Questions and Answers on the Christian Faith (No. 003B)

God

1) Is God the Father the One True God alone or is Jesus True God as God is?

A. Yes, God alone is the One True God (1Tim. 2:5; 1Cor 8:4; Gal 3:19-20; Deut. 4:35,39; Eph. 4:6; John 17:3; Deut. 32:39; Mal. 2:10; Ps. 90:2; Ps. 93:1).

2) Did God alone create the Heavens and the Earth or did God create the Heavens and the Earth through Jesus Christ?

A. Yes, God alone created the Heavens and the Earth (Is. 44:24; 51:13; 40:22; Prov. 30:4; Job 9:8; Job 38:1-7; Ps. 104:2; Jer. 51:15; Gen. 1:1; 1Cor. 8:6a; Rev. 10:6).

However, when the Earth became tohu and bohu Jesus Christ and other elohim re-created the Earth by the command of God so that Mankind could live there.

3) Was God seen by any man and did any man hear His voice?

A. No, the One True God is invisible (Col. 1: 15; 1Tim. 1:17; 6:16), and no man has seen Him or heard His voice at any time (John 5:37, 1John 4:12, John 1:18, 6:46).

4) Is the One True God the God of Christ, even after Christ was resurrected and placed at the right hand of God?

A. Yes, the One True God is the God of Christ (Eph. 1:17; Eph 4:6; Ps. 45:7; Heb. 1:9; John 17:3); even after Christ's resurrection from the dead (John 20:17).

There is only one God and Father of all and He is the God and Father of Christ (Rom. 15:6; 2Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1Pet. 1:3). See the paper The God We Worship (No. 002).

The Holy Spirit

1) Is the Holy Spirit God?

A. No, the Spirit of truth that proceeded from the Father and sent by Christ is not God (John 15:26; John 16:13).

2) Is the Holy Spirit a person in the Godhead?

A. No, the Spirit of God is not a person (Apo. 5:6; Ex. 31:3; Ex. 35:31; Micah 3:8; Luke 1:15; Acts 4:8; Acts 7:55; Acts 13:9; Acts 4:31; 2Chr. 24:20). See the paper The Gender of the Holy Spirit (No. 155).

3) Can we pray to or worship the Holy Spirit?

A. No, Christ said that true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:23; 1Cor. 6:19).

4) What is the Holy Spirit?

A. The Holy Spirit is the power of God (John 20:22; Acts 8:17-21; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:4; Acts 4:25; Luke 4:14; Rom. 15:19; 1Cor. 2:4). Through the Holy Spirit we become partakers of God's nature (2Pet. 1:3-4). See the paper The Holy Spirit (No. 117).

Jesus

1) Is Christ co-equal with God?

A. No, Christ is not co-equal with his God (John 14:28; 1Cor. 15:27; Phil. 2:6; Acts 7:56; 1 Pet. 3:22).

2) Is Christ co-eternal with God?

A. No, Christ is not co-eternal with his Father and his God (Prov. 30:4; Micah 5:2; Ps. 45:7).

3) Did Christ have a beginning?

A. Yes, Christ had a beginning (Rev. 3:14).

4) Was Christ created by God?

A. Yes, Christ was created in the image of God (Col. 1:15).

5) Did Christ exist before becoming a human? If so, what was he?

A. Yes, Christ had pre-existence before being born a human (John 8:58; 1Cor. 15:47; John 17:4,24; John 3:13). Before he was made man, Christ was in the form of elohim (Phil. 2:6; Ps. 45:7), i.e. a Son of God (from John 10:33-36). See the paper The Pre-Existence of Jesus Christ (No. 243).

Christ was identified by the Apostle as the Angel of the Lord, the mediator who appeared to Moses and gave him the Law of God (Acts 7:35,38; Heb. 2:2; Gal. 3:19-20; 1Tim. 2:5).

6) Is Christ the only Son of God?

A. No, Christ is a Son of God. God created many sons (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:4-7; Ps. 86:8-10; 95:3; 96:4; 135:5), and God became God the Father from the creation of these spiritual sons (Heb. 12:9).

Thus, Christ was the being that came as the only son of God who was born of the flesh (1Jn. 4:9; see also Luke 1:26-35).

7) Was Christ raised from the dead?

A. Yes, God the Father raised Christ from the dead (1Cor. 15:15; Rom. 4:24; Acts 2:24,32; 1Cor. 15:3-9).

8) Can we pray to or worship Christ?

A. No, Christ taught us to whom we should pray and how to pray. It is to God the Father alone that we pray to and sing hymns, and worship (Mat. 6:9; John 14:13; Rom. 16:27; Heb. 13:15-16).

