Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 10131 The New Testament makes a remarkable promise to believers: they will reign with Christ. This is not metaphorical language for spiritual influence or a poetic way of describing the blessings of salvation. It is a concrete promise about the future role of the redeemed in the administration of Christ’s kingdom. Understanding what this…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 10149 The “book of life” is a concept that appears at several points in Scripture, from the Pentateuch through to the closing chapters of Revelation. It refers to a divine register of those who belong to God, and its implications for the doctrines of salvation, assurance, and final judgement are profound. Understanding what the…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 10102 One of the most comforting truths in Scripture is the answer to this question: Where do believers go immediately when they die? The New Testament is clear—those who die in Christ enter immediately into His presence. There is no waiting period, no purgatory, no unconscious sleep. The moment a believer takes their last…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 10101 The intermediate state refers to the condition of human beings between physical death and bodily resurrection. This period—which for some has already lasted thousands of years—raises important questions: Where are the dead now? Are they conscious? What are they experiencing? Scripture provides clear answers that should comfort believers and warn unbelievers about what…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 10064 Whilst Scripture is clear that hell is a place of conscious, eternal punishment for all who reject Christ, it also indicates that the degree of punishment will vary according to the light received and the sins committed. God’s perfect justice means that punishment will be precisely proportionate to guilt. The Reality of Hell…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 09094 The phrase “breaking bread” appears at several key points in the New Testament, and its interpretation has significant implications for how churches understand and practise the Lord’s Supper. Was the early church observing a brief, formal ordinance of bread and wine, or were they sharing a full communal meal in which the bread…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 09006 The Lord’s Supper is the second of the two ordinances Jesus gave to His church. It is practised in virtually every Christian tradition, yet the meaning attached to it varies enormously. Roman Catholics believe the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ. Lutherans hold that Christ is physically present…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 60065 The practice of praying to Mary and the saints is one of the most visible differences between Roman Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism. For many Catholics, asking Mary or a canonised saint to intercede on their behalf is as natural and unremarkable as asking a friend to pray for them. For evangelicals, the practice…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 60047 The question of whether a person can be both pro-choice and a faithful Christian arises with increasing frequency, particularly in cultures where reproductive rights have become a defining political issue. It is a question that deserves a direct and honest answer, because it touches on matters of life, death, and the character of…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 10103 Soul sleep is the belief that when people die, their souls enter an unconscious state until the resurrection. According to this view, the dead—whether believer or unbeliever—know nothing, experience nothing, and are essentially “asleep” until God raises them at the end of the age. This teaching is held by certain groups including Seventh-day…