Are the people in Hell hating God?

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Steve Husting

I think the answer to this question is found in Romans  3:19, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

Those who are in Hell are not angry with God. Why not? Because they know the crush of their guilt. The weight of their conscience bears them down. If you look at Isaiah 6, where Isaiah gets his commission as a prophet, he sees the holiness of the Lord and collapses in fear and shame because he sees himself a vile person in comparison. 

Continue reading →
Posted in Demons, H e l l and Suffering | Tagged | Leave a comment

Whose fault is it when things go wrong? God or Satan?

Posted on April 17, 2026 by Steve Husting

It depends, of course.

When Paul was preaching the gospel in several places, he was attacked by the nearby population for his message. Whose fault was it? The attackers’ fault. (Acts 16:16-24).

When Jesus was betrayed by Judas, whose fault was it? Judas, though he was influenced by Satan (Luke 22:3; John 13:2).

When people raided Job’s house and took his stuff, whose fault was it? The raiders, though they were influenced by Satan. (Read Job 1-2.)

Continue reading →
Posted in Religion and Spirituality | Tagged | Leave a comment

Are there parts of the Bible only believers will understand?

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Steve Husting

Many people can read the Bible and get a surface or superficial understanding of the text. But the true knowledge of the text comes to the believer who confesses Jesus as Lord, receives the Holy Spirit, and lives as though Jesus was in charge of his life. See 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.

Continue reading →
Posted in The Bible | Tagged | Leave a comment

Why do other religions also find peace after praying if there is only one true God?

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Steve Husting

Because they really believe that their faith will give them peace.

Jesus offers peace, too–to His followers. But it isn’t the peace the world gives, like the other world religions. His peace is from a relationship with Him who died for them and rose again. It’s a peace with sins forgiven. A peace of no condemnation. A peace that comes from trusting the God who cannot lie, and who keeps His promises. Where no matter what happens, the Creator of all things is with you and has your back. You can trust in His grace. He will lift you up. This peace comes from reading the Bible and knowing who you are praying to. Over time, the relationship gets stronger and the peace deeper.

Continue reading →
Posted in Religion and Spirituality | Tagged | Leave a comment

What was wrong with the Jewish leaders in their role in Jesus’ crucifixion?

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Steve Husting

The leaders did not adhere to God’s law in the manner of sentencing Jesus to death: the trial was held at night; the witness’ stories did not corroborate so it should have been halted right there; the top official challenged Jesus Himself, which was illegal; and they abused Him during the trial. The charge they brought before Pilate was not the charge they brought against Him to bring Him to trial.

Continue reading →
Posted in The Bible | Leave a comment

Why were the Israelites defeated by the Philistines and the ark taken away from them?

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Steve Husting

After Joshua and Caleb passed away, Israel passed away from God. After much of the promised land was conquered through the leading of Joshua and Caleb, the Israelites failed to trust God’s promises to give it to them if they continued fighting. Instead, they settled down. Judges 21:25 gives us the reason for their wayward heart: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” They did not do what was right in God’s eyes, as taught through the example of Joshua and the words of Moses.

Continue reading →
Posted in The Bible | Leave a comment

Why did God command the city of Jericho and everything in it to be killed and destroyed?

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Steve Husting

God brought the Israelites into Canaan to drive out the inhabitants of the land (Numbers 33:52). In Deuteronomy 7:1-11, we learn that the Jews were God’s chosen people, and they were not to mix with the inhabitants lest they stray from God.

There is nothing special about the people of Jericho being destroyed more than all the other Canaanites. God repeatedly told Joshua, who led the people against the Canaanite cities, to thoroughly kill all who were alive, to completely eradicate the cultures there (Joshua 10:39). Archaeological digs in Israel for the Canaanite period has reveal extremely repulsive practices by the inhabitants, and many carved idols everywhere. They were to be destroyed lest the inhabitants turn the Jews to their practices and turn them away from God.

Our own culture has been doing this to God’s people, hasn’t it?

Continue reading →
Posted in Violence and Atrocities | Leave a comment

Bible Study Methods—5 W’s

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Steve Husting

This Bible study method is ideal for narrative (or story) segments, such as the history portions of the Old Testament, the gospels, and Acts. It is centered on the story, which may be a whole chapter in the Old Testament stories, or smaller segments in the gospels and Acts. You would read the story, then ask the five “W” questions: who, what, where, when, and why.

This practice helps gather details of the story passage so it becomes more memorable than a quick read could give you. You’ll discover hidden details you would normally miss with a casual reading. Let’s see how these words can help you get more meaning out of the Bible passage.

Continue reading →
Posted in Bible Study Methods | Leave a comment

What does it mean by giving up all for the sake of Christ?

Posted on January 19, 2026 by Steve Husting

There are different ways to explain this.

  1. Jesus said (Matthew 22:34-40) that the laws of Moses are summed up as to love the Lord with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. It will take time to be brought to that place because we have learned to love other things or hold onto cultural traditions, or learned biases, that prevent us from loving God as we ought to. So giving up all for the sake of Christ will mean giving up whatever keeps us from loving God supremely.
Continue reading →
Posted in Christianity | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bible Study Methods—Bible Questions

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Steve Husting

In this Bible study method, we are going to pose a series of questions to the text to pull out certain answers that are helpful for practical applications. Use as many of these questions as fit the text. I will list the questions and give answers based on Matthew 1:18-25. If you read the passage yourself, you might find other answers than those given here.

Continue reading →
Posted in Bible Study Methods | Leave a comment