Well, the short answer is that you should do what Jesus tells you to do through the Holy Spirit.

2.  How can I know when the Holy Spirit has spoken to me?  How can I recognise His voice?
We have come to the $64,000 question right at the start.  In my view it is one of the most important things for a Christian to do - to be able to recognise the voice of God.  Sadly many Christians remain, "baby Christians" because they are unable to hear Jesus.  Consequently, they rely on others they believe are Christians to advise them what to do.  If this other person is not really a born again Christian or does not know how to hear the voice of God, you may be given wrong advice and this is how deception comes to pass.

John 10:27 says; "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me."  It is important you learn to hear His voice and obey it.  Here are some observations to help you.

The first rule of communication is:  "First you've got to get their attention."#It sounds too simple and basic yet it is overlooked by many so called communicators.  You can talk and talk and talk but unless the person is listening, you're wasting you're time.  For example you could try and talk to a neighbour or friend about Jesus and they don't want to know.  Then sudden tragedy strikes, now they're more willing to listen.  It is the same with us.  God will try telling us something and we ignore Him, we don't listen, then something happens in our lives and we turn to ask God, "Why?"  - Now He has our attention!

The Holy Spirit will communicate with you where you are.  That is to say He will come to your own level, whatever that may be.  He will come to you in a way you will understand.  He is the Master of communication.

Jesus said; "God is Spirit."  (John 4:24).  God very rarely communicates with His people using our five senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell because He is Spirit.  What He does is communicate with your new born spirit directly.  This is better described as a purer conscience.  Often this takes the form of a check as you are about to do something or a feeling of peace or a straight OK.  It has been described as that "Still Small Voice."  Hearing the voice of God takes a great deal of practice but it is worth it.

Jesus will communicate through His word; the Bible.  You can be reading something and suddenly a scripture stands out on the page and is impressed on your mind, even your spirit deep within you.  God is saying something to you.  It may be out of context with what you are reading but for you it means something different - there is a message.  You will feel a "quickening" deep down in your spirit.  You know you have to do a particular thing and the world in general may think you are pretty silly to do it - but you know you have to.

For example:  It could be that you are very worried about something in your life, maybe illness or a child.  I'm sure you can think of plenty of examples!  Jesus told us we would have troubles in this life but He would be with us.  A scripture may come to mind like 2 Chronicles 20:17.  Read it.  It may be just the words of this scripture may come to your mind and you have to look it up in your concordance at the back of most Bibles to find it.  Using this example God could be saying to you that you have nothing to worry about.  Have faith in Him.  He will fight the battle for you.  All you have to do is go and face it and Jesus will overcome it for you.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us there is a time for everything and in God's communication with us the timing will be just right.  Do not try doing something for God in your own strength - wait for Him, He knows best.

Jeremiah 1:4 says:  "The word of the Lord came to me..." How do you suppose the word of the Lord came to him?  Did a voice boom from the clouds above?  I heard one Christian say God does not speak to His people the way He used to do in Biblical times and to the prophets of old - NONSENSE!  Jeremiah and company were tuned into God.  They knew when He was speaking to them.  When God's words came into Jeremiah's mind he wrote them down.  Those words we read today.  He knew the difference between his own thoughts, wishful thinking and the words of God through the Holy Spirit.  You too can hear God's voice if you are willing to tune in.

#Click to see my study: 'Effective Communication' on this web site.

3.  How can I be sure it is God speaking to me and not the devil?
We must first accept that the devil exists.  He has managed to convince 95% of the population that he does not.  This unfortunately includes many Christians.  No wonder so many Christians get confused!

The devil is not omnipresent like God.  He has an army working for him and they will constantly battle against God for your time and attention.  He (we say 'he' to simplify matters) will introduce 99 truths to get one untruth into your head so beware.  He is the master of deception.  However, be encouraged because Jesus, who is in you if you are a 'born again' Christian, is greater than the devil.

Don't be trapped into thinking that to find out what God wants you to do, all you have to do is to close your eyes and open the Bible blindly, then let your eyes fall onto a scripture and believe that is a message from God!  You are leaving yourself wide open to deception.  It is a form of witchcraft.  You're calling on supernatural powers to communicate with you and the devil will only be too pleased to oblige - but he'll dress it up as Divine communication.  To illustrate this there is a joke as follows:

You open the Bible at the scripture: "My sheep hear my voice."
You open the Bible again:  "Judas went out and hanged himself."
You open the Bible again:  "Go and do thou likewise."

God will never tell you to do something that is in opposition to the Bible or His gospel.

An excellent example of this is the problem of homosexuality in the "church".  (I will explain the quotation marks later).  There seems to be confusion as to whether it is a sin to practice homosexuality.  Homosexuality is defined as having a propensity for someone's own sex - male or female.  Paul advised the Thessalonians (5:21) to test everything and hold onto the good.  We must test things to make sure it is God and not the devil speaking to us - so let's test whether it is a sin or not:

Leviticus 18:22 says:  "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman, that is detestable."  20:13 says a similar thing.  There can be no doubt here what God is saying.  Genesis 18 and 19 tell of the evil of Sodom and Gomorrah, a place where homosexuality was rife.  Two angels arrive at Lot's house and the men of the town bang on the door shouting to Lot to send them out, "...So that we can have sex with them."  It was an evil place and God destroyed the two cities because of this.  Read Romans 1:18-32,  1 Corinthians 6:9 and Timothy 1:10.  Can there be any doubt at all that the Bible says that homosexuality is sin?

Yet some "Christians" say that homosexuality is alright to practice.  To whose voice are they listening?  If it was God's it would agree with the Bible, wouldn't it?  Does it?  What do you think?

4.  Should I then not listen to what other Christians say?

Of course you should listen.  Experience of others is most valuable particularly whilst you are learning to hear the voice of God - but be careful!

