That's in the Bible

Announcer: We’d like to introduce to you our host for that for That’s in the Bible Live, Brother Richie Juatco!

Brother Richie: Hello Seattle! How’s everyone? How’s everyone today? Welcome to That’s in the Bible Live. We’re actually live here on location in beautiful Seattle, Washington. And we’re here at the INC Media Experience event or INCMX. 

For those that don’t know what That’s in the Bible is, it’s a program where we take questions from people all around the world, wondering what is in the Bible and how it applies to our lives. Now, prior to this event, we actually sent out a camera crew to your beautiful city to find out if there was anyone in the city that had any questions that they’ve been wondering for some time. And they were hoping that they could find an answer from the Bible. So first of all, we would like to thank all those that asked questions to our camera crew, even those that reached out to us via email. But we wouldn’t especially like to thank Robert, Mark and Tyswanekwa, because the questions that they asked, we’re going to feature on our show today. 

[On-screen graphic]

Topic: Following The Rules Set By A Church

Robert Nichols 

Bothell, Washington

Topic: Spiritual vs. Religious 

Mark Sokup

Topic: Conditions On Who To Love

Tyswanekwa Crosby

Federal Way, Washington

Brother Richie: Now these are the questions that they asked. Robert, the topic of his question was following the set rules by a church. So he wanted to know did he have to follow those rules. Mark asked about spiritual versus religious, there might be some of us that have heard that or someone wondering the difference between that; and Tyswanekwa, she asked conditions on who to love. She wanted to know if there was anything in the Bible that made her have to love someone a certain way. 

We’re going to use those three questions, to answer an overarching question, which is: Is God’s love unconditional? And we hear that all the time, right? We hear that “God’s love is unconditional. No matter how you choose to live your life, He’s going to love you just the same.” And it’s so nice to hear, it makes you feel good. But we want to know: what’s in the Bible? Is that according to the Bible? 

So what we’re going to do is we’re going to find that out. But before that, let’s find out what “condition” is. What’s the definition of “condition” [and let’s find out if God has any for His love]. So [a condition] is something that must exist before something else can happen. Another word to say that is a “prerequisite” or a “requirement” or “rule” or “restriction.” So does God not have [conditions]? We’ll find out. Let’s go to Tyswanekwa’s question first. We can actually hear it from her: 

[Video starts]

So even when I was at my grandma’s church yesterday, they made this statement that God did not make man and man to be together, woman and woman to be together. But I believe God [doesn’t] make mistakes…It’s almost like you make Him less comforting, less inviting. So I’m grateful that I’ve decided to have my own relationship outside of church…but I don’t agree with making them feel bad…Where in the Bible does it tell us to be conditional lovers? Where does it tell us to only love someone “this” way or if they are like “this”?

Tyswanekwa Crosby

Federal Way, Washington

[Video ends]

Brother Richie: So again, we’d like to thank Tyswanekwa for her question. And just so that we can see if we can know where she’s coming from. Let me see a raise of hands: who here wants someone to give them conditions on who to love? Is there anyone here that wants to be told who to love? So we can kind of see where she’s coming from, right? Because when it comes to love, if someone is going to give their love, he or she is going to come up with their own conditions that someone has to meet to give that love, right? Love can’t be forced, you can’t force someone to love someone else. 

For example, this gentleman here, you can’t be forced to love this lovely lady, right? By the way, are you two married? You are, so you do love each other! You love each other because you had your own conditions to be met, and you met those conditions. And that’s how it is, right? It’s your love, it’s your life, it’s your choice. 

And there are many people, they choose who to love without worrying about what is written in the Bible. So why are there some [that asked] that question from the Bible? Why is it that, not only Tyswanekwa, but many people, [want] to know what is in the Bible regarding that? Well, to many, the ideal situation is: choose who to love, and have God’s love upon you and upon the one that you love as well, right? Because that would actually be [a] great situation. 

So when it comes to God’s love…now we’re on the topic of God’s love. Does He have conditions? We all have conditions for our love. And many people say, “No, God’s different. He doesn’t have any conditions. Well, we don’t want to answer for God because His words are written in the Bible, we’ll just read His answer. 

When it comes to God giving His love, what is it that [He] requires, if He does have any requirements. Let’s read what is written in the Bible, we’re going to read from what’s recorded here in Deuteronomy. We’ll read chapter 7. We’ll read it together here, we’ll put it on the screen. Here in verse 6 to 7, it says:

You are a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. He has chosen you to be his special treasure. He chose you out of all the nations on the face of the earth to be his people. The Lord chose you because he loved you very much… 

[Deuteronomy 7:6-7 New International Reader’s Version]

Brother Richie: When it comes to God giving His love, how is it that the Bible describes that? Well, here we can read that He did give His love to the ancient nation of Israel. Now, what’s the proof that He loved them? Well, according to what we’ve read, it says He chose them to be His people. Some might say, “I don’t understand” or “aren’t we all God’s people? God created all of us.” And that’s true. God created every single one of us. But as we have learned, He doesn’t love everyone the same. What’s the proof? It says that He chose some to be His special treasure. He set them apart to be His people. 

So, now when it comes to God giving His love, just like the rest of us, that’s His choice, right? It is His choice. He’s the one that comes up with the conditions that have to be met. And really God’s love…that’s what we want. Right? That is so important to have. If there’s anyone’s love that we’re going to work for, that we’re going to try to win over, it should be God’s. 

Now, some might think, “Why? Well, what’s so great about having God’s love?” Well, if that’s the question, why is that such a wonderful situation to have God’s love in our life? Again, let’s go to what is recorded. We’ll read the situation that God makes for those that He does choose to love. We’re going to read from what is recorded here in the book of Psalm, Chapter 91, we’re going to read verses 14 to 15. It says: 

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 

[Psalm 91:14-15 New International Version]

Brother Richie: According to the Bible, what kind of a situation is it if God chooses to love someone? That’s a wonderful situation. Our God Himself said that the one He loves, he’s going to protect, He’s going to deliver, He’s going to honor, He’s going to rescue those that love Him. If they call to Him, He’s going to answer them. If they’re in trouble, He’s going to be with them in trouble. Who here wants that situation? Who here wants God to be with them always? We all do. But just because we want it, does it mean we get it? Well, this particular servant, how come he got it? Well, God gave the answer. He answered and He said, “Because he loves me.” 

So there was a condition met. Our God gave him the love and the protection that he needed. So, if someone thinks, “Well, I love God, too.” And we can all say that (we should say that) we all love God. But we know that love is much more than words. There’s a saying that we all know when it comes to talk, right? They say talk is…”talk is cheap.” Anyone can say that. The ladies that are here: If someone says they love you, is that all you need to believe it? No, even us as human beings, right? For us to believe someone that they love us, they’ve got to prove it. So when it comes to God’s love, does that have to be proven? Again, some might say, “No, God is different!” Well, wait a second, let’s use God’s words. If someone loves God, what does that mean? Let’s read His words. From what is written here in 1  John, we’re going to read chapter 5, verse 3. This is what it actually says: 

For our love for God means that we obey his commands. And his commands are not too hard for us, 

[1 John 5:3 Good News Translation]

Brother Richie: What is the biblical definition of loving God? Well, according to what we have read, it says it means we obey His commands. So His commands are what we need. 

Someone might think, “Well, what are God’s commands? I thought [there’s] only ten?”

There [are the] first ten commandments that were written down. But God has a whole Bible of commandments. For our life, from the very first time we receive life to the time that we lose it. Our God gives us commandments, He gives us instructions, He shows us how to live our life the way that He intended. He shows us how to think when we’re in trouble. When we face certain challenges, He shows us how to surround ourselves with the right people. He is the one that is guiding us and instructing us. And if we follow all those commands we prove that we love Him. 

Now in all the commands that God gives, so that we can show that we love Him, is there any command regarding whom we should love? Because that goes right into what Tyswanekwa was asking, you know. She said, “Well, show me in the Bible that I have to love someone this way, if they’re like this…” Does God have any commands regarding whom we should love? Let’s find out. We’ll read here from what’s recorded in 1 John, we’re going to read chapter 2, and the verses are 15 to 16:

Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. Because everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world.

[1 John 2:15-16 Holman Christian Standard Bible] 

Brother Richie: Does our God give instructions regarding whom we should or shouldn’t love? Yes. What is it that we read? He said, “Do not love the world or the things [in] the world.” We have to understand there’s only two types of people: one who loves God, it means they’ve learned His commandments, they follow His commandments; and the second, the ones that don’t, they are of the world. What is it that God said? “Do not love the world or the things [in] the world.” 

But I would like to ask, please answer this question: Despite God’s command, despite His instruction to us, do we still get to choose who to love? What’s your answer? We do. That’s our choice. Whatever we want, whoever we want, we can love. But can we say, “God will love me unconditionally, regardless of whom I choose to love.” Can we say that? No. We could say that, but that won’t be the truth. 

So to summarize, the Bible’s answer to Tyswanekwa’s question, we can see that:

[On-screen text]

God chooses whom He loves based on His personal conditions

We prove our love for God by obeying His commands

We lose His love if we disregard His commands

Brother Richie: God chooses whom He loves based on His personal conditions. We can understand that because that’s how we give our love. What else, we prove our love for God by obeying His commands. And we lose His love if we disregard His commands. That’s what we should believe in because that’s in the Bible. So that is our first question. 

Let’s go to our second question. And this is actually what Mark had to ask: 

[Video starts]

What’s the difference between being spiritual and religious?

Mark Sokup

[Video ends]

Brother Richie: So again, we thank Mark for that question. And we know that this question is very interesting, because if you Google this question, “spiritual versus religious,” you know how many results you’re going to get? We did that just recently. And we can see, we had hundreds of millions of results. It was just in a fraction of a second, I believe it was 332 million posts of everyone answering, right? So it is a very interesting question. Well, let’s just go to the definition, let’s find out. So what’s his definition of “spiritual”? It says:

[On-screen text]

spiritual (adjective) 

Brother Richie: It says “relating to deep feelings and beliefs, especially religious beliefs…of all relating to the inner character of a person. 

[On-screen text]

religious (adjective)

Brother Richie: Okay, how about “religious”? The definition of religious, we can see that it’s very close, it says, living and worshipping according to the beliefs of a particular religion; having a strong belief in a god or gods. So they actually have a commonality about beliefs about God: about having to be how to be with God, how to connect with God. 

So why are people trying to differentiate between the two? Well, let’s see a show of hands. Has anyone here heard the term or the trend, “spiritual but not religious”? Is there anyone that has heard that? That term is when someone rejects organized religion as a primary means of enhancing their spiritual progress. And you know, we don’t blame a lot of people, we actually understand that. We understand why people are leaving organized religion, because most of the time when someone wants to connect with God, they’ll go to religions to find the truth, to find guidance. But unfortunately, many times what they find are lies, corruption in religion, and they find religious preachers saying, really whatever they want, or whatever other people want. 

So there are those that opt to having a life with God [away from] those religions. They feel, “if these religions are just coming up with their own way of being with God, I’m better off going direct.” Therefore, the term: “spiritual, but not religious”. 

[On-screen text]

“According to the public religion research Institute, 33 percent of Seattle residents are religiously unaffiliated.”

Source: Are We Losing our Religion? Searching for Spirituality in Seattle

seattlemag.com

Brother Richie: In fact, Mark’s not alone and asking that question. Just here in your own backyard here in Seattle, we can see that there are 33% of Seattle residents are religiously unaffiliated, this is according to seattlemag.com. But because it’s so diverse, religion is so diverse, it’s hard to break it up as [an] either/or, to lump religion all together, because we know they’re not all the same. Saying that religion is all the same, that’s already a mistake. 

But to get away from getting in all the complexity, let’s just go straight to the point. You know, the question is: Which one should I be? How should I be with God? Right? If that is how someone wants to be [saying], “Okay, this is my life, right? What’s the best way to be with God to have him in my life? How is it that I can tailor fit what I have so far, and have God with me?”

So we can ask the Bible that. What does the Bible say about those [who] want to be with God, kind of on their own terms where they are in life. Let’s read from what’s recorded here in Romans, chapter 10. This is what God through Apostle Paul says very clearly about those that want to be with God. He says here: 

I can assure you, they are deeply devoted to God; but their devotion is not based on true knowledge. They have not known the way in which God puts people right with himself, and instead, they have tried to set up their own way; and so they did not submit themselves to God’s way of putting people right. 

[Romans 10:2-3 Good News Translation]

Brother Richie: According to what we are learning from what is in the Bible, God has His own way of putting people right with Himself. So again, God’s the One that comes up with the way. He’s the one that comes up with the conditions, He’s the one that has His own terms on how to connect with Him. And the people that don’t know that way, the Bible says they’ve resorted to coming up with their own way. We can attest to that. We can see there are so many different people coming up with different ways. And although they might be very devoted in the way that they have selected, the Biblical truth is: it’s not based on true knowledge. 

So instead of asking, the question “Should I be spiritual? Should I be religious?” The question we should ask is, “What’s God’s way? How is it that I can be with Him?” If we’re asking for God’s way, we can just come up with it on our own? Let’s go to His answer. What is it that God teaches, so that we can be with Him we can be amongst those considered, or at least He considers His people? Let’s read here. God does give this answer and reply here in Jeremiah 7, the verse is 23. He said:

but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. 

[Jeremiah 7:23 New International Version]

Brother Richie: According to Him, to be with Him, to be part of His people, we have to obey all the commands He has for us. So we are learning, just as we learned earlier, actually, it’s being reinforced now that there is a way to have a connection with God. But in pursuit of that, we can’t disregard that He has commandments. He has prerequisites, He has conditions that have to be fulfilled first. 

So again, another question to everyone. These commandments that are being mentioned in the Bible; are we forced to follow these commandments? No, I mean, someone can try but they can’t, right? But can we say God is going to connect with us our way? No, we can say that either. Because we have learned, we can even come up with our own way to be with God. 

[On-screen text]

Trying to come up with our own way won’t lead to God

God has His own way of letting people connect with Him

If we want God in our lives, we can’t avoid obeying His commands

Brother Richie: So let’s summarize the Bible’s answer to Mark’s question, we can see that trying to come up with our own way, won’t lead to God. We’ve also learned that God has his own way of letting people connect with him. And if we want God in our lives, we can avoid obeying His commandments, that really is the truth. Why do we say that? Because that’s in the Bible. 

Brother Richie: Let’s go to our final question that we’re going to feature today. And this is from Robert, listen to what Robert asked:

[Video]

If I attend a church, am I morally obligated to adhere to the rules that they believe in their church or am I allowed to believe how I feel?

Robert Nichols

Bothell, Washington

[Video ends]

Brother Richie: You know, there’s probably a lot of people just like Robert. They want to belong to a church, they probably grew up in a church, but what they are hearing, what they know is being taught in the church that they’re in, they don’t think that it’s right. So they have this dilemma. What is it that they should do? 

We commend Robert and all those that asked, we appreciate that question. Because if one doesn’t know, it’s never too late to find out what is actually written in the Bible. The question that he asked is “If I attend a church, do I  have to follow the rules and beliefs?” Well, to put it simply, the answer is “no.” But it can also be “yes.” Why is it that we say that? 

