OceanSide church of Christ

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (45)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    One of my favorite movies is I, Robot starring Will Smith.

1.      In the movie, a Dr. Lanning appears to have committed suicide.

2.      He prepares a hologram for a detective named Del Spooner, Will Smith.

3.      Spooner can ask the hologram questions, but the hologram has limited responses.

4.      Dr. Lanning tells Spooner:  “You must ask the right question.”  When he does, Dr. Lanning replies:  “That, detective, is the right question.”

 

B.      In our Q&A lessons, we do not have “the right question.”  All questions are valid that apply to God’s Word.  We do, however, have a limited amount or responses.

 

C.     Tonight is our Q&A night.  We will be answering three questions

 

I.                   QUESTION #1:  Another Adam

 

A.    Stated:  Was there another Adam?

 

B.      Answer:

1.      Adam was the first man.

a.      He was created on Day 6 (Gen. 1:27).

b.      His name is Adam.  The first time we read of him is in Genesis 2:19.

c.       In Luke 3:38, a very interesting description is given of Adam.

 

Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

 

d.      We all know that Adam ate of the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:6) and sin entered into the world.

e.       There were several consequences that came upon humanity because of Adam’s sin.

1)      They were cast forth form the Garden of Eden.

2)      There was pain in childbirth.

3)      Physical death came upon all men.

4)      Man now had to live in a fallen world.

f.        Adam’s life comes to a conclusion in Genesis 5:5.

 

And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years:  and he died.

 

g.      Adam’s name is mentioned three more times in the Old Testament (Deut. 32:8; I Chron. 1:1; Job 31:33).

a.      His name is found six times in the New Testament (Luke 3:38; Rom. 5:14 [2x]; I Cor. 15:22, 45; I Tim. 2:13; Jude 14).

2.      There is one verse in the New Testament that mentions a second Adam (I Cor. 15:45).

 

And so it is written, The first Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

 

a.      When we first read about a “last Adam” we wonder who this is.

b.      In I Corinthians 15:47, Paul gives us some insight into this question.

 

The first man is of the earth, earthy;  the second man is the Lord from heaven.

 

3.      There are both comparisons and contrasts between these two Adams.

a.      Comparisons

1)      Both were sons of God in unique ways.

2)      Both bore the image of their heavenly Father.

3)      Both were invested with power and dominion.

4)      Both brought something to man.

5)      Both had unique brides.

b.      Contrasts

1)      Adam was of the earth, created from the dust of the ground.  Jesus was the eternal God, a Spirit, who had a body prepared for Him.

2)      Adam was disobedient to God.  Jesus was always obedient.

3)      Adam brought sin into the world.  Jesus brought grace into the world.

4)      Adam brought death into the world.  Jesus brought life after death.

5)      Adam brought condemnation.  Jesus brought justification.

c.       More details:

1)      The first Adam turned from the Father in the Garden of Eden; the last Adam turned to the Father in Garden of Gethsemane.

2)      The first Adam was naked and ashamed in the garden; the last Adam was naked and bore our shame on the cross.

3)      The first Adam’s sin brought us thorns; the last Adam wore a crown of thorns.

4)      The first Adam substituted himself for God; the last Adam was God substituting Himself for us.

5)      The first Adam sinned at a tree; the last Adam bore our sins on a tree.

6)      The first Adam died as a sinner; the last Adam died for sinners.

 

II.                QUESTION #2:  Secret Societies

 

A.    Stated:  Can a Christian be a member of a Secret Society and be a faithful child of God?

 

B.      Answer:

1.      Definition:  A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence.

2.      A list of several Secret Societies

a.      Skull and Bones

b.      Illuminati

c.       Freemasons

d.      Rosicrucians

e.       Ordo Templis Orientis (Order of the Temples of the East)

f.        Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

g.      The Knights Templar

h.      The Bilderberg Group

i.        The Priority of Sion

j.        Opus Dei

k.      The German Thule Society

l.        The Ku Klux Klan

m.    The Order of Nine Angels

n.      Assassins

3.      The characteristics of secret societies:

a.      They are secret

b.      They are exclusive

c.       They require initiation to get in

d.      They favor their own

e.       They protect their own interests

4.      Should a Christian be a member?

a.      Why does he need to be a member of a secret society if he is a member of the church? 

