Fourth Year Ministries

Q: In Matthew 17:10-13 they talk about John the Baptist being Elijah and needing to come again before Jesus did. I can't wrap my mind around this idea since it seems like reincarnation which I know God doesn't do (at least that I know of!). Can you explain? A: Excellent question! I love that you are attempting to get at the meaning of the text, and what it seems to be saying is contrary to your understanding of the overall teaching of the Bible ... so what's the deal? It's true that some mistakenly arrive at the idea that Jesus taught reincarnation. Some think there were some secret teachings of Jesus that reveal Jesus believed in and taught reincarnation of souls. These so-called secret teachings of Jesus are based on writings of a group known as the "Gnostics." Do not be misled by Gnostic teaching. The New Testament speaks clearly against this group of heretics that arose shortly after Jesus' ascension to heaven. O Timothy, guard what has been

Question: In 1 Corinthians 5:12, Paul says 'what business is it of mine to judge those outside the Church?" What is meant by 'judge others'? If I take a stand against / oppose a group or organization engaged in sinful activity, am I not judging? I hope you can clear this up for us! A: I hope I can, too! The topic of "judging" is both large and potentially controversial. I dealt with this issue head on during our Lies In The American Church series back in March of 2011 and 1 Corinthians 5 was one of many passages touched on. The interested reader can also review a previous question on Judging Angels which deals with what follows immediately after this passage in 1 Corinthians 6 and tries to summarize the context of the situation in Corinth and the argument of the first 6 chapters. Additionally, this question on Cultural Commands goes even further in summarizing the argument and context of 1 Corinthians. For the sake of space, I won't attempt

Q: Did Jesus Bear the Full Punishment of My (Our) Sin? Now, as a Christian, I know the answer to that question is inexplicably YES! But in 2 Corinthians 5:21 we are told Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God. Now sin requires a price to be paid; the wages of our sin is death (Romans 6:23a) as well as being cast into the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20:15) with no opportunity for redemption (Hebrews 9:27). Now Jesus, bore our sins, died a physical death, descended into hell. He was then resurrected from the dead and has ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God. Now the heart of the question, is the 'price' that Jesus paid for my sins the same as the price I would have had to pay? My sin deserves eternal separation from God. But Jesus has not been eternally separated. Now I can rationalize that because of His eternal fellowship with God (i.e., I AM), that even one day not in His prese

Question - What tribe/clan of the Israelites was Moses from? Levites? Thanks! Answer - I really like this question for two reasons. One, it is one that can be answered within the pages of the Bible without need for messy Theology. Two, it leads into another very interesting question that you can ponder and think about on your own. Moses is one of the most interesting of all the people whom God chose to work through in the carrying out of His Divine plan for the redemption and restoration of mankind. Moses' name is mentioned 834 times in the NASB translation of the Bible. It appears in 779 separate verses! His name became synonymous with the Book(s) of the Law and was sometimes used to reference the first five books of Scripture as well. As in - "Moses and the Prophets." Moses' story begins in Exodus 2. But you must begin in Exodus 1 and read the entire book to get a clear picture of God's Divine hand as He moved through the life of Moses and took him fro