I hear people say Jesus is God; I also hear He is God’s Son; then I hear He is both... so who is Jesus besides just our Savior?

Sincerely,
Begin At The Beginning

Dear Begin At The Beginning.,

There are three parts to the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  This is most easily seen in Matt 3:16-17.  When Jesus was baptized, the Father spoke from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended as a dove.  Each of them is eternal (they were all at the creation – Gen. 1:1, Gen. 1:2, Col 1:15-17).  John 1:1 specifically says that Jesus is Deity.  Jesus is different than the Father, but He is part of the Godhead.  Jesus even said that He had always existed (Jhn 8:58).  The apostles worshipped Jesus as God (Jhn 20:28).

Jesus was also God’s son because He was given a physical body by God (Heb 10:5, Matt 1:18).  Jesus also obeyed the Father as a son would obey (Jhn 5:19).  Jesus was also the firstborn Son because He is the firstborn of the church – God’s children (Rom 8:29).  Jesus is completely deity, but He also has a unique role as the only member of the Godhead to have also lived in the flesh (1 Tim 3:16).

      Are our experiences a gift from God to learn about God and give Him the glory?  How does God use us in our life?

Sincerely,
Life Lessons

Dear Life Lessons,

If we place our trust in the Lord, everything can be a positive experience – there is a reason we are told to rejoice in the Lord always (Php 4:4).  God tells us that we can even rejoice in tribulations (Rom 5:3) because eventually, if we suffer faithfully, our tribulations produce indestructible hope… a hope that cannot be taken away from us.  God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him (Rom 8:28).  A christian can always say, “I am better for having been through it.”  On the other hand, if we are outside of the Lord, there are no guarantees that things will turn out well… just one more reason to build your life upon the Lord.

      Can God hear me even when I’m not praying?

Sincerely,
Cone Of Silence

Dear Cone Of Silence,

Jer 17:10 and Rom 8:27 say that God searches our minds and hearts.  God knows what you are thinking.  However, God still tells us that He wants us to pray to Him (1 Thess 5:17).  Just like a parent may know what their children want before they ask, they still want to hear them articulate themselves.  God knows our minds but wants us to take the time to ask of Him and express our thanks (Col 4:2).

     I was in a low place, and I made a promise to God that if He would help me with the situation, I would give up something.  I have stayed in the right for a few months now, but I am not sure that I can keep the promise for a lifetime.

I know it is best not to promise if we cannot keep it, but I did make the promise, and I’m conflicted.

Any advice?  Will the Lord forgive me?

Sincerely,
Promise Keeper

Dear Promise Keeper,

Jesus tells us that our word is binding and that our ‘yes’ should mean ‘yes’ and our ‘no’ should mean ‘no’ (Matt 5:37).  We are warned that we should perform our vows to the Lord (Ps 76:11).  Eccl 5:4-5 makes it clear that if we make a promise before God – we need to stick with it.  Can you be forgiven if you made a promise and then failed? Yes (1 Jn 1:9), but if you made a promise to God and now simply want out of it because it is more difficult than you thought it would be… that’s a different story.  God takes our promises seriously, and we need to as well.

What is the first commandment of God?

Sincerely,
Beginning At The Beginning

Dear Beginning At The Beginning,

Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt 22:37-38).  In the Ten Commandments, the first commandment is “you shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex 20:2).  The first commandment a child is given by God is “honor your father and mother” (Eph 6:2).  Each of these are first commands from God.