Can one christian cause or contribute to another christian’s wrongdoing… or dishonor that person’s mother and father and convince that person that what they are doing is right… and if it was wrong, would God let that person know?

What does the Bible say about this matter?

Sincerely,
Who’s To Blame?

Dear Who’s To Blame,

The Bible says to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12).  You cannot control what your relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. tell you or choose to do themselves.  All you can do is control yourself.  Eventually, everyone will be held accountable for the decisions they make in their lives (Heb 9:27).  The key is to make sure that you live as the Bible teaches... you can't control everyone else.

Why do Catholics pray to Mary?  I have read articles that say they pray to her as an intercessor, but I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that says to do this.  How do they justify this Biblically?

Sincerely,
Who’s That Girl?

Dear Who’s That Girl,

Praying to or through Mary is wrong.  Technically speaking, Catholics are not taught to pray to Mary – but to ask Mary to intercede on their behalf before God.  Catholicism teaches that Mary (and other Catholic saints) have more “clout” with God than us, and therefore, Catholics are instructed to ask these Catholic-appointed saints to pray for them.  Having said all that, many Catholics are confused about their own doctrine and do, in fact, pray directly to Mary.  Either behavior is in direct contradiction to the Bible.

Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God (1 Tim 2:5).  We pray to the Father through Jesus… not through Mary or any other Catholic figure.  We are told to confidently approach God directly (Heb 4:16).  We should ask of God and pray to Him through the name of Jesus (Jhn 14:13-14).  Praying to (or through) Catholic saints is sinful.

[This question is a follow-up to “A Thanksgiving To Remember”]

Why is it so important to apologize to others?  I know it is important to apologize to God… but other people when they do you wrong also?  Why can't others just forget about it, sweep it under a rug so to speak?

Sincerely,
Get Over It

Dear Get Over It,

It is important because God says it is important (Lk 17:4).  Confessing our sins to one another is part of the growth process that God expects us to go through (Jas 5:16).  Heb 10:24 says that we need to consider one another… and that is part of what apologizing is.  An apology shows that you have considered the feelings of the other person after you have wronged them.  Admitting we are wrong is a sign of maturity and humility (Matt 23:12).  Love seeks the benefit of the other person (1 Cor 13:5) – apologizing helps those we have hurt to heal.

I have got a question about “we reap what we sow”.  I can’t seem to understand this.  It seems that if this were true… how come some people that are really "bad or sinful" get really great lives and seem to have such great luck while some people give to the needy and help people all their lives and always seem to have bad things happen to them?  It would seem that this “we reap what we sow” would not let that happen.  Sometimes I would see someone (for example) lie to get a job, and I would think that one day it would come back to bite them, but after years of them getting everything (it seems all that they ever wanted), I start to wonder.  I do believe in “we reap what we sow”, but I just don’t understand why it only seems to work for some people.  I’m sure this is a question a lot of people wonder about; that is another reason why I am asking it.  Thanks and God bless!

Sincerely,
Small Harvest

Dear Small Harvest,

It is a question that a lot of people ask, and the answer is “consider their latter end”.  In Ps 73:3-12, the psalmist, Asaph, ponders why it is that wicked people prosper and the righteous are downtrodden.  The question vexed him deeply because his enemies succeeded while he, a godly man, was constantly in pain (Ps 73:13-14).  Eventually, Asaph went to the temple and thought about the end of a wicked man’s life (Ps 73:16-17).

A life of wickedness is a slippery slope – one lie leads to another until all you have is a tangle of lies and deception (Ps 73:18).  The wicked man has no peace because he is totally dependent upon his own strength and wiles for success… every moment of life is lived upon a precipice (Ps 73:19).

Contrast that life to one of a righteous man.  God holds the hand of the righteous, so they will not despair (Ps 73:23), and God is a righteous man’s counselor and friend (Ps 73:24).  Ultimately, the righteous go to heaven, and the wicked spend eternity in hell (Ps 73:25).

It may seem like wicked people prosper, but eventually, their wickedness becomes their downfall.  Sometimes their sins take years to catch up with them (pay attention to some of the latest headlines in politics and Hollywood), but they always do.  If a man becomes wealthy through evil… he may have money, but he won’t have peace.  As Pr 15:17 points out, a wealthy feast filled with hatred isn’t nearly as enjoyable as a humble meal eaten with loving friends.  Financial prosperity is not synonymous with happiness.  Gal 6:7 is always true… but you and I may not always see the sorrow and suffering that goes on behind closed doors.

Why did God create the universe?

Sincerely,
Big Picture

Dear Big Picture,

God created the universe for His enjoyment and His glory (Col 1:16-17).  God makes it clear that before He made even one molecule of the universe, He planned to offer salvation to mankind (Eph 1:4).  His plan was that all mankind would be offered the opportunity to spend eternity with Him through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:5).  God created the earth, so we might live on it, choose Him, and spend eternity as His children.