Theology Corner

Addressing commonly asked questions about Christianity from the perspective of a non-theologian

Theology Corner

1.)  AREN'T ALL RELIGIONS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME?

2.)  WHAT IS YOUR THEOLOGY?

3.)  WHAT ARE THE CORE BELIEFS OF CHRISTIANITY?

4.)  IS THE SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT THE ULTIMATE ACT OF LOVE?

5.)  WHAT IS THE GREATEST OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY?

6.)  IS THERE AN INTERMEDIATE PLACE?

7.)  WHAT ARE THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?

8.)  WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO AFTER YOU DIE?

9.)  WHAT IS THE APOSTLES' CREED?

10.)  WHAT IS THE NICENE CREED?

11.)  WHAT ARE THE DECREES OF GOD?

12.)  WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THE INTERMEDIATE STATE?

13.)  WERE THE OT TEN COMMANDMENTS REPLACED BY THE NT GREAT COMMANDMENT?

14.)  WHEN DOES GOD MAKE HIS DECISION ABOUT YOUR FINAL DESTINATION?

15.)  WAS JESUS TEMPTED IN EVERY WAY?

16.)  SHOULD WE ASPIRE TO UNBROKEN COMMUNION WITH GOD?

17.)  WHAT WERE THE ATTRIBUTES OF JESUS DURING HIS INCARNATION?

18.)  WHAT IS THE MYSTERIOUS LAW OF RESERVE?

19.)  CAN CHRISTIANS DEFEND THE TRINITY AND THE INCARNATION?

20.)  WHY NOT CALVINISM?

21.)  WHO WAS JAMES ARMINIUS AND WHAT DID HE DO?

22.)  WHO WAS JOHN WESLEY AND WHAT DID HE DO?

23.)  IS JESUS CHRIST THEANTHROPIC?

24.)  WHAT IS THE SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT OF JESUS CHRIST?

25.)  WHAT MIGHT A METHODIST THEOLOGIAN SAY ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT?

26.)  WHAT MIGHT A METHODIST THEOLOGIAN SAY ABOUT THE TRINITY?

27.)  WHAT WERE THE ORIGINAL FIVE POINTS OF THE REMONSTRANTS?

28.)  DO INTELLECTUAL CHRISTIANS MINIMIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TRINITY?

29.)  DID JESUS DESCEND INTO HELL?

1.)  CAN GOD'S WILL BE THWARTED?

2.)  DID GOD ELECT ONLY A FEW FOR SALVATION WHILE CONDEMNING THE GREATER PART OF MANKIND TO HELL?

3.)  FAITH OR SALVATION: WHICH COMES FIRST?

4.)  DID GOD THE FATHER BEGET JESUS CHRIST?

5.)  WHAT ARE THE TWO NATURES OF CHRIST?

6.)  WHAT IS ANTINOMIANISM?

7.)  WHAT IS SABELLIANISM?

8.)  WHAT IS PELAGIANISM?

9.)  DOES LOVE REALLY WIN?

10.)  IS YOUR WILL REALLY YOUR WILL?

11.)  CAN TWO THEOLOGIES BE TESTED FOR COMPATIBILITY?

12.)  WHAT IS THE FRAUD OF FIDEISM?

13.)  IS CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY COMPATIBLE WITH JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES THEOLOGY?

14.)  IS CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY COMPATIBLE WITH CHRISTIAN SCIENCE THEOLOGY?

15.)  IS CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY COMPATIBLE WITH MORMON THEOLOGY?

16.)  IS CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY COMPATIBLE WITH UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS THEOLOGY?

17.)  IS CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY COMPATIBLE WITH SCIENTOLOGY THEOLOGY?

18.)  IS CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY COMPATIBLE WITH UNIFICATION CHURCH THEOLOGY?

19.)  IS CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY COMPATIBLE WITH THE WAY INTERNATIONAL THEOLOGY?

20.)  IS CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY COMPATIBLE WITH THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD THEOLOGY?

21.)  IS REPENTANCE REALLY NECESSARY?

22.)  WHAT ARE SOME MUSINGS OF A METHODIST THEOLOGIAN ON LIMITED ATONEMENT?

23.)  WHAT ARE SOME QUESTIONS FOR THOSE WHO TEACH A LIMITED ATONEMENT PROVIDED ONLY FOR THE ELECT OF GOD?

24.)  WHAT WERE CALVIN'S ACTUAL WORDS?

25.)  WHAT IS GNOSTICISM?

26.)  WHAT IS THE UNPARDONABLE SIN?

27.)  IS CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY COMPATIBLE WITH PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY?

28.)  CAN CALVINISM BE SENT TO THE DUST BIN?

29.)  IS YOUR FREE WILL AN ILLUSION?

1.)  IS CHRISTIANITY COMPATIBLE WITH POSITIVE TOLERANCE?

2.)  CAN WE HAVE A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENY THE POWER THEREOF?

3.)  WHAT IS THE GREAT WAR?

4.)  SHOULD PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVE BEEN IMPEACHED FOR IMMORALITY?

5.)  WHO SAID MOSES WAS HUMBLE?

6.)  COULD CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE BENEFIT FROM WOKE REVISION?

7.)  DID EINSTEIN BELIEVE ALL CHRISTIANS WERE CALVINISTS?

8.)  WHY IS MARXISM A MAGNET?

9.)  WHAT IS TRUE SCIENCE?

