I know that God is the only one who is good, and I know that my understanding of God may not be complete due to the sin in my life, but I have a problem understanding something.  If I were a parent and I had a newborn son, what kind of environment would I create for him?  Would I create a living room with a couch, a coffee table, TV, etc...?  Would I provide food and drink, companionship, and love?  Of course, I would.  I would want the best for my child.  What kind of parent would you think I was if I put a loaded gun on the coffee table and then told my newborn son that he should not put the gun to his head and pull the trigger.  He can do anything else, but he cannot do this.  Of course, I would want him to listen to me and not blow his brains out.  Now, throw into the mix my hated enemy, allow him into the living room, and allow him to convince the child to pick up the gun.

Why did my Father put the tree in the garden and then let the evil devil into the garden to deceive Adam and Eve?  Why didn’t He protect them and us?  I am confused, and prayer is not helping.  Am I wrong to think of this, or is it my cross to bear?  Please help me.

Sincerely,
Gun Safety

Dear Gun Safety,

If God hadn’t put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil into the garden (Gen 2:9), Adam and Eve wouldn’t really have had free will… which is an integral part of what makes mankind “in the image of God” (Gen 1:27).  If Adam hadn’t had the opportunity to choose to do the wrong thing, he really wouldn’t have had the opportunity to choose to do the right thing either.  It is that choice that sets us apart from the animals.  God made it very clear to Adam and Eve what would happen if they ate of the tree – they would die (Gen 2:17).  Adam and Eve weren’t children; they were full-grown adults with highly developed intellects (consider the fact that Adam had the mental capacity to name all of the animals – Gen 2:20).

God gave Adam and Eve, fully responsible adults, the choice to listen to Him and live – or to ignore Him and die.  They chose death.  Eve knew what she was doing was wrong (Gen 3:2-3), as did Adam.  Their situation isn’t the same as your analogy of a gun with an immature child – these were adults.

Furthermore, God prepared beforehand a way back to Him for those who rebelled (Eph 1:5-6).  God allows us to choose, and through the blood of Christ, He allows us to choose to return to Him (1 Pet 2:25).

Can a person just ask for the gifts of the spirit or claim them?  How do you know if they are real?

Sincerely,
Trying To Be Gifted

Dear Trying To Be Gifted,

Real gifts of the Holy Spirit allowed people to perform real miracles.  In this context, a ‘miracle’ is defined as an act that is obviously supernatural in origin.  Examples of miracles are: raising people from the dead (Acts 9:40-41), healing leprosy (Lk 5:13), speaking in foreign languages without being taught (Acts 2:4-11), etc.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit were given to the apostles (Acts 2:1-4), and the apostles were able to pass on these gifts to others by laying their hands on them (Acts 8:18).  The apostles were the only ones with the ability to pass on the gifts.  Therefore, when the last person that the last living apostle laid hands on died… the gifts ceased to exist.  God intended for this to happen.

The miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were needed to spread the Gospel in the beginning.  Miracles were used as a proof that what the disciples said was truly God’s Word (Acts 8:6).  Jesus’ miracles proved that His preaching was true (Acts 2:22).  However, now we have a written account of both the miracles and the teachings, and we believe through the Bible, which records those miracles (Jhn 20:30-31).  The apostle Paul warned that eventually the miracles would cease because we would have the perfect Word of God (1 Cor 13:8-10).  You cannot receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit any longer.  Now, the only gift that the Holy Spirit offers us is salvation – and that is more than sufficient.

Doesn't the Bible (or Jesus) clearly state you must receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit in order to be saved or enter heaven?  If so, how do I receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

Sincerely,
Want To Be Holy

Dear Want To Be Holy,

You do not need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit in order to be saved.  In fact, the book of Acts gives a clear example of a group of people who were christians but hadn’t been baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:12-16).  The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a miraculous event that endowed people with miraculous abilities.  It happened to the apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), and it happened to Cornelius and his household when the first Gentiles were preached to (Acts 10:44-45).  Holy Spirit baptism doesn’t save you; water baptism is what saves you (1 Pet 3:21, Mk 16:16).  In fact, when Cornelius and his household were filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter said that they still needed to be baptized in water (Acts 10:46-48).  Holy Spirit baptism was a temporary miraculous gift used to spread the Gospel in the first century before we had the completed Bible, but now that we have a perfect Bible, there is no longer any need for miracles (1 Cor 13:8-10).  If you want to have your sins forgiven, you need to be baptized in water.  Read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” for further details.

The Bible tells us many times that God loves us.  So my question is: how could a God that loves us so much condemn anyone to eternal suffering in hell?  I believe that the vast majority of the world would say, "no" if you asked them if they are a christian.  By what the Bible tells us, that would mean that most people will go to hell.  It is very difficult for me to believe in a loving, caring God under those circumstances.  The parable of the sheep and goats is an even further discouragement.  Please help me out.

Sincerely,
That Fire Is Hot

Dear That Fire Is Hot,

God doesn’t condemn us to hell; He offers to save us from ourselves.  When God designed mankind, He made us in His image (Gen 1:26).  One result of that design is that all humans have eternal souls.  That is a positive thing.  God intended for Adam & Eve to never die and to always enjoy the blessings of fellowship with God in the garden (Gen 2:8).  Eden was a perfect situation, and it was our sin that destroyed that perfection.  Mankind sinned, and that sin causes us to die (Rom 6:23).  God gives us the freedom to choose to live or choose to sin; the fact that we all choose to sin is not His fault (Rom 5:12).  Heaven is a perfect place, and if God allowed sinful people into heaven, it would cease to be perfect.  Our actions and choices have condemned us.

God, however, wishes to save us from ourselves.  He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins (Jhn 3:16).  He provided us with the Bible, which shows us the path to receive salvation (Rom 10:17, Rom 1:16).  We should not blame God for those who go to hell any more than we should blame a doctor when his patient refuses to take their medication.  It is true that many people will go to hell (Matt 7:13), but God doesn’t desire that any should perish (Ezek 18:23).  God sent us a Savior in Jesus Christ, even though we didn’t deserve it (1 Jn 4:14).

My parents are great christians.  I've been raised in a happy home.  I'm not a christian yet.  How do I figure out if this sort of a commitment is right for me?  The thought of breaking my parents' hearts is almost too much to bear, but I need to be able to make this my own.  I feel like I should already have made this decision; I'm not a kid anymore.  What part of the Bible can I read, so that everything clicks?

Sincerely,
Under My Own Burden

Dear Under My Own Burden,

You know the commitment is right for you if you are unable to live with the consequences of not making the commitment to God.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Pr 1:7).  We often forget that not choosing to become a christian is a choice, too.  We either serve God, or we serve something else; we cannot have two masters (Matt 6:24).  The consequence of obeying God’s Word is salvation and life (Rom 1:16).  The consequence of not serving God is death (Rom 6:23).

There is no magic trick or single verse that makes Christianity “click” for us.  Commitment happens when we weigh the benefits of Christ against the “benefits” of serving ourselves.  After you have counted the cost (Lk 14:28) of service and the cost of not serving, you can make your decision.  Just remember, indecision eventually becomes a decision as well.  Lukewarm is as bad, if not worse, than outright disobedience (Rev 3:16).  We will all eventually die and face the judgment (Heb 9:27).  Will you have lived and prepared for that day?