Questions and Answers
We should look for the truth in the Bible without
preconceived ideas to prove our convictions. We must let the Holy Spirit open
our hearts through the context of the Scriptures to find the message our Lord
would have us learn. (See The
Bible in What God Is All About.) Please send any questions or comments
for discussion to info@abidewithchrist.org.
Q8: What is the
difference between a conservative and a liberal Christian?
A: Today there are
not many Christian definitions on what conservative and liberal beliefs are.
Often these words are merely used to sway people in their decisions.
If they consider themselves a conservative everything that goes bad is the
fault of the liberals, and if they consider themselves a liberal the
conservatives are the root of all problems. Agendas and doctrines of people and
therefore congregations are often passed by labeling them conservative or liberal.
In today’s world a good example of the difference between a conservative and a liberal can be seen in the political battle for the control of the Supreme Court. A conservative wants the Constitution interrupted strictly as it was written. A liberal wants the Constitution to float without specific laws, making new laws as times and circumstances change.
The best definition I have come across for the difference between a Christian conservative and a Christian liberal is how they perceive the Scriptures were written. Let us look at the two extremes as follows:
An
extreme conservative believes the Word comes directly from God with no
human error and each passage means exactly what it says. There is a strong
tendency to let each verse stand on its own, not using the total context of
Scripture to define what it means. Moreover an extreme conservative often will
not accept any other Bible than the King James version.
An extreme liberal
believes the Word is the intent of what God wants and this varies in different
times, with different people. They also believe there are human factors to be
considered when the Bible was written or later recopied
that changed the original meaning. There is a strong tendency to have
no central beliefs except that there is a God, with the acceptance of
many different meanings of Scripture as possibly true, and with each
making their own choice as to which one is correct. In between these
extremes all the rest fall, and at times things can get confusing.
Where there is no
discipline there is no consistency, only a pick and choose approach to
conservatism or liberalism. The conservatives or liberals each
choosing what they want to advance their agendas regardless of the
rationale. A liberal act, like replacing Scripture with human written doctrines
can be used to put in place, advance conservative ideas. Likewise a
conservative act, accepting part of Scripture as totally literal, can be used
to put in place, advance liberal meanings.
In Jesus time the
Sadducees could be considered conservative. They believed Scripture to be
literal and accepted only the Scriptures written by Moses. They did not believe
in an after life (Ac 23:8). The Pharisees on the other hand could be considered
liberal. They believed in oral traditions, including Heaven, and were
constantly adding and changing laws (Mt 23:15-16). They were the attorneys of
the day, making laws as they were needed. Yet Jesus told us both the Sadducees
and the Pharisees would lead us astray, not to follow either of them (Mt
16:12).
One should not worry about where they are on the conservative/liberal spectrum, but keep the word of God accurate, consistent, even in the small details. Remembering all of Scripture was inspired by the Spirit (1Ti 3:16), yet the Scriptures are alive (Heb 4:12), they will continually give us more truths as our Lord wants it revealed to us (Jn 16:13-15). That the New Covenant has replaced the Old Covenant (Heb 8:13), that even the little details help shed light on the truth, help make the picture of our Lord’s will more complete (Jn 3:21). Only as the Spirit opens our eyes, guides us through Scripture will we continue to grow in faith, in love to our Lord (Eph 1:17-19).
Q7: I know it is a sin to swear or curse, language that uses God name in vain. But is it a sin to use crude language to make a point or occasionally think a dirty joke is funny?
A: It is good you
know that using our Lord’s name in vain for any purpose is a sin. As for dirty
language and jokes one only has to look at
Q6: What is meant
in 1Cor 13:8-9 about prophecies, tongues, and knowledge ending.
A: As to 1Cor 13:8-13, it is talking about the importance of God’s never ending love for us, and the love we have for our Lord. When Christ's love exists within our hearts, this love becomes the driving force in our lives. Not prophesies which have been or will be revealed to us. Not talking in tongues that strengthens our faith, but does not tell others about our Lord (1Cor 14:18-19). Not the knowledge that led us to our Savior, for that knowledge can diminish as we grow older, through sickness. Only God's love for us, and our love for our Lord bind us together as one, through this world, throughout all eternity, simply forever.
