Question:  Does a person really need the Book of Mormon, the Doctrines and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and other Mormon literature in addition to the Holy Bible for daily spiritual living?

Response:  The Bible is sufficient as the basis for everything in life.  It introduced me to a Savior, Jesus Christ, who saved me from my sins and brought me to a relationship with God that I could not have had through my own efforts.  Without Jesus, I would have been condemned to hell.

Every now and then, I am faced with comments, observations, and general opinions about the Mormon literature vis-à-vis the Bible.  However, there are just too many errors found in the Book of Mormon and all Mormon literature that contradict Biblical truth, if you are one with me in saying that the Bible is the ultimate standard.

For example, according to an official Mormon writing, “The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as a Father.  Therefore, the Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of husband and wife.; hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father.” (The Seer, p. 158)  This espouses that Jesus was conceived through a sexual relationship between God the Father and Mary.  The Bible, however, shows me a Savior who was prophesied to come by virgin birth and this virgin was Mary, who had no sexual relations with her fiancé, Joseph, until after Jesus was born.

The other Mormon literature teach that Jesus had many wives (e.g., Mary, Martha) and children. (See Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p. 210)  In fact, they also teach that Jesus is the spirit-brother of Lucifer who became the Devil. (See The Gospel Through the Ages, p. 15) Nothing could be further from the truth.  Jesus lived his life as an unmarried person and his natural brothers & sisters were mentioned in the Bible only intermittently.  There was no account of Lucifer being his spirit-brother.

When the Bible opened my eyes about my sinfulness and hopelessness, it dawned on me that I needed Jesus Christ alone to redeem me from my state of sin & eternal judgment that comes with it.  The Bible says that I now possess eternal life when I received the gift of salvation through Christ’s finished work on the cross and that my good works are the fruit of the Holy Spirit after my salvation.  Furthermore, it is the Holy Spirit who empowers believers like me to be witnesses to all peoples and gives us discernment to know truth from error.

The Bible says that many false prophets, false teachers, and even false apostles have come to plagiarize, distort, add-on, or even remove what was fully stated by the prophets and apostles in the Scripture.  In fact, Joseph Smith, Jr., Founder of the Mormon religion, elevated himself above Jesus Christ when he said, “I have to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam.  A large majority of the whole has stood by me.  Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did.  I boast that no man ever did such a work as I.  The followers of Jesus ran away from Him, but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.” (History of the Church, Vol. 5, pp. 408-409)

While the Bible teaches the believers to be faithful spouses, the Mormon literature taught its early followers initially to be polygamous.  If you check the life of their founder Joseph Smith, Jr., along with the lives of their spiritual leaders, you will notice the number of wives they each have.  One simply cannot imagine the predicament of many Mormon wives today due to Smith’s perverted teaching.  In fact, former Mormon President Heber C. Kimball lamented, “There is a great deal of quarreling in the houses, and contending for power and authority; and the second wife is against the first wife, perhaps, in some instances.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, p. 178)  This is far different from the Bible, for it shows us, husbands, how to be faithful to our wives. It is unfortunate that Mormon literature teach differently about family living.

Individual lives all over the globe were transformed after reading the Bible, eventually giving their lives to Christ, because they saw that Christianity was real and that God was true to His Word.  Hundreds of thousands of people including atheists, cultists, homosexuals, pornographers, lesbians, drunkards, rapists, murderers, prostitutes, drug addicts, adulterers, fornicators, militants, murderers, robbers, tyrants, and irresponsible parents and rebellious children were transformed because of this Jesus of the Bible.  Broken relationships were restored as a result of the Holy Spirit's ministry.  The testimonies of miracles are countless, and they all point to the truth of God’s Word.

Probably, one of the best example of transformation was that of Norma McCorvey of "Roe v Wade." She was responsible for legalizing abortion in many states in the US.  Her life was transformed after hearing the message of the Scripture through Operation Rescue Volunteers.   Today, she is back again inside the courtroom but, this time fighting against the legalization of abortion in every state that continues to kill millions of unborn children in the US alone.  The Christ of the Bible changed and transformed her life. (Click here.)

No, people today do not need the Mormon literature; but, people around the globe need the Holy Bible to know more of Jesus Christ and experience His offer of eternal and abundant life.

“... and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim. 3:15-17, New International Version

Copyright © 2010 by The Bereans use by permission.

Question: Can my marriage be restored? Our relationship was broken due to my husband's illicit relationship?

Response: Yes. As long as there is forgiveness and repentance from both of you. Allow me to quote this encouraging article I got from the web. Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse was a respected and notable Baptist pastor that touched the lives of many people. This story also shows that if you are that third party standing in between the couple's relationship then you are not really wanted emotionally but only physically by that guy who's using you. You will surely not know it. Harsh words? Read on.

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse shares this story about a man falling into the temptation of lust with his secretary.

One day I was visited by a young man in his thirties, who had a personal problem. He told his story something like this: “I work for such-and-such a company, and I have a private office. Several months ago my secretary was absent and I had to use another girl. One day she brought papers for my perusal; she got too close, and when she leaned over my desk, she let her hair trail across my face. I fought it down, but after all, I am a man, and toward the end of the day I put my hand on her and she came right back to be kissed. Even while kissing her, I was visualizing my two children running to meet me and my wife standing in the door. I hated what I was doing, but I kept on. I had the greatest desire to push her from me, but I kept pulling her to me; my body was doing one thing and my mind was doing another.

“When I went home that night, I hugged my children so hard that one of them cried, and when we got him to laughing, I told them that it was because I loved them so much. I had tears in my eyes and my wife’s eyes were shining. We all clung together in one of those moments that are indescribable. My wife was extremely happy, because I walked around the house that evening, touching familiar things that we had scrimped to buy, expressing my love for the home and for her, and before God I was never more true. Next day, the office intrigue began all over again. I was never more miserable in my life.

“Before a month had gone by I realized that my lust and my love were in a terrible battle. When I came home, there was everything I wanted in life. When I went to the office, the machine of my body seemed geared to something terrible that was purely mechanical, and which I wanted to get out of more than any fly ever wanted to get off flypaper. I heard my wife tell someone that I was becoming more and more of a homebody, and that all I wanted to do was stay at home. And it is true. I follow her around the house, talk with her in the kitchen where she is working, and watch her as she puts the children to bed.

“This morning, when I left the house, she told me that she thought she was the happiest woman in the world, because I showed so much that I loved her alone. I could hardly talk. In fact tears came to my eyes, and when I lifted a lock of her hair to dry them, I said to her, ‘I love you more than life itself.’ She cried and I crushed her to me until she screamed and smiled at the same time. Then I ran off to my train. But now what shall I do?”

