Editorial Staff

Question: Exactly what does it mean to "overcome"? Is "overcoming" important in living the Christian life?

Answer: While Jesus was instructing His disciples, He told them: "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Did Jesus mean that His followers would become absolutely perfect while still human beings?

Question: Various churches use water to perform a rite they call baptism. What is the purpose of water baptism? What method of baptism is correct according to the Bible?

Answer: Few in modern Christianity understand the real meaning of water baptism. There is also much confusion about how baptism should be done. Some churches sprinkle and some pour, while others practice complete immersion in water.

Question: I have heard the Fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8–11) described as the "test" commandment. What does this mean for Christians?

Answer: To succeed in school, students learn to follow their teachers’ instructions, and learn their lessons carefully. But few realize that God is testing us in a special way every week. Are we following our Teacher’s instructions (Matthew 19:17) and absorbing His lessons for us?

Question: The Apostle Paul states that "love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10). Does his statement mean that we need not keep the Ten Commandments if we have "love"?

Answer: The "love" of which Paul writes is not some sentimental feeling of human origin. He explains that it is the very love of God imparted to our minds by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22). This is the love that enables one to keep—"fulfill"—the Ten Commandments. But how exactly does God’s love fulfill His commandments?

Question: Jesus promised one of the thieves crucified with Him: “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). What and where is “Paradise,” and did the thief go there with Jesus that day?