(Bible Question) ...My question is this: Is baptism vital to the great commission and the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
(Bible Answer) Salvation comes at the point of a trusting and submitting faith in Jesus (repentance implied) and before water baptism (as with St. Cornelius), but that doesn’t mean new Christians should not be baptized very soon after getting forgiven, for they should. Jesus taught:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mat 28:18-20)
NOTE: One is already a disciple, that is, a Christian (Mt. 12:49,50) before he is water baptized by immersion and taught to obey everything Jesus commanded the original disciples. That is consistent throughout Scripture regarding baptism, even though some groups, like the Church of Christ, are dangerously wrong by teaching one must be baptized in order to be forgiven. The champion soul winner and servant of God, the Apostle Paul, sheds light on this here:
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel (1 Cor 1:17).
Paul, therefore, didn’t think baptism was part of the gospel message, but he still baptized some new Christians:
I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) (1 Cor 1:14-16)
So are you saved at baptism? Absolutely not. God bless you.
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(Bible Question) Grace and Peace to you....We have one thing in common... you are a former Catholic, and at one time for a space of nearly twelve years I too walked away from the Catholic Church. I am now 3_ years old and have renewed my faith in God and returned to the Catholic Church, happier in my spiritual life than I have ever been.
I know, having read through a limited number of your tracts, that this would not please you because you believe that Cathlocism is essentially one giant super-organized cult. But, please, indulge me, for at this moment I have several questions for you if you would not mind taking the time to answer them. I have just recently finished reading the Holy Bible (NAB) from the first page of Genesis to the last page of Revelation, and I feel closer to God for doing so, but some statements made on your tracts confuse me.
On one of your pages you mention a Christian is not a sinner. This statement confuses me, because as human beings, we are subject to many crosses and trials set before us by Our Lord, add to which the devil places many temptations in our way. No one passes every test with flying colors. We make mistakes, get angry out of turn, despair when a major league curve ball is thrown our way. I have found that only by taking up the crosses and trying to pass the trials that God sets before us is the only way to grow spiritually. Even so, I am not perfect and there are times when I fail. To say that a true Christian is not a sinner is tantamount to saying that a man can be perfect. The only being that was flesh and blood that can truly claim perfection is Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Combined with that (and I may have misunderstood your words... I apologize if this is so), it seems that you feel that we have no need to repent of our sins. If we do not repent of the mistakes that we make in our life, how can one hope to grow closer to God in spirit? By repenting and learning from our mistakes, and reconsecrating ourselves to God anew each day, would that not be better than assuming salvation?
A final question for now: why do you discount the words contained in the Books of Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, and Baruch? I confess that I do not understand every word of scripture in every single book of the Holy Bible, but I found Tobit, Wisdom, and Sirach to be very inspiring. Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you.
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus’ name. The main point in the text teaching was that Christians are not Bible-defined sinners. A sinner in the Bible is contrasted to a righteous person (also called at times godly, a saint, etc.). Sinners need to repent and get saved (Lk. 5:32). That teaching was written to show how the image of a Christian has been smeared by once saved always saved teachers, especially as they say Paul (as a Christian) was the chief of sinners! What obvious HERESY and distortions from Romans 7:14-25!
You asked why we reject the apocrypha. The reason is the same as why we reject the so-called gospel of Thomas, etc., that is, such books are not inspired by God. The Jews never accepted the apocrypha to be on a par with the rest of the books in the Old Testament. Besides that, 2 Maccabees 12 is the chief reason why Catholicism embraces the apocrypha. They have UNsound support for their praying for the dead doctrine there. If you read that chapter carefully, the ones who were to be prayed for died with idols on them, showing they were idolaters and therefore guilty of mortal sin. Catholicism says if you die in that state you go to hell, not Purgatory! Either way the apocrypha is not reliable.
