The following articles are studies on various Scriptural topics based on questions that I have received from people.
If you have any questions about God, the Bible, etc., please feel free to send them to me at
dave@Layhands.com,
and I will reply by e-mail. As time permits and as the Lord leads me, I might turn my reply into an article and then add it to this "Questions and Answers" section, but your personal information will never be posted here or shared with anyone.
-
Is Jesus Really God?
Demonstrates from Scripture that Jesus truly is God.
Last updated on 08/18/2005
-
Was Jesus Just A Great Teacher?
Jesus did not leave us the option of believing that He was simply a moral man and a great teacher. Jesus claimed divine authority for Himself, which means that He was either lying, or else He was insane, or else He was actually God. The "liar" option and the "insane" option don't stand up to scrutiny, so the only other choice is that He was (and is) God, just as He claimed to be.
Last updated on 05/27/2001
-
Why Isn't God Delivering Me from My Suffering? Why Isn't God Answering My Prayers?
Sometimes we have to go through a "wilderness season" as God prepares us for the new thing that He has in mind for us. Consider that we can't build strong muscles by lifting feathers, and in a similar way we can't become strong warriors for Christ by only going through easy times. This article provides some suggestions of what to do while you are in "the wilderness."
Last updated on 07/19/2003
-
Do Christians Believe in Three Gods?
Demonstrates that the Father is God, and that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person (not an impersonal force) and that the Holy Spirit is God. Combining this information with my article called "Is Jesus Really God?" (above), we can see that the Bible says that there is
one
God who exists in
three
divine Persons. So even though the Bible never uses the term "Trinity," the concept of the Trinity is clearly taught in Scripture.
Last updated on 05/27/2001
-
Is the Bible Trustworthy?
Skeptics like to claim that the Bible is full of inaccuracies and contradictions, but this article explains why the skeptics' arguments don't work.
Last updated on 06/15/2002
-
Will Sinners Burn in Hell Forever?
Some people believe that sinners will burn in hell for a certain amount of time and then they will be totally annihilated. Others believe that after burning in hell for a period of time, all sinners will ultimately become saved. However, there appears to be overwhelming Scriptural evidence that sinners will be in conscious torment and agony for all eternity, with no hope of escape.
Last updated on 04/09/2005
-
Do You Interpret Creation Literally?
God is much too specific in the Bible about the six days of Creation, and the creation of Adam and Eve, for us to misinterpret these things as evolution. God knows much more than human scientists do, and we can trust what He wrote in His Book!
Last updated on 07/16/2002
-
Who Wrote the New Testament?
The books in our modern New Testaments (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, etc.) are not presented in the order in which they were originally written. The approximate dates when all of the books of the New Testament are believed to have been written, as well as approximate dates for the birth of Jesus, the death of Jesus, the birth of the Church at Pentecost, the deaths of some of the apostles, the compiling and canonizing of Scripture, and the addition of chapter numbers and verse numbers, are described here.
Last updated on 04/02/2006
-
Can Christians Drink Alcohol?
When we really dig into the Greek words for "wine," "fruit of the vine," etc., the evidence strongly indicates that Jesus and the apostles never drank alcoholic wine, nor did they ever approve of alcohol in any form. This would mean that Christians have no Scriptural support for drinking any alcohol, even in moderation.
Last updated on 06/06/2004
-
Are Gentile Christians All "Spiritual Jews"?
The New Testament makes many distinctions between Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles, and it makes many distinctions between Israel and the Church. The weight of Scriptural evidence shows that the Church has not "replaced" Israel, and the Church has not "taken over" the promises from Israel, and Gentile Christians are not "spiritual Jews."
Last updated on 11/20/2007
-
Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?
I believe that as long as we have faith in Jesus as our Savior then we have "eternal security," but this does not necessarily mean that the doctrine of "eternal security" is completely accurate.
Last updated on 09/01/2005
-
Is the NIV Bloodless and Corrupt?
Neither the KJV nor the NIV is perfect (nor is any other version of the Bible that is available to us), but the weight of evidence shows that the KJV and the NIV and certain other versions are worthy to be used in Bible study, teaching, preaching, devotions, and so on.
Last updated on 05/27/2003
-
If a Baby Dies, Does It Automatically Go to Heaven?
Scripture seems to support the idea that if a child dies before reaching an "age of accountability," that child will go to heaven.
Last updated on 12/07/2005
-
Can Women Teach and Be Pastors, etc.?
Examines most of the difficult passages in the New Testament concerning women.
Last updated on 11/04/2005
-
What Is the "Baptism of Fire"?
Discusses the various interpretations that people believe concerning the "baptism of fire."
