Where did Paul say in the Bible about when he tried to do good, evil was always there?  I have been trying to find that verse and cannot find it.  Help me, please.

Sincerely,
Looking For The Good

Dear Looking For The Good,

The verses you are looking for are Rom 7:9-25.  In those verses, Paul is discussing what happened to him as he grew up as a child under the Old Testament law.  Even though he desired to live righteously, he often found himself sinning and being guilty under the law (Rom 7:15).  Even though he desired to be a righteous man, he had to admit that he had sinned and was worthy of death (Rom 7:22-24).  The Old Testament law taught people what was right, but it never provided a road to forgiveness after someone sinned.  It is only in Christ that there is atonement from sins and a way back to God (Rom 7:25).

Can one christian cause or contribute to another christian’s wrongdoing… or dishonor that person’s mother and father and convince that person that what they are doing is right… and if it was wrong, would God let that person know?

What does the Bible say about this matter?

Sincerely,
Who’s To Blame?

Dear Who’s To Blame,

The Bible says to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12).  You cannot control what your relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. tell you or choose to do themselves.  All you can do is control yourself.  Eventually, everyone will be held accountable for the decisions they make in their lives (Heb 9:27).  The key is to make sure that you live as the Bible teaches… you can’t control everyone else.

For every one day in Heaven that passes, one thousand days pass on earth.  How many days would have to pass on earth to equal one thousand years in Heaven?

Sincerely,
All About The Math

Dear All About The Math,

If we were simply doing math, the answer would be 365 million days… but this subject isn’t about arithmetic.  You have misunderstood 2 Pet 3:8.  That verse isn’t discussing a literal time-delay between Heaven and Earth; it is addressing the patience of God (as seen in the following verse – 2 Pet 3:9).  God is patient with mankind and is patiently awaiting the proper time to end this world (2 Pet 3:10) because He wants everyone to have the opportunity to obey Christ.

Do you believe once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, yet keep falling short, trying, not always succeeding…repenting, changing, then fall again… will He still take us into His loving arms if our lives ended today?

Sincerely,
Never Good Enough

Dear Never Good Enough,

Yes.  If you have taken the steps to become a christian (read “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”), then the rest of your life will be a collection of victories and failures in spiritual growth.  The key is to never give up; always get back up and try again (Pr 24:16).  When we sin – and admit it – God is righteous and ready to forgive us (1 Jn 1:8-9).  Always be honest about your failures and sins (1 Jn 1:10).  God is ready to forgive us an innumerable amount of times as long as we continue to repent (Matt 18:21-22).

Why do Catholics pray to Mary?  I have read articles that say they pray to her as an intercessor, but I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that says to do this.  How do they justify this Biblically?

Sincerely,
Who’s That Girl?

Dear Who’s That Girl,

Praying to or through Mary is wrong.  Technically speaking, Catholics are not taught to pray to Mary – but to ask Mary to intercede on their behalf before God.  Catholicism teaches that Mary (and other Catholic saints) have more “clout” with God than us, and therefore, Catholics are instructed to ask these Catholic-appointed saints to pray for them.  Having said all that, many Catholics are confused about their own doctrine and do, in fact, pray directly to Mary.  Either behavior is in direct contradiction to the Bible.

Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God (1 Tim 2:5).  We pray to the Father through Jesus… not through Mary or any other Catholic figure.  We are told to confidently approach God directly (Heb 4:16).  We should ask of God and pray to Him through the name of Jesus (Jhn 14:13-14).  Praying to (or through) Catholic saints is sinful.

My question is in response to “I’m Sorry-ish”.  I understand why it’s important to apologize when you have wronged others, but what if they are the kind of person who would prefer to “sweep it under the rug” vs. being confronted with it and put in an uncomfortable position?

Sincerely,
Saving Face

Dear Saving Face,

That post was dealing with someone that wanted an apology; the situation you bring up would be entirely different.  1 Cor 13:5 says that “love does not seek its own”, and 1 Cor 8:1 points out that “love edifies”.  The point of apologizing to someone is to rectify a situation and make things better.  The idea is that you are bringing resolution to a damaged relationship, reconciling by humbling yourself to apologize (Matt 5:24).  However, if the person has “swept the issue under the rug”, there is no need for resolution… the situation is already resolved.