Answer
What can we pray about?
Question: The Bible says to cast all our cares onto the Lord, so what are we allowed to talk to God about? A lot of times, it’s easy to pray in times of trouble or in times of need, but I realize that if I only talk to the Lord in those times I won’t…
Read MoreHow can I get intimacy with God back after sinning?
Question: I struggle with the belief that I can’t be intimate with the Lord after sinning. I know that God forgives, but I struggle with believing that I can’t be intimate with Him again. An example would be there are two friends named Bob and Steve. Bob and Steve are really close. They talk to…
Read MoreWhat should an elder do if no other elders left in the congregation?
Question: If you have three elders in the church and two elders resigned, what is the function of the elder who is left? He still has a continuing desire to shepherd the flock and the rest of the congregation has no grievance with him. Answer: A man can preach without holding the title and duties…
Read MoreI can’t shake my guilt for sending money to a woman who has a drug problem
Question: Hello, I recently reviewed a helpful Q&A on your website found here: How long does it take for God to forgive? It made me want to ask about my own issue. I’ve been feeling guilty for the past few months and have lost faith in myself. The guilt makes it harder for me to concentrate…
Read MoreIs it wrong to read a prayer in worship services?
Question: Is it wrong to read a prayer in worship services? Answer: “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (I Timothy 4:13). Many of the passages of the Bible are prayers, such as Jesus’ prayer (John 17), Hannah’s prayer (I Samuel 2), Solomon’s prayer (I Kings 8:22ff),…
Read MoreThe Elephant in the Room (Tant)
by Jefferson David Tant People use many devices to mitigate or cancel out plain Bible teaching. This ancient practice can be traced to the Old Testament. Seven hundred years before Christ, Isaiah was dealing with a rebellious people. God told him: “Now go, write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a…
Read MoreDoes Isaiah 54:17 apply to us today?
Question: Does Isaiah 54:17 apply to us today? I hear people use it a lot. Thanks. Answer: “‘In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you. If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me.…
Read MoreIs Isaiah 53:5 speaking of physical or spiritual healing?
Question: Is Isaiah 53:5 speaking of physical or spiritual healing? Answer: “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,…
Read MoreNot Served by Human Hands
by Whit Sasser The Bible says in Acts 17:25, “nor is he (God) served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” The one, true, living God is not served by hands as the idol priests had to do — providing upkeep and…
Read MoreHow do we know for sure that the mentally disabled don’t need to be baptized?
Question: Hello, I have a question. How do we know for sure that the mentally disabled don’t need to be baptized? Nowhere in the Bible does it talk about them being baptized nor not being. A lot of people use the Scriptures and of the disciples not letting the children come to see him, and…
Read MoreJesus was nothing more than a good Jewish man
Question: Note: I basically left this note as it was received. Incidentally, before I delete your nonsense comments of alleged religious significance. I don’t understand why you call the Jewish Essene Rabbi Yehoshua, (who lived over 2000 years ago) Jesus and/or Christ. Also, Yehoshua ate Kosher and you eat pork. Yehoshua did not eat meat…
Read MoreWhat is successionist baptism?
Question: Hello brother, I had a question about John Smith. Can you please explain to me what successionist baptism is? I saw it in your “Where Do They All Come From” sermon, and I just didn’t understand very well what this baptism is about. Answer: Successionism is the belief that there has to be an…
Read MoreDid the woman win a soul to Christ by getting a commitment in exchange for sex?
Question: A guy proposed love to a lady and the lady accepted but she said no sex unless the guy became a Christian. The guy also said if only the lady allowed him sex he will give his life to Christ. The lady gave him a chance to have his way with her from that…
Read MoreWhat is sensuality?
Question: Hello, I’m trying to find all the information I can on sensuality, but am coming up short on it, I get that it’s the gratification of the flesh’s desires but how does one repent of that, I’m not in any sexual immorality, I don’t eat too much, what else could I be missing? Answer:…
Read MoreThank you for providing an enormous amount of information
Question: Thank you for providing an enormous amount of information regarding Bible studies, questions, articles, etc. For many years I have been a study helper and teacher, and I have frequently visited your website and received a gold mine of resources that helped in answering students’ questions. Your work continues to be a blessing to…
Read MoreIf sin is breaking the law, can someone sin against me?
Question: Good day, I know that sin is breaking God’s law (I John 3:4) my question is, can someone sin against me? How am I to forgive someone? Answer: “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day,…
Read MoreDoes impotency mean a person is not really married?
Question: I have been noticing that La Vista Church of Christ is one of the few congregations that tackle this sensitive issue. My question is in the case of the unconsummated marriage, does this indicate a de facto crisis within the marriage or is the marriage act incidental, solely the business of the husband and…
Read MoreHow can I go to church when I have a schizoaffective disorder?
Question: I found your website recently and have been uplifted by your responses to the questions under the mental health topic. So I decided to ask you one too. I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. I’ve had severe symptoms for over ten years, starting at the age of 40. At the time that I…
Read MoreWhy do people feel God needs to tell them everything?
Question: Growing up in a Christian household my father was a preacher and my mother a Sunday school teacher, so they wasted no time at all getting me baptized. As such, I tend to have more Bible knowledge than my peers. Occasionally I would get asked questions that I myself don’t have the answers to…
Read MoreDespite my repeated baptisms, I’m still committing fornication
Question: I went through a rough childhood. I was molested and all that. I was baptized one Sunday in a church when I was 11 because the pastor said that’s the only way I could take part. But afterward, she said my sibling and I are holding the church back, so we stop going to…
Read MoreIs there a proper way for Christians to have sex?
