Q&A: Historicity of Jesus, Shunning, and According to the Flesh

On today’s Bible Answer Man broadcast (08/19/25), Hank answers the following questions:

I am a Christian, but I have doubts about whether Jesus existed or not. Derek - Indianapolis, IN (1:02)
A family member had an affair, and the rest of the family has shunned them. What should I do? Debbie - Hunter Town, IN (2:59)
Will we receive a white stone with a new name, as mentioned in Revelation 2:17? Mary - Snohomish, WA (15:11)
Can you explain what Paul meant by “according to the flesh” in Romans 1:4? Richard - Phoenix, AZ (20:45)

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome to the Bible answer Man Broadcast with the President
of the Christian Research Institute, Hank Canigraph. Our mission is
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you have within you because life and truth matter. Why
because being armed with truth will equip you to counter
the corrosive worldviews at work in our world today, while

(00:30):
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answer Man Broadcast, our phone number is eight eight eight
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(00:53):
dot org. The following program was pre recorded and now
here's Hank Hannah.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Figure much Randy first call her up. Derek listening in Indianapolis, Indiana,
listening to the web.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
High Hello, Hank, I'm calling about I'm a Christian and
I believe in I believe in God, but then I
have doubts about Jesus and whether he existed or not
in the promises that he made and never came past.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yet, Well, let me say a couple of things about that, Derek,
there's no question whatsoever that Jesus Christ existed. I mean
that is conceded by those in the secular community, just
as it is communicated by those in the spiritual community.
In fact, you can piece together highlights of the life
of Christ wholly apart from the Bible. So there's no

(01:44):
question whatsoever that Jesus was a historical figure. The ultimate
question is it's a question that Jesus himself posed. Who
do you say that I am? That's the real question.
Some say it was a good teacher, some say that
he was God. That's precisely what Peter said, and that, ultimately, Derek,

(02:07):
is the question that you have to answer for yourself.
Is Jesus just a good teacher? Or is Jesus the
one who spoke and the universe leapt into existence? And
all of the evidence points to the reality that Jesus
is not only the creator of the universe, He's not

(02:28):
only the one who knit you together in your mother's womb,
but he is the one who demonstrated that he was
God through the immutable fact of the resurrection. The resurrection
is not something that we believe just on blind faith,
but rather we can build a credible, cumulative case for
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that is precisely why

(02:48):
we believe it.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
Okay, thank you.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
You got it, Derek. If there's anything else we can
do for you, hang on. We will be delighted to
work with you in any way we can. We'll go
back the online doctor Debbie in Indiana, Hi Debbie, Hello, Hi, Hi.

Speaker 4 (03:08):
My question is about shunning. I guess is what you
would call it. I know somebody who had an affair
and stayed with the man, divorced her husband, her children
were growing married and had grandchildren, and for four years
now her kids don't speak to her at all, and

(03:34):
they they cite I think his First Corinthians five two
where the man was having relations with his stepmother, and
they said, you know, don't even speak to him, but
this is hurting the whole family, and I don't even

(03:57):
know how to what to say, or you know that
the mother is devastated.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Of course, yes, yeah, of course. The passage in First
Corinthians chapter five is handing this man over to Satan.
And what that actually has to do with is expelling
this individual from the church in Christian fellowship. In other words,
pushing someone out into the world run by Satan's principles,

(04:27):
which becomes a means of teaching the personal lesson and
bringing about repentance. It's a means of promoting spiritual purity.
But this is not about shunning. I mean, we should
not shun those who have rejected Christ. We should not
shun pagans. Rather, we should take a lesson from our Lord,
and that is we should communicate with them. We should

(04:52):
love them, reach out to them so that they may
see by the testimony of our life and the testimony
of our love the reaction the Christian message. And that's
true not only in the secular community, the community at large,
but certainly true within families. It's not condoning what someone does,

(05:12):
but rather it is testifying to the grace and love
of Jesus Christ that can reach out to all of
us as sinners and transform our lives. And of course,
the point is, if we recognize that we have been
forgiven an unspeakable debt, it is a horrendous evil to

(05:32):
consider withholding forgiveness from those who genuinely seek it.

