Thank you so much for this website. It has been a tremendous help to me when I need to find an answer. I believe in prayer very much and have seen prayers answered, but if God already knows who will or won’t accept His plan of salvation and be saved, how can our prayers for a person’s salvation change anything?

Re: “A Question We’ve All Asked”

“The Book of Job is an example of the difference between Union and Fellowship. Job’s righteousness made him proud, a sin in God’s eyes. When Satan asked to torment him, God had to agree in spite of the fact that Job was one of the most righteous men on Earth, because he hadn’t confessed his sin. As long as Job relied on his own righteousness he was vulnerable to attack, and none of his complaints could change that, even though he remained a child of God. When he confessed, God put a stop to the torment and restored him. The lesson Job learned through his ordeal (and that we’re supposed to learn as well according to Romans 15:4) is that when we justify ourselves, we condemn God. Whenever we start thinking that we don’t deserve something bad that’s happening to us, we in effect accuse God of being unjust. It’s part of our human nature to look outside of ourselves for the blame, but it delays our reconciliation with God.”

It is a really good article but I am confused with the part that I have copied above.

I don’t see where Job did anything as of a sin when God let Satan put him through these trials and test. When I read the first part of Job it says that Job was blameless and upright and later when Satan use the first attack in verse 22 it says Job did not sin or accuse God of wrong. I see later in the story where Job may have gotten into self righteousness but as for that being the reason for the attack in the first place I see that is not the case. Can you show me where you see that this was what transpired to start the attacks on Job?

I have a friend who lived with his girlfriend for several years, had a baby and then they broke up. They are not Christians, although He believes in God and has recently shown interest in the Lord.

His girlfriend, who he was engaged to for several months but did not marry, called the police and had him arrested with a restraining order saying he held her down and forced her to take drugs. She is now seeking to get custody of their baby and prove he is an unfit father. He is torn up as he loves his baby so much.

As a Christian, I am struggling to know how to encourage him since he is my friend and he knows I am a Christian. He spent 6 days in jail and did some soul searching at that time. He is wanting to find some answers from me but isn’t really asking me the questions directly. I am finding it difficult because I don’t know the truth in his situation and I don’t feel the need to know but I am also struggling because in a way it seems much of it is reaping from a certain lifestyle. Any suggestions for how I can best encourage him without being condemning? I can’t find scriptures to give him for peace because those are generally directed to believers. I want to present him with hope…scripture please?!

I have a question about Genesis but first off I want to say thank you Jack for all of your help!

I am a college student and there is so much misinformation about Jesus and Christianity! I am taking a theology course on the Bible and the book that we read along with the Bible states that Moses did not write any books of the Torah and that in Genesis chapter 1 and 2 there is a conflict of how the order of things are created. The book says that in chapter 1 man and woman were created at the same time but that in Genesis chapter 2 man was created and then woman.

I was wondering if you could clarify this. This book also said that Isaac proclaiming Rebekah to be his sister is simply a copy cat story (that it never happened) of Abraham and Sarah can you help with this too? Thank you so much for your time and effort! God Bless!

God bless you and your continuing work. I have a marriage question for you from a pastor’s perspective.

When and how does an illegitimate marriage move from being cursed to being blessed by God? For example, a believing wife divorces her believing husband without biblical grounds, and then shortly remarries an unbelieving husband. Now the woman is dealing with all manner of abuse issues including physical. This woman has recently been attending our church, with all these initial events in her past, and her remarriage is about a year old. She is a sincere but immature believer, dealing with the consequences of her sin the best she knows how, while living in pain and anguish.

I am unsure of the right pastoral counsel to give her concerning her marriage situation. She is hoping that her current husband will give his heart to Christ, but is that all that is needed? What is her responsibility to God and to her previous husband with regard to repentance? Is it simply a matter of her confessing and all will be made well? I understand that through confession she can receive individual forgiveness and purification, but does that mean that God will then move to heal her marriage as well, or will her marriage remain under a curse no matter what?

I understand how we count years since our Lord’s death- EG, 1248ad, 1249ad, 1250ad, etc. How did we get the the “count-down” years before Christ was born? EG, 1250bc, 1249bc, 1248bc, etc? How was it that the ancients “knew” to count time downward to the promised, prophesied event of the coming Messiah?

I guess my question is, what was the starting point and how is it man knew to count downward? Very perplexing!

I have a question that’s been on my mind lately concerning Heaven and our mansion that’s mentioned in John 14:2. I was taught that this verse means each of us will have our own personal mansion. What does that say about our earthly family, particularly my wife. Will she have her own mansion? I know that the Bible tells us that there is no marriage or giving in marriage in heaven but can you explain to me how our lives will be in heaven if we’re all in separate mansions? What, if any, kind of social atmosphere will exist? Praising our Lord will be one activity, but will there be others as well?

We have Christian friends who allow their children to watch and read the Harry Potter series. How can we explain to them that this isn’t innocent children’s stories? God Bless you!

Thank you so much for your wisdom and insight into the Bible. In one of your articles I remember you saying that trib believers would have different eternal rewards than the Church. I think this was from the letters to the seven churches in Revelation, but I think I see it wrong.

It said that the church in Philadelphia would be made into a pillar in the temple of God, never leaving it and always being a servant there while those in the church in Laodicea would be seated on the right of God. I am most confused by this because the impression I got was that those roles would be reversed, unless all believers’ rewards are the same.

Thank you for taking the time answer our questions. I was reading Luke 11:29-30. It is the passage where the crowds asked Jesus for a sign, but answering them, Jesus said that no sign would be given them except the sign of Jonah. I’m a little baffled as to why Jesus would phrase it this way since He’d been doing miracles left and right all this time. Weren’t those signs as well?