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The Bible Believer's Helpful
Little Handbook -
Copyright
© 1997 James L. Melton
Used
by permission
Published
by Bible Baptist Church, Sharon, TN
The
Bible Believer's Helpful Little Handbook is written, and
copyrighted by James L. Melton. We are honored to be using this
information on our website by permission from the author.
Index
of Terms:
I
see no need for an introduction, so let's go ahead and get
started. What is an agnostic? An agnostic is a person who takes a
position of uncertainty toward God and the Bible. These people
have no real convictions, for they know nothing for sure. Most
agnostics have had more education than the rest of us, and they
usually have a rather high opinion of themselves and their
"open-mindedness." In Acts 17:22-23, the Apostle Paul
addressed some agnostics at Athens who had erected an alter to
"THE UNKNOWN GOD." Paul said they were "too
superstitious."
Christianity
is not a religion of uncertainty. We have an absolute Final
Authority with absolute answers. For example, see John 14:6, Job
19:25, II Timothy 1:12, I Peter 1:18, and I John 5:13.
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This
is the false belief that there will be no millennium--no one
thousand year reign of Christ and His saints on earth. Revelation
20:1-7 plainly tells us that there WILL be a millennial reign.
Other interesting references can be found in II Timothy 2:11-13,
Luke 19:17-19, and Revelation 5:10 (just to name a few).
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Angels
are "ministering spirits," according to Hebrews 1:14,
and their primary purpose is to wait on God. Angels were created
prior to man's existence (Job 38:4-7), and as supernatural beings,
they are far superior to you and me (Psa. 8:5). All angels in the
Bible are of the masculine gender, and none appear to have wings.
Not
all angels belong to the Lord. Some of the angels have fallen
(Jude 6-7, Gen. 6:1-4, II Pet. 2:4), and more will fall in the
future (Rev. 12:4-9). Even Satan himself can be transformed into
an "angel of light," according to II Corinthians 11:14.
Therefore, we are told in I John 4:1 to TRY the spirits.
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This
false teaching is very popular with people like the
"Jehovah's Witnesses," who do not believe in a literal
and eternal lake of fire for the punishment of the wicked.
Annihilation is the belief that the wicked will be totally
destroyed at some point in the future, and that no ETERNAL place
of torment exists. The Lord Jesus Christ believed otherwise (Mat.
25:41; Luk. 16:24).
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This
is a future individual who will be fully possessed and motivated
by Satan himself. He will dictate a common world religion, a world
government, and a world economy (Rev. 13; II Thess. 2:3-4; Rev.
19:19), and he will MURDER those who refuse to conform to his evil
system.
The
antichrist is known in scripture as the "little horn"
(Dan. 7:8), the "son of perdition" (II Ths. 2:3), the
"beast" (Rev. 13), the "king of the north"
(Dan. 11:6), and the "prince that shall come" (Dan.
9:26).
Antichrist
and his followers will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ at
the second Advent of our Lord.
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An
apostasy is a "falling away" from a standing position.
Paul wrote in II Thessalonians 2:3 that a great falling away, or
apostasy, would occur in the last days, just preceding our Lord's
return. We have lived to see this prophecy fulfilled, for man has
fallen further away from God in the past fifty years than at any
other time since the time of Christ. Apostasy can be found most
anywhere you look, especially in religion, education, politics,
the media, and in music.
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In
Mark 16:17-18, Jesus said to the Apostles, "And these signs
shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out
devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up
serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt
them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover."
Because
of their inability and refusal to rightly divide the word of truth
(II Tim. 2:15), the Charismatics operate under the false
assumption that these signs are still in effect today and that it
is THEIR duty to fulfill them. This is why we have charlatans like
Oral Roberts and Jim Baker living in mansions and begging people
for money.
In
their haste to make a dollar, the Charismatics consistently ignore
the fact that Jesus said these were SIGNS, and that I Corinthians
1:22 tells us that SIGNS are for the JEWS. Israel began with signs
(Rom. 4:11; Exo. 4:8 ,9, 17, 23, 28, 30; 7:3; 8:23; 10:1-2; 13:9;
31:13, 17; Deu. 4:34; 6:22), lived by signs (Deu. 11:18; Jos. 4:6;
I Sam. 10:7; II Kgs. 19:29; Isa. 7:14; 38:7, 22; Eze. 4:3; 20:12,
20), and demanded signs from Christ (Mat. 12:38; 24:3). [ADVICE TO
READERS: Everything that can be misunderstood WILL be
misunderstood when you fail to check references.] There is more
scripture to support the doctrine of signs being for Israel than
there is to support the Virgin Birth and the Inspiration of
Scripture combined! Anyone who ignores this truth is absolutely
unqualified to teach, preach, or write anything about the
Apostolic Signs. If you'll take a look at Hebrews 2:3-4 you will
see that the signs were used to CONFIRM the word of God, and you
will also see that the signs are spoken of in the PAST TENSE. They
are also spoken of in the past tense in II Corinthians 12:12.