Speaker 4 (05:39):
Thank you, That's how I felt. I just if you
say anything to the children, they won't have anything to
do with you either. I just it's so hard for everyone.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Well, remember, prayer is firing the winning shot. And so
often as we pray and as we demonstrate the reality
of the Christian life, hard hearts are softened. And that's
what we have to pray towards. Thank you, You're welcome
in this well, you got it. And my insight, of

(06:15):
course comes from the word of God. In fact, I
was thinking about one of the most riveting parables that
Jesus ever communicated to his disciples. It was, of course,
the story of two debtors. The first owed his master
about twenty million dollars, some more than he could pay
if he lived to be a thousand years old, and

(06:36):
the second debtor owed the first debtor less than a
twenty dollars bill. So when the day of reckoning came,
the master forgave the multimillion dollar debtor every last penny.
But instead of being overwhelmed with gratitude, the man who
had been forgiven much, tracked down the man who owed

(06:59):
him very little, grabbed him by the throat, dragged him
away to debtor's prison. Of course, when the master heard
all that had happened, his condemnation was swift and severe.
The ungrateful servant was thrown into jail, and then he
was tortured until he could repay his debt in full,

(07:21):
which was something he could never do. And you might
recall that when Jesus finished telling this story, he turned
to his disciples and he said, this is how my
heavenly Father will treat each one of you unless you
forgive your brother from your heart. Of course, of the

(07:43):
disciples immediately got the point. The debts we owe one
another are like mere twenty dollars bills compared to the
infinite debt we owe our heavenly Father. And since we
have been forgiven an infinite debt, it is a horrendous
evil to even consider withholding forgiveness from those who genuinely

(08:06):
seek it. If for even a moment we wonder whether
or not to forgive our debtors, this parable from our
Lord should immediately soften our hearts and illumine the darkness
of our minds. We are reminded every time we pray

(08:28):
the prayer of Jesus of the infinite price that was
paid so that we might be forgiven, and we must
be ever mindful that it was God himself, who hung
on the cross so that we might be reconciled to

(08:48):
him for not only time, but for eternity. Multitudes have
lost touch with this essential truth because they have very
little concept of the depravity of the human heart, and
therefore we just don't know what brokenness is anymore. King

(09:13):
David was the quintessential example of brokenness. Remember when the
prophet Nathan confronted him with sin, he cried out, have
mercy on me, o, God, according to your unfailing love,
according to your great compassion, Blot out my transgressions, Wash
away my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin, for I

(09:34):
know my transgressions. My sin is always before me against you.
You only have I sinned and done what is evil
in your sight, so that you're proved right when you
speak and justified when you judge. Forgiveness is our calling.

(09:54):
Of course, as I said many times in the Bible,
lance Man broadcast forgiveness as always a two way street.
It takes someone that is willing to forgive and someone
wanting to be forgiven, and without both of those characteristics
or functions, forgiveness simply does not take place. Because without

(10:17):
two parties involved in the transaction, there can't be genuine reconciliation.
Writ about this in many different places, including my book
The Prayer of Jesus. If you have not read The
Prayer of Jesus, it's a great primer on understanding how
to pray, and understand that prayer is not just trying
to get things from God, but rather prayer is a

(10:39):
way of developing a relationship with the lover of your soul,
out of which everything else flows. Be back with more
answers to your questions in just a few moments, so
please don't touch that dial.

