Q: Is it a sin to eat in a restaurant on the Sabbath?

Published: April 8th, 2005

The Church of the Eternal God in the USA and its corporate affiliates in Canada and Great Britain have consistently taught that it is not wrong to eat out on the weekly Sabbath or annual Holy Days (which are also called "Sabbaths" in the Bible), depending on the circumstances. At the same time, we must always keep firmly in mind that whatever we do or say or think on the Sabbath should be in realization of the fact that we are spending time that God has set aside for a holy purpose (Isaiah 58:13-14).

Quoting from our booklet, titled, "God's Commanded Holy Days," pages 21 and 22, we have said:

Q: What is the "root of bitterness," as mentioned in Hebrews 12:15?

Published: April 22nd, 2005

The passage in question reads in full, beginning in verse 14:

"Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected... (verses 14-17)."

Q: The Bible says that Lot was just or righteous. But did he not commit horrible sins? How can he then be called "righteous"?

Published: August 19th, 2005

It is correct that 2 Peter 2:6-8 refers to "righteous Lot," and describes him, by extension, as a "godly" person. The entire passage reads: "[Since God turned] the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)--then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment."

Q: Did God tell Samuel to lie?

Published: November 18th, 2005

God cannot lie. It is against His very nature and being to lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). God has told us in His Word that it is a sin to lie (Exodus 20:16). God does not tempt us to sin (James 1:13), and He does not tempt us--let alone order us--to lie. On the other hand, God sometimes uses lying people or even lying spirits or demons to carry out His purpose (compare 1 Kings 22). This does not mean that God orders anyone to lie--but since men and demons are free moral agents and may decide to sin, God may use them to accomplish a certain goal--but the decision to sin, including to lie, is still man's or the spirit's decision (For a better understanding, please read our free booklet, "Angels, Demons and the

Q: Would you please explain the concept of "original sin" in light of Romans 5:12, 19?

Published: April 14th, 2006

Before analyzing the passage in Romans 5:12, 19, let us very briefly discuss the concept of "original sin." It was developed by Augustine, based on a wrong translation of the Greek text in Romans 5. The Broadman Bible Commentary points out, in Vol. 10, on page 195: "Augustine, who knew very little Greek, followed the Latin translation... and, on the basis of this mistranslation, developed his doctrine of original sin, understood as inherited guilt, and the result was a lurid picture of unbaptized infants in limbo. It is significant that even Roman Catholic scholars, plagued most by this disaster, are now saying bluntly the doctrine is not in Scripture."

Q: Would you please explain Psalm 7:11, which says that God is angry with the wicked every day. Why would God be angry?

Published: August 18th, 2006

Although in most cases, human anger is wrong, there is nothing wrong with godly indignation or wrath, which is always righteous. But we need to understand the nature of godly anger, and against whom or what it is directed.

Q: What was David seeking of the LORD when he asked: “Cleanse me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12)?

Published: September 22nd, 2006

David, in verses 7-11 of Psalm 19, had just described the considerable blessings which exist in obedience to God’s law and His Way of life! He spoke to the law of the LORD, to the testimony, to the statutes of the LORD, to the commandment, to the fear of the LORD and to the judgments of the LORD. He knew that all of God’s laws were in existence during his time and had been established for all times--even to the end of this present society and on into eternity! These laws describe the very character of our God and a Way of life for us!

Q: Would you please explain Matthew 7:6? Who, especially, is Christ addressing here, and how are we to apply this Scripture in our daily lives?

Published: August 31st, 2007

Matthew 7:6 reads as follows:

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."

We need to state, first of all, that the Bible compares the truth about the Kingdom of God with a precious pearl (Matthew 13:45-46). At the same time, "dogs" or "swine" describe debased and quarrelsome people, filled with anger and hostility toward God and His Law (Philippians 3:2; 2 Peter 2:22; Revelation 22:15).

Barnes has the following insightful comments regarding the meaning of this passage:

Q: Does God suffer because of man?

Published: July 9th, 2010

Even though this might be difficult for us to understand, God does indeed suffer and experience mental pain when He sees that we suffer. Every loving father or brother would feel mental anguish when he observes that his children or brethren suffer innocently or because they go the wrong way and inflict pain upon themselves as a consequence. Even more so, God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son--the firstborn among many brethren--suffer when they see that we experience pain and anguish and despair.

Q: Did animal sacrifices provide for forgiveness of sin?

Published: April 8th, 2011

We read in the New Testament that animal sacrifices did not forgive sin, nor did they clean or purify the ancient Israelites from an evil conscience. That was never the purpose of the animal sacrifices. Forgiveness of sin and the opportunity to inherit eternal life was only made possible through the supreme Sacrifice of Jesus Christ (John 3:14-17).

Hebrews 10:1-4 makes it very clear that animal sacrifices were just reminders of sins, but that they could not take away or forgive sin. They were foreshadowing the death of Christ. We read:

Q: Does what Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 26:24, imply that Judas was lost?

Published: April 29th, 2011

The answer is, “No.” In our Q&A published in the Update of April 22, 2011, the question of whether or not Judas committed the “unpardonable sin” is addressed. It was pointed out, among other things, that Judas had never received the Holy Spirit prior to his death. We will now address the specific question that arises from Matthew 26:24, which reads:

“‘The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.’” Compare Mark 14:21 and Luke 22:22.

Q: Did King Saul commit the unpardonable sin ?

Published: June 10th, 2011

In two recent Q&As, we discussed the question whether Judas might have committed the unpardonable sin, dealing with the issue whether Judas is lost http://www.eternalgod.org/qapdf/10163, and whether he rejected his chance for salvation when he betrayed Christ http://www.eternalgod.org/qapdf/10136.

We concluded that Judas did not commit the unpardonable sin, mainly because he never received God’s Holy Spirit prior to his death. Please read or re-read our Q&As, which also explain the nature of the unpardonable sin.