Where Does Bible Prohibit Masturbation?

Is Masturbation A Sin?

Q. Is masturbation a sin? I’ve looked through the Bible and can’t find anything mentioned about it one way or the other.

A. Masturbation is not specifically mentioned as being a sin, but looking upon someone with lust in one’s heart is equated with adultery and is a sin (Matt. 5:28). Therefore I would say that if someone uses a mental or physical image of someone as a stimulus in the act of masturbation, that person is committing adultery in his or her heart and is sinning. Where sin is concerned, the intention of our heart is just as important as our actual behavior.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

Why did God allow it?

The Sifting Of Peter

Q. When the devil asked to ’sift Peter as wheat’(Luke 22:31) what exactly does it mean? Why would he want to do this?

I know that he also asked to persecute Job in the old testament and that God allowed this in order to cure Job of his self righteous attitude.Does this mean the devil has to ask permission to attack us directly, and if so are all our afflictions down to him?

A. The sifting of Peter took place in his triple denial that he knew the Lord on the night before the crucifixion. It was an attack against an attribute of his that Peter took much pride in, his bravery. Earlier, he had single handedly stood up to the contingent of soldiers who came to arrest Jesus (John 18:10), but then he wound up being intimidated by a slave girl, the most powerless of all possible adversaries.

It was done to demonstrate two things to Peter and to us. One, we’re most vulnerable after a victory. Three days earlier they had all rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. And two, when Satan attacks it will often be in an area where we feel strongest, most self-sufficient. Job’s strongest area was his righteousness, Peter’s was his bravery. This is to show our need for utter reliance upon the Lord.

Yes, all our afflictions are ultimately caused by Satan because he is the author of all the evil in the world. But our own sinfulness is what gives him access to us. God uses Satan’s attacks to expose our sinfulness and our need to confess and be forgiven. This is the point of both Job’s and Peter’s experiences. Both were forgiven and restored after recognizing their sin and confessing. After his sifting, Peter was a changed man as his performance in the Book of Acts clearly demonstrates.

Peter, Do You Love Me?

Q. John 21:15-17 records Jesus asking peter three times if he loves him, Was this Jesus way of letting Peter know he was forgiven for denying Him three times?

A. That’s a reasonable interpretation. But John 21:15-17 also contains a fascinating use of words that we miss in the English because we only have one word for love. In the Greek two different words for love are used, and they have different meanings. In verse 15 when Jesus first asked Peter, “Do you truly love me more than these?” He used a word that means to be totally given over to someone irrespective of the response. It’s the highest, most intense form of love in the Greek language. We would call it unconditional love. But when Peter responded, he used a different word for love, a less intense one that describes the love one has for a brother.

When Jesus asked the second time it was the same, with Jesus using the stronger word and Peter responding with the lesser.

The third time, Jesus downgraded His expectation and changed His question to use the same word Peter had used, allowing Peter to respond in kind. In verse 17 Peter said, “Lord you know all things. You know that I love you.” He meant that he knew that the Lord knew of his inability to respond unconditionally to God’s love.

In this interaction we learn two things. The first is Peter’s admission that it’s impossible for man to love God with the same intensity that God loves man. The second is that God understands this and accepts man’s weakness.

Peter would not describe His love for the Lord as unconditional until after Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit had come and Peter had given himself completely over to serving Him. This is to show that it’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we’re able to respond to God’s love in kind.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

Take responsibility for your behaviour

An Illustration of James 1:15

Q. Could you please give me an illustration for this verse, James 1:15 - "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." I mean how do you explain this verse. I find it not easy though it seems easy.

A. James was talking about taking responsibility for our sins. He said we can’t accuse God of tempting us because He is neither tempted by evil nor does He tempt anyone else. (James 1:13) In verse 14 he said we are enticed to sin because of our own evil desires, which cause lustful thoughts. When these thoughts are given consideration they become sin, which under the Law is punishable by death. (James 1:15)

To illustrate, say I’m walking down the street when I see a beautiful woman coming toward me. This woman is not my wife but I find her desirable to look at just the same. If I entertain even a momentary thought on what it might be like to become sexually involved with her, I’ve committed the sin of adultery which is punishable by death.

Can I blame God for making the woman so attractive, or for causing her to cross my path, or for making me a healthy man with human desires? No. I can only blame myself for entertaining such a thought about a woman I’m not married to.

