September 26, 2025 • 28 mins
On today’s Bible Answer Man broadcast (09/26/25), Hank answers the following questions:
Does God elect people to heaven and hell? Patricia - Torrance, CA (0:41)
I am afraid that I committed the unpardonable sin. Can you help me? Deidre - Pickens, SC (7:07)
What is the Talmud? Anne - Chandler, OK (16:02)
Was it possible for Jesus to have sinned since he had a human nature? Steve - Salem, OR (20:50)
What does Paul mean when he talks about baptism for the dead in 1 Corinthians 15? Josh - Lincoln, NE (23:13)
Does God elect people to heaven and hell? Patricia - Torrance, CA (0:41)
I am afraid that I committed the unpardonable sin. Can you help me? Deidre - Pickens, SC (7:07)
What is the Talmud? Anne - Chandler, OK (16:02)
Was it possible for Jesus to have sinned since he had a human nature? Steve - Salem, OR (20:50)
What does Paul mean when he talks about baptism for the dead in 1 Corinthians 15? Josh - Lincoln, NE (23:13)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome to the Bible answer Man broadcast with your host,
Hank Canigraph. The Bible answer Man is the radio ministry
of the Christian Research Institute designed to equip believers to
defend their faith and become true disciples of the Lord
Jesus Christ, because life and truth matter. Our phone number
is eight eight eight seven thousand CRII. You can find
(00:31):
us on the internet at equip dot org. The following
program was pre recorded and now to begin today's broadcast,
here's Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
A lot of you hanging on. We'll go right to
the phone. Calls Patricia First in Torrance, California.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
High Patricia, Hi, i have a question about the doctrine
of election. I'm confused about it. I know there are
some Calvinists who believe that God preordained some for hell
and some for heaven, but that's inconsistent and offensive to me,
(01:06):
because I can't believe that God would ordain some for
heaven and some for hell. Otherwise, if that were the case,
why would we have any evangelism, Why would there be
any need for that?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, and a Calvinist would say God ordains the ends
as well as the means, but there's no question whatsoever
that John Kelvin taught that the Scripture teaches us, and
he specifically points to the writings of Paul, that the
ruin of the wicked is not only foreseen by the Lord,
but also ordained by his counsel and his will. Not
(01:39):
only the destruction of the wicked is foreknown, but that
the wicked themselves have been created for this very end,
that they would perish. He also says that God not
only foresaw the fall of the first man and in
him the ruin of his posterity, but also at his
own pleasure arranged it. All are not created equal in terms,
(02:03):
but some are preordained to eternal life, others are preordained
to eternal damnation. And accordingly, as each has been created
for one or the other those ends, we say that
he or she has been predestined to life or death.
God arranges all things by a sovereign council in such
(02:26):
a way that individuals are born who are doomed from
the womb to a certain destruction. That was the view
of John Kelvin, and the way this cash is out Patricia.
In his view is that God creates everyone in such
a way that they cannot respond to the Gospel. But
the elect are regenerated or rewired so that they can hear.
(02:50):
The non elect cannot hear, and therefore they couldn't respond
to the Gospel anymore than a cow can fly. Cow
doesn't have wings, cow can't fly. Those who are not
regenerated can't respend to the Gospel because they don't have
ears to hear. That's the basic view. Now I don't
agree with that view, but it is a view held
by many Christians. I should make a qualification. Men like
(03:13):
RC Sproull define hyper Calvinism as equal ultimacy and says
it's based on the concept of symmetry complete balance between
election and reprobation. And he does not agree with that
because he says God is not responsible for damnation to
the same degree as for a salvation. So those who
(03:37):
say that God actively wiels the salvation of the saved
and the damnation of the loss to the same degree,
in his view, are anti or Subcalvinists. I just want
to make that as a qualification in terms of the
nuanced views of some Calvinists in this regard. But there's
no question that John Calvin made the statements that you
(03:57):
allude to and that is by and large within the
camp of Calvinism.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Really, that's troubling to say the least, because how can
we know for sure that we are saved? And I mean,
that doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Well, again, this is one of those views within the
pale of orthodoxy that is debated vigorously by Christians. There
are Calvinist and non Calvinist views. I personally do not
hold to election from this perspective. I believe that on
the basis of scripture, Christ is the elect one, and
that if we are in Christ, by virtue of that,
(04:35):
we are elect. So if you look at Galatians chapter three,
you see that Abraham only had one royal seed. That
royal seed is Jesus Christ. And if you are in Christ,
then you are the seed of Abraham and an air
according to the promise. So Christ is the emphasis in
terms of election from my perspective.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Okay, So people like R. C. Sproul Dan are not
preaching that God ordain some to Hell and some to Heaven.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well, yes, that's the Calvinist construct, But he doesn't believe
in equal ultimacy, which is to say that he does
not believe that reprobation and election to salvation are on
equal footing or equal symmetry. So he's making a distinction there,
And I only point that out to say that Calvinist
views are nuanced. Not all Calvinists hold precisely the same
(05:27):
views in this regard, and I do that only to
be fair to those that hold to this theology.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
If someone else who believes in Calvinists.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Well, there are many people within modern Christianity and certainly
for hundreds and hundreds of years, that have taught Calvinism
and that believe in Calvinism. So it is a view
that is held by highly respected and very credible and
credentialed theologians.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
But then how can that be Then they're not correct, right.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Well, this is one of those things that people debate
vigorously because there are many people like myself that disagree.