With the husband’s consent, I called the wife to my office and told her the story. Fear leaped to her eyes, but I reassured her. We took a taxi and went to his office. He was expecting us, and I stood by as they embraced and she said, “I know, I know, I understand, it’s all right.” Then I called the other girl into the office. The scene that followed typified the mortal struggle between the flesh and the spirit, both striving for the mastery of the body. But the wife was not striving; she knew that the mind, soul, and heart of her husband had never been away from her. She understood the glandular warfare of his body, and that his lust had sprung to life in response to the lure of strange flesh. She looked at him with complete understanding and love.

The secretary stood there speechless. I said to her, “She knows all about it. She loves him and he loves her completely; he has never had any thought toward you except one of animal lust. You were never wanted except physically, and you are not wanted at all from now on. Do you understand?” I asked her to wait in the hall while I prayed with the couple. As I left, I saw the secretary dabbing at her eyes; I stopped and talked to her about her need of Jesus Christ.

Question: How can I prepare for marriage?

Response: I hope this this recommendation from Dr. James Dobson of Focus On the Family will help you in your decision making. According to him, "For anyone contemplating marriage, here are seven straight-forward recommendations that will increase the chance of living happily ever after."

1. Marry the one you can live without.

2. Don't marry someone who has characteristics that you feel intolerable.

3. Do not marry impulsively.

4. If you are a deeply committed Christian, do not allow yourself to become "unequally yoked" with an unbeliever.

5. Do not move in with a person before a marriage.

6. Don't get married too young.

7. Simply put, the stability of marriage is a by-product of an iron-willed determination to make it work.

If you choose to marry, enter into that covenant with the resolve to remain committed to each other for life. Never threaten to leave your mate during angry moments. Don't allow yourself to consider even the possibility of [separation or annulment]. Calling it quits must not become an option for those who want to go to the distance. 

Question: What are the different Bible versions?

Response: Many kind of Bible versions are available in the market today. There are the literal translations, dynamic translations, and paraphrased translations. But let me inform you too that there are no perfect translation because every Bible version was done by human scholars who tried all their best to cross the ancient biblical language to our day and time. Only the original manuscript done by the prophets and the apostles are inspired no more no less. Even the writings of Ellen Gould White of the Seventh-Day Adventist cannot be considered "inspired" despite the insistence of her followers to place it at the level of Holy Bible. Nor the Book of Mormon, Doctrines and Covenants, & Pearl of Great Price of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) can match the God-breathed writings of the Bible. Not even the Deuterocanonical (Apocryphal) books of the Roman Catholic Church is at par with the 66 books of the Old and New Testament. Although the Jehovah's Witness do not claim their own New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is inspired, nevertheless, they still claim their own worl to be "accurate." Obviously, the NWT is still considered perverted by many respected New Testament Christian scholars including the late Dr. Bruce Metzger and Dr. Julius Mantey.

There are many Bible versions in the library today like Dr. Jay P. Green's literal translation, The Complete Bible: An American Translation, and the Cotton Patch Version (Luke & Acts). The advantage of having a number of Bible translation within your reach is your chance to compare the passages and get the over-all thought of the original writer of the Scripture. If you don't have the budget to buy different translations of the Scripture then I suggest you download the e-Sword for PC users and MacSword for Mac users. Unfortunately, these freewares downloads public domain translations only such as King James Version, Literal Translation of the Bible, and American Standard Version. Thanks to the American Bible Society and Good News Publishers for sharing their downloadable translations for free like the English Standard Version (ESV) and the Contemporary English Version. (CEV)

Below are number of Bible versions you can benefit from studying and understanding the Holy Scripture. They are not based in order of priority.

1. New International Version - Personal and group study. (dynamic)
2. King James Version - Personal study (literal)
3. New American Standard Bible - Personal and group study (literal)
4. New Living Translation (NLT) - Personal quiet time (paraphrased)
5. Living Bible (Paraphrase) - Out-of-print (replaced by NLT)
6. Good News Bible - Personal and group study (dynamic)
7. Revised Standard Version
8. Amplified Bible - Personal study
9. Contemporary English Version - Personal devotion (paraphrased)
10. Holman Christian Standard Bible - Personal and group study (dynamic)
11. The Message Bible - Personal devotion (loosed translation)
12. New King James Version - Personal and group study (literal)
13. English Standard Version - Personal and group study (dynamic)
14. American Standard Version
15. Cotton Patch Version - Personal study (loosed translation)
16. The New Testament in Modern English - Personal devotion (paraphrased)
17. New English Bible - Personal and group study (dynamic)
17. The Revised Berkeley Version in Modern English - Personal and group study (dynamic)
18. Today's New International Version (TNiV) - To be phased out in 2 years time. starting September 2009 due to numerous error. Click here.
19. New English Translation (NET) - Personal and group study (literal)

Some useful Study Bibles are the following:

1. The NIV Study Bible
2. The Archaeological Study Bible (NIV)
3. The New Inductive Study Bible (NASB)
4. Ryrie Study Bible (KJV, NASB, NIV)
5. The New Student Bible (NIV)
6. The New Open Bible (KJV, NASB, NKJV)
7. Thompson Chain Reference (NIV, KJV)
8. Spirit Filled Study Bible (KJV, NKJV)
9. The Quest Study Bible (NIV)
10. Life Application Study Bible (KJV, LB, NIV, NKJV)
11. New Geneva Study Bible (NKJV)
12. Full Life Study Bible (KJV, NIV)
13. Disciples Study Bible (NIV)
14. Hebrew-Greek Study Bible (KJV, NASB)
15. Apologetics Study Bible (HCSB)
16. Nelson's Complete Study Bible (NKJV)
17. Macarthur's Study Bible (NKJV)
18. The Word Study Bible (KJV)
19. NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible
20. Scofield Reference Bible & New Scofield Reference Bible (KJV, NASB, NIV, NKV)
21. Dakes Annotated Reference Bible (KJV) - I do not recommend this study Bible due to Finis Jennings Dake's speculative and unorthodox interpretation. Please click here to read article.

