Answer
If a psychic helps the police, does this make it good?
Question: I have a new friend who asks me if a person is able to help the police with an investigation by some kind of knowledge that will help save a person’s life, can that be evil? She argues that it saves people’s lives. She says it is dreams or some kind of ESP she…
Read MoreJustifying Divorce and Remarriage by Claiming Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are Old Testament Books
Question: What a tragedy! There are actually some members in the church that teach that Christians need to divorce their present mate because of having been previously involved in a divorce. Wow! This is an absolutely and pitifully deceptive teaching! And these sorts of doctrines need to be settled and denounced immediately, once and for…
Read MoreHow do you keep focused in life?
Question: The advice you give is very encouraging and as a young man, it is helpful. My question is that being a young Christian man, it is very challenging to walk the Christian life. Having friends in the world and being associated with a female in a denomination, it is difficult to keep focused. I…
Read MoreWhat is our responsibility or accountability to God and ourselves?
Question: What is our responsibility or accountability to God and ourselves? 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, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Read MoreWhat is the best way to study the Bible?
Question: When studying the Bible or a topic, such as baptism, what is the best way? Is it with a particular Bible version, such as the King James, New King James, or the New International Version, with no commentary and a concordance as a Bible aid? My church has recently gone through an exercise like…
Read MoreHow do I keep focused and not be tempted and fall?
Question: I realize that this world is not for us. What advice could you give to help me to be focused and not allow the things of this world to tempt me and cause me to fall? Question: This is a vast topic that is explored in many aspects within the Bible. I won’t be…
Read MoreCan a preacher kick members out of a church?
Question: Can a preacher kick members out of the church? Answer: The primary job of a preacher, as described in the Bible, is to be a herald of God’s good news. He teaches those outside the church how to become a part of the church. He teaches those inside and outside the church how to…
Read MoreHow do you handle a problem with the neighbor’s dogs?
Question: As I went to mail at the mailbox today, I noticed a spot where a large dog fertilized our front yard. The owner of most of this subdivision is living temporarily in one of the homes a few doors up from us until his home in the country is completed. He has two dogs,…
Read MoreShould I lie for my daughter?
Question: Should I lie for my 11-year-old daughter? She was spanked and sent to bed at 4 pm. When her friends came to the door my I told them she was sick. I didn’t tell them she was being punished. Answer: Let’s see: By your example then, when your daughter doesn’t want you to know…
Read MoreWhere were the apostles from?
Question: Where were Jesus’ apostles from? Were they Jewish before the Jesus met them? Answer: Judaism is both a religion and a nationality. All twelve of the apostles were born in Israel and were Jewish by both descent and by religious practice. All twelve ate the Passover meal with Jesus at the last supper (Luke…
Read MoreWere the apostles educated?
Question: I know that apostle Paul was educated. What about the other apostles. Where they educated? Answer: Of Peter and John we are specifically told, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus”…
Read MoreCan we talk with those who have died?
Question: I have a question: when a loved one who was pure and good dies, is it possible for that person to come back to the living? How can one learn ways to communicate with a loved one? Answer: The Bible teaches that those who die are not able to return. Job asked the rhetorical…
Read MoreWhat about hearing voices in your head?
Question: What are some voices that the Bible mentions? How come some of them mess with your head? Some tell you to do things that you don’t want to do and you know is wrong. Could you explain this and help me? Answer: Our minds are amazingly complex. We are able to do many things…
Read MoreWhat do you think about religious art?
Question: What do you think about religious art, especially the portraits of Christ? Have you ever heard that it is a graven image or idolatrous? Some think that to portray Christ in movies or artwork is akin to blasphemy or at the least a kind of pagan idolatry. They say we would never sanction statutes…
Read MoreHow do you handle criticism?
Question: What are the biblical teachings concerning criticism, forgiveness, and how to deal with criticism? Criticism has many faces, but I’m inquiring about the kind that can mar a person’s self-esteem and his good reputation. Answer: How you handle criticism depends on why you are being criticized. “For this is commendable, if because of conscience…
Read MoreIf God knows everything, then why did Jesus marvel at the centurion’s faith?
Question: I would like to ask some questions, not about the ability or power of God, but I would like to know if God planned these things. Jesus marveled at the centurion’s strong faith when the centurion pleaded with him to cure his servant by just a word in Matthew 8. Now my question is:…
Read MoreHow can Solomon’s writings be God’s words?
Question: I read what you said about Solomon’s writing being the words of God, but it seems to me that something must have changed. How do you explain Proverbs 10:15 (in light of James 1:9-10), Proverbs 10:27 (in light of Jesus and John the Baptist), Proverbs 12:21 (in light of people like Hugh Heffner), and…
Read MoreWhat do I do about a husband that sinned at a bachelor’s party?
Question: What do you do when alcohol and a fully nude strip club at a bachelor party tempted your Christian husband and he gives in to both temptations? Not only was he a visitor at this club, but he and the other three gentlemen had a little personal dance as well. Being the wife of…
Read MoreWas baptism only for the Jews?
Question: In our Bible class tonight with some Dispensational friends I brought up I Corinthians 6:11, about them being washed and sanctified. Our friend said that had nothing to do with baptism, but that the blood of Jesus cleansed and washed us not water from baptism. I mentioned I Peter 3:21 and the comparison to…
Read MoreHow could Moses be called meek?
Question: The Bible says that Moses was the meekest man on earth. Can we really believe that to be true considering all the things he did, such as the angry outbursts which eventually cost him the promised land and the grinding of the burnt golden calf? Answer: The difficulty you are running into is in…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between water and the blood of Jesus?
