There are examples in scripture of dramatic turnarounds. Joseph was kidnapped and sold into slavery by his brothers. His response is interesting. Joseph did not lightly dismiss the evil that was done to him. He dealt with his brothers, ultimately winning them back, but not before testing them severely. Joseph saw beyond what had happened to [...]
Answers about sin
It is not right to expect to be able to hide sin. Jesus berated the scribes and Pharisees for pretending to be what they were not. This is called hypocrisy. Mat 23:25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full [...]
Having a massage can be a very helpful and good thing. It can ease tension in the muscles and help a person to relax.1 Of course, as with anything, a massage could be sinful because of the attitude the person has whilst receiving a massage (Mat. 15:19-20). A massage is not sinful in and of [...]
The word “impute” means “count” or “take account of”. So, “blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin” (ESV). Paul here is using Old Testament examples to explanation how we can appear before righteous before God. He cites the example of Abraham, who “believed God and it was counted to [...]
Judges 19 is a fairly gruesome chapter so it is worth noting that this story is included not as recommended behaviour but as a historical explanation for the events that take place in Judges 20. No-one in this chapter comes out in a good light. It is not clear why this Levite was travelling or [...]
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. [Heb. 13:4] Marriage is sacred, so we need to respect another couple’s marriage and not interfere with it. If we are married, we also need to respect our own marriage and treat it [...]
Presumably you mean sex with someone other than your husband or wife, as sex within marriage is not a sin but a gift from God. There is no sin that God will not forgive, if the sinner geniunely repents and believes in Jesus. Matthew 12:31; Acts 13:39
God is disappointed whenever we sin, before or after baptism. But he promises forgiveness for our sins. When we are baptised, our sins are “washed away” (Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21). So anything we have done before then is wiped clean and God no longer sees us as sinners, but as his children, faithfully trying [...]
All our temptations come from the natural instinct of independent biological organisms to self-optimize; that is, to improve their standard of living, to reproduce, and to take steps to survive (Genesis 3:6, Romans 7:23, James 1:14). Angels are not biological organisms (in the sense that they are not made of fallible biological material like we [...]
God has given us animals as a source of food. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every [...]
