Q&A Sunday

Author: Pastor Kenji
July 26, 2026
Answering Questions About Faith

Some of the most important conversations about faith happen when people feel free to ask the questions they've been holding onto. From the mysterious passages in Genesis to the nature of the Trinity, these are the kinds of questions that deserve honest, thoughtful answers rooted in Scripture.

Who Are the "Sons of God" in Genesis 6?

Genesis 6 contains one of the most puzzling passages in the entire Bible. Before the flood, it describes "sons of God" who came down, had children with human women, and produced offspring called the Nephilim.

The honest answer is that nobody knows for certain who the sons of God were. The best historical and critical guess is that they were angels or members of some kind of divine council. What the passage is really illustrating is the chaos that existed before the flood. Murder, supernatural mixing with humanity, and a world where "every inclination of the human heart was evil all the time." That context sets the stage for why God brought the flood.

What Is the Most Misunderstood Passage in the Bible?

There are many, but two stand out.

First, the entire book of Revelation. It actually makes a lot of sense when you understand its central theme: Jesus wins. If you find yourself with a bomb shelter, a timeline on the wall, and a theory about which world leader is the Antichrist, you are probably reading it wrong.

Second, almost every passage on forgiveness. We tend to make forgiveness about our emotional state, but the Bible has something much bigger in mind. Forgiveness is about subverting the natural order of retributive justice so that grace can prevail and things can be renewed. It is not just about feeling better. It is about participating in something cosmic.

Should Christians Defend Themselves? What Does the Bible Say About Self-Defense?

Christians have historically held two main positions on this.

- Pacifism: Never fight back. Always turn the other cheek. Absorb violence rather than return it.
- Just War Theory: Developed by Augustine and refined by Aquinas, this view holds that under certain circumstances, defending yourself and others is not only permitted but right.

The Bible does not address concealed carry because guns did not exist in biblical times. We have to use logic and principle to apply Scripture to modern situations. If someone breaks into your home, just war theory across every version of that tradition says you have the right to defend yourself and your family.

There is no Christian theology that justifies being a bully. But lending your strength to protect those who cannot protect themselves is a biblical idea. Learning how to defend yourself and others is not disobedience. It is wisdom.

How Do You Share the Gospel Without Forcing Your Religion on People?

The most effective approach is simply being yourself, consistently and publicly. If you are relatively likable, have some people skills, and genuinely love Jesus, you do not need a strategy. You just need to stop hiding that part of yourself.

Heated arguments rarely change minds. In a public debate, neither side is really trying to convince the other. They are speaking to the audience. In personal conversations, you do not need to go to war for God. He is not worried. Psalm 2 says that when the nations gather against the Lord, He laughs. The omnipotent Creator of heaven and earth does not need your protection.

What people need is to know Jesus because life is genuinely better with Him. Pray constantly, be publicly Christian, and people will come to you with their spiritual questions when they are ready.

Why Did Judas Betray Jesus?

The Bible simply does not tell us his motive. The writers thought it was important to record that Judas did it and what happened afterward. The motive was not considered essential to the story. People fill in that gap a lot, but the honest answer is we do not know.

How Should Christians Think About the Violence in the Old Testament?

This is a real tension. When the Israelites returned to Canaan after centuries in Egypt, they were commanded to reclaim their homeland through war. In that tribal era, the instruction was to destroy the peoples already living there.

But Jesus does not teach us to wage holy war. He modeled something completely different. He left heaven, identified with the outsider, lived among people who were considered "other," and died on the cross so that His enemies could become His friends. We are called to live a similar life.

God's expectations of His people have developed across the arc of Scripture. The Old Testament reflects a specific moment in history. The New Testament reveals the fullness of what God was always moving toward.

What Does It Mean to Be "All Things to All People" Like Paul?

Paul was remarkably skilled. He could deliver a philosophical lecture on Mars Hill to Greek and Roman intellectuals, laying the groundwork for monotheism before ever mentioning Jesus. He could also preach a sermon in a synagogue quoting the Hebrew Old Testament from memory. He adapted his approach without changing his message.

Paul did not care about his reputation or status. He had a job working with dead animals, which was considered disrespectful among religious Jews. He did not care. All he cared about was reaching one more person for Christ.

The fear that engaging with the world will corrupt you is understandable. Sometimes it happens. But the goal is to mature in your faith to the point where you are the one who influences the room, not the other way around.

