In the book of Acts, when Peter gives his first sermon, he concludes it by saying, "Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Just what is the gift of the Holy Spirit?

Sincerely, Wrapped Up In The Question

Dear Wrapped Up In The Question,

The gift of the Holy Spirit is salvation. In Acts 2:38, Peter offers the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who are baptized. The problem is that in this verse, Peter doesn’t specify whether the gift is from the Holy Spirit or the gift is the Holy Spirit. We need to compare Peter’s sermon in Acts to other verses. What do other verses say you receive when you are baptized?

1. Mk 16:16 says you will receive salvation.
2. Acts 8:16 shows that several people had been baptized but hadn’t received the Holy Spirit – which means that the Holy Spirit can’t be what the gift is.
3. Acts 10:47 shows several people receiving the Holy Spirit before baptism, also proving that the gift of baptism isn’t the actual Holy Spirit.
4. Rom 6:4 says you are given a new life through baptism.
5. 1 Cor 12:13 says that you become part of the church when you are baptized.
6. Col 2:12 says you are raised with Christ in baptism.
7. Gal 3:27 says you put on Christ when you are baptized.
8. 1 Pet 3:21 says baptism saves you.

The truth can always be found in the sum of God’s Word (Ps 119:160). Baptism washes away your sins, and you receive the gift of salvation. The gift of salvation is a heavenly gift offered to us by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God (Heb 6:4, 1 Cor 2:11-13).

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

At what age should a parent talk to their child about the male/female relationship? It seems like public schools push the issue as soon as possible, but I would rather give my children God's viewpoint before they are exposed to the world’s viewpoint on what is appropriate behavior. When should this discussion take place, and what would be the best way to approach it?

Sincerely, Us Against The World

Dear Us Against The World,

Talk to your children about male/female relationships as soon as possible – in an age appropriate way. A three year old can understand that married people raise babies and that marriage is for life. Obviously, you would avoid the specifics until they are older. The Scriptures tell parents that they should be discussing life lessons with their children whenever the opportunities present themselves (Deu 11:19). You simply scale the lessons based upon age and maturity.

The world is your classroom! Use every circumstance possible to explain (in an age appropriate way) how your children should act as they get older, including how to act toward the opposite gender.

1. Even the youngest child can learn to dress modestly (1 Tim 2:9).
2. The sanctity of marriage can be taught to all ages (Mk 10:7).
3. Be sure to teach the importance of only marrying a godly spouse (1 Cor 7:39, Pr 31:10).
4. Teach them not to worry about rushing romance (Songs 3:5).
5. Show them how wives need love and husbands need respect (Eph 5:33).
6. Explain male and female roles in marriage (Tit 2:4-5, 1 Tim 5:8).

All of these lessons are a thousand times more important than the details of a sex education class found in the school system. Train them how to be adults now, and they will be ready when they get there (Pr 22:6). As topics come up naturally, explain to them God’s teachings on the subject. Every child is different, so the teaching will look different every time. But be like Philip; ask them questions (Acts 8:30-31), answer their questions (Acts 8:34), and start the teaching from wherever they are (Acts 8:35).

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

My boyfriend says that pastors are wrong when they say, “Give 10% in tithes."  He says that the Bible says 1/10^th. His argument: the dictionary defines ‘one tenth’ as ‘one part of ten’, and ‘10%’ is defined as ‘10 parts per hundred’, thus meaning that 1/10^th is actually smaller. So in all actuality, we should only give:

1cent, $1, $10, $100, etc. (not) 2 cents, $1.54, $12.25, $149, etc.

What he does is if he makes $487.00, he'll put $40.00 into his tithe envelope and another $10.00 into the offering plate going over the 10% anyway. When I ask why argue when you put in over the percentage anyways, he says it's not about the money; the preachers may or may not know the difference, but he does, and it's about facts. Is this true?

Sincerely, By The Numbers

Dear By The Numbers,

Your boyfriend is missing the point and using a modern definition for an ancient word. If I understand your boyfriend’s argument (and I’m not sure I do) it revolves around rounding numbers and an American dictionary. His point is that there is a difference between 1 part per ten and ten parts per hundred. This may be true in certain chemistry and technical applications, but it is not true in the normal usage of 1/10^th. Tithe does mean 1/10^th. It is a fraction. Ask any math teacher how to find 1/10^th of something, and they will tell you to divide by ten. The Old Testament doesn’t use an American dictionary for its word definitions, so the parts per hundred and parts per ten argument doesn’t hold water.

Having said all of that, tithing is an Old Testament Jewish practice, not a command for New Testament christians. Your boyfriend and your pastor are arguing about something that doesn’t even apply to christians! See this post for more details about tithing, and see this post for details about finding a faithful church. Though 10% is a good ‘rule of thumb’ for how much to give, the Biblical commandment for christians is to ‘give cheerfully’ and as you have ‘purposed in your heart’ (2 Cor 9:7)... which it sounds like your boyfriend has been doing. If the leadership of your church doesn’t understand the difference between Old Testament and New Testament teachings – they probably aren’t paying very close attention to their Bibles.