Were Old Testament believers born again?

All believers in any dispensation are born again. Without the new birth, no one can see the kingdom of God (John 3:3)." TARGET="_blank">John 3:3). The Lord teaches there must be a new life to enter the kingdom of God, whatever the dispensation (John 3:5)." TARGET="_blank">John 3:5). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets will be seen in the kingdom of God (Luke 13:28)." TARGET="_blank">Luke 13:28). Abraham and Moses knew God in an intimate way. John 17:3" TARGET="_blank">John 17:3 teaches that knowing God requires eternal life (being born again).

J. Abernathy

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What are the different names of God and what do they mean? Is Jehovah the only true name of God?

What are the different names of God and what do they mean? Is Jehovah the only true name of God?

"God" may be the first name that comes to mind when thinking about God, but his names throughout the Hebrew Old Testament teach us much more about his character than one name can contain. Here is a list of many well known names of God and what they mean.

El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty) “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24;" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5)." TARGET="_blank">Psalm 132:2,5).

El Gibhor (Mighty God) (Isaiah 9:6)" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 9:6) – the name of Christ Jesus in the famous prophecy of the child to be born.

El Elyon (The Most High God) Deuteronomy 26:19" TARGET="_blank">Deuteronomy 26:19 – the highest point to which anyone can be exaulted.

Adonai (Lord, Master) Genesis 15:2;" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15." TARGET="_blank">Judges 6:15. Usually translated as Lord with only the first letter capitalized.

Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah) YHWH Deuteronomy 6:4;" TARGET="_blank">Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14" TARGET="_blank">Daniel 9:14 – Usually translated as LORD with all capital letters. “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14)." TARGET="_blank">Exodus 3:14).

Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner) "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15)" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 17:15) as in the colors under which the army marches.

Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd or Jehovah-Rohi: " Psalm 23:1)" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 23:1)– David's most famous Psalm gives us the title of the ever-present Lord in our lives.

Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals) Exodus 15:26" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 15:26 – “I am Jehovah who heals you". God promised supernatural protection against the diseases that fell upon the Egyptians. God was called Jehovah Rapha after the bitter waters of Marah were cleaned by the tree thrown into the water.

Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There) Ezekiel 48:35" TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 48:35 – Jerusalem was once the dwelling of the holy presence of God. God abandoned the place for a while, but returned in Ezekiel 44:1-4." TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 44:1-4.

Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness) Jeremiah 33:16" TARGET="_blank">Jeremiah 33:16 – God is the giver of righteousness to sinful man. Salvation through Christ is provided 100% by God without any merit or credit given to man.

Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You or makes you holy. Leviticus 20:8;" TARGET="_blank">Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28." TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 37:28.

El Olam (The Everlasting God) Psalm 90:1-3" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 90:1-3 – “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

Elohim (God) Genesis 2:4;" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 59:5 – a combination of YHWH and “Lord” making him the Lord of all Lords. “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7;" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33)" TARGET="_blank">Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah, which introduces the doctrine of the trinity.

Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide) Genesis 22:14" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 22:14 – Abraham called God Jehovah Jireh after he provided Abraham with a ram to offer in stead of Isaac his son.

Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace) "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24)" TARGET="_blank">Judges 6:24) – Gideon gave the Lord this name.

Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts) Isaiah 1:24;" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 46:7 – The leader of hosts is the commander of all living creatures.

Shad David Sluiter

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How old was Abraham when his father died?

In Genesis 11:26" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 11:26 we read, “Terah lived seventy years and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran,” and in V. 32, “and the days of Terab were two hundred and five years and Terah died in Haran.” Now, taking 70 from 205, would make Abram 135 years when Terah died, while we know from Gen. 12:4" TARGET="_blank">Gen. 12:4 that Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran, and from Acts 7:4" TARGET="_blank">Acts 7:4 that he did not leave Haran till Terah died.

