I attend a church that doesn’t teach on the Day of Atonement.  I have in the past given my Atonement offering just the same.  Should I give my Atonement offering to a ministry that would pray over my offering in that regard, or is it okay to continue to give it to my church with the notation “Atonement Offering”?  Does it make a difference?

Sincerely,
Check Please

Dear Check Please,

The Day of Atonement was an Old Testament Jewish festival in which Jews gave offerings by fire – i.e. animal sacrifices – to God (Lev 23:27).  Christians do not celebrate the Jewish feasts.  In fact, Paul specifically told christians not to let anyone bind them to the Old Testament feasts which were just a shadow of the New Law found in Christ (Col 2:17).  The Old Law was a tutor to lead people to Christ, but now that Christ is here – we are no longer under that tutor (Gal 3:24-25).

Christians don’t make “atonement offerings”; we are commanded to take up a collection every Sunday (1 Cor 16:1-2).  We recommend reading “What Must I Do To Be Saved” and “Finding The Church” for more details on what New Testament Christianity is and how to find a faithful congregation to be a part of.

Jewish people claim that Jesus can’t be the Messiah because in the book of Deuteronomy, they say that God says that every man is responsible for his own sin, and therefore there is no requirement for one man to die for the sin of many, as Jesus did.  Can you shed some light on this for me?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Unkosher

Dear Unkosher,

It is true that Deu 24:16 says that everyone is accountable for his own sin.  In fact, your sin earns you a wage – death (Rom 6:23).  Our sins have made us accountable to pay a debt that is too big for us to repay.  Therefore, God sent His only begotten Son to pay the debt for us.  His sacrifice was a gift freely offered (Eph 2:8-9); it wasn’t a requirement; it was a blessing from God.  There is no contradiction between Deuteronomy’s statement that we are accountable for our own sins and the gift of salvation found in Jesus.

The second commandment says, “Make no likenesses of anything” (in 3 of 5 different versions this is the exact language).  Am I going too far to think that we shouldn’t even be making photos?

Sincerely,
Camera Shy

Dear Camera Shy,

The verses you are referring to are in Ex 20:3-5.  The commandment is to never make a likeness or graven image for the purpose of worship (Ex 20:5).  God commanded them that they not worship anything but Him (Ex 20:3).  There is nothing wrong with sculptures, paintings, or photos.  The problem is when we worship something other than God.  It has always been a problem for mankind to worship the creation instead of the Creator (Rom 1:22-23).  Even though animals, plants, and the natural world are truly magnificent… they pale in comparison to the One that made them.  The creation speaks of God’s glory (Rom 1:20).

In  1 John 5:7-8 … what does it mean with water and blood?  Is the water the baptism?  And the blood the sacrifice that Jesus Christ did?

Sincerely,
Elemental Interest

Dear Elemental Interest,

In chapter five, John is addressing the issue of Jesus’ deity.  Those who overcome the world are those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God (1 Jn 5:6).  John says that three things bore witness to Jesus’ deity.

1. He came by water (1 Jn 5:6).  Jesus was baptized, and afterwards, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove (Matt 3:16).  John the Baptist used this baptism as proof of Jesus’ divinity (Jhn 1:31-34).
2. He came by blood (1 Jn 5:6).  Jesus died a death like no other before or after Him.  It was a horrific and painful death, and yet, He did not cry out (Isa 53:7).  As He died, the sun turned to darkness (Matt 27:45), and the temple veil was torn in half (Mk 15:38).  After a bloody death like that, even the Roman centurion exclaimed Jesus’ deity (Mk 15:39).
3. Lastly, the Spirit bore witness (1 Jn 5:7).  The Holy Spirit brought the truth about the Son of God to all mankind.  The Bible is a record of Jesus.

By those three things, it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is God’s Son.

If Jesus is God, then why did Jesus pray to Himself?

Sincerely,
Talking To Myself

Dear Talking To Myself,

We often speak of the fact that there is only one God, but if we are going to be technical (and this is a technical issue), God is one in purpose, but there are actually three Deity.  This is most noticeably seen at Jesus’ baptism.  Jesus comes out of the water (Matt 3:16), the Holy Spirit descended like a dove (Matt 3:16), and the Father spoke from heaven (Matt 3:17).  Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are of one mind and one purpose (Jhn 10:30), but they are distinctly unique beings.  So when Jesus prayed to the Father (Matt 26:39), it was not the same as praying to Himself.

I have a really odd question.  When I say my prayer at night before bed, I talk to the Lord like I would any person I care about.  I’ve had nights that my prayer goes on for a long time.  I guess my question is: is this okay?  Is it wrong?  Is there a proper way to say a prayer, or does it matter when you believe in the Lord?  Thanks so much for your time and patience.  I’m sorry for such an odd question.

Sincerely,
Comfortable In Prayer

Dear Comfortable In Prayer,

We love odd questions!  There is a right and wrong way to pray, but nothing you have said that you do is necessarily wrong (we recommend you read “Whose Prayers Count?” for further details).  David mentions remembering the Lord while in his bed during the late night hours (Ps 63:6).  David said that men should pray to God continually (Ps 72:15).  Paul said to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17).  There is no such thing as a prayer that is too short (Jesus’ model prayer took only seconds to say – Lk 11:1-4).  Likewise, there is also no such thing as a prayer that is too long… as long as it is heartfelt, sincere, and reverent.  Never forget that it is God you are talking to.  He deserves respect and reverence (Heb 12:28).  We can, and should, approach Him as our Father (Rom 8:15).  We can entreat Him as often as we’d like (Lk 18:1).