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Questions and Answers About the Bible

Do you have a question about the Bible? Or perhaps a spiritual matter that you wonder about?

We will choose between one to three questions to answer weekly and post them on this page.

Questions must be concise and limited to specific scriptural matters, doctrine, or how the Bible relates to modern life.

Date - February 4th, 2012

Question asked by - Stephanie

Location - Little Rock, Arkansas

Question - If a person attempts to commit suicide and does not die right then, could he/she ask God to forgive them and repent of their sins then die? Would that person be able to go to Heaven and be forgiven for his/her sins?

Our Answer - That depends on circumstances. Many people wonder about suicide, so I will explain.

1. If a person commits suicide and succeeds they go straight to Hell because they are still controlling their own lives and didn’t repent of their sins (Matthew 3:2) and remain faithful to Christ (Matthew 24:13, Revelation 2:26). The Bible says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV). God always tests us, even after we have come to repentance, and often after He has blessed us. If we pass the tests, no matter how awful they may be, the Lord will bless us afterward. Joseph was told in a dream that the sun, moon, and eleven stars would bow down to him (Genesis 37:9). But instead of good things happening after that, he was sold into slavery. He continued to trust God. Then he was put in prison. An imprisoned slave is about as low as a person can get. But God used those circumstances to raise Joseph up to become the second ruler in Egypt, because Joseph put his trust in the Lord!  As a ruler, the sun (his father), moon (his stepmother, Leah), and eleven stars (his brothers), did eventually bow down before him. Too many people are unwilling to trust God, and they commit suicide. If they had waited and trusted Him, the outcome could have been very different!

2. Many people have attempted to commit suicide and have failed. Then they came to Christ and received Him as their Savior. If they remained (John 15:5-6, 2 Peter 2:20-22) faithful to Him, they went to Heaven when they died. He didn’t let them commit suicide because He knew they would eventually accept Him. God knows the hearts of people!  If someone’s heart is so hard that the Lord knows they will never accept Him, He lets them die and go to Hell.

3. A third possibility is if a person commits suicide, such as taking poison, for example, but it takes days, weeks, or months to kill them. However, during that time they realize how stupid they have been and make a sincere repentance to God (Luke 18:10-14). The Lord may either heal them or bring them to Heaven. But they will be saved.

4. A forth possibility is if that person takes the poison (for example), and it takes a long time for them to die, but during that time they become worried about their destination. They don’t really love the Lord. But they don’t want to go to Hell either. Yet they still want to maintain control over their lives. So they repent, in hopes of escaping punishment. God will not accept that. It is not a sincere repentance. So they will eventually go to Hell.

I hope this clarifies the matter. Our audio, “Sin and Repentance” is available on our website for a donation to our ministry. That goes into more detail about suicide, among other things.

AWK

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Date - January 18th, 2012

Question asked by - Jim McGuffey

Location - Bluffton, South Carolina

Question - Why not make some of you data such as your study on prison ministry and its positive impact on recidivism, etc. available for sharing on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc?

Our Answer - We took your question so seriously that we had an informal Board Meeting about it. We are aware that most large Christian organizations are on sites like Facebook and those that you mention. And on the surface it sounds like a good idea. However:

1. We want people who love the Lord to find us online and be blessed by our ministry. We could also use more donations to help us with this work. Unfortunately, though, we are contacted far more by telemarketers, spammers, and those with non-Christian requests. This already wastes our time and resources. Being on social networks would occupy even more of our time that we would prefer to use reaching correctional facilities with the Word of God. Few prison inmates have access to such media.

2. As it is we have to have a lot of protection on our computers from hackers. Social networks could give them easier access.

3. While we are sure that there are many good people on these social mediums, there are also a lot of troublemakers as well. It is not uncommon for people to use vulgarity, blasphemy, and pornography. And everyone would see it! We do not have the time or resources to police such things. We would rather spend it spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

4. Anyone who wants to find us or the data we have available online can do so easily enough through search engines.

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Date - December 22nd, 2011

Question asked by - June Davis

Location - Indiana

Question - How should we give in a church? Do we still tithe one tenth? Also, are we as lay persons suppose to check with our pastor before making decisions about our personal lives?

