Q: If God tell us to love our neighbours, including enemies, as ourselves, does this mean He loves Satan too?

In short, No. As a holy angel, Satan was created and loved by God, but He became arrogant, prideful and wanted to elevate himself above God (Isaiah 14:12-15). Thus, God had no choice but to cast him out of heaven. Today, Satan is still trying to elevate his throne above God, hoping to gain the worship of human beings. The reason why God does not love Satan is because He is unrepentant, continues to deceive humans and opposes everything that God is. In fact, Satan's very name means "adversary" or "one who opposes." From Revelation 20:10, we know that God's wrath remains on Satan and that He will eventually bring Him to justice.

God tells us to love our neighbours and our enemies because it is one way to open their hearts toward Jesus. They still have a chance to repent and believe in God through your life's witness. Satan, however, has made his choice, and his fate is sealed.

For more information on Satan, read these articles.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Why does everyone want to go to heaven, but no one wants to die?

Heaven is a place of goodness, beauty and perfect community, where sin does not exist. Revelation 21:1-5 says this concerning heaven...

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

From this description, you can see why everyone would want to go to heaven.

I can think of some reasons why some people (notice I didn't write 'everyone' because I truly believe some do not wish to go to heaven - they'd rather cease to exist or go to hell and spend eternity away from God):

1. Some people don't want to die because they will leave their loved ones behind. Of course, this is a reality each one of us will have to face. As Christians, it is also the motivation to spread the gospel to as many of our friends and family as possible. So when we die, we will do so knowing that our loved ones will eventually join us in the perfect community of heaven.

2. Some people are not afraid of dying and going to heaven. Rather, they are afraid of the way in which they will die.

3. Some people like the IDEA of heaven (i.e. "a better place"), but in their hearts, they believe that their life on Earth IS HEAVEN. Perhaps they are healthy, rich and powerful and do not wish to leave all of that behind. Sadly, many people in our culture believe this. They want to earn lots of money, build a good career, have a great family and save up for an early retirement. Yet they forget that life is short, fragile and does not end with physical death. It continues forever. Where they spend forever, however, depends upon their relationship with Jesus in this present life. See Luke 12:13-21.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Is there such a thing as being spiritually deaf?

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15).

Hi. I believe your question stems from the part of my latest sermon about "spiritual blindness" (John 1:35-42). You may listen to the entire message HERE.

In short, YES. There is such thing as spiritual deafness. It operates in much of the same way as spiritual blindness does. When you are spiritually blind or spiritually deaf, you are unresponsive to the Gospel message (i.e. you remain dead in your own sin). You are too prideful or too busy listening to other competing ideas and priorities that so you fail to "see" and "hear" the truth. When you are spiritually deaf or blind, you continue living the way you want and ignore God.

Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). He is the light in the darkness (John 1). Have you ever wondered why Jesus performed physically healing, including restoring hearing to the deaf? (See Matthew 11:5; Mark 7:31-37). Because physical healing points to spiritual healing! Jesus has the power to open our eyes and unclog our ears - to spiritually heal us - so we can see and hear the truth clearly and respond accordingly. Salvation is not something we can earn by our own wisdom or power. As Jesus miraculously healed the physically deaf, God must FIRST miraculously heal our spiritual ears before we can hear and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

9 Books in 9 Weeks Contest

Read carefully and enter, by submitting a question on the Gospel of John.

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Stupid Questions

Apparently, there are such things as stupid questions, according to the guys at Resurgence. Thankfully, all the questions we've received thus far are thoughtful and genuine, so I'm very glad.

Keep them coming and we'll try our best to answer them biblically.

FYI: Keep on the lookout for a contest announcement soon!

Q: If everything is predetermined, how exactly is it free will?

"How it is free will if everything is already mapped out for everyone? For example, if you think of a game of chess. Think of you as God and the pieces as people. Say there's this one pawn that is in a position to take two opposing pawns. This pawn thinks that it will take the pawn on the right, but you (God) have always known that it will take the piece on the right. So if everything is already predetermined, how exactly is it free will?

What you're describing is known as "theological fatalism." The following text is from the "Got Questions" answer page. I think it answers your question well. To read the entire article, click HERE. Here is a portion of what they write...

