Recently, LifeWay Research conducted a study to measure the current theological awareness of adult Americans. Below are a few of the questions.
Take a moment and answer True or False and then check your answers. I will give an short explanation for the correct answer to each question.
Questions
Q1: Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.
Q2: The Holy Spirit is a force, not a personal being.
Q3: People have the ability to turn to God on their own initiative.
Q4: By the good deeds that I do, I partly contribute to earning my place in heaven.
Q5: Even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation.
Q6: God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Q7: Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.
Q8: The Bible is 100% accurate in all that it teaches.
Answers
Here are the answers with some comments to begin your study into these important areas of doctrine.
How did you do? Are you a heretic?
Let’s take a moment and go over the questions, one by one.
Question 1 is false because Jesus is God and was not created. He is, in fact, the Creator of everything. [See John 1:1-4, 14-15]
Question 2 is false also. The Holy Spirit is not a force but a person. He is the third person of the Trinity, He is God. The Holy Spirit has Intellect (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), Feelings (Ephesians 4:30) and a Will (1 Corinthians 12:11) He is also God. (Matthew 28:19-20)
Question 3 is false because the Bible tells us that no one seeks God. (Romans 3:10-18) We are also told that we are spiritual dead before God gives us life. (Ephesians 2:1-5)
Question 4 is false because there is nothing we can do that helps us in any way of earning a place in Heaven. (Ephesians 2:8-19, Titus 3:3-5) You contribute nothing to your salvation.
Question 5 is true. If sin reveals our rebellion and separates us from God, then every sin, even one, is enough to merit damnation. We need to recover the Biblical attitude of Isaiah. (Isaiah 6:1-5) Paul tells us that we all are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
Question 6 is false. This question assumes that we are all worshipping the same God, which we are not. The Jewish and Islamic people do not worship a Triune God. (Matthew 28:19-20) They reject Jesus as God, the second person of the Trinity. They reject His sacrifice for salvation. (John 14:6)
Question 7 is false. This question states that people are, all in all, not that bad. The assumption is that they don’t need a lot of help, they are generally OK spiritually speaking. (Isaiah 53:3-6) Also, see the discussion of Question 3 above.
Question 8 is true. Many people reject the Bible and its claims about itself. But the Bible itself claims to be from God to us. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Unfortunately, each one of these questions is significant and shows you the state of your Biblical / Theological beliefs. Use this test as a way to grow in your knowledge and understanding of these important Theological beliefs.
Hopefully, this will encourage you to become a better student of the Word of God and grow in your knowledge of Him.