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Table of Contents
What Does the
...the Bible
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Women Ministers:
Holy Ghost:
What does the bible say about the Holy Ghost. Does it actually say ghost
Thank you for viewing the web site and thank you for your question. The Bible has a lot to say about the Holy Ghost and it does actually use the word ghost. In fact the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Holy Ghost 90 times in the Bible. It is interesting to note that the word ghost is only found in the New Testament. In the Old Testament He is referred to as the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God.
The Bible says the Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. That he is God. That he is part of the Godhead and he bears witness that Jesus was the Son of God?
Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a
voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well
pleased.
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is present with everyone that is a believer in Jesus:
Acts 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled
together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word
of God with boldness.
Acts 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have
received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
Acts 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy
Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1 Corinthians 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God
calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the
Holy Ghost.
2 Timothy 1:14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which
dwelleth in us.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy
he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Luke 11:13
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how
much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
1 Thessalonians 4:8
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given
unto us his holy Spirit.
The Bible says that there are certain gifts that believers receive from the Holy Ghost :
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit
Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace,
and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may
abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
2 Corinthians 6:6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost,
by love unfeigned,
The Bible says that the Holy Spirit interrupts our prayers and gives them to God the Father:
Rom 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God
The Bible says the that Spirit seals us once we are born again and keeps us until the end of time:
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
The Bible says the that the Holy Spirit will teach us:
Luke 2:25-26And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the
same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy
Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
Luke 12:12
For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
Luke 4:1
1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the
Spirit into the wilderness,
John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.
Acts 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had
given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth,
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were
among you for your sake.
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The Bible says that the only sin that will not be forgiven is speaking blasphemy against the Holy Spirit:
Mark 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but
is in danger of eternal damnation:
Luke 12:10
And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven
him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be
forgiven.
Bible Translations:
I have been reading some on the star of David and this has brought me to look into passages in the KJV bible where Christ is called the day star and the bright and morning star. But, in some other bible translations Satan is also called the day star and bright and morning star. How is it that Christ and Satan can both be called by these titles?
Thanks for writing in. You have a great question, unfortunately, I don’t have a great answer! Your question gets into the whole controversy of Bible translations and which ones are OK to use and which ones aren’t. I’m not an expert in these things and don’t pretend to be. I have listened to the arguments on both sides of the issue, and all these people claim to be experts (clearly they know more about it than I do). After considering both sides, I concluded that I will stick with my King James Version Bible.
I tend to be a very straight forward thinking person and I try to boil things down to the simple bottom line. So here’s what I think. For hundreds of years, the King James Bible (KJV) has been the scripture that God has used for English speaking people. Over and over in scripture we are told that God will supernaturally preserve His Word. I believe he preserved his Word in the 1600s, in the 1700s, and in the … you get the idea. So, the English speaking Christians that lived between the 1600s and now, they either had a Bible or they didn’t. God either preserved His Word or He didn’t. I believe that He did.
So, for hundreds of years, God has used the KJV. I’m OK with that. I’m OK with sticking to that. I’m NOT OK with changing it.
Deut 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
Deut 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
Prov 30:6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Rev 22:18-19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
So, they can keep their new translations. I think it’s all about money anyway. They want to sell a new version of the bible every other year or so. Perhaps they don’t like the message in the Bible that they have?
Seasons:
I am writing for some clarity here. Ever since I was little, I was
told that, "we shall not know the seasons apart before he returns."
The implication of that is that it will be cooler in the summer than
usual and warmer in the winter than usual. Do you see this in scripture?
Thank you very much.
Hello;
Thanks for your question about the seasons. I had never heard that before. But it’s possible that immediately before Jesus’ return, there would be no seasons. Let me start at the beginning and work through the idea in an orderly manner.
We know that our seasons are controlled by the sun and the moon, and the earth’s position in relation to those bodies. And scripture confirms this:
If for some reason there was a change in the sun, moon, or earth and their relationship to each other, then the seasons would definitely be effected and for a time might seem to run together. We are told several times in scripture that right before Jesus’ return, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give her light:
Joel 2:30-31 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
Joel 3:15-16 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Rev 6:12-14 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Mat 24:27-30 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mark 13:24-26 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
At the very end of the seven year tribulation, there will be a time when the sun and moon will change. And that would definately effect the seasons. But I don't think this will be for a long period of time, not even one season. From these scriptures I think it’s safe to say that it will be a sudden event, not a gradual change over time. I don’t find any place in scripture that talks about a gradual change. That doesn’t mean it’s not there, just that I don’t recall ever seeing it. Maybe if someone reads this, and knows of a scripture, they will write in and let us know.
