Frequently Asked Questions

Who Are You?

This website is operated and paid for by Eric Hall and Jess Hall. We do not receive financial support for this web site from any other source. Our site consists primarily of notes and handouts from Bible classes that we have taught since 2000. There are also many audio sermons available here, both by us and by others.

How Can I Contact You?

Our email adress is available here. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 3109 #25053, Houston, Texas 77253-3109.

Do You Have Any Lessons on Topic A?

If the lessons are not already on the website, then the answer is almost certainly no. We have posted all of the lessons that we have taught over the past 20 years or so, and lessons we taught before that time are not in a format that can be posted to the website or otherwise provided. If you are looking for lessons on a particular topic, then please check back periodically. If we are ever asked to teach a class on that topic, then you can be assured that the lessons will posted here shortly thereafter.

Can You Send Me a Printout or a CD?

No. The reason we make the material available on the Internet is so that you can download it yourself anytime and anywhere without us having to mail it to you or provide it in some other inefficient manner. We have over 100,000 visits to our site each year. Our "staff" consists of one person, who of neccesity spends most of his time doing other things. We simply do not have the time to mail out the material. But with that said, if you have some disability that allows you to surf the web, but that does not allow you to download the material you find, please let us know about it and we will consider your request. Thanks for your understanding.

Where is the old version of your website?

We recently updated our entire website to a new format, and we hope you enjoy it and find it easier to use than the old version of our website. But if you would like to use the old version, you can find a link to it at the bottom of every page (including this page). Just scroll down and click on "Old Version of Website."

God's Plan of Salvation

You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)

You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)

You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)

Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)