For this Second Edition, all of the studies have been reviewed and expanded. The number of studies have been almost doubled, so there is even more material for the student of the Bible to study.

This book is divided into two major Parts. Part I covers the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. It is these doctrines that separate the true Christian faith from cultic and other deviations. Included here are studies on such essential doctrines as the authority and reliability of the Scriptures, the attributes of God, the Trinity, and forgiveness and salvation.

The format for most of these doctrines is to first present the Scriptural evidence for the author’s conservative (or evangelical) viewpoint in one or more studies. Then in the following study, “opposing viewpoints” are presented. These would be views of cultists and others who disagree with the evangelical view, with the evidence they claim for their views. Then rebuttals to these opposing viewpoints are given.

Part II of this book then covers controversial theologies, cults, and ethics. Included here are studies on Catholicism, Calvinism, baptism, end-time prophecy, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, sexual issues, church issues, and many more topics.

These are areas on which there is often disagreement among Christians. In such cases, the same format as for Volume I is followed: the author’s viewpoint is presented first, then opposing viewpoints, with rebuttals thereof. For the record, the author ascribes to a Reformed-Baptist perspective on theological issues and is conservative on ethical issues.

So the range of topics covered in the different studies is broad. Included in each study are hundreds of Scripture references. So there will be no lack of material from which to begin your studies.

An extensive list of resources consulted in developing these studies is included in an appendix. These resources can then be pursued if the reader wishes to study a subject in even more depth.

In addition, SWB1 utilized Arial 11 print and rather wide margins, while SWB2 uses Times New Roman 11 and smaller margins. Times print is smaller than Arial, so the amount of material is over 2-1/2 times in SWB2 versus what it was in SWB1.

Note also that Times 11 is still very easy to read; in fact it is probably easier to read than Arial print, hence why it is used this time. And there is still plenty of room for users to write their own notes, as this is a “workbook” after all, but the amount of empty space is not excessive.

The Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original manuscripts, the complete revelation of His will for our salvation and the Divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life (Article #1 on Darkness to Light’s Confession of Faith).

OT: Gen 15:1; Exod 20:1; Numb 1:1; 2Sam 23:2; Isa 6:1-8; Jer 1:1-9; 2:1; 13:1-8; 49:34f; Ezek 1:1-3; 3:16; 38:1; Dan 9:2 (cp. Jer 25:11f); Hos 1:1; 4:1; Joel 1:1; Amos 7:14-17; Jonah 1:1; 3:1-3; Obad 1:1; Micah 1:1; Zeph 1:1; Hag 1:1; 2:1; Zech 1:1-7; 4:6-8.

NT: Matt 5:17f; 15:3-6; 22:29-32,42-45; Acts 3:21; 4:31; 1Thes 2:13; 4:8; Heb 1:1; 2Tim 3:16f; 1Pet 1:25; 2Pet 1:20f; Rev 1:1-3,19; 2:1; 3:22.

NOTE: It is true that the Biblical writers claiming to be speaking for God does not prove that they were doing so. However, if someone claims to be speaking for God, or even more so if they claim they have heard the voice of God or seen a vision, then there are only three possibilities: The person is telling the truth; the person is lying, or the person is hallucinating and thus is mentally disturbed.

For example, when Isaiah records his vision of the Lord in the sixth chapter of his book, either that event happened, or he made it up, or he was hallucinating. So a decision must be made: do the writings of Isaiah read like those of an honest person, a liar, or a lunatic?

The point is, either the Bible is what it claims to be, the very Word of God, or it is a complete fraud. There is no middle ground. It cannot be said the Bible is a “good book” but not the Word of God.

It should also be noted, the NT writers attribute OT words to God even if they are not specifically ascribed to God in the OT. This shows that all of Scripture is the Word of God:

Matt 19:4-6 quoting Gen 1:27; 2:24/ Acts 4:24-26 quoting Psalm 21:1f/ Acts 13:35 quoting Psalm 16:10/ Heb 1:6 quoting Deut 32:43 and Psalm 97:7 (both from the LXX)/ Heb 1:7 quoting Psalm 104:4.

