Hank Hanegraaff - The Bible Answer Book

A GIFT FOR:

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FROM:

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THE BIBLE
ANSWER
BOOK

FROM THE BIBLE ANSWER MAN
HANK HANEGRAAFF

Copyright 2004 by Hank Hanegraaff

Published by the J. Countryman division of the Thomas Nelson Book Group, Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures are from the New International Version of the Bible (NIV) 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1977 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. The King James Version of the Bible (KJV). The New King James Version (NKJV) 1979, 1980, 1982, 1992, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publisher. Used by permission.

www.thomasnelson.com

www.jcountryman.com

www.equip.org

Designed by UDG|DesignWorks, Sisters, Oregon

ISBN: 0849995442

Printed and bound in the United States of America

TO MY SON DAVID :

Your literary skills leave me speechless
Your insights are profound

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Larry King has had the opportunity to pose questions to more famous people than anyone else in history. Yet, if you listen carefully youll discover that a handful of questions take precedence over all others. King once said that Jesus Christ was the person he would most like to interviewand the question he would most like to ask Christ is Were you indeed born of a virgin? According to King, the answer to this one question would define the rest of history.

Other questions King desperately wants answered are Why do bad things happen to good people? and What makes the Bible more credible than the Quran? During an interview on the Heavens Gate cult suicides, he even asked me if Christianity itself could legitimately be considered a cult.

Like King, we too have pressing questions. Some want to know who created God, or what the purpose of prayer is if God already knows what we need before we ask him. Others want to know if it is ever morally permissible to lie, or if there is such a thing as ultimate truth. Still others want to know what happens to people who have never heard of Jesus Christ, or if the Bible promotes practices such as slavery.

For the last fifteen years, I have had the opportunity to answer thousands of such questions on a live nationally syndicated radio broadcast called the Bible Answer Man. Additionally, Ive answered thousands more questions in venues around the world. In the process, Ive gained a good grasp on the questions people most want answeredand these are precisely the ones I address in The Bible Answer Book.

I have taken my impromptu answers to questions and chiseled them until only the gem emerges. Moreover, as on my daily radio broadcast I not only suggest a recommended resource to stimulate further study, but I highlight a specific Scripture passage to fortify each question and answer.

Finally, a word about presentation. The reason I chose J. Countryman as the publisher for this project is that frankly no one but no one produces more beautiful books.

It is my prayer that The Bible Answer Book not only will equip you to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have... with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15), but that it will be a treasure you share with family and friends.

HANK HANEGRAAFF Rancho Santa Margarita, California

2 TIMOTHY 3 :16 17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

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, 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 towards 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 not based 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 not based 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 CRI, www.equip.org. For further study, see John MacArthur, Hard to Believe: 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 gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

ROMANS 10: 9 10

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 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.

First, no relationship can flourish without constant, heartfelt communication. This is true not only in human relationships, but also in our relationship with God. If we are to nurture a strong relationship with our Savior, we must be in constant communication with him. The way to do that is through prayer.