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Did 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,…
Read MoreI found out the man I’m dating is living with his ex-wife. Should I wait until he moves out before marrying him?
Question: Hi, This man approached me, I had never seen him before and he worked next to the building I worked at. Well, one day, he stopped me and asked me out. I went and we started dating. He told me he was divorced and lived alone. Well, I believed him. Later on in this…
Read MoreWhy doesn’t the church sell everything it owns to give to the poor?
Question: The church in Acts had people who sold their possessions and gave to those without. Why doesn’t the church do that today? Is it a sin to deny someone something because you want to use it? Answer: An example of the selling of the possessions that you referenced in Acts 4:32 – 5:11 there…
Read MoreHow do we make a stand against homosexuality?
Question: Hello! First, I would like to say thanks for the website. My question is: how can we show others that homosexuality is wrong? Our country will not hear any religious claims that marriage between two of the same sex is wrong. I know we are to love everyone, but how do we show that…
Read MoreWe want to marry, but we will have to live apart for the first year. How can we have a strong marriage?
Question: I am truly in love with him and he is with me. We talk about God a lot and we stay communicating at all times. He has brightened my world. He asked me to marry him, and we would have to have a long-distance marriage for now. I just wanted to know if our…
Read MoreI was sexually abused as a child and now the idea of sex with a man scares me. What do I do?
Question: Hi, I first want to say that I think it is awesome that you guys are answering questions like this. Anyway, I kind of have two questions and they require a little bit of back story. When I was about 8, I was involved in this group that we called truth or dare. In…
Read MoreWhat about the lineage of Esther?
Question: What about the lineage of Esther? Know anything about that? Answer: “In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with Jeconiah…
Read MoreYour question and answer on homosexuality really helps
Question: Hello, I just wanted to say that I appreciate the Q&A section of your website, which I found today during a google search for church of Christ responses to homosexuality. Because many of my friends are gay, and those who aren’t are non-Christian and, therefore, supportive of the gay equality movement, I am trying to…
Read MoreWhat was Naomi’s lineage?
Question: What was Naomi’s lineage? Answer: “The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion-Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there” (Ruth 1:2). Ephrath is the old name for Bethlehem (Genesis…
Read MoreI enjoyed the outline “Sons of Thunder”
Question: I read your article about the “Sons of Thunder” and it really blessed me, thanks! Answer: You’re welcome.
Read MoreDoes God care about all the surgeries I’m going through?
Question: I was an evangelical Christian over five years ago. I am still a believer. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs or anything like that. I don’t have a girlfriend. I stopped going to church about two years ago. It was because I had surgery (Palatal Expansion). I was born with…
Read MoreBefore becoming a Christian, I committed fornication many times. My preacher says I need to wait before getting married. Isn’t it better to marry now?
Question: Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ. I write this e-mail with great shame over myself. I committed fornication with a girl who was not my girlfriend and got her pregnant. The girl whom I got pregnant knew that I already had a girlfriend whom I was planning to marry and had already paid…
Read MoreIf a person is divorced because of adultery, can he remarry his ex-spouse?
Question: Can a spouse who has been put away for the cause of adultery, be reconciled to the innocent party if the innocent party so desires according to I Corinthians 7:11? Answer: Of course. Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:9 is an allowance, not a requirement. A person dealing with a spouse who is committing adultery…
Read MoreI am so tired of the hatred and violence. What can I do?
Question: Mr. Jeffrey, I really need your help with a lot of things! First of all, I know my life isn’t right and before I try to change other people I need to change myself first. I’m a Christian but yet I find myself still committing sins. I want to change this world! I want…
Read MoreCan a group split off from a church to worship in the same location at a different time?
Question: Recently a portion of our congregation (approximately 30 out of 110-120) started meeting at a separate time from the normal time but in the same building. On Sunday we meet in the morning for Bible classes and worship and then in the evening again for another period of worship. This group began meeting in…
Read MoreIs it better to accept unfair wages or stay unemployed in hopes of better wages?
Question: Should a person work for an employer who provides unjust wages, even if it’s the market rate? e.g. employer keeps 90% profit, employee 10%. In this scenario, is it better to negotiate a fairer rate or change professions? If one is unemployed, should one accept an unjust wage? Would this scenario change if one…
Read MoreI have pure OCD with uncontrollable thoughts. How can I keep my faith?
Question: I found your website because I have POCD (uncontrollable thoughts). I was searching the web and came across your site. My POCD was really bad. I thought I was crazy for a long time until after three years I found out the name for what I was feeling. However, the new thing that has…
Read MoreI knew it was wrong, but I committed adultery. Will God forgive me?
