What is the difference between God and Satan?

All Questions, Heaven and Hell

What is the difference between the powers of God & Satan?

Category

Heaven & Hell,   All Questions

Last Updated

Feb 18, 2025

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The Bible sometimes uses the same words (sign, wonders, power) used to describe the miracles of God and the power of satan.

Revelation 16:14 (NKJV)

For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 (NKJV)

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,

So do they have the same powers? No, they do not. The devil is a created being and, therefore, only has limited power. Although Satan has great spiritual powers, there is a vast difference between the devil’s power and God’s.

In conclusion, all the power that the devil has is given to him by God and is carefully limited and monitored. But what truly matters is that Christ has defeated the devil and has triumphed over him and over all his followers:

Colossians 2:15 (NKJV)

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

In doing so Christ has giving power to His people to be victorious over demonic forces. Thus, John informed believers:

1 John 4:4 (NKJV)

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Satan’s power is limited by God, and Christ’s victory ensures believers overcome through His greater authority.

Justification, Sanctification & Glorification?

All Questions, Salvation

Justification, Sanctification and Glorification?

Category

Salvation,   All Questions

Last Updated

Feb 8, 2025

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A quick overview of the 3 phases is as follows; 

Justification – we have been saved from the penalty of sin
Sanctification – we are being saved from the power of sin
Glorification – we will be saved from the presence of sin

Justification – Past tense – positional – Our position in Christ
Sanctification – Present tense -progressive – My condition is becoming like christ
Glorification – Future tense – Permanent – My expectation is to be like Christ.

The following are two pictures that would give you a quick overview of these three phases. 

Justification

When we are justified, we are completely forgiven for all sin and clothed positionally before God with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This happens when we hear the gospel and believe. 

It is a one-time event and is either a yes or no. In other words, you cannot be 30%, or 50%, or 90% justified, it is all or nothing. God forgives us completely.

It is a free gift given to all believers in Christ; we do not work for it. Our part is only to have faith; we do not have the ability to justify or save ourselves.

At the same moment that we are justified, we are also adopted into God’s family and become children of God. Justification, if real, will always lead to sanctification and glorification.

While we don’t work at all for our own justification, amazingly, God calls us to work with Him in leading others to justification. We do this by sharing the good news about Jesus, and through prayer and by the example of our lives. Only God can justify people, but He uses us in the process of sharing the gospel. When people hear the gospel and believe, they are justified by God.

When a person is justified, then the work of sanctification begins in that born again life.

It is the fruit that springs from the root of justification.

Click to view Bible verses on Justification

Romans 3:28 (ESV) For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Romans 5:1 (ESV)Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1 (ESV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 2:16 (ESV) yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Sanctification

Sanctification is a life long progressive growth of a Christian by obedience to God through the power of the Spirit. It is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus!. Sanctification is a growth into righteousness while putting sin to death. You will grow in your sanctification process, but you will not be perfect in this life.  

Our sanctification is often a messy, we can have times when we take steps forward and yet have days when we fall, but over time by God’s grace we make progress.

Our sanctification is only possible by God’s grace and His power working in us. Our Spirit-enabled effort can make sanctification go forward more quickly, or a lack of effort can cause us to be stuck. Progress in sanctification is evidence that justification has occurred and gives us confidence in our salvation. But in sanctification, we still constantly need grace. And God gives us the grace we need in Christ!

A huge amount of the Bible is about sanctification. All of the verses teaching and urging us not to sin are related to sanctification, which includes commands to love others as God has loved us. 

The new birth is a radical change in the heart of a person, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) If a person has no evidence of sanctification, then we have the right and the duty to question whether there has been a work of justification. Bishop JC Ryle boldly stated, “Tell me not of your justification unless you also have some marks of sanctification.” So, if you have been truly justified, you will be undergoing the process of sanctification right now.

Click to view Bible verses on Sanctification

Romans 6:19 (ESV) I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV) 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV) It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;

Glorification

Glorification; instantaneous transformation of the believers by the power of God into a perfectly moral and physical being eternally living in God’s presence in heaven.

It happens when we are resurrected in our new bodies, and it will last forever. All the effects of sin will be erased. We will be wholly sanctified, and no longer sin or even want to sin. Every one will be as loving, true, faithful, kind, good, and pure as Jesus Himself. 

