Does God put circumstances in front of us to teach us lessons (be they good or bad)?  I am beginning to believe He does out of love.

Sincerely,
Life Lessons

Dear Life Lessons,

Yes, God does discipline us through circumstances in our lives, and He does do it out of love.  Heb 12:6 says that if God loves you, He will discipline you as His child.  Heb 12:9 compares God to an earthly parent that chastens his children, so they will grow and learn.  God, as our heavenly Father, does the same.  All discipline brings pain, but that sorrow eventually leads to growth and maturity (Heb 12:11).  God disciplines us out of love and with the specific goal of leading us to maturity and heaven (Heb 12:10).

Luke 24:1-12 is the story about the women finding the empty tomb of Jesus. The Scripture identifies the women as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James.

Women were the first ones to discover that Jesus had risen.  I was wondering how this speaks to the value of women in God's eyes and within Christianity. Also, even though the women did discover this first, it didn't seem important until Peter came and discovered that Jesus was gone.

Sincerely, Femininely Focused

Dear Femininely Focused,

Women are given great value within the Scriptures – exactly the same value as men. Indeed, it was women that first found the empty tomb (Lk 24:1-2). Entire books are written about faithful women (Book of Ruth & Book of Esther). Several women are listed in Hebrews chapter 11, the ‘hall of faith’ chapter (Heb 11:11, Heb 11:23, Heb 11:31). The fact that the news of Christ’s empty tomb didn’t begin to spread until His apostles began spreading the word of it, doesn’t make the tender act of the women bringing spices to His grave any less meaningful. His apostles’ report of an empty tomb would have carried more weight than anyone else’s.

The Bible is clear that men and women have different roles within the church. Men are to lead the congregation as elders and deacons (1 Tim 3:2, 1 Tim 3:12). Women are to teach in more private settings and by their godly demeanors (Tit 2:3, 1 Tim 2:9-10). Husbands are to lead their families in sacrificial Christ-like love (Eph 5:25), and wives are to bind together their families by their respect for their husbands and love for their children (Tit 2:4, Eph 5:24). Yet, in all these differences, God makes it clear that neither male nor female is greater than the other (1 Cor 11:11-12). They are equals and joint-heirs of salvation in Christ (1 Pet 3:7).

We are instructed not to take the name of the Lord in vain, but can the word ‘god’ really be considered the Lord’s name? We do not know how to pronounce the Lord’s name, so we refer to the Lord as ‘God’, ‘Father’, and ‘Lord’, but aren’t those just classifications? God is what the Lord is; Father is His relationship to us (as is Lord), so should we consider those the name of God or just classifications for Him?  I know this doesn’t apply to Jesus or the Holy Spirit, for we are given Their names, and we know how to pronounce Them.

Sincerely, Name Recognition

Dear Name Recognition,

There is more to treating God’s name as holy than just avoiding the word ‘Yahweh’. It is true that the Jews didn’t pronounce the name ‘Yahweh’ (the name God gives Himself when He talks with Moses – Ex 3:13-14), considering it to be such a holy name that it was best left unsaid. The technicality of not being able to pronounce a particular Hebrew word is missing the point though.

The command to not use the Lord’s name in vain comes from Ex 20:7, otherwise known as the Ten Commandments (Ex 34:28). This is an Old Testament verse, but it is just as applicable to New Testament Christians because the concept is reiterated in the New Testament as well. Not using His name in vain is about more than just God’s technical name of ‘Yahweh’; it is about treating God as holy. Peter said it best when he said that you and I are to “show forth the excellencies of Him who called you” (1 Pet 2:9). We are to treat God with reverence (Heb 12:9). You would never use your parents’ names as swear words or exclamations of disdain. You would never speak ill of your friends or treat their names as bywords and cursing. When you say ‘God’ or ‘Lord’, everyone knows who you are referring to. Be very careful that you only use His name with the utmost respect. Sanctify all the names and terms you use for God as holy (Lk 1:49). God will not be mocked (Gal 6:7); if we don’t treat Him with respect and admiration – no technicality of pronunciation will save us on the Judgment.

I was reading in the Old Testament about the guy who said he'd kill whatever came out of his house first when he got home from war.  Then his daughter came out, and he had to kill her to keep his promise.  Does that mean a promise is more important than human life?

Sincerely, Vowing to Find the Truth

Dear Vowing to Find the Truth,

No, what it means is that if you don’t know your Bible, you can do really stupid things – like kill your kid and think you are serving God.  The story you are thinking of is Jephthah and his daughter (Judg 11:30-36).  Jephthah was one of the judges in Israel.  It is important to remember that when the Bible is recounting history, it tells the whole story of man.  Just because the Bible says somebody did something doesn’t mean God is condoning it.  David committed adultery, Paul killed Christians, Peter denied the Lord, etc.  When God recounts history, He even includes the stupid things people do.

Jephthah made a rash vow in promising to kill whatever came out of his door first (Judg 11:31).  God tells us that it is a very foolish thing to do (Eccl 5:2).  James points out that a wise man bridles his tongue (Jas 3:2), and Solomon points out that even a fool can look wise when he shuts his mouth (Pr 17:28).  Jephthah made a ridiculous vow and then made a horrible decision in following through with it.

If only Jephthah had read his Bible!  If he had, he would have known the right thing to do.  God told people who made rash vows to confess their sin and make a sacrifice to God for their sin (Lev 5:4-6).  Instead, Jephthah tried to fix one wrong by committing an even more heinous wrong: murder (Deu 5:17).  Jephthah is just another example of how much damage is caused when we don’t learn, study, and live by God’s Word.

[This question is a follow up to “A Spirit Conflicted”)

     Is the Spirit some sort of energy force?  Can energy be spiritual?  I have sensed/felt a presence that enveloped all of me, yet I couldn’t define it as other than a sensed experience.  Later, I knew it was God (without a doubt).  The experience left me but not my mind.  Does God give us a conscience, and is it Him within us?

Sincerely,
A Lot On My Mind

Dear A Lot On My Mind,

God does give everyone a conscience, and it is a very common mistake to confuse the voice of your conscience for the voice of God.  Your conscience is that part of you that makes you feel good when you do what you believe is right, and it makes you feel bad when you do what you believe is wrong.  Sometimes, what you believe to be right is actually wrong or what you believe to be wrong is actually right. 
The Bible clearly teaches that we should attempt to learn and increase in knowledge, so we can better discern between good and evil (Heb 5:14).

You can’t trust your conscience as a direct communication with God because God is never wrong, but your conscience definitely can be!  For example, take the apostle Paul.  Paul said that he had a clear conscience… even though he had attempted to kill Christians (Acts 23:1).  The reason Paul could have a clean conscience after doing such reprehensible things is because when Paul did them, he did them in ignorance (1 Tim 1:13).  As soon as Paul realized that he was sinning, he changed.

The Holy Spirit isn’t an energy force that resides within us and speaks to us directly.  The Holy Spirit is an actual divine Being, just as much as Jesus and the Father.  Read “Father, Son, & Holy Spirit” for a detailed breakdown of who each member of the Godhead is.  The Bible is the tool God uses to bring us salvation (Rom 1:16).  God never says that we should expect to feel His presence in some sort of miraculous way.