2010 Bible Questions and Answers
"A Bible Answer" TV Series

1. I believe the baptism of Romans 6:1-4 is spiritual and is defined in 1 Corinthians 12:13 as that by which the Holy Spirit unites the believer with Jesus as a member of his body. What do you think? 2. What must one know about his baptism at the time of it in order to be added to the church of the Lord? 3. In Ezekiel 26:2-14, Ezekiel predicts that Nebuchadnezzar will take Tyre, but he never did. Does this failure make Ezekiel a false prophet? 4. Why did Jeroboam set up worship centers at Dan and Bethel and what were the consequences of his act? 5. In Philippians 2:7, does the word "likeness" imply that Jesus only seemed to be human and was not really God in the flesh?

1. I have a question concerning gambling. Is it wrong for a Christian to pay an entry fee on a fishing trip tournament hoping he would win a prize or money in return? 2. Is it all right for girl scouts to take orders for cookies or candy or nuts in the church building before worship services and then deliver them and take up money when they later come in? 3. What did the Jewish leaders mean in Acts 4:13 when they said Peter and John were unlearned and ignorant men? 4. Do you agree with some that "the good confession" is no part of the plan of salvation because it is not mentioned in the great commission and that Acts 8:37 is an interpolation? 5. How can elders be better equipped to face the problems and difficulties they will inevitably encounter? 6. What is the role of a deacon and how does it differentiate from that of an elder? Isn't it the case that the terms Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were manifestations of the one Deity named Jesus?

1. Should congregations give microphones to the four or five best singers during the worship to improve the singing? 2. Does Peter's analysis that Simon's heart was "not right with God" (Acts 8:21) imply that Simon was never converted in the first place? 3. Isn't it the case that the early church practiced communism in Acts 2:44 and Acts 3:34 because Jesus taught it in Luke 12:33 and Luke 18:22? 4. Please explain 1 Corinthians 1:17. Some believe Paul taught water baptism as a symbol of salvation, but that he did not believe it was part of the gospel or essential to salvation. 5. What does the phrase, "Christ is the end of the law" mean in Romans 10:4? 6. Did Jesus descend into Hell (Ephesians 4:9) as the Apostle's Creed teaches?

1. When is a public confession of sin demanded? 2. Is it right to vote on candidates for church membership? 3. How are we sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13)? 4. Why didn't God explain the reason that He permitted Job's suffering? 5. What does it mean to "heap burning coals" on a person's head by doing good to those who harm you? (Rom. 12:20) 6. Does the Church of Christ practice closed communion?

1. Is speaking in tongues always a sign of the coming of the Holy Spirit in a person's life? 2. Why does the Bible seem to approve of anger in Eph. 4:26 and disapprove of it in Galatians 5:19-20? 3. If Philippians 2:5-7 teaches that Christ emptied Himself of Deity while on earth, then how could He be God?4. Do we have proof that Gentiles, all not under the law of Moses, were under law to God? 5. In Mark 15:44, why was Pilate surprised that Jesus "was already dead"? 6. In 1 Timothy 2:4, if God wants all people to be saved, why doesn't He just save them all?

1. Could you please explain the last part of Acts 9:5?; 2. How could there be light prior to the appearance of the sun on the fourth day (Gen. 1:14)?; 3. If Jesus was the Son of God, why did He call Himself the Son of Man?; 4. Does the star the Magi followed imply that astrology is helpful?

1. In Amos 5:21, why did God say "I despise your feast days?"; 2. In Daniel 4:36-37, did Nebuchadnezzar become a believer?; 3. Should a Christian sell alcoholic beverages in their business?; 4. How should my Christianity affect the kind of music to which I listen?

1. At what hour was Jesus actually nailed to the cross? Mark 15:25 says at "the third hour", while John 19:14 indicates the trial was still taking place at "about the sixth hour." How can this discrepancy be explained?; 2. If a Christian steals from another Christian, what must they do to be right with them and with God?; 3. Please deal with the view that in 1 Peter 3:21, Peter is dealing with the believer's conscience rather than salvation and that he is saying the act of baptism would save them from the temptation to sacrifice their good consciences merely to avoid persecution?; 4. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, how could Jesus be made sin when He himself was sinless?; 5. Should faithful churches fellowship churches that sell plate lunches to raise money for the Lord's church?; 6. In view of God knitting people together in the womb in Psalm 139:13, is abortion to be considered murder of a human being?

1. Please explain Matthew 11:11?; 2. What kind of clothing should be considered as modest apparel?; 3. A man here has been divorced twice. He and his new wife (whom he met before her divorce) are attending. Should he be used in the public worship of the church?; 4. Why did Jesus tell a man to let the dead bury their dead? (Lk. 9:60); 5. Since the Hebrew word for know in Genesis 19:5 can mean to get acquainted, was the sin of Sodom inhospitality rather than homosexuality?

