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Answers to frequently-asked questions can be read by clicking on the FAQ link below.
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Family History
Do not post your questions here. The Devon Record Office at Exeter houses all types of historical records relating to the county of Devon. These include the records of the parishes and of innumerable individuals, families, estates, chapels and schools. It also holds ecclesiastical records of the Diocese of Exeter and administers the Exeter Cathedral (Dean and Chapter) Archives in the Cloister Library. For more information telephone 01392 384253 or email devrec@devon.gov.uk
Q: How does someone become a Christian?
To be a Christian, you need to acknowledge that you are a sinner, believe that Jesus was God and rose from the dead after taking the punishment for your sins, and then you need to commit to following Jesus. Basically, you accept Christ as your Saviour (rescuer) and as Lord (boss) of your life.
There is no set of precise words to pray. The important thing is to believe it in your heart. Only God knows our hearts. Here are some key Bible verses:
John 3:16-17 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10:9 – That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Q: Why are Christians always trying to convince others to become Christians? Aren't Christians too preachy?
Christians are not on commission. They don’t say, “I told you so” once someone accepts Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. The primary reason Christians want to “convert” others is because Jesus told them to (Acts 1:8) and because they know what He has done in their lives. Keep in mind that Christians are not the ones doing the converting. The Holy Spirit, not people, changes hearts. Christians are just instructed to share their faith, in love.
Another reason is logical. Christians know the only way to experience true forgiveness and to find real peace and joy in this life and in heaven is to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Isn’t it reasonable that they would want to share this Good News? Jesus summarised all of the Old Testament laws and teachings of the prophets as follows in Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” If you really love other people, wouldn’t that compel you to want to share what you have learned? Of course, Christians need to do this in an effective way (Also see Q26).
Regarding “preachiness,” when sharing the Christian message we must keep a balance between God’s justice and God’s love and grace. If we focus too much on God’s justice, people may be scared into believing because they want to avoid Hell, or they may decide God is unfair and ignore the message altogether. The hearers may not get the message of hope, forgiveness and love.
If we focus too much on love and grace, the message is also incomplete. Jesus doesn’t promise that life will be easy once you become a Christian. In fact, He promises that it won’t be easy. But He also promises to be with you forever, and to forgive you of all your sins. Without addressing justice (i.e., God’s laws or the 10 Commandments), people may not realize they need Jesus. Avoiding the message of God’s laws is almost like “bait and switch” advertising. People may be seduced into saying they are Christians (“Sure, I’d like to have peace, joy and love!”), but when troubles come they will fall away.
In the Gospels, when Jesus encountered people who knew they had violated God’s laws and needed forgiveness, He went straight to the Gospel message. When He encountered those who didn’t understand their need for Him, He pointed out the law to them first.
Q: If God is good, why does He allow suffering?
This is a common and difficult question for many people. Suffering is rampant in our world. Suffering can have different causes, such as:
Logical, natural consequences of our own sins. Example: Someone drives after drinking too much alcohol, and gets hurt in an accident.
Sins of others. Example: Someone else drinks and drives and hurts us, or someone we love.
Avoidable disasters.
Unavoidable physical disasters.
Much of the discussion centres on the concept of free will. God did not create us as puppets. He wants to have relationships with us. He loves us and wants us to love Him but He won’t make us love him. That would be violating our free will. God doesn’t step in and violate the free will of others when they are about to do something bad to us. As C S Lewis said, “Free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. The happiness God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and woman on this Earth is mere milk and water. And for that they must be free.”
Some people ask, “Why doesn’t God intervene to stop evil?” First, if he intervened every time someone was going to perform an evil act, we would have no free will to do good or evil. Second, keep in mind that God DID intervene by sending His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for all the evil deeds ever committed or to be committed. And Jesus will intervene again at some point and wipe out evil completely. Third, He still intervenes and performs miracles in His creation, but sometimes He lets evil things happen for a greater good to come out of them.
Allowing suffering doesn’t mean that God isn’t perfectly good. Letting something happen is different from making it happen. God can reach us in our pain. As C S Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscious, but shouts in our pains. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Let's listen carefully so He doesn’t have to shout at us!
Many people assume that God is indifferent to suffering. Yet God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to experience unimaginable suffering and to die as a victim of evil and cruelty. He endured this to overcome sin, so that we might be reconciled to God and eventually live a perfect life with Him in heaven. Jesus endured all manner of unjust suffering, including being rejected by family members and others, mocked, abandoned by friends, beaten, given 40 lashes and crucified, so it is unfair to say that He is indifferent to pain. Also, read all the stories of how compassionate Jesus was when encountering suffering people. He was not aloof. He cared about and shared their pain, just as He cares about your pain and problems now.
The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel, provides some solid answers to this question, as do many other books and web sites. An “admittedly imperfect but nevertheless helpful illustration” Mr. Strobel used in a Christian Research Journal article (“Handling Christianity’s Toughest Challenge”) also helps put suffering in perspective. Imagine having an absolutely horrible day on January 1 – you crash your new car, lose lots of money, have health problems, etc.- then having the remaining 364 days of the year filled with pure joy and success. How would you respond when someone asks how the year went? Most likely, you would say it was a great year. Our earthly lives might be like the first bad day, but heaven will be like the perfect, joyful 364 days, and beyond (provided we have accepted God’s free gift of grace).
