What does repent mean?

Does repent simply mean to change our mind or is some action required?

In both the Old and New Testaments, the word repent can mean -

a) To be sorry about or regret something or

b) To turn away from sin.

In the OT, the KJV translates two Hebrew words as "repent" -

The first is "Nacham"…

Speaking In Tongues – General Comments

Comments on various points about speaking in tongues.

1) If tongues have ceased, why did Paul say not to forbid speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 14:39)?

The simple reason is that when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, about 55AD, tongues was still a gift and being used as a sign of judgment against the Jews. After judgment came, in 70AD, tongues ceased…

Free Will

"You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil".

(Gen. 2:17)

Man has always had the free will to choose right from wrong. When God told Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17), Adam had the freedom to choose whether or not to obey and we know the result. Some say that free will ended when Adam sinned but the Bible tells us…

Speaking In Tongues And Private Prayer

Like all gifts, speaking in tongues was not for private use but for the common good.

Many believe that speaking in tongues is for private prayer, however, there is not one verse that supports the private use of tongues. The Bible tells us that -

• All mentions of tongues are in public settings – other…

Speaking In Tongues And Face To Face

What does face to face mean in 1 Cor. 13:12?

Regarding 1 Cor. 13:12 and the term "face to face", in Ex. 33:11 we are told that God talked to Moses "face to face, as a man speaks with a friend". We know this is figurative language because Ex. 33:20 tells us that Moses did not actually see God’s face. The same thing happens to us today when God speaks to…

Speaking in Tongues – Ceasing and Remaining

In 1 Cor. 13:8, we are told that Tongues, Prophecy and Knowledge will cease at some point in time  and, after they cease, 1 Cor 13:13 says that Faith, Hope and Love will remain. We know that Love is eternal but our Faith and Hope are both fulfilled and come to their conclusion when Jesus returns as the following shows -…

Speaking in Tongues and 1 Cor. 13:11

Regarding speaking in tongues, what is 1 Cor. 13:11 saying? The verse says, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me". In this verse, the putting away of the so called childish ways of speaking, thinking and reasoning is parallel to the cessation of the gifts of…

Why The Spirit?

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom 8:14).

What is the purpose of God sending the Holy Spirit to live within believers? Firstly, the Spirit gives us gifts, leads us, and empowers us for service but a vital activity of the Spirit, that is often overlooked, is the work He does within us to empower us to overcome sin. Sin is THE issue between man and God.…

Christians And Christmas

“The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it" (1 Cor. 10:26).

It is often said that Christians should avoid Christmas and Easter because they have historical connections to pagan rituals. However, because 1 Cor. 8-10 tell us that it is OK to eat the meat that pagans have sacrificed to demons, it naturally follows that whatever the pagans have done in any other ritual should not…

 No Other Way

“I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me”.

(John 14:6)

There are many religions in the world but Christianity has two very great differences which set it far above the rest.

• Firstly, in all other religions man is reaching UP to heaven trying to find a way to please God whereas Christianity tells us that God's Son, Jesus, came DOWN…

Creation and Evolution

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

Despite the clear evidence against Evolution, it dominates the classroom and society and has had a devastating effect on belief in the Bible. For many, faith in Evolution replaces the need for faith in God and this suits their itching ears as they feel free to make their own rules. Because there is…

Is The Bible To Be Taken Literally?

“Thy word is true from the beginning”.

(Psa. 119:160 KJV)

Is the Bible to be taken literally? That is, do we take the text at face value whenever it's plain meaning makes sense? We all know that it makes no sense to believe that Jesus is a gate or a lion; these are figures of speech and, like parables, we interpret them spiritually rather than literally. By…

Is God's Love Unconditional?

“But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love

is with those who fear him”. (Psa. 103:17)

It is often said that God's love for believers is unconditional, meaning that He will love us and take us to heaven no matter what we do. Is this true? It is true that God showed unconditional love to the world in general, when He sent Jesus to die on the cross (John 3:16), but…

Sanctification

“It is God's will the you should be sanctified”. 1 Thess. 4:3

When we repent of our sins and put our trust in Jesus, we are said to be justified. That is, our sins are totally forgiven and we are righteous in God's eyes. A good definition of justified is “just-as-if-I'd-never-done-it”.…

Bullying

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility

consider others better than yourselves.” (Phil. 2:3)

There are those within the church who love to be first, causing serious problems just like Diotrephes in 3 John 1:9-11. They bully weaker Christians with their 'superior knowledge' and overbearing attitude resulting in some leaving the congregation…

God's Precious Promises

“Does He promise and not fulfill?” (Num. 23:19)

With all the turmoil that surrounds us, it is easy to become worried and disheartened. Christianity is being attacked and mocked in all areas of our life. Evil is called good, apostasy is everywhere and many are being martyred for their…

This blog is the first in a five part series called Freedom From Sin. Each blog is about one page. The rest of this series can be found at the following link -

http://www.christianissues.biz/blog/wordpress/category/freedom-from-sin-series/

Freedom From Sin Part 1…

Are Our Future Sins Forgiven?

What did Jesus mean when He said, “It is finished”?

(John 19:30).

In John 19:29-30, after He had a drink of sour wine, Jesus said, “It is finished,” and this is thought by many to mean that a Christian's past, present and…

Is Matt. 24 Only For The Jews?

Jesus said, “Watch out that no one deceives you.” (Matt. 24:4)

Many Christians believe that Jesus is going to return twice. They say that the first time is in 1 Thess. 4-5 when He comes secretly to take all Christians to heaven before the Great…

God's Wrath In The Day Of The Lord

“The day of the Lord is coming –

a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger.”

(Isa. 13:9)

When the Bible talks about end times it often associates that period with a Cosmic Sign in the heavens where…