"Theological fatalism is an attempt to demonstrate a logical contradiction between an omniscient God and free will, where free will is defined as the ability to choose between alternatives. In this it is similar in purpose to the conundrum "Can an omnipotent God make a rock so heavy that even he is not able to lift it?"

Theological fatalism’s premises are stated as follows: God is omniscient. Since God is omniscient, God has infallible foreknowledge. If God has infallible foreknowledge that tomorrow you will engage in an event (mow the lawn), then you must invariably engage in that event (mowing the lawn). Therefore, free-will is not possible since you have no alternative except to engage in the event (mow the lawn). In the event that you do not fulfill event, then God is not omniscient. Alternatively, if you engage in event, then you don't have free will on account of the inability to choose another alternative.

An opposing argument can state: God is omniscient. Since God is omniscient, He is also infallible. If God has infallible foreknowledge that tomorrow you will engage in an event, then you will freely choose this based on your free will, not out of obligation or lack of choice about the event. You still have free will to engage in the event; God merely knows your choice before you make it. You are not obliged to make choice 'A' (mowing the lawn) any more than choice 'B' (playing tennis). If you were going to change your mind, God would have seen that also, so you still have full free will in all matters. Also, you will still make the same choices (with free will), even if God chose to not see the future. Seeing the future or not does not alter your free will."

In addition, carm.org (read an article about "free will" here) says this concerning fatalism:

There is no logical reason to claim that if God knows what choices we are going to make that it means we are not free. It still means that the free choices we will make are free -- they are just known ahead of time by God. If we choose something different, then that choice will have been eternally known by God. Furthermore, this knowledge by God does not alter our nature in that it does not change what we are -- free to make choices. God's knowledge is necessarily complete and exhaustive because that is His nature, to know all things. In fact, since He has eternally known what all our free choices will be, He has ordained history to come to the conclusion that He wishes including and incorporating our choices into His divine plan: “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur," (Acts 4:27-28). Why? Because God always knows all things: "...God is greater than our heart, and knows all things," (1 John 3:20).

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: What is pride? Is it sinful? As humans and servants of God, are we allowed to have pride at all?

"This is the day your dreams come true." Gaston, Beauty and the Beast, 1991.

Great question. I explained "humility" in this post, so read this first. The "Got Questions" website has a post that answers your question succinctly. The end of the article states:

"Why is pride so sinful? Pride is giving ourselves the credit for something that God has accomplished. Pride is taking the glory that belongs to God alone and keeping it for ourselves. Pride is essentially self-worship. Anything we accomplish in this world would not have been possible were it not for God enabling and sustaining us. “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). That is why we give God the glory—He alone deserves it."

Read the full article HERE.

Summarily, I believe it is okay to feel a sense of accomplishment ("pride") if you did a good job (e.g. serving at church or getting a good mark on a test), but the glory should ultimately go to God because He gave you the health, ability, wisdom and strength to do whatever we did well.

[Answered by Pastor HM, who wishes he was as buff as Gaston]

Q: Evolution?

"I've been taught that the earth had been really old about billions of years and I always believed that god had created this earth. The teacher didn't really said how he earth had started cuz of diff religions believes and stuff but what struck me is that today my teacher shown us a video where they talk bout evolution of humans. I've been taught that humans exist 150 000 years ago and we humans are evolves from apes which I do not believe till I saw this video today. The scientist gave evidence where it does makes sense to me....I believe in evolution like how whales and dolphins are mammals in water cuz of evolution and also animals which are related each other. But what I'm asking in my head is about human evolution which they have evidence that we are evolved from apes.

So the question if adam and eve are the 1st human that god created, why are there evidence of human evolution? Does this mean that humans are created and animals are only the ones that evolved????

And another question....does the story in bible starts after dinosaurs extinct???? And if humans are created since the earth started then why are there no humans during the prehistoric times? Are humans wiped out b4 dinosaurs came to earth and then animals start evolving to humans again?"

I appreciate your question, as I took my biology classes and wondered the same things. I've answered this question before, but here is the LINK again to a great resource (credit: Mars Hill Church). The author of the article answers the bulk, if not all, your questions.I recommend you read the entire document very carefully, especially the 6 views of creation.

To answer your questions briefly...

1. Christians can believe in "micro-evolution"(i.e. small changes in one species over time or "change below a species level") but should not "accept the yet unproven and highly suspect thesis of macro-evolution that one species can evolve into another species entirely."

