If I sin does God still love me?

Sincerely,
I Made A Mistake

Dear I Made A Mistake,

The Lord loves people but hates sin.  God tells us it is appropriate to be happy when evil is destroyed because it means righteousness is prevailing (Pr 28:28), but God also says that it pains Him when the wicked perish (Ezek 18:23).  God loves us so much that He sent His own Son to die for our sins (Jhn 3:16), but He hates sin so much that if we don’t take advantage of the forgiveness that is in Christ, God will separate Himself from us (Lk 13:27).  When we sin, God wants us to repent of that sin and come to Christ that we might be saved.  Read “Five Steps To Salvation” for what it takes to become a Christian and have your sins removed.

     I have reason to believe that I may be possessed because I get upset/angry at the most unusual times, and even today on Christmas, I got mad at least once.  Is there anything I can do at home (I have NO means of transportation as I am a fourteen-year-old male) to help put the demons to rest?

Sincerely,
Driven

Dear Driven,

You aren’t possessed by demons; you are enslaved to anger – there is a difference.  Demon possession ended not long after the days of Christ.  Jesus made it clear that one of His jobs was to bind the devil and take His strength away by casting out his demons (Matt 12:28-29).  When Jesus’ disciples had come back from their evangelism trips and related to Him that they had cast out many demons, Jesus told them that they were defeating Satan by getting rid of Satan’s demonic minions (Lk 10:17-18).  When Jesus and His disciples cast out demons, they did it permanently (Lk 8:30-33) and bound Satan by their acts.  We no longer have to deal with such overt attacks by the devil because he has been bound by Christ’s sacrifice (Rev. 20:2).

The way to deal with anger is to choose self-control, which can be very difficult, especially in our teenage years.  Jas 1:19 says that one of the best cures for anger is to slow down and listen first.  If we are swift to hear and slow to speak, anger tends to subside because of understanding.  God gave us each two ears and only one mouth for a reason.  Focus on listening to others and trying to understand their perspectives before allowing anger to control you.

Okay, I have a controversial question, but I really need the answer.  What is the true view on masturbation?  I don’t mean to be crude; I’ve just found it hard to find a biblical answer, and I’ve found nothing that says it’s wrong necessarily (by the way, I know that pornography and things like that are wrong).

Sincerely,
Honestly Asking

Dear Honestly Asking,

We receive a great many questions regarding this subject.  We here at AYP do not wish to fixate upon a private and sensitive topic week after week, but we understand that the issue of masturbation is a very real struggle for most young men, and it deserves a Bible answer.

The truth is that the Bible never specifically addresses the topic.  When we search for a Bible answer, we must conclude that God has not spoken one word on this subject.  Having said that, we realize there are many religious teachings in the world today claiming it is either right or wrong.  Catholic doctrine teaches it is a sin one hundred percent of the time, but that is a man-made teaching – not something directly understood from the Bible.  On the other hand, many liberal religious groups teach that masturbation is a perfectly normal thing that should be practiced without any reservation.  Neither teaching is accurate.  We need to look at what the Bible says concerning the topic and accept its teachings and nothing else.  There are some other things (such as lust and guilt) that are closely related to this subject, so we will address them because there are specific Bible teachings on those subjects.