Those who insist that we should practice the signs today because
they were practiced throughout the New Testament haven't been
reading (or believing) their Bible. They were not practiced
throughout the New Testament. In fact, Paul left Trophimus SICK at
Miletum (II Tim. 4:20); he gave Timothy medical advice instead of
healing him (I Tim. 5:23), and he had infirmities of his own from
which he could not be healed (II Cor. 11:30; 12:5-10). Now why all
this sickness if the Apostolic Signs were still in effect? Answer:
They WEREN'T still in effect, because they were only needed in the
early ministry of the Apostles for the purpose of confirming the
truth to Israel.
Now
we firmly believe that God can still work miracles and heal anyone
He chooses, and we believe that the prayers of God's people can
move Him to work miracles, but let's not confuse answered prayers
with Apostolic Signs, because there's a vast difference. We
believe in healing; we just don't believe in healers.
You
say, "Well what about speaking in unknown tongues through the
Holy Ghost? Do you deny that people today speak in unknown
tongues?" No, of course not. People have spoken in unknown
tongues for thousands of years. Ever read Genesis 11? Was that an
outpouring of the Holy Ghost? When the Church of Satan speaks in
unknown tongues (which they do), is that a work of the Holy Ghost?
When a psychologist can have you blubbering in unknown tongues
within fifteen minutes, is that an outpouring of the Holy Ghost?
You see, too many people have the idea that if something is highly
abnormal or miraculous that it MUST be of God. The coming
Antichrist will have a field day with such feeble minded people,
because HE will work such "signs and lying wonders" that
the entire world will follow after him (II Ths. 2:8-12; Rev.
13:13-14).
Nowhere
in the New Testament did God command anyone to speak with unknown
tongues. We do read about "new tongues" (Mar. 16:17),
"other tongues" (Acts 2:4) and "divers kinds of
tongues" (I Cor. 12:10), but these are all FOREIGN LANGUAGES,
not senseless gibberish! There are no unknown tongues in Acts 2,
and there is no baptism of the Holy Ghost in I Corinthians 14.
Instead of rightly dividing the word of truth, the careless
Charismatics wrest the scriptures to their own destruction by
ignoring the set divisions and doctrines that the Holy Spirit has
inspired in the scriptures. The Apostolic Signs are not for today,
because they were only for confirming the word of God to the
unbelieving Jews in the first century. The Bible warns us to
beware of anyone who professes to practice these signs today (II
Cor. 11:13-15; Mat. 7:15; 24:11; I Tim. 4:1-2), and the Lord
commends the church at Ephesus for trying out some professing
apostles and finding them to be LIARS (Rev. 2:2).
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The
word comes from Revelation 16:16, and it means "the hill of
Megiddo" or "the city of Megiddo." Megiddo is a
battlefield in Palestine, which was the sight of Barak's victory
over the Canaanites (Jgs. 4:15), and also Gideon's victory over
the Midianites (Jgs. 7). King Saul dies here (I Sam. 31:8), which
is probably a foreshadow of the future destruction of Antichrist
and his evil forces in the coming great battle.
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Atheism
is the false and very foolish belief that there is no God (Psa.
14:1; Rom. 1:20). Like agnostics, most atheists have been educated
beyond their intelligence.
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This
is the act of sliding backward rather than pressing forward
"toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus" (Phi. 3:14). The term actually comes from
Jeremiah chapter three where God's people are called backsliders
because of their willingness to slide back into their sins. Today
we often refer to unfaithful Christians as backsliders.
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A
baptism is an IMMERSION. A person who has been baptized is a
person who has been immersed in something, because that's what the
word means.
Many
have the idea that all baptisms are WATER baptisms, but this isn't
true. In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist speaks of THREE different
baptisms in one verse. He mentions WATER baptism, HOLY GHOST
baptism, and FIRE baptism. One gets you wet, one gets you into the
body of Christ, and one gets you into Hell! There's more than one
kind of baptism, so we need to avoid using the word too loosely.
A
person is baptized by the Holy Ghost the very moment they receive
Christ as Lord and Savior (I Cor. 12:13). This particular baptism
is a SPIRITUAL baptism, and it should never be confused with WATER
baptism (although it usually is). This spiritual baptism can be
found in I Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, and
Galatians 3:27. It is not a water baptism, for water baptism
places no one into the body of Christ. A person is saved by grace
through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Paul said that Christ sent him not to
baptize, but to preach the gospel in I Corinthians 1:17, and
"the gospel" does NOT include water baptism (I Cor.
15:1-4).
Does
this mean that water baptism isn't important? No, it does not.
Water baptism is very important, for it pictures the death, the
burial, and the resurrection of Christ. I Peter 3:21 tells us that
it is a "figure." Obedient Christians will submit to
water baptism, but they should never confuse it with their
salvation. Remember, the repentant thief was saved WITHOUT being
baptized in water (Luk. 23:42-43), and the eunuch of Acts chapter
eight wasn't permitted to be baptized until he first BELIEVED on
Christ (Acts 8:37-38). Also see Believe.
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This
is the false doctrine that water baptism actually regenerates the
dead spirit in lost man and produces the new birth. The Bible says
that the spirit of God does this--not water (I Cor. 12:13). Pagans
have believed in this doctrine for thousands of years--even before
the time of Christ. It has absolutely no part in Bible-believing
Christianity.
