Difficult Bible Topics: A Close Look at Challenging and Misunderstood Issues Christians Face

By P. Nicholas Kinnas

Can any divorced Christian remarry, or is that the unpardonable sin? Is everyone required to be an evangelist? Are we once-saved always-saved? Should Christians go to war? Is it okay for Christians to complain or file grievances at work? Do the spiritual gifts still exist today? Difficult Bible Topics can help you through these and other challenging issues. Experience the blessings God has for us through a clear understanding of His Word. ~P. Nicholas Kinnas

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490816111

P. Nicholas Kinnas

P. Nicholas Kinnas has taught adult Sunday school and Bible studies for several years. He holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in reading, along with an undergraduate degree in humanities/English. As an associate professor, he teaches all levels of college reading. He and his wife, Jeanette, live in New Mexico.

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 Pete Nicholas Kinnas.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1504-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1611-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013920241

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/11/2013

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Chapter 1   Tithing

Chapter 2   Witnessing

Chapter 3   Our Attitude in the Workplace

Chapter 4   Spiritual Gifts

Chapter 5   Salvation

Chapter 6   Marriage and Divorce

Chapter 7   War and Peace

Chapter 8   Peace and Unity

Chapter 9   Epilogue

References

Internet Sources

About the Author

Endnotes

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture also taken from the following translations:

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The New English Bible, copyright © Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press 1961, 1970. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV™ are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved

The Holy Bible, King James Version copyright © The Zondervan Corporation 2000. All right reserved

Psalm 2:6-9 and Romans 13:2 referenced in Zinn, Howard. A People’s History. New York: Perennial Classics (imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), 2001.

Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) (Note: one scripture quoted from NASB on p.183)

Other sources:

Reprinted by permission. (Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance, Edward W. Goodrick & John R. Kohlenberger III. Copyright © 1990, 1999, Grand Rapids: Zondervan. All rights reserved.*

Reprinted by permission. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Under, William White, Jr. Copyright © 1984, 1996, Thomas Nelson Inc. Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. 

*When citing Zondervan’s Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance, the numbers (#) refer to the number of the Greek New Testament (NT) or Hebrew Old Testament (OT) references in the work, not page numbers.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank everyone who helped make this book possible: the various companies and people who allowed me to use their material—and especially my wife, Jeanette, who encouraged me throughout this project.

Foreword

This book is written for Christians seeking Biblical answers to difficult and controversial issues. Some of these issues are deeply personal and will most likely stir emotions (as they have for me at times), especially for readers approaching these areas from a different viewpoint. However, I encourage all readers to consider the ideas I lay out and the Biblical context of those ideas. I have no agenda except to teach God’s word as sincerely and as accurately as possible.

I hope that this book will enlighten, comfort, and encourage; and that all readers will come away with a deeper understanding of God’s word and a meaningful way to apply it to their lives.

Note: Words are italicized for emphasis throughout this book.

CHAPTER 1

Tithing

Are we expected to tithe 10%?

Tithing

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion… 2 Corinthians 9:7

Whenever someone preached about tithing, I usually tuned out. I was made to feel guilty that I wasn’t giving enough. We must always tithe, I was told.

When I came across the 2 Corinthians 9:7 (above), I became curious and looked up the word tithe in Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance (#5130 OT). It means a "tenth), the word the New International Version uses. That’s what tithe means, and I discovered that tithing is not a New Testament principle. Please bear with me.

Tithing began in the Old Testament when Abraham gave Melchizedek, king of Salem, a tenth of everything (Genesis 14:20). That was before the law, although later tithing became law. In the New Testament, we come across the word tithe or tenth first in Matthew. Jesus criticized the Pharisees and teachers of the law because even though they tithed, they neglected the important matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23).

Jesus told them they should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former (v.23). Jesus had to tell them to continue tithing because that was part of the law, and Jesus, during His Earthly ministry, upheld the law. The Law was still in effect before His crucifixion and resurrection.