We first have to find out which church is he referring to? Someone would think, “Why? Aren’t they all the same?” No, they’re not all the same. Although all of them say that they follow the Bible. But what is it that we could see? They’re different, they’re different in name, they’re different in belief, they’re different in doctrine, they’re different. So it is clear something is happening. How can everyone follow the Bible, but everyone come up with different ways? Someone might think, “It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to get all confused in that just as long as I’m worshipping. It doesn’t matter what church I do it in, right?” Well, that’s what we can ask. Because if we are worshipping so that God can accept us, let’s ask God that. Does He accept all worship that is being rendered to Him? Listen to what He teaches. We’re going to read here in Matthew, chapter 15, and the verse is 9. This is what God himself says: 

Their worship of Me is worth nothing. They teach what men have made up.’”

[Matthew 15:9 New Living Translation] 

Brother Richie: Yes or no, please answer based on what we read. Does God accept all worship rendered to Him? What’s the answer? No. In fact, He’s the one that says that there is worship, it’s worth nothing. What kind of worship is that? We got to make sure that’s not our worship. It is a worship that what is being taught is what men have made up. What are teachings that men have made up? They’re any teachings that are not written in the Bible. Because if they’re not in the Bible, somebody made it up. And what God said [is] if someone made it up, well, then that’s worth nothing. 

So if that’s the type of church that Robert was referring to, that “If I attend that church, you don’t have to follow the beliefs and the rules there?” The answer, it’s not only “No, you don’t have to follow that.” The answer is also “You shouldn’t be attending that church in the first place.” Now, if there are churches that God says, “that’s worth nothing,” well, which church should we be a part of? Because there’s a lot of churches, there are so many options of churches, it can get very confusing, but our Lord Jesus Christ, He gives this insight when it comes to this topic of churches. We’ll read from what He teaches. Here in Matthew 16, and the verse is 18. It says: 

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church,…

[Matthew 16:18 New King James Version]

Brother Richie: According to our Lord Jesus Christ, how many churches did He build? How do we know [only] one? Why are we so sure? What did He say? He said, “I will build My church,” right? That’s singular. Now this Church that He built, how does He regard it? He said, “That’s Mine. I will build My church.” 

So of all the options of churches that one has, with more churches being built and being established, the only one that really matters is the Church that our Lord Jesus Christ built. Why? Because that’s the Church that the Bible is actually teaching [about].

Well, which Church is that? Now, if we just came up with the name on our own, we would be included in what God said, “That’s worth nothing.” Because we can’t do that, right? We can’t just make it up on our own. It has to come from the Bible, it has to come from God, our Lord Jesus Christ said, “That’s my Church.” What’s the name of His Church? What did the apostles call the Church built by our Lord Jesus Christ? We want to know that what is written, let’s read from what is recorded here in Acts 20, we’re going to read verse 28. It says: 

Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood. 

[Acts 20:28 Lamsa]

Brother Richie: The Church written in the Bible, the Church that our Lord Jesus Christ said, “That’s my Church.” What is it called? Church Of Christ. Now, if the Biblical Church Of Christ is what Robert was talking about, he said, “If I attend that church or have to follow the rules and beliefs in that church?” The answer is “Yes.” Why? Because the true Church Of Christ will only teach what is written in the Bible. 

Someone might think, “Why is that so important for me to know? Why do I need what is written in the Bible or the Holy Scriptures? What’s the value of the Holy Scriptures?” Let’s read that so that we know here in 2 Timothy, will read from chapter 3 will read verses 15, all the way to 17. It says: 

and that from childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

[2 Timothy 3:15-17 New King James Version]

Brother Richie: What’s the value of the words written in the Holy Scriptures? Well, we just enumerated it, right? The Bible says it’s “profitable for doctrine.” That’s why if there is a doctrine, a church or religion, the doctrine has to be written in the Bible. If it’s written somewhere else, that someone else made it, God said, “Well, that’s no use to Me.” The doctrine written in the Bible, that is God’s teachings on how we should live properly—instructions. 

What else? If we’ve made something—have done something wrong? What is the value? [The Bible] says, “it’s for reproof and correction.” How many of us here have made mistakes in our life? It’s very hard [to] admit that, right? Because if you don’t, that’s a mistake. That’s not the truth. Right? So how do we fix it? How do we correct it? We follow the instructions that are in the Bible. What are those instructions for? It says they are instructions in righteousness. We want to be righteous, right? But we can’t come up with it on our own right? We don’t want to be self righteous. We want to be righteous in the eyes of God. So we follow His instructions. 

Someone might say, you know, but I don’t think it’s enough. That’s why I think there’s something more that I need. Well, what does the Bible say? It says, it will make you thoroughly equipped for every good work. It’s all we need. There’s nothing more there’s nothing missing. In fact, even if we go up, what else is it profitable for it says “for salvation.” How many of us here want to be saved from the dangers that we see around us and the dangers that are coming? We all want that, right? But just because we want it doesn’t mean we get it? We need wisdom for it. Where are we going to get that? It comes from the Bible. 

Now all of those instructions; are we forced to follow it? As we mentioned earlier, you can force us. You can try, but just like love, it has to come from us. So we know that these instructions, they’re just conditions. We’re the ones that choose if we’re going to follow or not. And just so that we’re clear, let’s go to the definition of “condition” again.

[On-screen text]

Condition (noun) something that must exist before something else can happen

Brother Richie: Condition is something that must exist (so let’s say following, obeying), before something else can happen. What is this “something else that can happen”? What if someone says, “You know, okay, let me give it a shot. Let me learn what is actually written. And if I follow what is going to happen, what is the promise that God gives if someone needs His conditions and they follow His commands?” 

Let’s read from what He promises. And these promises are even in ancient times, what is it that He says, we’re going to read from Deuteronomy 28, we’ll read 1 to 3. And we’ll also read 8, He said: 

If you fully obey the Lord your God, and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth, all these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. 

[Deuteronomy 28:1-3, 8 New International Version]

Brother Richie: What’s going to happen? What promise does God make if one is going to follow His commands? That is a wonderful life. It says all these blessings will come upon us. It says that you’ll be “blessed in the city and blessed in the country.” Imagine wherever you go, the blessing is going to follow. He said anything you put your hands to do, God is going to bless. How many of us want that situation? We all do. But who gets it? Just someone that wants it? 

If we can go back, [the Bible] says, “you will be blessed…All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you.” We want that. “If.” It’s a very small word, it’s only two letters. But if you say “if,” what does that mean? There’s a condition there. What’s the condition, if you obey the Lord your God. No one will force us to obey. But we cannot disregard God’s commands, and expect that He’s going to bless us. 

So, what’s our takeaway from Robert’s question? We can see here:

[On-screen text]

Brother Richie: Find out if the church you’re attending is the biblical Church Of Christ, because that’s the one that the Bible is teaching of. That’s what’s important. How are we going to know that? It says the biblical Church Of Christ will teach only what is in the Bible. So at least we have some way of assessing which one is the Biblical Church Of Christ. Follow the rules actually written in the Bible. Following them will mean a life with God. That is possible, having a life with God; having actual guidance, actually having Him help us. That is possible on the condition that we take into consideration He has set rules and conditions that have to be met. 

You know, we know about relationships, we know that there is one that sets the conditions, and one that meets those conditions. If we look at the relationship of the Creator and the creations, which one sets the conditions and which one meets those unconditionally? Who sets the condition? The creations or the Creator? Creator, right? Who meets those conditions unconditionally? It’s the creations, right? That’s why when someone says, “No, God will love you unconditionally, just the way you are, you don’t have to do anything.” What they probably don’t realize, there are switching the roles of who is the Creator, and who are the creations. 

There are many of you that are here. And we’re very happy that you’re here with us today. That, just like the three questions that we went over, maybe you want to be loved by God, you want to be spiritual, you want to be religious, you want to be part of the right Church. But maybe, just maybe there are some that have not yet considered that God has conditions that have to be met first. Where are we going to find that? Where are we going to find His conditions? Where are we going to find His commands that need to be followed? Well, that’s in the Bible.

We understand this might be the very first time you’re hearing and seeing what is actually written in the Bible. Maybe there might be some that might be a bit confused. Because everything that they’ve been told from what is in the Bible, this might be a shock. But that’s the reason why we’re here. That’s the reason why we want to help, the only thing that we want to give you is actually what is in the Bible, it is your choice. It is how you want to decide what to do with it. 

And you will notice, after the show, not only will I be available, all [my] other co-ministers that we have are always around, please don’t hesitate, come ask us. What is it that we’re going to do? We’re not going to answer on our own? Who are we? The only thing that we can do is help you find the answer that comes from the Bible. If the answer comes from the Bible, that is God answering your question. You know, there are many people just like you sitting where you are, that had questions, no one could answer. And it just stayed an empty question in their heart. But they were able to find the answer that actually comes from the Bible after searching for so many years. We would like to show you a video regarding them. Please take a look:

[Video starts]

Fred Reed: For a long time of my life, I had lots of questions.

Sol Velasquez: So I kept looking through all the churches, all the religions and still my questions were not answered. And sooner or later I just left because I was disappointed.

Voiceover: This might sound familiar to you. In fact, chances are you’ve walked out of your own religion for the very same reasons.

Sol Velasquez: I didn’t go to church for so long because they were all the same.

Voiceover:  It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all want answers, real ones. Ones that are backed up with more than just someone’s story. But what would it mean to you if you actually got answers to your questions? Like really got the answers .

Fred Reed: You don’t have to wonder or imagine, that type of deal, a lot of the hocus pocus stuff that goes on in some churches.

Nicholas Victorio: I think once you get to a Bible study, and you hear the lessons, that’s the biggest hurdle. And once you get to a Bible lesson you want to learn more. 

Voiceover: You see this place does exist. A place where questions about the Bible are answered, well by the Bible. 

Nicholas Victorio:  Any question I had was answered.  They explained it to me using the Bible. And not using their own interpretation of it. So, coming from a Mormon church it wasn’t like that. When you ask questions you got different answers all the time.

Fred Reed: And all of a sudden, there’s actually THE church that actually teaches what’s in the Bible.

Voiceover: And the good thing is you don’t have to look for it anymore. You just have to take a few minutes to set up a time to sit down with one of the ministers of the Church Of Christ and ask your questions.

Nicholas Victorio: Once I started hearing the gospel and the way we teach the Bible, it was a no-brainer for me to really know that this was the true Church.

Voiceover: They did it. They found their answers, isn’t it time to find yours?

Sol Velasquez: So I went to the Bible study and they treated me like part of the family. So okay I’ll sit in and I learned, I learned a lot during that Bible study.

Fred Reed: I always gain something from every minister, not seeing anything like this in my entire life, where you can walk up to any one of them and they can answer any question you have but they’re not gonna give you their opinion. They’ll never give you their opinion. All they’ll do is reach over pull out the word of God and let’s see what it says right here in the word of God and they’ll find a scripture and yes it does answer the question.

Nicholas Victorio: And the unity of Iglesia Ni Cristo is what I love. You truly see the same answer that you ask from one minister to the other. Seeing that we just use the Bible and we just believe what the Bible says, is truly the only truth I can believe in.

Voiceover:  So ask yourself, what do you want to do next? What are the Bible questions you’ve waited so long to ask? And when you’re ready, we’ll be right here waiting for you.

[Video ends]

Brother Richie: We really hope this is not the last time that we’re going to see you. We’re really happy that you’re here with us. And we invite you to stay. Learn more about the Bible, the Church Of Christ offers group and one-on-one Bible studies. And we invite you to observe a worship service that we have here in the Seattle house of worship. Hopefully you can get this schedule, it’s out in some of the booths. 

Here in Seattle, they have a weekday worship service on Thursday at 5:45am and 7:30pm. So before you go to work, if you want to observe a worship service first or after in the evening. On Saturday, they have a 7pm worship service. On Sunday, they have a 7am. If you speak the Filipino language that will be in Tagalog. Or at 10am they have one in English. Even the children have a Children’s Worship Service that they’re easily able to understand the lesson. That’s at 12pm. 

And if you’re anywhere else in the Washington State area, there are different local congregations that you can attend and it will be the exact same lesson. It’s the same hymns. It’s the same verses wherever you are in this particular Church Of Christ. If you have a friend that is attending a worship service in Australia on the same weekend, you can call each other, you could talk about the exact same worship service. This is a congregation part of one whole Church. If you would like a question that you have answered on this particular show, email us either a written or a video question at [email protected]We’re so happy that you came out with us. I’m Brother Richie Juatco. Thank you so much for joining us on That’s in the Bible Live.

How do we find life’s purpose and meaning of our existence? God created people for a reason and the Bible reveals how to find meaning in your life.

Want to talk to a minister of the Church Of Christ regarding this topic and other Bible questions you may have? Let us know.

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[Show open] 

Brother Bob: Thank you, all! Thank you! Hello. Welcome and thank you all very much for being part of our studio audience here today. Welcome and greetings to all those who are joining us on Direct TV as well as online, on the Internet. Hello to everyone and welcome. I’m Brother Bob Pellien, Minister of the Gospel here in the Iglesia Ni Cristo, the Church Of Christ, and welcome to this live taping of That’s In The Bible. Thank you for being our live studio audience. We just want to thank you for not only just being here today but for helping us reach out to the world and making them know the Church Of Christ and the teachings of God we embrace inside the Church Of Christ from here in the Holy Scriptures.

Here in the program That’s In The Bible, we receive questions on just about every topic imaginable from, well, pretty much all parts of the globe. And we always turn here to the Holy Bible for the answers to any and all of the questions that we receive, as we will be doing together this afternoon, this day, as well.

Our question for today, first of all, comes from; actually, there are two individuals that have posed this question. First is Mr. Chuck Swift and well as Cynthia Dycus. They bring up a subject that, well, I’m sure many ponder, have pondered on before, concerns the meaning of life. Let’s listen together [to] how they pose the question.

[On screen text graphics]

What is the meaning of life? Is there a purpose?

[Video begins]

Chuck Swift: When living this life, seeing the ups and the downs, and you know the happiest we can be to as low as life can get, are we supposed to be saved in this world like Jesus Christ? Or are we meant to live through this life and experience whatever it might be?

Cynthia Daicus: And my question is, how do you know when your life has been fulfilled?

[Video ends] 

Brother Bob: They ask it in different ways, but to sum it up they’re asking questions about what’s the meaning of life. How do you know when it’s going to be fulfilled? How do you know when its purpose has been met? What is the meaning of life? There have been people that have, let’s say they’ve gained fame, they’ve gained honor, they have amassed great wealth, but still, they find themselves discontented. They find themselves unfulfilled. They find themselves just not satisfied. Regardless of who we are, it’s become, let’s call it a universal human drive to assign meaning to our being. So what are some of the ways that people think they can give meaning to their life? Studio audience, those of you here with us here in the studio audience, what do you think? What is a way by which people strive to give meaning? What do you think would give meaning to a person’s life? We’ve asked that question and get all kinds of different answers. How about from anyone in the studio audience today? What gives life meaning? What would be one? Anybody?

Audience: Family.

Brother Bob: Sure, family, children. Others might think of what? Concerning their careers. What would they want for their career in order to give meaning to their life?

Audience: Success.

Brother Bob: Success, precisely, whether it’s money, success, family, have a good career, have a good job. They will innumerate many things like that and measure the condition of their purpose in life by such things. But really, will those things give any true meaning to our lives? What is the meaning of our life? Our purpose? What are we here for?

So that’s the question that they have posed. That’s the question we pose together right now and we turn to Isaiah 22:13 to begin our study. The Prophet Isaiah responds like this:

Instead, you laughed and celebrated. You killed sheep and cattle to eat, and you drank wine. You said, “We might as well eat and drink! Tomorrow we’ll be dead.”

