August 1, 2025 • 28 mins
On today’s Bible Answer Man broadcast (08/01/25), Hank answers the following questions:
Can you explain the Levirate laws concerning marriage and polygamy? Joe - Robbinsville, NJ (0:51)
Is suicide the unforgivable sin? If a Christian commits suicide, will they still go to heaven? Vicky - Cutler, IL (4:37)
What are the pros and cons of Latin American Liberation Theology? Paul - Louisville, KY (8:47)
Are churches today too focused on entertainment? Is Gospel music becoming secular? Monica - East St. Louis, IL (16:01)
Was Judas saved? Sherry - Manassas, VA (20:20)
Can you explain the Levirate laws concerning marriage and polygamy? Joe - Robbinsville, NJ (0:51)
Is suicide the unforgivable sin? If a Christian commits suicide, will they still go to heaven? Vicky - Cutler, IL (4:37)
What are the pros and cons of Latin American Liberation Theology? Paul - Louisville, KY (8:47)
Are churches today too focused on entertainment? Is Gospel music becoming secular? Monica - East St. Louis, IL (16:01)
Was Judas saved? Sherry - Manassas, VA (20:20)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
From the Christian Research Institute and Charlotte, North Carolina. You're
listening to the Bible answer Man broadcast with Hank Canagraph.
We're on the air because life and truth matter. The
mission of the Christian Research Institute is to equip believers
to answer life's essential questions soundly and persuasively, and to
(00:27):
give the reason for the hope that you have with
gentleness and respect. For more information, go online to equip
dot org. The following program was pre recorded and now
here's Bible answer Man host Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Thanks very much. Randy has always said, it's a delight
to be with you as we answer your questions throughout
the United States and candidate. A lot of you hanging on.
We'll go right to the phone calls. First up is
Joe and Robinsville, New Jersey, listening on the web. Hi Joe, Hi.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Thank you so much for your ministry. I learned so
much from you. My question is regarding the leverate law
of marriage. It appears to open the door to polygamy.
What is your take on that?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, I don't think it opens the door to polygamy
at all. If you look at the leveright laws and
By the way, leverighte marriage literally means husband's brother. If
you look at them, they're a complex mosaic, and you
have to understand every portion of them. So you may
find this in Deuteronomy twenty five. But if you look
(01:37):
throughout the Book of Deuteronomy, it's very clear that a
king must not multiply. Wise. If that is true for
the king, how much more so is that true for
the king's subject. So we already have a very clear
admonition against polygamy, not only earlier on in the Book
(01:58):
of Deuteronomy, but at the very beginning in Genesis. In fact,
Jesus builds his whole doctrine on marriage and divorce based
on the precedent that's given to us in Genesis. So
you have to look at what's going on in Deuteronomy
chapter twenty five. In the Law of Moses, a man
(02:20):
was required to marry his brother's widow for a reason.
First of all, it was to provide an heir for
the dead brother, and therefore you could preserve his name
and his estate. Secondly, it was to provide a male
heir who could care for the parents in their old age.
(02:42):
And I would say, in that way, it's a social
security system which would provide the widow a means of support.
But if the widow already had a son to carry
on the family name, while the Leveright law did not apply.
If the other was already married, another relative could assume
(03:04):
the responsibility, and we actually see Jesus shedding light on that.
I think it's Matthew chapter twenty two quite interestingly too.
And Leverty law. If a brother did not want to
fulfill his responsibility because of greed, not wanting to share
the family's inheritance or something like that, the widow could
spit in his face. So there was a lot of
social pressure to further enhance obedience. But I don't think
(03:29):
in any sense we can apply from this the notion
of polygamy.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Well, I'm just wondering any idea as to perhaps why
no indication of the next to kings must be unmarried
it does, you know, I don't.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Really, because it's assumed, And that's my whole point. In
other words, if you look earlier on in the Book
of Deuteronomy, you see what I mentioned earlier, that you're
not allowed to multiply wives. So remember there's a different
diference in Scripture between that which is descriptive and that
which is prescriptive. If you look at the prescription, it
(04:07):
is clear from the very beginning Jesus says a man
leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife,
not wives in the two, not three or more, become
one flesh. And Jesus again, as I mentioned, refers to
Genesis in making his point. So the whole point of
one man for one woman goes all the way back
(04:28):
to the earliest chapter of.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
All Right, Well, thank you very much, and I appreciate
your time.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
You got it. Thank you so much for your call.