I don't hold to circumstantial freedom or compatibilistic freedom. I
hold the libertarian freedom. But again that takes some explaining
because it's very easy to caricature a view as opposed
to really understanding it. It's a very complex subject, but
(06:18):
I think it's important, and I, like you, do not
agree with this particular construct. Although I was raised within it.
My father was a Calvinist theologian, and so I very
very conversant and steeped in this theology growing up. There's
an article we did and you can find it on
(06:39):
the web at equipped dot org, which is a debate
between a Calvinist and a non Calvinist. And what we
did was try to provide the readers with the best
thinking on the part of Calvinists and the best thinking
of the part of non Calvinists in this debate, and
then you have the opportunity to see the two views
contrasted did and then you can decide by testing these
(07:03):
views in light a scripture and holding faster that which
is good. Gonna leave it at that. Let's go back
to the phone lines. Didri next listening in Pickens, South Carolina.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
Hello, Ni, I'm scared, Hank, because I knew better that
the Holy Spirit is not dead, and I was reading
my Bible, and all of a sudden I felt that
he was dead, and I'm scared. I blasphe him, the
Holy Spirit, and I tried to stop myself from doing that,
but it was too late that it was already done,
(07:34):
and I was wanting to know because blasphemy the Holy Spirit.
It's when you attribute God's worth to the satan, and
when you say anything bad about the Holy Spirit, that's blasphemy.
And I'm scared that I blasphem the Holy Spirit by
thinking that he was dead, even though I knew he's alive.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Well, didriw Let me tell you you have nothing to fear.
God is ready and willing and able to forgive you
of your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
That's number one. Number two, the unforgivable sin is never
an act. It's a continuous, willful, ongoing rejection of the
(08:18):
love and grace that could be yours. And from a
historical perspective, you're correct in saying that the Pharisees attributed
the works of God to be also above the prince
of demons. But it was not an act on their part.
It was a continuous action on their part. They knew
that Jesus Christ was the only one who could emerge
(08:41):
from the doorway of Old Testament prophecy, and yet with
premeditation and forethought, they continuously rejected Christ and said that
his works were the works of the devil. That was,
in the historical context, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
So what I want you to understand and is it's
never an act. It's not as though, oh my goodness,
(09:03):
it just came out of my mouth or it was
a thought in my mind. I couldn't stop it. It's over,
and therefore I've committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit,
and therefore I can't be saved. That's not true. It's
never an act. It's a continuous, willful rejection. So that's
why I say you have nothing to fear if you
repent of your sin and receive Jesus Christ as Savior
(09:24):
and Lord in this lifetime. You are his and he
is yours.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
And also I ask the Lord, am I can deal?
Am I see his child? I can ask him questions
after question after course, and I don't get no steal
small voice from him.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Well, but God speaks to you through the majesty of
his word, not through a feeling. Although God does speak
through the still small voice, but don't rely on your feeling.
God is speaking to you actively through his word. So
trust in the revelation that you already have. Yeah, so
(10:02):
has your fear subsided well a little bit, Well, Deirdre,
it should be gone completely because when I've told you,
and I'm going to send you information to underscore this,
so you see this is not just my opinion, but
it should vanquish your fear because you have not committed
the unforgivable sin, and therefore your fear should go, and
(10:25):
you should replace that fear with gratitude that you can
have a living, vital relationship with the lover of your soul,
and that that relationship can become ever more dear and
deep as a result of prayer, getting into the Word
of God, and being a member of a healthy, well
(10:46):
balanced church. Coming to the station breakway right back in
just a few moments with more answers to your questions
right here to the biblelancement broadcast.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
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(12:09):
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very words of God himself. Three years in the making
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the most important question facing our world. In Has God Spoken?
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Memorable proofs of the Bible's Divine inspiration, Hank counters the
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in the Holy Scriptures is not a guess or wishful thinking.
It is the only logical conclusion after an honest examination
of overwhelming evidence. Order Has God Spoken? From the Christian
Research Institute by calling eighty eight seven thousand CRII or
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Speaker 5 (14:01):
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Part two explains why truth is necessary but hardly sufficient.
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Speaker 2 (16:00):
Thank you very much for Indian. We'll go right back
to our phone callers. Next up is Anne in Chandler, Oklahoma. Hi, Anne, Hello, Hi.