As we grow in the love of our Lord, we see His reflection becoming clearer and clearer, until one day it is our Master's face we see, gently telling us, "Well done good and faithful servant, come and share your Master's happiness” (Matt25:21). Then imperfection will change to perfection, what I know in part will be fully revealed to me. But until Jesus takes believers home, faith, hope, and love abide in our hearts. But the greatest of these is love.
Q5: Do we have to
forgive everyone or just those that ask for forgiveness?
A: Jesus told us
we must forgive others, not merely turn it over to the Lord, if we want our own
sins forgiven. We should forgive and not hold anything against anyone.
Mark 11:25 And whensoever
ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father
also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.ASV
Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer, “And
forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted
to us.” Luke 11:4 ASV
(Jesus said) “Judge
not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Lk 6:37 KJV
If we do not
forgive others their sins we will not be forgiven (Matt 6:14-15).
Forgive as the
Lord forgives us (
We should help
believers when they sin or commit grievances against us or in our presence by
reminding them how our Lord would have us live:
When a fellow
believer sins against you go and talk with them about their actions. If they
agree they actions were sinful or inappropriate you have solved the problem.
But if there are problems resolving the matter between the two of you, take
others with you to resolve the matter. If that does not work bring it to the
church. If any refuse to listen to the church they should be put out of the
church and avoided. This is to make them aware of their sin and wake them up so
they will come back to the Lord. The church should always be eager to forgive
those reprimanded and receive them back into fellowship when they are once
again following our Lord. (Matt 18:15-17, 2Cor 2: 5-11)
We must also turn
over some matters to the government when applicable (Rom 13:1-6, 1Pe 2:13-17).
We must
give all of our problems to the Lord. Remembering not to hate or seek
revenge. For the Lord loves us and will make all things right for those who
love Him (Rom 12:19, Heb 10:30, Rev 6:10). Always forgiving all those who sin
against us. This healing process is only possible when we have the love
of Christ in our hearts. We must also pray for and do good to our enemies,
those who have committed offenses against our Lord, against us, our families,
our friends, our nation, and anything else we hold dear. Doing unto others as
we would have them do unto us (Lk 6:27-44, Matt
5:43-48).
Q4: You say we are
saved by the intent in our hearts, but aren’t we going to be judged on what we
have done by God?
A: All believers
have their sins forgiven by the grace of Jesus Christ, Eph 2:8-9. Through a faithful
and repentant heart Christ’s death atones for our sins forever. We become holy,
we become righteous once more. We are part of the body of Christ, part of His
one true holy church, Eph. 5:25-27. We are children of God, living in the New
Covenant of grace. And through Jesus, our Heavenly Father promised to forgive
our sins and remember them no more, Jer. 31:34. Since
we our righteous, since are sinful actions are forgotten
forever, there is nothing sinful for us to be judged on. The righteous
will only be rewarded with blessings for how they have managed the gifts and
talents the Lord has given them. If well they will be rewarded likewise, if
unfruitful they will be least in the
Q3: Doesn’t James
2:24 tells us we are not saved by grace alone, but by works also?
A: It is very
dangerous to take one verse out of the Bible and try to understand it’s meaning
without first putting it in context, letting the Bible interrupt itself. We
must look to the context of the total verse, than book or books of the Bible,
and then the entire “Total
Picture” of Scripture. Since this verse totally disagrees with the total
picture of being saved by faith through the grace of Jesus Christ, Eph. 2:8-9,
red flags should shoot up all over. We should look deeper into its meaning as
the intent of Scripture does not contradict or argue with itself. Many believe
that in James 2:20-24, James is telling us that Abraham was given righteousness
because he was willing to offer up his son as a sacrifice to the Lord. Therefore
a person is justified by what he does, not by faith alone. But in Gen. 15:6
Abraham was actually made righteous by faith approximately 30 years before he
offered up Isaac as an offering. Confirming Abraham was made righteous by faith
is Paul in the whole fourth chapter of Romans, especially verse 3. Since
Abraham was made righteous before he did any works, followed any laws, it was
his faith in God alone that made him righteous. A saving faith because it was
strong enough to produce deeds. I do not understand what James is saying in
these verses. He could have meant we are saved by a faith that produces works
and not merely thinking you believe in God. We will probably never know until
we are visiting with Jesus, but we are saved by faith in Christ and His free
gift of grace, Rom. 5:4.
