Will God heal my brother?
Question: Hello, My brother is going through cancer right now, and the doctors say he is not getting better. I have accepted Jesus into my heart, and I want to trust Him that He will heal my brother, but my mom, who is also a Christian, wants me to face the reality that the Lord…
Read MoreHow do I ensure I am following what the Bible truly means?
Question: Greetings Brother Hamilton, Upon my defending the gospel and the one true church many learned men desire to use the Restoration Movement as an assault against the church of Christ claiming it could not possibly be the true church. How do you deal with such attacks? Also, I do not desire to follow the…
Read MoreA Natural Defense
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton LA Times I found yet another interesting article in the paper today. Bed bugs have been making a comeback and scientists are looking for solutions that don’t involve chemicals. A traditional defense against bed bugs in eastern Europe is to spread kidney bean leaves on the floor and to the scientists’…
Read MoreI just can’t seem to keep away from sin
Question: Hi, I am 18 years old and I’m really struggling to be a good Christian. I want to change so much, but I just can’t. I read the Bible and pray every night, but I never put the verses into practice. I pray and ask God to help me change, for the Holy Spirit…
Read MoreI’m tired of living with this medical condition
Question: What’s the purpose of my life when I’m suffering from a socially isolating and debilitating medical condition? I kid you not, I’m so sick and tired of reading platitudes; I’m tired of begging, pleading, imploring God for help. What’s the point of living, if you can’t function as a whole person? What’s the point…
Read MoreHow do I get past my sexual sins?
Question: I read your article about the girl who committed fornication. You provided a wonderful answer for her. I was also was raised in the church. I have walked away and came back so many times I have lost count. I have committed way too many sins to even start to number. I do not…
Read MoreWhy did ancient cultures lose the story of God?
Question: I was discussing with a friend how there is literal scientific evidence to show that the world is less than 10,000 years old. Then the question was raised: “Why did ancient cultures (Olmec, etc.) lose the story of God?” In other words, we are asking what caused these ancient peoples to have a different…
Read MoreDoes baptism add you to the Lord’s church no matter who does the baptism?
Question: I’ve read some of your stuff on baptism. I believe you said if a person is baptized in a denomination, and they understand the true meaning of baptism, they are okay. So are you saying they are added to the Lord’s church regardless of the church they were baptized in? I thought baptism added…
Read MoreIf everything comes from God, doesn’t evil come from God?
Question: You said in a writing, that all good things come from God. I can understand this and agree with it. But what I don’t understand is if by that same logic don’t all things come from God directly or by proxy, including all the bad and evil in the world? I don’t understand this…
Read MoreWhy was Jerusalem compared to Sodom?
Question: I have questions about the book of Ezekiel. Why does God refer to Jerusalem as Sodom in various verses in Ezekiel 16? Did Jerusalem become as bad or worse than Sodom was, but God did not destroy them because of his promise to Abraham? Homosexual activists always cite this chapter as “evidence” that God…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between spiritual gifts and miraculous gifts?
Question: Could you give me information that points to the differences between spiritual gifts and miraculous gifts? Answer: Spiritual gifts refer to the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. They usually refer to the miraculous gifts as explained in I Corinthians 12. These gifts were not given to every Christian and were given only for…
Read MoreDoes baptism add you to the Lord’s church no matter who does the baptizing?
Question: I’ve read some of your stuff on baptism. I believe you said if a person is baptized in a denomination, and they understand the true meaning of baptism, they are okay. So are you saying they are added to the Lord’s church regardless of the church they were baptized in? I thought baptism added…
Read MoreNow that I realize I am in adultery, how do I fix the problem?
Question: Good morning, I’ve recently come across this site and have received much clarity through other readers’ questions. I personally have realized that I am an adulteress. I have married (my first marriage) a man who divorced his first wife. I know that the divorce was not due to any infidelity on her part, thus…
Read MoreThank you for remaining true to Jesus in these dark times
Question: Hello, Let me thank you for remaining true to Jesus in these dark times. I just came across your site over the Internet and realized it was the island of truth in the sea of immorality. I am sending my blessing to you! Answer: Thank you for the kind encouragement.
