Bible Truths for Today
You Have Questions. The Bible Has Answers
I want to challenge you in your Christian life. Ask questions. Search the Bible for answers. Don’t accept what I say or what some preacher says, just because we said it. Check it out from the Bible.
As time permits, I will be answering some of the most frequently asked questions by Christians.
Your comments and questions are welcome.
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Bible Q&A
Are you, or are you not a Christian? You can KNOW! It’s a life-changing assurance to KNOW that your home is in heaven. Do you know? Jesus said in John 3:18 (KJV), “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Are you NOT CONDEMNED? Or are you CONDEMNED ALREADY? These are the only two options. Let me show you from Scripture how you can settle this for yourself. Get to know these facts from Scripture and take action. 1. God loves you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” John 3:16. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 2. All are sinners. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 That includes me – and you. Are you willing to admit you are a sinner, desperately needing to be saved? 3. The penalty for sin is death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 Because of the sin of unbelief, sinners go to a Christless eternity in hell. Sin was so great that Christ suffered the agony of crucifixion and shed His blood to pay for your sin and save you from hell. He did it because He loves you. 4. You cannot save yourself. “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.: Not of works lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9 This excludes the good works of baptism, church membership, helping the poor, giving to charity, or whatever other good deed you might want to include in this list. 5. Confess, Believe, Call. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” – – – “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:9. 10. 13 To receive Christ as your Savior is THE major decision in your life. It is not a trivial decision. It means the difference between heaven and hell. Are you willing to turn from your sin to Jesus? The Christians in Thessalonia were commended because they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” I Thessalonians 1:9. To turn to God, you have to turn from your idols (your old way of life. If you don’t want to do that, then you don’t really want Christ. You just want to continue in your old way.) This sincere decision will change your life. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17 Today, if you are not sure of a home in heaven, I am urging you to ask forgiveness for your sin and trust Jesus, who paid for your sins on the cross and rose from the dead. Let Him be your Savior from sin. Let Him change your life and give you a new life in Jesus. Then You will know you are going to heaven, even if you died today. Make that decision today!
Can I Be Sure of Heaven?
How to Become a Christian
Some say that no one knows until after they die. Would the God who loves and wants us in heaven not tell us how to be sure? Others say that you will go to heaven if your good deeds outweigh your bad. If you accept these statements, it will be too late to do anything when you find out. Lack of assurance handicaps a Christian if he is unsure of his salvation. How can you help someone else if you are not sure yourself? HERE IS A CRITICAL QUESTION: Was there a definite time when you realized you were a sinner and trusted the crucified and risen Christ for His payment for your sin? Did you sincerely ask Him to save you? There must be this first step before any of the following words can apply. (Please read my article, "How to Become a Christian.”) . Your feelings, how good you are, and your works are not the foundation for assurance of salvation. What does the Bible say? YOU CAN KNOW. The Bible says in I John 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God: that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life." We can KNOW because the Bible says we can KNOW. SALVATION IS A GIFT. Salvation had to be a gift because we could never pay for it. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). "For God so loved the world that He GAVE his only begotten Son." (John 3:16). "The GIFT of God is eternal life." (Romans 6:23). If it is a gift, you can't pay for it, and it is an insult to the giver to try to pay for it. SALVATION IS BY GRACE. Grace means unmerited favor. We receive something we don't deserve. Ephesians 2:8-9 declares, "For by grace are ye save through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast." So, to summarize: salvation is a gift given by God's grace. We can do nothing to deserve it. We simply believe and accept His gift of salvation. SALVATION CHANGES YOUR LIFE. Salvation is a supernatural work of God. God, the Holy Spirit, comes to live inside of us. "Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, - - - ye are not your own. Ye are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are God's." I Corinthians 6:19-20. II Corinthians 5:17 tells us, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." How can there not be a change? God, the Holy Spirit now lives in you. A new Christian is a spiritual baby, a new creation in Christ Jesus. Christian character and behavior develop as He grows in the Lord. Following are some visible proofs (to different degrees in different Christians) that you are a born-again Christian. Genuine, heartfelt prayer begins to take a prominent place in your life. You have a hunger for the Word of God: (I Peter 2:2) You become sensitive to sin because the Holy Spirit convicts you. You have a growing concern and love for the unsaved that compels you to witness to them. You have a growing love for other Christians and a desire to fellowship with them in church and elsewhere. You begin to exhibit the character of Christ in your life: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. (Galatians 5:22-23) These changes do not come in our lives because we are trying to earn our way. They come about because of the Holy Spirit's work in our hearts. We want to please Him because we love Him and are thankful for His gift of salvation. FINALLY, WE TRUST HIS WORD. We accept and are confident that God keeps His Promises. Consider these Scriptures: God cannot lie. (Titus 1:2). Romans 10:13 states, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." And finally, I Peter 1:5 says that we are "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Trust His power to keep you safe throughout eternity.
I want to challenge you in your Christian life. Ask questions. Search the Bible for answers. Don’t accept what I say or
what some preacher says just because we said it. Check it out from the Bible.
As time permits, I will be answering some of the most frequently asked questions by Christians.
Your comments and questions are welcome.