Answer
I vowed to cut off my hand if I sinned again. Will God hold me to that vow?
Question: Hi, I’ve been reading the answers on your website and find them helpful. However, with regard to vows, I am not sure where I stand, even after reading some of your answers. Many years ago I was caught in some very sinful behavior that ultimately landed me in prison for a few months. While…
Read MorePsalmois can’t be understood figuratively. It has to refer to its classical meaning.
Question: My question is regarding the use of instrumental music to worship God in relation to Ephesians 5:19. “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord”. The view presented on your website is that the noun “psalmois” is to be understood in…
Read MoreWhat if someone didn’t realize they were divorced because of their spouse’s adultery?
Question: Many years ago a couple got married and after a short time the husband had a “secret affair” and for obvious reasons did not tell her about it. He just said their marriage was a mistake and he didn’t love her and divorced her. Some years later Betty married another man, Tom, and they…
Read MoreI love two girls, but I don’t know who I should marry
Question: Please help me. I am in my early twenties. I have been in a relationship for three years, but we did not have sex. Later when I moved away from the girl for my higher studies. I fell in love with another girl, who is not a Christian. I did not break up with…
Read MoreI thought I was her first boyfriend but found out she had been with two other guys
Question: I am in a relationship with my girlfriend for the past six months. I knew her for more than two years but never had her as my girlfriend. I love her very much, and I feel that she is the one. She also tells me that she loves me very much, more than I…
Read MoreI found out my girlfriend used to have a thing for one of her teachers
Question: I was searching the web earlier today trying to figure out if I should be mad about something or not. My girlfriend and I have been together for almost a year now. We’ve had our ups and downs. A lot of them I would say. She had a thing when we first dated. There…
Read MoreMy girlfriend had sex with her former boyfriend and I don’t know what to do
Question: We are in a relationship for more than two years. She went back to her home during college vacation. While there she planned to go and meet her ex-boyfriend, who is also a school friend, to remember the old days. She went to his house to meet him, and they had sex together. Later…
Read MoreNo one else has so detailed, clear answers
Question: I have found your site and answers really helpful. Every other church of Christ website I have been to, no one was so detailed and clear about anything. They would either say the answer in the Bible and not explain it or they would just say stuff that is not in the Bible. I…
Read MoreMy efforts to help a person is going so slowly!
Question: Thank you for your time. I just found this site and have been blessed by it! I recently moved and met a woman who needed someone to talk with. Her husband had just tried to murder her (he is now in prison) and she was looking for a place to live. My husband and…
Read MoreCan Messianic Jews go to heaven?
Question: Can Messianic Jews go to heaven? Answer: The question is can anyone go to heaven while denying portions of God’s teachings that they disagree with. Since Jesus said we must do all that he commanded, the answer would be no. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to…
Read MoreMy mother promised to divorce my drug-using, adulterous dad, but now she’s changed her mind
Question: Hi, I’m a 15-year-old member of the church. My father has gone into drugs and adulterous relationships. My mother promised me that she would get a divorce and that she thought it was best. I have prayed and studied about this matter for literally weeks. My father has now tried to return to our…
Read MoreIs sinless perfection not expected of Christians?
Question: I read a few posts on the website where you talked about how Christians are not to expect sinless perfection in themselves. This was very encouraging to me! I have been raised in the Nazarene church. Nazarenes have a lot of really great strengths, but sometimes it can be tough, as they believe that…
Read MoreHow can we not be saved by works of righteousness but are saved by baptism?
Question: I know that our faith is justified by works and that the faith of the Bible is obedient faith. Therefore, faith encompasses baptism and it isn’t a meritorious work. However, if we are obedient in our faith wouldn’t it be counted to us as righteousness as it was Abraham? If so, why would Titus…
Read MoreIs it wrong for a couple to decide not to have children?
