Saturday, June 19, 2010
Gender of God?
Friday, May 7, 2010
Who was there before all?

Who Created God?
The Timelessness Of God
Q. I praise God for the wisdom that He gifted to you. Thank you for sharing it. I have a question about the timelessness of God. However, in Isaiah 43:10 He states: “…before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” How can this be if He has no beginning or end? Can “eternal” have a “before” or “end”?
A. It’s figurative language. It’s like He was saying, “I always was and I always will be” which is what His name (I am) implies. To help us understand what that means He said there was no god before Him and there won’t be one after Him. He’s the One and Only. Forever.
When Did God Begin?
Q. On (another website) I saw a statement that troubled me greatly. In the never-ending debate of evolution vs. creationism, (the author) makes very good points. However, regarding the “beginning” of God he says “It is possible that the Lord may have existed for so long even He has lost track of His own beginning.”
Is this really possible? I have always believed that God “always was” but now, although I still believe our God is eternal and un-created I was wondering if you could point out some scripture that confirms the fact that Our God did not simply “lose track” of his existence and that he has in fact, although it is is incomprehensible to the human mind, existed forever.
A. Deut. 22:27 says that God is eternal. In Micah 5:2 we’re told about the origins of the Messiah. The literal Hebrew reads that they were from “the days of eternity”. The same Hebrew word us used in both passages.
Rabbinical scholars state that the way the very first letter of the Bible was formed in ancient manuscripts indicates that it’s impossible to know exactly what went on beforeGenesis 1:1. The Bible neither explains nor justifies God’s presence but from the very beginning man’s understanding has been that He’s an eternal being, without beginning or end. It puzzles me as to why any believer would want to question that.
Q. This question deals with Is.43:10. If you do a quick read of Is.43:10 it almost sounds as if God himself was formed. This can’t be, can it? Wouldn’t that negate his being eternal ,past and present? Appreciate your thoughts.
A. The last sentence of Isaiah 43:10 reads, “Before me no god was formed nor will there be one after me”, which sounds to us like he’s saying he was the first one first formed. But He really means there weren’t any gods that preceded Him and there won’t be any that follow Him. It’s another way of saying He’s the first and the last, the One True God.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Glory of Jesus

Friday, August 28, 2009
Water Baptism

Is Baptism Necessary For Salvation?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
How is it that Jesus is called as 'the Son of David'?

The House And Lineage Of David
Contradiction?

A Contradiction Or Not?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Confession

Must I Name Every Sin?
Thanks for an awesome site. Question: In the last paragraph of your article “Psalm 83” you state that any unconfessed sin will hamper our fellowship with God.
How do I know what this unconfessed sin is? When in prayer, I confess all my sins that I’m aware of and ask God to forgive me for all these sins and also all other sins that I’m not aware of, am I still out of fellowship with Him because I did not confess those sins that I’m unaware of by name?
A. No. The Lord won’t get you on a technicality. He knows if the intent of your heart is to confess and if it is, you’re covered. What I was talking about is a sin we are aware of but refuse to confess for one reason or another.
I’ve always believed that David’s prayer in Psalm 19 is a good one for confession.
Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:12-14)
Website: www.gracethrufaith.com
Friday, June 12, 2009
Answers From Billy Graham

Q: I know Christians say Jesus was divine, but how could He be divine and still be a human being? After all, we're all imperfect, and we can mess things up pretty badly. But God can't do that, can He? — G.L.
No, God can't "mess things up" or commit sin of any kind. He is absolutely pure and holy, and there isn't even a hint of sin within Him. The Bible says, "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong" (Habakkuk 1:13).
Nor, the Bible says, did Jesus commit any sin. I know that's hard for us to understand; if we're honest, we know we sin every day. But Jesus was both fully human and fully divine - He was God in human flesh. Centuries before His birth, the prophet Isaiah foretold that "'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' - which means, 'God with us'" (Matthew 1:23).
And because Jesus was divine (as well as human), He never sinned. That doesn't mean He wasn't tempted - because He was (see Matthew 4:1-11). But He resisted the most intense temptations Satan could devise - and because He did, Jesus remained sinless to the end. The Bible says that He was "tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). This is a profound mystery - but it's true.
Why is this important? The reason is because only a sinless, divine Savior could save us. He was without sin, but on the cross all our sins were placed on Him, and He took the judgment we deserve. He did this because God loves us. Are you trusting Christ alone for your salvation?
Website: www.billygraham.org
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
While Passing the Jordan, He stands by me!