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This
is the spiritual baptism that we've just mentioned. It is a
MIRACULOUS baptism, performed by the Lord Himself.
Most
Charismatic groups teach that a person receives the Holy Ghost
sometime AFTER they've received Christ as Savior, but this is
plain heresy. Romans 8:9 tells us that a person does not even
belong to Christ if that person doesn't have the Spirit of God, so
salvation and the baptism of the Holy Ghost are SYNONYMOUS, not
separate.
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The
coming Antichrist and his evil empire are referred to as "the
beast" throughout the Book of Revelation.
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To
"believe" in the Bible is to fully rely on God's word.
True belief is much more than mental assent, because even the
devils believe mentally (Jas. 2:19). Bible belief involves
conviction and commitment. A person who truly believes on Christ
is a person who has fully RECEIVED Christ (Jhn. 1:12). To believe
on Christ is to totally rely on HIM ALONE for salvation (Jhn.
3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:47; 11:25-26; Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 4:5; 10:9-10;
I Jhn. 5:10-13; Gal. 3:22; I Ths. 2:13).
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The
word means "book." When we say, "the Bible,"
we are actually saying "the Book." See Inspiration of
Scripture.
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The
Blood Atonement of Jesus Christ is one of the fundamental
doctrines of Christianity. It is the doctrine that the blood of
Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, was shed to atone for
the sins of lost mankind (Jhn. 1:29; Heb. 9:22), and that this
sinless blood was applied to the mercy seat of God the Father in
Heaven (Heb. 9:11-12). All of the animal sacrifices of the Old
Testament FORESHADOWED the Blood Atonement of Christ. The innocent
animal that was slain in Eden for Adam and Eve's covering (Gen.
3:21) pictured the slaying of our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins.
Abel's accepted offering, the firstlings of his flock (Gen. 4:4),
was also a type of the Blood Atonement of Christ. There are many
pictures of the Blood Atonement in the Bible, but probably the
greatest is found in Exodus chapter twelve, where God REDEEMS His
people by the BLOOD of the passover lamb.
Today,
with the completed Blood Atonement behind us, all sinners have
access to God THROUGH Jesus Christ, and through Him alone. Acts
20:28 says that God PURCHASED the church "with his own
blood." Revelation 1:5 assures us that Christ can WASH us
from our sins in His blood. Romans 5:8-9 says that we are
JUSTIFIED by His blood, and we can have PEACE through His blood,
according to Colossians 1:20. Salvation was made possible, not by
the DEATH of Christ alone, but by His Blood Atonement which takes
away our sins.
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Jesus
was the first to use this term, and He used it to stress the
necessity for lost mankind to see his need for a second birth (Jhn.
3:3). Our first birth was physical, but our spirit remained dead
in God's sight. When a person receives Christ as Savior, he is
BORN AGAIN, for his dead spirit is made alive, or
"quickened" (Eph. 2:1). The Holy Spirit takes up
residence inside the new believer (Eph. 4:30) and gives him a new
life in Christ (Gal. 2:20; II Cor. 5:17). Every real Christian has
been born again, and no one has been born again who is not a
Christian. Also see I Peter 1:23.
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A
Calvinist is a person who subscribes to the theological beliefs of
John Calvin, the Swiss Protestant reformer of the sixteenth
century. There are five main points in Calvinism, four of which
are false teachings. The five points of Calvinism are usually
represented by the letters T.U.L.I.P.
The
"T" is for TOTAL DEPRAVITY. This is the false doctrine
that man is so depraved that he cannot even see his sinful
condition and call upon God for salvation. It is true that all men
are natural- born sinners (Rom. 3:23; 5:12; Psa. 51:5), but it is
also true that God COMMANDS all men to repent and receive Christ
(Acts 17:30-31; I Jhn. 3:23; Luk. 13:3). Man is indeed depraved,
but he isn't so depraved that he has no free will of his own (II
Pet. 3:9; Jn. 1:12; 3:16; Jos. 24:15; Exo. 35:5, 21, 22, 29).
Total Depravity is heresy.
"U"
stands for UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION, which is a heresy derived from
perverting verses like Ephesians 1:4-5 and Romans 8:29. The
Calvinists believe that God predestinated everyone way back before
Genesis 1:1, totally ignoring their free will to choose for
themselves. That is, He supposedly decided who would go to Heaven
and who would go to Hell long before anyone was even born. If
you'll read Romans 8:29 and I Peter 1:1-2 you'll see that God's
election is based on FOREKNOWLEDGE. He didn't elect to save or
damn anyone against their free will. God knew all along who would
choose Christ and who would not, and He made His
"elections" based on that information.
Then
we have the "L" for LIMITED ATONEMENT. This is the
belief that only a limited number of people can be washed from
their sins in the precious blood of Christ, because only "the
elect" will be saved anyhow. The idea is that Christ loved
the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25); so the blood of
Christ was only shed for the church. This is foolishness. I
Timothy 2:6 says that Christ gave Himself a ransom for ALL, not
just the elect. ALL have sinned (Rom. 3:23); so He died for ALL,
and He saves "as many as" receive Him.