[Isaiah 22:13 Good News Translation]

Brother Bob:  So for many, what’s life mean to them? What did they find in life to give themselves purpose? The meaning of life for so many is they have not yet found the focal point for their spiritual energies. So their conclusion, “Well let’s eat. Let’s drink.” It’s like kind of an excuse or justification for fulfilling all of their human impulses. Their purpose in life becomes, and I think we know people like this; their purpose in life becomes self-gratification. To become most comfortable, to become, yes, most comfortable. I said the best way of saying it, right? But for those who possess this kind of principle, what kind of principle will they be embracing concerning the value of their life? How would they say their life will become significant? It’s not just a waste. Then what is their meaning, their meaning, or what’s the meaning of life? What is the purpose of their life? Let’s continue in King Solomon’s pronouncements on this important topic herein, we’re going to read Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verses 18 and 19.

Here is what I have found out: the best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during the short life that God has given us; this is our fate. If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God.

[Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 Good News Translation]

Brother Bob: And I think all of us know people that think this way. They even have a term for that nowadays. They call it “YOLO.” Come on studio audience, what’s YOLO?

Audience: You only live once.

Brother Bob: Yeah, you only live once. So you only live once. “Live for the moment,” they would say. “Well God allowed us to acquire this, God allowed us to acquire that, He allowed us to do this, to do that, it’s fun, enjoyable. So let’s eat, drink, and be merry. YOLO!” We all know people like that. Studio audience, what do you say? [Do] you know somebody like that?

Audience: Yes.

Brother Bob: I’m not going to ask if you’re like that. OK, I promise I will not ask that. But why do they consider this as their life principle though? Or that the valuable way of thinking in their mindset, the best thing that they can do in their life is to eat, drink, and be merry, live for the moment. It’s because they are aware, as we just read there, that life is very short. So they want to fulfill it. They want to live it to the fullest. They say, “It’s short so let’s do it all.” For them, life can really only have significance or importance if they’re enjoying it. If they’re not enjoying it, it can’t be valuable. That’s their way of thinking. But do people with this way of thinking, do they really understand yet? Ok, I want to emphasize [the] word “yet.” Do they really understand yet the true meaning of life and the purpose of our existence? We’re not here just to wake up every day, eat, breathe, go to sleep and wake up on another new day and do the same thing. That’s not it. How many of you think, here in the studio audience, how many viewing us from abroad or anywhere else in the world, how many of you think that those who have the YOLO mindset, how many think they got it all figured out and they’re on the right track? How many think that way? Do you think a high percentage of people in the world do entertain that way of thinking? What do you say?

Audience: Yes.

Brother Bob: Yes, yes. There are a lot who are thinking that way. Is there any example in the Holy Scriptures of someone who had that way of thinking and then the LORD gave some response and some council that we can all benefit from learning or reading about that encounter? Well obviously there is and I’d like to take a moment to read that. It’s recorded here in the Book of Luke, chapter 12, verses 16 through 19.

Then Jesus told them his parable: “There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops. He began to think to himself, ‘ I don’t have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do? This is what I will do,’ he told himself; ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store the grain and all my other goods. Then I will say to myself, ‘Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!’

[Luke 12:16-19 Good News Translation]

Brother Bob: Well, here’s one example, right? Who was it? Who was the example mentioned here? How does the Bible describe this individual?

Audience: Rich man.

Brother Bob: Rich man. What was he thinking? That might seem like a responsible thing that he said, right? “I’m going to build bigger barns and I’m going to hoard everything that I got and I’m going to save it all,” right? “Then I’m going to eat, and then I’m going to drink and enjoy all of it.” So let’s see. What did God say to him? How’d that work out for him with that way of thinking? “I got all this. Now I’m just going to enjoy it all.” Especially when it comes to his eternal life, when it comes to his salvation, was simply having a bigger barn, was simply eating and drinking and enjoying the moment, YOLO, huh? Well, let’s just repeat the question. How well will that work out for him? We read up to verse 19. Let’s read this time verse 20.

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?’”

[Luke 12:20 Good News Translation]

Brother Bob: So here was someone who was living that entertaining, or let’s say, embracing that way of thinking. “Just eat, drink, and be merry. Live for the moment. That’s what will give my life meaning. If I’m enjoying it then it’s got a purpose.” Well, what did God say to the rich man who had that way of thinking? What did he call it?

Audience: Fool.

Brother Bob: OK, studio audience, raise your hand if you’re foolish. Of course, nobody is going to raise their hand, right? Nobody would want to acknowledge that they are foolish. And it’s not we who would be accusing and what are calling anyone of being foolish. That was God through the conversation that the LORD had with that rich man telling him it would be foolish to entertain that way of thinking or to think that life’s purpose ends or simply rooted upon enjoying the life the LORD has given to us. So those who would think that their life would be meaningful if they would spend it in merry-making, eating, drinking, [were] called fools in the sight of God because they don’t yet possess an important understanding. They don’t have an understanding yet of the true and real reason for life and our existence. They do not yet know the meaning and significance of life. But, beloved studio audience with us, everyone, there is hope, there is always hope for our knowledge to grow, our understanding to deepen. 

Brother Bob: So what then must everyone realize in order for life to become truly meaningful, for one to have purpose? Ecclesiastes chapter 11. Ecclesiastes chapter 11, this time verse 9. We turn to the Holy Scriptures again for the Bible’s response.

Young people, enjoy your youth. Be happy while you are still young. Do what you want to do and follow your heart’s desire. But remember that God is going to judge you for whatever you do.

[Ecclesiastes 11:9 Good News Translation]

Brother Bob: So allow me to pause. Is God against anybody enjoying life?

Audience: No.

Brother Bob: No he’s not opposed to that. So is God against people being happy? What did He say?

Audience: No.

Brother Bob: He’s not against that. Dear friends, what then is going to give life meaning? If it’s not just enjoying every moment that we are here in this world we’ve got to know that everything that we are doing, just like what we have just read, everything that we are doing in this day-to-day existence here is going to be judged by God. Everything we say, everything we do has [a] purpose, has meaning, once a person realizes that what we say and what we are doing is important to God and, in fact, will be judged by Him. That’s what will give life meaning. That’s what will give a person purpose. That’s what will give importance to what we do each and every day of our life, each and every moment that we are alive. But where does the Bible further explain this point? I’d like to turn to this time to the writings of Apostle Paul where he gave some additional insight on this. 2nd Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 10 reads this way:

Sooner or later we’ll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what’s coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad.

[2 Corinthians 5:10 The Message]

Brother Bob: “You only live once. Eat, drink, and be merry. Do what you want to do,” they will say. “Live your life in any way that you want to. We are free!” What cannot be forgotten if we want to have life mean something is that we are going to have to answer for every action that we take. The Bible describes very clearly there to us. We’ll be standing before the judgment seat of the LORD and we’re going to be judged, not regarding by simply what we believe in by what we know is good, what we believe is the right thing for us to say, the right thing for us to do, but whether or not we are doing it. Whether we had done good things or done bad things, that is the determining factor whether or not what we have done is relevant and makes our life meaningful. And of course, we should note, God doesn’t set us up to fail. He provides us guidance in this life so that, well, our life will truly have value, it will truly have meaning. 

Brother Bob: And what is it that God wants all of us to learn? What does He want us all to remember so that your life, my life, our life, will have meaning to it? What does He want us to understand what so many just haven’t grasped yet? But it’s our prayer that everyone here in this studio audience, and everyone watching us everywhere around the world will understand what God wants us to understand. And what is that? Let’s take a look here in Ecclesiastes chapter 12, we’ll read here first verse 1 where it says:

So remember your Creator while you are still young, before those dismal days and years come when you will say, “I don’t enjoy life.”

[Ecclesiastes 12:1 Good News Translation]

Brother Bob:  What’s God’s instruction? He said well, remember Him, remember your Creator while you are still young. Well, what does it mean to remember God? Can we call that, some may ask the question, can we really call that a purpose? Can we really say that that gives meaning to life? Remembering God? Can we call that our purpose in life? Let’s continue the same chapter. He went on further to say verse 13 this:

After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.

[Ecclesiastes 12:13 Good News Translation]

Brother Bob: Remember that He created us. Remember the purpose for which we have been created, that we will come to know him, that we will come to serve Him, that we will be obedient to Him and that everything that we do in this life we will be judged and He will decide whether or not we are ready and worthy to enter His kingdom. That gives our life and the things we do meaning. And to conclude, I’d like to read the same verse in another rendition of the Holy Scriptures. Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 13, which we just read. I’ll read 13 again and include verse 14.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

[Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 King James Version]

Brother Bob: Dear friends, that’s it. We are here for a purpose. It’s not just YOLO, just live for the moment and never mind anything. Just make sure to grab for all the self-gratification that one may acquire in this life. That is not the end-all for humanity. The meaning of life is valuable; life itself is valuable because it can be used to show to the LORD we’re fulfilling our duty to know Him, to understand Him, to serve Him, to be obedient, and to be judged worthy to enter His kingdom on the Day of Judgment. If we just eat drink and be merry and die at the end of it all then we’re no different than any other animal or biological entity that lives on planet earth. No different at all and we would have the same end. Anyone in denial of that, their search for the true meaning of life and justification of their existence would be an abject failure. Their tomorrow, live for today, for tomorrow we will die mindset and outlook on life will have caused them to live their life based upon a wrong principle. A wrong principle, which they ended up following and they adopted and led their lives by it. Therefore they end up confused about the purpose of their life. So they attempt to give their life meaning, to give their life importance, and all the self-gratifying ways imaginable. So to really give life, to conclude, to really give life meaning and importance we need to learn God’s ways, live our life guided by them, and bring ourselves to be worthy therefore of true life, real life, eternal life with Him in His kingdom. A place much different than [the] life we experience here in this world.

Join in our continued study of God’s commands, most especially all of you who are guests and listening and joining with us in our study for the first time. Join in our continued Bible study of God’s teachings. The Bible, it’s full of God’s teachings and instructions about life and the journey that we travel through this life that may be filled with all kinds of trials and tests of our perseverance that God allows us to experience in this temporary world. We thank you for joining us. We thank you for the questions that were sent in. We encourage everyone to also send in your video questions just like they did. You can just video yourself posing any kind of question and we will use it on this program. Just like always, turn to the Holy Scriptures and there, together, we’ll find the LORD’s answer and response is teaching to us that will guide and direct us in our journey in this life, because there’s no question that is too basic, no question that cannot be answered by the Holy Scriptures when it comes to our lives, to our salvation. If you’d like to know more about the basic fundamental teachings that we believe in and are found here inside the Church Of Christ, please visit our website. What’s our website?

Audience: incmedia.org

Brother Bob: Yes, correct. incmedia.org. You can send your video questions to [email protected] and you can see your questions answered right here on what program?

Audience: That’s In The Bible!

Brother Bob: Thank you for joining us in this episode of That’s In The Bible. We’ll see you again next time. Brother Bob: Thanks for coming! Thank you all.

[0:55] How does Jesus want people to address God?

[4:15] Are there different names for God in the Bible?

[7:45] Where did “Jehovah” come from? 

Brother Bob Pellien: Hello, and welcome everyone to this program That’s in the Bible. I’m Bob Pellien.

In our episode for today we’ll be responding to a question of a Mr. Randy Capilitan who asks—which is a very common question that we receive here—but Randy asks, “What is the true name of God? Is Jehova the name of God? Is it necessary to call Jehova as His name?” 

Different variations of this question have, like I said, often been received here into our program and asked. So today we’re going to use once again the Holy Bible as a basis to respond to Randy’s question and questions regarding the name of God that we’ve been receiving regularly, all concerning the different names of God. 

How should we address God, dear friends? Does God even have a name? This is a very important question on our episode for today, and it’s especially important for those who want to properly worship God. So for us living in this day and age in the Christian Era, we follow the lead of our Lord Jesus Christ since He’s the begotten Son of God, He’s the one of course qualified to teach us how to approach God as His children. And our Lord Jesus Christ does truly teach us this and let’s read His words. In the Book of Matthew 6:9: 

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,…
Matthew 6:9 New King James Version 

Brother Bob: Dear friends, Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray. He said “in this manner, pray.” And if we read all the subsequent verses following that, it’s all the different guidance that He gave them relative to proper prayer. What was the first that we just read? How to address God. What did He teach? He said, “Our Father in heaven.” So He taught His disciples (likewise, all of us), He taught us how to pray and how to address God. And He does so by showing us how to call upon God. And what He taught was to call Him “Father.” We call God our Father. 

Now, did Christ put into practice what He instructed His disciples concerning how to address God? When Jesus Himself prayed did He use a personal name of God when He addressed God? Let’s, let’s check in the Book of John 17:1: 

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
John 17:1 New King James Version

Brother Bob: What did Jesus do when He prayed to God? He addressed God as “Father,” not any specific personal name. Now, how else can we call God? And the apostles gave us some important additional insight on that. How did the apostles also call God? In the Book of Acts 4:24: 

So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 
Acts 4:24 New King James Version

Brother Bob: The apostles also prayed to God, and likewise addressed Him as “Lord.” So we’re also taught then to refer to our Creator as “Lord.” And that’s because He’s the One and Only true and almighty, all-powerful God that we all came from. Therefore, He is our Father, and we should obey Him, because He is our Lord God. 

Brother Bob: Now, dear friends before we start reading additional biblical passages here regarding the name or names of God, a couple of things we should understand regarding the significance of a personal name. Now without getting into them, the specific meaning of any particular name, let’s just understand first: what’s the basic purpose of a personal name in the first place? Is it not to be able to identify one person from another? This is why there’s always a link between name and identity. And the truth is that names are a part of every culture, and they’re of great importance, both to the individual who receives the name or has been named, and to the societies that have given them a name. Why? Because it’s what helps distinguish, like I said, one individual from another. That distinction is made by virtue of name. 

OK, with all that having been said, because there is only one true God, with no one else to mistakenly identify as another god, there’s only one God. He does not have, nor does He need to have a personal name like the rest of us do. Again, why? There’s only one true God so there’s no need to distinguish Him from any other. 

So in view of this, let’s study the different names or appellations that the Bible does attribute to God and their meanings. For example, the Holy Scriptures introduces various names and appellations of the one true God throughout the history in the Holy Scriptures. For example, in Exodus 3:14, God addressed Himself to Moses. Did God address Himself to Moses with a personal name? What did He say? “I am who I am.” 

Or in some other translations of the Bible, when God introduced Himself to Moses, He said, “I will be what I will be.” We can see how it makes very clear here that there was no one else that could be referred to as God. There was no need for God to give a personal name. He just said, “I am who I am.” “I am who I will be.” That’s it. He is God. He is the Father. He is the Creator. In Isaiah 42:5 and 8 for example He also referred to Himself, called Himself as “Lord”.

And also in the book of Exodus 34:14. He likewise used the name “Jealous”. In Amos 5:27 and Amos 4:13, He was also named “God of hosts”. In Isaiah 57:15. He is also named as “Holy”. 

What can we see? We can see here that when it comes to the names of God, the Bible gives so many various names. It would be wrong to just hone in on any one of them and say, “That’s the ultimate.” No, there’s no such basis for that. 