Speaker 6 (16:08):
My question is what is the Book of Talmud? I
believe that's how it's pronounced in Is it authentic?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Well, it's a vast collection of Jewish laws and traditions,
and when you ask whether it's authentic or not, this
is the opinion of thousands of rabbis on many different
subjects like theology and law, and ethics and history and
much much more. But within the Telmut you have a
(16:38):
vigorous intellectual debate. You have even humor within the Telmut.
So there is not a monolithic viewpoint expressed, but it
is rigorous debate and the exercise of thought that's going on.
And it became the basis for rabbinic law, and the
(17:00):
central text of rabbinic Judaism, next to the Torah, the
most significant, and it has served to maintain Israel's national
identity after the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion
of the Jews in the first century. So it's very
significant from that perspective.
Speaker 6 (17:18):
Okay, Well, the reason I asked was I was speaking
to someone from Isell and they were basically trying to
tell me that me being a Christian, that my faith
in Jesus Christ was basically false and that I guess
there was a big cover up that Christians don't know
about the Talmud and something about the Roman Catholic Church
(17:40):
did it. So I've never heard of it and didn't
know what it was. He said it was something about
some scrolls found in the Dead Sea.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Well, the Dead Sea scrolls don't undermine the Bible at all.
What the Dead Sea scrolls served to do is augment
the truth of the Bible because the Jatsi's scrolls, including
the Great Isaiah Scroll, predate the earliest extent text, the
Masoretic Text, by a thousand years, and therefore demonstrates that
(18:12):
God has preserved his word over time, because there are
differences in spelling and style, but there are no differences
in substance. So this goes to underscore the reality of
the Old Testament that Jews adhere to, just as we
adhere to the Old Testament. But here's the issue. They
(18:34):
have a different view of how to identify with God.
They no longer can identify with God through temple worship,
so now they have to identify with God through Torah worship.
But as far as Christianity being untrue, I mean Christianity
is true because the only face that can emerge through
(18:56):
the tapestry of the Old Testament is the face of
Jesus Christ. And of course there are going to be
people that deny that in this epic of time, just
as many of the teachers of the Law denied that
in the time of Christ himself. They in fact went
so far as to say that Christ did what he
did by Beelzebub, the prince of Demons.
Speaker 6 (19:18):
Okay, well, thank you for explaining that. So does it
Talmud even relate to the Bible or is it just
basically Jewish teaching.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Well, it does relate to the Bible, but it is
not about the Bible. In the sense of both Old
and New Testament. It is about the Old Testament principally,
but again it is a lot of opinions. It's composed
of the Mishna and the Gamara. The Mishna was a
body of writings after the Babylonian Exile containing commentary on
(19:50):
the law, dating from around the second century BC, and
the Gamara was a commentary and analysis in turn of
the Mishna itself. So yeah, I mean, it certainly relates
to what we believe to be true with respect to
the Old Testament, but has a different take on what's
going on because from our perspective, the types and the shadows,
(20:12):
the civil and ceremonial law, everything points forward to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ becomes the temple, not a temple made of
glistening gold or luminous limestone, but a temple not built
by human hands, and so Jesus becomes the fulfillment of
the Old Testament types and shadows, including temple, priest and sacrifice. Obviously,
(20:32):
the Jews don't agree with that perspective, and that's why
in Israel today you can't evangelize. I mean, it's forbidden
for a Christian to evangelize. So the Holy City in
essence has become the Harlot City.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (20:46):
All right, well, thank you, you got it.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Thank you so much for your callback to the phone lines.
We'll talk next to Steve. He's listening in Salem, Oregon.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
Hi, Steve, Hi.
Speaker 7 (20:55):
He had a question for you. I'm going to Christian
study seminars and in our classes, I asked a question,
and he said that it was possible for Jesus to
sin when he was tempted because he had the same
nature that Adam had. He didn't sin, but he could.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Well, I don't agree with that. And again, this is
one of those issues that we can debate vigorously, but
it has to do with a doctrine called impeccability. And
I don't think that Jesus Christ could have sinned because
if Jesus, for example, had even for a moment fantasized
in any sense about sin, he could not have been
(21:35):
our savior. So I say that for sin to take place,
there has to be a sinful inner response to a
seductive suggestion to sin. And though Satan appealed to Jesus's
natural human desires like his hunger, the Lord did not
fantasize over Satan's suggestion, because if he had mulled over
(21:55):
Satan's suggestion for even a moment, that would have, as
I said earlier, constituted sin, and had Jesus sinned, he
couldn't have been our savior. Not only that, though, although
Christ did not have any sinful proclivities that inclined him
towards evil, Satan's temptations were real, and even those who
(22:15):
were born into sin can identify with being tempted to
do something that they're utterly disclined to do. By way
of analogy, most mothers would never consider killing their children,
even if offered a life free from suffering. Nonetheless, the
natural desire to avoid suffering would render that kind of
a temptation genuine.
Speaker 7 (22:34):
Was I right to speak to the professor that way
and just tell them that I couldn't agree with that?
