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The Lord be with you First, I must say that I do not understand what is meant by “not existing.” We do exist. We are body and soul, live on earth. eat, drink, talk, laugh, cry, think, etc. all possible because we exist. It is not like, if this or that never happened then we would suddenly blink...

The Lord be with you First, we “honor” the Holy Spirit by believing and trusting in Jesus. This is his work. As the Small Catechism says, the Holy Spirit calls me by the Gospel, enlightens me with his gifts sanctifies and keeps me in the true faith. The “gifts” referred to are the word and...

Hello If I read this correctly, it seems your concerns stem from the excesses of the Charismatic/Pentecostal branches of the Church. One of the dangers in such a reaction is “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” This reaction seems to be throwing out the Holy Spirit in a desire to...

The Lord be with you Hello my brother in Christ This is a difficult request for sever reasons. First, I do not know you, so any advice I might give might not apply at all. Second, you are not from America, and the traditions and practices of your country might be (probably are) different from...

The Lord be with you The question of what is the status of people after physical death and prior to the Second Coming of Jesus is a tricky one. That is because the Scriptures focus us on the time after the Second Coming. Whatever our status prior to that is preliminary and God wants us to focus...

Another thought I guess I should add that "Israel" can be understood as a reference to Jesus. He is the true Israel, condensed into one person.

Great question! It demonstrates how important it is to take everything the Bible says on a topic, instead of selecting a verse here and there and building your thinking on them. It will also demonstrate how important it is to take a verse in its context. First of all, the term “Israel” is used...

Dear “Apostate,” The short answer to your question is, “No, you have not committed the ‘unpardonable sin.’” You would not be asking the questions you are asking if you had. Now, for the longer answer. It seems you have Hebrews 6:4-6 in the background of your question: For it is impossible...

The Lord be with you First, let me say that I hope the peace that passes all understanding is with you as you mourn the loss of your father (Philippians 4:7). This peace in Christ Jesus comforts us in all the uncertainties and trials of this life. (I also apologize for taking so long to...

Was Jesus doubting God on the cross? Excellent question! First, the biblical references: Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34, and Psalm 22:1. There is a slight difference between Matthew and Mark with Matthew using the Hebrew “Eli” and Mark using the Aramaic “Elei.”This needs not bother us as they mean...

Does Suicide Automatically Damn? The Lord be with you Many people have heard, and believed, this sentiment. During the middle ages, someone who committed suicide would not even be buried in the church grave yard (where only people going to heaven were buried). The line of reasoning goes...

"My Perspective" on Predestination/Election The Lord be with you First, your question asks for my perspective on the issue of election and not a specific response to any position expressed in the discussion cited, so that is what I’m going to give. Second, the topic is so large that I could...

Are you referring to the thread “Double" Predestination found under “Christian Theology”? That thread is basically a long quote from the Reformed writer R.C. Sproul.

Hebrews 6:4-6 and Election The Lord be with you One of the big reasons for the book of Hebrews is to strengthen the Church against falling away. If it was true that a person could not lose their faith, then that purpose is moot. You see, the Apostolic/Primitive Church was composed largely of...

The Lord be with you There is an old saying, “a text, without its context, is a pretext.” This is a great example of the truth of that saying. Taken out of its context, a person could get a completely backward idea of what the verse fragment means. However the very first word in verse twelve is...