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I. Some New Testament verses referring to "fear."     A. Greek word phobos, from which we get English word "phobia."          Acts 2:43 - "everyone kept feeling a sense of awe"          Acts 5:11 -"great fear came upon the whole church"          Rom. 8:15 - "you have not receive a spirit of slavery leading to fear"          I Cor. 2:3 - "I was with you in weakness and in fear"          II Cor. 7:5 - "conflicts without, fears within"     B. Greek word deilas referring to "fright" or "dread"          Matt. 8:26- "Why are you timid, you men of little faith?"          John 14:27 - "Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful"         ...

The Bible mentions two specific types of fear. The first type is beneficial and is to be encouraged. The second type is a detriment and is to be overcome. The first type of fear is fear of the Lord. This type of fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid of something. Rather, it is a reverential awe of God; a reverence for His power and glory. However, it is also a proper respect for His wrath and anger. In other words, the fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgement of all that God is, which comes through knowing Him and His attributes. Fear of the Lord brings with it many blessings and benefits. It is the beginning of wisdom and leads to good understanding (Psalm 111:10). Only fools despise wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7). Furthermore, fear of the Lord leads to life, rest, peace, and contentment (Proverbs 19:23). It is the fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27) and provides a security and a place of safety for us (Proverbs 14:26).  Thus, one can see how fearing God should be ...

Determining the meaning of Scripture is one of the most important tasks a believer has in this life. God does not tell us that we must simply read the Bible. We must study it and handle it correctly (2 Timothy 2:15). Studying the Scriptures is hard work. A cursory or brief scanning of Scripture can sometimes yield very wrong conclusions. Therefore, it is crucial to understand several principles for determining the correct meaning of Scripture. First, the Bible student must pray and ask the Holy Spirit to impart understanding, for that is one of His functions. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13). Just as the Holy Spirit guided the apostles in the writing of the New Testament, He also guides us in the understanding of Scripture. Remember, the Bible is God's book, and we need to ask Him what it means. If you are a Christian, th...

Yes, all people inherited sin from Adam and Eve, specifically from Adam. Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18). Genesis 3 describes Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God and His command. Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, sin has been an “inheritance” for all of their descendants. Romans 5:12 tells us that, through Adam, sin entered the world and so death was passed on to all men because all have sinned. This passed-on sin is known as inherited sin. Just as we inherit physical characteristics from our parents, we inherit our sinful nature from Adam. Adam and Eve were made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6). However, we are also in the image and likeness of Adam (Genesis 5:3). When Adam fell into sin, the result was every one of his descendants also being “infected” with sin. David lamented this fact in one of his Psalms: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from ...

We often think that our lives can be simplified if we just have a checklist to follow. We have shopping lists, to-do lists, wish lists, and more. Surely, if God wants us to have success in living for Him, there must be a list in the Bible of sins to avoid. When we look to the Bible, we certainly do find lists of sins, but we also discover that the lists never seem to end. From the very beginning, God told man what was right and wrong. To Adam in the Garden, God said, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, God established His Law with them at Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) were not the whole law, but a summary of all that God had to tell them. The entire books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are devoted to revealing to the Israelites God's laws. Jewish rabbis say that there are...

There are two issues involved in this question, the things that the Bible specifically mentions and declares to be sin and those the Bible does not directly address. Scriptural lists of various sins include Proverbs 6:16-19, Galatians 5:19-21, and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. There can be no doubt that these passages present the activities as sinful, things God does not approve of. Murder, adultery, lying, stealing, etc.—there is no doubt the Bible presents such things as sin. The more difficult issue is in determining what is sinful in areas that the Bible does not directly address. When the Bible does not cover a certain subject, we have some general principles in His Word to guide us. First, when there is no specific scriptural reference, it is good to ask not whether a certain thing is wrong, but, rather, if it is definitely good. The Bible says, for example, that we are to “make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5). Our few days here on earth are so short and precious in rela...

The Scriptures state, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Christ paid the penalty for our sin. We all deserve death, which is the ultimate penalty for sin. Everyone will pay for his sin unless he comes to Christ, who has paid the price for our sin with His blood. Adam and Eve suffered consequences for their sin by being expelled from the Garden. Instead of using the word “consequences,” we should think of the word “discipline.” The writer of Hebrews says about discipline and its purpose, "And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, ‘My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.’ “As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a chi...