I thought it was impossible for him too.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Well, I think you're right to say that with gentleness
and with respect. That's certainly something that I would have
said if I was sitting in the same shoes that
you were sitting in.
Speaker 7 (22:49):
Yeah, that's what I did. I did it gracefully well,
Thank you, hank I sure. Always appreciate all the answers
that you give me. There. I really loved you, and
I got all your books and I'm rereading the one
on the Christianity in Crisis twenty fourth century for I
don't know how many times over and over again. I
just love all your writings and do appreciate everything that
you do.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Bless you, Steve. Thank you so much for those wonderful,
warm and kind words. Back to the phone lines, we
talked to Josh and Lincoln, Nebraska. But radio Hi, Josh, Hi,
how are you good? Thank you? How are you?
Speaker 8 (23:21):
I'm good, sir, Thank you very much. One of the
questions I have that I've been wondering for quite a
while is when Paul is writing and is one of
his letters to the Corinthians, he mentioned the baptism of
the dead, and I don't understand what he's referring through there.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Well, there's a lot of different speculations as to what
he's referring to, because this is kind of something obliquely mentioned,
and there's not other references in scripture that we can
draw from to get a clearer understanding of what is meant.
But I think what's going on from a personal standpoint
is that he's referring to the cultic believers in corinth
(23:55):
and some of their practices within even the Corinthian Church
where you had people who did not believe in the resurrection. Ironically,
we're baptizing people for the dead. And I think this
fits in very well with the whole text of First
Corinthians chapter fifteen, where Paul is constantly raising this issue. Look,
(24:16):
if it is preached that Christ has been raised from
the dead, how can some of you say there is
no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no
resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, then are preaching
is useless? And so is your faith. So what's the point.
What's the point if you continue to deny the resurrection?
(24:37):
What's the point of faith? What's the point of believing
that people who are dead have some hope because they're
still dead in sin? And what's the point in baptizing
for the dead. So it seems to me that that's
what's going on within the context of First Corinthians chapter fifteen.
It just becomes one more reason that Paul is using
to show that the only hope we have is in resurrection,
(25:01):
So the moment that's undermined, you're undermining everything else.
Speaker 8 (25:04):
Okay, yep, that makes a lot more sense. Thank you
very much.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Hey, you got it. Thank you so much for your call.
We are out of time for this edition of the
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(25:27):
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Speaker 1 (25:40):
Thank you for joining us for the Bible answer Man Broadcast.
In today's post truth culture of confusion, the Christian Research
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(26:01):
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(26:22):
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eight two seven one, or just visit us online at
equip dot org. That's equip dot org. The Bible answer
(26:47):
Man Broadcast is funded by listeners like you. We're on
the air because life and truth matter. Has God Spoken?
(27:07):
Are the words of Scripture merely human in origin? Or
are they, in fact the very words of God himself.
Three years in the making and based on two decades
of research and reflection, Hank Henagraph's monumental book Has God
Spoken answers what is surely the most important question facing
our world. In Has God Spoken? Memorable proofs of the
(27:31):
Bible's Divine inspiration, Hank counters the contentions of the Bible
attackers and clearly shows that belief in the Holy Scriptures
is not a guess or wishful thinking. It is the
only logical conclusion after an honest examination of overwhelming evidence
ordered Has God Spoken from the Christian Research Institute by
calling eighty eight seven thousand CRII or go online to
(27:54):
equip dot org. Equip dot org
Welcome to the Bible answer Man broadcast with your host,
Hank Canigraph. The Bible answer Man is the radio ministry
of the Christian Research Institute designed to equip believers to
defend their faith and become true disciples of the Lord
Jesus Christ, because life and truth matter. Our phone number
is eight eight eight seven thousand CRII. You can find
(00:31):
us on the internet at equip dot org. The following
program was pre recorded and now to begin today's broadcast,
here's Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
A lot of you hanging on. We'll go right to
the phone. Calls Patricia First in Torrance, California.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
High Patricia, Hi, i have a question about the doctrine
of election. I'm confused about it. I know there are
some Calvinists who believe that God preordained some for hell
and some for heaven, but that's inconsistent and offensive to me,
(01:06):
because I can't believe that God would ordain some for
heaven and some for hell. Otherwise, if that were the case,
why would we have any evangelism, Why would there be
any need for that?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, and a Calvinist would say God ordains the ends
as well as the means, but there's no question whatsoever
that John Kelvin taught that the Scripture teaches us, and
he specifically points to the writings of Paul, that the
ruin of the wicked is not only foreseen by the Lord,
but also ordained by his counsel and his will. Not
(01:39):
only the destruction of the wicked is foreknown, but that
the wicked themselves have been created for this very end,
that they would perish. He also says that God not
only foresaw the fall of the first man and in
him the ruin of his posterity, but also at his
own pleasure arranged it. All are not created equal in terms,
(02:03):
but some are preordained to eternal life, others are preordained
to eternal damnation. And accordingly, as each has been created
for one or the other those ends, we say that
he or she has been predestined to life or death.
