If a person is married under false pretenses, is it still a valid marriage?

Question: Does the Bible mention false marriages or are all marriages valid? This year alone, three women who escaped from Michigan prisons more than thirty years ago have been captured and returned to Michigan. One woman who has received a lot of attention moved to California, changed her name, got married, raised a family, and…

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What do you think people did before marriage was invented?

Question: I think you should revaluate your teaching kids that they should wait until marriage to have sex. There’s nothing wrong with it! I’ve been having sex with my girlfriend for years. Besides what do you think people did before marriage was invented? Answer: The actual letter was vastly more rude and crude. I was…

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How can I increase my faith?

Question: Just a warning this may get a little long, but it will be honest. I fear what comes after death. I call myself a Christian, I am sincere when I claim that and have no problem saying that to anybody. As a matter of fact when I am confronted by atheists is when my…

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How do I help a guy who seems down on his luck?

Question: Hi! In my workplace, I got to know a guy who is in his near 40s. This is a minimum wage job and I’m not judging or anything, but I thought it seemed odd that he was still working at a job like this because if you talked to him he seems like a…

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Should a woman head the government?

Question: I’ve perused your answered question section, and though this “Does I Timothy 2:11-12 only apply to the assembly?” answer touches on the subject somewhat, it doesn’t specifically address a question I have. What do you think the Bible’s teaching is on whether women can participate in government? With figures like Mrs. Bill Clinton and…

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I don’t know what to do with myself

Question: Hi! I’m a 16-year-old boy. I’m writing because I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve noticed you answer a lot of questions on your site. I’m not really asking anything, I guess I just don’t know what to do. I don’t have much of a life. I don’t go out much because…

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Is there something indicating that Bathsheba was an Israelite?

Question: Is there a particular scripture that tells that Bathsheba was an Israelite? Answer: Bathsheba was married to a Hittite, but we can surmise that she was an Israelite because her father’s name was Eliam (II Samuel 11:3) or Ammiel (I Chronicles 3:5). These names are Hebrew. Eliam means “God of the people” and Ammiel…

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What should a person say prior to baptizing someone?

Question: Can you discuss the exchange that takes place between a preacher (or the person baptizing) and the one being baptized? What exactly should be said in this exchange? I have convinced a neighbor that his baptism is not scriptural and he would like to be baptized according to God’s word. Answer: I’m not certain…

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If I win the lottery, won’t that be a blessing from God?

Question: Hello, I ran across your web site and I thought your article “Is Gambling Sinful” was very well written.  Even though I am a Christian, I play the PowerBall.  I only play one set of numbers, but for every drawing. I have come to a point where I am not sure if I should…

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Is the Sunset International Bible Institute a trustworthy organization?

Question: Someone has invited me to study at a satellite school at Sunset International Bible Institute. Do you happen to know this Sunset International Bible Institute? Is it a trustworthy organization? Answer: I have heard of this organization for a number of years. It is a man-made institution operated by members of the more liberal…

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What does “end of the age” refer to?

Question: I am curious to know what you say the “end of the age” refers to? Does it refer to the end of the world or to a specific age? I ask this in relation to what you said about it in Matthew 28. I think some people (Full Preterists/Hyper Preterists) believe the “end of…

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Is it a sin to choose to remain single?

Question: Is it a sin if a Christian chooses not to get married for his or her whole life? Answer: Getting married has always been an option and never a requirement. The apostle Paul never married and when persecution raised its ugly head on the horizon, he urged other Christians, if they were able, to…

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Have you heard of the Theophostic Prayer Ministry?

Question: I am very concerned about something and would like to ask you about this.  The small church of Christ where we attend recently hired a minister. We have no elders, just a group of several men who chose this preacher.  He and his wife are very nice and people oriented.  His sermons so far…

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I’m scared that God has made me believe a lie. How can I know His way?

Question: A sister in Christ shared this note with me and decided to try and address this young man’s concerns. You showed us that Scripture in II Thessalonians 2:11, “And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie.” That’s made me scared of God ever since. How, if…

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What is meant by “the measure of a man, that is, of an angel?”

Question: In Revelation 21:17, what is meant by the phrase, “measure of a man, that is, of an angel”? Answer: “Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel” (Revelation 21:17). John is trying to give us the impression of the immense…

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What is meant by not being enslaved to a non-Christian?

Question: I’m confused about this verse about being enslaved to a non-Christian. Does not being enslaved mean you are no longer bond by the covenant of marriage or what? I’ve never study this verse and we’ll be going to be hitting the topic of marriage again soon, so do you have any advice on this…

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Why was the kingdom divided in the Old Testament?

Question: Why was the kingdom divided in the Old Testament? Answer: “But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites- from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor…

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May a church without elders appoint deacons?

Question: May a church assign to a servant or servants (deacons) a specific task or tasks in which they will serve the congregation and for which they will be responsible and answerable to the congregation for performing if the church does not have elders. In other words, may they set or appoint men as servants…

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Why should YHWH be pronounced correctly and not Yeshua?

Question: I have just read your web page:  Understanding the Tetragrammaton: Pronouncing YHWH. If your conclusion is accurate, then we should not be using the name Jesus, correct?  To apply your conclusion or principle to YHWH, consistency, and accuracy being paramount with me, means that the use of Jesus it wrong too.  We should be using…

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Does “the whole church” refer only to the men?

Question: I am so appreciative of all the information from your studies of God’s word that you make available on your web site. I have recently been studying, teaching and preaching on the subject of the Christian woman’s role and her silence or quietness. The information on your web site has been so helpful! I…

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What do I say to people who are suffering great grief?

Question: What do I say to people who are suffering great grief? Answer: Much of what you or I would like to say seems so empty or inadequate. How do you tell someone who has just lost a child you know how she feels when you haven’t experienced such grief? How do you tell a…

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Wickedness Before Our Eyes

by Wayne S. Walker “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me” (Psalm 101:3). There is an old warning, “What you see is what you get.” We might also say that in a sense, “What you see is what you…

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Will fasting show God that I want to change?

Question: I am a twenty-year-old girl who recently back-slid heavily from our Father’s ways. I thought that I was really sorry that last time I committed the sin of fortification and drunkenness and would stay away from it; however, it is proven not to be that way, and recently I committed those sins, several times,…

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What Bible Passage Teaches Monogamy?

by George Hutto via Tidings, Vol. 23, No. 7, July 2008. Monogamy is the marital rule of having only one spouse. Polygamists say that a person can have more than one spouse at the time, such as the Muslim practice. The teaching of the Bible on this subject will be considered in a moment, but…

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I heard your article on clothing mentioned in a Jewish study

Question: I am a member of the Presbyterian Church and regularly attend a Torah teaching study class at a nearby Jewish Synagogue.  This Jewish congregation is very open and loving (as well as quite liberal and still far from the Lord) to those of us attending that are Christian and their Saturday morning teaching is…

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Is masturbation sinful or not?

Question: First of all, I would like to say that I really found your site a wealth of information on all subjects biblical — which I hold very dearly. I want to love God and obey his commands, but I have a problem with the subject of masturbation. It’s not that I want to lust…

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What was Jesus’ point about being lifted up for men to see?

Question: In John 3:14, Jesus is talking to Nicodemus and speaks of Moses lifting up the serpent. Is this the bronze serpent Moses made? And how does this relate to Jesus and what is Jesus trying to tell Nicodemus? I understand the part about believing and eternal life, but I still think I am missing…

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