Many years ago I heard a mature Christian say;  "Beware of the counsel of other Christians."  It seemed a strange thing to say - after all we can all do with as much advice as we can get - I can anyway!  Thinking about this I thought about the time when Jesus told His disciples He was going to have to be crucified.  Do you remember what Peter said?  Read Matthew 16:21-23 and Mark 8:31-33.  Peter tells Jesus he would not let it happen to him.  He tried to persuade Jesus not to give himself up to be crucified.  Jesus then replies; "Get thee behind me, satan.  You are a stumbling block to me..."  It seems a strange thing to say to his friend! The spiritually aware Jesus had immediately discerned it was not Peter saying it but satan through Peter.   A demonic spirit, in this case satan himself, had spoken through Peter.  Discernment of demonic spirits is a spiritual gift from God (1 Corinthians 12:10).  .  Peter had allowed the devil to use him.  Satan did not want Jesus to die for the sins of the world because he would then lose all his authority.

Can you see that satan or his army will speak to us through other people, particularly Christians and people we trust?  Satan will continually try to confuse and deceive us.  You can see evidence of this throughout the church.  We have to be continually vigilant.  If you are given advice ask the Christian to justify it from the Bible.

5.  Am I good enough to be a Christian?

Satan always tries to condemn and discourage us.  A classic whisper of the devil's is to tell us we are not good enough to be Christians.  Even non Christians will accuse us of being hypocrites.  That is a lie of the devil - you are good enough but not in your own strength.  In your own strength you are nothing but now Jesus is in you, you have overcome the world!  That is quite a thought, isn't it?  1 John 5:4-5 tells us that an overcomer is one born of God.  "Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

Once I asked the Lord, "What do you see in me?"  He replied, "I don't see you, I see Jesus in you."  Isn't that a comforting thought?

6.  If I am a sinner surely God will reject me when I die?

There is no shortage of Christians who will try to make you "sin conscious".  Do beware of this.  You are righteous (Romans 5:17.  2 Corinthians 5:21).  You are in right standing with God - you are sanctified (1 Cor 1:2 and 30). I invite you to read the following scriptures so as to give you confidence of who you are in Jesus:

*You are a new creation (2Cor 5:17).
*You cannot be condemned if you believe in Jesus (Rom 8:1).
*You have been forgiven of all sin (Col 1:14).  The devil will whisper otherwise but he is lying.
*You have been rescued from darkness (Col 1:13).
*You are so precious to God that you are His heir and joint heir with Jesus (Rom 8:17).
*You are sanctified (1 Cor 1:2).
*You are a citizen of heaven (Phil 3:20).
*God has now raised you up and seated you "in heavenly realms",  in other words you (your spirit) are even now in heaven with God (Eph 2:6).
*You are more than a conqueror and nothing can separate you from the love of God (Rom 8:37-39).
*You have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13).
*You can do everything through Jesus who gives you strength (Phil 4:13).  You may have difficulty believing this but it is true!
*God will meet all your needs (not wants!) according to His glorious riches in Jesus (Phil 4:19).
* God loves you (1 John 4:9-12).

7.  I thought we were all sinners?  How can I be righteous as well?

In our own strength we are sinners.  The best way to understand sin is to realise that anything less than perfection to God is sin.  I'm sure you will agree that you, like me, are less than perfect and this is mankind's problem.  God is perfect and requires it from us.  However, now you have been born again your sins have been washed away.

It is most important to understand 1 John 1:9. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

What a wonderful scripture this is.  Here John is telling us that if we sin we have to confess it to God our Father and He will forgive us - He will wipe it out.  To confess means to pray to God (not tell a priest!) and name the sin, admit we have done wrong and ask in Jesus' name (because He is our advocate - ch 2:1) that God will forgive us.

If you sin, confess it and forget it.  God will once you have asked Him.  Make reparation if applicable and ask forgiveness from any individual involved.  Be determined to do better.  Do not keep confessing the same sin to God over and over again - once is enough providing you mean it.

If we continually confess the same sin this is one of the ways we become sin conscious but we should be righteousness conscious because we are righteous in Jesus.  The devil (one of his fellow fallen spirits) will whisper you are a sinner and he will constantly remind about the things you have done wrong.  Just say to him, "Go in the name of Jesus."  You have the authority as Jesus is in you.  The devil has to leave you alone once you understand about believer's authority.  Jesus said that to satan speaking through Peter, remember?  I recommend you read, "The Believer's Authority" by Kenneth Hagan, available from; Faith Builders, PO Box 40, Knutsford, WA16 9EW.

8.  Do I have to go to church now I'm a Christian?

The short answer is no.  However, like most other answers, it is not that simple:

Strictly speaking you cannot, "go to church" because you are the Church!  The word, "Church" in the New Testament is the Greek word; "Ekklesia" which really means the called out assembly or congregation of believers.  Read Matthew 16:18 where Jesus says that He will build his church.  A more accurate interpretation in English would be that He will build His community of believers whom He has called out of the world.

We have to understand that there is only one church, the Church of Jesus Christ.  There is only one body of believers of which Jesus is head and whom He has called out of the world.

When Paul writes; "To the Church in Galatia" (Galations 1:2) he is not writing to the Church of Galatia but to the community or assembly of believers in Galatia.  If Paul were alive today he could well write to the Church in Carlisle, the Church in England, the Church in Scotland, the Church in New Zealand or the Church in Canada.  We are not the Church of Carlisle, the Church of Scotland, the Church of Canada.  We are the Church of Jesus Christ IN Carlisle or IN Canada.  WE ARE ALL ONE BODY IN JESUS.

The names given to other denominations are often descriptive:  Methodists, Congregationalists, Baptists, Pentecostals and so on.  The believers within these man-made organisations are the Church, not the organisation itself.  Denominations are only the traditions of men.  They cannot save you, only Jesus can do that.  If you believe that Jesus died and rose again for YOU then you belong to Jesus - not to a denomination.

Jesus said, "You are not to be called 'Rabbi' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.  And do not call anyone on earth "father", for you have one Father, and He is is heaven.  Nor are you to be called "teacher" for you have one Teacher, the Christ."  (Matthew 23:8-10).

Since Jesus was crucified and thus fulfilled the Law, there is no difference between believers.  We are not under the Law anymore but under Grace. Jesus is saying here that there is no priestly class anymore.  We are all priests under Grace - a priesthood of believers.

We are all equal in the sight of Jesus but we all have ministry gifts.  For example some are pastors (Ephesians 4:11).  A pastor is not a manager of a "church", it is a caring gift of God to care for others and often on a one to one basis.  Some fellowships and certainly one denomination has turned this blessed gift into a manager.  This has resulted in those who have this gift no longer having the time to use it!

