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Legalism is the term used by Christians to denote a doctrinal system where salvation is earned through good works or through the adherence to precise rules.

This position is often seen as contrary to idea that salvation is by grace alone, and there is nothing we can do in our human capacity to “earn” our salvation. Ephesians 2:8 states “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Read Full Answer.

The first incident involving Lot’s daughters appears in Genesis 19:1-11. Two men who were really angels appeared in Sodom where Lot lived with his family. The wicked men of the city surrounded Lot’s house seeking to have homosexual relations with the angels. Lot begged the men of the city not to do this evil thing and he offered up his two virgin daughters to them instead.
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We believe that the Old Testament points to Jesus (Luke 24:27, 44) as its fulfillment and also contains both positive and negative examples for us in terms of how to relate to God (1 Corinthians 10:6). When Paul talks about the ‘Scriptures’ in 2 Timothy 3:16, and how they are inspired by God, and profitable for the Christian, at that time, he was almost certainly referring to the Old Testament. Read Full Answer.

Baptism is one of the ordinances of the church and a symbol of salvation. The act of baptism, however, does not make one a true believer in Jesus Christ (and therefore it does not make one a Christian).

Baptism is also not a requirement for salvation. For example, Luke 23:43 records that Jesus told the thief on the cross, “today you shall be with me in paradise”. That thief had not been baptised and had only moments earlier confessed that Jesus was the Son of God. From this example we can see that baptism is not a required component of salvation. Read Full Answer.

There is nothing specific in the bible that bans hard alcohol or the hookah water pipe (also known as shisha). The same goes for other types of alcohol, smoking in general and many of the choices we make in life.

What the bible does talk about is sobriety, addiction, idolatry and self-control. These principles apply to all of life and are at the heart of godly behaviour and choices. The bible tells us in principle not to get drunk (Ephesians 5:18). 1 Corinthians 6:12 reminds us not to be addicted (“mastered”) to anything we do, or else we will be enslaved in our addiction and reject God (Luke 16:13). This also means that we do not frivolously engage in activates we know have the potential to “enslave” us. Read Full Answer.

The basic religious notion of people not eating pork is because the pig is seen as an unclean animal (as defined by Levitical law) and eating its meat will make one unclean. However, Jesus mentioned that it is not what one eats that makes a person unclean, but rather what comes out of it.

¹⁰And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: ¹¹ it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” – Matthew 15:10-11 Read Full Answer.

The short answer is “No”. This doesn’t mean that you should disobey what your church tells you to do, but to consider the more fundamental question:

How can we be “OK” with God?
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The idea that Christianity is about following rules most likely comes about from a misunderstanding of what it means to follow Christ.

Often, there is an expectation on people that when they become a Christian, they will live and behave differently Read Full Answer.

It does seems like God’s law can be really restrictive at first sight with all the “thou shalt not…”. But what would be the alternative of lawlessness (no God’s law)?

So let’s try to picture life without God’s law governing in the hearts of people in view of 6 of the 10 commandments God gave and see what the direct opposite of the law is. Read Full Answer.