Q&A Column

Q.Having read some of your critique of lordship salvation, is it correct to say that you lean slightly more to the free grace camp in the lordship salvation debate? Examples of theologians holding a mild free grace position that come to my mind are Lewis Sperry Chafer...

Q.Brother, You wrote "This (our faithfulness) will affect our potential in the kingdom made manifest at the judgment seat." [Q&A № 112] It seems that most Christians have a view of "life on earth, then heaven for eternity." Over the years I have become aware of...

Q. What does Paul mean in 2 Timothy 2:13 when he says, "If we believe not, yet he abides faithful." Aaron   A.Hello Aaron, Thanks for the incisive question. Years ago this was brought to my attention. In fact, another young preacher and I strongly disagreed over the...

Q.What are the evidences of meekness in a person's life? Karen A.Hello Karen, Thank you for your question. Meekness is an often overlooked and misunderstood word, so lexicons and word studies will provide a good starting point. Meek or meekness as used in the Old...

Q.Given the fact that we are told of the dead spiritual condition at the very end of the age, “the love of many will grow cold,” “and when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth,” etc., is it even realistic at this point to expect much, if any, revival...

Q.Hello John,What does it mean in 2 Cor. 10:5 “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” and how does one achieve this? Thanks,Philip A.Hello Philip, Thank you for the meaningful questions. These particular matters affect us every day. The...

Q.How does worldliness in entertainment affect revival in the church?  Does Christian involvement in and support of entertainment like American Idol, The Voice, etc. hinder revival or allow opportunity to be a Christian in the public eye?A.Thanks for your question....

Q.I recently listened to a sermon in which the preacher stated that the believer can never claim that he/she has heard the voice of God because God has spoken and His revelation is complete. What is the Biblical balance between the truth that (1) God's revelation is...

Q.Could you please explain the verse, “he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor 6:17) and how it impacts upon our sanctification in our daily lives? Thank you, Eric A.Hello Eric, Thanks for your question. I’m delighted you brought up this subject! It’s...

Q.Frances Ridley Havergal experienced personal revival through understanding 1John 1:7, seeing that the word “cleanseth” is in the present and continuous tense. The way of holiness opened to her and changed her life. Could you please comment on this verse, explaining...

Q.Is it ever appropriate to stop praying for a person's salvation or to stop witnessing to a person for their salvation? Frank A.Hello Frank, Great question! I would assume many have wondered about this. Sometimes an individual seems totally indifferent even after...

Q.I understand that salvation is through faith; why then does Romans 10:9 say If thou shalt confess with thy mouth? What part does confession play in salvation? LeahA.Hello Leah, Thanks for your question. Many have wondered this. The issue is faith. Most salvation...

Q.At a Bible conference recently teaching on the subject of inspiration of translated scriptures, the statement was made “Inspiration is not inerrancy.” To me I thought they went together. Can you shed any light on this for me? WilliamA.Hello William, Thank you for...

Q.When presenting the Gospel, should the presenter say to the unbeliever that Christ died for them? Kind Regards, Mike A.Hello Mike, Thanks for your question. I’m assuming your question relates to whether Jesus Christ died for every individual or just the elect. Let’s...

Q.What do you believe is the difference between preaching and teaching? Is it a matter of emphasis on facts vs. application? A.Hello, Great question! An important one too. The distinction needs to be understood from the Bible. Many think the main difference between...

Q. Jude exhorts us to be “praying in the Holy Ghost"(Jude 20), Paul in Ehp.6:18 states, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit”, and 1Cor.14:15 says “I will pray with the spirit”, while the religious Pharisee of Luke 18:11 addresses...

Q. Our family has been studying through 1 John together and have come to verse 16 of chapter 5 and are puzzling over what could possibly be a sin unto death. We first questioned what is meant by "death" - is it eternal death (separation from God) or...

Q. How can I embrace Christ if I am prideful and don't want to be humble?Jojo A. Hello Jojo,Many wonder the same. Thank you for you honesty! The Bible gives us a prayer we can all pray when we feel this way.In Lamentations 5:21,...

Q. What do you think is the biggest hindrance to revival in today’s society? And on the flip side, what is the biggest key to having revival in today’s society?Colton A. Hello Colton,Thanks for your thought-provoking question. If...

Q. I seem to see we are in desperate need in our land. We are in desperate need in the church. As I talk to other Christians, I don't find a sense of desperation. "It's not good but we seem to be content with it." My question is, can we have revival if we...

Q. While I was at church this morning, we sang the song, Have You Any Room for Jesus? One of the verses said, “Oh today is time accepted. Tomorrow you may call in vain.” Am I correct in saying this is not biblical? Does not the Bible say whosoever shall...

Q. Can a saved person have “sins of the spirit”?  I have heard this preached on, but I can only find sins of the flesh in the Bible.Anthony A. Hello Anthony,Thanks for your intriguing question. A friend of mine and I discussed this...

Q. John, I frequently hear people quoting James 2 that faith without works is dead, and then basically proceed to judge others who don’t live up to their personal standard of holiness and pronounce them unsaved. My question is, does this verse and overall...

Q. What do you think of the Word of Faith movement? You got me to thinking about this movement, if that is what it is.Earl A. Hello Earl,Thank you for your question. In light of the recent articles addressing faith, it is a fair...