Q2: 2 Cor. 12:2 talks about a third heaven. Please explain how
many heavens there are and how they relate to believers.
A: Today man is
still discovering how immense the universe really is. Earth is but a mere speck
in the greatness of our Maker’s creation as we learn of all the galaxies and
constellations extending billions of light years away from our world. It would
take our fastest rocket millions of years to reach the outer reaches of the
universe. God's heavens are so large that we will never be able to comprehend
their size or majesty. Jesus told many of earthly things and they would not
accept Him, how then will anyone believe in heavenly things that are greater
and harder to understand (John 3:12).
Many believe 2Cor.
12:2is just referring to a Heaven that is completely separated from earth, far
into the universe. But I believe that Paul is referring to three specific
Heavens:
The first heaven
is the heaven we see on earth, the stars we see in the sky, the outer realm of
our world which we can physically see.
The second Heaven
is where believer’s souls go when they die. We are made up of 4 parts, a
spirit, soul, strength (our torso), and mind (Mark 12:30). Our spirit lives in
our soul and makes up our spiritual being. Our mind lives in our torso and
makes up our physical body. Our physical body because of sin must die, but our
spiritual being lives forever, going either to the second Heaven (2Cor 5:8) or
Hell (2 Peter2:9) when our physical body dies.
The third Heaven
is our final home and will come when Jesus returns to the world in all power
and glory. Jesus will bring back all believers who are in the second Heaven
with Him, uniting their souls with their bodies brought back from death and
glorified. Then Jesus will bring all believers, those who were in the second
heaven, and those still alive on the earth into the greatest
We must realize
that although we may never completely understand our Lord's will, plan, or
glorious spiritual realm, the Holy Spirit will guide us and the love of Jesus
Christ will keep us in the true faith. All those who believe and accept Jesus
Christ will be given eternal life in Heaven. And the glory of Heaven will
totally astonish all as we see the beauty and peace of our great God.
Q1: 1 John 5:16-17
what sin does not lead to death?
It is important to look at the background in which 1 John was written. John was writing to warn Christians of the danger and falsehood of Gnostic teaching. The Gnostic's did not believe Jesus was incarnate, truly God who became man to die as atonement for our sins. Gnostics believed that they themselves had a secret knowledge of their spiritual essence, and this knowledge alone would save them irrespective of their behavior on earth. This belief allowed them to lead lives of rampant immorality of all kinds, especially sexual. Gnosticism was prevalent during the time of John's letter, but faded out as Christianity grew.
1 John 5:16+17
deals with prayer. In previous verses prerequisites for having our prayers
answered are given. 1 John 3:21+22 tells us we must be in Christ, and
1 John 5:14+15 tells us it must also be God's will. In John 5:16
+ 17 we are told to pray for our brothers who sin. But although
God hears all prayer, sometimes our Lord may not give us what we ask for. We
cannot be assured it is God’s will to save those who commit sin that leads to
death. We can only have confidence God will open our brother's heart to
repentance for sin that does not lead to death.
There are two
types of death, physical and spiritual. Sin causes us to physically die but by
the grace of Jesus Christ sin cannot cause spiritual death. There is only one
sin that leads to spiritual death. When someone rejects the Holy
Spirit they will never be forgiven and are guilty of eternal sin
(Mark 3:29). Those who reject the Holy Spirit are subject to being set apart
from God and given over to their worldly compulsions of sexual immorality
and homosexuality. They will be given a depraved mind, with a desire to
continually commit immoral sins while encouraging others to do them
(Romans1:21-32). This describes the Gnostics that were confronting the
Christians, trying to lead them away from Christ.
The sin that does not lead to death is the sin that
Christians commit daily. Believers try to follow our Master's
will, but Satan through the world and the sin in our flesh will cause
us to stumble. We know what is right, but we do what is wrong due to our sinful
nature (Romans7:14-20). All will continue to sin, but when Christ is in
our hearts sin cannot condemn us. For Jesus forgives us, and the Holy Spirit
helps strengthen our faith to resist sin and follow our Savior.