Would You Refuse to Study?

Did you know that the majority of people out there—even religious people—have no real interest in studying the Bible. In most cases, when I ask someone if they would like to sit down and study the Bible, they refuse.

Some people refuse to study, saying that they just don’t have any time to study. I understand that people are busy; we have so many things that demand our time. But are we not told to “seek first the kingdom of God…” (Mt. 6:33)? Despite our busy schedules, most of us find time to watch our favorite TV show; many even spend several hours a night watching TV. Can we not make time to study the Bible?

Others say that they already go to church somewhere, as if home Bible studies are only for the “unchurched.” Folks, we all need to study the Bible (Heb. 5:12-14). Do you think that because you go to church that you don’t need to study, or that you have it all figured out? What if you’re wrong? What if I can help you to better understand the word of God?

Then there are the folks who act interested; they acknowledge that they should study the Bible more and straighten up. They tell me that they’ll get back with me and set up a time for me to come over and study with them. However, almost 100% of the time, I don’t hear back from them.

The Bible tells us what God expects and how to be pleasing to Him (2 Tim. 3:16-17). If you know that your life doesn’t reflect the teachings of God’s word, call me. Let’s study.

But even if you identify yourself as a “Christian,” it’s possible that you’re wrong in your understanding of God’s word. What if you are? Paul says, after all, that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5), and yet there are hundreds of different churches today! Do you know that you have the truth?

Email me at KYBibleQuestions@yahoo.com if you'd like to correspond.

Hear & Believe...Believe & Be Baptized

Jesus says in John 5:24, “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 to life.” Based on this verse, it is clear that in order to be saved, we must HEAR the word and BELIEVE it. Both steps are necessary.

But what if I told you that faith is not necessary after all? All you have to do is HEAR the gospel; once you hear, you are saved. What if I made that argument? Wouldn’t you remind me that Jesus says here in John 5:24 that we must hear and believe? And wouldn’t you point out the innumerable verses that teach the necessity of faith? Sure you would!

Well, notice what Mark 16:16 says: “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Do you see how the structure of this verse parallels that of John 5:24? In both verses, two conditions are set forth for salvation. In John 5:24, it was HEAR and BELIEVE. Here in Mark 16:16 it is BELIEVE and BE BAPTIZED.

Here’s the point. If both hearing and believing are necessary based on the clear wording of John 5:24, then both faith and baptism are necessary based on Mark 16:16. If not, why not? Yet so many religious people look at Mark 16:16 and say that baptism really isn’t necessary. “Faith only,” they say. Would they apply this same logic to John 5:24? Of course not, for then faith would be ruled out.

Dear reader, faith is necessary, but so also is baptism. Just read John 3:5; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-8; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21. Baptism is not just recommended, it is required! And it’s not just “baptism,” it’s baptism “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).

If you have any questions, or if you want to talk more about the plan of salvation, call me at (859)274-5479 anytime. I’d love to study the Bible with you.

"Speak to the Rock"

At first glance, the above phrase sounds really weird. Why would anyone speak to a rock? But this was a command given to Moses by God. In Numbers 20, when the people of Israel complained about being thirsty, God told Moses, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock” (Num. 20:8).

The command may seem strange to us, but at least it was simple. And yet what did Moses do in response? He did gather all the people together as commanded, and yet instead of speaking to the rock, we are told that “Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod” (Num. 20:11). God said “speak to the rock” but instead, Moses “struck” it.

Here’s the question: did Moses disobey God? According to the reasoning of many religious people today, Moses did nothing wrong. After all, God never said not to strike the rock; therefore, it wasn’t wrong. This is the way so many church-going people reason. They assume that if an action isn’t condemned in the Bible, then it’s not wrong. What we need to realize is that we don’t need a “thou shalt not” to know that something is wrong. What we need is a “thou shalt” to know that it’s RIGHT. If it’s not right (authorized), then it’s wrong and we have to avoid it.

When God told Moses to “speak to the rock” He automatically ruled out everything else, including the action of striking the rock twice. What Moses did was unauthorized, and God punished him for it. We need to PROVE that what we’re doing is right by pointing to the book, chapter and verse!