This is a very controversial topic, so feel free not to answer if you see fit.  I don't believe homosexuality is right.   I feel it is sinful and wrong.  I was just wondering, as a religious official, what is your opinion?  And how could someone overcome such a battle?

Sincerely,
Taking A Stand

Dear Taking A Stand,

People may give mixed reviews on homosexuality, but the Bible is very clear – a homosexual lifestyle is a sinful lifestyle.  Rom 1:27 makes it clear that homosexuality is one of the deepest forms of depravity in this life.  Jude 1:7 makes it clear that God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because the people “went after strange flesh”, i.e. homosexual behavior.  From the beginning, God designed romantic and physical relationships to be between one man and one woman – for life (Matt 19:4-6).  Any other type of relationship is wrong.

Homosexuality is such a controversial issue because modern society teaches that people are born homosexual, but this simply isn’t true.  Nobody is forced to have a sinful homosexual relationship.  The argument of the homosexual community is that they are born desiring people of the same sex and that they have no choice.  That simply cannot be true.  God makes it clear that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able (1 Cor 10:13).  Even if someone is born with a predisposition toward homosexuality – they aren’t forced to act upon it.  We always have a choice.  There is always a way of escape from sin.  We often use 1 Cor 10:13 as a proof text that no one is born “gay”.
Homosexuality is like all other sins; we sin when we act upon the lust.  God does not tempt us to sin (Jas 1:13).  It is our own lusts that entice us to do the wrong thing (Jas 1:14-16).  One person has a tendency toward anger, another has a tendency toward alcoholism, and some may in fact have a tendency toward homosexuality – but that tendency does not force them to sin.  We need to put away all filthiness of the flesh and be doers of God’s Word (Jas 1:21-22).

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There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

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"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

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I attend a non-denominational church, and there is a member that states that if you read anything other than the King James Version that you are bringing damnation upon yourself.  I have the New King James Version.  He says that the new version is adding to and taking away from God’s Word.  How should I respond to this?

Sincerely,
Too New?

Dear Too New,

The King James version (KJV) was originally published in 1611.  It was a translation authorized by King James of England to provide an accurate, modern translation to the masses.  For many years, it was the best, precise translation into English.  However, to say that the KJV is the only accurate translation, or that it is a sin to use another translation, is going way too far.

Using that logic, we should never read the Bible except from the original Greek and Hebrew!  If we are going to get technical, the original Greek and Hebrew are the most precise copies of the Bible out there.  Or what if we lived in Germany?  Or Russia?  Is the KJV the only version that can be used in those countries… even though they don’t speak English?

God divinely inspired every word of the Bible (1 Cor 2:13, 2 Pet 1:21), but each translation is a work of man.  The important thing is to make sure that you use a Bible translation that has been written by qualified, unbiased translators.  The New King James is an excellent example of high quality translation work.  We are also partial to the American Standard and the New American Standard.  The KJV is a good translation, but it doesn’t have divine authority above all other translations.

I’m so torn up inside!  Why can’t I stop sinning?  I really do try, and I succeed for a while, but then I fall right back into it.  I feel as if I’m slowly escaping this sin, but I still feel burdened by it, and I’m scared God will stop forgiving me.  I know it says in the Bible that God’s grace is endless, and that’s the only thing that leads me to succeed when I do.  I refuse to give up, and feel I am slowly winning the battle, but when I fall, I feel soooooo terrible.  Any advice?

Sincerely,
Repetitive Sinner

Dear Repetitive Sinner,

When a sin becomes so entrenched in your life that you are enslaved to it (Jhn 8:34), you are dealing with an addiction.  Addictions are formed by habits, and habits are formed by repeatedly making the same choices.  James describes this process in Jas 1:13-15.  All sins begin with a mental decision.  If you want to remove an addiction, isolate the choices that are putting you in the position to commit that sin.  If you change the environment and circumstances that lead you to a sin, you change the future playing field.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to let someone else know about your struggle (Jas 5:16).  There is strength in numbers (Eccl 4:12), and exposing a sin takes its power away (Jhn 3:20).

Do you have any ideas to share with me on how to attract more people to our church?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Welcome Wagon

Dear Welcome Wagon,

The only trustworthy pattern for church growth is the one found in the Bible.  There are ways that churches can grow very quickly… but in an unhealthy manner because they have left the Bible message in their fervor to fill the pews (Gal 1:6-7).  On the other hand, many churches stagnate because they aren’t zealous about anything.  The key is to be zealous about truth and the joy of salvation in Christ.

The apostles were unapologetic about their message of morality (Acts 20:27).  The Bible message of Christ allowed first-century evangelists to reason and persuade people to obey the truth (Acts 17:2, Acts 24:25).  The churches grew when everyone was equipped to share the good news of Jesus and give an answer for why they believed in God (1 Pet 3:15).  Today’s modern churches are too often places of emotional zeal, but void of conviction and reason.  How can we expect people to place membership in a church that is only another form of entertainment?  When we remove conviction and morality from the Bible message, we dilute the message and the purpose of Christianity.  Many churches are dying from the inside because of the gangrene of entertainment religion.  We live in a world of “cafeteria theology” where what you believe is a matter of preference, not truth.  Until we begin teaching that truth matters – all churches will continue to suffer decline.