Do we pray to the Holy Spirit or only to God the Father?

Do we pray to the Spirit or ask for the Spirit of God?

The Lord Jesus taught the disciples to pray to the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus (John 16:23)." TARGET="_blank">John 16:23). In the epistles we learn that we should pray in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18)," TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 6:18), who helps us to pray intelligently and makes intercession for us (Romans 8:26, 27)." TARGET="_blank">Romans 8:26, 27). Before Pentecost, the Spirit came upon people temporarily to empower them for some special service. From the day of Pentecost onward, the Spirit came to indwell and seal each believer at the moment of conversion (Ephesians 1:13," TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 1:13, "upon believing"). We are never told in the epistles to pray for the Spirit, be cause He already indwells, us. We are told to be filled with the Spirit in order to serve God, and to walk in the Spirit in order to please God and not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)." TARGET="_blank">Galatians 5:16).

A. Joyce

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Is it scripturally correct to say that God punished His Son?

Is it scripturally correct to say that God punished His Son?

As with any question regarding the sufferings of our Lord, we should guard our words and hide within the safety of the words of Scripture. If there is anything to which we might object in the statement, "God punished His Son," it is the possibility that this suggests God’s displeasure in the One Who suffered on the cross. God’s dealing with the Lord Jesus on the cross were directed against the sins He bore. The words of the hymn seem mistaken, "He took my sins and my sorrows; He made them His very own." The sins were not in any sense His, although He received the righteous judgment those sins demanded (2 Corinthians 5:21)." TARGET="_blank">2 Corinthians 5:21). The Father could never be more delighted with His Son than when the savor of that sacrifice filled His thrice-holy presence.

Some object to the word "punish" in this context. Keil and Delitzsch in their scholarly "Commentary on the Old Testament" insist that "chastisement" in Isaiah 53:5" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 53:5 (AV) be translated "punishment," due to the extreme suffering that fills the context. The contrast in that verse is between "Him" and "we." The righteous punishment was what we deserved. The remarkable discovery is that the peace-bringing punishment was on Him.

Others object to speaking of the Son in the context of the sufferings of the cross. Paul speaks of "the death of His Son" (Romans 5:10);" TARGET="_blank">Romans 5:10); he further tells us, "He that spared not His own Son, . . . freely delivered Him up for us all" (8:32). From what was the Son not spared? To what was the Son delivered up? God did not spare His own Son from the cross, but delivered Him up (the same word as in 4:25) to all that the cross involved.

It would be error of the highest order to suggest either that any sort of division occurred between Divine Persons in the darkness at the cross or that the One Who suffered the righteous punishment due to our sins was any less than the Son of God.

The more we ponder that scene, the more we worship.

D. Oliver
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Was Caleb an Israelite?

Was Caleb (see Joshusa 10:6) an Israelite?

The Lord’s injunction in Numbers 13:2" TARGET="_blank">Numbers 13:2 (R.V.) with regard to the sending of the spies was, “Send thou men . . . of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a prince among them.” In obedience to this, Moses “sent them according to the commandment of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel” (v. 3). There follows a list of their names and tribes, in which is included, “Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh” (v. 6). Thus in this passage, the first in which Caleb is mentioned, it is affirmed, not only that he was of the tribe of Judah, but that he was a “prince” and “head” of that tribe.

His being called “the Kenezite” (or “Kenizzite”) in Numbers 32:12" TARGET="_blank">Numbers 32:12 and Joshua 14:6," TARGET="_blank">Joshua 14:6, 14 has led some to assert that he was not an Israelite, but one of that Canaanitish race called “Kenizzites” in Genesis 15:19" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 15:19 while others have associated this patronymic with Kenaz the grandson of Esau (Genesis 16" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 16:II, 15), thus making him out to be an Edomite. But when we find that Caleb’s younger brother was called Kenaz (Josh. 15. 17;" TARGET="_blank">Josh. 15. 17; etc.), and that Caleb’s grandson was also called Kenaz (1 Chronicles 4:15)," TARGET="_blank">1 Chronicles 4:15), it becomes evident that the name was a popular one in the family to which he belonged, and that the term “Kenezite” in his own case merely connects him with some earlier Kenaz amongst his ancestors.

W.R.

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In what ways can believers help an elder to fulfill his responsibility?

In what ways can believers help an elder to fulfill his responsibility?

A primary responsibility is for believers to pray for their shepherds (James 5:16)." TARGET="_blank">James 5:16). They will one day give account to the Lord for the state of the flock (Hebrews 13:17)." TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 13:17). We can help them to watch over us with joy by submitting to the Word of God which they teach (vv 7, 17). Believers will also help overseers to care for them if they discuss with them their own struggles, concerns, and spiritual desires.

