TEN RELIGIOUS QUESTIONS
MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED
RECENTLY, I saw a list of Ten Religious Questions Most Frequently asked. I should like to repeat these questions this morning and let the Bible answer them without any comment at all from me—in hope you will derive personal good as well as divine information you will be able to pass on to others.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (I Peter 3:15).
“You search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they that testify of Me” (John 5:39).
“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, ...” (Hebrews 1:1–2).
“Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those that heard Him” (Hebrew 2:1–3).
DOES THE BIBLE CONTAIN SALVATION?
“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruc–
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tion in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:14–17).
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul” (Psalms 19:7).
“as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust“ (II Peter 1:3–4).
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ ” (John 8:31–32).
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:3)
“It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me&rdquo (John 6:44–45).
“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).
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“But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God‘ “ (Matthew 4:4).
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).
“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, ... Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you” (I Peter 1:22–25).
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed ...” (Romans 1:16–17).
“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30–31).
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” (I Corinthians 15:1–2).
IS SALVATION FOR ALL OR JUST
A SELECT FEW?
“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ’Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).
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“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30)
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering to ward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Timothy 2:3–4).
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (I John 2:1–2).
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11).
“Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘In truth I perceive that God shows no partially. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him’ ” (Acts 10:34–35).
“... Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink’ ” (John 7:37).
“... and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).
WILL GOD, THEN, SAVE EVERYONE?
“Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13–14).
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“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘ I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ” (Matthew 7:22–23).
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:26–29)?
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, not extortioners, will inherit the kingdom of God” (I Corinthians 6:9–10).
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7–8).
“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ’Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).
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WHY WILL MANY BE LOST?
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
“Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven’ ” (Matthew 18:2–3).
“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24).
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:42, 43).
“... Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God’ ” (John 3:5).
HOW CAN I BE SAVED?
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (Matthew 1:12).
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“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’ ” (Acts 2:38).
“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9–10).
“There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of filth from the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 3:21).
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26–27).
“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4).
MUST I BE A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH
TO BE SAVED?
“... And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).
“And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22–23).
“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).
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“For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, ...” (I Corinthians 12:13).
“For the husband is head of the wife; as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23).
OF WHICH CHURCH SHOULD I BE A MEMBER?
“Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalms 127:1).
“but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15).
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ” (I Corinthians 12:12).
“... on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 3:11).
“... Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted” (Matthew 15:13).
CAN A MAN, ONCE SAVED, BE LOST?
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12)
“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (II Corinthians 11:3)
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“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit... Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15: 2–6)
“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66).
“The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41–42).
“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (I Corinthians 9:27).
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame“ (Hebrews 6:4–6).
“For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble” (II Peter 1:8&ndash10).
“You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
“For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is
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worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But is has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire’ ” (II Peter 2:20–22).
“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16).
WHEN SHOULD I BE SAVED FROM MY SINS?
“For He says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2).
“Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’ ” (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6–7).
WHY NOT WAIT FOR ANOTHER DAY?
“whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).
“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4).
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44).
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“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (II Peter 3:10–11).
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37).
“Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go near and overtake this chariot.’ So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before the shearer is silent, So He Opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.’ So the eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘I ask you, of whom does the profit say this, of himself or some other man?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning as this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’ Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him” (Acts 29-38).
“And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).
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