FAQ For Non-Christians

[nChrist]

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

I would sincerely appreciate your help in making this thread a place where frequently asked questions by non-Christians are answered.

I started it out with a post about how to be saved. Please feel free to jump right in with the same topic and others. I know that we each have a unique way of communicating, and the same would be true of those who will read here about what they understand and what touches their hearts. I simply think that the key is speaking from the heart.

I can think of dozens of questions that have been asked in the past, and many of you answered those questions in a very loving way. Please feel free to cut and paste what you have already done.

I'll try to make a later post with a listing of questions. In the meantime, I would sincerely appreciate your help.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[nChrist]

SALVATION - HOW TO BE SAVED - "BORN AGAIN" - Part One


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FIRST:

Your life in this mortal body will be short, but your soul will live for eternity either in heaven or hell. Those who have received Salvation and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour will live forever with Jesus in Heaven. Those who reject Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Hell. Almighty God, the Creator of all, is real and He Lives. Almighty God is three Holy Deities in ONE GOD: God, the Father; God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God, containing the only true account of all creation, both past and future. God does love you, regardless of how many bad things you have done in your life. Because of his Love for you, God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to be crucified and die on a cross for your sins. Jesus Christ lived on this earth in the form of a man, but He was very God. Jesus Christ was righteous and without sin, yet he was convicted and sentenced to death. Jesus died and was buried, but he arose on the third day. Some might question whether this event happened, but the world's time is set by this event recorded in history: (B.C.) Before Christ; (A.D.) After Death. Jesus Christ ascended back to Heaven and HE LIVES, very God. God wants you to accept Him, return His love, and become one of His children. God wants to adopt you and give you an inheritance, but you must believe to accept this Gift. This Gift is given by God's Grace and love for you. The Gift is free, and you did nothing to deserve it or earn it.
____________________

HOW CAN I BE SAVED AND RECEIVE SALVATION?

If you are unsaved, please read this carefully. Do you many times feel alone in this world and helpless because of the evil you see and experience? Do you feel bad when you do wrong and wonder if there must be something other than this world to enjoy? Do you feel empty and unhappy about yourself and what the future may bring? Answering these and other questions may give you the reasons why you should accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. Would you like to experience and enjoy peace, joy, and love this world can't offer? It isn't hard to become a believer and Saved: you can receive Salvation right now, this minute.

I AM A SINNER: You must understand that you are a sinner. Sin is wrong, as commanded by Almighty God in his Word, the Holy Bible. All men sin and do wrong in the sight of Almighty God. Regardless of how large or small your sins are, you can be forgiven and accepted as a Child of God. (See Scripture Notes 1 below)

I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST DIED ON THE CROSS FOR MY SINS AND AROSE FROM THE DEAD AS MY LORD AND SAVIOUR: Almighty God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you, in payment for your sins. The Blood of Jesus Christ will wash away your sins as if they had never happened. Jesus Christ bore suffering and pain on the cross for you, that you can be saved and be forgiven. Jesus Christ arose from the dead and LIVES as the Lord and Saviour to all who will believe and accept him. This is a Gift by God's Grace, a free gift that you didn't earn or deserve. (See Scripture Notes 2 below)

I ASK JESUS CHRIST TO COME INTO MY HEART AS MY PERSONAL SAVIOUR AND FORGIVE MY SINS: You must trust Jesus Christ and ask him to come into your heart as your personal Lord and Saviour. Ask Jesus Christ to be first in your life and forgive your sins. (See Scripture Notes 3 below)

____________________ See Part Two

[nChrist]

SALVATION - HOW TO BE SAVED - "BORN AGAIN" - Part Two

If you are sincere and believe the above three statements with your heart, you will be: saved, born again, baptized with the Holy Spirit, forgiven, indwelt by God, adopted into the family of God, made an heir of God, set apart for God, and much more that you will learn as you grow in Christ.

I hope this doesn't sound difficult. The words and thoughts must be your words and thoughts from your heart. You must believe in your heart and ask Jesus for Salvation from your heart. Your prayer can be very simple, but your prayer must be from your heart.
A simple prayer, maybe something like this: "Lord Jesus, I am a sinner not worthy of your Love. Lord Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for me and I ask you to come into my heart as my Lord and Saviour. Lord Jesus, I ask forgiveness for my sins and ask to follow you as the Lord of my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen."
____________________

SCRIPTURE NOTES 1:

Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;


SCRIPTURE NOTES 2:

John 19:16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.
John 19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
John 19:18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
John 19:19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

1Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

_____________________ See Part Three

[nChrist]

SALVATION - HOW TO BE SAVED - "BORN AGAIN" - Part Three

SCRIPTURE NOTES 3:

John 3:16 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 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.


