Why hasn’t God conquered Satan?  He has the power, doesn’t He?  Why does He allow the battle to continue between them here on Earth?

Sincerely,
Battle Weary

Dear Battle Weary,

God has conquered Satan.  When He died on the cross, Jesus vanquished the devil (Rev 12:9-11).  The devil has been cast down to the earth where he can tempt us (1 Pet 5:8), but he no longer has any heavenly power… no one can snatch God’s children out of God’s hand (Jhn 10:28-29).  There is a battle still continuing here on Earth, but the ultimate victory has already been decided.  All those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb will be victorious (1 Jhn 5:5).  The only reason that God is waiting to totally destroy Satan is because He is patient; God is patient and desires that everyone have an opportunity to get to heaven (2 Pet 3:9).

Hi.  While my faith has recently been shaky, I’m happy to say that I am a whole-hearted believer in God.  My closest friend, however, is far from that which is something I’ve started to question God about.

She is very intelligent, especially in the sciences.  Actually, to be honest, we both are rather gifted in that area which is probably what brought us together.  But the most important thing that separates us is that she doesn’t believe in God, and she has a lot of scientific evidence to back up her opinion.  I have my evidence too, but whenever the subject comes up, she refuses to talk about it, saying she’s concerned she’ll ruin my faith.  How do I reach out to a person like this?  It hurts me so much to see her live out her life with obvious gaps that only God can fill.

Any suggestions on how to direct my friend to the Lord without ruining our friendship?  She has developed something against religion recently, saying that it’s just a tool used through history to give people power and reason to kill.  This really bothers me, but again, the friendship is so important to me, and I don’t want to lose it.  At the same time, her salvation is also at least that important to me.  Thanks, and God bless.

Sincerely,
A Proven Friend

Dear A Proven Friend,

You are obviously dealing with a very intelligent person who has formed her own opinions… but without all the data.  What we normally do when studying with someone like this is to hand them a couple of books and tell them we would like to hear their thoughts after they are finished reading.  That has a two-fold effect:

1. It takes all wrangling over words out of the picture because it isn’t an argument anymore… they are simply reading.
2. It shows you how serious they are about pursuing the subject.  If it is important, they will read and get back to you, but if it isn’t important, the subject will just get dropped.  Either way, you can have a clear conscience that you tried to help.

In this circumstance, we recommend “Evidence That Demands A Verdict” by Josh McDowell (this book should address much of the argument of the Bible being used as a tool to hurt others).  We also recommend “Case For A Creator” by Lee Strobel to deal with the scientific arguments and “Has God Spoken?” by A.O. Schnabel (which addresses the internal evidence of the Bible’s supernatural origins).  That is our recommendation on the topic… less confrontation and more information.

Recently, my friend and I promised each other that if we saw the other turning away from God, we would speak up.  Basically, we promised to be each other’s support system and to encourage each other in God.  But I found out a few weeks ago that she has been sleeping with her boyfriend and some other similar things.  I would speak up, but she doesn’t know I know because both her boyfriend and sister told me on accident; they thought she would have told me.  I know she is avoiding honesty because she thinks I will scold her and be disappointed.  I admit, I am disappointed, but I just wish she would be honest with me.  How do I handle this?  I don’t want to cause fights by revealing to her who told me, but I want to be able to help her.  What do I do?

Sincerely,
A Concerned Friend

Dear A Concerned Friend,

If you know that a fellow christian is living a sinful life, you have a moral obligation to do something about it.  Christ says that we should privately confront one another (Matt 18:15).  If she repents, you have saved her soul (Jas 5:20).  Make it clear that you have honest and loving concern for her (2 Thess 3:14-15).  It is an act of love to entreat a fellow christian to turn from sin (1 Jn 3:18).  No matter how you came by the information, you have a responsibility to try and save your sister.

