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• "Is there a reason you don't do foot washing and pray out loud and women wear dresses and long hair and stuff. I know the dresses and long hair and head coverings is said to be not for are society anymore and its passed away. But I believe that society has just adapted the role of women wearing pants and stuff. Isn't it in the bible that women shouldn't wear clothes of men, and not wear gold and makeup all over there bodies?"

• Yes, the passage is in Deuteronomy 22:5 A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all who do so [are] an abomination to the LORD your God. (NKJV)

  But the prohibition is not against clothing style. For example, at the time it was given, women didn't wear dresses and men didn't wear pants. Everyone wore robes. But there was a difference between a man's robe and a woman's robe. Just like there is a difference, today, between men's pants and women's pants. Men who wear women's clothing today are called cross dressers or transvestites. They are trying to look like a woman. It's a sexual perversion and the Canaanites did the same thing. That's what the prohibition was about.

  As to makeup and jewelry, the passages you're thinking of are:
  1 Timothy 2:9-10 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. (NKJV)
  1 Peter 3:3-4 Do not let your adornment be [merely] outward -- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on [fine] apparel -- 4 rather [let it be] the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible [beauty] of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (NKJV)

  Both are speaking of modesty in dress. Not making the outward appearance the main focus of what people see in you. The inward should be what makes a person distinct.

  At the time Paul wrote the Greek and Roman women were doing ridiculous things with braiding their hair, to the point that they were making animal shapes with it and sometimes even making birdcages with real birds inside - out of their hair! That's why he mentions braiding hair. He's not saying that a woman can never put a braid of any sort in her hair, just that she's not to be known by her magnificent braids, the outward appearance.

  The same with jewelry and clothing: In Genesis 24:52-53 it says, And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he worshiped the LORD, [bowing himself] to the earth. 53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave [them] to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. (NKJV) It wasn't a sin or a temptation for the servant to give Rebekah fine clothing or expensive jewelry. The servant was a godly man and Rebekah was a godly woman. And that's the point, although Rebekah did have those things, and obviously wore them at times, she is known for her godliness, not her wardrobe.

  In Ezekiel 16:10-13 God says, "I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 "I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. 12 "And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 "Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing [was of] fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate [pastry of] fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. (NKJV) He's speaking figuratively of the love and care that He had for Israel and he uses the common marriage customs of the time to illustrate it.

  Sometimes, by going to the opposite extreme, some women disobey the point of Paul and Peter's commands. If a woman wears a totally unstylish black ankle length dress, covers her head with a hat or piece of linen that's out of the norm, and then goes to the grocery store, she will get a reaction from people. And they won't be commenting on her inner beauty, they will be focused on her outward appearance. It would be much better if she just looked modestly normal and were known for her kind heart and love for Jesus.

  *Also Asked: "Well I don't know my dad doesn't want me going to the UCP church anymore now that he knows about it, and I believe I shouldn't either, but I like some things they do in there church just not there teachings and doctrine. Do you know of any churches in the Tri-Cities area that are like the Russian Pentecostal Church described above"?

  I don't know of any specifically, but if you stay away from the United Pentecostal you should be fine. Most Pentecostal churches are pretty similar.

• "Could you please give me your insight into this verse about the relationship between this verse and the Christmas tree we use today thanks"

• There isn't one. The idolaters in Old Testament times didn't do Christmas trees. The passage is talking about making an idol along the same lines as Isaiah 44:9-20. You can tell, in the context, that they're making an idol because of vs. 5. "They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak." We don't paint mouths on a tree and we don't expect a Christmas tree to speak.

  Christmas trees started in Germany in the middle ages with what were called "Paradise Plays". They were plays about the fall of Adam & Eve. What we call the Christmas tree was, in the plays, the tree of life (it's why they used an evergreen), and later the tree of the knowledge of good & evil. That's why they hung apples from the tree, which is where we get the tradition of ornaments. In fact, that's where the apple & Eve thing got started. The Bible doesn't say what type of fruit she ate. From the plays the Christmas tree was incorporated as a German Christmas tradition. You can go back in history and find times when Romans, druids, or other pagans used evergreen branches, or oak trees in their pagan worship, but no one ever did what we would call a Christmas tree.

