The Bible and Life

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Must Wives Always Obey Their Husbands?

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

MUST WIVES ALWAYS OBEY THEIR HUSBAND?

Let's examine some of the husbands and wives as recorded in the law.

Peter cites Sarah as a model wife whose worthy example Christian wives could follow. "Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement''' (1 Peter 3:6).

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It is possible to lift this one verse out and say, "See, the wife is to obey her husband just as Sarah obeyed Abraham." But does it mean the wife doesn't have any right to speak her own mind? Some would leave the impression the wife never has a right to express her thoughts, that she's under the rule — the obedience — the domination — and is nothing much more than a slave. But that isn't what Peter is saying.

Let's see what the law says: GENESIS 16:5,6

5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee:

I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.

6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

Here we see Abram letting Sarai have her own way. He isn't dominating her like some warlord.

From the 16th chapter of Genesis through the 21st, there is an account of a disagreement. At its climax, we see that Abraham gave in to his wife's contention, and let her have her own way. And we see that God justified not him, but her.

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GENESIS 21:10-12

10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bond- woman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.

12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bond- woman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

God told Abraham, one time at least, to listen to his wife. According to this, Sarah ruled her husband on this occasion. And God approved of it. As He always does when a wife is right. God always approves of right.

Some ministers, Full Gospel, Spirit filled, I'm ashamed to say, have told me a woman ought to do whatever her husband says, no matter what. They have told me personally that if the husband tells his wife to sleep with another man, she ought to do it, because the Bible says for her to obey him. That is an insult to my intelligence. God will never side in with wrong. And that would be violating one of His Ten Commandments.

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One fellow said to me, "If a husband asks his wife to drink with him, she ought to drink with him. If he wants her to go to the bar, she should go." Another man said, "If an unsaved husband tells his wife not to go to church, she's not to go. If he tells her not to read the Bible, she's not to read it. She is to obey him to the letter."

(These things have been said to me personally — I'm not talking about what somebody comes to me and says somebody said. You can understand that these opinions have created no little confusion.)

I say in reply, "Bosh and tommyrot!"

Peter gave Sarah as an example. Let's take it then. When Sarah was right, God sided in with her. God is not going to side in with the husband when the husband is wrong any more than He will side in with the wife when she is wrong.

Thank God for good wives! They don't need to be put down. Oh, I know there are some bossy wives, but if their husbands don't know how to take care of them, let them go ahead and be henpecked! You see, it is the husband's problem. There's no use in downgrading all wives because of a few exceptions. And it is the responsibility of the husbands to take care of that — not the responsibility of the preachers.

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If a man wants to be henpecked, it's his business and no one else's. I have no more business trying to manage another man's wife than I have managing some other fellow's money. We can lay down principles, of course. But I think there are some men who rather enjoy being henpecked. If they do — let them enjoy it. I don't like it myself.

Yet I respect my wife, and I respect her opinion. Once she had to put her foot down and speak up to me. God had dealt with me back in 1947 and '48 about leaving the pastorate and going out in a field ministry. He had spoken to me about healing and had given me some instructions about ministering to the sick. It was the burden of my heart.

But I made a mistake. I went to the wrong meeting. (You can make a mistake sometimes going to the wrong church, the wrong convention, or the wrong meeting.) It was a midwinter prayer and Bible conference. Almost every person who preached spoke against healing meetings. And at the last, the man who stood at the head ventured to say that just one person shouldn't pray for the sick — just one individual shouldn't lay hands on them — everyone should pray and lay hands on them, and then when God healed them He'd get all the glory.

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Everything I heard downgraded me. I can understand how women must feel at times — they've gone to church, been put down, and wished they hadn't gone. After two or three days, I went back home. My resignation had already been submitted, and my wife had been packing while I was away.

"Just unpack," I said, "We're not going."

"You're not?"

"No, I'm not. The church wants me to stay and I'll stay. And another thing — from this moment on, I'm never going to pray for the sick again. I'll never lay hands on another person the longest day I live. If someone insists on being anointed with oil, I'll get the deacons to come and anoint him."

My wife could see that I was out of sorts. "No!" she said. "We're not going to stay with this church." I was taken aback. She'd never acted like that in her life. And she hasn't acted that way since. But she needed to act that way on this occasion, and God sided in with her.

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"No — I'm not going to unpack," she said. "And yes — we are going to leave this church. And yes — you are going to obey God. That's what you're going to do!"