…

Note: A total of 79 “sayings are presented and a total of ten sections on The Authority of the Scriptures.

Verses marked with an asterisk are not direct quotations but allusions to the OT. These are often references to OT historical events. They show the NT writers considered these accounts to be actual history, not legends or myths.

The NT verse is given first, then the OT verse.

Note: A total of 458 quotations and allusions are presented.

The Scriptures can be shown to be reliable in many different ways.

Note: A total of 40 parallels are listed. Also presented is a list of 34 parallels between Peter’s and Paul’s teachings.

…

Gen 11:28,31; 15:7; Neh 9:7.

The Bible says that Abraham originally lived in Ur of the Chaldees. This ancient city was discovered and is now known to have been the capital city of the Sumerians, one of the oldest civilizations in ancient Mesopotamia.

Genesis 14:1-3,8.

The Bible states there were five cities in the plains of the Salt Sea (a.k.a., the Dead Sea): Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (a.k.a. Zoar). God destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim when He “rained down fire and brimstone” on the cities (Gen 19:24; Deut 29:23), but Zoar was spared, since that is where Lot and his daughters fled to (Gen 19:22f,30).

Archeological excavations have shown there were in fact five cities in this plain during the early Bronze Age (third millennium B.C.), but they were abandoned, and the area was not resettled until the Romans occupied the land some 2,000 years later. The city believed to be Sodom has evidence of having been destroyed by fire.

This episode is significant as throughout Scripture, Sodom and Gomorrah are used as examples of wickedness and their destruction as an example of God’s judgment upon such wickedness:

OT: Deut 32:32; Isaiah 1:9f; 3:9; 13:19, Jer 23:14; 49:18; 50:40; Lam 4:6; Ezek 14:46-56; Amos 4:11; Zeph 2:9;

NT: Matt 10:15; 11:23f; Mark 6:11; Rom 9:29; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 1:7; Rev 11:8.

Note: A dozen more archeological examples are given and a total of six sections on The Reliability of the Scriptures..

Those who are opposed to a belief in the authority and reliability of the Scriptures believe the Scriptures are full of contradictions. To support this idea, there are many lists of alleged contradictions in the Scriptures floating around the Internet and elsewhere. But a careful examination of these supposed contradictions shows they are not really contradictory after all. Some of the supposed contradictions are even just plain silly. But they are included in such lists to make them as long as possible to try to make it look like the Scriptures are “hopelessly contradictory.” …

There are many contradictions between these two creation accounts. In the first, trees, birds and animals were created before humans. In the second, human beings was created first, then the trees, birds, and animals. Also, in the first, man and woman are created at the same time, but in the second, man was created first, then the woman later.

BUT: Genesis One is recording the creation of “the heavens and the earth” (v.1). Genesis two is recording the creation of the Garden of Eden (v.8). As such, the two cannot be contradicting each other as they are discussing different events.

More specifically, Genesis one is recording the creation of plant and animal life in general; Genesis two is recording the creation of the plant and animal life in the Garden of Eden.

Moreover, in Genesis one, man and women are presented as being created at the same time by the literary device of “telescoping.” This term refers to looking at the events from far away. Just as two mountaintops look as if they are almost touching from a distance, events separated by time appear as if they are together when viewed from a distant, as this literary device does. But when looked at closer, the distances between the mountaintops can be seen. In the same way, when looked at closer, the events that occurred in between the creation of the man and of the woman can be seen.

Note: Two dozen more supposed contradictions are addressed.

We Believe:

There is one, and only one, true God: Creator and Sustainer of all things, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Self-existent, Immutable, Spirit, Incomprehensible, Eternal, Sovereign and Master of the universe, infinitely perfect in love, goodness, holiness, and justice (Article #2 on Darkness to Light’s Confession of Faith).