Now that you have read through the Bible, did you notice how infrequently Mary was mentioned? What a shock to Catholic people who have been wrongly taught Mary is the mediatrix and dispenser of all graces, and many other things, to read such is not even implied in the Bible! How then could she have such important roles? Did you notice that Peter was married (Mt. 8:14)? So how can Catholicism justly forbid the Popes from marriage, since they think Peter was the first Pope? Did you notice that Peter wrote two epistles yet never mentioned Mary or even inferred to her in the slightest way? How different from Pope John Paul II, who was obsessed with Mary! Can you see problems here? Did you notice how praying the same thing over and over, as done with the rosary, is a pagan practice and that Jesus commanded NOT to pray like that (Mt. 6:7,8)? Did you notice how St Stephen, at the hour of his death, prayed to Jesus (Acts 7:59,60), not to Mary like Catholicism would have one do? These are just a few of the HUNDREDS of problems with Catholicism. The worst ones center around their false plan of salvation, which includes infant baptism to get born again! Did you know they teach infants are born again at that point? Did you know they teach you are to “worship” as God, the consecrated communion wafer, which they call the Eucharist? Clearly, that is idolatry, if idolatry exists anywhere. These are all very serious errors on their part, don’t you agree? What about Fatima? Did you know they have endorsed Fatima, yet part of that message is that Mary is “the way” to God? What blatant HERESY. The Bible is clear that Jesus is “the way” to the Father (John 14:6). Have you read former Roman Catholic?
NOTE: Just because you are happy where you are now, does NOT mean you are in the truth. You certainly are NOT, because Catholicism is L-O-A-D-E-D with false teachings. I write all of this out of Christian love for you. Please go by the Bible as final authority (2 Tim. 3:16,17) as the early Christians taught. If not, you will be deceived. Finally, remember that nothing could be wrong or unsafe to go by the Bible alone. It has to be right. It is God’s truth. May God help you.
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(Bible Question) Do you believe that “ Jesus Christ” is God, and if so, why? Thanks.
(Christian Answers) You asked, Is Jesus God? YES, absolutely, Jesus is God BY NATURE, but NOT the person of the Father! Jesus is not the Father or the Holy Spirit, but shown to be God multiple ways. What throws many off is the fact of the humanity of Christ. To be precise, he is the GOD-MAN or God in the flesh, according to the Biblical evidence. The Father could be “greater” than he was on earth (Jn. 14:28) by position, but not by nature. Jesus is called God, Jesus is worshiped, Jesus is prayed to, etc. all indicting his deity. Subjection to (as in 1 Cor. 15:28), doesn’t mean inferiority. Don’t let the Jehovah’s Witnesses or other false teachers mislead you. We have various teachings on this which may help you. Please consider signing up for the internet church. Do you understand the plan of salvation? God bless you.
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(Bible Question) ... A person that is born again is sealed with the holy spirit of promise for eternity. Now how you build on that will determine what kind of life you live if you build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ your work will withstand the fire but if you use hay and stubble it is in danger of being burned but the man himself will still be saved as through the fire. If you know the scriptures then you should know where that is at. Also he who has begun a good work in you will complete it till the day of Jesus Christ. And the calling and gifts of God are irrevocable. And a Son belongs to the family forever. Once your set free a new life has begun old things pass away behold all things become new. Hope you study more before you have people questioning their salvation which will not be taken away no matter how you twist the scriptures. Sincerely,
(Bible Answer) You are like a parrot, repeating what it has been taught to say. The dangerous eternal security teachers have brainwashed their audience with such empty words and you too have accepted them. The problem is, you are not Biblical, yet unmoveable! That is a formula for sure destruction. This is NOT a game. It is holy living or hell. Stop trying to defend a counterfeit gospel and grace message. Learn the Biblical message before you utter another religious word to others. A teacher’s judgment will be more strict (James 3:1)! Does the following sound like a salvation teaching to you, as it should?
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Gal 6:8,9)
Eternal life or salvation is the subject!
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(Bible Question) I would like to know from you, if there's any problem in the Christian deny the marriage by choosing never marry and living in a singleness state? We can have this option? ... in Christ,
(Bible Answer) Yes, a Christian can voluntarily remain single, but when some say getting married is forbidden, as Catholicism does with Popes, priests, etc., it is a clear sign of demonic deception:
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. (1 Tim 4:1-3)
Not everyone has the gift of singleness. It wasn’t good for Adam to be alone, so God created a person of the opposite sex for his wife. All sex outside a legitimate marriage will damn a person. Hope that helps. [Click here to read about Christian singles.]
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(Bible Question) Love reading your column. Have a question. Why did Jesus choose the apostle John to look after Mary at His death .... I have heard it said that Mary's other children weren't believers until after Jesus was raised from the dead. Would appreciate an answer to this question.
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus’ name. John was to take care of Mary because, at that point in time, Jesus’ half brothers were unbelievers (John 7:5). They came to salvation later and we see John traveling with Peter (Acts 8:14). We have a teaching entitled, Is Mary The Mother of the Church? Mary is NOT ever virgin either. She had other children! God bless you. Heb. 3:14.
