Many people teach that if a man has been divorced that he does not qualify to be a Pastor, Deacon or Preacher. I struggle with this view because it seems as if divorce is worse than murder or other commandments that are broken…if breaking one commandment is equal to have broken them all…how is it possible that a man who murdered someone and repents and is saved can be qualified…but a man who has been divorced and has repented and been saved is not qualified…why does the divorced man have to live with his sin and the stigma but the murderer is white as snow…does God not forgive and forget our sins?

I have read your commentaries on the questions regarding cremation, and the Biblical/Christian perspective. My question is about the phrase in 1-Corinthians 13:3 “and though I give my body to be burned…” I would like to know what you think is the significance of that phrase, and what, if any, implication it may have. It almost sounds, to me, like some kind of forboding finality to be avoided. When pondering the question of cremation, for myself or my loved ones, my mind goes back to that phrase, and I wonder “why is it there and what does it mean; and is there an implication to cremation that should warn us to avoid it?”

My question is concerning the Holy Spirit. My Sunday school teacher asked this question last Sunday and we are still talking about it. Why do Christians who are sealed with the Holy Spirit struggle through life? One of my classmates said its because most Christians don’t know they are sealed when they first believed, or don’t know how to access the power of the Holy Spirit. I’ve struggled with this in my own mind. I’m just not sure I understand everything I should about the Holy Spirit. Can you help?

I just wanted to let you know that your writing on Psalm 66 was very endearing and very timely. We have been going thru some really rough times, in debt and with no income for eight months. We turned it over to the Lord and are not without, but we are getting close. Our small house that we feel the Lord led us to is now on the market.

However, my point here is that Psalm 66 and your writing are just where we are. He has always taken care of us and always will. Why we are at this spot at our age 60 is something that we have gone over and over, but beyond that, He is here always, and you just brought that home to us in this Psalm. Thank you.

A teacher I greatly respect wrote the following. “The word translated “healed” can mean either spiritual or physical healing. However, the contexts of Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2 make it clear that it is speaking of spiritual healing. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). The verse is talking about sin and righteousness, not sickness and disease. Therefore, being “healed” in both these verses is speaking of being forgiven and saved, not physically healed.”

Do you think the rapture happens as the dragon is cast out of heaven? I wouldn’t want to be around when he is cast down and confined and angry. It’s interesting that Jesus comes with the archangel but it doesn’t say with a great host of angels. Perhaps the angels are kicking butt and clearing the rebel angles out and getting things ready for us. When Jesus said He saw Satan fall like a lightening bolt, how does that fit in to the war in heaven when He is confined to earth?

I have a question about something that was thrown into the middle of the conversation between Jesus and the centurion in Matthew chapter 8. In 8:11 and 12, Jesus goes from marveling at the faith of the centurion to telling His followers about people eating with Abraham Isaac and Jacob (the Jewish people) in the Kingdom of Heaven but those that already live there (the children of the Kingdom) will be tossed out. Is this referring to the angelic realm? I’m really confused.

The Bible says, “In my Fathers house are many mansions.” Who lives or will live in those mansions?

I was wondering your thoughts on God testing us. I’ve only heard this taught one time, Deuteronomy 8:2 says that God tests us in order to know what is in our heart, whether or not we will keep his commands. If taken literally, or at least the way I take it, the LORD brings things across my path to see how I will respond… Will I chose to act in faith on his word, or be in fear. Will I choose to obey or not and so on and so forth. Is this correct? If so it would give a different outlook on “problems” we encounter on a day to day basis.

It seems to me that Jesus gave up his divinity when He became a man. He was still God and man but in order to pay the price to redeem us he had to do it as a sinless man. I don’t believe he ever used His divine power to do any of the works that He had done, but that He operated only in faith. Otherwise Satan could have said he (God) was operating illegally in the Earth.