Questions On Faith, Repentance And Confession (2)

Question 6. In the Bible Jesus says that His sheep will hear His voice.  I was born again 3 years ago and yet I have never heard Jesus' voice? Can you explain this passage, do other Christians hear His voice?  I know others talk about an inward still small voice, but that is not what this passage is talking about, it's talking about hearing the voice of Jesus.

Answer This is a very important question, and I hope I can show what the scriptures teach about this.  The passage you referred to is in John 10.  Before we look at the passage and its context please read   the following.

Heb 1:1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the   prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, 2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in (his) Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds;

This passage clearly teaches that these are the last days and now God speaks through his Son.  But Jesus Christ lived, taught the gospel, was crucified, rose from the dead, then ascended back to  heaven.  Right before his ascension he said:

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All       authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.19 Go ye      therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

In Mark it is recorded as follows

Mar 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and   preach the gospel to the whole creation

Jesus Christ has all authority (v18).  He directed the apostles to preach the gospel to the whole world, baptizing those who obey, and teach those to observe all the things He had commanded.  So, Jesus does speak to us through the gospel recorded by those he directed to preach the gospel - the apostles.  When you read the New Testament, you are reading the voice of the shepherd.  When you are lead by that voice, you are his sheep.  Now read John 10:

Joh 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from      him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

Listen to what Jesus said in explaining this parable:

Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own     know me, 15 even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father;       and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.

When you read the parable and Jesus' explanation in light of the       passages above, it is clear that we hear the voice of Jesus whenever we read his words.  Now that puts obligation and responsibility on us to read, study and understand.  For example, lets look at how Jesus tells us we can have forgiveness of sins. 

First of all recognize that we all sin.  Read Romans 3:23

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

The result of dying in this condition will be eternal damnation.   Read 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

2Th 1:8 rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them       that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: 9 who shall suffer punishment, (even) eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

But the gospel offers salvation from this end.  First we believe in Christ.  Read what Jesus said in Mark 16:16.

Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.

We must also repent of our past sins.  Read Acts 2:38. 

Act 2:38 And Peter (said) unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We must also confess that Jesus is God's son.  Read Romans 10:9.

Rom 10:9 because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus (as) Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:

We must also submit to baptism in water.  Please reread Acts 2:38, and Mark 16:16 above.  In addition we must also live a faithful life until death.   Please read Revelation 2:10 and Revelation 20:12.

Rev 2:10 Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is (the book) of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.

I encourage you to listen to Jesus' voice and his voice given through his apostles and recorded in the New Testament.  Like Cornelius was told in Acts 11:14

Act 11:14 who shall speak unto thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house. Contact Larry

Question 7. In Genesis 4:3-5: Why, exactly, did God not favor Cain's offering?  I understand that Abel brought from the firstlings of his flock.  The passage (v.3) says, "In the process of time..."  It takes 'time' to grow things; why would God NOT favor Cain's offering?

Answer If we read the first 16 verses of Genesis 4, we get a better idea of the situation.  The two sons born to Adam and Eve brought forth offerings to the Lord, Cain from the fruit of the ground and Abel from his flocks of animals.

One question we might ask here is, were they supposed to decide, on their own, what type of offering God would be pleased with or did God indicate directly to them what He would be pleased with?  Although it may not be entirely clear in this passage, we can see that God did indicate to them what they should offer.  When Cain is initially rebuked by God, He warns Cain that he can do better.  He is telling him he is not living up to his potential, obeying God in bringing the right offering and in not being angry with his brother.  The two things were sins, violations of God's law.   To act in a right way, would be acting by faith.

This is made even more clear when we read in Hebrews 11:1, 4.  Here we are given many examples of what it meant to live and act by faith, putting one's obedient trust in God.  Abel is one who did this by following what God had revealed to him about what he should offer.  Rom. 10:17.  Cain is one who did not follow the word of the Lord.

It is a good lesson for us that we too should seek only to follow what the Lord says in regard to salvation, worship and anything else, rather than deciding what we think is best for us to offer to Him. Contact Gary

Question 8. When I was a teen, sometime ago, I recall being taught in Sunday school that a commitment to Jesus and God should not be based on emotion but rather logical review for it was easy for false preachers to sway one's heart when his mind should be making the decision.  I'm in a debate at work over this and at a lose to find a Bible scripture that fits this.  Was someone giving me bad advice so many years ago?

Answer We must always seek to have our emotions informed by the objective truth of God's word rather than allowing our emotions to mislead us into accepting things that are not according to truth.  There is a great danger that, instead of looking outside of ourselves for truth, we will make our feelings the standard for what we believe.  The Scriptures provide us with many warnings concerning this.  Prov. 16:25, 28:25-26, Jer. 10:23, John 16:1-4, Rom. 10:1-4, Gal. 1:13-17.

Just think if we allowed our emotions to be our primary guide in determining our physical well being.  We might conclude we either feel good or bad based on our feelings rather than objective examinations by a trained physician.  We would not want to be deceived in this way.

Although we should not let our emotions be our primary guide in religion, we should allow the truth to emotionally affect us in a good way.  After people found out they needed to repent and be baptized (immersed in water), they rejoiced after they obey the gospel and were forgiven of their sins.  Acts 2:36-42, 8:26-40, 16:25-34.

