FAQ'S

1. What is Sin?

A.      Sin must be understood by its biblical definition.  Sin is any act, deed or thought that is outside the will of God.  So if one is not pursuing the will of God, one is actually committing a sin.  There are two spectrums that must be considered: Absolute and Relative, I will use a couple of illustrations to explain these terms.  In schools if a teacher grades on a curve this is a relative value based on what everyone else has done.  Only God is absolute and the standard by which we will all be judged will be based on His Holiness, not our intentions or our relative goodness.  Sin is a choice.  I have often heard it said that Jesus was born without a sin nature so it was easy for Him.  Sometimes we tend to forget that Adam was created perfect and he did not have a sin nature when he was created.  The difference is the fact that he chose of his own free will to sin.  So our pasts, circumstances or chances in life have nothing to do with sin.  Sin will always be a choice. 

2.       I heard that the Gutenberg Bible was the only Bible to use, is this correct?

A.      The Gutenberg Bible has its origin in the fifteenth century, its claim to fame is the fact that it was the first Bible mass produced with moving metal type set.  I believe the KJV Bible is the best to use and I have heard all of the arguments pro and con including a difficulty in reading the KJV; however, I have not heard of any attempt to rewrite Shakespeare. 

3.       If I am saved, why do I need to spend time studying the Bible?

A.      This is a good question because salvation is based on Who you know and not what you know.  I submit the value in studying is to show your love for God.  It is He that has commanded due diligence in studying His Word..  Additionally, a wise man will seek the peace that God has to offer and that peace can only come from the promises and assurance that we must learn for ourselves and the only way to accomplish this is through the study of His Word.  The Lord uses prepared vessels, His word is our tool for preparation. 

4.       What is the connection between the Word and the rod?

A.      God has given us His Word to explain the rod and His rod to enforce His Word.  He chastens those whom He loves.  It is a good example for parents to follow. 

5.       What does the term “daughters of Zion” mean, it can be found in Isaiah 3:16?

A.      The daughters generally refers to those women who have the strength to overthrow men and usurp their authority.  It is an unkind designation and can be applied to Eve as well as Jezebel.  It is sometimes referred to as the “Jezebel spirit.” 

6.       Is it true that the ability to speak in tongues demonstrate my level of faith?

A.      The best example of one’s faith is the lifestyle that you live 24 X 7.  The term “tongues” means speaking in another language.  Remember, it was God who confounded the languages to begin with, read Genesis 11:9; we know that there will become a time when the Lord will bring all under one language again, read Zephaniah 3:9.  The use of tongues today borders on self exaltation.  The term is first found in the Bible at Genesis 10:5 but the most common application today comes from Acts 2:8.  Acts 2 begins with the celebration of Pentecost where Israelis from every part of the world had come to Jerusalem for the celebration and were no longer speaking the native language. 

7.       There are so many so called Christian sites on the Internet, how can I tell which ones portrayed the truth of God?

A.      This is indeed a difficult question because satan has the ability to access and use the Interned.  There are many sites disguised as Christian that are not.  The best advice that I can give it to test the site.  Research the author, mission statement, doctrine of faith statement, how they use Christ and how sin is treated.  This is not easy but can be done with practice and personal wisdom.  Do not be discouraged, stay in prayer and ask God The Holy Spirit for guidance. Discernment comes from the wisdom of God. 

8.       Can I lose my salvation?

A.      The answer is based on the subject, i.e. by what means were you saved.  If you were saved by your ability to perform good deeds or your righteousness, you can’t lose it because you did not have it.  If you salvation is based on faith alone in Christ alone, He has completed the works of salvation and none can take you away.  The key to understanding this doctrine is established on the foundation of Who God IS.  He is sovereign so no one outranks Him.  He is Omnipotent so a greater power does not exist.  Satan can not overwhelm God in any way. 

9.       What is the difference between a priest and a prophet?

A.      First, a priest could only come from the tribe of Levi (Moses was from this tribe and so was his brother Aaron).  This was ordained by God.  The High Priest could only come from Aaron and his sons.  The priestly duty was to carry out the act of atonement through the sacrificial system that was in place at the time.  Simply stated, the priests presented the people to God.  The prophet on the other hand could come from any tribe but were specifically called by God, the prophet presented God to the people through the process of forthtelling.  What we call prophecy has always been known by God, so prophecy was the revealing of His Word, we now have His completed Word and do not rely on prophets.  We rely on guidance and illumination of His Word from God The Holy Spirit.  The Bible records 80 High Priests leading up to the time of Christ,  all of them have died, Christ the Great High Priest is the last and He is at the right hand of the Throne interceding for us as I write this.  Read Hebrews chapters 7 – 10 for more information on Christ as the Great High Priest.  One worthy note here is the fact that believers today are called to be royal ambassadors and priests. There are two divisions of prophets in the Bible: minor prophets and major prophets.  The terms minor and major refer to the quantity of their writings and not the quantity.  For more on this see www.justifiedinchrist.com/prophets.htm. 

10.    What is the difference between Christian judgment and the judgments spoken of by other groups?

A.      Christian were judged on the Cross for their salvation.  The annual celebration of Easter is the crowning glory of this judgement because Jesus, Our Lord and Savior was judged on the Cross for our sins, died for our sins and got up on the third day (the Glorious day of Resurrection).  The sins of the Christian were judged on the Cross.  YEA-A-A-A-A-A-A-, Praise God.  The coming judgment for Christians will be for rewards done in the flesh.  This is what makes studying the Word so important, what we do with God’s Will for our lives is the criteria for the rewards judgment, not salvation judgment.  All other groups speak of a judgment based on their ability to perform good works, this is why an understanding of sin is so important.  The good that we do is relative to our fellow created beings, all of whom fall short of the Glory of God.  Man is imperfect so nothing perfect can come from man 100% of the time, we can be perfect for a second or more, but judgment for salvation is based on the act of one sin.  That is why the acknowledged failures of a Christian and the accepted works of Christ has value. 

11.    Give me a short statement on the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

A.      Jesus came in the flesh to be the kinsman redeemer to man and to become the perfect eternal sacrifice.  All of the New Testament doctrines relate to this fact. In the Old Testament, temporary sacrifices were used to shown to demonstrate the need for a permanent solution and to look forward to that eternal solution.  There is certainly more to be said but you asked for the short statement. 

12.    I have seen the terms rhema and logos, what do they mean?

A.   They both refer to the Word of God; Rhema represents the spoke word and Logos represents the written Word.

 

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