How do you forgive yourself as God has forgiven you?

Sincerely,
Regretful

Dear Regretful,

What you are asking is one of the most difficult things in life ­– forgiving yourself.  Like all things, God is better at forgiveness than we are.  Many people hold on to the guilt and shame of sin far too keenly.  God tells us that there are several things to remember:

1. Even if your heart condemns you, God keeps His promises.  On the Judgment Day, we will be judged by God's standards, not whether or not we feel worthy (1 Jn 3:20).
2. We can reassure our own hearts that we have been forgiven when we study and live by the truth of the Bible (1 Jn 3:18-20).  The more we immerse ourselves in God's teachings, the quicker we begin to realize that forgiveness isn't about being worthy… but about having faith in the mercy of God.

All in all, self-forgiveness takes time... just like all areas of growth.

Why did Jesus quite frequently refer to himself as the "Son of Man" (Matt 16:13) when it is so essential to our faith and salvation to recognize and confess him to be the "Son of the living God" (Matt 16:16-19)?

Sincerely,
Name Confusion

Dear Name Confusion,

Jesus was both Son of Man and Son of God – it is one of the great and awesome truths of the Bible.  Jesus was completely Deity, and completely human at the same time.  Verses like Jhn 1:1-3 and Col 3:15-17 make it clear that Jesus was and always has been God.  He is eternal and existed before man – Jesus even said so Himself (Jhn 8:58).  However, if Jesus had simply been God pretending to be a human, His sinless life wouldn’t have been nearly as impressive.  Instead, we are told that Jesus suffered in all things exactly as all other people do – yet without sin (Heb 4:15).  In all things, Jesus was a flesh-formed human just like the rest of us (Heb 2:17-18).  Jesus often used the term ‘Son of Man’ because He spent a lot of His life emphasizing His humanity and empathy with the pains of mankind.  Jesus spent little time pointing out His deity – His life did that for Him (Matt 27:54).

Where is God when we need Him most?

 

Sincerely,
Looking Around

Dear Looking Around,

It is very normal to feel that God has forsaken us in our darkest hours.  That is how David felt when he wrote Ps 22:1-2.  What we must remember is that even though we may feel that God is far away, He never is.  Paul said that God is near each one of us (Acts 17:27-28).  In Job’s darkest hours, he felt abandoned by God… but God explained that there was a reason for Job’s suffering and that just because we don’t understand what is going on, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a purpose.  After God explained this, Job accepted that there were things he couldn’t understand (Job 42:1-3).  Even in our deepest afflictions, God promises us that all things will work together for good if we serve Him (Rom 8:28).

My idea about the Holy Spirit is He started to be part of christians after Jesus’ ascension because Jesus promised His disciples to be indwelt in order for them to do marvelous works in the kingdom.  My question is: what made the Old Testament believers do God's Will if the Holy Spirit was not yet given to them until the New Testament?  What power enabled the early believers in the Old Testament?

Sincerely,
Empowered

Dear Empowered,

The Holy Spirit doesn’t control the actions of every christian; He teaches us through the Word of God.  The Holy Spirit came and gave the apostles the ability to precisely teach, preach, and write down what God intended for mankind to know (see “What The Holy Spirit Does” for further details).

The Holy Spirit has always interacted with mankind, but in the Christian era, He has specifically worked through Jesus, Jesus’ apostles, and prophets (Heb 1:1-2).  The Old Testament prophets also spoke as the Spirit gave them power (2 Pet 1:21).  God specifically said that the Old Testament prophets spoke through the Holy Spirit’s wisdom (Ex 31:1-3, 1 Sam 11:6, 2 Chr 15:1… just to name a few examples).

The Holy Spirit doesn’t force or control the actions of people.  He has given us the words of life that we might choose to do what is right when we read and understand God’s Will (Eph 3:3-4).

Is it okay if you have to work on every Sunday?  I don’t have any time for church, but I do believe in the Lord.

Sincerely,
Busy

Dear Busy,

We always make time for the things that are important.  If someone told you, “I don’t have time to eat, but I believe in proper nutrition”… what would you say to them?  If we say that we believe in something, but then we don’t act upon that belief – it is a dead faith (Jas 2:17-19).  God tells us that part of being a christian is assembling with His people (Heb 10:24-25).  It is impossible for you to get the proper spiritual nutrition if the Lord’s people aren’t a priority.  If you need help finding a faithful congregation in your area – please feel free to e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.