What is “Christianese”? They are religious terms that well-meaning, bible-believing Christians use in attempts to evangelize people. The problem is that many times, what they say goes right over people’s heads. They are in the format of FAQs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Christianity
- What are the 5 Solas? The 5 Solas came out of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century. In short, they are…
- Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is our highest authority.
- Sola Fide (“Faith alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
- Sola Gratia (“Grace alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone.
- Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Savior, Redeemer, Lord, and King
- Soli Deo Gloria (“to God alone be the Glory”): It’s all about God, not us.
- What is the Apocalypse? The word “Apocalypse” comes from the Greek apokalupsis, which means to “uncover” or “reveal”. Hence, God gave us the Book of Revelation. Mark 13 actually ties Revelation with the Old Testament prophecies.
- What is Apostasy? Apostasy is when “Christian” churches stop teaching the truth and make up their own religion. I can’t even use the word “gospel”. Gospel means “Good News”. It’s the Good News of Jesus’ true salvation and that we’re saved by Grace, not by works. Apostasy is the false teachings of false prophets and teachers that Paul, John, and Peter warned us about.
- Who is the Antichrist, Man of Lawlessness, the Beast, Son of Satan? Hint: they are all the same evil person!
- What is Atonement? What does it mean to atone for your sins? Look at the word “atone”. Let’s break it up: “at one”. At one with what or whom? At one with God. It is the reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ.
- What is Baptism? Baptism, as an adult over the age of accountability, is an outward expression of your inward decision to repent of your sins and follow Jesus Christ. The act of being submerged fully in water represents your dying to your old self and being raised as a new person and believer in Jesus Christ. It symbolizes Jesus’s death on the cross and His resurrection. Additionally, you proclaim your salvation through Jesus Christ.
- What is the Bema Seat Judgment of Christ? It’s the first judgment of Jesus Christ. This is only for the born-again believers who are raptured. This will take place in Heaven. It’s for Him to acknowledge the good works and how fruitful we were once saved.
- What is Bible Study? It’s more than just reading the Bible. It’s getting to know God, His Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It’s learning how to live according to God’s standards. It also gives you a Biblical Worldview.
- What is a Biblical Worldview? A worldview is a pattern of ideas, but also a pattern of beliefs, convictions, and habits that help us make sense of God, the world, and our relationship to God and the world. Having a Biblical Worldview means that you see everything that is going on in the world through the filter of the Bible, the Word of God.
- What does it mean to be Born Again? When someone asks if you’re “born again”, how do you answer? Yes? How do you know? If you say, “Well, I’m Catholic, so I was born again when I was baptized as a baby.” Sorry, that’s wrong. That is a false teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. If you were baptized as a baby, that does not mean you are saved and are going to Heaven when you die. As Jesus told Nicodemus, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”
- What is Roman Catholicism? Roman Catholicism began at the fall of the Roman Empire in the 4th century. Century after century, they distorted the Gospel and the Word of God. They blended the pagan practices of just about every religion out there to make people feel comfortable. Unfortunately, they forgot about the true meaning of Salvation.
- Who are the Charismatic Catholics? They are one of the many Christian denominations that split from a major denomination because of a doctrinal disagreement. They believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Which means they are saved — and that’s what counts.
- Isn’t Everyone a Child of God? No. We are all made into the “image of God”, however, we are NOT all a “child of God”. There’s a difference, and it all has to do with Jesus! You become a child of God when you become born again into God’s family.
- What is Christianity? Is everyone who calls themselves a Christian really a Christian? A Christian believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, part of the Holy Trinity or Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Christian believes that Jesus suffered and died on the cross carrying our sins forever, once and for all. A Christian is born again when he or she repents of ALL their sins, in other words, stops sinning, and surrenders his or her whole life to Jesus. The new Christian believer is then baptized, showing themselves and others that they are dying to their old sinful lives, or nature, and are born into a new life in Jesus Christ. All our sins are forgiven.
- What is Confession? God requires us to confess our sins to Him and repent — stop sinning! Does confessing to a priest in the Roman Catholic Church save your soul?
- What is Confident Hope? “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” That’s not the same hope as the confident hope that we have as born-again believers in Jesus Christ. We know that this world is not our home. It’s the hope of living with Jesus in Heaven forever.
- What are the Crowns and Rewards in Heaven? If you are a true, born-again believer in Jesus Christ, a reward and/or crown awaits you in Heaven! First and foremost, understand that these rewards are not anything you can purchase by doing good works. No! We are redeemed and are purified by what Jesus did on the cross — HIS work
- What is the Crucifixion? God loved the world so much that He did not want us to perish. So, He sent His one and only Son to take on ALL our sins on the cross. (John 3:16)
- What is the Day of the Lord? Judgment Day is coming — whether you believe in God or not. God is going to judge the whole world — every single person—believers and non-believers both. This is a warning to everyone! It’s the same message over and over again.