Read 1 Corinthians 12 which will tell you about these spiritual gifts.  Some are able to bring an inspired message or prophecy from God and speak it out.  Some have great faith.  Others can discern demonic spirits or speak in "tongues" or interpret "tongues".  Some have the gift of healing.  Why don't you pray and ask God which gifts He has given you?  The answer to question 30 later deals with this in more detail.

9.  If I don't have to go to church, how do I function as a Christian?

Please note:  I did not say you should not  go to church.  I said you did not have to.  The reason is that when you are saved you do not have to earn your salvation by going to church.

However, the writer of Hebrews said; "Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing." That Greek word is a "gathering together" word and we should gather together often.  Indeed the New Testament Church met in each others homes and often daily.  It is very difficult indeed to be a loan Christian.  We should encourage and support each other as a brotherhood of equals.

10.  Who is our leader then?

Jesus.

11.  Who is our earthly leader?

We should submit to one another.  1 Corinthians16:15-16 says we should submit to those who are mature Christians and give great service to the rest of the believers in Jesus - to everyone who labours in the work.

Ephesians 5:21 says; "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."  Hebrews 13:17 says; "Obey your leaders and submit the their authority."  We should submit to each other instead of competing with each other as the 'world' does.  We should submit to our leaders.  You will find the Holy Spirit raises up an individual as leader and then the body of believers begin to recognise him as such by the way he functions (Acts 20:28).  It is important to note that a Christian leader is a servant!

As to who actually are our leaders the answer is obvious - anyone who is leading righteously (not self righteously!).  For example; if you attend a house group one evening in someone's house the leader is the person leading that group - usually the house owner but he could have asked someone else to lead the meeting.  Maybe you are attending a series of Bible studies and the leader is the host.  A leader could be a temporary leader of a special meeting.  You submit to their authority in that meeting.  However, no other Christian outside your family has authority in general over you, only Jesus and you have a direct line to him.

There is a debate going on in the man made church as to whether we should have women priests.  The question is a misnomer and stems from a misunderstanding of scripture   We should not have priests - male or female.  We have a direct line to God since Jesus was crucified and resurrected and we don't need a priest to intervene for us, we are all our own priest and we have one High Priest - Jesus.

12.  What if one of these leaders tells me to do something?  What should I do?

Well, no one should 'tell' anyone to do anything!  But if , for example, a local leader tells you that you should not drink alcohol, you should test it; check it out in the Bible to see if he is correct.  Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:23 that we should drink a little alcohol of the time (wine).  Therefore that local leader is wrong.

If, on the other hand, he asks you to stop getting drunk you should check it out again.  It is clear from Romans13:13, Galations 5:21, 1 Timothy3:3, Titus 1:7 and 1 Peter 4:3 that drunkenness is unacceptable.  Therefore he is right to try bring you back into appropriate behaviour.

Jesus frequently refers to His Church as His bride and He is therefore the bridegroom.  Spiritual authority comes from Jesus via the Holy Spirit and not from any leader.  1 Corinthians 11:3 says God the Father is the head of Jesus, who is the head of man, who is the head of woman.  If you are a woman (not a girl) and are unmarried or widowed your spiritual line goes straight back to Jesus. For a leader to put himself between Jesus and His bride is spiritual adultery!  This is one of the meanings of Jesus' statement about the people being a wicked and adulterous people.

13.  Should I submit to the secular authorities?

Of course.  Without the rule of law there would be chaos.  Read Romans 13: 1-7 and Peter 3:13 onwards.  We may not agree with the government in power at any one time but the time to do something about it is at the next general election.  Whatever country you live in, Romans 13 tells us your government has been put in place by God.  Therefore until the chance to vote them out of office comes along, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's ..."

Jesus and the Apostles went out of their way to keep out of politics.  The Roman Empire at the time of Jesus was the most brutal the world had ever seen (with the possible exception of the Assyrians).  Yet in the whole of the New Testament there is not one word of condemnation of them.  Indeed at the Cross the Roman soldiers came out of it very well (Matthew 27:54) and Pontius Pilate is seen as bending over backwards to release Jesus.  This fledgling movement could not be seen as political.  Jesus knew they would have enough trouble without that.

14.  What can and can't I do on a Sunday?

Anything you would do on any other day.  It is true that God said to Moses to keep the Sabbath Day holy (Exodus 20:8).  The Jewish Sabbath is from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday so if you want to keep the Sabbath that is when you should be doing it.  Sunday was a Roman holiday and when Emperor Constantine 'captured' the Christian church in the fourth century AD this tradition began.

It is also important to note that keeping the Sabbath was part of Mosaic Law to be followed by the Jews until Jesus came to fulfil it.  He spent much of His time on earth telling the Jews they did not have to keep it.  If you want to try live Mosaic Law to get to heaven you will have to live all of it and be perfect, including sacrificing the appropriate animal or bird to pay for the sins you will most certainly commit.  Better do it the easy way and believe Jesus did it all for you!

However, God in His wisdom gave us a sensible work pattern - working for six days and resting on the seventh is good advice.  We all need rest.  However, do not feel under any condemnation if you prefer to do it differently.  You are free to choose.  Paul said; "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike.  Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.  He who regards one day as special does so to the Lord."  (Romans 14:5-6).  In other words, please yourself and don't let anyone else make you feel guilty!

15.  Should I pay tithing?

Tithing is giving one tenth of your increase (i.e., of your gross income) usually to a 'church'.  This is referred to under the Law in the Old Testament, as with Sabbath keeping.  Jesus came to fulfil that Law and now it is only a guide.  You are free to give one tenth - or more - or less - or even nothing at all.  The important thing is to give what the Holy Spirit is telling you to give.  One person may give much more than another.  Some have more money than others - others have more time than others.  Just be sure you know what the Lord is telling you to do.  I have given thousands of pounds sterling in tithing over the years until I knew the difference between the Law and Grace. 

Of course Christians do not just give to their local 'church' but to many causes.  I heard a minister say some time ago, that his flock should pay tithing to his 'church' and then give to other causes but his 'church' came first.  This is wrong.  Give where you are led to give by the Holy Spirit.  There are plenty of Christian organisations who bombard us with "Dear Friend" letters and quoting all the well known giving scriptures, the most popular being , "God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7).  I believe this is just resorting to worldly marketing and there are many Christian organisations who specialise in getting money out of Christians.  We should not be like that.  If the Lord wants us to prosper, he will provide the funds.

