Answers | To Your Questions About the Bible, Theology and Christian Living

God cares about every portion of your life … the big things and the small. Lots of Christians admit to praying for a parking place at the mall. The needs of a living creature are certainly more important than that.

It has been clearly demonstrated that pets can have significant health benefits for people. That’s one of the reasons therapy dogs and therapy cats are in use today for institutionalized or shut-in patients. Recent studies indicate that people with pets live longer, healthier lives. They can be a very good thing for some people.

And the Bible is clear that God values even animal life, which are a part of His creation.There seems to be a glimpse of this in Jonah 4:11 (NIV): “But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”

It is more pronounced in the New Testament. In Luke 12, Jesus addresses the eternal value of a soul, as well as the value of small things. Verses 6 and 7 say, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Children can learn compassion and kindness by watching how adults treat animals.

Yes, it is appropriate to pray for sick or injured pets, as well as for other small areas of our lives … but Christians should pray far more about things of eternal value. We just need to keep things in perspective.

Ken Horn

Some other scriptures about animals:

Exodus 20:8-10 Even work animals deserve a rest.

Deuteronomy 22:10 Don’t mismatch work animals. It would cause undue suffering for mismatched animals to be yoked together. (There’s a human application to this as well.)

Proverbs 12:10 People are expected to be kind to animals.

I have heard that the name Salome, who was responsible for the beheading of John the Baptist, is in the Bible but I can’t find it.

Yes, the name Salome is in the Bible … but not that Salome.

The infamous Salome was the daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, who ruled Galilee. She plotted with her mother, Herodias, to dance for her stepfather, Herod Antipas, gain his favor, and ask for John’s head. Herodias was the divorced wife of Philip, half brother of Antipas. Herod had imprisoned John for speaking out against this, but feared going further, since John had such a large following.

Herodias shared her husband’s hatred of John, but not his fear, so she put her daughter up to the scheme to get her weak husband to promise John’s death to his seductive stepdaughter. John was beheaded and his head put on display.

But Salome is not named in the Matthew 14 or Mark 6 accounts. Instead she is named by the extrabiblical Jewish historian Josephus.

But there is a Salome mentioned in the Bible. She was with Jesus in Galilee (Mark 15:40-41) and was present at the crucifixion (Mark 15:40), and was at the tomb of Jesus on the resurrection morning (Mark 16:1-2). Matthew 27:56 identifies her as the wife of Zebedee and, thus, the mother of James and John, the “Sons of Thunder.”

Ken Horn

Where does the Pentecostal church stand on women preachers/teachers?

One of the great privileges I have had since I have been with Today’s Pentecostal Evangel is the international travel that is a part of our coverage for the World Missions Edition of the magazine. In viewing the works of God among His people on five continents, one of the things that stand out to me is this: Wherever there is a powerful move of God, I have seen women actively and significantly involved. In some places it has been clear that without the ministry of women the church would not be experiencing the spiritual prosperity it is. This is clearly the case in the world’s largest church, Yoido Full Gospel Church, in Seoul, South Korea.

The story of women in missions is more than that of female nationals. A glance at both the history of missions and current missions outreach proves that the ministry of female missionaries, single and married, is of inestimable value. The history of Pentecost also reveals the crucial role women have played, and continue to play, in the movement.

But more than experience speaks for the importance of women. So does God’s Word. Though the role of women in the church has been a hotly debated topic for many years, it is clear that Christianity has always valued women more highly than other worldviews have. In the gospels, Jesus clearly elevated the status of women above that day’s cultural norm. The apostle Paul continued to promote that reality in the epistles he wrote. His statement in Galatians 3:28 is the biblical magnum opus of male/female spiritual equality: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (NIV). And though it was Paul who said, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22), his statement (often ignored) about husband/wife relationship in the verse just prior to that was trailblazing: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

The Assemblies of God, based on the teaching of God’s Word and not simply on experience, has come to the following conclusion:

We are aware that the ministry and leadership of women are not accepted by some individuals, both within and outside the Christian community. We condemn all prejudice and self-promotion, by men or women. The existence in the secular world of bigotry against women cannot be denied. But there is no place for such an attitude in the body of Christ. We acknowledge that attitudes of secular society, based on long-standing practice and tradition, have influenced the application of biblical principles to local circumstances. We desire wisely to respect yet help redeem cultures which are at variance with Kingdom principles. Like Paul, we affirm the Great Commission takes priority over every other consideration. We must reach men and women for Christ, no matter what their cultural or ethnic customs may be. The message of redemption has been carried to remote parts of the world through the ministry of dedicated, Spirit-filled men and women. A believer’s gifts and anointing should still today make a way for his or her ministry. The Pentecostal ministry is not a profession to which men or women merely aspire; it must always be a divine calling, confirmed by the Spirit with a special gifting.