The
"I" stands for IRRESISTIBLE GRACE, which is also false
doctrine. This teaching says that God the Holy Spirit overpowers
the sinner and grants him the new birth without his submission or
positive response. As we've already seen, man DOES have a free
will and no one is saved without CHOOSING to believe on Christ as
Lord and Savior. There is no such thing as irresistible grace. God
has given us all the ability to resist anyone or anything we
choose (Acts 7:51; II Tim. 3:8; Jas. 4:7). There are times when
the convicting power of the Holy Spirit is so strong and real that
a sinner sees no choice but to give in to God and receive Christ
as Savior, but the sinner always has a choice. No one is saved
against their will, and no one is saved without first choosing to
receive Christ.
The
last letter is "P," which represents the PERSEVERANCE OF
THE SAINTS. This is the only point in "T.U.L.I.P" which
is scripturally sound. Once a sinner receives Christ, he is
predestinated to be conformed to Christ's image (Rom. 8:29). That
is, as Christians, we are eternally secure and cannot lose the
salvation which God has freely given us. Also see Eternal
Security.
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Capital
Punishment, commonly referred to as the "death penalty,"
is very scriptural. From the very beginning, God has required LIFE
FOR LIFE. The death penalty is first mentioned in Genesis 9:6,
long before the law of Moses was given, and it stays on God's law
books throughout the Bible (Exo. 21:12; Num. 35:16-31; Rom.
13:1-4; Acts 25:11). As you can see from Acts 25:11 and Romans
13:1-4, the death penalty is still God's will for today. God has
given man the responsibility of enforcing the death penalty, and
justice has not been served until it has been enforced.
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The
Charismatic Movement is a twentieth century religious movement
(Assemblies of God, Pentecostals, Full Gospel Fellowships, etc.)
which majors in teaching false doctrines about the ministry of the
Holy Ghost, tongues, healing, and signs. Rather than winning the
lost to Christ, the Charismatics spend most of their time
questioning the spirituality and sanctity of other Christians.
Charismatics are very big on inner "feelings," but very
small on scriptural facts. Paul stated it best in II Corinthians
11:4 when he said that these people have "another
Jesus," "another spirit," and "another
gospel." These are very dangerous people. They may look nice,
talk nice, and sometimes even sing nice, but their doctrines are
DEADLY. Also see Apostolic Signs.
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A
Christian is one who truly believes on Christ as Savior. The
disciples were first called "Christians" at Antioch
(Acts 11:26). A Christian is not someone who professes Christ, but
rather someone who POSSESSES Christ as Lord and Savior.
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The
word literally means "called out assembly," so the
church consists of people who have been called out of this world.
The
church is not an organization, but rather an ORGANISM. That is,
it's a living body of believers. Anyone who has been saved by
receiving Christ as Savior is a member of the church, for the
church is made up of all true believers in Christ. A person's
denominational membership is in no way connected with his
membership in the body of Christ. Those who have truly received
Christ are members of His church, regardless of what any
denomination believes or says (Jhn. 1:12; Acts 16:31; Jhn. 5:24;
Mat. 11:28; Rom. 10:13. etc.).
Beware
of anyone who speaks of THEIR church as being the "true
church," because the true church is a SPIRITUAL BODY OF
BELIEVERS IN CHRIST, not an organized group of religious people.
The Bible will sometimes use the term "church" when
referring to local assemblies of Christians (Rom. 16:5; I Cor.
1:2; I Ths. 1:1; Phi. 2), but the term is never a reference to any
denomination or any building.
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To
confess is to admit something, and it's usually something about
yourself. It is the duty of all sinners to confess their sinful
condition and forsake their sins by receiving Jesus Christ as
their Savior (Pro. 28:13; Mat. 10:32; Rom. 10:9-10). Christians
are told to confess their sins in order to obtain forgiveness and
to maintain fellowship with God (I Jn. 1:9). Sins are to be
confessed TO THE LORD, not to any human being (including Mary),
for the Lord Jesus Christ is the One mediator between God and men
(I Tim. 2:5).
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A
person's conscience is basically his inner awareness. God gave us
our conscience to keep us aware of the things that can harm us, as
well as the things that can help us. It is our job to keep our
conscience pure (I Tim. 1:5; 3:9; II Tim. 1:3). When a person
doesn't feed his conscience with spiritual things, such as the
word of God, prayer, and witnessing, he is in danger of DEFILING
his conscience (Tit. 1:15), SEARING his conscience (I Tim. 4:2),
and rendering it WEAK (I Cor. 8:7). Our conscience is a lot like
our alarm clock: it's no good unless we keep it set and working
properly.
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There
are none. There are many APPARENT contradictions in the Bible, but
each can be explained with a careful and prayerful study,
comparing scripture with scripture. All scripture is given by
inspiration of God (II Tim. 3:16), and God does not inspire
contradictions and confusion (I Cor. 14:33).