Question: Hi, I’ve been a Christian for eight years. I read my Bible and know what to do and what not to do in regards to being a Christian. Recently I committed adultery for the first time in my entire life. I’m feeling bad and guilty of such an act. Since then I have been…
Read MoreI was sexually abused as a teen and now suffer from ADD related to those events. How do I change?
Question: I was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by my stepfather from the age of 13 until 16. I became pregnant by him at the age of 15 and had his child when I was 16. He continued his abuse towards me even after. I finally got the urge to report it, even if it…
Read MoreCan we be forgiven if we plan to have sex before we marry?
Question: My girlfriend and I have been together for eight months now and have been discussing having sex. We do plan on getting married because we are both loyal, honest and love each other very dearly. However, we both have very strong religious backgrounds and are not sure if we could be forgiven if we…
Read MoreMust a priest, preacher, or pastor perform a marriage for it to be valid?
Question: Have a good day! I just want to ask a question: One of our pastors said it is against the Law of God if the marriage is done by a judge or by a mayor. He also said that the marriage must be done by a priest or a preacher or a pastor. Since our…
Read MoreIs abstract art and thinking abstractly diving into worldly thought?
Question: Is it OK to observe and draw abstract art because abstract art is all about changing thought patterns and perceptions of things? But I don’t want to depart in my thinking of God. I don’t want to be tricked into worldly thought patterns. Answer: Worldly thinking is focusing on things of this world, such…
Read MoreWhen my boyfriend proposed to me, he said that he had a child when he was a teenager. If I marry him, will that make me an adulteress?
Question: Hi, We are two people in love and about to marry. He proposed to me but before I gave him an answer, he said, “I have a child by my ex-girlfriend. It was a mistake. I did it when I was a teenager, but now I love you and I will never do that…
Read MoreShould some songs not be sung?
Question: I read your review of Jeffcoat’s songbook and have some questions about certain songs in general. What are your thoughts on the following songs: My God and I Jesus hold my hand I come to the garden There’s a royal banner (vs. 3 from Praise for the Lord). These are songs I struggle with. The first…
Read MoreHow do I get my daughter to obey the first time?
Question: I am having an issue with my eight-year-old. I can ask, or tell, her to clean her room, do her homework, take a shower, or anything for that matter and it takes me being right on top of her and hounding her to do it, and when it does finally get done (if it…
Read MoreMy girlfriend committed suicide when I told her I would be marrying the girl my family chose for me. I feel so empty
Question: Dear sir, My girlfriend committed suicide one and a half years back. We had a relationship of five years. Both of us loved each other badly, and she got pregnant twice and had an abortion as I told her to do this. Due to my family pressure, I refused to marry her and got…
Read MoreMy 30-year-old son moved back home and won’t leave
Question: I’ve been a Christian for over 30 years. We took our kids to church until they grew up and got married. One got divorced. Because of that he started going to church and got saved. He moved in with me and my wife. Now I’m having problems with him. He’s trying to change me…
Read MoreDid God in Bible days not let disease and disability affect people in His church?
Question: Did God in Bible days not let disease and disability affect people in His church? Answer: I believe you are referring to: “And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all…
Read MoreOur 18-year-old step-daughter is into sex and alcohol. What do we do?
Question: Hello, I have a stepchild who was living with her mother’s side of the family until age 13 until we got full custody of her. She is now 18. She has been exposed to seeing her mother (my husband’s ex-wife) doing drugs and seeing her mother having sex with multiple guys at once. She…
Read MoreThanks for the thoughtful, scripture-based article on gluttony
Question: Thanks for the thoughtful, scripture-based article on gluttony. It was helpful in my study of this topic. Answer: I’m glad to have been of service.
Read MoreDid people really do an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth to people?
Question: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” — does that really mean that? Did they really do that in the Bible days? Answer: The phrase “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” is a part of the law that was given to judges who were deciding…
Read MoreI’ve made a mess out of my life. Can you give me some insight into straightening it out?
Question: I became a member of the church about ten years ago. I later married someone I was unequally yoked with. She had a daughter from a previous relationship. In less than six months, it became an abusive situation for me. It came to the point where I felt disgusted to lay next to her.…
Read MoreI’m concerned that my 15-year-old still doesn’t want to be baptized
Question: My husband and I both attended Christian colleges and are life-long members of the church of Christ. We have two children, ages 12 and 15, who we have faithfully taken to church since they were babies. They are now both very involved in the church youth group. I am concerned about my 15-year-old…
Read MoreShould becoming a Christian and getting married be postponed until people are at least 20?
Question: Hello, I looked at a page dedicated to questions and answers about baptism. Could you read these two verses please, Numbers 32:11 and Deuteronomy 1:39, and tell me what is your understanding? Did you know them before? It seems that 20 years old was considered by God the age to know what is good…
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