Editorial Staff

Question: Does Galatians 4:8–10 teach that Christians are not required to observe God’s Sabbath and Holy Days?

Answer: No, it does not. The Apostle Paul addressed his letter to the Christians of Galatia, who were a unique mixture of Jews, Romans, Greeks and Gauls, with a distinctive character shaped by centuries of Celtic influence (see J. B. Lightfoot’s Commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, 1999, pp. 12–17).

Question: Most professing Christians believe that the saved will go to heaven at death. But they have little or no idea about what they will do in heaven. What does the Bible teach is the reward of the saved?

Answer: The belief in "going to heaven" at death is not only held by most professing Christians. People all over the world, of many religions, cling to a belief in some kind of afterlife—some type of "reward" or blissful life after death.

Question: Exactly what does it mean to "overcome"? Is "overcoming" important in living the Christian life?

Answer: While Jesus was instructing His disciples, He told them: "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Did Jesus mean that His followers would become absolutely perfect while still human beings?

Question: Various churches use water to perform a rite they call baptism. What is the purpose of water baptism? What method of baptism is correct according to the Bible?

Answer: Few in modern Christianity understand the real meaning of water baptism. There is also much confusion about how baptism should be done. Some churches sprinkle and some pour, while others practice complete immersion in water.

Question: I have heard the Fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8–11) described as the "test" commandment. What does this mean for Christians?

Answer: To succeed in school, students learn to follow their teachers’ instructions, and learn their lessons carefully. But few realize that God is testing us in a special way every week. Are we following our Teacher’s instructions (Matthew 19:17) and absorbing His lessons for us?