Bible Questions and Answers

(click on the references to view them)

Faith is dependent on what we believe. Our baptism is validated, not by who baptises us, but what we believe when we are baptised. God must be worshipped in both spirit and truth: John 4:24

It is the truth which makes us free. John 8:32

The truth was preached in the Gospel by the apostles. To be of any value our faith must be based on a belief of the truth. But we are warned that there would be a falling away from the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12

This came about in the fourth century AD when the Church became the State Church of the Roman Empire. At the same time it adopted the following false doctrines:

1. That men possess an immortal soul which continues in a conscious existence after death.
2. That the soul is judged at death goes either to heaven or to eternal torment in a place called hell.
3. That the Church is the kingdom of God.
4. That God is a trinity composed of three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
5. That Jesus is of ‘one substance’ with the Father and was therefore 100% God and 100% man at the same time.
6. That Jesus pre-existed before his birth.
7. That Satan a.k.a the Devil is a ‘fallen angel’ in opposition to God, who roams the earth tempting men to sin.
8. That Satan has an army of fallen angels a.k.a demons that can enter the minds of men.
9. That the Church has replaced the Jews in the promises of God.
10. In addition it invented a ‘priesthood’ to bear rule over the ‘laity’.

These false doctrines were not part of the original gospel of which Paul writes: Galatians 1:8-9

In Revelation 17 the Church is described as a ‘Mother of Harlots who would reign over kings. Revelation 17:1-6

This was fulfilled at the time of the Holy Roman Empire. Following the reformation when the kings ‘burned’ her (the Roman Church) ‘with fire’, and eventually reduced the Pope to a ‘prisoner in the Vatican’ for a number of years, many new churches came into being. But they kept many of the false doctrines of the ‘Mother Church’ immortal souls, heaven-going, hell, the trinity etc., and thus became her 'daughters'.

The point of the above is that if we are baptised believing these false doctrines, then our baptism is invalid. We are subject to delusion and have believed a lie.

If you attended church, was it one that taught the above false doctrines? My advice is that you read the scriptures and determine the true gospel and be rebaptised, making a new start in your life. After baptism into a body of believers we have a part to play in the body. We are to meet regularly to share bread and wine in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. We are to help and exhort one another as a family. We can’t ‘go it alone’.

When we believe the truth and are baptised into Christ on the basis of the truth, we begin a new life. Our past sins are washed away. After baptism we cannot live a sinless life but if we are making a determined effort to live by Christ’s commandments, our sins will be forgiven by confession in prayer. 1 John 1:7

May I suggest that you read: One Bible, Many Churches – Does it matter what We Believe? (please click on the title)

I hope this helps,

Glenn