16.  Should I be baptised?

Yes, by total immersion if your health allows it.

17.  If I don't get baptised will I still be born again?

Yes, but refusing baptism by immersion is rebellion, in my view.  The thief on the cross became born again when he declared belief in Jesus but he could not get down from the cross and get baptised.  Jesus promised him salvation even so because of his belief.  Read Luke 23:39-43.

18.  Why be baptised then?

Baptism by immersion means to go down under the water as a public witness to the death and burial of Jesus and as you come back out as a witness to His resurrection.  This is why it is most important to be baptised by immersion and by one who believes.  Before you are baptised you should be asked to state publicly that you believe Jesus died for you.  This is confessing the name of Jesus.  Read Acts 8:26-39.

James 2: 14-26 discusses the question, is it good enough to claim to have faith yet have no deeds? Can such faith save you? Does your faith produce repentance, water baptism and baptism in the Holy Spirit, for example? What were they told to do in the New Testament?

WHAT SHALL WE DO TO BE SAVED? The Holy Spirit fell on them at Pentecost and they all began to speak in 'other tongues' (Acts 2:1-4). Then another 3000 people were added to their number. The people asked, 'Brethren, what shall we do?' Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit' (Acts 2:37-38) but this is linked with John 7: 37-39, belief in Jesus and the rebirth of John 3 :3. 

1) REPENTANCE, 2) WATER BAPTISM, 3) RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT. This is repeated through the New Testament. Yet still we hear, 'Just ask Jesus into your heart'. Read Acts 8 how Philip the evangelist saw massive revival in Samaria; 'But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women...' Peter and John came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:12-17). Note the identical pattern to the salvations on the day of Pentecost. Not one of these conversions involved 'Giving their heart to the Lord' or 'asking Jesus to be their Saviour'. Always repentance, baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit. 

WHAT OF THE GENTILES? (Acts 10 and 11). Peter was led to preach to Cornelius and his household. God suddenly moved even while he was still preaching!:- 'While Peter was still speaking these words the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.' They heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 'Can anyone keep these people from being baptised with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have, and he commanded them to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ' (Acts 10:44-48).

JOHN THE BAPTIST'S disciples provide another example. Paul met them at Ephesus. 'John's baptism was a baptism of repentance.... On hearing this they were baptised into (or in) the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.' (Acts 19:1-6). They didn't make a meal of it either with instructional classes, they were just immediately baptised by immersion. There are so many examples of this; Acts 16:32-33, Acts 8:35-38, Acts 22:16 and so on.

BAPTISM BY IMMERSION is a 'circumcision of the heart', a cutting off, a burial into the death of Jesus, a washing away of one's sins. In the spirit world baptism is seen as a literal burial into death (Romans 6) which has a profound effect on our hearts and lives. We are talking here about baptism by FULL IMMERSION not sprinkling little infants which is unscriptural and requires nothing more to be said about it. The original Greek word 'baptizo' is an immersing word. Baptism in the Holy Spirit, accompanied by 'speaking in tongues' is not just an option. As we have seen; the way people became Christians in the New Testament was to repent, be baptized in water and be baptized in the Holy Spirit and seemingly be accompanied by 'tongues' as far as we can tell. To do something else would be to change the fundamental teaching of the Bible. Read the following scriptures: Mark 16:16-18, 1 Peter 3:20-21, Titus 3:5-6, 1 Cor 10:1-2, Gal 3:27, Col 2:11-12, 1 Cor 12:13, Heb 6:1-2, Rom 6:2-11, Rom 8:9, Mt 28:19. The only thing that really counts is what the Bible says – not our opinions!

“What about Revelation 3:20?” I hear you cry. 'Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears my voice and open the door I will come in to him, and eat with him and he with me.' We must bear in mind this passage is aimed at the nominal Christians of the Laodicean church. In other words He is outside the professing church, politely knocking and inviting people to leave the apostate church in order to have full fellowship with Him. These are not unconverted sinners but nominal Christians. Take that remark seriously!

'IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.' (Rom 10:9). There is no contradiction here. James 2: 20 says that faith without works is dead. In verse 18 he says; 'Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do.' Is your faith a doing faith?

Many years ago Pauline and I received a spiritual awakening and were taken by a group of Christians to a Christian centre swimming pool. There we both made a public confession of our belief and faith in our Saviour, Jesus Christ and were then baptised by other Christians. Following this we were prayed for to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. A few days later whilst praying by myself I suddenly burst forth in 'tongues' which flowed from my mouth. Pauline also speaks in tongues. Baptism by immersion was the beginning!

19.  I was Christened as a baby, won't that do?

No.  It is an invention of man.  There is nothing in the Bible about it.  The Bible is authority in all things and adherence to it keeps us on the straight and narrow.  It is true there are ancient documents that seem to encourage various other 'Christening' type substitutes.  One example is in the "Teachings Of The Lord Through The Twelve Apostles" which state that if you cannot find enough water then to pour a cup of water over the candidates head three times in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Doubtless documents like this gave birth to the current practice of the established church.  We have to be very careful.  It seems that every part of this document supports the Bible apart from this one point.  For my money I will adhere to what the inspired Bible says.

20.  Didn't Jesus say a person has to be born of water and spirit?

Yes.  Read John 3:1-15.  Jesus said we have to be;  "...Born of water and the Spirit."  Then He confirms what He has just said with the words; "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."  To be saved we have to be born naturally of our earthly mother and father.  Being born of water is a Hebrew idiom referring to the waters of natural birth.  Then we have to be born again, or born from above as it is sometimes referred to, that is born of the Spirit.  This is done by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and has saved you.  Declaring that you believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead.  Read Romans 10:9.  We are saved by our faith.

21.  What is being baptised in the Spirit?

1 Corinthians 2:14 says:  "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned.  The spiritual man makes judgements about all things but he himself is not subject to any judgements."

Once you have been born again you should ask two or three believers who are themselves baptised in the Holy Spirit to pray over you and ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit.  This will give you boldness, power and discernment.  Read Acts 8:15-17.  Receiving the Holy Spirit is a separate and additional blessing and it is not the same as being 'confirmed' into a 'church' which is simply rules of men.