Once Saved, Always Saved: Is It True?

Christians genuinely disagree on this, and both sides are within the family of faith.

- Arminians believe a person can genuinely come to faith and then fall away, losing their salvation.
- Calvinists believe that if someone ultimately falls away, they were never truly saved to begin with.

Here is what both sides agree on: if you are not walking with Jesus at the end of your life, you are not saved. The practical conclusion is the same regardless of which theological camp you are in. Follow Jesus as faithfully as you can. That is the answer both sides point to.

What Are the Different Views on Hell? Is Hell Eternal?

There are three main Christian positions.

- Annihilationism: Hell exists, but it destroys everything that enters it. People are tormented briefly and then cease to exist.
- Universalism: Everyone eventually ends up in heaven. This is what most people culturally believe, but it is not the historic Christian position.
- Eternal Conscious Torment: Hell is real and lasts forever. Matthew 25 uses the same word, "eternal," to describe both the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the unrighteous. If eternal reward means heaven that never ends, then eternal punishment means a hell that never ends.

The reason evangelism matters so deeply is because the choices made in this life carry infinite weight. Every person lives forever, somewhere.

Will We Be Sad in Heaven Knowing Some People Did Not Make It?

Scripture says that all sorrow will be gone in the new creation. How exactly that works is not explained. But consider this: most of us have lived through moments we were certain we could not survive. And yet, on the other side, not only did we find joy again, but that painful experience became part of how we understand joy. Heaven may do something similar with all the sorrows of this life. Everything will make sense. Everything will fit. The Bible simply promises there will be no more tears, even if it does not explain the mechanism.

How Did the Books of the Bible Get Chosen?

It was not a small group of powerful men in a dark room deciding what everyone would believe. That idea falls apart when you consider the world in which early Christians lived. There was no mass media, no postal system, no internet. Christians were a persecuted minority dying for their faith. The idea that some elite group could dictate belief across that world is historically implausible.

The books that made it into the Bible did so because Christians across different regions, independently, found them spiritually authoritative and useful. Books that were questioned simply were not widely used or trusted. The process was messy and took time, but it was organic and Spirit-led, not manufactured.

How Can We Explain the Trinity?

The Trinity does not appear explicitly in the Old Testament because Jesus had not yet arrived to reveal it. But by the end of Matthew, believers are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You do not baptize people in the name of someone who is not God.

Two ways to think about it:

First, we do not know how arithmetic applies to infinity. Adding one room to a hotel with infinite rooms still leaves you with infinite rooms. The number does not change. God is infinite, so applying human math to Him may simply not work the way we expect.

Second, consider how we understand human beings. A person is one individual with two natures: physical and spiritual. We accept that without confusion. The Trinity asks us to accept something similar but in reverse. God is three persons sharing one nature. All three are eternal. All three are God. All three are worthy of worship. When you deny this, things go wrong quickly.

Can we fully explain God? No. Trying to fit the ocean into a cup is not a failure of the cup. It is just the nature of the ocean.

How Can You Grow in Discernment?

Discernment is both a spiritual gift and a skill that can be developed. Here is how to grow in it:

- Pray for it constantly, in every situation
- Study Scripture so you build a deep library of moral and spiritual knowledge
- Walk in the Spirit so He can guide you in what you cannot perceive on your own
- Seek out mature Christians who are further along and can give you honest feedback
- Learn to listen to your conscience, because it is often the Holy Spirit speaking

Quiet time is not just a mood-setter for the morning. It trains you to hear the voice of God so that as you move through your day, you can continue that conversation. With enough practice, you can begin to distinguish between the voice of God, the voice of your own flesh, and the voice of the enemy.

Life Application

Faith is not meant to be passive. It grows when it is tested, questioned, and pursued. This week, pick one question about your faith that you have been avoiding or leaving unanswered, and actually pursue the answer. Read a passage, talk to a mature believer, or spend time in prayer asking God to give you clarity.

Ask yourself:

- Is there a question about God or the Bible I have been afraid to ask out loud?
- Am I actively growing in my knowledge of Jesus, or have I settled for what I already know?
- Am I living my faith publicly, or am I hiding it to avoid discomfort?
- Do I genuinely believe that the choices I make in this life carry eternal weight, and does that belief actually change how I live?

"'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.'" - John 3:16

Keep learning. Keep praying. Keep following Jesus. You have not reached the depths of God yet, and that is not a problem. It is an invitation.
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