Some of the Tagalog Bible versions are the following:

1. Ang Biblia
2. Ang Bagong Ang Biblia
3. Tagalog Popular Version
4. Magandang Balita Biblia
5. Salita ng Buhay (New Testament)
6. Tagalog New Testament (On-Line)

Roman Catholic versions with Apocrypha are the following:

1. Douay-Rheims
2. Jersulem Bible (JB)
3. New Jerusalem Bible (NJB)
4. New American Bible (NAB)
5. The Catholic Bible: Personal Study Edition (NAB)
6. The Catholic Study Bible (NAB)

Dangerous and perverted Bible translations by individual and cult groups:   

1. New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures or Ang Bagong Sanlibutang Salin - Jehovah's Witness and Watchtower
2. The Holy Bible Recovery Version or Salin Sa Pagbabawi - Witness Lee, Lord's Recovery, & Living Stream Ministry
3. The Lamsa Bible - George Lamsa, independent translator
4. Emphatic Diaglott - Benjamin Wilson, Christadelphian translator
5. Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible - Joseph Smith, Jr., Mormon founder
6. Clear Word Translation - Ellen G. White and Seventh-Day Adventist translation
 
With these many versions of the Bible, I hope you will be careful to study and discern so you can understand and represent the word of God correctly. First you have to determine which translation of Bible or Study Bible you need. Second, you must determine what kind of approach you wanted like, student, scholar, personal study, trivial, or archaeological. And lastly, apply it in your life. The most important Bible version is your own life translation since many people will surely read your life as you live out your testimony for Christ. 

Question: How do you understand the writing in the book of James which says, "Faith without works is dead?" Does that mean we need to do good works in order to be saved?

Response: How do you understand the writing in the book of James which says, "Faith without works is dead?" Does that mean we need to do good works in order to be saved?

Martin Luther almost removed the book of James from the whole Bible because he thought the writer was compromising salvation by grace through faith in Christ. The book was written in the context that James was addressing the believers who have already experienced their salvation through God’s justification. However, the believers were already comfortable in their salvation that they have not shown the evidence of their good works to be seen by the people around them. Yes, we Christians are already justified by God towards an imputed righteousness and holiness. In the eyes of God we were already justified by faith in Christ. And this justification by faith resulted to our becoming holy and righteous leading to our present salvation. (Rom. 5:1; Jam. 2:23) However, there is another justification that will make people say we are truly Christian, we are truly born again, and we are truly saved. And that is by the good works we do in the eyes of our family, relatives, classmates, business associates, co-employees, and friends. This is why James stated, “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” (2:24) We don’t show our good works to God because He sees our hearts already. (1 Sam. 16:7) We show our good works to the people around us. (2:18)

Verse-by-Verse Side Note:

1.   James questions the genuineness of the believers’ faith without any evidence of good works.

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? – James 2:14

2.  Faith is dead in the eyes of your relatives, friends, and family members if they cannot see your good works.

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. – James 2:17

3.  The word “show” came from the Greek word “deiknuo” which means, “expose to the eyes.” It’s like saying expose your good works to the eyes of the world around you so they may see if your faith is truly genuine.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. – James 2:18

4. If you will not show your faith with good works then there is nothing different between you and the demons because they also believe in God without any evidence of good works.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. – James 2:19

5.  James is offering the stagnant believer an “evidence” or “proof” that faith without works is dead.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? – James 2:20

6.  Abraham was justified by works by at least two people around him – by his servant and his son Isaac.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? – James 2:21

7. Good works makes faith complete in the eyes of the people around a believer.

You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. – James 2:22

8.  A Christian is justified to be saved through good works by the people around him. Good works is the basis of your family, relatives, officemates, or classmates to know whether you really are a Christian or not.

You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. – James 2:24

In Summary

First Justification Was Done By God. – Our faith in Christ justified us to become holy and righteous leading to our salvation.

Note: This justification saved us.

Second Justification Is Done By the People Around Us. – Our good works served as the evidence of our faith in Christ which leads people to justify us by saying we are truly holy, righteous, saved, born again, or even true Christian believers.

Note: This justification does not save us but confirms we are truly saved if we showed the evidence of good works. James wrote, "You see that a person is justified by what he does [through good works] and not by [justification through] faith alone." (2:24)
  

Question: Is it proper to call T. D. Jakes a "brother in the Lord"?

Response: First, let us set the record straight, T. D. Jakes is a "Oneness" preacher. Some "Oneness" people believes Jesus Christ is the Father in the Old Testament (creation), the Son in the Gospel (redemption), and the Holy Spirit during the time of Pentecost (regeneration). T. D. Jakes also held to such similar view,

"We have one God, but he is Father in creation, Son in redemption, and Holy Spirit in regeneration." (Theology: Apologetics Journal Criticizes Jakes)

Another evidence can be read from the statement of faith taken from their very own official website The Potter's House wherein they use the words "three Manifestations" rather than the classic trinitarian statement "three Persons." It is unfortunate that a number of Christians will try to manipulate the word "manifestations" to mean like "persons" because for them it's just a "play of words" or "semantics." Are they saying the church fathers like Tertullian who exposed the "Oneness" teachings of Praxeas and were closely removed from the apostles misinterpreted the modalist teachers of their time while they understood the "Oneness" teachings very well? I think these Christians are not really faithful in upholding the truth of God's word. They are willing to accommodate the literatures of "Oneness" preachers like T. D. Jakes and Tommy Tenney because they are popular and has huge number of followers rather than be faithful to the truth of God's word. The Bible says,

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 2 Tim. 4:3
   
So what is a "Oneness" theology? Modalism, commonly known as "Oneness" heresy, had their beginnings during the 2nd & 3rd century when leaders like Sabellius, Praxeas, Paul of Samosata, Noetus of Smyna, Zephyrinius, and others taught Jesus has three modes, roles, or manifestations: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This kind of teaching led a number of the church fathers like Tertullian to write Against Praxeas and comment, "Praxeas did a twofold service for the Devil at Rome: he drove away prophecy [meaning Montanism] and he brought in heresy [meaning Sabellianism]; he put to flight the Paraclete [Holy Spirit] and he crucified the Father." (See Against Praxeas) The church fathers contended for the truth and exposed the false teachings during their time. This is one reason why Christian creeds were develop, that is, to draw the line between sound and unsound doctrine.

Am I being critical or condemnatory? By no means. I would like to clarify that our role is not to judge T. D. Jakes' heart since this is the role of God. We are commanded only to expose the deeds of darkness. (Cf., Eph. 5;11) I like what Dr. Warren Wiersbe explained about false teachers in his book Be Alert,

"Not only was their message false, but their methods were false. Instead of openly declaring what they believed, they came into the church under false colors and gave the impression that they were true to the Christian faith. 'They secretly bring alongside' is the literal translation. They do not throw out the truth immediately; they simply lay their false teachings alongside the truth and give the impression that they believe the fundamentals of the faith. Before long, they remove the true doctrine and leave their false doctrine in its place.

"In 2 Peter 2:3, Peter pointed out that the false teachers used 'feigned words.' The Greek word is plastos, from which we get our English word plastic. Plastic words! Words that can be twisted to mean anything you want them to mean! The false teachers use our vocabulary, but they do not use our dictionary. They talk about 'salvation,' 'inspiration,' and the great words of the Christian faith, but they do not mean what we mean. Immature and untaught believers hear these preachers or read their books and think that these men are sound in the faith, but they are not."

