I was asked if demonic spirits can be transferred through clothing, objects, etc.  I know that a spirit needs a body to operate through, but what about things?  Doesn't it say in the Bible that Paul's handkerchiefs were laid on people for healing?  Please provide Scripture references.

Sincerely,
Can’t Touch That

Dear Can’t Touch That,

We have absolutely no idea how demons transferred between bodies because the Bible never tells us, but you don’t need to worry about it because demons don’t possess people anymore.  There are lots of things about the spiritual realm (what God looks like, how heaven will operate, etc.) that God doesn’t explain to us… the secret things belong to God (Deu 29:29).  The details of demon possession are one of those secret things.

However, Jesus does tell us that demonic possession has been done away with.  When Jesus’ disciples were sent out to preach and perform miracles, they came back ecstatic that they were casting out demons (Lk 10:17).  Jesus told them that they were vanquishing Satan and his demons, and Satan was being cast down because of what they were doing (Lk 10:18).  Jesus and His disciples permanently destroyed Satan’s minions’ ability to possess people.  Once the demons were cast out – they were cast out for good (see the case of the demons cast into pigs as an example – Mk 5:11-13).  Thanks to Christ, we don’t have to worry about this issue today.

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There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

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"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

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I am interested to know of any verse that states that I need to go to my pastor regarding starting a home Bible study.

Sincerely,
Homeschooled

Dear Homeschooled,

There are no verses on this subject… because you don’t need their authority.  The Scriptures are a free gift from God to all mankind.  The Bible is useful to all and useful at all times (2 Tim 3:16).  The Bereans were praised for their individual desire to study the Scriptures for themselves (Acts 17:11).  We are told to discuss the Scriptures (especially with our families) at every available opportunity (Deu 11:19).  If you start teaching false doctrine – the church will have a responsibility to correct it (Acts 20:28-29), but there is nothing wrong with home Bible studies.

Are any foods prohibited from consumption by the New Testament?  I once visited a church where the members were debating whether eating rare beef was prohibited because of the presence of blood.  Is this splitting hairs?  Is it merely cultural that we do not eat certain animals such as horses, or is there Biblical basis in this?  I believe I'm recalling Old Testament Law which specified eating only animals with "cloven hooves"?

Sincerely,
Nom Nom Nom

Dear Nom Nom Nom,

The Old Testament laws concerning what could and could not be eaten can be found in Lev. 11, but there is only one type of food that christians cannot eat – blood (Acts 15:29).  When an animal is killed, some cultures will strangle the animal so as to keep the blood in the meat, as opposed to draining the blood out.  It is probably a misunderstanding on what it means to eat the meat with the blood that caused the discussion that you mentioned over rare beef.  Things like blood sausage, blood soup, blood stew, etc. are popular dishes in some countries, but eating them is wrong.  All meat is clean for New Testament christians (Mk 7:19), but blood is not.

"This pretemporal choice [election] was not based on the fact that God knew which persons would believe of their own free will, for there is no person which fits that description." – quoted text from Monergism.com's statement of faith as pertaining to "election".  So what I understand them to be saying is that God created mindless robots that are inherently evil and cannot choose goodness and righteousness born of free will.  How then do we glorify God if we do not have the capacity for a free will choice?  How are we to be lights unto the world if there is no possibility of us changing anything anyway?  This God they describe is not the God I know.  I believe that He wants people to choose Him from free will, and this, in turn, brings Him glory because of our capacity to CHOOSE to follow Him.

Please explain the Arminianism vs. Calvinism (election vs. free will) point of contention.  Are we simply mindless robots, or do we in fact have free will to choose God?  This question really hits home for me considering my own walk and how I came to be a believer.

Sincerely,
Not On Autopilot

Dear Not On Autopilot,

Jacobus Arminius (the creator of Arminianism) and John Calvin (the creator of Calvinism) are both men, and what they think about eternity, free will, God’s character, and salvation doesn’t matter unless it agrees with the teachings of the Bible.  In the case of freewill, Jacobus Arminius was correct, and John Calvin was dead wrong.

The Bible states time after time that you have choices in life and that those choices make a difference.  Jhn 3:16 says that Christ died for the sins of all mankind, and those who choose to believe in Christ will receive forgiveness.  Joshua told the Israelites to choose which god they would follow (Josh 24:15).  God has consistently told mankind that we can choose life or death (Deu 30:15).  Jesus calls us to come to Him and receive freedom from our burdens (Matt 11:28).  We must choose to follow the narrow road to salvation (Matt 7:13) and flee from wickedness (Jas 4:7).  We can choose to obey God and receive salvation, and we can choose to turn from God and lose our salvation (Heb 3:12-14).  God is constant in His love and willingness to help all mankind (Heb 13:8)… it is our choice whether or not we heed His call.

If you would like more information on the fallacies of John Calvin’s teachings, we recommend reading “Calvin And Sobs”.