Bible Questions with Andrew Farley

If so, why do Christians need to fast? Some teach that fasting is required for spiritual growth, yet this is not Biblical. In the days of the early church, eating food was the main form of entertainment. So, believers might fast in order to regain focus on God’s grace. But this was not a spiritual mandate that made prayers get answered or helped believers get closer to God. Fasting was employed me...

Many interpret Paul’s words in Philippians 4:13 to mean Christians have the power to be successful at anything in life. However, the passage is actually talking about contentment in any circumstance, whether difficult or easy. Paul speaks of having little (poverty) versus having much, and going hungry versus being filled. His point is that Jesus Christ is our life in every circumstance we face. Th...

James 2 is talking about living faith (which includes a decision) versus dead faith that even the demons have. James is encouraging his readers to be like Rahab and open the door to God’s message. James is instructing his readers to imitate Abraham by offering themselves to God just as Abraham offered Isaac. Faith without decision is dead faith.

While the term “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, Scripture is clear about the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three coequal persons in one Godhead. As human beings with finite understanding, we can believe in the Trinity without fully comprehending it.

James 5:16 says the prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective. While this is often interpreted as we need to live righteously for our prayers to be heard, the passage actually speaks to the righteousness we received as a free gift from Christ at salvation (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:17).

Whenever disasters occur, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is often used as a proof text to argue God is sending disasters because of the world’s sins. But this is an Old Testament passage aimed at Israel before Jesus died for our sins to bring us total forgiveness and salvation through Him. Today is the day of salvation – not the day of judgment. God’s agenda is to save the world, not to punish it. And the kind...

Some believe 1 Peter 3:19 teaches that Jesus went to Hell for three days to preach to demons or the unsaved before His resurrection. Some even claim this trip to Hell was necessary to complete Christ’s work on our behalf. However, Peter was simply saying that Jesus (long ago, through Noah) had preached to the people of Noah’s day (in that day!). The people of Noah’s generation heard Jesus’s messag...

The prosperity gospel teaches that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection brought every believer the ability to activate earthly blessings such as monetary riches and good health. Scripture, however, teaches that Christ achieved spiritual blessings for us such as forgiveness, righteousness, and a new heart (Ephesians 1; Hebrews 10:16-17). These are the true gifts of God which belong to every bel...

Some claim the King James Version is the most accurate translation of the Bible. However, this is simply not the case. In fact, it’s not even based on the earliest manuscripts we have today.

Is it biblical? Lordship Salvation teaches that individuals are saved when they surrender and submit fully to Christ’s Lordship. This is contrasted with so-called “easy believism” or the concept that salvation is offered freely and needs only to be received (Romans 6:23). Jesus did tell us what He offers is “easy” and “light” and brings “rest” (Matthew 11:28-30). In addition, He told us that whoev...

Some argue that we should adhere to what the “early church fathers” taught during the first few centuries of Christianity. While this might sound like a noble idea, it is problematic in that the early church fathers did not even agree with each other about key issues! Furthermore, many of the so-called “early church fathers” promoted unfounded (even heretical!) ideas. In short, it is not the age o...

Is Catholicism the purest form of Christianity? While one can be an earnest believer in Jesus and be part of the Roman Catholic Church, it is erroneous to state that it is the one true expression of the Christian faith. It is also highly problematic to affirm that God saves through the Roman Catholic religious system.

While Isaiah 53:5 is sometimes interpreted to mean that Christians have guaranteed physical healing through the finished work of Christ, the passage is actually speaking of a spiritual healing which occurs at salvation because of Christ’s removal of our sins (1 Peter 2:24).

The Bible is inerrant in the original manuscripts. Still, something is always lost as the original languages are translated into new target languages. This is unavoidable. Despite minor variations in expressing things among translations and Bible versions, the most important thing is that the Gospel message itself remains crystal clear.

In today’s culture, many believe there is no evidence for Christ’s resurrection. However, there is actually ample evidence in both biblical and extrabiblical sources for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

While pornography and sexual fantasy are clearly sinful, the physical act of masturbation is not mentioned in Scripture and seems to be an issue of conscience for each individual.

While the world around us seems to separate sex from the marriage commitment, God’s design is for them to be integrated as one. Sex should involve a commitment to marriage. The two are not to be seen separately (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:8-10).

God designed men and women to have intimate sexual relations with one another within the marital context (Genesis 1-2). After sin entered the world (Genesis 3), God’s original design was distorted. This distortion led to homosexual practices which are shown to be sin in Scripture (Genesis 19:1-11; Romans 1:26-27).

If so, what does it mean to submit within the marriage context? While Scripture does teach the importance of wives submitting to their husbands in Ephesians 5:22, it teaches this in the context of mutual submission to each other which is to occur in marriage and in the church (Ephesians 5:21).

Some Christians believe God forbids remarriage after a divorce. However, this is not an accurate view of the whole of Scripture. God’s grace is big enough to handle any failed marriage and to empower us to have a new and healthy marriage going forward.

While God intended marriage to last a lifetime (Matthew 19:6), there are some circumstances in which it is healthy for a believer to divorce their spouse (1 Corinthians 7:15; Exodus 21:10-11). 

While many claim God killed Ananias and Sapphira, there’s no evidence they were true believers, and there’s no evidence that God actually killed them.

Many teach that believers will receive rewards in Heaven because of good works performed in this life. However, this concept is absent from the New Testament. Instead, the Bible teaches that all believers receive the same reward (singular): the reward of the inheritance in Christ (Colossians 3:24).

Some teach that James 3:1 speaks of Christian teachers/pastors being judged more harshly by God than other believers. However, the judgment in the passage is not from God but from people. Scripture is clear that all believers (including pastors and teachers!) have passed from judgment into life (John 5:24), and we are no longer under any condemnation (Romans 8:1). However, Bible teachers are often...

Some teach that God disciplines His children because they sin. But this is inconsistent with the fact that Christ removed our sins and remembers them no more (Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10:14). The truth is that we are always under the discipline and counsel of our Father. God’s discipline is training for the future, not punishment for the past.