Question: I have read several articles about Christian couples who choose not to have children. One article called it moral rebellion to willingly choose not to have children, while others of course say that God calls people to do other things that may not involve children. I know when God created man and woman, he…
Read MoreI overcame sexual abuse and homosexuality when I became a Christian, but now I find myself slipping back into my old ways
Question: I need help brother! I obeyed the gospel and was added to the Lord’s church several years ago. I came out of the Baptist denomination. When I was a child, I was molested by two men in my family. This went on for years. I was around 6 years old when it all started.…
Read MoreCan a Christian who fell into sexual sin return to God?
Question: I want to tell you about my friend. He is facing some confusion regarding his Christian life. He had committed adultery after baptism having had sexual relations with a lady older than him. He was baptized at the age of 16, but according to him the real evil thoughts and evil work in his…
Read MoreI found useful information on your site
Question: I pulled some information off of your site a few times and have found it to be very helpful. Answer: I’m glad the site is useful to you.
Read MoreI enjoyed reading some of your articles
Question: By accident, I came across your website and I enjoyed reading some of the articles that were there. I have bookmarked and saved some for later. Answer: I’m glad you found the site useful.
Read MoreDid Elkanah worship once a year or several times each year?
Question: In I Samuel 1:3, Elkanah worships God in Shiloh yearly (KJV, NKJV, etc.), while in general, men are required to do this three times a year (Exodus 34:23, Deuteronomy 16:16). Is Elkanah doing less than what is required by God? I Samuel 1:3 (ASV) says from year to year; could this include more than…
Read MoreMy mother and I are arguing over which church to attend
Question: I tried searching for advice, and I found this. I have a lot of stuff going on in my life right now. My parents are separated. My dad, who was a preacher, no longer really believes in God. My brother has fallen back into the world. My mom wants to go to a different…
Read MoreAm I being paranoid about a two-year-old text message?
Question: I have been with my fiance for nearly two years. I have always trusted him and thought the world of him. We are buying our first home together shortly and getting married later this year. I did something I have never done before yesterday: I went through his text messages. He never deletes his…
Read MoreYour articles are not the gospel, they only use the gospel
Question: I was happy to read your statement on your home page and hope to visit you when am in Omaha. What bothers me is “the articles you write and put on the site.” The New Testament church must and should only preach the word of God. Most, or all of the articles are not…
Read MoreCan a couple, who committed fornication, manage to have a good marriage?
Question: Hello, First of all, thank you for your site. It seems to have good advice on many issues. I have read your article “Dealing with the Effects of Pre-Marital Sex.” I have a question relating to the article, but which is not covered directly in the article: How should a couple, who are planning…
Read MoreDoes God hate people born outside of their parents’ marriage?
Question: Does God hate people born outside of their parents’ marriage? Answer: Absolutely not! There has been confusion due to a passage in the Old Law: “No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the assembly of the LORD” (Deuteronomy…
Read MoreI got pregnant when I sinned and now my father wants me to abort the child. What should I do?
Question: Good evening minister. I am a Christian and very influential to both the young and the old. I am 29 years old but, due to circumstances, I am still living with my parents. I read one of your posting about the answer to the question: How do you repent of having sex out of wedlock…
Read MoreShould we leave our current church because of unbiblical practices?
Question: I am currently attending a church of Christ where I was baptized and continue to worship. I have been studying the Bible through your very informative website and have realized that a lot of things taught on your site are not practiced in our congregation, which has made me a bit worried as I…
Read MoreCan I marry my brother’s ex-girlfriend? (2)
Question: Dear Sir, I appreciate your website and how deep and rich your answers to pertinent questions have helped to shape people’s lives. I have been dating a lady who was once dating my younger brother. They were both in the same church, and they dated as believers with the consciousness to keep the relationship…
Read MoreCan I be forgiven of my sins?