Let's go back to the phone lines. We'll talk next
to Vicki and Cutler, Illinois By Vicki.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Hi, Hello, Henk.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
I'm going with a question. I read some stuff over
the weekend and it really really startled to me on
the subject of suicide. If a person commits suicide, do
they go to heaven? I mean, can if they're born
again Christians?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well yeah, if they're born again Christian, of course they
go to heaven. But remember that any born again Christian
in his right mind will not take a prerogative that
is God's progative alone. It is God's prerogative in terms
of life and in terms of death, and we can't
assume that prerogative. But we can't say that someone in
(05:23):
a moment of despondency doing the unthinkable would be precluded
from heaven if they're a believer, because the unpardonable sin
is not a act. It is an ongoing, willful, continuous
rejection of the love and grace that would be yours.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
Okay, I didn't know. I was always taught that it
was self murder and that you would not go to heaven.
And when I read what this man has said, he said,
as long as you were a believer, in kind of
scare because.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
I thought, oh no, yeah, Well, you know, this is
a good example, VICKI, where you got to take what
you hear and test it like a scripture, just as
you are doing. The fact that someone says that, whether
it's myself or someone else, doesn't make it so. What
makes it so is if what we say corresponds with
what scripture says. And there's nothing in scripture that suggests
(06:18):
that suicide is the unforgivable sin. However, while it's not
the unforgivable sin, those who take the sacred name of
Christ upon their lips, dare not contemplate it. Our lives
be belonged to God, and He alone has the prerogative
to bring our lives to an end.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
Absolutely, Okay, just kind of have to set me there.
The way I read it, I thought, who is he saying? Yes? No,
what is he's saying? I guess the way? Well, the
way he put it, it almost sounded like because he
furthered the paragraph and he said that it's not the
(06:57):
unpardonable sin.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Just what you said.
Speaker 5 (06:58):
And he said, so once they have given their life
over to God and they've been living a Christian life,
if they commenced it, yes they are forgiven and they'll
go to heaven. That that got me to thinking, is
him saying this telling people, Okay, you can still sin?
And you know, it almost seemed like he was saying, well, you.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Know you're saying so, well, I mean we all die
in sin, right, I mean we all die in one
sin or another, And we're not suggesting in any sense.
And I don't want to be misunderstood here that suicide
is acceptable, but we're also not allowed, on the basis
of scripture to say it's unforgivable. And certainly there have
(07:44):
been cases where people do things in a time of
desperation that they wouldn't otherwise do. And again, it's sinful,
it's wrong. You have to be out of your quote
unquote right mind to do it. But there's nothing in
the Bible that suggests that this is the unpardonable sin.
(08:06):
And the reason for this is no single act is unforgivable.
As I noted earlier on, an unforgivable sin, by definition,
is a continuous, ongoing rejection of forgiveness, and those who
refuse forgiveness through Christ will spend eternity separated from His
(08:28):
love and grace. But those who sincerely desire forgiveness can
be absolutely certain that God will never spurn them.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
Thank you so much. I feel better.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Well, Thank you so much for your call.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
I'd read it.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Mit scared me and I thought, okay, I'm going to
call and that helped a lot.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Thank you so much and bless you, VICKI back to
the fune lines. We'll talk next to Paul and Louisville, Kentucky.
Speaker 6 (08:49):
Hi, Paul, Oh, service is such an honor to be
able to get the opportunity to talk to you. I
really enjoyed your counterfeit revival. Oh thank you, it was
a godsend.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
No.
Speaker 6 (09:00):
I know a lot of missionaries in Latin America and
they're telling me this liberation theology of the Latin American
variety is catching on like wildfire. And we're seeing these
leaders rise and they're using the Bible and the weird thing.
Our media dismisses it, but you know, they do have
some fruit on that tree. There are some areas of
improvement in the lives of the poor where many years
(09:22):
of you know, conservative US back oligarchs were I mean
it was terrible. I mean I did mission work down there.
I mean, there is some sign that things are getting
better down there. So my question is what are the
pros and the cons of Latin American liberation theology. And
the reason I have to make a distinction is because
you have gay liberation theology, you have black liberation theology.
(09:43):
I'm only speaking of the one that deals with the
liberation of the poor.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Yeah. Well, Welfra's question, and I think what's important is
that we as Christians recognize our responsibility to be involved
in every sphere of life. That is, by giving to
the hungary and homes to the homeless, that we demonstrate
the reality of Christ's love and therefore earn the right
(10:09):
to communicate the good news of the Gospel. But liberation
theology as you've defined it, and in its particular permutation
in Latin America, is horizontal. It's materialistic. It's a vision
for humanity, and the emphasis is not on liberation from
the wrath of God through faith in Jesus Christ, but
(10:29):
on liberation from government oppression and class struggle. And therefore
you have a complete redefinition of sin. Sin and redemption
are defined in terms of socioeconomic class struggle. Sin is
not primarily religious, but social, political, or economic oppression of
the poor. In the process of defining all of this,
(10:52):
the Bible is not an errand inspired but rather is
a fallible book, and the infallible interpretation of the cultural
elites seem to take president he right that.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
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Speaker 7 (12:01):
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Speaker 1 (13:01):
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Speaker 2 (16:00):
Thank you very much, Randy, and let's go right back
to the fulmine as we talked to Monica next Saint Louis,
Illinois by Monica.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
Uh Hi, Hank, how you doing.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
I'm doing well, Thank you.
