What exactly was the first Christian church in history?  Was it the Roman Catholic church?  Was it the Eastern Orthodox church?  Or was it a Gnostic sect?

Sincerely,
Ground Zero

Dear Ground Zero,

The first church in history is the one founded on the day of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts.  Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox church didn’t begin until hundreds of years later under the reign of emperor Constantine when Constantine tried to control Christianity by making it the national religion… complete with government councils and sanctions.

The only pattern for the church that can be trusted is the one that can be found in the Bible.  All denominations, sects, and schisms are caused by deviating from the Bible.  The apostle Paul proclaimed that there is only one pattern for the church’s teaching, worship, and behavior (Eph 4:4-6).  A church must follow the Scriptures as its blueprint (1 Tim 3:15)… that is the only way to make sure it is pleasing to God.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Sincerely,
Not Good With Faces

Dear Not Good With Faces,

The Holy Spirit is deity.  He was there at the creation of the world (Gen 1:2).  Acts 5:3-4 makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is synonymous with God.  The Holy Spirit is as close to God as your spirit is to you (1 Cor 2:10-11).  The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead – alongside with Jesus and the Father (Matt 3:16-17).

How do we know Christianity is the one and only true religion?

Sincerely,
Sweetly Broken

Dear Sweetly Broken,

Why? Christianity forces us to choose.  Many of today’s religions allow tolerance for multiple belief systems, but the Bible isn’t one of them.  If we believe in the Bible and Jesus (read “Who Wrote The Bible?” for proof that the Bible is written by God), then we can’t accept other religions as well because the Bible condemns all other religions (Ex 34:14, Lk 16:13).  Jesus claims to be the only way to heaven (Jhn 14:6).  A common myth today is that we can believe in Jesus and also accept other religions, but Jesus strictly condemns that lifestyle.  We are told that there is only one way to heaven (Eph 4:4-6).  Either Jesus is the Messiah or He isn’t.  There is no room for plurality in Christianity.  Christ is an all-or-nothing Savior.

In short, if we accept the Bible as true, we must accept all other religions as false.  If we accept other religions as true, we must accept that the Bible is false.  There is no in-between.  The Bible is accurate, time-tested, consistent, contains supernatural information, and holds specific and fulfilled prophecies… no other book can make those claims.  The Bible stands alone – and it likes it that way.

I am a committed christian, and I accept Christ as my Savior, but I don't understand some of the things God does to people who do not believe, and I believe this is holding me back from truly feeling Him in my heart.  These are some of the things I do not understand: there are truly great people out there who do not know Christ or do not believe.  Those who are brought up believing something else are innocent, for they have no choice. To them, it is like someone trying to convert you to Buddhism; you would not convert because you were brought up believing something else, and the consequence is to burn in hell for all eternity.  The human mind can’t even conceive of eternity; that’s the most horrifying thing I can imagine. God is like our father, but could you send your son to burn in hell, even if you could do something about it?  Please help me understand this; my faith most likely depends on this.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Voice For The Lost

Dear Voice For The Lost,

There are several things to consider when wrestling with the issue of the lost going to hell.  The first thing to remember is that God doesn’t send people to hell – we choose to go there.  Sin is a choice made by responsible adults (see the story of the first sin in Gen 3:1-7).  When we sin, we die (Rom 6:23).  God didn’t make us spiritually dead; He created us with spiritual life (Gen 2:7).  God originally wanted all mankind to live eternally with Him in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:8)… we are the ones who chose to break that perfect pattern.

God says that everyone has the opportunity and freedom to choose Him – regardless of what background we come from.  The very universe screams of the nature of God, so all are without excuse (Rom 1:20).  We all have a responsibility to seek out God, and He promises that all those who seek Him will find Him (Matt 7:7, Matt 5:6).  God never condemned us to hell; we did it to ourselves.  God has offered a payment for our souls through His Son Jesus Christ’s blood (Jhn 3:16).  Jesus is the road back to God (Jhn 14:6), the road we don’t deserve (Rom 5:8).  All of us have rebelled against God (Rom 3:23), and God in His infinite mercy gives us a second chance.

When we start thinking in terms of “God opening the way to heaven through His love” instead of “God condemning almost everyone to hell”, then we begin to get a proper picture of the way God views eternity.

Hi.  I have a few questions that need answering.  Thank you in advance for your answers.

1. Are the souls of the fallen angels on this earth age?  I have heard that all souls that were in the first age, came to the second, but a verse from the Bible reads: Jude 6 "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." ...from what I understand of the passage, the fallen angels do not enter the second earth age.
2. If the souls of the fallen angels are in this earth age with us, can they be saved, or is it too late?
3. Can people who are "Satan’s children" in this earth age, be saved?
4. Is everyone who is on earth now someone who was indecisive in the first age, or did some of us follow God then as well?  I thought we already decided to follow God, and that is why we are in this earth age.

Sincerely,
Time Trials

Dear Time Trials,

All of these questions can be answered by clearing up a misunderstanding about the ages of the earth.  Some people teach that there have been multiple earth ages: the first earth age was a time that existed millions of years before Adam and Eve, the second earth age is when we are currently living, and the third earth age has yet to come to pass.  The Bible doesn’t teach this.

Genesis 1 teaches that God created the whole world in six days, and it was immediately inhabited by Adam and Eve who became the father and mother of all mankind (Gen 3:20).  The Bible never speaks of a world existing before the earth we know today.  At one point, God flooded the earth, but that didn’t destroy all of mankind because Noah’s family survived (1 Pet 3:20).  One day, this earth will be destroyed by fire and replaced with a new, spiritual heaven and earth (2 Pet 3:10-13).

The fallen angels spoken of in Jude 6 are doomed for destruction in that day of fire, and all mankind has an opportunity to repent and come to Christ before that great Day of Judgment (2 Cor 6:2).