The BIG Picture (Q&A)

Romans 8:4 — “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16 says, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”  But what does that mean for us today? To walk in the Spirit is to walk in agreement with what God has already done—not to chase what He might do. It’s not a mystical journey or emotional high, but a doctrinal reality. The Spirit doesn’t lead us into signs, wonders, or vague impressions. He leads us into truth. He testifies of Christ (John 15:26), teaches us sound doctrine (1 Corinthians 2:13), and strengthens our inner man (Ephesians 3:16). His ministry is not external but internal—not circumstantial but spiritual. He doesn’t stir our flesh; He renews our mind. When we walk in the Spirit, we’re not trying to be spiritual—we’re yielding to the Spirit who already dwells in us. We’re not striving to overcome sin—we’re reckoning ourselves dead to it (Romans 6:11). We’re n...

One of the most misunderstood phrases in Romans 14 is Paul’s declaration: “All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.” — Romans 14:20 (KJV) At first glance, it seems sweeping— all things ? Surely Paul doesn’t mean lying, stealing, or revenge are pure. And he doesn’t. The key lies in context, and in rightly dividing between moral absolutes and matters of conscience. Romans 14 is not a chapter about sin in its raw form. It’s a chapter about liberty, conscience, and the delicate dance between personal persuasion and communal edification. Paul is addressing believers who differ in their convictions about food, drink, and holy days—issues that are not inherently sinful, but can become spiritually harmful when handled carelessly. When Paul says “all things are pure,” he’s speaking of externally lawful, morally neutral actions —especially those tied to ceremonial or cultural observances. Eating meat, drinking wine, esteeming one day above another—these ...

SOCIAL MEDIA QUESTION: What do I do if I’m far from God? MY ANSWER: Assuming you have received and trust in the gospel of Christ: that Jesus died for your sins and was raised again for your justification, then the following scriptures will increase your relationship with God. Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God MUST BELIEVE that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. In order to come to God, to grow in Him, to trust Him, and to fall in love with Him, you have to come in FAITH. You do not form a relationship with God in your flesh. God is not a human and a relationship with Him does not work on a human level with touch and feelings and emotions. You cannot see God and be swept off your feet by His charming looks. The only way you can connect with God is through FAITH; believing that He is, and diligently seeking Him. Colossians tells us that as we initially received Christ, in like manner we must walk in Him, C...

The following discourse is commentary from a social media site based on reactions to one of my posts. The main context of this Q&A is concerning hearing God's voice and walking in righteousness. There are some important lessons to learn regarding how we hear God's voice and how we walk according to the Spirit and not according to our own 'works' or efforts. Questions or comments in the post are bulleted. "John 10 says “My sheep hear my voice and follow me.” Do you hear his voice and obey him?" The only way to 'hear' His voice is through the written word of God. It is the word of God within you, acquired through reading and studying it and gaining understanding in it that embeds God's Spirit within you. Jesus says in Jn6:63, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." So, to get God's Spirit in you, you need to get into the written Word of God and get it into you. It is through the knowledge and underst...

Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified , them he also glorified . Paul tells us that if we truly believe in Jesus Christ by hearing and responding to the grace gospel, we are freely justified by the ‘decree’ of God, and we can have peace with God, and access to the grace that He provides, Rom 5:1-2. Through faith in the gospel of grace, we are transferred from the administration of death, which is in Adam, into the administration of life, which is in Christ. When we belong to Christ’s administration, we are now identified with righteousness, peace, and life, as Paul continues to tell us, Rom 5:17-19 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (18) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the...

QUESTION: Several passages of the New Testament identify the importance of following the commandments but don't say what they are (other than loving God and neighbor)? Is any other commandment essential to the Christian way? ANSWER: This is an excellent question and one that many people might ask. The key to answering this question is knowing what the law is and what is commanded of us to obey. So, let me start with the following. Paul clearly tells us that we (as grace believers) are not under the law, Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What does Paul mean by this? What law is he referring to? Paul is not referring to the 10 commandments. These are the basic moral laws that apply to all humanity. These are the values written in our conscience. It does not matter what nation or language you are from; your conscience will testify to these actions. You will know it is wrong to kill, steal, lie, etc. Thus, Paul is not referrin...

The moment one quotes scripture, like, “we are not under law but under grace”, Rom.6:14 , you get people defending the law with all their might, rejecting the post, and calling one a heretic. The typical defense will come in arguments like, the law is our tutor, or the law upholds morality, or they claim you're saying the law is sinful. The most common argument is when they say, even though the law cannot save one, it does not mean we do not have to practice it. Arguments like these are typically raised by believers, — yes, you read that correctly, believers . Either believers who lean too much upon a legalistic faith, or uninformed believers who have a carnal opinion of spiritual things without having studied the Word to discover the truth that is presented clearly and concisely in its pages. So, how does one correct such carnal thinking? Tutorship of the law:  The tutorship of the law aims to justify us, and it accomplishes this with little empathy. It brings us to ...