Thanks for your question. God Bless.
Seminary:
Hi, I was just doing some research on-line into a question that has me baffled, in a way. Let me start off by saying that I am a born-again, Spirit filled servant of my Lord Jesus, the Christ. I know that I have a call to do many things as a servant of God, including but not limited to preaching, teaching, etc.. My question/questions are can you name any place in Scripture where we are instructed to go to school or seminary to be considered a minister of the gospel? Wouldn't that be like taking the way of the world? From my own study of Scripture and hours of prayer, it seems to me that a person should be judged by one's relational knowledge of the Lord, not by head knowledge, and the only way to know if one is truly called is to listen to what they have been given by the Lord. Am I wrong?
Thanks for your question. When you use the phrase “minister of the gospel” I’m assuming you mean a pastor of a church. As Christians, we are ALL called to be “ministers of the gospel” and we should all be telling the gospel to as many people as we can. But for the purposes of this discussion, we’ll use the phrase to mean a pastor or preacher.
There is no passage in the Bible that I’m aware of that specifically says you have to have formal training to be a pastor. However, there are many verses that talk about studying and learning:
Jn 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so
Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
And, there are plenty of verses that speak of those that refuse instruction:
Prov 5:12-14 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
Prov 12:1 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
So, studying the scriptures is definitely Biblical. Going to a seminary to learn even more would also be good (so long as the seminary still holds the Word of God to be true). Over and over in scripture we are instructed to teach others about the faith. If someone is teaching, someone else must be the student. I can’t find any reason to think that we are not to learn from those that are older in the faith than we are. So, if we go to an institution that is paying the older, more learned believers (professors) to teach , what could be wrong with that so long as they are believers in Christ.
The problem comes when universities and seminaries depart from the Word and hire professors that are not true believers and cause doubt and confusion. Unfortunately, this is the norm now and good seminaries are few and far between.
You made a statement about head knowledge verses relational knowledge that troubles me. It is true that there are people that know the Bible inside and out. But they don’t know the Lord Jesus. In that case it is true that their head knowledge is not important. But we are talking about believers here. So, head knowledge, as you put it, is very important and 2 Tim 2:15 makes it a command. When we have teachers and pastors that aren’t properly trained in the Word, we end up with people that teach error. I’ve heard many preachers teaching doctrine in direct contradiction to the Word of God and their justification is “I’ve received a word from the Lord.” This is how heresies begin. This is how cults are formed. This is why it’s so important to study the Word and submit yourself to the teaching of older believers.
I hope this answers your question.
Cursing:
Hello!
Dear Janet;
Thanks for your question, it’s a good one and I learned a lot looking up the answer. There are several verse that mention cursing that don’t refer to using the Lord’s name in vain or blaspheming God. However, I get the idea that “Cursing” in these verses is more about speaking evil against someone. In content, the meaning of cursing in these verses is the opposite of blessing. Here are the verses:
Psa 59:12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
Psa 109:17-18 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
Prov 29:24 Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and betrayeth it not.
Rom 3:13-14 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Jam 3:8-10 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
However, I get the feeling from your email that you are referring to profanity when you ask about cursing. In that case it gets a little more complicated. Profanity is really a cultural thing. Words that are considered profanity in the United States are sometimes fine in England or Australia, or visa versa. So, you aren’t going to find a list of “bad” words in the Bible that are a sin to say. Instead, God gives us instructions on how we are to conduct ourselves. We are told that what comes out of our mouth is what is in our heart:
As a Christian we should have love, joy, and peace in our hearts (see Gal. 5:22) not profanity. Additionally, as Christians, we are watched by those that aren’t Christians (like those you work with) and they judge Christianity in general by our actions. We represent Jesus to them. Therefore, we have to be very careful about what we say and do:
Having said all that, the following verse are pretty clear; we need to put away all evil speaking:
Jam 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Jam 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell
1 Pet 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
1 Pet 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
Psa 34:13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Prov 13:3 He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
Prov 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
I think I’ll let you read the verses and decide for yourself whether or not you think profanity is sinful. My own personal code of conduct is that I try not to do or say anything that would cause people to think badly of Christians. And since Jesus is always with me, I try to behave and speak in a manner that would be pleasing to him.
I hope that answers your question. God Bless
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