So how do I put on the armor of God?

Sincerely,
Soldier

Dear Soldier,

Ephesians 6 describes the various pieces of armor that God has provided to protect us against the temptations of sin (Eph 6:13).

1. Gird yourself with truth (Eph 6:14).  The truth is the most basic tool that we have against sin.  The devil uses lies to deceive us and tempt us (Jhn 8:44).  If you know the Bible truth about what is right and wrong, you will be prepared to identify Satan’s traps (Heb 5:14).
2. Protect your heart by living righteously (Eph 6:14).  One of the simplest ways to avoid sin is to pursue righteousness (1 Pet 3:11).  Fill the days of your life with good behavior, and there will be no room for bad behavior (Matt 12:43-45).
3. Seek to live a peaceful life and dwell in harmony with others (Eph 6:15).  When we love our fellow man and seek what is in his best interest, we avoid a great deal of opportunities for anger, sin, and division.  Never compromise your morals, but as much as it depends on you, be at peace with all men (Rom 12:18).
4. Carry the shield of faith (Eph 6:16).  Faith is the act of trusting God and following the Word of God (Rom 10:17).  Faith is an act of loyalty to the Lord (Matt 22:37).  It is often hard to do the right thing, especially when a simple lie or sin would prevent discomfort.  Have faith in Him who is able to save your soul.  He can cause all things to work together for good (Rom 8:28).
5. Remember your salvation in Jesus (Eph 6:17).  It is the hope of salvation that drives us forward, renews our zeal, and reminds us of what we are fighting for.  Hope whets our appetites for better things to come and makes it easier to purify ourselves from sin (1 Jn 3:3).
6. Know your Bible (Eph 6:17).  The Bible is described as a sword (Heb 4:12), and it is able to both defend and fight back against evil.  There is no greater tool in your arsenal against the wiles of the devil than your Bible.  Learn it, read it, fill your mind and heart with it, and return to it constantly for renewed strength.  When your Bible becomes your close friend, you are ready for anything.
7. Pray without ceasing (Eph 6:18).  Prayer gives us strength to stand strong, and it gives you direct access to the Creator of all.  God is great; ask Him for help and courage.

What is wrong with racial marriage?

Sincerely,
Color Blind

Dear Color Blind,

There is absolutely nothing wrong with interracial marriage.  First of all, we are all descendants of Adam and Eve (Gen 3:20), and, therefore, race is a moot point.  Secondly, in Christ, such things as race have no significance (Gal 3:27-28).  The only concern you should have when falling in love and marrying is whether or not they are “in the Lord”, i.e. a christian (1 Cor 7:39).

How did Jesus love the church?

Sincerely,
Big-Hearted

Dear Big-Hearted,

Jesus loved the church in a thousand different ways, but all of that culminated in a single act – His death on the cross.  When Jesus sacrificed Himself at Calvary, He gave His life for the church (Eph 5:25).  Jesus bought the salvation of the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28).  When we are added to the church through baptism (Acts 2:38-41), we are covered by the blood of Christ, and our sins are removed.  There is no greater act of love than to lay down your life for others (1 Jn 3:16, Jhn 10:15).

Where did race come from?

Sincerely,
Multicultural

Dear Multicultural,

All of mankind descended from Adam and Eve (Gen 5:1-2, Gen 3:20).  The word ‘race’ refers to a group of people that have a common ethnic background.  In the purest sense, we are all of the same race – the race of Adam.  However, today we have people that share various cultural and physical characteristics because their ancestors came from certain parts of the globe.  This ethnic diversity happened because God commanded the descendants of Adam to “go forth and multiply” (Gen 9:7).  After the flood of Noah’s day, God expected mankind to spread out and inhabit the whole earth (Gen 9:1).  Instead of doing that, Noah’s descendants decided to stay together and inhabit only a small portion of the globe – directly in contradiction of God’s command (Gen 11:1-4).  As punishment for this behavior, God scrambled their languages and made it so that they were unable to communicate with each other (Gen 11:7).  The people then scattered across the globe and created the various races we see today (Gen 11:8-9).

My wife and I have been married seven years.  She has a son in his early forties from a previous marriage.  He has had a roller coaster lifestyle.  He does not like to live by the rules.  He gets help for addiction to drugs and alcohol, does well for a while, and then falls back to his old ways.  She wants to continue to help him, and I think we should stop helping and let him grow up.  Now his girlfriend is pregnant and due soon. Neither of them has a job or income.  What should I do?

Sincerely,
Step-Dad

Dear Step-Dad,

The Bible solution is simple to say, but hard to do.  It is hard because when you do what the Bible says, your son will whine and cry and beg and manipulate and cajole and scream and… you get the idea.  The Bible simply says, “If a man will not work, neither let him eat” (2 Thess 3:10).  The most loving thing you can do for this man is to let him see what it is like to live without a safety net – no more hand holding, no more free money, and no more free rides.  When people figure out that they need to work in order to eat… they start working.  He won’t starve; there are thousands of food banks across America.  He won’t freeze; there are thousands of shelters across America.  He will learn to stand on his own two feet.  By no longer subsidizing his bad behavior, you and your wife can give him the gift of an actual life.