What is panthiesm religion?

Sincerely,
“Pan”icked

Dear “Pan”icked,

Pantheism comes from ‘pan’, meaning ‘all’, and ‘theos’ means ‘god’.  Pantheism is the idea that there is no one all-powerful God.  Instead, Pantheism teaches that a god is simply representative of all the universe and natural laws.  Pantheism places its trust in the natural world and the structure of the physical universe.  Pantheists find solace and peace in nature and find all their purpose in this world only.  Pantheism teaches that this life is all there is… no eternity, no heaven, no hell, and no Judgment Day.  Pantheism is in direct opposition to the teachings of the Scripture.  From as early as Gen. 1:1, the Bible teaches that there is an all-powerful God and that we are accountable to Him.  When we die, we shall all face the judgment of a just and supernatural God (Heb 9:27).

Why do the Catholics call their pastor “Father” when in the Holy Bible Jesus tells us in Mathew 23:9, “Do not call anyone on Earth your Father”????  Thank You.

Sincerely,
Not A “Father” Figure

Dear Not A “Father” Figure,

The Catholics say it because the Catholics are wrong.  Matt 23:9 commands us to never give people the position of father other than the Father in heaven.  The Catholic church also calls their religious leaders ‘priests’ when the Bible clearly states that all christians are priests (1 Pet 2:9).  They also reserve the title of ‘saint’ for only the most pious of Catholics… all christians are saints (1 Cor 14:33, 2 Cor 13:13).  The word ‘saint’ simply means ‘someone set apart for a special purpose’.  Throughout the millennia, the Catholic church has added these doctrines of men and turned its back on the Scriptures.  We are commanded to never add or subtract from God’s Word, or we will be condemned (Rev 22:18-19, Gal 1:8).  The Catholic church has done that very thing.

(This question is a follow-up to “A Theist And An Atheist”.)

I understand that marrying a non-believer may not be the smartest thing to do because it is likely to cause more problems than if you married a Christian; however, would it prevent me from going to heaven?

Sincerely,
Not An Atheist

Dear Not An Atheist,

No single sin will prevent you from going to heaven, but the mentality of “Well, it’s only one sin; maybe it isn’t that big of a deal”… can.  A murderer who repents of murder can go to heaven (Paul did – 1 Tim 1:15-16).  A thief who repents can go to heaven (the thief on the cross did – Lk 23:39-43).  All sins can be forgiven in Christ (1 Jn 1:7), but what you are asking is different.  You are asking whether or not you can do something wrong and it be okay… that is a dangerous path to travel.  The moment we begin “cutting corners” with our salvation, we run into problems.  We can’t tell you that marrying a non-believer will send you to hell, but we have told you that it is a sin.  A sin is a sin – avoid them all.

I have a wonderful boyfriend who is perfect in every way except that he is a strongly believing atheist, but he never imposes his beliefs on me.  I wanted to know if I married him, would it be a sin, what would happen to my soul, and would it be something that would prevent me from going to heaven?  I am confused when I turn to the Bible for answers because 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 are contradictory.

P.S. I actually just broke up with him a few days ago because I didn't want to be in a relationship that God didn't approve of.  I still love him but am holding off on my permanent decision of whether to be with him or not until I get this question answered.  Thank you so much.  God Bless.

Sincerely,
Not An Atheist

Dear Not An Atheist,

It is wrong to marry someone who isn’t a christian.  1 Cor 7:12-16 deals with what to do if you are already married to an unbeliever (for example if you became a christian after already being married), and 2 Cor 6:14-18 explains what to do to avoid getting into an unhealthy marital situation.  Paul clearly states that christians should seek to marry only those who are also “in the Lord” (1 Cor 7:39).  Right now, your boyfriend doesn’t impose his beliefs on you because he is still courting your affections; once you are married, that will change – it always does.  People are always on their best behavior during the "wooing" stage of a romance.  When you marry a man, you are deciding that you trust him to be the head of your household (Eph 5:23).  You simply cannot trust a man that doesn’t believe in God to properly guide the direction of your family.  Marriage is a permanent decision; you can’t trust this man to abide by the same rules of marriage as you will.  Religion is the most important factor in a marriage because it affects your morals, how you raise children, your finances, your hobbies, how you treat one another, and a thousand other elements of your future.  Do not become unequally yoked to this man.

Question: Are we TRULY saved by faith alone, and what is a "true Christian"?

Hello, my name is (omitted), and I am a christian (Protestant).  I had always believed that we were saved by "faith alone," but I read an article that talks about 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and states that those sins can keep you from heaven.  Furthermore, in that same article, they say this:

"However, a true Christian will always repent, will always eventually return to God, and will always resume the struggle against sin.  But the Bible gives no support for the idea that a person who perpetually and unrepentantly engages in sin can indeed be a Christian."

Based off of that, it seems they are saying that even if you have faith (believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior), you have to do "good works" by "repenting" in order to be called a "true Christian" and keep your salvation.

To sum it all up:

I'm confused.  If there is a Christian that practices the sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 without repenting (good works), and even if they believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, is the Bible saying that they are not "true Christians", thus they are not saved?  If that's the case, then aren't we saved by faith + good works instead of just "faith alone"?  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Working On My Faith

Dear Working On My Faith,

The Bible says that we are saved by faith (Eph 2:8), but it never says that we are saved by faith only.  The Scriptures mention a lot of things that are involved in our salvation.  We are saved by hope (Rom 8:24).  We are saved by baptism (1 Pet 3:21).  We are saved by the love of the truth (2 Thess 2:10).  All of these things are involved in your salvation.

We are told that in order to be saved, we must believe in Jesus (Jhn 3:16), repent of our sins (Acts 2:38), be baptized (Mk 16:16), and continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ through the Bible (2 Pet 3:18).  Faith is hearing what God says (Rom 10:17)… and then acting upon it.  James says that faith without works is dead (Jas 2:17).  It is impossible to be a faithful person and live an unrepentant life.  Faith is more than belief; even the demons believe in God (Jas 2:19).  Faith is belief combined with action.  We must be hearers and doers of God’s Word (Jas 1:22).  1 Cor 6:9-10 lists a multitude of unrepentant lifestyles.  If someone continues to live a life of sin, they are not faithful, and God will condemn them.