We have compiled a list of those questions asked most often by men and women who call or write to us at THE BIBLE Baptist Church. Where a quick, simple answer is possible it is given below. Where detail is necessary we have listed the source material for a complete and scriptural study of the matter.
Those items marked * are printed books in which this material is covered in detail
Those items marked ** are recorded studies in which this material is covered in detail
Questions About The Godhead
How do you explain the Trinity?
A Sure Foundation*
Why does God allow bad things to happen?
Job**
What are the different names of God and what do they mean?
Names and Titles of Jesus Christ**
Does God hear the prayers of unbelievers?
Yes, or no one could ever be saved. Romans 10:13
Is Jesus God?
A Sure Foundation*
Where was Jesus for the three days between His death and resurrection?
Fascinating Truths*
Why is the virgin birth so important?
A Sure Foundation*
What is the blasphemy of the Spirit?
Are miraculous gifts for today?
What is the gift of tongues?
How can I know what my spiritual gift is?
All the above covered in detail in Signs, Wonders and Miracles*
and The Holy Spirit**
Questions About Salvation
What is repentance & how does one repent?
The best answer on the subject is from the works of Joseph Siess.
The first essential element of Christianity is repentance. The easiest way to show what this is will be to show what it is not.
First, it does not consist of a mere confession of sins. This is a part but not the whole. A man may condemn himself in the most debasing language, sit in sackcloth and ashes, all without avail. The Pharisees confessed sins after the manner of their formalism daily, but very few of them repented.
Second, it is not sorrow and weeping on account of privations and distress brought upon us by our sins, to be regarded as genuine repentance. We may be sorry for a course of conduct because it brought us into serious difficulties, and not hate that course of conduct itself. Esau wept for the consequences but not for their cause.
Third, it is not the occasional meltings of natural affection. Some are constitutionally more soft and yielding than others. A sermon may dissolve them to tears, a tale of the Savior’s sufferings may melt them to tenderness but never bring them to repentance. Orpah wept and lamented and then returned to the Moabites and their idolatry.
Fourth, it is not deep conviction and remorse for sin. Felix trembled under the pungency of his conviction, but turned away from the light. Judas was overwhelmed with remorse but landed in hell.
Fifth, it is not a glad hearing of the gospel, a compliance with its outward requisitions. Herod heard John gladly, and did many things which he taught, but afterward beheaded him for the gratification of his woman.
True repentance embraces conviction of sin, contrition for sin, confession of sin and abandonment of sin. Different individuals may experience these states of mind and these dispositions of heart in different degrees according to their various constitutions and temperaments, the history and intellect, but in every instance they are indispensable qualities of a genuine penitent.
When convicted of sin, the individual clearly sees and deeply feels his natural depravity and practical wickedness: his conscience, awake to guilt and exquisitely sensitive, becomes painfully oppressive; and his spirits droop under the dread of final condemnation and endless punishment. This conviction is wrought by the agency of the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of scriptural truth. That it is not a natural and original operation of the mind itself, is evident from the indisputable fact, that the uniform tendency of sin is to darken the mind, harden the heart, and scar the conscience. The longer the sinner persists in transgression, the more his moral blindness and insensibility will increase. But the state of conviction implies light and tenderness and a quick conscience. Hence, no man need doubt that these circumstances are sufficient indications of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit. The part of man in this is to receive the truth in love of the truth and to submit to the will of God as directed by the convicting word.
Is there any way to lose your salvation?
Eternal Security**
What about people who never hear the Gospel?
Fascinating Truths*
Is salvation by faith alone, or faith plus works?
Understand the Scriptures: Rightly Dividing Reconsidered*
What is the age of accountability?
This is an invention of man, supposed to explain when a child passes from a state of grace to a lost condition. Like the idea of a guardian angel, it is not a scriptural concept.
Questions About The Bible Text
Why are there so many Bible translations?
How was the Bible put together?
Why should we study the Old Testament?
Does the Bible contain errors, contradictions, or discrepancies?
All of the above are answered in King James Issues Vols. 1-3**
Questions About The Church
Why is baptism important?
The Doctrine of Water Baptism**
Why is church attendance important?
The Church**
Should we worship on Saturday or Sunday?
Sabbath Keeping**
What does the Bible say about Christian tithing?
The Lost Cause Series*
Questions About Men and Angels
Who are the “sons of God”?
Fascinating Truths*
Do we have guardian angels?
No
Can Satan read our minds?
No
Who was Cain’s wife?
His sister, Genesis 6:1-4.
What is the origin of the different races?
If you are an Old Testament Hebrew – The Lost Cause Series*
What should a Christian believe about the death penalty?
It was ordained of God in the Old Testament and sanctioned by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament (Acts 25:11). Capital offences were murder, rape, homosexual acts, witchcraft, etc.
Questions About Day to Day Living
Does God speak to us today?
Only through written scripture.
The Mind of God and the Mind of Man**
How can I know God’s will?
