I am reading about John the Baptist in Luke 1:15.  In this verse, it explains that the angel of the Lord tells Zacharias that his son, John, will be "filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb."

This made me wonder if during this time in history, both Jesus (God's Son) and the Holy Spirit were present upon the earth at the same time, leaving the Lord Father in Heaven alone, or does the idea of "omnipresent" fit in here?

Pardon me if this seems silly to ask, but when reading the Bible, I was lead to believe that in the beginning, God the Father walked upon the earth with Adam and Eve and spoke directly to them, but then, after mankind became so corrupt, He stepped away, and His Son, Jesus, came and walked among men.  Finally, now that we are under the New Testament, the perfect has come, the Bible and the Holy Spirit, which is our comfort in today's world.  So would it be correct to assume that the Scriptures show exceptions, such as in this case?  Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Looking For God

Dear Looking For God,

Yes, the idea of omnipresent is probably the answer in this case.  There is no doubt that The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct entities.  A great example of Their distinctness is seen at Jesus’ baptism.  The Father spoke from heaven, the Son came out of the water, and the Holy Spirit descended as a dove (Lk 3:21-22).  However, it is only the Son who took on permanent, finite, human form (Php 2:5-8).  The Father and the Holy Spirit are still completely omnipresent and omnipotent.

In fact, the Holy Spirit’s omnipresent ability is how He could fill John the Baptist with the Holy Spirit while also filling Jesus simultaneously.  He eventually also filled the apostles and many of the first century christians.  The Scriptures do say that the Holy Spirit was sent after Jesus’ ascension (Jhn 16:7).  However, we also know that even though the Holy Spirit is here, He is also in heaven making intercession for us as we pray (Rom 8:26-27).

Everything you said about the Father walking with Adam and Eve, Jesus walking among mankind, and the Holy Spirit being our Comforter is true, but that doesn’t mean that the other two Deity were excluded during those times.  The details of what God can do and where He goes are simply beyond us.  How God can be in all places at all times is a concept that is too much for us to comprehend.

I'm going through a pretty rough time right now, and I'm seriously considering taking my life.  My mental conditions have gotten too much for me... hence, my questions: what happens to you when you commit suicide?  Does God send you to Hell because you try for relief?  And part two: when I was a teen, I kinda lost it and cursed God’s name.  I know that was wrong, and I am very sorry.  Can I still be forgiven?  Or is that unforgivable?  Thank you for considering my question and for helping so many others.

Sincerely,
Without Hope

Dear Without Hope,

Suicide is murder.  Your question is akin to asking, “Would God send me to hell for murder?”  No matter the reasoning behind self-murder, it is still wrong.  No matter what your situation is – and we believe you when you say it is extremely rough right now – God is faithful, and He can see you through it (1 Cor 1:9).  There is always a way of escape available, even in the most difficult situation (1 Cor 10:13).  We may not always know how to move forward, but there is a way.  Jesus came to give us hope (Matt 12:21).  There is always hope as long as there is still breath in your body.

As far as your previous sin of cursing God, you can be forgiven.  The apostle Paul cursed God and blasphemed, and yet, God forgave him (1 Tim 1:13-15).  No sin is so great that you can’t start over.  We recommend you read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” and find a faithful congregation in your area to start a new life of hope with.  E-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will happily help get you in contact with a sound, Biblical congregation in your area.

I hear that 50% of pastors agree with living together before marriage; does that mean living together and being celibate?

Sincerely,
Data Digger

Dear Data Digger,

We cannot speak to what various religious leaders mean by “living together”, but we can say that it is wrong to live together before marriage… celibate or not.  The Bible’s teachings on that subject are very clear.  It is fornication to sleep with someone you aren’t married to (1 Thess 4:3).  Furthermore, it is a sin to do anything that has the appearance of evil – such as living with someone you aren’t married to (1 Thess 5:22).  On top of that, we are taught to flee from fornication; we should never put ourselves in a position that makes it easy to make the wrong choices (1 Cor 6:18).  The Biblical pattern is very clear – marriage is when a man and a woman should start their own household together (Mk 10:7).

I love my church, and I know the Bible tells me I'm supposed to be really close with my church family, but for some reason, I don't get along well with the people my age.  I have other friends, but none of them are christians, and I want to have a good relationship with the people I'm supposed to.  When I try to hang out with some of the people I think I might get along with, I feel like an annoyance, or they have other things going on.  I feel like I've been praying about it for years, but I still don’t have close relationships with any of them.  Is there anything I can do to make good solid relationships with my church family?

Sincerely,
In The Out-Crowd

Dear In The Out-Crowd,

There is no single neat answer to the question you have asked.  However, there are some general principles that you might consider.

1. Your friends don’t have to be your age.  Paul and Timothy had an exceptionally close relationship even though Timothy was a young man (1 Tim 4:12), and Paul was much older.  Despite their age difference, Paul and Timothy were of the same mind, and that made them close (Php 2:19-20).  Age is only one factor when trying to make friends.
2. Someone has to start friendships.  Our tendency in life is to wait for others to befriend us for fear of rejection.  However, all friendships start because someone behaved friendly (Pr 27:9).  Jesus was so loved because He reached out to others and befriended them (Matt 11:19).
3. There will always be some people that you are closer to than others.  The church is a family (Eph 2:19), and just like a biological family, everyone has different bonds with everyone else.  Everyone loves each other, but each intra-family relationship is unique.  Don’t feel that you have to be close to every person in your congregation.  Just making an effort to be involved with the group as a whole is the goal.
4. Friendships are built when we work together.  When every christian supplies what strength they have to the Lord’s work, relationships naturally begin to form because we are helping each other (Eph 4:16).  Friendships often form naturally when we simply decided to be as involved as possible.

Having said all of that, it isn’t always easy to make friends – even in the Lord’s church.  Do not grow weary in doing good; eventually, you will reap the benefits (Gal 6:9-10).

I am doing things right in my life, but I smoke.  I want to stop; I try.  I pray about it.  I try programs, but I cannot seem to stop.  Any ideas?

Sincerely,
Cigarette Cycle

Dear Cigarette Cycle,

Our primary focus at AYP is to address Bible questions, and therefore, we will try our best to give you direct Bible answers on how to quit smoking.  There are plenty of websites and resources that can give you more specific support as you quit smoking.  The truth is, we are probably not the best resource in this scenario.  We will stick directly to the best verses that apply.  God tells us several different things that we can do to quit a bad habit.

1. Don’t give up.  A righteous man falls, but he keeps getting back up (Pr 24:16).  A failure doesn’t become permanent until you let it.  Keep trying.
2. Admit your problem openly.  Confessing our sins to others has an immense impact upon us (Jas 5:16).
3. Get help from others.  Trying to do things alone, especially when we’ve failed before, is just too hard.  We are stronger when we enlist the help of friends and family (Eccl 4:9-12).
4. Replace the bad habit with a good habit.  It isn’t enough to simply stop something; that void must be filled with something else (Lk 11:24-26).
5. Make big and drastic choices if necessary.  Throw out all your cigarettes, give your spouse control of the finances, tell your kids to check your pockets when you come home, etc.  It may seem over the top – but sometimes, over the top is what needs to be done.  If it helps you remove the addiction, then it will be worth it (Matt 5:29).

Furthermore, continue to pray about it (as you said you have been doing); some bad habits take longer to break than others.  God says that any temptation can be overcome (1 Cor 10:13).  You can do it, but have peace while you are still trying.  We are all works in progress (1 Jn 1:9).