Ask The Preacher

There are three reasons:

1) Jesus had no earthly father. In other words, He was conceived through the power of God’s Holy Spirit rather than a man impregnating His mother, Mary. Mary was still a virgin when Jesus was born.

2) He displayed the characteristics and attributes of God. For example, He had the ability to control nature, He had the ability to create and He had the ability to discern people’s thoughts and motives.

3) He called Himself God’s Son. If we accept Jesus as a prophet, then we must also accept what He said about Himself.

In reality, there is only one church. It is not defined by, or confined to, any particular place, group or tradition. Instead Christ’s church is composed of all those people who have submitted themselves to the lordship of Christ and are living in obedience to Him. The membership of Christ’s church is not determined by belonging to any particular group or organization. Jesus, Himself said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46) Another time Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Jesus’ statements help us understand why there are so many different groups and organizations all claiming to be the Lord’s church. The root cause is disobedience. Over the centuries many churches have formed because they were disobedient to Christ’s teaching. Others have begun because they felt that in order to be obedient to Christ they needed to separate themselves from those who were disobedient.

Christ prayed that all his followers would be united. Christians look forward to the time when that unity will become a reality.

There are probably several reasons. One is that certain lessons can only be learned through suffering. Another reason is that God allows mankind free will. In other words, we are free to choose to do what is wrong. As long as people choose to do wrong, injustice and suffering is inevitable. Though God tolerates it, the day will come when He will judge the world. Then, all wrong and injustice will be remedied and put right.

Christians are not commanded to pray certain ritual prayers or to pray at certain set times. Scripture says that the followers of Christ are to pray “at all times” (Ephesians 6:18), “in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and “without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). What this means is that prayer is not a ritual but should be a natural part of a Christian’s life, just as breathing is a natural part of his physical life. Prayer is a conversation between a Christian and his heavenly Father (God). In addition to vocal prayers, the spirit of Christ’s followers should be in constant communication with God’s Spirit.

No. People who do not like the message of the Bible sometimes accuse the followers of Christ of changing their Scriptures. There are several problems with this idea:

1) The Bible was inspired by God. To put it another way, though the words of the Bible were written down by various prophets over a long period of history, God is the source of the message. God does not change, therefore His word will not change either. “I the LORD do not change….” (Malachi 3:6 NIV) “Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” (Psalm 119:89 NIV) King Solomon put it this way, “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14 NIV)

2) Even if God allowed His word to be changed, how could man do it? The followers of Christ number in the millions and live throughout the world. It is absurd to think that all of these millions would agree to make changes in their Holy Scriptures. Also keep in mind that in addition to the followers of Christ, the Jews also revere the portion of the Bible we call the Old Testament. If changes were to be made in it, then the Jews would also have to agree. There is no chance that the Jews would agree to any changes the followers of Christ would propose, nor is there any chance the followers of Christ would agree to any changes the Jews proposed.

3) Even if the majority of people wanted to change the Bible, there is no doubt that many, of both Jews and the followers of Christ, would refuse to accept any changes and would preserve the original wording. It would be impossible to destroy all copies of the true text. If the Bible has been changed, then where are the copies of the original? They do not exist because God’s word has not been altered. “…All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever…” (1 Peter 1:24-25 NIV)

4) We have far more ancient copies of the biblical text than any other ancient document. It is easy to compare these ancient copies with the texts which are published today. Needless to say, the texts which are published today agree with the ancient documents.

5) Even if every copy of the Holy Scriptures were destroyed, it would still be quite easy to recover them. There are tens of thousands of books which quote from the Bible. In order to destroy the Bible or even change what it says, it would be necessary to also destroy all of those other books which quote from it. This would be an impossible task.

There are two answers to this question:

1) The first reason we can know whether we are saved is that God does not lie. He always keeps His promises. If we have done what He has told us to do in order to receive salvation, then we can be sure that we are saved. We do not need to worry that God will change His mind or refuse to honor what He promised He will do.

2) The second way we can know that we are saved is that God gives us His Holy Spirit to live within us. The Apostle Paul writes, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV) In another place he writes, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:16 NIV) The Apostle John adds, “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” (1 John 3:24 NIV)

To put it another way, if we are saved then the fruit of Spirit will be evident in our lives. If the attributes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23) are evident in our lives and are increasing, then we can be sure that God’s Spirit is within us. If God’s Spirit lives in us then we know that we are saved.

A follower of Christ should never take a fellow believer to court. To do so presents a very bad example. The Apostle Paul writes, “If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another—and this in front of unbelievers! The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” (1 Corinthians 6:1-7 NIV)

Whether it is permissible to take an unbeliever to court is not so clear-cut. There may be times when it is necessary. However, even when we have been wronged by someone outside the faith, we should try arbitration before bringing a court case. We need to remember that our ultimate goal is to win people for Christ. In order to do so, it may be necessary to let go of our own rights and endure the wrong someone has done against us.