T. D. Jakes was invited a number of times within the evangelical Christian circle. Probably it's one reason also why he even uses our very own vocabulary, that is, the Trinity with a twist in explaining the Godhead. This is what he affirmed when he was interviewed by Christianity Today,

"I believe in one God who is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I believe these three have distinct and separate functions—so separate that each has individual attributes, yet are one. I do not believe in three Gods."

Why is it that he tries to avoid the word "persons" and used the word "functions" (or manifestations) in explaining the distinction of the Godhead? Why is it that he baptized his members in Jesus' name alone just like how the United Pentecostal Churches does it? A theologian once stated, "It is not what the cults affirm that is dangerous but what they deny." T. D. Jakes denies the existence of three distinct Persons as believed by orthodox Trinitarians. He even baptized them in Jesus name' alone because he believes the roles played by Jesus are the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. As expected, he defended his practice by citing Christians in our own rank who baptizes in Jesus' name also.  

But somebody might asked, "Why do you have to name-drop a person?" To mention his name is to help believers in identifying the heretics in our time. Paul also did this when he exposed the false teachers mentioning their name in his letter to his young protege Timothy. He did not have any second thought in name-dropping these heretical teachers during his time.

"Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, 'Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.'" 2 Tim. 2:17-19

I wonder why these Christians who would call T. D. Jakes as "spiritual brother" will not call Apollo Quiboloy (Jesus the Name Above Every Name), Wilde E. Almeda (Jesus Miracle Crusade International), Louie Santos (Friend's Again) and all the United Pentecostal Church International people who believes in the Oneness doctrine as brothers also. After all, they believed Jesus had three manifestations too. In fact, I remember asking one Christian pastor during his lecture about his stand whether a person who is truly grounded and educated in the "Oneness" doctrine will be saved. He found himself grasping for the right answer. Remember, the impact of calling T. D. Jakes as a "brother in the Lord" will surely send ripples of confusion to the body of Christ. I suggest that we as a leader or a pastor should not endorse the literatures of T. D. Jakes so as not to send a mix signal that we are compromising our doctrinal foundation. Remember, to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. (See Jud. 3) My stand on this "Oneness" issue is the same with how Martin Luther stood his ground against the Roman Catholic system,

"Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."

Disclaimer: I am thankful that I am in a church that gives us the freedom to express our own personal understanding of the Scripture. Please do not misconstrue that I am representing my church when I state this article with strong personal conviction. No I am not. I still respect my Christian brethren who disagrees with me if they want to continue on calling T.D. Jakes as a "brother in the Lord." After all, we can agree to disagree agreeably. At the end of the day, everyone of us will still stand in front of God and be accountable to how we become faithful to His very words.  

References:
 
Warren W. Wiersbe, "Be Alert," (England: Cook Communication Ministries, 2005), 38.
"My Views On the Godhead," Christianity Today, February 7, 2000.
"Theology: Apologetics Journal Criticizes Jakes," Christianity Today, February 7, 2000.

Question: Is it wrong to pray "Jesus, cover this place with your blood?"

Answer: I believed that kind of idea is rooted in the story of the Old Testament when the Israelites painted a red blood at the door post of their household to prevent the angel of death from killing their firstborn. Theologically speaking it's wrong because the blood of Jesus does not cover a place but cleanses a person from his or her sins. It makes us holy that we are now allowed to enter God's presence. Instead, we should pray "Lord put a hedge of protection around this place and surround it with your presence." I think the problem is still due to our Roman Catholic prayer mindset when we say "Blood of Jesus, protect us," or "Sacred Heart of Jesus. Have mercy on us." Now, I am not saying that God will not hear such kind of prayer but the problem lies on the confusion that we throw at the people who listens whenever we utter such phrase. Instead of them understanding more the Word of God, we contribute more to their confusion. But what if somebody says, "Anyway I pray such prayer by myself and not in public?" It's up to him or her but it only shows he or she is not really understanding his or her Bible and insist on his or her own thinking. She will still be accountable to God for that. So I would still suggest that we become theologically and biblically correct in our prayer.  

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. - 1 Jn. 2:7

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus... - Heb 10:19

Question: Are the "Messianic" groups a cult of Christianity?

Response: First, let me ask you the following questions:

1. Do you believed Jesus divinity is a "derived deity?" This means, he owes his divinity to the Father since He is dependent on the Father.
2. Do you believed Jesus is not the Creator but only the Father? The Father created the creation through the Son Jesus Christ but the latter is not the Creator but the former alone.
3. Do you believed Jesus is not self-existent but only the Father?
4. Do you believed the Holy Spirit is a "She" rather than a "He?" This is because the Jewish culture is more of a patriarchal a reason why John address the Holy Spirit in a masculine gender.

If your answer is all "yes" then that means your belief was influenced probably by these Messianic cult groups that are now here in the Philippines conducting different seminars in different churches. In fact, many Christians today are too much ecstatic over reaching the Jews that they end up reverting to Jewish practices of Shabat, Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, wearing of Kippah, following dietary Jewish foods, and so on and so forth. In fact, I was told of three Christian evangelical churches in one province that converted to become Messianic churches.    

There are many prominent Christian people today that are becoming part of these Messianic cult groups without them knowing it. The Messianic cult groups will not reveal their major doctrines right away but will incorporate their doctrines in their talks very subtly that you will not even know it. Are they evangelicals like us? Do they believed like we do? I happen to dialogue with a prominent American missionary guy who is a strong proponent of these Messianic cult teachings. He is lecturing in different Christian groups and is highly regarded by a number of prominent Christians here in our country. He claims to be an "evangelical" but is not sympathetic with the ancient Christian creeds we hold on to. And he calls himself a Messianic person. I was surprised to know that his belief are very much different than ours to start with. The Messianic cults belief about Jesus is not the biblical Jesus that we believed as stated in the Scripture. Yes, they may say Jesus is Yeshua Ha-Mashiach but He is not truly equal to God the Father in substance. They may say Jesus is God and equal with the Father in substance but be discerning because they have redefined our evangelical terminologies to suit their own Messianic faith. Unless you know how to probe deep into their belief then I could say you distance yourself from joining their group or movements. Why don't you asked the above questions for a start as a way to know how they would respond. If their answer is positive, then please email me at bereans_arm@yahoo.com so I can add more questions to probe deeper. This is how you can probe their beliefs:

Christian: Do you believed salvation is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone?
Messianic: Yes, of course.