Having said all this, keep in mind that there are no easy answers for people who are suffering. They generally need love and compassion instead of a lot of theories. So before answering this question, be careful to determine why someone is asking it. Is it purely theoretical? Is it because they are suffering? Or is it a smokescreen because it makes a convenient excuse?
To be a Christian, you need to acknowledge that you are a sinner, believe that Jesus was God and rose from the dead after taking the punishment for your sins, and then you need to commit to following Jesus. Basically, you accept Christ as your Saviour (rescuer) and as Lord (boss) of your life.
There is no set of precise words to pray. The important thing is to believe it in your heart. Only God knows our hearts. Here are some key Bible verses:
John 3:16-17 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10:9 – That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Q: Why are Christians always trying to convince others to become Christians? Aren't Christians too preachy?
Christians are not on commission. They don’t say, “I told you so” once someone accepts Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. The primary reason Christians want to “convert” others is because Jesus told them to (Acts 1:8) and because they know what He has done in their lives. Keep in mind that Christians are not the ones doing the converting. The Holy Spirit, not people, changes hearts. Christians are just instructed to share their faith, in love.
Another reason is logical. Christians know the only way to experience true forgiveness and to find real peace and joy in this life and in heaven is to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Isn’t it reasonable that they would want to share this Good News? Jesus summarised all of the Old Testament laws and teachings of the prophets as follows in Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” If you really love other people, wouldn’t that compel you to want to share what you have learned? Of course, Christians need to do this in an effective way (Also see Q26).
Regarding “preachiness,” when sharing the Christian message we must keep a balance between God’s justice and God’s love and grace. If we focus too much on God’s justice, people may be scared into believing because they want to avoid Hell, or they may decide God is unfair and ignore the message altogether. The hearers may not get the message of hope, forgiveness and love.
If we focus too much on love and grace, the message is also incomplete. Jesus doesn’t promise that life will be easy once you become a Christian. In fact, He promises that it won’t be easy. But He also promises to be with you forever, and to forgive you of all your sins. Without addressing justice (i.e., God’s laws or the 10 Commandments), people may not realize they need Jesus. Avoiding the message of God’s laws is almost like “bait and switch” advertising. People may be seduced into saying they are Christians (“Sure, I’d like to have peace, joy and love!”), but when troubles come they will fall away.
In the Gospels, when Jesus encountered people who knew they had violated God’s laws and needed forgiveness, He went straight to the Gospel message. When He encountered those who didn’t understand their need for Him, He pointed out the law to them first.
Q: If God is good, why does He allow suffering?
This is a common and difficult question for many people. Suffering is rampant in our world. Suffering can have different causes, such as:
Logical, natural consequences of our own sins. Example: Someone drives after drinking too much alcohol, and gets hurt in an accident.
Sins of others. Example: Someone else drinks and drives and hurts us, or someone we love.
Avoidable disasters.
Unavoidable physical disasters.
Much of the discussion centres on the concept of free will. God did not create us as puppets. He wants to have relationships with us. He loves us and wants us to love Him but He won’t make us love him. That would be violating our free will. God doesn’t step in and violate the free will of others when they are about to do something bad to us. As C S Lewis said, “Free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. The happiness God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and woman on this Earth is mere milk and water. And for that they must be free.”
Some people ask, “Why doesn’t God intervene to stop evil?” First, if he intervened every time someone was going to perform an evil act, we would have no free will to do good or evil. Second, keep in mind that God DID intervene by sending His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for all the evil deeds ever committed or to be committed. And Jesus will intervene again at some point and wipe out evil completely. Third, He still intervenes and performs miracles in His creation, but sometimes He lets evil things happen for a greater good to come out of them.
Allowing suffering doesn’t mean that God isn’t perfectly good. Letting something happen is different from making it happen. God can reach us in our pain. As C S Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscious, but shouts in our pains. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Let's listen carefully so He doesn’t have to shout at us!
Many people assume that God is indifferent to suffering. Yet God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to experience unimaginable suffering and to die as a victim of evil and cruelty. He endured this to overcome sin, so that we might be reconciled to God and eventually live a perfect life with Him in heaven. Jesus endured all manner of unjust suffering, including being rejected by family members and others, mocked, abandoned by friends, beaten, given 40 lashes and crucified, so it is unfair to say that He is indifferent to pain. Also, read all the stories of how compassionate Jesus was when encountering suffering people. He was not aloof. He cared about and shared their pain, just as He cares about your pain and problems now.
The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel, provides some solid answers to this question, as do many other books and web sites. An “admittedly imperfect but nevertheless helpful illustration” Mr. Strobel used in a Christian Research Journal article (“Handling Christianity’s Toughest Challenge”) also helps put suffering in perspective. Imagine having an absolutely horrible day on January 1 – you crash your new car, lose lots of money, have health problems, etc.- then having the remaining 364 days of the year filled with pure joy and success. How would you respond when someone asks how the year went? Most likely, you would say it was a great year. Our earthly lives might be like the first bad day, but heaven will be like the perfect, joyful 364 days, and beyond (provided we have accepted God’s free gift of grace).
Having said all this, keep in mind that there are no easy answers for people who are suffering. They generally need love and compassion instead of a lot of theories. So before answering this question, be careful to determine why someone is asking it. Is it purely theoretical? Is it because they are suffering? Or is it a smokescreen because it makes a convenient excuse?
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