Three reasons Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead are:

1) All agree that a few days after Jesus was buried, His tomb was empty. The question is how it became empty. One theory is that the disciples visited the wrong tomb when they went to anoint the body. Some propose that Jesus didn’t die, but only swooned. Then He revived in the cool of the tomb, somehow rolled the stone away which covered the entrance, and walked out on mutilated feet without drawing the attention of those on guard. This theory is obviously absurd. Others say that Jesus’ followers somehow stole His body under the noses of the Roman soldiers who were guarding the tomb. When all of the theories are examined, the most logical conclusion is that Jesus really did rise from the dead. All the authorities had to do in order to quell the rumors of Jesus’ coming to life again would be to produce the body. They did not do so. They did not arrest the disciples for breaking the law by taking the body. They did not try or execute the guards for dereliction of duty. The evidence says that the reason none of this was done is because Jesus really did rise from the dead.

2) Something must account for the remarkable change which took place in Jesus’ disciples. They changed from fearful, discouraged men into bold, fearless, courageous people who gladly risked everything, including their lives, to proclaim that Jesus had risen. This only makes sense if it is true.

3) At one time or another, Jesus appeared to over 500 different people after He rose from the dead. It would be foolish to dismiss this eyewitness testimony.

Jesus died voluntarily out of love for us. He died to save us from the effects of our sin. The wages of sin is death. Jesus, who is totally sinless, paid our debt for us. Scripture says, “…at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:6-11)

The word in Scripture which is translated ‘inspired’ literally means ‘God-breathed.’ When we say that a certain writing is inspired, we mean that the writer was under the influence of, or filled with, God’s Holy Spirit at the time of writing. Christians believe that this was the case when the 66 books of the Bible were written down. “…no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)

There are many places in the Bible where God’s actual words are recorded. But in most cases, when we say that the Bible is inspired we do not mean that God dictated the words like a business executive dictates to his secretary. Instead, God impressed on the hearts and minds of the Bible writers what He wanted them to say and used their personalities and characters to express the message in a unique way. It is as if God were making the Prophets and Apostles partners in proclaiming His message. It is this quality which makes the Bible, though it is God’s Word, so personal and relevant to us as human beings.

People usually think that idolatry means bowing down before, or worshiping a statue or a picture. However, we become guilty of idolatry whenever we give more importance to anything than we do to God. For example, the Scriptures say that greed is a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5). The reason is that instead of trusting God to supply our needs we pursue money or possessions. Whatever has a higher place in our affections and desires than God has become an idol to us.

The Apostle Peter writes that the purpose of government is, “…to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.” (1 Peter 2:14 NIV) Therefore, if a government asks us to do what is wrong or forbids us to do what is right, that law or regulation is outside the bounds of God’s intent. In such cases as followers of Christ we must obey God’s higher law. We must follow the example of Peter and John when the authorities forbade them from preaching about Christ, “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”” (Acts 4:18-20 NIV)

Many people understand the Song of Songs to be an elaborate allegory of the relationship between God and His people, particularly the relationship between Christ and the church. While it is certainly true that Scripture does describe the church as the “Bride of Christ” and the relationship between Christ and the church as a marriage (for example, see Ephesians 5:22-33), it seems best to take the plain reading of the text as its primary meaning. Though there are parallels and lessons we can learn about the church’s relationship with Christ, the easiest and most natural explanation of the Song is that it is talking about the relationship between human lovers.

Since God created both male and female (Genesis 1:27), and since He inaugurated marriage right from the beginning (Genesis 2:24), it would be strange indeed if the Bible didn’t address the issues of courtship and mutual attraction. The collection of related poems we know as the Song of Songs explores the themes of human sexuality and romantic love. In the poems, two lovers express their feelings, hopes and desires in their relationship. Occasionally, other observers make comments about the relationship.

One of the unusual characteristics of this small book is that most of it is written from the woman’s point of view. The Song of Songs celebrates sensuality and sexual pleasure for women as well as men – at the appropriate time and within the bounds God has established for it. A woman’s feelings, desires, hopes and passions are important, meaningful and holy. There is nothing shameful or inappropriate in her expressing them. They are an essential part of her God-given personality.

The Song of Songs celebrates the relationship between two people who are not only passionate and deeply attracted to one another, but also deeply committed to one another. They are not rivals, competitors or objects to satisfy selfish desire. Passion finds true satisfaction only in giving oneself to the other.

The Song of Songs teaches that the God-given pattern for physical love is:

Attraction → Courtship → Commitment → Marriage → Sexual Intimacy

At each step in this progression there are limits or bounds which should not be crossed, even in our imagination! (Song of Songs 2:6-7, 3:4-5).

