Can we love as much as God loves?
Question: Can humans love others as much as God loves humans? Answer: “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). We learn love from God. “We love, because He first loved us” (I John 4:19); thus, we can grow to love…
Read MoreIt is complicated, but we have to live together for a while longer before we can get married
Question: Hello, Before I begin, let me get a few things straight. We (my girlfriend and I) are not Americans. We are Asians living in an Asian country, and we have been in a relationship for three years. We are both adults and in a situation where it’s rather complicated and that it requires us…
Read MoreIsn’t Satan female in Hebrew?
Question: Regarding your post, Is Satan female?: if you were studying Hebrew you would know that Satan is a woman, so why is does your answer cite the English? If an early translator took a Hebrew word that means “she who bears many children” and chose to translate it as “set you so,” or, took a…
Read MoreCan we use the writings of the early Christians?
Question: I have been studying the writings of early Christians like Justin Martyr and Ignatius. I know their writings are not inspired or biblical, but can we use them as examples in any way? Also in Ignatius’ writings, I see the word Catholic. What does it mean? Answer: The word “catholic” is a Latin-based word…
Read MoreWho Are You?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/WhoAreYou.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 4:1-2 I. The news has been filled with people who claim to be something different than what they are. A. Bruce Jenners, claims he always felt he was a woman. Yet, he married three times and has six children (two from each marriage). His words and his action…
Read MoreTrue Love (Hamilton)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/True-Love.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Song of Solomon 8:6-7 I. A common question that I receive from teenagers and young adults is “How will I know that I’m in love? How will I know that this person is the right one?” A. It is a difficult question. How does a person with no experience in…
Read MoreDoes Proverbs 31:6-7 give approval to the use of alcohol?
Question: I was reviewing your articles on alcohol. I realize that you are not the author of all of the articles, but I did not see a reference to Proverbs 31:6-7. Proverbs 31 specifically does not condemn strong drink. However, you have a sermon, Drinking in the Old Testament, posted on your website that claims that…
Read MoreCan someone be baptized who is still struggling with pornography?
Question: My friend keeps watching pornography; he says he is trying to stop, but he keeps failing. He wants to be baptized, but when I baptize him and he keeps on doing so, will God keep on forgiving him, or will his Christianity just fade away to God? Answer: There is a difference between wanting…
Read MoreI’m slipping into sin, but I know I need to return to the Father
Question: I’ve been struggling horribly the past two years, going deeper into my desires and sins, going away from God and His purposes for me. I used to be “on fire” and always reading the Bible and spending time with God. But honestly, I gave up seeking. I gave up on the Spirit of God…
Read MoreCan a woman be the educational leader in a church?
Question: Hello, I am so thankful for this site and often visit it when I’m looking for a better understanding of things. I was born and raised in a church of Christ and know nothing else. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to visit many congregations throughout the brotherhood. Recently, my membership changed…
Read MoreShould I let the father of my child, who is a drug addict, see our baby?
Question: Hi, I am a recovering alcoholic. I started attending church while being a reckless fornicator, alcoholic and pothead. The Lord changed my life completely and eliminated all cravings and temptations to drink and smoke. I decided to leave all my friends and the life I had known because I did not want to be…
Read MoreCould this help illustrate demons being cut off from the land, yet still having an influence in the world?
Question: Greetings, I greatly appreciate your explanation of Zechariah 13:2. Would Isaiah 53:8 and Daniel 9:26 be good examples of the removal of a “physical” presence (the Messiah in this case) without removing the influence? Clearly Jesus’ influence, in our lives, remains today even though He has physically been removed from the land. There seemed to…
Read MoreIs willfully sinning blaspheming the Holy Spirit?
Question: I’m ashamed of my sin. I know you and others say that God forgives, but I committed the sin willingly. Is that not blasphemy of the Holy Spirit that Jesus discussed? Answer: We need to get a good definition of what blasphemy is: Smith Bible Dictionary: “in its technical English sense, signifies the speaking…
Read MoreHelp me decide what to do about the man I love, but with whom I committed fornication
Question: I am a girl of 25 years. I am born again. I am in love with a man whom I love and we trust each other. He is not a born-again Christian and we are not married. In our relationship, we decided not to have sex before marriage. We are in a distance relationship.…
Read MoreDo We Have a Right to Our Own Opinions?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DoWeHaveARightToOurOwnOpinion.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 1:16-21 I. When two disagree, one will say “Well, everyone has a right to their own opinions.” A. It is a statement saying, “I disagree with you, but that is okay. Your thoughts are just as good as mine.” B. In some sense this is right. We may be…
Read MoreSaying the Things People Don’t Want to Hear
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SayingThingsPeopleDontWantToHear.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Amos 7:1-9 I. God brings to Amos a vision of terrible destruction – the destruction of the northern kingdom, Israel – Amos 7:1-9 A. Israel had failed to measure up to God’s standard. They were no longer straight. They were no longer true. They were like a leaning wall ready…
Read MoreI’m haunted by my sexual sin
Question: Dear Minister, There is this Christian lady that I admired so much at the university. She was so hospitable, hardworking, and nice. I become friends with her and used to visit her in school often. But then, due to some ill health, I left the university for a year. The lady had indulged in…
Read MoreDoesn’t I Corinthians 6:13 prove that masturbation is wrong?
