Questions and answers relating to salvation and justification
Father Forgive Me Jesus said in Mathew 6, verse 15; “But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” That principle is easy to understand isn’t it? In order to be forgiven by God, we must be willing to forgive others. Here’s another verse that pretty much says the same thing. Mathew 6, verse 12. It’s a part of what people…
I forgive You Have you ever forgiven anyone? Has anyone ever forgiven you? What does it mean to forgive? What are you actually doing, when you forgive someone? To forgive can actually mean a few different things. Today I’d like you to consider three things that forgiveness can mean. Here’s the first thing that forgiving can mean; It can mean, to stop blaming. When you blame someone, aren’t you really…
Religious Denominations Christian religious denominations have been in existence since the first century AD. Jesus instructed His apostle John, to write a letter, to the congregation of believers in the city of Pergamum, in what is currently the country of Turkey. In that letter, one of the things that Jesus said was this; “Thus you also have some who in the same way, hold the teaching of…
Genesis 1, Verse 27 The title of this study is taken from Genesis chapter 1, and verse 27; “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God, He created man. Male and female, He created them.” The word “man” in this verse, and in many other verses, is used in a generic sense, and it refers to “mankind”. God created mankind, in His own…
Religious Conversion In the King James Version of the bible, Acts chapter 3, and verse 19 says; “Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Jesus said, in Mat 13, and verse 15; “For the heart of this people has waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and…
The Bible Says, When We Die, We Sleep The subject of being “asleep in Jesus”, is dealt with in 1 Thess chapter 4. We find these words in Verses 13 & 14; “But we do not want you to be uninformed brethren, about those who are asleep; That you may not grieve, as do the rest, who have no hope.” “For, if we believe that Jesus died and…
1 Peter 3:18-20 The passage of scripture in 1 Peter chapter 3, verses 18 thru 20, is often misunderstood. So much so, that in 1852, the misuse of this scripture led to a split in the congregation in Nashville Tennessee. A man named Jesse Ferguson was the preacher for the congregation, and his views on these verses were contrary to other bible teachings. And it turned out that this was just the…
What is a “Treasure in Earthen Vessels” ? A treasure could be of gold and silver and gemstones couldn’t it? And earthen vessels could be pottery made out of clay. That would be “Treasure in earthen vessels”. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were found stored inside large clay pots, and hidden in caves, those were treasures in earthen vessels. But the bible speaks about one specific “treasure”, that’s carried in “earthen…
What Exactly is the Grace of God ? Ephesians 2, verses 8 & 9 tell us, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” What exactly does it mean, when it says, “By grace you have been saved”? The simple answer is actually given…
Should We Pray a Sinner’s Prayer ? There are countless people who have been told, that they can be saved by believing in Jesus Christ, and by praying the “sinner’s prayer”. The problem with this is that the bible never tells us such a thing. The bible does indeed tell us several things, that we must do to be saved, but saying a “sinner’s prayer” is not one…
There’s Power in the Blood I’d like to call your attention to the words of 1 John 1:6-7. “If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanses us…
“Study to show thyself approved..” 2 Tim 2:15 How willing are you to study the bible? Not just to read the bible, but to study it? I know how encouraging it can be to just pick up the bible and to read God’s word. But how willing are you to really sit down and study? God wants us all to be willing to go beyond what …
The Gospel, the basics of Salvation “Now I make known to you brethren, the gospel, which I delivered to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved; If you hold fast to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.” “For I delivered to you, as of first importance, what I also received; That Christ died…
Tempted by Lust James 1:14-15 says, “But each one is tempted when he is enticed and drawn away by his own lust. Then, when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished (or completed) it brings forth death.” We’re told in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death.. but the free gift of God, is eternal life in Christ Jesus…
The Spirit of Fear Please listen to 2 Timothy 1:7.. “Indeed, God has not given us the spirit of fearfulness, but of power and love and self-control.” The word translated “fearfulness” in this verse, is only found this one time in the bible. The exact meaning is.. “timidity, fearfulness, and cowardice”. The word seems to imply a lack of confidence in one’s self. There’s another Greek…
What does the bible teach about fear and doubt? Fear and doubt, do tend to go together. Fear produces doubt. When we become fearful, we become doubtful. We can become doubtful about a lot of things, but the worst thing that can happen, is that we become doubtful about God. Most people are aware of the story in the bible about how Jesus walked on the…
A Study of the Body, Soul and Spirit Genesis 2:7, “Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils, the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” God formed the physical body of man (Adam) but that body had no life in it. It was in essence just like a dead body, it was lifeless. James 2:26 …
A Secular Christian ? Is there such a thing as a “secular Christian”? That question was posed in an article that I just read concerning whether or not you can be a Christian, and at the same time have doubts about the virgin birth, or the resurrection. Another question in the article was, “What does it mean to be a Christian in the 21st century?” That question alone, let’s you…
That’s not us, is it ? Or is that you in the white shirt? Or maybe that’s you in the high heels? Are we sometimes guilty of being “Willfully Ignorant”? Are we sometimes unaware of, or unwilling to believe, what the bible plainly states? God says some people ARE willfully ignorant. Did you know that we are living in the “last days”? The writer of the book of Hebrews said,…
After The Tribulation This part of our study will actually be focused on what Jesus said would happen AFTER the great tribulation. In our previous study called What is the Tribulation ? – Part 2, we examined the words of Jesus from Mathew 24:4-28, Mark 13:5-23, and Luke 21:6-24. These three passages all refer to the same events that Jesus was describing; Namely, the abomination of desolation, the…