As you know, tomorrow is Christmas. It is a time of celebration (the celebrated birth of Jesus Christ) and is also a time where most people like to share at least one gift with their family.
So what’s our Christmas present to you? Two articles! Click on the two links below to read them:
1. What is the True Meaning of Christmas?
2. Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?
God bless, and have a Merry Christmas!
On Tuesday, December 1, 2009, we learned that President Barack Obama is going to send in 30,000 more United States troops to Afghanistan in hopes to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011. Fortunately, the Bible has a lot to say on the subject of war, and there are plenty of Christian views on war.
As a Christian, what is your opinion on this? Do you agree with it? Do you disagree with it? Is it biblical?
Answer us today by leaving us a comment!
(Answer truthfully, but please do it respectfully).
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Joshua of Get Christian Answers.
Did you know that there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom? Did you know that even some non-Christians have the “knowledge” of Jesus dying on a cross? So why aren’t they called Christians? Continue reading for the answers.
The Life Application Study Bible defines knowledge as “the state or fact of knowing; learning; awareness; sum of what has been learned or discovered.” So in regards to Christianity, having knowledge can mean things like “knowing” that Jesus died on a cross or “knowing” that the Bible is the Word of God. Be warned, however, because even non-Christians can have the pure “knowledge” of these things. Read points #2 and #3 for more details.
The Life Application Study Bible defines wisdom as the “ability to make good use of knowledge; ability to recognize right from wrong.” So in regards to Christianity, having wisdom can mean a great number of different things. For example, if you have the knowledge of knowing that it is a sin to have premarital sex, you can apply that knowledge (with wisdom) and flee from any tempting situations that you may encounter. Additionally, if you have an alcohol addiction and you know that having an addiction and being drunk is a sin, then apply that knowledge (with wisdom) and avoid any places or situations that might cause you to sin.
There is a difference between “knowing” that a man named Jesus died on a cross and then actually “believing” what His death accomplished. If you ask a Christian, of course, we will say (and believe) that Jesus died for our sins and successfully saved us from sin. However, for a non-Christian, even though they may have the “knowledge” of a man named Jesus dying on a cross, they do not believe it actually accomplished anything (which is the main reason a non-Christian is also called a “non-believer”). So although Christians and non-Christians would have the same “knowledge” of a man named Jesus dying on a cross, Christians apply that knowledge (with wisdom) and actually believe in what Jesus’ death accomplished (John 3:16).
Another example: a non-Christian can “know” (or has the knowledge) that the Bible is the Word of God; however, most would not read it or make good use out of it. A Christian, however, “knows” (or has the knowledge) that the Bible is the Word of God and will, therefore, apply that knowledge (with wisdom) and actually read it to follow the many commands and advice that it has to offer us.
One of the best examples in the Bible that compares pure knowledge to wisdom is in James 2:14-25, which talks about faith and deeds. To break it down, we learn a few things within these verses:
1. Even though you may have the intellectual knowledge of what a Christian should do, it does not mean that you will be wise enough to actually do what you should (James 2:15-16).
2. Even demons “believe” (or in this case, have the knowledge of) there being one God (monotheism) as we are told in James 2:19; however, they are not saved. This is comparable to a non-Christian, such as a Jewish person, that believes in one God, but they do not believe in what Jesus Christ’s sacrifice accomplished.
3. We are saved by faith alone, not by mere deeds or works. However, having true faith usually produces good deeds or works because it shows that your faith is genuine, just like the example of Abraham in the Old Testament (James 2:21-24 and Genesis 22:1-19).
Remember, wisdom includes knowledge (Colossians 1:9) because to be wise is to apply your existing knowledge. However, knowledge does not include wisdom.
Leave us a comment to share your opinion of this post!
1. Life Application Study Bible (for applying Bible verses to your life).
2. Zondervan Study Bible (the all purpose study Bible).
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Joshua of Get Christian Answers.
Have you ever read something in the Bible that just makes you stop and say, “WHAT?!” And then continue for ten minutes trying to figure out why a certain command even appears in the Bible? I know I have. Way before I knew what a study Bible was, the five verses that I talk about below used to make me say, “why does this appear in the Bible, and how is it even useful?” Today, it is my goal to share with you the true value of these verses, and I hope that you will also apply the advice to your everyday life.
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus talks about the subject of “worry.” Specifically, in Matthew 6:25, He tells us not to worry about the things that God promises to provide us with (food and clothes), but this can apply to more than just food and clothes, too. You might ask, “what’s the worst thing that can happen from worrying?” Here are a few negative consequences:
1. Worry can damage your health. Worry can lead to anxiety, and anxiety can attack you in a number of different ways. For example, anxiety can cause chest pain, stomach aches, head aches, and tons of other problems. Too much worry can also lead to depression, and depression can lead to thoughts (or the actual act of) suicide.
