Hello, I have a question.  If God forgives all, why do people go to hell?

Sincerely,
Firefighter

Dear Firefighter,

God is ready and willing to forgive all (Ps 86:5), but we must seek that forgiveness through Christ.  Christ paid the price, so all the world would have a way to escape hell (Jhn 3:16).  However, if we don’t take advantage of the gift that He gave, we will still be lost.  There is no sin so big that God won’t forgive it if we honestly seek Him… but we must seek Him (Heb 11:6).  We are saved by faith in Christ (Eph 2:8, Rom 10:17), but that means we must trust Christ.

Think of it like someone drowning in the ocean.  A lifeguard throws them a life preserver, but the drowning person must grab that life preserver in order to be saved.  Jesus’ death on the cross is our life preserver.  We must grab it; otherwise, we will be lost.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Sincerely,
Not Good With Faces

Dear Not Good With Faces,

The Holy Spirit is deity.  He was there at the creation of the world (Gen 1:2).  Acts 5:3-4 makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is synonymous with God.  The Holy Spirit is as close to God as your spirit is to you (1 Cor 2:10-11).  The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead – alongside with Jesus and the Father (Matt 3:16-17).

This is sort of difficult.  It concerns my uncle, who, over the last few years, has… rediscovered his faith?  I suppose that works.  He’s completely changed his lifestyle, which isn’t a bad thing.  No smoking, no drinking.  Fantastic.  However, he’s also completely changed his personality.  He has a growing list of things he can’t watch, listen to, or say, all because he’s “christian”.  He’s become so… judgmental of everyone around him and is alienating his family.  I wasn’t under the impression that to be “christian” you had to give up everything in life that you enjoyed.  He doesn’t laugh anymore; at least, he doesn’t around us.  Can you give me any guidance on how to respect his faith and understand his choices?  He was always a good man… an EMT, police officer, husband, and father.  He’s always believed, but he also lived.  Now, it’s like he’s set himself, and everyone else, to standards that can’t be met.  And he’s very vocal with his views.  I just don’t understand him anymore.  Any advice or insight you could give would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Disheartened Niece

Dear Disheartened Niece,

There is a fine line between removing worldliness from our lives and secluding ourselves from life – it sounds like your uncle may be having trouble finding that balance.  Jesus clearly tells us to purify our hearts and minds (Jas 4:8).  However, we are also told to enjoy the wholesome blessings of this life (Eccl 3:13).  Christ lived a perfectly sinless life (Heb 4:15), and yet, he was often accused of being too friendly with the lost (Matt 11:19).

There is a balance between living in the world, but not being of the world (1 Cor 5:9-10).  If we remove ourselves from all society, we will never be able to reach those who so desperately need God’s Word (Mk 16:15).  We are warned against religion that finds its strength in self-deprecation (1 Tim 4:1-5).  Our strength should be found in the love of Christ (Jhn 3:16) and in His Word (Rom 10:17).  Hopefully, some of these verses might allow you to have a dialogue with your uncle.

Is Jesus real?

Sincerely,
McCoy

Dear McCoy,

Absolutely!  Jesus is real, and the Bible accounts of Him are also real.  There are historical accounts of Jesus by an ancient writer named Josephus that attest to Jesus’ existence.  Archaeological evidence of the church dates back to the first century… within a couple generations of when Jesus lived.  This archaeological data is very important because it confirms that the message of Christ spread during a time in history when people could confirm His empty tomb, His miracles, and His hometown history.  In short, if Jesus was a fake, the people of that time period would have stopped a false legend from spreading… but the opposite was true.  Jesus’ church and message spread because the story was true and couldn’t be refuted.  For more information on this topic, we highly recommend the book A Case For Christ by Lee Strobel.

I believe God will forgive every sin except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  I am confused though.  I know we are all sinners, but what if you commit sin after you accept Jesus as Savior?  I know a person that committed a vile sexual sin after she accepted Jesus as her Savior.  Is it possible to repent of that sin?  I believe she truly believes Jesus died for all sin, and He is the only path to salvation.

Sincerely,
Concerned Friend

Dear Concerned Friend,

All sin can be repented of and forgiven.  1 Jn 1:9 makes it clear that if we confess our sins, Jesus is ready to forgive us of all unrighteousness.  There is no single act that is so evil that Jesus’ blood couldn’t wash it away (1 Jn 1:7).  Many of the first century christians had many horrible sins in their pasts (1 Cor 6:9-11).  The key is to get up every time you fall down (Pr 24:16).

Are Jesus and God the same person?  If so, where does it say that in the Bible?

Sincerely,
Asking For I.D.

Dear Asking For I.D.,

Yes, Jesus is one of the Godhead.  Jhn 1:1-2 states that the ‘Word’ is God, and Jhn 1:14 makes it clear that Jesus is the ‘Word’.  There are three members of the Godhead – Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:16-17).  Jesus makes it clear that He is eternal (Jhn 8:58) and the Creator of all things (Col 1:15-16).