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(Bible Question) Thanks for standing up to the truth, and exposing the lie of eternal security. I’m always hearing an elder in Assembly of God church speaking about legalism. Of course I have always known that he was eternal security.
(Bible Answer) It is a pitiful shame that so many denominational congregations have turned away from sound doctrine. It is not unique to the AOG. For any person to be in spiritual leadership and adhere to the HERESY of eternal security is a sure symptom of our present-day apostasy. Chances are such a person has money or influence in the community and has been elevated to the office of elder because of that, even though he should not be there. That is one of the reasons we have a weekly internet church. Have you signed up? The churches are often DEATH TRAPS. Do you know about our books refuting eternal security? God bless you. Heb. 3:14.
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(Bible Question) I read “Safeguards” from your book, via your website and I thank you for writing it. Given your Biblical knowledge, I was hoping you could share your insight on what I am experiencing. If you don’t mind my asking, what is your take on the “unpardonable sin”? ... I know some theologians believe that it’s not possible to commit the unpardonable sin in this day and age, while others define it as a lifelong resistance of God's plan of salvation.
Though I do not curse, I find many times that wicked thought run through my head including cursing our God, Jesus, and the power of our Holy Spirit. I don’t believe them and I sincerely do not want them there. I am in my middle 30s, and have experienced this off and on for close to three decades. Though I try to dismiss them, they sometimes intensify. It scares me and often forces me to question my salvation.
Most people say that it’s simply Satan putting thoughts into my head. However, when I read passages such as Mark 7:20-22, Matthew 15:18-19, and Jeremiah 4:14 I become concerned that all matter that flows through our mind is from our hearts, and thus we’re responsible for every thought. I know we are to flee these thoughts and resist them, rather than encourage them, which I try to do when they arise.
Can you please help me? What can I do? Will you please share your insight on why these thoughts occur and how I can overcome them? They are stifling and make it hard to walk confidently in Christ. Thank you and God Bless you,
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus’ name. First, the unpardonable sin is when a person says and believes that the Lord Jesus had a demon and by the power of the devil he performed his miracles (Mk. 3:22-30). You have NOT committed that sin. The devil is trying to torture your mind.
Secondly, this experience will help you! About 30 years ago I was coming back from street evangelizing. My co-laborer shocked me when he said, from time to time, he will get the strong urge to drive his vehicle into a bridge or tree or just drive it off the road into a field! Within the next 2 weeks we were in a small home Bible study with maybe 8 or 10 others. His disturbing thoughts were mentioned to the group. Shockingly, those thoughts (his thoughts) were VERY COMMON thoughts among the people there!!!! You are not alone. The devil will give us all thoughts. That is how his temptations come, that is, in the form of thoughts. Sometimes his vile thoughts will even come when one prays! He is the enemy. RESIST those thoughts and you are resisting him. Temptations are NOT sins. Remember the temptation of Jesus Christ! You can read how the devil tempted him in Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus was tempted, yet never sinned. There is nothing in the Scriptures you cited that should alarm you unless you are pondering the devil’s thoughts to act upon them.
Thirdly, purge your mind by pondering and memorizing Scripture. Listen to the Bible being read at night as you go to sleep. It is a wonderful way to get added insights. The more your mind is on God’s word, the more peace of mind you will have. You will grow spiritually as you act on God’s word. Keep pressing on and drawing near to the Lord. One day the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire to disturb and bother people NO more (Rev. 20:10). God bless you.
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(Bible Question) Hello, I just came across your site ... Many people claim that sex equals marriage in God's eyes (two become one flesh) and that you are married to whoever you first had sex with. I fornicated when i was about 15 years old. ...I ended up getting married to a believer when i was 22, and have been married to him for 5 years. We have two daughters, 3 and 1. According to those who say sex equals marriage, i am assuming people in my catagory are illegitimately married ... even though this is the first/only person i've committed my whole life to (aside from christ). ... So the question is, "am i in an illegitimate marriage, and am i truly married because of the consensual sex act, to the first person i had sex with, ...Anyways, I would love to hear your thoughts.
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus’ name. Joseph and Mary were married before they had sexual union. Hence, the point of marriage is NOT sexual union. Joseph and Mary never had sexual union until after Jesus was born:
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Mat 1:24,25)
Please forget what you have been taught and dig in the Bible, especially the New Testament for yourself. Do you understand salvation? Do you know the plan of salvation? Have you read this for new Christians? To enter God’s paradise kingdom after death, you must endure to the end (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14; Rev. 2:10,11). There is no once saved always saved. God bless you.
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