by jimwalton » Mon Jun 25, 2018 1:15 pm
> Why is suicide a sin?
There aren't any verses in the Bible that talk about suicide. None. Some people in the Bible committed suicide (possibly King Saul, definitely Judas), but there are no teachings in the Bible about it.
Obviously, suicide is taking a life, and the Bible does say that it's wrong to willfully take a life by violence (Ex. 20.13), but it doesn't speak specifically about suicide.
Some people consider that the Roman Catholic Church teaches that anyone who suicides goes directly to hell. While some Catholics agree to that, others don't. But what we definitely do NOT find is the Bible teaching that. The Bible never says that people who kill themselves go to hell, even though the last act they committed on this earth was murder. The teaching of Scripture is clear that your final destiny is not dependent on an action like that, but the state of your soul (with a sin nature or the nature of Jesus) at the end of life.
> Do you think God would create other intellgient life (yes, aliens) than us?
It's possible, but it's hard to figure out how probable it might be. If He did, cool. If not, that's quite OK, too. I remember that Stephen Hawking said we should be afraid if we find intelligent life other than us in the universe. But it's possible God would create other intelligent life. My opinion is that He didn't, but it's no big deal theologically if He did.
> What is God? Is he a human being like the rest of us? Or is he an invisible entity?
I define God as a supreme supernatural divine being. He's not human like us. The Bible says he's invisible (spiritual, not physical), all-powerful (but still can't do self-contradictory things), all-knowing, omnipresent (everywhere at the same time), all good, holy (separate from all nature and us as humans), loving, perfect, and a flawless judge. The Bible says he's majestic, filled with splendor, beautiful, and great.
> Deism
No, I don't believe in deism. Since God is love, He can't be so detached from history and nature. The Bible teaches God's involvement—providential care, not a separatistic deism. The Bible also makes no demarcation between science and the Bible, and so deism is a biblically misleading worldview.
> Why is suicide a sin?
There aren't any verses in the Bible that talk about suicide. None. Some people in the Bible committed suicide (possibly King Saul, definitely Judas), but there are no teachings in the Bible about it.
Obviously, suicide is taking a life, and the Bible does say that it's wrong to willfully take a life by violence (Ex. 20.13), but it doesn't speak specifically about suicide.
Some people consider that the Roman Catholic Church teaches that anyone who suicides goes directly to hell. While some Catholics agree to that, others don't. But what we definitely do NOT find is the Bible teaching that. The Bible never says that people who kill themselves go to hell, even though the last act they committed on this earth was murder. The teaching of Scripture is clear that your final destiny is not dependent on an action like that, but the state of your soul (with a sin nature or the nature of Jesus) at the end of life.
> Do you think God would create other intellgient life (yes, aliens) than us?
It's possible, but it's hard to figure out how probable it might be. If He did, cool. If not, that's quite OK, too. I remember that Stephen Hawking said we should be afraid if we find intelligent life other than us in the universe. But it's possible God would create other intelligent life. My opinion is that He didn't, but it's no big deal theologically if He did.
> What is God? Is he a human being like the rest of us? Or is he an invisible entity?
I define God as a supreme supernatural divine being. He's not human like us. The Bible says he's invisible (spiritual, not physical), all-powerful (but still can't do self-contradictory things), all-knowing, omnipresent (everywhere at the same time), all good, holy (separate from all nature and us as humans), loving, perfect, and a flawless judge. The Bible says he's majestic, filled with splendor, beautiful, and great.
> Deism
No, I don't believe in deism. Since God is love, He can't be so detached from history and nature. The Bible teaches God's involvement—providential care, not a separatistic deism. The Bible also makes no demarcation between science and the Bible, and so deism is a biblically misleading worldview.