The BIG Picture (Q&A)

Here is a selection of verses that I find encouraging, often for a greater purpose than just having a temporal view of life. 1. Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" This is encouraging because it declares a settled legal standing rather than a fluctuating feeling. This verse reveals that peace isn’t maintained by our behaviour but was secured at the cross. We are not striving for favour; we possess a finished, eternal tranquillity as a present reality. 2. Ephesians 1:6 "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." The encouragement lies in the fact that God has already "made" us acceptable. We often struggle to earn approval, but understanding our Mystery doctrine reveals that our position in Christ is a gift of grace. Regardless of our flaws, we are perfectly accepted because God sees us through His Son. 3. Colossians 2:10 "And...

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...

QUESTION: Gal.4:10 — Paul telling the Galatians not to observe days and events etc. There are some in the Mid-Acts Grace circles that intimate that we should not celebrate our birthdays, as neither Jesus nor Paul did. What is your take on this? MY REPLY: Paul writes to the Galatians: “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain” (Gal.4:10–11). The context of this passage is critical. Paul is not addressing personal celebrations such as birthdays or anniversaries. His concern is that the Galatians were returning to religious observances tied to the Mosaic law and pagan calendars — feast days, sabbaths, ritual cycles, and annual observances that were being treated as necessary for righteousness . In doing so, they were undermining the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work . The issue here is legalism , not personal joy or cultural custom. Some within Mid-Acts circles argue that because Jesus and Paul did not cele...

QUESTION on Social Media: Why does Jesus Christ claim to be "the truth and the life" (John 14:6) and then, "sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12)? My ANSWER: When Jesus declares in John 14:6 that He is “the way, the truth, and the life,” He is revealing Himself as the exclusive source of salvation, the full revelation of God, and the only path to the Father. This statement belongs to the present age of grace, where God openly invites all people to come to Him through Christ. It reflects God’s heart that none should perish but that all should come to repentance, and it shows that the gospel is a genuine, universal offer of truth and life to anyone who will receive it. In contrast, the “powerful delusion” described in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 does not apply to believers today, nor to those who are sincerely seeking truth. Paul is speaking propheticall...

QUESTION: Who decides what is morally right—God or people (like: Thomas Aquinas)—and why do Christians sometimes disagree about what is moral, especially when reading passages like Judges 11? ANSWER: When people ask whether morality is defined by man or by God, they often assume that morality is a universal system that applies the same way in every age, covenant, and dispensation. But Scripture shows something far more precise. God Himself defines what is right, but He does so within the framework of His revealed will for each people and each program. What was moral for Israel under the law is not the same as what governs the Body of Christ under grace. This is why trying to force all morality into one timeless category leads to confusion, disagreement, and contradictions. The word “moral” simply refers to what is right or wrong according to a standard. The real question is not what the word means, but whose standard applies. Thomas Aquinas and other theologians tried to build universa...

QUESTION: I see nothing in the Old Testament that foreshadows Jesus. This foreshadowing idea is just a teaching made up by men; it is not biblical. As a believer, can you provide Scriptures that demonstrate I'm mistaken? ANSWER: The claim that Jesus is absent from the Old Testament is not only mistaken, it is directly contradicted by Scripture itself. Jesus declared, “Search the scriptures…they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39), and Paul affirmed that the law was “a shadow of good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1). The Old Testament is not a random collection of ancient stories; it is a divinely woven tapestry where Christ is foreshadowed in events, institutions, and lives long before He came to fulfil the law and the prophets. These shadows are not inventions of men, but God’s own testimony pointing forward to His Son. When we look carefully, we see Christ everywhere in the Old Testament. The beloved son rejected, the lamb slain, the priest interceding, the king reigning—all ...

Emotions are part of our humanity. God created us with the capacity to feel joy, sorrow, fear, compassion, and even disappointment. These are not sinful in themselves, for they belong to the soul—the realm of mind, will, and emotions. Yet Scripture warns us that the motions of sins, which are by the law, work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death (Romans 7:5). This shows that emotions, though natural, can be stirred by the flesh and lead to sinful outcomes when not governed by the Spirit. Faith, however, is of another order. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). It is not emotion, nor is it feeling—it is trust in what God has spoken. Faith rests on the certainty of His Word, while emotions fluctuate with circumstance. Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6), which means that God is not pleased with our emotions in themselves, but with our trust in His truth. Yet emotions, when submitted to the Spirit, can reflect His own hea...