I stood there speechless. She didn't ordinarily talk like that. But, to tell the truth about it, if she'd let me rule over the situation, we'd have both been in a mess. She was right. And she put a little vigor into me. I went ahead and obeyed God.

Sarah ruled over her husband in the situation we read about — and God approved of it. My wife ruled over me on this occasion — and God approved of it. God always sides in with right. He will never take the part of wrong. If He did, then He would be wrong.

Did you notice, too, that Sarah did not suffer in silence and servile subjection, but spoke her mind as she had a right to do "as also saith the law." It is recorded in the Pentateuch.

The first chapter of First Samuel records that when Hannah, the mother of Samuel, had a little difference with her husband, she spoke her mind and had her way. It proved out to be God's way.

Abigail was a wise woman whose husband was a fool. (There are some cases like that.) The Bible calls him a "son of Belial." By disobeying her husband, she saved a critical situation and won the favor of David. If she'd listened to her husband, there would have been much bloodshed.

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1 SAMUEL 25:32,33

32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:

33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

Read the whole story from your Bible and notice that God is standing on the side with Abigail — even though she disobeyed her husband.

It is not a sane argument that every wife must always obey her husband in everything.

The Woman Question

by Kenneth E. Hagin

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Apostolic Church History Podcast

Friday, May 8, 2026

Fred Bosworth's Spiritual Journey

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Fred Bosworth's spiritual journey.

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A resident of Zion City named Mrs. Waldron attended a tent crusade under the ministry of Charles F. Parham and received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of tongues. When she brought the exciting news to Zion City, John Alexander Dowie was determined to keep the “tongues movement” out of his community.

However, Bosworth and evangelist John G. Lake, who also lived in Zion City at the time, were hungry for the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. When Parham came to Zion City to preach on the baptism in the Holy Spirit a few years later, the Bosworths welcomed him into their home to hold meetings.

Shortly after this, Fred Bosworth and Lake received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Together, they made a trip to Azusa Street in California to experience the Holy Spirit’s revival there and to seek answers to their questions from the Reverend William J. Seymour concerning this “new” work of God.

After Bosworth received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, he looked back at his early days of nomadic movements from one job to the other and said, “I wish someone at that time had told me about being baptized in the Holy Spirit. I did a great deal of drifting not knowing what the right place was for me.”

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The right place for Fred Bosworth became clear to him almost immediately. During the years that he lived in Zion City, he spoke of his fear that God would call him to preach the gospel. After receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, however, he became afraid that God would not call him to preach. At twenty- nine years of age, his life had been radically changed.

He began to search the Scriptures on the Holy Spirit, such as Matthew 3:11, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire,” and Acts 19:2, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would come, and that He would be the One to baptize the disciples in the Spirit.

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Bosworth also read some of the writings of A. J. Gordon, who spoke out forcefully on the scriptural proof for the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a second and separate experience from salvation. “It is as sinners that we accept Christ; but it is as sons that we accept the Holy Spirit,” Gordon wrote as he expounded on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. “We must withhold our consent from the inconsistent exegesis which would make the water baptism of the apostolic times rigidly binding but would relegate the Baptism in the Spirit to a bygone dispensation.”

Bosworth admired the wisdom of using biblical logic and the Word to defend the good news of the full gospel. It would become a hallmark for him in future debates on the healing power of God on the earth in modern days.

- GOD’S GENERALS ( The Healing Evangelists)

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Tuesday, May 5, 2026

A. B. Simpson

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

ACT LIKE THE WORD IS TRUE!

And I always say to those people, “Have you ever acted like those verses of Scripture were true?” That sometimes startles them.

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But let me share with you the testimony of A. B. Simpson who just acted like the Word is true, and he received his healing. I read his testimony years ago in a Christian magazine. At the age of forty-six, Dr. A. B. Simpson, who was a Presbyterian minister at the time and later founded the Christian Missionary Alliance, was told he was dying of a heart condition and was given only about six months to live.

Dr. Simpson said he had heard many testimonies of healing even in his own church. He took a short leave of absence and went up to his farm where he could spend a lot of time studying the Word of God.

At the end of two weeks, Dr. Simpson took a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote, “After searching the Word of God for two weeks, I am convinced the Bible teaches that divine healing is for us today. And I, this day, accept Jesus Christ as my Healer and declare that I am now healed from heart trouble and that I am well. And I promise God to use this new-found strength and life and energy entirely for His purpose and to further the gospel.