Christian: What about the Sabbath? Is it okay not to follow the Sabbath eventhough you are already a Christian?
Messianic: Well, if you do that then you are not following the commandment of God. You are only following the nine in relation to the ten commandments.

Christian: Is it possible for me to not follow the Sabbath because I know Sabbath is not really binding for every Christians in every culture?
Messianic: Yes, but I would say you are not really a good follower of Christ because you are neglecting this very commandment.

Christian: What will happen to me if I won't follow the Sabbath and just keep on attending the Sunday service?
Messianic: The blessing is not that much compared to if you follow God's commandment to do Shabat.

Christian: Is it possible to proclaim the gospel without you including the commandment of following the Sabbath?
Messianic: Yes. But it will still be good to inform the people about the Sabbath to experience God's blessings. 

I did that with a Messianic person and you can also do the same. Watch out how they answer because they will surely beat around the bush by not giving you a direct answer. In my research I divided the Messianic people into three categories.

1. Orthodox Messianic Jews - They are those who are Jews by birth who became genuine evangelical Christians. They may be Russian Jews, American Jews, Japanese Jews who accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They also believed in the whole Bible (Old & New Testament)  as the inspired writing of God.

2. Messianic Christians - They are those who are very sympathetic to the Jews. They love to pray for the salvation of the Jews but they do not seriously adopt the practices of the Jews and incorporate it in their Christian churches and culture.

3. Messianic Cults - Of course, they will not admit they are part of a cult but they are those who claim to be evangelical Christians and yet syncretizes the beliefs and practices of the Jews with their own Christian dogmas. They are also very subtle in proselyting this uneducated Christian pastors and members into their fold. I again divide this under two category:

a. Jewish-Revert Messianic Cult Groups - This group has chosen to adapt practice some of the major beliefs and customs of the Messianic Jews while redefining a number of major Christian terminologies like the Godhead and salvation that are not in harmony with the classic evangelical faith. They maintain their friendship with many Christian churches to slowly convert the Christians into their fold. One of their belief could be Jesus is not self-existent, not the Creator, and has a derived His deity from the Father. They may also address the Holy Spirit as "She" rather than "He." They also love to call Jesus as "Yeshua Ha Mashiach" rather than the usual "Jesus" because they believed that is the right apellation. 

b. Yahwist Messianic Cult Groups - They are various groups that openly opposes the major Christian beliefs. They believed the Father is Yahweh (G_d) while His Son is Yahshua the Messiah, a man, and the Holy Spirit is an impersonal mighty power from the Father and the Son. (e.g., Assemblies of Yahweh)

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. - 2 Pet. 2:1

Learn to discern the teachings of these false Messianic cult teachers
 


  

Question: Why did Zipporah acted that way in Exodus 4:25 by circumcising their son? How did she protected Moses?

Response: But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said. (Exo. 4:25)

Exegesis

Moses should have circumcise his son (Gershom or Eliezer) but due to his negligence he forgot all about it. In Gen. 17:10 it is already a written commandment for every Jew to circumcise all their male people. As a result of his forgetfulness God is already prepared to strike him dead. Some commentators believed that Moses probably was already gravely ill. Fortunately, Zipporah had the wisdom to seek what went wrong and when she knew that their son was not yet circumcised she readily got a flint knife and did it herself. As a result, the LORD let him live. Zipporah exclaimed, "a bridegroom of blood" because according to a recent study this is the act of circumcision done in many cultures including Midianites by the man's in-laws and extended the protection (of circumcision) to his son-in-law and his family. Since Moses overlook his duty as a Jewish husband Zipporah's quick decision extended that protection over Moses. Touching Moses feet with his son's foreskin probably serves as an extension of protection over him since this is also seen in the Passover's ritual (Exo. 12:7) and protection from the slaughtering angel. (Exo. 12:44-48) - Cf.The New Bible Commentary (Revised, 1970); The Bible Knowledge Commentary (1985); The IVP Bible Background Commentary (2000)

Application

A number of husbands today seem to forget their role as a leader, a husband, and a father in the house. The wife will surely be there to remind them of their role. When Moses forgot to circumcise their son, Zipporah was there to protect her husband from harm. It is also interesting to note that during the ancient times the Hebrew words were written in Hebrew word pictures. The Hebrew word "ezer" translated (helper, help meet) came from three pictures: an eye, a hatchet, and a head. This simply means a wife serves as a lookout (eye) to protect (a hatchet) her husband (a person, the head). Read some examples below:

1. When the wife says, "Honey, can you come home early because the kids are already missing you." That means, the husband is starting to forget his role as a father and his wife is there to remind so to protect against broken relationship.
 
2. When the wife says, "Sweetheart, don't forget to eat this healthy food" or "Remember to sleep early coz you still have work tomorrow." That simply means she is protecting you from bad health that will damage your body in the future. 

3. When the wife says, "Can you spend time with me tomorrow?" That simply means she wants to protect your relationship from any miscommunication and promote more intimacy.

Yes, husbands are called to be leaders and protectors but just like Moses, sometimes or should I say many times, husbands tend to forget due to their busyness. And the role of the wife is to be a helper in the sense of "protecting" the head from any future harm. The wife can only do that with limitations. But the husband who loves his family is still the leader the preserver, the provider, and protector of his family from any physical harm. Remember husbands love your wife and be considerate with her. Remember, both of you are on the same team.

I love you Sweetheart for being a caring mom to our two wonderful sons. Happy Mother's day!

Question: Is there such a thing as a "Christian courtship?"

Answer: Well, I would say there is no definite answer to that kind of question. Since courtship is very subjective to every culture in different countries we are left with no dogmatic hard and fast rule to follow. However, we can avoid too much emotional heartache if we will only learn to take one step at a time. Some practical advises for young single professionals out there:

1. Widen your circle of friendship in the church. Do not just hangout with one or two friends. After all, you don't just want to invite two Christian friends on your wedding day. Do you?

2. If the Lord is already starting to impress that special someone in your heart, pray for her or him. Seek God's leading if she or he is the one for you. Share what you feel with a spiritually mature person who can also pray for your emotion and decision.

3. Although financial stability is important do not allow this to hinder you from entering into a relationship. I know of some couples who started with an average money savings who ended up being financially blessed by God because of their faith to believed that He provides.

4. Men, I suggest that you don't say "I love you" to that young lady unless you are serious in marrying her in the future. The same goes with the single ladies. Both of you are not there to test the waters but to spare yourselves from future emotional heartaches. It's nice to have a romantic relationship with someone but bear in mind that you are doing this not to join the worlds ways but to fulfill God's plan in your life. You are also building a testimony for your future children.

