Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for your interest in seeking for answers about the Bible, the Church, Jesus and other topics that are important to those wanting to follow God.
1. Why is unity of the church important?
Unity is of extreme importance to the church, which is the body of Christ (Colossians 1:18). First, Jesus prayed for the oneness of those who would believe on Him (John 17:20-23). Note the reason in His prayer for unity, “That the world may believe that You sent Me…and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me”. (17:21 & 23). Thus, Jesus is saying that unity of His body, the church, aids in the world believing that Jesus was sent by God the Father to provide salvation to the world!
Secondly, unity is important because disunity hinders the mission given by Jesus to the church. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and the church is to continue that mission. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Mark recorded it this way, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”. (Mark 16:15). How many people haven’t responded to the gospel call because they don’t know which church fellowship is correct in preaching the gospel”. If the answer is only one, that is one more than Jesus would want to loose in eternity.
Finally, the Apostle Paul basically started his first letter to the Corinthians with these words, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (I Corinthians 1:10). He then writes, “For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos’, or ‘I am of Cephas’, or ‘I am of Christ’. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (I Corinthians 1:11-13).
Paul wrote that dividing the church into four groups was wrong. How can it be okay today when the number of groups following Christ has been numbered into the thousands?
2. How can I know that the Bible is the Word of God?
This is an excellent question! We know that the Bible contains passages like this, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Jesus Himself made this comment, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39).
There has been a number of books written about this topic. There have been a number of programs developed that has looked into this question. I will caution you…this will take time to study. We would love to wave a wand and convince you or provide a two paragraph answer to convince you, but this topic is very comprehensive in scope.
One thing to remember is that most programs that air on television is from a secular world view and thus they present only the information that goes along with the secular world view. In court, a case is tried based on both sides being able to present their case. So unless you are willing to look into writings or video programs that present the Biblical worldview, you will only get one side of the evidence and walk away with that viewpoint. You will have wasted your time. Remember, Jesus stated how important the scriptures are. Eternity should be worth the investment of some time!
A couple of recommendations to start with:
The Bible – Why Does It Endure? DVD from Day of Discovery Productions. 2011
The New Testament Documents – are they reliable? F.F. Bruce – Eerdmans Publishing.1960
The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Josh McDowell – Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1999.
3. How does one become part of the Body of Christ?
The New Testament scriptures provide a couple of verses that talks about how someone can enter the Body of Christ. Being in Christ is very important according to the Apostle Paul, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
Note the location of every spiritual blessing…in Christ. Thus, being in Christ is very advantageous. To the Galatians Paul wrote, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as may of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28). Paul states that we put on Christ when we are baptized. Note also the singularity of being in Christ. This actually ties into the first question above very nicely. Being in Christ is being in His Body, which is the church.
Putting on Christ actually allows us to take part in a very significant aspect of His life here on earth, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:3-5).
The adding is done by God Himself, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). The action of being added to the Body of Christ is the working of God according to Paul in Colossians 2:11-12.
We look forward to seeing you soon.