What does it mean that Jesus was fully God and yet fully man?  Wouldn't this mean that He knew He had to go to the cross?  How could He bear that pain?

Sincerely, Fully Perplexed

Dear Fully Perplexed,

The phrase ‘fully God and fully man’ is not a Bible phrase, but it is accurate.  It means that He was 100% man and 100% God at the same time.  The Bible clearly states that Jesus was a human in every way that we are.  He began life as a child (Lk 2:7), faced physical hunger (Matt 4:2), bled real blood (Jhn 19:34), and wept real tears (Jhn 11:35).  Even in spiritual things, He was human – being tempted as we are (Heb 4:15), having to rely on the Father for His power (Matt 26:53), even admitting some things were outside of His knowledge (Matt 24:36).  In every way, Jesus was completely human as He walked this earth.

Yet, the Scripture is just as clear in saying that Jesus was and is fully God.  Jhn 1:1 says He created the heavens and earth.  Jesus admits He existed before Abraham (Jhn 8:58).  He is given the name Immanuel (Matt 1:23) which literally means ‘God is with us’.  There can be no mistake… Jesus is wholly God and wholly man.

Of course that doesn’t mean we understand how that works.  It just means that is what God says.  Some concepts are so complex that we cannot fully appreciate their intricacies in this life.  Some details and secrets belong to God alone (Deu 29:29).

So Jesus, fully man and fully God, went to the cross.  He did so knowingly (Mk 8:31), voluntarily (Jhn 10:17-18), and with love for mankind in His heart (Jhn 15:13).  Such generosity, selflessness, and mercy could only come from God Himself.

I was reading in the Old Testament about the guy who said he'd kill whatever came out of his house first when he got home from war.  Then his daughter came out, and he had to kill her to keep his promise.  Does that mean a promise is more important than human life?

Sincerely, Vowing to Find the Truth

Dear Vowing to Find the Truth,

No, what it means is that if you don’t know your Bible, you can do really stupid things – like kill your kid and think you are serving God.  The story you are thinking of is Jephthah and his daughter (Judg 11:30-36).  Jephthah was one of the judges in Israel.  It is important to remember that when the Bible is recounting history, it tells the whole story of man.  Just because the Bible says somebody did something doesn’t mean God is condoning it.  David committed adultery, Paul killed Christians, Peter denied the Lord, etc.  When God recounts history, He even includes the stupid things people do.

Jephthah made a rash vow in promising to kill whatever came out of his door first (Judg 11:31).  God tells us that it is a very foolish thing to do (Eccl 5:2).  James points out that a wise man bridles his tongue (Jas 3:2), and Solomon points out that even a fool can look wise when he shuts his mouth (Pr 17:28).  Jephthah made a ridiculous vow and then made a horrible decision in following through with it.

If only Jephthah had read his Bible!  If he had, he would have known the right thing to do.  God told people who made rash vows to confess their sin and make a sacrifice to God for their sin (Lev 5:4-6).  Instead, Jephthah tried to fix one wrong by committing an even more heinous wrong: murder (Deu 5:17).  Jephthah is just another example of how much damage is caused when we don’t learn, study, and live by God’s Word.

How do contributions work if I miss a Sunday?  Say I am visiting another congregation, so I am unable to contribute at my home congregation.  Should I contribute at the congregation I am visiting or should I just double up on my contributions the next week at my home congregation?

Sincerely, Collecting My Thoughts

Dear Collecting My Thoughts,

It is left entirely to your discretion.  The command to take up a collection on the first day of the week is a congregational command (1 Cor 16:1).  The congregation has the responsibility to take up the collection each week from its members.  That is their responsibility.

Your responsibility as an individual is to give cheerfully, purposefully, and voluntarily (2 Cor 9:7).  The intent of 1 Cor 16:2 seems to be that the individual would be preparing to give their contribution to their own ‘home’ congregation, but we would hesitate to be too dogmatic on that point.  It isn’t a sin for an individual to ‘double-up’ a contribution the next week after visiting elsewhere, nor is it a sin to contribute to the work of another faithful congregation.  In matters of freedom, pray for wisdom (Jas 1:5) and do what seems best.  There is no wrong answer.

[This question is a follow up to “A Spirit Conflicted”)

     Is the Spirit some sort of energy force?  Can energy be spiritual?  I have sensed/felt a presence that enveloped all of me, yet I couldn’t define it as other than a sensed experience.  Later, I knew it was God (without a doubt).  The experience left me but not my mind.  Does God give us a conscience, and is it Him within us?

Sincerely,
A Lot On My Mind

Dear A Lot On My Mind,

God does give everyone a conscience, and it is a very common mistake to confuse the voice of your conscience for the voice of God.  Your conscience is that part of you that makes you feel good when you do what you believe is right, and it makes you feel bad when you do what you believe is wrong.  Sometimes, what you believe to be right is actually wrong or what you believe to be wrong is actually right. 
The Bible clearly teaches that we should attempt to learn and increase in knowledge, so we can better discern between good and evil (Heb 5:14).

You can’t trust your conscience as a direct communication with God because God is never wrong, but your conscience definitely can be!  For example, take the apostle Paul.  Paul said that he had a clear conscience… even though he had attempted to kill Christians (Acts 23:1).  The reason Paul could have a clean conscience after doing such reprehensible things is because when Paul did them, he did them in ignorance (1 Tim 1:13).  As soon as Paul realized that he was sinning, he changed.

The Holy Spirit isn’t an energy force that resides within us and speaks to us directly.  The Holy Spirit is an actual divine Being, just as much as Jesus and the Father.  Read “Father, Son, & Holy Spirit” for a detailed breakdown of who each member of the Godhead is.  The Bible is the tool God uses to bring us salvation (Rom 1:16).  God never says that we should expect to feel His presence in some sort of miraculous way.

     Why didn't God save His holy covenant for the Christians?

Sincerely,
Feeling Cheated

Dear Feeling Cheated,

Any covenant made with God is a “holy” covenant.  The word ‘holy’ means ‘special or set apart’, and the word ‘covenant’ means ‘agreement or contract’.  Any agreement that God makes with anyone is special because God is special!  God has had numerous holy covenants.  He made one with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:16-17).  He made one with the earth when He set the rainbow in the sky (Gen 9:13-16).  He made one with Abraham when He promised to make Abraham into a mighty nation (Gen 15:18).  All of these are examples of holy covenants God has made over the centuries.

The last covenant God made was with Christians.  God made a promise to save us through Jesus Christ, and then He ratified that covenant with Jesus’ blood (Heb 13:20).  The Christian covenant is the greatest and most wonderful covenant God has ever made with mankind.