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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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,…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 1058 Family devotions. Family worship. Family Bible reading. Whatever you call it, most Christian parents feel a mixture of guilt and aspiration about this practice. We know we should be doing it. We’ve heard about the Puritan families who gathered daily around Scripture. We’ve read the statistics about children raised in spiritually engaged homes…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 12047 The question of whether Christians should be pacifists has been debated throughout church history, and it continues to generate strong feelings on both sides. Some believers point to Jesus’ teaching to “turn the other cheek” and conclude that all use of force is incompatible with following Him. Others argue that Scripture presents a…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 12048 Few issues stir as much emotion in churches and communities as immigration and border control. On one hand, Scripture clearly commands love for the stranger and care for the vulnerable. On the other, the Bible also teaches the legitimacy of national boundaries, the responsibility of governing authorities, and the need for order in…
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…