Brother Bob: We find it necessary for a moment here, dear friends, let’s pause and tackle the claim of some who say things like this: “Jehovah. That’s His one and only name, Jehovah.” And there’s another group popping up nowadays they’re using the term“Yahuah.” And they’re insisting that’s the one and the only name of God and the only name that should be used in reference to God. 

Since we already stated that God does not have a personal name like we do. Why? Because there’s no other true God to distinguish Him from. Let’s learn how this term then “Jehovah” came about, and how it has also came to be viewed in the way that it’s being viewed by others in the world nowadays. 

Dear friends, if we reference Hebrew manuscripts; Hebrew of course being the language of the Old Testament, one of the names of God cannot be pronounced and it cannot be pronounced because it consists of four Hebrew consonants: Y, H, V, H. 

The Hebrew letters: Y, H, V, H, commonly referred to as the Tetragrammaton. So when the Scriptures were being read during that time and when one came across these four consonants, which were not intended to be pronounced, they’re consonants) what would be pronounced is one of the other names of God. For example, as we read earlier when God said, “I am who I am,” or “I will be what I will be,” or simply, “Lord.”

 None of these are, of course, a personal name. Where and when did the name or term “Jehovah” come about? It was over 1,000 years after the Bible’s completion. It appears first in about 1520 A.D. when some thought these four consonants (which was, as I said earlier, not intended to be pronounced at all), they thought, “Well, it should be pronounced.” So you might wonder how did they pronounce a word or come to pronounce a word that has only four consonants and no vowels? Well, what did they do? They simply just used the vowels of another word.

And we can read this in the New international Dictionary of New Testament Theology. Let’s take a look at what’s recorded here in Volume 2 pages 69 and 70: 

The form Jehovah arose out of a misunderstanding which in turn arose out of the reluctance of pious Jews to pronounce the divine name (c. 300 BC). Instead they uttered the word ‘adonay, my Lord. In the MT [Masoretic Text] the divine name was written with the consonants of YHVH and the vowels of ‘adonay, as a reminder to say the latter whenever the word was read. The divine name appears as yehowah in the MT…. The form Jehovah is thus a malformation giving what is virtually a transliteration of a word which is found in the text of the Heb. OT, but which was never actually used as a word.
New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology Vol. 2, pgs. 69-70

Brother Bob: And you know, dear friends, the same point was made in the reference of Harper’s Bible Dictionary, page 1036. Let’s take a look at how they described what happened:

The hybrid word ‘Jehovah’ is a combination of the vowels of ‘Adonai’ with the consonants of the tetragrammaton; its appearance in the KJV was the result of the translators’ ignorance of the Hebrew language and customs.
Harper’s Bible Dictionary, p.1036

Brother Bob: “Jehovah,” as the supposed name of God, in which some believe is His only true name, it’s a mistaken form of the divine name of the Creator. To insist on using this term in reference to God is to propagate an error. It should be understood that God’s name cannot be played with. It’s important that God would be always addressed correctly. God’s name must not be taken in vain, used uselessly, for He had laid down a very important prohibition on those who would invoke His name. What was that prohibition? Well, let’s, let’s go ahead and read that in Exodus 20:7: 

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 
Exodus 20:7 New King James Version

Brother Bob: Let’s simply follow the teaching. Follow the example of our Lord Jesus, our Savior, and address God as “Father.” This is what we should all believe. This is what we should all follow because that’s in the Bible. 

Dear friends, when you’re ready to learn more about the fundamental teachings found here inside the Church Of Christ, please visit us online, incmedia.org. Or visit any of our various social media accounts. To speak to a minister of the Gospel and worship with us, you can find a directory of our houses of worship online as well. And if you have any questions about the Bible, please email us for a chance to be featured on the show. I’m Bob Pellien. Thank you for joining us and we’ll see you again next time right here on That’s in the Bible.

Thinking of leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses? 

Why are there so many Christian denominations? 

How to deal with friends of different faiths? 

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,…
Matthew 6:9 New King James Version 

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
John 17:1 New King James Version 

So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 
Acts 4:24 New King James Version

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 
Exodus 20:7 New King James Version

What you’ve heard is just an introduction to the teachings written in the Bible and taught inside the Church Of Christ. The Iglesia Ni Cristo bases all its doctrines on the Bible.

[Show open]

Brother Bob Pellien: Thank you very much everyone for joining us in our studio audience here for That’s in the Bible Live. We appreciate [you] joining us in our study, and we believe that we will spend this time together and it will be beneficial for everyone. On this show, That’s in the Bible, we explore the Bible’s teachings on just about any topic imaginable and questions come into us from places all over the globe. We always get the answers to all these questions directly from here–the Holy Scriptures, also known as?

Audience: [Mixed answers]

Brother Bob: The Bible, yes. You’re a very funny audience. I can tell this is going to be a very nice session. Our question for today, let’s take a look at it first. It proposes a very interesting question that we’ll address and talk about today. Let’s take a look at it.

[Video begins]

[On-screen text graphics]

Why are there so many different Christian teachings and Churches?

Feraidoon Hezoda

Feraidoon Hezoda: So many church[es], but so many bibles. So many teach the people. Why don’t [they] teach the people one thing if one Bible [comes] from God?

[Video ends]

Brother Bob: Well we thank Mr. Hezoda for that really wonderful question. We’d like to thank him for his question and we hope to receive many more questions as we go along. It’s really not surprising from someone, or anyone, viewing Christianity from outside of it. They would be perplexed or even confused when they see all the different denominations, all the different churches, all the different religions, so a full spectrum of religious beliefs all under the umbrella of so-called Christianity. And that’s very confusing to many people. So, we’re very thankful for that question because it’s a really relevant question in the minds of many people nowadays. 

It’s our belief, inside the Church Of Christ, that there is only one true faith, one set of true doctrines, and one true service to God. Not many. We believe in that adamantly. Only one basis of faith, one sole basis of faith, and that, of course, is the Bible.  Although the Bible may be translated—it’s been said in an article not too long ago, it’s been actually translated into 1,854 different languages and dialects all over the world. It remains for us the absolute sole basis of our faith. Why do we believe that to be the sole basis of our faith? Why do we believe that there is only one faith that one must embrace when wanting to serve the one true God? Okay, let’s turn to the Holy Bible and begin researching the responses to the important question posed by Mr. Hezoda. In Ephesians chapter 4:4-6:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

[Ephesians 4:4-6 New International Version]

Brother Bob: There are a lot of times in that verse where the word one, o-n-e, is used. I would like to ask the studio audience here this afternoon, reading the verses along with us on the screen, how many faiths are there based on what we just read? How many faiths, studio audience?

Audience: One.

Brother Bob: One faith. How many bodies, studio audience?

 Audience: One.

Brother Bob: How many Lords?

Audience: One.

Brother Bob: We believe there is only one true faith. Why? Because?

Audience: That’s in the Bible.

Brother Bob: We believe that there is only one true God because?

 Audience: That’s in the Bible.

 Brother Bob: We believe that there is only one body because?

 Audience: That’s in the Bible.

Brother Bob:  Because that’s in the Bible. What’s being referred to as that one body? We often read in Colossians 1:18, here in this program: “And he is the head of the body, the church;…”

Brother Bob:  What is it?

Audience: The church.

Brother Bob:  The church. One faith, one body, one church according to the Holy Scriptures. And that’s what we believe. Again, once more, studio audience. Why? Because?

Audience: That’s in the Bible.

Brother Bob: Here’s the thing, if all of that is so clearly indicated in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, why do things get all twisted up? Why do things become confusing and why do people become so perplexed as they view the religious scene of the world nowadays? What’s happened? What we read was not so complicated. That’s pretty direct. Do you agree?

Audience: Yes.

Brother Bob: What has transpired? Allow me to cite, this time, the writings of Apostle Peter. II Peter 3:16:

Speaking of this as he does in all of his letters. There are some things in those [epistles of Paul] that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist and misconstrue to their own utter destruction, just as [they distort and misinterpret] the rest of the Scriptures.

[2 Peter 3:16 Amplified Bible]

Brother Bob: Why is it all so perplexing for so many people who are trying to serve God and understand the truth? Answer of the Bible, what was it? Because there are preachers who are misinterpreting, there are preachers who are twisting, and there are preachers who are misconstruing things that they see and read. And, of course, therefore leading people away from the truth. And they do so because they are not understanding what they are reading. So, what was the warning? Verse 17 will explain. We will continue reading:

Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard,…

[2 Peter 3:17 Amplified Bible]

Brother Bob: Dear friends, that’s a very important warning from the Lord. That’s not from me or from the kind of individual that invited you to join our study here this afternoon. That’s the Lord Himself through the apostle Peter saying, let me warn you, you need to guard against something. What? Let’s continue:

Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked [persons and] fall from your own [present] firm condition [your own steadfastness of mind].

[2 Peter 3:17 Amplified Bible]

Brother Bob: What was the warning? The warning was that there could be those that would mislead you and try to carry you away from the spiritual condition you need to remain in. It happens because there are preachers who are teaching but not understanding what they are teaching. So what do they end up doing? They end up misinterpreting, as we all read it together, and twisting the message. 

So, by show of hands, how many of you have seen preachers online, or turning on the television on a Sunday morning, and you could see them preaching the most confusing and perplexing ideological principles and trying to convince people to believe? How many of you have seen this confusion that we just read about being done by preachers in the world nowadays? A lot. That’s why the question from Mr. Hezoda is such a common question. Why [are there] so many religions? Why are [there] so many things being taught? And there’s the Bible’s answer. There are those who are twisting and teaching false things. 

The question now we pose together is this: well if that is what is transpiring, why [are] there are so many people that are becoming so easily victimized and led by such individuals who have unscrupulous ideologies and unscrupulous intentions when they put and hold the Bible in their hand? Why are people allowing themselves to become victims? Okay, you’re with me on the question, right? 

Follow along, as God inspired the apostle Paul to give an answer to that. In Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy. Here in II Timothy chapter 4, let’s read together verse 3:

For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction,…

[2 Timothy 4:3 Amplified Bible]

Brother Bob: Allow me to pause. What was the prediction of the Lord, here, through the apostle? Prediction about people? What did he say? They’re not going to tolerate sound doctrine. They are not going to want sound biblical truth anymore. So what did He say would transpire?

…but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold,

[2 Timothy 4:3 Amplified Bible]

Brother Bob: Why do people become victims? Because they embrace this exact principle forewarned by the Lord through the apostle. They gather for themselves preachers who will tell them what they’re itching to hear, or preachers that will tell them what they believe is okay. Let’s just consider a very obvious example, and that’s the mantra of Protestantism. What’s Protestantism? What’s the mainstay of Protestantism? Faith alone. “Just believe. Just accept Jesus as your Lord and personal savior and that’s it. You will be saved.” A person will hear that. Consider the verse we just read together, right, people will gather preachers that will tell them what they’re itching to hear. “Faith alone? I just need to believe and I will be saved? That’s easy! I like it. I think i’ll go join that religion.” No longer discerning whether or not that principle is true or not.  

So what have these preachers done, not in our measurement, but what have these preachers done in the eyes of God? It’s not for us to give answers to these questions. We just turn to the pages of the Holy Scriptures for the answers. This is [always] our way. Mark chapter 7, verse 6 and 7:

Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: ’These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!”

[Mark 7:6-7 Good News Translation]

Brother Bob: They may have tried to honor the Lord, but they failed. Why did they fail? Well, Mr. Hezoda noticed—Mr. Hezoda the one who asked the original question—and maybe there are others in the studio audience or on the online audience viewing our program, or on Direct TV channel 2068 who are also viewing our program. They are here who might have that same kind of question. But here inside the Church Of Christ, we adhere to a very, very important biblical principle, which has been missed by all of those preachers and have been noticed then by Mr. Hezoda and, like I said, so many others. It has caused so much perplexity and confusion in organizations all claiming to be under the umbrella of Christianity. They have missed an important biblical principle, which we’ve got to hold tight to. And we do, here inside the Church Of Christ. 

What principle do I refer to? We are not allowed to go beyond what is written. Whose rule is that anyway? We turn again to the Holy Scriptures for a response. Apostle Paul wrote the following. I Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 6:

Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.

[1 Corinthians 4:6 New International Version]

Brother Bob: Beloved audience, whose rule is it? Is it our rule? We believe in this rule. Why? Because?

Audience: That’s in the Bible.

 Brother Bob: What was the rule? Don’t go beyond what is…?

Audience: Written.

Brother Bob: Don’t go beyond what is written. You can’t add to it. When we pose questions, you just have to turn to the Holy Scriptures and get the answer from God. He inspired, more or less, forty-two different chosen writers over a time span of so many years to compile these truths. So that when we pose questions, we won’t have to try to dream up our own opinionated answers. It’s there. Here inside the Church Of Christ, this is how we learn. This is the way that we are taught. It may not be the most entertaining format, but we are preserved from the opinions of any individual, and we are, therefore, tied to the truths of God recorded, here, in the Holy Scriptures. We always adhere to the instruction that we have just read together, “Don’t go beyond what is written.” Everything that we believe has to come from the Holy Scriptures. 

So, I pose this question to the audience, once again. Did anyone know that that was the commandment of God before we just read it from the Bible and put it up on the screen, that you could not go beyond what was written? How many knew that rule of God before we just read it together? Raise your hand. More or less. About a half. So there’s the answer to Mr. Hazoda’s question: half did not even know that that was a rule. And because half and so many others and preachers and such in this world also do not yet know that rule, they just go and preach whatever they think. Their own idea of right and wrong, good and bad, and that confuses and perplexes people such as Mr. Hazoda and so many others to wonder why is Christianity all under the umbrella of Christianity all teaching so many different things? Well there you go. There’s the Bible’s answer. Because there are people out there teaching things that have been added to it or subtracted from it and confusing people. 

So upon close examination you will see that many churches and religious groups and preachers, like what was mentioned by the individual who posed the question for today’s episode in that opening video, he’s noticing the preachers that are just not following that rule. Instead what’s being put forth, sad to say, are teachings inspired—and we heard that as we have read Mark chapter 7—teachings inspired by man’s own rules. Not God. And these falsehoods have been inserted in every Christian-professing religion since the very beginning. The very beginning of Christianity. Except for one. Except for one. The true Church Of Christ built by Jesus. And beloved guests, audience online and on Direct TV, today, here in this studio audience, and on the online studio audience as well, you have found that one true Church Of Christ established by Jesus that does adhere to the instruction to use the Bible as the sole basis of our faith. Do not add to it, do not subtract [from] it. You must continue therefore to study with us. For now, that’s all we have time for, but may it inspire you to continue learning more and continue studying with us here inside the Church Of Christ. 

We want to thank, so much, our studio audience for joining us, taking the studio tour, and posing questions as many of you have done. There is no question that is too basic. There is no question that cannot be answered by the Bible when it comes to our lives, when it comes to our salvation. If you would like to know more about the basic fundamental teachings found inside the Church Of Christ please visit

[On-screen graphic]

Learn more at incmedia.org

Brother Bob: And pause it because I want to ask you to memorize it in case you haven’t yet. Please visit incmedia.org. Okay say it without me. Visit?

Audience: incmedia.org

Brother Bob: There you will find many more of these episodes of That’s in the Bible, as well as episodes of The Message. You will find our doctrines and teachings in the Church Of Christ that are in Spanish, in French, in German, in Italian, etc. And there you will find the beliefs we embrace inside the Church Of Christ. These are the things that we believe because…?

Audience: That’s in the Bible.

