BSBS Comment: Joe, you are obviously not referring to the God of the Bible who describes Himself thus, “…the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” Exodus 34:6 In the New Testament we read, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17. This is the God whom we serve, love and worship.

BSBS Comment: Joe, no one is imposing anything on anyone. You are correct on all counts. If when you say, “Forcing religion on others is inexcusable.” you mean that Bus Stop Bible Studies should not be allowed to post its material on public transit, then you are simply contradicting you latter statement which has been repeatedly upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada.

BSBS Comment: Even when comments can be somewhat sarcastic in nature, we take these matters very seriously. As someone once noted, “It is a terrible thing to play the fool in the presence of God.” Even if you’re not prepared to take the time to read and understand the Bible, there is a very good book that clearly presents the logical arguments for God, good and evil, etc. by C.S. Lewis (the Chronicles of Narnia, etc.), titled Mere Christianity. Then you will understand that why being “a product of our environment” is no excuse.

Now, I have 2 questions. What is your understand of the 2 witnesses of the last day that would be killed and would rise on the third day. Second, what did Jesus mean when He told some of the people that they would not taste death before they see Him coming in His Glory?

BSBS Comment: Thank for your kind words of encouragement.

With regard to your two questions… the answerme.ca website is primarily, although not exclusively, targeted towards individuals who are searching for God or learning to grow in their relationship with Him. Although we may broaden the site at some point in the future to include more theologically oriented topics we are not there yet. We can however recommend an excellent resource that should be able to answer your two questions in detail: Discipleship on the Edge an Expository Journey Through the Book of Revelation, by Darrell W. Johnson. Don’t be fooled by the rather dry title – it is one of the most exciting books you will ever find! It’s a must read for anyone who wants to gain a practical understanding of the Book of Revelation.

BSBS Comment: Regardless of whatever situation we find ourselves in there are two VERY important things to know:

First, salvation [the act of being saved, being born again, etc.] comes through placing your faith in the Jesus Christ; believing that He died, taking the punishment for your sin and that He was raised to life. God’s Word teaches us that, “If you believe in your heart [which is where God looks] and confess with your mouth [tell others what you believe] that Jesus Christ is [your] Lord, you shall be saved.” Romans 10:9 Being good, bad, gay, straight or anything else has nothing to do with our salvation – it is simply recognizing the holiness of God and that before Him we are all sinners in need of forgiveness that only He can provide.

Second, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord..” Romans 8:38-39 If you have received Jesus Christ as your Saviour YOU ARE saved and that can NEVER change.

Beth Moore, in her book Believing God, teaches those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ to remember five essential truths: God is who He says He is; God can do what He says He can do, I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and God’s Word is alive and active in me. Study your Bible to see who God says you are (it’s a long list!) and let Him direct your life.

BSBS Comment: This proved to be something of a contentious issue when we previously posed such a question and attempted to answer it from a biblical perspective. So, rather than answering your question directly, you are invited on a journey of discovery so that in finding an answer to your main question you may also find God. In finding God, you will find the answer to this and all other life matters.

You have effectively asked three questions; does God exist, does God care about me personally, and does God care if I’m gay or bisexual? The answer in all three instances is a categorical YES. Please refer to the following links as a start of your journey:

Does God exist (Can I find God?)

Does God care about me personally (God do you love me?)

Does God care if I’m gay or bisexual (How free is my will?)

BSBS Comment: Your question relates to what God told Adam when He placed him in the Garden of Eden: The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:6-7.

So, the essence of your question is rooted in what God meant when He said ‘you will certainly die’. God intended that our lives should be eternal, without end. Indeed, Scripture teaches us the soul is eternal even though we will almost certainly die a physical death. Adam did not immediately die when he ate of the fruit of the tree of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but he was separated from God.

As we understand hell, it is the total and eternal separation from God. Jesus went to extremes to describe this eternal separation from God in all kinds of ways, “…will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” God really tries to encourage people to choose eternal life over eternal death! It is interesting to note that God mentioned all kinds of plentiful trees and two specifically; “The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God gave Adam many choices, just as He gives them to us. Rather than eat from the fruit of the tree of life and eternal communion with God he chose independence and disobedience which ultimately leads to death and hell as previously described. Everyone has two choices. God offers eternal life. How many people choose eternal death!

Evil, where did it come from? Why is it in the world? This question is often directed at the Christian, but it should really be thrown upon the world. It is a difficult question to answer and seldom is it answered correctly. Dr. Tackett examines this question in Focus on the Family’s Truth Project No. 3). Responses that he received from people for the question “what is evil” included: “a bad feeling”; “evil is creepy”; “doing something bad and feeling good about it”; “what causes harm”; “what is morally wrong”; “a hungry child, not the child but why he is hungry”; “those who make fun of good”; “mass killings”; “men like Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam Hussein”; “what is not seen as good by other people”; “people who sin”; “doing that which is natural to our nature”; and finally “Satan’s way which is the wrong way.” These are all interesting answers to a difficult question. Most everyone acknowledges that evil exists. The devil is very smart for he has made that which is evil very exciting. Some say it is necessary. Its ultimate origin is puzzling. The Christian has been given the answer to “why there is evil,” but the more fundamental question is, “Why is there evil at all?”

