Q&A – Page 8 – Church of the Eternal God

How do I make my calling and election sure?

March 24, 2023March 23, 2023

The book of 2 Peter is addressed to Christians who are called out of the world and who understand the promise made to them to become glorified members of God’s Family (compare 2 Peter 1:1-4). Even though this letter was written to the early members of the Church of God, it also directly applies to Christians throughout the ages. Peter writes to encourage the readers to develop their conversion by producing spiritual fruits. He then makes a summary statement, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11). This raises a question that all Christians need to answer for themselves, “How can I make my calling and election sure?”

What does it mean to buy the Truth and not sell it?

March 17, 2023March 16, 2023

The question refers to Proverbs 23:23 which reads: “Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.”

Before we review and answer the question, it is important to clarify our teaching and understanding about faith and works.

Over the years, the true Church of God has been falsely accused of teaching that works are necessary for salvation; not, that it is a free gift from God. This is a case of either misunderstanding or deliberately avoiding that which we have made clear over many decades. Let us make this again abundantly clear NOW!

The Word of God dogmatically states that salvation cannot be earned through works. We read in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Could you please explain the phrase, “Love the sinner, hate the sin”?

March 10, 2023March 18, 2023

Where did this phrase come from as it cannot be found in the Bible in those words? The catholic.com website gives this answer: “It’s from St. Augustine. His Letter 211 (c. 424) contains the phrase Cum dilectione hominum et odio vitiorum, which translates roughly to ‘With love for mankind and hatred of sins.’ The phrase has become more famous as ‘love the sinner but hate the sin’ or ‘hate the sin and not the sinner’ (the latter form appearing in Mohandas Gandhi’s 1929 autobiography).”

There are those who see themselves as Christians but can’t accept the phrase, “Love the sinner but hate the sin.” One such newspaper writer wrote: “There is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus. To look at my gay Christian brother and say ‘God loves the sinner’ is to set myself against Jesus and bring condemnation again to those he’s already redeemed. So I’m done. I’m done with ‘Love the sinner but hate the sin.’ I’m done with speaking as if I’m different, better than you. We are children of the Creator, redeemed by Jesus. We are brothers and sisters. And today, that’s enough.”

What is your position on the continuing debate about gender dysphoria or transgenderism?

March 3, 2023March 2, 2023

In our Update #756, dated October 7, 2016, the Q&A was entitled, “What Does the Bible Say About the Transgender Debate?” In over 6 years since that Q&A was first published, there has been, inevitably, more “progress” on this distressing situation.

We have recently published a 3-part series, entitled “Discrimination is a big issue today. How do you view this?” https://www.eternalgod.org/discrimination-is-a-big-issue-today-how-do-you-view-this-part-1/; https://www.eternalgod.org/discrimination-is-a-big-issue-today-how-do-you-view-this-part-2/ ; and https://www.eternalgod.org/discrimination-is-a-big-issue-today-how-do-you-view-this-part-3/ .

We will now review this situation on transgenderism, as it is a constituent part of the overall racial discrimination discussion and package.

The Daily Mail published on 23^rd January 2023 an article by psychologist Dr Max Blumberg, entitled, “13 reasons why people DON’T want to get married anymore – and why staying single makes you happier.” In this long article, he stated that “2021 was the first year that more children were born out of wedlock than in it: that marriage rates have also been steadily declining since the 1970s and claimed that marriage has little value anymore and often comes with costs.” It is against this relentless backdrop of negativity about that which God ordained (marriage between a man and a woman only) that other forms of relationship seem to blossom.

Jesus talked about going the extra mile. How does a Christian do this today?

February 24, 2023February 28, 2023

The reference to the extra mile can be found in Matthew 5:41, which quoted the words of Jesus as follows: “‘And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two…’” In Wikipedia, there are interesting comments about the practice that was extant in the Roman Empire:

“The idiom to go the extra mile means to do more than is required. The expression probably comes from the Bible, when Jesus declares, “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two’ (Matthew 5:41 (NASB). The verse is reference to the practice of ‘impressment’ which, among other things, allowed a Roman soldier to conscript a Jewish native to carry his equipment for the Roman mile (million = 1,000 paces, about 1,611 yards or 1,473 meters)—no easy task considering a Roman soldier’s backpack could weigh upwards to 100 pounds (45.4 kg).”

