Questions and Answers
In our Q&A on 1 Timothy 6:10, we stated the following: “Because of the refusal to follow God whole-heartedly, Mary said about rich people that God ‘filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty’ (Luke 1:53). Christ spoke this timeless warning: ‘But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation’ (Luke 6:24). “James adds that the rich man ‘also will fade away in his pursuits’ (James 1:11), continuing, ‘Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasures in the last days’ (James 5:1-3). “Notice! James’ warning is for our time–the ‘last days.’ When our worldwide economic troubles increase… all our wealth, riches and money will be useless and without value. None of them will help us–people will throw their gold as well as their silver into the streets, treating it as refuse, because it will be totally worthless (Isaiah 2:7, 20-21; Ezekiel 7:19)…” In this context, let us note Proverbs 11:4:… Please notice the biblical principle of giving liberally in Proverbs 11:24-25: “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.” Compare Proverbs 21:26. The principle of giving liberally is also strongly emphasized in God’s commandment to tithe to Him. The Bible leaves no doubt that the lack of tithing leads to curses, while diligently tithing to God leads to His blessing. We read in Proverbs 3:9-10: “Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.” Malachi 3:8-11 adds: “‘Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, “In what way have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of… To answer this question, let us first explain how the “prosperity gospel” is commonly described. Taking the following from the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, we read the following (emphasis added): “Prosperity theology (sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel, the health and wealth gospel, the gospel of success or seed faith) is a religious belief among some Christians, who hold that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them… “Prosperity theology teaches that Christians are entitled to well-being… Christians have been given power over creation… The Bible is seen as a faith contract between God and believers; God is understood to be faithful and just, so believers must fulfill their end of the contract to receive God’s promises. This leads to a belief in positive confession, the doctrine that believers may claim whatever they desire from God, simply by speaking it… if Christians take dominion over aspects of society, the Earth will experience ‘peace and prosperity’…” Much more could be said and has been said about the “prosperity gospel,” but instead of dealing with labels, let us see what the Bible says about wealth, riches, prosperity, the desire to become rich, the pitfalls of wealth, contentment and poverty. In doing so,… Hosea 5:7 reads, “They have dealt treacherously with the LORD, For they have begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage.” In order to understand the context, we need to consider several passages within the entire fifth chapter of the book of Hosea. Verse 1 speaks to the priests, the house of Israel and the house of the king. Verse 3 says that God knows Ephraim and that Israel is not hidden from Him. Verse 5 says that Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their iniquity, and that Judah will stumble with them. Verse 8 says that the ram’s horn and the trumpet are to be blown, obviously referring to impending war, and verse 9 continues that Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke. Verse 10 speaks of God’s wrath; and verse 13 says that Ephraim won’t succeed in trying to find help from King Jareb of Assyria. Finally, verse 15 announces that ultimately Ephraim and Judah will earnestly seek God when they are being afflicted, indicating repentance. The context of the entire chapter describes end-time events and addresses the modern descendants of the ancient houses of Israel and Judah. The reference to Ephraim is to… It is interesting to note that, particularly in the last two decades, “independent” Feast of Tabernacles sites have been established. We read in Deuteronomy 16:13-16: “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice. Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.” God is very clear when He instructs His people to keep the annual Feasts “in the place which He chooses.” How does He do that? The question… Ordination, as a practice, is clearly set forth in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Aaron and his sons were chosen by God to serve as priests (Exodus 28:1), and they were specifically ordained for this responsibility: “Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him” (Leviticus 8:30). Quoting from the NASB: “‘The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, that in them they may be anointed and ordained’” (Exodus 29:29). The priestly responsibility was to serve as God’s representative to the Israelites. Note Malachi 2, verse 7: “‘For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.’” The Book of Hebrews speaks of the duties of the High Priest and shows that God commissions this office: “For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts… Let us review a few more of the many Scriptures that disprove the concept of “once saved, always saved”; that confirm that our sins which we might commit in the future are not automatically forgiven in advance when we “accept” Jesus Christ; that teach that repentance is vital and necessary; and that answer such ridiculous assertions about not having to keep asking for forgiveness or repenting in order to have our sins forgiven. 2 Chronicles 7:14: “… if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Luke 13:2-3: “And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.’” Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;… In the first part of this three-part series, we discussed five Scriptures which have been used to “prove” the “once saved, always saved”-concept, and showed that these passages do not support this wrong assumption. The proponent who quoted those five passages went on to cite additional Scriptures which allegedly support his view point, stating the following: “For further reading see also Hebrews 5:9, 10:14, 1 Peter 1:3-5, 1 John 5:11-13. The scriptural motivation for Christian service should not be fear of losing one’s salvation but rather love to Christ. How tragic that some attend church and read their Bibles driven by the fear that if they do not fulfil these duties they will be cast out. May the Lord graciously reveal the truth of eternal security and the believer’s new position in Christ, that bond-service to Him may become the most blessed freedom of all.” Let us also address the Scriptures quoted above. “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him…” It is somewhat surprising that this verse is used to try and prove the “once saved, always saved” belief. It clearly states that obedience is necessary, not someone who makes a pronouncement that he… This is clearly not our understanding. The erroneous concept that we do not have to repent of any sins that we may commit after conversion is part of the “once saved, always saved” (or eternal security) doctrine espoused by some, in mainstream Christianity. One such proponent gave the following five Scriptures and explanations and said that “they prove the glorious truth of scripture—‘once in Christ, in Christ forever.’” Let us review these: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” The proponents of eternal security say that “this passage is a one-way street and carries no threat of reversal.” However, many other Scriptures state otherwise. Nothing can stop us from attaining this, except we ourselves! This verse talks about the time when someone puts his trust in God and makes the decision to follow and obey Him and if he remains faithful to his calling for the rest of his life, he will make it, with the help of God, into the Kingdom of God. There is the understanding by some that believers do not have to… The question relates to two passages in the book of Genesis. When Joseph met his brothers in Egypt who had sold him into slavery, he did not make himself known and tried them instead to see whether they were willing to leave one of their brothers, Benjamin, behind in jail, while enjoying their own freedom and escape from the Egyptian court. Joseph ordered that money and his special cup be placed in the sacks of his brothers upon their departure, but then to pursue them. In this very context, we read in Genesis 44:4-6: “When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his servant, ‘Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.” The Authorized Version (AV) reads: “Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth?” Also, in Genesis 44:15, we read that Joseph told his brothers, after the cup…Do you believe in the Prosperity Gospel? (Part 3)
Do you believe in the Prosperity Gospel? (Part 2)
Do you believe in the Prosperity Gospel? (Part 1)
Would you please explain Hosea 5:7. Whom will the “new moon” devour? Does this mean that modern Israel and Judah will be destroyed together within a month consisting of 30 days?
Who makes the decisions regarding Feast of Tabernacles sites?
What is the basis or reason for ordination?
Is it your understanding that all sins, past, present and future, are forgiven upon conversion and that we don’t have to repent of any sins that we may commit after conversion? (Part 3)
Is it your understanding that all sins, past, present and future, are forgiven upon conversion and that we don’t have to repent of any sins that we may commit after conversion? (Part 2)
Is it your understanding that all sins, past, present and future, are forgiven upon conversion and that we don’t have to repent of any sins that we may commit after conversion? (Part 1)
Did Joseph practice divination?