Who is Man? – To help answer the question, “Why is there evil at all,” Dr. Tackett looks to anthropology to first answer the question, “Who is man?” The next question that follows is, “Who is God?” From this we can understand our world view and the world view of everyone else. Remember the quote from Carl Sagan, “the cosmos is all there is, or was or ever will be.” This is his world view, and therefore everything must be answered within his cosmic cube world view idea. In Sagan’s view, there is no room for God or anything spiritual and does not address the battle that rages on within us. Sagan’s world view is very limited what we clearly know exists. Who is man with this moral conscience who hungers for relationships, yet is capable of unspeakable evil? Of all knowledge that we can obtain, the knowledge of ourselves and of God are the most important. Galatians 5:16-17 summarizes the cosmic battle within man:

16 “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”(Gal. 5:16-17)

The sinful nature and the Spirit within man are the two things identified here that are in conflict with each other. The sinful nature exists so that you do not do what you want. You desire to do good, but your sinful nature prevents you from doing it. Your battle is not with those around you, but is the struggle within yourself and with the spiritual forces of darkness (Eph. 6:12). Do you believe this? Ask yourself, “Do you do what you do not want to do? At best, you must answer at least, “sometimes” with the rest answering more times than I care to remember. Verse 17 above confirms, “You do not do what you want,” or said another way, “You do not do what the Spirit wants.” Ask yourself, “What do you do most of the time?” The answer, “What you want to do.” Paul stated, “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me” (Rom. 7:21).

If you are either for God or against Him, you are either following the Spirit or following your own way (Phil. 3:2). If the Bible is reality and defines what is true (Ps. 51:6; 86:11), then we understand the conflict within us. It is a battle that goes on between truth and lies. The truth is reality and the lie is an illusion.
Man’s Moral State – So what is the real essence of man? What is man’s moral state and his need? The states or modes of man are real, sort of like the different modes of a computer – active, standby or off. There are three states that we can identify clearly: (1) state of innocence; (2) fallen state; and (3) redeemed state.

1. State of Innocence – God created man in His image, in a state of innocence. God also gave man a woman and they were united as one. This first union was a sacred institution. God’s only instruction was to be fruitful and multiply, and not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17).

2. Fallen State – when man did not follow God’s instruction, his soul was quickened as he fell from grace and entered into spiritual death through disobedience. He was no longer innocent. Satan’s statement to Eve became fulfilled that if she ate of the fruit, her eyes would be opened and she would know good and evil.” (Gen. 3:5). Though disobedience sin entered the world and man transferred into a different self-serving mode referred to as the fallen state: …”sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12).
The fallen state had become so predominant during Noah’s time: “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5).
Man in his fallen state could not go back in time, and as a result all future generations would be born into original sin. How many times have we done something we wish we could take back? Man was now changed permanently, and not for the better for he now carried with him the sinful nature. But, despite his fallen state he still bore the image of God. However, the consequences of mans fallen nature included descriptions such as: wicked, evil , dead, blind, deaf, lost, rebellious, without hope, haters of God, desperately wicked, children of the devil.
Regarding human nature Charles Spurgeon once said, “You cannot slander human nature, it is worse than you can paint it.” The point is that man was ejected from the Garden of Eden and a close relationship from God as a result of his sinful nature. Without restoration he is now destined to eternal torment in hell. To believe anything else is to be deceived just as Adam and Eve were (2 Cor. 11:3). Ultimately, your name must be in the Book of life to enter the kingdom:
“If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15).

Remember, eternal life is a free gift that is your choice as to where you will spend it. You can blame no one else for your choice, or lack thereof: “… man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” (Hebr. 9:27). This is directly in contradiction to returning again and again until you get it right.

3. Redeemed State – the third state of man is the redeemed state. Beyond the fallen state there are only two things that can occur: death and transformation from the fallen state to the redeemed state. The ancient meaning of the word comes from the thought of preserving property (Lev. 25:25-26; Ruth 4:4). When property was lost, it was the responsibility of the closest of kin to buy the property back to keep it in the family. The word “redemption” came into existence as a result and meant a sense of deliverance. God is the Redeemer of Israel in the sense He is the Deliverer of Israel (Deut. 9:26; 2 Sam. 7:23; Is. 52:3). He delivered them from Egypt to the land during the Exodus; He protected them in their land, and brought it back to their land in 1948.

The full revelation of this transformation to a redeemed state was ultimately made available through the blood sacrifice of God’s Son. The debt for our sins was purchased and paid in full at Calvary:

“…with Your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9).

The new man in the redeemed state would be referred to as: saint, priest, children of God, sons of God, beloved, those wearing white robes and those born from above. This is an incredible contrast to fallen man. What a glorious contrast to the old man (2 Cor. 5:17). To those who are redeemed God places his seal and His Spirit (Gal. 5:16-17). This does not say that you always do what you do not want; it means there is a great conflict within, bearing the make or Adam.
Application: So what does this mean to you? Is it obvious that there is good and evil in this world? You do know what you are capable of, and therefore understand you nature or mode, and the need to be transformed. Are you ready to hang your hat on the opinion that you have done enough good deeds, more than many others, and therefore are deserving of entrance to heaven having access to God for all eternity? Is that all that transformation is? Do you have any idea who God is and how great He is? Do you believe you need Him?

Prayer: Father, help us to be transformed by the “renewing of our mind” that we would know the things of God and your plan for us. We realize how often we have been taken captive and how many times we have fallen short. We look around and see unspeakable evils and also know what we are capable of. May you fill us with compassion for one another and that we would not turn our ear away from you. Give us strength to believe the things we do not understand, and to lift up the name of Jesus this Christmas season. Amen

BSBS Comment: Hmm… after being around for more than four years and hundreds of millions of viewings, you must be the very first person to think that! Proverbs 1:22

BSBS Comment: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.