Read MoreMy father won’t sign a form to let me be baptized. What should I do?
Question: Hi, I have accepted Christ six months ago and attend church regularly. I have also participated in a Basic Doctrine class required for baptism and membership in my church. When I brought back a form on the Baptism and Membership Encounter Weekend Event to ask for permission from my parents. My mum agreed but…
Read MoreYour article on why water baptism is necessary for salvation helped me in a discussion with some Bereans
Question: Mr. Dvorak, I wish to thank you for this excellent summation of why water baptism is necessary for salvation! I could have looked all the Scriptures up of course, but this was concise and perfect. You see, sir, I began to feel the need to explain what my beliefs were on Facebook. I have several dear…
Read MoreDoes God not exactly know what we are going to do?
Question: If everything is not predetermined, does that mean that God still doesn’t know what we are exactly going to do? Answer: Not exactly. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He can and does predict what we will choose to do in most things. But some things are not predictable. Remember when God…
Read MoreI want to read the Bible daily, but I have a hard time digesting what I have read
Question: I want to read the Bible every day and abide by it, but I have a hard time knowing where to go when I start reading. I usually just open it and read it, but I don’t necessarily digest what I’m reading if that makes sense. Because of that, I tend to not make…
Read MoreWhat if you don’t have concrete evidence that your spouse is committing adultery?
Question: Thank you for your web site. I have a question that you sort of touched on in a post, but I wanted to confirm. What if a spouse strongly suspects infidelities but has no concrete evidence? (The post I referenced involved a husband who may have been seeing prostitutes.) My husband has had at…
Read MoreAre you saying that it is OK for a preacher to tell jokes behind the pulpit if they are of a clean sort?
Question: So in regards to Ephesians 5:4, joking and jesting. Are you saying that it is OK for a preacher to tell jokes behind the pulpit if they are of a clean sort? Answer: “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish…
Read MoreOn Some Nebulous “CoC” Thing
by Doy Moyer I often see discussions where people keep referencing some “CoC” position, or “CoC” tradition, or “CoC-er” or whatever. So… here are a few thoughts about that adapted from a previous discussion. What exactly is this CoC to which people keep referring? Is there some particular local group of Christians they have in…
Read MoreHow can I defend the faith as a Christian youth?
Question: Please assist me with this question: “How can I defend the faith as a Christian youth?” Thank you. Answer: “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to…
Read MoreWill God only be pleased with me if I’m witnessing for Him full-time?
Question: Is God still happy for a person who isn’t full-time witnessing to others? Say I chose to go in the military and stay for a few years and during that time I show and act I am a Christian. I witness to others but only when I have time and depending on what the…
Read MoreCould I go to heaven after committing all these sins?
Question: I have a bunch of questions, but please answer them. If you Have sex before you are married, Drink, smoke, or do drugs, Use God’s name frivolously, Steal, and Tell people that you hate going to church and it’s a big waste of time will you go to hell, or at least go to spiritual jail?…
Read MoreShould I marry the Catholic woman I’m living with?
Question: Hey, I’m having a hard time getting my head around a few things. First, I was brought up in a loving Protestant Christian home and lost my way through high school. I am now in my mid-twenties and I’m engaged to a Catholic. We’ve bought a house and are living together. We’re due to…
Read MoreSince the Scriptures can be unclear, doesn’t it require an organization to state what is true?
Question: Scripture is unclear at times and at other times seems to be contradictory. With that in mind, there are many different interpretations from many different sources. So, my question is this; If what the Bible says is true, not according to personal interpretation, who or what organization is the true scriptural authority? It seems…
Read MoreWere Hezekiah’s sons punished for their father’s sins?
Question: It’s quite clear that the Bible says the fathers are not to be punished for the son’s sins and the sons not to be punished for the father’s sins. However, throughout the Old Testament, we see that when a king sinned, because either they repented or because of a prior promise to their fathers…
Read MoreHow do I decide what is acceptable? How do you deal with what you don’t know?