Question: Is there a proper way for Christians to have sex? Answer: The proper place for sex is within a marriage. “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). The proper ways to have sex are those…
Read MoreWhy are there hostilities between the straight, alt, and LGBTQ communities?
Question: Maybe you’ve heard, maybe you haven’t, but in somewhat recent news, the “alt” community (which is a community of emo, gothic, and other similar groups) and the LGBTQ (a group that represents what the letters stand for, but also peace, love, and tranquility) have become somewhat hostile toward Christians. One example of hostility was…
Read MoreHow can trials be counted as joy?
Question: I struggle with the idea of being joyful during trials. I know James said, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4),…
Read MoreShould I admit I lied about the number of days I completed in a class?
Question: Hello! Thank you all for your help through the questions and answers. Last year, I was homeschooled and I made the mistake of not completing the minimum number of days required for the class. They should have reported it, but the lady who was given the days (which I lied about on the sheet)…
Read MoreI suffer from mental illness. Was my baptism legitimate?
Question: Much love to the Brethren at La Vista and to you brother. You heard from me a few years ago. My situation is much better than before, but I still have struggles and questions. I suffer from Autism, SchizoAffective, and BiPolar Type 2. Recently, I was rebaptized as I felt like it was needed…
Read MoreWas it sinful to allow a guy to touch me?
Question: I am a straight guy (unmarried). When I was traveling on a bus at night, while sleeping, an old man sitting near me touched my genitals. I didn’t react to it. I pretended to be asleep. It was pleasurable to me so I didn’t react. Did I commit a sin? Answer: What if we…
Read MoreWhy do some people think Christianity is a problem?
Question: Why do people think that the concept of religion and God is a problem? I understand that many evil examples by apparently religious persons have turned people away. Still, I don’t fully understand why they think it’s something that needs to be eliminated. Answer: “He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, but he…
Read MoreWould you marry a couple who are committing fornication?
Question: My question is: If you end up counseling someone you are considering to perform their wedding and you find out they are currently living together, what do you do? I know you will discuss that with them from the Bible no doubt. But what do you do if they do not get that right…
Read MoreHow do you submit to a corrupt government?
Question: Hello, I appreciate your Biblically sound responses. As I observe the turmoil our nation is experiencing right now my thoughts are continually on the following topics: submitting to government authority even though we may not like what is happening with all the corruption and dishonesty because God has established governments for a reason and…
Read MoreIs it right to have a board represent all the churches in a country?
Question: Hi Jeff, How do you keep the government from being involved in the affairs of the church in the United States? Over here in Nigeria, the government directed that all churches be registered with a name in other for them to monitor the number of churches in the country. Each church must have a…
Read MoreI can’t believe you waste time discussing imagination
Question: I cannot believe that you would waste so much time discussing total bonker imaginings. The fact that none of the persons who wrote about Jesus personally knew him seems to escape your grey cells. They lived three hundred years after he died!! You know nothing of what the leaders of the Sanhedrin said! How could you? You…
Read MoreDoes Acts 2:39 teach infant baptism?
Question: Good morning sir, Please, I need your help in explaining Acts 2:39 because someone I am discussing it with is trying to use that passage as a backup for infant baptism. He said that Acts 2:38-39, according to the Greek translation, means babies should be baptized according to their parents’ faith. Answer: Let’s first…
Read MoreWhat did Demas love?
Question: I was doing some digging about Demas. Demas left Paul because he loved the world. We aren’t supposed to love the world. It’s never said if Demas ever got back in a right relationship with the Lord, but if he died in the state of loving the world, then he died lost. Upon further research,…
Read MoreHow can we use our talents when we are limited in abilities?
Question: What are the talents in a Christian’s life today? How can we multiply them to be good and faithful servants of our Lord Jesus? If we are limited to a good degree by our health, how can we be careful to not become like the servant who had one talent and didn’t use it?…
Read MoreHas the first day of the week ever changed?
Question: Dear brother, Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Could you please clarify whether the current days are real from the beginning? Being Christians, we worship on the first day of the week. How do we know whether this is the same day of Jesus’ resurrection? As several times calendars have changed in…
Read MoreCan “eternal” refer to quality and not quantity?
Question: A conditionalist says “eternal” doesn’t always mean duration, that it can refer to quality. He uses the eternal fire of Jude 7 to support his position since the fire isn’t still burning now. Answer: “Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a…
Read MoreSince Jesus paid the debt for sin, isn’t Hell an additional payment?
Question: I have been posed a question by a conditionalist. He says: The wages of sin is death. Did Jesus pay the price at the cross? Can we pay more than He paid at the cross? He then goes on to say that eternal hell would be paying more than Jesus paid and that since Jesus didn’t stay…
Read MoreLet It Go
by Jefferson David Tant A popular song is “Let It Go,” from the movie “Frozen.” The title reminds me of a Biblical principle. As humans, we tend to want to hold on to things—possessions, relationships, anger, bitterness, ill feelings. Of course, some “possessions” are proper, but others are harmful and destructive. In summer sometimes children…
Read MoreCould any believer cast out demons?
Question: Could believers who had been baptized cast out demons as well or just the apostles? Answer: “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt…
Read MoreIf God gave one person a gift of healing but not another, does that make Him a respecter of persons?
Question: If God gave someone the gift of healing but to another person he did not, would that make Him a respecter of persons? Answer: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who…
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