Our Answer - My mother once told me about the pastor of a large, wealthy church she had stopped attending. She said that he had preached so much about prosperity and how God will bless people who give to their church that a woman in his congregation had asked him, “Pastor, I don’t have much money for giving. I have to pay the mortgage on my house. But should I give the money to the church instead and trust God that He will provide the mortgage money?” The pastor told the woman yes. My mother said that, as a result, the woman lost her house and her husband divorced her. It’s what Jude was talking about when he wrote, “These men are... shepherds who feed only themselves... without fruit and uprooted--twice dead” (Jude 1:12 NIV).

Faith is a good thing (Hebrews 11:1,6) when God tells us specifically to do something, and we obey Him. But when it comes to something as important as a house payment, the Holy Spirit is the only one who has the right to tell you not to pay it, but to trust God. Does that mean that a pastor cannot tell a member of his congregation that God has told him to tell them to do such and so? No. It is a minister’s job to hear the Word of God, even in the lives of specific individuals, and tell them about it. However, if it’s really coming from God, the Holy Spirit will confirm it in the heart of the recipient!

You have to be very careful whom you can trust these days. The Apostle Paul wrote of the hypocrisy that would take place in latter day churches (2 Timothy 3:1-9). You can read about this in further detail in my article, “The Popular Sin of Churchianity” in our Autumn 2008 issue of “The Good News Letter.” He also told Timothy (a young evangelist), “...the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV). Jesus said, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15 NIV. Also, see Acts 20:29-30 and 2 Corinthians 11:12-13). The Apostle Peter also had harsh words to say about all those who profess to love Christ, but do evil in His name (2 Peter 2:15-22). And Jesus said of these last days (before His return), “For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:5 NIV. Also, see 7:21-23).

Why do so many pose as ministers of God, when they really don’t love the Lord at all? Paul gave us the answers. To (1) “...distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:30 NIV). In other words, to gain power and influence over them, thus obtaining prestige and wealth in this world. Yes, that’s another reason. (2) “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV).

So how do you know whom you can trust? Your tithes won’t bring you any blessing unless they are given for the specific work of God, especially bringing new souls to Christ and feeding (spiritually - John 21:15-17, 1 Peter 2:2-3, Hebrews 5:12 thru 6:2) the ones who already love Him. Churches who spend their tithes money on entertainment, sports, fashion shows, beautiful baby contests, fancy luncheons, skits, etc. are, “...Shepherds who feed only themselves...” (Jude 1:12 NIV). So are their congregations when their church becomes just a religious social club to them instead of a place of holy worship, learning God’s word, and spreading His love and Gospel. A good church must reach out to the sinners, as Christ did. The most important thing to keep in mind is that your tithes should go to the work of God, not for revelry, fun and games, and socializing.

Consequently, if you can’t find a church that loves Christ enough to live for Him, and do His will, according to His word, give to an organization, that does, be it a soup kitchen, Christian publisher of spiritually edifying material, like the “Jesus People Newsletter” (in Sacramento, CA), a missionary organization that spreads God’s love and truth, a prison ministry like ours, or any entity that is non-profit, tax exempt, and does the will of God.

As for giving a tenth, if you can afford it, give it. If you pray about it, God’s Holy Spirit will touch your heart and make you aware of your priorities. For example, one person may say they can’t afford to give to God. But can they afford a fancy vacation every year? The most up to date fashions? Expensive new furniture? Are God’s tithes being squeezed out because of carnal desires (Matthew 6:24-33). Remember the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44). Moreover, we have noticed that areas of the country that have cut back on their donations to our ministry (and have probably done so with other ministries of God) have had the most natural disasters, hurricanes, floods, droughts, ice storms, etc. (Malachi 3:8-12, Amos 4:6-11). So seek God’s will in your tithing and, like the loaves and fishes (Matthew 14:15-21), He will multiply it many times over and you will receive treasure in Heaven (Matthew 6:20-21, 25:14-30).

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Date - December 22nd, 2011

Question asked by - Larry Jackson

Location - West Virginia

Question - Ezekiel 16:6 I am told it has something to do with healing a blood issue when spoken to a person bleeding. Any idea what they are talking about? My understanding is, God is reminding Jerusalem how they were raised from a lowly state to glory but when they betrayed God's trust by adopting the customs of pagan nations they betrayed God. How can this have anything to do with healing a blood issue?