2. Worry can consume your thoughts. God tells us in Philippians 4:8 that we need to think of “pure” or positive thoughts. Worry is a negative thought.
3. Worry can stop you from being productive. Imagine you’re at work and you have only five minutes to finish what you are doing. Even though you’re rushing, you feel comfortable because you are focused. However, if worry, a negative thought, enters your mind, then you may focus less on your work and end up missing your five minute deadline. So what did worry accomplish for you? Absolutely nothing, unless you consider missing your deadline an accomplishment (I hope not!).
4. Worry reduces your ability to trust God. When you worry about the things that God promises to provide you with (food and clothes), you are reducing your trust and faith in God to provide for you.
Thankfully, God gives us a way to defeat worry: 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all of your anxiety (or worries) on God, and He will take care of the rest. Sounds simple, right? Right. But it does work!
Note: Worry should not be confused with concern. While “worry” focuses solely on a problem, that may or may not even exist, “concern” focuses on fixing a problem with a solution.
In Matthew 18:21-22, Jesus tells us to forgive those who have sinned against us seventy-seven (77) times. You can take that at face value, but most agree that Jesus is saying that we should forgive an “unlimited” number of times, just like He does. Remember, love does not keep “record” (or score) of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5), and we are told to love our neighbors (Mark 12:31) and even our enemies (Matthew 5:44).
Note: For more information on forgiving others check out our article, What Does the Bible Say About Forgiveness?, on the main site.
In Matthew 5:28-29, Jesus says to “gouge” or pluck out your eyes if they cause you to lust after a non-spouse. This verse should not be taken literally because even blind people can lust. Jesus is telling us that we need to take extreme measures to keep us from sinning. One realistic approach is to look away or to just keep your mind on pure thoughts as we are told to do in Philippians 4:8.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:6, the Bible tells us to stay away from idle people (people that are not making good use out of their time). Being idle, or wasting your time, can also lead to a number of sins because you have too much free time. For example, causing one to gossip (2 Thessalonians 3:11-15), depression, and thoughts (or the actual act of) of suicide, simply because you have nothing better to do. The solution is to stay busy while making good use out of your time.
Note: For more information on work and gossip, check out our two articles: What Does the Bible Say About Work and Working? and What Does the Bible Say About Gossip?
In James 1:2-18, we are told of trials and temptations. Specifically, James 1:2 tells us to consider it “pure joy” when we face trials because they develop perseverance. This doesn’t mean that you have to smile when going through pain, but you should try and look on the positive side. For example, are you having some marriage problems? Consider it one of the many tests that you and your spouse will go through. One positive aspect is that you two will gain new problem-solving skills, which also develops your perseverance for the success of your marriage.
Additionally, use this time to strengthen your relationship with God. Do this by reading the Bible and seeking Him in every decision that you make. Going back to the above marriage example, before making any decision that could have an impact on your marriage, read what the Bible has to say first.
1. Life Application Study Bible ( for applying Bible verses to your life).
2. Zondervan Study Bible (the all purpose study Bible).
Leave us a comment to let us know what you thought of this post!
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Joshua of Get Christian Answers
If you ask a Christian whether Satan is real or not, you will probably get a variety of different answers. Some will say that he is real because the Bible states that he is. There are some that believe he is real, but think of him incorrectly (such as him being born a monster). However, others don’t believe he exists at all, and will say that he is just a metaphor (a symbol of evil, like the Boogeyman) used to trick Christians into doing good, instead of evil.
The truth, according to the Bible, is that Satan is very much real; however, he was not born as a monster with horns (like many cartoons and movies like to show him as). Let’s find out what the Bible really says about Satan.
Sometime before Adam and Eve first sinned, Satan existed as an angel that lived in heaven with God (Isaiah 14:12-15). The King James Version translation of the Bible refers to Satan as “Lucifer” (Isaiah 14:12-15, KJV). Other translations, however, may refer to Satan as some other word; for example, in Isaiah 14:12-15, the New International Version of the Bible refers to Satan as “morning star.” Regardless of the word used, they are both referring to Satan and state that he was kicked out of heaven. Other angels were also kicked out with him (Revelation 12:9).
Additionally, Jesus says that he “saw” Satan fall from heaven in Luke 10:18.
Today, Christians (and even non-Christians) fight Satan in the unseen spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12) because if you think of even one sinful thought, that means you have allowed Satan’s influence of sin to enter your mind. Therefore, this is why we face him in the unseen spiritual realm. However, Adam, Eve, and Jesus were born without sin. This means that Satan was forced to use a different method for them (appear in physical form).
- Adam and Eve were originally born without sin, so their minds were always on pure things. This means that it was impossible for Satan or his influence of sin to enter their minds naturally. Therefore, in order to convince the two to sin, Satan was forced to take a physical form (a serpent) and tempt Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1). Revelation 12:9 and Revelation 20:2 also state that Satan was the serpent.
