Question:
Dear
Greg,
I believe that there is one God, and only one.
I believe that there is a deity, but can the Holy Spirit be a person?
Is the Holy Spirit a person? I
also have a question about hell. You
say that it is a separation from God. How
can you explain the Rich Man and Lazarus?
I thought hell was the grave.
Anyway, I enjoy reading the Q&A’s.
I realize that many people like me have lots of religious baggage that
needs to be checked. I say that
because I held onto the great Christian hope of a rapture.
I am weary and I feel uneasy about the Rapture.
I know that many have come and claimed doomsday dates.
I just want the truth about what God is teaching, nothing
taken away nor added to the Gospel.
I am still searching and pray that the Lord gives us guidance and
truth.
Mary Jane
Answer:
Dear
Mary Jane,
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to serve you.
We have many questions about the Trinity that we have posted under the
category “Trinity”. Go to
“Ask Greg”, then scroll down the categories we offer until you get to
“Trinity”, click on that, then scroll down through questions that may
interest you. For our answer to
any question, simply click on the “A” for answer.
After reviewing all of these, if you have a specific, additional
question, please let us know and we will address it.
One word for hell used in the Bible does refer to the grave—but not
all places that refer to everlasting fire, lake of fire, being in torment
(Lazarus and the Rich Man, for example) are referring to the grave.
Hell has several definitions in the Bible, with “grave” being one
of them, but it is an error to say that the Bible never speaks of a hell that
is beyond and apart from the grave. Again,
we have many answers to questions about heaven and hell under those
categories. Please review them,
and if you have further, specific questions, please let me know.
You are correct. Setting
dates for the Second Coming, the Rapture and the Tribulation —
as well as
endless speculation, prediction and fear-mongering about what might happen to
us if we are not “ready” or “qualified” does make us weary and uneasy.
God does not weary us. The
fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc.
This focus on the future, what might happen, etc. is not part of the
gospel of Jesus Christ and has negative effects on Christians.
We here at PTM know about such a wrong-headed focus and do our best to
help Christians understand the main, plain teachings of Jesus Christ.
We do that here on our website, in our magazines, booklets, monthly
letters and radio programs. Keep
tuned in to PTM for solid, foundational teaching about the essentials of
Christianity.
May God bless you and give you peace by his grace.
In Christ,