Question: I need advice. I am in my early twenties. I was born in a Christian family. I was a clever child and a good learner under the guidance of my grandparents, who raised me and my siblings after our mother passed away. Around age 14, my life changed. I started drinking alcohol and attempted…
Read MoreIs the Bible fallible because it was written in human languages?
Question: Dear Jeffrey, I am sorry that I have to turn to you for help, but this is why I am currently studying to be a preacher because people like you and many others inspire me to be able to teach. Unfortunately, I have wasted away much of my life after vain things, such as…
Read MoreHe no longer wants to marry me after years of sex. Does he have obligations to me in God’s eyes?
Question: I have been in a sexual relationship with a man who I love deeply for several years. We are both divorced from other marriages. I want to marry him, I always have. But recently, he told me his feelings have changed and he wants to be free. This is after years of proclaiming he…
Read MoreMy girlfriend wants all of my attention focused on her
Question: Hello, I often have a hard time dealing with my girlfriend. She is 24 and I am 28. I chose her only because of her good character and good education — she is a medical doctor. Other than those reasons, both of us are Christians. I am not interested in other girls. My heart…
Read MoreHow do I overcome knowing my girlfriend had sex with other guys?
Question: There are some troubling things that I have questions about my girlfriend. I have known my girlfriend since senior high school. After she graduated she got into a relationship with a guy who was not attached to God. He pleased her flesh, but he also abused her at the end of the relationship. It…
Read MoreAre the blood moon prophecies related to the moon causing things to happen?
Question: I have a question about the blood moon. People are saying that a series of blood moons signify the coming of Christ and, therefore, will fulfill the biblical prophecy. Revelation 6:12 refers to it and Joel 2:30-31 refers to the blood moon and Christ’s coming. So I started thinking about it and I’ve been…
Read MoreEveryone worships differently, but does it matter if we are all worshiping Christ?
Question: I have one question that concerns me: There are many Christian denominations or groups such as Orthodox, Protestantism, Catholic, Baptist, etc. Each one of those denominations or churches has its own practices and symbols. Ones who have the cross without Jesus, ones who have the cross with Jesus, ones who believe in Saints, ones…
Read MoreDoes Acts 11:17 teach that people were saved only by faith?
Question: Those who believe in faith alone insist that because of Acts 11:17 they received the Holy Spirit by believing in Jesus they were saved. How must one defend against it? Answer: In Acts 11, Peter is defending his actions in Acts 10. “But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:…
Read MoreWill God forgive me for worshiping idols to please my mother?
Question: I am 21 years old. My mum is a Buddhist, which forces me to worship Buddhist idols. But I am a Catholic and she opposes me and scolds me. She even denies Jesus publicly. I am not yet baptized because of her. What should I do? Will God forgive me because of my worship…
Read MoreWhy do people choose the priesthood when they want to follow Jesus?
Question: I was wondering if many people who accepted Jesus and decided to follow him joined the priesthood. My question is: Is becoming a priest the only way to follow Jesus and go to Heaven? Why do people choose the priesthood when they want to follow Jesus? And what is the difference between becoming a…
Read MoreThank you for your article on Jephthah’s daughter
Question: Thank you for your article on Jephthah’s daughter and your reply to the question about Leviticus 27:29. There are other comments online, but most of them either did not make sense to me or just seemed to be a point of debate among those who replied. Your answer seemed to be the Bible answering for itself. Thank…
Read MoreCan a non-Christian lead the congregation?
Question: I’m in charge of scheduling the worship leaders for a small church of Christ. Recently I was approached by an unsaved regular attendee, who wished to participate in leading our body in different aspects of our Sunday morning worship service — prayer, reading, communion, etc. I approached our elders for guidance, as it just…
Read MoreIs it biblical to have camps for groups within a church?
Question: Hi, I would like to ask about fundraising activities for groups within the church, such as youths’ meetings, men’s meetings, and ladies’ meetings. Would it be proper for the youths to have a car wash where the money would go into the youths’ group account and not the church’s account? I know the church…
Read More