MY PRAYER:

I pray that God will soften your heart and guide you to accept Jesus Christ as your Personal Saviour RIGHT NOW. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[2nd Timothy]

Great idea BEP!  You should probably sticky this as well so it will always be at the top of the list.

 

Grace and Peace!

[nChrist]

Great idea BEP!  You should probably sticky this as well so it will always be at the top of the list.

 

Grace and Peace!

Oklahoma Howdy to 2nd Timothy,

Thanks brother - great idea. Consider that done.

I was just reflecting on some questions:

Why should I believe the Bible over other books?

Why do you think that Jesus Christ is real?

If there is a loving God, why would he condemn people to hell?

If there is a God, why did he create evil and allow such suffering, pain, and grief for His creation?

If there is a real God, why doesn't He simply make all people saved and good?

If God is real, why does He allow so many bad things to happen to Christians?

If God is real, wouldn't that make Him the author of all wars, disasters, mass starvation, and all of the other suffering of mankind?

Someone told me that God either hates us or loves us before we are ever born, so why should we try to learn about a God who has already made up His mind about us?

What do Christians have that I don't already have? I'm having fun without all the rules, so why bother?

If God is real, why doesn't he make all the preachers get their stories right and say the same thing?
____________________________

I think that some of the above questions and others would be very helpful here.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Evangelist]

If God is real, why doesn't he make all the preachers get their stories right and say the same thing?

 That would be BOOOORRRRRIRING!

[2nd Timothy]

Why should I believe the Bible over other books?

General info on the Bible
The Bible consists of 66 books: 39 in the OT and 27 in the new.  The Bible took about 1600 years to write. It was written in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) by about 40 authors and is internally consistent throughout.

Reliability of the Bible
A. The Bible is 98½ percent textually pure. Through all the copying of the Biblical manuscripts of the entire Bible, only 1½% has any question about it. Nothing in all of the ancient writings of the entire world approaches the accuracy of the biblical documents.
B. The 1½ percent that is in question does not affect doctrine. The areas of interest are called variants and they consist mainly in variations of wording and spelling.
C. The NT has over 5000 supporting Greek manuscripts existing today with another 20,000 manuscripts in other languages. Some of the manuscript evidence dates to within 100 years of the original writing. There is less than a 1% textual variation in the NT manuscripts.
D.  Some of the supporting manuscripts of the NT are:
i John Rylands MS written around 130 A.D., the oldest existing fragment of the gospel of John
ii Bodmer Papyrus II (150-200 A.D.)
iii Chester Beatty Papyri (200 A.D.), contains major portions of the NT
iv  Codex Vaticanus (325-350 A.D.), contains nearly all the Bible.
v Codex Sinaiticus (350 A.D.), contains almost all the NT and over half of the OT

Prophecies of the Bible
Odds of Jesus filling the prophecies:  
i  The odds of Jesus fulfilling 48 of the 61 major prophecies concerning Him are 1 in 10157; that is a one with 157 zeros behind it.  By comparison, the estimated number of electrons in the entire known universe is about 1079; that is a one with 79 zeros behind it.


Virgin Birth Prophecy
i   Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
Note:  the Jews who translated the Septuagint (Greek Translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) translated Isaiah 7:14 as the word virgin, not young maiden.
ii   Matt. 1:18,25, "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary...was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit... But Joseph had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."

Born in Bethlehem
i   Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
ii   Matt. 2:1, "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem."

Preceded by a messenger
i   Isaiah 40:3, "A voice of one calling: 'In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.'"
ii   Matt. 3:1-2, "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'"

Side Pierced
i  Zech. 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one mourns for an only son."
ii   John 19:34, "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water."

Crucifixion
i   Psalm 22:16-18, "a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."
ii   Luke 23:33, "When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals -- one on his right, the other on his left."
iii   John 19:33, "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs."
iv   John 19:23-24, "When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes..they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did."

Scientific Accuracies in the Bible
i   The spherical shape of the earth (Isaiah 40:22).
ii   The earth is suspended in nothing (Job. 26:7).
iii   The stars are innumerable (Gen. 15:5).
iv   The existence of valleys in the seas (2 Sam. 22:16).
v   The existence of springs and fountains in the sea (Gen. 7:11; 8:2; Prov. 8:28).
vi   The existence of water paths (ocean currents) in the seas (Psalm 8:.
vii   The water cycle (Job. 26:8; 36:27-28; 37:16; 38:25-27; Ps. 135:7; Ecc. 1:6-7).
viiiThe fact that all living things reproduce after their own kind (Gen. 1:21; 6:19).
ix   The nature of health, sanitation, and sickness (Gen. 17:9-14; Lev. 12-14).
x   The concept of entropy, that energy is running down (Psalm 102:26).


Grace and Peace!