OT: Gen 1:1-31; 2:16-22; 3:9-19; 6:5-8; 7:1-4; 8:15-17; 9:1-17; 12:1-3; 26:2-5,24; Exod 3:4-2; 20:1-17; Josh 1:19; Judg 1:1f; 1Sam 2:27-36; 16:1-13; 1Kings 3:5-14; 9:1-9; 2Chr 15:2; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6; 12:13-25; 38:1-41:34; Ps 2:4-9; 3:3f; 5:4-6; Prov 3:19f; Isa 6:1-13; 55:8-11; Jer 1:4-10; Ezek 1:28-2:14; Dan 1:20-23; Jonah 1:1f; 3:1f; 4:1-11.

NT: Matt 2:19-f; 3:16f; 6:1-18,31f; John 12:27f; 17:3; Acts 4:24-31; 5:4; 10:9-16; 14:3; 19:11f; Rom 1:1f;9f;16-28; 16:25-27; 1Cor 2:16; 7:17; 12:28; 14:2; 2Cor 1:3f; 6:1f; 13:14; Eph 1:3-5; Col 1:1,27; 1Thes 1:4; 4:3,7; 5:18; 2Tim 1:1; Heb 1:1f; 2:4 11:6,16; 13:21; Jam 1:5; 4:6; 1Pet 3:17; 4:18; 2Pet 1:17; 2:4-9; 1John 1:6; 4:7-11,16; Jude 1:25; Rev 4:11; 21:3-7.

OT: Gen 1:1-10,14-18; 2:4; Exod 20:11; 31:17; Deut 4:19; 1Sam 2:8; 2Kings 19:15; 1Chr 29:14; Neh 9:5f; Job 9:8f; 26:7-13; 38:4; Ps 8:3; 19:1; 24:1f; 33:6-9; 89:11f; 100:3; 102:25-27; 104:5-9; 119:73; 146:6; 148:1-6; Isa 37:16; 40:22-28; 42:5; 4:24; 45:18; 51:13; 66;1f; Jer 10:12f,16; 31:35; 32:17; Zech 12:1.

NT: Acts 4:24; 14:15; 17:24; Rom 1:20; 11:36; 1Cor 10:26; Heb 1:10; 11:3; 2Pet 3:5; Rev 4:11; 14:7.

Note: A total of 32 attributes are presented.

Gen 4:16; 2Ki 13:20; Jer 23:39; 52:3. It is possible to go out from or be cast from the presence of the LORD.

1Ki 8:39; Ps 33:13f; Matt 6:9: God is in heaven.

These verses show God can only be in one place at one time.

BUT: In 1Kings 8, in addition to saying God’s dwelling place is in heaven (v.39), Solomon also says God will dwell in the temple he had just built on earth (v.13).

The Bible also says the LORD is “the God of heaven and the God of the earth” (Gen 24:3) and is “God in heaven above and on the earth beneath” (Deut 4:39; Josh 2:11). The Bible also declares, “LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven or on earth like You” (2Chr 6:14). So the LORD is in heaven and on earth at the same time.

In fact, Solomon declared, “heaven and the heaven of the heavens cannot contain” God (1Ki 8:27; 2Chr 6:18). The point is that God fills “heaven and earth” meaning the entire universe (Jer 23:24).

When the Bible declares God “dwells” somewhere it is not restricting Him to that place. It is proclaiming God is MANIFESTING Himself at that time in that place. The spiritual world is always present, but we do not always see it unless allowed to by God (Exod 40:34; Numb 22:31; 1Ki 8:10f; 2Ki 6:15-17; Luke 2:13f; Acts 7:55f; Rev 4:2-5).

When the Bible says Cain “went out from the presence of the Lord” it is simply referring to Cain leaving the area where God revealed Himself to Cain. When it says people are cast out from the LORD’s presence, it refers to them no longer being able to experience His love and protection.

