prepared as possible for encountering any world view. I have outlined some basic questions to ask them. Hopefully this can be of some assistance to you if you encounter them.

Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is one of the easier pseudo Christian cults to deal with as Mormonism is rife with logical inconsistencies and impossibilities. Mormonism was founded by a man named Joseph Smith (1805-1844). Joseph Smith claimed to be a prophet of God who experienced an appearance of the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith claimed that all churches had apostatized and that he was restoring the true Church. Mormonism is the most polytheistic religion on the planet. It purports that there are an infinite number of gods in the Universe and that we ourselves have the possibility of becoming gods some day. They teach that “God” (Heavenly Father, Elohim) lives on the planet Kolab, has a body of flesh and bone and was once a man himself who worshiped the God of his planet till he was exalted to godhood. This is in stark contrast to the monotheism of Biblical Christianity and the Biblical God who is immutable, transcendent, eternal and infinite. Mormonism teaches that Jesus and Lucifer are spirit brothers and are the offspring of Elohim and one of his goddess wives. They would teach that we can be exalted one day to the position of godhood and have our own planet. Their doctrine of salvation is the typical non-Christian treadmill system of works with God’s Grace covering what we do not accomplish ourselves. It is a doctrine of despair.

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Questions to ask a Jehovah’s Witness

June 27, 2015 Apologetics, Evangelism, Jehovah's Witnesses 2 comments
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In my encounters with Jehovah’s Witnesses I have compiled together some questions that I ask them. I have had these in a Word document that I have used for these times so I have decided to share then in a blog post for the benefit of others. Most of these are the result of my own research and the rest I have heard used by other Brothers in dialogues with JWs.

Defensive

However before we get to the questions we can ask them I want to prepare you for some questions they may ask you. JW’s will most often question you about the Trinity. You should be well versed in the doctrine of the Trinity (CARM Trinity article) to ensure that you do not give answers that spin off into the heresy of Modalism (CARM Modalism article). Many well meaning Christians will give modalistic type answers when questioned about the Trinity since they do not understand the doctrine well enough themselves. JWs usually do not have a good understanding either about what Christians actually believe about the Trinity and therefore will ask questions that assume Modalism or Unitarianism (CARM Unitarianism Article). A clear understanding of the Hypostatic Union is also necessary to ensure you are clear in giving Biblical orthodox Christian answers to questions. (CARM Hypostatic Union Article).

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Beggar or King?

June 24, 2015 Doctrine, Theology No comments
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Beggar or King? The modern church or Scripture? The modern church concludes Jesus is a beggar and Scripture concludes He is the Sovereign King.

The modern church asks the world, “what will you do with Jesus?” “Look and see what Jesus can do for you.” “Jesus just wants you to believe in Him.” “Jesus wants to make your life a success.” “Jesus just wants to love you.” “Jesus desires and wants to have a relationship with you.” “Jesus is waiting for you.” “Jesus wants to be all things for you if you will just let him.” “Accept Jesus into your heart.” “Jesus can’t do anything for you if you don’t allow him.” “Jesus just needs you to love Him.”

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Does Colossians 1 teach Jesus is God?

June 23, 2015 Doctrine, Jehovah's Witnesses, Theology 2 comments
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Colossians chapter 1 is a beautifully written text of Scripture that clearly demonstrates Jesus Christ as God and the Creator of all things. It is however one of the most attacked texts next to John 1 and Philippians 2 by Arian type cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

 

 

Colossians 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. ESV

Let’s take a moment to break down this passage and see what Paul is trying to teach in this passage.

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Spurgeon on claimed revelations from God

April 14, 2015 Doctrine, Theology One comment
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If it needs to be said let Charles Spurgeon say it. Spurgeon lays out the problem with those that claim revelation from the Spirit of God.