- Why are there so many Christian Denominations? As well-meaning, yet fallible men started to organize Christianity, at the end of the Roman Empire, they began to fight about differences in beliefs. As splits and schisms occurred, many “denominations” formed and, at the same time, wandered further and further from the truth and Word of God. Satan’s goal was to divide the church, and he succeeded.
- What is Discernment? Discernment is the ability to make a judgment call about whether what you’re hearing or reading is true or not. The problem is that you can’t trust yourself. Thus, God assists in discernment when we read the Bible, pray, and ask the Holy Spirit.
- What is Faith? “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 NIV
- Who are the False Teachers? Are you Being Deceived by False Teachers who Preach Fake News? A fake gospel, that is. You know, the Good News about the true salvation of Jesus Christ. Is the church you’re attending preaching the truth about Jesus? Or do they teach a twisted, watered-down version? How can you tell the difference? How can you know the real Jesus? Believe it or not, Paul faced the same problem back in the first century. There were false apostles who talked a good talk, but they were lying to the church of that day. Just like today, they were being deceived by Satan’s cronies.
- Can Forgiveness be Bought? No. God’s Forgiveness is FREE! We don’t have to approach God with a parade of gifts, money, or good deeds! His forgiveness is FREE! We just have to come to Him with a humble and repentant heart.
- What does the Eastern Orthodox Church Believe? In 1054 AD, there was what is known as The Great Schism. That’s when the “Eastern” church split from the “Western” church. They split because of several differences, like the type of bread to use for communion, the celibacy of priests, iconography, papal supremacy, and infallibility.
- Are we in the End Times or the Last Days? When did the Last Days start? When do the End Times start? It varies from scholar to scholar, but the Last Days began either with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ or Pentecost. The End Time began in May of 1948 with the birth of the Nation of Israel.
- What is Eternal Life? When does it start? We born-again Christians have a special, “priceless inheritance” which is our final one-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven to begin eternal life with Jesus. It is a confident hope that we can cling to. A hope that doesn’t come from a political leader, a church, or any other human (living or dead) — only through Jesus Christ.
- What is Eschatology? It is the study of Biblical End Times Prophecies. Notice, I said “biblical”. It’s rooted in the Bible. End Times Bible Studies and Videos.
- What is the Eucharist? Holy Communion is the commemoration of the Last Supper that Jesus had with His disciples the night He was betrayed and arrested. However, the Roman Catholic Church falsely teaches that the wafer magically transforms into the true body of Christ. It’s just a piece of bread. Period.
- What is the Glory of God? The glory of God is the visible manifestation of all His attributes – His love, His character, His omnipotence, His omnipresence, His holiness.
- What Does it Mean to be God-Fearing? What is the Fear of God? To Fear God means to respect God and His power — to be in AWE of Him and who He is. It means to OBEY His Word and Commandments — to live righteously.
- What is the Gog and Magog War? This is the future war described in Ezekiel 38 and 39, when Russia partners with Turkey and Iran to attack Israel. We do not know when this will happen. My guess is right after the Rapture.
- Why doesn’t Everybody get the Good News of Jesus Christ? Jesus said, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not” (Matthew 13:11 NLT). In other words, many people have closed minds and hard hearts.
- Who is the Good Shepherd? This is Jesus Christ. He is of the line of David, who was a shepherd. Jesus also told us in John 10. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own (Isaiah 53:6 NLT). Sheep are stupid, they are selfish and stubborn — just like us humans. Sheep will wander from the flock. The grass looks greener and tastier over there. But a wolf is hiding behind a tree, waiting for the sheep to get just a little bit closer.
- What is the Gospel? The word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, meaning “good story,” a rendering of the Latin evangelium and the Greek euangelion, meaning “good news” or “good telling.”
- What is the Good News of Jesus? The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) proclaim that Jesus Christ came to save mankind from perishing because of our sin.
- Who Wrote the Gospels? The Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Luke was the only Gentile/Greek writer. Discover their backgrounds and who they were writing to.
- What is the Grace of God? “The free and unmerited (not deserved) favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.”
- What is the Great Tribulation? When will it happen? In the Book of Revelation, chapters 6 and 7, we see the start of the Great Tribulation that will last 7 years. These will be the last 7 years of the world as we know it! Once the Rapture happens, there’s no stopping the Great Tribulation!
