Christian Living

Practical guidance for following Christ daily—prayer, Bible reading, spiritual disciplines, and growing in godliness.

Christian Living | Hamartiology (Sin)
Is habitual or addictive sin primarily spiritual, psychological, or physical — and what does the answer mean for pastoral care?
ByRev. Ian M. Thomas April 9, 2026
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 11090 Few pastoral questions produce more confusion, guilt, and genuine suffering than this one. The Christian who has wrestled with an addictive or compulsive pattern of sin — whether that involves alcohol, pornography, drugs, food, gambling, or any other form — frequently encounters competing frameworks. Some Christian traditions treat it as purely spiritual: a…
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Christian Living | Ethics & Morality | Hamartiology (Sin) | Sexuality & Gender
What is the difference between attraction and lust?
ByRev. Ian M. Thomas April 9, 2026
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 06072 This is one of those pastoral questions where a great deal of unnecessary guilt and confusion has accumulated because the distinction between two very different things has been blurred. Many sincere Christians live under a burden of condemnation about their own normal human responses, whilst the genuinely problematic territory of lust goes unaddressed…
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Christian Living | Hamartiology (Sin)
Does private confession to God suffice, or does Scripture require confession to others?
ByRev. Ian M. Thomas April 9, 2026
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 06067 The practice of confession sits at the intersection of theology and daily Christian experience. Most believers know they should confess sin to God, but questions arise about whether that private prayer is all that is ever required — or whether Scripture sometimes calls for something more. The answer is more layered than a…
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Christian Living | Hamartiology (Sin) | Soteriology (Salvation)
What is the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow?
ByRev. Ian M. Thomas April 9, 2026
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 6018 Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians contains one of the most practically searching distinctions in the New Testament. Writing about the response of the Corinthian church to a previous letter of correction, he draws a line between two kinds of sorrow over sin that feel superficially similar but move in completely opposite directions….
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Christian Living | Hamartiology (Sin)
What does the Bible mean by ‘the world’?
ByRev. Ian M. Thomas April 9, 2026
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 6015 The word “world” appears hundreds of times across the New Testament, and it does not always mean the same thing. Reading it as if it did produces significant confusion, particularly in passages that seem to say contradictory things. John 3:16 says God loved the world; 1 John 2:15 says do not love the…
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Christian Living | Hamartiology (Sin)
What is a besetting sin?
ByRev. Ian M. Thomas April 9, 2026
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 6013 The phrase “besetting sin” is part of the common vocabulary of Christian conversation, yet it comes from a single verse in Hebrews and carries a meaning that is both precise and practically urgent. Understanding what the writer actually means helps to address a pattern of struggle that every believer knows something about, even…
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Christian Living | Hamartiology (Sin)
Why does God allow us to be tempted?
ByRev. Ian M. Thomas April 9, 2026
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 6014 Temptation is one of the universal experiences of the Christian life, and it raises a genuine question about God’s purposes. If He is perfectly good and desires our holiness, why does He permit the conditions under which we are drawn toward sin? The biblical answer is more carefully nuanced than a simple reassurance,…
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Christian Living | Ethics & Morality
Is Smoking a Sin?
ByRev. Ian M. Thomas April 8, 2026
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 12049 The question of whether smoking is sinful troubles many believers. Scripture never mentions tobacco—unsurprising given that it was unknown in the biblical world—so we must apply broader biblical principles to reach a faithful conclusion. This requires careful thought rather than mere proof-texting. The Body as God’s Temple The most frequently cited passage in…
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Christian Living
Who are the three enemies of the Christian life, and how do we fight them?
ByRev. Ian M. Thomas April 8, 2026
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 11065 Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12 that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.” The Christian life is not a gentle stroll toward improvement — it is described in the New Testament with the language of warfare, struggle,…
Read More Who are the three enemies of the Christian life, and how do we fight them?
Christian Living
How do you know if unconfessed sin or a resisted prompting is hindering the Spirit’s work in your life?
ByRev. Ian M. Thomas April 8, 2026
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 11066 There is a kind of spiritual fatigue that is not produced by overwork but by accumulation — the weight of sin that has been noticed but not confessed, the prompting that has been registered but set aside, the quiet conviction that has been managed rather than acted on. Many Christians carry more of…
Read More How do you know if unconfessed sin or a resisted prompting is hindering the Spirit’s work in your life?

Christian Living

Is habitual or addictive sin primarily spiritual, psychological, or physical — and what does the answer mean for pastoral care?

What is the difference between attraction and lust?

Does private confession to God suffice, or does Scripture require confession to others?

What is the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow?

What does the Bible mean by ‘the world’?

What is a besetting sin?

Why does God allow us to be tempted?

Is Smoking a Sin?

Who are the three enemies of the Christian life, and how do we fight them?

How do you know if unconfessed sin or a resisted prompting is hindering the Spirit’s work in your life?

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