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To
covet is to have a longing for something, and it's usually a
longing for something that you don't need. Christians should
practice CONTENTMENT, not covetousness (Phi. 4:11; I Tim. 6:6-8;
Heb. 13:5). The Lord Jesus spoke of covetousness as being one of
the thirteen evils of the heart (Mar. 7:21- 22), and He commands
us to "beware of covetousness" in Luke 12:12. Paul says
in Colossians 3:5 that covetousness is IDOLATRY. We, as
Christians, need to set our affection on THINGS ABOVE, not on the
things of this earth, according to Colossians 3:2.
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This
is the doctrine that the earth and all the universe were literally
created by an intelligent Being. Genesis 1:1 says, "In the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth." John 1:3
tells us that "All things were made by him . . . "
Colossians 1:16 says, "For by him were all things created . .
." Then Hebrews 1:3 says that God actually MADE THE WORLDS by
Jesus Christ.
Jesus,
of course, believed in literal creation, and He tells us so in
Mark 13:19. The theory of Evolution is contrary to God, Jesus
Christ, and the Bible.
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The
Deity of Christ is the doctrine that Jesus Christ is GOD. God is a
Trinity (I Jn. 5:7), and the second Member of that Trinity is the
Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:1 says that "the Word was
God," and John 1:14 tells us that "the Word was made
flesh." Jesus Christ is the Word incarnate, and John 1:1
tells us that the Word was God; so Jesus Christ is God.
Jesus
allowed Thomas to address Him as "My Lord and my God" in
John 20:28. In Isaiah 9:6 He is called "The mighty God"
and "The everlasting Father," and we read in Micah 5:2
that Jesus is "from everlasting."
Our
Lord allowed people to worship him in John 10:38 and in Matthew
14:33, and since He is "God with us" (Mat. 1:23), He
also has power to forgive sins (Mk. 2:5).
The
Deity of Christ is one of the main fundamentals of the Christian
faith, because the Bible is very clear in emphasizing the fact
that Jesus Christ is more than just a great man. He existed long
before He came to this earth to be born of a woman, because He is
ETERNAL. He's God.
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The
Holy Ghost is also Deity, for He's the third member of the Holy
Trinity (I Jn. 5:7). In Acts 5:3- 4 Peter accuses Ananias of lying
to the Holy Ghost, and in doing so, he tells him that he had lied
to GOD. The Holy Ghost is God. The Holy Ghost says in Acts 13:2
that He had CALLED Barnabas and Saul, which only God could do, and
He does many other things that only God could do (Jhn. 14:16, 26;
16:8-14; Job 33:4; Psa. 104:30; I Cor. 6:11; Eph. 1:13, 4:30,
etc.). The Holy Spirit is OMNIPRESENT (Psa. 39:7-8), OMNISCIENT (I
Cor. 2:10-11), and ETERNAL (Heb. 9:14). He inspired the scriptures
( II Pet. 1:21), and He gives life (Jhn. 6:63; 3:6). The Holy
Spirit is God, for only God could perform such tasks.
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Demons
are called "devils" in the Bible. Although we are not
certain about their origin, many believe they are DISEMBODIED
SPIRITS from the Pre-Adamite earth, which was probably drowned out
after the fall of Lucifer (II Pet. 3:6; Gen. 1:2; Isa. 14:12-15).
We
know that these devils are UNCLEAN SPIRITS, for the Bible tells us
so in Matthew 8:16 and Mark 5:12-13. There is one who is THE
Devil, and he has many "devils" under his command (Mar.
5:9; Luk. 9:1, 11:15; Jas. 2:19). According to the words of Jesus
in Matthew 12:43-45 these devils desire to inhabit human bodies,
and Mark 5:11-13 tells us that they can even inhabit the bodies of
animals. They can do great harm by causing much sickness and
suffering (Mat. 9:18-22, 32-33; 12:22; Luk. 8:26- 35; 13:11-17),
and they can also SEDUCE a person to lie and teach false doctrine
(I Tim. 4:1; I Kgs. 22:22-23). Some people are so influenced by
evil spirits that the Bible terms them as being
"possessed" with devils (Mat. 4:24; Mar. 5; Acts 8:7).
Of course, the greatest defense against demonic influence is
always the word of God and prayer (Mat. 8:16; Eph. 6:10-18).
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The
word is found in I Corinthians 9:17, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians
3:2, and in Colossians 1:25. A dispensation is basically a period
of time in which God DISPENSES to man (or to nations) certain
responsibilities, and He rewards or judges man for fulfilling or
not fulfilling his responsibilities.
There
are seven major dispensations in the Bible, and each has a
different set of responsibilities for man to fulfill. Each of the
seven also ends with failure and judgment. The seven are as
follows:
1.
Innocence--from Adam's creation to Adam's fall.
2.
Conscience--from the fall of Adam to the Flood.
3.
Human Government--from the Flood to the Tower of Babel.
4.
Family (Promise)--from Abraham to Moses.
5.
Law--from Moses to Christ at Calvary.
6.
Grace--from Calvary to the Second Coming.
7.
Righteousness--the 1000 year kingdom of Christ.
The
study of dispensations is a matter of "rightly dividing the
word of truth" (II Tim. 2:15). Major confusion and heresy can
erupt when dispensational divisions are ignored. For example, no
one can please God today by keeping the law of Moses, because
Jesus Christ is the END of the law for everyone who believes (Rom.
