Death is a scary reality, and many parents struggle with when to talk to their kids about it. Should we wait until a loved one dies before talking about it? Or should we prepare our kids by talking about it in advance? Thankfully, Christianity’s unique and redemptive perspective on death gives us a way forward in navigating this discussion.

At the heart of Christianity is the God who became a human being in Jesus Christ in order to take our sin and brokenness on himself. He does this through his own death and resurrection, and for the Christian story these two realities cannot be separated. So, long before they know much else about the world, the children of Christian families have repeatedly heard the story of God’s own death and resurrection. And on top of this story, Christian children have been taught that through faith in Jesus, his death and resurrection conquer our death and resurrection. So ideally, there will never be a time when a Christian child hasn’t heard about death, but he or she will always understand that death has been conquered by Jesus and therefore has no sting.

Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert

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Everyone agrees that some sins are worse than others, but the Bible also teaches that every human being is guilty before God. How can nice, seemingly innocent people be equally as sinful as violent, hardened criminals?

The biblical answer can best be understood by outlining the difference between the legal and the moral nature of an act. In God’s legal economy, all sins are equally wrong–God has told us not to murder, but he’s also told us not to gossip, and while murder is more damaging than gossip, both are violations of God’s rules. So, while murder is worse than gossip, it is not more wrong.

Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert

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When Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, Jesus calls him the rock on which he will build his church. Does this mean that Peter is the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church?

While some Protestants argue that Jesus is referring to Himself as the rock rather than Peter, the wordplay on Peter’s name (which means rock) makes the connection clear. However, a key text for understanding this verse occurs just a few verses later. After Peter tells Jesus that He must not say that He’s going to Jerusalem to suffer and die, Jesus tells him to “Get behind me, Satan, because you are a stumbling block to me.” These two texts – and the way Jesus uses “rock” imagery in both – highlight Peter’s role: on the one hand, when he confesses that Jesus is the true Messiah, he is the rock on which Christ builds his church. But on the other hand, when he denies that the Messiah must suffer, he is a different kind of rock – a stumbling block.

Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert

Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org.

To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep0152.