Questions and Answers
Even though we might sometimes be tempted to become surety for another person, especially a Church member, a close friend or a relative, the Bible contains strong warnings against such conduct. Proverbs 6:1-5 reads: “My son, if you become surety [margin: guarantee or collateral] for your friend, If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, You are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth. So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend. Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, And like a bird from the hand of a fowler [margin: one who catches birds in a trap or snare].” The Bible warns against becoming surety for both a “friend” and a “stranger.” According to the Ryrie Study Bible, the word for “stranger” is a neutral term and simply designates the borrower. The Soncino Commentary explains that the word “stranger” refers to another person, and that it is identical with neighbor. This means, then, that Proverbs 6:1-5 cautions us against becoming… We addressed this issue, to an extent, in the Editorial, “An Independent Mind,” in Update 208. In the Editorial, we quoted some of Mr. Armstrong’s statements about “independents,” as follows: “This is what Mr. Armstrong thought about independents: ‘What about a single member, “a joint, or part,” going off by itself–or following a man instead of the Church of God that is in direct continuous succession from the apostolic Church founded by Christ, in A.D.31? He is like a joint or a piece of wood or stone, entirely outside of, and therefore no part of the body of Christ that shall marry Christ’ (The Incredible Human Potential, ed.1978, pp.123, 124-125).” These appear to be powerful statements; yet, there must have been a reason why Mr. Armstrong felt this way. Mr. Armstrong’s statements are Biblically founded, as explained below. An “independent” has in essence taken upon himself the prerogative to reject the government of God which was established by God Himself, and which was revealed by Christ in Ephesians 4:11-13: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping [or perfecting] of the saints for the work of ministry, for… There is indeed much confusion regarding how to pray and to whom one should pray; however, the Bible clearly reveals that the followers of Jesus Christ should direct their prayers, first and foremost, to God the Father. When asked about how to pray by one of His disciples, Jesus was very specific regarding to whom prayer was to be offered: “So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven ‘” (Luke 11:2). In the full context of His instruction about prayer, we find this final comment: “‘If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! ‘” (Luke 11:13). Jesus teaches that we should address our prayer to the Father, and in so doing, He is pointing to the ultimate relationship that God is creating with mankind! In the account in Matthew concerning Jesus ‘ instruction about prayer, we read, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be… It is indeed correct that God promises long life to those who honor their parents. We must understand, however, the correct meaning of this promise. Exodus 20:12 states: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 5:16 adds: “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long [AV: PROLONGED], and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” This commandment is specifically repeated, as binding on the church, in Ephesians 6:1-3: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.'” The Nelson Study Bible comments: “The benefits of respecting one’s parents would be long life and success.” Similarly the New Bible Commentary: Revised: “Long life is promised as an incentive to obedience (cf. Eph. 6:2). Honour to parents is limited by the honour due to God, who is supreme. Both allegiances are perfectly combined in Christ (Matthew 10:37;… We are told, in Genesis 4:1-2, of two sons born to Adam and Eve, i.e., Cain and Abel; and of the respective relationships of these two sons with God. This is a very familiar story to all. But once the story of Abel’s death through the wicked hands of Cain is told in the first fifteen verses of Genesis, chapter 4, we read in Genesis 4:16-17 of Cain moving to the east of Eden and of the conception of his wife. In this short historical account of events, it is not revealed to us how much time elapsed, nor are we told of the time sequence of the events recorded in the verses that follow. We only know that the human race continued to increase over the face of the earth. Genesis 3:20 explains this question in part, quite succinctly: “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” Although we don’t fully comprehend how God guided the increase of humans on the earth, it is apparent that His purpose was to establish the entire human population through Adam and Eve. Eve, herself, was created from the rib of Adam (Compare Genesis 2:22-23). In the… Actually, the Bible is very clear as to the meaning of this word. However, orthodox Christianity, and especially Catholicism, have distorted the meaning and have adopted a concept of a “saint,” which is in total opposition to the Biblical teaching. The “Christian” world thinks that a saint is a very special kind of a Christian; usually one who has died, went to heaven, and who is now interceding before God on our behalf. The “Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine,” by Peter Geiermann, edited 1946, defines a “saint” as “one whose soul is in heaven” (page 111). The “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” edited 1994, states under No. 828: “By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace, the [Catholic] church recognizes the power of the spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models AND INTERCESSORS.” The “Concise Catholic Dictionary”, by Reynolds and Rosemary Ekstrom, edited 1988, states on pages 134-135: “Early followers of Christ… sometimes referred to other Christians as saints, but eventually (!) the word saints applied only to those in heaven… The [Catholic] church teaches that… In Matthew 24:7, Jesus Christ speaks about end-time events and warns His listeners: “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.” In Matthew 24:7, and in the parallel Scriptures of Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:11, the Greek word for “earthquakes” is “seismos,” meaning, according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, No. 4578, “a commotion, i.e. (of the air) a gale, (of the ground) an earthquake–earthquake, tempest.” The word “Seismology”–the study of earthquakes — is derived from the Greek, “seismos.” But in the Bible, the Greek word “seismos” applies also to a tempest in the air. For instance, note Matthew 8:24, which reads: “And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that that the boat was covered with the waves. But He [Christ] was asleep.” The Greek word for “tempest” is “seismos”–the same word as used in Matthew 24:7, which is translated there as “earthquakes.” In Matthew 8:24, it was not a small tempest, but “a great tempest,” which arose on the sea. Let us compare the passage of Matthew 8:24 with the parallel account in Mark 4:37-38: “…And a great windstorm arose; and the waves beat into the… It is correct that 2 Peter 2:6-8 refers to “righteous Lot,” and describes him, by extension, as a “godly” person. The entire passage reads: “[Since God turned] the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)–then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” We must not forget that God spared Lot because He would not destroy the righteous with the wicked (compare Genesis 18:23). The two angels could not find ten righteous in Sodom (compare Genesis 18:32). Only Lot was willing to give them shelter, when they appeared in Sodom as strangers, while “all the people from every quarter” surrounded Lot’s house (Genesis 19:4), to “know them carnally” (verse 5). They did not realize, of course, that the men were angels. Since the Bible says that all of the men were present to act “wickedly”… The answer to your question, whether to send donations to organizations which help the poor, is one that requires a BALANCED approach. Considering the life of Jesus Christ, one must conclude that the focus of His life was in serving God. He put God FIRST. However, He also had great compassion on the poor: “‘…I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way'” (Matthew 15:32). Consider what Jesus said about the fruit of His efforts in a similar occurrence following His miraculous feeding of another great multitude of people: “Jesus answered them and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled'” (John 6:26). Even today, the Church is contacted by people who are seeking an association with us for purely financial gain. They are not joining with us to learn of God’s ways. Rather, they seek monetary support, and once that is not available they become offended and leave. What Jesus ultimately gave people that had a… The Bible does not teach that when a Christian dies he goes to heaven. Let us be certain we understand the truth as pointed out in the Scriptures. First, the Bible is very clear what happens to a person at the time of his or her death. In Ecclesiastes 9:4-5 we find the following: “But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.” Their memory (the faculty of remembering) ceases to exist (See the marginal notes in the Companion Bible). Verse 6 continues: “Also their love, their hatred; and their envy have now perished…” Psalm 146:3-4 illustrates that the day one dies, his thoughts perish. (For a further discussion on this topic, see our booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”) Once a person dies, he no longer has a part with the living, as long as he remains dead! On the other hand, 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and John 14:2-3 are often used in an attempt to prove that when a Christian dies, he immediately is…Does the Bible encourage us to become surety for another person?
Why did Mr. Armstrong state that "independents" would not be in the marriage supper of the Lamb?
Many people in Protestant churches pray to Jesus Christ, while Mary and various saints are also addressed in Catholic prayers. What is the Biblical teaching regarding whom a Christian should talk to in prayer?
Why do people die prematurely, even though they honor their parents? Doesn't this contradict God's promise of long life in Exodus 20:12?
Where did Cain's wife come from?
Please explain what is meant by the word, "saint."
Would you please explain the meaning of the word "earthquakes" in Matthew 24:7? Does this word just refer to earthquakes, or is more involved?
The Bible says that Lot was just or righteous. But did he not commit horrible sins? How can he then be called "righteous"?
I have some questions and concerns with daily Christian living. I know that God says in His Word that we should help the poor. Would donating my time or money to different worldly needy organizations be wrong?
Does a Christian go to Heaven after Death?