God arranges all things by a sovereign council in such
(02:26):
a way that individuals are born who are doomed from
the womb to a certain destruction. That was the view
of John Kelvin, and the way this cash is out Patricia.
In his view is that God creates everyone in such
a way that they cannot respond to the Gospel. But
the elect are regenerated or rewired so that they can hear.
(02:50):
The non elect cannot hear, and therefore they couldn't respond
to the Gospel anymore than a cow can fly. Cow
doesn't have wings, cow can't fly. Those who are not
regenerated can't respend to the Gospel because they don't have
ears to hear. That's the basic view. Now I don't
agree with that view, but it is a view held
by many Christians. I should make a qualification. Men like
(03:13):
RC Sproull define hyper Calvinism as equal ultimacy and says
it's based on the concept of symmetry complete balance between
election and reprobation. And he does not agree with that
because he says God is not responsible for damnation to
the same degree as for a salvation. So those who
(03:37):
say that God actively wiels the salvation of the saved
and the damnation of the loss to the same degree,
in his view, are anti or Subcalvinists. I just want
to make that as a qualification in terms of the
nuanced views of some Calvinists in this regard. But there's
no question that John Calvin made the statements that you
(03:57):
allude to and that is by and large within the
camp of Calvinism.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Really, that's troubling to say the least, because how can
we know for sure that we are saved? And I mean,
that doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Well, again, this is one of those views within the
pale of orthodoxy that is debated vigorously by Christians. There
are Calvinist and non Calvinist views. I personally do not
hold to election from this perspective. I believe that on
the basis of scripture, Christ is the elect one, and
that if we are in Christ, by virtue of that,
(04:35):
we are elect. So if you look at Galatians chapter three,
you see that Abraham only had one royal seed. That
royal seed is Jesus Christ. And if you are in Christ,
then you are the seed of Abraham and an air
according to the promise. So Christ is the emphasis in
terms of election from my perspective.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Okay, So people like R. C. Sproul Dan are not
preaching that God ordain some to Hell and some to Heaven.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well, yes, that's the Calvinist construct, But he doesn't believe
in equal ultimacy, which is to say that he does
not believe that reprobation and election to salvation are on
equal footing or equal symmetry. So he's making a distinction there,
And I only point that out to say that Calvinist
views are nuanced. Not all Calvinists hold precisely the same
(05:27):
views in this regard, and I do that only to
be fair to those that hold to this theology.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
If someone else who believes in Calvinists.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Well, there are many people within modern Christianity and certainly
for hundreds and hundreds of years, that have taught Calvinism
and that believe in Calvinism. So it is a view
that is held by highly respected and very credible and
credentialed theologians.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
But then how can that be Then they're not correct, right.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Well, this is one of those things that people debate
vigorously because there are many people like myself that disagree.
I don't hold to circumstantial freedom or compatibilistic freedom. I
hold the libertarian freedom. But again that takes some explaining
because it's very easy to caricature a view as opposed
to really understanding it. It's a very complex subject, but
(06:18):
I think it's important, and I, like you, do not
agree with this particular construct. Although I was raised within it.
My father was a Calvinist theologian, and so I very
very conversant and steeped in this theology growing up. There's
an article we did and you can find it on
(06:39):
the web at equipped dot org, which is a debate
between a Calvinist and a non Calvinist. And what we
did was try to provide the readers with the best
thinking on the part of Calvinists and the best thinking
of the part of non Calvinists in this debate, and
then you have the opportunity to see the two views
contrasted did and then you can decide by testing these
(07:03):
views in light a scripture and holding faster that which
is good. Gonna leave it at that. Let's go back
to the phone lines. Didri next listening in Pickens, South Carolina.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
Hello, Ni, I'm scared, Hank, because I knew better that
the Holy Spirit is not dead, and I was reading
my Bible, and all of a sudden I felt that
he was dead, and I'm scared. I blasphe him, the
Holy Spirit, and I tried to stop myself from doing that,
but it was too late that it was already done,
(07:34):
and I was wanting to know because blasphemy the Holy Spirit.
It's when you attribute God's worth to the satan, and
when you say anything bad about the Holy Spirit, that's blasphemy.
And I'm scared that I blasphem the Holy Spirit by
thinking that he was dead, even though I knew he's alive.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Well, didriw Let me tell you you have nothing to fear.
God is ready and willing and able to forgive you
of your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
That's number one. Number two, the unforgivable sin is never
an act. It's a continuous, willful, ongoing rejection of the
(08:18):
love and grace that could be yours. And from a
historical perspective, you're correct in saying that the Pharisees attributed
the works of God to be also above the prince
of demons. But it was not an act on their part.