COMMENT: You say, “Repentance and water baptism is part of the salvation requirements in the Kingdom gospel for Israel. They [Israel] are commanded to repent for their unbelief and crucifying their Messiah. Water baptism is required to fulfil the priestly calling they have according to Exo.19:5–6, which they will fulfill in the Millennial Kingdom.” So, you call obedience to repentance and water baptism, works? How sad. You haven’t obeyed Jesus and Peter. MY RESPONSE: According to Paul’s writings we are to obey the living Word within us. You see, when we read the Word and fill ourselves with it, then it starts to renew our mind. It starts to influence our thoughts and actions. Giving ourselves over to obey that which the Word works out of us is what we obey unto righteousness. See what Paul writes in connection with this, Rom 6:16-17 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedien...

Why did God send us the Holy Spirit in the first place? I answer this question by posting an article written by Arthur Licursi which perfectly lays out the role of the Holy Spirit in this age of grace, as compared to the role of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in the Kingdom program. Also, Arthur clarifies how we interact with the Holy Spirit today and what it means to be ‘filled with the Spirit’. I encourage you to take the time to carefully read through this well-written and highly informative article: The Holy Spirit Today Paul exhorts the grace believers of this age to  “be filled with the Spirit.”  This is because today the  filling with the Spirit  is now a  goal , an  attainment ,  as Paul here, by inspiration, sets before the church. “Be filled with the Spirit”  (Eph. 5:18);  “be filled  with the fruits of righteousness” (Phil. 1:11); “ be filled  with the knowledge of His will” (Col. 1:9); “ be filled  with all ...

Answer Request: — In response to this post:  What does it REALLY mean to be 'In Christ'? I'm pessimistic because I find it's hard for most people to change their mind. Do you think that most people's condition can conform with their position?  Our 'condition' will never reach our 'position'. The body and mind are subject to sin and corruption. The flesh is unsalvageable and can never be 'fixed', or conformed, to the standards that God requires. This is why the Bible says that we had to die, and this happened when Christ died for us. Read the following verse in Romans, Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall b...

There are two things to understand concerning this question, ~1~ A man can NEVER be free from guile, falsehood, and wickedness, since the state of man in the flesh is unsalvageable! "The flesh", even as it  remains in the believer after salvation , is that which is "begotten [ birthed ] of the flesh" (John 3:6)  from parent to child tracing all the way back to Adam by whom  "Sin entered the world" (Romans 5:12). It is called ,  "the flesh," "the old man," "the natural man," "the carnal mind" and "the old Adamic nature". With respect to "the flesh" in the believer, the Apostle Paul declares that in it "dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18), that it is "carnal, sold under sin" (Romans 7:14), that it is "corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (Ephesians 4:22), that it is at "enmity against God," and it is "not subject to the law of God, neither inde...

Back in the day, I can recall praying and asking God to reveal His will to me; to reveal His will in my job, to show me the way to go in my Christian walk and in my ministry. I don't doubt that God led me and guided me in His own way, and I certainly do not doubt where I am today in my relationship with Him and my family, but I have also learned over time that the options in life and the decisions you face is ultimately your will and in your control. God is not going to tell you what job to choose, or if you must marry or not. He is not going to tell you to buy a house or in what stocks to invest. He is not going to reply to those fleeces you put out or use booming billboards to answer your prayers. This is  YOUR  life and the decisions you make are your own, and the direction you choose is yours to make.  God entrusts you with the power to choose your path, but where your path ends up will be by how much of that powe...

The bible clearly lists various things as sins and therefore it is easy to know that these things are morally wrong. Things like, idolatry, greed, covetousness, lying, gluttony, complaining, murder, bribery, stealing, gossip, jealousy, adultery, etc. These and many more are either a violation of God's moral laws or a violation of moral and ethical laws set out by an authority like a government or ruling entity. Violating these causes you to fall into sin and probably face some form of consequences. But what about things that are not so obvious? Is smoking a sin? Is drinking a sin? What about anger, or not giving to the needy, or hurting someone's feelings? Do I sin if I choose not to go to church or if I want that extra piece of cake? What happens if I get a speeding ticket? Have I sinned in God's eyes for violating a law on the road? The list can go on and on, so the question remains, how do I know when something is a sin, especially if it is not as obvious, and not necess...