Paul’s grace doctrine transforms us from inside out Paul’s doctrine of grace is the foundation for Christian living today, distinct from the kingdom-based teachings that were rooted in law and prophecy. His revelations, given only after Christ’s death and ascension, were a mystery—hidden since before the world began—now made known to the body of Christ (Romans 16:25, Ephesians 3:3-9). This doctrine is God’s direct instruction for believers today, guiding them toward justification and sanctification. Paul’s epistles form a progressive curriculum that establishes and matures believers in their faith. Romans lays the foundation, teaching justification by faith (Romans 3:28). Corinthians to Galatians reprove and correct carnal responses to spiritual truth, working within believers to renew their minds and transform their thinking (2 Corinthians 10:5, Galatians 2:20). As they yield to the Word, their thoughts, actions, and speech begin to bear fruit unto righteousness (Romans 6:16), not thr...

Does Satan have any chance of entering Heaven? Then why should those who serve Satan or claim to be of satanic descent have any chance? What would be the consequence of cooperating with someone who opposes God? Satan's exclusion from Heaven is unequivocally affirmed throughout Scripture. Though in former times he had access to God’s presence—“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them” (Job 1:6)—his current state is one of irrevocable judgment. The fall described by Christ, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18), finds its fulfillment in Revelation 12:9, where “the great dragon was cast out... which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” His final end is revealed in stark judgment: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone... and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 2...

To frame the global flood as “genocide” is to misread both the nature of God and the gravity of man’s rebellion. Genocide, as we understand it, springs from hatred and prejudice—an act of destruction rooted in human pride and cruelty. The flood, however, was the solemn outpouring of divine justice, born not of malice but of holiness. God does not react by impulse, like humans do, but He is ultimately longsuffering, and through perfect love, acts in restraint. Scripture paints a sobering picture of the world in Noah’s day: a civilisation so steeped in wickedness that “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5, KJV). This was not a fleeting moral lapse or a cultural disagreement—it was a total saturation of corruption, a world where violence had become the language of life and the earth itself groaned under the weight of man's depravity (Genesis 6:11-12). Yet even in the face of such pervasive evil, God did not act hastily. He waited. He w...

  Lev.21:18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, 19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, 20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; This passage is often misunderstood and misapplied by those who do not rightly divide the word of truth. Some have used it to suggest that people with physical disabilities are disqualified from serving God today, or that such individuals are somehow less acceptable in ministry. This interpretation is not only doctrinally incorrect—it is spiritually harmful. To understand this passage properly, we must begin by recognizing its dispensational context. Leviticus was written to the nation of Israel under the Mosaic Law. It outlines ceremonial, civil, and religious instructions for Israel’s priesthood, particularly the sons of Aaron who served in the tabernacle. ...

How true is the statement that Jesus was not born divine, therefore he became divine after he got baptized? This statement is not true according to Scripture or historic Christian doctrine. Jesus was born divine—He did not become divine at any later point. His divinity was not conferred at baptism, nor was it earned or adopted. It was intrinsic from conception. This idea—that Jesus became divine at His baptism—is rooted in theological error. Some early sects (such as the adoptionists) taught that Jesus was a mere man who was “adopted” by God when the Spirit descended upon Him. They misread Matthew 3:17—“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”—as a moment of divine appointment. But this declaration affirms His identity, not initiates it. Modern confusion often arises from attempts to rationalise the mystery of the incarnation or from blending human reasoning with Scripture. But the Bible is clear: Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully divine from the beginning. What S...

Is Jonathan in the first book of Samuel generally considered a righteous man? Interesting question 😊 Let me answer it based on what I see in 1 Samuel. I would say ‘yes’. Jonathan is widely regarded as a righteous and honourable man in the book of 1 Samuel. His actions consistently reflect humility, loyalty, and spiritual discernment. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, stands out in 1 Samuel as a man of deep integrity and spiritual clarity. Despite being the heir to the throne, he willingly surrenders his claim in favour of David, recognising that God had chosen David to be king. This act alone reveals a heart that values God’s will above personal ambition. Here are several key traits that highlight Jonathan’s righteousness: Loyalty to David: Jonathan’s friendship with David is one of the most selfless and sacrificial relationships in Scripture. He protects David from Saul’s murderous intentions, even at great personal risk (1 Samuel 20:1-42). His loyalty is not blind—it’s rooted in his ...

How do Pre-Tribulationists justify their view after reading 2 Thess 2:2-3? Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians was written to correct a specific fear: that the Day of Christ had already begun. This wasn’t a fear of missing the Rapture, but of being caught in the time of wrath and judgment that follows it. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul had taught that believers would be “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17), and that they were “not appointed to wrath” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). So when false teachings—whether by spirit, word, or forged letter—claimed that the Day of Christ was “at hand” (2 Thessalonians 2:2), the believers were understandably shaken. Paul responds by reaffirming the prophetic sequence they had already received. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul states that “that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed.” The phrase “falling away” is translated from the Greek apostasia, which in Acts 21:21 refers to fors...