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As a former Catholic it was such a revelation to find out I did not need a middleman (priest) to go to the Father to confess my sins and be forgiven. But in reading John 20:19-23 where Jesus states “if you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven and if you do not, they are not forgiven”. My question is, how can a man, even someone as close to Jesus as an apostle, forgive sins? Is not that only for the Father to do?

I have to respectfully disagree with something you said in your “All Three Agree” response. You said: “No one can come to the Son unless the Father draws Him, but the Father only draws those who have chosen to come.” This makes God’s election subject to, and dependent on our foreknown choice, and thus introduces merit on our part, in regards to our salvation. This does not agree with the teaching of Scripture on the Sovereignty of God, and the depravity of man.

Your interpretation of Romans 8:29 assumes a temporal sequence of events in the eternal counsels of God – who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. This does not mean that we don’t have free choice. I believe that God’s complete Sovereignty and our free volition are completely compatible. But, election can’t be contingent on our foreknown choices without doing violence to God’s Sovereign Grace. Election was necessary because God knew that without it, no one would chose Him. Do we envision the foreknowledge of God as being, in any sense, incidental? I dare not! Rather, I see God as the Author and Orchestrator of the circumstances that led me to my choice. I can’t take credit for choosing Him, for if my life had played out differently, who’s to say that I would have made the same choice?

I heard a man on radio this morning say that God does not hear or answer prayers of those who don’t read their Bible. He continued by saying why should God answer them if we can’t be bothered to read His Word. Do you agree with his statements?

Why do I hear about ‘carnal’ Christians when Romans 8:7 says ‘the carnal mind is enmity against God’? I understand what a ‘nominal’ Christian is, but what is a carnal Christian (if there is such a thing)? Also, do you believe that only people who have given up every part of their will to Christ is a saved person, or do you think there are saved people trying to hang on to some old habit or way of life?

I am so tired. Due to my sin nature, I find that living in God’s will is impossible. I invoke 1 John 1:9 and only minutes later find my thoughts rushing back into the situation for which I just sought forgiveness. I am desperate for the blessings of God. I am so thankful for what Jesus did for me and at the same time, I find that obedience through gratitude is such an elusive goal.

Some bodies of deceased believers have been cremated and/or destroyed via explosion. Others have been devoured by wild animals, and still others by fish and other creatures of the sea. Are these the same bodies that Christ will make new during the rapture? Or, do you think that Christ will make completely new bodies for those believers?

I frequently hear post-trib believers say that 1 Thes. 5:9 doesn’t promise believers escape from the end times judgments but from eternal punishment in Hell. Can this be true?

Jesus is God in the flesh, but what was he like physically, if that’s the right word to use, before the incarnation? I ask this also because of the appearances of God in the OT, yet we are also told in John 1:18 and John 6:46 that no one has seen God, so is it safe to say that it was Jesus whom they saw?

Is God the same yesterday, today, and forever? Can He make different rules for different folks in time concerning their salvation? Can He change the rules for salvation? What happens to one that looses ones faith today verses yesterday or tomorrow? What happened to Saul? Is the whole council of God for different times in History, or is it for all ages? I am confused by your applying the 10 virgins to the tribulation saints, I can not find that applied to them as being the bride of Christ. I am also confused that the parable of the vine dresser is not applied to the Church. Did not Jesus give this to the first members of His church?

In Revelation 7:15 the Angel tells John that the great multitude who is worshiping God and the Lamb are those who came out of the Great Tribulation (Martyrs). They are then serving God in His temple day and night. I believe you have mentioned that they have a different destiny than the Church, who will reign with Christ. But when we get to Rev 20, that same group of martyrs comes to life, and then we see them reigning with Christ also (Rev 20:4).

We know that this second group is the same as the first group, because John mentions that they didn’t take the mark or worship the beast, so they are clearly Tribulation martyrs, just like in Rev 7. Can you reconcile the differences? I was under the impression that only the Church will reign with Christ, but here we see non-Church members also reigning with Christ.