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"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"
(Jn.8:32).
In the walk of a believer there are issues that arise that need answers which are vital to a healthy Spirit filled
Christians life. Those who want to share their questions can do so here. It is my prayer that biblical answers to these questions
may help you in your faithful journey. You are welcome to submit questions.
| THE HOLY BIBLE |
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The Bible is the guide to the believer in their walk and life in Christ. With the esteemed help of Dr
J. Vernon Mc Gee, whose ministry continues though he is with The Lord, and can be heard daily at "Thru The Bible Radio" on
major Christian radio stations around the world, questions will be raised and bible answers given.
LINK TO "THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM" IN FULL
THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM
Question 1. What is the only comfort in life and death?
Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, (a) am not my own, (b) but belong unto my faithful
Saviour Jesus Christ; (c) who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, (d) and delivered me from all
"the power of the devil; (e) and so preserves me (f) that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from
my head; (g) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, (h) and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures
me of eternal life, (i) and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.
"For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself"
(Rom.14:7).
"For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live
therefore, or die, we are the Lord's" (Rom.14:8 ).
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God,
and ye are not your own" (1Cor.6:19)
"And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's" (1Cor.3:23
"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works" (Tit.2:14)
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your
vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers" (1 Pet.1:18)
"But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet.1:19)
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood
of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7 )
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2)
"I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake" (1 John 2:12)
"He that committeth (practice) sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John
3:8).
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil"(John 8:35).
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John
8:36).
"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing,
but should raise it up again at the last day"(John 6:39).
"And
I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand"(John 10:28).
"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil"
(2Thess.3:3).
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1Pet.1:5).
"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your
Father" (Matt.10:29)
.
"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matt.10:30 ).
"Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt.10:31).
"But there shall not an hair of your head perish" (Luke 21:18)/font
color>.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose" (Rom.8:28).
"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2Cor.1:20).
"Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;"
(2Cor.1:21).
"Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts"
(2 Cor.1:22).
"Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of
the Spirit" (2 Cor.5:5).
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom
also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise," (Eph.1:13)
"Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise
of his glory" (Eph.1:14)
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" (Rom.8:16)
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God"
(Rom.8:14).
"And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure"
(1 John 3:3).
QUESTION 2
How many things are necessary for me to know, that I, enjoying this comfort, may live and die happily?
Answer: Three; (a) the first, how great our sins and miseries are; (b) the second, how we may be delivered from all
our sins and miseries; (c) the third, how we shall express our gratitude to God for such deliverance.
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"
(Matt.11:28).
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls (Matt.11:29).
"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" ( Matt.11:30).
"And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead
the third day:" (Luke 24:46).
"And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning
at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47).
"And ye are witnesses of these things" (Luke 24:48).
"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor.6:11 ).
"For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures,
living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another" (Tit.3:3 ).
"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,"
(Tit.3:4)
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing
of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Tit.3:5)
"Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;(Tit.3:6)
"That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Tit.3:7 ).
"Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your
sin remaineth" (John 9:41 ).
"If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin (John 15:22).
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent" (John 17:3).
"
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
"To him (Jesus) give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall
receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43).
"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:"(Eph.5:8)
"For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;"(Eph.5:9
)
"Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord" (Eph.5:10).
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (Eph.5:11).
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should
shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light"
(1 Pet.2:9).
"Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but
now have obtained mercy" (1 Pet.2:10 ).
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
(Rom.6:1 )
"God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
(Rom.6:2 )
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof (Rom.6:12).
"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto
God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God
(Rom.6:13).
(Q) Sometimes I feel lost, that Christ has left me. I really know in my heart that He hasn't but
I'm not sure. How can you tell that Jesus is in your life?
(A)Your primary problem is that your trusting feelings. Your feelings dictate. We cant trust our feelings. Remember,
we are still living in a nature and makeup that is carnal. We are subject to soulish and physical impulses as well as psychological
problems. That is our nature! Our salvation rests not upon what we feel or think but upon the word of God: "And
this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and
he that doesn't have the Son of God does not have life" (Jn.5:11-12).
Do you have Christ? Are you trusting Him? If you are it confirms that you are saved. Your salvation rests upon what the word
of God says and not your feelings.
Feelings are deceiving. But your salvation is in Christ. He never is swayed nor faulters. You have a sure hope in Him. Your
best friend is the study of God's Word. This is what will change you. The Holy Spirit in you, that came to you when you first
believed, will guide, teach and strengthen you. Apply your faith to the word and you will overcome anything your "self",
Satan or the world can throw at you. For that which is in you (The Holy Spirit) is greater than what is in the world. God
gave you God The Spirit to reside in you. Aren't we blessed!
 (Q) Does 2 Cor.6:14 forbid a Christian's working in a partnership with a non-Christian?
(A) "Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness?
and what communion has light with darkness?"(2 Cor.6:14).
The believer should not be involved in a lasting relationship with an unbeliever. That will create a yoke that can
become painstakingly difficult and dangerous not only to the believer but to the non-believer as well such as in marriage,
a business partnership or other long term relationship.
There are spiritual truths that must not be taken lightly like the attacks of our adversary which a non-believer
cannot understand, and the truth of scripture affecting our life and setting God's standards in personal relationships as
well as business. We do not think as others think nor act as others act. To a non-believer it may fall on deaf ears. Nor
would they be constrained by God's counsel regarding life, sin or the reality of the truth of the bible.
