Frequently Asked Questions

A. In the Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 18, God directs the prophet to go down to the potter’s house to observe what the potter was doing with the clay. The clay vessel that the potter was working with was defective and spoiled. The potter had to reform the clay pot in order to make it into a vessel that was useful and good. “But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hands of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.” (Jeremiah 18:4) The spoiled clay pot speaks of the human being who has been spoiled by sin. But God, who is rich in mercy is able to re-make and reform the human vessel to make us anew. This is the reformed human life that glorifies God and pleases Him greatly!

A. That idea is totally backwards! God is not obliged to obey our minds and do what we think He should do. In fact, the renewing of our mind involves forsaking our own ideas and aligning our thoughts with what God says in the Bible. “And so not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2-7)

A. You are self-deceived and do not see your most basic need. The idea of “basically good” is subjective to your own opinion about yourself. No matter now “nice” you try to be to people, your life is tainted by sin, which separates you from a holy, perfect, and truly good God. All of your efforts to try to be good will not bridge the gap that sin has created between you and Him. You cannot come into His presence on your own merit. Jesus Christ alone is the “bridge” by which we can come to God. You must stop trusting in your own supposed goodness and start trusting in the work of Christ on the cross as the only payment offered for your sin. “But we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:11)

A. Rebellion is at the very core of our sin nature. This is a very harsh, adamant, mean attitude that says, “Nobody tells ME what to do!” As a result of rebellion, we live in resentment and hatred of others and in disobedience to God. You need to repent of the hard-heartedness of rebellion, ask God to heal your will and show you how to live in humble submission to Him and to His Word. “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.” (1 Peter 5: 6)

A. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to represent Him. Jesus is the exclusive messenger who has the endorsement of Heaven to tell us what God is like. There is no other way to come to God except through Jesus, and this is by the forgiveness of sin. You will be sadly turned away from entering God’s eternity in Heaven if you try to hold to another way. “I am the bread that came down from Heaven.” (John 6:41) “And I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught me.” (John 8:28) “And He who sent Me is with Me...” (John 8:29) “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.’” (John 14:6)