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I promise God I will share this truth of healing with others and will help them.” After that time, Simpson went to a luncheon where he was to be the speaker. All that came to him to speak about was the one word out of Matthew 8:17, “Himself.”

So Dr. Simpson opened his Bible and read the entire verse and told the audience he wanted to focus his attention on that word “Himself.” Then he gave them his testimony about how he had been searching the Bible and had come to the conclusion that Jesus was still the Healer today.

After the luncheon, he was invited to go mountain climbing by the men to whom he had spoken. The thought immediately came to him that he wouldn’t be able to because of his heart condition. But then he remembered he had declared his healing, so he accepted the invitation and went. Up to this point, he had not really seen or felt his healing, but had just accepted it and had declared it by faith.

All the way up the mountain, every time he got his mind off the Word of God, he would begin to feel the symptoms of his heart condition. But he overcame these feelings because as he claimed the Word again for his healing, all the symptoms would go away. He fought this battle all the way up the mountain. But when he got up the mountain, he walked about victorious without any

symptoms!

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Dr. Simpson was seventy years old when I read his testimony in this magazine article, and he said he’d never had any more symptoms whatsoever after that mountain-climbing experience.

P . C. Nelson said that more people lose their healing over a counterattack than anything else.

For an example, an assistant chaplain boy during the Korean War said the United States took one mountain over there in battle fourteen different times and each time lost it. Actually, they lost it thirteen times and the fourteenth time, they kept it.

It’s the same way with faith. Real faith holds on to the blessings of God. Real faith is the child of the knowledge of the Word. Dr. Simpson acted on the Word and got real faith from it. Instead of trying to believe, he just acted upon the Word. He acted like the Word is true.

~ Kenneth E. Hagin || Bible Faith Study Guide

_ Spiritual Notes

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Apostolic Church History Podcast

Friday, May 1, 2026

Demonic Confrontation

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

DEMONIC CONFRONTATION

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Traveling through a land of spiritual darkness like Java, it was inevitable that Lester would face demonic spirits protesting the message of Jesus Christ. Still a young man, he really wasn’t prepared for such intense spiritual warfare.

Acts 10:38 says, “Jesus...went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil.” At a revival service one evening in Java, Lester had his first encounter with demon possession.

As the song service proceeded, a young girl about twelve years old slipped away from the front pew, where she had been sitting with her family, got on the floor, laid on her belly, and “began to writhe on the floor like a snake foaming at the mouth.” Her tongue would flick in and out like a serpent’s as she slithered back and forth in the front of the church. Lester was horrified at what he saw, but the Javanese pastor continued on with worship as though nothing unusual was happening.

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Lester had never been a shy man. When he stood in the pulpit to speak, righteous anger rose up in his spirit. He pointed at the young lady, who understood no English, and commanded her, “Get back in your seat!” Immediately, she sat back in her seat and remained there, sitting as still as a statue, for the entire sermon.

As Lester preached, he was also having a private conversation with the Lord. He asked God to take care of the problem of the little, demon-possessed girl. He didn’t know what to do with her. The Lord answered him clearly, “This is your problem. You take care of it!” Never having dealt with the occult before, but knowing that, in Christ, he had authority, Lester finished his sermon. Immediately afterward, he leaned over the pulpit, looked at the young girl sitting rigidly before him, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Now come out of her!”

Lester never touched the little girl or had any conversation with the demons wrestling within her. But, in a moment, the Spirit of the Lord descended on her. Her eyes became clear, and a sweet smile lit up her face. She was unaware of where she was or what had happened. As the Javanese pastor explained to her that she had just been freed from an evil spirit, she danced around with joy.

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As if on cue, hundreds of people in the congregation stood up and streamed to the altar, trusting in the God of power for salvation, healing, and deliverance. For hours, Lester prayed with those at the altar, but he was still shaken by what had happened.

Howard Carter had been teaching at another church and had not been present at Lester’s meeting. Back in Lester’s room later that night, Howard reassured him that he had handled the entire situation well, according to the Word of God. Just the same, Lester hoped with all his heart that it would never happen again!

Unfortunately for him, there were other demonic conflicts in Java before they left. Lester remarked afterward, “The greatest thing I learned was that I was not personally in the conflict. It was Christ in me. Also, it was not the person who caused the battle, but the devil within him or her.”

