What is the doctrine of laying on of hands?

Question: This is my third year after being added to the body. Somehow, I often find myself in intense discussions with friends and relatives regarding certain areas of belief. Many times I can hold my own, but when it comes to laying on of hands, I’m not certain how to discuss this. When I read…

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What does “Till my raptured soul shall find” mean?

Question: In the song, “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross”, what does “Till my raptured soul shall find” mean? Answer: “In the cross, in the cross, Be my glory ever; Till my raptured soul shall find Rest beyond the river.” “Rapture” is an older English word for “a feeling of intense pleasure or joy.” Therefore,…

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Punished in Jesus’ presence or away from his presence?

Question: One of the seeming “contradictions” I want to give an answer to is found in these two Scriptures: “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (II Thessalonians 1:9). “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone…

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What is the difference between adultery and fornication?

Question: I was just wondering: I think that if someone sleeps with a married person but they are not married, they now to are committing adultery?  And if that person, who was not married, sleeps with someone else later in life, who is not married, does that new person commit adultery too? Just wondering how…

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Is it wrong to use the word “trinity” to describe God?

Question: Hello, I tried to reason with a Muslim concerning the fact that Christ is God and indeed the Son of God. In my discussion, I used the word ‘trinity’ (which I just know little about) to denote God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. However, I came to realize that this word ‘trinity’…

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Is the “day” in Hebrews 10:25 Sunday or the day Jesus returns?

Question: Is the “day” in Hebrews 10:25 Sunday or the day Jesus returns? Answer: “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the…

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What does “reviler” mean?

Question: What does “reviler” mean?  Does it mean only calling people names or does it mean swearing?   Answer: “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner–not even to eat…

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What are endless myths and genealogies?

Question: Regarding I Timothy 1:4-6: In verse 4 what are the myths and endless genealogies being talked about? And in verse 6 and verse 3 who are the “some men” or the “certain men” who are teaching false doctrine? Thanks. Answer: “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia — remain in Ephesus that…

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On Some Nebulous “CoC” Thing

by Doy Moyer I often see discussions where people keep referencing some “CoC” position, or “CoC” tradition, or “CoC-er” or whatever. So… here are a few thoughts about that adapted from a previous discussion. What exactly is this CoC to which people keep referring? Is there some particular local group of Christians they have in…

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Why is the sky referred to as “heavens” in Genesis 1:6-8?

Question: Hello, I am currently bust with a Bible study of Genesis and I am confused about something. In Genesis God said: “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth”. If the first heaven is the atmosphere i.e the sky. Then why…

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Who is the god of this world?

Question: Who is the god of this world in II Corinthians 4:4? I thought it was Satan, but I was told that it was referring to Christ and was given Isaiah 6:8-13, Matthew 13:12-17, and Acts 28:25-28 as validation for that interpretation. If you could explain in a lay term why those are being taken…

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What is the “royal law”?

Question: I was doing a short study on James 2:1-13 in being brief, I said: “that the royal law is basically the law of Christ or the law of liberty which very much entails love.” Do you think I have done justice to the passage by just stating that? Answer: “Law” most often refers to…

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What is “the hope of His calling?”

Question: Dear brother, Thank you for your web site. It has been most helpful to me as I struggle to share with a person who believes in “Once Saved Always Saved.” Can you enlighten me as to what it means in Ephesians: “the hope of His calling”? Does it refer to heaven? Our resurrection on…

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What does “godliness” mean?

Question: What does “godliness” mean? Answer: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been…

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How do you explain “countenance” to small children?

Question: Pardon my ignorance. How do I explain what “countenance” is to my 5 and 7-year-olds? We are studying Genesis and came to Genesis 4:5 and my 7-year-old asked what is “countenance?” What does that mean? How do I explain? Honestly, I don’t know myself. Answer: “Countenance” is the expression on a person’s face: happy,…

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What are greaves, cuirass, and mace?

Question: What is the difference between greaves and armor? Also the words cuirass and mace? I saw these words in the concordance of a Bible printed in 1955. Please help and thank you. Answer: I’m not certain what translation you were looking at, though these words do appear in some more modern translations. The following…

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What does integrity mean?

Question: What does integrity mean? Answer: Integrity means to be complete, upright, innocent of willful wrongdoing, a person with a clear conscience. For example, Job was a man of integrity. “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God…

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What is meant by “so the last error shall be worse than the first”?

Question: In Matthew 27:64, what does “so the last error shall be worse than the first” mean? Answer: “Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception…

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What are “the times and seasons?”

Question: Would you please make a short explanation of Acts 1:7?  What is meant by the “times and seasons?” The duration of the Kingdom? Thank you very much. I appreciate your website and use it often. Answer: “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the…

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Does II Peter 3:8 mean God’s days are different from people’s days?

