Bible Questions and Answers

Belief in God and his son Jesus Christ is insufficient for salvation. What God requires of us is that we believe the gospel of the kingdom of God preached by his son and obey it.

Belief in the gospel requires a response from us.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…

We must repent of our sinful way of life, change the way that we live and be baptised by immersion in water for the remission of our past sins.

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

We emerge from the water to begin a new life in Christ.

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Our new life is to be lived by the commandments of Christ.

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Luke 6:46-49 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

It is perfectly natural to be afraid of death.Those in Christ are promised resurrection from the dead to eternal life in the kingdom of God. For those in Christ death is but a ‘sleep’. We experience sleep each night, we do not fear sleep for we are confident that we will awake in the morning.

If we believe and obey the gospel, our fear of death is diminished for we can have confidence that Christ will raise us from the dead when he returns.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

There will be no perception of the passage of time in death. As in sleep, when we fall asleep, the next thing we know is the consciousness of awaking. Death is the same, we die and the next thing we know will be resurrection from the dead. It will appear instantaneous.

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,
Glenn