I am very confused right now.  I know that God wants us to marry if we are to be in a sexual relationship with someone.  My circumstances are different.  I have a child from a previous relationship, and nearly five years later, I met a man whom I fell in love with.  We had a child, and, of course, this made things bad; we separated.  Now I am really trying to learn God’s way and obedience; my sisters tell me that God has someone special for me because they don’t like the current man I am with, but then I have heard that you can’t find the love from another human being and that you should be trying to find and keep with God.  Should I wait for this mystery man or not worry about it and try to start understanding more about God’s love?

Sincerely,
Looking For Love

Dear Looking For Love,

Before considering marrying someone, you need to know what God says on the subject.  There are many verses that address when you should get married and to whom you should marry.

1. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, literally, a “’til death do us part” vow (Rom 7:2-3).  Anyone you consider marrying needs to be someone that you are willing to commit to and trust through all the trials of life.
2. Husbands are the head of the family (Eph 5:23).  Any man that you marry will lead you and your children by his example and decisions.  Ask yourself whether you trust him to make decisions in your best interest.  Will this man be a husband with a servant’s heart (Jhn 13:13-15) or a husband that rules with selfishness (Jas 3:14-16)?
3. Will He be a man of morality and character?  God tells us that we should only marry those that are “in the Lord” (1 Cor 7:39).  The reason for this is that marriage is the strongest bond with any human you will have in this life.  Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Cor 15:33), and faithful friends make us stronger (Eccl 4:9).  Anyone you marry needs to be someone who will draw you closer to God.
4. The emotion of passion is strong, but it is also fleeting.  True love is not just a feeling… but the choice to live unselfishly for one another (1 Cor 13:4-7).  Make your choice for a spouse based upon the choices he makes, not off of your emotions at the moment.  An emotional decision may very well get you into a marriage you will regret for a lifetime.

And when all is said and done: pray (1 Thess 5:17).  God blesses those that trust Him.

How did people get married in Bible times?  Was it a large ceremony like the ones we have now?  I know the Bible tells us that unmarried sex is wrong, but I was just wondering how people went through marriage then; like, were they married by a preacher/pharisee?  What qualified them as being married in the eyes of God?

Sincerely,
Going To The Chapel?

Dear Going To The Chapel,

The Bible doesn’t say much about marriage ceremonies because they vary so much from culture to culture.  The only detail about marriage that the Bible mentions is the importance and the sanctity of the vows (1 Cor 7:39).  Marriage is meant for a lifetime, and the marriage vows carry the weight of lifetime promises (Mk 10:7-9).  The legal requirements for marriage will vary from one country to another.  God does tell us that we must obey the laws of the government (Rom 13:1-2, 1 Pet 2:13-14).  Make sure to not only make your vows before God, but also do what is right in the eyes of all men (Rom 12:17) by making sure the marriage is legally recognized.

Okay, so I have just been struggling lately with this: at church, I have been taught that Jesus is God… but then I am confused because why would Jesus pray to God?  Isn’t that like praying to Himself?  And why would the voice of God speak when Jesus was baptized?  And then last night, my mom and I were reading the Bible together, and she found a footnote that explained that as God’s Son, Jesus has all the authority of God.  This I can understand, but I guess my question is: Is it wrong to say that Jesus is God the Creator?

Sincerely,
Who’s Who?

Dear Who’s Who,

This is an easy thing to get confused over.  We often say that there is only one God… but technically, that is not accurate.  There are three Gods in the Godhead, and They all work together in perfect unity.  Jesus is God (Matt 28:9), the Father is God (2 Thess 1:2), and the Holy Spirit is God (Gen 1:2).  The word ‘God’ just means ‘deity’.  Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are all deity.  They function with complete unity (Jhn 10:30), but They are separate Beings.  This is most clearly seen in Matt 3:16-17 when the Holy Spirit descends like a dove, Jesus comes out of the water, and the Father speaks from heaven… total unity, but definitely distinct entities.
Each of Them (known collectively as ‘the Godhead’) was there at the creation of the universe.  Jhn 1:1-3 says that Jesus created everything, Gen 1:2 shows that the Holy Spirit was part of the creation process, and Mal 2:10 makes it clear that the Father created us.  They all took part in the creation process; therefore, it is perfectly correct to say that Jesus is our Creator.  To better understand the roles of the Godhead, read “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”.