Is being a vegetarian a sin?

Sincerely,
Meat Man

Dear Meat Man,

Absolutely not!  Adam and Eve were vegetarians (Gen 1:30).  It wasn’t until Noah that God taught mankind to eat animals (Gen 9:1-4).  In the New Testament, Paul wrote that you could eat just vegetables (1 Cor 8:13).  Paul was dealing with a doctrinal issue of meat sacrificed to idols, but still he made it clear that there isn’t anything wrong with avoiding meat altogether.  Although unnecessary (and bacon-less), a vegetarian lifestyle is perfectly Biblical.

Does the devil know what you’re thinking?

Sincerely,
Mind Games

Dear Mind Games,

Only God knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart (1 Chr 28:9).  If the devil knew all the thoughts of man, he wouldn’t have even wasted time tempting Jesus (Matt 4:1).  We do know that there are times when the devil has placed thoughts into the minds of men (Jhn 13:2).  However, that isn’t the same as seeing into our minds.  Introducing an idea into someone’s mind is very different from controlling them or seeing the deepest intents of their heart.  The devil doesn’t have that kind of power.  He is certainly clever and wickedly capable (1 Pet 5:8), but he isn’t omniscient.

My question is about asking forgiveness of sins.  Is it okay to simply say, "Please forgive me of my sins" and leave it at that when praying, or do I need to list each sin out specifically?  Do I only need to mention the big ones by name, or is it okay to lump them all together generically?

Sincerely,
Taking My Lumps

Dear Taking My Lumps,

It certainly isn’t wrong to list all of your sins out specifically, but a more generic statement is also acceptable.  Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Matt 6:12).  That is a generic way to ask for forgiveness.  Moses mentioned in the Psalms that we have “secret sins” (Ps 90:8).  In reality, you can’t list all of your sins in prayer because you don’t even know all of the different sins you commit.  There is nothing wrong with generalizing in your prayers, as long as it is still sincere.

If God is a spirit, does He have eyes?  Is there Scripture regarding this question?  I know the Bible talks about God seeing us, and His eyes are upon us, but does He have eyes?  Thank you for you help.  God bless.

Sincerely,
Looking Over My Shoulder

Dear Looking Over My Shoulder,

God says His eyes roam to and fro throughout the earth (2 Chr 16:9), therefore, God does have eyes.  However, we must use that term in the loosest way.  God isn't human, hence, He wouldn't have human eyes.  God is a spiritual being (Jhn 4:24) and would have spiritual eyes.  Your guess is as good as ours as to what those eyes look like.

What is the last book of the Bible?

Sincerely,
Counting Pages

Dear Counting Pages,

There are sixty-six total books in the Bible.  Thirty-nine books in the Old Testament, and there are twenty-seven books in the New Testament.  The last book of the Old Testament is Malachi.  The last book of the New Testament is Revelation.