When you receive the Holy Spirit He will open up the scriptures to you and you will understand many things.  You will be able to 'move in the Spirit' using the 'gifts of the Spirit'.  Read 1 Corinthians 12.  If you are without the Holy Spirit it is difficult to accept the things that come from the Spirit of God for they do seem like foolishness.  They cannot be understood because they are spiritually discerned.

For example some Christians say God does not heal people anymore by the laying on of hands and anointing with oil; or cause prophecies to be made; or speak in 'tongues'; or  be able to discern demonic spirits; or give a word of wisdom from God; or... well read it for yourself (1 Corinthians 12).  These things are foolishness to these Christians without the Spirit of God.

Read Acts 8:14-19.  Here we see Peter and John being sent to a group of people who had just been saved.  They had obviously only been baptised in water.  They laid hands on them and prayed and it resulted in them being filled with the Holy Spirit.  Something outward happened enough to make Simon offer them money to give him the gift!

What does this illustrate?  That there are two stages:  Firstly being saved and showing the world you believe through baptism.  Secondly, the laying on of hands to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

22.  Which Bible version should I read?

The original manuscripts of the Old Testament were written in Hebrew (with a small part in Aramaic) whilst the New Testament were written in Greek.  In spite of all the best efforts of my House Master at school I understand neither.  If you're like me then we have to make do with second best and read English versions translated for us.  These are:

King James (sometimes referred to as the Authorised Version) on which I was brought up.  This is the one with the old language (thee, thou, ye, sayest, sojourned etc.).  Fans say this is a perfect translation but without getting into a long complicated discussion, I don't believe it is anything like perfect.  It is arguably the most accurate but difficult to read.

N.I.V. (New International Version) is the one I use and is written in modern English but when studying I always compare it with the King James.

R.S.V. (Revised Standard Version) is another good modern English version and later the N.R.S.V (New...).

N.K.J. (New King James) is written in plain English and very popular.

There are many others and the above are translations.

There are also interpretive Bibles such as the Living Bible, the Amplified, the Good News etc. but remember that these are opinions of others and not straight translations.

23.  Is it absolutely certain now that I am born again that I will be with Jesus when I die?  I have heard that if I don't do everything I should I'll go to hell - is this true?

If you have sincerely prayed this, or a similar prayer, believed what you prayed and meant it and then told someone you believe Jesus died and was raised from the dead for you, then you are born again:

"Dear God, I confess I have done things wrong and I know I am separated from You.  I am sorry and I ask You to forgive me.  I now believe Jesus died on the cross in my place and that I am forgiven.  I believe You raised Jesus from the dead and He is alive today.  I invite You Lord Jesus to come into my life now and I give You my life and ask You to help me live it in the way You desire.  Amen."

Once you are truly 'born again', having regard for the afore mentioned, (read John chapter 3) I do not believe you can lose your salvation - you are secure in Jesus.  Many will try and tell you otherwise but their view stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of scripture.  If you would like to study all the scriptural arguments then go to:  CAN YOU LOSE YOUR SALVATION ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN? elsewhere on this web site.

24.  Who is the devil?

He is called the 'devil', 'satan', 'lucifer' and a 'serpent' and many other names but he is all the same spirit being (Revelation 12:9).  He is a fallen angel who leads an army of fallen angels, waging war against us in the spirit world, read Isaiah 14:12-17.    He became proud and tried to exalt himself above God Who cast him down to the earth.  (What a pity God didn't cast him down to Mars or Jupiter!)

He is the 'bright and shiny one' who deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Read Genesis chapter 3.  I am told by a Hebrew scholar that the Hebrew word in Genesis chapter 3 for 'serpent'; 'nahasl' or 'nahas' has an alternative meaning of 'nahash', meaning the 'bright and shiny one' as in bronze or copper.  You may well ask yourself how Eve could have been deceived by a snake?!  Once this is understood it becomes quite clear that satan appeared to Eve as an angel of light (and to others many times down the centuries I might add!).  This is why Eve was deceived.  She was greatly impressed by satan in his counterfeit glory and he fooled her.  She ate the fruit representing disobedience to God.  Later God cursed the 'nahas' to be a serpent and go on his belly with no legs.

He has been called the god of this world.  Because Adam disobeyed God and ate of the fruit his wife gave him (Genesis 3:6) we now live in a fallen world.  Eve was deceived by satan but Adam chose to disobey God, he chose to obey the devil and so the devil controls the world as we are all under the curse of Adam.  This is why Jesus told the Pharisees that their father was the devil, read John 8:44.  Anyone who is not born again belongs to the devil. It is because satan controls the world that we have wars and suffering.

God allows this to happen, but He is in overall control.  Through Adam, man wants it that way.  He allows people the freedom to submit to the devil.  God will not stop man's free agency.  We are free to accept Jesus or reject Him.  When I am out witnessing to people some , indeed many, don't want to know.  They have that God given freedom to choose.

We must always remember that God will bring about his perfect will and the devil is destined for destruction - his mission is to take as many of the human race with him as possible!  From what I see he will have a lot of company!

25.  How can the devil cause me problems?

In the 'flesh' you are a child of Adam and as such we are subject to the curse he put himself under by sinning.  For example your body will waste away and die.  You will have to work for your living.  (You may be retired like me now, but you will have had to work to pay for it).

Read Genesis 3:17-19.  God told Adam he would have to sweat and toil to grow food which would have to compete with the weeds.  The earth God had created was quite the reverse of this.  It is clear before 'The Fall' that the earth produce food spontaneously but after the earth was cursed food had to be coaxed to grow.  For the scientists amongst you the second law of thermodynamics was the reverse of what it is today.  I believe God reversed this law to curse the earth to what it is today!

John 10:10 tells us that the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy.  He stole our eternal heritage from us in the Garden of Eden but Jesus came and gave it back to us if we will believe in Him.  He steals our good health, our money and our relationships.  For example you may have attend a good meeting and feel uplifted only to find something happens to steal away the good feeling.

26.  Is everything that goes wrong in my life the fault of the devil?

Of course not.  Much of it is our own doing.  Some time ago a British government minister resigned because he had been caught seeking out homosexuals on Clapham Common, London (a notorious meeting place for homosexuals).  He stood up in parliament and blamed his upbringing and his genes for his behaviour!  That won't wash with God on Judgement Day.  We're responsible for our own sin - no one else!