1)      This society was built by Jesus Christ (Matt. 16:18).

2)      This society was purchased with blood of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28)

3)      This society brings honor and glory to God (Eph. 3:21).

4)      All men have the ability to be a member of this society (Matt. 28:19)

5)      This society exists to do good in the world.

6)      The benefits of this society are eternal in nature.

b.      One should not be a member of a secret society if…

1)      If a society competes with the church in any way.

2)      If one’s membership in the society is more important that being a faithful member of the body of Christ.

3)      If a society breaks the law.

4)      If a society encourages its members to engage in sinful activities.

5)      If a society harms other individuals.

6)      If a society will only allow certain people to become members. 

a)      This is a personal preference because this creates division between people instead of uniting individuals. 

b)      Often other groups are formed to be in competition to another group.

5.      Some realities:

a.      All secret societies will one day come to an end.

b.      All members of societies will stand before God to be judged.

c.       The only society that will matter in the Last Day is the precious church of our Lord.  That is the one for which He is coming (Eph. 5:27).

 

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that is should be holy and without blemish.

 

III.             QUESTION #3:  Rebaptism

 

A.    Why do some Christians wish to be “re-baptized”?  Is this practice Scriptural?  Are congregations that do it sinning?  Would you perform a “re-baptism”?

 

B.      Answer:

1.      Re-baptism involves a person’s desiring to be baptized again after having been baptized earlier in life.

2.      Why would a person believe his first baptism not to be valid?

a.      Too young

b.      Coerced into obeying

c.       Did not understand

d.      Obeyed for the wrong reason

3.      There are some things that we must understand at this point.

a.      There is only one baptism that is a valid baptism (Eph. 4:5).

 

One Lord, one faith, one baptism

 

b.      There is a certain amount of knowledge one must have to obey the truth of the gospel of Christ (John 8:32; I Tim. 2:4).

 

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

1)      Until a person “knows the truth,” he cannot be baptized properly.

2)      When I teach a person the gospel, I want them to be able to look back 10, 20, or 30 years from now and say:  “I knew exactly what I was doing when I obeyed the gospel.”

 

c.       One must “obey from heart” according to Romans 6:17.

 

But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

 

1)      One should not be baptized just because his friends are being baptized.

2)      One should not be baptized just in order to please mom and dad.

3)      One should not be baptized because a boyfriend or girlfriend wants him to be baptized.

d.      If a person decides that he needs to be “re-baptized” or “baptized again,”

1)      He must understand that the first baptism was not valid.

2)      He must understand that at this time he is lost at this time.

3)      He must understand the he is being baptized for the remission of sins at this time.  (NOTE:  There is not one passage of Scripture that says one needs to be re-baptized in order to be safe).

4)      Yes, he/she is being immersed again, but this is the valid baptism.  This is the Lord’s baptism that causes him/her to be saved.

4.      A person who was baptized in a denomination will need to be baptized (immersed) again.

a.      Denominations do no teach the truth about baptism.

b.      They do not understand the relationship of baptism and the remission of sins.

c.       They do not understand the relationship between baptism and the Lord’s church.

d.      They need to be baptized with the Lord’s baptism, the “one baptism” of Ephesians 4:5

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    Questions & Answers Night is always enjoyable because of the diversity of questions that are asked.

1.      A second Adam

2.      Secret Societies

3.      Re-baptism

 

B.      The second Adam brought us out of sin.

 

C.     We have no need of a secret society if we truly understand the importance of the Lord’s church.  It is the only society that we will desire.

 

D.    Re-baptism is a very big decision.  A person is not being baptized to be safe.  He is being baptized to be saved (Mark 16:16; I Pet. 3:21).