Is using deadly force ever justifiable in defense of self or family?  If there were ever a situation where there was complete societal breakdown (no government or police), food and water became scarce, and armed looters and gangs searching for food became a real threat to your family, would you be morally responsible to defend your family by any means necessary?  Would God expect you to turn the other cheek or fight for survival?

Sincerely,
Getting Prepared

Dear Getting Prepared,

When the Bible commands us to not kill, the word used for ‘kill’ is the word that we would use for ‘murder.  Some of the most faithful men in the Bible were soldiers and had to kill people in the defense of their country.  David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14), and yet David killed many people as a soldier.  Jesus marveled at the faith of a centurion soldier (Matt 8:8-10).  The first Gentile convert was Cornelius, a well-known Roman soldier (Acts 10:22).  When a group of soldiers asked John the Baptist what they needed to do to live a faithful life, he told them to be honest and faithful… but he never told them to stop serving in the military (Lk 3:14).  These are all examples of the difference between murder and self-defense (or war-time killing).

In the Old Testament, God made specific rules that allowed an individual to kill if they were defending their home or family (Ex 22:2).  In Lk 22:35-39, Jesus tells His disciples that persecution will begin after He leaves and that they ought to “buy a sword” – this is certainly an endorsement of self-defense.  All of these point to the fact that God distinguishes between defensive force and vigilante murder.

This may seem like a strange question.  I am pretty familiar with the book of Revelation and the mark of the beast predictions.  My cell phone number happens to end with the numbers 6666.  In short, do you think I should get the number changed?

Sincerely,
Count Concerns

Dear Count Concerns,

The book of Revelation does use the number six to refer to things that are wicked (Rev 13:18), but the number six is not inherently evil.  Revelation is a book that uses symbolic language to explain events that were to soon affect the church (Rev 1:1).  Revelation doesn’t deal with the end of the world; it deals with persecution that the church faced at the hands of Rome.  As John wrote, the events in Revelation were “at hand” (Rev 1:3).  The number 666 is symbolic and not something that you have to literally avoid.  All the end-time predictions that use the book of Revelation to decode future events are wrong.  Revelation simply isn’t about that topic.  If you would like a more in-depth look at the book of Revelation, we have an entire series of classes on that book that can be downloaded here.

Why do Americans go outside the United States on mission trips when I feel it is needed more in the United States?

Sincerely,
Worker At Home

Dear Worker At Home,

There is a need for the gospel in every corner of the globe.  Jesus told His disciples to spread the news from every housetop and in every street (Matt 10:27).  God doesn’t desire that any should perish (2 Pet 3:9).  We couldn’t agree more that the gospel needs to be preached in the United States, but the United States doesn’t need the saving Word of Jesus any more than other nations.  It isn’t a matter of exclusively preaching in America or exclusively preaching outside of America… both are necessary.  Jesus' Word is intended to turn the whole world upside down (Acts 17:6).

What was the first sin that was committed?

Sincerely,
Back To The Beginning

Dear Back To The Beginning,

The first sin was committed by Adam and Eve.  The word ‘sin’ means ‘to miss the intended mark’.  Whenever someone does something that differs from God’s commands, they commit a sin.  When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He commanded them to never eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-17).  The devil deceitfully tempted Eve, and eventually Adam, to eat from the tree (Gen 3:1-6).  Adam and Eve’s behavior introduced sin into a perfect world – that sin corrupted them, and the curse of sin corrupted the entire creation (1 Cor 15:22).

Does the Bible say that the soul is mortal or immortal?

Sincerely,
Tick Tock

Dear Tick Tock,

Our bodies are mortal, but our souls are eternal.  God designed human spirits to live forever.  If we are faithful, we live eternally with Him in heaven, and if we are faithless, we live eternally away from God in hell (Matt 25:46).