- Jesus Christ, just like Adam and Eve, was born without sin. Since His mind was always on pure thoughts (meaning Satan and his influence of sin could not naturally enter Jesus’ mind), Satan had to take on physical form and attempt to make Jesus sin (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). The difference between Jesus and Adam and Eve is that Jesus did not give in to temptation like Adam and Eve did, meaning that Jesus did not sin. You can read more about this in my previous post, The Secret to How Jesus Defeated Satan and How You Can Do it Too.
In Ezekiel 28:12-19, these verses are comparing the human king of Tyre to Satan; however, we know that some of these verses could only specifically apply to Satan. For example:
- Ezekiel 28:13: “You were in Eden, the garden of God.”
- Ezekiel 28:14: “You were anointed as a guardian cherub,” and also states that he had access to the holy mount/mountain of God.
- Ezekiel 28:16 states that he was eventually expelled from the holy mountain of God.
- Ezekiel 28:17 states that he was thrown to the earth.
All of this talk about Satan may have you worried or scared that his presence will last forever. Thankfully, the Bible states he will be defeated in Revelation 20:7-10. Specifically, Revelation 20:10 tells us that he will be thrown into a lake of “burning sulfur” or fire.
Remember, it’s more important for a Christian to believe that Jesus and His sacrifice was real. However, it’s also important to remember why Jesus had to die in the first place, and that is because of Satan’s influence of sin in the world. Therefore, it is also important to remember that Satan is also real.
Let us know what you thought of this post by leaving us a comment.
Recommended Resources:
The Secret to How Jesus Defeated Satan and How You Can Do it Too.
Editor’s Note: This blog post was written by Joshua of Get Christian Answers.
If you’ve never read the “Temptation of Jesus” in the Bible (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13), then I suggest that you do. It’s very important for all Christians to understand how Jesus defeated Satan and how He sent Satan away with his tail between his legs (figuratively speaking).
So how did Jesus defeat Satan, and how can you do it, too? Read below and find out!
When Jesus was in the desert, Satan came to Him and tried three times to get Jesus to sin (by tempting Him):
- First Temptation: Satan tries to get Jesus to use His supernatural powers for His own needs (to change stones into bread), which would have caused Jesus to His mission. However, Jesus says, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” in Matthew 4:4 (also Luke 4:4).
- Second Temptation: Satan now tries to put God to the test; however, Jesus again defends and says, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” in Matthew 4:7 (also Luke 4:12).
- Third Temptation: Finally, Satan tries to compromise with Jesus and decides to give Him power over the world if Jesus bows down to him. However, Jesus again quotes the Bible and says, “Away from me Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” in Matthew 4:10.
So by now you’re probably wondering “that’s great that Jesus was such a cool guy filled with wisdom, but how will any of this help me?” Keep reading and I guarantee that you’ll find out!
Let’s look at an example here: if you wanted to cook something new for your family, then you would probably use a cookbook to view all of the ingredients, right? In the same way, to live the way God wants us to live (a Christian life) we need to open up our Christian cookbook (the Bible) and look up all of the ingredients (the wisdom and commands) that it has to offer us. This advice is not something that I discovered on my own, however, nor is it anything new. This “secret” advice has been in the Bible since the Old Testament times. For example, Joshua 1:8 tells us to “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
If you read my previous post, 10 Ways to Prevent Adultery in a Christian Marriage, then you probably remember that I stressed to refrain from sin you need to flee from temptation (1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Corinthians 10:14, 1 Timothy 6:11, and 2 Timothy 2:22). There are many ways to apply this in your life, especially if you have an addiction to something. For example:
- You’re an alcoholic: Flee from temptation by refraining from being around any alcoholic drinks, especially at clubs or parties (which normally increase temptation).
- You’re addicted to pornography: Flee from temptation by getting off of the computer or, alternatively, install a website blocker (a free parental control bar will work, too).
- You’re married, but you can’t stop looking at another person with lustful thoughts: Flee from temptation by making sure that you are never alone with that person, if possible.
Pray for God to give you the wisdom to defeat all temptation, and since God primarily speaks to us through His word, also ask Him to lead you to a specific Bible verse that can help you.
If you ever feel like there is no way to overcome sin or temptation, then please always remember what the Bible states in 1 Corinthians 10:13, which states that God will always give you a way out of temptation. The sooner you know what the Bible has to say about something, the sooner you are ready to defeat Satan and sin.
Let us know what you thought of this post by leaving us a comment.
