Can a woman correct a man who is sinning directly?
Question: Can a woman follow the teaching in Matthew 18:15-17 and go directly to a brother if she has is bothered by a fault or trespass of his, or must she go to the men of the congregation to approach him? It seems to me the passage applies to all Christians not just men and…
Read MoreIs the third river from Eden the Hiddekel or the Tigris?
Question: I was studying about the location of the Garden of Eden today, and I noticed you said the Bible lists four rivers Pishon, Gihon, Euphrates, and the Tigris? I don’t believe that the Bible lists the Tigris. I believe the last river is listed as Hiddekel which is found in Genesis 2:10-14. Answer: “The…
Read MoreIf falling for your body’s desire is a sin, then how come masturbation isn’t directly a sin?
Question: If falling for your body’s desire is a sin, how is it then that masturbation isn’t directly a sin if it is a desire of the body? Answer: The flaw is in your premise. Sin is breaking the law of God. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (I John 3:4).…
Read MoreI can’t get past the fact that my boyfriend is not a virgin
Question: Hello! Thank you so much for your website. It has helped a lot. However, I wanted to ask if you had any advice for a woman who has saved herself for marriage and is courting a man who hasn’t. I have found it extremely difficult to accept his past. I feel like he will…
Read MoreI know we’ve sinned, but my parents are controlling my life. Shouldn’t I be able to make my own decisions?
Question: I had sex with my boyfriend about 2 months after we got together. We were friends for about a year before we became a couple. I’m 28 and he is 30 years old. We are both Christians. I’m from a Christian family, but he is not. He has been a Christian for a little…
Read MoreWhat does “godliness” mean?
Question: What does “godliness” mean? Answer: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been…
Read MoreI lied to my girlfriend about being a virgin and it has been bothering me. What do I do?
Question: I have something that’s been bothering me lately, and I have to get it out somewhere. I started dating this girl four years ago for two years. While we were dating we were completely in love and agreed that we wouldn’t have sex until marriage. After we broke up my loneliness pressured me into…
Read MoreI want to be baptized, but my parents don’t think it is necessary
Question: I lost a lot of my faith recently due to the fact that I realized baby baptism doesn’t count and nothing that I did concerning God counted. I can’t even be baptized again yet because my parents don’t think it’s necessary after infant baptism, so I don’t know what to do. I could have…
Read MoreDoes a person have to repent and ask for forgiveness before you can forgive him?
Question: I trawled through the topics on questions but can’t find one that I want to ask. My sister and I are Christians. She says that she doesn’t have to forgive a person unless they come to her and ask for forgiveness. she tells me that nobody got forgiveness from God until they actually went…
Read MoreMy fiancee is having trouble forgiving me for my past sexual sins
Question: I am having an issue with my engagement. Before I met my fiancee I was not a Christian. I had had sex with multiple partners. My fiancee, at times, has trouble forgiving me for these past sins. What can I do to help her? I know I’ve hurt her but don’t know how to…
Read MoreI must commend you for your advice to this young lady
Question: I read the chain of emails titled “Does God forgive Christians who commit fornication and sexual immorality?” and must truly commend you for your level of maturity, which is displayed in the way you advised this young lady. Really good counsel. Answer: Thank you for the encouragement. I do what I can to help…
Read MoreLet Us Do Good to All
Let Us Do Good to All – Part 1Let Us Do Good to All – Part 2 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Galatians 6:1-10 I. What is meant by “doing good”? A. Often we think of giving money to the poor, feeding the hungry, etc. And these are good things. B. But when we read Galatians 6:10,…
Read MoreI’ve tried to get out of homosexuality several times, but I keep falling back into it. I feel that I’m out of hope
Question: As a young adult, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I believe that Jesus paid for my sin on the cross and paid for by eternal salvation. Later I started living a homosexual life. I’ve tried many, many times to stop the homosexual life. Several different times, I have prayed for God…
Read MoreWouldn’t Jesus being both man and God contradict the Old Testament?