5. What about Public Display of Affection or PDA? What about being so intimate when you are alone by yourselves? What about going to movies with each other only? What about kissing? Well, always remember Paul's admonition, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." (Phil. 4:8) Remember, temptation is so great for both single individual when they are left alone by themselves. The Bible again says, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (1Cor. 10:12) Remember, it takes only one sexual immorality to ruin your testimony. Do not give the devil a foothold. (Eph. 4:27) 
 
According to one Christian couple, "We decided to remain friends and try to keep our feelings for each other at a reasonable level, as much as we could, while we were seeking God's direction in this relationship. I, as well as [my fiancee], wanted to make sure that this was heading towards marriage before even courting or dating because neither one of us wanted to waste our time and energy by investing ourselves in a relationship that was going to end in heartbreak. After doing lots of praying about it for one to two months after we talked it eventually became clear to me that God wanted us to get married."

From friends, to courtship, to engagement, to marriage. Again, these are just practical suggestions and not a "dogma" that needs to be followed. Start building your relationship right. Start writing your testimony today so you can share it to your future children.




  

"If this is the way God made me, then this is the way I'm going to live," Christian singer Ray Boltz said in a recent article disclosing his decision to divorce his wife and live as a homosexual.

But did God really create Ray Boltz as a homosexual? The media certainly would have us think so.

Time recently ran an article ("What the Gay Brain Looks Like," Jun. 17, 2008) attempting to demonstrate the "science" supporting a "gay gene." Interestingly, the article referenced a study done by Simon LeVay in 1991. The study had major gaps in its methodology, and even LeVay, a homosexual neuroscientist, has said that it didn't prove what he hoped it would.

An article such as this demonstrates the difficulty of speaking truth into our culture today. Studies attempting to normalize homosexual behavior are introduced with much fanfare, and we hear about "important" new discoveries that are accepted as facts. We don't hear, however, about the studies which don’t pan out or which could lead to a different conclusion.

Dean Hamer also came out with a study in 1993 which trumpeted the likelihood of a gay gene. Most major media outlets reported on this. But in February of 1999 the Boston Globe said, "Six years later, however, the gene still has not been found.”

In his book “The Language of God” Dr. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome project, made the following comments:

"An area of particularly strong public interest is the genetic basis of homosexuality. Evidence from twin studies does in fact support the conclusion that heritable factors play a role in male homosexuality. However, the likelihood that the identical twin of a homosexual male will also be gay is about 20% (compared with 2-4 percent of males in the general population), indicating that sexual orientation is genetically influenced but not hardwired by DNA, and that whatever genes are involved represent predispositions, not predeterminations" (p. 260, "The Language of God").

Dr. Collins has since stated that this should not be taken out of context. He further stated: “That certainly doesn’t imply, however, that those other undefined factors are inherently alterable “I would urge anyone who is concerned about the meaning to refer back to the original text.”

I would certainly encourage readers to do that, paying particular attention to pages 257-263.

The need for Christians to be prepared to deal with this issue is shown in another comment by Boltz: "I guess I felt that the church, that they had it wrong about how I felt with being gay all these years, so maybe they had it wrong about a lot of other things."

Notice the emphasis on "how I felt." Far too often we allow "feelings" and the validity of each person's "story" to trump the authority of Scripture. In Boltz's case, his struggle with homosexuality apparently caused him to doubt other tenets of the faith. Beliefs to which he had held all his life were reconsidered. This is not uncommon among strugglers from Christian backgrounds. When we fail to help them deal with this issue, other fundamental beliefs are questioned.

Another sad byproduct is that his former wife has joined a pro-gay advocacy group. I've often thought that many people turn to various pro-gay groups because the church was not there at the time of their crisis. The end result is that not only is the struggler lost, but family members as well. Tragically, they often become very effective instruments in the hands of homosexual activists.

I grieve for the loss of the testimony of Ray Boltz. I grieve for those who will follow his example. I grieve for his family. I pray that one day Ray will realize that God did not create him a homosexual and that there is a way out.

We are in desperate need of children of Issachar, who understand the times and know what to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). Far too many in Southern Baptist churches are struggling with a temptation they neither seek nor understand, but they are terrified to ask for help. Ray Boltz said, "I read every book, I read all the scriptures they use, I did everything to try and change." Scripture (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) tells us that people can leave homosexuality.

Those with long experience in this ministry will tell you that very few people have left homosexuality without the support and involvement of others. But the fear of being found out keeps many in bondage, and that bondage is intensified when the world continually trumpets, "You're born that way. Just accept it."

I pray for the day when all of our churches take seriously the need to train their leadership to redemptively provide the tools needed for the people like Ray Boltz in their midst. I long for the day when every community has Christians who are prepared to present a positive, joy-filled alternative to the lifelong struggle he has endured.

Adapted from Bob Stith's article "Did God Create Ray Boltz Gay?" (Baptist Press)

Question: Can the Roman Catholic people be classified in different categories?

Response: Yes. Let me share what I discovered from Apologetics Index.

The Roman Catholicism of the largely uncommitted -- perhaps those born or married into the Church but who have little knowledge of Rome's theology. In practice, they are principally Catholics in name only, although still Catholics ''in Christ'' because of baptism.

2. Syncretistic/Eclectic Catholicism

The Roman Catholicism that is, to varying degrees, combined with and/or absorbed by the pagan religion of the indigenous culture in which it exists (e.g., as in South America and Africa).

3. Traditional or Orthodoxy Catholicism

The powerful conservative branch of Roman Catholicism that holds to papal authority and historical Church doctrines such as those reasserted at the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century. Among this group may be classified the ultratraditionalist Catholics who adamantly reject Vatican II and generally distrust modern changes (e.g., abandoning the Latin Mass -- something Trent pronounced an anathema upon).   Also included are traditionalist Catholics who, while adhereing to the entirety of creedal Catholicism and papal authority, more or less accept Vatican II reforms while yet staunchly rejecting liberalism.

4. "Moderate" Catholicsm

The Roman Catholicism of post-Vatican II which is neither entirely traditional nor entirely liberal.

5. Modernist, Liberal Catholicism

The post-Vatican II ''progressive'' Roman Catholicism that to varying degrees rejects traditional doctrine.

6. Ethnic or Cultural Catholicism

Often retained by migrants to American who use ''their religion to provide a sense of belonging. They feel that not to be Roman Catholic is not to belong and to lose [their] nationality and roots."

7. Lapsed or Apostate Catholicism
  The Roman Catholicism which involves alienated, backslidden, or apostate Catholics who are largely indifferent to the Catholic Church and its God.