[nChrist]

AMEN 2ND TIMOTHY!

I was just thinking about the many writers of the Holy Bible and the lengthy period of time to write it. YET, the Bible is completely consistent and flows from cover to cover. Being inspired by GOD is the only way to explain that. The Holy Bible proves itself and is able to stand alone as evidence of the greatest truths in the history of mankind.

On top of everything else, it is the most beautiful literary masterpiece ever written.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[2nd Timothy]

Why do you think that Jesus Christ is real?

Jesus is probably the most documented individual in history.   It is more than evident that man named Jesus walked the earth some 2,000 years ago.  Even our calender is based on his birth and death AD/BC.    His life and death has had more impact on people that any other man who ever lived....even up to today.

There should be no question about whether or not the man called Jesus was real.   He's a historical fact!

Grace and Peace!

[2nd Timothy]

Trying to answer these one by one as I get time. (feel free to jump in anyone and help!    )

If there is a loving God, why would he condemn people to hell?

For starters I think the quote of the day is...

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God does not want any to perish!   But for all men to come to repentance and accept his gift of Life and redemption.

Joh 3:16  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.

So why would a loving God allow some to perish who don't accept Him?   To fully begin to understand these truths, one must understand Gods Holy Character.  It is perfect without compromise!   For example, a mother having told her son not to something or she will have to punish him, and the child disobeys anyway, the mother might compromise her character of justice over her character of love, feeling that the child has learned his lesson.  However, God cannot compromise any attributes of His Character for another, as He is perfect.   His word reveals the attributes of His Character.  I will try to explain these that may be a little hard to understand.  

God is...

Soveriegn -
Simply put, God has a will of His own.  By Himself and with no assistance from anyone, He makes up His decisions and policies and sets up His principles.  In short, He does as He pleases.  Isaiah 43:13 - God has the right to do as He wishes.

Righteous
He is absolute virtue and perfection.  He is the standard of all that is called right.  Psalm 119:137

Just
God is absolutely just. It’s impossible for Him to do anything that’s unfair either to Himself or to any created person. He executes perfect justice in accordance with His attribute of righteousness.  All that is unrighteous must be judged and separated from a relationship with God.  Deuteronomy 32:4

Love
God is perfect, infinite love. It’s given freely and without any consideration to the loveliness or merit of the object. It includes His enemies as well as His friends.  The Apostle John defined true Love when he penned...1 John 4:9-10

Eternal
What does God say about His eternal nature? “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” Revelation 1:8

Omniscient
God possesses all the knowledge there is to have. Nothing takes God by surprise.  Matthew 10:29-30, Isaiah 41:21-23, Proverb 3:5-6, just to name a few.

Omnipotent
God is all-powerful, having more than enough strength to do the sum total of all things. He has omnipotent power over nature, over the course of history and over human life.  Colossians 1:16-17, Job 42:2

Omnipresent
The Creator God is not limited by time and space as we are. Time and space are His creation. He exists in a dimension far above them. He permeates time and space and is personally present everywhere at all times.  Psalm 139:7-10

Immutable
This attribute means that God never changes in His nature, attributes or declarations. When He makes a promise or declares a truth, it will never change or not be fulfilled.  Numbers 23:19,  Psalms 33:11,  Romans 11:29

Veracity
God is absolute truth. Anything in word or deed that doesn’t conform to what He has revealed in His Word is not the truth. To know Him is to know the only true reality. He is the ultimate matrix of all that is reality.  Deuteronomy 32:4, John 17:17,  Psalm 33:4.

Taking all these into account, God simply cannot compromise one attribute of His Character for another.   They must all work in perfection with one another as God himself is perfect.   Having understood all of this....

God made a way for man to be redeemed to Him.  He made the way Himself for us, and that way is not burdensome.

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light

Salvation is yours freely!  Christ did all the work, you just accept it by faith!  If you want a relationship with God, it must be through Christ, the Holy, Pure, Lamb of God!   Without Him there is no way to God, and the end result is total separation from God - Hell.

Grace and Peace!

[nChrist]

2nd Timothy,

Brother, I do want to add one thing:

AMEN!

Love In Christ,
Tom

[2nd Timothy]

If there is a God, why did he create evil and allow such suffering, pain, and grief for His creation?

Webster defines Evil as: Having bad qualities of a moral kind; wicked; corrupt; perverse; wrong; as evil thoughts; evil deeds; evil speaking; an evil generation.

After reviewing the attributes of Gods character in the previous post...