1. What is the unpardonable sin?; 2. I cannot explain how Jesus is of the line of David according to Matthew's genealogy when we know that Joseph was not the father of Jesus, and he is the one mentioned as being the descendant of David. Can you help me?; 3. Can you explain what Jesus meant in Matthew 18:20? I was told that Jesus didn't mean He was there with them.; 4. Can you please name all situations (biblical and/or personal experience) in which a marriage vow would be invalidated in the sight of God, meaning that God did not accept one or both of the person's vow, and they were not properly joined together (Matt.19:6)? In this, I'm not speaking of one who has unscripturally divorced and is trying to remarry (Matt. 19:9). I'm speaking of 2 people who have never been married before.; 5. When our Savior was baptized, He surely didn't do so in order to ensure salvation. Isn't his baptism proof positive of the symbolic nature of the act, as opposed to its efficacy?; 6. What do we tell our children about the half-savage cavemen that are talked about in their school textbooks?

1. Could you elaborate once again on what happens after death?; 2. A man marries a woman, the man has not been married before, but the woman is part of a non-scriptural divorce. In so many words has this man if he wants to be a Christian ruined his chance to be married on a scriptural basis?; 3. Does Ephesians 5:26 refer to baptism?; How do you maintain your faith in the face of personal tragedy?; 4. To what does "calling" on the name of the Lord refer? (Acts 2:21); 5. Do Proverbs 26:4-5 contradict one another in their instructions regarding answering the fool?

1. I am a teenager who was sexually abused by my father. How can I overcome my past?; 2. How can I gain an intimate prayer life with God?; 3. Does the Greek word psallo in Ephesians 5:19 allow for the use of instrumental music in worship?; 4. Can an innocent party re-marry when he finds himself in an un-scriptural marriage?; 5. When a poor decision on my part has damaged my reputation as a Christian, what can I do?

1. Are we to hold firm to traditions (2 Thess. 2:15) in addition to following the Bible?; 2. Looking into the qualifications of deacons and elders, the elders are told to be given to no wine but deacons not to be given to "much" wine. Please explain.; 3. Why did God accept Abel's offering but reject Cain's?; 4. Did Jonah utter an erroneous prophecy in Jonah 4:1-2?; 5. What is the washing of regeneration in Titus 3:5?; 6. Does the book of Enoch belong in the Bible because Jude cites it?; 7. How was Christ made perfect through suffering?

1. We go to church on Sunday, but in the ten commandments, it says to keep the seventh day holy. Why don't we do that?; 2. My 23 year old daughter's husband is abusing her. How should I advise her?; 3. Do elders in the church have the authority to bind what God has not bound?; 4. In Judges 11:30-40, would you explain the vow that Jephthah made? Did he kill his daughter and offer her as a burnt sacrifice or did he devote her to the Lord in that she was never to marry and have children?

1. Did Jesus deny that He is good in Mark 10:18?; 2. In what sense were the Gentiles under a 'law written in their hearts' during the time of the Mosaic era (Rom. 2:15)?; 3. What is verbal inspiration?; 4. Please tell me what is meant in John 7:5 where it is said that neither did his brethren believe in Him?

1. Would you please discuss the practice of altar calls?; 2. Where can I read in the Bible of an "age of accountability?"; 3. My husband committed adultery several years ago and I forgave him. Now, he has done it again. Should I forgive him yet again and stay married to him or should I get a divorce?; 4. How can it be wrong to smoke marijuana, since God gave us every seed producing plant to do with as we see fit?

1. How will I be judged in the day of judgment?; 2. Romans 10:13-18 deals with salvation and teaches that neither baptism nor membership in the church of Christ is essential. How do you explain that?; 3. What is the purpose of the Old Testament?; 4. Why was Judas condemned if he was predestined to betray Christ?; 5. Would you please address the subject of open versus closed communion?

1. Is it right to pay an elder? If so where can it be found? 2. If the demons believe in God, then why are they not saved? (James 2:19). 3. How young is too young to be in a romantic relationship? 4. Did Jesus condone the actions of the unjust steward in Luke 16? 5. I don't understand what the Lord meant when He spoke of the "weightier matters" (Matthew 23:23)? Does this mean that we are more obligated to keep some commands than others? 6. Should preachers be called "reverend"?

1. Do Jeremiah's frequent bouts with despair show him to be an unspiritual man? (Jer. 12:1-6). 2. Please explain Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 13:12, "I know even as also I am known"? 3. I have heard it said that the wise men of the East were not in the same scene as the shepherds at the time of our Lord's birth in Bethlehem. Can this be true? The manger scenes portray them as all being there together. 3. When did Jesus see Satan fall like lightning from heaven? (Luke 10:18). 4. In the parable of the 10 virgins, why are they all sleeping before the time comes? What does this sleep mean or represent? 5. What does remission of sin mean? 6. Does Scripture contradict itself when it comes to the issue of whether or not a man has ever seen God?