Question: What is the difference between water and the blood of Jesus? Answer: The shed blood of Jesus is the reason mankind has a hope of salvation. It paid the price necessary to purchase us back from the debt we incurred by our own sins. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness…
Read MoreCan you be certain that the one you are marrying will remain a faithful Christian?
Question: I have another question concerning a young Christian couple marrying. What if a young person was baptized and convinced their boyfriend or girlfriend to become a Christian, subsequently got married, but eventually, they stop attending church? It appears that they only became Christians to marry. It disheartens me because people, including myself, allow feelings…
Read MoreDoes the Bible support the idea that all men are created equal?
Question: Does the Bible support the idea that all men are created equal? Answer: In speaking to the Athenians, Paul stated that God “has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings” (Acts 17:26).…
Read MoreHow far did Jesus carry the cross?
Question: How far did Jesus carry the cross? I have studied several maps of Jerusalem for that time period, but I cannot find one that is to scale. Answer: It is 0.2 miles (0.3 kilometers) from the Praetorium to the traditional location for Golgotha as the crow flies. However, this doesn’t tell us how far…
Read MoreHow dare you use Solomon’s writings to justify spanking!
Question: The fact that your website tells parents to strike or hit (you call it spanking) children of any age is bizarre and totally sick. I never have read anything where Jesus strikes a child out of anger or discipline. If you refer to “spare the rod” that was Solomon, certainly one of the evilest…
Read MoreWhat qualifications does an elder need that a deacon does not?
Question: What qualifications does an elder need that a deacon does not? Answer: In regards to the family, an elder must have “faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination” (Titus 1:6) and be “one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence” (I Timothy 3:4) while a deacon…
Read MoreIs God’s kingdom vegetarian?
Question: Is God’s kingdom vegetarian? When Christ restores peace will he fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy? Will humans still kill animals? Will Lions still kill lambs? Will the wolf still hunt the sheep? According to Isaiah and Jesus, the strong will protect the weak, and creatures whom the fallen nature of our fallen world made enemies will…
Read MoreWhy was the serpent cursed?
Question: In Genesis 3:14 it states “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life” Was the serpent in the situation…
Read MoreWho is the “us” when God said, “Let us make man”?
Question: Who was “us” and “our” in Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”? Answer: This question is answered at length in the lesson “Who is God?” from the study on Genesis.
Read MoreWas Jesus created since he is the firstborn of creation?
Question: Throughout the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit and Jesus are mentioned. For clarity, I wanted to know if the Holy Spirit and Jesus were created by God or were they ever in existence. Many people use the analogy that all three are of one body, but the Bible says that Jesus was the firstborn of…
Read MoreDoes a person have to attend church?
Question: Does a person have to attend church in order to be accepted into the kingdom of God? This question isn’t sarcastically phrased; I really want to know the answer. And please note that I do attend church. But seeing that I can pray, talk to God, read His word and also worship him in…
Read MoreHow do you handle a controlling father?
Question: What is the best way to help a family member (i.e. father) who proclaims to be a Christian (by the method of the AME) and continues to be of the world? The reason I ask is that his behavior is affecting the whole family and he is reluctant to discuss it (pride). He also…
Read MoreWhy haven’t you written about the Comforter?
Question: I noticed your article on the Azusa street revival…very interesting. However, I looked in the topical index and I see no articles on the Holy Spirit as spoken of by Jesus in the book of John (the comforter, leader, and guider into all truth), nor any reflections on the baptism of the Holy Spirit…
Read MoreHow do you know that Ephesians 5:19 is speaking about worship?
Question: I understand which verses talk about singing, but the main verse used by the churches of Christ to back up their singing is found in Ephesians. However, the verses prior to and after do not imply anything about worship. The prior verse speaks of not being drunk from wine wherein is excess. Did the…
Read MoreIs it too simple to say we are to believe and we will be saved by God’s grace?
Question: I’m concerned that purgatory does not exist in the Bible. I believe that imaginary doctrine can be changed, as has the belief of Limbo, with innocent newborn babies, who have died prior to baptism, no longer going to Limbo. I always thought that God has told us to believe in Him and we will…
Read MoreA brother who was helping me in the Lord’s work left. What can I do?
Question: A brother here was very involved in a ministry that we were a part of. He and I were both the male figures who were coordinating this ministry. Because of his addiction, he has recently left the church and ministry thereby leaving me by myself to manage it. I feel as though l have…
Read MoreHow do you deal with an addict?
Question: I wanted to know how the church deals with a member who practices self-destruction? The individual is a brother who has so much potential to excel in the church but has demons he is facing (e.g. alcohol). He is full of energy and commitment but had a recent incident that could possibly alienate him…
Read MoreWill a person who dies at the same hour as Christ go straight to heaven?
Question: I heard at Mass, during the Liturgy, that one of our church members died about 3:00 on Divine Mercy Sunday. The priest explained that she will go straight to heaven, for having died during the third hour, the hour in which Christ breathed His last breath. I have been looking for a reference to…
Read MoreHow should sexual immorality be addressed with the elderly?
Question: I read many of your very fine Q&A, articles, and sermons on your web site. Your candor is refreshing as well as offering much. We are searching for conclusions on how to address one aspect of the sexual immorality subject and, perhaps, your study of the subject might help us shed some light on…
Read MoreCould my girlfriend get pregnant from what we did last night?
Question: Hey, I was wondering: I had sex with my girlfriend tonight. I was wearing a condom, I cummed, and then pulled out right away, while my penis was still firm. It then went limp, and I took off the condom. I looked at the condom, all my cum was inside of it, and there…
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