So, you don't think God gives us visions or prophecies today? Do you believe God still performs miracles in our everyday lives (this question is in reference to “I Dreamed A Dream” answer)? If not, why would we read, 'ask and you shall receive', 'knock and the door will be opened' … isn't that asking for a miracle??

I once was failing Latin, and if you had a failing grade, you could not stay on the cheerleading squad. The morning of report cards, I stopped at a large window across from the cafeteria and looked to the sky and prayed for God to forgive me of my sins and to somehow convince Mrs. Martin to give me a passing grade. She called my name to come up to sit by her desk to look at my test scores before she would write my grade on my report card.  She looked at me very sternly and showed me my four scores, which only averaged out to 69.  I had to score a 75 to make a low C.  She then said, “I don't know why I'm doing this”, and she drew out very slowly a ‘C’ on my report card.

I almost broke down but was so happy and KNEW in my heart that God had granted me a miracle. I'll go to my grave believing I had a miracle that morning.

Sincerely, Graded On A Curve

Dear Graded On A Curve,

It is important to define the term 'miracle'.  Today, the word 'miracle' describes both the act of raising a man from the dead and the act of a child being born... yet there is a vast difference between those two events.  'Miracle' - in the Biblical sense - is a 'supernatural event that breaks the laws of nature'.  Examples of this are raising the dead, walking on water, instantaneous healing of leprosy, etc.

The event you described is not a miracle in that sense.  You described a providential act of God’s care.  God took care of the situation while acting within the frameworks of natural law.  God used circumstances and unseen influence to alter the course of events and answered your prayer.  There is no doubt that God still does this every day.  The whole purpose of “a righteous man's prayer avails much" (Jas 5:16) is that God hears prayers and acts upon them.  The key is that He does so without miracles.

Miracles had one very specific purpose - to give evidence that the apostles, prophets, and Jesus were from God.  Paul called miracles "the signs of an apostle" (2 Cor 12:12).  Heb 2:4 states that God bore witness to the apostles and prophets through "signs and wonders".  Even the enemies of Christ agreed that miracles were a sign of divine approval (Acts 4:16).

Prayers certainly make a difference, and God certainly intervenes for us... just not with supernatural miracles.  However, not to worry, God can just as easily care for your needs providentially as He could with miracles.

My Bible knowledge is pretty good when it comes to the timeline of events and stories, but I feel as though I don't have as good of a hold on just subject-based studies… like remembering what verses to turn to if I'm looking for what the Bible says on a specific topic. How could I beef up my Bible study to better round out my knowledge? And what are some good verses to have memorized?

Sincerely, The Subject Student

Dear The Subject Student,

Topical studies are always trickier than book studies because all the verses are not in one place. You have to hunt all over to find everything that pertains to any given subject. Therefore, the very first verse you should memorize is:

“The sum of Thy Word is truth…” (Ps 119:160)

It is impossible to understand a given subject without looking at everything God says on it. This is exactly why people get into trouble when studying what it takes to be saved (see this post for more details) and what the church should look like (see this post). If you want to understand a topic, take all the verses on it, add them together, and you will see the sum of God’s teaching on that subject.

Another great verse to memorize is:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation…” (Rom 1:16)

If we always remember that God’s Word is the guidebook to life, we will never forget to turn to it for our answers because in the Bible you can find the answers to all things that pertain to life (2 Pet 1:3).

The single most important tool for topical Bible study is a good concordance. A concordance allows you to look up a word and see every time it is used in the Bible. You can also find some bookstores that will sell topical concordances – these are concordances that group verses by topic, even if the same words aren’t necessarily present in each verse. This, too, can be especially helpful. And last, but not least, I recommend (just as a personal preference) the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE). ISBE is an encyclopedia that gives short synopses on every topic that the Bible addresses. ISBE is four volumes and a little pricier than the other two, so you will have to decide whether it is worth owning your own copy.

After that, it is just a matter of looking up the topics you are interested in and combing through the verses. Happy hunting!

I have always had confusion about how we are forgiven for our sins and the sequence in which this occurs.  This is my understanding/confusion: I understand that after baptism by immersion as a young adult or as an adult capable of making this decision for the reasons outlined in the Bible, we are cleansed of our previous sins and are reborn as christians. Assuming we are attending church and taking communion each Sunday as commanded by Jesus, we are cleansed of our sins weekly (and perhaps when we pray for forgiveness of our sins, too - daily, hourly, or however often).  What happens if we leave church, trip over a curb and curse, thus sinning and are tragically killed later that day in an accident?  We then die without seeking forgiveness for our sins?  I don't think that God would condemn us for this, assuming we are living an otherwise godly life, but I have never had clarity on this issue.  Any insight you can provide would be much appreciated.