10:4; Jn. 19:30; Col. 2:14). A definite division must be made
between Law and Grace, and this same rule applies to all
dispensations.
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A
doctrine is simply a Bible truth, any Bible truth. Doctrine is the
primary reason for the inspiration of the scriptures (II Tim.
3:16-17), and it should be the objective of any serious Bible
study. A sincere Bible student will always ask, "What saith
the scripture?" (Rom. 4:3) not "What does my church
teach?" or "What is the standard interpretation?"
According to the Apostle Paul, we need to give attendance to
DOCTRINE (I Tim. 4:13), or we will end up with "doctrines of
devils" (I Tim. 4:1). Also see Isaiah 8:20.
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This
is a wicked twentieth-century unity movement of religious
modernists and liberals. It is Satan's desire to unite the world
so that all will be in subjection to the coming Antichrist (Rev.
13:3; 12:9); therefore, religious unity is considered a must. Most
ecumenicals have no real convictions, and they generally deny the
fundamentals of Christianity and the infallibility of scripture.
The Pope, quite naturally, is the chief ring leader. One might
call the ecumenical movement a modern-day "Tower of
Babel" movement. Like Babel, the movement will soon end with
the intervening judgment of God (Zep. 3:8; Mat. 13:40).
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The
Eternal Security doctrine is the "once saved, always
saved" doctrine that so many people have trouble believing,
because it just doesn't sound logical.
Actually,
it is VERY logical and very scriptural as well. My eternal
security in Christ is based on my RELATIONSHIP with God, not my
fellowship with Him. I am not saved because I fear God and serve
Him, but rather because I have entered into a Father/Son
relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. I was once a
child of the Devil and a child of wrath (Jn. 8:44; Eph. 2:3), but
now I am a son of God (Jhn. 1:12; I Jhn. 3:2; Rom. 8:14; Gal.
4:5). Upon receiving Christ as my Savior, I was SEALED with the
Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30; II Cor. 1:22),
and I am KEPT by the power of God (I Pet. 1:5), not by my own
power. Jesus will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb. 13:5; Mat.
28:20), because He BOUGHT me with His own blood (Acts 20:28; I Cor.
6:19-20).
If
I choose to be a disobedient child, then my Father in Heaven will
CHASTEN me (Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:4-8; I Cor. 11:30-32), but I will
remain a saved and sealed son of God (Jhn. 5:24; I Jhn. 5:11-13;
Rom. 8:38-39; Phi. 1:6; Jhn. 6:37; 10:28-29). I am eternally
secure in Christ (even if you aren't going to check the
references).
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""Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen." (Heb. 11:1) Faith is simply believing without
seeing, and it is impossible to please God without it (Heb. 11:6).
We are SAVED by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8), and we are to LIVE
by faith (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 2:20). Jesus told Thomas, ". . .
blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
(Jhn. 20:29) Why? Because that's faith, and it pleases God. Our
faith will one day END in SIGHT, when Jesus returns (Acts 1:11; I
Ths. 4:13-18), but our faith is not BASED on sight. It is based on
the written word of God (I Jhn. 5:10-13). Faith is also a fruit of
the Spirit in Galatians 5:22.
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A
false prophet is one who falsely predicts future events. I John
4:1 tells us that there are MANY false prophets in the world, just
as the Lord Jesus Christ prophesied in Matthew 24:11.
False
prophets deceive people with miracles (Mat. 24:24; Rev. 13:14),
good words and fair speeches (Rom. 16:17-18), and of course, just
down right lying (Jer. 14:14). False prophets generally have a
very positive outlook toward man, unity, love, science, education,
integration, and world peace, but they have a very negative view
toward the infallibility of scripture, salvation by faith in
Christ alone, the Blood Atonement, the Deity of Christ, and the
Pre-millennial Second Coming of Christ. Isaiah 8:20 and
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 are great verses to keep in mind when trying
to discern between true and false prophets. Also remember Matthew
7:20: "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
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This
is something that America knows very little about, or, as Paul
wrote in Romans 3:18, "There is no fear of God before their
eyes." A person who fears God is a person who lives a humble
and obedient life before God, always being mindful of the fact
that God is HOLY and He will not overlook sin. Psalm 111:10 says,
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."
According to Proverbs 15:16, "Better is little with the fear
of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith." No
matter how educated or wealthy a man may be, if he doesn't fear
God he is FOOLISH and POOR. Solomon said, ". . . . Fear God,
and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of
man." ( Ecc. 12:13)
A
man who fears God has no one else to fear, but a man who fears not
God has everyone to fear. Putting God first and fearing Him above
all is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. Also see Psalm
118:6, Matthew 10:28, and Proverbs 29:25.
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Wrongfully
called "pre-marital sex" and "free love" by
the worldly crowd, fornication is the act of intercourse between
unmarried partners, and it is strictly forbidden in the
scriptures. The marriage bed is undefiled (Heb. 13:4), but
fornication is an abomination in the sight of God (Rom. 1:28-29; I
Cor. 6:13- 20, 7:2, 10:8; Gal. 5:19-21). We read in I Corinthians
6:9-10 that fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God.