• "Hello, I am having a lot of trouble right now with Oneness Vs. Trinity, and Jesus Name Baptism. I have been going to your church quit awhile but recently about a month ago I have started attending a Pentecostal Church (United Pentecostal Church). I never really knew what there church believed until I started going there for awhile. I was introduced to a thing called Oneness Doctrine and Jesus Name Baptism. I have always been taught Trinity Doctrine all my life and don't really get the Oneness Doctrine. Some things they say is that like in the passage in col 2:8-10 it says all the godhead resided in Jesus, and how Jesus was god on earth and all that. I don't really get it can you explain it more to me if its wrong or what, I believe in the trinity but some things in the Oneness make more since but I don't really no. Also a thing I'm having a hard time on is the Jesus Name Baptism. I have been baptized by you already and then I have been going to this church for awhile and they told me I'm not saved because I didn't get baptized in the name of Jesus as said in Acts 2:38 for the remissions of sin. I believe I have followed Gods commandments and got baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Is this wrong? You probably know allot more about this stuff so could you please explain it to me. I don't no I am struggling allot right now with these things and stuff so if you could help me out and reply to this and answer these questions that would be great. Also I have been reading about this church and what I have heard is they are a cult, because of there strict ways of appearance and there doctrine and all that stuff. I think some of the stuff they do is great but some stuff they preach is just to harsh and seems unbiblical".

• About the Trinity and Oneness Doctrine:
  The oneness doctrine is an ancient heresy called "modalism". Basically, they teach that God is one and that He puts on different forms to reveal himself. So if he wants to show Himself as Jesus, He would put on a "Jesus suit." If He wants to reveal Himself as the Spirit, He would put on a "Spirit suit." Same with the Father. I'm kind of messing around with the "suit" thing, but that's the essence of their idea.

  Problem is, it isn't scriptural. If Jesus is the Father, and if Jesus is the Holy Spirit, then we have some problems with some very clear passages of scripture. When Jesus was being baptized, He was in the water, the Spirit was descending in the form of a dove, and the Father was speaking from heaven. Unless Jesus' was playing games with our minds (lying), He cannot be in the water and at the same time be a dove descending. Same with the voice of the Father, is Jesus acting like a ventriloquist?

  You have the same problem with Jesus praying to the Father from the cross, or just praying in general. Who is He talking to? Himself? To believe oneness doctrine you have to ignore lots of scripture and try to explain it away. I never want to be in the position of explaining away scripture.

  The Doctrine of the Trinity goes like this: Within the nature of the One God, there simultaneously exist three Eternal Persons, namely, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three are co-equal in attributes, eternity, power, and Glory.

  This is the only position that deals with all the verses in the Bible on God. So, one God in 3 persons. That's hard to conceive of but that's what God has said about Himself in the Bible. We have to trust that He knows what He's talking about when He describes Himself. You are made in the image of God, and the Bible says you have 3 parts. Body, soul and spirit (1 Thess 4:23 and Heb 4:12). So you are one person and only one person and you have 3 parts. God is one God and only one God and He has 3 parts. The Father, Son and Spirit. When dealing with any doctrine, if there is one verse that contradicts my position, and it's in context, I have to change my position. Oneness people do not deal with contradictory verses, they ignore them, or try to explain them away.

  Cults will always attack the Doctrine of who God is. They'll either make God less than what the Bible says He is, or they'll try and make Jesus less than He is (like the Mormons or Jehovah's witnesses do.). The Bible says that there will be people who preach another Jesus, another Gospel and another Spirit. That's what UPC does and it's why they are classified a cult. You need to get out of there. The reason you are having problems with them is because the Spirit is warning you.

  If you'd like more verses on the Trinity, click here. There's lots more information there.

  You are right about baptism. The reason we baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is because of Matt 28:19. That obviously includes Jesus. They're playing word games to try to make themselves different from everyone else. That's another mark of a cult.

  Baptism does not save you, anyway. You were saved when you received Christ (Jn 1:12-13), His blood washed away your sin (Rev 1:5), not the Columbia River. You cannot be saved by any works, otherwise you could boast about it (Eph. 2:8-9), like they do about their style of baptism. Baptism represents dying to our old nature and being raised to a new life, like Jesus was (Rom 6:3-4). And getting baptized is an act of obedience, not a work that saves you. Nothing can save you but the free gift of Jesus' death in our place. (Rom. 6:23) If baptism were needed for you to be saved, Paul would never have told the Corinthians that Jesus never sent him to baptize or that he (Paul) was glad that he hadn't baptized them (1 Cor 1:14-17). When a church teaches that there is some work that you must do to be saved, it's another mark of a cult. (Gal 1:6-9)

  I need to ask why you stopped attending Calvary? I really don't have a problem with people going to other churches but you need to go to a church that is faithful to teach the Bible.

  If you want to know more about UPC and other cults, you can pick up any book on cults at the Bible bookstore. I recommend "The Kingdom of the Cults", by Walter Martin.

• "In this passage of the Bible I know where the swine went, I don't understand where the demons went. They knew Jesus was going to come but it wasn't time. Please simplify this for me. I had a dream a week prior to this, and I was holding a dead baby pig and it came to life. I dropped it then there was hundreds in this water below me. They kept coming but I was running across the water and got away from them to a car that was waiting. I'm sure the two aren't related maybe. But this has me very curious about the passage."

