My pastor says we are daughters of Judah.  Isn’t that Old Testament and not today?

Sincerely,
From A Different Family

Dear From A Different Family,

If he means that you are physically of the lineage of Judah – he is wrong.  Christians aren’t genetically Israelites.  Christians come from all walks of life and backgrounds (Col 3:11).  However, there is a sense in which all christians are children of Israel.  The church is spiritual Israel, and all christians are children of Abraham through faith (Rom 9:6-8).  Abraham was the father of all the faithful, a living example of what faith in God should look like (Rom 4:11-16).  When we live by faith, we are children of Abraham because we imitate his life (Rom 2:28-29).

Thank you so much for this wonderful site!  It is a blessing and a great tool for Bible study!  My question is: how exactly are we supposed to examine ourselves before and while participating in the Lord's Supper (1 Cor 11:26-29)?

Sincerely,
Looking In The Mirror

Dear Looking In The Mirror,

When Paul told us to examine ourselves before taking the Lord’s Supper, he used a very unique word.  ‘Examine’ means ‘to try or test for genuiness’.  The Greek word for ‘examine’ is sometimes translated ‘prove’, ‘discern’, and ‘test’.  It is a word that was used when someone examined precious metals to see whether or not they were genuine.

God doesn’t give any specific method for examining ourselves.  We are supposed to contemplate and use introspection to examine whether our lives are genuinely dedicated to Christ.  We can know whether our lives are faithful by the fruits we are bearing (Matt 7:16-20).  When you get ready to take the Lord’s Supper next Sunday (Acts 20:7), ask yourself what kind of life you have lived this week.  Examine your life and whether or not it genuinely belongs to Christ, and you will have fulfilled the commandment of 1 Cor 11:28.

In Mathew 10:33, it states, "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven".

What is the exact meaning of this?  Peter denied Jesus three times.  I'm sure that Peter is in heaven.  I'm confused.

Sincerely,
Denial Dilemma

Dear Denial Dilemma,

Denying God is like all other sins, it will keep you from heaven unless you repent of it.  Peter did deny Christ, but he later wept over it (Mk 14:72) and proved himself to be one of the most outspoken followers of Christ (Acts 2:14, Acts 5:29).  If a christian won’t verbally stand by God, he has shown a weak and cowardly faith – a faith that isn’t backed by actions (Jas 1:22).  Denying Christ is a sin, but it can (and should!) be repented of (Acts 3:19).  It is that repentance that saved Peter.  As Christ said, Peter was sifted like wheat… but he returned to Christ (Lk 22:31-32).

Where in the Bible is it said, “Take care of the poor; they will be with you always”?

Sincerely,
Philanthropist

Dear Philanthropist,

That reference can be found in Matt 26:11, Mk 14:7, and Jhn 12:8.  Jesus said that we would have the poor with us always, but He wouldn’t always be on this planet.  He said it because some of His disciples were upset that a woman had used expensive perfume to anoint Him (Matt 26:6-10).

In Matthew 12:40, Jesus said to the Pharisees, "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Yet, when I study my New Testament and Jesus' final week on this earth and His death and resurrection, what I hear and am told is that He died on Friday, was in the tomb Friday night, all day Saturday, Saturday night, and then rose on Sunday, the first day of the week.  That adds up to a half day, one night, a whole day, one night, and another partial day… not three days and three nights.  Can you clarify the inconsistency?  What am I not seeing?

Sincerely,
Puzzled

Dear Puzzled,

Jesus was technically buried for only one full day (Saturday) and part of two other days (Friday and Sunday), but when talking in common language, we would say that He was buried three days – because we round numbers when speaking about time.  In fact, the habit of counting part of a day as a full day is found throughout the Scriptures as a common way of talking.  Here are some examples:

1. Esther said that she would fast for three days and nights before approaching the king… but she went to see the king on the third day (Esther 4:15-17, Esther 5:1).
2. A sick and famished Egyptian said that he had gone without food for three days and three nights… but it was the third day when he told his story to David (1 Sam 30:12-13).
3. Joseph kept his brothers in prison for three days (Gen 42:17), but he also let them out on day three (Gen 42:18).
4. The Jews were camped against Syria for seven days before attacking, but the Scriptures say they attacked on the seventh day (1 Kgs 20:29).

Each of those examples points out that when Jesus was speaking about being in the heart of the earth for three days and nights, He was talking in a way that made sense to every Jew.  He wasn’t being technical about the length of His burial (it didn’t have to be literally 72 hours, 0 minutes, and 0 seconds), but He was rounding up for clarity… just like we do today.