9) Did the Angels worship or pray to Christ?

A. No, angels or men have proskuneo before Christ (Heb. 1:6; Mat. 2:11), as in Revelation 3:9 where those of the synagogue of Satan have proskuneo in front of the elect; it is the same term. Such action is an act of enslavement, but is not in itself worship.

We are to worship God the Father and no other god (Luke 4:8; John 4:21-24; Phil. 3:3; Eph. 5:19-20; Rev. 22:9).

10) Did God give the law to Moses at Sinai?

A. Yes, God gave the Law to Moses.

11) Did God give the law Himself in person or through others? If so who were they?

A. No, the One True God did not appear to Moses at Sinai. It is clearly stated that the being that had spoken and appeared to Moses was given the title of ‘angel’, and that being is none other than Jesus Christ (Acts 7:35-38; 1Cor. 10:4; Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2).

12) Who does the Bible say was the Great Angel that was with Israel in the Wilderness that fed them?

A. The Bible clearly states that Jesus Christ is the angel who was in the bush who spoke to Moses and the angel with whom Moses spoke on Mount Sinai, and is confirmed elsewhere in Scripture on many accounts. The word angel or malak means messenger. Genesis 48:15-16 reads, “And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” This god being, “The Angel” that redeemed Israel from all evil” was a messenger of the ONE TRUE God. This angel was Jesus Christ (see the paper The Angel of YHVH (No. 024)).

13) Is it blasphemy to refer to Christ as an angel?

A. No, on the contrary – it is scriptural. Jesus Christ IS the Angel of the Lord who spoke with Moses.

Day of worship

1) What day has God commanded us to be assembled to worship or adore Him?

A. It is the Seventh day of the week which has always been Saturday (Ex. 20:10-11; Heb. 4:3-40). See The Sabbath (No. 031).

2) Are we allowed to assemble on Sunday in order to adore or worship God?

A. No, the day called Sunday is not the Seventh day of the week; it is correctly the first day of the week (Mat. 28:1). It is only permitted when this day is the Holy Day of Pentecost or of the Feasts of Passover, Trumpets, Atonement or Tabernacles.

3) Are we permitted to assemble together on another day of the week to worship God?

A. No. The day of rest, the Sabbath, is a holy day to the Lord (Ex. 35:2; Ex. 31:14; Neh. 13:22) and it is the only weekly day appointed for a holy convocation (Lev. 23:3; Is. 56:2). The other days are only required and permitted when they fall as Feast days as above.

4) Do we have a choice to work or not to work on the day which God has set apart to worship Him?

A. No, we do not have a choice. We are commanded to work six days a week (Ex. 23:12). Whatever your hand finds to do with your might, do it (Eccl. 9:10).

There should be no work on the Sabbath by any individual (Mark 2:27).

5) Is it permissible to make people work for us on the Sabbath day?

A. No. We all have to rest on the Sabbath, from Friday at dark to Saturday until dark.

The Seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your manservant, or your maidservant, or your ox, or your ass, or any of your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you (Deut. 5:14).

6) How do we profane the Sabbath?

A. By doing our own work, or by having others working for us (such as going out to a restaurant to eat), by being preoccupied with our own ideas and interests and by not making God the centre of our attention that day (Isa. 58:13).

The Feasts

1) What are the Feasts of God?

A. There are only Three annual Feasts (Ex. 23:14-19; Deut. 16:1-17; Lev. 23:1-44):

• The Passover/Unleavened Bread

• Pentecost

• The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (See the Holy Days of God (No. 097).)

2) Should we leave our homes to celebrate the Feasts of God?

A. Yes, we are to withdraw from the world and three times a year and go to where God places His Name to keep the Feasts of God (Deut. 16:2,6-7).

The church has the responsibility of declaring the place of the Feast and preparing for it. We cannot keep the Passover within our gates (Deut. 16:5-6).

3) Should we stay at the place where God's Feast is celebrated throughout the period of the Festival (the whole 7 days of the Passover/Unleavened Bread and of the Feast of Tabernacles and the 2 days of the Pentecost)?

A. Yes, (Acts 20:6; 1Cor. 5:8; Acts 2:1). We are not to go back home or go to work until the days of God’s Feasts are completed. See Seven Days of the Feasts (No. 049).

4) Are we commanded to give an offering at these three feasts?

A. Yes, we are not to appear before God empty-handed at the feasts. Every man is to give as he is able according to the blessings he has received (Deut. 16:16-17).

See the paper Offering (No. 275).

5) Is it permissible to celebrate Christmas?