Such an ideal condition exists when the believers trust their overseers to know and care for them. Overseers earn that trust; it is not granted to a brother because the assembly recognizes him as an overseer. A brother expresses a genuine care for the believers, and therefore earns their confidence, long before the assembly recognizes him as an overseer (1 Thessalonians 5:12)." TARGET="_blank">1 Thessalonians 5:12). An overseer cannot demand respect, but his life, character, care, manner, sensitivity, and sincerity will command respect. That respect is a stewardship to be carefully guarded. Without it, he will scarcely be able to "take care of the church of God" (1 Timothy 3:5)." TARGET="_blank">1 Timothy 3:5).

D. Oliver
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Does the Gap Theory agree with the Bible?

How well does the Gap Theory square with the Bible as a whole?

If we compare Scripture with Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:13)," TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 2:13), we find several passages that make the Gap Theory untenable. First, Exodus 20:11" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 20:11 puts the creation of everything that God made inside of six literal days: "In six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the seas and everything that moveth therein and rested the seventh day." This allows no gap, and requires a recent creation. Exodus 31:17" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 31:17 says the same thing and Nehemiah 9:6" TARGET="_blank">Nehemiah 9:6 links the creation of the heavens and earth (Genesis 1:1)" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 1:1) with the days that follow in Genesis 1." TARGET="_blank">Genesis 1. Further, Romans 5:12" TARGET="_blank">Romans 5:12

states that "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin," and 1 Corinthians 15:21" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 15:21 also affirms that "By man came death." And Romans 8:20-22" TARGET="_blank">Romans 8:20-22 reveals that the groaning of creation results from Adam's sin. If suffering and death came by Adam, then suffering and death did not predate Adam. Yet death is a necessary prerequisite for becoming a fossil. If fossils are assigned to the gap period, then death must have prevailed on the earth before sin entered into the world. How then could God pronounce everything that He had made "very good" (Genesis 1:31)" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 1:31)? In what sense are vast graveyards full of dead things "very good"? God's assessment of the creation at the end of the sixth day must mean that Satan had not yet fallen, that no death had occurred, and that the earth was just as He intended it to be.

D. Vallance
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Are people born homosexual?

What are we to make of God's condemnation of homosexuality and recent reports suggesting that some are born homosexual?

The reports alluded to are far from conclusive and far from being universally agreed upon by all in the medical field. In many quarters the desire to prove a biological basis for homosexuality is the driving impetus for the research. But let us assume for the moment that in a future day the biological basis for homosexuality is proven. Does that give license to practice the deed? All will agree that normal heterosexual desires are hormonal and inborn. Does not God condemn the expression of those desires outside the marriage bond? Doesn't every unmarried believer have to discipline those desires and sacrifice them in devotion to Christ and in faithfulness to the Word of God? All union outside the male female union in marriage which God instituted in the Garden is outside the will of God. Having the desire, whether inborn or not, is not the sin. The sin is the expression of that desire in actions, whether heterosexual or homosexual.

A. Higgins

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Can Atheists Disprove that God Exists?

While atheists can try to give evidence that God does not exist, they cannot disprove that God exists. Similarly, even though theists can give evidence that God does exist, we cannot prove that He does exist. Despite this, a very good case can be built that shows that it is highly irrational to say that God does not exist.

Atheists have a difficulty if they want to try to show that God does not exist in that it is much easier to show that something does exist rather than that it does not exist. Pretend that I have told you many things about my supposed friend George yet you have never seen or spoken to him. In fact, the only reason you know about George is because I told you about him. You have to decide for yourself if you will believe what I say. I can tell you about George until your ears fall off, but it ultimately comes down to your personal decision whether you choose to believe that George exists or not.

This is the same thing with God. Some people—such as myself—have a true friendship with God. It would seem ridiculous to you if I tried to convince you that your best friend didn’t exist. Because I have a friendship with God, it seems ridiculous to me that someone would say that God doesn’t exist. But the great thing about God is that I don’t have to prove Him to you, He speaks for Himself in many different ways.

One way that God shows us He is real is through creation. As Psalm 19:1" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork”. His glory can be seen in that even though we humans think we are so important, we are but a pale blue dot in comparison to the rest of the universe. Our world barely makes a mark in the solar system, and there is so much out there that we don’t know.

And then our minds can once again be amazed when we consider the complexity of the smallest things in our universe. Scientists used to consider the atom the smallest thing in the universe, but now we know that atoms are merely the beginning. When before we thought we knew everything there was to know, now we have just started to understand how much stuff there is that we don’t understand about how the universe works. Something of this complexity must have a Creator.

