If the writers of the New Testament were supposed to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, then why would some seem to indicate that they were not inspired in their writings?  For example, Paul, in 1 Cor 7:12, said it was him, not the Lord, speaking.  Also in 1 Cor 1:16, Paul said he forgot who he had baptized.  If he was under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, how could he forget?  Why would he make such a statement?

Sincerely,
Uninspired

Dear Uninspired,

1 Cor 7:12 and 1 Cor 1:16 need to be addressed separately because they have different explanations for why they were written as they were.  When the Holy Spirit inspired the apostles, He made sure that every word they wrote down was exactly as it should be (1 Cor 2:13, 2 Pet 1:21).  The Holy Spirit inspired what Paul wrote, but that didn’t change the fact that Paul was human.  The Holy Spirit wanted us to know that Paul couldn’t remember exactly who he had baptized in Corinth – probably because He was emphasizing the fact that it didn’t matter who did the baptizing (1 Cor 1:14-15).  There is no contradiction between Paul the man forgetting who he baptized and Paul, the inspired writer, documenting his own memory lapse.  That explains 1 Cor 1:16.

Now, let’s take a look at 1 Cor 7:12.  In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul is addressing marriage questions.  Some of those questions had already been addressed by Jesus when He walked this earth.  When Paul reiterated a teaching that Jesus had already covered (such as the fact that two christians couldn’t divorce for just any old reason), he wrote, “I give charge, not I, but the Lord” because he was referring to Jesus’ previous teachings (1 Cor 7:10-11, Matt 19:3-9).  However, there were some marriage issues that Jesus hadn’t addressed – such as when a christian was married to an unbeliever.  Jesus didn’t address this issue because there was no need to talk about marriage to unbelievers when He was preaching to only the Jews.  Marriage to unbelievers only became an issue once Gentiles (non-Jews) began converting.  When addressing these new marriage issues, Paul clarified that he was providing a teaching in addition to what Jesus had already taught by writing, “say I, not the Lord”.  What Paul was teaching wasn’t opinion; it was simply a new teaching on marriage that had never been addressed.

Hey guys, you don’t know how much your answers mean to me.  I really appreciate it, and I have another question on my mind that burdens me a lot.  Does God test us, or does He allow us to be tested?  Is it something similar to temptation when He allows us to be tempted, but doesn’t tempt us?

Sincerely,
Trial Trouble

Dear Trial Trouble,

The Bible says that God never tempts us to do evil (Jas 1:13).  God never purposefully puts us in a situation with a desire for us to sin.  The devil wants to devour you with sin, but God never does (1 Pet 5:8).  However, God does put us in situations in order to find out what we are made of.  God tested Abraham when He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Gen 22:1).  God put Abraham in a position where he could succeed or fail – but the key is that God wanted him to succeed (Gen 22:14-18).  Abraham was tried by God (Heb 11:17), so God could bless him.  God may put us in circumstances that are difficult, but His desire is always to benefit us.

On the other hand, the devil tempts us for the purpose of destroying us – just like he did with Jesus in the wilderness (Matt 4:1).  That is why God promises us that He will never allow the devil to tempt us beyond what we are able to handle (1 Cor 10:13).  The devil tries to set us up for failure, and the Lord tries to set us up for success.

How do you forgive yourself as God has forgiven you?

Sincerely,
Regretful

Dear Regretful,

What you are asking is one of the most difficult things in life ­– forgiving yourself.  Like all things, God is better at forgiveness than we are.  Many people hold on to the guilt and shame of sin far too keenly.  God tells us that there are several things to remember:

1. Even if your heart condemns you, God keeps His promises.  On the Judgment Day, we will be judged by God's standards, not whether or not we feel worthy (1 Jn 3:20).
2. We can reassure our own hearts that we have been forgiven when we study and live by the truth of the Bible (1 Jn 3:18-20).  The more we immerse ourselves in God's teachings, the quicker we begin to realize that forgiveness isn't about being worthy… but about having faith in the mercy of God.

All in all, self-forgiveness takes time... just like all areas of growth.

Why did Jesus quite frequently refer to himself as the "Son of Man" (Matt 16:13) when it is so essential to our faith and salvation to recognize and confess him to be the "Son of the living God" (Matt 16:16-19)?

Sincerely,
Name Confusion

Dear Name Confusion,

Jesus was both Son of Man and Son of God – it is one of the great and awesome truths of the Bible.  Jesus was completely Deity, and completely human at the same time.  Verses like Jhn 1:1-3 and Col 3:15-17 make it clear that Jesus was and always has been God.  He is eternal and existed before man – Jesus even said so Himself (Jhn 8:58).  However, if Jesus had simply been God pretending to be a human, His sinless life wouldn’t have been nearly as impressive.  Instead, we are told that Jesus suffered in all things exactly as all other people do – yet without sin (Heb 4:15).  In all things, Jesus was a flesh-formed human just like the rest of us (Heb 2:17-18).  Jesus often used the term ‘Son of Man’ because He spent a lot of His life emphasizing His humanity and empathy with the pains of mankind.  Jesus spent little time pointing out His deity – His life did that for Him (Matt 27:54).

Is it wrong for christian teens to participate in school dances like prom and homecoming?

Sincerely,
Sock Hop

Dear Sock Hop,

The reason that many christian parents hesitate to encourage their kids go to prom, homecoming, and other school dances is that they often include activities that are sinful.  Modern dancing is designed to be sexually provocative, and it puts young men and women in compromising positions that nurture the sort of behavior and attitudes that lead to sexual immorality and unhealthy relationships.  Not all dancing is sinful (Eccl 3:4), but the kind of dancing encouraged at most school dances is not wholesome.  We are told to flee fornication (1 Cor 6:18), to do things that are honorable (Rom 12:17), and to avoid even the appearance of evil (1 Thess 5:21-22).  School dances, at best, put teens in situations that don’t appear godly, and at worst, can lead to things like pre-marital sex.  When people engage in the type of dancing so often seen in today’s culture, they act in a way that appears indecent and gives room for the lust of the flesh to overpower them (Rom 6:12, 1 Jn 2:16).