Biblical Answers to Tough Questions

[Jay]

My first question is what does God want from me?

I know that God loves us all deeply and personally and that he is concerned about our destiny and wants us to spend Eternity with him in heaven. And that the only way we can do that is by believing in his son Jesus.

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” John 6:28–29.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— not because of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8–9

So my answer would be the God wants us to believe in his son as savior and not rely upon ourselves to be made right with God.

Does that mean that we cannot work our way into heaven by doing good works? I would say the word of God makes it perfectly clear in
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God made salvation possible, He gives it to us when we believe in what Jesus has accomplished on the cross.

The next thing that comes to mind are what are the two greatest commandments?

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:36–40

How do we grow in our love for the lord? I believe this one is extremely important.

15 Tips for Falling More in Love with Jesus - Jesus Film Project

In the second chapter of Revelation, Jesus addresses the church of Ephesus. He congratulates them for their discernment with leaders and the way they've

www.jesusfilm.org

Last but not least, what does God require us to do?

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8.

 

[Rockson]

My first question is what does God want from me?

I know that God loves us all deeply and personally and that he is concerned about our destiny and wants us to spend Eternity with him in heaven. And that the only way we can do that is by believing in his son Jesus.

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” John 6:28–29.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— not because of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8–9

So my answer would be the God wants us to believe in his son as savior and not rely upon ourselves to be made right with God.

Does that mean that we cannot work our way into heaven by doing good works? I would say the word of God makes it perfectly clear in
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God made salvation possible, He gives it to us when we believe in what Jesus has accomplished on the cross.

The next thing that comes to mind are what are the two greatest commandments?

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:36–40

How do we grow in our love for the lord? I believe this one is extremely important.

15 Tips for Falling More in Love with Jesus - Jesus Film Project

In the second chapter of Revelation, Jesus addresses the church of Ephesus. He congratulates them for their discernment with leaders and the way they've

www.jesusfilm.org

Last but not least, what does God require us to do?

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8.

Hi Joy. Nice to see a new member!

I think there's various way of answering this.

One answer I think is learn what it means to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Gal 5:16 There are many things to know when it comes to being a disciple of Christ but always keep in mind your righteousness before him is based on his precious blood of Jesus and what he accomplished on the cross. Does God want us to pray? More even then we do?

Perhaps. Fasting and a great many other things too? Sure. But your justified position being just as if you'd never sinned is based upon the shed blood of Jesus which blots out our sins. It's just so many try to get God to feel better about them by doing a great deal of things.....but his righteousness is upon you because of the BLOOD of Christ . In other words he loves you at home base before you do anything. (if you can understand a baseball analogy) Now to go to 1, 2nd and 3rd base and coming home he's pleased with....but remember he loves you and accepts you before you ever achieve anything.

 

[Jay]

Question Number 2

What happens to those who have never heard about Jesus?​

What is the fate of those who die never hearing the gospel? Do Hindus, Jews, agnostics and others who do not profess faith in Christ really suffer damnation after death?

“According to the inclusivist view, the Father reaches out to the unevangelized through both the Son and the Spirit via general revelation, conscience and human culture. God does not leave himself without witness to any people. Salvation for the unevangelized is made possible only by the redemptive work of Jesus, but God applies that work even to those who are ignorant of the atonement. God does this if people respond in trusting faith to the revelation they have. In other words, unevangelized persons may be saved on the basis of Christ’s work if they respond in faith to the God who created them.”

“What is significant for determining one’s position on the unevangelized is one’s particular view of the nature of God (especially the relationship between divine law and justice), the nature of the church, the significance of physical death, the value of God’s revelation in creation, the nature of saving faith, the means of grace, and what method is best for doing theology. The stands we take on these issues decisively affect the answer we give to the question of the destiny of the unevangelized.” (Page 17)

“The other biblical teaching that is extremely important to the subject of the unevangelized concerns God’s magnanimous desire to save every human being. Jesus died for the sins of all people (Rom 5:18; 2 Cor 5:15; 1 Jn 2:2). Moreover, God wants the salvation Jesus provides to be made available to all people. It is God’s will for everyone to share in this great blessing (Jn 12:32; 1 Tim 2:4). God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9).”

From:
What about Those Who Have Never Heard?: Three Views on the Destiny of the Unevangelized
Authors: John Sanders, Gabriel J. Fackre, Ronald H. Nash

 

[Azriel]

Question Number 2

What happens to those who have never heard about Jesus?​

What is the fate of those who die never hearing the gospel? Do Hindus, Jews, agnostics and others who do not profess faith in Christ really suffer damnation after death?

