Bible Questions with Andrew Farley

Inheritance describes what belongs to you as God’s child because of Jesus. Reward describes what God gives or promises. In Colossians 3:24, Paul brings the ideas together: believers receive “the reward of the inheritance.”There, the reward is the inheritance—not a wage earned by performing well.An inheritance is received, not earned. Through Christ, you have an imperishable inheritance, kept secure by God (1 Peter 1:3–5). Jesus’ parable of the vineyard workers also highlights grace: workers who arrived at different times received the same generous payment (Matthew 20:1–16).The Bible uses “reward” in different contexts, so the words aren’t always interchangeable. But neither should “reward” be turned into a ranking system that makes some believers more accepted or gives them a larger share of Christ. Your standing with God rests on Jesus’ finished work, not your record. (Ephesians 1:11–14)

Jesus says “Well done, good and faithful servant” to the servants who faithfully put their master’s entrusted money to work in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–23). The phrase appears in verses 21 and 23.The parable encourages faithfulness, but it doesn’t teach that we earn salvation or God’s acceptance through our performance.Salvation and our inheritance are gifts of grace (Ephesians 2:8–10; Colossians 3:24). The passage doesn’t explicitly say whether Jesus will use that exact phrase for every believer; it does show the master welcoming his faithful servants into his joy.

No! God is not trying to crush you or make you suffer so you’ll become useful to Him. In Christ, you are already loved, accepted, and complete. Hardship can be real and overwhelming, but it doesn’t mean God is against you; He can comfort and strengthen you in it.

No—Revelation 3:16 isn’t saying Jesus will eject a believer from salvation. In Revelation 3:14–22, Jesus confronts the Laodicean church’s self-sufficiency and calls them to recognize their need of Him. “Spit you out” is a sharp image of His rejection of their complacency, not a statement that a person united to Christ can lose eternal life.Jesus promises that He will never cast out the one who comes to Him (John 6:37), and that His sheep will never perish or be snatched from His hand (John 10:28–29). Believers are secure in Christ; His correction is not condemnation (Romans 8:1). His finished work—not our spiritual “temperature”—is the basis of our acceptance.Want free grace-based encouragement in your inbox? I can send you short reminders that you are deeply loved, fully forgiven, and complete in Christ.

Yes—if you’re in Christ, God has forgiven all your sins: past, present, and future. Jesus’ sacrifice was complete, not something that needs to be repeated each time you sin. You don’t have to earn fresh forgiveness; you can thank God for the forgiveness you already have and trust Christ as you learn to walk in His life.

Yes. Being divorced does not automatically disqualify someone from serving in ministry. A person’s marital history does not cancel their place in Christ or their ability to love and serve others. In Jesus, believers are fully forgiven and made new (Ephesians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

We’re called both the body and the bride of Christ because each picture reveals a different aspect of our permanent union with the risen Jesus.

God’s foreknowledge means that God knew and purposed His redemptive plan beforehand. It does not mean He arbitrarily preselected some individuals for salvation and left others without hope.In the New Covenant, God’s foreknown plan is centered on Jesus: salvation would be offered to the whole world, including both Jews and Gentiles. Anyone who calls on the Lord is welcomed and saved. Once a person believes, God’s purpose is to conform that believer to Christ and complete the work He began.

Yes. Spiritually dead people can call upon the Lord when they hear the gospel. “Dead” describes humanity’s separation from God and bondage to sin—not an inability to respond to God’s invitation.

To fulfill the Great Commission means participating in Jesus’ mission to make disciples among all nations — not by striving under pressure, but by sharing the good news of Christ as the Spirit opens opportunities.