8. Charismatic Catholicism

The Roman Catholicism which seeks to accept the ''baptism of the Holy Spirit'' and speaking in tongues and other spiritual gifts as signs of a deeper Catholic spirituality. (This illustrates the related, if largely distinct, category of mystical Catholicism, undergirded by the mystical Catholicism, undergirded by the mystical and not infrequently occult writings of the Catholics mystics).

9. "Evangelical" Catholicism

Former Protestant Evangelicals who may retain some of their former beliefs but now accept Roman Catholicism as the one true Church and its doctrines as authoritative.

10. Evangelical "Catholicism"

The branch of former Roman Catholics who are truly Evangelical and who have largely rejected the unbiblical teachings of Rome, often deciding to remain in the Church as a means to evangelize other Catholics or help reform their Church.

It is also important to understand the background of your Roman Catholic friend before you can engage the gospel with him or her. 

Question: Can we judge that Mother Teresa went to hell after she died since she was a devout Roman Catholic who venerates Mary and the saints?

Response: I think the problem lies on not being clear about the word "judging." You have to understand that men like us can only judge (Gk. krino, be of opinion, determine, resolve) the external belief and work of a person, whether he or she is a Christian or not. Notice that Simon Peter has judged correctly by observing the external work of the person in the parable that Christ has told.

"Simon replied, 'I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.' 'You have judged correctly,' Jesus said." (Luk 7:43)

In Matthew's gospel it was explained plainly by Jesus that anybody can judge through the external works that he sees another person is doing. That is why He warned them to be very careful on judging because he too might fall in that same measure of judgment that he use to judge his neighbor.

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?'" (Mat 7:1-3)

The word "look" came from the Greek word "blepo" which was also used by the apostle James in his letter when he stated, "You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did." (Jas 2:22) Since we can only see the faith of a person through his or her action I hope we will only limit ourselves to judging rightly the external belief and work of the person rather than the heart. At the end of the day, it is still God who does the final judging. He alone can judge the heart and secrets of men.

"This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares." (Rom 2:16)

I can only judge Mother Teresa based on her external belief and work as she bows down towards Mary and prays to her. And I will say that she was biblically wrong in doing those things. I still believed with all my heart that if she died without receiving the salvation offered by God through Jesus Christ then she is already suffering eternal torment today. However, am I to sit in judgment to tell everybody where Mother Teresa went after she died? I can never do that and far be it that we also be the "judge" of everyones future destiny because only God knows if Pope John Paul II, Adolph Hitler, Felix Ysagun Manalo, Joseph Smith, Jr, Friedrick Nietzsche, Charles Darwin, and even Karl Marx have finally repented and accepted Jesus Christ in their very lives before they breath their last breath. In fact, eventhough the first five verses in the fourth chapter of the book of 1Corinthians talks about the apostle Paul's life being judge by the others, we can also apply verse five to every ones lives,

"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (1Co 4:5)

No one really knows the heart of a person except God. After all, the apostle Paul wrote, "Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, 'Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.'" (2Ti 2:19) On the other hand, at least we can see a little bit of evidence if they really are saved Christians because of the genuine fruits in their lives. But it is still the Lord who knows those who are His because no one can really see the hearts of every person. We are not in the business of judging the heart of the person. Let God do the judging while we expose the errors of those who teach unsound teachings. Was Mother Teresa saved? Was Adolph Hitler saved? Was Pope John Paul II saved? We really don't know because I believed if they admit they cannot saved themselves through good works and calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ like the thief on the cross just before his last breath then we can see them in heaven for sure. That is why the old adage below has a truth,

"Those you know who will be in heaven might not really be there; while those you know who will not be in heaven might really be there after all."

But of course, that doesn't change the fact that salvation is by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This kind of judging also applies for every believers who judged his brother or sister in the Lord. The apostle Paul reminded the Roman church,

"You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat." (Rom 14:10)

The Bible Baptists believers, the Methodists believers, the Pentecostal believers, the King James proponent believer, the Full Gospel believers, the Lutheran believers, the Reformed believers, the Quaker believers, the Anabaptist believers, the Mennonite believers, the Amish believers, the VCF believers, the CCF believers, the GCF believers, and all genuine blood-washed believers in the Lord will stand alone in front of Him. And you know what the apostle Paul said?

Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Rom 14:4)

Christians should always bring the unbelievers at the feet of the cross and proclaim the sufficiency of salvation through the finished work of Christ. On the other hand, Christians can only engaged in a healthy debate with other believers concerning Soteriology, Eschatology, Ecclesiology, Theology, among others we should not pass judgment on others by saying they are completely wrong while we are the only ones who are right with our interpretation. I guess for me, the right way for a Calvinist Christian to say it is "I am fully convinced (or persuaded) with my Calvinist theology" rather than saying "I am correct with my Calvinist theology." The latter sends a wrong signal that you alone has the corner of the truth. The apostle Paul rightly said,

"One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." (Rom 14:5)

Let's stop passing wrong judgment and make a righteous judgment. Let us not be busy judging the fate and heart of Mother Teresa. Let God do that and let's continue to go out there and make disciples of all nation.  

Question: I'm one of the 1st Year ENLI students. I just want to ask you a question. The other day, I got into a conversation with a non-Christian. We talked about how it is to be saved. We end up talking about faith and good works. I tried to impress on him that we only need faith on what Jesus did in order to be saved. But later he asked me a question that I'm not ready to answer so I said I'll ask our pastor about it. He basically asked, "What about children who don't have the capacity to know what spiritual faith is, will they not be saved when they die young?" I'm tempted to say, "Yes," because God simply requires faith and only faith in Jesus. Right? But I am not really sure how to answer it. I need enlightenment.

Response: Evangelical Christians believed that children have diverse age of accountability. Some children had a knowledge of good and evil at the age of 4. While some starts to rebel at the age of 5, 6, or 7 years old. Again, the age of children varies therefore every parent must be sensitive to know if their son or daughter already needs to know the gospel. The Bible shows that a baby or a child can experience the presence of God even inside the womb of their mother. Allow me to show you some evidences.

1. Children can be set apart even before they were born.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jer. 1:5

2. Children can be regenerated even before they are born.

"[John the Baptizer] is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth." Luk. 1:15

3. Children can know the true God even before birth.

"From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God." Psa. 22:10

4. Children can immediately experience God's presence when they die.

"But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." 2Sam. 12:23 (David said this when his son died.)

5. Children can already be in the kingdom of heaven or kingdom of God.

"And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'" Mat. 18:3

"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'" Mat. 19:14

Now let me be clear that all people on earth are sinners including infants and children. That include those who have been killed through abortion because they thought a fetus was just a "blob." This is confirmed in the book of Psalms, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (51:5) However, the Bible also shows through the above evidences that God has an unusual way of saving infants and children who are below the age of reason or accountability.
 
