(This question is a follow-up to “You Are Here”)

Thank you for your prompt response.  You were very clear and left no room for misinterpretation.  I am, however, concerned with the phrase "get used to it".  You are saying, if I understand you correctly, that not only do I exist without my consent, I am also subject to "authority" without my consent as well as confronted by only a singular resolution to this tyrannical situation.

If I am correct in this interpretation, then this 'being' I exist as would be little more than a prisoner, born unfree, to remain unfree, and to become free only in death.  Everyone else who has ever existed and will ever exist would also be 'prisoners'.

If you could answer another question, I would be very appreciative.  What objective reason exists for me to procreate if all I would be doing is choosing to doom my child to the same imprisonment that I myself suffer?

Sincerely,
Wish I Wasn’t Here

Dear Wish I Wasn’t Here,

You are a prisoner as much as a child is a prisoner of the parents that raise him/her.  There are always two ways to look at things.  You view life as “I don’t want to be here, and God is forcing me to exist and serve Him”.  We view life as “What a blessing that we can move and breathe and exist; God is so awesome for giving us life”.  You are only a prisoner in this life if you choose to view it that way.  To answer your question – if you are a prisoner and trapped in this life… you probably ought not to procreate.  However, we believe that it is a blessing to be made in the image of God (Gen 1:26) and that life is inherently good.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they introduced sin and death into this life, but God designed this world perfectly and gives us hope for a better future in Jesus (1 Cor 15:22).  We here at AYP don’t believe that God being our Master is a bad thing – we enjoy the blessings of having a loving Father to care for us.  Just like you would have rules for your hypothetical children, God has rules for us… rules that are meant to protect and bless us (Heb 12:9-10).

What if someone who is struggling with a sin and continues to fall but tries so hard… dies?

Sincerely,
I Try So Hard

Dear I Try So Hard,

When we die, we will be brought before the judgment seat of God (Heb 9:27).  Those who go to heaven will do so because they were faithful (Eph 2:8).  Being faithful doesn’t mean you have to be perfect – everyone has sinned (Rom 3:23).  However, a faithful life tries to remove sin and conquer it (Jas 4:8).  We couldn’t tell you what God would say to someone who struggled but continued to fail at defeating a sin because that isn’t our place to judge.  What we can tell you is that sometimes we fail to remove sin because we don’t really work hard enough to remove it.  Other times, sincerely faithful people struggle with the same sins their entire life.  The only safe thing to do is to keep trying and do whatever you can at whatever cost to exercise self-control and bring your life into subjection to God (1 Cor 9:25-27).

How do you explain the fact that I exist involuntarily?

Sincerely,
Wish I Wasn’t Here

Dear Wish I Wasn’t Here,

Everything is created involuntarily – get used to it.  A house has no say in whether it is built, a baby doesn’t get to decide when it is conceived, and a car doesn’t get to decide what model and make it will become… all of those things are decided by their respective creators.  One of the biggest problems with today’s society is that we believe that we are the masters of our own lives and that we should have a say in everything, but that simply isn’t true.  Everyone has masters they are subject to, whether it be an employer, a parent, or the government.  Everyone must accept that they have authorities that they are accountable to.  God is our Creator (Col 1:16-17), and we are subject to His laws and His standards.  We should be grateful that our Creator is such a loving, merciful, and benevolent Deity (1 Jn 4:10).  You have no say in when or where you are born – God appoints your days (Acts 17:26).  However, you do have a choice as to what you will do with your time here on Earth.  Choose the Lord and be blessed (Josh 24:15).

My son suffers from OCD, and in trying to deal with it, he tries to make deals with God.  For example, he said he made the deal that if he gave in to the problem, then God can let the devil taint his xBox.  Now, he won't play at all because he gave in and believes God has allowed his xBox to be tainted by the devil.  I've told him God doesn't work that way, but he won’t believe me.  Is there a biblical Scripture I can show him that will prove to him that God doesn't make deals?

Sincerely,
Perturbed Parent

Dear Perturbed Parent,

A little less time on the xBox isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but believing the devil has infected your electronics is probably a problem.  All joking aside, the best verse to cover this issue with your son is Matt 4:5-7.  When the devil tempted Jesus by taking Him to the top of the temple and daring Jesus to throw Himself down and prove that God could take care of Him, Jesus responded by saying, “Do not test the Lord your God”.  God makes the rules, not us (Isa 33:22).  Explain to your son that being faithful means that we trust God’s Bible.  It is God’s will that will be done, not ours (Jas 4:14).  God decides what our punishments will be, not us.

(This is a follow-up to “Destructive Force”)

Thanks for the answer about Exodus 12:23.  On this same Scripture, suppose that for whatever reason an Israelite doesn't or forgets to smear the blood of the lamb on the top and sides of their doorways.  Because of this, even though he or she is an Israelite, will he or she still suffer the plague sent by Jehovah?

Sincerely,
Friend Or Foe?

Dear Friend Or Foe,

Yes, if an Israelite didn’t obey God’s command to put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintel, they would have lost their firstborn son to the plague.  This is a great example of what faith really is.  As James says, faith without works is dead (Jas 2:17).  If an Israelite believed that the plague was coming, but didn’t work (i.e. place the blood around the door) to prepare for the plague, that belief wouldn’t save them.  Working faith is biblical faith.  It isn’t enough to just believe in God (even the demons believe – Jas 2:19).  We must act upon that belief in order to be saved.  God’s salvation is a gift that can’t be earned, but it is also a gift that we must respond to.  We are called to hear and do what the Word says (Jas 1:22).