Note: Four additional opposing viewpoints are addressed.

In the existence of angels and Satan and his demons. Angels are personal, spirit beings in the service of God. Satan and his demons are personal, spirit beings who are in rebellion against God, His angels, and His people. Their fate of eternal damnation was sealed by Christ at the cross, and authority over them and their activities has been granted to all believers (Article #10 on Darkness to Light’s Confession of Faith).

Note: Five sections on Angels are presented.

Gen 3:1-5; Deut 32:15-18; 2Chr 11:13-15; Isa 14:14; Zech 3:1f; Matt 4:1-11; 13:39; 16:21-23; Mark 4:14f; Luke 22:1-6,31f; John 13:2,21-30; 1Cor 10:20f; 2Cor 11:14; 1Tim 4:1-5; 2Thes 2:3-10; James 3:13-17; Rev 9:20; 12:7-17; 16:13f.

Job 1:8-19; 2:3-8; 1Chr 21:1; Matt 8:28-32; 9:32f; 12:12; 17:14-18; Mark 5:1-13; Luke 8:11f,26-33; 9:37-42; 11:14; 13:10-17; 2Cor 4:3f; Gal 3:1-3; 1Tim 1:18-20; 3:6f; 2Tim 3:26; 1John 3:8; 1Peter 5:8; Jude 4; Rev 2:9,13; 3:9; 9:14-19; 12:9.

1Chron 21:1-8; Matt 16:22f; Acts 5:1-3; 1Cor 3:1-4; 7:5; 2Cor 2:5-11; 11:13-15; 12:7; Eph 4:26f; 6:10-12; 1Thes 2:2-18; 1Tim 5:15; James 3:14-16; Rev 2:12-14; 18:2,24.

1Kings 22:20-38; Ps 78:49; Dan 10:13,20; Luke 4:31-36; 10:17-19; 1Cor 5:1-5; 1Tim 1:19f; Jam 4:7.

Note: A total of ten sections on Satan and Demons are presented.

The sovereignty of God refers to “God’s rule and authority over all things” (Erickson, Concise, p. 157). On this general point all evangelical Christians are in agreement.

God can and does control the human will. As such, God is absolute Lord over human history in general and individual destinies.

God could control the human will but chooses not to do so. God is Lord over human history in general, but the destiny of any particular person is determined by the exercise of that person’s own “free will.”

God is incapable of controlling the human will. As such, He is not Lord over human history or over personal destinies. Human “free-will” or “chance” are the ultimate determinate factors. But God is doing the best He can to bring about good in the world.

The author of this book agrees with the Calvinist position and believes the following passages support this view. These verses also demonstrate God’s absolute sovereignty in other areas. Studying these verses will help the reader to decide if this is the Biblical position. Whatever position is taken, one thing should become clear—the concept of the sovereignty of God pervades the Scriptures.

Elsewhere in the Torah:

Genesis 20:1-6; 30:27; 31:1-16,42; 35:5 (cp. 34:30); 38:7-10.

Exodus 4:11; 21:12f; 23:27; 31:3-6; 34:23f; 35:30-36:2.

Leviticus 14:34.

Numbers 5:21; 11:31; 23:19; 26:3-45.

Deuteronomy 2:24-36 (cp. Numb 21:21-24); 3:1-3,18-22; 4:34; 8:18; 9:3; 11:25 (cp. Josh 6:1); 12:10; 20:1-4 (cp. Exod 17:8-11); 28:1-68; 29:2-4; 32:39.

[Hundreds of additional verses from the rest of the Bible on the sovereignty of God are listed in the study.]

The previous study addressed various differences between Catholicism and Evangelical Protestantism. This study will look at one specific area of difference, the attitudes and teachings about Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Note that Catholics generally capitalize tittles for Mary, including capitalizing the word “mother” (i.e., Mary, Mother of Jesus), but Protestants normally only capitalize her actual name (i.e. Mary, mother of Jesus). This Study follows these conventions for each viewpoint.

