What is the gift of the Holy Spirit that christians are promised by Peter in Acts 2?  I don't think it's God's Word since faith comes by hearing, and you must hear the Word of God before you can believe and become a christian.  Also, not all christians at that time or today had/have access to the inspired Scriptures.  I followed Peter's instructions, but I don't have any "spiritual" gift.  I get very confused when it comes to the Holy Spirit's role after the perfect has come.

Sincerely,
Gifted

Dear Gifted,

The gift of the Holy Spirit is salvation. In Acts 2:38, Peter offers the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who are baptized. The problem is that in this verse, Peter doesn’t specify whether the gift is from the Holy Spirit or the gift is the Holy Spirit. We need to compare Peter’s sermon in Acts to other verses. What do other verses say you receive when you are baptized?

1. Mk 16:16 says you will receive salvation.
2. Acts 8:16 shows that several people had been baptized but hadn’t received the Holy Spirit – which means that the Holy Spirit can’t be what the gift is.
3. Acts 10:47 shows several people receiving the Holy Spirit before baptism, also proving that the gift of baptism isn’t the actual Holy Spirit.
4. Rom 6:4 says you are given a new life through baptism.
5. 1 Cor 12:13 says that you become part of the church when you are baptized.
6. Col 2:12 says you are raised with Christ in baptism.
7. Gal 3:27 says you put on Christ when you are baptized.
8. 1 Pet 3:21 says baptism saves you.

The truth can always be found in the sum of God’s Word (Ps 119:160). Baptism washes away your sins, and you receive the gift of salvation. The gift of salvation is a heavenly gift offered to us by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God (Heb 6:4, 1 Cor 2:11-13).

     If John the Baptist was Elijah, doesn't this count as reincarnation?

Sincerely,
Karma

Dear Karma,

John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah to pave the road for people to receive Christ (Lk 1:17).  John the Baptist wasn’t literally Elijah; he was just a man with the same disposition and zeal as Elijah.  Both men were bold speakers, and both men went about in simple, rough attire (2 Kgs 1:8, Matt 3:4).  John made it clear that he wasn’t physically Elijah (Jhn 1:21), but Jesus made it clear that John was an Elijah-type (Matt 11:13-14).  There is no reincarnation; we all die once and then go to face God (Heb 9:27).

      When was the first appointed elder in the Bible?

Sincerely,
Age Before Beauty

Dear Age Before Beauty,

Elders have the oversight of local congregations, and in order to be an elder, a man must meet the qualifications outlined in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  The first recorded elders are mentioned in Acts 11:39-40, and they were elders in the Jerusalem church.

     Why was the blind man not healed completely the first time Christ touched him in Mark 8:22-26?

Sincerely,
Double-Take

Dear Double-Take,

Throughout the Bible, miracles were performed that involved some very unique circumstances, circumstances that leave us with unanswered questions.  Elisha stretching out multiple times upon the body of a dead child in order to bring him back to life (2 Kgs 4:34) and Jacob setting different striped rods before the flock to bring forth different colored sheep (Gen 30:37-39) are just two other examples.  God never tells us why there are such unique circumstances surrounding some miracles; some secrets belong to God (Deut 29:29).

     Hello, I have a question about sacrifice.  I have read where the Israelites had to make sacrifices on certain days to atone for their sins.  I am also aware that the sacrifice of Jesus has made this unnecessary.  But I do not understand how taking the best portion of your livelihood and burning it would atone for your sins.  I also do not understand how Jesus' sacrifice atoned for all the sins of the world.

How does destroying the most precious things equal forgiveness from God?  How does Jesus’ perfect sacrifice save us?  What do these acts actually DO?

Sincerely,
Sacrificially Stymied

Dear Sacrificially Stymied,

The Jewish sacrifices of bulls and goats never did atone for sins (Heb 10:4); all they did was teach that forgiveness from sin came with a cost.  God teaches us that when we sin, the wages of that sin are death (Rom 6:23).  The Jews learned that lesson by making sin offerings.  When the sinner laid their hand upon the head of the innocent animal, they symbolically transferred their sin to that beast (Lev 4:27-29).  However, animal blood never was enough to truly pay for sin.  It took the God’s Son’s blood to pay the price for our sin; only Deity’s blood was enough to cover the tremendous cost of sin (Heb 10:10).

Jesus had to sacrifice Himself to pay for our sins because God is both a merciful and a just God.  By personally paying the price for our sins, God showed Himself to be both just and the justifier of the faithful (Rom 3:25-26).  Like a father paying the price for his son’s mistakes, Jesus paid the price for our mistakes.