Bible Questions & Answers

Jesus Himself claimed to be far more than a good man or prophet. He said "I am the way, the truth, and the life" and "Before Abraham was, I AM" — proclaiming the divine name of God. We see the coming of the Messiah in Isaiah and throughout the Old Testament. When Jesus begins His ministry and is baptized, we see a dove and hear a voice from heaven confirming who Jesus is. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." — John 14:6 "I and the Father are one." — John 10:30 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." — Isaiah 7:14 "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" — Matthew 3:16–17

Jesus came to save man from death. All of humanity had turned away from God through sin, and the penalty of sin is death — eternal separation from God. Jesus, fully God and fully man, came to live the perfect life we could not live, and to die the death we deserved. His death on the cross paid the penalty for sin in full. He lived His life without sin, and His life and death were accepted by God, as His mission was successful and complete to save man. He came so that we could be reconciled to God and have eternal life. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." — Luke 19:10 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin." — Hebrews 4:15 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." — 2 Corinthians 5:21

We see through the Old Testament the coming of the chosen one — the Messiah, the Creator. Everything that was said in Isaiah came to pass. In the New Testament we see the life of Jesus proclaimed as the Creator and Savior. John 1:1–3 states clearly: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:14 confirms the Word became flesh — Jesus. Colossians 1:16–17 adds: "For in him all things were created... He is before all things." Jesus is not a created being; He is the eternal Creator. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." — Revelation 22:13 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." — John 1:14 "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." — Colossians 1:16–17 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." — Isaiah 7:14 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." — Isaiah 9:6

As the people waited for the coming of the Messiah, they looked at the Old Testament for the answers to their questions. Every single thing that was foretold came to pass. After Jesus rose from the dead, He returned to bless and encourage those who had been with Him. He told them to tell the world about Him. The disciples, the two on the road to Emmaus, the 500 people who saw Him, and the women at the empty tomb all witnessed the risen Christ. "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." — Matthew 28:6 "Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them." — Luke 24:13–15 "After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep." — 1 Corinthians 15:6 "Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means Teacher)." — John 20:16

There are many claims of salvation through many ways in our world. Many false messiahs claim they have the way to heaven. Jesus warns us about this. There are claims of paying for salvation, working your way to heaven, and even the claim that people can simply tell God to let them in. Jesus made it clear — there is no other way but through Him. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." — John 14:6 "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." — 1 John 5:11–12

Jesus tells us to come to Him for salvation. When we repent and confess our sins to Jesus, we are forgiven. When we realize our sinful condition and see how we have hurt God by living a sinful life, things will change as we commune with God on a regular basis. It is when we study our Bibles and pray to God that we get to know Him and He can tell us what He wants us to do. When we truly come to God and confess our sins wholeheartedly, we become one with God. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast." — Ephesians 2:8–9 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." — Isaiah 55:1 "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let the one who hears say, 'Come!' Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." — Revelation 22:17

No. The Bible is clear that no human effort, religious practice, or self-improvement can bridge the gap between sinful humanity and a holy God. Our righteousness is filthy rags. We have nothing to offer to redeem ourselves. Salvation is not something we achieve — it is something we receive. God took the initiative by sending His Son. Our part is simply to accept what Christ has already done for us. As it is stated in the question "What do I have to do to be saved?" — Jesus is the only way to be saved. It is a free gift, so there is no amount of money and no amount of work that will save you. When you give your heart to Jesus, you will do the right thing because you love God. You are not doing the right thing to be saved — because you are already saved. "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." — Isaiah 64:6 "There is no one righteous, not even one." — Romans 3:10 "You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you." — Psalm 86:5 "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." — Psalm 103:10–12

Once we give our hearts to Jesus, it is a growth process. As we learn to live a Christian life, we will have setbacks. It is in those setbacks that we should repent, confessing our sins to Jesus. He said He would forgive us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." — 1 John 1:9