Following the end of our Luke series, the church had a chance for people to ask questions and have them answered on stage during a panel discussion. Most of the questions were not answered, but have been posted here on this devotional blog. Though, several of the original questions will not be addressed twice. Please watch the YouTube video below if you wish to hear these answers. The panel discussion starts at minute 40.
In Luke, people are judged for not seeing. If understanding requires Jesus to open our eyes, how do we reconcile divine illumination vs. human responsibility?
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Can someone believe and later forsake Christ? In the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15), Jesus says some believe for a while but fall away. Where is once saved always saved from?
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Questions on Salvation
If God hardens people’s hearts throughout the bible, do we truly have free will?
Answer by Paul Lane:
This is a very common question and hits on the nature of the disagreement between Arminians and Calvinist. I think the strict Calvinist answer is that it is all covered in God’s sovereignty and by God’s predestined will for the individual. If you look at the five points of Calvinism, Point Two is Unconditional election, which says that God chooses who will be saved, so in that regard the human will is not free. Also, Point Four is Irresistible grace, which says that those who are saved are not able to resist salvation. So, on this point, the human will would not be free. The fact that human will is not free under these terms is one of the main reasons that Arminians reject Calvinism. Some people will say that they are Three Point Calvinist because they reject these two points, but accept the other three.
Consider two things here. First consider God and His nature. He is all powerful and all knowing. If He has both of these characteristics, how can there be any free will outside of His will? Perhaps this question is just as hard to answer. Second, from a fairly simple investigation of the God described in the Bible, I think it is clear that God’s nature is one that is bent toward community, and the nature of the man He created is to follow his nature as an elevated high functioning creature. So, God’s intent for man is something more than a puppet.
When you put these two thoughts together, perhaps you can see a tension that allows for a regime in which the creature that God has created is exercising free will within a region of possibilities that all exist within the will of God.
Answer by Stefan Johnsson
Many of us have different views on free will. For example, a Calvinist may say that we have general free will, but not when it comes to being God’s elect. Arminians would focus more on total free will. Either camp that you are in, it still does not change your own understanding of the Gospel. For those who believe, we have what’s called “Assurance of Salvation.” If we believe and accept Jesus, we are His. No matter your viewpoint of free will, this is still a statement of faith that is essential for salvation(believing in your heart and saying with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that he lived a perfect life, died a death in our place, and rose on the 3rd day).
Here’s the key: Would you purposefully rebel against God to show you have free will? Would you reject God solely because of this question? It may be just proving your own self-fulfilling prophecy. E.g. You reject God because you have free will -> your heart is hardened. Remember this one point, God is sovereign and He lives outside of time. He knows what will happen, but we do not. We should not live as if we know more than God, because we don’t.
Now when it comes to hardening of people’s hearts. Watch this video by Tim Mackey in the Bible Project going over Exodus 1-18. In this video, it shows that it was Pharaoh who originally hardened his heart. And because of his rejection of God, then God in the later plagues, hardened Pharaoh’s already hardened heart. In essence, Pharaoh originally rejected God first. God then used Pharaoh’s evil for His purposes and lured Pharaoh into his own destruction.
What does Jesus mean by “strive to enter through the narrow gate”, if not working out our faith, as the Master shuts the door on some who even say “Lord, Lord”? (ref. Luke 13:22-30)
Answer by Megan Meier
Traveling in the first century Israel involved walking on foot, donkey, or camel, usually with the traveler’s possessions on them. Sometimes their destination involved going through a narrow gate or small door. The more possessions they had and the larger their beast of burden, the more work was involved. If they had a camel, the person had to coax them to walk on their knees through the narrow gate, a very time-consuming and very painstaking process. According to Merrium-Webster, the word “strive” means to devote serious effort or energy, so to strive to enter through the narrow gate is to devote serious effort and energy to unload what is unnecessary and to focus on getting to truly know Jesus.
Luke 13:25-27 says the Master of the house denies entry to those He does not know, despite their protest that they ate with Him and saw Him teaching in their neighborhoods. That’s the problem, they just hung out with the Master and attended a few of His messages, they did not get to know Him. A healthy relationship involves knowing the other person. You can know the birthplace and favorite food of a certain celebrity, maybe even listen to them speak at a TED talk, but that does not mean you know them personally. Knowing about a person and knowing a person are two very different matters, and knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus are two very different matters. Knowing Jesus (or anyone else) requires spending real time with them, understanding their heart, what breaks it, what their interests are, and what makes them happy. The Biblical patriarchs and the prophets had a close relationship with the Lord. Abraham and God were so tight he haggled God to spare Sodom if there were ten righteous people left, all the way from fifty (Genesis 18:22-33)!