The Assemblies of God has been blessed and must continue to be blessed by the ministry of God’s gifted and commissioned daughters. To the degree that we are convinced of our Pentecostal distinctives–that it is God who divinely calls and supernaturally anoints for ministry–we must continue to be open to the full use of women’s gifts in ministry and spiritual leadership.

Read the full position paper here.

Ken Horn

Answers to some common questions about Easter.

Where did the name Easter come from?

An early Christian writer (Bede, c. A.D. 673-735) claims that it came from the name Eastre, a Germanic goddess of spring. The celebration of Christ’s resurrection apparently replaced the pagan festival.

Is the word Easter in the Bible?

Not really—in the original languages. But it does appear once in the King James Version in Acts 12:4. This was corrected in the New King James and other English translations. The word translated Easter in Acts is from the Greek tò páscha. It is translated Passover each of the other 28 times it appears in the King James, as well as in the other English versions.

What is a better name?

Resurrection Sunday is a far better representation of the true meaning of the day.

How early did the celebration of Christ’s resurrection begin?

The earliest historical reference of a formal celebration by the church appears in the middle of the second century. History records a debate then that took place over the correct date of celebration.

How is the date figured anyway?

We don’t have enough room to explain this one. The usual statement—Easter is the first Sunday after the full moon after the first day of spring—is not precisely correct, because there are certain “ecclesiastical rules” that can change the dates. (Read a comprehensive explanation here.)

It’s very early this year. The important thing to know about the date is this: Even though Christians celebrate the resurrection year-round, Easter draws multitudes of people who seldom ever darken the door of a church. It’s a wonderful yearly opportunity to proclaim the truths that lie at the core of our faith.

What is Lent?

A period of 40 days prior to Easter that begins with Ash Wednesday. It is primarily emphasized in liturgical churches. Christians from churches of this tradition are commonly expected to fast and/or give up other things during this period.

What does Mardi Gras have to do with Easter?

Mardi Gras is from the French meaning “fat Tuesday.” The day before the beginning of Lent became a time of feasting and raucous celebration. This celebration has become a longer festival of overindulgence that has become quite depraved and godless.

What is the true meaning of Easter?

The true meaning of Easter is clearly found in the suggested better name—Resurrection Sunday. It is a celebration of the historical fact that Christ rose from the dead, as well as the fact that we serve a living Savior today.

Ken Horn

There is a teaching that some people are predestined for heaven and others predestined for hell. Doesn’t man have free will?

Here’s the short answer. Jesus died for everyone. God desires all to be saved. No one is predestined to heaven or hell. Everyone has a choice (free will) to accept or reject Christ.

Now here’s some detail.

The Assemblies of God has a position paper called “The Security of the Believer.” The following section addresses this issue:

Salvation is available for every man (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16; Romans 10:11-13).

Two questions may be asked: “Are some predestined to be saved and others to be lost?” and, “Who are the elect?” The answer is clear when it is recognized that the message of the gospel is one of “whosoever will.” No one reading the New Testament can miss the impact of this great truth.

However, in Romans 9-11 there are some statements that seem to imply that man’s free will is excluded in the matter of the believer’s salvation and that God in His choice of the elect exercises His divine sovereignty entirely apart from man’s volition. For example:

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)…Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated…. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy…. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth (Romans 9:11, 13, 15, 16, 18).

When this passage is considered in the light of all that God’s Word teaches concerning election, however, it is evident that man’s will is involved in his election. Jacob was chosen before having done good or evil, but God’s choice was on the basis of what He foreknew Jacob would do.

This truth is brought out in Peter’s letter to “the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” These believers were recognized to be “elect according to the foreknowledge of God” (1 Peter 1:1, 2).

