I have a friend at work that has raised a thought to ponder I have never heard of:

1. If Jesus Christ wrote any part of the New Testament, my friend speculated that those writings were destroyed.
2. If Jesus Christ did not write down any part of the New Testament (other than in the sand), then my friend’s question was: "Why not?" and are there any passages that answer that question?

Sincerely,
Caught Off Guard

Dear Caught Off Guard,

What your friend is doing is bringing up a hypothetical assertion and expecting you to disprove it.  That is the exact opposite of how the Bible works.  If someone wants to assert that Jesus wrote a part of the New Testament and that Jesus' writings were later destroyed, he must come with evidence to back up such a claim.  The responsibility is on him to prove that point.

As far as why Jesus never wrote part of the New Testament, anything we say would be purely speculation.

The last shall be first, and the first shall be last... what does this mean?  Does it mean those who suffer, but keep their faith, will have priority over those who believed enough to get in heaven but had wealth on earth?

Sincerely,
Poor In Spirit

Dear Poor In Spirit,

One of the best explanations of that statement can be found in Mk 10:28-31.  Peter asked Jesus what would happen to the apostles because they had left everything to follow Him.  Jesus stated that those who sacrificed things in this life to serve God would receive a hundredfold more from Him as well as eternal life.  This is what it means for the first to be last and the last first – those who sacrifice to serve the Lord will be blessed by God for their service and faith.  God exalts the humble and brings the proud down (Matt 23:12).

I am reading the Bible in one year.  I am 50% through and very proud of myself for finally making this commitment.  However, with reading the Bible, I have come across several confusing and contradicting things... too many to mention.  In Romans, it talks about how God chooses to show mercy to some and chooses to harden the hearts of others, so they refuse to listen.  Doesn't this contradict our free will?

Sincerely,
Feeling Robotic

Dear Feeling Robotic,

The chapter you are referring to is Romans 9, and the controversial verse is Rom 9:18.  The point of this chapter is that God decides whom He wishes to show His mercy to – it is His decision, and those who are saved are saved because of His purpose and generosity.  The apostle Paul, the writer of Romans, gives three examples of how God’s purposes and plans are what matter:

1. God chose Jacob instead of Esau to be the one that Christ’s lineage would come through (Rom 9:10-13)
2. God used Pharaoh, even though he was a wicked man, to glorify His name (Rom 9:17)
3. God, as the master potter, decides what clay (in this case, people) to use and what purpose to use them for (Rom 9:20-21)

This chapter is often confusing to folks because it seems as if the point is that people don’t have freewill, and God manipulates us arbitrarily – however, that isn’t the case.  All of these examples teach that God decides who receives His mercy and who won’t.  Now, here is the B-I-G question:

Who does God say will be blessed?

The answer – “Blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it.” (Lk 11:28)

God will bless all those who choose to live by faith in His Son and follow His Word – we can’t be saved by any other method.  God has decided who He will save.  He will save christians (Jhn 14:6).

     What does it mean in Matt 7:7 where it reads, “Knock and the door shall be opened unto you”?

Sincerely,
Who’s There?

Dear Who’s There,

Matt 7:7-11 is addressing our relationship with God and how God is willing to bless us if we will seek Him out.  In Acts 17:27, Paul said that we should seek God, and if we do, He is not far from us.  God wants to bless us and open His arms wide to us.  If we want to be saved and we want to be forgiven, all we have to do is reach out to Him.  If you want God to open the door, all you have to do is knock.  Read “Five Steps To Salvation” for how simple it is to become a christian and find forgiveness in Jesus.

     What about a woman being ordained as a pastor, bishop, or an apostle?

Sincerely,
What About Women?

Dear What About Women,

Pastors (Eph 4:11) – also known as elders or bishops (Tit 1:5-7) – are always men.  The qualifications for pastors are given in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  One of those qualifications is that he must be “a husband of one wife” (1 Tim 3:2, Tit 1:6) – that clearly rules out females from becoming pastors.

As far as being an apostle, all of the apostles have long since died.  An apostle had to be someone who personally saw Christ in the flesh and witnessed His resurrection (Acts 1:21-26).  There were twelve apostles, and they were all men (Matt 10:2-3).