AND THEN THERE WAS SILENCE
God Has Spoken.
Ask Any Question About Jesus
Well, God says…
Study › Scripture Reference Library › Ask Any Question About Jesus
A Scripture-First Guide
A Scripture-first guide for questions about Christ, salvation, suffering, and the hope found in Him. Begin with the passage itself. The short explanation that follows is offered to help you read it in context and to lead you back to the Scriptures.
The original church booklet begins, “Well, God says…” That conviction remains here. We do not ask readers to trust this reference in place of Scripture. We ask them to read the Word, weigh the explanation by the passage, and consider Christ as He is revealed in it.
Browse the Completed Sections
SECTION 01 · 7 QUESTIONS
Who Is Jesus?
Explore the seven questions below about Christ’s identity, deity, humanity, and purpose.
SECTION 02 · 8 QUESTIONS
Sin, Judgment & Why I Need Jesus
Explore sin, divine judgment, the cross, Christ’s blood, and His resurrection.
SECTION 03 · 8 QUESTIONS
How Can I Be Saved?
Salvation by grace, forgiveness, baptism, church membership, and assurance in Christ.
SECTION 04 · 8 QUESTIONS
Suffering & Hard Questions
Suffering, grief, unanswered prayer, church hurt, faith, and the prosperity of the wicked.
SECTION 05 · 13 QUESTIONS
Doubts & Objections
Christ’s deity, the resurrection, Scripture’s authority, objections to God, and eternity.
SECTION 06 · 12 QUESTIONS
Mockery, Hostility & Hurting Hearts
Mockery, hostility, forgiveness, bondage, fear of death, and hope for hurting hearts.
Who Is Jesus?
Select a question to open the passage, a concise explanation in context, and references for further study. These seven questions form Section One. Continue to Section Two: Sin, Judgment & Why I Need Jesus for eight additional questions.
01 · Who is Jesus?
WELL, GOD SAYS…
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
JOHN 1:1
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
JOHN 1:14
Read in Context
John begins before creation. The Word already was; He was with God and was God (John 1:1–3). The Word did not remain distant from us: He was made flesh and dwelt among us. John names Jesus Christ in verse 17. Jesus is not merely a wise teacher who spoke about God; He is the eternal Word who entered our world as a true man. John explains the purpose of his Gospel in John 20:30–31: that readers might believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and have life through His name.
Read Further in Scripture: John 1:1–18; Matthew 16:13–17; Colossians 1:15–20; John 20:30–31
02 · Is Jesus really God?
WELL, GOD SAYS…
“I and my Father are one.”
JOHN 10:30
Read in Context
Jesus speaks these words while describing His sheep and their security in His hand and the Father’s hand (John 10:27–30). His hearers then take up stones, charging that He, being a man, made Himself God (verses 31–33). This statement must be read in that setting, not detached from it. The Gospel also plainly says that the Word was God (John 1:1), and it records Thomas addressing the risen Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). The Father and the Son are distinguished, yet John’s testimony does not allow us to regard Jesus as merely another created messenger.
Read Further in Scripture: John 1:1–3; John 5:17–23; John 10:25–39; John 20:24–29
03 · Was Jesus really a man?
WELL, GOD SAYS…
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
JOHN 1:14
Read in Context
John does not say that the Word merely appeared to be human. He was made flesh and lived among us. Hebrews 2:14–17 explains why that matters: He truly shared in flesh and blood, suffered death, and became a merciful and faithful high priest. His humanity is not a minor detail of the gospel. The One who is truly God truly became man, so that He might die for sinners and bring them to God.
Read Further in Scripture: Luke 2:1–7; Hebrews 2:14–18; Hebrews 4:14–16; 1 Timothy 2:5
04 · Is Jesus the Son of God?
WELL, GOD SAYS…
“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
MATTHEW 3:17
Read in Context
At Jesus’ baptism, the Father publicly declares His pleasure in His beloved Son (Matthew 3:13–17). This declaration identifies Jesus; it does not mean He first became God’s Son at that moment. The Gospel of John speaks of the Father sending His Son into the world (John 3:16–17), and records the glory Christ had with the Father before the world was (John 17:5). John tells us why this matters to the reader: “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).
Read Further in Scripture: Matthew 3:13–17; John 3:16–18; John 5:17–23; John 20:30–31
05 · Did Jesus exist before Bethlehem?
WELL, GOD SAYS…
“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
JOHN 17:5
Read in Context
In His prayer to the Father, Jesus speaks of glory He had with the Father before the world existed. Bethlehem marks His entrance into human history through birth, not the beginning of His existence. John 1:1–3 describes the Word as already present in the beginning and as the One through whom all things were made. The incarnation is astonishing precisely because the eternal Son took our humanity upon Himself.
Read Further in Scripture: John 1:1–3, 14; John 8:58; John 17:1–5; Colossians 1:15–17
06 · Why did Jesus come?
WELL, GOD SAYS…
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
LUKE 19:10
Read in Context
Jesus says this after going to the house of Zacchaeus, a man despised as a sinner (Luke 19:1–10). In that encounter, Jesus speaks of salvation, and Zacchaeus’ response includes a willingness to make wrongs right. Such a response does not purchase salvation; it displays the seriousness of receiving Christ. Jesus came not only to set an example or improve society, but to save the lost. The apostles explain how: Christ died for our sins and rose again according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
Read Further in Scripture: Luke 19:1–10; John 3:16–18; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
07 · Is Jesus the only way to God?
WELL, GOD SAYS…
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
JOHN 14:6
Read in Context
Jesus speaks to troubled disciples as He prepares them for His departure (John 14:1–11). He is not merely offering one religious road among others. He tells Thomas that access to the Father is through Him. Peter later proclaims the same truth before Israel’s rulers: salvation is found in no other name (Acts 4:12). The question is therefore not whether a religious path seems sincere, but who Jesus is and what God has made known through His Son.
Read Further in Scripture: John 14:1–11; Acts 4:8–12; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25
The Gospel at the Center
These questions lead to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Scripture teaches that all have sinned (Romans 3:23), that Christ died for our sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3–4), and that salvation is the gift of God, not a reward for works (Ephesians 2:8–9). The apostolic call is repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).
WELL, GOD SAYS…
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
ACTS 16:31
The gospel directs the reader to Christ Himself, not to confidence in a repeated prayer, church membership, baptism, or personal morality. In Acts 16, the Word was also spoken to those in the jailer’s house (verse 32); his family was not saved automatically apart from the gospel. Those who trust Christ are called thereafter to follow Him in obedience; that discipleship is not the price of receiving salvation.
For Church and Personal Use
The existing church booklet also contains a one-page worker quick reference, a topical question index, and reminders about listening, speaking graciously, and admitting when an answer is not yet known. View or download the complete church-worker booklet (PDF) for printing and use within the local church.
Continue studying: Section Two — Sin, Judgment & Why I Need Jesus · Section Three — How Can I Be Saved? · Section Four — Suffering & Hard Questions · Section Five — Doubts & Objections · Section Six — Mockery, Hostility & Hurting Hearts. All six sections of the original booklet are now available online.
AND THEN THERE WAS SILENCE
God Has Spoken. Study · Scripture Reference Library