For instance God hates divorce! But secular law grants it for no good reason whatsoever. The non-believer may have
no problem "with the law" but the believer is to follow God's will and counsel. And how about Christ's command to love our
enemy or our neighbor as we would like to be loved? The morals of the marketplace are not the Christians meat. They are his
poison.
(Q) May a believer get angry at God?
There is no scriptural basis permitting a believer to become angry with God. Often we don't understand what is happening to
us or why God has permitted it to happen. But a true child of God wont get angry. How on earth could the gift of eternal life
through Jesus Christ play second fiddle to anger. But if we do cross over into that carnal state we had better step into the
closet and talk to our Father about this and confess our sin otherwise God will take us to the woodshed. This can be traumatic
but always beneficial to a believer. God will discipline us like a loving father does in our best interests.
I ministered to a man who continuously played the Lottery looking for God to bless him with big money so he could be like
the people around him and have what they have. He was a complainer and mad at God when he lost all the time. I tried to reason
with him biblically but to no avail. Finally I was pulled away and he had a terrible accident that almost cost his life. When
he finally came out of the hospital he was crippled in one arm and mentally impaired. And boy was he angry with God. Well
we talked a lot of bible and I realized he was not born again. So I dealt with him as such and that was a turning point in
his life. You see he thought he was saved but he was lost. Yet God was calling him. Finally, after near death, he came to
Jesus in faith. He was not angry anymore.
(Q) After a person accepts Christ as their personal Savior, Is there a time they receive a filling
of the Holy Spirit?
(A) You are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at the moment you believe and accept Christ as Savior. At that time you are:(1) born
of the Spirit; (2) indwelt by the Spirit; (3) sealed by the Spirit; (4) baptized by the Spirit into the body of believers
called the Church.
The fifth ministry of the Holy Spirit is to fill the believer which is dependent on conduct. We are enjoined to be filled
(Eph.5:18). We are not to grieve the Spirit (Eph.4:30).
Not quench the Spirit (1Thess.5:19). You grieve the Holy Spirit when there is sin in your
life which you must confess and forsake. You grieve the Spirit when you don't do the will of God as revealed in the Bible.
And then you are to walk in the Spirit (Gal.5:16).
In order to exercise a spiritual gift of the Holy Spirit you must be filled with the Spirit. In being filled you will recognize
your gift and also enjoy the fruits of the Spirit starting with love, joy and peace.
(Q) Does God have a will for my life, and how can I tell what He wants me to do?
(A) By the power of the Holy Spirit you can live a Christian life, your life in Christ, but you must study the bible to grow
in wisdom and grace and not:"... yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin: but yield
yourself to God, as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Rom.6:13).
James said that faith without works is dead. He also said that works are the true litmus test of faith. So what does Jesus
tell us? He said to love our enemies, to give to those in need, and treat well those who despitefully use us. Be a peacemaker
and in love, fulfill all the law like love God and your neighbor. These are true indications you are doing God's will.
You are to walk in the Spirit (Gal.5:16), which means that you are to definitely, deliberately,
and purposefully to begin each day trying to obey the Spirit of God. Now, don't give up when you fall on your face. Confess
your sin to God and start out again. When you do that, you will be filled with the Spirit, and you will know it. It will produce
in you "...the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace,long suffering, meekness, goodness, faith,
gentleness, temperance: against which there is no law" (Gal.5:22-23).
(Q) Am I right believing that, according to Psalm 139:16, ones name is written in the Book of
Life before they are born?
(A)The scripture reads "Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in thy book all my
members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them"
(Psalm 139:16).
We are recorded in God's Book of Life before we were made. And this is a good argument against abortion. To kill a fetus is
murder. A fetus is recorded in The Book! Every soul is recorded in the Book of Life. But those who reject Christ, after maturity,
and die that way are striken from it. They will come before Christ at the great white throne judgment and will suffer the
second death which is eternal separation from God.
(Q) I am miserable. I failed the Lord many times. I know he forgives my sins and his blood cleans
me daily. Help me to overcome this guilt.
(A)Your salvation is secure in Christ. You are, like Saint Paul, having a bad time of it. Confess your sins and renew
fellowship with Him. Paul cried out:"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of
this death?" (Rom.7:24). Does this mean he lost his salvation? No, listen to
Paul in Romans 8:1: "There is now no condemnation to them who are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
All of us have failed God at one time or another. And all of us have sinned after we became Christians. In fact God tells
us, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us"
(1 John.1:8).
(Q) Is it true that even after being born again we continue in our old carnal nature, subject
to sinning and not able to please God.
"To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the
carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither, indeed can be. So then they that are
in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom.8:6-8).
Scripture tells us we have two natures after we believe: a spiritual and a carnal. If we live in the carnal nature we are
good for nothing to God and in effect dead as a doornail just as if we never knew the deliverance from sin by Christ's atonement
for us on the cross.We cannot please God unless we live by faith thru the Spirit. Remember the just (born again ones) shall
live by faith and without faith it is impossable to please God.
You and I have a new nature but until we are filled with the Holy Spirit there is no power in it. As Saint Paul, we too cry
out for the true experience of Christ in us and he speaks in God's power: "For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom.8:2).
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