Question: How can you teach that masturbation is good for controlling the body when it clearly says in I Corinthians 6:13, “You say ‘Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.’ The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for…
Read MoreYour debate regarding demonic possession was just what I was looking for
Question: Hello, I just wanted to say I enjoyed reading your argument regarding demonic possession on the website. I wanted to reply to a post on Facebook which was posted by one of my good friends. He posted a video of, I believe, a Roman Orthodox priest casting out a demon from a young woman. I…
Read MoreCommands in Conflict
by Andrew Hamilton “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will…
Read MoreMyth or History?
by Forrest D. Moyer The Bible is either the product of God or the product of men. Christians believe that the Bible is from the hand of God and that it is to be believed and obeyed in order to have a good life now and in Heaven in eternity. There have always been those…
Read MoreI’m so ashamed of what we did
Question: I am up to my limit and have nowhere else to go for advice. I hope you can help me understand what is the right thing for me to do. My family and I started going to a church less than five years ago. I met my boyfriend while I was there. We began…
Read MoreI vowed to cut off my hand if I sinned again. Will God hold me to that vow?
Question: Hi, I’ve been reading the answers on your website and find them helpful. However, with regard to vows, I am not sure where I stand, even after reading some of your answers. Many years ago I was caught in some very sinful behavior that ultimately landed me in prison for a few months. While…
Read MorePsalmois can’t be understood figuratively. It has to refer to its classical meaning.
Question: My question is regarding the use of instrumental music to worship God in relation to Ephesians 5:19. “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord”. The view presented on your website is that the noun “psalmois” is to be understood in…
Read MoreWhat if someone didn’t realize they were divorced because of their spouse’s adultery?
Question: Many years ago a couple got married and after a short time the husband had a “secret affair” and for obvious reasons did not tell her about it. He just said their marriage was a mistake and he didn’t love her and divorced her. Some years later Betty married another man, Tom, and they…
Read MoreI love two girls, but I don’t know who I should marry
Question: Please help me. I am in my early twenties. I have been in a relationship for three years, but we did not have sex. Later when I moved away from the girl for my higher studies. I fell in love with another girl, who is not a Christian. I did not break up with…
Read MoreBlaming the Wrong Thing
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/BlamingTheWrongThing.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 3:1-8 I. Years ago, an incident happened that makes a good illustration. An older woman bought a cup of coffee at a McDonalds, but not having a convenient place to set it, put it between her legs. As she drove off, the coffee sloshed and she ended up…
Read MoreI thought I was her first boyfriend but found out she had been with two other guys
Question: I am in a relationship with my girlfriend for the past six months. I knew her for more than two years but never had her as my girlfriend. I love her very much, and I feel that she is the one. She also tells me that she loves me very much, more than I…
Read MoreI found out my girlfriend used to have a thing for one of her teachers
Question: I was searching the web earlier today trying to figure out if I should be mad about something or not. My girlfriend and I have been together for almost a year now. We’ve had our ups and downs. A lot of them I would say. She had a thing when we first dated. There…
Read MoreMy girlfriend had sex with her former boyfriend and I don’t know what to do
Question: We are in a relationship for more than two years. She went back to her home during college vacation. While there she planned to go and meet her ex-boyfriend, who is also a school friend, to remember the old days. She went to his house to meet him, and they had sex together. Later…
Read MoreNo one else has so detailed, clear answers
Question: I have found your site and answers really helpful. Every other church of Christ website I have been to, no one was so detailed and clear about anything. They would either say the answer in the Bible and not explain it or they would just say stuff that is not in the Bible. I…
Read MoreMy efforts to help a person is going so slowly!
Question: Thank you for your time. I just found this site and have been blessed by it! I recently moved and met a woman who needed someone to talk with. Her husband had just tried to murder her (he is now in prison) and she was looking for a place to live. My husband and…
Read MoreCan Messianic Jews go to heaven?
Question: Can Messianic Jews go to heaven? Answer: The question is can anyone go to heaven while denying portions of God’s teachings that they disagree with. Since Jesus said we must do all that he commanded, the answer would be no. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to…
Read MoreBrotherly Love (Moyer)
by Doy Moyer In our modern-day, “love” has many faces. A man may see a woman for the first time and say, “I’m in love.” What he means is, “I have a strong attraction.” To some, “love” implies lust. Basically, “love” means anything we want it to mean in whatever given circumstance. Some parents think…
Read MoreThe Gospel/Doctrine Distinction
By Tom M. Roberts Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 12, p. 13-14 June 16, 1994 Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 13, p. 16-18 July 7, 1994 Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 14, p. 3-4 July 21, 1994 Bred in Infidelity One would have to be totally ignorant of the Bible to deny that Jesus Christ is both the center…
Read MoreMy mother promised to divorce my drug-using, adulterous dad, but now she’s changed her mind
Question: Hi, I’m a 15-year-old member of the church. My father has gone into drugs and adulterous relationships. My mother promised me that she would get a divorce and that she thought it was best. I have prayed and studied about this matter for literally weeks. My father has now tried to return to our…
Read MoreIs sinless perfection not expected of Christians?
Question: I read a few posts on the website where you talked about how Christians are not to expect sinless perfection in themselves. This was very encouraging to me! I have been raised in the Nazarene church. Nazarenes have a lot of really great strengths, but sometimes it can be tough, as they believe that…
Read MoreHow can we not be saved by works of righteousness but are saved by baptism?
Question: I know that our faith is justified by works and that the faith of the Bible is obedient faith. Therefore, faith encompasses baptism and it isn’t a meritorious work. However, if we are obedient in our faith wouldn’t it be counted to us as righteousness as it was Abraham? If so, why would Titus…
Read MoreOur Changing Attitude Toward the Bible
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/OurChangingAttitudeTowardTheBible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 1:22-25 I. A new translation of the Bible came out last month, called “As Good as New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures.” A. Actually, “translation” is not a good description of it. As my wife commented, it doesn’t even make a good paraphrase. B. Several examples were given…
Read MoreIs it wrong for a couple to decide not to have children?
Question: I have read several articles about Christian couples who choose not to have children. One article called it moral rebellion to willingly choose not to have children, while others of course say that God calls people to do other things that may not involve children. I know when God created man and woman, he…
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