Obey what is written in the word.
How can I overcome sin in my Christian life?
The Fruit of the Spirit**
Questions About Prayer
Why pray?
To fellowship with God.
What is the Lord’s prayer and should we pray it?
The Lord’s prayer is the one He prayed in John 17, or any prayer He prayed for that matter. The prayer He taught His disciples in Matthew and Luke was a model to instruct, not something to be mindlessly chanted.
How can I get my prayers answered by God?
Find out what the Bible requires of you and pray accordingly.
What is intercessory prayer?
To pray on behalf of and for the benefit of another.
Questions About Sin
How can I know if something is a sin?
Search the scriptures.
Are all sins equal to God?
All sins make one equally guilty (James 2:10). Yet, some are considered abominations and the punishment for some was greater than for others under the law.
Is it ok to drink alcohol?
The Lost Cause Series*
Is homosexuality a sin or are people born that way?
The answer to the first question is obviously yes. As to the second, all people are born with an inclination to one sin or another, so that is a non-issue. Whatever sin besets one, he or she is told to repent, trust Jesus and live in victory over that sin. How one became a pervert is not the issue. How one ceases to be such is what matters.
Questions About Future Things
Will I be able to recognize my family members in heaven?
Recognition in Heaven**
Are there different levels of heaven?
Where is Heaven, Structure of the Universe**
Fascinating Truths*
Is hell truly eternal?
Yes. Heaven and Hell**.
Can people look down on us from heaven?
No. That would certainly spoil things.
What is the mark of the beast?
When is the rapture going to happen?
What is the Judgment Seat of Christ?
Is the millennium literal or figurative?
All of the above are covered in the Revelation Commentary*
Questions About Relationships
What does the Bible say about sex before marriage?
It is expressly forbidden. Hebrews 13:4
What should / shouldn’t a couple do before marriage?
1 Corinthians 7:1 will take care of that.
What does the Bible say about dating / courting?
Nothing one way or the other.
How young is too young to be in a romantic relationship?
There is no reason for such a relationship unless imminent marriage is determined. There is no proper age at which to wed.
Is it wrong to marry outside of your own race?
The Lost Cause Series*
What does it mean to be “one flesh” in a marriage?
Genesis Commentary*
Why did God allow polygamy in the Bible?
This implies approval. There is no account where anyone was instructed by God to multiply wives, nor where His blessing is seen upon it. All accounts giving detailed information show that such relationships were hurtful to the married and their offspring. God permits man to do many things of which He does not approve.
Questions About The Family
What does the Bible say about adoption?
There are many blessings pronounced upon those who care for the fatherless.
What are to be our priorities in our family life?
The Family**
The Happy Home**
What does the Bible say about disciplining children?
The Family**
The Happy Home**
Questions About Creation
What does the Bible say about Creation and Evolution?
It is impossible to believe in the true God and to deny Creation. From Genesis 1, Romans 1, Hebrews 11, Colossians 1, etc. the Bible teaches from start to finish that all things were made by God.
What is the age of the earth?
The events of Genesis 1:4 and forward took place approximately 6000 years ago. As to the events of Genesis 1:1-3, there is much scriptural evidence to support the ageless works of an eternal God.
Fascinating Truths*
Genesis Commentary*
How long has man been on the earth?
We are about 6000 years removed from Adam and Eve.
How do dinosaurs fit into the Biblical story of Creation?
Genesis tells us that men lived hundreds of years in the early eras. There is no reason to believe other creatures did not live to such ages. Reptiles grow as long as they are alive. There is no reason to doubt that members of such species could reach gigantic proportions were they to survive several centuries.
Why are there two different accounts of Creation?
All these are covered in the Genesis Commentary* and **
Questions on Cults and False Religions
Who are the Jehovah’s Witnesses and what do they believe?
Is Catholicism a false religion? Are Catholics saved?
Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
What is Buddhism and what do Buddhists believe?
What is Calvinism?
Detailed tape studies are available on all these topics.**
Is being slain in the Spirit Biblical?
Signs, Wonders and Miracles*
What is transubstantiation?
Roman Catholicism**
What are the beliefs of Jesus only / oneness Pentecostals?
They deny the trinity and the security of the believer. See above.
Miscellaneous Questions
Why do Jews and Arabs hate each other?
They do not know Jesus and His love (Ephesians 2).
What does the Bible say about abortion?
Check the records of Jeremiah and John the Baptist, also Psalms 139 and you will see that God recognizes the life and the individual in the womb.
Abortion Study**
Do pets go to heaven when they die?
No. Ecclesiastes 3:21
Should Christians go to doctors?
Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31
Should a Christian be a Republican or Democrat?
I can’t imagine why.
What does the Bible say about lawsuits / suing?
1 Corinthians commentary**
What does the Bible say about women working outside the home?
Ruth, Lydia, The Virtuous Woman (Proverbs 31), etc. all did so.
