Jack Crabtree here.

Life circumstances have kept me from producing and making available any Bible teaching over the past several months. I cannot be sure how much longer that may last. In the meantime, I would like to help others pursue their understanding of the Bible in whatever way I can. So, beginning immediately, I would like to field questions that any of you might have about anything directly or remotely related to the Bible. 

If there is any specific question that you would like me to address, or if there is some topic about which you would like to hear my thoughts, please email your question to the email address listed below.

I will be somewhat limited in what I can do. So, I cannot promise to respond to your question in particular. But I will pick the question or questions that I believe I will be able to respond to adequately—given the level of my understanding and the time I have available. Then, I will post the questions and my answers on this webpage, either in written form or in the form of an audio file.

Please email any question or topic you might have to:  soundinterp@gmail.com

Please indicate whether you would like to be identified by name as the person who submitted the question.

Thanks,

Jack Crabtree

In an earlier question (Q#17 regarding how a believer could possibly vote for Trump in the upcoming election, which is found below) I received an additional question of concern about the Qanon phenomenon. In this session I discuss my perspective on Q and the Qanon phenomenon in modern culture.

Question #17: My responses to Questions #12 and #13 left little doubt that I would be voting for Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election here in the U.S. That prompted a question that was emailed to me: Given the serious moral flaws of Donald Trump—flaws that disqualify him from serving as president—how can you—as a believer in Jesus—possibly vote for the man?

Question #16: Is it legitimate to pray for the salvation of an unbeliever?

In the last audio file I responded to a question about the doctrine of universalism. I argued that, in the biblical perspective and teaching, not every human being will be saved. Only the few whom God has chosen will be saved. Related to that, in this session, I respond to a question about whether prayer is playing any legitimate role when a believer prays that an unbeliever might be saved.

Question #15: How do you, as a student of the Bible, assess the doctrine of universal salvation? 

In this audio file I respond to a question regarding the doctrine of universalism, or universal salvation.  The doctrine of universalism is the belief that every human being will ultimately be saved. No human being will be subjected to punishment and destruction. While I do not believe that the Bible teaches this doctrine, it deserves more than a cursory rejection.

Question #14: Given that Jesus and the apostles seemed to freely employ the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, should we today rely first and foremost upon the Septuagint rather than upon our English Old Testaments, which are based upon later Hebrew texts?

In this audio file I respond to a question regarding whether we ought not to rely upon the Septuagint translation of what we call the Old Testament, rather than upon our typical English translations of the Old Testament. Arguably, the Septuagint translation is based upon a more reliable and closer-to-the-original Hebrew text of the Hebrew Bible than is the Masoretic text, which is the basis for our English translations. The Septuagint translates a version of the Hebrew bible that is more than 700 years earlier than the version of the Hebrew Bible preserved by the Masoretes. In this session I discuss whether it follows from that that we should rely upon an English translation of the Septuagint rather than upon our typical English Old Testament.

 Question #13: What is the “mystery of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2, and does it have any relevance for us today?

In this audio file I respond to a question regarding the meaning and relevance of Paul’s teaching in 2 Thessalonians 2. I suggest that the “mystery of lawlessness” of which Paul speaks there is very relevant to us today and I comment on its relevance to the political situation in America in 2020.

Question #12: Do I believe that it is morally permissible for a Jesus-follower to vote for a political candidate who is immoral?

In this audio file I respond to a question posed to me via an email I received. In the past, I have suggested that it seemed wrong to me for followers of Jesus to vote for certain individuals whose life choices showed them to be morally deficient individuals. The question posed to me is whether I still believe that.  So, in this session, I address this very question. The answer I give is a somewhat nuanced “yes and no.”

Question #11 -Part 1: Why do I believe that it is biblical to understand God’s relationship to created reality to be analogous to the relationship between an author and his story? PART ONE.

In this audio file I respond to a question posed to me in person. I have maintained in a number of different contexts that, in the biblical worldview, the relationship between God and created reality is analogous to the relationship between an author or storyteller and his story. It is not immediately obvious that the Bible actually teaches such a thing. So, the question posed to me was this: where would I go in the Bible to support this claim? Or, in other words, how would I support my contention that the worldview of the Bible is that created reality is a story that God, the storyteller, is authoring?

Question #11 -Part 2: Why do I believe that it is biblical to understand God’s relationship to created reality to be analogous to the relationship between an author and his story? PART TWO.

In this audio file I respond to a question posed to me in person. I have maintained in a number of different contexts that, in the biblical worldview, the relationship between God and created reality is analogous to the relationship between an author or storyteller and his story. It is not immediately obvious that the Bible actually teaches such a thing. So, the question posed to me was this: where would I go in the Bible to support this claim? Or, in other words, how would I support my contention that the worldview of the Bible is that created reality is a story that God, the storyteller, is authoring?