 

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Time To Forgive

Dear Time To Forgive,

Your confusion is a common one because the Bible never explicitly states what happens to the sins that we didn’t specifically ask for forgiveness for.  There is no specific verse that deals with this issue; instead, we must look at some of the concepts that are scattered throughout the Scriptures.

1. Jesus is our Advocate (1 Jhn 2:1-3).  Jesus is our High Priest, and He mediates between us and God (1 Tim 2:5).  Jesus wants to intercede for your sins, and He desires to help you get into heaven.
2. God doesn’t desire anyone to be separated from Him (2 Pet 3:9).  No one will ever accidentally go to hell, and no one will accidently miss out on heaven because they didn’t have an opportunity to pray for forgiveness right before they died.  God is ready and willing to forgive (Ps. 86:5).
3. God expects our obedience, and all forgiveness is dependent upon our willingness to draw near to Him with obedient hearts (1 Pet 1:14).  The Bible says that our obedience to Him purifies our souls.  God forgives the faithful and obedient servant (Heb 10:38).
4. John paints a beautiful picture for us in 1 Jhn 1:7 by saying, “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” The word ‘walk’ means ‘to live continually’, and whenever we have that relationship but we accidentally sin, the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us of our sins.

When you consider all of these concepts, the truth on the subject becomes evident; we are forgiven as we ask for forgiveness, and God gives grace in those times when we are unable or ignorant to ask for it.  So continue to ask and pray for forgiveness, but you can also have peace that God’s grace will protect your soul as you do your best to live faithfully.

I have been told that a person who commits suicide would go straight to hell, even if they were a christian.  This doesn't seem to make sense to me seeing as the Bible never explicitly says that salvation can be over-ridden by certain actions.  While someone who wants to commit suicide needs to seek help, are there certain actions that can negate a person's salvation?

Sincerely, Eternal Salvation

Dear Eternal Salvation,

People can lose their salvation. Heb 6:4-6 and Heb 10:26-27 outline that if someone rejects God’s Word (even after becoming a christian), they will go to hell just like any other unbeliever. And that is the key to the whole thing – is suicide an example of rejecting God’s Word and sinning willfully?

The Bible never specifically addresses suicide as being worse then another sin. Suicide certainly is condemned. Suicide is murder, self-murder, and is therefore very clearly a sin (Rev 21:8). The only difference between suicide and murdering someone else is that you don’t get a chance to repent after suicide. Suicide is a final decision and leaves no room for correction or for asking forgiveness. Therefore, in most cases, it would be fair to say that suicide will send you to hell. It is a willful act of disobedience against God without opportunity for repentance.

We here at AYP only hesitate to say, “All people who commit suicide go to hell,” because God never specifically makes that statement. The final judgment belongs to God (Heb 12:23), but we certainly wouldn’t want to face that judgment with our own blood on our hands.

I have a VERY good friend, my closest friend ever, and she doesn't have a religion. She told me her parents are letting her choose for herself. I am trying to teach her about Christianity and the Bible.  I have done as much as I can to try and lead her on the right path, including taking her to the christian-based camp my parents are directors of.  She has done pretty well, but I am scared that she, in the end, won't make the right decision.  I don't know what else I can keep doing to help save her. Do you have advice?

Sincerely, Being A Friend

Dear Being A Friend,

Everything that can be done, you are doing. You are open about your beliefs, you stand by your morals, you answer her questions, and you involve her in things that help influence her in a positive way. The rest is up to her.

When God made us, He made us in His image and gave us free will (Gen 1:27). That means that everyone has the right to choose the path of their life. You get to choose for yourself… and so does your friend. You can’t make her become a christian; all you can do is light the way (Matt 5:14). Your friendship is the most important friendship in her life because you are the one showing her how to get to heaven. She may listen to you; she may not… but either way, you are doing the right thing. Keep doing what you are doing. The only other thing you could do is pray for and about her, and then trust that God will take care of everything (Mk 11:24).

As long as she is happy to be your friend (and doesn’t try and force you to stop living a moral life), then be her friend. Some people take a long time to obey God. Paul was really stubborn (1 Tim 1:16), Peter was scared (Mk 14:67-68), and Thomas doubted (Jhn 20:24-25). Eventually, all three of them came around and did the right thing. Maybe your friend will be the same way.