This same truth is stated in Romans 8:29. Paul wrote, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.”

God determined beforehand the conditions on which He would show mercy. And on the basis of His foreknowledge believers are chosen in Christ (Ephesians 1:4). Thus God in His sovereignty has provided the plan of salvation whereby all can be saved. In this plan man’s will is taken into consideration. Salvation is available to “whosoever will.”

The paper also says, “The General Council of the Assemblies of God believes in the sovereignty and divine prerogative of God untainted by arbitrariness or caprice. It also believes in the free will and responsibility of man.”

Man has free will and God desires to save everyone. Though He has foreknowledge of the choices each individual will make, He does not predetermine those decisions.

Read the entire position paper here.

Ken Horn

The Bible says we should keep and honor the Sabbath on the seventh day. Then why do we go to church on the first day of the week?

The following answer is taken from “Observing the Sabbath,” a document endorsed by the Assemblies of God’s Commission on Doctrinal Purity and the Executive Presbytery.

Over the years, attitudes in the Assemblies of God toward observing the Sabbath or the Lord’s Day have modified noticeably. In earlier days of the Movement, people refrained from athletic activities, entertainment pursuits, reading secular magazines and newspapers, and accepting jobs requiring Sunday work. Those standards, in some cases, may have been too legalistic, but we are in danger today of missing the real significance of “Sabbath rest.”

In Hebrew, the word Sabbath means “rest” and comes from the verb meaning “to cease.” One of the Ten Commandments reads, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12). The reason for this commandment is that God wants His people to rest or cease from their normal work schedules. Jesus tells us that God instituted Sabbath observance for man’s benefit (Mark 2:27). God set the example by “resting” on the seventh day of the creation week (Genesis 2:2-3).

In the New Testament, the Sabbath commandment is the only one of the Ten Commandments that is not mentioned as binding upon Christians. The spiritual significance of the Old Testament Sabbath was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who gives spiritual rest to those who acknowledge Him (Matthew 11:28-29; Hebrews 4:1-11).

The New Testament indicates the early Christians gathered for worship on Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). Jesus’ disciple John called it “the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10). For those Christians who lived in New Testament days, Sunday worship was a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus which took place on the first day of the week (Luke 24:1). While we are not commanded to observe Sunday as the specific day of rest and worship, the principle of the Sabbath is that one day in seven should be set aside for physical and spiritual renewal.

Read the document in its entirety here.

For those with a tendency to criticize Sunday as a day of rest and worship, consider these verses:

Romans 14:4-6 (NIV)

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Colossians 2:16-17 (NIV)

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Ken Horn

Who were the “sons of God” mentioned in Genesis 6:4?

“Sons of” in the Bible is used in a variety of ways. Often it means “having the character of” (compare “sons of thunder” in Mark 3:17). Because “sons of God” in Job 1:6 are angels, some people jump to the conclusion that these in Genesis 6:4 were fallen angels. However, angels are spirit beings. God sometimes gives His angels human form temporarily. But Satan cannot create. Further, if they were fallen angels they and their children would all have perished in the flood.

When we compare Genesis chapters 4 and 5 we see a pattern. In chapter 4 the Cainite line ends in immorality and violence. In chapter 5 the godly Sethite line includes spiritual giants. Kenan means “hymn singer.” Mahalalel means “the praise of God.” Jared means “one prostrating himself” (in prayer). But by the time of Noah and his sons they were the only ones still serving God. What happened? The best explanation is that sons of the godly Sethite line intermarried with daughters of humankind dominated by the Cainite line until the conditions arose that caused God to send the flood.

Thus we can conclude “sons of God” in this context means they were godly human beings.

Stanley M. Horton

I have heard that the Second Coming of Christ is divided into two stages. Is this true and, if so, what are they?

The Second Coming of Christ in evangelical theology is often divided into 2 phases: (1) the Second Coming for the Church (the Rapture); (2) the Second Coming to reign.

