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QUESTION- SHOULD THE BIBLE BE INTERPRETED LITERALLY?
Just how much of the Bible should be interpreted literally is one of the hottest debates within Christianity today, and there are many different opinions. Some people believe the Bible must be defended against attacks on its accuracy and Divine origin. But, common literary techniques like parable, metaphor and allegory do not negate the Bible's message, nor do they threaten our faith. The Bible's teachings stand on their own merits, whether or not those teachings are delivered via stories that are intended to be taken literally. The important thing is that we understand what God is telling us through the Bible and that we don't let arguments about the literal truth of the Bible distract us from that goal. Perhaps, with a bit of humility, we can admit that only God has all the answers!
QUESTION- WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT FORGIVENESS OF SINS?
Severe penances, such as fasts, pilgrimages and floggings, were often imposed in early Church history. In the Middle Ages, the Roman Church fell into the corrupt practice of selling "indulgences" to reduce the severity of such penances in exchange for monetary contributions to the Church. This was a major factor leading to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Protestants rejected the Roman Catholic Church's sacrament of Penance, its claims of apostolic succession, and its authority to mediate forgiveness of sins (1 Timothy 2:5). Authority on doctrine was placed in "Scripture alone" rather than in the Church. For most Protestants, the Church is instrumental in bringing people to repentance, but forgiveness of sins comes directly from God.
QUESTION- HOW CAN I BE SURE OF MY SALVATION?
Some churches have doctrines telling exactly what is required to be saved, but the Bible does not. Different books of the New Testament tell different aspects of salvation (Matthew 7:21-23, 25:31-46, Luke 10:25-28, John 3:16, James 2:14-17, etc.) God will judge different people by different standards, depending on their knowledge of the Gospel and the wealth, gifts and abilities that have been entrusted to them (Matthew 10:14-15, 11:21-24, Luke 12:47-48, 20:45-47, 21:1-4, John 9:40-41, 15:22-24, Romans 2:12-16, 1 Corinthians 3:7-9, Galatians 6:3-5, James 3:1):
From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. (NRSV, Luke 12:48)
The Bible does make it clear that we must humble ourselves before God (Matthew 11:29-30, 18:2-4) and depend on His mercy. We cannot stand before God at the final judgment and claim we are entitled to salvation on the merit of church membership or anything we have done, said or believed.
The steps required to prepare ourselves for judgment come almost naturally for some people. But, for most of us, those steps require long, difficult changes in attitudes and beliefs. The Bible's advice is to put our whole faith and trust in Christ and obey His teachings. When we fail, as we often will, we must repent. We should be making progress toward holiness and moral perfection (Matthew 5:48, 2 Corinthians 7:1), although we will never fully reach those goals. Our efforts toward perfection must be absolutely sincere; we may impress other people with outward displays of holiness, but God will not be fooled (Matthew 23:27-28, 1 Corinthians 4:5)
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