Brother Bob: You can send your video questions just like the gentleman did there. Send your video questions to

[On-screen graphic]

[email protected]

Email us your questions

Brother Bob: If you would like to see your questions answered here, of course, on this program…?

Audience: That’s in the Bible

Brother Bob: You’re getting slower. We’re almost finished now. That’s okay. Thank you very much for joining us. We’ll see you again next time.

[Show Close]

[Show open]

[Video starts]

Chuck Horner: I’m Chuck Horner, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in South Hayward. My question is what must we do to be right with God to be saved?

[Video ends]

Brother Bob Pellien: Welcome everyone, and thank you particularly so much, Mr. Horner, for your question for today. And your question is a question that’s, well, it’s often heard from people who are really seeking to understand about God’s ways. The problem is that many people, however, have made the mistake of drawing their own conclusions, even their own strategies, let’s say, about how to put themselves right with God. 

[On-screen text graphic]

QUESTION: What must one do to be put right with God?

Brother Bob: But as always, here in the Church Of Christ, and on this program, That’s in the Bible, the answer to your question will always come from this book—the Holy Scriptures.

So what has the Apostle Paul, for example, said, Mr. Horner, about your question? Did he provide any warning or guidance to us? We turn to the book of Romans 10, verse 2 and 3. He gave this warning:

I can assure you that they are deeply devoted to God; but their devotion is not based on true knowledge. They have not known the way in which God puts people right with Himself, and instead, they have tried to set up their own way; and so they did not submit themselves to God’s way of putting people right.

[Romans 10:2-3 Good News Translation]

Brother Bob: So Chuck, the answer to your question is not, therefore, just being devoted to God as so many people think. Chuck, what will be the danger if one would just choose their own way of putting themselves right with God? Their own strategy to do that? Here in Proverbs 14, and let’s listen together what’s recorded here in verse 12. It says this:

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

[Proverbs 14:12 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: So clearly here, Chuck, the Bible teaches that although it may seem right to a person—their own strategy, their own idea, maybe just being devoted or whatever—but the Bible says what seems right to a person may in fact lead them to death. And it’s not only the death referred to here. It’s not only the ending of our biological life, it’s also the infliction of a second death—a death. And how does the Bible further describe that death? It’s mentioned in the book of Revelation chapter 20, verse 14 like this:

Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

[Revelation 20:14 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: The Bible calls it a second death, a death in the lake of fire. So in fact, what if a person will decide to make the next step and say, “Well then I guess if it’s not my own strategy that I need to implement to make myself right with God, then what do I need to do?” Maybe they’ll conclude, “Well I just need to be worshipping God. As long as I’m worshipping God, then I’ll be right with God.” The Lord Jesus answers that question, Chuck, like this. In the book of Matthew 15, verse 9, he said it like this:

And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

[Matthew 15:9 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: So although they may make their own conclusion like, “Well all I need to do is to be worshipping,” Jesus responds how? He said, well, their worship will be in vain. Why would it be in vain? If they’re still using doctrines or commandments of men as the basis of their worship that makes the worship vain or useless. So we must acknowledge that this vain worship is the result of man’s being separated from God in the first place. Separated from God due to what? The iniquities and sins, as was mentioned by the Prophet Isaiah in 59: 2. Because of sin, because of iniquity, man has become separated from God:

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

[Isaiah 59:2 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: In fact, if we read Apostle Paul’s statement in Colossians 1: 21, what did he call people that have been separated from God because of sin? He referred to them as, “enemies:” 

And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet know He has reconciled

[Colossians 1:21 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: And who has committed sin? Romans 5:12 makes mention all people have committed sin. People need to be reconciled to God, need to have themselves put right with God. 

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-

[Romans 5:12 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: But it is not just by saying, “Well I’m going to worship, I’m going to be devoted, I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that.” If then, it’s not just following what we, ourselves, may think is the good way or think is the right way of serving God, putting ourselves right with God, maybe following some trending, religious ideology of the times. Then what must you mean all people do to achieve the needed reconciliation with God? Is it, like others would say, is it just proclaiming that we have faith in God, faith in Jesus, and then automatically we’ll be saved? Again we turn to the Holy Scriptures once more to the words of our Lord Jesus in the book of Matthew chapter 7, verse 21:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.

[Matthew 7:21 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: What’s to be done? We have got to do the will of the Father in heaven. What is the will of the Father in heaven that all must do in order to put themselves right with God? Again we turn to the Bible. Ephesians 1:9 and 10:

Having made known to us, the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth- in Him.

[Ephesians 1:9-10 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: So Chuck, that’s the will of God that you, me and all people have to comply with. The will of God that all would be gathered together in one, in Christ. When the first century followers of Christ in the Apostles heard the Apostles teaching these things, how did they comply? How did they fulfill that will of God and thus make themselves right with God? Romans 12, verse 4, verse 5:

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

[Romans 12:4-5 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: What did they do? They all joined together in one body with Christ as the head. They joined together. Although they were many, they joined as one in Christ. And they joined in that one body. All of them were so many. What was the one body into which they joined together? In Colossians 1: 18, the body was identified:

And He is the head of the body, the Church

[Colossians 1:18 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: That body is the Church. Which Church is the body of Christ, according to the Bible? Here in Acts 20, verse 28, the name of the Church is made mentioned like this:

Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ, which he has purchased with His blood.

[Acts 20:28 Lamsa]

Brother Bob: The Church? Church Of Christ. So then, Chuck, the Bible responds to your question, how do we put ourselves right with God? The Bible tells us how not to do it and the Bible tells us how to do it.

[On-screen text graphic]

Find a congregation near you:

iglesianicristo.net/directory

Brother Bob: And the Bible tells you, me, and all people who want to be saved to fulfill the will of God, which is to be part of the body of Christ, the Church He shed his blood for, the Church Of Christ, the Iglesia Ni Cristo. Chuck, that’s in the Bible.

[On-screen text graphic]

Do you have questions about the Bible?

Send us your videos: [email protected]

Brother Bob: There’s no question that is too basic, no question that cannot be answered by the Bible when it comes to our lives and of course, our salvation. And we’ll respond to them here on this program.

If you’d like to learn more about these basic, fundamental teachings found here inside the Church Of Christ, visit incmedia.org. There, you’re going to find various religious programming that will answer your spiritual questions. Thank you for joining us today and we’ll see you again next time on That’s in the Bible.

Brother Bob Pellien: Thank you all very much! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome everyone to this program That’s in the Bible Live today. 

I’m Brother Bob Pellien and we thank you all for joining us today, being our studio audience. We are very thankful, as well, to all those who will be watching this recorded broadcast later on in various Church mediums like Direct TV, incmedia.org, INCTV America, and several others. 

Now those who have been tuning into our program on a regular basis, you know already that in this show, That’s in the Bible, we explore the Bible’s teaching on many topics. Topics relating to salvation and relating to proper service to God. 

Today’s topic:

[On-screen text graphics]

Brother Bob: If you’re celebrating Easter, you’re probably one of three types of people. You may be like the first: you’re fully aware of everything about Easter, you’re aware of the origins of the Easter holiday, and, for you, it’s really nothing that you’re too concerned about. 

[On-screen text graphics]

1 – You’re fully aware of the origins of this holiday and it’s really nothing that you’re too concerned about.

Brother Bob: Or you might be the second type of person. Maybe it could be described like whether or not you know the origins, or you really know the history of Easter in the essence of this holiday for you, but it’s just fun, right? 

[On-screen text graphics]

2 – Whether or not you know its origins or history, in essence the holiday is just a fun thing to participate in.

Brother Bob: It’s nice to participate in the various traditions of Easter. Or you might be a third kind of person. You maybe don’t know much yet about Easter or the origins of the various Easter traditions, but you are interested to find out.

[On-screen text graphics]

3 – You don’t know much about Easter or the origins of its traditions, but are interested to find out.

Brother Bob: We challenge you. We ask you today to fit yourself into one of those personas as we go on in our study together. Our That’s in the Bible team went out right here in the San Francisco Bay trail. They gathered some video interviews of real people just talking about how they celebrate Easter. I’m very sure that many of the things that you’re about to hear may seem very familiar to you. Let’s take a moment and look.

[Video Starts]

[On-screen text graphics]

Interviewee 1: We celebrate Easter every year. 

Interviewee 2: Personally, my husband and I don’t really celebrate it.

Interviewee 3: I celebrate it at church and with my family.

[On-screen text graphics]

Interviewee 4: I celebrate it with the family. That’s the most important thing. So friends and stuff like that little most important family.

Interviewee 2: I don’t celebrate Easter by going to church, but I certainly do plan Easter egg hunts for my kids. 

Interviewee 1: I not only celebrate Easter at church, but I also celebrate with my family. 

Interviewee 4: You know, of course the Easter egg basket though

traditional stuff, but some of us go to church. Some don’t. Then we just get together and just eat and have a good time and celebrate.

Interviewee 3: Last year I did little goodie bags [that] said ‘Jesus is alive.’ 

Interviewee 5: Being Christian I go to church and put my family together. We pray. But of course, being here in Western country you have to do what kids like. So egg hunt for the kids!

[On-screen text graphics]

Interviewee 1: Well before that is Lent, I believe, and you’re supposed to give up stuff for Lent.

Interviewee 3: And as far as 40, the Lent thing, I grew up Catholic so I kind of used to do that but I didn’t really understand it. 

Interviewee 1: I was going to give up sweets or something this year, but anyway, not really good at giving up anything. 

Interviewee 2: We just try to say, “Hey, remember you celebrated Easter,” but not really opening up a Bible or something to explain to them what it is because we ourselves are not very educated in that area.

Interviewee 3: My family does that. It kind of kicks off the 40 days before Easter, which is the day Jesus rose from the dead.

[On-screen text graphics]

Interviewee 2: So I don’t know. It’s just happy, fun, bunnies and stuff. Where I grew up from…grew up at and I’m not Christian so we were not educated

with it. 

Interviewee 3: I think it’s just mostly [a] time of just really reflecting on the reason why all this was happening and who Jesus was.

Interviewee 2: We still try to educate them [on] what it what it is. It’s not all about candy, right? But we certainly try to make it fun.

Interviewee 3: I’ve had funny stories like I’ve taught Sunday school on Easter, and we’ve asked the kids, like, “Where did the Easter eggs come from?” And one kid said, “Jesus laid them,” which is really funny, but, we had to tell them what the meaning was behind that. It’s just all symbolism, but what does it really mean? it just means new life that, you know, Jesus died so that we can live again with him.

[Video Ends]

Brother Bob: So there you go, a full spectrum of ideas and perceptions of about Easter and how to celebrate it, and things like that, right? Now whether or not you celebrate Easter for its religious aspect, as you heard a couple of them say, or you’re just into it because well, it’s family fun time. 

As we saw, there’s a lot of ways to celebrate Easter being undertaken in the world nowadays. So what does celebrating Easter—back to our original question right? What does celebrating Easter, what does it really say about you? 

Brother Bob: What we will do is briefly go over a few of the popular symbols, or let’s call them traditions, practices of this holiday called Easter. Let’s first start with the term itself—Easter. You might be surprised about the meaning of that term. According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, let’s take a moment to read what is recorded here on on page 6: 

Since Bede the Venerable (De ratione temporum 1:5) “the origin of the term for the feast of Christ’s Resurrection has been popularly considered to be from the Anglo-Saxon Eastre, a goddess of spring. 

[New Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 5 Page 6]

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Pagan Fertility Goddess

Ishtar (Babylonian)

Ashtaroth (Hebrew)

Astarte (Greek)

Eastre (Anglo-Saxon)

Easter (English)

Brother Bob: Easter was also known to the Babylonians and others as Ishtar, Easter, and other similar names in ancient religions, all connected to what is now been Christian-ized into mainstream Christianity today.

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“Easter” – goddess of Fertility

Rabbit – Symbol of Fertility

Brother Bob: What’s another tradition of Easter? They said it on the video. Easter eggs. 

Audience: Eggs.

Brother Bob: And bunnies.

Audience : Bunnies.

Brother Bob: Easter eggs and Easter bunnies. By the way, just a little side biological note, bunnies don’t lay eggs. They’re mammals. But that’s another whole discussion. 

Easter Bunny, Easter eggs, and the symbols all of those kinds of symbols, which are quite synonymous with the Easter holiday. In this Catholic Dictionary on page 169, what is noted here regarding those traditions like Easter eggs, Easter baskets, and things like that, it’s not of course into Holy Scripture. So, where then, what then, is it all about? Take note:

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Easter eggs may possibly be a “baptized” pagan custom, since they are an obvious symbol of fertility, and many places it is still the practice to paint the eggs and bring them to church and decorated baskets for a blessing before or after mass. Chocolate eggs and such like-fooleries are a degeneration of no significance. 

[A Catholic Dictionary Page 169]

Brother Bob: That is the official book of Roman Catholicism. These things are from what origin? The Bible? No, they are from pagan origins. But what’s paganism in the first place? What’s the big deal? That’s what a lot of people say. “Pagan. So what?” Can we say so what? What do we need to understand about paganism? What is a pagan? Here’s one definition. You can see it on the screen from dictionary.cambridge.org. The Cambridge Dictionary says:

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paganism

noun

a religion that worships many gods, especially a religion that existed before the main world religions

Brother Bob: Easter bunny, Easter egg, the Easter goddess of fertility from the Babylonian goddess of fertility, Easter, Ishtar, those are ancient pagan gods and goddesses that come not from the Bible. 

What does it say, then? I pose this question to everyone: what does it say about anyone who is okay with that? In the New Encyclopedia Britannica and on page 605, what do they have to say about some of these origins of various Easter traditions? I quote:

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As at Christmas, so also at Easter, popular customs reflect many ancient pagan survivals-in this instance, connected with Spring fertility rites, such as the symbols of the Easter egg, and the Easter hare or rabbit. 

[New Encyclopedia Britannica MACROPEDIA, 15th Edition, Vol 4 Page 605]

Brother Bob: So the Easter egg [and] the Easter rabbit are symbols of spring fertility rites used in ancient pagan worship to ancient goddesses of fertility, not anything that has to do with Jesus and His death and resurrection whatsoever. 

Brother Bob: Everyone has heard about Lent, and, a couple of those that we interviewed outside here on the trail, as you saw [in] the video, they spoke about the 40 days of Lent. We all know that it’s the 40 days of fasting done in the Catholic Church in preparation for Easter. In the Catholic Encyclopedia on page 69. This important statement was made:

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No distinct traces of the quadragesimal observance are discernible until the fourth century. The decrees of the Council of Nicea in 325 contain the earliest mention of Lent. 

[The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 1 Page 69]

Brother Bob: A popular 40 day period prior to Easter is called what, studio audience?

Audience: Lent? 

Brother Bob: How many days is it? 

Audience: 40.

Brother Bob: 40. It was invented in the Bible. It was instructed to be done in the Bible. True or false?

Audience: False.

Brother Bob: Where did it come from, then? Lent is not a biblical instruction. It was made up, as you saw me read from the Catholic book. The Catholic Church invented it—brought it into use. What century? Fourth century. And what year? 325 AD at the Council of Nicea. 

And to learn more about these and in greater depth thorough detail, we would like to recommend checking out incmedia.org/easter. You can learn more about the history of Lent, many things about Lent, more things about the Easter traditions themselves, the Holy Week, stations of the Cross and all that leading up to Easter and the various celebrated practices and traditions of each one of them relative to what the Bible actually says about them. 