The Jordan Of Death
Q. I heard a pastor I respect very much say that Jordan means death & judgement. I have not been able to verify this and looking it up in Strong’s numbers it means “descender”. Can you help?
A. The Hebrew word Yarden is translated Jordan in English. It’s used 182 times in the Old Testament and always refers to the River by that name. It means descender, as you know, and comes from a root meaning “to go down” The Jordan River was given its name because it originates on Mt. Hermon, (+9230 ft.) and over its 200 mile length descends into the Dead Sea (-1300 ft.) a loss of over 10,500 feet in altitude.
There is a parable of sorts that compares the Israelites entering the promised land with the life and death of the believer. As the Israelites came to the Promised land they faced the Jordan River, an impassable barrier between their old and new lives. There was nothing they could have done in their own strength to cross. But at God’s command the High priest carried the Ark of the Covenant on his shoulders into the Jordan and it parted, letting them cross into Canaan on dry ground.
As the believer comes to the end of his life he confronts the awful chasm between heaven and earth called death, an impassable barrier. There’s nothing he can do in his own strength to cross. But Jesus, our High Priest, steps into the chasm with the new covenant on His shoulders and the chasm is bridged, allowing the believer entrance into the Kingdom.
In the parable, the Jordan River represents death, and is sometimes called the Jordan of death. Perhaps this is where the Pastor came up with his meaning.
Website: www.gracethrufaith.com
Monday, May 4, 2009
Theology & False Doctrines

Seven Men Named Jesus
This Week’s Feature Article by Jack Kelley
www.gracethrufaith.com
A recent poll claimed that about half of all professing Christians don’t believe that Jesus is God, or that the Holy Spirit and Satan even exist. Smaller but still significant percentages don’t believe that Jesus lived a sin free life or that He is the only way to salvation. This has prompted questions about whether this means they aren’t really saved. I remembered an article on this subject that I wrote a number of years ago and in response to these questions I have updated and expanded it. I believe it will explain what you have to believe about Jesus to be saved. Let’s read it.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Dispensationalism?
The Dangers Of Dispensationalism
Q. I have been visiting your site for some time now and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Recently I received e-mail from the Reformation Book Store. They were advertising a book on the dangers of dispensationalism. It says that this belief causes confusion about how to pray for our Nation and the world because we believe the Bible predicts what will happen and there is nothing we can do about it, so why pray. I have to admit that I feel confused about this too. When we read that “there will be perilous times” why should we pray for wise leaders? What do you say on this subject?
A. There’s a one word answer to this question. Nineveh. God sent Jonah to Nineveh to warn them of a judgment coming in 40 days. But they had a wise leader and at his command the entire city, from the King to the lowliest subject, went into prayer and fasting with sincere repentance. God was impressed enough to delay the judgment. It eventually happened, because a future generation rebelled again. But the whole generation of people who prayed were spared from it. God said the judgment was coming but the people of Nineveh determined the timing by their response.
Dispensationalists are not fatalists. We understand the power of prayer. And remember this. God knows the end from the beginning, and dispensationalists believe that every word He spoke will come to pass. But that’s not the same as saying He controls the timing of every event. The story of Nineveh proves that He listens to us and can be moved by the fervency of our prayers.
Website: www.gracethrufaith.com
Thursday, April 16, 2009
God's Wife and Bride!
The Adulterous Wife And The Virgin Bride
Q. Thanks for the opportunity to ask you this question. I was raised a Baptist, and after age 30 I changed to Assembly of God.
I know a Bible teacher there who holds a meeting once a week and I am very concerned about this doctrine he teaches. He says that God has a wife, and that wife is the old testament Jews. Next, he says that Christ has a separate Bride.
I have never heard this before and I am sure it is wrong. This particular “doctrine” would change the whole bible!! Can this teacher actually be a Christian? Should I attend his meetings anymore?
A. I don’t know how this teacher presented his view, but in the Old Testament, God called Israel His adulterous wife (as in Ezekiel 16:32), and in the New Testament, the church is called the virgin bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2). These are terms that symbolize the difference between the Law and Grace. God often described Israel’s disobedience as spiritual infidelity, especially when it involved idolatry. To Him worshiping idols is like cheating on Him.
But when Jesus went to the cross He took all of our sins with Him washed us clean with His blood. Now He sees the Church as if we’ve never sinned at all, as if we’re as pure as He is. If the truth be told we’re no better than Israel, because we worship things other than God, too. Instead of statues, we worship money or material possessions or other things of this world. So it’s God’s view of us that’s different, and that happened because of what He did for us, not because of anything we’ve done for Him.
Website: www.gracethrufaith.com