- Are You a Halfway Christian? Are You Missing the Salvation of Jesus? It’s anyone who has not affirmed Jesus Christ as their personal savior and been baptized, showing themselves and the world that they are born again to a new life in Christ.
- How do You Get to Heaven? Not by doing good works! By yourself, you can never be good enough to get into Heaven. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NLT Only THROUGH a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not through a church, a pope, a priest, or by just being good.
- Is Hell Real? Is it Eternal? What is Hell? How do you avoid Hell? Hell is where you spend eternity if you die without being born again, believing that Jesus Christ is your Savior.
- What are the 7 Roles of the Holy Spirit?
- Re-generator — giver of new life. When you are born again, you die to your old life and become a new creation in the Holy Spirit.
- Giver of power: For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)
- Our Guide: He provides direction and discernment when you ask for it!
- Our Uniter: Once you’re born again, as a Child of God, you are joined with other members of the family of God.
- Intercessor: He, and ONLY He, is the person between us humans and God.
- Comforter: He’s there 24/7 and able to help you when you need it.
- Sanctifier: After you’re born again, the Holy Spirit works in you to help you to stop sinning.
- What is our Blessed Hope? First, a born-again Christian can look forward to the Rapture, when Jesus comes to rescue us from the Great Tribulation. Secondly, there’s the Marriage Banquet of the Lamb. While the world is going through the Tribulation, we will be partying with Jesus in Heaven! Then, after Jesus comes back to deal with the devil and the Antichrist, we will have the Millennial Kingdom here on earth. After 1000 years, we’ll see the New Heaven and the New Earth, and we’ll live with Jesus for eternity.
- Why does God Hate Idolatry? God clearly told us this in the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:4), that He is a jealous God and not to have any graven image of any person or creature before Him.
- What are Indulgences? They were a scam of the Roman Catholic Church when they tried to extort money from poor people to build St. Peter’s Basilica. They made up the concept of Purgatory and sold indulgences to “buy” a loved one or the person’s soul out of a place that doesn’t exist! It’s not in the Bible!
- What is the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit? It took a lot of Bible studies and sermons for me to understand that as a believer, I have the power of the Holy Spirit inside of me! That’s called the INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit. If you are not born again, you don’t have the Holy Spirit in your heart. Thus, you are missing all the power and assistance that the Holy Spirit provides.
- What is the Intertestamental Period? This is the ~400-year period between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the first one in the New Testament, Matthew.
- Why did Jesus have to die? Jesus died a horrible death. And for what? He didn’t do anything! He was sinless. The problem was that the world was not. Humans were not. People were not. Why Jesus? Why then? Why not?
- What is the Judgment Seat of Jesus? What Happens When Every Person Stands Before Jesus at the Judgment Seat? EVERYONE will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ — living and dead, believer and non-believer, — everybody.
- When are the Last Days? It varies from scholar to scholar, but the Last Days began either with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ or Pentecost. We are living in the Last Days!
- What is Lawlessness? Lawlessness is what we’re experiencing in the world right now. The Bible tells us that there will be an increase in evil, apathy, deception, corruption, and apostasy. It’s a lack of respect for the law, for people, and their property.
- What is Christian Martyrdom? The word “martyr” actually means “witness”. Christian people died because of their witness to the Christian faith. Not all people who are persecuted become martyrs. In other words, die. Martyrdom is the result of Christian persecution, which still goes on today.
- What is the Truth about Mary in the Bible? Mary was a human Jewish girl, chosen by God to bear His Son, Jesus. She was a sinner and needed a Savior. She had other children with Joseph. When you read the New Testament, you read the truth. Anything outside of the Biblical accounts of Mary is speculation and fiction invented by men.
- Who is the Real Messiah? In the Gospel of Matthew, we find Jesus’s genealogy from Abraham to his stepfather, Joseph, a direct blood descendant of King David.
- What is Paganism? When and where did it start? Paganism started at the Tower of Babel. You can find the story in Genesis 11. It was the first one-world order.
- How did Paganism start in the Roman Catholic Church? When you go into churches and see statues of Mary and the Saints, and rows of candles and offering boxes, that’s paganism. We are not supposed to bow down to, venerate, or pray to any statues or graven images. Paganism in the Christian church started in the 3rd century (the 400s). The story is interesting. It started with Constantine. Through his Edict of Milan, he declared that the Roman Empire was now Christian. To entice his fellow Roman Pagans to go to church, he introduced many pagan customs and traditions that the Roman Catholic Church still uses today.
- What is Papal Authority? Is it in the Bible? Who does the Pope think he is? Why does he have so much power? Is what he says true?
- What is the difference between repentance and penance? Repentance is what the Bible tells us is the first step to Salvation. In other words, it’s doing a 180-degree turn in your life and stopping sinning. Penance is what the Roman Catholic Church changed repentance to. Instead of repenting, you have to say a bunch of repetitive prayers as penance. Penance does not equal repentance.
- What is Pentecost? Pentecost is the Jewish feast of Shavuot, which Jews celebrate 50 days after Passover. Right after Jesus ascended into Heaven, He gave His disciples the Gift of the Holy Spirit. You, too, can have the Holy Spirit in your heart!
- What is Praying? Praying is simply talking to God. It’s also listening to what He has to say to you.
- What is Bible Prophecy? The Bible is almost 30% prophecy! From Genesis to Revelation, God, through His Holy Spirit, inspired the writers to foresee the future. Some of the prophecies happened right after they were written or spoken. Jesus fulfilled many prophecies with His first coming. Furthermore, many prophecies are yet to be fulfilled, like the End Time Prophecies.
- What is Providence? It’s seeing the hand of God working in your life or in the lives of righteous people.
- Is Purgatory Real? No. It’s an invention of the early Roman Catholics. It is a false teaching.
- Is Purgatory in the Bible? No. Purgatory was invented by the Catholic Church leaders in the Middle Ages after Jesus died for our sins, at the Council of Trent.
- What is the Rapture? The Rapture is when Jesus will come down in the clouds and snatch up all His born-again believers. Those who are not born again will be left behind to face the Great Tribulation.
- What is the Redemption of Sins? All we humans are born sinners. Sinners deserve God’s punishment. However, Jesus Christ took ALL our sins with Him to the cross and died in our place. Thus, He took on our punishment so we don’t have to. He redeemed us. Furthermore, He rose from the dead, defying not only sin, but death itself. When we believe that, and we repent, and surrender our lives to Jesus, we are saved.
- What is Regeneration? It’s becoming a new person, having a new life, when you are born again.
- What is Repentance? It’s what you, as a born sinner, need to do to be saved and become born again. Do a 180-degree turn and stop sinning. It’s a paradigm shift in your life. You become a new person in Jesus Christ.
- What is Revelation? The word “Revelation” in Greek is “apocaplypse”. It means to reveal. Jesus reveals His plans for judgment and the end of the age. It also gives us a confident hope that this evil world is not our eternal home.
- What is Righteousness? What does it mean to ‘Live Righteously’? Righteousness is simply being right with God. It also means obeying Him daily and not disobeying Him.
- What does it mean to be rooted in faith? The more you study the Bible, aka the Word of God, the more you become rooted in the faith. Thus, when hard times come, and they will come, you have your faith to hold onto. Like a tree that has deep roots. When a storm comes, it remains standing.
- Does saying the Rosary help at all? No. It’s a form of paganism. See “paganism” above.
- What is Salvation? What does it mean to be saved? God is perfect. For us sinners to enter where He is in Heaven, we need to become perfect. Unfortunately for us, we can’t do that by ourselves. Thus, God, because He loves us, sent Jesus to take on ALL our sins at the cross and die in our place. He defeated sin. When He rose from the grave, He defeated death. In other words, when we sincerely believe that He did that for us, AND we repent of our sins and surrender our lives to Him. He saves us from eternity in hell. It’s your choice.
- What are the Benefits of Salvation? There are many benefits to salvation. The first is being able to spend eternity with Jesus rather than in the darkness and fire of hell. Then, we get the gift of the Holy Spirit. We become a child of God. There are many more! Click here for my list of 22 Benefits of Salvation.
- Why did Jesus sacrifice His Life? Back in the Old Testament days, the Hebrews had to regularly bring an animal sacrifice to atone for their sins. See, we can’t get into Heaven because we are all sinners and fall short of the Glory of God. So, we needed a sacrifice to atone for our sins. However, nothing we could do would be good enough. Thus, Jesus, who was sinless, the spotless Lamb of God, became sin and sacrificed His life for us.
- What is Sanctification? It means that we have to strive to be holy like God is Holy. By ourselves, this is a tough call. That’s why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as a helper.
- What is the Sanctity of Life? Every human being is created in God’s image, and He knew us before we were born. All human life is sacred.
- When is the Second Coming of Jesus?
- What is Spiritual Warfare?
- What is the Great Tribulation?
- What is Typology?
Dig Deeper into More Churchy Things…
Soli Deo Gloria — To God Alone Be The Glory!