Everyone should become very well educated about all the history of those things, but here right now, knowing—that was just some highlights, right? Knowing where Easter truly came from and where the traditions really came from, out of the three types of people, then, which type of person are you? Are you persona number one? You knew these things already, but to you, “No big deal. I like chocolate.”

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1 – You’re fully aware of the origins of this holiday and it’s really nothing that you’re too concerned about.

Brother Bob: Or maybe your persona number two. 

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2 – Whether or not you know its origins or history, in essence the holiday is just a fun thing to participate in.

Brother Bob: You didn’t know these things before. You didn’t know that it was rooted in a history of service to Ishtar, Babylonian goddess of fertility. Her symbols were the egg and the rabbit. “I didn’t know that.” But even after learning it here now, it’s not really too concerning of an issue. It’s not really going to “pull at your heartstrings”, as the saying goes. Or you are person number three?

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3 – You don’t know much about Easter or the origins of its traditions, but are interested to find out.

Brother Bob: Now that you know that its practices are not from the Bible, but instead from ancient worship to pagan gods, you are very concerned about that, and you would like to know what is actually written in the Holy Scriptures so as to properly commemorate the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Are you one, two or three type of a person? If you are a person number one or two, you are definitely entitled to your way of thinking. That is your right and we respect everyone. But if you are the third type of person, we share with you now, today, what the Bible actually teaches to protect us, and to keep us from straying away from God, our Creator. 

Today, we turn to the Bible, inside the Church Of Christ. We are guided by the Bible only to know what is right and wrong, good and bad for us to do and to know what is acceptable to God when it comes to our service to Him. The Bible is the sole basis of our faith. 

Brother Bob: So having said all that, let’s take a look together right now at the things the Bible actually does say, or more importantly does not say about Easter. 

Most Christian-professing religions consider this to be the most sacred of seasons. Easter, for many, is the one holiday of the year they strive to be religious. What did they do? Well, they probably gather up the families for a special meal, they participate in various traditions, like we heard from the interviews that we did, and from the history and we all know the Easter baskets and all those kinds of things. 

As we look at the following Bible verses I asked you then to consider evaluating your own self. Should we all go hide easter eggs? Should we? Should we color the egg? Should we make chocolate Easter bunnies? I can’t believe I’m saying something against chocolate again. Here I go. Do all those things and say maybe “It’s fun. It’s enjoyable. The kids are happy. What’s wrong with that?” The children may like it. And isn’t it true, those of us who are parents, isn’t it nice to see your children happy? What parent doesn’t want that? 

But what does the LORD Himself say about adopting these practices, which, by the way, as we’ve been saying, have their origins in paganism which remember is the worship to ancient gods and goddesses. What does the Lord say about that? 

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paganism

noun

a religion that worships many gods, especially a religion that existed before the main world religions

Brother Bob: It doesn’t have anything to do with worship to God nor in remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. So what then is the instruction of the LORD exactly? All right, let’s get to it. Jeremiah the prophet, Chapter 10, verse 2:

Thus says the Lord, “Do not learn the way of the [pagan] nations, … 

[Jeremiah 10:2 Amplified BIble]

Brother Bob: That’s a very clear directive, “Do not learn the way of the pagan nations…” But not only have people learned them, they have learned them and incorporated them into their culture, incorporated them into their practices. And they call it service to the LORD in remembrance of Christ. No, no, no pagan ways are from the Catholic Church. People are practicing them with all kinds of enthusiasm. But what is it that the LORD said? You saw it on the screen. 

Thus says the Lord, “Do not learn the way of the [pagan] nations, … 

[Jeremiah 10:2 Amplified Bible]

Brother Bob: Don’t do it. And as we’re discussing many may want to respond to say that, “Those details about pagan roots and all that, that’s not important, right?” You know, “It’s okay if we ignore—let’s not just pay attention to the roots of those practices, their origins, as long as we have good intentions and we’re trying to do it in our service to the LORD, right?” That would be the mindset of a lot of people. 

Are there any biblical principles or expectations of God that we can read here in the Holy Scriptures that have to be considered when answering that question? 

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Brother Bob Pellien | Minister of the Gospel

Brother Bob: Let’s just say right out absolutely, yes. And here’s one of them. Exodus chapter 20: 

“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,… 

[Exodus 20:3-5 New International Version]

Brother Bob: God gave a very clear and definitive answer, did He not? He said, “Don’t have any other gods, don’t make any image of them, and don’t bow down. I’m a jealous God.” That’s not safe then to do that, because God said he would be jealous. Why? Because they’re replacing Him with [a] pagan goddess. They’re replacing God. And of course, you would be saddened by being replaced by another, which, what’s the very meaning of the word “jealousy”? Being sad because you have been replaced by another. 

“But wait!”, you may say, you know, “You mean to say that the practices of Easter wouldn’t constitute the replacement of God, would it?” Yes! Clearly that would not be okay with the Lord. 

What then is essential and a real element of Easter that one should consider before you will entertain the idea of applying Easter practices and then say, “It’s my intent to give honor to God. It’s my intent to give honor to His son, our Lord Jesus Christ”? The celebration is an obvious service to another God, in that God’s name was Easter name for the goddess Easter. 

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Pagan Fertility Goddess

Ishtar (Babylonian)

Ashtaroth (Hebrew)

Astarte (Greek)

Eastre (Anglo-Saxon)

Easter (English)

Brother Bob: And that’s not in the Bible. Dear friends, that’s what is called idolatry, worship to false gods or goddesses. And that’s what God does not allow, of course. 

What then, I pose this question, what does it say about you if you don’t care about that? Do you care about what God cares about? God will not tolerate, then, any service to other gods or other goddesses like Easter, the Babylonian goddess. That’s very clear. But many still believe that all of this is truly harmless. It’s truly harmless. 

Isn’t it possible to just say traditions like the Easter Bunny, it’s just for fun. It’s just for the children and it’s really harmless. Can we say that? These things may not be in the Bible. Many would say, “I know it’s not biblical, but surely the LORD would accept them as a service to Him. It’s not as a worship to Him, right?” 

We can’t answer that, but God Himself gives a profound answer about that and it was mentioned and recorded here. I quote Matthew. I quote the Bible once again, Matthew chapter 15, verse 9: 

And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’“ 

[Matthew 15:9 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: What did it say about their worship? It’s vain, it’s useless. But can’t we just overlook the pagan origins of these things and just let it be enjoyed? Why dig into the roots and details about all these things and read God’s responses in the Holy Scriptures?

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Brother Bob: “What if my personal celebration of Easter is just for fun and what if I don’t even mean it as a form of worship?” I know. That question continues to be asked by a lot of people, but here’s the thing, we can’t just ignore warnings. Consider that. I’m going to repeat it. We cannot just ignore warnings given to us in the Holy Scriptures. “Warning? What warning?”

Let’s let’s take a look at an example. This is mentioned here by Apostle Paul in Colossians chapter 2, verse 8. “Beware.” What’s the meaning of that word, by the way, “Beware”—it’s already announcing what? Danger, right? “Beware! Watch out!”— 

Beware, lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

[Colossians 2:8 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: What was the warning? The warning was about traditions that are not rooted in Christ. The traditions of Easter are not rooted in Christ, they are rooted in paganism. So the Bible is giving a warning about that, we can’t just ignore the warning. 

If there’s danger and you proceed to the danger, whose fault is it then if you get hurt, right? Since Christ did not give any instructions about Easter practices, we’re not going along with the whims of traditions, especially since traditions came from pagan service to false gods. 

But, this is important also, this isn’t to say that all family traditions are bad. There is a specific kind of tradition that we are instructed to avoid above any other. What is that? That’s called a prohibited tradition. Jesus Himself spoke of it in these terms. I’d like to read from the book of Matthew chapter 15 verse 3:

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” 

[Matthew 15:3 New International Version]

Brother Bob: What kind of a tradition is bad? A tradition that goes against the commands of God. Christians are cautioned not to observe sinful traditions that break God’s laws, break God’s commandments. 

Some of you may say your families wouldn’t understand you if you choose not to observe a holiday with them like that. What if your excuse would be that, “Well, my family celebrates Easter and they gather up together, and the children are given Easter eggs and Easter baskets. And there’s chocolate bunnies for everybody. And it’s just a big family happy gathering. And they’re not going to understand if I will say, ‘I’m not going to join in the normal family Easter traditions.’ And in fact, they will get angry with me. They might even ostracize me from the family.” 

The apostles give any important advice to anyone that may find themselves in that kind of a situation, that kind of a circumstance. Well, yes, absolutely. I’ll read that from the writings of Apostle Paul to the Colossians 2:16:

“So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.”

[Colossians 2:16 New Living Translation]

Brother Bob: So, dear friends, if [you’re] joining us in our program, be it in our studio audience or anyone watching and incmedia.org, or any of the other outlets wherein this program shall be broadcast, if you are joining us and you find yourself in that very situation, based upon what we have read, we give this: stand your ground. And never allow yourself to be drawn into services, to false gods or goddesses like Easter in order to conduct practices of any kind to pagan gods and goddesses. Why? It’s kind of like the same question again in another format, right? Why? 

Brother Bob: Does the Bible say anything more about these things? I want something very specific. There’s a very powerful pronouncement in the Holy Scriptures as to why. I have to say this slow, I want you to catch it, okay? Why it is so very dangerous for anyone to participate in any of them, any popular pagan practices. Consider what I now read, also the writings of Apostle Paul, 1st Corinthians chapter 10, verse 20:

No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 

[1 Corinthians 10:20 New International Version]

Brother Bob: That’s the Bible. Obviously, therefore, we can have no part in that at all. If we truly want to serve God, here inside the Church Of Christ, we will have no part in those things. 

How about you? How about you? Another guiding, divine principle by which Christians should base their service to God, and, let’s say even their way of life, there’s a principle that has to be understood very well. 1 Corinthians 4:6. Let’s take a look at this and this is in the format of an instruction to us all:

Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” …

[1 Corinthians 4:6 New International Version]

Brother Bob: What’s an important principle? Don’t go beyond what’s written. Don’t invent things and pretend to call it service to the Lord. 

That’s a very direct instruction we receive there, which we take very seriously here inside the Church Of Christ. What would be an example of going—listen to the question. What would be an example of going beyond what is written? 

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Brother Bob: Easter traditions. Easter practices. Therefore your decision right now, today must be to adhere to the truth that comes from the word of God. When you choose to do that, what must you also leave behind? A command of the Lord I quote Titus 1:14:

Don’t pay any attention to any of those senseless Jewish stories and human commands. These are made up by people who won’t obey the truth. 

[Titus 1:14 Contemporary English Version]

Brother Bob: What’s the instruction? Don’t pay any attention to those things that are made up by people who refuse to embrace the truth. Don’t pay any attention. That’s not our advice to you. That’s not our counsel. That’s not our words. That’s the word of God in the Holy Scriptures. He said, “Don’t pay any attention to that.” 

So, dear friends, will you obey the truth? If there are religious practices such as Easter that do not come from God, be careful, don’t follow those practices. They oppose the will of God. 

Before we finish up here in just a moment, let’s ask another question or two. How are we instructed to live our lives? There’s an important—I’ve been seeing Bible principles, but if we could call this a Bible principle as well or an instruction regarding our life. What is it? Ephesians 4:17 reads this way: 

Therefore I say this – indeed, in union with the Lord I insist on it: do not live any longer as the pagans live, with their sterile ways of thinking. 

[Ephesians 4:17 Complete Jewish Bible]

Brother Bob: Is that complicated? Is it hard to understand? The LORD said how to live our life. If up to this moment we have been living it and allowing ourselves to embrace pagan practices and cultural anomalies in service to their ancient pagan gods, God said, “Don’t do that.” And we learned that a lot of them are being taught and embraced within Catholicism. We read the Catholic Dictionary, Catholic Encyclopedia, a couple different of the Catholic Encyclopedia quotes. Do they deny that their teachings and practices came from paganism? Let’s be fair, if we’re going to quote these things and speak of that, let’s give them the chance to admit or deny or respond. Think that’s fair? What do you say? 

Audience: Yes.

Brother Bob: That’s very fair, right? Let’s take a look at another reading from the book written by a Catholic priest. This is their official response and the book is entitled The Externals of the Catholic Church. Let’s take a look at it. Let’s take a look at it together—Externals of the Catholic Church page 156:

It is interesting to note how often our Church has availed herself of practices which were in common use among pagans, … Thus it is true, in a certain sense, that some Catholic rites and ceremonies are reproduction of those pagan creeds; but they are the taking of what was best from paganism, the keeping of symbolically practices which express the religious instinct that is common to all races and times. 

[Externals of the Catholic Church – Page 156, By John F Sullivan]

Brother Bob: Do they admit or deny? They admit it. They know it. The Catholic Church admits that their practices originate from paganism and their excuse for using unbiblical practices, “Well, we got their best. We got the best from paganism.” Not a good reason, not a good reason at all. 

For those who will say, “Well, they celebrate Easter to remember the life and death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Catholic Church also claims that in some of their writings. Did Christ, however, prescribe that we would commemorate his death, His resurrection by chocolate Easter bunnies and Easter egg hunts? You can’t read that anywhere in the Bible. What can you read in the Bible from 1 Corinthians chapter 11? 

To finish up what actually is to be done to remember the crucifixion, the death, followed by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ—11:24 and 25:

and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

[1 Corinthians 11:24-25 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: What can we all see here? “Do this in remembrance of me.” Take from the cup. Take of that one bread. It’s my body, it’s my blood, do this. This is what’s to be done in the remembrance of that sacrifice, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, not Easter bunnies, as good as chocolate is. That’s not the way. The pagans, they were ignorant of God’s teachings through Christ. So the Christians were therefore warned not to live as pagans. 

As Christians, we are bound to obey what we learned from our Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded in Scripture, wherein we are not ignorant of these things. Now, neither are you. With this knowledge, what seemed before maybe like a harmless holiday, is actually, now you understand it, is deeply rooted in false religious beliefs and celebrating it would have dire consequences to your spiritual health. 

So we’ve come full circle. 

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1 – You’re fully aware of the origins of this holiday and it’s really nothing that you’re too concerned about.

2 – Whether or not you know its origins or history, in essence the holiday is just a fun thing to participate in.

3 – You don’t know much about easter or the origins of its traditions, but are interested to find out.

Brother Bob: What does celebrating Easter and the traditions, what does it say about you? It says you are either number one, number two, or number three. We hope you are a number three, and that we’ll see you again soon just as engaged, just as eager to learn as you are right now. 

Thank you for joining us in this episode of That’s in the Bible live. We’ll hope that you will visit incmedia.org and iglesianicristo.net when you are ready to learn more about the fundamental teachings found here inside the Church Of Christ. 

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Learn more at incmedia.org

Brother Bob: We’ll also help guide you to the nearest House of Worship near to your residence, where you can meet ministers and undergo important series of Bible study lessons. 

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Find a house of worship near you: IglesiaNiCristo.net/directory

Brother Bob: We also have Facebook pages and there you can view more of our shows and content and see how the Church also gets involved with the community there. 

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Follow us on Facebook:

/IglesiaNiCristoNewsandUpdates

/IglesiaNiCristoMedia

Brother Bob: You can go to incgiving.org. 