Jesus also mentions some who are first will be last and some who are last will be first (Luke 13:30). He means those who take the easy way, the wide gate, or the path of least resistance, will not have a happy end. The narrow gate requires great effort and focus, maybe coming into the city last before those who enter by the wide gate (Matthew 7:13-14).
For those who are certain but not worshipping after hearing the gospel, would they be considered saved? Is worship or works necessary for salvation?
Answer by Scott Fiddler
This question was covered on Sunday by the panel. What was not covered is the role of work in the life of a Chrisitian. Works are not the root of salvation, but they are the fruit of salvation. See James 2:18. We are not saved by works, but we are rewarded according to our works. See Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18, 16:27; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; James 1:12; I Peter 5:4; 2 Timothy 4:8; Revelation 22:12. So, get to work and, as Jesus said, “ . . . store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…”
I understand why Jesus’s sacrifice & a belief in God are necessary for salvation. But why is the specific belief in the salvific power of the cross necessary?
Answer by Stefan Johnsson
In James 2:19, it says that even the demons believe in God and tremble. Does this then mean that believing God is real, good enough? In this line of thinking, you can say that even the demons would be saved, but that cannot be. If you go back to Genesis and the story of the Tower of Babel(Genesis 11), did the people believe God is real? Yes, but they also believed they could be “like God” by ascending to His throneroom. That didn’t turn out so well, did it? There has to be something more.
If you go further back to the story of Adam and Eve, you see how Satan deceived them by saying they could be “like God.” When we strive to be gods ourselves, what we are saying is that we know better than God when it comes to decisions in our lives, and that we know better than Him when it comes to what is good and what is right. Well, look at how our world has turned out? Exploitation of each other as humans has happened through the millenia and happens even today. Sin is rampant, but everyone justifies their sins and guilt in the name of what is good and right for them. In essence, everything we do is corrupted by our belief in ourselves over God. Who among us can admit guilt if we all believe in ourselves as gods? As Psalm 14:3 says, “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” So we can believe in God, in that He is real and powerful and that Jesus sacrificed His life, but still not give up our own throne.
Now, God is perfect and holy, and our need or want to be like Him sets us against Him as His enemy. As a God of justice, He cannot let this sin go unpunished and nor can He let this sin be in His presence. The end result is that we cannot live an eternity with Him and we are thrown out into a lake of fire in a place where we get to live out the result of the choices we’ve made in life.
But God made a way for us to atone for our crimes. The purpose of Jesus’ death was to die in our place for the sins we committed. The cross being the key to all this. In Genesis 3:21 when God first killed an animal to place garments on Adam and Eve, it was a foreknowledge of what He would do for us on the cross. Thus, salvation is a process in which we first begin to realize what we have done by replacing God with ourselves and seeing the destruction we have wrought through our sins. Then knowing that this sin means death for us and an eternity separated from our true Creator, we then need someone to atone for this crime because there is no amount of works that can cover this, because as I mentioned above, all of our works are corrupted by our own self-righteousness. We then have to acknowledge that Jesus is God and our LORD, in that He came to earth as God incarnate, lived a perfect life, and then died on the cross in our place. And that He knows best between right and wrong. When He rose from the grave, we then know that we can also rise from the ashes of our sins and live once again(a new creation). Without believing in the cross, we do not believe that our sins can be atoned for by God Himself, which makes this a key to our salvation.
If I do receive the knowledge of the true gospel, and I do not do any good works or worship God, am I saved or deceiving myself?
Answer by Efe Abbe
The apostle James wrote in his letter that warns “… don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” (James 1:22). Later in the letter (James 2:14-25) he repeatedly calls faith that isn’t backed by action dead, useless, or both. We are not saved by anything we do, but when we are saved, the evidence of our faith shows in what we do i.e. our faith overflows into actions.
Answer by Stefan Johnsson
Remember, that it is not by your own works that you are saved, but by the accomplished works of Jesus Christ on the cross. If you love God, then you want to follow Him. Jesus asks us to trust and obey Him. If we continue on with our lives, thinking that this is all there is, then we are deceiving ourselves. We also break the commandment that Jesus gives us. I suggest reading John chapter 15. In verse 8, Jesus says that it is through our works and fruit that the Father is glorified. Then verse 14, Jesus says we are to do what He commands of us. So maybe the real question is, what sin or idol in your life is holding you back from following Jesus, glorifying the Father, and doing as commanded?
Expanding on Luke
If the demons in Luke 8:26-33 called Jesus the Son of the Most High God & acknowledged that He had power to torment them, what should we do to have saving faith?