Also I'd recommend you get a copy of Lee Strobel's "Case for Faith" and read the chapter about macro versus micro evolution. Strobel argues that macro-evolution is only a theory with little proof.

2. Dinosaurs: "When it comes to explaining the apparent existence and now extinction of dinosaurs there are generally two answers. Those who believe in a young earth believe that the dinosaurs were among the animals Adam named in Genesis 2:19-20 and that they were wiped out in the Flood of Genesis 6-9. Those who hold an old earth position generally believe that the dinosaurs lived and became extinct before Adam was ever born."

As a bonus (!), here is another LINK where you can watch videos of different answers to common questions often asked about evolution (FYI: "Did dinosaurs and humans exist at the same time?" is answered in a video)

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: What's the deal with downloading and should we be downloading as Christians?

Before reading on, please watch this video about piracy. Click HERE.


A: To answer honestly and bluntly...no, Christians (or anyone for that matter) should not be downloading. Let me explain to you why.

When I was about 11 years old, I was out with my mom and we went to a Bi-Way (which is like a discount store and no longer in business). In the store, I got hungry. So I took a Sesame Snap, went to the back of the store, opened it and started eating it (basically, I was stealing...and was fully aware of it). Well, my mom found me with my mouth full and in a furious rush, grabbed me, took me out of the store and proceeded to lecture me. In the midst of this lecture, she said one sentence that has stuck to me to this day and I apply it to my stance on downloading and pirating. She said, "if you cant afford it...than you cant have it".

1. Anything that you normally have to pay for and you are getting for free, means you are stealing it.
The fact that you just got that cd for free on the internet, when it should have cost you $15.99 at HMV, means that you are stealing it. The product costs money for the artist and the producers to make...and you just got it for free. This is stealing.
The proper order of sequence should be:
(a) you want cd, (b) you go to store (or iTunes), (c) you pay money, (d) you receive goods.
Instead, you went from (a) you want cd to (d) you receive goods. You've skipped the whole money transation part.
If you wanted a pair of jeans at American Eagle, the transaction is that you pay money to receive it. But if got the pair of jeans without having to pay for it (and it wasnt a gift), than you've stolen it. If you wanted to eat at a restaurant, and you leave without paying for it, than you've stolen it.
It's really as simple as that.

2. mainstream culture vs. righteousness
If you watched the video above, you would see that our mainstream culture says that it's okay to take from large corporations. In fact, it's almost encouraged. The justification is that no one gets hurt if we steal from companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Sony, etc. There are TONNE of people doing it and the general consensus is that it doesn't hurt anyone. Downloading is culturally acceptable...and what's more...those who are paying for their software or music are laughed at because "they could have gotten it for free".
Well, Biblical righteousness almost always goes against the wave of culture. As Christians, we are called to uphold the name of Christ, live a worthy testimony, to be holy as God is holy. I dont believe that stealing can be categorized as any of these. And furthermore, think about this: downloading is almost always for entertainment. It's not even a matter of putting food on the table.
Like my mom says, "if you cant afford it, than you cant have it."

3. downloading = stealing = sin
There are no excuses and no justifications around it. You just cant spin this in your favour. God was quite clear when He gave out those 10 Commandments - thou shall not steal. A sin is a sin, and unrighteousness is unrighteousness.


I'm not tooting my own horn here...but I dont download (toot toot) and have figured out some ways around it. It's called Open Source.

I use Open Office instead of MS Office (click HERE to download)
I use Picasa instead of Photoshop (click HERE to download)
[GIMP is another good one, click HERE to download)
I go to websites like CTV, CBC, or MuchMusic to watch shows if I missed them
I get my music from iTunes. I sample the songs that I want, and only pay for the tracks that sound good. If you want to upgrade to the whole album, you can later on. There are also weekly .99 cent movie rentals. What a steal! (no pun intended. haha.)

There are a TONNE of practical solutions to getting around this downloading thing. Bottom line is that we have to be firm in what we believe in, and not allow the temptations of this world to dictate what we can or cannot do. That line ultimately, is to be drawn by God and Biblical truth.



[answered by Pastor KJT]

Q: Why did God allow the Israelites to kill other people?

"God made us all equally and He loves each of us. In that case, why does He allow the Israelites to kill other people (such as Philistines and Canaanites)? This happens a lot in Joshua and Judges. Did God give up on them? They are, after all, still His children."