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Learn more at incgiving.org

Brother Bob: You can even volunteer along with us to partner up with our community outreach programs and outlets to have an impact in the world around us. If you have other questions about the Bible, we have a team of ministers always standing by to provide answers. Those answers will always come from the Holy Bible. If you’d like, you can also email us at [email protected]. 

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[email protected]

EMAIL US YOUR QUESTIONS

Brother Bob: I’m Bob Pellien and we’ll see you again next time on That’s in the Bible. Thank you all very much!

[/expand]

Should We Observe The Sabbath?

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I’ve read that the Bible indicates that the Sabbath is on Saturday. Why then is the Sabbath celebrated on a Sunday instead of Saturday, even though the Lord told us to keep the Sabbath?

Sulamithe

Zurich, Switzerland

Brother Bob Pellien: Thank you so much, Sulamithe, for your question, and it’s so nice to receive a question all the way from Zurich, Switzerland. I think this is the first time that we’ve had a question from Switzerland and we’re very thankful and we welcome you all from Switzerland.

Regarding your question concerning the Sabbath, there are so many questions that come up about the Sabbath and a lot of those questions are just like yours. 

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Sabbath

Brother Bob: The questions are also asked by many preachers and people who have just not yet fully understood the topic about the Sabbath. So we’ll turn to the Holy Scriptures and ask these important questions that you’ve raised. To begin with, Sulamithe, your question already assumes that we should all be adhering to the Sabbath and the Sabbath rules in our era of time, albeit on a Saturday, Sunday, or any day at all for that matter. The very first thing we need to address is do we need to define who God commanded, really, to first observe the Sabbath in the first place? 

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Question: Should we be celebrating the Sabbath?

Brother Bob: The second part of the question is, until when? Well we have to determine that first before we can claim whether or not we should even be celebrating that ourselves and then determine, as your question posed to be done on a Saturday or a Sunday. 

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Question: Should we even be celebrating it?

Brother Bob: What does the Bible say about the Sabbath? 

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What does the Bible say about the Sabbath?

Brother Bob: Let’s begin turning to the pages of the Holy Scriptures. Malachi in chapter 4, verse 4:

“Earnestly remember the Law of Moses My servant, the statutes and the ordinances which I commanded him on [Mount] Horeb [to give] to all Israel.

[Malachi 4:4 Amplified Bible]

Brother Bob: So dear friends the Sabbath was definitely a commandment of God—was one of the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses. No question about that. 

Brother Bob: But to be observed by whom? 

The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.

[Exodus 31:16 New International Version]

Brother Bob: Answer of the Bible: to be observed by the people of ancient Israel. Why? As a symbol of the Lord’s covenant with them. It was also an observance commanded by God to commemorate something else. What’s that? Let’s turn to Deutoronomy 5:15:

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

[Deutoronomy 5:15 New International Version]

Brother Bob: So dear friends, God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the Sabbath and to commemorate how God delivered them out of Egypt. 

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God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the Sabbath

Brother Bob: Are you an Israelite that was enslaved in Egypt? Because the instruction was very clear: to remember that he brought them out of their enslavement in Egypt. If you were there, if you were a slave in Egypt, you should be celebrating the Sabbath. If not, well, then not. 

Brother Bob: In fact can we even pinpoint in the Bible specifically where God actually gave the instruction to stop it, where he took away or retracted the commandment? 

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God gave the instruction to stop the Sabbath

Brother Bob: In Hosea 2:11, the Bible answer this way:

“I will put an end to all her festivities—her annual and monthly festivals and her Sabbath celebrations—all her religious meetings.”

[Hosea 2:11 Today’s English Version]

Brother Bob: Dear friends, that was God himself speaking very clear saying they got to put a stop to it. The Prophet Jeremiah also gave testimony further to God’s decision to put an end to the observance of the Sabbath. What did he have to say? The prophet Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations, chapter 2 verse 6:

“He smashed to pieces the Temple where we worshipped him; He has put an end to holy days and Sabbaths. King and priest alike have felt the force of his anger.”

[Lamentations 2:6 Today’s English Version]

Brother Bob: So dear friends, what does this show? Well it shows that after the Israelites turned away from God, their observance of the Sabbath had become actually abominable in the sight of God. 

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The Sabbath became abominable to God

Brother Bob: The Sabbath ended completely and the Sabbath was never again commanded to be observed after the time of the Israelites. God put a total and complete end to that commandment. 

Brother Bob: Inasmuch as we’re living much later, was there any guidance from Jesus and His disciples concerning the Sabbath in this, what is known as the Christian era of time, and thus would be followed by the Church? 

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Question: Is there a Sabbath in the Christian time?

Brother Bob: There is. The Lord Jesus himself stated that it’s lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 

How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

[Matthew 12:12 New International Version]

Brother Bob: He was criticized harshly for that. He healed sick people on the Sabbath day and so many other things. When the Pharisees saw him doing this on the day that, well the Jews had considered a sacred day, they accused him of not even being from God. But we all know that our Lord Jesus Christ did not commit any sin when he did not observe the Sabbath. Why not? He knew there was no more Sabbath. He knew it. The Christians in the Gentile world, likewise, they too did not celebrate the Sabbath. Let’s take a look at the evidence for that. Here in Colossians chapter 2, verse 16, we’ll also read verse 23:

“Let no one criticize you in matters of food or drink or for not observing festivals, new moons or the Sabbath. “These doctrines may seem to be profound because they speak of religious observance and humility and of disregarding the body. In fact, they are useless as soon as the flesh rebels.”

[Colossians 2:16, 23 Christian Community Bible]

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Apostle Paul considered the Sabbath useless

Brother Bob: So dear friends, here Apostle Paul regarded the observance of the Sabbath as useless, a useless doctrine. Those who observe the Sabbath, despite having known the true God and been in the true faith, are turning back and are being again enslaved by weak and miserable principles by observing special days, special months, special seasons, special years, or Sabbaths. We have learned the instruction for the Sabbath [has] nothing to do with what day Christ was risen from the grave as you, Sulumithe, posed in your question. Maybe some other preachers may be teaching that or suggesting that in their service. 

Was the Sabbath observance changed from Saturday to Sunday? 

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Was the Sabbath changed from Saturday to Sunday? 

Brother Bob: Simply, no, because the real question is whether a Christian should even be observing the Jewish Sabbath to honor God’s covenant with His ancient nation. A covenant which they ended up breaking anyway. When that covenant was broken, so too was God’s instruction to observe it’s remembrance. It was God himself who put an end to the observing of the Sabbath.

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It was God Himself who put and end to the Sabbath

Brother Bob: Sulumith, from Zurich Switzerland, and everyone of us joining us in this program, that’s in the Bible.

Thank you so much for your question about the Sabbath and we hope that you will also send more questions to this program. 

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Do you have questions about the Bible?

Send us your videos to: [email protected]

Brother Bob: There’s no question, in fact, that is too basic, no question that cannot be answered by the Bible when it comes to our lives, when it comes to our salvation. If you’d like to know more about the fundamental teachings found here inside the Church Of Christ, please visit incmedia.org. 

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incmedia.org

Brother Bob: There you’ll find a variety of programs, just like this one, dedicated to answering your spiritual questions. Thanks for joining us. I’m Bob Pellien. We’ll see you next time on That’s in the Bible.

Was Thomas Wrong in John 20:28?

Brother Bob Pellien: Thomas, often referred to as “Doubting Thomas,” took one look at the resurrected Jesus and said “My Lord and My God”, and that’s recorded in John 20:28. Dear friends, was he wrong, or was he right? 

[Show open]

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Brother Bob Pellien

Minister of the Gospel

Brother Bob: I’m Bob Pellien, and welcome to the program That’s in the Bible. We received a comment on YouTube from a viewer making the argument that Jesus is God, specifically referencing that verse John 20:28. Here’s his comment:

“You forgot what St. Thomas said, ‘My Lord and my God.’ Did anyone complain, or stop, or correct St. Thomas? Even our Savior didn’t correct or deny what St. Thomas said. But rather, the Lord said, ‘You believe because you saw Me. Blessed are those who did not see and yet believe.’”

That came from Jonathan. Well, thank you, Jonathan, for your comment and the opportunity here today to clear this up for you. Let’s frame our topic of discussion around these sub-questions:

Well, the verse that Jonathan referenced is recorded in the writings of the Apostle John, as I mentioned, in John 20:28. Let’s go ahead and take a look at the verse. You’ll be able to see it there on the screen. John 20:28 reads this way. 

And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

[John 20:28 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: So, dear friends, why did Thomas react this way? Why did he say such a thing to Jesus after seeing Him? You have to remember, they had all witnessed, they knew, Jesus had been crucified. They saw Him die there on the cross. Yet, here He was standing there, right in front of them. It’s important at this point that we read the verses prior to Thomas’s reaction, which is at the core of our discussion, right? Let’s do that, back up to verse 24, same chapter:

One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came.

[John 20:24 Good News Bible]

Brother Bob: So, let’s pause here for a second, dear friends. Wait a minute. We can see here that Jesus had already appeared to some of His disciples, prior to this moment. But what else can we notice? Thomas was not among them at the time. So, when Thomas finally saw Jesus after His resurrection it was already the second time that Jesus had shown Himself to them. Considering that, let’s continue verse 25:

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

[John 20:25 Good News Bible] 

Brother Bob: So, we can see the mindset, or the way of thinking, that Thomas had and is recorded here in this verse. Thomas did not believe that Christ was resurrected back to life. What happened when Christ appeared again to the disciples, this time with Thomas, present? Let’s continue, verse 26 and 27. 

A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!”

[John 20:26-27 Good News Bible] 

Brother Bob: So, after Jesus showed the doubting Thomas He was really there, or truly resurrected from the dead, what then was the reaction of Thomas? In verse 20:28:

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

[John 20:28 Good News Bible] 

But the vital question here, dear viewers, is simply this: Was Thomas even correct in saying that, “My Lord and my God” when referring to Jesus? He was not. Why are we certain? First of all, was Thomas the only one who made such a wrong conclusion when they saw the resurrected Jesus? No. What’s the proof? Let’s turn to the Book of Luke, chapter 24, verse 33, where here the Apostle Luke, he wrote about the same incident from his vantage point. He wrote in 24:33 the following:

So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,

[Luke 24:33 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: Let’s pause again. Here, we can see that in this gathering where Jesus showed Himself to His disciples, all the other apostles were present. Now, did the other disciples react any differently from Thomas? Let’s continue in verse 36 and 37:

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.

[Luke 24:36-37 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: Friends, according to the Bible here, the writings of Apostle Luke, it was not only Apostle Thomas that was startled but the others as well. The Bible said that “they were terrified and frightened.” What did they suppose they were seeing? As we read here, they supposed that they had seen a spirit. 

We can see that the other disciples had the same kind of reaction as Apostle Thomas. Why can we firmly say that they had the same reaction? Because Jesus already had taught His disciples about the nature of the true God, and that was recorded back in John 4:24, where He taught them that God is Spirit. 

The mere fact, this is important dear friends, the mere fact that they think that Christ is a spirit, God is a spirit, so they jumped to that sort of equivalency, they jumped to the conclusion, therefore, Christ is God. And that’s incorrect. It was the same big mistake that Apostle Thomas made by calling Jesus God.

The commenter on YouTube said Jesus Christ didn’t correct Thomas. But is that true? Did Jesus correct Thomas and, in fact, correct all the disciples from thinking that He is God or a spirit? What we need only to do is to continue reading the answers and clarifications from the Holy Bible. Verse 38 and 39, same chapter, Luke 24:

And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?  Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

[Luke 24:38-39 New King James Version] 

Brother Bob: Jesus points out here, dear friends, the doubt that was in their hearts. What did he ask them? He asked them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?” 

But the argument of some people is, for example Jonathan and his comment on YouTube that began our discussion, their comment is that Christ did not correct them, because they cannot read in the very next verse that Christ issued an immediate correction there. So, they jumped to the conclusion that, therefore, Jesus accepted the statement of Thomas. 

We would like to make very clear, right here, that Jesus, in fact, did correct Thomas, and the rest of the disciples for that matter, who made the wrong assumption of Him. Although the correction was not recorded in the writings of Apostle John, Apostle Luke recorded the same event, and shows us Christ’s response to all those who made such wrong assumptions about Him. 

Again, how did Jesus correct Thomas, and the others, when they jumped to the wrong conclusion that Jesus was a spirit or therefore God? Did Jesus allow them to think that way, or did He correct them? What did He say? As we read, He said, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit,” and as He clarified, God is a spirit, “a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

He corrected Thomas, He corrected the other disciples. How did he do that? He made the clear distinction between Himself and God, who is a spirit. Having already taught them that God is spirit, Christ proved that’s not what He is by telling the apostles, he said come on, handle me, touch me, you’ll see. 

Christ made it, therefore, very clear, right there and then, the difference between Himself and God. We repeat, He showed His disciples that a spirit, or God, does not have flesh and bones, “as you see I have,” said Jesus. And what further did Jesus mean when He said that He, Himself, He has flesh and bones? He answers that here in John, chapter eight, recorded here in John 8:40, let’s quote the words of our Lord Jesus: 

But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.

[John 8:40 New King James Version] 

Brother Bob: When He said He has flesh and bones, when He said that to His disciples, He was teaching them what? He was teaching that He is a man, and not God. Did He ever teach His disciples that, in fact, He is their God? Absolutely not. In fact, He taught them He is a man. In fact, if we go back to that verse where Thomas says, “My Lord and My God,” that’s John, chapter 20, verse 28. But in that same Book of John, in fact, same chapter 20, let’s just back up a couple of verses. And listen, dear friends, listen closely to the words of Jesus as He clarifies who their God is. I quote, John 20:17, it says:

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”

[John 20:17 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: Christ clarifies here distinctly, dear friends, His God is the Father, which is the same God as His disciples. He said, “My Father and your Father, and My God, and Your God.”

We started this discussion with four main questions. Let’s go back and review those questions and what we have learned from these Bible verses we have read together:

Answer: He mistakenly called Jesus that in his shocking amazement that Jesus is alive again. He was wrong, and he was not teaching. The conversation was about Christ’s resurrection from the dead, not anything about Christ being God. 

No. Other disciples of Christ had similar reactions, in fact. They were terrified, they were frightened to see Him alive again, and thought that He was a spirit, and mistook Him for God who they knew to be a spirit. 

Christ did correct Thomas, and He did correct the other apostles, and even pointed out they were doubting His teachings that He and God were different. 

We read, Christ made clear distinction that God is a Spirit, which means God does not have flesh and bones as Jesus does, said Christ. 

We hope this answers the curiosity of those who believe in the Trinity, or that Jesus is God, or they misunderstand John 20:28 and Apostle Thomas. The true disciples of Christ back then, and even now, believe that Christ is not God. He is very different from God, and He lovingly corrected his followers who made that mistake. 

We know there are verses that people use to try to prove that Jesus is God, but there is no properly translated verse of the Bible that will ever teach that Jesus is God. The trinity is a false doctrine. We serve the true God here inside the Church Of Christ, because That’s in the Bible. 

We’d like you to continue learning about the Iglesia Ni Cristo, the Church Of Christ. To do so,

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Visit 

incmedia.org

Brother Bob: please visit us online, browse the different topics, or set up an appointment to meet with the minister of the gospel. And if you have any questions about the Bible or salvation, please email them to us.

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[email protected]

Brother Bob: I’m Bob Pellien. Thanks for watching. See you next time on That’s in the Bible!

