Q&As

John 4:1-2 mentions that Jesus disciples were baptizing, but Jesus had not yet died and been resurrected. So were they applying a form of the baptism of John? Did those… Read More

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commanded his disciples to baptise the new disciples in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, but in Acts… Read More

I’ve been studying out different religious doctrines for a while. One that I am looking for a stronger answer to is the practice of speaking in tongues. It’s evident that… Read More

Could I hear your take (biblically) on speaking in tongues and why this is not practiced in the churches where I worship today? My other question is on the offices… Read More

There’s a fellow on my ship who is a charismatic. He has real life experiences with miracles, including one instance with his wife. She had developed these bumps of some… Read More

I have a question about baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. There are certainly numerous accounts in the Bible indicating that baptism is an integral part of… Read More

In 1 Corinthians 7:14, what does the word "sanctified" mean? Does it mean "saved"? Can an unbelieving spouse be saved through the believing spouse? –Jeanette (Phoenix) I believe Paul is simply urging… Read More

Concerning your observation that “a number of paid ministers consider continuing education to be optional,” I believe it is important to remember that Jesus was never “educated” (John 7:15), and… Read More

I wanted to know what you thought about the authorship of some of the NT books traditionally accepted as written by Paul. For instance, some scholars state that the books… Read More

I’ve been taught that at the time the Israelites would have come upon Jericho, it was little more than an unfortified, and very sparsely populated town, whereas the biblical account… Read More

Since God created everything, did He create evil? I refuse to believe that, but I am left with no other thoughts; I am not a struggling disciple, and no matter… Read More

The following question comes from a relative who I would like to help more: "Why would a God who is omnipresent omnipotent and all-loving create people when He knows such… Read More

In 1 Timothy 3 the scripture talks about the standard of appointing a man as deacon. Appointing women as deaconesses was not mentioned in the scripture. Why? Is it a matter of… Read More

What exactly is the abomination that causes desolation? — Kathy Ofallon (Boston) I believe you are referring to Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:15 (Mark 13:14), which is a reference back… Read More

In Daniel 2:43, Daniel explains that the toes of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of were partly iron and partly clay, meaning that the people of that kingdom would be… Read More

I had an online Mormon friend, a woman supposedly dying of cancer. I tried sharing the gospel with her, yet it went nowhere. She kept trying to get me to… Read More

I have been advised that it is pretty useless studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses because they are stubborn and nothing will eventuate. Surely there has to be an effective way to… Read More

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the Kingdom of God (invisible, apparently) is already here and it is not the church. Are there different definitions of "the Kingdom," and if so which… Read More

The Jehovah’s Witnesses forbid blood transfusion and quoted a scripture in Acts 15 to support their stance. I read that verse and it just mentioned “blood.” Taking into context the… Read More

Does Hebrews 8:10-11 mean that we will no longer have to teach people the Bible because they’ll already know the Lord? — Joanne Gross (Cincinnati) Not at all! Hebrews 8… Read More

In 1 Samuel 19:9 and 16:14 it states that an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, and in James 1:13 it states God does not tempt anyone. How… Read More

I’m curious about how to reconcile Jesus’ attitude towards enemies with the Old Testament’s. Further, I’m curious how a Christian is to view the maintenance of a standing army to protect… Read More

Lots of people talk about "baptizing disciples." And yet aren’t disciples already Christians? How can this be? This is a very common question. Let me share some relevant thoughts. Baptizing disciples? As you are aware,… Read More

From the Bible, I know that Jacob and Esau were sons of Isaac, but God chose Jacob to be one of the ancestors of Jesus’ ‘line’. After Jacob, I know… Read More

Can a person’s lack of faith prevent someone else from becoming a Christian? And will God – prompted by faithful prayers – change the heart of a person that is… Read More

A friend of mine justified the office of the papacy by referring to the office of the "keybearer "in Isaiah 22:22ff.  The keybearer was a successive office which had authority… Read More