A. No. Jeremiah 10:2-5 Thus says the LORD: "Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, ³ for the customs of the peoples are false. A tree from the forest is cut down, and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. ⁴ Men deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.⁵ Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Be not afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good." (RSV)

See The Origins of Christmas and Easter (No. 235).

6) Should we take part in the Easter celebrations?

A. No. Easter is the pagan festival of the goddess Ishtar whose consort (husband) died on a Friday and was resurrected on a Sunday. Passover was changed to Easter when there was a dispute in the church over the date of the Lord’s Supper. See the paper The Quartodeciman Disputes (No. 277).

7) Should we celebrate birthdays?

A. Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to observe birthdays. In fact, the examples in the Bible indicate that we should not observe birthdays (Gen. 40: 20; Job 1:4; Mat. 14:6; Mark 6:21).

We are told to remember the death of Jesus (Luke 22:19), and we do that every year at Passover; we are not told to celebrate the birth of Jesus. See the paper Birthdays (No. 287).

8) Is it permissible to celebrate the New Year in January?

A. No, God tells us not to learn or imitate the ways of the nations (Jer. 10:2; 2Kings 17:33; 1Kings 14:24; Deut. 18:9).

9) What is the New Year according to the Scriptures?

A. It is the New Moon nearest the spring returns (equinox) at Jerusalem (or in the northern hemisphere) (see Ex. 23:15; Ex. 12:2). See The Moon and the New Year (No. 213).

10) What is the New Moon?

A. It is when the moon is aligned between the sun and the earth (Ps. 81:3). See The New Moons (No. 125).

The word Kehseh in this verse 3 is derived from the root which is Kacah. It has nothing to do with the full moon, but rather a moment when the moon is "hidden" from our view.

11) Can we work on the days of the New Moon?

A. No, the New Moons are holy days when we have to stop working (Amos 8:5).

12) Is it permissible to make people work for us on the days of New Moon?

A. No trade was allowed on the Sabbaths and New Moons (Amos 8:5).

Foods

1) In the New Covenant, does God allow us to eat of everything?

A. No. Christ said: Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them (Mat. 5:17).

2) Are the clean and unclean foods abolished?

A. No. Every creature of God, sanctified by the word of God is good to eat and nothing is to be rejected (see 1Tim. 4:4-5). See the paper The Food Laws (No. 015).

The state of the dead

1) When a man dies does his soul go to heaven if he was good or to hell if he was evil?

A. No, the dead are as if asleep or unconscious (Luke 8:49-56; 1Thes. 4:13-18) awaiting the resurrection (Dan. 12:2,13; 1Cor. 15:20-22).

No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Christ, who is in heaven (John 3:13). NO ONE goes to heaven, not now, not ever. It is God who descends here on the Earth when all is restored (Rev. 22).

2) Does the parable of Lazarus and the Rich man mean that the wicked ones will burn forever, suffering in hell?

A. No, God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1Tim. 2:4). Thus, all human beings have the opportunity to repent (1Tim. 4:10).

3) Can the soul die?

A. Yes, the soul can perish or be destroyed (Ezek. 18:4).

Christ said: And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Mat. 10:28).

Man can cause the loss of life but he cannot destroy it – only God can do that.

4) What is Hell?

A. The word for Hell is Sheol and means the grave where the dead are buried. Hades was the Greek word used for the Hebrew, also meaning the grave. The third word translated as hell in the Bible is Gehenna, which was the rubbish pit outside Jerusalem where they burnt dogs and other rubbish. Another word used in the Bible is tartaros or tartaroo, which was the pit reserved for the fallen angels in their containment. There is no such thing as an ever-burning Hell.

5) What is Paradise?

A. It is the House of God, the holy Mountain of God, Mount Zion, the City of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem (2Cor. 12:2,4; Rev. 4:2-11; Rev. 21; Rev. 2:7; Heb. 12:22; Ps. 125:1). See The City of God (No. 180).

6) What is the Second Death?

A. The Lake of Fire is simply a means of cremation of the dead bodies of those who refuse to accept the way of God at the end of the period of the Second Resurrection and Great White Throne Judgment.

Death and Hades will also be destroyed and cease to exist forever (Rev. 20:14).

7) Can angels die?

A. Yes, angels can die, and the heavenly Host that rebelled will be made human and die (Ez. 28:16,18; Is. 14:15) as mankind. See the paper The Judgment of the Demons (No. 080).

The Resurrection

1) Will all human beings who have ever existed rise from the dead?

A. Yes, as by a man came death, by a man, has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1Cor. 15:21; 1John 2:2; Rom. 11:32). See The Resurrection of the Dead (No. 143).