It was a continuous action on their part. They knew
that Jesus Christ was the only one who could emerge
(08:41):
from the doorway of Old Testament prophecy, and yet with
premeditation and forethought, they continuously rejected Christ and said that
his works were the works of the devil. That was,
in the historical context, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
So what I want you to understand and is it's
never an act. It's not as though, oh my goodness,
(09:03):
it just came out of my mouth or it was
a thought in my mind. I couldn't stop it. It's over,
and therefore I've committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit,
and therefore I can't be saved. That's not true. It's
never an act. It's a continuous, willful rejection. So that's
why I say you have nothing to fear if you
repent of your sin and receive Jesus Christ as Savior
(09:24):
and Lord in this lifetime. You are his and he
is yours.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
And also I ask the Lord, am I can deal?
Am I see his child? I can ask him questions
after question after course, and I don't get no steal
small voice from him.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Well, but God speaks to you through the majesty of
his word, not through a feeling. Although God does speak
through the still small voice, but don't rely on your feeling.
God is speaking to you actively through his word. So
trust in the revelation that you already have. Yeah, so
(10:02):
has your fear subsided well a little bit, Well, Deirdre,
it should be gone completely because when I've told you,
and I'm going to send you information to underscore this,
so you see this is not just my opinion, but
it should vanquish your fear because you have not committed
the unforgivable sin, and therefore your fear should go, and
(10:25):
you should replace that fear with gratitude that you can
have a living, vital relationship with the lover of your soul,
and that that relationship can become ever more dear and
deep as a result of prayer, getting into the Word
of God, and being a member of a healthy, well
(10:46):
balanced church. Coming to the station breakway right back in
just a few moments with more answers to your questions
right here to the biblelancement broadcast.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Has Jesus Christ returned to Earth as a woman. Eastern Lightning,
also called the Church of All Mighty God, claims a
Chinese woman is the reincarnated Christ, Almighty God and the
fulfillment of Jesus's olivet discourse. This cult is doctrinally deviant
and socially subversive. It masquerades as a persecuted Christian movement
(11:16):
while exploiting Western sympathy to spread its destructive dogmas. Don't
miss the special issue of the Christian Research Journal exposing
the treacherous teachings and practices of Eastern Lightning. To receive
your copy, call eight eight eight seven thousand CRII and
make a gift to support the Christian Research Institute's mind shaping,
(11:38):
life changing outreaches. That's eight eight eight seven thousand CRII.
Or go online to equip dot org. That's equip dot org.
The Bible answer Man Broadcast will return in just a
few moments. Has God Spoken? Are the words of Scripture
(12:09):
merely human in origin? Or are they, in fact the
very words of God himself. Three years in the making
and based on two decades of research and reflection, Hank
Henagraph's monumental book Has God Spoken answers what is surely
the most important question facing our world. In Has God Spoken?
(12:29):
Memorable proofs of the Bible's Divine inspiration, Hank counters the
contentions of the Bible attackers and clearly shows that belief
in the Holy Scriptures is not a guess or wishful thinking.
It is the only logical conclusion after an honest examination
of overwhelming evidence. Order Has God Spoken? From the Christian
Research Institute by calling eighty eight seven thousand CRII or
(12:53):
go online to equip dot org equip dot org. The
Complete Bible answer Book Collector's Edition is the comprehensive collection
of the most often asked questions Hank Hannigraph has received
throughout his four decades as host of the Bible answer
Man broadcast. With more than half a million copies already
(13:15):
in print, this newly revised and expanded Collector's Edition helped
seekers and skeptics alike sort through the truth on topics
such as reliability of the Bible, religions and cults, the
resurrection and afterlife, and many more issues vital to a
better understanding of God in Christ and our relationship to Him.
(13:36):
To receive your copy of The Complete Bible answer Book
Collector's Edition, Revised and Expanded, call eight eight eight seven
thousand CROI and make a gift to support the Christian
Research Institute's life changing outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand
CROI or visit us at equip dot org.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
Truth Matters, Life Matters More details Hank Hanigraff's personal pilgrimage
from his long defensive truth to his discovery that life
matters more. Essentially, two books in one. Part one equips
Christians to defend the essential truths of the historic Christian faith.
Part two explains why truth is necessary but hardly sufficient.
(14:21):
That the map is not the territory, the menu is
not the meal. We are created to experience life to
the full through union with God in Christ. Is there
more to the Christian life than what you are experiencing?
Truth matters, Life matters more unveils the unexpected beauty of
an authentic Christian life. To receive Truth matters, Life matters
(14:42):
more for yourself or as a terrific gift to a
friend or loved one called eight eight eight seven thousand
CRI and make a gift to support the Christian Research
Institute's life changing outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand CRI
or visit us online at equipped dot org.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Every Bible Answerman broadcast, such as the one you're listening
to right now, is made possible through the financial support
of friends like you. Each month, we depend entirely on
God's provision through his people to bring you more of
the broadcast, podcast and other resources you rely on. If
you want a sound proclamation and defense of the Gospel
(15:30):
of Jesus Christ, to continue to be heard through the
outreaches of the Christian Research Institute. Become a member of
crii's support team today. Call eight eight eight seven thousand
CRI and stand with CRII daily in the battle for
life and truth. That's eight eight eight seven thousand CRI.