Righteous
He is absolute virtue and perfection.  He is the standard of all that is called right.  Psalm 119:137

Just
God is absolutely just. It’s impossible for Him to do anything that’s unfair either to Himself or to any created person. He executes perfect justice in accordance with His attribute of righteousness.  All that is unrighteous must be judged and separated from a relationship with God.  Deuteronomy 32:4

Evil represents anything and everything that goes against Gods Character.   God allows evil because He created man with free Will.   He had to allow man to be able to choose apart from His own will in order to experience true Love and devotion from man.   When God first created man, everything was Good...God even said so after each creation.   Man having free Will to truely choose whether to serve, trust and Love God chose wrongly.   When God created Lucifer, He created Him GOOD, but yet Lucifer fell due to his own evil thoughts.   Why would God create beings and want them to fall from His grace?   He didn't want us to fall, He wanted us to Choose Him out our true Love and devotion to a perfect Loving, Holy God.  Having said all this, God does use the evil in the world for good.  This is evident in the crucifixion of His Son Jesus.   God allowed slander, lies and the murderous thoughts of man, put His own Son to death on the Cross, for the greater good of us who did evil to Him.   We cannot blame God for evil, because we know He is anything but!  

I hear people sometimes ask, "why do bad things happen to good people?"   Bad things don't happen to good people, because there are no good people by Gods standard.  We are all bad and unworthy that anything good should happen to us.  

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Yet, God bestowed on us His perfect Love and grace by sending His Son Christ, to die for us, while we were yet sinners.

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Joh 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16  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.
Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

You see, man has already condemned himself by choosing his own way apart from God - EVIL.   God went out of his way to provide a way back for evil men, by taking the sins of the world and putting them to death with His Son on the cross.   Now everyone who puts their trust and faith in this, has life through what He did for us on the cross.   We are saved by  grace through faith!

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Wont you accept Gods free gift today?   God is not evil, we are, but He still loved us enough to pay our sin debt for us so that we might be free from the bondage of Sin and Evil!

Think about it, wont you?

Grace and Peace!

[2nd Timothy]

OK, still working on these questions  

If there is a real God, why doesn't He simply make all people saved and good?

I think the easiest way to answer this is, because God does not want a bunch of robots running around programmed to serve Him.   He wants your genuine faith, trust, and Love in Him.   And BTW, it is His will that we ALL come to him and repent.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But God wont force that on you.  Its a choice you must make on your own when the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart.   Turn away from your sin, and bring it all to Him.   He will take care of the rest.

Grace and Peace!

[nChrist]

2nd Timothy,

Amen Brother!!  Choice is, indeed, man's problem. God could breathe immediate and total obedience of all mankind, but HE did give man a choice to make between good and evil.

Choice also effects Christians and those who watch Christians. Christians can choose to try and live a life that is a good testimony for Christ, OR they may choose to do many things that are a bad testimony before men. Then there is the reality that regardless of how hard a Christian tries, they will still stumble from time to time and hurt God with what they do or what they say.

We must not forget that some people claim to be Christians, and they don't know Jesus. As an example, some people choose to go to church for business reasons or other reasons that don't relate to the worship of God. Some people claiming to be Christians wallow in sin and darkness except for one hour on Sunday morning. These people are tools of the devil, confusing the lost with what they do and what they say, all while claiming to be a Christian.

I always think of the ultimate truth when I think about men: I give thanks that we don't place our trust and faith in men, rather our perfect and Holy Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Men always fail and disappoint, regardless of how hard they might try. Jesus Christ never fails, always keeps HIS promises, and is a perfect role model. The lost many times get very confused when they look at and think about men who claim to be Christians. It would not be fair to leave out many pastors who do not live a good testimony for Christ. PLEASE - I'm not suggesting that Christians have any possibility of being perfect, but I am suggesting that Christians should struggle and fight to do and say things that would be pleasing to God. Our sins hurt God and the lost who see our sins.

I hope that nobody confuses the purpose of this post. There are hosts of very sweet Christian people who struggle every day to live a life that would be pleasing to God and a good testimony before men. There are also hosts of good pastors, teachers, and evangelists who dedicate their entire lives to the service of God. However, they all have something in common: they are human and make mistakes that God is not pleased with. Our LORD doesn't make mistakes, and HE never stumbles. That's why we preach and teach trust and faith in Jesus Christ, not us. That's also why most Christians pray every day for guidance and strength to live a pleasing testimony to Jesus.

We are weak, but Jesus is strong. We sin and stumble regardless of how hard we try, but Jesus is spotless, without sin, and Holy. We are not righteous, but our Lord and Saviour IS. We are not even close to being perfect, but our Lord and Saviour is absolute perfection. In short, we have nothing to brag about EXCEPT JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour.

The love of Jesus for us is perfect. If you are lost and reading this, Jesus loves you completely and perfectly, regardless of what you have done in the past. When you accept Jesus Christ as the LORD over your life, you become a new man, and your sins are forgiven. This is why many Christians speak of being saved as "born again."

Love In Christ,
Tom