How Can We Say God Fulfilled His Promise to Abraham?

Greg answers questions about whether demons still have a chance to be saved, whether evolution can give us a belief in morality, how to define Christian suffering, and whether justification is a one-time thing or it happens in stages.   Topics: Commentary: Do demons still have a chance to be saved? (00:00) Can evolution give us a belief in a morality? (18:00) How should we define Christian suffering? (35:00) Is justification a one-time thing, or does it happen in stages? (47:00) Mentioned on the Show:  STR U Online Training Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 12–13 in Atlanta, GA; October 17–18 in Seattle, WA; November 7–8 in Minneapolis, MN; February 20–21, 2026 in Dallas, TX; March 13–14, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA; April 24–25, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA Mind & Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False by Thomas Nagel

Greg answers questions on whether God fulfilled his promise to Abraham, Jesus’ knowledge of germs, whether the story of Job debunks the “T” in “TULIP,” and whether we could say the universe has always existed since there was never a “time” when it did not exist.   Topics: How can we say God fulfilled his promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:18 since Israel has never had that whole area of land? (02:00) Why didn’t the all-knowing, all-powerful Jesus know about germs? (24:00) Does the story of Job debunk the “T” in “TULIP” since God said Job was righteous? (36:00) Could we say the universe has always existed since there was never a “time” when it did not exist? How can we not conclude the universe is as old as God is if he was atemporal before the creation of the universe and time began when the universe was created?(48:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Submit a question on the Open Mic Line

Greg explains why we don’t need to learn to hear the voice of God, then he talks to callers about how to deal with going against the majority of scientists, the best argument for God, a loving God allowing suffering, profanity, and preparing children to encounter transgenderism.   Topics: Commentary: God doesn’t try. (00:00) Do you have any advice for how to deal with going against the majority opinion of scientists when it comes to evolution? (11:00) Why do you think the moral argument is the best argument for God’s existence? (25:00) How can I help a non-Christian answer his question about why God would allow anyone to suffer if he’s perfectly loving? (29:00) What defines profanity, and is it sin or a Christian liberty issue? (43:00) Should we keep our young children away from a nephew who is dressing as a girl? (51:00) Mentioned on the Show:  When God Speaks by Greg Koukl Metamorphosis: The Beauty and Design of Butterflies DVD by Illustra Media Hell Interrupted Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 Related Links: Why Intelligent Design Isn’t a God-of-the-Gaps Argument by Tim Barnett How to Test for Intelligent Design by Amy Hall Is Intelligent Design Pseudoscience? by Greg Koukl If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn What You Need to Know about Evil and Suffering by Amy Hall We’re Not Good at Estimating Our Goodness by Amy Hall Why Agree to Use Preferred Names but Not Preferred Pronouns? by Amy Hall

Greg talks about being thankful for John MacArthur’s legacy, then he answers questions about the difference between covenant theology and dispensationalism and how to interpret NDEs where people claim to have met Jesus.   Topics: Commentary: Thankful for John MacArthur’s Legacy (00:00) What’s the difference between covenant theology and dispensationalism? (25:00) How should we interpret NDEs where people claim to have met Jesus? (46:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 12–13 in Atlanta, GA; October 17–18 in Seattle, WA; November 7–8 in Minneapolis, MN; February 20–21, 2026 in Dallas, TX; March 13–14, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA; April 24–25, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem Christian Theology by Millard Erickson Beyond Death: Exploring the Evidence for Immortality by Gary Habermas and J.P. Moreland  

Greg explains that spirituality is measured by spiritual fruit, not spiritual gifts, then he answers questions about preterism, evidence for a beginning of the universe, the law requiring rapists to marry their victim, and whether or not Genesis 1 indicates God created chaos.   Topics: Commentary: Spirituality is measured by spiritual fruit, not spiritual gifts. (00:00) What are your thoughts on preterism? (05:00) Isn’t the universe eternal? Can you provide any evidence for a beginning of the universe or a God? (23:00) How can you explain God forcing rape victims to marry their rapist in Deuteronomy 22:28–29? (44:00) If God subdued and controlled chaos in the creation account, bringing order out of disorder, then does that mean he created chaos? (52:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Greg Koukl and Michael Shermer at the End of the Decade of the New Atheists – Transcript of their dialogue