It is not necessary to believe from Genesis 11:26" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 11:26 that Abram, Nahor, and Haran were all born in the same year, but simply that Terah had no children till he was 70, and then had three sons born at intervals. In Genesis 5:32," TARGET="_blank">Genesis 5:32, we have an instance of the same thing, when we read that “Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth,” and yet Genesis 10:21" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 10:21 tells us Japheth was older than Shem. It is equally clear that Abram was not the eldest of the three brothers. He and Shem are put first because of their importance as the progenitors of the chosen race and the Messiah. It is generally held that Haran was the eldest, born when Terah was 70, and that Abram came into the world 6o years later. This would account for the fact that he and his nephew Lot, son of Haran, seem to have been much of the same standing. Besides, we are distinctly told that Abraham was 75 when at the death of Terah, he departed out of Haran. He was born, therefore, when his father was 130 years of age.

W.H.

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Please give a clear understanding as to the terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven?

These two expressions refer in the Gospels to the same thing, from a slightly different standpoint, as is seen by comparing Matthew 13:31-33" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 13:31-33 and Luke 13:18-21," TARGET="_blank">Luke 13:18-21, where the same pair of parables describe in the former, “the Kingdom of Heaven,” and in the latter, “the Kingdom of God.” When we read, “Kingdom of Heaven,” the place from which the kingly rule is exercised is in view, when “Kingdom of God,” the Divine Person who exercises that rule. Both expressions in the Gospels represent generally the condition of things produced in the world by the preaching of the Gospel in the absence of the King. This is always true, I believe, of the expression Kingdom of Heaven, which only occurs in Matthew. In the Kingdom of Heaven there is a mixture of good and bad—tares are sown by the evil one; worthless fish are caught with good; but when the King comes, He will cast out of His kingdom “all that offends and all that work iniquity.”

The kingdom aspect of truth represents the responsibility side of things and includes profession, which must be tested. To enter the real thing the new birth is needed. The Kingdom of God in this aspect is “not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” The kingdom includes the Church, but is greater than it, in that it began before it. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will sit down in the Kingdom of God, but they will not be in the Church. The kingdom will continue when the Church is taken, but will only be visibly established when the King returns.

W.H.

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Should unbelievers confess their sins in order to be saved?

Is 1" TARGET="_blank">Is 1 John 1:9" TARGET="_blank">John 1:9 written to believers or unbelievers?

John uses the first person (plural), "we", speaking as one of those to whom truth has been entrusted directly through experience with the Lord (verses 1-5). The truth is "God is light." John uses the second person, "you," in addressing believers, "little children" (verses 3-5; 2:1, etc.). He uses the third person, "he," referring to those whose teaching is contrary to truth (2:4-9). John’s teaching must be consistent with God’s character, so he points out three things he could not teach, "if we say" (verses 6, 8, 10).

Each of John’s "if we say" statements is contrary to the truth in the preceding verse. Verses 5 and 6 deal with sin as the characteristic of our life - impossible! Verses 7 and 8 deal with sin as the contagion of our nature; "the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son" eternally removes the defilement of this before God. Verses 9 and 10 deal with sin as the consequence of our actions; confession of those sins restores the enjoyment of fellowship with our Father.

Unbelievers do not confess their sins in order to be forgiven. They repent of their sins (Acts 17:30)" TARGET="_blank">Acts 17:30) and trust Christ for forgiveness (Acts 13:38, 39)." TARGET="_blank">Acts 13:38, 39).

D. Oliver
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Does a christian ever become "dead" to sin?

What does Romans 6:11," TARGET="_blank">Romans 6:11, "dead indeed unto sin," mean.

To understand the meaning of this challenging phrase, carefully consider the immediate context. These verses indicate that what we are in Christ positionally, we must now live practically. "For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God" (Romans 6:10)." TARGET="_blank">Romans 6:10). Thus, we are judged as having died to sin, but as having now been made alive unto God in Christ Jesus.

This is sobering truth for the believer to contemplate, as the wider context of Romans 6" TARGET="_blank">Romans 6 reveals. The believer who understands that God has made abundant provision in Christ for his daily living is enabled to live his life to the glory of Christ, and to the blessing and enrichment of his own soul. In this section of Scripture, the believer is viewed as being permanently set apart (sanctified) in Christ Jesus. This is displayed in his baptism, when he is identified with Christ in death and resurrection, having already been justified through grace. Since the believer is in this condition positionally, he must ever reckon (consider, calculate) practically that he is dead to sin, but alive to God. Obviously, there is no response to sin in a dead person! Therefore, a believer should have nothing to do with any form of sin in this sordid world; rather, he must live a life of holiness to God.

S. Wells

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