It is true that the devil tempts us but we have to learn to resist it.  When we fail we should ask God to forgive us.  He is very keen indeed to forgive us if we will confess our wrong doings and ask Him to forgive us (1 John 1:9).  Don't forget that anything less than perfection is sin to God.  We are responsible.  Our evil thoughts, our lusts, our greed, our selfishness cause us our problems - the devil simply tempts us according to our weaknesses.

If we do not resist sinful thoughts we give the devil's army authority to dwell in us and torment us more.  We all get evil thoughts, yes, even Jesus!  The devil must have bombarded Him with them because this is how he tempts us.  The difference between Jesus and us is that He did not entertain these thoughts and the devil could not pierce His armour, read Matthew 4:1-11.  One who is 'born again' will be able to resist these thoughts because Jesus is in each of us.

27.  If I am made in the image of God - does God look like me?

I am six feet, two inches tall, overweight and have a beard.  My wife Pauline is five feet four and three quarters of an inch tall, overw... well only a teeny weeny little bit!  I feel a heel for mentioning it!  She doesn't have a beard!  I doubt if God the Father looks like either of us.

It is true that we are all made in the image of God.  God is a triune being of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  He is Spirit, soul and body and so are we.  Read Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22 and John 1:32-34 where God proclaims Himself to be a triune Being.  Read Genesis 1:25 and you will see that God created man in His own image.  The Hebrew word here for God is 'Elohim' which literally means 'The Gods El'.  This shows the plurality of God.  When Adam was created he was also a triune being and so are we believers.

It is impossible to understand the Bible without understanding these Spiritual truths.  Many theologians contradict each other with their intellectual approach to these 'problems' when it is spiritual understand that is needed.

Read Genesis 2:16-17 and you will see God told Adam he was free to eat of the fruit of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  God told him that if he did eat of it then; "...In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die".  That was a plain and simple statement but Adam disobeyed God and ate of it.  The Bible then goes on to say that Adam lived to be 930 years!!  That doesn't seem like dying on that day, does it?#  Bible critics say look the Bible was wrong right from the start - he lived another 930 years!  They don't understand the Bible.

Adam was a triune being made in the image of God.  He, like us was a spirit, enclosed in a soul which is enclosed in a body.  Paul tells the Thessalonians; "May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."  (! Thess 5:23) showing we are a trinity too.  When we look at a person we see their outward body only.

Look into a person's eyes and you will see the real person, appreciating there is far more to that person than their outward body.  They have emotions, an intellect and will.  This is their soul.  Look deeper at a believer's behaviour and you will begin to discern their spirit.  The world, and many Christians, confuse the soul with the spirit (for a fuller understanding of the soul read "Bless My Soul!"  on this web site).  Our spirit is the part of us that relates to God as He is Spirit (John 4:24).  The spirit is the deeper sense of right and wrong, the check we feel, the understanding of spiritual things that defy logic, the joy of the Lord.

When Adam disobeyed the Lord his spirit became inert on that very day - immediately!  His eyes were opened to the sinful state (Genesis 3:7).  Adam became fallen man and we inherited this state.

#Scripture often has dual meaning and although we are not concerned with Bible chronology here I acknowledge that Adam died physically within 1000 years which 2 Peter 3:8 says is like a day to God.  If you want to study more about Bible chronology click here.

28.  How can God be Father, Son and Holy Spirit before Jesus was born?

This seems impossible at first.  Many Bible chronologists will tell you that the creation took place around 4075 BC.  Jesus was born 2075 years later.  It has all to do with time.  God is outside of time which accounts for how He can tell the end from the beginning.  A book has a beginning and an end.  You can read it from start to finish, end first or just the middle.  This illustrates God's relationship with the earth in time.  Time and space are an illusion.  They do not exist in the spirit world.  I refer you my study or 'Bible Chronology' on this web site.  The pre incarnate Jesus was around in the Old Testament.  It was He who spoke to Moses at the burning bush for example.  Anywhere in the O.T. where it refers to "The Angel of the Lord", as opposed to "An Angle..." is the pre incarnate Jesus.

29.  Aren't people just the same as animals but just more intelligent?

No.  God made the animals but He made man in His own image - spirit, soul and body.  When a person is 'born again' his spirit is reborn and before this it lies dormant (see question 27).  This is the difference between believers and unbelievers.  This is why unbelievers find it difficult to understand things of God and the Spirit.  This is why we should ALWAYS make sure our teacher is 'born again'.  Beware of intellectual Christians, they reason there is no Virgin Birth and the earth is billions of years old.

An animal has a soul and a body.  Who can doubt animals have a mind, will and emotions?  Ask any dog owner.  A plant has only a body - so those who talk to their plants are wasting their time!

Now you see we are spirit, soul and body you can see how they can be confused, particularly spirit and soul.  This confusion takes place all the time with Christians.  For example I knew a dear Christian lady who would stand up in a meeting with tears running down her cheeks and deliver a message to the congregation.  She, and many others, believed she was weeping from the Holy Spirit but they were tears of emotion and the devil can influence our emotions and make them seem like from the Holy Spirit.  This is how confusion has come upon the Church over the centuries.  It is important to know the difference.  I refer you to my study; 'Bless My Soul' on this web site which explains more about this.

30.  What is the sin against the Holy Spirit?

Read Matthew 12:31-32.  Jesus said blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.  Mark 3:29 and Luke 12:10 say a similar thing.

This is very serious indeed.  The good news is that any other sin you commit will be forgiven if you repent (1 John 1:9).  The bad news is that if you speak against the Holy Spirit God will not forgive you.

Blasphemy is an obscene or profane term or an act of disrespect or impiety directed towards God.  It is a remark of; sacrilege, desecration, violation, profanation, a curse, swearword or expletive deliberately directed at God.

There are various opinions about this sin.  One view is that if you continue to reject the gospel as witnessed to you by the holy Spirit, you will not be forgiven.  In a sense this is true.  If you reject that Jesus died for you, you are already condemned because you are not saved.  That is self evident.  I do not believe this is what Jesus meant.