Another mention of tithing in the Gospels occurs in Luke 18:12, a parable in which a Pharisee brags about his tithing, among other things. Still, the Law was in effect, and that is why Jesus didn’t comment on the Pharisee’s tithing per se.

The word tithing or tenth also occurs in Hebrews 7:5, 6, 8, 9. Here the writer of Hebrews is recounting Old Testament history, which included tithing under the Law. But as for any command or even suggestion that we tithe (give a tenth) now, there is none.

Then what are the principles for giving today? 2 Corinthians 9: 7 goes right to the heart of the matter: Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Here’s how the New Living Translation (NLT) words the middle part of verse 7: Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.

Verse 7 summarizes the essence of giving today. It gives us four principles for giving. First, don’t let anyone decide for you what or how much to give. Search your heart and decide for yourself. Second, give cheerfully. Third, when we give, we must not give reluctantly, that is, unwillingly. In other words, if we’re having second thoughts about the amount we are offering, then we shouldn’t give that amount. That is why in verse 7 we are told that each person should decide in his or her heart what to give. That is the amount to give. Then we can give cheerfully—which is what God wants. Fourth, we are also told not to give under compulsion or, as the New Living Translation puts it, in response to pressure.

Based on this scripture, here’s my advice about giving (and I rarely give advice): When you are made to feel guilty about not giving enough or when you feel you are being pressured to give, then don’t give. This advice really is based on the teaching that comes straight from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 9:7.

However, this verse is not telling us not to give; it is simply saying to give what you (not your pastor or anyone else) have decided in your heart to give. Curious—that in all the sermons I’ve heard on tithing, there were a few times I heard that we must give cheerfully, but never have I heard that we must give what we have decided in our hearts to give. Not once have I heard that part of verse seven mentioned.

I should mention what comes before and after 2 Corinthians 9:7 because those verses can easily be taken out of context. In 2 Corinthians 8:7, Paul tells the Corinthians, But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness [seriousness] for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

This may sound like Paul is pressuring the church at Corinth to give, a command that would contradict what he said in 9:7. However, knowing the context of Paul’s letter clears up any contradiction. He was not pressuring the Corinthians to give; he was encouraging them to follow through on a giving ministry that they had begun. Here’s what follows a few verses after 8:7:

¹⁰And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first to not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. ¹¹Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. ¹²For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have (2 Cor.8:10-12).

Apparently, Titus started up this ministry of giving, which included other churches as well (2 Corinthians 8:1-7), but church of Corinth was the first to have the desire to give and the first to give. The New Living Translation writes it this way: I suggest you finish what you started a year ago, for you were the first to propose the idea, and you were the first to begin doing something about it (8:10). Paul was merely keeping the Corinthians accountable to a Biblical principle that Jesus made and repeated by James, his half-brother: Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No, No (Matthew 5:37, James 5:12). This is also why in 8:8 Paul said that he wants to test the sincerity of their love: I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. I don’t think Paul is telling the Corinthians to outdo the others in giving. The New Living Translation writes it this way: I am not saying you must do it, even though the other churches are eager to do it. This is one way to prove your love is real. Paul is telling the church at Corinth to back up their words with action. And even so, this was not a command.

By the way, did you notice two other principles of giving in verses 10-12 above? Verse 11 states that we give only according to our means. That is the Biblical principle. In Luke 21:2, the widow’s offering was exceptional: she put in all that she had to live on. The poor churches in Macedonia also gave beyond their means, but did so out of their own free will (2 Cor. 8:3) and did so eagerly (8:4). The other principle is found in verse 12. It does not matter how much we give; what matters is the attitude behind it: "For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have." Beautiful words.

Now let’s go to 2 Corinthians 9:6: Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop (NLT). At first glance, this sounds like a health and wealth gospel: The more money you give, the more money you will receive. But 9:8 tells us just what this generous crop is: "And God is able to make all grace abound in you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

This generous crop will consist of grace that will lead us towards good works. It will consist of a harvest of righteousness (v. 10)—that is, doing the right thing according to God. Here’s verse 10 in the New Living Translation "For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread