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...