Question: Is Jesus Christ man only and not God? If he is man as well as God then it would contradict passages like Hosea 11:9; Ezekiel 28:2; Isaiah 31:3. Answer: It is wrong for men, such as the king of Tyre or the Pharaoh of Egypt, to call themselves a god because they are not…
Read MoreThe Awful Aftermath of Adultery
by Jonathan Perz How rampant is the sin of adultery? While an exact number is hard to pinpoint, on the low end of most surveys, approximately 25% of all married individuals will commit adultery during the course of their marriage. This is not just a minor problem, it qualifies as an epidemic, and Christians are…
Read MoreI just learned my wife had a sexual encounter before we met
Question: My wife of over forty years just told me when she was 16 years old and her boyfriend was 18 years old, they fooled around. He played with her until climax, and she also played with him but not to climax. They never had intercourse. Just before breaking up, they were at her parents’…
Read MoreI fell into fornication. I’ve broken up with her, but should I tell her why?
Question: Hi Sir, I have come across your site reading your articles on courtship and relationship matters while searching for articles on how to prepare myself for a godly relationship in the future. And I thank God for your sound advice and guidelines in how we should live our lives as God’s people. For background on…
Read MoreCan a person pray in a tongue and not know what they are saying?
Question: Hello! I was talking to someone about tongues, or the so-called ‘tongues,’ with a friend. She insists that people can say what they don’t understand and referred to I Corinthians 14:14. This verse literally says one can pray using words they themselves don’t understand. Please help me out. Thanks. Answer: “Therefore let him who…
Read MoreI’m afraid to be alone at night
Question: I want to ask for your direction and advice, please. At the moment I am 26 years old man. I have my own small business and have this problem. I am afraid to be alone. I can’t stand to be alone in my home. If my family members go somewhere for a couple of…
Read MoreShould pitch pipes be used before a song?
Question: I have a very hard time worshiping in song after someone uses a pitch pipe. I have discussed it with brethren in our congregation. Some agree they don’t like it either. If we visit other places for gospel meetings, it’s to me like fingernails on a chalkboard. I heard a few sermons that try…
Read MoreCould you explain the importance of waiting eight days for circumcision?
Question: Could you explain the importance of waiting eight days for circumcision? Answer: “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day the…
Read MoreIs it wrong to daydream about being successful?
Question: I often find myself daydreaming about being successful. I daydreamed about impressing my teachers with my papers and presentations, daydreamed about winning awards for the things I create, daydream about guys being impressed with my godliness and wanting to date me, etc. Basically, anything I am doing or am planning to do, I daydream…
Read MoreAny advice for a person aspiring to preach?
Question: What is some advice you have for a person aspiring to be a preacher? Answer: First, study. You can’t preach accurately what you don’t know. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). If you need…
Read MoreThanks for the article on the Origin of the King James Version
Question: Hi, I read the article about the controversy of musical instruments. The article mentioned the Richmond Hills Church of Christ and I decided to google that church. My search led me to a nonsensical conspiracy site about how the new world order plans to take over the church via liberal church planters. After sifting through…
Read MoreMust a person fall when hands are laid on them?
Question: Dear Sir, Many pastors expect the person they lay hands and pray for to fall backward. Many worshipers also seem to be attracted to this falling, thinking it’s an act of the Holy Spirit though there was no result from this. To me, this act does not seem to be biblical. Please let me…
Read MoreHas Becoming a Christian Changed You?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/HasBecomingAChristianChangedYou.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 12:1-8 I. The Barna Group has done several surveys on the impact Christianity has on people’s lives. A. In May, 2006, a survey showed that 51% said that they had been greatly transformed by their faith. 1. I found that interesting because of what Jesus said – Matthew 7:15-20 2. An…
Read MoreI would like to encourage those who suffer from OCD-Religious or scrupulosity
Question: Hi, I’ve been poking around the Internet. I was actually trying to find an OCD support group online but without any luck. However, I was fascinated to read the postings and questions of the individual with OCD-Religious or scrupulosity because I have gone through every single thing that individual has gone through, but I am…
Read MoreMust a prayer be said before eating a meal?