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A
Gentile is anyone who isn't a Christian or a Jew (I Cor. 10:32).
In the Old Testament a Gentile was anyone other than a Jew, for
there were no Christians around then.
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God
is the One Almighty Being Who created all people, places, and
things (Gen. 1), so He is SUPERIOR to all people, places, and
things.
Even
Satan and his evil hosts are subject unto God, and they can do
nothing without His permission (Job 1:6-12, 2:1-6; Isa. 14:12-15;
Zec. 3:1-2; Mat. 4:3-11; Col. 2:13-15; Rom. 16:20; I Cor. 8:5-6).
God
has many wonderful attributes. Just to mention a few, He is
eternal (Psa. 90:2), holy (Isa. 6:3; I Sam. 2:2), righteous (Ezr.
9:15), just (Deu. 32:4), longsuffering (II Pet. 3:9; Exo. 34:6),
loving (I Jhn. 4:7-8), jealous (Nah. 1:2), merciful (Deu. 4:31;
Psa. 103:8), omniscient (Job 34:22; II Chr. 16:9), omnipresent (Psa.
139:7-10), and omnipotent (Job 42:2; Jer. 132:27).
God
has revealed Himself to man in three ways: through nature (Psa.
19:1-4; Rom. 1:20), through the written word (Pro. 22:20; II Pet
1:20-21; II Tim. 3:16-17), and through the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb.
1:2; Jhn 1:1, 14, I Tim. 3:16).
God's
will for man today is that all will repent of their sins and
receive the Salvation that is freely offered through Jesus Christ.
Beware of anyone who speaks of God without speaking of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
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According
to I Corinthians 15:1-4, "the gospel" today is the good
news that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and then rose
again the third day according to the scriptures. This gospel is to
be "obeyed" by BELIEVING on it (Rom. 10:16), not by
getting baptized, as some teach.
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Grace
is basically unmerited favor--God's choosing to love us, save us,
and bless us while we are yet in our sins. Because of grace, we
can receive something for nothing. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we
are SAVED by grace, and John 1:14 tells us that the Lord Jesus was
full of GRACE and TRUTH. Someone has said that grace is God's
Riches At Christ's Expense.
The
word is also used in reference to the present dispensation in
which we live, the "dispensation of the grace of God"
(Eph. 3:2).
It
is also our Christian duty to manifest grace toward others in our
Christian walk, just as the Lord has been gracious toward us (Eph.
4:7, 29; Col. 4:6).
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This
term was first used by the Lord Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:21.
The Great Tribulation is a period of time in the very near future
in which God will pour out His accumulated wrath upon the earth's
inhabitants.
The
Book of Revelation has a great deal to say about the Great
Tribulation in chapters six through nineteen. The wicked son of
Satan (Antichrist) will rise to power and rule the world,
demanding worship from everyone (Rev. 13). The Tribulation will be
about seven years in length, with the latter half being the worse
by far (Rev. 11:3; 13:5). Antichrist and his followers will be
destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Second Coming (Rev.
19:11-21).
Christians
will not have to endure the Great Tribulation , for we are not
appointed to wrath according to I Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9. We
will be "caught up" to be with the Lord before the
Tribulation starts (I Ths. 4:13-18; I Cor. 15:51-52).
The
Tribulation Period is primarily a Jewish dispensation in which God
takes up dealing with Israel as a nation, preparing the Jews as a
people to receive Christ. It is the seventieth week of Daniel
9:24-27, and Jeremiah 30:7 refers to this time as the "time
of Jacob's trouble." After suffering much misery and
persecution during the Great Tribulation, Israel will turn to
Christ for salvation (Isa. 66:7-8; Rom. 11:26; Deu. 4:30-31).
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When
you hear someone use this term, or when you hear them use the
terms "the Greek text," or "the original
Greek," or "the original manuscript," be careful
because you have come in contact with someone who spends a great
deal of time playing an old children's game known as make believe.
There is no such thing as "the Greek text," and no one
living today has ever seen "the original Greek" because
it hasn't existed since it fell apart many many centuries ago.
Usually when a man makes reference to "the Greek," he is
having trouble believing what God has already told him in THE
ENGLISH. There are over 5000 PIECES of manuscript evidence
available, which have been found in different places, but there is
no "original manuscript" in existence. No one knows what
the "original" says, because no one has it, and no one
living today has ever seen it. (See Romans 1:22 for further
comment.)
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See
Apostolic Signs.
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Heaven
is a literal place beyond the northern regions of our universe
(Psa. 48:2; 75:6-7; Isa. 14:13; Eze. 1:4-5). It is a pure and holy
place which has never been touched by the curse of sin and death.
It is the actual abode of God and all His mighty hosts (Mat. 6:9;
22:30; 26:53; Jhn. 14:1-3; Rom. 8:34; Rev. 19:11-14).
Revelation
chapters 21 and 22 speak of the city New Jerusalem coming down
from God OUT of Heaven. This will be the glorious home of all
saints in eternity. It will be a place of happiness and peace, a
place without tears, death, sorrow, crying, pain, or hunger (Rev.
