Habakkuk Bible Study – Problem of Evil

This is a Bible Study that I wrote for group discussion reading the book Habakkuk.  I think we all ask questions about why God allows suffering, pain, and evil.  Our questions are nothing new, as you’ll see from this study of Habakkuk.

habakkuk

Read Habakkuk 1:1-4. 

Can you relate to Habakkuk’s complaint to God?  How do you see his complaint as a modern day problem or a question that you have concerning God’s action, or apparent lack of action?

Read Habakkuk 1:5.

What type of work would you expect God to be doing in response to such a complaint?

Read Habakkuk 1:6-11 to see the type of work God is claiming he will do.

Read Habakkuk’s response to God in Habakkuk 1:12-2:1. 

Is that how you would respond to God?

Vs. 13 – It’s good to see that we are not the first people to have questioned the existence of an all-powerful, loving God and the existence of evil.

Vs. 2:1 – When you pray to God, especially about troubles, do you stand at the watchtower?

Read or skim through Daniel 10:1-14.  How long did Daniel pray to God before he heard the answer to his prayers?  What can we learn about Daniel and Habakkuk when it comes to prayer and waiting for God’s reply?

Read Habakkuk 2:2-4.

God will end the suffering but it will seem slow to us.

What does 2 Peter 3:1-13 say about God’s slowness?  Why is he being “slow” in ending our suffering and fulfilling all of his promises?  What promise awaits us?

Vs. 4 – The righteous shall live by faith!  What is the object of our faith?  How does the object of our faith relate to our righteousness and how does the object of our faith provide an answer to the problem of evil in the world?

Read Habakkuk 2:18-20.

Do we turn to our inventions for safety, help, and prosperity?

Habakkuk 3:1-16 – Habakkuk reflects on a terrifying manifestation of God’s glory and power, he prays for mercy, and is confident in God’s ultimate deliverance.  Much in our lives brings anguish, fear, and feelings of helplessness to our hearts.  God humbles us under his mighty hand, but he does so in order to exalt us in him.

Read Habakkuk 3:17-19 to see Habakkuk’s final response in his dialog and struggle with the Lord. 

Homosexual Marriage… What does the Bible say?

I received the following email from one, Joshua Suh:

It seems like the last two videos were about love? Is this in correlation to valentines day coming up?! hahah, what does contradict say about gay love? Not that I’m gay or condone gay marriage, it’s always so relevant though, this whole, ” progression” “down with the ignorant conservative” movement, but I would be interested in hearing contradicts opinion from a biblical perspective, aside from all the political banter, just biblical facts. It often happens people quote or misunderstand Bible Verses.. out of context about homosexual marriages! There is always the Inner ” Christian Circle” argument” between Christians who support gays and christians who don’t, which doesn’t really help our case if we can’t agree upon it ourselves..): But what would Contradict say about this?!!

gay marriage

What stood out to me was that he didn’t want to hear any politics, just biblical facts.

  1. On Judging – First, I have heard it said a lot that we shouldn’t judge others.  People who say this are likely getting this view from Matthew 7:1, which says, “Judge not, that you be not judged.”  When more of chapter 7 is read we see that, “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”  This shows that we can judge others, only after we have addressed our own sins first.  If you notice, the judging in that situation is done with the goal of helping your brother remove the speck from his eye.  Matthew 7 also falls with the Sermon on the Mount which is leading us to see that none of us righteous enough to enter heaven.  We all need a Savior!  This means we can’t throw judgment upon others, while claiming that we are righteous on account of our own merit.
  2. Marriage in the Bible – Marriage is established in Genesis Chapter 2 at the creation of humanity as a relationship between a man and a wife.  Genesis 2:18, 21-24 reads:

The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’…and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

3. Homosexuality is a Sin – I pulled the following verses from a John MacArthur article that shows God opposing homosexuality throughout all of his Word to us:

– In the patriarchs (Genesis 19:1-28)

In the Law of Moses (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13)

In the Prophets (Ezekiel 16:46-50)

In the New Testament (Romans 1:18-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Jude 7-8)

Of these I often cite, Leviticus 18:22 from the Old Testament, to show that homosexuality is a sin, which says, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination,”  and I quote Romans 1:22-27, which I recommend all of you to look up and read directly.


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4. Division among Christians – Josh mentioned that there are divisions among Christians on this issue.  I firmly believe that if all the passages listed above are read, it’s unavoidable to come to the conclusion that God sees homosexual activity as sinful.  As we share God’s standard with others, I think we need to approach it as Jesus commanded, by removing the log from our own eye first.  We all have lusted, which means we all have committed adultery in our hearts (Matthew 5:27-28).  We all need a Savior and we all must come to repentance.  We all have sins that we will struggle with throughout this life.  The struggle against sin is a sign that we have faith in Christ.  Hebrews 10:26-29 says:

 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,  but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.  Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

Contradict #12 – Long and Short Versions

I found a bumper sticker that says, “Practice what he preached,” with an image of a person who I assume to be Jesus of Nazareth.  Below the imperative statement, many religious symbols are displayed.  Just what does this mean, and is it correct?

