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

I do not have the Holy Ghost; does that mean I won’t go at the Rapture?

Sincerely, Left Behind

Dear Left Behind,

Your question assumes that “the Rapture” is a Biblical event, and it isn’t. This is a common misconception because of the prevalence of the false teaching of premillenialism (see this post for further details). Having said that, let’s still take a look at how someone receives the Holy Spirit.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit that allowed people to perform miracles was received through the direct laying on of hands of the apostles (Acts 8:17-18). This dwelling of the Holy Spirit no longer exists because it died off with the last person that the last apostle laid his hands upon.

Christians do have the Holy Spirit dwell in them (Rom 8:9) – but not literally. The Holy Spirit dwells in christians in the same metaphorical way that Christ dwells in christians (Rom 8:10). The Holy Spirit and Jesus do not physically dwell inside christians miraculously. They dwell within christians in a figurative way because a christian’s life follows the path the Holy Spirit and Christ set for them.

The Holy Spirit dwells in those that follow the Bible and put to death their previous sinful lifestyles (Rom 8:12-14). The Holy Spirit gave us the Bible, and when we follow it, we are led by the Spirit (see this post for further details). Those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God, and the Spirit dwells in them (Rom 8:14-16).

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

I have a question about playing video games (for example, war games that involve killing people to win war battles).  I know that these are just games, and I do like to play them, and I do not take them seriously.  I asked someone that was part of a church before, and he told me that it was not the same thing as a sin and that it was okay to play war games.  I think I might be taking sin too far when I think that I should not even play a video game, but I would like to know your opinion on the subject.

Sincerely, Pixel Killer

Dear Pixel Killer,

Playing video games is like many other forms of recreation – they are not inherently wrong, but they certainly can become wrong if abused. War video games come in all shapes and sizes. Some are ridiculously bloody and violent, others only moderately so. It isn’t wrong for a christian to enjoy playing battle-type games any more than it is wrong for boys to play “cops and robbers” in the backyard. The key to the whole thing is wisdom. It takes wisdom to decide when a video game has “crossed the line” into dark and disturbing realms. Video games like Grand Theft Auto (which portrays prostitution, theft, domestic violence, etc.) certainly qualify to be labeled as sinful, but not all video games are of that character.

Being a soldier isn’t an inherently sinful thing. John the Baptist taught that soldiers can be godly and that military life can be led righteously (Lk 3:14). So pretending to be a soldier while playing a video game isn’t inherently wrong either. The key is to make sure that you aren’t filling your mind with evil or dwelling upon ungodliness. God wants us to contemplate pure things (Php 4:8) and set our minds on heavenly, godly things (Col 3:2). Examine yourself and your habits to see whether that is the case for you (1 Cor 11:29-31).

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