Q & A with Dr. Gray

I have always been taught that Adam is the one who sinned in the Garden of Eden and that Eve did not sin because she was tricked...

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:25:29 -0500

Question:
I have always been taught that Adam is the one who sinned in the Garden of Eden and that Eve did not sin because she was tricked. I have been taught that Adam ate the fruit willingly because he loved his wife and she was going to be banished from the garden. If Adam sinned and Eve did not, then why was she banned from the Garden?

Dr. Gray’s Answer:
Thank you for your email. I will do my best to answer your question.

Eve sinned, and she was punished in Genesis chapter 3. I Timothy 2:14 says, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” Yes, she was deceived, but she was “in the transgression.” Both sinned, and both were punished, along with Satan. Thus salvation was available to both Adam and Eve through Jesus Christ.

I trust this answers your question. Have a great day!

Dr. Bob Gray, Pastor
Longview Baptist Temple

How do you walk in the Spirit?

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:23:00 -0500

Question:
I have heard a Baptist Pastor say the statement "Obey every impulse of the Holy Spirit". Referring to Walking in the Spirit. How do you do this? Is there any truth to this statement? How do you walk in the Spirit? -Joshua

Dr. Gray’s Answer:
Thank you for your email. I will do my best to answer your question.

The Holy Spirit works primarily through the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12) To allow an “impulse” is dangerous, because it is an emotional action. The Bible is very clear that we are not to be ruled by emotion. The tongue twister of Romans chapter 7 is basically a battle between the will of Paul and the emotions spawned by the flesh of Paul. Paul did state in clear terms that “to will is present with me.” When he uses the word “would” he is saying that he “could.” Galatians 5:24 says, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections…” and this is found just before going on to state in verse 25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

A second way that the Holy Spirit works is through guidance of godly men who are given by God as His deputies on earth. Barnabas took Paul to the apostles, then later came back for Paul and took him to the church at Antioch. At Antioch, in Acts 13, the Holy Spirit spoke not to Paul, but to the pastors of that local church concerning sending Paul out as a missionary. It was 30 years of being led by one man to another man before he had heavenly vision. Most Baptist have a heavenly once a week and that is why that have so much trouble in their lives.

I trust this helps. Have a great day!

Dr. Bob Gray, Pastor
Longview Baptist Temple

I've heard preachers say on the subject of inter-racial marriage that the Bible really doesn't say anything. Yet, I've heard other preachers...

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:20:14 -0500

Question:
I've heard preachers say on the subject of inter-racial marriage that the Bible really doesn't say anything. Yet, I've heard other preachers rail against it and they often use the damage it cause socially and within the family dynamic. What's the Bible say? Does it condemn it or discourage it or tolerate it? -Kevin

Dr. Gray’s Answer:
Thank you for your email. I will do my best to answer.

God was the one who divided the nations, beginning with the three sons of Noah.

Japheth! Genesis 10:5 says, “By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.”

Ham! Genesis 10:20 says, “These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.”

Shem! Genesis 10:31 says, “These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands after their nations.” Genesis 10:32 says, “These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generation, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.”

God gave each a particular language (tongue), a particular heritage (families), and a particular place (nations), “countries”, or ‘lands. If you continue to read Genesis chapter 10, you will see God also divided each of these groups. God was not pleased at all when men ignored these drawn lines in Genesis chapter 11. Genesis 11:1 says, “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.” Genesis 11:4 says, “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

Genesis 11:5 says, “And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restricted from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”

God clearly did not want a mixing of languages, or heritage, or of lands. He divided them; they came together and He divided them again! Also, preceding His millennial kingdom, he will address the separate nations, and judge their worthiness or unworthiness to be included as part of His kingdom. Matthew 25:32 says, “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divided his sheep from the goats.”

The mixing of languages, cultures (individual heritages), and even lands is not condoned by God. It is not His will! This is not to say that one is superior to another, only that each has been given a language, heritage, and land that are special to them, and they ought to honor what God has done. When we mix them, they each lose their own unique qualities, and often cause problems not only for those who choose to mix, but for their children and grandchildren.

I hope this is of some help. Have a great day!

Dr. Bob Gray, Pastor
Longview Baptist Temple

In Genesis 6 the sons of God took wives of the daughters of men. I have heard a lot of preachers say that these were angels marrying earthly women.

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 14:34:43 -0500

Question:
In Genesis 6 the sons of God took wives of the daughters of men. I have heard a lot of preachers say that these were angels marrying earthly women. Every time I hear this I always wonder why God punished man and destroyed the earth for what the angels did. I personally believe that the sons of God were not angels. Could you shed some light on this for me?

Dr. Gray’s Answer:
Thank you for your email. I will do my best to answer.

There is only one clear reference in the Bible which refers to angels as “sons of God” in Job 38:7. There is no reason to believe that Genesis 6 refers to angels, as the New Testament says very plainly that angels neither marry nor are given in marriage. (Matthew 22:30)

I trust this is a help. Have a great day.

Dr. Bob Gray, Pastor
Longview Baptist Temple