As a christian lady, would it be inappropriate to slap a worldly man in the face when spoken to in a provocative, evil manner?

Sincerely,
Talk To The Hand

Dear Talk To The Hand,

It would probably be best if you walked away.  The Lord tells us to turn the other cheek… not slap the other cheek (Matt 5:39).  Christians should never resort to violence to solve problems; that is the way of the world (Gen 6:11).  Christians should be known as peacemakers (Matt 5:9).  Be angry, but don’t let that anger turn into bad behavior (Eph 4:26).  Show them you are a lady by kindly and quietly removing yourself from such vulgar company.

Hello!  So I have a very strange question to ask.  You see, as a child, I tended to over do things, and well, not think ahead, although, I like to think I'm still young.  So, one night, while praying, and this was after learning about giving up things for the Lord, I promised something along the lines of being like the Virgin Mary and never getting involved in sexual acts.  Ever.  Now, I fully plan on waiting ‘til marriage.  That's not an option for me to not wait.  But my question is, what should I do?  I made this promise to the Lord, but I did not remotely know what I was promising.  I believe I was only eight or nine.  Should I keep it or trust in the Lord that He understands?

I have been wondering about this for a very long time, and any advice and guidance will be very welcome!  Thank you so much, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Sincerely,
Waiting

Dear Waiting,

Children make promises all the time that they are not legally bound to because... they are children.  God says that children have foolishness bound up in their hearts (Pr 22:15).  Eccl 5:4-5 makes it clear that a vow is a very sacred and binding thing, but that verse applies to adults.  Children are still under the authority of their parents (Eph 6:1) until they reach adulthood.  They don't have the authority to make such grave and long-term commitments as you did.  If an eight or nine-year-old vowed to give all of their money for the next fifty years to the poor... the parents' will and wisdom would supersede that charitable, innocent, and foolish promise.  Your situation is the same.  In Num 30:1-5, we see that in the Old Testament, God specifically said that children didn't have the power to make and keep vows that their parents disagreed with.  We here at AYP are pretty sure that this would count as one of those kinds of vows.

What is the difference between the soul and spirit?  I am assuming that the soul encompasses the whole body and is not in the mind somewhere.  If your feelings are emotions, can this be your soul or spirit?  I do not understand the difference between these two words and if they have an invisible place in the body.

Sincerely,
Soul Searching

Dear Soul Searching,

The words ‘soul’ and ‘spirit’ are used interchangeably in almost every circumstance.  There is only one verse that points to the fact that there is a difference between your soul and your spirit.  In Heb 4:12, it says that the Bible can pierce even to the divide between soul and spirit.  Apparently, there is a difference between your spirit and your soul… but we have absolutely no idea what that difference is.  As we said, in every other verse, those two terms are used as synonyms.  We could theorize for hours on the topic, but anything we said would simply be conjecture.  As far as we can tell from Scripture, both terms are used to talk about that ungraspable spark of life (where? – we have no idea) in every human that exists even after death.

I am fifty-two-years-old and have met someone.  We were both in previous long-term relationships.  We have been very good friends for about four years and started dating about four weeks ago.  Her relationship was for fifteen years in which she and he had lived together but never married.  She now has concerns about pre-marital sex in our relationship.  She feels strongly that it is immoral.  I believe in God but do not attend church.  I don’t understand why there seems to be a double standard.  Advice?

Sincerely,
A New Flame

Dear A New Flame,

Regardless of what this woman’s previous lifestyle was, sexual relations outside of marriage are wrong (1 Cor 7:2).  There is a double standard – her previous standard and her current standard… which is the right one.  We will give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she has repented for the previous fifteen years of sinful living and has faithfully decided to flee fornication (1 Cor 6:18).

You state that you “believe in God, but do not attend church”.  Do you believe in the Bible?  Do you believe the Bible is God’s Word?  If the Bible is God’s Word, then you need to be attending a faithful church (Heb 10:24-25).  These are questions that are very important to answer because they will affect your eternal existence.  We recommend you read through some of the posts in our EVIDENCES category in the archives.  There is immense evidence that God wrote the Bible, that we must obey the Bible in order to go to heaven, and that hell is a very real and terrifying place.  You have done well in believing in God, and we urge you to not stop there.

Is watching pornography a divorce-able behavior?

Sincerely,
Looking For A Lawyer

Dear Looking For A Lawyer,

Though Matt 5:28 says that lusting after a woman is definitely a sin, it is discussing the attitude of lust and that it is the same as committing adultery in your heart.  The actual act of adultery hasn’t happened, but the attitude behind it exists.  If a wife/husband could divorce their spouse for thinking lustful thoughts, then we should also throw everyone angry with others in jail for murder (Matt 5:21-22).
The Bible makes it clear that the act of adultery involves two people becoming one flesh (1 Cor 6:16), and it involves more than just an act of the mind, but an act of the body (1 Cor 6:18).