Every person does indeed have equal value because we are all created in His image. However, God is not just a creator, but a sustainer of his creation. Thought it sounds unjust and barbaric to kill other people, we must understand that God only orders the taking of lives to protect his people. Listen to what is recorded in the book of Deuteronomy (12:29-32) about some of the other nations surrounding the Israelites at the time:

“When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods."

These nations worshipped false gods and even threw their own children into fire to appease them! This is why Israel was justified in defending itself and executing the judgment of God upon these peoples. I do not believe God is unfair. If the people of these nations listened to their conscience and to the messengers God sent, they would have been spared (see Genesis 18:22-33). Consider what happened in Nineveh when the people repented (Jonah 3:4-10).

Before we make judgments on God, let us consider what we would do it if the people of these nations came after ourselves, our families and our communities. Would we not defend ourselves? Would we just sit there idly? I do not believe so.

For more information, read the following articles carefully (lots of information!):

1. "Why would God order the destruction of men, women and children?"

2. "Genocide in the Old Testament"

3. "Love of God, Judgment of God"

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Will Catholics go to heaven?

First, read this previous post on the difference between Roman Catholics and Protestant Christians.

That being said, Roman Catholics have salvation and go to heaven IF they have trusted Jesus alone for the forgiveness of their sins. If they trust in their own works and good deeds, then they are not genuinely trusting Jesus and will be separate from God. Matt Slick and his team at CARM.org have answered this question in more detail. Read it carefully HERE.

At the end of the article, this is what the author contends:

If a Roman Catholic believes in the official Roman Catholic teaching on salvation, then he is not a Christian since the official RCC position is contrary to scripture. Therefore, as a whole, Roman Catholics need to be evangelized. They need to hear the true Gospel. They need to hear that they are not made right before God by being in a church, or by being baptized, but by receiving Christ (John 1:12), believing that Jesus has risen from the dead (Rom. 10:9), and that justification is by faith (Rom. 5:1) and not by our deeds (Rom. 4:5). It is only true faith that results in true works (James 2), not the other way around. Roman Catholics, like anyone else, need to trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of their sins and not the Catholic sacraments, not the words of the priest, not the pope, not Mary, not the saints, not penance, not indulgences, not the rosary, etc. Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Finally, I believe that there are truly regenerate Christians in the Roman Catholic church. But, they are truly Christians in spite of official RCC theology and in spite of the ritualistic offerings of this ancient church which has had too many hands meddling in it through the centuries, gradually moving it away from orthodoxy and into apostasy. Yes apostasy. The Roman Catholic Church is no longer representing true Christianity.

Jesus alone saves. Jesus alone is Lord. Only Jesus' sacrifice can cleanse us. Only by faith are we made right before God. Justification is by faith, not by anything we do.

[Answered by Pastor HM, who has many Roman Catholic friends and family]

Q: How could the writer know a conversation between Satan and God?

In Job, there are certain parts where there is a written conversation between the Lord and Satan. For instance, Job 1:6-12:

⁶ One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. ⁷ The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

⁸ Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

⁹ "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. ¹⁰ "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

¹² The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

How could the writer know a conversation between Satan & God?

Good question. This is an example of how much genre matters when reading Scripture. Job is a very unique book in the Old Testament b/c it has elements of history, poetry and narrative ("prose"). If you read Job carefully, you'll notice it starts and ends as a historical story, but the bulk of it is poetic dialogue. So how should we see the conversation between God and Satan? A few things here...

1. Just because poetry is used does not mean the conversation between God and Satan is fictional. Poetry often has "a historical core without historical precision" (Raymond Dillard and Tremper Longman III, Introduction to the Old Testament, 207). When something is written in poetic form, it moves the writing from a historical event to a story with UNIVERSAL application. What is the universal application of the book of Job? It tells us to turn to God in times of suffering, even if we are angry and bitter. "Only in encounter with him will the tension of suffering be resolved" (David Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, xxxix).

2. As with all Scripture, God inspired human authors to write exactly what he wanted them to write. God worked through their unique circumstances and personalities to communicate Himself to us. So the conversation between God and Satan did happen, but was recorded by a human author in poetic language. Some scholars suggest that the conversation between God and Satan is a "contrastive dialogue," written to tells us something about both parties. God is straightforward and gracious, while Satan is cunning and argumentative.

