I committed adultery to force my husband to admit to his adultery and then I left him. Would God forgive me of my sin and restore my marriage?
Question: Hello, I am writing to you because it’s been now several years that I sought God in regards to the restoration of my marriage. It’s really difficult to keep believing God wants the marriage restored, and in these “deserts” I feel that there’s still one missing part in my understanding of God’s Word that…
Read MoreBefore I became a Christian, I had promised to marry a woman, but now that I’m a Christian I don’t think it will work out. What do I do?
Question: Hello, By the grace of God, I am saved and was baptized last year. And by His mercy, I am able to continue the race that is set before me with patience. Before my salvation, I made a promise to a girl that I would marry her. At that time I was hurting from…
Read MoreWhat is prevenient grace?
Question: In a conversation with a Methodist, the term “Prevenient Grace” came up. What does this mean? Is this type of grace founded on Scripture? Answer: “Prevenient Grace” was coined by John Wesley, who founded groups like the Methodists and the Church of the Nazarene. The word “prevenient” is archaic; in modern English, we would say…
Read MoreAre promises only binding when spoken aloud?
Question: I used to let my mouth get the best of me. I have learned to watch what I say very closely. The problem I have is this: because I’m trying to be so careful with what I say, I constantly think about whether I promise or vow something. My mind runs away from me…
Read MoreWhere are Gentiles commanded to be saved by baptism?
Question: I had not visited this site in a while, and ran upon it, along with our correspondence, recently. I noticed that your last comment has an interesting conclusion, and I quote “You claim that the Philippian jailer was not baptized”. This claim never was, nor ever has been made by me. I conclude that he…
Read MoreThe web site has influenced me to leave my bad habit, and try to please God
Question: Hi Mr. Hamilton, I just want to say thank you to you and all the people behind the website. The website has influenced me to leave my bad habit, and try to please God. I wish you and the website team, all the best. God bless you all. Answer: I am thrilled to hear…
Read MoreWhy was David condemned for having sex with Bathsheba when he already had multiple women?
Question: Hello, This is a question that came to mind in response to a post about King David. King David had the daughter of Saul and also the widow of the rich man as his wives. My question is why was he only condemned for adultery after he had sex with Bathsheba? He had already…
Read MoreHow could Christ die for sinners if we don’t inherit sin from Adam?
Question: Hi, I came across your website doing a bit of research regarding sin and the choices we make. I am a little confused by your statement that we are not born sinners. I am under the understanding that sin has been passed on through Adam and Eve, e.g. irrational sin. If we are not…
Read MoreHow can someone in Christ fear death?
Question: How can someone in Christ fear death? Answer: It would depend on the strength and growth of their faith. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalms 23:4). “Inasmuch then as…
Read MoreHow do I find opportunities to do good?
Question: How do I find opportunities to do righteousness when I’m either at home studying or at college or school studying? I mean I need opportunities to practice Christian skills. Should I ask God to help or should I really sort myself out as a Christian and then scour the streets like a modern-day superhero…
Read MoreDoes an unborn baby have a soul?
Question: I have a coworker who was telling me his girlfriend had a miscarriage, and that’s why he doesn’t believe in God. I tried to comfort him by telling him that the baby could not have sinned, thus had to be in heaven. He seems like he may be interested in God, it seems we…
Read MoreCould God’s prophets really tell my boyfriend that we would have an unhappy marriage?
Question: Hi, I would like to address an issue that’s troubling my heart. First of all, I am a Christian who has recently repented because I sinned against God through fornication. I am trying to get right with God and change my ways for good. Recently my boyfriend of nearly four years has ended our…
Read MoreWhy do I feel guilty over everything I do?
Question: Good day and may God bless you. Please, I want to know why I am always feeling guilty over virtually everything I think or do. For example, if I look at somebody’s car and feel that the car is not beautiful, instantly I will begin to feel guilty and start saying to myself, in…
Read MoreDo churches of Christ register with the government as a whole or each congregation independently?
