I have been thinking a lot about the verse from Proverbs that says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."  What do you think that verse means?

Sincerely,
The Thinker

Dear The Thinker,

The verse you are referring to is Pr 23:7.  That verse is in the context of talking about someone with evil intent (Pr 23:6).  If a person with evil intent says something kind to you, that doesn’t change the fact that they are still your enemy.  What is in the mind/heart of a person defines who they really are.  God knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts (Acts 1:24).  God doesn’t just want us to do what is right, but He wants us to WANT what is right.  What you think is who you really are.  Let our service to God be from the hidden depths of our heart (I Pet 3:4) and not merely lip-service (Matt 15:8).

Are the stories in Genesis true (Adam and Eve, Tower of Babel, Noah and the Flood) or etiological stories to explain the importance of Sabbath and marriage?

Sincerely,
Myth Buster

Dear Myth Buster,

The Genesis stories are true.  God never gives any indication that these are just fable stories – instead, quite the opposite.  Adam was a real person, the very first human created from dust (Gen 2:7).  Adam is listed in Jesus’ genealogy (Lk 3:38); if Adam wasn’t real, neither was Jesus.  Adam is listed as the one who introduced sin.  If Adam isn’t real, we aren’t really dead in our sins (1 Cor 15:22).  Adam is also listed in a specific genealogy of people who lived for a specific amount of years and had specifically named offspring (Gen 5:3-8).  The detail with which Adam’s life and genealogy is explained makes it clear that this story is intended to be treated as fact, not fable.

The Great Flood of Noah’s day is also intrinsically tied to the rest of the Bible.  Baptism saves us from sin just like the flood saved Noah and his family from a sinful, violent society (1 Pet 3:20-21).  No flood salvation, no baptismal salvation.  The two stand or fall together.  Jesus treated the Noachian Flood as fact when He discussed it (Matt 24:38).

If we read the Bible plainly without inserting cultural values or modern scientific ideas (yes, they are just guessing like the rest of us; today’s scientists weren’t at the Creation.  In fact, many scientists believe that science backs up the Bible account), we see that the Genesis account is treated as a fact, not a myth.  God, who cannot lie (Tit 1:2), told us the truth when He said that He created the world in six days (Gen 1:31, Gen 2:1).  He really is that powerful.

I’m looking for the Bible verse where God told a man to walk around naked for three years.  Where is that story, and what is it all about?

Sincerely,
Modesty-Minded

Dear Modesty-Minded,

God commanded Isaiah to walk around naked and barefoot in Isa 20:2, but ‘naked’ doesn’t mean ‘without any clothing’ in this context.  The sackcloth robe that Isaiah would have removed was just his outer garment.  God commanded Isaiah to walk around wearing what a slave would wear (Isa 20:3-4).  The slaves of that time period wore very short tunics that reached from the neck to somewhere between the waist and the knee.  Although technically wearing clothing, Isaiah would have appeared as if he left his house naked because he wasn’t wearing his outer garments.  This was a visual prophecy that God used to tell the nation of Judah that they would be ashamed for trusting in Egypt and Ethiopia for aid because those nations would soon be destroyed by Assyria.  Judah needed to trust in God and not other nations.

     I know in Leviticus it talks about sexual relations; having read this, I'm wondering about lesbian relations and why God didn’t mention this.  Or did I miss something?

Sincerely,
Confused

Dear Confused,

Lev 18:22 and Lev 20:13 both talk about homosexual relations and state that they are forbidden.  In both cases, it talks about men not lying with men, but the implication is that the same would be wrong with women lying with women.  But, if there is any doubt how God feels about the issue, Rom 1:26-27 makes it clear that homosexual relations are wrong for both genders because both are mentioned.

What happened to the souls of the people who died before Jesus died for our sins?

Sincerely,
Ancestral Angst

Dear Ancestral Angst,

Jesus’ blood covers the sins of the faithful who came before Him and the sins of the faithful who came after.  Abraham went to Paradise, and his sins were forgiven (Lk 16:23).  When David’s son died, David understood that when he died, he would go to heaven and be with his son (2 Sam 12:23).  Moses and Elijah both appeared with Jesus at His transfiguration, making it clear that they, too, were in heaven (Matt 17:3).

When Jesus died on the cross, He spilt His blood once and for all (Heb 9:12).  Jesus’ redeeming blood redeemed both those who would come after Him and those who lived before the crucifixion (Heb 9:15).  Jesus’ blood flows in both directions.