Here is Part TWO, I address an issue that lies behind this question.

Question #11 -Part 3: Why do I believe that it is biblical to understand God’s relationship to created reality to be analogous to the relationship between an author and his story? PART THREE.

In this audio file I respond to a question posed to me in person. I have maintained in a number of different contexts that, in the biblical worldview, the relationship between God and created reality is analogous to the relationship between an author or storyteller and his story. It is not immediately obvious that the Bible actually teaches such a thing. So, the question posed to me was this: where would I go in the Bible to support this claim? Or, in other words, how would I support my contention that the worldview of the Bible is that created reality is a story that God, the storyteller, is authoring?

Here is Part Three, I address an issue that lies behind this question.

 Question 10 PART ONE re: my thoughts on the traditional doctrine of Hell.

The tenth question I want to address concerns my thoughts on the doctrine of Hell. I discuss why I do not believe the traditional doctrine of Hell is a biblical doctrine and seek to articulate an alternative perspective on what the Bible teaches about the nature of God’s wrath when he judges mankind.

Question 10 - PART TWO (Part 1 is found below) re: my thoughts on the traditional doctrine of Hell. 

In this audio file I respond further to the tenth question—a question regarding my thoughts on the doctrine of Hell.

Here is a handout that accompanies this audio file: Click HERE for the Handout

Question 9 re: whether I consider myself an Evangelical.

The ninth question I want to address concerns whether I consider myself an Evangelical Christian.

Here is the audio file where I address this question.

Question #8 re: my thoughts on John 17:5.

The eighth question I want to address concerns my thoughts on the meaning of Jesus request in John 17:5.  Notable, does Jesus request in that prayer suggest that Jesus existed before the world began?

Here is the audio file where I attempt to address this question

Question #7 re: the role of the Bible in coming to know right from wrong.

The seventh question I want to address concerns my understanding of how we come to have moral knowledge. That is, how we come to know right from wrong. Can we only know what is right and what is wrong from the Bible? Has God given us an innate knowledge of right and wrong? Or, when we come to faith are we given a knowledge of right and wrong that comes to us supernaturally through the work of God’s Spirit? Or, is there a different view that comports better with what the Bible teaches?

Here is the audio file where I attempt to address this question:

Question #6 re: whether church attendance is required of Jesus-followers.

The sixth question I want to address concerns whether or not the Bible requires of Jesus-followers that they regularly attend church.

Here is the audio file where I address this.

For an audio file that offers teaching on the fuller context of Hebrews 10:25

For ALL my teaching on the book of Hebrews click here.

Question #5 re: what it means that human beings are created in the image of God.

The fifth question I want to address concerns my understanding of what it means for human beings to be created in the “image of God.”

Here is the audio file where I attempt to address this question. 

Question #4 re: my thoughts on the letters to the churches in the book of Revelation.

The fourth question I want to address from among the emailed questions that I have received concerns any thoughts I might have on the letters to the churches in the opening chapters of the book of Revelation.

Here is the audio file where I attempt to address this question.

All of my teaching on the book of Revelation can be found on a different website. CLICK HERE to access my teaching on the book of Revelation.

Question #3 re: The ordinary humanity of Jesus

The third question I want to address from among the emailed questions that I have received concerns my contention that, metaphysically speaking, Jesus was simply an ordinary human being. And, yet, Jesus was, at the same time, God.

Here is the audio file where I attempt to address this contention about the nature of who Jesus was/is.

If you want other resources where I offer a biblical critique of the doctrine of the Trinity, check out the following:

CLICK HERE for  “The Trinity – 27 papers”

CLICK HERE for  “Hebrews and Orthodox Trinitarianism – 10 Essays”

Also, I discuss this issue and other related issues in a series I taught called, Biblical Philosophy: The Message and Worldview of the Bible. Click here to access audio files of this series of talks.  Talks #2 through #5 are related to this topic.

Question #2 re: New Covenant

What is the New Covenant?

•Here is an audio file where I answer the question. 

And here is a pdf file that includes a translation of the relevant portion of Jeremiah 31 as well as written notes to accompany the audio file. Click here for notes and translation

Question re: Matthew 21:44

Here is the audio file where I attempt to answer this question

Here is a link to a talk in my series on the book of Romans where I discuss in much greater detail Isaiah 8 and Isaiah 28 and their relevance to Jesus.  CLICK HERE for a discussion of Isaiah 8 and Isaiah 28

Here is a link to a talk in my series on the book of Luke where I discuss Psalm 118. CLICK HERE for a discussion of Psalm 118

CLICK HERE for a pdf handout  that accompanies my discussion of Psalm 118.