Question: I am a member of the church of Christ in Malawi. I would like to find out how the churches of Christ in the USA register with the government. Is it that every congregation registers independently? or is there one registration for all congregations of the churches of Christ? How do are disputes between…
Read MoreIs sinning permitted if it serves a greater purpose?
Question: How do we reconcile Hosea 1:2, and I Corinthians 6:15-18? Is sinning permitted if it serves a greater purpose? e.g. Robin Hood scenario, etc. What makes something a “sin outside the body” compared to “against own body”, e.g. gluttony, etc. Answer: You appear to be assuming that Hosea sinned in marrying a prostitute. First,…
Read MoreShould a church have time in worship for members to pray quietly?
Question: I am a member of the Church of Christ in a local congregation. Of late, when we pray in the church, we do allow individual members some time to say their prayers adding that we should not speak loud. I am perplexed now. Answer: I don’t blame you for being perplexed. Such prayers would…
Read MoreIs there any non-biblical evidence that proves the prophecies in the Bible?
Question: A friend and I talked for a little while tonight regarding Bible evidence, and when we talked about prophecy, he raised the argument that prophecies from the Bible verified purely from within the Bible can’t be used to prove the Bible. Is that a fair argument? And are there non-biblical evidence of prophecies coming…
Read MoreThe Bible, Science, and Skepticism
Text: Psalm 33:4-11 I. A literal reading of the Bible tells us that God created the world, that the universe was created in six days, and the world is about 6,000 years old. A. Yet the literal reading is often rejected, not on the basis of Scriptural teachings, but because it does seem “scientific.” B. So, they…
Read MoreHow do I forgive a husband who doesn’t seem to be changing?
Question: How do I forgive my husband who keeps committing the same sins against me and God repeatedly? He claims to be a Christian but it is hardly seen in him in anything he does outside of the church. He neglects his family by being very mean, selfish, and angry all the time, and he…
Read MoreI’m moving out because I don’t want to commit fornication any more
Question: My boyfriend and I have been together for over two years. We love each other very much. This is not really a question, but a declaration. I’m leaving him to move into my own place or back with my mother because I truly want to serve the Lord and flee from fornication. He wants…
Read MoreCan a short service be held in a shut-in’s home?
Question: I have a dilemma. Our elders have recently approved of an “abbreviated service” on Sunday afternoons at the home of one of our members who is home-bound and dying. This includes singing, prayer, and the Lord’s Supper. They are encouraging other members to join them for this service. We have other members who are…
Read MoreTotal Hereditary Depravity and Ezekiel 18:20
by Bryan Sharp “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20). Guilt is never transferred from one…
Read MoreWhy did God make Hannah wait so long before having a child?
Question: Today we read about Hannah finally giving birth to Samuel. Why did it take so long? Why did God close her womb until Samuel? Answer: We aren’t told why God had Hannah wait. “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Psalms…
Read MoreWhere does it say that Salome was James and John’s mother?
Question: Where does it say that Salome was James and John’s mother? Answer: “And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons” (Matthew 27:55-56). “There were also women looking…
Read MoreWhy did she say she forgave me if she stopped talking to me?
Question: I met a girl online about a year ago. She lives in a different state where she was attending a Bible college. We talked all the time and became good friends. I became interested in her and tried to pursue her, but she insisted on staying friends because of the distance. A few months…
Read MoreSalome’s Request
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/SalomesRequest.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 20:17-28 I. We don’t know much about Salome, other than that she was the wife of Zebedee and the mother of the apostles James and John. A. She made a request of Jesus that he turned down – Matthew 20:20-22 B. Jesus later tells the disciples that they can ask…
Read MoreIs it ever OK to tell someone they are going to Hell if they don’t repent?
Question: Is it ever okay to tell an unfaithful Christian, “You are going to Hell if you do not repent of your sins and come back to the church?” Answer: People have a tendency to want to make rules to simplify decisions, but sometimes rules can’t cover every situation. Generally, we aim for gentle, polite persuasion…
Read MoreIs it a sin to listen to music that contains swear words?