• To get what's happening in the passage, you need a little background. Gadara was part of Jewish territory, so there shouldn't have been swine or swineherds, pigs are unclean according to Jewish dietary laws. Demons apparently desire to possess a body, human or otherwise. Matt 12:43-45 In John 8:43, Jesus says the devil has always been a murderer. Demons want to destroy the lives of those they possess.

  So, to answer your question, the demons went into the pigs. Jesus allowed it because the swineherds were doing something against the will of God for the Jews. When they got there, they did to the pigs what they had been trying to do to the men they were possessing, destroy them. After the pigs were dead, the demons would still be free to roam around the earth, doing what demons do, until the judgment day.

• "I have a friend who is Russian and he goes to a Russian Pentecostal Church. They believe when you receive the Holy Spirit is when you start to speak in tongues. I believe when you become a born again Christian and ask Jesus to fill you up with the Holy Spirit, that is when you receive it. They keep showing me lots of examples in the bible like on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell upon men they started speaking in unknown languages."

• In John 14:17 Jesus told the Apostles that the Spirit dwelt with them and would be in them. He was speaking of the ministry of the Spirit in their lives. The Spirit begins in a person's life "with" them. Drawing them to Christ. Showing them the need for a savior. Convicting them of sin (Jn 16:8). When a person becomes a Christian the Holy Spirit comes in them. We become the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). This happened with the Apostles in Jn 20:22 when Jesus (after the resurrection) breathed on them and said, "receive the Holy Spirit." He then commanded them to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came *upon* them (Lk 24:49, Acts 1:5,8) for power.

  So there's a *with* experience with the Spirit, an *in* experience and an *upon* experience. The upon experience is generally called the "baptism of the Spirit" or the "filling". Nomenclature isn't really a big deal, the reality is. We need power to live the life and that comes through the ministry of the Spirit. This experience can happen at salvation or afterward as in the case of the Apostles. But it's not just a one time event. As you read through Acts you'll see that the disciples were filled numerous times with the Spirit. This coincides with Eph 5:18 which literally says "be being filled with the Spirit", a continual action not a single event. Also as you read through
  Acts you'll see that different people had different experiences as far as timing. The Apostles were empowered after salvation, Acts 2. The gentiles at Cornelius' house received the power of the Spirit at the time they believed. Acts 10:44-48. The Samaritans were filled subsequent to salvation in Acts 8:5-17. The Holy Spirit came upon the Ephesian disciples after they were baptized. Each of these groups had the Spirit *indwelling* them at the moment they were saved. Only one (the gentiles) had the Spirit come *upon* them at the moment they believed. The others had the two events separated by a period of time, whether it was weeks (the Apostles) or days (Samaritans) or minutes
  (time it took for Paul to baptize and then lay hands on the Ephesians.).

  As to the evidence of the power of the Spirit, Jesus said it would be the power to be a witness, in Acts 1:8. In Acts 4:31 it says that when the disciples were refilled with the Spirit, they spoke the word of God with *boldness.* I think that's the evidence, the power to live the life, to boldly confess Jesus. Another evidence of the power of the Spirit is love, Gal 5:22. That is what the Bible says. There is no verse that says the evidence of the filling of the Spirit is the gift of tongues. Don't want to denigrate the gift, because it is important, and most people spoken of in Acts received it. We need to pray that God gives us all He has for us. But the Bible does not say
  if you don't have tongues, you haven't been baptized with the Spirit. In fact, the baptism of the Spirit is received as an act of faith when we ask for it (Lk 11:11-13).

  As to passages you can look up, I referred to a lot of them, you'll want to go through and read them for yourself. You can also read 1 Cor 12-14 and Rom 12. They deal with the gifts of the Spirit.

• "In the book of Job (or any book for that matter), when it refers to, 'the Lord', does it mean, 'God' or 'Jesus'?"

• If the letters are in all caps, it means YHWH. That is called the tetragrammaton and it's the name that God gave Himself. When it's transliterated into English it's usually Jehovah, but nobody really knows how it was pronounced. Most likely, Yahweh. Now the question remains, is it talking about Jesus or the Father (assuming you're equating "God" with the Father). The name may refer to the Son or the Father or the Spirit or all three collectively, since the three are what God is. For example, Paul in Philippians 2:10-11 says that Jesus is YHWH in quoting from Is. 45:23. John identifies Jesus as YHWH in Jn 12:37-41 (esp. 41) where he says that Isaiah was seeing Jesus when he had his vision of God in Isaiah 6. There are lots of these types of references in the New Testament. In the Old Testament there are some interesting passages that show that the one God is a compound unity (3 in 1). Is 44:6 is a good example; Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, (that's one guy) And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: (that's another one, and He's Jehovah, too) 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. (At least 2 guys that are the one God)

  Here's another one;

  Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me (earlier in the context it's stated the YHWH is speaking) whom they pierced. (when did Jehovah get pierced?) Yes, they will mourn for Him (notice the change of pronoun? Now we have one YHWH talking about the other one, and apparently they were both pierced, somehow. 2 Cor 5:19)as one mourns for [his] only [son,] and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

  If you want more on this, you can get some documents on the trinity page.