Speaker 7 (16:09):
I have a.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Question, and I don't mean in disrespect towards the churches,
but ever since I was thirteen, I've been kind of
turned off from churches. I'm not saying all churches, and
I just want to ask your opinion on do you
feel like churches are becoming more about entertaining people than
really Jesus in getting people saved. I just want to
(16:32):
know what your opinion is on that.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Well, my opinion is that you put your finger on
a real problem in contemporary Christianity where theology has given
way to technique, and so often you have entertainments supplanting
real Christian education. So I do think it is a
very significant problem in the modern day Christian church.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
Oh okay, Also with gospel music, I wanted to ask
you about this, do you also see that as kind
of shifting now that's also becoming very secular. I know
they say they're trying to reach people, but I still
feel like that's becoming just more of an entertainment thing. Also,
what's your opinion on that?
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Well? I think again you put your finger on a
real significant problem within the historic Christian faith today where
you have people doing lyrics to songs who are not
biblically literate themselves, so you have very shallow music. I
think in general, we experience genuine worship through a passion
(17:37):
for praise, and what we win by prayer we must
wear with praise, as Matthew Henry so aptly put it,
And of course the apostle Paul urges us to sing
to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
And I think that's instructive. Singing psalms is a magnificent
means for intercession, for instruction, even for the internalization of
(18:03):
the Word of God. And the great hymns of the
faith have stood the test of time and their rich
in theological tradition and truth. But spiritual songs should not
be shunned. They communicate the freshness of our faith. So
I think it's crucial that we preserve both a respect
(18:24):
for our spiritual heritage and a regard for good contemporary compositions.
But so much of what we find in music today
has excessive repetition and tends to reflect the values of
popular culture that are very shallow, and even concepts that
(18:48):
should not be bought into it all. We have instant gratification,
we have intellectual impatience, we have ahistorical immediacy, incessant novelty.
All of these things are pounding at the door of
our churches, as it were, And therefore, because we have
shallow Christians at the fort, there's a lack of intellectual rigor,
(19:13):
there's a failure to offer a toure exposition of great
biblical doctrines, as we saw in some of the praise
songs of yesteryear. I mean you think about songs like
A mighty Fortresses are God. Well, today's lyrics so often
are shallow and shameful by comparison.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Well, thanks, Hank. Oh one more question. The reason why
I was asking about that also is because it seems like,
because they become so in so much entertainment, doctrine has
kind of been thrown out. You don't hear much about
preaching about telling people to live right. And that's what
I've also noticed from the churches.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Yes, theology, as I said, has given way to technique,
and unfortunately we are missing the boat in terms of
equipping God's people, exhorting God's people, encouraging God's people, edifying
God's people, and getting them in the word of God
and getting the word of God into them.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
Thank you so much, Hank. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Bless you, Monica. Back to the phone lines, we'll talk
next to Sherry and Manassa Virginia.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Hi, Sherry, Hi, Hank.
Speaker 8 (20:26):
How are you.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
I'm good? Thank you good? Yeah.
Speaker 8 (20:29):
I want to thank you for your ministry online. It's
a great help and you're very, very knowledgeable.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 8 (20:39):
My question has always been I have always felt as
Judas was more of a victim in that situation, and
the caller earlier was talking about suicide, and I was
always led to believe that Judas was not saved, would
(21:02):
not be saved enter heaven because he committed suicide and
was unable to ask for forgiveness after that. And I
always felt he had almost no say so he was
predestined to do this. And I wondered what your thoughts
were on him.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Well, yes and no. I mean, I think the first
thing that you said is absolutely true, but the follow
up I don't think is correct. I don't think Judas
is unsaved or is the man who's destined for perdition,
as we read in the Bible, because he committed suicide,
but it was because he did what he did with
(21:46):
premeditation and forethought, which is to say that he was
a disciple not because he loved Jesus Christ, but rather
because he loved what was on the Master's table. And
therein is the problem. He was not a follower of
Jesus Christ because he really loved Christ. He loved what
(22:08):
being with Christ afforded him. And that's why the apostles
said that Judas was left to go where he belongs.