The flip side of this is that it is entirely appropriate to enjoy the blessings and benefits of each stage. For example, there is nothing wrong or shameful about sexual activity, provided it is within the bounds God has given for it.

John the Baptist identified Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God’ (John 1:29, 36). When you consider all the verses which refer to Jesus as a lamb, it becomes clear that the lamb John had in mind is the Passover Lamb. What was the meaning of the the Passover Lamb? Just before the nation of Israel left Egypt, God instructed each family to kill a lamb and put the blood on the sides and top of the door-frame of the entryway to their house. This blood would protect them from the destroying angel who was about to go through the land of Egypt and kill the firstborn son in each household. In other words, the lamb’s blood was a substitute for the firstborn. By identifying Jesus as the Lamb, John proclaimed that Jesus would be a substitute. The destroying angel will pass over, or overlook, all those who have the blood of Christ applied to their hearts.

But this Passover Lamb is very different than the lambs whose blood protected the nation of Israel. Notice who the Lamb belongs to. It is God’s Lamb. We are incapable of providing our own salvation. It takes God to provide the perfect sacrifice, the perfect substitute. Notice also that this Lamb is not merely for the nation of Israel like the Passover lambs were. This one is given for the sins of the whole world. It doesn’t matter who you are, this Lamb can save you from destruction.

One reason God doesn’t answer our prayers is because of on-going sin in our lives. We want the benefits of serving God without submitting ourselves to Him. Isaiah 59:1-2 says, “Behold, Yahweh’s (that is, God’s) hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; neither his ear heavy, that it can’t hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” If God is not answering our prayers we need to examine ourselves to see whether we are deliberately living in opposition to His will. In other cases, God might not answer because we have not acted on what He has already told us to do. Many times, however, God does answer our prayers but it is not the answer we expected. Unless God gives us a ‘yes’ answer we think that He has not answered. The truth is that God often answers our prayers with something other than ‘yes.’ Here are some other possible answers: ‘No,’ ‘Not Yet,’ ‘Not That Way,’ ‘My Grace Is Sufficient’ (See 2 Corinthians 12:9.), ‘If’ (Sometimes God’s response is conditional or dependent upon what we do. (For example, see Matthew 6:14-15.) We need to realize that these are just as much an answer to our prayers as ‘yes’ is.

Sin is anything which is contrary to God’s will. This includes thoughts, desires and intent as well as actions. Sin can include doing what is against God’s will or, conversely, not doing what is His will. Where God has not expressed His will, He does not count violations of it as sin.

No. By its very nature, truth excludes whatever contradicts it. Since different religions contradict one another, they cannot all be true. For example, some religions are atheistic. Since they deny the very existence of God, they cannot point anyone to Him.

As another example, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6) If what He said is correct, then religions which contradict His statement cannot be paths to God.

The followers of Christ from very early times began to call the first day of the week, ‘The Lord’s Day.’ They did so because of two major events. Sunday, or the ‘First day of the Week’ is the day on which Jesus rose from the dead. By assembling together on the Lord’s day the followers of Christ proclaim Jesus’ victory over death and the hope we have of eternal life.

The second major event which took place on the Lord’s day is it is the day on which the church came into being. Though every day should be lived for Christ, it is appropriate that the church should meet on the day it was founded for worship, praise and remembering what Christ has done.

Another significant event also place on the Lord’s day. It was on the Lord’s day that the Apostle John received the divine visions which he wrote down for us in the book of Revelation in the Bible. It is fitting that the followers of Christ should meet to study God’s revealed Word on this day.

The word ‘Christ’ means ‘Anointed One.’ In Old Testament times, people were appointed to fill special high offices, such as king or prophet, through the ceremony of anointing. A special mixture of olive oil and spices (see Exodus 30:23-25) was poured on their head. (For example, see Exodus 29:10 and 2 Samuel 5:3.)

Actually, there is only one Bible. The text of the Bible is better preserved than any other ancient document. While there are a few places where there are questions about which wording is correct, in almost all cases there is little or no effect upon meaning.

When people ask about different Bible versions, they are really asking about translations of the Bible. The Bible has been translated into most of the major, and many of the minor, languages of the world. Some languages have many translations of the Bible. It should be obvious that however many translations there are, and regardless of the quality of the translation, they can never change the original. The original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek text of the Bible remains the same no matter how it is translated.

The real question is, “Why are there so many translations of the Bible?” First, the message of Christ is universal. It applies to everyone. Christians believe that everyone should have the ability to learn about Christ in their own language. This is why we try to translate the Bible in every language. Secondly, language changes. Scholars estimate that the meanings of words and idioms of speech change so rapidly in some languages that a new translation is needed every 25 to 50 years. In other words, the work of translation needs to be re-done approximately every generation.