  Question - Was Job a Jew?

  Probably not, there is no mention of the law. Most commentators believe Job lived before Abraham and that the book is the oldest in the Bible.

  Question - Was it God who inflicted all these things unto Job, or was it Lucifer (i.e. when the Lord says to the Devil, "Everything he has is in your hands" seems to imply that it is the Devil, although reading the book, I get the impression that it is the Lord)?

  God takes responsibility for it, even though Satan performed the acts. Look at Job 2:3. Ultimately, that's where it sits for us as believers. 1 Cor 10:13 says that God will not allow anything in our lives that we can't handle and so we can rest in the fact that anything Satan wants to do to us has to come through God first. Job is a good example of that. Also need to remember that the reality of what was going on in Job's life is stated in chapters 1-2 and then in chapters 38-42. Everything in between is man philosophizing and pondering and wondering and arguing.

  Just one thing, Job is a great book to address the issue of suffering and why believers go through it. In Job's case, it was because he was so godly.

• "In Mark 16:16 it reads that "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." I rededicated my life to the Lord recently and believe I am truly saved. I, however was baptized as a child in the Lutheran Church and have not been baptized again as a believer. According the the passage baptism is required to be saved, but non belief will be condemnation. Does this mean if I am baptized and not truly believe, I am condemned. However if I truly believe and have not been baptized, I am still condemned. I was under the impression that baptism was a symbol of my faith or servitude to the Lord. I have read online that baptism is required to be saved. Please let me know the truth."

• No, baptism does not save you. The bible says that salvation is a free gift, separate from any works that we can perform:

  Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. (NKJV)

  You need to remember that the word "grace" in the bible, means "an undeserved gift."

  You will find many people who will try and tell you that there is some work you have to do or ritual you have to perform or church you have to go to, before you can be saved. But the bible teaches that salvation does not come from our righteous works but from our freely accepting the mercy of God:

  Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (NIV)

  In fact, the idea that I can earn salvation by doing anything would mean that salvation is not a free gift offered by God's grace, but a matter of God having to pay me a debt that he owes:

  Romans 4:2-5 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about -- but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. (NIV)

  You asked:
  In Mark 16:16 it reads that "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned..." According the the passage baptism is required to be saved, but non belief will be condemnation. Does this mean if I am baptized and not truly believe, I am condemned. However if I truly believe and have not been baptized, I am still condemned.

  The bible teaches that without a real relationship with Christ, whether you've been baptized or not, you will not be saved. Matt 7:21-23. But you'll notice that Mk 16:16 says that you will be condemned if you don't believe, not if you are not baptized. Unbelief is always the reason for condemnation, Jn 3:16-21. The reason that baptism is so closely connected with belief for salvation in the first part of the verse, is because in the 1st century, in Israel, the first thing you did when you got saved was get baptized. It was similar to standing up in church and publicly accepting or confessing Jesus as your Savior. It was a public confession of Christ. It still is.

  Paul said this in 1 Corinthians:

  1 Corinthians 1:14-17 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. (NKJV)

  If baptism saves you, then Paul is blaspheming. It is important that we be baptized after we are saved, because Jesus commanded it and we're to be obedient to the Lord. But you are right, it is a symbol of our faith.

• "The second half of Hebrews 10, which I will include below, seems to say that if you knowingly sin, you will not be forgiven. Yet we know that this does not agree with what the rest of the Bible says about "transgression" and "iniquity". So, what I'm wondering is, why does it say this, in this manner, and in this place? We can't pick and choose what the Bible says for what we believe, and yet until now, based on other scripture, I have basically disregarded what is plainly said in this scripture instead of resolving the question for why it is here. PLEASE HELP ME FIND THIS ANSWER! It REALLY bugs me."

• The key is in verse 26, "If we deliberately keep on sinning..." It has the same implications as Gal 5:21, "...those who *practice* such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." We're not talking about a fall here, we're talking about unrepentant sinful lifestyle. This is the warning of Hebrews, not to turn away from Christ. You'll notice that throughout the book, Paul continues to get more radical in his warnings. This is one of the most pointed and it's needed because people have a tendency to rationalize their sin and rejection of Christ with the excuse that "I'm still religious." That's where some of the Hebrews were, and he's making the point that your lifestyle indicates where your heart is at. Walking in sin indicates a heart far from God, no matter how religious you are.