Question: Hello Brother Hamilton, I have two questions: As I grow as a Christian and as a musician, I’m having a hard time deciding what places are acceptable to visit to listen to music or play at. It seems like alcohol is served everywhere, now even at classical orchestra concerts during intermission. How do I…
Read MoreI keep getting fearful of thoughts about Islam
Question: I am 17 years old and I have OCD. I have been struggling with thoughts that are really affecting my life. This might sound weird but I have thoughts about the religion of Islam and things that are associated with it, including the way they look and words such as Muslim, Allah, Muhammad, etc.…
Read MoreAm I gambling with my soul by living with my girlfriend while waiting for her divorce to go through?
Question: I found Christ after being lost for almost 15 years. This is a real change, it’s not like the past. I really feel like the Holy Spirit is guiding me. I’m separating myself from all that is evil driven and it’s as if I see black and white now and have dropped all my…
Read MoreWe love each other and treat each other as husband and wife. Is this enough?
Question: My husband and I dated for over a year before we had sex. We were each other’s first. Now it has been over three years, and we are still happily standing together. Around the time that we first had sex we both made a commitment to each other and God that we would only…
Read MoreI came across your article while researching and preparing a response to India’s (and Hindu’s) caste system
Question: Thank you for the excellent article on your website responding to the question “Does the Bible support the idea that men are created equal?” I came across your article while researching and preparing a response to India’s (and Hindu’s) caste system. I found the article very, very helpful. Answer: I’m glad that you found…
Read MoreDoes a child leave his parent’s authority gradually or all at once?
Question: I guess my question is Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” This seems to suggest this idea of leaving the household and the authority of your parents and establishing a new household. It seems similar to the…
Read MoreI so much appreciate your series of lessons entitled “Moral Principles for Young People”
Question: I so much appreciate your series of lessons entitled “Moral Principles for Young People”. The material is excellent. We are using the material as a study on Wednesday night for our teen class. The lessons are very practical and the kids enjoy them. Thanks for putting the series online! Answer: It is so good…
Read MoreHow can I stop worrying about my two children who are doing hard drugs?
Question: How can I stop worrying about my two adult kids doing hard drugs every day? I know a lot of kids died from this. We are all in the church of Christ and Christians. Answer: I’m sorry to hear that your children have fallen away and are caught up in the trap of drugs.…
Read MoreOver Diagnosis of ADHD Indicated
Source: “An ‘astronomical’ rise in ADHD diagnosis, The New York Times, published in Omaha World-Herald, 02 April 2013. I don’t know why this is so surprising. Common sense has indicated for decades that children were being drugged for no other reason than to keep classrooms calm and to allow parents to control their children with little effort.…
Read MoreYour strong position in your introduction gives me hope
Question: Thank you for your position. The challenge to stand firm on His Word and proclaim the Word without compromise is strong. Reading your introduction statement gives me hope. God bless. Answer: Thank you for the kind words.
Read MoreCan I remain in my marriage and be forgiven?
Question: I have a question. About 20 years ago, I was married to a guy I had met, dated, and had sex with beforehand. After about two years of marriage, I was very unhappy and depressed. One day my husband at that time brought one of his co-workers home to give us an animal. Basically,…
Read MoreWhy were the sexual laws not applied equally between men and women in the Old Testament?
Question: Why was purity asked more of women than men in the Old Testament? A woman who slept with a man before marriage was stoned, but a man who slept with an unmarried woman was not and instead had to marry her! Also, there had to be proof of a woman’s virginity but not of…
Read MoreMy boyfriend is worldly and using drugs, but I’m afraid to leave him as he might become worse
Question: Hello. I am a member of the church of Christ. How can I tell my boyfriend of two years that I’m aware he has a drug addiction without pushing him away or over the edge? I don’t fear being alone but fear that if I’m not in his life, he will really turn in…
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