Speaker 1 (10:51):
In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's character Pharimir voices
the thoughts of countless soldiers throughout history. War must be
while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would
devour all. But I do not love the bright sword
for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor
the warrior for his glory. I love only that which

(11:13):
they defend. If you two love what together we defend,
our faith, biblical truth and our freedoms, become a member
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(11:38):
seven thousand CRII or visit our website at equip dot org.
That's eight eight eight seven thousand CRII, or simply visit
our website at equip dot org. Hank Hanigraph will be
back right after the break. Has God Spoken? Are the

(12:08):
words of Scripture merely human in origin? Or are they,
in fact the very words of God himself. Three years
in the making and based on two decades of research
and reflection, Hank Henagraph's monumental book Has God Spoken answers
what is surely the most important question facing our world.
In Has God Spoken? Memorable proofs of the Bible's divine inspiration,

(12:32):
Hank counters the contentions of the Bible attackers and clearly
shows that belief in the Holy Scriptures is not a
guess or wishful thinking. It is the only logical conclusion
after an honest examination of overwhelming evidence. Order Has God
Spoken from the Christian Research Institute by calling eighty eight
seven thousand CRII or go online to equip dot org.

(12:56):
Equip dot Org. Anyone who's been paying attention knows there's
a war going on not just on traditional morality, civility,
and decency, but even more fundamentally on historic notions of truth.
And the enemy isn't just the onslaught of fake news,
facilitated by a post truth culture and turbocharged by growing

(13:18):
legions of ideological spinductors. Note the real enemies of truth
range from postmodernist convictions that there is no objective truth
to militant scientism that claims that only science can determine
truth and religion is little more than primitive superstitions. But
CRI Support Team members are not waving a white flag

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Christian Research Institute's mind shaping and life changing outreaches twenty
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simply visit equip dot org.

Speaker 5 (14:01):
Truth Matters, Life Matters More details Hank Hanigraff's personal pilgrimage
from his long defensive truth to his discovery that life
matters more. Essentially, two books in one, Part one equips
Christians to defend the essential truths of the historic Christian Faith.
Part two explains why truth is necessary but hardly sufficient.

(14:21):
That the map is not the territory, the menu is
not the meal. We are created to experience life to
the full through union with God in Christ. Is there
more to the Christian life than what you are experiencing?
Truth matters, Life matters more, unveils the unexpected beauty of
an authentic Christian life. To receive truth matters, Life matters

(14:42):
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Speaker 1 (15:07):
Let's return to your host, Hank Canagraph.

Speaker 2 (15:10):
Let's go back to the phone lines doctor Mary, next
and Washington by Mary.

Speaker 6 (15:15):
Hi, Hank, thank you for your ministry. I appreciate your
knowledge knowing thank you. I have a question on the
Book of Revelation. It is there is a passage in
Revelation two seventeen that says to him who overcomes the
White Stone with a new name written on it, known

(15:35):
only to those who receive it, and is that symbolic
or is that literal?

Speaker 2 (15:40):
No, No, it's symbolic. What's a new name, It's symbolic.
And there's a historical precedent in that a white stone
was commonly associated with a vote of acquittal. So in
the context of the Book of Revelation as a whole,
the giving of a white stone was an invitation to
participate in the wedding Supper of the Lamb. And the

(16:02):
only way you can do that is in essence, by
being invited, as it were, into the body of Christ.
And what causes that invitation, of course, is receiving Jesus
Christ as Savior and Lord. And then when you do,
the text tells us you not only receive a white stone,
which is your pass into the wedding supper of the Lamb,

(16:25):
but a new name written on the stone, which points
further to an invitation to have intimate fellowship with the
King of Kings and the Lord of lords. And so
the wedding supper in a great sense symbolizes this intimacy
and fellowship. Remember that Jesus Christ is the Temple, He's

(16:49):
the living temple, and we are living stones in the
living Temple. Of which Jesus Christ is the head.

Speaker 6 (16:56):
Right. Well, I had inadvertently talking with some one who's
also a Christian. I said, you know, we're going to
have a new name in him. And literally I was thinking, literally,
we'd have a name that only we would that we
would know those of us who are in Christ.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
Well, it may very well be. I mean, there's a
sense in which we can say that there's a precedent
for that. So I don't think that what you said
is incorrect. I mean, look at Abram, his name was
changed to Abraham. Or we can think of Saul was
changed to Paul. So in that sense, we do have
a new identity. Remember, when we become believers, all things

(17:36):
have passed away. The new order of things has come
because now we're in Christ.