Last updated on 08/21/2003
-
Should We Anoint with Oil?
Examines all of the New Testament passages on anointing with oil.
Added on 07/11/2002
-
How Did Jesus "Become Sin"?
Whether we totally understand it or not, we can be confident that the punishment that Jesus received perfectly satisfied the Father's righteous requirement.
Last updated on 08/11/2006
-
Are Instruments Allowed in Church?
Discusses the Scriptural evidence which indicates that the New Testament does not forbid using musical instruments in church.
Last updated on 11/26/2003
-
Is It Scriptural to Be "Slain in the Spirit"?
When the awesome power of God touches a person in a special way, it can easily cause a physical reaction in the frail human body and the frail human nervous system. People's hands or bodies might shake, their knees might get weak or wobbly, they might fall to the ground, and so on. Those who have never experienced the Holy Spirit in such a tangible way might think that a person is faking this or is demonized or something, which can sometimes be the case. However, the power of God is real, and God sometimes "touches" people in special ways.
Last updated on 11/11/2003
-
Is Contemporary Christian Music Demonic?
After praying about this issue, and after studying the arguments that people have made, my personal feeling is that there is nothing demonic about contemporary Christian music in general.
Last updated on 04/02/2006
-
Is Premarital Sex A Sin?
Discusses the Scriptural evidence which shows that premarital sex is a sin, talks about God's forgiveness, and provides links to several books by Joshua Harris and Christian recording artist Rebecca St. James which provide some great insights on how to have a Godly relationship before marriage and how to discern if a person is the mate that God intends for you to have.
Last updated on 11/02/2005
-
Is Masturbation A Sin?
I always assumed that masturbation is probably a sin. But when I studied what the Bible says, to my surprise I found major problems in all of the Christian arguments that are made against masturbation, and I can find no solid Scriptural evidence that masturbation is a sin.
Last updated on 04/01/2006
-
Is Homosexuality A Sin?
If the Bible said that a homosexual marriage is just as proper as a heterosexual marriage then I would be all for it. I would have no reason and no desire to dispute homosexual marriages if the greatest weight of Scriptural evidence supported any type of same-sex unions, but I just don't see that support in the Bible. We should be very careful to study the Bible with a sincere and humble desire to find out
God's
views, and I invite you to prayerfully evaluate the evidence.
Last updated on 06/07/2004
-
Is There Life on Other Planets?
The Bible does not say anything about life on any planets other than earth, and there are a number of Scriptural reasons for believing that there is no life anywhere else in the universe.
Added on 04/04/2002
-
Is Interracial Dating/Marriage A Sin?
Personally, I don't see anything in the Bible against interracial marriage.
Added on 07/08/2002
-
What Is Calvinism?
Calvinism is based on the teachings of John Calvin, who was born in 1509. There are five main doctrines in modern-day Calvinism, which are often described using the acronym TULIP: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Persistence of the Saints. At the opposite end of the spectrum from Calvinism is Arminianism, which is based on the teachings of Jacobus Arminius, who was born in 1560. My feeling is that both Calvinism and Arminianism are flawed doctrines.
Last updated on 02/20/2005
-
How Do You Study the Bible?
Offers some thoughts, ideas, and suggestions to help you in your study of the Bible by describing some things that I have found helpful in my own Bible studies.
Last updated on 12/16/2005
-
Did Jesus Go to Hell after He Died?
Examines various terms such as "Hades," "Sheol," "Tartarus," "Gehenna," "The Lake of Fire," etc., in order to better understand what (and where) "Hell" is. This helps us determine whether or not Jesus went to "Hell," and what He might have done there.
Last updated on 09/28/2007
-
Is Modern Israel a Fulfillment of End-Times Bible Prophecy?
This article looks at the "land promise" which God made to Abraham, and it shows that the land promise has never been fulfilled. This article also shows that there are
two
worldwide regatherings of Israel which were prophesied in Scripture, and the first regathering will be while the Jews are in an unrepentant state. This prophesied regathering is currently underway, and the modern country of Israel is a fulfillment of end-times Bible prophecy.
Last updated on 02/27/2002
-
Do You Believe the "Gap Theory"?
According to the Gap Theory, Genesis 1:1 describes the creation of the heavens and the earth, but then there is a "gap" of millions or billions of years between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. I believe that the arguments against the Gap Theory far outweigh the arguments that are used to support it.
Added on 02/26/2003
-
Is Reincarnation Real?
People who believe in reincarnation sometimes use various Scripture passages to support their view, so this article examines a number of passages that they use, and then it examines a number of passages which disprove reincarnation.
Added on 10/04/2003
|