 

 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, honor the Spirit of God as you would honor Jesus Christ if He were present! If Jesus Christ not there! Do not ignore the Presence of the Holy Spirit in your soul! I beseech you, do not live as if you had not heard whether there were a Holy Spirit. To Him pay your constant adorations. Reverence the august Guest who has been pleased to make your body His sacred abode. Love Him, obey Him, worship Him! Take care never to impute the vain imaginings of your fancy to Him. I have seen the Spirit of God shamefully dishonored by persons—I hope they were insane—who have said that they have had this and that revealed to them. There has not, for some years, passed over my head a single week in which I have not been pestered with the revelations of hypocrites or maniacs. Semi-lunatics are very fond of coming with messages from the Lord to me and it may save them some trouble if I tell them once and for all that I will have none of their stupid messages. When my Lord and Master has any message to me He knows where I am and He will send it to me direct, and not by mad-caps! Never dream that events are revealed to you by Heaven, or you may come to be like those idiots who dare impute their blatant follies to the Holy Spirit. If you feel your tongue itch to talk nonsense, trace it to the devil, not to the Spirit of God! Whatever is to be revealed by the Spirit to any of us is in the Word of God already—He adds nothing to the Bible, and never will. Let persons who have revelations of this, that, and the other, go to bed and wake up in their senses. I only wish they would follow the advice and no longer insult the Holy Spirit by laying their nonsense at His door.

The Modern Church

March 29, 2015 Doctrine, Evangelism, Theology One comment
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The modern evangelical church is plagued with a man-centered Gospel. There is no absolute truth and tolerance rules the day. They are absolutely certain there is no absolute truth and they will not tolerate the intolerant. Scripture has been reduced to “what does that verse mean for you”? They have replaced the work of the Holy Spirit with music shows and self help sermons. The Gospel has been watered down to “look what Jesus can do for you” instead of the Biblical declaration “what will Jesus do with you”. The former is more appealing to the unregenerate heart. The unregenerate heart will not entertain the idea that Christ is sovereign over them so the modern Gospel cannot preach God’s Sovereignty. They preach half truths to convince people to come to the Truth denying that Salvation is a work of God alone. The Biblical Gospel is to preach the whole Truth and the Spirit of God does the regeneration.

God’s unconditional love

February 24, 2015 Doctrine, Theology 3 comments
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God’s love for his children is not contingent upon anything they have done it is solely a demonstration of his love and mercy. God as the transcendent and non-contingent Creator of the Universe is not dependent upon any part of his creation in the demonstration of his attributes. God is totally free in demonstrating his grace and love. We who are his children are the unmerited recipients of his love and grace. To say that God’s demonstration of his salvific love is dependent upon some foreseen action of his creatures is an attack upon the aseity of God. For grace to be grace it must be free (Romans 11:6). Some would object and say that is just how God from eternity past chose to demonstrate his love. This is just another way of saying that God sovereignly chose to not be sovereign.

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Ten Shekels And A Shirt by Paris Reidhead

June 19, 2014 Doctrine, Evangelism, History, Theology One comment
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A life changing and convicting message by Paris Reidhead.

The Irrefutable Proof of God

April 17, 2014 Atheism, Philosophy, Science One comment
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Jeff Durbin from Apologia Church knocks it out of the park with a reasoned defense of the faith and with a great presentation of the Pre-supositional Apologetic.

The Philosophical Naturalism Hermeneutic

April 15, 2014 Doctrine, Philosophy, Theology 5 comments
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The filo….sop…nat….what!?! Yes, the Philosophical Naturalism Hermeneutic. Let me explain the terms and why I am stringing them together.

Philosophical (the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence)

Naturalism (an assumption that says everything arises from natural properties and causes, and supernatural or spiritual explanations are excluded or discounted)

Hermeneutic (a method or theory of interpreting the Bible)

The Philosophical Naturalism Hermeneutic is the method by which many modern professing Christians interpret the text of Scripture. Philosophical Naturalism is the assumption by which evolutionary proponents interpret scientific evidence. It is an assumption that there is no God therefore supernatural and spiritual causes are not permitted.

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