Speaker 6 (17:41):
Oh indeed, indeed. But I'm so literal on things, you know,
I'm thinking, wonder, what's kind of a new name that
only no one else would know?

Speaker 2 (17:52):
Yeah, and this is really interesting because there are so
many things in the Book of Revelation that you just
can't take in a wooden literal sense. Example, you know,
the apostle John talks about golden bulls full of incense,
and then he gives us an interpretation. He says, these
are the prayers of the saints. So if you took

(18:16):
that in a wooden literal sense, you would miss what
the apostle John was really communicating. The same thing is
true if you look at Revelation chapter one, where he
talks about seven golden lampstands and Jesus is walking among
those seven golden lamp stands. You took that in a
wooden literal sense, you'd say Jesus is walking amongst seven

(18:39):
golden lampstands. But John tells us what they are. He says, therefore,
write what you have seen, what is now, and what
will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars
that you saw on my right hand and of the
seven golden lampstands, is this. The seven stars are the

(19:00):
angels of the seven churches. The seven lamp stands are
the seven churches. So again, if you took this in
a wooden literalistic sense, you'd missed the sense of the passage.

Speaker 6 (19:12):
Well, I know so many things in Revelations are symbolic,
and that's the reason I was wondering about this new
name thing that I think you've explained it very well
and I will get.

Speaker 2 (19:23):
Your Look, who will bless you? Mary?

Speaker 6 (19:27):
That's a little bit revelation is it's difficult to understand.
You can't, I know, we can't take it literally like
you believe in the large Jesus Christ and will be saved.

Speaker 4 (19:38):
That's literal.

Speaker 6 (19:39):
That's the truth right there, and that in Revelation it
skirts around some things.

Speaker 2 (19:46):
Well you know. And here's the thing about it, Mary,
is that the Book of Revelation, like a lot of
the Bible, uses metaphor uses apocalyptic language and so forth.
It's not the scourt around truth, but it's the magnified
truth that we would normally miss. So the symbolism actually
has a powerful purpose. But the only way you can

(20:08):
really get the symbolism either you see the direct interpretation
provided by John in the passage, or you understand the
apocalyptic language because there's a precedent for that language in
the Old Testament. There's a reason Jesus, for example, is
depicted as a lion and a lamb, and that precedent
comes from the Old Testament. Canon.

Speaker 6 (20:30):
Uh huh, All right, thank you, You've answered it very well,
and I hope, hopefully I can go back to my
friend and get it explained.

Speaker 2 (20:37):
To her, wonderful thank you for calling Mary.

Speaker 6 (20:42):
Yes, thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (20:44):
Bye bye bye, and want to go back to the
phones now talk to Richard Phoenix, Arizona.

Speaker 7 (20:48):
Hi Richard, Hi, Hank, how are you doing today?

Speaker 2 (20:51):
I'm well, thank you good hey.

Speaker 7 (20:54):
My question is regarding Romans chapter one, verse three, where
it says that Jesus Christ was born as the seed
of David according to the Flesh. And I know in
the past you have said that Jesus came into the
world and he was a descendant of David by adoption,
and I'm just kind of curious how this fits together
with Romans one to three, where it's talking about him

(21:16):
coming in as a set of David according to the Flesh.

Speaker 2 (21:20):
No, I mean, this passage is very clearly talking about
the fact that Jesus Christ is a natural descendant of David.
This is one of the things that you see and
I've actually written about this in a book called Has
God Spoken? But you see that Jesus comes through Abraham,

(21:40):
and that it was Abraham's not first son, but his
second son, and that it was Isaac's not first son,
but second son, Jacob. And then Israel had twelve sons,
and the scepter would not depart from Judah, so it
wasn't his first or his favorite, but it was fourth.