He was a son of perdition, but it was not
because he was fatalistically determined. Remember, the fact that God
knows what someone will do does not presuppose that what
(22:28):
that person does has been fatalistically or theistically determined. And
the way you can look at this is by looking
back at your own life. You can know things that
happened with great clarity in the past that you had
nothing to do with. So the fact that you know
what happened doesn't mean that you're the causal agent of
what happened. And in the case of God, unlike human beings,
(22:52):
he can not only look in the rearview mirror, but
he can look forward. He knows the future exhaustively. But again,
the fact that he knows what will happen not mean
that Judas did not have the power to act or
to act otherwise.
Speaker 8 (23:05):
But Jesus had to be betrayed and taken to court
and be crucified by some way. Someone had to do it.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Yeah, Judas was the one to do it, and God
knew that Judas was the one who would do it.
But again, my point is that both philosophically and theologically
or Biblically, there's no reason for suggesting that the knowledge
that God had that Judas would be the one to
betray him was the causal factor in the betrayal itself.
(23:42):
Judas of his own volition, and therefore he is culpable
for his sin. Betrayed Jesus and put Jesus's life in
the hands of sinful men.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Okay, all right.
Speaker 8 (23:57):
He was the one that did it, and it was
basically his choice.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
It was. And Judas cannot stand before God and say,
you know, I had no choice. You created me this way.
He can't plead compatibilistic freedom. He is genuinely culpable for
his sin because he could have acted otherwise.
Speaker 8 (24:22):
Okay, okay, well, there you go. I was never taught
that he could have acted otherwise.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
It was always dead.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Well. There are different theological camp sheary that look at
this in different ways. There are some who believe in
theistic fatalism. In other words, they believe in circumstantial or
compatibilistic freedom. There are others in the Christian world who
do not. They believe in libertarian freedom. So there are
those that say, as John Kelvin said, people are doomed
(24:50):
from the womb to certain destruction. In other words, they're
created in such a way that they can't respond to
God's love, his grace, or the salvation that could be theirs.
Just as cows can fly, they do not have ears
to hear. So that is a very dominant view within
the historic Christian faith. But the fact that it's dominant
(25:12):
within theology doesn't necessarily make it true. And therefore there's
a very strong, i would say, debate within the Christian
Church on that very issue, the difference between libertarian freedom
and compatibilistic or circumstantial freedom.
Speaker 8 (25:29):
Okay, I am glad to hear your point of view
on that.
Speaker 5 (25:34):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Well, thank you so much for your call. And we
do have a great article on the Christian Research Journal
which dealt with this very issue, where you have a
Calvinist and a non Calvinist actually debating this and in
the process, as you read through the article, you can
look at the debate and the passages that are used
(25:57):
to buttress a particular point in light of the other
point of view, and ultimately test all things in let
the scripture hold fast to the good. We're at a
time for this edition of the Bible Instman Broadcast. Look
forward to seeing you on the next edition of the show.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Thank you for joining us today. Our mission at the
Christian Research Institute is to defend the faith, answer Bible questions,
and encourage Christians to watch their life and doctrine closely.
To find resources to help equip you, go to equip
dot org. That's equip dot org, or call us at
(26:34):
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Speaker 7 (27:01):
Hank Hanigraph has dedicated his life to defending truth. Because
truth matters. Yet, an encounter with Christians in the underground
Church of China left Hanograph contemplating his Christian experience. They
were experiencing something beyond truth. They were experiencing life. Truth matters.
Life matters More by Hank Hanigraph is two books in one.
Because Truth Matters. Part one equips Christians to defend the
(27:25):
essential truths of the historic Christian faith. In Part two,
Hank explains why life matters more and how we can
experience the height of human existence union with God. Prepare
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Life matters more, the unexpected beauty of an authentic Christian
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life called eight eight eight seven thousand CRI and make
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Outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand CRI or visit us
at equipped dot org.
From the Christian Research Institute and Charlotte, North Carolina. You're
listening to the Bible answer Man broadcast with Hank Canagraph.
We're on the air because life and truth matter. The
mission of the Christian Research Institute is to equip believers
to answer life's essential questions soundly and persuasively, and to
(00:27):
give the reason for the hope that you have with
gentleness and respect. For more information, go online to equip
dot org. The following program was pre recorded and now
here's Bible answer Man host Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Thanks very much. Randy has always said, it's a delight
to be with you as we answer your questions throughout
the United States and candidate. A lot of you hanging on.
We'll go right to the phone calls. First up is
Joe and Robinsville, New Jersey, listening on the web. Hi Joe, Hi.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Thank you so much for your ministry. I learned so
much from you. My question is regarding the leverate law
of marriage. It appears to open the door to polygamy.