7:16; 21:4). Heaven is the fulfillment of every human need, but
one can only go there through the Blood of Jesus Christ. Paul
tells us in Colossians 3:2 that this is where our affection should
be today; we should be homesick for Heaven. As the song says,
"This world is not my home, I'm just passing through!"
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Hell
is a literal burning place in the center of the earth. It is NOT
the grave, as many cultists teach, for no one BURNS in the grave
as they do in Hell (Luk. 16:23-24; Deu. 32:22; Mar. 9:43-48). Hell
was originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Mat. 25:41),
but, since man chose to enter the domain of sin and death, Hell
has become his place of torment as well. We read in Revelation
20:14 that Hell will eventually be cast into the "lake of
fire."
For
those who are opposed to "hell fire preachers, " you may
find it interesting to note that "hell fire" was first
used by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Mat. 5:22;
Mar. 9:47). It isn't God's will that anyone should go to Hell (II
Pet. 3:9), but He will certainly allow all who reject Christ to go
there.
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A
heresy is a departure from truth, a false doctrine propagated by
false prophets and teachers (also known as "heretics").
II Peter 2:1 warns us about "damnable heresies."
However, the presence of heresies should not surprise us, because
I Corinthians 11:19 says, "For there must be heresies among
you, that they which are approved may be manifest among you."
That is, the light of God's truth shines even brighter among
heresies. According to II Timothy 2:15, we are supposed to STUDY
and RIGHTLY DIVIDE the word of truth in order to be
"approved."
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See
Deity of Holy Ghost.
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A
person who has humility is a person who thinks of himself no
higher than he ought to think (Rom. 12:3). Jesus said that we are
to become "as little children" in Matthew 18:3. We must
gladly humble ourselves in the sight of God, trusting Him to exalt
us in due time (Col. 3:12; Jas. 4:6, 10; I Pet. 5:6). Proverbs
15:33 says, ". . . .before honour is humility."
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Idolatry
is basically the act of worshipping anything or anyone less than
God. When we allow anything or anyone to come between us and God,
we are guilty of idolatry. Many have the idea that idolatry can
only be committed by worshipping material objects such as graven
images, planets, stars, or by worshipping people or animals.
However, the Bible informs us that a BAD HEART ATTITUDE can be
idolatry (I Sam. 15:23; Col. 3:5). God knows our hearts, and if He
doesn't have FIRST PLACE, then we are guilty of idolatry.
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Imputed
righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ which has been
imputed, or ACCOUNTED, to the new believer. When one forsakes his
self-righteousness and fully believes on Christ, God imputes the
righteousness of Christ to that individual (Rom. 4:5-8). Our sins
were placed upon Christ (II Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13), and His
righteousness is placed upon us when we receive Him as Savior by
faith.
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When
we speak of the Inspiration of Scripture, we are speaking of the
fact that the Bible is like no other book in the world. Other
writings convey the thoughts of men, but the Bible is a divine
revelation from God. Men were instrumental in reducing the
scriptures to print, but men did not author the scriptures. The
Bible tells us the following in II Peter 1:20-21: "Knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation. 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
Ghost." This is commonly called VERBAL INSPIRATION. II
Timothy 3:16 tells us that ALL scripture is GIVEN by inspiration
of God. That is, it was inspired of God the moment it was SPOKEN,
and then the spoken word was reduced to writing by appointed
scribes (II Sam. 8:17; 20:25; II Kgs. 19:2; 22:3; I Chr, 24:6;
Ezr. 7:6; Jer. 36:10, 12, 32; 37:15; Mat. 8:19; 15:1; 17:10; Luk.
5:30; Luk. 11:44; Acts 23:9).
There
are some very strong proofs for the inspiration of scripture. I've
chosen to list five of them:
1.
The Bible is a UNIQUE Book. The Bible plainly CONDEMNS the human
race! The Bible says that all have sinned, man at his best state
is altogether vanity, we are condemned already, and that only
Jesus Christ can save us. What man would write a Book like that?
It was obviously written by Someone OTHER than man.
2.
The Bible is also different in that it is an AUTHORITIVE Book. The
Author of the Bible generally says, "I'm right and everyone
else is wrong" (Isa. 8:20; Jn. 14:6). Man needs an absolute
Final Authority, and the Bible professes to be the authority. No
other Book is as authoritive as the Bible.
3.
The Bible is an INFALLIBLE Book. It contains no mistakes. What
other ancient writing contains over 700,000 words with no
mistakes?
4.
It's a BLESSED Book. God USES the Bible. Millions have come to
know Christ through the written word, and millions have found
unmeasurable joy between its covers. Many great Christian works
have been founded and used for many years with the Bible being the
authority, and many Christians have found great comfort and peace
in it's promises. God has BLESSED us through the Bible. Why would
He do this if it wasn't His inspired word?
5.
The Bible is a PRESERVED Book. With all of the opposition that the
Bible has faced over the centuries, why does it still exist? Why
hasn't someone been successful in destroying it? There's only one
answer: Psalm 12:6-7.
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This
word first occurs in Genesis 32:28, and it means "having
power with God." Jacob was re | 