Does God Answer Prayers? God hears and answers every prayer, but not always in the way we expect. The Bible shows that God responds to prayers in three primary ways: 1. Yes Sometimes God grants our specific requests when we pray. There are many examples in Scripture of God directly answering “yes” to prayers for healing (James 5:14-15), provision (Matthew 7:7-11), wisdom (James 1:5), and other needs. God delights in giving good gifts to His children when they ask (Matthew 7:11). However, receiving a “yes” requires praying in faith (Matthew 21:22), according to God’s will (1 John 5:14-15), and persistently…
Author: Aaron Chin
The doctrine of the Trinity states that there is one God who exists eternally in three persons – God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. This doctrine is central to mainstream Christianity, but Mormons have a different perspective. Mormons, also known as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, do not believe in the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Instead, they believe that the three members of the Godhead are three distinct beings, not three persons comprising one God. The Mormon View of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the…
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that Jesus came to earth to die for our sins so that we can be reconciled to God and have eternal life. The word “gospel” means “good news” and occurs over 100 times in the New Testament. The core message of the gospel is that God loves us and desires to have a relationship with us, but our sin separates us from Him. Jesus bridged this gap by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. When we place our faith and trust in Jesus, we receive forgiveness,…
Spiritual adultery refers to being unfaithful to God by pursuing other things or beings instead of having an exclusive relationship with Him. It involves transferring allegiance, worship, love, trust or obedience that belongs to God alone to something or someone else. Spiritual adultery manifests itself in different ways: Idolatry Idolatry is one form of spiritual adultery. This refers to worshipping an idol instead of the true God. An idol can be a physical object like a statue or image made to represent a false god (Exodus 20:4-5). But it can also refer to anything that takes the place of God…
The story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 is found in all four gospels (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-15). This miracle reveals several important truths that we can apply to our lives today. 1. Jesus cares about people’s physical needs In this passage, Jesus had compassion on the large crowd that had gathered to hear him teach. He recognized that many of them were hungry after following him for days. Although Jesus came primarily to meet spiritual needs, he cared about people’s physical needs too. As his followers, we are called to help meet the practical needs of…
The phrase “cunningly devised fables” comes from 2 Peter 1:16 in the Bible. In this verse, the apostle Peter is defending the truthfulness of the apostolic witness about Jesus Christ. He contrasts their eyewitness testimony with “cunningly devised fables.” To understand this phrase, we first need to look at the broader context of 2 Peter 1. In this chapter, Peter is urging his readers to make their calling and election sure (v. 10) by pursuing spiritual growth and Christian virtues (vv. 5-7). He then encourages them that they can have full assurance of faith because of the true knowledge of…
Limited atonement, also called particular redemption or definite atonement, is a doctrine held by some Christians, particularly within Calvinism, that Jesus only died for the sins of the elect, those predestined for salvation. This view is in contrast to the belief that Jesus died for the sins of all humanity. Here are 9000 words explaining the main biblical and theological arguments against limited atonement. 1. The Bible teaches Jesus died for the sins of the whole world A number of Bible verses state that Jesus died for the sins of the world or all people, not just the elect. For…
1 Corinthians 14:34–35 has been a controversial passage due to Paul’s instruction for women to be silent in church. The key verses state: “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.” There are a few perspectives on whether this passage should be included as authoritative Scripture: 1. It was added later by scribes Some scholars believe…
This is a profound theological question that many Christians have pondered. The idea that God is omnipresent, meaning he is everywhere at all times, seems to conflict with the notion of hell as a place of separation from God. Can God truly be everywhere, if hell exists as a place devoid of His presence? In exploring this issue, the Bible provides some helpful insights. The Nature of God’s Omnipresence First, it’s important to understand what the Bible teaches about God’s omnipresence. Several verses affirm that God is everywhere present at all times (Jeremiah 23:24, Acts 17:27-28, Psalm 139:7-10). Yet God’s…
The topic of generational sin and curses is one that many Christians struggle with. They want to know if the sins and bondages of their parents and ancestors can negatively impact their own lives. The good news is that the Bible makes it clear that God can and wants to break the cycle of generational sin in our families. In Ezekiel 18, God says that a son will not bear the punishment for the sin of the father. Each person is responsible for their own sin before God (Ezekiel 18:20). God even calls this principle of each person being responsible…