Bible Questions with Andrew Farley

Scripture is clear that believers (as people) were sanctified – past tense – the moment we were saved (1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:10). This means we have been fully set apart for God. Our behavior, on the other hand, is being sanctified (set apart) as we learn and grow in our understanding of God’s grace (1 Peter 1:15). We must separate who we are (sanctified children of God) from how we perfo...

Two different Greek words are used in Scripture to describe the spirit and the soul. The spirit (Gk. pneuma) speaks of the innermost part of the person, the part that is one with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17) and new at salvation (Ezekiel 36:26-27). In contrast, the soul (Gk. psuché) is the psychology (mind, will, and emotions) of a person.

Some point to 1 Timothy 1:15 to make the argument that Christians are called “sinners” in the New Testament. However, Paul only referred to himself as a sinner in the 1 Timothy passage because of his history of persecuting the church (Galatians 1:13). He was referring to his condition before salvation. We believers are not sinners by nature anymore. We are saints who sometime sin.

Some teach that a believer has a wicked heart (Jeremiah 17:9). However, this is not Scriptural. A Christian has a new, righteous and obedient heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Hebrews 8:10; Romans 6:17). Jeremiah 17:9 describes an unbeliever before the born-again experience. In contrast, every believer has a new heart, a new spirit, and God’s Spirit.

We often hear we need to become more like Christ. But this isn’t the best way to think of our Christian journey. When we believe in Jesus, we are made like Jesus at the core (1 John 4:17), even though our performance (attitudes and actions) do change over time (Romans 12:2).

Righteousness, in a Biblical context, is to be right with God at the core of your being. It means that on a scale of 1-10, you’re an 11! No human is righteous through their own efforts (Romans 3:19-20). But through Christ, we have been imputed and imparted the very righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:21; Romans 4:25; Romans 6:18).

When we believe in Jesus, we become slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18). This means we are connected to Christ and partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4). In short, we are allergic to sin and addicted to Jesus (Romans 6:11). God has the market cornered on fulfillment, and only bearing the fruit of His Spirit will satisfy us now.

Some believe an overemphasis on God’s grace will somehow lead to more sinning in the Christian life. But Titus 2:11-12 says the opposite: Grace is what encourages godly living. So, we need more grace, not less, if we want to overcome temptation. Being afraid of too much grace is like being afraid of too much victory over sin (Romans 6:14).

Many have tried to create a friction between the concepts of grace and obedience. However, grace and obedience are related and beautifully compatible. Romans 6:17 states that we believers have become “obedient from the heart.” By grace, we have been gifted with a new, righteous heart that is obedient to God. This is why we can afford to live under grace and watch as God grows us up as obedient chi...

While many promote the importance of the so-called “spiritual disciplines”, the phrase is not found in the Bible. Instead, Scripture teaches the importance of a relationship with God that flows naturally out of grace (Titus 2:11-14). So, we can choose to pray, read the Bible, etc. because we desire to, not because we have to do them.

The New Covenant began at the death of Christ (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 9:16). This means Jesus lived and ministered under the Old Covenant (Galatians 4:4). This is why some of Jesus’ teachings expose the true spirit of the Old Testament law. 

The Bible teaches the new covenant is a promise that God made to Himself to save completely all who believe in Jesus (Hebrews 6:13-18). It is the promise of total forgiveness for all sins (Hebrews 8:12); a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Hebrews 8:10); freedom from the Old Covenant law (Hebrews 10:10; Galatians 5:1); and adoption as God’s children (1 John 3:1; Hebrews 8:11; Galatians 4:6). It is the...

We’ve all heard we need to love God more and prove our love for Him. Some of us have even heard that we are to love God more than our own families! But this concept is actually absent from the New Testament. Scripture never encourages a new-hearted believer to love God more, because we already love Him to the utmost (1 John 3:23; Romans 6:17; Ephesians 6:24). Instead, the Bible encourages believer...

Are we to give a set percentage of our income, like a tithe, or is it something different? New Testament grace giving is founded upon our freedom in Christ. We are not under the Law or any spiritual regulation requiring that we give a certain amount. Instead, we can decide from the heart how much we want to give to support the Gospel message (2 Corinthians 9:7).

At salvation, believers are crucified with Christ. As a result, we die to the Law, and consequently we die to sin. Once we’re taken out from under the dominion of the Law, sin no longer has power over us. As the Scripture states: “apart from the Law, sin is dead” (Romans 7:8). Under God’s grace, we end up living a godly life motivated by God’s Spirit within us, not by moral regulations from the Ol...

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is often presented as a beautiful passage to inspire spiritual growth in the believer. However, the reality is that in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells His audience to cut off their hands, to pluck out their eyes, and to be perfect like God. In addition, He tells them that looking with lust equals adultery and that anger is the same as murder. Finally, Jes...

The Apostle Paul states that Christians are not under the Law (Galatians 3:19-20). The Ten Commandments (the moral law) are not an exception to this freedom. We trust Jesus as our sacrifice and as our daily source of morality and ethics. Christ within us, apart from the Law, is enough to produce the godly life we desire (Galatians 5:22-23).

Some teach that Christians need to keep the Old Testament Sabbath which forbids physical work from Friday at sundown to Saturday evening. But Scripture teaches that the Sabbath was merely a shadow of the spiritual rest we enjoy in Christ (Hebrews 10:1). All who believe in Jesus enter a spiritual rest because of His finished work (Hebrews 4:3).

People often believe they should try to love God with all their strength and try to love others as they love themselves. However, this misunderstanding results from misinterpreting a conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee (Matthew 22:34-40). An expert in the Law came to Jesus and asked Him what were the greatest commands in the Law. Jesus answered that the greatest commandments in the Law are t...

The laws written on a believer’s heart are not the Ten Commandments, because we are no longer under the Law (Galatians 5:1; Romans 6:14; 2 Corinthians 3:6-7). Believers have the new commands of Jesus written on our hearts: believe in Him and love one another just as He has loved us (1 John 3:23; 5:3; John 13:34).

If so, how did Jesus fulfill the Law? Romans 8:4 says Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirement of the Law by becoming a sin offering for us. Not only did He live a perfect life, according to the true spirit of the Law, but the entire Law pointed to His death on the cross as both the fulfillment of the old covenant, and the beginning of the new covenant (Matthew 5:17; Romans 8:4; 10:4). Still, thi...

No, tithing is an Old Testament requirement. Instead, we Christians are called to give freely from the heart, not under any pressure (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Absolutely! We live under a new covenant, but the entire Bible – from Genesis to Revelation – is the inspired Word of God. And we can learn a great deal from the Old Testament.

Two thousand years ago, the Corinthians were getting drunk and eating up all the food at the Lord’s Supper. It was for this reason that Paul said they were partaking in an “unworthy manner” and needed to examine themselves. But the Lord’s Supper is to be done in remembrance of Jesus Christ and His finished work, not in remembrance of our recent track record of sins. So, we can keep the focus on Je...

Is 1 John 1:9 meant for Christians? While 1 John 1:9 is often interpreted as a formula for believers to get more forgiveness of sins, the verse is actually addressing sin deniers known as Gnostics. So, John is not prescribing a “daily bar of soap” to help Christians get more forgiveness and cleansing from God. Instead, he is inviting unbelieving sin deniers to acknowledge the reality of sin and fi...