The Bible is very clear about baptism. There are two points we all need to understand. (1) Baptism is to take place after a person has received Jesus Christ as Savior, trusting in Him alone for salvation. (2) Baptism is to be by immersion. The word baptize literally means to "immerse / submerge in water." Baptism by immersion is the only method of baptism that adequately illustrates what baptism symbolizes—believers dying, being buried with Christ, and being raised to newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). With those two key points in mind, what about those who were baptized unbiblically? For the sake of clarification, let's divide this into two categories as well. First, in the instance of someone who was baptized before he/she became a Christian. Common examples of this are those who were baptized as infants, or those who were baptized later in life, but did not truly know Jesus as Savior when they were baptized. In these instances, yes, such a person definitely needs to be ...

Christian baptism is, according to the Bible, an outward testimony of what has occurred inwardly in a believer’s life. Christian baptism illustrates a believer’s identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. The Bible declares, “Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4). In Christian baptism, the action of being immersed in the water symbolizes dying and being buried with Christ. The action of coming out of the water pictures Christ’s resurrection. In Christian baptism, there are two requirements before a person is baptized: 1) the person being baptized must have trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior, and 2) the person must understand what baptism signifies. If a person knows the Lord Jesus as Savior, understands that Chr...

Jesus saves” is a popular slogan on bumper stickers, signs at athletic events, and even banners being pulled across the sky by small airplanes. Sadly, few who see the phrase “Jesus saves” truly and fully understand what it means. There is a tremendous amount of power and truth packed into those two words. Jesus saves, but who is Jesus? Most people understand that Jesus was a man who lived in Israel approximately 2000 years ago. Virtually every religion in the world views Jesus as a good teacher and/or a prophet. And while those things are most definitely true of Jesus, they do not capture who Jesus truly is, nor do they explain how or why Jesus saves. Jesus is God in human form (John 1:1, 14). Jesus is God, come to Earth, as a true human being (1 John 4:2). God became a human being in the person of Jesus in order to save us. That brings up the next question: why do we need to be saved? Jesus saves, but why do we need to be saved? The Bible declares that every human being who has eve...

The existence of life after death is a universal question. Job speaks for all of us by stating, “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure....If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:1-2, 14). Like Job, all of us have been challenged by this question. Exactly what happens to us after we die? Do we simply cease to exist? Is life a revolving door of departing and returning to earth in order to eventually achieve personal greatness? Does everyone go to the same place, or do we go to different places? Is there really a heaven and hell? The Bible tells us that there is not only life after death, but eternal life so glorious that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came to the earth to give us this gift of eternal life. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he ...

The Bible speaks about salvation. But what is salvation, and how can I be saved? “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.” 2 Corinthians 7:10. Be saved by repentanceThis verse gives us a very clear explanation of how we can be saved. It is repentance that leads to salvation. Repentance means turning from sin and the lust of this world to God. This verse also shows us that it is godly sorrow that produces this repentance. Paul tells us in the same verse that the sorrow of the world produces death—that is a sorrow over wanting more of what this world can offer. But godly sorrow is a sorrow over my own sin and over my lack of what belongs to God: goodness, love, mercy, patience etc. The first fruit of this repentance is that I receive the forgiveness of sins. And when this repentance is born out of a godly sorrow, then I will make a conscious decision to put an end to my old sinful ways and begin seeking the things of God. Be saved by overcoming sin“Therefore, layi...

What actually happens when I commit to following Jesus? This is a tremendously important question. Most of us have very incomplete knowledge of what's involved in the transformed life at the time of our decision to follow Christ. But it is essential that we quickly grow in that understanding. According to the Bible we are "born again" when we take certain steps in faith: Acknowledge we have been separated from God -- living independently from Him -- and repent for staying separated. ("Repent" means to stop and completely change direction.) Turn toward God and away from our former way of living Personally, and verbally, ask Jesus Christ to be our Savior -- receiving Him as the One who by His death, burial and resurrection made it possible to come back to God Give ourselves fully to Him, recognizing that Jesus is Lord -- the One who is entitled to all authority in our lives This act of believing, the term used most commonly in the New Testament, is not mer...

1. If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved ... Rom 10:9. 2. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life ... John 3:16. 3. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world ... John 16:33.  4. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also ... Matt 6: 19-21. 5. Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart ... Psalm 37:4. 6. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you ...

If you're saved, praising and worshipping the Lord is an important part of our fellowship with the Lord. After all, what a great gift we have been freely given by the Lord Jesus Christ. Below is a list of praise and worship verses, and you will notice that many of the verses are from Psalms. After all, God said David was a man after His own heart ... Acts 13:22. How great if God thought that about each of us! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Praise the Lord  1. The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will extol Him ... Exodus 15:2. 2. Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders? ... Exodus 15:11. 3. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen ... Deut 10:21.  4. Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers...