Questions About God: The One Hundred Most Frequently Asked Questions About God

165 Pages·2014·0.9 MB·English

by  S. Michael Houdmann

Copyright © 2014 S. Michael Houdmann.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-3277-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4908-3276-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014905925

WestBow Press rev. date: 04/08/2014
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction—The Ultimate Question
1. Questions about God’s Existence
2. Questions about Where God Is
3. Questions about God’s Nature
4. Questions about God’s Attributes
5. Questions about God’s Names
6. Questions about God’s Actions
7. Questions about How God Relates to Us
8. Questions about How We Relate to God
Appendix—Statement of Faith
Endnotes
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
T
HIS BOOK IS dedicated to the more than 500 individuals who have served as
volunteer writers for Got Questions Ministries in the past ten years. Their hard
work, commitment, and passion are what make this ministry possible.
Special thanks goes to Kevin Stone, Rebekah Largent, and Gwen Sellers, who
contributed greatly to this volume in writing, editing, organizing, and indexing.
All the glory goes to God, “For from him and through him and to him are all
things. To him be the glory forever! Amen” (Romans 11:36).
PREFACE
E
VERY DAY, MORE and more people are turning to the Internet to find
answers to their questions about spiritual matters. Topics related to spirituality
are the second most searched-for subjects online. Sadly, websites that present
false teachings far outnumber those that proclaim the truth of God’s Word.
In February of 2002, www.gotquestions.org was launched to help fill this gap
and meet the needs of millions of spiritually-minded Web surfers. Since our
launch, we have personally answered over 330,000 questions that have been
submitted to us. Tens of millions of people have found answers to their questions
via our Frequently Asked Questions archives, giving us a unique understanding
of what questions are truly on people’s minds.
This volume is a collection of the most important and/or most frequently
asked questions about God. Each question is answered directly from the Bible, if
the Bible specifically addresses the particular issue. Where the Bible is silent on
an issue, biblical principles are used to lead to a solid and correct understanding.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our passion, and declaring His Word is our mission.
Following is the mission statement of Got Questions Ministries:
Got Questions Ministries seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by providing biblical, applicable, and
timely answers to spiritually-related questions.
INTRODUCTION—THE ULTIMATE QUESTION
Question: How do I get right with God?
Answer: In order to get “right” with God, we must first understand what is
“wrong”—sin. “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3). We
have rebelled against God’s commands; we “like sheep, have gone astray”
(Isaiah 53:6).
The bad news is that the penalty for sin is death. “The soul who sins is the one
who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). The good news is that a loving God has pursued us
in order to bring us salvation. Jesus declared His purpose was “to seek and to
save what was lost” (Luke 19:10), and He pronounced His purpose
accomplished when He died on the cross with the words, “It is finished” (John
19:30).
Having a right relationship with God begins with acknowledging your sin.
Next comes a humble confession of your sin to God (Isaiah 57:15) and a
determination to forsake the sin. “For it is with your heart that you believe and
are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans
10:10).
This repentance must be accompanied by faith—specifically, faith that Jesus’
sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection qualify Him to be your Savior. “If
you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Many other
passages speak of the necessity of faith, such as John 20:27; Acts 16:31;
Galatians 2:16; 3:11, 26; and Ephesians 2:8.
Being right with God is a matter of your response to what God has done on
your behalf. He sent the Savior, He provided the sacrifice to take away your sin
(John 1:29), and He offers you a promise: “Everyone who calls on the name of
the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21).
The parable of the prodigal son is a beautiful illustration of repentance and
forgiveness (Luke 15:11–32). The younger son wasted his father’s gift in
shameful sin (verse 13). When he acknowledged his wrongdoing, he decided to
return home (verse 18). He assumed he would no longer be considered a son
(verse 19), but he was wrong. The father loved the returned rebel as much as
ever (verse 20). All was forgiven, and a celebration ensued (verse 24). God is
good to keep His promises, including the promise to forgive. “The LORD is
close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm
34:18).
If you want to get right with God, you can begin with this sample prayer.
(Remember, saying this prayer or any other prayer will not save you. It is only
trusting in Christ that can save you from sin. This prayer is simply a way to
express to God your faith in Him and to thank Him for providing for your
salvation.) “God, I know that I have sinned against You and am deserving of
punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through
faith in Him I could be forgiven. I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank
You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness—the gift of eternal life! Amen!”
Have you made a decision to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior because of
what you have read here? If so, please send us an email at
[email protected].
CHAPTER 1
QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD’S EXISTENCE
Contents
Does God exist? Is there evidence for the existence of God?
Is there an argument for the existence of God?
Is God real? How can I know for sure God is real?
Who created God? Where did God come from?
Can monotheism be proven?