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When Lester and Howard ministered together in Java, the results were powerful. Thousands of Javanese were saved and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of Howard’s hands. When Lester ministered to them, many would be instantly healed of their diseases and would give their hearts to Christ. Like Paul and Timothy, this duo of ministers made an impression for Christ wherever they walked.

Pastor F. Van Abkoude summed up the success of Lester Sumrall and Howard Carter’s three months of ministry in Java, saying, “We prayed God to send a messenger, and Brother Carter came to Java with Brother Sumrall....Souls have been saved, healed, and baptized with the Holy Spirit. The result of their ministry will be seen in eternity.”

- God’s Generals ( The Healing Evangelists)

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Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Aimee Beatrice Carmichael

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

If you're an advocate for rescuing human sex slaves and stopping human trafficking, you are thanks to this young woman, Aimee Beatrice Carmichael, born in December 6, 1867, she was raised hearing the miracle power of Jesus and from the age of 3 would pray that God would change her brown eyes to the color blue, like her mother and baby brother Norman.

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But God would deny her that request, she would live her life not understanding why God can turn water into wine but not turn her brown eyes blue, until many years later God led her to India where she heard terrible stories of Hindu temple rituals where she discovered that young girls were sold and groomed for temple prostitution for the pleasure of the Hindu priests and village men.

This was a phenomenon that the government didn’t know how to handle nor did other missionaries, but Carmichael, not having any guidance since no one has ever dealt with human trafficking decided she could not stand idle. Aimee would cover her entire body and face in customs of the culture to sneak into the temples and rescue the children prostitutes despite knowing the danger that she could be killed if caught!

The reason why she was not caught was simple. Her brown eyes! And at that moment she realized why God had denied her requests for blue eyes. Aimee would be forever known as the brave young women who said yes when God’s cry was heard for child slavery!

Source; Roberts Liardon Official

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Apostolic Church History Podcast

Friday, April 24, 2026

60 Questions On The Godhead

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

60 QUESTIONS ON THE GODHEAD WITH BIBLE ANSWERS

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1. Is the word trinity in the Bible? No.

2. Does the Bible say that there are three persons in the Godhead? No.

3. Does the Bible speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? Yes.

4. Do these titles as used in Matthew 28:19 mean that there are three separate and distinct persons in the Godhead? No, they refer to three offices, roles, or relationship to humanity.

5. Does the Bible use the word three in reference to God? Only one verse in the entire Bible does so-I John 5:7. It speaks of the Father, the Word (instead of Son), and the Holy Ghost, and it concludes by saying, "These three are one."

6. Does the Bible use the word one in reference to God? Yes, many times. For example, see Zechariah 14:9; Malachi 2:10; Matthew 23:9; Mark 12:29, 32; John 8:41; 10:30; Romans 3:30; I Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; I Timothy 2:5; James 2:19.

7. Can the mystery of the Godhead be understood? Yes. Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9; I Timothy 3:16.

8. Has the Christian only one Heavenly Father? Yes. Matthew 23:9.

9. Then why did Jesus say to Philip, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9)? Because Jesus is the express image of God's person. Hebrews 1:3. The Greek word for person in this verse literally means "substance."

10. Does the Bible say that there are two persons in the Godhead? No.

11. Does the Bible say that all the Godhead is revealed in one person? Yes, in Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:19; 2:9; Hebrews 1:3.

12. Is the mystery of the Deity hidden from some people? Yes. Luke 10:21-22.

13. Who is the Father? The Father is the one God, particularly as revealed in parental relationship to humanity. Deuteronomy 32:6; Malachi 2:10.

14. Where was God the Father while Jesus was on earth? The Father was in Christ. John 14:10; II Corinthians 5:19. He was also in heaven, for God is omnipresent.

15. Did the prophet Isaiah say that Jesus would be the Father? Yes. Isaiah 9:6; 63:16.

16. When God said, "Let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1:26), was He speaking to another person in the Godhead? No. Isaiah 44:24; Malachi 2:10.

17. How many of God's qualities were in Christ? All. Colossians 2:9.

18. How may we see the God who sent Jesus into the world? By seeing Jesus. John 12:44-45; 14:9.

19. Does the Bible say that Jesus is the Almighty? Yes. Revelation 1:8

20. Whom do some designate as the first person in the trinity? God the Father.

21. Whom do some designate as the last person in the trinity? The Holy Ghost. But Jesus said that He was the first and last. Revelation 1:17-18

22. How many persons did John see sitting on the throne in heaven? One. Revelation 4:2.

23. If Jesus is the first and the last, why did God say in Isaiah 44:6 that He was the first and the last? Because Jesus is the God of the Old Testament incarnate.

