Is it right for a married woman and a divorced preacher to be together?  The preacher says that they were put together even though the woman was and still is married.  They’ve been together six months.  Her divorce comes up May 4th.  The preacher is divorced because his ex-wife committed adultery more than once… what to do?  Just want to do God’s will and live right.  Help.

Sincerely,
Spectator

Dear Spectator,

If the woman is married – she needs to stay away from this preacher and any other man other than her husband (1 Cor 7:2).  It seems pretty clear that this preacher isn’t paying attention to Scriptures if he is dating a married woman.  Even if she is currently separated from her husband… she is still married and should be trying to reconcile if at all possible (1 Cor 7:10-11).  This is not a man of God and not the kind of man she should be involved with.  In our experience, these types of men prey upon vulnerable women and use God’s word as a veil for deceit and lust.  Remember that the devil’s workmen disguise themselves as servants of light (2 Cor 11:14-15).

I’m not sure what started it, but I have a huge family of twelve aunts and uncles with twenty-six of us grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, to boot.  The only existing grandmother all of us have from this side of the family is eighty-five and was living with my uncle, but his wife and my grandmother came to a verbal shootout a few weeks ago, and now half of the family is divided between Granny and my uncle.  It’s becoming really petty and hateful.  Is there a Bible verse that can sum up what everyone should realize, so they will just stop being hateful to each other?

Sincerely,
Out On A Limb

Dear Out On A Limb,

Family disputes are always difficult.  Here are some verses to remember and share with others:

1. God tells us that we are blessed if we are peacemakers (Matt 5:9).
2. When we sow peace in our lives, we get righteousness and peace back (Jas 3:18).
3. Christ tells us to be at peace with others “as much as it depends on us” (Rom 12:18).
4. Peace with others doesn’t come naturally; it must be pursued.  Peace takes work (Heb 12:14).
5. The ‘golden rule’ is to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matt 7:12).
6. The whole Bible stands upon two commands.  “Love the Lord” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:37-40).

Hopefully, some of these verses will help arm you to wage peace in your family.

Is Hebrews 6:4-6 saying that if a person backslides (as I did for eighteen years), he cannot be forgiven and is doomed to hell?  I asked the Lord to forgive me six years ago and have been living the way His Word says to, but I’m unsure about this Scripture.  Please help if possible; I want the truth.

Sincerely,
Forward Slider

Dear Forward Slider,

Heb. 6:4-6 says that it is impossible for others to renew to repentance a brother who has fallen away.  It is always possible to come back to the Lord after falling away (1 Jn 1:9), but when someone has already been enlightened by the truth (Heb 6:4) and heard the word of God (Heb 6:4), there isn’t any teaching that can sway him from leading a wicked life.  If someone falls away from Christ, it means their heart has been hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:13), and it is up to that individual to soften their own heart and return to the Lord.  From your question, it is obvious that your heart has once again been pricked by the Scriptures, and you have made the decision to humbly return to the teachings of Christ.

I have always believed in God, but not like I should.  I see people with deep faith who unquestionably believe that in death, they will go to heaven.  I want so very badly to believe that, too.  But I need to know what it is that makes people believe in the Lord.  Some would say, “Because I have faith”, but I need more than that.  There has to be something that will take any questions away in my mind… shy of God performing a miracle in front of my eyes.  Any advice would be appreciated!  Thank you

Sincerely,
Believe It When I See It

Dear Believe It When I See It,

There are reasons and evidences that prove that God exists, and it is surprising how few people ever talk about those evidences.  We have an entire category in our archives dedicated to evidences that God exists and the Bible is His Word because we here at AYP are so frequently asked about that topic.

God tells us to come and “reason together with Him” (Isa 1:18).  He also says that evidence of His existence can be plainly seen in the creation that surrounds us (Rom 1:20).  There are entire scientific communities such as Answers In Genesis that are dedicated to the study of the science that proves God’s existence.  We recommend you read books like Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel.  Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe delves into how the study of genetics has proven the existence of a Creator and blown gigantic holes in the arguments of evolution and atheism.  The more you can get a hold of books like these, the more grounded you will become.  Faith is built upon the evidence of an unseen God (Heb 11:1).

Not only is it possible to prove God exists, it is possible to prove that He authored the Bible.  The Bible is the most unique book in the world.  The Bible is scientifically accurate (though written long before modern science), historically accurate (down to the last archeological detail), prophetically accurate (the Bible predicts events down to the smallest detail hundreds of years in advance), and it never contradicts itself (even though the Bible was written over the course of hundreds of years by dozens of different writers).  In a world of rare writings, the Bible stands alone.  For further details, read our post “Who Wrote The Bible?”.

There is no doubt that God exists – the evidence speaks for itself.

Did Moses have children?  I was watching the Prince of Egypt the other day when I was babysitting my cousin, and the question came to my mind after the movie was over.  Does it say anything in the Bible about him having any kids?  I asked a couple other people, and they had no idea either.  Some said ‘maybe’, and others said ‘no’.

Sincerely,
Looking For Junior

Dear Looking For Junior,

Moses did have children.  After Moses was banished from Egypt, he met a woman named Zipporah and married her (Ex 2:21).  Eventually, Moses and Zipporah returned to Egypt to free Israel from slavery.  Ex 4:20 says that when they returned to Egypt, they brought their sons with them.

Are all curse words equally sinful (with the understanding that all sin is weighted equally), or is cursing that involves taking God’s name in vain more offensive to God than others?  Is this considered blaspheming God?

Sincerely,
Clean Mouth

Dear Clean Mouth,

All cursing is corrupt speech, but using the Lord’s name in vain is corrupt speech and blasphemy.  Eph 4:29 tells us to avoid all corrupt speech.  We need to avoid any and all language that sounds filthy or derogatory – this would include all swear words.  However, using the Lord’s name in vain is corrupt and irreverent.  God tells us to revere Him (Heb 12:28).  All sin will equally send you to hell (Rom 6:23), but there is an attitude of disrespect behind using the Lord’s name in vain that is especially troublesome.  The word ‘blasphemy’ means ‘to speak evil of’.  When we use God’s name as a cuss word or exclamatory term, we demote Him in our minds from the lofty position He deserves.  All our speech needs to be both clean and reverent, so that God’s name is spoken well of amongst His people (1 Tim 6:1).