What is your take on that?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, I don't think it opens the door to polygamy
at all. If you look at the leveright laws and
By the way, leverighte marriage literally means husband's brother. If
you look at them, they're a complex mosaic, and you
have to understand every portion of them. So you may
find this in Deuteronomy twenty five. But if you look
(01:37):
throughout the Book of Deuteronomy, it's very clear that a
king must not multiply. Wise. If that is true for
the king, how much more so is that true for
the king's subject. So we already have a very clear
admonition against polygamy, not only earlier on in the Book
(01:58):
of Deuteronomy, but at the very beginning in Genesis. In fact,
Jesus builds his whole doctrine on marriage and divorce based
on the precedent that's given to us in Genesis. So
you have to look at what's going on in Deuteronomy
chapter twenty five. In the Law of Moses, a man
(02:20):
was required to marry his brother's widow for a reason.
First of all, it was to provide an heir for
the dead brother, and therefore you could preserve his name
and his estate. Secondly, it was to provide a male
heir who could care for the parents in their old age.
(02:42):
And I would say, in that way, it's a social
security system which would provide the widow a means of support.
But if the widow already had a son to carry
on the family name, while the Leveright law did not apply.
If the other was already married, another relative could assume
(03:04):
the responsibility, and we actually see Jesus shedding light on that.
I think it's Matthew chapter twenty two quite interestingly too.
And Leverty law. If a brother did not want to
fulfill his responsibility because of greed, not wanting to share
the family's inheritance or something like that, the widow could
spit in his face. So there was a lot of
social pressure to further enhance obedience. But I don't think
(03:29):
in any sense we can apply from this the notion
of polygamy.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Well, I'm just wondering any idea as to perhaps why
no indication of the next to kings must be unmarried
it does, you know, I don't.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Really, because it's assumed, And that's my whole point. In
other words, if you look earlier on in the Book
of Deuteronomy, you see what I mentioned earlier, that you're
not allowed to multiply wives. So remember there's a different
diference in Scripture between that which is descriptive and that
which is prescriptive. If you look at the prescription, it
(04:07):
is clear from the very beginning Jesus says a man
leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife,
not wives in the two, not three or more, become
one flesh. And Jesus again, as I mentioned, refers to
Genesis in making his point. So the whole point of
one man for one woman goes all the way back
(04:28):
to the earliest chapter of.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
All Right, Well, thank you very much, and I appreciate
your time.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
You got it. Thank you so much for your call.
Let's go back to the phone lines. We'll talk next
to Vicki and Cutler, Illinois By Vicki.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Hi, Hello, Henk.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
I'm going with a question. I read some stuff over
the weekend and it really really startled to me on
the subject of suicide. If a person commits suicide, do
they go to heaven? I mean, can if they're born
again Christians?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well yeah, if they're born again Christian, of course they
go to heaven. But remember that any born again Christian
in his right mind will not take a prerogative that
is God's progative alone. It is God's prerogative in terms
of life and in terms of death, and we can't
assume that prerogative. But we can't say that someone in
(05:23):
a moment of despondency doing the unthinkable would be precluded
from heaven if they're a believer, because the unpardonable sin
is not a act. It is an ongoing, willful, continuous
rejection of the love and grace that would be yours.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
Okay, I didn't know. I was always taught that it
was self murder and that you would not go to heaven.
And when I read what this man has said, he said,
as long as you were a believer, in kind of
scare because.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
I thought, oh no, yeah, Well, you know, this is
a good example, VICKI, where you got to take what
you hear and test it like a scripture, just as
you are doing. The fact that someone says that, whether
it's myself or someone else, doesn't make it so. What
makes it so is if what we say corresponds with
what scripture says. And there's nothing in scripture that suggests
(06:18):
that suicide is the unforgivable sin. However, while it's not
the unforgivable sin, those who take the sacred name of
Christ upon their lips, dare not contemplate it. Our lives
be belonged to God, and He alone has the prerogative
to bring our lives to an end.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
Absolutely, Okay, just kind of have to set me there.
The way I read it, I thought, who is he saying? Yes? No,
what is he's saying? I guess the way? Well, the
way he put it, it almost sounded like because he
furthered the paragraph and he said that it's not the
(06:57):
unpardonable sin.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Just what you said.
Speaker 5 (06:58):
And he said, so once they have given their life
over to God and they've been living a Christian life,
if they commenced it, yes they are forgiven and they'll
go to heaven. That that got me to thinking, is
him saying this telling people, Okay, you can still sin?
And you know, it almost seemed like he was saying, well, you.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Know you're saying so, well, I mean we all die
in sin, right, I mean we all die in one
sin or another, And we're not suggesting in any sense.
