www.12questionsdallas.org
Welcome to #12Questions!
I want to personally thank you for taking the time to check out our event and what all went into
it. We are extremely honored that you are interested in using the #12QuestionsDallas materials as
a resource for your church family (or personal) study.
This document is meant as a follow-up to each individual video as a “study/discussion” guide.
It is our hope and prayer that these questions will spur a lively debate, important discussion, and
encourage a healthy conversation within the local church.
If there is any one thing that we learned in putting together this event, it was that people have
questions… lots of them! What we also learned, is that people want to have their questions
answered, but they rarely know where to turn. What better place to turn to than the church
that is of Christ for answers?!
The whole purpose of these sessions was to begin a conversation and allow people to ask their
questions. We all have questions that need answering, and the church must step up and become
a place of dialogue and debate. The church is not simply a place where everyone who attends has
everything figured out. Instead, it is a place where the saints meet to seek the answers to life in
God’s word. It is a sanctuary for people’s doubts, that are then grown into a deeper faith. It is okay
to ask questions – in fact, it is imperative towards spiritual growth that one asks questions!
So, enjoy these follow-up questions, enjoy the videos, and let us know what you thought about
them at [email protected] - thank you!
FORMAT
This is a 12-week series, featuring one question per week. Begin each night by watching the
video session. Each session is around 45 minutes in length. All sessions can be found at
www.12questionsDallas.org - watch them in their entirety and then provide either a leader to ask
the following questions of your class, or print copies of this study guide, and break your class up
into smaller groups for personal discussion. While we recommend about 15 minutes for these
discussion questions, please feel free to take your time to explore these questions thoroughly.
All questions in bold were asked and answered in the interview portion of the session…
but provide your own answers! If someone were to ask you that question, how would YOU answer?
The rest were additional follow-up questions we received.
SUGGESTION
Practice answering each question as if someone who is not a Christian is asking the question.
For in Him we love and move and have our being,
Brandon Edwards
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QUESTION #1: CAN I KNOW THAT I AM SAVED?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. If one baptism cleanses you of all your sins, both past and future, and if it is possible to turn
back to a life of sin and lose your salvation, do you need to be baptized again after turning
away, in order to restore that salvation?
2. Brother Dan mentioned that angels sinned. Why did Christ’s sacrifice not provide angels with
the redemptive power through his blood?
3. If we are “justified freely by His grace,” why do we still need to do works, such as salvation
and obedience, in order to be saved?
4. At what point do you go from being a “saved Christian,” who struggles daily with sins, to
losing your salvation?
5. If we can be sure that we’ve been saved, can we be sure we have fallen away? If so, when?
6. When you speak of baptism, does it all count? Submersion, sprinkling, infant baptism?
Is there any one specific way the Bible says it should be done?
7. If someone is not sure if they are saved, does that mean they’re not saved because they
aren’t “sure of their salvation?”
8. At what point does sin overcome a person’s faith and void their salvation?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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QUESTION #2: IS THERE ONE TRUE CHURCH?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. Is a person who is baptized for the remission of sins in a denominational church still a member
of the church of the Bible? Does instrumental music, the Lord’s supper, etc., play a role in this
discussion? Is there more to salvation than just baptism alone? (If a person obeys the Biblical plan
of salvation, but still considers themselves a member of a denomination, are they saved?)
2. How do you respond to the idea that there is only one church, with denominations being
different “branches” of the church?
3. If a church begins to teach false doctrine, do they stop being a church of Christ?
4. If “calling on the name of the Lord” makes one a part of the church, then why does Matthew 7:21
say otherwise? (“Not everyone who says unto me “Lord, Lord” shall enter the kingdom of heaven.”)
5. Does the church we attend on earth define our membership of the “one true church?”
6. If you’re saved and attend a denominational church, are you “forsaking the assembly?”
7. Does the way we worship affect our salvation, or membership of the one true church, even if
we have been baptized according to the Bible?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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QUESTION #3: WHERE DOES GRACE AND DARKNESS BEGIN?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. At what point do you go from being a saved Christian, who struggles daily with sins, to losing
your salvation?
2. Does worship play a role in falling from grace? Can I still be saved if I am baptized for the
remission of sins, but worship differently?
3. If someone is not sure if they are saved, does that mean they’re not saved because they
aren’t “sure of their salvation?”
4. Does grace cover every sin? cf. Matthew 12:22-32
5. It’s often said that we as Christians should “hate the sin, but love the sinner” when it comes to
our relationships with others. Is there a point where a person in our life has only darkness, and
no light and life to share with us — can a person be so consumed with sin that a Christian should
sever their relationship with that person?
6. If I don’t feel bad for my sin, will God still forgive me if I don’t ask Him to?
7. So, if you aren’t sure about your salvation, and determine you’re not, does that make a second
baptism okay?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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QUESTION #4: CAN I KNOW WHAT’S RIGHT AND WRONG?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. Is what is right and wrong the same for every person?
2. Bearing in mind absolute truths, are there situations where “wrong” things are morally
acceptable (ex. Rahab lying to protect Jewish spies)?
