What are the steps a person takes from being a nonbeliever to being conformed to Christ? Many people don’t talk about the entire process from start to finish of how God draws us to him and then sanctifies us after salvation. There are various steps out there but, in general,…
Do unbelievers experience the same process that believers do with God’s grace and judgment? For unbelievers, it is a different process. But it has the same goal. God’s goal is that every human being comes to know, love, and serve him with every fiber of their being. To that end,…
In 1 Corinthians 11:29-32, what is the judgment poured out on believers to partake of the Lord’s Supper unworthily? The context of 1 Corinthians 11 and the Lord’s Supper in New Testament times will help us understand what Paul refers to. Christians in the Roman Empire regularly practiced “love feasts.”…
How do we talk about God’s judgment in the New Testament and church eras? We’re used to seeing God’s judgment in the Old Testament. He was no discriminator of persons, either. He visited judgment upon unbelievers like those in Sodom and Gomorrah. But he also judged the people of Israel…
Why did God change people’s names in the Bible? Beginning with Abraham, Sarah, and Jacob, and going into the New Testament when Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter, God has been changing people’s names throughout Scripture. But to many people this is a strange thing. God changes people’s names for…
What were the problem churches for Paul and how do his letters show it? There were several churches that Paul had odd relationships with. Even though he founded these churches, his enemies found ways to take them off track from what he taught. These people chased Paul around and taught…
Were Herod the Great and his son Jewish? Herod the Great was king over Judea during the birth of Jesus. He is known for his many building projects in service to creating a stable relationship with the Jews he ruled. He was also known as a tyrant and a paranoid…
Can you explain the details of John the Baptist’s murder? Who wanted his head on a platter? Is there a parallel between Herod and Pontius Pilate? John the Baptist was the forerunner for Jesus. He was prophesied to come before Jesus and prepare the way for his coming. When Jesus…
When John ate locusts in the wilderness, was it the flower or the insect? Matthew records that John was a bit of a wild character (Matthew 3:4-6). Wearing camel’s hair reminds us, and the people who came out to be baptized by him, of Elijah. He was a gruff character…
Was John the Baptist the only one who baptized with water? Actually, no. The Jews had a long standing practice with water. They fully immersed any proselyte in water to introduce them to Judaism. If you became a Jewish convert, you are baptized in water as part of the ceremonial…