Question: Hello, I understand a lot more from your teachings, and I thank you for that! I understand about the swear words in music, but I still don’t know, is it a sin to listen to music with those words in it? Answer: “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits'” (I Corinthians 15:33).…
Read MoreIf a man looks admiringly at a woman without thoughts of sex, is that adultery?
Question: If, for example, I’m married and look at a woman, married or not admire her clothes or the way she looks after herself and not thinking of taking her to bed or doing anything to her is that committing adultery? Answer: “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for…
Read MoreAffair-Proofing Your Marriage
by Mark Broyles via Biblical Insights, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 2007 The prevalence of infidelity in marriage is staggering. If it was only a problem in the lives of those apart from God it would still be discouraging, but the truth is that the amount of marriages among our brethren that have been rocked by…
Read MoreMy friend and I are both engaging in fornication. Do you think God will hold this against us?
Question: Hello, I came across your website and was wondering if I could ask a question that I need some advice on. I have a friend who was been in a relationship for almost five years. She wants to get married but her boyfriend doesn’t want to marry. They loved each other but a relative…
Read MoreDeath Bed Repentance
by David J. Riggs A neighbor lady who had become a rather close friend to my wife, came into our home and said, “Do you believe in death-bed repentance?” This was not the first time I had been required to give an answer on this topic. My answer is, “I believe in one kind of…
Read MoreMy boyfriend and I are in a foreign country, so how do we survive without living together?
Question: Hi, I have been reading your blogs regularly. I have a query on a couple living together before marriage. For one question regarding this, you advised them as they were willing to get married in near future to just become casual with each other and meet up in public to avoid any temptation since everyone…
Read MoreI can’t make up my mind about the guy I lost my virginity to
Question: I am from a Christian family. I have been taught God’s standards when it comes to sex and wished I wasn’t in this position. However, my own sexual desires and naďvety made me lose my virginity to a man I fell in love with last year back in college. He was in a relationship…
Read MoreMy parents are against my dating a man, even though he has now become a Christian. What do I do?
Question: Hi! I’m in my early twenties, and I grew up in a Christian home. I met my boyfriend when he was not a Christian because we work in the same place. He was divorced about ten years ago. Until then, my parents, who are strong Christians, told me they would disown me as their…
Read MoreMy ex-husband wants our daughter at his wedding but she has other plans. How do I help?
Question: My husband left me for another woman about two years ago. We have a teenage daughter who is amazing. Unfortunately, her dad lives in another state, and she travels there for the holidays and summer break. My husband married the other woman six months after the divorce (for which he filed) and now they…
Read MoreIs “virgin” really the best translation in Isaiah 7:14?
Question: In your article, you said that the RSV mistranslated Isaiah 7:14 by changing “virgin” to “young woman.” My Baptist College and Career group visited our city synagogue and the rabbi told us that the Hebrew word in Isaiah 7:14 meant and is translated as a young maiden and not virgin. The Gospel writers’ testimony was…
Read MoreWill God judge the husband by the actions of his wife?
Question: I would like to know if God judges us through our spouse. When the day of judgment comes for me, will I be judged by my wife’s actions? Will my position as head of household be in question for the decisions she made in her life? Please answer as it has been said we…
Read MoreI messed up and had sex with my girlfriend. Since then she has been having sex with several guys repeatedly. I forgive her, but how can I help her?
Question: Hi. I’ve read some of your answers and you clearly seem to be someone with much wisdom and knowledge of the word. That’s why I’m trusting you with this. I’ve been in a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend for a little over a year now and we’ve visited each other three times now. We’re…
Read MoreIs it wrong for a woman to talk about the Bible on Facebook?
Question: Hello, I was wondering, do you think it would be okay for me, a female, to talk about God on Facebook since there are men reading what I am saying and sometimes even asking me questions? I never answer a question without a Bible verse though, and if it’s something I can’t answer, I…
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