When we have repented and are forgiven of our sins, the Word says the Father holds nothing against us and remembers our sins no more.  How come the curse still remains that Jesus absorbed and sickness, disease, and illness are still present from past sin; wasn't His blood shed for forgiveness, and on the whipping post His stripes freed us from illness and sickness and such?  Help me understand.  Thanks.  God bless.

Sincerely,
No HMO

Dear No HMO,

Jesus’ blood covers the spiritual consequences of sin, but the physical consequences of sin still exist here on Earth.  Jesus’ sacrifice paved the way for mankind to stand before God and enter His holy presence (Heb 10:17-20).  Jesus reconciled faithful people with God through the cross (Col 1:19-20).  The spiritual consequence of sin (eternal spiritual death – Rom 6:23) has been nailed to the cross (Col 2:14).  However, the physical consequences of sin remain as a curse upon this world.  Sin still destroys lives, hurts others, has cursed this world with diseases, and has rippling consequences on a global scale.  Jesus gives us hope that endures to the next life, so we can persevere through the trials of this one (Heb 6:18-20).

Can someone be saved when they commit suicide?

Sincerely,
Mortal Curiosity

Dear Mortal Curiosity,

Suicide certainly is condemned.  Suicide is murder, self-murder, and is therefore very clearly a sin (Rev 21:8).  The only difference between suicide and murdering someone else is that you don’t get a chance to repent after suicide.  Suicide is a final decision and leaves no room for correction or for asking forgiveness.  It is a willful act of disobedience against God without opportunity for repentance.  The final judgment belongs to God (Heb 12:23), but we certainly wouldn’t want to face that judgment with our own blood on our hands.

Who wrote the book of Matthew, and what is it about?

Sincerely,
Cliffs Notes Please

Dear Cliffs Notes Please,

The book of Matthew is the historical account of Jesus’ life written from the perspective of the apostle Matthew.  Matthew was a Jewish tax collector (Matt 9:9) and one of Jesus’ chosen apostles (Matt 10:2-4).  The book of Matthew is one of four accounts of Jesus’ life; the other three are the books of Mark, Luke, and John.  Each account provides a unique view into Jesus’ ministry and provides a perspective that complements and adds to the other three books.  The book of Matthew focuses a lot of attention on Jesus’ fulfillments of Old Testament prophecy and spends a lot of time detailing Jesus’ sermons.

My question is: as christians do we celebrate Christmas? And what is the significance of December 25^th to Jesus Christ?  Thank you!

Sincerely,
Holly And Jolly

Dear Holly And Jolly,

Many people believe Christmas to be a spiritual holiday, but the Bible never commands us to celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25^th (the truth is, no one knows when Jesus was born, but it was most likely in the spring or summer because the shepherds were out – Lk 2:15).  Christians are commanded to remember Jesus’ death every first day of the week (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 11:24-25)… we are never commanded to remember His birth on an annual basis.  Christmas is not a biblical holiday.  There is nothing wrong with celebrating it as a family holiday, but it is wrong to teach that there is a biblical foundation to it.

Christmas can be traced back to the Roman pagan holiday of Winter Solstice (also known as ‘Saturnalia’ because it was in worship of the god, Saturn).  As Catholicism tried to integrate itself into a pagan Roman world, Christmas was instituted by Pope Julius I on December 25^th as a way to assimilate the pagans into a Catholic worldview.  In short, Christmas has never been a truly biblical holiday; it is a manmade tradition with no bearings upon your salvation.

How did the idea of Jesus being the son of Pantera, the Roman soldier, come about?  Do you know anything about this?

Sincerely,
History Hunter

Dear History Hunter,

The story of Jesus being the offspring of an adulterous relationship between Mary and a Roman soldier named Pantera was started by a Greek philosopher named Celsus.  Celsus was a vehement opponent of Christianity – no surprise that he would attempt to besmirch Mary’s reputation and Jesus’ origins.  It is worth noting that Celsus wrote about Jesus’ origins over two hundred years after Jesus actually lived.  Up until that point, nobody else had made this argument.  Celsus wasn’t in a position to know more about Jesus’ birth story than those who had lived hundreds of years before him, but that didn’t stop Celsus from spreading lies.  In fact, we wouldn’t even know about Celsus’ arguments except for the fact that Celsus’ words are preserved in a document by Origen, an early church father, who soundly refuted all of Celsus’ lies.  In short, Celsus’ arguments didn’t hold any weight in 248 AD, and they don’t hold any weight today either.