Introduction
The Complete Bible Answer Book Collectors Edition is designed to answer questions that stumble seekers and solidify skeptics in their opposition to a biblical worldviewand was born out of two decades of hosting the nationally syndicated Bible Answer Man radio broadcast. I have taken my impromptu answers and chiseled them until only the gem emerges.
Questions you will encounter in this volume run the gamut from common to complex. In the category of common, I answer such questions as, Why dopeople end their prayers with Amen? and What is ZenBuddhism? In the category of complex, I tackle questions such as, How can Christians legitimize aGod who orders the genocide of entire nations? and Should Christians support a ban on embryonic stemcell research?
Perhaps the question I have been asked more than any other is Why does God allow bad things tohappen to good people? At first blush it may seem as though there are as many responses to this question as there are religions. In reality, however, you will discover that there are only three basic answersand only Christian theism can answer the question satisfactorily!
Along with questions I answered in previous Bible Answer Books, I have added answers to questions such as Does Mormonism really teach thatJesus is the spirit brother of Satan? and How shouldChristians think about global warming? In addition I have included acronyms such as Y-O-G-A, which are designed to take you from reading to recall. Youll also discover recommended resources for further study as well as Scripture passages specifically related to the subject matter at hand.
Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to thank the Thomas Nelson teamparticularly Jack Countrymanfor ensuring that the content of this volume was complemented by an elegance of presentation.
May The Complete Bible Answer Book CollectorsEdition not only provide you with answers to your questions but equip you to answer questions raised by family and friends.
HANK HANEGRAAFF
Charlotte, North Carolina
BASIC CHRISTIAN THOUGHT
AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH
1
WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
N o one gets out of this world alive, so this is beyond a doubt the most important question you can ever ask yourself! In fact, N the Bible was written, so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5: 13).
First, according to Scripture, you need to realize that you are a sinner. If you do not realize you are a sinner, you will not recognize your need for a savior. The Bible says we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23).
Furthermore, you must repent of your sins. Repentance is an old English word that describes a willingness to turn from our sin toward Jesus Christ. It literally means a complete U-turn on the road of lifea change of heart and a change of mind. It means that you are willing to follow Jesus and to receive him as your Savior and Lord. Jesus said, repent and believe the Good News (Mark 1: 15).
Finally, to demonstrate true belief means to be willing to receive. To truly receive is to trust in and depend on Jesus Christ alone to be the Lord of our lives here and now and our Savior for all eternity. It takes more than knowledge (the devil knows about Jesus and trembles). It takes more than agreement that the knowledge we have is accurate (the devil agrees that Jesus is Lord). What it takes is to trust in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. The requirements for eternal life are based not on what you can do but on what Jesus Christ has done. He stands ready to exchange his perfection for your imperfection.
The requirements for eternal life are based not on what you can do but on what Jesus Christ has done.
According to Jesus Christ, those who realize they are sinners, repent of their sins, and receive him as Savior and Lord are born again (John 3: 3)not physically, but spiritually. The reality of our salvation is not dependant on our feelings but rather on the promise of the Savior who says: I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life (John 5: 24).
See also Hank Hanegraaff, Does your relationship with God make you sure you will go to heaven when you die? pamphlet, available through Christian Research Institute, www.equip.org. For further study, see John MacArthur, Hard toBelieve: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003).
JOHN 3: 16
For God so loved the world that he gavehis one and only Son, that whoever believes in himshall not perish but have eternal life.
2
WHAT ARE THE SECRETS
TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH?
A ccording to Jesus Christ, those who repent and receive him as Savior and Lord are born again (John 3: 3)not A physically, but spiritually. And with this spiritual birth must come spiritual growth. It is crucial therefore to be intimately acquainted with the ABCs of spiritual growth.