Question: Is it good to say grace before eating a meal whether it be big or small? Would it be a sin if I don’t give thanks to God before eating? Answer: Being thankful to God is important. We need to express in prayer your recognition of where our blessings come from. “Giving thanks always…
Read MoreExcellent article on cheerleaders and modesty, brother
Question: Excellent article on cheerleaders and modesty, brother. Answer: I’m glad you found the article useful. I guess someone recently rediscovered it after it was originally posted in 2006. It has been read over 11,500 times in the last eight days.
Read MoreIs there any difference between the messenger in Malachi 3 and Elijah the prophet in Malachi 4?
Question: Is there any difference between the messenger in Malachi 3 and Elijah the prophet in Malachi 4? Answer: Both passages are referred to in the New Testament as applying to John the Baptist. Malachi 3:1 is referred in Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:76; 7:27. Malachi 4:5 is referred to in Matthew 11:14; 17:11; Mark…
Read MoreWhat should a woman do who suspects her husband’s prior divorce was not for scriptural reasons like he originally claimed?
Question: I have a very dear friend of mine who is afraid she may be in an unscriptural marriage. We are both members of the Lord’s Church so we both understand what this means. She divorced her first husband due to adultery and remarried her current husband, who is a Christian also, a couple of…
Read MoreShould a church not hire a preach because he and his fiancée are different skin colors?
Question: Dear brother, I am facing a dilemma in the congregation with which I worship. We are in the process of searching for a minister and are not under the guidance of an eldership. We have interviewed several candidates and have found one in particular that interests us. He has preached and taught for us…
Read MoreCan I be forgiven for fornication?
Question: I am 21 years of age and recently got baptized. Before I got baptized, I was in a relationship for over five years and still am. A short while after my baptism, my boyfriend and I went to a wedding and then ended up having sexual relations. We both weren’t in the right state…
Read MoreDid my sins prior to my marriage cause my husband to commit adultery after our marriage?
Question: I was at church yesterday and the topic was “Root Causes of Sin.” My marriage didn’t start well. Prior to getting married, I fornicated with another man. When I found out that my ex-husband was having an affair, he said he had affairs because of what happened prior to our marriage. Now that I’ve heard a sermon on the…
Read MoreDo I become a doctor or run a shop?
Question: I really need your advice. Since I was maybe seven or younger I always wanted to be a surgeon, most likely neurosurgery or probably orthopedic surgery. It was an inspiration or motivation I got when I saw lots of kids with more severe medical problems than me. I said to my parents I wanted…
Read MoreHow do we deal with our son who committed adultery?
Question: I am a Christian. I try to follow the Bible best to my ability. I am a member of a conservative church of Christ. My question is about my son. He grew up in church and was baptized before he joined the service. He is no longer faithful. He married and has a child.…
Read MoreHow do you keep your weaknesses from distracting you?
Question: Maybe not as much now but I am sure when growing up as a Christian: How did you deal with your weaknesses distracting you? I have just really realized that my weaknesses have really been exploited to distract me from what I actually want to do and should do. In the Bible, it says…
Read MoreHow can I stop doing all these sins and have Jesus enter my heart?
Question: Hey, How can I stop doing all these sins and have Jesus enter my heart? Please help. Answer: Both ending sin and being saved from sin are each large topics. Start with: What Must I Do to be Saved? Ending sin is two-fold. It is a decision to no longer sin and a filling…
Read MoreHow do I convince my mother to stop paying people for prayers?
Question: How can I convince my mum that paying people for prayers is not right, she is just being ripped off? She does not want my brother to go back to prison so she believes paying people to pray for my brother — and I mean a lot of money — will prevent him from…
Read MoreHow can I know that I’m serving God?
Question: OK, simple question: I want to know what I can do to just serve God and know it’s Him I’m serving. Answer: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing,…
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