Click to view Bible verses on Glorification

Romans 8:16-17 (ESV) The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs– heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

2 Corinthians 4:17 (ESV) For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.

Philippians 3:21 (NIV) who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Revelation 21:4 (NIV) ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Philippians 1:6 (NIV) being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Conclusion:

God saves us by His grace. God gives us His Spirit to help us become more like Him. God will finish the good work that He has begun in everyone who believes. 

Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 1:6

can a christian be saved by works?

All Questions, Salvation

Can a christian be saved by works?

Category

Salvation,   All Questions

Last Updated

Feb 8, 2025

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People often believe that they can earn their way into heaven by doing good deeds, showing kindness, and giving to the poor.

However, is any “work” sufficient to save us? The answer is yes, but only the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. There is no amount of good work that a person could do to earn a place in heaven.

If Christians could earn salvation on the basis of good works, Jesus would have died for nothing.

Does this, however, mean we should disregard all good works? Definitely not. Good works are an important part of a Christian’s calling to serve others, just as Jesus did.

The theologian Augustine said it best, “we are not saved by faith plus works but rather saved by a faith that works.”

Martin Luther, the famous reformer of the Christian faith, also stated: “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone and, this is the evidence of our changed lives.”

But doesn’t James (2:17) say that “faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead” if so, how do we reconcile this.

To help explain this, we need to look at the distinction between works based salvation (every other religion) and actual salvation.

❖ Any works based salvation states:

WORKS (root) + FAITH = SALVATION

❖ But actual Salvation:

FAITH + SALVATION = WORKS (fruit)

Your faith alone in Jesus saves you and a life that is sanctified and regenerated by the Holy Spirit produces fruit of good works. We do not need works to complete our salvation but rather our works are an evidence of the working of God in our hearts.

When Jesus accomplished salvation. He did not say I did something now come and help me do the rest.

We cannot be saved by good works or stay saved by good works. But every Christian has been “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10) and is to bear “fruit in every good work” (Col. 1:10).

Works are not the source of the Christian life, but they are the marks of it.

In accepting Christ as our personal savior and acknowledging His finished work for us, we give Him access to our hearts and allowing the Spirit to change our affections for Christ to the point that we want to serve Him, live for Him, love Him, and do good for Him. As such, the acts we do are all empowered by His Holy Spirit.

To conclude, Christians are not saved by their ‘own’ works but only through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Salvation is by faith alone in Christ, but true faith is never alone—it produces the fruit of good works.

What about those who have not heard about Jesus?

All Questions, Salvation

What about those who have never heard about Jesus?

Category

Salvation,   All Questions

Last Updated

Feb 8, 2025

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As stated in the Bible, salvation comes through faith alone in Jesus Christ. In light of this teaching of Scripture, many have questioned the eternal destiny of those who may not have heard the good news of Jesus. So how do we answer this?

In the Bible, God is described as a just God who will judge people on the basis of the light (knowledge and revelation of the truth) they would have received. This concept is central in Romans 1 & 2, which emphasizes God’s revelation of Himself through creation and conscience, making His existence known to all. God has given light to everyone, and those who respond will accordingly receive more light. But what is this light?

  • God has given us the ‘light’ of creation through which we know there is a wise and powerful God. Romans 1 speaks about how vast and intricate creation is, which can only be explained by a creator. 
  • God has given us the ‘light’ of conscience through which we know there is a moral God. Romans 2 speaks about how God’s law is written on our hearts and that we inherently know what is good and evil.

Thus, if the biblical account is true, the existence of God can be known by creation and conscience alone. Furthermore, God’s natural revelation of Himself is neither obscure nor selective, nor is it restricted to a few gifted and intelligent souls.

However, if a person rejects the general revelation available to affirm God’s existence, they would have no reason to believe in the gospel message.

It is not that God cannot reach us; He can. He is not far from us (whether in a busy city or a remote village); we need only truly seek Him. Throughout history, God has been able to bypass human mechanisms to speak to men and women. This may be via public proclaimers, dreams, visions, prophets in biblical times, and during our current age through television, media, blogs, etc. The advancements in technology have enabled more people than ever before to learn more about Jesus without even visiting a church.

Even during the New Testament era, Jesus commanded His disciples to preach the gospel to every nation. By the end of the first century, the message of Christ was preached in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Today, the Bible has been translated into every major language and made freely available by countless organizations. It is absurd to think that there would be people standing before God who would say, “If only I had more information, I would have believed.”