Greg answers questions about how to determine which religion is true, why God wouldn’t just write his own book, how we know the Christian God is the real God, and whether there’s an objective moral system or we’re simply acting to avoid pain.   Topics: How would you determine which religion is true and which is not? What’s more likely: that God doesn’t exist and men invented religion to control people, or that God depended on men to write a book with ridiculous laws? (02:00) How should I answer my friend who is asking, “How do I know the Christian God is the real God who created everything?” (25:00) There is no such thing as an objective moral system. We’re simply acting to avoid pain, and God isn’t necessary for that. Also, Christianity is immoral. (43:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air by Greg Koukl and Francis Beckwith

Greg answers questions from an atheist about why Jesus couldn’t write his own book, what God has been doing all of this time, why Christians don’t read the Bible if it’s the Word of God, God existing “before” time, and whether pastors use fear tactics to get people to tithe.   Topics: Tell us why Jesus, the God of the universe, couldn’t write his own book. (07:00) Would you care to explain what the all-knowing, all-powerful God of the universe has been doing all of this time? (13:00) If the Bible is the Word of God, then why do 99% of Christians spend less than 15 minutes a week reading it? Maybe they’re delusional, egotistical hypocrites who fear a man-made, invisible God. Do you even know what epistemology and logical argumentation are? (24:00) It’s illogical to say that God could exist before time. (35:00) Do you think Christians pay a 10% tithe because they want to, or is it because the leaders of the church know they can’t survive unless they use fear tactics to convince their congregations they’re sinning if they don’t give 10%? (44:00) Related Links: Should Christians Tithe? by Greg Koukl

Greg answers questions about pastors asking the Holy Spirit to come down, the treatment of slaves in Israel versus in other cultures, whether there should be women pastors, and how Christians can claim they have a relationship with Jesus if they’ve never seen him.   Topics: What are your thoughts on pastors saying, “Holy Spirit, come down and move through your people”? (04:00) Do you know who made the point that we should compare the way the Israelites treated their slaves to the way other cultures treated theirs in order to understand the protections God was giving them? (26:00) Should there be women pastors? (41:00) Jesus hasn’t been seen in 2,000 years, so how could you, as a Christian, have a relationship with him since you’ve never met the man? (51:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Submit a question on the Open Mic Line Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God by Paul Copan The Invisible Man by Greg Koukl Related Links: Did God Condone Slavery? by Amy Hall

Greg reflects on the passage of time on his 75th birthday, then he answers questions about the SRY gene making someone male, his opinion on music in the church today, and whether the Old Testament stories are allegory or history.   Topics: Commentary: Greg reflects on the passage of time on his 75th birthday. (00:00) Could the presence of an SRY gene make someone with XX chromosomes male? (14:00) What’s your opinion on the music that’s creeping into the church? (30:00) Is it the case that many stories in the Old Testament are allegory or parables rather than history, that it doesn’t matter if they’re true or not, and that this was just the way Israel learned God’s character and his ways? (41:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 12–13 in Atlanta, GA; October 17–18 in Seattle, WA; November 7–8 in Minneapolis, MN; February 20–21, 2026 in Dallas, TX; March 13–14, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA; April 24–25, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA What Is a Man? What Is a Woman? by Alan Shlemon Related Links: The Art of Leading Congregational Worship by Amy Hall

Greg reflects on the destruction from the Malibu fire, then he answers questions about the sense in which Jesus’ yoke is easy and his burden light, how to respond to someone who uses Romans 7 to defend his homosexuality, and how to let God lead when making big decisions.   Topics: Commentary: Greg reflects on the destruction from the Malibu fires. (00:00) In what sense is Jesus’ yoke easy and his burden light? (11:00) What do you think of someone who uses Romans 7 to defend living a homosexual lifestyle? (31:00) How do I let God lead my life when making big decisions? (45:00) Mentioned on the Show:  When God Speaks by Greg Koukl The Ambassador’s Guide to the Voice of God by Greg Koukl Related Links: Be Willing to Submit to Our Good God on the Issue of Homosexuality by Amy Hall Does God Whisper? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 by Greg Koukl #STRask: How Should I Pray About Big Decisions If I Can’t Expect a Confirmation from God?