1. Lust is sinful.  Anything that involves lusting after a woman (that is not your spouse) is not allowed (Matt 5:28).  ‘Lust’ means to ‘look upon with strong passion or desire’.  Any action that involves a strong sexual desire for a specific person that is not your spouse is sinful.
2. Many, many God-fearing people have a sense of extreme guilt after the act of self-relief.  When someone’s conscience is upset, that is always sinful because it shows you are doing something you believe is wrong.  If we cannot do something in faith, then it is sin (Rom 14:23).  In essence, if you think it is wrong, then it is wrong… at least for you.  If you do what you believe is right, you will not have a guilty feeling in anything you do.  If you do not do what you believe is right, then you will always have a guilty feeling.  This holds true of everything in life.  This is why it is so important that we examine the Scriptures and be fully assured that what we are doing is right with God.  That means we must always study what God has said (not man) on every subject.
3. Pornography is often closely associated with masturbation and should always be avoided.  Pornography is sinful because it is designed around lusting after specific women (see point #1).  Pornography is also a highly addictive sin.  Many young lives have been horribly destroyed because of sexual addiction to pornographic images.  We cannot overstate the dangers of this type of addiction.  Thus, pornography must be avoided at all costs.
4. When young people are in that stage between childhood and marriage, there is a constant pull and temptation from the sexual realm.  There is no easy way around the desires created by the physiological reaction of a young man’s body.  God understands that a young person’s body burns in passion (1 Cor 7:9).  It is said that in today’s culture and society, a young man is bombarded with things to stimulate him on an average of every ten seconds.  This is not an excuse, nor should it be used as an excuse, for immoral behavior – but it is a reality that every young man has to cope with.
5. Marriage is God’s vessel for the relief of sexual desires (1 Cor 7:1-5).  God understands the devil uses the sexual realm to tempt us away from a faithful life, and God created marriage as the solution to that temptation.  That is the long-term answer to this issue.  The problem we are dealing with is what someone should do to act faithfully through the short-term period of time between childhood and marriage.

This issue is not an easy one and there are no clear-cut answers.  The Bible provides many principles that surround this subject, and we have tried to outline them here… but ultimately, each person must faithfully consider these principles and behave themselves in a way that they believe is adhering to the teachings God lays out in His Scriptures.  We shouldn’t allow man-made religious laws to control our lives, whether they are overly conservative or overly liberal.

What is the difference between good pride and bad pride?  Or is there even such thing as good pride?

Sincerely,
Humble

Dear Humble,

The type of pride we are warned against is arrogance.  God loves a humble man, and He finds no pleasure in those that think too highly of themselves (Jas 4:6).  Whenever your Bible talks about pride, this is the type of pride that is being discussed.  The proud man that thinks he is something when he isn’t is trouble waiting to happen (1 Cor 10:12).

On the other hand, in the English language, we talk about taking pride in your work or being proud of your accomplishments.  Most often when people say things like that, they mean they take seriously their responsibilities or are rejoicing over a success… this isn’t wrong at all.  The Bible tells us that whatever we do, we should do with all our might (Eccl 9:10).  We are told to rejoice in the work of our hands and the blessings that come along with hard work (Eccl 5:18).  Taking joy in your work and in your accomplishments is fine… but don’t get a big head and turn to conceit and arrogance.

     Why do I get mad often?

Sincerely,
Short Fuse

Dear Short Fuse,

Uncontrolled rage, like so many sins, stems from within our hearts (Mk 7:21-23).  God warns that anger has a way of creeping up on us, and we must rule over it (Gen 4:6-7).  Eph 4:26 says that we should make sure that our anger doesn’t control our actions; it is okay to be angry, but it isn’t okay to sin (Eph 4:26).  One of the easiest ways to cool your temper is to be quick to hear and slow to speak (Jas 1:19-20).  Anger can be controlled by slowing down and listening before jumping to conclusions.

     I was sinning without knowing it until a few weeks ago when it was preached about at church.  Since then, I’ve turned away from that sin, but I feel like I miss it; I’m not being tempted, and don’t feel I’m struggling to not commit it again, but I’m wondering if it’s okay to miss a sin.

Sincerely,
I Didn’t Mean To

Dear I Didn’t Mean To,

Anything that you do for a long period of time becomes a part of your life and routine, and it is totally normal to miss it when it is gone.  It isn’t abnormal to miss a sin once you remove it from your life – it would only be wrong if you returned to that sin and began to do it again.

Though you don’t feel that you will return to this sin, be on your guard (Gen 4:7).  Missing a sin can turn to longing, and soon you are right back to doing the wrong thing.  All sin begins in the mind (Jas 1:14-15).  Good for you for repenting of this sin and turning from it.