(22:01):
And then you see that the Judaei dynasty climax in
a ruler who, despite a gregious sin, stands forever in
Hebrew history is the quintessential righteous king of Israel, and
that is David. So the ancestry actually goes by natural
descent through the line of David. Now Jesus forever sits

(22:26):
upon the throne of David as Israel's quintessential king. In
other words, he now is the one who is the
true heir, the one that we look forward to, and
that is by natural descent, but also it is by
spiritual descent. But what Paul is pointing out here is

(22:47):
the natural lineage by flesh of Christ's ancestry through David.

Speaker 7 (22:54):
Okay, great, great answer. So do you suppose that something
had to have happened in the incarnation to protect the
god Man from being tainted by sin in the bloodline?

Speaker 2 (23:06):
No, not at all, because remember that to have a
genuine human nature does not presuppose that you have a
sin nature. And we see that, of course, and that
Adam had a genuine human nature, but that human nature
was devoid of sin, until, of course he did sin.

(23:28):
And what the first atom could not do, the second
atom did do. And therefore we do not believe that
Jesus Christ was tainted by sin in any sense whatsoever.
In fact, had he been tainted from sin in any sense,
he couldn't have been the savior.

Speaker 7 (23:44):
Yeah, okay, yeah, I totally believe that. It just seems
that I never heard it put that way the way
you just put it. As far as the human nature,
how did you say that? Again, the person can come
into the world, or our Jesus could come into the world,
and his human nature is not necessarily one and same
as the sinful nature.

Speaker 2 (24:03):
What I'm saying is that you can have a human nature.
To have a human nature does not presuppose that you
have a sin nature. And the example I gave of
that was with Adam. Adam was born without a sin nature,
then he fell into a life of perpetual sin, terminated
by death. And then, of course I pointed from that

(24:26):
to the second atom, Jesus Christ, who did what the
first atom couldn't do. And this is a view which
is known as impeccability. The view that Christ could not
have sinned.

Speaker 7 (24:38):
Okay, I understand, it just seems a little bit, a
little bit confusing, like when David says that in his
mother's womb he was conceiving sin.

Speaker 2 (24:48):
He was. What I'm saying, however, is that human nature
does not presuppose a sin nature. In other words, since
Adam was created good without a sin nature, a sin
nature is not essential to a human nature, and therefore
Christ can be fully human without a sin nature.

Speaker 7 (25:12):
Okay, great, And as far as your concern, as far
as the Bible is concerned, Jesus the god Man is
sitting on the throne of David today.

Speaker 2 (25:20):
Yes, he forever reigns as Israel's quintessential king. So all
the promises that God made are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Speaker 7 (25:30):
Yeah, that's interesting because the futurist believes that Jesus Christ
is going to sit on the throne of David in
the millennium. But how can that be if he's already
sitting on David's throne according to Acts chapter two.

Speaker 2 (25:44):
Yeah, exactly, That's exactly the point.

Speaker 7 (25:46):
All right, Well, thank you so much, Hank the Lord
make his face to shine upon you and give you peace.

Speaker 2 (25:51):
Oh bless you, my brother. Thank you so much for
those wonderful words. As we close the broadcast, another reminder
to our friends, those who love what we do and
see the value of doing what we do, to stand
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Speaker 1 (26:11):
We appreciate you tuning in to the Bible answer Man Broadcast.
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(26:34):
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Bible answer Man Broadcast is supported by listeners like you.
We're on the air because life and truth matter. Has

(27:05):
God spoken? Are the words of Scripture merely human in origin?
Or are they in fact the very words of God himself?
Three years in the making and based on two decades
of research and reflection, Hank Henagraph's monumental book Has God Spoken,
answers what is surely the most important question facing our world.

(27:27):
In Has God Spoken, Memorable Proofs of the Bible's Divine inspiration,
Hank counters the contentions of the Bible attackers and clearly
shows that belief in the Holy Scriptures is not a
guess or wishful thinking. It is the only logical conclusion
after an honest examination of overwhelming evidence. Ordered Has God
Spoken from the Christian Research Institute by calling eighty eight

(27:51):
seven thousand CRII, or go online to equip dot org.
Equip dot org