Just like Adam and Eve who were already experiencing the eternal and abundant life in the presence of God they chose to rebel and left God's presence. Children will surely come to an age where they will have to choose between good (submission to God) and evil (rebellion against God). I hope every parent will always share the gospel with their young ones so they could come to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Remember, children who are in the age of accountability can only enter God's presence not because of their "cuteness" but through the holiness and righteousness of Christ. 


 
 


 

Question: Is it possible to speak in tongues without somebody who interprets? I heard my friend saying that a person who speaks in tongues without an interpreter speaks the "devil's language."

Response:  The apostle Paul wrote,

"I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophecy. He who prophecy is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified." (1Cor. 14:5)

From this passage we have noted the following:

1. A believer who speak in tongues (non-intelligible words) - This is for self-edification. (See 1Cor. 14:4)
2. A believer who prophesies (intelligible words) - This is for edifying the church.
3. A believer who speaks in tongues with somebody interpreting (intelligible words) - This is for edifying the church.

In other words, the apostle Paul is not saying that tongues must always accompany interpretation. However, it would be much better if somebody would be able to interpret so the church could be edified. But if there is no available interpreter then the tongues spoken by that believer remains to be a gift for his personal edification only. I could not see any unbiblical practice for those who speak in tongues for their own edification without any interpreter.

"He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church." (1Cor. 14:4) 

A believer's gift who edifies the church is much greater (Gk. meizon) not much "better" (Gk. kreitton) than the believer who only speak in tongues for self-edification. As you can see, spiritual gifts are categorized based on their capacity to edify. So the next time somebody comes to you and say your tongues are of the "devil" must read and study 1Corinthians 14:5-6 carefully. The person who criticizes either does not understand the passages of Paul or pretends to sit in the place of "god" and know the hearts of every believer.

Question: Hi. I am 18 years old. I have been searching for the answer to, what the Bible has to say about masturbation. For some time now and many sources are inconspicuous in their answer with many being apologetic about the issue by simply saying, "the Bible simply doesn't mention it, so it can't be a great deal to God."  While others condemn the act vehemently, I, as a Christian am seeking a clear and concise answer of what the Bible has to say about it so I can keep both myself correct with God and also my fellow believers.

Answer: Although the Bible is silent about this very act we cannot fully say that masturbation can be freely practiced by Christians without committing any sin. It is almost impossible to do this act without fully using your wild imagination to excite and titillate yourself. The apostle Paul suggest, "... if [the unmarried & widows] cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." (1Cor. 7:9) But of course, you don't just marry to gratify your sexual passion but you need to be spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and financially prepared enough to handle such responsibility. Paul also added, "I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord." (1Cor. 7:32) Can a Christian who engages in this kind of sexual practice really please God? Or is this just a selfish rationalization a sexual practice?

Meditate on this passage, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds." (Eph. 4:22-23) After we accepted Jesus, we are commanded to renew (Gk. ananeusthai, reform) our mind. Now, if he/she wants to be free from that kind of sexual bondage he/she should seek spiritual help and fill him/her up with the Holy Spirit always so his/her mind would not be idle. Paul wrote to the Galatian believers, "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." (Gal. 5:16)

Yes, that very practice may not be written literally in the pages of the Scripture but all throughout the Bible we are commanded to do everything for the glory of God.  (See, Col. 3:17) You be the judge whether what you do can glorify our God or just satisfy your selfish fleshly desires.

Question: Since Christ is the Son, He cannot also be the Father or be coequal with His Father. Christ plainly said: "My  Father is greater than I." (John 14:28)

Answer: Trinitarians will never say Jesus is the Father for that is the heresy of Monarchianist Modalist. Now, there are many passages that shows equality of the Son (Jesus) with the Father like John 10:30 where Christ said He and the Father are "one" (Gk. hen) referring to his "essence" or "nature."  The apostle Paul also clearly stated that all the fullness of Godhead bodily dwells in Christ even while He was on earth. (Col. 2:9) The Greek word for "fullness" is plerooma and this same Greek word was also used in Colossians 1:19, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him..." That word speaks of the entirety of the Father's nature or essence dwelling on the Son (Jesus). This is one reason why the apostle Paul can write in Philippians 2:6, "Who, being in very nature God..."  When the Lord Jesus said, "The Father is greater than I," He is just comparing His present position (role) with the Father since the Greek meizon refers to comparison of quantity rather than quality. (See 3John 4) If Jesus use the Greek word kreitton (translated "better") then Trinitarians must concede that Jesus really is inferior in nature with God the Father. But the fact is Jesus is equal in nature with the Father and the Holy Spirit as well. A valid reason why we also believed in the Trinity doctrine.

Question: First of all, nowhere in the Scriptures is God referred to or called a "Trinity." So why do you believe in such doctrine?

Answer: Yes, I agree with you that the word "Trinity" cannot be found in the pages of the Bible but so does the words "millenium" and "theocracy." I don't think you will deny that said latter terms are fully reflected in the pages of the Scripture. Theophilus and Tertullian utilized the word "Trinitas" to explain the truth of the Scripture's Godhead. They both understood well that the Godhead consisting of the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit are three egos with self-identity but are called the one Yahweh. (i.e., Yahweh in composite unity).  In fact, Theophilus (the person mentioned in the book of Acts) who was only  50-65 years remove from the apostle John mentioned the word Trinity in his writing to Autolycus, "In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the Trinity, of God, and His Word, and His wisdom."  To Autolycus, II:xv, (Ante-Nicene Fathers 2:100-101) I could safely conclude this term was already in circulation during the first century but was only incorporated in the Christian doctrine due to heretics (modalist monarchianist) who twist the doctrine of the Godhead. Yes, the word Trinity may not be in the Bible but the truth of this word is fully reflected in the pages of the Bible.

One Sunday morning one lady approach me and asked for some counsel. She tearfully narrated her ordeal of condemnation due to what she has done several years ago when she aborted three fetuses. She told me that she had already asked God for forgiveness but she is always haunted by her past and cannot move on. Whenever she sees children it always moves her to tears and condemnation that maybe God is judging her. I told her that the problem with people many times is instead of trusting God's word they trust and rely more on what they feel. Feelings of people come and go but God's word do not change. If the word of God says we have been forgiven and cleanse according to 1John 1:9 then that settles it and its time to move on. The Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things and who can understand it. (Jer. 17:9) After learning this truth, she was delivered and after seeing her again there was a sense of joy and release already in her spirit. So the next time you ask for forgiveness, please believe God's word.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9, KJV)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus... (Rom 8:1, NIV)