How can I prove to someone that the kingdom is fulfilled?  I understand the kingdom is the church, and the person I am talking with believes that also, but for some reason, they don’t think the church is completely fulfilled; therefore, they believe in visions and miracles.  Are there any verses that specifically say that the kingdom has been fulfilled?

Sincerely,
Loyal Subject

Dear Loyal Subject,

The kingdom isn’t done with its work… but that doesn’t mean you can’t prove that visions and miracles have ceased.  The work of the kingdom won’t be entirely fulfilled until the Great Day of Judgment (Jude 1:6) when Christ will hand the kingdom over to the Father (1 Cor 15:24).

Visions and miracles have ceased because the kingdom doesn’t need them anymore.  Paul said that prophecies would stop when ‘the perfect’ comes (1 Cor 13:8-10).  The ‘perfect’ isn’t the end of time; it is the completed Bible.  The Bible is called “the perfect law of liberty” (Jas 1:25).  When the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, was completed, we no longer needed prophecy in order to understand God’s Will.  Jude said that we have God’s law handed down to us “once and for all, delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).  Since God provides all knowledge and wisdom in His Bible (everything that pertains to life and godliness – 2 Pet 1:3)… what would be the purpose of visions and prophecy continuing?  The church (i.e. the kingdom) still has work left to do here on this planet, but visions are no longer necessary to fulfill that work.  We recommend reading “I Dreamed A Dream” and “Three Cheers For Miracles” for more on this subject.

Which interpretive method do you use?

Sincerely,
Studious

Dear Studious,

Our interpretive method can be found in Ps. 119:160, “The sum of Thy Word is truth”.  We interpret the Bible using the Bible.  We take the passages in context, compare them to other passages on the given subject, and then add them together to come to a conclusion.  The Bible isn’t a matter of private interpretation (2 Pet 1:20) where anyone may decide that a passage means whatever they feel it means.  We study the Bible by using the Bible as the guide to itself.  We use Bible words in Bible ways and understand topics by looking at the totality of what the Bible says about those topics.

Can you lose your salvation?

Sincerely,
Fallen From Grace

Dear Fallen From Grace,

Yes, you can lose your salvation – but not by accident.  There are two extremes when it comes to discussing salvation.

One extreme is the Calvinistic view that your salvation is never in jeopardy, regardless of what you do.  This view is called ‘Perseverance of the Saints’ – the belief that if you are saved, you will always persevere without ever needing to worry about your salvation.  This view is simply not biblical.  Consider several verses from the book of Hebrews.  Heb 6:4-6 talks about ‘enlightened partakers of the Holy Spirit’ (certainly this refers to saved christians) who then ‘fall away’ and ‘crucify afresh the Son of God’.  There can be no doubt that this is talking about people losing their salvation.  Heb. 10:26-27 talks about knowledgeable christians rejecting the gospel and the terrifying expectation of judgment to come upon them.  Paul said he feared that his preaching had been in vain to the Galatian brethren because they were turning away from the pure word of God (Gal 4:11, Gal 1:6).  Yes, we most certainly must watch how we live and act so as to not miss the prize of heaven (1 Cor 9:25-27).

The other extreme is to have zero confidence in your salvation.  This is the attitude of “unless I am living perfectly, I am going to be lost.”  This view is also wrong.  Christ died to save sinners (1 Tim 1:15), and it is His blood that pays the price for your entrance into heaven (1 Pet 1:18-19).  Your salvation is not dependent upon perfect living but FAITHFUL living (Eph. 2:8): hearing God’s word (Rom 10:17) and then living by that Word (Jas 2:14-18) to the best of your ability.  Perfection is not a requirement of salvation in Christ – commitment is.  A committed christian, though he often may fall short of who he wants to be, can be confident in his eternal reward.

[This question is a follow-up to “There Can Be Only One”]

Why are all the other religions wrong?  Are 1.5 billion people going to heaven while 4.5 billion will burn in hell?  It almost doesn't seem like the fair and loving God I would worship.

Sincerely,
All-Inclusive

Dear All-Inclusive,

God is perfectly fair – we just aren’t very grateful for what He has offered us.  There is nothing unfair about God’s plan of salvation.  Everyone can be saved in Christ (Jhn 3:16).  Jesus opened a door to salvation that anyone can walk through.  Anyone that desires to have salvation through Christ can have it (Rev 3:20).  It isn’t His fault that many people spurn His invitation.  Which road we take is our choice (Matt 7:13).

Why is my preacher always talking about liberalism?

Sincerely,
Too Much Talk

Dear Too Much Talk,

Liberalism is a term that refers to a certain attitude toward the Bible.  To be “liberal” with the Bible is to not carefully adhere to its teachings.  The Bible is full of examples of those who were liberal with God’s Word, and the consequences were always very unpleasant.

1. Nadab and Abihu were liberal and burned a fire that God hadn’t permitted – they died because of it (Lev 10:1-2).
2. King Saul was liberal in not completely fulfilling God’s command to destroy the Amalekites – he was told that he was in open rebellion against God for it (1 Sam 15:1-23).
3. David was liberal when he allowed a non-Levite to carry the ark – a man died because David didn’t carefully adhere to God’s teachings (2 Sam 6:1-9, 1 Chr 15:13)
4. Jesus told the Pharisees that they were hypocrites because they made their own rules instead of conservatively obeying God’s (Mk 7:10-13).

We can’t speak for your preacher’s motivation, but we can tell you that liberalism is a very real concern because a loose attitude toward God’s Word can lead people straight to heartache and hell.  Liberalism brings the risks of drifting from God and shipwrecking our souls.