“According to the inclusivist view, the Father reaches out to the unevangelized through both the Son and the Spirit via general revelation, conscience and human culture. God does not leave himself without witness to any people. Salvation for the unevangelized is made possible only by the redemptive work of Jesus, but God applies that work even to those who are ignorant of the atonement. God does this if people respond in trusting faith to the revelation they have. In other words, unevangelized persons may be saved on the basis of Christ’s work if they respond in faith to the God who created them.”

“What is significant for determining one’s position on the unevangelized is one’s particular view of the nature of God (especially the relationship between divine law and justice), the nature of the church, the significance of physical death, the value of God’s revelation in creation, the nature of saving faith, the means of grace, and what method is best for doing theology. The stands we take on these issues decisively affect the answer we give to the question of the destiny of the unevangelized.” (Page 17)

“The other biblical teaching that is extremely important to the subject of the unevangelized concerns God’s magnanimous desire to save every human being. Jesus died for the sins of all people (Rom 5:18; 2 Cor 5:15; 1 Jn 2:2). Moreover, God wants the salvation Jesus provides to be made available to all people. It is God’s will for everyone to share in this great blessing (Jn 12:32; 1 Tim 2:4). God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9).”

From:
What about Those Who Have Never Heard?: Three Views on the Destiny of the Unevangelized
Authors: John Sanders, Gabriel J. Fackre, Ronald H. Nash

Face it. The day we step into eternity may come sooner than we think. In preparation for that moment, we need to know this truth—not everyone is going to heaven. How can we know for sure that we are going to heaven?

Peter made a profound statement that resonates even in our postmodern world: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” Acts 4:12.

Who will actually enter God’s kingdom? How can I guarantee that I’m going to heaven? The Bible makes a clear distinction between those who have eternal life and those who do not: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life”

 

[Jay]

Face it. The day we step into eternity may come sooner than we think. In preparation for that moment, we need to know this truth—not everyone is going to heaven. How can we know for sure that we are going to heaven?

Peter made a profound statement that resonates even in our postmodern world: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” Acts 4:12.

Who will actually enter God’s kingdom? How can I guarantee that I’m going to heaven? The Bible makes a clear distinction between those who have eternal life and those who do not: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life”

Yes that is absolutely right. I like to signature you have "God is my help" Amen to that. I'm going to have to look into getting one.
I know what I'll do. I'll go look at the refrigerator as my wife has magnetic scripture verses plastered all over it.

 

[Jay]

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

That was easy, and it even shows up on my old post.

 

[Soyeong]

My first question is what does God want from me?

I know that God loves us all deeply and personally and that he is concerned about our destiny and wants us to spend Eternity with him in heaven. And that the only way we can do that is by believing in his son Jesus.

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” John 6:28–29.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— not because of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8–9

So my answer would be the God wants us to believe in his son as savior and not rely upon ourselves to be made right with God.

Does that mean that we cannot work our way into heaven by doing good works? I would say the word of God makes it perfectly clear in
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God made salvation possible, He gives it to us when we believe in what Jesus has accomplished on the cross.

The next thing that comes to mind are what are the two greatest commandments?

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:36–40

How do we grow in our love for the lord? I believe this one is extremely important.

15 Tips for Falling More in Love with Jesus - Jesus Film Project

In the second chapter of Revelation, Jesus addresses the church of Ephesus. He congratulates them for their discernment with leaders and the way they've

www.jesusfilm.org

Last but not least, what does God require us to do?

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8.

The way to believe in God is by being a doer of His character traits. For example, but being a doer of good works in obedience to God's law, we are not establishing our own goodness, but rather are testifying about God's goodness, which is why our good works bring glory to Him (Matthew 5:16), and by testifying about God's goodness we are also expressing the belief that God is good, or in other words we are believing in Him, and the same is true for God's other character traits. This is the same as the way to believe in the Son because the Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact image of God's character (Hebrews 1:3), which he expressed through setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to God's law, so being a follower of his example is the way to believe in him. This is why the Bible frequently connects our faith/belief in God with our obedience to Him, such as as in Revelation 14:12, those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God's commandments. In Psalms 119:29-30, he wanted to put false ways far from him, for God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law, and he chose the way of faith by setting it before him, so this has always been the one and only way of salvation by grace through faith.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said that only those who do the will of the Father will enter the Kingdom of Heaven in contrast with saying that he would tell those who are workers of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, so while we are required to be workers of lawfulness in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, this has nothing to do with earning our way there, but rather it is about knowing God and Jesus by having to experience of being doers of His character traits, which is eternal life (John 17:3). Jesus said that obedience to God's law is the way to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25-28, Matthew 19:17), so this along with the verses that say that the way to have eternal life is believing in the Son means that God's law is His instructions for how to believe in and know the Son by being doers of his character traits. In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be graciously to him by teaching him to walk in His way that He and Israel might know Him, so again the goal of the law is to know God and Jesus, which is eternal life.

 

[Bob Carabbio]

My first question is what does God want from me?

