Was there a woman in the Bible that taught men the Word?

Sincerely,
Teacher At Heart

Dear Teacher At Heart,

We have the example of Priscilla teaching and converting (Acts 18:24-26).  There is nothing wrong with a woman trying to teach and convert a man to Christ… but we must also remember that she does not have the authority to teach or have authority over men in the public church setting (1 Cor 14:34-35).  1 Tim 2:12 specifically prohibits Christian women from teaching Christian men in a congregational forum.  Women are not supposed to serve as public teachers in the worship service because men have the responsibility to lead the church in public teaching.  Elders (Tit 1:5-6), deacons (1 Tim 3:12), and preachers (2 Tim 2:2) are all required to be men.
The world has been changed by godly women standing up for the truth and living godly lives.  Paul mentions women ministering to others’ needs in Php 4:3, Rom 16:1, and Rom 16:3 – just to name a few.  We have the example of Lydia being a servant to the church (Acts 16:14).  We don’t know exactly what the women of Php. 4:2-3 were doing to help Paul, but we know they were working hard.  The church is full of women that are faithful, zealous, and valued servants.

     How do you save someone from themselves?

Sincerely,
Lifeguard

Dear Lifeguard,

You can’t.  All you can ever do is provide people with answers, but it is up to them if they want to do anything about it.  As the old adage goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”  Jesus even warns that we shouldn’t waste time trying to change people who don’t want to change.  He compared helping that type of person to throwing valuable pearls into a pig pen… the pig won’t value the pearls; he’ll just destroy them (Matt 7:6).
If Jesus, the perfect master teacher, couldn’t save everyone, we need to accept that we can’t either.  Anyone can change, but they have to want it for themselves.

     God bless you, brethren.  If I confront someone about their sin, am I passing judgment on them?  I mean, I myself am not perfect, so how can I who am not perfect confront someone about mistakes they're making?  And how does Jesus' saying about removing the speck from your brother’s eye tie into this?

Sincerely,
Avoiding Judgment

Dear Avoiding Judgment,

In Jhn 12:48, Jesus said that the Word of God is what judges mankind, and in Matt 7:1-2, we are told to be very careful about what we use as our standard of judgment.  If we are constantly judging people based upon our own personal opinions or arrogance, that is wrong.  However, the Bible commands us to judge with righteous judgment (Jhn 7:24).  When Jesus said to make sure to take the plank out of your own eye before trying to take the speck out of your brother’s eye (Matt 7:3-5), He was addressing the arrogant attitude that sees only other people’s faults, but not your own.  We are told to be honest about our own sins, and only then can we humbly seek to help others confront theirs.  If we had to be perfect before we could condemn others’ sins, we would never be able to say anything!  However, we aren’t told to be perfect; we are told to be humble and use the Bible as our standard for righteous judgment.

     Why is it beneficial to not have sex before your wedding?

Sincerely,
Why Knot?

Dear Why Knot,

It is always beneficial to do what God says and to avoid sin because sin leads to spiritual death and immense problems in this life (Rom 6:23).  Sex before marriage is a sin.  From the very beginning, God designed marriage as the realm for sexual relations (Gen 2:24).  1 Cor 7:1-2 states that any relations outside of marriage are fornication.  God tells us to flee all fornication (1 Cor 6:18).  Even though sexual immorality is rampant in our culture and accepted by our society, that doesn’t make it right.  Christians are called to honor God and honor marriage by leaving the marriage bed pure and undefiled (Heb 13:4).

     If you believe in God and commit suicide, would you go to hell?

Sincerely,
Damage Calculator

Dear Damage Calculator,

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.