3. Culture deems some things wrong, such as certain gestures or words. Because society
deems them wrong or vulgar, does that make them a sin? If so, does that mean we have a role
in determining what is and is not a sin?
4. If good and bad is defined as “God and not God,” does that mean there are no morally-grey
areas?
5. So, is it wrong if I simply don’t do the right thing?
6. If things are “God or not God,” why were some things good (God) under the Old Law but
wrong (Not God) under the New Law? Did the unchanging God change His standard?
7. Does every decision have a right and a wrong choice?
8. On issues God doesn’t answer directly, how much can we let our conscience be our guide?
9. In Matthew 5, Jesus speaks of how sin begins in the heart. If a person wants to sin, but
resists because they know it is wrong, does that mean they have sinned by wanting to sin in
the first place?
10. Have right and wrong choices changed since Old Testament times?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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QUESTION #5: IS THE BIBLE ACCURATE AND TRUE?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. Since the Bible has been translated and passed down for centuries, how do we know that
mistakes have not been made over time in translation of the text?
2. If the Bible is accurate and true, why do different versions read differently? Which version
is “accurate and true?” Are there translations of the Bible that aren’t accurate?
3. What makes the Bible more reliable or accurate than other religious documents, such as the
Koran, the Torah, the Book of Mormon, etc.? What about the other “inspired” books that some
include in their Bible (Apocrypha)?
4. What other sources claim or prove that the Bible is truly from God, rather than what it claims for
itself? How do we know that the writers of the Bible weren’t just claiming to be inspired by God?
5. Is the Bible as we read it, the only words ever written that were inspired by God?
6. How do you know what is literal and what is figurative in the Bible?
7. How do faith and physical evidence overlap when it comes to a review of the Bible? Should we
be content with faith or constantly search for evidence?
8. If the Bible is totally accurate and true, why are “grey areas” and, for example, synoptic problems,
so prevalent when critically looking at the Bible?
9. Are there parts of the Bible that applied to the culture of that time only, and not to us today?
10. Why are there two testaments?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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QUESTION #6: WHAT IS MY PURPOSE?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. Is there purpose in life, outside of Christ and the Church? Does the Bible encourage and
support an answer in either direction?
2. If God has a purpose for us, could Satan also have a purpose for us?
3. If I don’t believe in God, does He still have a purpose for me?
4. Is there anyone whose purpose is to stand as an enemy of God?
5. Is it scriptural to say God has an individual purpose and plan for all our lives (who we marry/
where we go to school) when we have no Biblical evidence to back up that claim?
6. Does God put me in a specific place in life to use me for His kingdom, or does God use me
wherever I put myself?
7. Isn’t our purpose more than just working for the Lord and “reverencing” Him, but also
knowing him? Specifically Jeremiah 9:23-24.
8. Why should we glorify and live for God?
9. Regarding people’s purposes on earth, if faith without works is dead, what happens to those
who do good works without faith?
10. Could God have a specific plan, or task, for someone if He wanted to?
11. Can/does God lead us down certain paths, in addition to His grand purpose?
12. Could there be a “wrong” choice with decisions in which God has given us discretion?
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QUESTION #7: WHY IS THERE PAIN AND SUFFERING?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. How can you explain when someone commits evil against an innocent child? Or how can
you find some good to come out of the evil perpetrated against children?
2. Does God suffer?
3. Does suffering always serve a purpose?
4. Is there pain and suffering because we learn better through them?
5. If evil exists, does that mean the devil has power over God?
6. How can I determine the reason behind my pain?
7. If God won’t stop us from suffering because of our own choices, why won’t He at least stop
us from suffering because of others’ choices?
8. If God healed individuals in the Old Testament, why does He not do it today?
9. I understand why pain and suffering exist, but how do I make it go away?
10. Why did God let temptation occur in the first place, if He knew it would result in an evil
and imperfect world?
11. Why does God punish some people on earth and not others?
12. If people in positions of authority are put there by God, why are evil people given authority?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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QUESTION #8: CAN I BE GAY AND A CHRISTIAN?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. Is hiding your sexual orientation wrong?
2. No one takes the position that someone is born a thief, an adulterer, a drunkard, a liar, a
covetous person or any other sin. Why then would we even entertain the possibility of one being
born a homosexual? Sin is a transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). Furthermore, if one is born a
sinner, then would this not make God responsible for that person’s homosexuality?
3. How can we make people with same-sex attraction feel more welcome in our congregations?
4. If we have a homosexual couple visit a congregation, at what point should we address the fact
that the practice is a sin?
5. Can I still get married to a member of the opposite sex if I’m inclined to same-sex attraction?
6. Why would Romans 1 say that “God gave them over” to these sinful acts? Does this mean that
God forces or pushes people to sin this way?
7. If genetics are possibly tied into this principle of being homosexual, why would God allow this
genetic makeup to happen? Is this not setting individuals up to sin?
8. Could someone stop being attracted to the same sex through the power of prayer?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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QUESTION #9: HEAVEN? HELL? JUDGEMENT?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. How bad is Hell described?
2. When you sin, if you repent are you fully forgiven?
3. What about our spiritual bodies?
4. In the same way God loves people, both “good” and “bad” while they live on earth, will God still
love all people after judgment, no matter their destination?
