I am twenty-years-old and have been trying to live a christian life for three years now.  It just seems like I can never get it right.  When I get rid of one ungodly habit, another rears its head.  I realize I have so many that I can't even find the strength to tackle them.  I have prayed and committed these things to Christ, and I know He's gonna come through.  My question is: how do I deal with constantly disappointing God?  I feel like I embarrass the kingdom whenever I behave a certain way (very argumentative, keeping malice, fornicating), and I hate that I hurt the God that came through for me when I was down in the pit.  Please pray for me as well. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Missing The Mark

Dear Missing The Mark,

Your struggle is the struggle of every christian.  As we seek to live godly lives, we are constantly confronted with our inadequacies.  It is a good thing that you are honest with yourself and with God about your faults; if you weren’t, you would deceive yourself, and the truth would not be in you (1 Jhn 1:8).  On the other hand, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and willing to forgive us (1 Jhn 1:9).

Ironically, only honestly imperfect people will be saved.  If you told us that you had stopped failing and no longer sinned, then you would be a liar, and God’s Word would have no place in your life (1 Jhn 1:10).

Christianity is not about being perfect – but about not giving up attempting to be perfect.  A faithful person is one that hears, learns, and attempts to apply God’s Word (Rom 10:17).  You will constantly fail in that struggle, but godly people pick themselves back up again and keep trying (Pr 24:16).  In essence, the victory of Christianity exists in never saying, “I quit!” or permanently returning to an ungodly life.  Continue to give your one hundred percent to repenting of the sin in your life – but understand that as long as you keep fighting – God keeps forgiving.

How do I find who wrote all the books of the Bible?

 

Sincerely,
Nom De Plume

Dear Nom De Plume,

Most of the books of the Bible tell us who wrote them, however some of the writers remain unknown.  Regardless of whose hand held the pen, the author of the entire Bible is God (see the post “Who Wrote The Bible?” for more details).  Here is a list of all the books of the Bible and the writers of each of them.  These writers are known because history tells us they wrote the books, or they are known because the books themselves mention who wrote them.  We have only included the names of the books that are not titled after the writers (i.e. we excluded the book of Isaiah because Isaiah wrote it, and the title makes the writer self-evident).

In the Old Testament:

• Genesis through Deuteronomy – Moses
• Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel – mostly written by Samuel
• 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles – Unknown
• Book of Esther – Unknown
• Book of Job - Unknown
• Psalms – mostly written by David
• Proverbs – mostly written by Solomon
• Ecclesiastes & Song of Solomon – Solomon
• Lamentations – written by Jeremiah

In the New Testament:

• Book of Acts – Luke
• Romans through Philemon – the apostle Paul
• Hebrews – Unknown
• Book of Revelation – The apostle John

A good Bible encyclopedia (such as the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) is a great resource for finding out who, when, and why all of the books of the Bible were written.  Finding out the context surrounding the books of the Bible is a tremendously helpful bit of knowledge that will help enrich your Bible study.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week All the New Testament in a year

5 minutes a day 5 days a week All the New Testament in a year

I have a question about how the Lord's money is spent; why do we spend it on the upkeep of a church building?  I don't really see any example of that in the Scriptures...

 

Sincerely,
Maintenance Crew

Dear Maintenance Crew,

The Bible never specifically addresses a congregation having a building, but it does command them to assemble together (Heb 10:25).  Whenever God commands us to do something, anything necessary to fulfill that command is also authorized.  For example, if you ask a child to go and get a glass of water, they are automatically authorized to go into the kitchen where the water and glasses are kept, even though the kitchen is never specifically mentioned in the command.

The church is commanded to assemble at least every first day of the week (1 Cor 16:1, Acts 20:7).  Every congregation must individually decide where that will be.  They may choose to meet in a house, a park, a rented hall… or they may choose to purchase and upkeep a building.  All of these are viable options that a congregation may decide to use.  The key is that they are required to assemble somewhere – it isn’t optional.  They must have somewhere to meet, and, therefore, must make a decision.  Whatever finances are needed for the upkeep, rental, or purchase of a meeting place for the congregation may come from the church’s treasury.