Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ How is homosexuality against these laws?

Sincerely,
Love For All

Dear Love For All,

If you love God, you will do what He says, and God says that homosexuality is wrong (Jude 1:7).  Jesus told His disciples, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (Jhn 14:15).  We can measure our love for God by our willingness to keep His commandments.  Someone that says they love God, but disregards His Word – doesn’t truly love Him.

If I sin does God still love me?

Sincerely,
I Made A Mistake

Dear I Made A Mistake,

The Lord loves people but hates sin.  God tells us it is appropriate to be happy when evil is destroyed because it means righteousness is prevailing (Pr 28:28), but God also says that it pains Him when the wicked perish (Ezek 18:23).  God loves us so much that He sent His own Son to die for our sins (Jhn 3:16), but He hates sin so much that if we don’t take advantage of the forgiveness that is in Christ, God will separate Himself from us (Lk 13:27).  When we sin, God wants us to repent of that sin and come to Christ that we might be saved.  Read “Five Steps To Salvation” for what it takes to become a Christian and have your sins removed.

Is it mandatory to attend church to be saved?

Sincerely,
Absent

Dear Absent,

The Bible teaches that we shouldn’t forsake the assembly (Heb 10:24-25).  God designed the church so that each individual would be strengthened by the power of the whole (Eph 4:16).  God never wanted christians to try and serve Him without the support of a local church; that is why He commanded the church to assemble.  It is impossible to do God’s work without being a part of a local church.  If you would like help finding a faithful congregation in your area, e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

     Once you give your life to Jesus Christ, and your name is in the Book of Life, all your sins are washed away.  Does this mean we do not have Judgment Day since our sins are forgiven?

Sincerely,
Skip The Sentencing?

Dear Skip The Sentencing,

Several verses refer to the saints not being judged, but this doesn’t mean they won’t be at the judgment.  Jhn 3:18 and Lk 6:37 clearly state that Christians will not be judged.  In this context, ‘not judged’ means they won’t be condemned… but we will all face the judgment bar of God.  God is judge of all mankind (Heb 12:23), so everyone will be brought before Him for judgment (Eccl 3:17).  When you die, God will judge you (Heb 9:27).  When the Scriptures say that Christians won’t be judged, it is referring to the painful part of judgment – the punishment. Christians will be spared the punishment that all the wicked must endure (2 Pet 2:9).

     Are God and Jesus the same person or two separate people?

Sincerely,
Double Take

Dear Double Take,

The Father and Jesus aren’t the same.  They are both deity, but they are also unique beings.  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)