You mentioned that there are varying degrees of punishment regarding non-disciples, which I think is true (Luke 12:47-48), but you then used Matthew 6:20 and Philippians 4:17 to argue in… Read More

Ephesians 4:29 says “Don’t let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth…” Is the usage of slang words like “gosh” and “gee” unwholesome, or is it profanity (Exodus 20:7)?… Read More

In 1 John 5:16-17, the author writes that there are some sins that lead to death and others that do not. I have always believed that all sin – any… Read More

Were Adam and Eve the only humans God (personally directly) created? Cain went out a got a wife later he built a city etc. Where did these people come from?… Read More

Who were the Nephilim? The term literally means "the fallen ones." Some say they were a race of giants, the offspring of angels and women, to which Goliath and Lahmi… Read More

It would be great if Dr. Jacoby could recommend a book or commentary or two on each book in the Bible, plus some general dictionaries, etc. There are so many… Read More

We know from 1 Peter 2 that all Christians have come into the light from the darkness. At what point does a child enter into darkness? If it is at… Read More

Can you recommend a book of the history of the Bible? I mean how it was decided which books and letters were the Bible? How do I know which scriptures (like… Read More

One time I stopped and was talking to a girl taking some philosophy and religion courses at the University of Calgary. She’s studying the first century church and doubts the… Read More

What are the specific reasons (e.g. scriptural contradictions) that we can cite from Scripture or other sources, that show that the Apocrypha is not inspired by the Holy Spirit? Again,… Read More

What has always puzzled me is the salvation of the righteous under the old covenant. How were Moses Abraham David et al. forgiven? If through faith in Christ looking forward… Read More

How can I help my Hindu friend see the way Christianity builds on top of the foundational truths that most religions share? [Condensation of longer question] — Dave McKay (Bloomington,… Read More

Associate Professor Zeev Herzog (Tel-Aviv University, Department of Archaeology & Near Eastern Studies) wrote an article in the renowned Ha’aretz magazine on Oct 29, 1999. I would like to know… Read More

Can you suggest some good study material for events that happened in the first century that are not recorded in the Bible. i.e. Destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, Paul’s… Read More

What is the truth behind the 4th Commandment on the Sabbath? If Saturday is the 7th day, and the Sabbath, why do we not worship on Saturday? If we observe… Read More

When the New Testament talks about what happens and explains people’s heart and motives is it because that a disciple was there with them or what? For example take Matthew… Read More

I have always been troubled by Acts 8:14-19. One explanation I have been told is that the Holy Spirit discussed here means only the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, and… Read More

In Acts 15:9, in referring to Cornelius, Peter said that God "purified their hearts by faith." No one has ever used that scripture with me to justify forgiveness of sins… Read More

You said on page 212 of The Spirit that Ananias laid his hands on Paul so that he would receive his sight, but Acts 9:17 also says "and be filled… Read More

Was Paul’s apostleship a special version? How did he get it? Paul was not one of the original 12 disciples of Christ, a fact his critics made much of. Yes,… Read More

Does the prophecy Joel spoke of indicate preaching, or an infallible doctrinal gift? The nature of the prophecy Joel spoke of (Joel 2:28-32) is neither. Certainly it seems to have… Read More

Is "they" in Acts 2:1 referring to the twelve apostles, or the hundred and twenty? I believe the group are the apostles — all are Galileans, after all, according to… Read More

Hi Doug, could you tell me, What is your understanding of metaphysics, and how would you study the Bible with someone who believes in it? — Vicente Lopez(Washington DC) Metaphysics,… Read More

What was Paul referring to about the baptism for the dead? What are your thoughts and what do you know about it?–Thomas, as well as Ben (Hilo, Hawaii), and John… Read More

He oído que predicó acerca del fruto de Juan 15 que se refiere a la Gran y de los frutos del espíritu, el fruto de Juan 15 se refiere al… Read More

On page 122 of [James, Peter, John, Jude], you said that angels are “never described as having wings,” and yet Isaiah 6:2 describes the seraphs as having six wings. Were… Read More

