The New Testament commandment from Jesus states, "Love God with all your mind, heart, and soul and your neighbor as yourself, and upon these two commandments hang all the law".  Our personal love is not equal or relative to God’s love.

How can I love my fellow man when my fellow man hates me?  I am missing something here.  It seems it is impossible for me to personally love someone else because it is a material love.

My argument is that God’s love is absolute spiritual love and not our material love.  I believe that spiritual love is an emotional love which comes from the heart, not the mind.

Does love work from the head as well as the heart?  How do I know the Holy Spirit’s voice is talking to me from my mind?

Sincerely,
An Emotional Believer

Dear An Emotional Believer,

The Holy Spirit speaks to you through the Bible (1 Cor 2:11-13, Jhn 14:26), and the Bible teaches that true love is an intellectual decision, not merely an emotion.  The Greek language (the language of the New Testament) has several words that fit the English description of ‘love’.

1. ‘Philos’ is the word for friendly love, companionship, and loyalty.  This is the type of love shared between friends, comrades, and family.
2. ‘Eros’ is the word for passion and romantic love.  This is the type of love that is used to describe sensual attraction or longing.
3. ‘Agape’ is the word used for honored love.  This type of love is sacrificial and places the person or object in a position of honor.  Agape love does what is in the best interest of the other person.

The love that Christ commands us to have is ‘agape’ love.  It may be impossible for you to have friendly feelings toward your enemies, but you can still choose to treat them in an honorable way (Lk 6:27).  Paul says that when we do good things to our enemies, we shame them and heap burning coals upon their heads (Rom 12:20).  Agape love overcomes evil with good (Rom 12:21).  Agape love is a choice, a decision of the mind to place others’ needs before your own (Rom 12:10).

I am very confused right now.  I know that God wants us to marry if we are to be in a sexual relationship with someone.  My circumstances are different.  I have a child from a previous relationship, and nearly five years later, I met a man whom I fell in love with.  We had a child, and, of course, this made things bad; we separated.  Now I am really trying to learn God’s way and obedience; my sisters tell me that God has someone special for me because they don't like the current man I am with, but then I have heard that you can't find the love from another human being and that you should be trying to find and keep with God.  Should I wait for this mystery man or not worry about it and try to start understanding more about God’s love?

Sincerely,
Looking For Love

Dear Looking For Love,

Before considering marrying someone, you need to know what God says on the subject.  There are many verses that address when you should get married and to whom you should marry.

1. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, literally, a “’til death do us part” vow (Rom 7:2-3).  Anyone you consider marrying needs to be someone that you are willing to commit to and trust through all the trials of life.
2. Husbands are the head of the family (Eph 5:23).  Any man that you marry will lead you and your children by his example and decisions.  Ask yourself whether you trust him to make decisions in your best interest.  Will this man be a husband with a servant’s heart (Jhn 13:13-15) or a husband that rules with selfishness (Jas 3:14-16)?
3. Will He be a man of morality and character?  God tells us that we should only marry those that are “in the Lord” (1 Cor 7:39).  The reason for this is that marriage is the strongest bond with any human you will have in this life.  Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Cor 15:33), and faithful friends make us stronger (Eccl 4:9).  Anyone you marry needs to be someone who will draw you closer to God.
4. The emotion of passion is strong, but it is also fleeting.  True love is not just a feeling… but the choice to live unselfishly for one another (1 Cor 13:4-7).  Make your choice for a spouse based upon the choices he makes, not off of your emotions at the moment.  An emotional decision may very well get you into a marriage you will regret for a lifetime.

And when all is said and done: pray (1 Thess 5:17).  God blesses those that trust Him.

How did people get married in Bible times?  Was it a large ceremony like the ones we have now?  I know the Bible tells us that unmarried sex is wrong, but I was just wondering how people went through marriage then; like, were they married by a preacher/pharisee?  What qualified them as being married in the eyes of God?

Sincerely,
Going To The Chapel?

Dear Going To The Chapel,

The Bible doesn’t say much about marriage ceremonies because they vary so much from culture to culture.  The only detail about marriage that the Bible mentions is the importance and the sanctity of the vows (1 Cor 7:39).  Marriage is meant for a lifetime, and the marriage vows carry the weight of lifetime promises (Mk 10:7-9).  The legal requirements for marriage will vary from one country to another.  God does tell us that we must obey the laws of the government (Rom 13:1-2, 1 Pet 2:13-14).  Make sure to not only make your vows before God, but also do what is right in the eyes of all men (Rom 12:17) by making sure the marriage is legally recognized.

Okay, so I have just been struggling lately with this: at church, I have been taught that Jesus is God... but then I am confused because why would Jesus pray to God?  Isn't that like praying to Himself?  And why would the voice of God speak when Jesus was baptized?  And then last night, my mom and I were reading the Bible together, and she found a footnote that explained that as God's Son, Jesus has all the authority of God.  This I can understand, but I guess my question is: Is it wrong to say that Jesus is God the Creator?

Sincerely,
Who’s Who?

Dear Who’s Who,

This is an easy thing to get confused over.  We often say that there is only one God… but technically, that is not accurate.  There are three Gods in the Godhead, and They all work together in perfect unity.  Jesus is God (Matt 28:9), the Father is God (2 Thess 1:2), and the Holy Spirit is God (Gen 1:2).  The word ‘God’ just means ‘deity’.  Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are all deity.  They function with complete unity (Jhn 10:30), but They are separate Beings.  This is most clearly seen in Matt 3:16-17 when the Holy Spirit descends like a dove, Jesus comes out of the water, and the Father speaks from heaven… total unity, but definitely distinct entities.
Each of Them (known collectively as ‘the Godhead’) was there at the creation of the universe.  Jhn 1:1-3 says that Jesus created everything, Gen 1:2 shows that the Holy Spirit was part of the creation process, and Mal 2:10 makes it clear that the Father created us.  They all took part in the creation process; therefore, it is perfectly correct to say that Jesus is our Creator.  To better understand the roles of the Godhead, read “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”.

Can a woman be a pastor?  Please provide me with verses that back up your answer.  Be blessed.

Sincerely,
Lady In Waiting

Dear Lady In Waiting,

No.  Pastors (Eph4:11) – also known as elders or bishops (Tit 1:5-7) – are always men.  The qualifications for pastors are given in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  One of those qualifications is that he must be “a husband of one wife” (1 Tim 3:2, Tit 1:6) – that clearly rules out females from becoming pastors.