Another way in which He speaks to us is through the Bible. It is in the Bible that we read that God loves us but hates our sin. He loves the person (John 3:16," TARGET="_blank">John 3:16, Romans 5:8)," TARGET="_blank">Romans 5:8), but is unable to allow the sin into Heaven (Revelation 21:27)." TARGET="_blank">Revelation 21:27). It is in the Bible that we read about the life of Jesus and how He died to pay for sin (1 Peter 2:24," TARGET="_blank">1 Peter 2:24, 2 Corinthians 5:21)." TARGET="_blank">2 Corinthians 5:21). God tells us in the Bible that “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7" TARGET="_blank">1 John 1:7 ESV).

But perhaps the most direct way in which God spoke to us is by His Son. The Son of God actually came down from Heaven and lived the life of a human from birth until death (John 1:14," TARGET="_blank">John 1:14, Hebrews 1:2)." TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 1:2). Many of His actions are recorded in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) all the way from His birth to His death to His resurrection and return to Heaven. This God-man is not a mere imagination of a human author; He actually lived and died on this earth.

God has shown Himself to us in many ways, now it is the responsibility of each person to choose. We must each choose to either believe what God says about Himself or to reject it. But please, consider the evidence for yourself—in light of even these few items, how can someone rationally deny that God exists?

Anthony Elliott

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What is the secret of the Lord in Psalm 25:14 and Proverbs 3:32?

What is the secret of the Lord in Psalm 25:14" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 25:14 and Proverbs 3:32" TARGET="_blank">Proverbs 3:32?

In Job 19:19," TARGET="_blank">Job 19:19, the word "inward" is the word translated "secret" in both verses in this question, "All my inward friends abhorred me." It suggests intimate, privy friends. Six of the 21 times it appears in the Old Testament, this word is "counsel."

"Without counsel purposes are disappointed" (Proverbs 15:22)," TARGET="_blank">Proverbs 15:22), indicates that "the secret of the Lord" involves His plans by which He will accomplish His purpose. These are His ways to which only those intimate with Him are privy. "He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel" (Psalms 103:7)." TARGET="_blank">Psalms 103:7). The people saw what God did, but Moses whom the Lord knew face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10)" TARGET="_blank">Deuteronomy 34:10) came to know God’s ways, His counsel. This is further illustrated by the man known as "My friend" (Isaiah 41:8)," TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 41:8), of whom God said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?" (Genesis 18:17)." TARGET="_blank">Genesis 18:17). His intimates must know His intentions.

Psalm 25:14," TARGET="_blank">Psalm 25:14, "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him," indicates that those who revere the Lord come to know Him intimately. Although the Lord despises the stubborn, He brings the righteous into His intimate counsels (Proverbs 3:32)." TARGET="_blank">Proverbs 3:32). These are unchanging principles. They should stir in us a longing to know greater intimacy with the Lord.

D. Oliver
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What did the Lord mean, "Let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will?"

What did the Lord mean, "Let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will?"

Before Gethsemane, the Lord Jesus said, "What shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name" (John 12:27,28)." TARGET="_blank">John 12:27,28). After Gethsemane He said, "The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11)." TARGET="_blank">John 18:11). There was no possibility of His turning from or being unwilling to go to Calvary. Gethsemane itself carries a weight of grief and a depth of wonder exceeding perhaps any other scene. This is holy ground! Together, Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s accounts portray immense emotional suffering that expressed itself physically. His sorrow was to the point of death, to the limit of the human frame. His anguish was accompanied by godly reverence and dependence (Hebrews 5:7)." TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 5:7). Each statement of prayer includes the submission of His will to the Father’s. It could not have been otherwise.

Such was the enormity of Golgotha’s awaiting suffering that He would never have endured it unless this was His Father’s will. Each exploration of an alternative was fully submissive. Gethsemane’s question was, "Can divine Persons find any other way but Calvary to deal with sin?" Gethsemane’s answer? " No."

D. Oliver
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How can an assembly deal with damaging rumors about an assembly believer?

How can an assembly deal with damaging rumors about an assembly believer?

Apart from a personal confession, the Old Testament principle of "two or three witnesses" (Deuteronomy 17:6)" TARGET="_blank">Deuteronomy 17:6) applies in all assembly matters. An assembly can't act on rumors.

"Two or three witnesses" does not include two or three stories about similar incidents. Each incident must have "two or three witness" to receive consideration. In the case of drunkenness, for instance, elders would need to verify sufficient incidences of this kind before guiding the assembly to put away the individual.

In the case of serious but unsupported rumors, the assembly can take no action. The overseers would help the individual by visiting him and helping him to understand that he is responsible for the appearance of wrongdoing in his life (Romans 12:17" TARGET="_blank">Romans 12:17b). If anything he is doing contributes to these rumors, even though the rumors are not accurate, he would be wise, safe, and godly to make changes so that no one would even consider repeating such obvious lies.

D. Oliver
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