While we have established that there is ample evidence available to believe in God’s existence, it is also important to note that men are ultimately condemned to hell not because they do not live up to the light of the evidence provided but because of their rejection of Jesus Christ.

As Jesus stated in John 16:8-9, the Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgement, and the sin is related to their lack of belief in Him.

Therefore God, in His sovereign, predetermined grace, always reaches out to sinful mankind through the Holy Spirit. Scriptures tell us that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their way and live (Ezek 33:11), and God does not desire for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). It is certain that God will bring all His elect to Himself by allowing them to hear the gospel.

Last but not least, if you are reading this today, guess what? You are not one of those who have not heard, you have heard, and you have the evidence of the gospel’s claim open to you about Jesus claiming to be God and His free gift of salvation for you.

So, what will you do with this information, and how will you share the gospel with those around you?

God has made Himself known through creation, conscience, and the gospel—those who reject His light are without excuse.

Who is God?

About God, All Questions

Who is God?

Category

God,   All Questions

Last Updated

May 26, 2020

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God Is Truth

Jeremiah 10:10 (ESV)
But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

God is Light

1 John 1:5  (ESV)
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

God is Love

1 John 4:8 (ESV)
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God Is Infinite

Psalm 147:5  (ESV)
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

God is All Knowing

1 John 3:20 (ESV)
20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything

God is Everywhere

Psalm 139:7-12 (ESV)
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

God is Unequaled

Isaiah 40:25 (ESV)
25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

God Is Perfect

1 Kings 8:27 (ESV)
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!

God Is Invisible

1 Timothy 1:17 (ESV)
17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

God Is Without Limit

Jeremiah 23:23-24 (ESV)
23 “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.

God Is Eternal

Psalm 90:2 (ESV)
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

God Is Incomprehensible

Romans 11:33 (ESV)

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

God Is The Almighty One

Revelation 1:8 (ESV)
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

God Is Most Wise

Jude 25 (ESV)
to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen

God Is Most Holy

Revelation 4:8 (ESV)
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

God Is Gracious

Exodus 33:19 (ESV)
And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

God Is Merciful

Exodus 34:6 (ESV)
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

God Is Long-suffering

Exodus 34:6 (ESV)
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

God Is Forgiving

Daniel 9:9 (ESV)
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him

That is just a glimpse of who God is?

And This God… IS for you… IS with you… and IS in love with you.

This God... IS for you... IS with you... and IS in love with you.

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Is Baptism necessary for Salvation?

All Questions, Salvation

Is Baptism necessary for salvation?

Category

Salvation,   All Questions

Last Updated

Feb 8, 2025

Reading Time ‘Minutes’

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Baptism is mandatory for Christians once they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. This act symbolizes dying from old sin and past life and being renewed to a new life with Christ.

Baptism is derived from the Greek word baptizmo, which means to dip, immerse, or plunge.

Christians, therefore, identify with Christ’s death and burial when they are baptized into the waters and with His resurrection when they emerge from the water.

The act of baptism is not necessary for salvation, but rather a good way of expressing what happens on the inside of us post salvation. It is similar to a wedding ring, which is an outward expression of an inward commitment.

The only means for salvation is through a simple, sincere, and humble faith in Jesus Christ’s finished work and through repentance of our sins.

Acts 16:31 (NKJV)

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

The act of baptism is also a beautiful act of obedience to God’s word, and every Christian should be baptized once they accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

If you genuinely believe in Jesus Christ for your salvation, you should have no reason to stop you from obeying the act of water baptism.

Q. But didn’t Peter say that Baptism is essential to salvation?

Acts 2:38 (NKJV)

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This verse is often wrongly used by many groups to teach that baptism is essential for salvation. However, this isn’t what Peter is saying. In this context, Peter makes a clear distinction between baptism and the gospel.

This understanding is also aligned with Paul’s other statements where he reiterates that only the gospel will save sinners.

1 Corinthians 1:17 (NKJV)

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect

Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

In conclusion, while baptism is highly significant in the Christian faith as a symbol of obedience, identification with Christ, and public declaration of faith, the predominant view among many Christian scholars and denominations is that it is not a prerequisite for salvation. Salvation is  by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Baptism is an act of obedience and public declaration of faith, but salvation comes by grace through faith in Christ alone.

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