[Show close]

Brother Philip: I’m Brother Philip Velasquez and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode of That’s In The Bible, where your questions are answered straight from the Holy Scriptures.

Our question for today comes from Yolanda in Sacramento, California, and she asks, “If God created us in His image, was He man or spirit?”

Thank you for that question, Yolanda. Before we go on to answering that question, let’s first read the actual verse in the Holy Scriptures. Here in Genesis 1:27 this is what we could read:

So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

[Genesis 1:27 New International Version]

Brother Philip: No wonder why Yolanda asked this question. Since we humans were created in God’s image then others would ask, “Is God human?” Well, dear friends, the answer is no. God is not human but a spirit, as attested to by our Lord Jesus Christ written here in John 4:24:

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

[John 4:24 New King James Version]

Brother Philip: Our Lord Jesus Christ described our Almighty God as being a spirit. What did our Lord Jesus Christ mean when He said that God is spirit? Let’s go to Luke 24:39. This is what the Holy Scriptures teaches us, our Lord Jesus Christ himself:

for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

[Luke 24:39 New King James Version]

Brother Philip: According to our Lord Jesus Christ, a spirit has no flesh and bones just like human beings have. And because God is without flesh and bones, as He is a spirit, what did Apostle Paul say about Him? Let’s go to Apostle Paul’s testimony here in 1 Timothy 1:17:

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

[1 Timothy 1:17 New King James Version]

Brother Philip: Apostle Paul explained that God is invisible, meaning He has no physical image. So in Genesis 1:27, the verse we read earlier on, when it says that we were created in God’s image, it wasn’t His physical image being referred to. In what sense then, are we said to have been created in the image of God? In what way did God intend us to be like Him or in His image when we were created? Let’s read 1 Peter 1:15-16:

but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

[1 Peter 1:15-16 New King James Version]

Brother Philip: Apostle Peter quoted a command of the Almighty God to His people or creation. What did God say? “Be holy for I am holy.” So we human beings were created in the image of God, not physically, but in holiness just as God, our Creator, is holy. It is in that sense that man was created in the image of God. But is it the question now? Did we human beings live up to be in God’s image as He intended us to be that we be holy like Him? The answer is no. We all have failed and we can read this in Romans 3:23:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

[Romans 3:23 New International Version]

Brother Philip: Because of our sins or breaking the commandments of God, we have all fallen short of God’s expectations and intentions in creating us. We are not able to live up to God’s image. Who was the only one who lived up to God’s image according to His plan? Who was the one who lived up to be found in the image of God in holiness? Let’s go 2 Corinthians; we can get the answer there. [chapter] 4, [verse] 4, this is what apostle Paul teaches us:

whose minds the gods of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

[2 Corinthians 4:4 New King James Version]

Brother Philip: Our Lord Jesus Christ is the image of God. Why was he said to be so? What quality did our Lord Jesus Christ have, which is why He is the only who has met God’s expectation of man whom he created to be in His image? Well the answer can be found here in 1 Peter 2:21-22:

For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

[1 Peter 2:21-22 New King James Version]

Brother Philip: Christ committed no sin and therefore He is holy. He is perfect; the only one who is able to live up to God’s image of being holy. How about us, the rest of humanity? Does that mean there is no way for us to be reconciled to God and be restored to live up to the reason why we were created to be the image of God in holiness? There is a way and here’s how. Let’s read Romans 8:29:

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

[Romans 8:29 New King James Version]

Brother Philip: How can we be the image of God as He first intended when He created us, in spite of our sins, and in spite of us being unholy and being separated from Him? Well this can happen through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, remember, Who is God’s image. So, by conforming to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, we will be restored to be in God’s image in holiness. And how did our Almighty God intend to conform us to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ? By making us a part of the one new man of which Christ is the head the Church is His body. What’s the name of this Church, which is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of which we should become members in order to conform to the image of God in holiness? Let’s read here in Ephesians 4:11-13:

And he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, some to be evangelists, others preachers or teachers. The common object of their labor was to bring the Christians maturity to prepare them for Christian service and the building up of the church of Christ, until we all reach the unity of the faith and a fuller knowledge of the son of God and attain to maturity even to the measure of stature of the fullness of Christ.

[Ephesians 4:11-13 Norlie’s Simplified New Testament]

Brother Philip: Dear friends, we were created in the image of God, not in His physical image, but in holiness, meaning God intended for us to be holy like Him. But because we failed to live up to this, and were consequently separated from Him, the only way to be reconciled to Him once again and be conformed to His image of holiness and to live up this expectation is to be a part of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, a member of The Church of Christ.

Well that’s all that we have time for this episode. We hope that you’ll tune in next time where we will be able to answer more of your questions from the Holy Scriptures. Please feel free to e-mail your questions to [email protected]. Matthew 7:7 of the New International Version:

Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be open to you.

[Matthew 7:7 New International Version]

Brother Philip: That’s in the Bible. Thank you for joining us on this podcast episode of That’s In The Bible.

Brother Bob Pellien: Hello, and welcome, everyone!

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Brother Bob Pellien | Minister of the Gospel

Brother Bob: I’m Brother Bob Pellien and thanks for joining us today in this episode of That’s in the Bible. Today we’re going to be addressing what you may have seen on social media recently. There’s quite a debate brewing. A lot of elementary schools are removing Halloween, and the parents are in quite an uproar about it saying things like, “Well, schools are just taking away the fun for the children. It’s a nice candy day for the kids.” Dear friends, there would not be such a debate if in fact everyone really understood the symbolism of Halloween, the origin, the history, and what it is all about. That’s precisely what was written into our program by Dianey. She wrote and she asked us this question, “Why shouldn’t we celebrate Halloween, and how did it start?” 

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Question: Why shouldn’t we celebrate Halloween, and how did it start?

Dianey

Brother Bob: Well, Dianey, we’re not going to turn to the Holy Scriptures to find the origins of Halloween. 

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We’re NOT going to turn to the HOLY SCRIPTURES to find the ORIGINS of HALLOWEEN

Brother Bob: Why, you may ask? This is the program That’s in the Bible. Well it’s because that’s actually not in the Bible. 

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HALLOWEEN’S NOT in the BIBLE

Brother Bob: In fact, it has its origins in ancient pagan cultures, otherwise known as non Christians who are worshipping multiple gods. 

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Brother Bob Pellien | Minister of the Gospel

Brother Bob: So dear friends, before you place any of ourselves on either side of that ongoing debate, we need to educate ourselves. So together, let’s take a look into Halloween’s history. Where did Halloween come from? 

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Where did Halloween come from?

Brother Bob: In a book entitled Catholic Customs & Traditions, which is a popular guide written by Greg Dues. Here on page 196 this is what’s written:

There are several possibilities for the origin of the tradition of giving treats

as part of trick or treating…The more probable origin lies in the pagan New

Year celebration among the Celts. It was thought that the ghosts who

roamed freely that night would be satisfied with a banquet table laid out in

homes. For a while after Christianity arrived in Celtic lands, there was an

attempt to transfer this custom to the eve of All Souls Day (November 2).

Masked children would go from door to door to pray for the departed loved

ones in return for a treat.

[Catholic Customs & Traditions: A Popular Guide, pg. 196]

Brother Bob: So here, dear friends, we could see then, and Dianey, thank you for your question, the origin of Halloween and some of its customs in trick or treating and such, the origin of Halloween is not in the Bible at all, but rather it has its roots in ancient pagan cultures. 

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The ORIGIN of HALLOWEEN is NOT in the BIBLE at all 

Brother Bob: What is this Halloween holiday all about? Let’s delve into a little bit further so you know which side of that debate you should put yourself on. If we look further into the history of Halloween, for example, if we turn to the very popular Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume II, page 15, right here it says the following about Halloween:

HALLOWEEN (in Medieval times “All Hallows”) kept on October 31, the

eve of All Saints’ Day, was the Celtic festival at the end of summer named

Samhain. It was connected with…the practice of divinations and its

association with the dead, whose souls were supposed to revisit their

homes on this day.

[Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume II, pg. 15]

Brother Bob: So, once again, it did not have and does not have a biblical origin. But as we just read there, history tells us it instead has its origin in ancient pagan cultures, and refers back to particularly a Celtic festival at New Year’s time, the end of summer at the end of the year, called Samhain, and it was connected with divination.

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Why shouldn’t we celebrate Halloween, and how did it start?

Brother Bob: Now, the dead souls at that time—and this is an important thing—because the dead souls were supposed to return to their homes during that festival.

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Brother Bob Pellien | Minister of the Gospel

Brother Bob: Does the Bible have anything to say about these practices of Halloween, the divination, ghosts returning to the homes, the trick or treat and all the various things like that? All right then, let’s go to the Holy Bible. We turn to Leviticus 19:26 wherein it says the following:

“‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. “‘Do not practice divination or sorcery. 

[Leviticus 19:26 New International Version]

So the Bible does have a response regarding these things. It says first of all, “Don’t do that.” This is what every Christian should know about Halloween. The Bible specifically prohibits such things.

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Why shouldn’t we celebrate Halloween, and how did it start?

Brother Bob: And what about the pagan practice to prepare a banquet table for the dead returning to their home, which contributed to the current customs of receiving treats when you go to the homes and yell, “Trick or treat!” Trick or treating is an important and popular part of the Halloween festivities. Dear friends, the Bible also addresses that and does so here in the book of Job chapter 7: 

As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, So he who goes down

to the grave does not come up. He shall never return to his house,

Nor shall his place know him anymore.

[Job 7:9-10 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: So dear friends, the Bible makes it very clear [that] there’s no returning to the home anymore as a ghost or as a skeleton or such things like that, the kind of costumes that parents put their children in, ghosts and skeletons and all that things is part of the traditions of this history we’re discussing here. 

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Why shouldn’t we celebrate Halloween, and how did it start?

Brother Bob: And they do so to get treats from the banquet table on that particular night. So, Dianey, we again, thank you for your question. Understand, the Bible clearly teaches against such things. So that is why Christians shouldn’t celebrate Halloween. 

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Christian should NOT celebrate HALLOWEEN.

Brother Bob: But let’s continue with both sides of the debate because some will say, “Well, even though it has those kind of pagan cultural origins, it’s just a fun thing for children to do. Why take it out of the schools?” They say, “Why not encourage the children to participate? It’s just fun. It’s an old tradition.” They say, “Kids love it.” We get it. We understand that side of the debate. 

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Brother Bob Pellien | Minister of the Gospel

Brother Bob: But look, here’s what the what the Scriptures and has to say. It was Apostle Paul’s a letter to Timothy where he addressed it in these terms. Let’s take a look here at 1 Timothy chapter 4, it says in verse 7 the following: 

But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself

toward godliness.

[I Timothy 4:7 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: So the biblical instruction is very explicit, dear friends. It says to reject such kind of fables and exercise, instead, godliness. There’s another element of Halloween that I suppose many do not know, and that element of Halloween was described [also] in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Let’s take let’s take a look at it. It’s recorded in Volume II  also on page 15: 

The autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches,

hobgoblins, fairies and demons of all kinds…It was the only day in which

the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes.

[Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume II, Pg. 15]

Brother Bob: Imagine that, dear friends? Imagine Halloween was the day [on] which they were able to invoke or ask, and that was the practice, to ask the assistance of none other than the devil himself. Obviously we here inside the Church Of Christ use these reasons for not celebrating Halloween. How could we? 

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Why shouldn’t we celebrate Halloween, and how did it start?

Brother Bob: But then, maybe there would be those who would want to say, “Well look, we’re not thinking of it’s pagan origins and we’re certainly not going to invoke the help of the devil, of course. So we’re just doing this because it’s cute to see the children wearing costumes of the devil, costumes of ghosts, and costumes of all these different things and the children enjoy going to Halloween parties and they get all kinds of candy for their kids.” 

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Brother Bob Pellien | Minister of the Gospel

Brother Bob: So is there any biblical guidance that God would want us to know and understand as we listen to the ongoing debate at schools whether or not Halloween should be something Christians should participate in? Dear friends, we turn again to the Holy Bible and this time it’s Apostle Paul’s letter. He wrote the following to the Ephesians. Ephesians 4:17 which reads this way:

Here then is my word to you, and I urge it on  you in the Lord’s name: give up living as pagans do with their futile notions.

[Ephesians 4:17 Revised English Bible]

Brother Bob: Does the Bible give any instruction? Does the Bible give any guidance? What’s the instruction? Absolutely it gives us instruction. And what was it? He said, “Give up all those things that have to do with pagan origin.”

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GIVE UP all those things that have to do with PAGAN ORIGIN

Brother Bob: That’s the instruction, dear friends. So if we’re going to consider the ongoing debate, which side should we be on? Here inside the Church Of Christ, we’ll be on the side of doing it the Lord’s way and give up those Halloween practices that go against the teachings of God. 

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Why shouldn’t we celebrate Halloween, and how did it start?

Brother Bob: Why are so many people choosing pagan cultures and incorporating their traditions into the holidays of current times? There’s something that they have missed, and what they have missed was mentioned by Apostle Paul in  the format of a warning. What was the warning of the Apostle Paul given in the Holy Scriptures? Here’s what he said. He said it in his letter to the Colossians 2:8 is where it’s recorded.

Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-

sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ.

[Colossians 2:8 New Living Translation]

Brother Bob: So, the Bible is very clear. It clearly issued the warning not to let anyone lead you astray with human traditions, human ideologies and philosophies that they have themselves simply invented or incorporated from pagan cultures. 

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Brother Bob Pellien | Minister of the Gospel

Brother Bob: There was a direct instruction as well, also from Apostle Paul, when he spoke in a similar way to the to the Galatians. Not only was his advice,” Don’t let someone lead you astray.” That’s what people miss. They missed the point that they’re being led astray by those things. But he went on to say to the Galatians in Galatians 1:8:

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to

you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 

[Galatians 1:8-9 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: So dear friends, even if others will say or try to convince us,  “It’s just for fun.” And if they will say, ”No one thinks of it as pagan practice.”

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Why shouldn’t we celebrate Halloween, and how did it start?

Brother Bob: Truth of the matter is, it doesn’t erase where this holiday came from. Simply put, celebrating Halloween means to embrace something that is not Christian. To conclude, therefore, on that point I would like to read one more Bible verse. Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 15:1-2:

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

[I Corinthians 15:1-2 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: Halloween, dear friends, may seem harmless on the surface. But after gaining this knowledge, we urge you to make an informed decision regarding whether or not it’s something you want to participate in, you want your children to participate in. Apostle Paul said to hold on to what was preached if we want to be saved.

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Brother Bob Pellien | Minister of the Gospel

Brother Bob: Here in the Church Of Christ, we use the Bible only as the basis of our beliefs. We stand by it, no matter what people around us may say, or do, or believe about us. 

Dianey, we are so very thankful for your question. And when you’re ready to learn more about the fundamental teachings found here inside the Church Of Christ, please visit us online or visit any of our various social media accounts. 

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Learn more at incmedia.org

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Brother Bob: To speak to a Minister of the Gospel or to join us in worship, you can find a directory of our houses of worship online, also. 

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Find a house of worship near you: IglesiaNiCristo.net/directory

Brother Bob: If you have any questions about the Bible, please email us for a chance that your question would be featured on the show. 

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EMAIL US YOUR QUESTIONS

Brother Bob: Well, dear friends, I’m brother Bob Pellien, and we want to thank you once again for joining us! We’ll see you again next time on That’s in the Bible.