Vol.1 No.1

Q. The pastor of the church I attend teaches that the Bible is a good book, but cannot be entirely relied upon to make modern decisions because it was written for a different age. Why doesn’t God give us something for our age?

A. I do not, in anyway, want to discredit your pastor. However, a careful study of God’s word shows just how relevant the Bible is for youth today:

1. The Bible was written by men who were inspired by God (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16).
2. God is a God who is totally reliable, and does not change to fit the times (Malachi 3:6). The very principles He provided, even thousands of years ago, are just as valid today. Sin is still a reality, so even today we need heavenly words in our hearts to guide each step (Psalms 119:11 &105).
3. Many of the prophecies of the Bible actually deal with events down to our time and beyond. The chapters of the following books tell the exciting events leading to the return of Jesus: Daniel 2.7.8,12; Revelation 13-22; Matthew 24; Luke 21.
4. The Bible tells us what will take place just before Jesus returns to take His faithful people back to heaven. We could be living in that time right now. (2 Timothy 3:1-5, 2 Timothy 4:1 - 5).
5. God expresses His soon return through promises John 14:1-3; Jude 14; 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57).
6. Even where the Bible is not talking particularly about our day, the counsel is just as relevant as the day it was written. Study the following and see how these promises and counsels can help you make sound, moral decisions. (Psalms 51:1-12; Psalms 23; Psalms 91; Proverbs 31:10-31; Matthew 5-7; Ephesians 5:22-27).

The Bible is the only book upon, which we can make moral decisions today. I suggest you read the Bible with the special purpose of seeing what it, is saying to you personally—then share your findings with your pastor!

Vol.2 No.2

Q. I believe I am a Christian, yet, I don't enjoy reading the Bible. Do you have any suggestions?

A. One reason why the study of Gods Word is difficult for young people is they come from homes where they have not been familiarized with the Bible from childhood. There is a tremendous need for parents to establish morning and evening worship to help youth grow in their interest of God's Word.

There is another area that you need to examine closely. In contemporary society Satan has made the things of this world inordinately attractive. The various modes of entertainment that are available today have done more than anything in the history of mankind to diminish the primacy of God's Word in the lives of men and women. Examine your own life. Do you spend large amounts of time watching television, listening to music, attending the movies, engrossed in sports or in any other form of entertainment? These forms of entertainment provide us with thoughts that are immoral. Thus our mind is unable to contemplate the beautiful truths of God's Word.

Once you have separated yourself from worldly entertainment, you will be in a much better position to thrill to the study of God's Word. I suggest that you start by reading a portion of the Bible every day. Begin with one of the four gospels and then read the book of Acts.

Share God's word with someone else. The Bible truly comes alive when we share it with others. The teacher always learns more than the student, so be a teacher of the Word and God will enrich your understanding.

Vol.4 No.3

Q. Since I have accepted Christ into my life, why do I need to read the Bible? Can't the Spirit teach me all things?

A. Your question is raised by many a sincere Christian. It is often believed that one can enjoy a meaningful Christian experience without adherence to the clear teachings of the Bible. However, in John 20:31 we read, "'But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.

In John 5:39, we also read these words from Jesus Himself: "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."

In the light of the cited text, the whole Bible testifies about Jesus Christ. He is the central theme: from Genesis to Revelation we see Jesus; He will come; He has come; He will come again. It is only through the word of God that we know Jesus, the Son of God.

What about the Spirit of God? How can we know that we are led by the Spirit of God and not an evil spirit? We read these words from the Psalmist David: "Thy word -is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path," Ps. 119:105.

Read carefully the words of the apostle Paul: "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 perfect, [thoroughly] furnished unto all good works," (II Timothy 3:16,17). Please read Heb. 4:12- It is only by the Word of God that we know that we are led by the Spirit of God.

Dear reader, as you read these words I encourage you to obtain a Bible promptly. Get this pearl of great price. Owned, it is riches; studied, it is wisdom; trusted, it is salvation; loved, it is character; and obeyed, it is power.

