Frequently Asked Questions About the Bible

  In plain, simple terms the word “Gospel” means “good news”. This good news is brought to you by God, the creator of the universe. Jesus Christ came down from Glory to die for our sins because, we as humans, need a savior: 

1. The Fall – Humanity turned away from God in a form of rebellion (read Genesis 3:1-7 and Isaiah 53:6). As a result, all humans are sinners by nature and choice (read Ephesians 2:1-3). 

We often excuse our sin by saying “I’m not that bad”, or “I’m not as bad as Hitler”. We can always find someone who is worse than we are. It seems that sin is not just about an action, but rather a disposition. Sin tends to manifest itself in our narcissism, our pride, our independence (“I don’t need God”), and lack of love for other people. But as it states in Romans 3:23, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. 

Sin can enslave us to just about anything or anyone outside of God. When we turn away from God, we turn to other things to find meaning, identity, or happiness; these things just become substitutes for God. Whatever these things may be for you, they ultimately will demand your loyalty, time and money and they will rule your life. These things become your master and you are the slave; at this point we are now serving created things and not the Creator (read Romans 1:25). 

Sin, not only enslaves us, but brings us condemnation. It’s like being in a court of law – we are guilty of sin and stand condemned before the Judge of heaven and earth. Romans 6:23 states that the “…wages of sin is death”; this means we must pay for our sins with death – eternal separation from God. 

2. The Redemption – Humanity needs a Savior to free us from the enslavement and condemnation of sin. God sent Jesus to be our substitute, to take the punishment for us in court. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He received our condemnation and after we put our trust in Him, we can receive the blessing of life after we die (read 2 Corinthians 5:21). 

So how do we receive this blessing that is mentioned? This blessing comes by faith and trust (read Ephesians 2:8-9) in Jesus as the Son of God, as the One who died for our sins, and as the One who resurrected Himself on the 3rd day in order to conquer death.

To summarize, it’s important to know Jesus because He is key to our salvation. We need His salvation to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

If you read in Chapter 3 of the Gospel of John, it shows the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus (a religious Pharisees); Jesus shows him what it takes to be born again and to receive the Holy Spirit. We all must have that second birth to enter the Kingdom. We receive the Holy Spirit when we confess Jesus is Lord.

Since all of us humans are sinners, we naturally fall short of God’s perfection. To close that gap between us and God, Jesus came down from Glory, was crucified for our sins and rose from the dead. God’s measuring stick is the 10 commandments – when we break one of those, we are guilty of breaking them all, but since Jesus died for our sins, it gives us hope. But we must accept that gift of Grace from the Lord by having faith (trust) that Jesus died for us.

For example, a horrible murderer can repent (turning away), call upon Christ as his savior and be forgiven. God will forgive ALL sins, not just certain sins that we deem as more horrible than others. We are not the judge. Christ died on the cross for ALL sins and sinners, not just specific ones indicated by humans. 

Accepting that gift of Grace is something that Jesus invites us to do; here’s some references: 

• Romans 10:8-10 states: But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”d that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
• Acts 2:21 - And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
• Acts 4:12 - Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved

When you call upon Jesus as your savior and repent of your sins, He wipes our slate clean: 

• Acts 3:19 - Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,

The Gospel is NOT….

1.   A license to sin once you have received the gift of salvation through Jesus

If you allow yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit, He will guide you to turn away from your particular sins.

2.   It is not just one of many different ways to God the Father; it is the ONLY way

The only way to God the Father is to come through Jesus Christ. In John 14:6, Jesus states “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

There are many other views, religions and ideologies that claim there are many paths to God; this simply is untrue because many of these positions contradict each other, therefore not all can be true. 

3.  Earning our way into Heaven 

We cannot earn our way to Heaven by doing good works since we would never know what is enough; it’s not about God balancing our good works against our bad deeds on a scale and hoping it tips the right way – that gives no assurance; we’d live with anxiety always wondering if we have tipped the scales in the right way. God’s grace gives us assurance.

4. Being Religious

Getting into the Kingdom of God is also NOT about doing certain religious things like sacraments (baby baptism, confirmation, etc) or attending the right church or belonging to the right religion. We must use the Bible as the authority of what God says. In Luke 23:33-43, we see the two thieves that were crucified with Christ – both are mocking Jesus. One of them responds to Christ in faith, repents of his mockery and admits He is the Son of God – Jesus responds to his faith and declares that the thief will be with Him in paradise. This can be seen as a death-bed conversion – this man did not get baptized, nor attend a religious service nor partake in any other religious tradition – he merely responded to Christ in faith and repented. The other thief died without Christ’s salvation. 

It'd be the same thing for a modern-day person now, someone on their literal deathbed – maybe someone who’s been an atheist their whole life – Jesus allows them to come to Him in faith and repent during their final hours and they will be accepted by Jesus. God’s grace is sufficient to enter the Kingdom. 

The only thing that a person can do to NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven is reject Christ as their savior – if you die without Christ as your savior, you will eternally be separated from God. Jesus accepts everyone that calls upon Him; He declares that the road to the Kingdom is indeed a narrow road (Matt 7:13-14). This road is restricted to just one way - Christ. 

We have hope in Jesus – because as He states in Mark 8:36– “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his soul?” We are all going to live past our current life – we are made to live eternally, and we need to call upon Christ (in repentance) as our savior before it is too late. One’s acceptance and repentance is something only you can do – no one else can do it for you. 

Yes. 

1. Jesus claimed to be God - John 10:30 states "I and the Father are one". The Jewish leaders knew he was claiming to be God because John 10:33 states "....because You....declare Yourself to be God." They understood that Jesus was claiming deity. Their indignation showed Jesus was claiming to be God. 
2. The disciples of Jesus declared Him to be God - the apostle John reinforces the concept of Jesus as God in John 1:1 where it states "....and the Word (Jesus) was God. 
3. The reason Jesus must be God - If Jesus is not God, his death was not enough to pay the penalty for the sins of the world. If Jesus was only a mere mortal, he could not pay the infinite penalty required for sin against God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 states "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf..." Only God could take on the sins of the world.