5. Considering Romans 7:8 and 1 John 3:4 saying, “Apart from the law, sin is dead; and sin is
lawlessness,” what happens to those people who have never heard of the Gospel on Judgment
Day? Can their “moral law within them” save them?
6. Do you think even though we are eternally happy in heaven, we will still miss our family or
friends that go to Hell?
7. I have heard people talk about how we were put on this earth to work. Will I be working in Heaven?
8. On Judgment Day, does God bring up the list of past sins that we’ve done?
9. Once we die, is it already decided where we are going (Heaven or Hell), before Judgment Day
comes? If so, what’s the point of it?
10. Does God focus on the good works that we’ve done, and reward us based on how much we’ve
done? Or by what we haven’t done and all the sins we’ve committed?
11. How does God decide where to send those who haven’t heard or don’t know the Gospel?
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12. If we’re a Christian, when Judgment comes, do we have to give a defense of all our actions, or
just ones post-baptism? If it’s the latter, do we have to talk about sins committed as a Christian,
even though God has forgotten those?
13. Will we have whatever we want in Heaven?
14. Do unborn children automatically go to Heaven? Or do they have another chance at life in a
different body?
15. Consider those who weren’t even literate enough to read the Bible, and were under persecution
during the Dark Ages — what happens to them and those alike during Judgment?
16. What will happen to people who died before Jesus’ crucifixion?
17. Could there be a new Heaven and a new earth in the literal sense if that is what God wants?
18. Are the “pre-Jesus” Heaven and the place that is prepared for us different?
19. Does God give people visions of Heaven and Hell?
20. Will we be able to see or think about others on earth after we have died?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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QUESTION #10: DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW YOU WERE THE MESSIAH?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. Did Jesus even have the ability to sin?
2. Once Jesus ascended, did He become “The Word” again?
3. Could Jesus have always known He was the Messiah?
4. Could Jesus have chosen to forget his mission as our Savior, once he realized he was
the Messiah?
5. Why would Jesus tell so many individuals to keep His miracles a secret if He was really God?
6. Can you think of a reason for Jesus coming at the exact time that He did?
7. Why did Jesus tell his disciples not to call Him good, if He was actually God?
8. Wouldn’t Hebrews 4:15 (verse about Jesus being tempted in every way as we are) make more
sense if Jesus spent some time unaware of the fact that He was the Messiah, such as between
His birth and baptism?
9. What makes Jesus different from the messiahs of other religions?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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QUESTION #11: DOES SATAN EXIST AND IF SO, WHY?
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. Does scripture support that Satan is a keeper of eternal lost souls? Could this be a reason
for his existence?
2. Why does God let Satan exist for a while?
3. Would we truly have free will if Satan didn’t exist?
4. Do other angels have the power to influence us? Is he (Satan) the most powerful angel?
5. If God can’t look upon evil as stated in Habakkuk, how can Satan enter His presence as
seen in Job?
6. Why did God even allow Satan in the Garden in the first place?
7. Was Satan the first to sin? What made him king to reign over Hell?
8. Does all evil come from Satan?
9. What did Satan do to turn from God and sin?
10. Does Satan take on physical, human form, or is he strictly a spiritual being?
11. What is Satan? He is more knowledgeable than angels but not as knowing or powerful
as deity. What could he be?
12. Where does Satan get his power?
13. If Satan is a spiritual being, does that also make him an eternal being?
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14. Is Satan present everywhere, or is he limited in where he can be?
15. Is Satan able to be forgiven?
16. What was God’s purpose in creating Satan?
17. How was Satan, who is sinful, able to stand in the presence of God in Heaven in the book of Job?
18. Should we be afraid of Satan?
19. Did Satan bring sin into existence?
20. Did God know Satan would betray Him before Satan was created?
21. Why does Satan want us to sin?
22. The Bible speaks of the eventuality of Satan’s judgment and his continued existence in sin. If his
end is known to us and to God, why was he spared when he defied the Lord?
23. Does Satan have a chance to repent?
24. Who sinned first: Adam and Eve, or Satan?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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QUESTION #12: CREATION VS. EVOLUTION
Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes… you’ve just spoken on the subject at hand – now, how
would YOU react to the following questions? These were the questions asked. Discuss the
questions and add your own!
QUESTIONS:
1. If God created everything, where did God come from? How can He have always been?
2. Since there is no evidence for something to come from nothing, does this mean the Christian
just fills God in the gap of no evidence?
3. Are all forms of evolution incorrect? Macro as compared to micro? What arguments do
evolutionists have that are valid?
4. Are evolution and creation the only two options? Or are there other explanations out there?
5. How do you talk to someone about this subject without being offensive or sounding
arrogant/ignorant?
6. What do you have to say about the theories that suggest the universe is eternal?
7. Does all order come from God?
8. Has any other theory for existence received as much attention as evolution in earth’s history?
9. Are there people who believe in both God and evolution? How is that idea justified?
10. Does a belief in creation, as opposed to evolution, benefit us in any non-scientific area of
our lives?
COMMENTS, ANSWERS & NOTES:
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