10.)  CAN YOU LOSE YOUR SALVATION?

11.)  WHAT ARE THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS?

12.)  WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS?

13.)  WAS PAUL ENTIRELY SANCTIFIED?

14.)  ARE YOU LIVING IN A WORLD AT WAR?

15.)  WHAT IS THE DIRECT METHOD FOR PROVING A CONDITIONAL PROPOSITION IS TRUE?

16.)  WHAT IS THE CONTRAPOSITIVE METHOD FOR PROVING A CONDITIONAL PROPOSITION IS TRUE?

17.)  WHAT IS THE CONTRADICTION METHOD FOR PROVING A CONDITIONAL PROPOSITION IS TRUE?

18.)  WHAT MIGHT A METHODIST THEOLOGIAN SAY ABOUT PURGATORY?

19.)  WHICH BIBLE PASSAGES ELUCIDATE CORE ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY?

20.)  DO SELECTED NIV VERSES ELUCIDATE CORE ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY?

21.)  DO SELECTED AKJV VERSES ELUCIDATE CORE ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY?

22.)  DO SELECTED YLT VERSES ELUCIDATE CORE ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY?

23.)  DO SELECTED 'VOICE' VERSES ELUCIDATE CORE ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY?

24.)  COULD THE CONCEPT OF 'SALVATION ONLY FOR THE ELECT' HAVE BEEN ROOTED IN THE MIND OF AUGUSTINE BEFORE HE EMBRACED CHRISTIANITY?

25.)  DID AUGUSTINE RECEIVE PUSHBACK FOR HIS TEACHING OF 'SALVATION ONLY FOR THE ELECT' DURING HIS LIFETIME?

26.)  WHAT DOES REFORMED THEOLOGY MEAN BY PREDESTINATION; IS IT TRUE OR FALSE?

WHAT ARE THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Over time, God imparts various types of spiritual empowerment, called Gifts of the Holy Spirit, to those who have received salvation. 

 

  • Gifts of the Holy Spirit are given according to His divine grace; they cannot be earned through human merit (Eph 4:7-8; 1 Cor 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1).
  • God gives spiritual gifts at His own discretion; He is not bound by man’s wishes (1 Cor 12:4-11, 18; Heb 2:4; Eph 4:11; Rom 12:6).
  • God wills that every Christian exercise spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:4-11, 28-30; Rom 12:4-8).
  • God provides gifts for the purpose of ministry and service; they are not given to draw attention to man or satisfy his ego (1 Cor 12:7; 1 Pet 4:10).
  • God intends that the ministry of the church be accomplished through spiritual gifts; human talents are not sufficient (2 Cor 10:3-5; Mat 25:29; 2 Tim 1:6; Rom 12:4-8).

 

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are summarized in the following table.  Various Bible versions use a variety of words for these gifts.

 

 

 

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

 

Rom 12:6-8                1 Cor 12:4-11                         1 Cor 12:28                                      Eph 4:11

 

Prophecy                     Prophecy                                 Prophecy                                           Prophecy

Teaching                                                                              Teaching                                            Teaching

Serving

Exhortation

Giving

Giving Aid

Compassion

                                     Healing                                            Healing

                                     Working Miracles                      Working Miracles

                                     Speaking in Tongues                Speaking in Tongues

                                    Interpretation  of Tongues     Interpretation of Tongues

                                    Wisdom

                                     Knowledge

                                     Faith

                                     Discernment

                                                                                                  Apostleship                                       Apostleship

                                                                                                  Helps

                                                                                                  Administration

                                                                                                                                                                     Evangelism

                                                                                                                                                                     Shepherding

 

 

It is unusual for a Christian to openly declare that he/she has received any Gift of the Spirit except for one particular gift: the gift of speaking in tongues.  This curious circumstance evolved in the modern era primarily as an outgrowth of the 1906 - 1909 Azusa Street, Los Angeles revival.  Subsequent to that revival, several denominations claimed that any Christian who has received the gift of tongues is not just filled with the Spirit but is empowered by the Spirit and raised to a peerage above the rank and file Christian who, by comparison, is just barely saved.  This is a dangerous and destructive path; it smacks of exclusivity and arrogance which, of course, are not gifts of the Spirit.  This counterfeit desirability, manufactured by denominations, has caused countless Christians to seek the gift of tongues and devalue all other gifts.  Some churches even have training classes for those who can’t speak in tongues but would like to learn how.  Other churches are so outraged by what they consider fake spirituality that they will expel from service any member who dares to speak in tongues even in the privacy of his/her own home.  Once again, we Christians have made a mess of things!  What might be a reasonable mediating position?

Four kinds of tongues exist:

 

  • Speaking in a language unknown to the speaker but known to those who speak that language (Acts 2:1-11). Rare in the modern era! (Xenoglossia)
  • Speaking in a language known only in heaven and unknown on earth unless God gives the gift of interpretation (1 Cor 14:4, 19, 28). (Glossolalia)
  • Speaking under demonic influence.
  • Speaking in non-rational ecstatic verbiage as a human reaction to a religious emotion.

 

The gift of tongues, as defined in bullet item 2, is for prayer, praise and thanksgiving (1 Cor 14:14-16) and should generally be practiced in private.  However, if the gift is exercised in public only two or three should speak and each should have an interpreter (1 Cor 14:27-28). 

As a general rule regarding spiritual gifts, seek not, forbid not!

(See also Section 7.16 of Theology Corner)