24. Did Jesus tell Satan that God alone should be worshipped? Yes. Matthew 4:10

25. Does the devil believe in more than one God? No. James 2:19.

26. Does the Bible say that God, who is the Word, was made flesh? Yes John 1:1, 14.

27. For what purpose was God manifested in the flesh? To save sinners. Hebrews 2:9, 14.

28. Was Jesus God manifested in the flesh? Yes. I Timothy 3:16.

29. Could Jesus have been on earth and in heaven at the same time? Yes. John 3:13.

30. Does the Bible say that there is but one Lord? Yes. Isaiah 45:18; Ephesians 4:5.

31. Does the Bible say that Christ is the Lord? Yes. Luke 2:11.

32. Does the Bible say that the Lord is God? Yes. I kings 18:39; Zechariah 14:5; Acts 2:39; Revelation 19:1.

33. How could the church belong to Jesus (Matthew 16:18) and yet be the church of God (I Corinthians 10:32)? Because Jesus is God in the flesh.

34. Will God give His glory to another? No. Isaiah 42:8.

35. Was there a God formed before the Lord, or will there be one formed after? No. Isaiah 43:10.

36. What is one thing that God does not know? Another God. Isaiah 44:8.

37. What is one thing that God Cannot do? Lie. Titus 1:2.

38. How many Gods should we know? Only one. Hosea 13:4.

39. How many names has the Lord? One. Zechariah 14:9.

40. Is it good to think upon the name of the Lord? Yes. Malachi 3:16.

41. Does the Bible say that God alone treads upon the waves of the sea? Yes. Job 9:8

42. Why, then, was Jesus able to walk upon the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:25)? Because He is God the Creator. Colossians 1:16.

43. Is God the only one who can forgive sin? Yes. Isiah 43:25; Mark 2:7.

44. Why, then, could Jesus forgive sin in Mark 2:5-11? Because He is God the Savior.

45. Is Jesus the true God? Yes. I John 5:20.

46. If God and the Holy Ghost are two separate persons, which was the Father of Christ? Matthew 1:20 says that the Holy Ghost was the Father, while Romans 15:6, II Corinthians 11:31, and Ephesians 1:3 say that God was the Father. There is no contradiction when we realize that God the Father and the Holy Ghost are one and the same Spirit. Matthew 10:20; Ephesians 4:4; I Corinthians 3:16.

47. When Paul asked the Lord who He was, what was the answer? "I am Jesus." Acts 9:5.

48. When Stephen was dying, did he call God Jesus? Yes. Acts 7:59.

49. Did Thomas ever call Jesus God? Yes. John 20:28.

50. How could Jesus be the Savior, when God the Father said in Isaiah 43:11, "Beside me there is no Savior?" Because "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." II Corinthians 5:19.

51. Does the Bible say that Jesus was God with us? Yes. Matthew 1:23.

52. Did Jesus ever say, "I and my Father are one?" Yes. John 10:30.

53. Can it be proved scripturally that Jesus and the Father are one in the same sense that husband and wife are one? No. The Godhead was never compared to the relationship of a husband and wife. Jesus identified Himself with the Father in a way that husband and wife cannot be identified with each other. John 14:9-11.

54. Does the Bible say that there is only one wise God? Yes. Jude 25.

55. Does the Bible call the Holy Ghost a second or third person in the Godhead? No. The Holy Ghost is the one Spirit of God, the one God Himself at work in our lives. John 4:24; I Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19; 12:13.

56. Can Trinitarians show that three divine persons were present when Jesus was baptized by John? Absolutely not. The one, omnipresent God used three simultaneous manifestations. Only one divine person was present--Jesus Christ the Lord.

57. Then what were the other two of whom Trinitarians speak? One was a voice from heaven; the other was the Spirit of God descending like a dove. Matthew 3:16-17.

58. What did the voice say at Jesus' baptism? "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Mark 1:11. As the Son of God, Jesus was the one God incarnate.

59. Does the Bible say that God shed His blood and that God laid down His life for us? Yes. Acts 20:28; I John 3:16. God was able to do this because He had taken upon Himself a human body.

60. The Bible says that God is coming back with all his saints (Zechariah 14:5) and also that Jesus is coming back with all his saints (I Thessalonians 3:13). Are two coming back? No. Only one is coming back--our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13.