The Blessed Hope of the Church is clearly the Rapture (see Titus 2:13). Assemblies of God theologians see this as the first phase of the Second Coming. The Assemblies of God perspective is presented in this excerpt from Bible Doctrines by William W. Menzies and Stanley M. Horton:

The definition of the term “Second Coming” is broad, used in at least two different ways. Sometimes this term is used of the total end-time drama, encompassing both the rapture of the Church and the revelation of Christ in triumphant glory (2 Thessalonians 1:7), when He will stand on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4). Sometimes the term is used specifically of the revelation of Christ, in distinction to the Rapture, which precedes it. The first phase of the Second Coming, then, used in this broader sense, refers to the rapture of the Church.

William W. Menzies and Stanley M. Horton, Bible Doctrines (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1993), p. 216.

Ken Horn

I have heard that AG churches should not have religious sounding names. Is this true,and if so, why are we doing this? Should we rename the Assemblies Of God?

Editor’s note: This is an editorial response since there is no straight biblical answer on the topic.

One of the goals of the church is to reach the unsaved and the unchurched. To this end, many pastors and congregations have opted for names that they feel are more inviting to the general populace. In the ’60s and ’70s, there was a movement away from the then typical names: “First Assembly of God,” etc. Many churches became “Christian Center” or something similar. AG churches used to use the word “Temple” a lot. That gave way to “Community Church,” etc. Today, even many of the biggest seeker-sensitive churches use the word “Church” in their name, along with a descriptive word of the location. A few churches have gone to names that do not incorporate anything religious.

I don’t have a beef with anybody’s name. What I do have a problem with is when a church is trying to “trick” people with their name or lack of full disclosure. I don’t believe the name “Assemblies of God” needs to be in the title of a local AG church. But I have seen AG churches that try to keep people from knowing they are AG or Pentecostal. They have the philosophy that people are more likely to attend a church that is not tied to a large fellowship or denomination. I believe this is inherently dishonest.

And, no, we shouldn’t rename the AG. “Assemblies of God” is just fine, and all our churches, while they don’t need to include it in their name, should make it clear they are Assemblies of God. If they don’t … then why are they (AG)?

Ken Horn

I am having a difficult time explaining to my children how Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are one person. Can you help?

The Trinity is first-rate mystery.

Augustine said that anyone who denies the Trinity is in danger of losing his salvation, and anyone who tries to understand it is in danger of losing his mind. It is not fully explained in Scripture.

In fact, the word Trinity is not found in the Bible. But, by the late second century it was being used by the church to describe a biblical concept—literally, tri-unity, or “three in one.”

This does not mean three Gods … though Christians have been accused of being polytheists by other world religions. Instead Christians have a unique view of God, one that comes about because they believe both the Old and New Testaments.

There are six basic biblical steps to understanding the Trinity:

1. There is one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4)

Deuteronomy 6:4 is one of the most important verses to the Jews, who believe in one God. It is known as the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!”

Here is the Hebrew: Shema Yisrael: Yahweh Elochenu Yahweh Echad. The Hebrew language has two words that are translated “one”—Yachid and Echad. Yachid means an absolute one. Echad refers to a united one. Echad is the word used of God in the Old Testament—God is a united one.

2. The Father is God. (2 Peter 1:17)

3. The Son is God. (John 8:58)

4. The Holy Spirit is God. (Acts 5:3-4)

5. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct individuals. (John 14:26)

6. Therefore, there are three Persons in the one Godhead.

A typical, accurate doctrinal statement is this, Assemblies of God Fundamental Truth no. 2: “WE BELIEVE … There is only One True God—revealed in three persons … Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (commonly known as the Trinity).” (See ag.org for all 16 Assemblies of God Fundamental Truths.)

Since the Trinity is completely unique, no analogy really fits. The Trinity is not really “like” anything.

But attempts have been made. The best analogies do not look at the Trinity as three parts that make up a whole, like these examples:

• Shamrock: Saint Patrick, who spread the Gospel in Ireland, used a three-leafed clover.
• Egg: Another common one—eggshell, egg white and yolk.
• H2O: The three phases of H2O—water, ice, steam—are better as an analogy but also fall short since any given temperature produces only one of these at a time. That picture leads to a false doctrine that says the Trinity is really only one person who takes on one of three modes at any given time. This belief is problematic for those who hold it: Just what was going on in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was praying to the Father? Was He talking to himself?

The best illustration I have seen comes from C.S. Lewis:

• The three dimensions of space: Length, width and height. All coincide in the same place, yet are distinct.

Ken Horn