John 6:44 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” I pray for people who are lost. Does not this verse clearly tell us we must pray for God to draw them to Jesus? Do we think we're special? “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.” - (2 Cor 4:4). What are your thoughts?

Sincerely, Praying For The Lost

Dear Praying For The Lost,

It is true that we should pray for the lost, but you misunderstand Jhn 6:44. When Jesus says, “No one can come unless the Father draws him,” you are assuming He means that the Father draws people through some direct miraculous intervention. In the very next verse, Jesus explains that God draws people to Him through teaching and learning. God’s chosen tool to bring salvation to mankind is His Word (Rom 1:16). It is true that the devil has blinded people (2 Cor. 4:4), but he blinds them through deceiving and lying to them (Rev 12:9).

There is an immense need for more prayer among God’s people. We should pray that the Word of God finds good soil in honest and good hearts (Lk 8:11-15)… hearts that are open to God’s Word, so that when they hear it, they will believe and obey (Rom 10:17).

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

What does the Bible say about genetic predispositions to sin? Isn't it true that we are all tempted equally but in different ways?  Isn't this a slippery slope? Wouldn't a child molester be able to use this thin defense?

Sincerely, Victim Mentality

Dear Victim Mentality,

People have predispositions toward different types of sin. It takes only a short observation of people’s personalities to see that everyone is different. We all have unique struggles and temptations. Peter struggled to confess Christ (Matt 26:75). David struggled with lust (2 Sam 11:2). Paul struggled with being stubborn (Acts 26:14). Thomas struggled with doubt (Jhn 20:24-25). One brother might struggle with keeping his temper, while another never has that problem.

These predispositions don’t remove responsibility. Peter was condemned for denying Christ, and then Peter grew to have the courage to preach Christ (Acts 2:14). Judas had the same problem of denying Christ, and he never repented (Acts 1:25). Everyone has a choice. We are not all tempted equally. I have no doubt that Jesus had much stronger temptation in His life than we ever will. We are, however, never tempted beyond what we can bear, and God always provides a way of escape from sin (1 Cor 10:13). There is no excuse for living a sinful life (Rom 2:1-2).

I was talking to my brother who told me that the Bible we use now was constructed by the Catholics, and they left out numerous books and stories. When I said that it was probably stories that the other prophets covered, he said that they left one out about Jesus killing sparrows and a boy and then bringing them back to life in "Thomas' Gospel of Infancy":

"Later he was going through the village again when a boy ran and bumped him on the shoulder. Jesus got angry and said to him, "You won't continue your journey." And all of a sudden, he fell down and died."

I'm trying to make sense of this because I know the Bible is true, but was it constructed by false christians? And if so, is it still pure, true, and the whole Word of God? Please help me.

Sincerely, Truth Only Please

Dear Truth Only Please,

The books that your brother referred to are called ‘apocryphal’ books. An apocryphal book (apocrypha means hidden) is a book that was rejected from the Bible because it was considered inauthentic. These books are not written by God and never were accepted by God’s people as divinely inspired. The Bible was not constructed by Catholics, but that is a common misconception. The most famous historical document that includes the entire list of all the New Testament books was written at the Nicene Council in 325 AD. The Nicene Council is considered to be one of the defining moments that led to the formation of the Catholic church, and therefore people say that Catholics constructed the New Testament. It just isn’t true though.

The Nicene Council did write down a list of the New Testament books, but they didn’t create that list – they just reiterated what people had already known and accepted for a couple hundred years. Most of the New Testament books were written as letters to different congregations that personally knew the apostles and prophets that wrote the letters. Paul would even mention his penmanship as being distinctive (Gal 6:11). Those churches were able to tell the difference between a letter that was actually written by an apostle and one that was a forgery. The church of the first century collected, copied, and distributed these letters just as God intended (Col 4:16, 1 Thess. 5:27). Well before Catholicism showed up on the scene, the books of the Bible were uniformly accepted, and the apocryphal books had been rejected. God made sure that His Word was properly preserved and established.