Our Answer - You are totally right! And I don't think that whoever told you that knows what they are talking about. People who don't understand the Bible often pretend they do. And they come up with all kinds of strange ideas that confuse those who are trying to find the truth.

That passage in Ezekiel 16 is one of the most poignant in the Bible. Because God is pouring out His heart to Israel. He is trying to show them how much they have hurt Him. He has loved them so much and yet they have constantly rebelled against Him. And He is using the analogy of a newborn baby to show them metaphorically how He feels. The Lord often uses metaphors. He is comparing the way Israel has treated Him to that of a child He has blessed and treated so well. He is saying that it is as if Israel had been born unloved, unwanted, and abandoned. In fact, left to die. The part about the blood refers to the fact that a newborn baby comes out of the womb still covered in its mother's blood. The baby has to be washed and cared for. This has nothing to do with a blood disease!

The Lord is saying, “It's as if I found you lying there, helpless and alone. And I took pity on you. No one else wanted you. In fact, you were more than abandoned. You were despised! But I treated you so well!” Then He goes on to say, “I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck” (Ezekiel 16:9-11 NIV).

The wives and daughters of Kings wore embroidered dresses (Psalm 45:14). The Lord goes on to say how much He loved Israel and how well He treated her. Then how traitorously she had behaved to Him. He says, “...You trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his” (Ezekiel 16:15 NIV). The prostitution refers to her idolatry. Israel was supposed to be the wife of God (Isaiah 54:1-6). In the New Testament the same analogy exists. Christians are supposed to be the Bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2). So when we are unfaithful to Him, by putting other things or other people before Him, we are engaging in idolatry (Matt. 10:34-38). That's why James refers to Christians who are idolatrous as “adulterers” (James 4:4).

As a result of the ridiculous doctrine you received from whoever told you it was about a blood disease, I wouldn't put much confidence in anything else they tell you. The devil is the author of confusion, and many who engage in this come in “sheep's clothing” (Matthew 7:15 and Acts 20:29-30). Jesus Christ is the truth! Stay close to Him and allow His Holy Spirit to guide you. And stay clear of the wolves and hirelings (John 10:12-13)! God bless!

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Date - November 8th, 2011

Question asked by - Carrie

Location - Warren, Ohio

Question - I would like to do an aftercare program when an inmate returns back into society. I have been trying to get things started. Thank you if you can help.

Our Answer - Your Question is very similar to the previous one from the Pastor in India. The difference is that, since you have no church backing behind you, it would be better for you to join up with an organization that does aftercare work. You can go online and look for half-way houses or charities that do this type of work and volunteer. As I told the Pastor, try contacting Prison Fellowship. It's another charity and they would probably be able to guide you in your endeavor. Their address is:

Prison Fellowship

44180 Riverside Parkway

Lansdowne, VA 20176

Or visit them at their web address at www.pfm.org.

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Date - October 31st, 2011

Question asked by - Pastor N. Babu

Location - Bangalore, India

Question - How to follow up the professed Christian ex-prisoners after their release?

Our Answer - Sadly, my experience has been that although many prisoners are enthusiastic about their walk with Christ while in prison, upon their release, many fall back into their old lifestyles and backslide to

their past. But not all of them!

The problem is that they no longer have the same Christian support network around them after they get out of prison. They return to their old friends, family, and way of life. But when they find out that society is less than eager to give them employment due to their former imprisonment, and people who knew them may not wish to associate with them any more, the devil begins to sow his seeds of resentment and hopelessness in them and they may begin to blame God. (See Matthew 13:19-23.)

In the United States many end up in Christian half-way houses, where they are no longer totally incarcerated, but they have to follow a strict code of rules and regulations. Counseling may be available to them, depending on the organization. The aim is to give them a place to live and a shared peer system where they are with other former inmates who are in the same situation. Hopefully prayer meetings will be available to them, and a chaplain who will encourage them to seek Christ. Bible study should be encouraged. And social workers should attempt to help them locate some form of part time or temporary employment. For too many hours at a secular job will leave little time left for the much needed prayer and study of God's Word.

The half-way house, if it is Christian, will most likely be a non-profit organization or church charity in the United States due to the misguided notion that our Constitution calls for separation of church and state. (In reality it was only concerned about not having a forced religion of the land, as was the case in Europe. For this led to the persecution from which the early settlers of the United States were trying to escape.)