We have always to look at the context in the Bible.  Jesus was talking to the religious people of the time, the Pharisees.  They were the establishment and Jesus was breaking down the hold they had on the people.  They accused Jesus of casting out demons by the authority of 'beelzebub' (satan).  In other words they were attributing the power of the Holy Spirit to satan himself!  IN EFFECT THEY WERE CALLING THE HOLY SPIRIT, SATAN.  I believe this to be the unpardonable blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Can a person come near to committing this unpardonable sin?  Yes, I believe many 'believers' and some unbelievers do come near and do commit this sin.  Let me explain:

Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.  This is about the gifts of the Holy Spirit to believers.  These are listed as:

1. A word or message of wisdom (from God).
2. A Word or message of knowledge (from God).
3. Faith.
4. Gift of healing.
5. Working of miracles.
6. Prophecy.
7. Discerning of spirits (recognising the presence of demonic spirits).
8. Speaking (or praying) in 'tongues'.
9. Interpretation of 'tongues'.

I am certain God has given me, through the Holy Spirit, the gifts of hearing messages of knowledge (from God), faith, discerning of spirits and speaking in 'tongues'.

Let us take, as an example, speaking in 'tongues'.  I have heard fellow Christians say this is from the devil!  The Bible, as you have just read, says speaking in 'tongues' is from the Holy Spirit.  Have I made my point?  They are attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to the devil.  That is blaspheming the Holy Spirit!

I have only heard it said by the religious people of today - just as Jesus heard it and almost in the same circumstances.  Isn't that amazing?  Be very careful!

The good news is that it is difficult to sin unless you know what you are doing.  To question speaking in 'tongues' without abuse is perfectly in order.  Everyone has that right.  Stating with hostility and abuse that it is from the devil is quite another.  I believe this is the sin against the Holy Spirit.

However, I should point out that there are those who would disagree with me.  Every time I have come across this they are Christians who have not been baptised in the Spirit and do not practice the 'gifts of the Spirit'.

For a fuller discussion on the gifts of the Spirit go to "The Gifts of the Spirit" study on this web site.

31.  Are all who believe in Jesus religious?

This question was asked by a member of the Church of Scotland who was trying to understand the difference between religion and being born again as she had experienced both.

It is true that the world in general call believers "religious".  Acts 17:22, Colossians 2:16, Hebrews 10:11 and James 1:26 and others all refer to being "religious".  However, "religion" is only a shadow of the things that have now come.  Jesus throughout His ministry exposed "religion as a set of rules.

Read Matthew 15:7-9.  Jesus was talking to some Pharisees, the religious people of the time and said they were hypocrites.  He quotes Isaiah 29:13.  They just paid lip service to God but really their hearts are far from Him.  Their teachings were just rules of men.  Having a "religious spirit" can be defined as someone who acknowledges the miracles that God has done in the past but cannot believe He works miracles today.

As answered elsewhere on the web site; I am not at all religious.

32.  Now I have become a Christian, should I be a pacifist?

We should always take our example from Jesus.  Was He a pacifist?  Well, many think He was but I don't think so.  He submitted to the authorities as we should (Romans 13) but submission is not pacifism.  He gave Himself up to be crucified but for that reason He came down to earth - that is not pacifism.

A pacifist is someone who is disposed to peace and is not quarrelsome, argumentative or unruly - a peaceable person.  To pacify is to appease, to calm, to be mild, to be tranquil, to be opposed to all war and believes it to be wrong.  When Magellan sailed across the Pacific ocean, he so named it because he did it in peaceful weather.

Read Matthew 21: 12-15, Mark 11: 16 and John 2: 15.  Jesus did a violent act in anger when He cleansed the temple of commerce and cheats.  It must really have been something special to witness.  He made a whip and He drove out the money changers scattering their money.  He overturned their tables.  He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the Temple courts.  Zeal had overcome Him.  Righteous anger raged!

These are not the actions of a pacifist!

33.  How can I love my neighbour yet not be a pacifist?

Read Matthew 5:38-48 and Luke 6:27-36.  Here the Saviour reveals His secret weapon; LOVE.  The Greek word here from which 'love' is translated is 'agape', meaning selfless love.  This is not sexual love or the love one gives expecting something in return.  It is not worldly love but Godly love.  It is self sacrificing love, the sort of love Jesus showed for us when He allowed himself to be nailed to the cross for us.  We could define it as Supernatural love.  It is impossible to show it without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  That is what 'agape' love means and it is this Greek word in the original text which English cannot express as well.

Turn the other cheek!  Go the extra mile!  Give him your cloak also!  Do good to those you hate you!  Bless those who curse you!  Pray for those who are nasty to you!  Anyone can love his friends - anyone can love for reward - but love like this confounds the world.  They can defeat a fighter adhering to the law of the jungle but an enemy who loves you - well!  Someone who repays wrong with kindness is truly Godly.  We cannot do this in our own strength, it comes from God.

I try very hard to live up to this ideal but I fall far short of it - it's very difficult!  I hope I will never really be tested.  (Yet if I am the Bible says I should rejoice in it!).  If someone attacked my wife I would certainly defend her.  If  Jesus was there I'm sure He wouldn't stand by and watch her be attacked either.  I would have gone to war against the Nazis in the Second World War as we were fighting an antichrist.  It was a holy war.  It was a manifestation of the war being fought in the spirit world.  I'm not sure about the First World War though - that seemed to be a quarrel between two families as far as I can see!

Jesus is God and the wrath of God is on those who refuse to believe Jesus died and was raised again for them.  For these unbelievers they will finally say; "Now I see that He is not a pacifist God!"

34.  What does the Bible mean by, "Faith without works is dead"?

This question was asked by a Mormon who thought she had to work for her salvation.  I told her that first she had to believe in the real Jesus and take it from there.

Many Christians and cultists get confused over this scripture.  Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses alike will quote this to you in support of their belief that one has to earn one's way to Heaven.  Yet the Bible teaches quite clearly that we are saved through faith, read Ephesians 2:8-10.  We have not earned our salvation.  But we are God's workmanship created in Jesus to do good works (or deeds in modern translations).  Now read James 2:26 which says faith without works is dead.  James 2:14 says that if a man claims to have faith yet does no good deeds then; "Can such faith save him?"

