Bible Questions and Answers

 Thank you for asking a question on This is your Bible.

 The difficulty you face here is that if you ask a member of any church which is the right church, they must of necessity say it is the one they belong to; otherwise why would they belong to it?I will therefore tell you how I think that you can decide for yourself which is right.

The New Testament writers say that the scriptures (by which they mean the Old and New Testaments) are the inspired word of God and contain all we need to know about doctrine and instruction in the righteousness that God requires.

Jesus

Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Paul

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Peter

2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel is complete.

Jesus

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Paul

Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Peter

1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

The doctrine is complete.

Luke

Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Paul

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

1 Timothy 1:3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

The first question we must ask of any church is do they teach that the Bible is the only source of knowledge about the gospel and doctrine?If they claim inspiration from another source, they must of necessity be in error.

False teaching in the church is prophesied in the New Testament. It was a battle engaged right from the start.

Paul

2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Peter

2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

The history of Christianity records the evils done by the church in the name of Christ. It records the successive councils that under the guise of maintaining the doctrine corrupted it beyond recognition. The bejewelled buildings are a testament to the covetousness ingrained in the system.

The harlot in Revelation 17 gives a true picture of the apostate church under the Papacy. The church that reigned over the kings of the earth is a fact of history. Her ‘daughters’ which sprang up out of the reformation held on to her false doctrines.

Church leaders today are like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.

Matthew 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Jesus says elsewhere.

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

If we believe that the will of God is fully revealed in the Bible; that is where we will look for it.It is the Bible itself which holds the key to eternal life not the church.Bible Study is literally a matter of life and death.

Bible Study should have as its main aim a desire to understand what the Bible actually says, rather than accepting what others (particularly theologians) would have us believe it says.

The premise is simple

·         It claims to be the inspired word of God.

·         God caused it to be written for each of us to read for ourselves.

·         It explains why God made the earth and mankind.

·         It explains what God has planned for the future.

·         It explains what sin is and why we die.

·         It explains how we can attain to eternal life by resurrection from the dead.

·         It explains how and why the whole purpose of God and our salvation is centred in Jesus Christ.

·         It contains the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

·         It contains prophecies in various stages of fulfillment to confirm that it is the word of God.

·         It tells us what we must do if we want eternal life – doing nothing is not an option.

We don’t have to have a Doctorate in Theology to understand it.

1Corinthians 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

We need to study the Bible to make sure we know what it says.

Acts17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

The word of God is able to make us ‘wise unto salvation’.

2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

When we know what it says God requires a response from us if we want eternal life.

AV Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

In conclusion: We should examine the churches in the same way that Israel was to examine the prophets.

Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

If we find a church whose gospel and doctrine and way of life agrees with the Bible then that is the right church.

For myself only Christadelphians currently fit the description and all we are asking is for you to read the Bible for yourself and make your own decision.

I hope this helps.

Glenn Smith