(15:52):
Or visit our website at equip dot org. Once again,
here's your host, Hank Kanagram.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Thank you very much for Indian. We'll go right back
to our phone callers. Next up is Anne in Chandler, Oklahoma. Hi, Anne, Hello, Hi.
Speaker 6 (16:08):
My question is what is the Book of Talmud? I
believe that's how it's pronounced in Is it authentic?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Well, it's a vast collection of Jewish laws and traditions,
and when you ask whether it's authentic or not, this
is the opinion of thousands of rabbis on many different
subjects like theology and law, and ethics and history and
much much more. But within the Telmut you have a
(16:38):
vigorous intellectual debate. You have even humor within the Telmut.
So there is not a monolithic viewpoint expressed, but it
is rigorous debate and the exercise of thought that's going on.
And it became the basis for rabbinic law, and the
(17:00):
central text of rabbinic Judaism, next to the Torah, the
most significant, and it has served to maintain Israel's national
identity after the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion
of the Jews in the first century. So it's very
significant from that perspective.
Speaker 6 (17:18):
Okay, Well, the reason I asked was I was speaking
to someone from Isell and they were basically trying to
tell me that me being a Christian, that my faith
in Jesus Christ was basically false and that I guess
there was a big cover up that Christians don't know
about the Talmud and something about the Roman Catholic Church
(17:40):
did it. So I've never heard of it and didn't
know what it was. He said it was something about
some scrolls found in the Dead Sea.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Well, the Dead Sea scrolls don't undermine the Bible at all.
What the Dead Sea scrolls served to do is augment
the truth of the Bible because the Jatsi's scrolls, including
the Great Isaiah Scroll, predate the earliest extent text, the
Masoretic Text, by a thousand years, and therefore demonstrates that
(18:12):
God has preserved his word over time, because there are
differences in spelling and style, but there are no differences
in substance. So this goes to underscore the reality of
the Old Testament that Jews adhere to, just as we
adhere to the Old Testament. But here's the issue. They
(18:34):
have a different view of how to identify with God.
They no longer can identify with God through temple worship,
so now they have to identify with God through Torah worship.
But as far as Christianity being untrue, I mean Christianity
is true because the only face that can emerge through
(18:56):
the tapestry of the Old Testament is the face of
Jesus Christ. And of course there are going to be
people that deny that in this epic of time, just
as many of the teachers of the Law denied that
in the time of Christ himself. They in fact went
so far as to say that Christ did what he
did by Beelzebub, the prince of Demons.
Speaker 6 (19:18):
Okay, well, thank you for explaining that. So does it
Talmud even relate to the Bible or is it just
basically Jewish teaching.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Well, it does relate to the Bible, but it is
not about the Bible. In the sense of both Old
and New Testament. It is about the Old Testament principally,
but again it is a lot of opinions. It's composed
of the Mishna and the Gamara. The Mishna was a
body of writings after the Babylonian Exile containing commentary on
(19:50):
the law, dating from around the second century BC, and
the Gamara was a commentary and analysis in turn of
the Mishna itself. So yeah, I mean, it certainly relates
to what we believe to be true with respect to
the Old Testament, but has a different take on what's
going on because from our perspective, the types and the shadows,
(20:12):
the civil and ceremonial law, everything points forward to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ becomes the temple, not a temple made of
glistening gold or luminous limestone, but a temple not built
by human hands, and so Jesus becomes the fulfillment of
the Old Testament types and shadows, including temple, priest and sacrifice. Obviously,
(20:32):
the Jews don't agree with that perspective, and that's why
in Israel today you can't evangelize. I mean, it's forbidden
for a Christian to evangelize. So the Holy City in
essence has become the Harlot City.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (20:46):
All right, well, thank you, you got it.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Thank you so much for your callback to the phone lines.
We'll talk next to Steve. He's listening in Salem, Oregon.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
Hi, Steve, Hi.
Speaker 7 (20:55):
He had a question for you. I'm going to Christian
study seminars and in our classes, I asked a question,
and he said that it was possible for Jesus to
sin when he was tempted because he had the same
nature that Adam had. He didn't sin, but he could.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Well, I don't agree with that. And again, this is
one of those issues that we can debate vigorously, but
it has to do with a doctrine called impeccability. And
I don't think that Jesus Christ could have sinned because
if Jesus, for example, had even for a moment fantasized
in any sense about sin, he could not have been
(21:35):
our savior. So I say that for sin to take place,
there has to be a sinful inner response to a
seductive suggestion to sin. And though Satan appealed to Jesus's
natural human desires like his hunger, the Lord did not
fantasize over Satan's suggestion, because if he had mulled over
(21:55):
Satan's suggestion for even a moment, that would have, as
I said earlier, constituted sin, and had Jesus sinned, he
couldn't have been our savior. Not only that, though, although
Christ did not have any sinful proclivities that inclined him
towards evil, Satan's temptations were real, and even those who
(22:15):
were born into sin can identify with being tempted to
do something that they're utterly disclined to do. By way
of analogy, most mothers would never consider killing their children,
even if offered a life free from suffering. Nonetheless, the
natural desire to avoid suffering would render that kind of
a temptation genuine.