Sadly, many today "feel" they are saved, even though they have not followed the clear teaching of the Bible that they should, believe, repent and be baptized in order to be forgiven of their sins.  We must look to the word of God that had been left for us to read, understand and obey from the heart.  Eph. 3:1-17, Rom. 10:17, 6:17-18, Mark 16:15-16.

Salvation is too serious of a matter for us to be guided primarily by our emotions.  Let us rejoice after we know we have followed what is written in the Word.   Contact Gary

Question 9. You say that we must have enough faith to repent and to follow Jesus. This, I think, is very right. My problem is: How can a man have the repentance and the faith it needs to turn to Jesus? In the Bible it is written (this is a little adapted because I'm portuguese): "I will have mercy on who I will have mercy(...)" (This is Romans 9:15) and also:"Because it is God the one who operates in us (..) according to his good will." (Philippians 2:13). What does this mean? If God doesn't have mercy on me I am condemned, right? But if God wants to, He can make me do everything I should do. He can make me thirsty enough to come looking for Him and not going away any more, right? So, can you please tell me how can I have sufficient faith and will to turn to God and do everything He tells me to do?

Answer Thank you for your visit and your question.  As to this, you need to read carefully Acts 2.  How was the faith created within those who heard?  Also read carefully Romans 10:13-17.  Faith is created when we hear the word of God and honestly and actively respond to it.  How we react depends on our attitude toward God and his word.  See Matt. 13:1-23, Luke 8:4-15.

In other words, God does not take away our responsively as to how we should react to His word.  The gospel is God's power to save people, but it will save only those who believe and obey.  These are choices we make, not God makes for us.  Rom. 1:16-17, Ch. 6.

As to the passages you mentioned, the one in Romans and one in Philippians, you must note the context of both.  They are not saying that God takes away our responsibility in how we respond to Him.  Faith is something we do, not what God does for us.   However, we cannot brag about what we do because He is the one who has revealed all this to us and provides the resulting blessings (forgiveness of sins and hope of eternal life) and has provided the basis on which all these things are possible (Jesus death, burial, resurrection and ascension to Heaven).  He has also created us and given us life.  James 2:14-26, Eph. 2:1-10, Rom. 5:1-2, Mark 16:15-16.  Contact Gary

Question 10. I just visited this site for the first time. I think it is very interesting. One of the things that it appears that you are wanting to accomplish is letting the Bible be the final authority. I totally agree with that. My question is, if that is what you are trying to accomplish, why do you keep explaining what you think that the Bible is saying. The Holy spirit is to give us understanding as to what the Bible says. About speaking  in tongues for example. In Acts chapter 2, on the day of Pentacost tongues of fire came on the Apostles there and each were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave utterance. The word does not say that each spoke in a foreign language, it says that each God fearing Jew from every nation under heaven that was staying in Jerusalem that heard them, heard the tongue that was spoken in their own language. The key here is each heard. There was no need for interpretation or for an interpreter. Unknown tongues were spoken and each one heard in his own language.

Answer I appreciate you asking this important question.  In it is revealed a misunderstanding of how the Holy Spirit functioned and what His role was and is in helping us understand the word of God.  In your question and subsequent statements, you make many assumptions which are not provable by examining the written word.  I will do my best to explain as simply and as completely as possible.

Although the Holy Spirit has revealed and confirmed the word by miracle, we are responsible for having the proper attitude toward the word and coming to the proper understanding of the word.  God does not force us to come to the knowledge of the truth, but rather presents the truth to us in an understandable form.  If we have the attitudes of honesty and humility, we will come to the right understanding of the word.   If we have any other attitudes, we will not come to the proper understanding of the word.  Observe carefully the parable Jesus told regarding the sower who sowed seed that fell on many different types of ground.  Matthew 13:1 and following.   Notice the problem with the three out of four that rejected the word was not within the word but within the hearts of the individuals.  The same word was spoken to all but all did not understand it in the right way.

Another illustration of our responsibility to understand the word is Jesus story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25 and following.  Notice he asked the lawyer to interpret what the command to love your neighbor meant.  The lawyer used his power to reason to provide the right answer.

In the same way, the New Testament has been left for us so that we may understand what God would have us do to be saved and how we should live and worship Him.  John 20:30-31, Rom. 1:16-17, Eph. 3:1-7.  However, it is up to us to have the proper attitude so that we may come to the proper understanding of the word.  God does not provide this attitude.  That comes from the heart.  See Acts 17:10-12.

The Holy Spirit empowered the apostles to bring the word to us by providing them with the right words and also confirming those words as being from God by providing them with an attesting miracle, they spoke these right words in languages that they had never learned.  The miracle was not in the ear of the hearer but in the mouths of the speakers.  The Holy Spirit did not do anything to the hearers.  They were to be the beneficiaries of the process of inspiration, revelation and confirmation of the word, not participants in the process.  This was left to the apostles and other chosen men that God allowed to bring forth the word to us.  The question is, do we have the attitudes of humility honesty and sincerity that will lead us to accept what has plainly been revealed to all?  Contact Gary