Vol.6 No.6

Q. How do I use a Bible concordance like Strong's, for instance?

A Most deep Bible students wouldn't be without their Strong's Concordance. It's a little like having your own personal Hebrew and Greek interpreter. With Strong's, we can find out what words in our English Bible actually meant in the language in which they were written. For example, let's look up meat as used in Matthew 6:25:

1. The first and main part of Strong's lists all the important words of the Bible in alphabetical order. Find the listing for meat.
2. Meat is used frequently in the Bible, and Strong's lists every time it is used. The listing is in Biblical order. Look down the list until you find M't (Matthew). Now, find 6:25. It gives a few words from the verse: Is not the life more than meat; and
3. What you need is a number. The ditto marks next to the listing indicate that the number is the same as the one above it: 5160.
4. All words from New Testament texts are in the Greek Dictionary; all words from Old Testament texts are in the Hebrew-Chaldee Dictionary. Both dictionaries are located in the back of Strong's.
5. Find number 5160 in the Greek dictionary. It gives the Greek spelling of the word, the English spelling, the pronunciation, and other information. Next is the way the word was used in Greek. Read the definitions. Are you surprised?

Use Strong's whenever you have a question about what a word really means. It is also useful even when you think you understand.

Vol.6 No.6

Q. How can I make sure that I am not being deceived by false doctrine when I read my Bible or listen to explanations of the Bible?

A This is a very important question, and one that the Bible answers directly.

First, we must accept the Bible's own claims: ""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 perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). Therefore, the Bible, when rightly interpreted, will lead us to truth.

Second, God has sent His special representative, the Holy Spirit, to guide us into all truth: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. . ." (John 16:13). We may ask God to send us His Spirit to keep us from error and to lead us into truth whenever we open the Bible, hear a sermon, or attend a religious class or lecture.

Third, we must test every message by Scripture, whether from a dream, a being claiming to be an angel, a favorite teacher or pastor, or even a piece of literature. John warns us: "'Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). Paul commended the Bereans for checking him against the Word of God before accepting his message (Acts 17:11). Isaiah gave this important test: "To the law and to the testimony [scriptures]: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20).

Finally, Jesus has promised that we cannot be ensnared by delusions if we accept and follow the advancing, light of truth (John 7:17).

Vol.9 No.4

Q. How can Christians claim that the Bible contains absolute truth? Isn’t that a little arrogant?

A. A merchant was visiting on a former cannibal island. One day while strolling in the peaceful surroundings he noticed a native reading a Bible. “In my country this book was considered outdated long ago,” he commented. The native answered, “Sir, if the Bible was outdated around here, you would have been eaten long ago.”

This is the power of absolute truth. Yet the trend today is to believe that there is no absolute truth, rather, many truths—a belief system known as  “pluralism.” We frequently hear, “what is truth for you, is not neccesarily truth for me.”

But let’s consider this for a moment. If there are no absolutes, that means there is no point of reference. And if there is no point of reference, how do I know that my truth is not error? The next step in this reasoning is that there is no error—everything is true! How absurd!

The problem with the belief that there are no absolutes is that the belief itself is contradictory. To prove it, you have to believe that there are absolutely no absolutes!

Actually, it is more reasonable to say that all religions are wrong than to say that all of them are right. It is either right or wrong. There is no middle way. Without absolute truth we have chaos.

The Bible claims to contain absolute truth. How can we test its claims?

First, it is internally consistent. This in itself is proof of its claim. Although written by a number of authors, in different time periods, with different backgrounds, different occupations, and in different places, it still has the same message: salvation through Christ, which leads to harmony between heaven and fallen humanity. The God of the Old Testament is the same with the God of the New Testament. He is the One who inspired different writers to record different experiences and yet still give the same message. “For I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).

Second, the prophecies of the Bible have been fulfilled through history, with 100% accuracy. Modern psychics will not claim this success rate.

Third, Jesus said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:34-35). The Bible has withstood the test of time. Despite the persecution in the Dark Ages, despite the barriers that certain systems and regimes have held against the Bible, the Word of God is still in our homes.

And finally, there is something about the Bible that nobody can doubt: it contains transforming power. Paul describes its life-changing power this way: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The Bible is an ancient book, but yet so current. It contains the same power today as it did in past ages. And millions of Christians will testify that they would give up everything rather than go back to a life without the God of the Bible. Just ask the former cannibal.