And I don't want to be misunderstood here that suicide
is acceptable, but we're also not allowed, on the basis
of scripture to say it's unforgivable. And certainly there have
(07:44):
been cases where people do things in a time of
desperation that they wouldn't otherwise do. And again, it's sinful,
it's wrong. You have to be out of your quote
unquote right mind to do it. But there's nothing in
the Bible that suggests that this is the unpardonable sin.
(08:06):
And the reason for this is no single act is unforgivable.
As I noted earlier on, an unforgivable sin, by definition,
is a continuous, ongoing rejection of forgiveness, and those who
refuse forgiveness through Christ will spend eternity separated from His
(08:28):
love and grace. But those who sincerely desire forgiveness can
be absolutely certain that God will never spurn them.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
Thank you so much. I feel better.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Well, Thank you so much for your call.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
I'd read it.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Mit scared me and I thought, okay, I'm going to
call and that helped a lot.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Thank you so much and bless you, VICKI back to
the fune lines. We'll talk next to Paul and Louisville, Kentucky.
Speaker 6 (08:49):
Hi, Paul, Oh, service is such an honor to be
able to get the opportunity to talk to you. I
really enjoyed your counterfeit revival. Oh thank you, it was
a godsend.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
No.
Speaker 6 (09:00):
I know a lot of missionaries in Latin America and
they're telling me this liberation theology of the Latin American
variety is catching on like wildfire. And we're seeing these
leaders rise and they're using the Bible and the weird thing.
Our media dismisses it, but you know, they do have
some fruit on that tree. There are some areas of
improvement in the lives of the poor where many years
(09:22):
of you know, conservative US back oligarchs were I mean
it was terrible. I mean I did mission work down there.
I mean, there is some sign that things are getting
better down there. So my question is what are the
pros and the cons of Latin American liberation theology. And
the reason I have to make a distinction is because
you have gay liberation theology, you have black liberation theology.
(09:43):
I'm only speaking of the one that deals with the
liberation of the poor.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Yeah. Well, Welfra's question, and I think what's important is
that we as Christians recognize our responsibility to be involved
in every sphere of life. That is, by giving to
the hungary and homes to the homeless, that we demonstrate
the reality of Christ's love and therefore earn the right
(10:09):
to communicate the good news of the Gospel. But liberation
theology as you've defined it, and in its particular permutation
in Latin America, is horizontal. It's materialistic. It's a vision
for humanity, and the emphasis is not on liberation from
the wrath of God through faith in Jesus Christ, but
(10:29):
on liberation from government oppression and class struggle. And therefore
you have a complete redefinition of sin. Sin and redemption
are defined in terms of socioeconomic class struggle. Sin is
not primarily religious, but social, political, or economic oppression of
the poor. In the process of defining all of this,
(10:52):
the Bible is not an errand inspired but rather is
a fallible book, and the infallible interpretation of the cultural
elites seem to take president he right that.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
The famous British apologist GK. Chesterton once noted, the true
soldier fights not because he hates what is in front
of him, but because he loves what is behind him.
Because at CRII we love what is behind us, our faith,
our families, and our freedoms. We will never retreat quietly
from the growing assaults on life and truth, even when
(11:24):
the costs are great. We will stand to join like
minded friends in making a difference at home and around
the globe, and to equip fellow believers to stand their
ground courageously. Become a member of CRI's support team. Simply
call eight eight eight seven thousand CRII that's eight eight
eight seven thousand CRI. Or visit our website at equip
(11:48):
dot org. Stay with us. Hank Canigraph will return in
a few moments.
Speaker 7 (12:01):
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.
(12:22):
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
(12:42):
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 equipp dot org.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Anyone who's been paying attention knows there's a war going on,
not just on traditional morality, civility, and decency, but even
more fundamentally on historic notions of truth. And the enemy
isn't just the onslaught of fake news, facilitated by a
post truth culture and turbocharged by growing legions of ideological
spind Doctors note the real enemies of truth range from
(13:24):
postmodernist convictions that there is no objective truth to militant
scientism that claims that only science can determine truth and
religion is little more than primitive superstitions. But CRI Support
Team members are not waving a white flag of surrender.
They're holding the fort by undergirding everyone of Christian Research
(13:44):
Institute's mind shaping and life Changing Outreaches twenty four to seven.
To learn how you can make a difference, and enjoy
all the benefits of support team membership. Simply visit equip
dot org. Doctor Evan Alexandra's wildly popular near death experience
(14:07):
book Proof of Heaven assures us that no matter what
we do in this life, only unconditional love and joy
await us in the world to come. But our Lord
warned that while the gate to Hell is wide, the
road to it broad, and those who enter through it
are many, the gate is narrow and the way is
hard that leads to life, and those who find it
(14:27):
are few. Your generous support, let's Hank Hanograph and see
Uri speak out against the lies that lead to Hell.
In appreciation for your gift, today, we'll rush you Hank's
book After Life What you need to know about Heaven,
the Hereafter, and near death experiences filled with answers to
your questions about life after death. Call eight eight eight
(14:49):
seven thousand CROI or visit equip dot org. Now again,
that's equip dot org. Every Bible answerman broadcast such as
(15:09):
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 of Jesus Christ to continue to
(15:32):
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. Or visit our website at equip
(15:55):
dot org. Once again, here's your host, Hank Kanagram.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Thank you very much, Randy, and let's go right back
to the fulmine as we talked to Monica next Saint Louis,
Illinois by Monica.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
Uh Hi, Hank, how you doing.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
I'm doing well, Thank you.
Speaker 7 (16:09):
I have a.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Question, and I don't mean in disrespect towards the churches,
but ever since I was thirteen, I've been kind of
turned off from churches. I'm not saying all churches, and
I just want to ask your opinion on do you
feel like churches are becoming more about entertaining people than
really Jesus in getting people saved. I just want to
(16:32):
know what your opinion is on that.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Well, my opinion is that you put your finger on
a real problem in contemporary Christianity where theology has given
way to technique, and so often you have entertainments supplanting
real Christian education. So I do think it is a
very significant problem in the modern day Christian church.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
Oh okay, Also with gospel music, I wanted to ask
you about this, do you also see that as kind
of shifting now that's also becoming very secular. I know
they say they're trying to reach people, but I still
feel like that's becoming just more of an entertainment thing. Also,
what's your opinion on that?
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Well? I think again you put your finger on a
real significant problem within the historic Christian faith today where
you have people doing lyrics to songs who are not
biblically literate themselves, so you have very shallow music. I
think in general, we experience genuine worship through a passion
(17:37):
for praise, and what we win by prayer we must
wear with praise, as Matthew Henry so aptly put it,
And of course the apostle Paul urges us to sing
to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
And I think that's instructive. Singing psalms is a magnificent
means for intercession, for instruction, even for the internalization of
(18:03):
the Word of God. And the great hymns of the
faith have stood the test of time and their rich
in theological tradition and truth. But spiritual songs should not
be shunned. They communicate the freshness of our faith. So
I think it's crucial that we preserve both a respect
(18:24):
for our spiritual heritage and a regard for good contemporary compositions.
But so much of what we find in music today
has excessive repetition and tends to reflect the values of
popular culture that are very shallow, and even concepts that
(18:48):
should not be bought into it all. We have instant gratification,
we have intellectual impatience, we have ahistorical immediacy, incessant novelty.
All of these things are pounding at the door of
our churches, as it were, And therefore, because we have
shallow Christians at the fort, there's a lack of intellectual rigor,
(19:13):
there's a failure to offer a toure exposition of great
biblical doctrines, as we saw in some of the praise
songs of yesteryear. I mean you think about songs like
A mighty Fortresses are God. Well, today's lyrics so often
are shallow and shameful by comparison.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Well, thanks, Hank. Oh one more question. The reason why
I was asking about that also is because it seems like,
because they become so in so much entertainment, doctrine has
kind of been thrown out. You don't hear much about
preaching about telling people to live right. And that's what
I've also noticed from the churches.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Yes, theology, as I said, has given way to technique,
and unfortunately we are missing the boat in terms of
equipping God's people, exhorting God's people, encouraging God's people, edifying
God's people, and getting them in the word of God
and getting the word of God into them.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
Thank you so much, Hank. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Bless you, Monica. Back to the phone lines, we'll talk
next to Sherry and Manassa Virginia.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Hi, Sherry, Hi, Hank.
Speaker 8 (20:26):
How are you.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
I'm good? Thank you good? Yeah.
Speaker 8 (20:29):
I want to thank you for your ministry online. It's
a great help and you're very, very knowledgeable.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 8 (20:39):
My question has always been I have always felt as
Judas was more of a victim in that situation, and
the caller earlier was talking about suicide, and I was
always led to believe that Judas was not saved, would
(21:02):
not be saved enter heaven because he committed suicide and
was unable to ask for forgiveness after that. And I
always felt he had almost no say so he was
predestined to do this. And I wondered what your thoughts
were on him.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Well, yes and no. I mean, I think the first
thing that you said is absolutely true, but the follow
up I don't think is correct. I don't think Judas
is unsaved or is the man who's destined for perdition,
as we read in the Bible, because he committed suicide,
but it was because he did what he did with
(21:46):
premeditation and forethought, which is to say that he was
a disciple not because he loved Jesus Christ, but rather
because he loved what was on the Master's table. And
therein is the problem. He was not a follower of
Jesus Christ because he really loved Christ. He loved what
(22:08):
being with Christ afforded him. And that's why the apostles
said that Judas was left to go where he belongs.