Speaker 7 (22:34):
Was I right to speak to the professor that way
and just tell them that I couldn't agree with that?
I thought it was impossible for him too.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Well, I think you're right to say that with gentleness
and with respect. That's certainly something that I would have
said if I was sitting in the same shoes that
you were sitting in.
Speaker 7 (22:49):
Yeah, that's what I did. I did it gracefully well,
Thank you, hank I sure. Always appreciate all the answers
that you give me. There. I really loved you, and
I got all your books and I'm rereading the one
on the Christianity in Crisis twenty fourth century for I
don't know how many times over and over again. I
just love all your writings and do appreciate everything that
you do.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Bless you, Steve. Thank you so much for those wonderful,
warm and kind words. Back to the phone lines, we
talked to Josh and Lincoln, Nebraska. But radio Hi, Josh, Hi,
how are you good? Thank you? How are you?
Speaker 8 (23:21):
I'm good, sir, Thank you very much. One of the
questions I have that I've been wondering for quite a
while is when Paul is writing and is one of
his letters to the Corinthians, he mentioned the baptism of
the dead, and I don't understand what he's referring through there.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Well, there's a lot of different speculations as to what
he's referring to, because this is kind of something obliquely mentioned,
and there's not other references in scripture that we can
draw from to get a clearer understanding of what is meant.
But I think what's going on from a personal standpoint
is that he's referring to the cultic believers in corinth
(23:55):
and some of their practices within even the Corinthian Church
where you had people who did not believe in the resurrection. Ironically,
we're baptizing people for the dead. And I think this
fits in very well with the whole text of First
Corinthians chapter fifteen, where Paul is constantly raising this issue. Look,
(24:16):
if it is preached that Christ has been raised from
the dead, how can some of you say there is
no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no
resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, then are preaching
is useless? And so is your faith. So what's the point.
What's the point if you continue to deny the resurrection?
(24:37):
What's the point of faith? What's the point of believing
that people who are dead have some hope because they're
still dead in sin? And what's the point in baptizing
for the dead. So it seems to me that that's
what's going on within the context of First Corinthians chapter fifteen.
It just becomes one more reason that Paul is using
to show that the only hope we have is in resurrection,
(25:01):
So the moment that's undermined, you're undermining everything else.
Speaker 8 (25:04):
Okay, yep, that makes a lot more sense. Thank you
very much.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Hey, you got it. Thank you so much for your call.
We are out of time for this edition of the
Bible Answerman Broadcast. I want to underscore our need for resources.
The Gospel's free. Someone has to put in the plumbing.
We're asking you to be one of those people, and
we need your help right now. We also need many
of you to join the support team, where you give
(25:27):
on a regular basis. You can check that out on
the web at equip dot org. Look forward to seeing
you next time with more of the Bible answer Man Broadcast.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Thank you for joining us for the Bible answer Man Broadcast.
In today's post truth culture of confusion, the Christian Research
Institute exists to equip listeners like you with answers to
communicate the Gospel of Hope to a world in desperate
need of life and truth. Because life and truth matter
(26:01):
in addition to truth. We want to equip you with life,
not simply to know about God, but truly to know Him.
Experiencing union with Christ enables us to live life, not
merely by our own energy, but with the energy of
the Lord Jesus working powerfully through us. For more information,
(26:22):
call eight eight eight seven thousand CRII. That's eight eight
eight seven thousand CRII. You can also write CRII at
Post Office Box eighty five hundred, Charlotte, North Carolina two
eight two seven one, or just visit us online at
equip dot org. That's equip dot org. The Bible answer
(26:47):
Man Broadcast is funded by listeners like you. We're on
the air because life and truth matter. Has God Spoken?
(27:07):
Are the words of Scripture merely human in origin? Or
are they, in fact the very words of God himself.
Three years in the making and based on two decades
of research and reflection, Hank Henagraph's monumental book Has God
Spoken answers what is surely the most important question facing
our world. In Has God Spoken? Memorable proofs of the
(27:31):
Bible's Divine inspiration, Hank counters the contentions of the Bible
attackers and clearly shows that belief in the Holy Scriptures
is not a guess or wishful thinking. It is the
only logical conclusion after an honest examination of overwhelming evidence
ordered Has God Spoken from the Christian Research Institute by
calling eighty eight seven thousand CRII or go online to
(27:54):
equip dot org. Equip dot org
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