Can someone be saved when they commit suicide?

Sincerely,
Mortal Curiosity

Dear Mortal Curiosity,

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.  It is a willful act of disobedience against God without opportunity for repentance.  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.

What is wrong with racial marriage?

Sincerely,
Color Blind

Dear Color Blind,

There is absolutely nothing wrong with interracial marriage.  First of all, we are all descendants of Adam and Eve (Gen 3:20), and, therefore, race is a moot point.  Secondly, in Christ, such things as race have no significance (Gal 3:27-28).  The only concern you should have when falling in love and marrying is whether or not they are “in the Lord”, i.e. a christian (1 Cor 7:39).

Where did race come from?

Sincerely,
Multicultural

Dear Multicultural,

All of mankind descended from Adam and Eve (Gen 5:1-2, Gen 3:20).  The word ‘race’ refers to a group of people that have a common ethnic background.  In the purest sense, we are all of the same race – the race of Adam.  However, today we have people that share various cultural and physical characteristics because their ancestors came from certain parts of the globe.  This ethnic diversity happened because God commanded the descendants of Adam to “go forth and multiply” (Gen 9:7).  After the flood of Noah’s day, God expected mankind to spread out and inhabit the whole earth (Gen 9:1).  Instead of doing that, Noah’s descendants decided to stay together and inhabit only a small portion of the globe – directly in contradiction of God’s command (Gen 11:1-4).  As punishment for this behavior, God scrambled their languages and made it so that they were unable to communicate with each other (Gen 11:7).  The people then scattered across the globe and created the various races we see today (Gen 11:8-9).

My wife and I have been married seven years.  She has a son in his early forties from a previous marriage.  He has had a roller coaster lifestyle.  He does not like to live by the rules.  He gets help for addiction to drugs and alcohol, does well for a while, and then falls back to his old ways.  She wants to continue to help him, and I think we should stop helping and let him grow up.  Now his girlfriend is pregnant and due soon. Neither of them has a job or income.  What should I do?

Sincerely,
Step-Dad

Dear Step-Dad,

The Bible solution is simple to say, but hard to do.  It is hard because when you do what the Bible says, your son will whine and cry and beg and manipulate and cajole and scream and… you get the idea.  The Bible simply says, “If a man will not work, neither let him eat” (2 Thess 3:10).  The most loving thing you can do for this man is to let him see what it is like to live without a safety net – no more hand holding, no more free money, and no more free rides.  When people figure out that they need to work in order to eat… they start working.  He won’t starve; there are thousands of food banks across America.  He won’t freeze; there are thousands of shelters across America.  He will learn to stand on his own two feet.  By no longer subsidizing his bad behavior, you and your wife can give him the gift of an actual life.

I am dealing with a tough sin; I refuse to give up in defeating it, but will God?

Sincerely,
Soldier

Dear Soldier,

God doesn’t give up on us; we give up on Him.  God tells us that if we repent and confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us (1 Jn 1:9).  Our heavenly Father is ready and willing to forgive (Ps 86:5).  He doesn’t desire anyone to perish (2 Pet 3:9).  If you are truly and honestly throwing your heart into defeating this sin, God won’t give up on you.  God provides us with many tools to help defeat sin, including prayer (Acts 8:22) and confiding in others (Jas 5:16).  Take advantage of these tools; put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:13-18), and you will be victorious.