Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 11/2/2005

Question
Hello again...
I have been away and did not read your answer. I'm sorry to tell you that I still have some more questions:

Was God all-knowing even before he created man?

God being powerful means that he can do absolutely anything, right?

What is being holy?

So the men who wrote the bible were prophets who received direct revelation from God?

What are works? I still don't understand what you mean by works.

Please define salvation for me.

I just want to say that the language of the bible, although I am sure my english is perfect, is very difficult for me to understand! I would really like it if you put a short summary in your own words after the verses.

Thank you very much for being patient with me!


Answer
Hi Maram

Thank you for these questions.  Let me try to answer these briefly.

Was God all-knowing even before he created man?

Yes....  God never changes his character.

Malachi 3:6
6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

God being powerful means that he can do absolutely anything, right?

He can do anything within His character.  It otherwords, because He is Holy (without sin) he cannot lie.

Titus 1:2
2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;  
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

What is being holy?

Being perfect, without sin

So the men who wrote the bible were prophets who received direct revelation from God?

Yes

What are works? I still don't understand what you mean by works.

Some people believe that one can get to heaven by doing good deeds, we refer to those good deeds as works...or good works designed to impress God.  Any effort that we make to impress God by our own good deeds or works is useless.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

Please define salvation for me.


Because we are condemned by our sin, and the penulty for that sin is eternal death in Hell, and because our good deeds or works cannot pay the price for our sin, then we need someone else who is without sin to pay the price for us.  That is what Jesus did on the cross.  He took what we deserved in order to SAVE us from our sin.  Salvation then, is the process where a sinner comes to believe that Jesus died in his place and asks Jesus to save him.  At that point God declairs that sinner to be righteous and clean because Jesus already paid the price for his sin.  At that point he has received salvation.


I hope that this helps.

In CHrist
Pastor Don