The book of Job is not easy to understand, but I encourage you to continue to wrestle with hard texts. God will speak to you often when you read, re-read, meditate and struggle with a text. Keep the questions coming. Never stop learning and growing in your faith, despite the questions you may have.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Predestination?

"We all agree that man does have free will to choose God and follow Him. But I also think the position of Predestination is also biblical. From the verses I read God in His sovereignty has chosen those who have been saved already. Are puny minds can't understand that though until maybe we get to heaven. Can you give some insight into this? Verses to examine: John 15:16; Acts 13:48; Romans 9:15-16; Romans 9:22-24; Ephesians 1:4-5; Ephesians 1:11; Philippians 1:29; 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13."

"No one can seek you unless he has already found you." Bernard of Clairvaux

"I can only show you the door, you are the one who has to walk through it." Morpheus, The Matrix

It seems there are actually two questions here. First, there is the question whether predestination has any biblical grounding. Second, if there is biblical grounding for this position, then how does this work with our free will? Before I begin, let me just say this is a massive question that has been hotly debated for hundreds of years (!), so chances are - whatever answer I give will be inadequate and brief. But I hope to point you in the right direction.

1. The 1st question is whether a person's eternal destiny is chosen by God before their birth. In other words, does God predestine people to go to heaven? From the verses you listed, this appears to be the case. That is why there are many that argue for this position. Those who support the doctrine of predestination are called "Reformed" or "Calvinist." Calvinists argue (this is taken from carm.org):

1)Total depravity: that man is touched by sin in all parts of his being: body, soul, mind, and emotions,

2)Unconditional Election: that God’s favor to Man is completely by God’s free choice and has nothing to do with Man. It is completely undeserved by Man and is not based on anything God sees in man (Eph. 1:1-11),

3) Limited atonement: that Christ did not bear the sins of every individual who ever lived, but instead only bore the sins of those who were elected into salvation (John 10:11,15),

4) Irresistible grace: that God's call to someone for salvation cannot be resisted,

5) Perseverance of the saints: that it is not possible to lose one's salvation (John 10:27-28).

The second position stresses the freedom of the human will in salvation. This school of thought is known as "Arminianism." In contrast to Calvinism, they argue (also from carm.org):

1) God elects or reproves on the basis of foreseen faith or unbelief,

2) Christ died for all men and for every man, although only believers are saved,

3) Man is so depraved that divine grace is necessary unto faith or any good deed,

4) This grace may be resisted,

5) Whether all who are truly regenerate will certainly persevere in the faith is a point which needs further investigation.

This blog will not allow me to examine each of the verses you listed in depth, but please listen to this sermon by Calvinist Mark Driscoll (I've also embedded it below). He answers your primary questions; subsequent questions you may have and makes a case for Calvinism OVER Arminianism. The sermon notes, entitled, "Predestination: Duck, Duck, Damned?") can be found here.

2. Your 2nd question: How does free will work with predestination? As you have recognized, human beings are limited and have relatively "puny" minds, so this is mystery (Eph. 1:9). Yet I believe, from the Scriptures, it can be argued that even though God chooses (and therefore) saves us, those who are chosen have a part to play. Listen to what Theologian Donald Bloesch (in his book, Essentials of Evangelical Theology, Volume I: God, Authority and Salvation. Peabody, MA: Prince Press, 1978) says about this issue:

"To give all the glory to God in the accomplishing of our salvation is not to reduce man to nothing. Yet we must also not say that man gets some of the credit for his salvation, that man can help in the procuring of his salvation... Our position is that we must affirm both the sovereignty of grace and the responsibility of believers. The two errors to be avoided are the following: that one is saved exclusively by the work of grace upon him thereby not including or allow for personal faith and decision in the salvific process...the second error gives man a determinative role in his justification so that he virtually becomes a co-redeemer with Christ...Only the person who is transformed by divine grace can make a positive response to God's gracious invitation, but only the one who does make such a response is indeed transformed by grace."

If you're confused, don't fret. This is a doctrine that defies rational understanding. There is no easy or simple answer. All we know is that God, in his sovereign will, saves some people. God predestines some to be saved. The act of saving is absolutely God's work. Yet in order to be saved, a person must - in her free-will - repent of sin, turn to Jesus and love God throughout her life.

Hope this helps.

[Answered by Pastor HM]