In today’s day and age where we are short on time (due to school, work, family, friends, etc), it seems almost impossible to take whatever time you have left to find your future spouse. Christian dating sites such as ChristianMingle, ChristianCafe, and CatholicMingle (and even regular sites like Yahoo! Personals and Match.com that allow you to search for Christian members) exist to provide you with a simple and convenient way of finding a spouse (even if you are short on time).
Of course, some people still prefer to find their future spouse the old fashioned (but still effective) way with face-to-face meetings.
In your opinion, when finding a spouse should we use all of the resources that God has blessed us with (such as Christian dating sites)? Or should we stick with the traditional face-to-face methods? How about a combination of both?
Answer us today by leaving a comment!
These updates apply to the main site only:
The user badge is a graphical image that will either say “Christian Member” or “Non-Christian Member.” Whenever someone asks a question or leaves an answer/comment on one, their user badge will appear right under their username. The main purpose of bringing in user badges is so that users will know the religion of the person that answered their question. In the case of a “Non-Christian Member” badge, users will only know that a person’s religion is not that of Christianity.
For all users that created their account before August 28, we have set your user badge to say “Christian Member.” You need to contact us if you registered before August 28th and if you are currently not a Christian so that we can change your user badge to say “Non-Christian Member.” Also, in the future, if you decide to convert to Christianity (or to another religion) then contact us so we can change your user badge to show these changes.
All comments made by non-Christians (on the main site) will be sent to us for approval before it actually shows up. This is to keep our online Christian community fresh with answers that would be helpful to both Christians and people interested in becoming a Christian. You are still able to ask a question without our approval, however, and it will appear instantly.
This blog post was written by Joshua of Get Christian Answers.
Study Bibles not only contain the full text of a regular Bible, but they also usually contain a great number of valuable resources that you can use to understand what is truly being said in the Bible. For example, the Zondervan NIV Study Bible (our recommended all-purpose study Bible) has plenty of resources:
• Full text of the most read, most trusted New International Version.
• Over 20,000 study notes, thoroughly revised and updated by a team of NIV translators.
• Icons make important information easy to spot.
• 900 Character Profile icons.
• 425 Archaeology icons.
• Almost 3,000 Personal Application icons.
• Introductions and outlines provide valuable background information for each book of the Bible.
• In-text maps, charts, diagrams, and illustrations visually clarify the stories in the Bible.
• 16 pages of full-color maps plus timelines and presentation page.
• Words of Christ in red.
• NIV concordance plus subject and study notes indexes.
Update: We also recommend the Life Application Study Bible for those only wanting to specifically apply Bible verses to their lives.
I don’t know about you, but if I wanted to learn something like quantum physics I certainly wouldn’t pick up a book that was titled “Quantum Physics for the Advanced.” I would, however, pick up a book that was titled “Quantum Physics For Dummies” or some other book that is easy to read and one full of detailed explanations (and one that doesn’t put me to sleep). Similarly, many people feel that a regular Bible is too difficult to understand (and, therefore, take things out of context) and as a result they stop reading it or, even worse, they fall asleep on it.
If you’re not careful, you can misinterpret what the Bible is actually trying to say. For example, in Matthew 5:28-29 we are told to basically pluck our eyes out if we look at a woman with lustful eyes. Furthermore, in Matthew 5:30, we are told to cut off our right hand if it causes us to sin. A person that takes these verses out of context might make the mistake of actually plucking out their eyes and cutting off their hand.
To fully understand what is truly being said, here is what the Zondervan NIV Study Bible has to say on these verses:
“Jesus is not teaching self-mutilation, for even a blind man can lust. What he is saying is that we should deal as drastically as necessary with sin.“
In Luke 6:37, we are told not to judge others. So if you witness someone doing something wrong, you may think “I will not judge or correct them, for only God should judge them,” but this is incorrect. Again, let’s see what the Zondervan NIV Study Bible has to say on this verse:
“Jesus did not relieve his followers of the need for discerning right and wrong, but he condemned unjust and hypocritical judging of others.“
An example of “hypocritical” judging would be to announce to the public (friends, family, etc) that you are “better” than someone who only goes to church on Sundays and gets drunk and has premarital sex every other day, while you are secretly doing the exact same thing they are.
Normally if you have a question about a specific Bible verse you could always ask a pastor or minister, go online, or just ask a friend. Each of those methods, depending on your situation, can be inconvenient for you. This is where a study Bible comes into play. All you have to do is flip to the page where it discusses the verse in full detail, and you’re all set!
About the credibility, usually study Bibles are made by multiple evangelical scholars (or experts) in the field of Christianity – which is definitely the case with the Zondervan NIV Study Bible. This is why, even though we have our own team of highly qualified individuals, we still like to verify all of our information and research with the use of study Bibles.
Tell us what you thought of this post by leaving us a comment!
As you probably already know there are many different translations of the bible. If you had to choose, what would you say your favorite translation is and why is it your favorite?
Answer today by leaving us a comment!
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