2) How many resurrections are there?

A. The Bible says there will be two resurrections of the dead.

· The First Resurrection (Rev. 20:6) is only for the saints, that is, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith or testimony of Jesus (Rev. 14:12; 12:17), and who loved not their lives even unto death (Rev. 12:11; (No 143A)).

· The other resurrection is the resurrection of Judgment (John 5:24,29). All of humanity not resurrected in the First Resurrection, which is the better resurrection (Heb. 11:35), will be raised from the dead for the judgment of correction and not of condemnation. (See No. 142A and No. 143B)

The angels, at that time, will also be granted salvation in Christ (1Pet. 3:19; 2Pet. 2:4) in order that they come to the knowledge of truth and turn to God (1Cor 6:2-3; Jude 6).

3) Will God send Christ to Earth a second time?

A. Yes, God will send Christ a second time to Earth (Heb. 9:28; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Acts 15:16).

4) Will Christ then take the saints with him to the place where God is in Heaven and they will be there with God?

A. No, the saints will be with the Lord Jesus, where he is (John 14:3; 1Thes. 4:17; Rev. 14:1). Christ will take his place in Jerusalem (Rev. 14:1) from where the world will be ruled.

5) What will be the work of Christ on his return to Earth?

A. Christ (with the resurrected saints) is to rule the whole earth from Jerusalem (Rev. 11:15; Rev. 19:11-16; Rev. 5:10; Rev. 20:4).

6) How long did God give Christ to do this job?

A. Christ is to reign here on Earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:6). See The Millennium and the Rapture (No. 095).

The Church

1) Who or what is the church?

A. The church is a body of people that make up the congregation of God. It is not a building. Christ said he would build his church on the rock and God is that rock (Ps. 18:1-2). The church is pastored by elders and deacons, chosen by the brethren (Acts 1:22,26, 6:3,5-6, 15:22; 1Cor. 16:3; 2Cor. 8:19,23). The Holy Spirit makes them overseers of the flock which is the Church of God (Acts 20:28).

2) What is the commission of the church?

A. The Church has one commission given to it by Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. ¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (KJV)

See The Commission of the Church (No. 171).

3) Are Christians obligated to tithe to help fund the work of the Church of God?

Yes. It is the responsibility of every Christian to support the work of the Church (see Deut. 12:5-19). There is a first and a second tithe. The first tithe is payable to the priesthood within the nation. The second tithe is for the individual to participate in the Feasts. Anyone who fails to pay tithes is robbing God (Mal. 3:8-10). See Tithing (No. 161).

4) Are the baptisms of Trinitarian churches considered valid?

A. No, baptism by immersion in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Mat. 28:19) means that baptism is done in the Name of the Father in the body of the Son, asked in the name of the Son, in the power and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is the correct meaning of the declaration of Christ, and it has nothing to do with the Trinity. See Repentance and Baptism (No. 052).

5) Should Trinitarians be rebaptised?

A. Yes, as well as those who were baptised in the Binitarian or Ditheist churches etc.

6) According to the Bible is it permitted to baptise a child or youth under 20 years of age?

A. No. According to the Scriptures we must be an adult to go to war and adulthood is 20 years according to the Scriptures (Num. 1:1-3,18; Ezra 3:8).

The elect do not have to fight against flesh and blood and they are waging a war against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this dark world, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:11-13; 1Tim. 6:12; 2Tim. 4:7; Rev. 3:21; Rev. 12:11; Rev. 15:2).

7) According to the Bible, at what age can a man be a minister in the Church of God?

A. We shall assume office as a teacher in the temple of God from the age of thirty years in accordance with the Law of God (Num. 4:3,23,30; 1Chr. 23:3). The elect are now the Temple of God (1Cor 3:16; 2Cor. 6:16).

8) Can a man who is legally married to more than one wife be ordained as a minister of the Church of God?

A. No, the New Testament sets the limit of one wife for the elders. No man can be an elder if he has more than one wife (1Tim. 3:2,12; Titus 1:6).

The elders should marry, since marriage is the responsibility given to all men under the charge given to Adam.

9) Are women allowed to be ordained as ministers in order to conduct Worship Services in the Church of God?

No. We must know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God (1Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:23). See Role of the Christian Woman (No. 062).