Question: “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day” (II Peter 3:8). I don’t understand this verse? Didn’t you say that God’s days and people’s days weren’t different? Answer: “Knowing this first: that scoffers will come…

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How can Paul die with Christ if Christ is living?

Question: I am confused about “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NLT). Isn’t God the living God?…

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When the Bible says sin brings forth death, is that talking about hell?

Question: In James 1:13-16 at the end when it says “sin when it is full-grown brings forth death” or something like that. Is the “death” referring to hell? Answer: It is referring to spiritual death, which does ultimately lead to hell. Think about it this way: The first time you sin, it bothers you greatly.…

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What does “delight yourself” mean?

Question: What exactly does it mean in scripture when it says, “delight thyself” and how does the Lord delight himself in us?  Who were some of the people in the Bible that delighted in the Lord, and who did the Lord find delightful? Answer: The phrase appears twice in the Bible: “Delight yourself also in the…

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What is the difference between Hebrew, Israel, Jew, Canaan, etc.?

Question: God promised to bring the people of Israel to the promised land, and the Jews went to the promised land, but wasn’t there more people in Israel than just the Jews? Answer: I’m having trouble with your question because I think there are some problems with definitions. Hebrew This was the term to refer…

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Are firstborns only male?

Question: in Exodus 11:5 it says that every firstborn son in Egypt will die, does that mean if the firstborn is a daughter and the second born is a son, then the son would die but not the daughter even though she’s really the firstborn?  Also in Exodus 34:19, it says the first offspring of…

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How are the age ranges defined in the Bible?

Question: Can you tell me what the Bible says concerning growing into a man? I’ve heard that an adolescent or a child was from 0-19, and that ages 20-39 were considered a young man, and that 40 and over was adulthood. Can you help me with scriptures or even necessary inferences? Answer: As we look…

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What is the blueness of a wound?

Question: In Proverbs 20:30, it reads, “The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so [do] stripes the inward parts of the belly.”  What does blueness mean? Answer: This is the older way of say “bruise.” We still keep the memory of it when we say a person was beaten black and blue. Bruises look ugly and…

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What is a hypocrite?

Question: What is it to be a hypocrite? I remember a time when one friend wanted me to give him more attention, but there was a friend of his who was always talking to him, and he just ignored him. So I said, “You want to get attention from me but refuse to give attention to…

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What is the difference between fornication and adultery?

Question: Please enlighten me as to what the difference is between fornication and adultery.  A few of us had quite a discussion about it after our midweek services this evening. Answer: The Greek word translated as fornication, or sexual immorality, is porneia. The Greek word translated as adultery is moicheia. In classical Greek, porneia was used to refer to…

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What is the difference between “length of days” and “long life?”

Question: In Proverbs 3:2, it reads, “for length of days, and long life, and peace shall they add to thee.”  What is the difference between “length of days” and “long life?” Answer: A more literal translation of the verse is: “For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you” (Proverbs 3:2 NASB). A similar…

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What is “idle talk” and “idle babblings?”

Question: I read this  answer a question: “What does “vain thoughts” mean in Psalm 119:113?” Could you expand more on the subject for me? I like to have an imagination and to read fiction. I want to be more sure that it is not a sin. Also what about exactly is idle talk? Could telling a…

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What are blessings and curses?

Question: A student of mine asked this question and I’m not sure how to answer. I appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks. I want to know what are curses and what brings curses upon a person? And what is a blessing? How can a person be blessed? Answer: “But no man can tame…

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How did casting lots work?

Question: I am studying the book of Jonah.  The mariner’s cast lots to determine who the person was that was causing all the evil to happen to them.  I would like to know in greater detail how this worked.  Also, how did this compare to how Haman cast the lot to determine the date of slaughter for the…

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What does Jesus mean by the “last penny?”

Question: In Matthew 5:25-26, it reads:  “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come…

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What is Isaiah 26:12 talking about?

Question: What’s your Bible’s translation of Isaiah 26:12? My cousin and I have two different translations and we don’t know which is right. Does it talk about good works or blessings? Answer: “LORD, You will establish peace for us, for You have also done all our works in us” (Isaiah 26:12 NKJV). “LORD, You will establish…

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I found a few mistakes in your answer about Galatians 5:12

Question: Hi there, I was doing a little research into Galatians 5:12, where Paul wishes that those who unsettle the Galatians would emasculate themselves. I came across your article, “In Galatians 5:12, is Paul actually wishing that some would emasculate themselves?” Thank you for the article, I appreciate you taking the time to write it.…

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