1. May one assert that the spiritual truths of the Bible are meaningful but its scientific references are flawed? 2. How do you get back your first love for Christ? 3. Do Christians still have to pay tithes? 4 Please discuss the phrase, "to whom much is given, much will be required?" 5. Did Jesus violate the Sabbath in Matthew 12:1-14? 6. Do our spirits go directly to heaven when we die?

1. God nowhere specifically forbids a practice, is it therefore acceptable? 2. What guidance does God's word give in overcoming the temptations of anger? 3. How were Old Testament saints saved? 4. In Revelation 7, there is no mention of the tribe of Dan, but the other tribes are listed. Why was the tribe of Dan cut off? 5. What is meant by lasciviousness? 6. In Matthew 5:13, could you please explain how salt could lose its saltiness?

1. What does the Bible teach about divorce?; 2. On the program recently, a brother said that sometimes God answers prayer by saying no, or yes, or wait awhile. My question is, how long should one wait before realizing that the answer is no?; 3. I am 25 years old and a member of the church of Christ. My girlfriend is a member of another church. She doesn't believe in everything they teach, but she believes her place is there. She respects me and the church I am a member of, and she does not want these things to separate us. The fact is that we love each other very much, and we can pray and study the Bible together, but I am often discouraged because of this situation. Could you please help me and give me some advice about this situation?; 4. Could you please discuss the meaning of the word reprobate in 2 Corinthians 13:5? 5. If the Jews are God's people, why have they been persecuted?

1. What does the Bible teach about suicide?; 2. Please explain Proverbs 16:33?; 3. If love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18), why are we told to fear God?; 4. Could you explain the use of the word kingdom in Matthew 8:11,12?; 5. If a person who has never been married before marries a person without the right to marry due to a previous unscriptural divorce, does God join those two people in marriage? While the previously unmarried person has been married according to the state, have they been married in the eyes of God?

1. What are the first works of Revelation 2:5?; 2. One of the foundations of the premillennial doctrine is that God made a covenant with Abraham that has never been fulfilled. It, therefore, must be fulfilled in the millennium, a thousand-year period in which Christ will set up the kingdom that He planned to set up, and the Jews will inherit the land which was promised to them, but they never received. Was the land promise ever fulfilled?; 3. Is there any difference in how God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit indwell the Christian?; 4. Is it wrong to call a preacher a pastor?; 5. Is the confession of Romans 10:9-10 done in order to become a Christian or after one becomes a Christian?; 6. Is it okay to drink alcohol so long as you do not get drunk?

1. In view of Matthew 28:19-20, why do we find all through the book of Acts that believers were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus only?; 2. Is it true in 1 Corinthians 9:27 that when Paul talks about the possibility of his being a castaway, that the word castaway means "disapproved" and that he is speaking of his service and not of his salvation?; 3. Is repentance of sins the obligation of both sinner and saint alike?; 4. What does it mean when it says the Corinthians didn't come together in one place to eat the Lord's Supper? Isn't this one of the reasons they were suppose to come together?; 5. Is the word "damnation" in 1 Corinthians 11:29 an appropriate translation? I thought there is no such thing possible as damnation for the believer.

1. Does the Devil hear our prayers? 2. When one speaks about giving on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:1-2), is it Biblical for one to give something other than money itself? What if one gave a van? If you answer yes, would the van still be a sacrifice if it had originally been given to the person for free? 3. How come Christians think gays are a sin? They use Leviticus to support what they say, but Leviticus also says we cannot cut our hair and that certain sexual sins are deserving of death? 4. Is Children's Bible Hour during the morning worship unscriptural or should it be left to the leadership's personal judgement? Also, do you believe it compares in any way to the Sunday Bible class arrangement? 5. Why is the book of Esther included in the Old Testament since it doesn't mention God?

1. Is there any difference between the kingdom and the church? 2. Is it true that only New Testament believers are saved by grace whereas Old Testament believers were saved by their obedience to the law of Moses and not by grace? 3. What is meant by Roman 5:10? I thought we were saved by the death of Christ rather than His life? 4. What does it mean for the dead to bury their dead in Matthew 8:22? 5. What steps can be taken to make the church more active in foreign missions?

1. Do you believe that there are signs of Christ's second coming such as earthquakes, wars, and shifts of power leading to world domination? 2. If Jesus abolished death (2 Tim. 1:10), why do we still die? 3. I believe the idea that a believer can commit a certain sin that will result in the loss of his or her salvation subverts the meaning of grace, makes the gospel a matter of human works, and eliminates the possibility of assurance of salvation and breeds either pride or fear. Please respond. 4. Are idols still a threat to spiritual life?

1. Can't the word "for" (eis) mean "with a view to" or "because of" in Acts 2:38? In this case, water baptism would be because they had been saved, not in order to be saved. 2. Does Luke 11:13 teach that a person should pray for the Holy Spirit today? 3. What is meant by bearing the marks of the Lord Jesus in Galatians 6:17? 4. How is God a consuming fire? (Heb. 12:29) 5. Isn't it true that young people can't control their sexual desires and that it is unreasonable to tell them to wait until they get married?