The conduct of services in CCG is to be uniform throughout the world. To that end the procedures are to be as follows:

All activity is commenced by ‘Opening Pray’ first, then a hymn or hymns.
Hymns are a form of worship.
The papers are then to be read for study.
Questions are taken at the end of the study usually, but the person conducting the study may take a question if it is considered important for clarification and if no recording is being done.
Both men and women may ask questions in the ‘Question and Answer’ period as there are women who do not have husbands with them in services and so Paul's injunction is not fully applicable to us.
Women are to consult their husbands where possible.
The closure of the service is with a hymn and then a prayer.
All opening and closing prayers are to be done by men where they are present.
In women only sessions, women obviously give opening and closing prayers and conduct studies and answer questions.
Studies are always to be given with an opening and closing prayer as we are asking God to be present in the Holy Spirit.

10) Which of these calendars should the Church of God follow: God's Calendar according to the conjunction of the New Moon, or the Gregorian Calendar, or the Hillel Calendar, or the Islamic Calendar? Do we have to observe barley in Jerusalem to determine the New Moon of Abib?

A. a) No, we do not observe the barley in Jerusalem to determine the New Moon of Abib. Noah entered and the Ark was closed (Gen. 7:16), but at the end of the flood, he knew when the New Year was. He then removed the cover of the Ark (Gen. 8:13). This knowledge of the New Year was not based on visual signs, and it was certainly not based on a harvest of barley near Jerusalem at the end of the flood or anywhere.

The Beginning of the year DOES NOT DEPEND on the maturity of the barley in modern Israel. It can vary from several weeks to one year to another and it makes it impossible to publish a calendar with the identification of the Holy Days.

Today, people use modern seeds that mature at different rates and differ greatly from the primitive grains. Some plant them, in fact, in protected environments to try to accommodate their assumptions. Even then, certain conditions can change their desired effects.

The seventh year of the seven-year cycle is the sabbatical year during which we do not make annual plantations according to the commandments of God. In the Millennium, no one will have sown annual grain such as barley. As a result, nobody will be able to see what the status of the growth of barley is during March or April, in a Sabbath year and Jubilee. This knowledge is not and cannot be required to start the year and identify the Feast and subsequent Holy Days.

b) We are not allowed to postpone the Holy Days, New Moons and Sabbaths. Therefore, the Hillel Calendar is an aberration and abomination.

c) The Gregorian calendar is a creation of man and does not stem from Scripture.

d) It's a matter of historical fact that Christ and the Church of God have always followed the Temple Calendar which was determined by the Conjunction of the New Moon occurring in Jerusalem. See God’s Calendar (No. 156).

Marriage

1) Did Christ allow a couple to live in de facto relationship?

No. The rules of the Churches of God are the same over 2000 years. A member of the body of Christ is to be legally married to one spouse and to abstain from fornication until they are legally married.

Christ gave clear instruction as to marriage and he did not recognise a common law or de facto marriage as a valid marriage. When speaking to the woman at the well in Sychar Samaria Christ said: “Go call your husband and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her: “You are right in saying ‘I have no husband’ for you have had five husbands and he whom you now have is not your husband; This you said truly” (John 4:16-19).

Christ thus knew that this woman was in a de facto relationship living with this man as signified by the phrase “he whom you now have is not your husband.”

The prohibition to marry is a doctrine of demons (1Tim. 4:1,3). See Marriage (No. 289).

The Lord's Supper

1) Who are the only people allowed to be present in the room booked to take the bread and wine?

The Lord's Supper is attended by baptised adults only. Provisions must be put in place to monitor the children during this service. See The Lord’s Supper (No. 103).

2) Can grape juice be used instead of wine at the Lord’s Supper?

A. No. Grape juice was never used at the Passover by any Jews or Israel, including Christ, the Apostles, or the New Testament Church. Grape juice is dead, whereas wine has life and symbolises the living blood of Jesus Christ as a man.

3) What is the Night of Watching or the Night to be Much Remembered (Ex. 12:42)?

A. The concept of watching comes from the passing over of the death Angel and the watching for the deliverance of our people. Christ died at 3 p.m. at the time the lambs were killed for the Passover meal that evening which commenced the Night to be Much Remembered on the Fifteenth of the First month. The intention is not that we spend this night watching but rather the night is prolonged in study and vigil. It is not appropriate to go to bed early on this night. See The Night to be Much Observed (No. 101).

4) What is the significance of the Wave Sheaf Offering?

A. The offering of the he-lamb and the waving of the first-fruits symbolised Christ as a first-fruit ascending into Heaven to his Father (Lev. 23:9-14). It was the first of the first-fruits of the barley harvest and the beginning of the harvest of all mankind and Host into the family of God. The Wave Sheaf (No. 106b) also marks the beginning of the count to Pentecost and always occurs on Sunday during the days of Unleavened Bread.

See The Wave Sheaf Offering (No. 106b).

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