A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

I’m frequently asked why I believe we should continue confessing our sins after being born again, since all our sins are already forgiven. People who ask point out that 1 John 1:9 is the only place this is mentioned and if it was so important wouldn’t Jesus have taught it?

Well it turns out 1 John 1:9 isn’t the only place confession is mentioned for believers and as a matter of fact Jesus did teach it. But before we get into that, let’s review what I call the two sided nature of our relationship with the Lord so you can see where the idea came from in the first place.

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Q.  Not too long ago I sat under some teaching about the Bema Seat judgment. The teacher said that if we weren’t “redeeming the time” we won’t lose our salvation, but we would not receive any rewards. He said that according to Hebrews 10:31, it was a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God and that is exactly what we will be doing if we aren’t redeeming the time. He also said that the Lord won’t wipe every tear from our eyes until after the 1,000 year reign of Christ. So until then we will feel sorrow for lost loved ones and friends we fell short on preaching the gospel to. That is our punishment for not redeeming the time like we should have. Is this teaching true?

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My heart is not proud, O LORD,  my eyes are not haughty;  I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.  But I have stilled and quieted my soul;  like a weaned child with its mother,  like a weaned child is my soul within me.   O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.
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They have greatly oppressed me from my youth — let Israel say, they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me. Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long. But the LORD is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.

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Q.  What can you say about Isaiah 5 vs 22 which says “Destruction is certain for those who are heroes when it comes to drinking, who boast about all the liquor they can hold.” Concerning  that, is alcohol forbidden?

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Q.  I am considering attending Bible college classes at my local church.  As part of the application, students promise not to smoke or drink alcohol both on campus and on our own time.  I am not a smoker, but enjoy an occasional glass of wine, especially at our family celebrations.  Is this rule Biblical?  In the New Testament God told us we could eat and drink anything we want.  I totally agree that getting drunk is a sin, but even Jesus drank wine.  I also would not order an alcoholic beverage or serve alcohol if I knew that someone around me had a problem with alcohol.  I would appreciate your guidance.

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Q.  This year, I separated from my husband because he has refused to seek help for his drug addiction and living with him has become too dangerous for my children and me. I am going to school to be a nurse and money is very tight for us. Because of this, I have started using food stamps. I do not plan on using them for very long, but I am wondering if I’m not trusting God to take care of me by doing this.  I’m constantly hearing people at church put down people who are on welfare, saying we are lazy and just want a hand-out. It makes me feel so worthless sometimes. I cannot tell if I feel bad about using food stamps because God is convicting me, or if I just feel judged by the people in my church. What do you think about using food stamps?

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Q.  Recently I had a conversation with another Christian friend re dream catchers.  Six years ago  I worked as a travel nurse on a Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona for one summer.  During that time I bought many souvenirs.  I found a beautiful dream catcher I liked so I bought it.   It ended up hanging off my mantle in my downstairs family room.  I really never gave it a lot of thought.  My friend feels it’s something evil, like an idol I suppose.  I never viewed it as such and certainly would never hang it over my bed hoping to filter out bad dreams. Did I use poor judgement in bringing it home?

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Q.  A former attendee of our church painted a nice mural on the wall.  Later it was known that she is involved in the occult and during the time of the painting was in an adulterous relationship.  There is a faction in our church that has asked the elders to have the mural painted over and have offered to do it but the elders have refused.  They say it is just a picture and that when we demonstrate forgiveness Satan never wins.  Can there be any satanic power attached to it and is there any biblical teaching to support its removal?

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Q. After reading your updated study on the seven churches of Rev. 2-3 I have a question.  How can a true believer be lukewarm? Is that even possible?

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