Mary is to be venerated and can be invoked to pray for us to God.

Mary is to be honored for being faithful to the Lord, but she should not be venerated and cannot be invoked to pray for us.

Of all the women in Israel, Mary was chosen to be the Mother of Jesus. Since God so highly honored Mary, so should we.

Yes it was a great honor for Mary to be chosen to be the mother of the Lord. But this was due to pure grace on God’s part, not due to anything special about Mary.

Mary is declared by the angel to be “full of grace” that “the Lord is with” her and to be “blessed among women.” These accolades show how very special she is. They are also examples of praise being given to Mary.

The translation “full of grace” is questionable. Most Protestant versions say something like “highly favored.” The ALT renders it as, “having been bestowed grace” with the alternative translation of “having been shown kindness.” Either way, the “grace” or the “kindness” is something that is shown to Mary. The verse is not teaching she is inherently endowed with some kind of special grace. This can be seen in that the only other time the Greek word used here occurs is in Ephesians 1:6, where all believers are said to have grace bestowed upon us.

“The charismata” are spiritual gifts given to Christians. The term comes from the Greek word for “gifts.” Some of these gifts are seemingly “natural” such as teaching or leadership, while others are more supernatural or miraculous in their nature. In regards to these latter types of charismata there is a difference of opinion as to whether they were just for the Apostolic Age or if they are still operating today.

Three lists of the charismata are given in Scripture. Duplicates and related gifts will be addressed together.

These two gifts will be addressed first as they seem to be related. “Wisdom” is defined as: “the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.”

Here Jesus promises the gift of the word wisdom to those undergoing persecution as to how to respond to them.

Possibly true, but the miraculously given wisdom is just for that specific situation of dealing with persecution.

Jesus knew that Nathaniel had been sitting under a fig tree before his brother called him to come meet Jesus, an example of the gift of the word of knowledge.

Jesus tells a woman He has just met that she has been married four times and is currently living with a man she is not married to, another example of the gift of the word of knowledge.

Both of these examples are of Jesus. As such, they are examples of His omniscience as God in the flesh and not of any spiritual gift given to believers.

Ananias and Sapphira had apparently promised to donate the full proceeds of the sale of their house to the Church. But they lied about how much it was sold for and kept back some of the money. Peter knew about the deception via the gift of the word of knowledge.

The first deacons chosen to serve in the Church were to be “full of wisdom.” Stephen then demonstrated the use of this gift of wisdom in his sermon (7:1-53). Stephen’s knowledge of the OT was probably natural, from his study of them. But the God-given gift of wisdom enabled him to apply this knowledge to his listeners’ situation as Stephen obviously did not have time to prepare a sermon. His sermon was so effective that his listeners “were cut through to their hearts” (7:54).

These two passages probably are examples of the gift of knowledge and of wisdom, respectively. But this was an apostle and a direct apostolic delegate. They do not prove such gifts still operate today.

James tells us to pray for wisdom. He then gives the characteristics of this “wisdom from above.”

There is no indication the wisdom here is the specific gift of the “word of wisdom.” But James’ description is a good way to test if someone’s claimed spiritual wisdom is really from God.

Paul exercised the gift of the word of wisdom in his writings.

Paul was writing under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. That is why his writings are “Scripture” (v.16). Everyone who claims to have the gift of the word of wisdom is not writing new Scripture.

The God-given gift of wisdom is necessary to correctly understand Biblical symbolism.

It is true we need the Holy Spirit’s leading in understanding Scripture, but this is not a special gift given to just some Christians.

There is little direct information on these gifts, thus it is difficult to be dogmatic about the exact nature of them and if anyone possesses such gifts today.

[This evaluation of the charismata is divided into two parts as it took two chapters to fully cover all of the spiritual gifts.]