Since most half-way houses are run by churches or other charities (although some may receive limited government funding to assist them), the former prisoner should not expect a free-ride. He or she should be required to assist in the maintenance of the home. In other words, helping to prepare food, taking out garbage, keeping the grounds clean, snow shoveled in Winter and grass mowed in Summer, and general house cleaning, laundry, etc. They should all be assigned certain chores to do.

Regular group meetings should be set up for the inmates to discuss problems they are having at work or at the home, or with family members or government agencies. And others should be encouraged to provide a Christ-centered feed-back, to help them cope with their struggles and to let them know they are not alone in them.

Our organization is not yet able to provide such a support structure, however, Prison Fellowship, a Christian charity in the United States, does. They are a large organization with far better funding than we have, and may, in fact, have an International outreach set up. If you would like to write to them, they are located at:

Prison Fellowship

44180 Riverside Parkway

Lansdowne, VA 20176

Or visit them at their web address at www.pfm.org.

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Date - October 4th, 2011

Question asked by - Otobo Happiness

Location - Nigeria

Question - When and how does a Christian live a sin free life? How can one keep to his faith in the mist of oppression and fear.

Our Answer - Have you read the articles in the newsletter section of our website?  They are designed to answer your question in more detail. However, in brief, the answer is:

1. Accept Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. The process is called being born again. Read John 3:1-8. You simply tell God that you are a sinner and you no longer want to live this way. You want Him to forgive you. You are ashamed of your past life and want to live for Him. Ask for His help and make sure you do your very best to obey His laws and love Him. Ask with contrition and sincerity. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalms 51:17 NIV). A good example of this is found in Luke 18:14.

2. Read the Bible every day. Read it consecutively, not depending on a Bible Study. Spend time in prayer daily. Not just asking for things, but in worship as well. Good Christian music often helps.

3. Do not associate with anyone who will be a bad influence on you. Try to find true Christian friends. And keep yourself from temptation, such as pornography and covetousness.

4. If you do become weak and stumble into sin, repent of it right away and ask God’s forgiveness. Next time try to avoid whatever led you to stumble.

5. Do not put anything else before the Lord, not family, friends, money, pride, or anything else.

6. Have faith that when you put your life in God’s hands, He will guide you. If things don’t work out right away, don’t get panicky. We never understand why we are going through a trial of faith at the time of the trial. It always feels miserable. But if we stay faithful, eventually we usually understand why God did what He did. And don’t fight again God’s direction. If Joseph had tried to escape when his brothers sold him into slavery, Jacob and all his other sons and their families would have died of starvation (see Genesis, chapters 37 and 39 thru 50:21).

7. As for keeping your faith in the midst of oppression and fear, the Bible simply tells us to “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV). The more you love Christ, the less fearful you will be because “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear...” (1 John 4:18 NIV).

I hope this is of help to you.

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Date - May 29th, 2011

Question asked by - Steven William Carroll

Location - United States

Question - What are good scriptures that deal with weight loss?

Our Answer - I have found no scripture about losing weight. The scripture on this subject is all about gluttony and hunger! Being a bit overweight is not a sin. Most of us struggle with our weight as we get older. I myself have a constant battle to keep the weight down. So I sympathize with those who have this problem. However, when the situation gets out of control, it becomes gluttony. And God considers gluttony a serious sin! That’s because it is a form of idolatry. The first sin in the Garden of Eden involved food, the forbidden fruit! Eve valued the food more than obedience to God (Genesis 3:1-6. Also, see 2 Corinthians 11:3). We all have a God-shaped hole within us and only He can fill it. When it is already filled with a desire for pleasure and fancy food there is no room left for Christ (2 Timothy 3:4), our only salvation (John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5)!

The Jews were blessed by the Lord abundantly many times in the Bible. But often they strayed away from Him and He became angry, and allowed hunger to occur among them (Deuteronomy 8:3, 28:47-47). One example, “Jeshurun [Israelites] grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior. They made Him jealous with their foreign gods and angered Him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons, which are not God..., gods your fathers did not fear. You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. The LORD saw this and rejected them because He was angered by His sons and daughters” (Deuteronomy 32:15-19 NIV).