He was a son of perdition, but it was not
because he was fatalistically determined. Remember, the fact that God
knows what someone will do does not presuppose that what
(22:28):
that person does has been fatalistically or theistically determined. And
the way you can look at this is by looking
back at your own life. You can know things that
happened with great clarity in the past that you had
nothing to do with. So the fact that you know
what happened doesn't mean that you're the causal agent of
what happened. And in the case of God, unlike human beings,
(22:52):
he can not only look in the rearview mirror, but
he can look forward. He knows the future exhaustively. But again,
the fact that he knows what will happen not mean
that Judas did not have the power to act or
to act otherwise.
Speaker 8 (23:05):
But Jesus had to be betrayed and taken to court
and be crucified by some way. Someone had to do it.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Yeah, Judas was the one to do it, and God
knew that Judas was the one who would do it.
But again, my point is that both philosophically and theologically
or Biblically, there's no reason for suggesting that the knowledge
that God had that Judas would be the one to
betray him was the causal factor in the betrayal itself.
(23:42):
Judas of his own volition, and therefore he is culpable
for his sin. Betrayed Jesus and put Jesus's life in
the hands of sinful men.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Okay, all right.
Speaker 8 (23:57):
He was the one that did it, and it was
basically his choice.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
It was. And Judas cannot stand before God and say,
you know, I had no choice. You created me this way.
He can't plead compatibilistic freedom. He is genuinely culpable for
his sin because he could have acted otherwise.
Speaker 8 (24:22):
Okay, okay, well, there you go. I was never taught
that he could have acted otherwise.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
It was always dead.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Well. There are different theological camp sheary that look at
this in different ways. There are some who believe in
theistic fatalism. In other words, they believe in circumstantial or
compatibilistic freedom. There are others in the Christian world who
do not. They believe in libertarian freedom. So there are
those that say, as John Kelvin said, people are doomed
(24:50):
from the womb to certain destruction. In other words, they're
created in such a way that they can't respond to
God's love, his grace, or the salvation that could be theirs.
Just as cows can fly, they do not have ears
to hear. So that is a very dominant view within
the historic Christian faith. But the fact that it's dominant
(25:12):
within theology doesn't necessarily make it true. And therefore there's
a very strong, i would say, debate within the Christian
Church on that very issue, the difference between libertarian freedom
and compatibilistic or circumstantial freedom.
Speaker 8 (25:29):
Okay, I am glad to hear your point of view
on that.
Speaker 5 (25:34):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Well, thank you so much for your call. And we
do have a great article on the Christian Research Journal
which dealt with this very issue, where you have a
Calvinist and a non Calvinist actually debating this and in
the process, as you read through the article, you can
look at the debate and the passages that are used
(25:57):
to buttress a particular point in light of the other
point of view, and ultimately test all things in let
the scripture hold fast to the good. We're at a
time for this edition of the Bible Instman Broadcast. Look
forward to seeing you on the next edition of the show.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Thank you for joining us today. Our mission at the
Christian Research Institute is to defend the faith, answer Bible questions,
and encourage Christians to watch their life and doctrine closely.
To find resources to help equip you, go to equip
dot org. That's equip dot org, or call us at
(26:34):
eight eight eight seven thousand CRII. You can also write
CRI at Post Office Box eighty five hundred, Charlotte, North Carolina,
two eight two seven one. The Bible answer Man Broadcast
is supported by listeners like you. We're on the air
because life and truth matter.
Speaker 7 (27:01):
Hank Hanigraph has dedicated his life to defending truth. Because
truth matters. Yet, an encounter with Christians in the underground
Church of China left Hanograph contemplating his Christian experience. They
were experiencing something beyond truth. They were experiencing life. Truth matters.
Life matters More by Hank Hanigraph is two books in one.
Because Truth Matters. Part one equips Christians to defend the
(27:25):
essential truths of the historic Christian faith. In Part two,
Hank explains why life matters more and how we can
experience the height of human existence union with God. Prepare
to move past intellectually knowing about God to experientially knowing
God in Christ. To receive your copy of Truth matters,
Life matters more, the unexpected beauty of an authentic Christian
(27:46):
life called eight eight eight seven thousand CRI and make
a gift to support the Christian Research Institutes Life Changing
Outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand CRI or visit us
at equipped dot org.
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