Answer by Nate Warren
God has called us out of darkness and into light. Jesus is the light, everything that opposes Him is darkness. Seek the light, follow, and do whatever He says. Knowing Him is possible because of the Gospel. Knowing Him is what it is to be saved.
Answer by Stefan Johnsson
Saving faith is made clear by Paul in Romans 10:8-12 which says: 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
In the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Luke 20:9-18), when the owner sends servants and his son (all killed), he removes the tenants and gives it to others(v. 16). Are “others” the Gentiles?
Answer by Nate Warren
I think the “others” in this passage is the Church, with the vinedressers representing the Levitical priesthood.
Answer by Stefan Johnsson
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants is a direct connection to Isaiah 5:1-7. And verse 7 reads, “The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel and the people of Judah…” and the Jews may have thought that Jesus is going to do a similar teaching about Israel that was commonly taught in those days. So when Jesus starts the parable, He is using the same introduction and the people who are listening to Him are already making this direct connection to Isaiah 5, but then Jesus goes off on a tangent.
In summary, he’s using Isaiah 5 to make a connection to the current times. It was a direct jab at the Pharisees and teachers of the law, that in verse 19, Luke writes that “the teachers of the law and chief priests…knew he had spoken this parable against them.” So the tenants are the leaders of the people and they have not done their job to prepare the vineyard for Jesus’ return. So Jesus will give others the right to tend the vineyard. You could make a direct correlation to the apostles themselves as the new leaders of the church with Jesus as the head. And nowadays, it may be the pastors and elders in charge of the local flocks. There are also interpretations that would make the reference to the “others” as anyone who converts to Christianity. I would not agree to this. Also, nor would I agree that the “others” are specifically gentiles. Remember that the first tens of thousands of people who converted to “the Way” were Jews and the original leaders of the church were also Jews. Also, it’s important to note that in God’s kingdom, we are all one, both Jews and Gentiles (Galatians 3:28).
We had a sermon on Jesus prophesying temple destruction in Luke 21:5-9 but it’s hard to understand this text w/o this info. Does my interpretation ultimately matter?
Answer by Scott Fiddler
Yes. This is an important issue. It is so important that it is mentioned in three of the gospels – Matthew 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6. It matters historically, theologically, and eschatologically. It matters historically because Christians took Jesus’ prophecy literally and when they saw the Romans surround Jerusalem initially in 66-67 A.D., they fled for a city called Pella in the Decapolis, east of the Jordan River. As a result, Christians avoided death and destruction of the Roman siege in 70 A.D. It matters theologically because the destruction of the temple marked the end of animal sacrifice, signalling that such sacrifices were no longer necessary because Jesus is the ultimate and only sacrifice for sin. The temple has never been rebuilt. It matters eschatologically as well, and here is where Christians can differ. Some believe when Jesus talks about “the end” and the “the end of the age,” He is not talking about the end of the world but the end of the Jewish sacrificial system. Others believe Jesus is talking about the end of the world. And some believe a little of both. It’s a fascinating topic for discussion.
I always interpreted Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness as desert(Luke 4:1-13). He ate nothing during those days; do we assume that he drank water?
Answer by Paul Lane
From a quick Wikipedia search, it looks like Andreas Mihavecz holds the record for surviving the longest without water at 18 days. In his case, he had been forgotten in a jail cell and still has some water intake from moisture condensing on surfaces. So, if Jesus did not drink water during his 40 day fast, His survival would certainly be a miracle.
However, the general thrust of this fast doesn’t seem to be to show how God can do a miracle and make Jesus survive for 40 days without water. Rather, the focus is on Jesus taking on every human temptation and overcoming it. In Lutheran catechism, I learned that when someone takes on a long fast like this, the 40 day mark is when the hunger pains come back and are the strongest. So, the temptations that come to Jesus at the 40 day mark are targeted to attack him when he would be at His weakest as a human.
Luke 22:41 Jesus withdraws from His disciples a stone’s throw away and asks God a question. How do we know about this question if the disciples were sleeping?
Answer by Nate Warren
Scripture does not say, but it’s safe to suppose He told them after the resurrection if they didn’t overhear before they fell asleep.
Answer by Stefan Johnsson
There’s a good chance that Peter, James, and John heard Jesus’ anguish and prayer, but could not stay awake for the length of time that Jesus prayed. They fell asleep, but not right away, so I think it would make sense that the first part of what happened was seen and heard, but they couldn’t stay awake through its entirety. Also, Jews who prayed back then weren’t silent like us, they were loud and open prayers in most cases (1 Samuel 1:12-14). Jesus most likely prayed where His disciples were able to hear.
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