In John 21:15-17, Christ tells Peter three times to “feed My sheep.” Why is this significant and what does it mean for us today?

February 17, 2023February 16, 2023

Actually, as we will see, Christ did not use those exact words three times. Why was Christ telling Peter to “feed My sheep”? Each time Jesus said, “Feed My sheep,” or a similar, but not identical expression, it was in response to Peter’s threefold declaration of love for Jesus. Christ used this opportunity to encourage and exhort Peter about his upcoming responsibilities. By asking Peter, “Do you love me?” three times (while using different words for “love”), Christ was showing just how important and necessary Peter’s love and obedience to God was for his future ministry.

Jesus begins by questioning Peter about His love for Him, and each time Peter answers in the affirmative. Jesus follows up with the command for Peter to feed or tend His lambs or His sheep. His meaning is that, if Peter truly loves his Master, he is to shepherd and care for those who belong to Christ.

Can we consume food that contains unclean insects?

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023

There is an ongoing debate, especially in parts of Europe, regarding the consumption of insects or food which contains ingredients of unclean insects.

An article in Report 24 of January 16, 2023, points out:

“Looking at the ingredient list should be part of grocery shopping. EU citizens who do not want to ingest insects unknowingly should be particularly careful: the EU Commission has already approved four types of insects in different processing forms as ‘edible insects’. The most recent approval was on January 5: From now on, after mealworms, grasshoppers and crickets, the grain mold beetle (“Getreideschimmelkaefer”) can also be used as an ingredient in foods such as bread, soups, pasta, snacks, peanut butter and chocolate products…”

Are locusts and crickets clean animals which can be eaten?

February 3, 2023February 2, 2023

In our Q&A on clean and unclean animals, we say the following:

“The Bible clearly prohibits the consumption of animal meat which it describes as ‘unclean’ in Old and New Testament passages (such as Leviticus 11:1-47; Deuteronomy 14:3-20; and Acts 10:1-21, 28)…

“According to the Biblical designation, certain animals are considered ‘clean’ and their meat is therefore appropriate for human consumption (compare, for example, Leviticus 11:3: ‘Among the animals…that you may eat…’)…

“Among insects, only certain types of locusts may be eaten. However, the biblical designations of those types might not be entirely identifiable today (Leviticus 11:20-23). Soncino states that ‘the word [for grasshopper] denotes a kind of locust, but we are unable to identify it.’ [The Tanakh also states in an annotation that a number of these insects in verse 21, describing locusts, cannot be identified with certainty.] Some claim that today’s ‘grasshoppers,’ as designated by modern Science, and some types of crickets might be fit for human consumption. All other insects and ‘creeping things,’ including Frogs, Lizards, Salamanders, Slugs, Snails (including the so-called ‘edible snail’), Snakes, Toads and Worms, clearly, must not be eaten.”

Discrimination is a big issue today. How do you view this? (Part 3)

January 27, 2023January 26, 2023

In the second part of this series, we reviewed the BLM and the LGBT+ movements. In the last part of this series, we look at the Woke Movement and finish up with a conclusion about all that this series has revealed.

The Woke Movement

In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, under “Woke – What to Know,” we read: “Woke is now defined in this dictionary as ‘aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice),’ and identified as U.S. slang. It originated in African American English and gained more widespread use beginning in 2014 as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.” We can see from this how the BLM and wokeness are inter-related, as are all the matters being discussed, which is precisely what this Q&A is highlighting.

Discrimination is a big issue today. How do you view this? (Part 2)

January 20, 2023January 19, 2023

In the first part of this three-part series, we reviewed the matter of racial discrimination and political correctness in relation to the way that a true Christian must live his life, and we continue to look at other movements that reflect different values to that of the Bible.

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement

On the BBC website in June 2021 under the heading “What is Black Lives Matter and what are the aims?,” we read: “Among its main goals are stopping police brutality and fighting for courts to treat black people equally. Its demands for equality also include mental health, the LGBT community and voting rights. However, former US secretary of housing and developments Ben Carson [who is black] said people with noble aims had been taken advantage of by a ‘Marxist-driven organisation’ that supports ‘taking down the model of Western family structures’. Carol Swain, a political commentator and former professor, said: ‘They are using black people to advance a Marxist agenda.’”