To take HIS YOKE upon you, and learn of HIM. (Mat 11:29)

Are you reading the Bible to become familiar with what's in it?? Are you speaking with God in prayer?? Do you lack wisdom - He'll give it to you abundantly when you ask single-mindedly for it. (james 1:5)

 

[Jay]

To take HIS YOKE upon you, and learn of HIM. (Mat 11:29)

Are you reading the Bible to become familiar with what's in it?? Are you speaking with God in prayer?? Do you lack wisdom - He'll give it to you abundantly when you ask single-mindedly for it. (james 1:5)

Thanks for your reply Bob.

Answer to your first question is basically yes as I want to learn from what God has put in his word for us. The second one is something that I really do and I'm not just saying this that myself on the path. Good morning was praying without ceasing believers. And I believe prayer changes things.

Today before I did my devotions I took my dogs for a walk. I prayed to God To keep us safe out there. As we have a lot of coyotes around here. The youngest one that I've had less than a year managed to get Loose. He took off like a bolt of lightning but when I called him he returned. I definitely thanked God For hearing my prayer.

As far as wisdom goes, I think we all need wisdom knowledge and understanding. We need all three. I believe he teaches me things everyday. The renewing of your mind.

 

[Obadiah]

Genesis 1:26–28 answers many of life’s ultimate questions.
Here are a few. How did I get here? Who am I? What am I? What am I supposed to do?

There may be more to the answers than what is in these verses, but not less. Most importantly, this text tells us what we need to know fundamentally about ourselves and our relationship with God.

It can be narrowed down to one word found in verse 27: “created.” That may not seem like a groundbreaking observation, but we have a long track record of forgetting, denying, and militating against this most basic thing about our being.

Consider this: our collective habit of forgetting or ignoring this basic truth lies at the root of every problem from Adam on down. It is no exaggeration to say that every sin begins with a refusal to accept this truth about ourselves. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are creatures and not the Creator. Contrary to what we so often seem to want to believe, we are not independent, autonomous beings. We are creatures, created in the image of God. In other words, our life is, from the beginning, not strictly our own.

26 God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.

There may be more to the answers than what is in these verses, but not less. Most importantly, this text tells us what we need to know fundamentally about ourselves and our relationship with God.

It can be narrowed down to one word found in verse 27: “created.” That may not seem like a groundbreaking observation, but we have a long track record of forgetting, denying, and militating against this most basic thing about our being.

Consider this: our collective habit of forgetting or ignoring this basic truth lies at the root of every problem from Adam on down. It is no exaggeration to say that every sin begins with a refusal to accept this truth about ourselves. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are creatures and not the Creator. Contrary to what we so often seem to want to believe, we are not independent, autonomous beings. We are creatures, created in the image of God. In other words, our life is, from the beginning, not strictly our own.

 

[Bob Carabbio]

Thanks for your reply Bob.

Answer to your first question is basically yes as I want to learn from what God has put in his word for us. The second one is something that I really do and I'm not just saying this that myself on the path. Good morning was praying without ceasing believers. And I believe prayer changes things.

Today before I did my devotions I took my dogs for a walk. I prayed to God To keep us safe out there. As we have a lot of coyotes around here. The youngest one that I've had less than a year managed to get Loose. He took off like a bolt of lightning but when I called him he returned. I definitely thanked God For hearing my prayer.

As far as wisdom goes, I think we all need wisdom knowledge and understanding. We need all three. I believe he teaches me things everyday. The renewing of your mind.

And when you start to see God's hand in a few things, pretty soon you'll see His hand in everything. I'm not in real good shape physically at 82, and when I find an electric shopping cart left right in front of the handicapped space I park in, I know that it's not a "coincidence". We've had a machine down at work for a while, and when they came to me for help, I had no idea what was happening, but when I looked at the schematic,, I saw the device that was causing the problem. 16 tears ago, I might have figured it out myself, but God factors in my age, and makes me look good anyway. As far as I know, I'm right where I'm supposed to be in HIS WILL, and have been for decades. The Hol;y Spirit inside all born again Christians will ensure that.

 

[Obadiah]

And when you start to see God's hand in a few things, pretty soon you'll see His hand in everything. I'm not in real good shape physically at 82, and when I find an electric shopping cart left right in front of the handicapped space I park in, I know that it's not a "coincidence". We've had a machine down at work for a while, and when they came to me for help, I had no idea what was happening, but when I looked at the schematic,, I saw the device that was causing the problem. 16 tears ago, I might have figured it out myself, but God factors in my age, and makes me look good anyway. As far as I know, I'm right where I'm supposed to be in HIS WILL, and have been for decades. The Hol;y Spirit inside all born again Christians will ensure that.

I know exactly what you're talking about. The Holy Spirit will guide you and direct you when you ask him. It's kind of like that verse about praying without ceasing.