Some who do not understand the Bible's message will try telling you that this is a contradiction - either we're saved by good works or by grace.  Others, particularly the cults, will claim that James is saying your faith alone will not save you - only good deeds will do that, in other words they say we have to earn our salvation.  They're both wrong.

The answer is simple:  James is saying that deep faith - the right kind of faith - that saving faith that makes you want to do good works for the Lord - this is the faith that saves you.  Pretend faith - faith that is all show is useless.  Faith that does not make you want to get out there and do good works and help others or witness to unbelievers, is not really genuine faith at all.  Will such shallow faith save you?  No, because it's not the real thing. Jesus said by their fruits we would know the true believers.  If, therefore, you lead someone to the Lord and after a while no fruits appear - no good works - no new nature - then you have to seriously question whether they are really saved at all!  This is the message from James.

35.  Will all believers be equal in Heaven when we die?

We who believe Jesus died and was raised again for us were judged at the Cross.  Our sins that we had committed and will commit in the future were paid for at the Cross.  (There is no time in the spirit world).  We have already been judged and forgiven.  When we die the fruits we have produced (our good works) will be judged, not us but our deeds.

Read Matthew 25:14-30.  Jesus tells the parable of the talents.  A talent was worth hundreds of pounds Sterling.  We can also understand a talent being a gift from God.  Some are gifted musically, some with faith, others a caring heart and so on.  There are thousands of gifts.  The question is do we use these gifts for the glory of God?  This parable illustrates how God judges our fruits or works and what will happen to us as a result.

The man going away on a long journey is like Jesus ascending to Heaven.  He has left his people, believers, with gifts of varying degrees.  Then at the second advent when Jesus returns He will call His servants to Him and see what they have done with these talents.

To those He has given much He will expect much from them.  The servants with five and two talents did well and put them to good use for their Master.  This may be like a person who has a gift of playing the guitar.  Did they use it in a "Heavy Metal" rock band and get steamed up to the eye balls on drugs or did they use the talent to praise the Lord and encourage others to sing praises to Him?  Another comparison is Handel with Mozart.  Such was the genius of Mozart that he did not draft out his musical masterpieces first but wrote the music directly onto the final presentation paper making no alterations (brilliant)!  Yet he used his God given talent, for example, to produce such works as "Cosi Fan Tutte" (School For Lovers) with it's brilliant music yet frivolous story reflecting his feckless way of life.  Handel, on the other hand, composed his "Messiah" to glorify Jesus.

To the one who had been given one talent he buried it - he would not use it.  He could even have given it to somebody else to use it, for example money to a good cause.  In other words his faith was not deep enough - it was not saving faith.  He was excluded from God's kingdom because he was obviously an unbeliever.

Clearly we will not all we equal as believers in the next life.

36.  Is it OK for a couple to cohabit?

This question came from a young Christian man who was wrestling with his sex drive before marriage.

Read Matthew 15: 18-19,  Mark 7: 21, Acts 15: 20-29, 21: 25, 1 Corinthians 5: 11-13, 6: 13 and 18, 10: 8, Ephesians 5: 3, Colossians 3: 5 and many others.  What comes from the heart can make a person unclean such as adultery and sexual immorality.  We should behave decently and not indulge in these things which is sin.  We are not even to associate with sexually immoral people who should be expelled.  The human body is not meant for sexual immorality and we must flee from it.  (Why do you think we have AIDS?)  There must not even be a hint of sexual immorality amongst believers.  Can there be any doubt from these scriptures that sexual immorality is wrong?  Of course not.

The question we have to ask is:  What is cohabiting?  As I understand the word it is when a man and a woman live together as man and wife.  Therefore it is when they live together and have sexual intercourse without being married.

This raises a further question:  What is marriage?  It is the lawful union between a man and a woman?  Read Genesis 2:21-24.  God made a woman for Adam and brought her to him.  This is the spiritual act of marriage.  A father gives his daughter to the bridegroom.  The bridegroom takes her and the marriage is consummated.  They are now 'one flesh'.  Sexual intercourse is the reversal of Eve being taken out of Adam's side.

To fully understand what the Bible means by 'marriage' at the time of Jesus we have to understand the wedding ceremony of that time:  The parents decided who should marry and they set the date.  The bridegroom would hire a chariot (or just a horse if he could not afford a chariot) and decorate it with streamers.  Then at the appointed time he would collect his bride by driving to her fathers house in public, streamers flying.  Either the bride and her father would be waiting for them or he would have to knock on the door or shout for her.  Then the bride's father would give his daughter to the bridegroom who would drive off with her.  They were now man and wife!  There were no vows exchanged.  The bridegroom then takes his new bride to the wedding supper usually at his father's house where his friends have prepared the marriage supper.  Friends of the bride wait outside ready to light their lamps which will show they are friends of the bride.  A look-out tells them when the bridegroom is coming with his bride.  They would then form two lines holding their lighted lamps for the bridegroom and his bride to walk between into the reception.  Those with the lamps were entitled to follow them in straight away and the door was shut.

Whatever the tradition, if the law of the land recognizes the union then so will God.  In nearly every country it involves the taking by the bridegroom of his bride in public.  Marriage is a lawful and public commitment.  Therefore, if a couple are living together as man and wife and their union is not lawfully recognized by their country of residence then they are cohabiting.

However, we have to go deeper into motives here.  Why do a couple live together as man and wife rather than marry?  If it is rebellion against God or for financial gain then that is very serious indeed.  James 4: 17 says; "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."  Therefore anyone who knows they should be married before having sexual intercourse yet goes ahead and does it, sins!  If, on the other hand, a couple were shipwrecked on the proverbial uninhabited "desert island" and made a Godly commitment to each other then I have no doubt that God would honour that commitment as He sees into the heart.

The act of sexual intercourse between the bridegroom and his virgin wife is a blood covenant just the same as Jesus and we believers, His bride.  In my view cohabiting is an act of rebellion against God and wrong when lawful marriage is available.  How far short we all fall of God's ideal for us!

However, be of good cheer - read 1 John 1:9.

Bryce Kaye

Click here to view many emails received, mainly from Mormons.   I receive many emails and always answer them.  Many are attacking me, of course, some ask questions and others a encouraging me.   Many evolve into good discussions about evolution and other subjects on this web site.