Q. I have a question about 1 Cor. 12. You are talking about growing in faith. What about the Spiritual gift of faith spoken of in verse 9? Is that only giving to certain believers as a special gift?Beverly A. Hello Beverly,Thank you...

Q. If I see a defect in my character (an area of frequent failure), does that mean I need more faith? What is your advice on how to grow faith? It seems “trying harder to have more faith” can also become a work of the “self.”Thank you,Irene A....

Q. Kindly briefly explain to me the main differences between the 5 views on sanctification and which you think is the most accurate?. I am Holiness Pentecostal. Thank you.Anonymous A. Hello,Thank you for your honest question. I’m...

Q. Greetings John:I have many Gospel of John copies, that I am hoping to distribute in my neighborhood, door-to-door, this summer. I still struggle with how to begin the conversation, going door-to-door. I would appreciate any counsel concerning this. Look...

Q. John,I been studying 1 John 1:9 on forgiveness and prayer, in this chapter 1, there is no mention of forgiveness but there is confession."Do Christians have to keep asking for forgiveness for their sins?" A frequent question is “what happens if I sin,...

Q. Could you explain 1 Peter 1:15-16, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Is it saying that believers are actually seen as holy since Christ lives in us and that’s why we...

Q. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul tells us, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” As I began reading some of Rees Howells – Intercessor, the author mentions that Rees at one point resolved to “live up to the teaching of the Savior,” which I take to be...

Q. The Bible says in Ephesians 4 ... "one hope, one faith, one baptism...".  Yet we read in the New Testament about water baptism (Mark 16:16), Spirit baptism (1 Cor. 12:13), baptism into Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:3), and "the doctrine of baptisms" in Hebrews...

Q. The best public confession of our faith is baptism?John A. Hello John,Thank you for your question. It addresses the tradition of recent years. Traditions can be helpful. However, sometimes they can be put on the level of God's...

Q. Is infant baptism scripturally sound?  I believe it is scriptural to baptize when one has the ability to believe on Jesus, otherwise it is a work of man to believe the Spirit is or has entered an infant.   What happens then to an infant of believing...

Q. John 8:30-31 As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;Can one be a saint, but not a disciple? It seems there are at least a couple...

Q. I understand that to be saved one must trust in Jesus. But is it necessary to humble oneself and confess that I had gotten saved? I made a profession of faith as a young girl. Later in my adult life I had doubts. I “settled” the matter by trusting...

Q. I enjoy & am edified by your articles & answers. "When I was a child I spake as a child, I understood as a child" (I Corinthians 13) .... Pertaining to Children being "Saved" rather than "Safe" for a time, Do you believe caution is needed before...

Q. Can you articulate how the modern trends in Christian music, such as scooping, sliding, breathiness, emotionalism, ccm, worldly sound, etc., are serious hindrances to Revival?Philip A. Hello Philip,Thank you for your question. I...

Q. Hi John,Thank you for issues discussed thus far. In relation to the lordship salvation controversy, is it wrong to explain to a person the teaching of faith repentance for salvation—that in repentance the person should have a change of mind of who God...

Q. Dear John,Greetings in the LORD. Can you please comment about the believers position in Christ seated in the heavenlies (Eph 2:6) and the perspective of abiding in that position? I am familiar with the identification truths, but this one (Eph 2:6) seems...

Q. If a person says he has faith but he has no works, can his faith save him? James 2:24 says that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Could you explain this please!Harold A. Hello Harold,Fair question that many...

Q. I know a young dad with 5 children. The oldest, a girl, struggles with mom's authority, never with the dad. She is 14 and wanted to be saved a few years. The dad wanted to see change in her before acknowledging her desire to be saved. I shared she could...

Q.John 1:12-13 along with many other passages declare that someone who places faith in Jesus Christ become a child through birth. We are born again and His seed is placed in us (regeneration). What then is the adoption noted in places like Romans 8:14-17? I am...

Q.Hello! Do you think you could do a post to shed some light on 1 Cor. 13 &14 as it relates to the gifts of prophecy and tongues? I recently encountered two individuals in my church who claim to have the prophetic gift. I learned growing up that this gift no...

Q.What is the difference between salvation by faith alone and lordship salvation? JimA.Hello Jim, Thanks for your question. The key is in your phrase “by faith alone.” Faith for salvation must be faith alone in Jesus or it is not saving faith. Obviously, to trust in...

Q. I have been saved for 51 years. From the time I was saved, I was taught and seemed to grasp quickly that God was totally in charge—that is totally in control. That nothing happened outside of his control. That he could do anything he wanted to do, etc....

Q. So for a while, while I was still living in Michigan, I would go to church and when the pastor told us to bow out heads and close our eyes, he asked us to raise our hands if we were saved, and I raised my hand every time. But then for some reason these...

Q. What do you say to people whose testimony of salvation does not include the Word of God? They just knew something happened sometime in their life, The Lord Jesus Christ gave them peace and their life was changed. Noel A. Hello...

Q. Hello, I’ve been struggling with assurance of my salvation for years now. I got saved when I was 4. I can see it in my mind and I remember my mom praying with me and then running into the other room to tell my dad and brothers that I got saved. But I...