Here’s the long version of my reply to this sticker’s message:

Here’s the short reply to this sticker’s message:

Which video do think is better?

Get a Contradict Sticker!

Rainbow – Catch the Rainbow

I got a live Rainbow CD last year, and I was really impressed with the song, “Catch the Rainbow.” Nowadays with the rainbow being a symbol for homosexuality, some people might be embarrassed to say that they listen to a band named, Rainbow.  And it’s pretty incredible how much culture has changed over the past 3 decades. A rock band of heterosexuals would never call themselves Rainbow today.  It’s inconceivable.  But not in the 70s, especially since the early Rainbow catalog with Ronnie James Dio as the singer focused on fantasy lyrics and artwork with songs about castles, kings, wizards, and setting captives free.

As Christians, we shouldn’t be afraid to have rainbow decals on our cars.  We shouldn’t be afraid to have rainbow decals on T-shirts!  We shouldn’t be afraid of the colors of the rainbow!  The rainbow was a promise, a sign from God, to Noah, to us, that he would never again destroy the world through water.

GP Logo
Click the image to order a sticker and get the message of the rainbow.

Catch the Rainbow!  Chase after God and his promises.  That’s not what this song is about; I’m pretty sure, but that’s what I think about when I listen to the song, that and how amazing Ritchie Blackmore is on a guitar and why in the world is this band not as well known as Blackmore’s first band, Deep Purple.

Why does it matter what you believe?

How would you respond to this question, if you are a Christian?  Have you ever heard this question asked?  Do you have a solid reply?  Is it hard for you to reply to it, or to speak up when you hear questions like this asked against the Christian faith?  I hope these possible replies will help you.  I think it’s good to first validate the question, to the let the person asking it know that you can relate to their doubts or confusion.  But a question like this should never be validated without a proper, and immediate follow-up, unless we leave the person thinking that they are correct in their thinking.  Sometimes, we can lead a person to the Scriptural answer simply through asking questions, in which case I have provided some possible questions for you to use.  It’s also good to know where the Scriptural backing is for your answer and to always turn the conversation back to the Gospel after an objection is raised.

If you are not a Christian, and you are reading this, I pray that these answers will help lead you to receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Let me know if you have further questions.

Validation:

I think I understand where you are coming from.  As Westerners we value personal freedom of choice, and in America we have built into our constitution that we all have the right to choose what religion we want to believe and follow.

Answer:

In many areas of our lives, our beliefs drastically matter.  If a person believes one race, or nationality, is inferior and exterminated and follows through with that belief, it causes a serious problem for the race that is considered to be inferior and for any other race who believes acts of genocide should be stopped.  (Many examples can be given similar to this in realms of morality, interpreting reality, or handling financial situations, and from any of these they’ll likely clarify that some beliefs matter, but in the realm of religion it doesn’t, or they’ll move into arguing that when it comes to religions the truth can’t be known, which is the next question on this list, but if they stick with this question, I’d continue with…)  It seems that you are treating religious faith as inconsequential preference choices such as what type of movies you enjoy to watch or what type of music you listen to, but religions pertain to matters after this life.  If Islam is true, I’d better submit to Allah and follow all that’s commanded in the Qur’an.  If Hinduism is true, I’m in for a rough reincarnation.  If Christianity is true, I’d better repent and turn away from sins and turn to Jesus for my righteousness and forgiveness.  If Atheism is true, then you’re right it doesn’t really matter what you believe, since we’re all destined to be worm food.

Socratic Method:

“What if someone believed that rape was OK?  Or incest?”

“What if someone believed that doctors and medicine should not be used because of their religion, and thus deny their children medical care that could save their lives?  This is a real scenario that has arisen in America amongst followers of Christian Science.”

“Are you afraid of death?  Do you believe that there is life after death?  What if religions teach contradictory ways to obtain life after death, would it matter which one you believed and followed?”

“Why do you think it doesn’t matter what you believe in the realm of religion?  Do you believe that all religions have the same core beliefs?”

Scripture:

Mark 16:16 – “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Romans 10:9-13
– “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Back to the Gospel:

Have you heard the verse John 3:16 from the Bible?  It’s a verse that is oftentimes quoted by Christians because it contains a summary of the Gospel message, and Gospel means “good news.”  John 3:16 says, “”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.”  According to this verse, belief in Jesus is necessary for salvation.  Later in the same chapter, Jesus says about having faith in himself, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).  If Christianity is true, what you belief concerning religion does matter.