Steve’s Books
Category Archives: Doubt Busters
Attitudes of Faith
What does faith feel like? How do you know when you have it? As I was praying about my faith, several aspects of my faith over the years came to mind. I had demonstrated faith in different ways, but they … Continue reading
How were people saved before Christ came?
When you research this question on the internet, you’ll find that most answers address the example of the Jewish population, which had prophets and the scriptures to guide them to God. Almost none of the articles talk about what happens … Continue reading
Put on the Whole Armor of God
After I finished reading In Christ Jesus: The Sphere of the Believer’s Life, by Arthur Tappan Pierson, I gained a greater appreciation for the salvation that Christ has accomplished for us. I highly recommend you read the free, online version … Continue reading
What benefits do we get for becoming a Christian?
Here is a short list, in no particular order: When you become a Christian, it is because you have admitted the truth, that you are a sinner, and your sins have separated you from God. This opens the door to … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity
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In Matthew 5:17, Doesn’t Jesus contradict the NT authors about the law continuing forever?
Here is the passage in Matthew 5:17-19: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven … Continue reading
Posted in The Bible
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Did Jesus really mean it when he said to remove the eye or hand if we can’t stop sinning?
Here is the passage: “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or … Continue reading
Posted in The Bible, Uncategorized
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Why are some prayers not answered?
The Bible gives us several reasons why prayers may not be answered. Here are a few. In addition, we can learn to live a life of answered prayer. I’ll cover that later. If we have enough faith to pray, but … Continue reading
How can you prepare yourself for the rapture?
Jesus told us how in Matthew 24:36–51. There, Jesus told his disciples to “watch therefore, for you do not know” when he will come again. Then Jesus gives us two examples of what it means to watch and not watch. … Continue reading
Why was Jesus against the Pharisees so much?
We don’t have very far to look to find out why Jesus and the Pharisees clashed; He pointed out their flaws repeatedly. Let’s look at a few, for the reasons He had against the Pharisees are the same general reasons … Continue reading
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I recently re-watched the movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I found in this viewing some uneasy parallels with today’s church. In this episode, the Ministry of Magic took over the running of the Hogwarts school, denying the … Continue reading
Posted in End Times
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The Symbolism of Revelation 12
Revelation chapter 12 is usually called by teachers and commentators a break, pause, or flashback as we jump back in time to the Satanic persecution of the Jews and the birth of Christ. But Jesus protects us from that thinking … Continue reading
Posted in End Times
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Are we justified by faith, or by works?
James 2:14 begins a train of thought that has puzzled readers probably ever since it was written. Here is the beginning of the passage: What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have … Continue reading
Posted in The Bible
Tagged faith, good works, judgment, Mosaic Law, obedience, Revelation, reward
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All does not always mean All
In the Bible, “all” sometimes means all, and sometimes it has a much more limited sphere. This is also true for “whatsoever” and “everything.” In many cases, these all-inclusive words are not referring to everything in every possible scenario in … Continue reading
Posted in The Bible
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There’s More to the Romans Road to Salvation
In most cases of the gospel proclamation, the message preached is about entering into salvation. The Romans Road is often used to lead a person to faith in Jesus Christ. (To learn more about this method of chaining verses, see … Continue reading
Jesus’ Creation of Authorities
Jesus did not only create the seen and unseen things of the natural world, but also conceptual entities like hierarchies of authorities in heaven and earth. When we think of Him as Creator, we usually don’t go that far, do … Continue reading
Posted in Jesus, Jesus on Judgment
Tagged accountability, creation, Jesus Christ, judgment, obedience
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How can the Kingdom of God “suffer violence”?
In Matthew 11:12, we read an interesting aspect of the Kingdom of God: And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. How is the kingdom … Continue reading
Posted in Demons, H e l l and Suffering
Tagged Kingdom of God, obedience, sin, suffering
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The Cultural Christian versus the Called-out Christian
It has been said that if you were born in India, you would most likely be a Hindu because your parents were. If you grew up in the Middle East, then you would be one of the three strains of … Continue reading
Posted in Society and Culture
Tagged atheists, Christianity, good works, growth, salvation
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Eternal life is a healthy relationship with God
Each of the Bible’s spiritual values have a natural-life counterpart that we live out, whether we believe in God or not. Eternal life is one of those aspects that we already know in our natural lives. The average church-goer probably … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity
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Suffering: the training ground for spiritual maturity
How does the Spirit get mature, spiritual fruit in us? He doesn’t wave his hands over us or sprinkle pixie dust. No; he does it through suffering. That seems like a negative way of looking at the process, doesn’t it? … Continue reading
Posted in Demons, H e l l and Suffering
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What is Faith?
First we start with faith’s source, which is God: Romans 10:9 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God Faith comes as a the result of knowing that God has spoken to you. In the context of … Continue reading
How do we harmonize the nativity accounts of Matthew 2 and Luke 2?
Some Bible scholars have tried to harmonize the birth stories of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. When they have been unable to do so, they have concluded that the stories are fictional, myths, merely figurative. Most of … Continue reading
Why is there suffering in the world?
Someone asked this question on suffering at Christianity Stack Exchange, a site where I answer questions now and then. One of the answers to this question (given by a resident of Cape Town, South Africa) was so comprehensive regarding suffering … Continue reading
Leaving the Faith? Watch out for this logical fallacy
Many young people who leave home for college life end up abandoning their religion and moral constraints. (This is what the college professors and staff want them to do.) They are convinced by their professors that their religion was something … Continue reading
Why does God tell us to love our enemies?
In Matthew 5:43-44, Jesus tells His hearers to love their enemies: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who … Continue reading
Our “silly little sins”
I recently answered a question sent to me from gotquestions.org. This person, who is quoted below, thought her sins were silly little sins and she wondered why she was unable to get over them and stop repeating them. My reply … Continue reading
Faith without proof is alive and well among the religious and secular
Many religious people trust in their spiritual authority for their religious beliefs. They don’t study the religious text for themselves. They don’t understand how their authorities came by their tenets, so theirs is a personal faith without proof. “All I … Continue reading
Posted in Science and Evolution, Society and Culture
Tagged atheists, faith, proof, reason
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Does God care about the Christmas holiday?
Does God care about us displaying Christmas trees? Does He require that we put on happy faces for the holidays? Do we need to put up Christmas lights? Are we to be ashamed if we don’t have a scene of … Continue reading
How does the Christian overcome?
The Bible tells us that Christians have the victory, or that they overcome. What does that mean? What does that victory look like? How can we know that we are overcoming? First John 5:2-5 tell us that we have the … Continue reading
Why should we read the Old Testament?
Is the Old Testament (OT) of any value nowadays? Many people say that we no longer have to follow all those laws and rules anymore, so why bother reading it at all? I’ve read through the OT many times along … Continue reading
Posted in The Bible
Tagged Bible, Christ's Return, end times, faith, God, Jesus Christ, Mosaic Law, prophecy, sin, Word of God
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How do we Fight the Devil?
The Bible tells us how to address the one “who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9) in several revealing passages in the New Testament. In none of them are we told to attack him directly. Rather, we remove the means … Continue reading
Posted in Demons, H e l l and Suffering
Tagged Devil, faith, Lucifer, pride, Satan, sin
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