Our "Rock", in the Old Testament or New, is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:3-4). And “...you forgot the God who gave you birth” can also be taken by us to mean, “New Birth” in Christ (John 1:12-13, 3:3). Remember, Eve put food before obedience to God. Disobedience is idolatry (1 Samuel 15:22-23). Gluttony is a form of greed. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature... evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5 NIV). For example, “...This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard” (Deuteronomy 21:20 KJV). God considers it idolatry because it’s a crutch people lean on when they don’t have a close enough relationship with Christ. Solomon, who had food in abundance, knew the importance of resisting gluttony. I believe he was using hyperbole when he wrote, “When you sit to dine with a ruler... put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive” (Proverbs 23:1-3 NIV).

Jesus Christ wants to be our primary sustenance. He said, “For My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him” (John 6:55-56 NIV). Jesus wasn’t talking about cannibalism. He was using metaphors to state that He must be our spiritual food. And when we are so full of Christ, as to overflowing, we need no crutch to fill the void inside of us. Enough food to live on and enjoy is sufficient. And at times, we must give up food while fasting. God wants us to enjoy the pleasure of the bounty He has provided for us, as long as He is more important to us than the food. I hope this is of help to you.

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Date - May 25th, 2011

Question asked by - Daniel Dhaene

Location - Brgy Barra, Lucena City 4301, Philippines

Question - What do you think of the New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses?

Our Answer - There are many strange beliefs of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Here are just a few:

a. They refuse to celebrate Christmas as Christ’s birthday.

b. They do not believe in eternal punishment.

c. Jesus Christ was not God, but the son of God, and first creation.

d. That Lucifer was Jehovah’s younger son.

e. They deny the Holy Trinity and do not believe in the Holy Spirit.

As for your question about their “New World Translation” Bible (NWT), I am not a Bible scholar, but all the information I have seen from scholars rejects this translation as being the written word of God. In his book, “Understanding Jehovah’s Witnesses” Robert M. Bowman, Jr. (copyright 1991), includes a whole chapter on this subject. He states, “The New World Translation (NWT) has been enormously instrumental in helping Jehovah’s Witnesses to feel continued confidence that their beliefs are biblical. The whole work, but especially the New Testament portion... is designed to import Witness beliefs into the text and screen out, as much as a seemingly literal translation can, the traditional Christian beliefs rejected by Jehovah’s Witnesses... The NWT is filled with faulty translations designed to make the Bible fit Jehovah’s Witness doctrine. It is therefore legitimate to say, as evangelicals consistently maintain, that the NWT is doctrinally biased.”

The subject is vast. However, you can find additional information on it at the following web sites:

Ankerberg Theological Research Institute

Catholic Apologetics Info

Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry

Witnesses for Jesus, Inc.

I hope this is of help to you.

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Date - April 30th, 2011

Question asked by - Eric Rose

Location - Bellevue, NE

Question - Many inmates are fatherless, which means illegitimate. If God says ‘no’ to sex outside of marriage, then what does he think of children conceived outside of marriage?

Our Answer - You are correct. Unfortunately many prison inmates were raised by unwed mothers who did not marry the father of their baby. Therefore, the child was born with a social handicap. As a result, they often felt unloved and abandoned. I am not making any excuse for their various crimes. For God is always accessible to anyone who will call on Him, repent of their sins, and live by His laws. And Bibles are within access to most people in the free world. Nevertheless, built up resentments and hurt can become an easy access point in which Satan can begin his subtle process of influencing the individual toward evil.

Your question, however, is in regard to what God thinks of illegitimate children. Fact is, the child is not responsible for the sins of his or her parents. He is responsible only for his own sin. “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16 NIV).

There is an interesting account in the life of King David, after his terrible sin with Bathsheba. Their baby, conceived in sin, became very sick. For God was angry at the parents! “David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them” (2 Samuel 12:16-17 NIV). Finally the child died. His servants expected David to take it even harder. However he surprised them.

“...David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate. His servants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!” He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:20-23 NIV). David was indicating that the child was in Heaven and he intended to go there some day and see the child. Obviously, if God was angry at the baby, he would not have gone to be with the Lord.

We must remember that “...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV). Yet “the Lord is not... willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9 KJV). “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). That baby, while conceived in sin, still has the same opportunity as any of the rest of us have, to repent of his own sin and accept Christ as his Savior and Lord.

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