What is the explanation for Judas hanging himself (Matthew 27:5) to falling headfirst and his intestines falling out (Acts 1:18)? I suppose it might be decomposition for the guts part,… Read More

Matthew and Mark describe the calling of the first disciples in similar accounts. Would Luke be considered a more descriptive version of those accounts? Would John’s account be considered to… Read More

Who incited David to take the census? 2 Samuel says God incited David, and 1 Chronicles says Satan incited David. This question is related to 0022, as I read the… Read More

How are we to understand God’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart? I believe when you go back to Exodus you will see that in some passages it says God hardened his heart,… Read More

Deseo oír tu visión con respecto a lo que sucede cuando morimos. He estudiado algunos temas por mi propia cuenta y he concluido que entramos a un estado de sueño o… Read More

Who are the fundamentalists? What do they stand for? As far as I can judge, fundamentalists are Bible believers who: * Hold a high view of Christ and scripture, *… Read More

I would like to find out the explanation to the scripture in Peter where it mentions Jesus, after he was crucified, “preaching to the spirits in prison.” We understand that… Read More

Isn’t Psalm 137:9 a little harsh? This is the only verse in the bible that in my view, does not seem to describe God’s heart as I have known it…. Read More

How do you interpret John 1:48? My wife and I got a chance to see a fig tree in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens once. It is an interesting tree in… Read More

In Matthew 17:27, Jesus gives instructions to Peter to go fish for the temple tax, and give it so as “not to offend” the Pharisees. But Jesus was not one… Read More

Many theologians, from what I have heard, have gone as far to say that Melchizedek may have actually been Jesus. Can you shed any light on this subject for me?… Read More

Would you please explain what Jesus meant in Luke 7:28? Jesus says, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John, yet the one… Read More

In Matthew 17:10-12 Jesus alludes to the fact that John the Baptist was the Elijah to come, yet in John 1:21 John the Baptist denies it. Is this because in… Read More

Have you always been supportive of Christian women preaching? If you’re interested, here’s a paper I wrote in 1990. Yes, my views have shifted since that time. Today I see no problem with… Read More

How can we as Bible students tell the difference between characters in the Bible with the same first name? For example, James the brother of Jesus and James the brother… Read More

What was the Leviathan, and is it significant? (Some say crocodile, I’m not so sure.)—Ric (Boston) Right, Ric, croc it is! Or, better said, the crocodile is a sort of… Read More

May I offer all readers some general advice on finding answers to your Bible questions: * Try to figure out the difficulty or question yourself using whatever Bible tools you… Read More

In Daniel 12:11-12, it says: “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is… Read More

In Luke 24:46, Jesus tells the disciples that it is written that ‘The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.’ The only OT scripture I… Read More

Can you recommend reading material about ‘Trinity’ theology? — Joel Hughes, Triangle, North Carolina Many works – thousands of pages! – have been written about the Trinity. Because this is… Read More

What evidence proves the falseness of the Muslim faith? — Mitchell, Boston, Massachusetts Rather than aim to demonstrate the error of other religions, denominations, or sects, Christians are called to… Read More

I have always had some questions about Acts 2:42. The question I have is whether “devoting themselves to the breaking of the bread” is referring to eating meals with each… Read More

On the one hand, the Bible urges Christians to be fully confident that we are saved, and on the other, to work out our salvation with “fear and trembling.” Yet… Read More

I was taught that in Luke 14:26 the Greek word for hate means “love less,” and that is what I have taught others. To my surprise, when I looked it… Read More

I am concerned with the question of veiling. Why are Christian sisters today not veiled per 1 Corinthians 11:6? — Troy Hannon (Philadelphia) and Stephanie Collins (Cincinnati) Most Christians interpret… Read More

Unos años atras, usted escribió en su serie del antiguo testamento en el nuevo testamento (“la Biblia bajo prueba”, en www.acesonline.org (un sitio antiguo) ” … recuerdo que a menudo… Read More

A few years ago, you wrote in your online series about the use of the OT in the NT (“The Bible on Trial,” at www.Acesonline.org [old website]) “… remember that… Read More