The BIG Picture (Q&A)

QUESTION: Why are Christians upset about protesters disrupting a church service in Minnesota when Jesus Christ itself went into a temple (a house of worship) and overturned tables and drove people out (Mathew 21:12)? NOTE: This response focuses strictly on sound doctrine and the conduct derived from it. We do not engage in political commentary or civil disputes. While I will not address the specifics of any secular event, the Word of God provides a definitive answer regarding the conduct of believers and why the actions of Jesus Christ in the Temple cannot be compared to the disruptions of the world today. I add this question to our space solely due to educating in sound doctrine and to promote the value of our Grace doctrine. REPLY: The Standard of Conduct in the Dispensation of Grace Under the Mystery Doctrine revealed to the Apostle Paul, the believer is called to a standard of conduct that transcends personal grievances or social disagreements. Whether one agrees or disagrees with...

QUESTION: The Holy Bible says to love your neighbour, what if your neighbor is evil or a very nasty person? RESPONSE: When we study the Bible in the rightly divided context, we see that God doesn't expect us to have warm, feelings for someone who is mean or acting wickedly. In the Bible, the kind of love we are told to show is a choice, not a feeling. It’s about choosing to treat someone with a standard of grace because that is how God treated us. It basically means you decide that their bad behaviour won't turn you into a bad person. You seek their "highest good"—which is really just a fancy way of saying you hope they get saved and change their ways—but you don't have to like what they are doing. The Apostle Paul gives us a very practical rule: live at peace with everyone if possible. This is a huge relief because it shows that God knows some people make peace impossible. If a neighbour is dangerous or truly nasty, you don't have to let them walk all over yo...

In Matthew 20:1-16 , Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who hires laborers at various times—from early morning until the final hour of the workday. At the end of the day, he pays everyone the same wage: a full day's pay (one denarius). The men hired first are offended, expecting more because of their long hours in the heat, but the landowner reminds them that he fulfilled his contract with them and has the sovereign right to be generous with his own resources. The core of this parable is not about economics, but about the nature of God’s Kingdom . It teaches three critical points: God's Sovereignty: God is the owner of the "vineyard" and has the absolute right to distribute His blessings as He sees fit. Grace vs. Merit: The laborers hired at the eleventh hour received a wage they did not "earn" by hours worked. This illustrates that entry into the Kingdom is a gift of grace, not a result of human seniority or effort. A Warning Against Envy: Jesus was...

When we read that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:35), and that “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6), it may seem unnecessary for Him to be baptized to receive the Spirit. But a rightly divided view of Scripture shows His baptism was not for personal cleansing or regeneration, but for obedience, consecration, and manifestation. Water baptism under John was a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins (Mark 1:4). It was a washing, a cleansing of Israel in preparation for their Messiah (Acts 22:16). All Israel had to be baptized because they were sinners in need of washing. But Jesus was without sin (Heb.4:15; 1Pet.2:22). He had no need of cleansing, for He was holy from conception, born of the Spirit and untouched by Adam’s fallen nature. His baptism therefore was not for washing, but for fulfilling righteousness (Matt.3:15). Christ’s baptism served several divine purposes. First, it was the means by which He was publicly manifested to Israe...

The idea that Lucifer might be in partnership with God is a misunderstanding of the biblical record. Scripture consistently presents Lucifer, often identified with Satan, not as a co-worker with God but as His adversary. The testimony of the Word shows that Lucifer’s relationship to God is one of rebellion, opposition, and ultimate defeat. Lucifer’s fall is described in Isa.14:12-15, where his prideful ambition to exalt himself above the throne of God led to his downfall. This passage makes clear that his desire was not to serve alongside God but to usurp His authority. Far from partnership, this is outright rebellion. The New Testament confirms this posture: 1Pet.5:8 calls him “your adversary the devil,” portraying him as one who seeks to devour rather than cooperate with the purposes of God. It is true that Satan’s activity is sometimes permitted within the boundaries of God’s sovereignty. Job.1:12 illustrates this, where Satan could only act within limits set by God. Yet allowance i...

Question from Social Media: When Jesus declared, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). Did he, "exalt himself over everything that is called God so that he sets himself up in God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God" (2Thessalonians2:4)? Answer: When Jesus declared, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt.28:18), He was not exalting Himself in rebellion. His authority was given by the Father. Scripture confirms this: “As thou hast given him power over all flesh” (John 17:2), and “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him” (Phil.2:9). Christ’s exaltation is the Father’s act, rooted in His obedience unto death (Phil.2:8). He is the rightful Lord, seated at the right hand of God (Heb.1:3), and in Him “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col.2:9). By contrast, 2Thess.2:4 describes “that man of sin…who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God.” His authority is self-claimed,...

This is a detailed answer to a deep topic, but here goes… Idolatry in Scripture is more than the bowing down to carved images or the rituals of pagan worship. It begins the very moment the heart, the mind, or the will turns from the true and living God to another object of trust, devotion, or authority. The Lord set the boundary clearly: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exod.20:3). He added further clarity: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image… thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them” (Exod.20:4–5). These commands remind us that idolatry is not only external—it is the inward shift of allegiance away from God Himself. The Psalms describe idolatry as misplaced trust: “They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them” (Ps.115:8). Paul explains that it is rooted in an exchange of truth for a lie: “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” (Rom.1:25). Thus, idolatry...