This is one of the illustrations Jesus used in Matt. 5-6 to show us the need for a Savior, because it’s impossible for us always avoid doing thing like this. And the same is true of an angry thought, or an envious one, or an untruthful one.

James was making the point that we can’t blame God when we succumb to the temptations of this world. From other passages we know that Jesus died for all our sins so we won’t have to. (Col. 2:13-15) And even after we’re saved, when we take responsibility for our sins and confess them as such, God is just and faithful to forgive us and will purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) so we won’t become estranged from Him.

Website : www.gracethrufaith.com

The Father's iniquity

Visiting The Iniquity Of The Fathers Upon The Children

Q. Re: Exodus 34:5-7. Could you explain what it means about God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and fourth generation?

A. First of all let’s clarify that He’s speaking only of the guilty. In Exodus 20:6 He said He shows His love to 1000 generations of those who love Him. I think He’s referring to the huge impact fathers have on forming the beliefs of their children. Social scientists call this environmental conditioning. It’s the process by which children learn to emulate the habits and attitudes of the role models around them. Our most influential role model for good or evil is our earthly father. Some even believe the sin nature is passed through the father only, which is why Jesus could have a human mother but not possess a sin nature.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

The Truth About Celebrities life

Question: "Why are there so many tragedies among celebrities?"

Answer: Suicides, drug overdoses (whether illicit or prescription), divorces, alcoholism, financial disasters – why are tragedies like these seemingly common among celebrities? Why do many celebrities, some of whom are relatively intelligent and good people, make such complete disasters of their lives? There is no single answer that definitively applies to each and every celebrity tragedy, but if there is an explicit biblical answer, it is one word – pride.

The most powerful biblical example of a “fall from grace” is Satan. Listen to Ezekiel’s description of Satan before his fall: “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you…your settings and mountings were made of gold” (Ezekiel 28:12-13). What happened to Satan? “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor” (Ezekiel 28:17). Isaiah expands on the cause of Satan’s fall: “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High’” (Isaiah 14:13-14). Rather than honoring and worshipping the God who created him and gave him beauty, Satan became proud, essentially worshipping himself.

What is the end result? “All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more” (Ezekiel 28:19). “But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate” (Isaiah 14:15-16). The messages of Isaiah and Ezekiel regarding the fate of Satan sound remarkably similar to some of the tragedies that have occurred among celebrities in recent years.

Why is pride such a problem? Proverbs 16:18 declares, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pride causes people to forget God (Hosea 13:6). Pride causes some celebrities to forget that God was the one who gave them the talents and skills they possess. Pride causes celebrities to have too high a view of themselves, to think they are worthy of all the adulation they receive. Arrogant pride results in celebrities thinking they cannot be deceived and therefore putting trust in very untrustworthy people. Too high a view of self leads to some celebrities believing they are beyond the possibility of failure and thereby making extremely foolish decisions with their lives, careers, relationships, marriages, finances, etc.

Ultimately, the issue is this – human beings are not spiritually, emotionally, or psychologically designed to receive worship. Only God is worthy of worship, and only God can receive worship without it perverting His “psyche.” When celebrities worship themselves or allow others to worship them, it results in arrogant pride and self-centeredness, which leads to disaster and tragedy.

What is the cure? The cure is to give God the glory He alone deserves. The fix is to have a biblical self-image, recognizing that we are valuable because we are created in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27), not because of anything we have accomplished “on our own.” The solution is to refuse to be worshipped, as the holy angels do (Revelation 19:10; 22:9), and instead to deflect any and all worship and adulation to God, who alone is worthy. The key is recognizing that we are who Romans 3:10-23 says we are and praising God for being the merciful, gracious, and loving God that He is.

Website: www.gotquestions.org

Abortion?

What Happens To Aborted Babies?

Q. What happens to the souls of aborted babies? If the answer is they go straight to heaven, does this not make infanticide the greatest form of evangelism ever discovered and Dr. George Tiller one of the greatest evangelists of all time?

Although the scriptures do not speak to this hypothesis, are these souls possibly born in the Millennial reign of Jesus? Such an assertion would logically suggest the same for all children that die before the age of accountability and the mentally incapacitated.

A. Both the Old and New Testaments make it clear that from the moment of conception until the age of accountability, children belong to God. In Romans 7:9 Paul said that he was alive apart from the Law until the commandment came, when sin sprang to life and he died. Since he lived for many more years, it’s obvious he was talking about the spiritual death that comes upon reaching the age when we’re held accountable for our sins. After that we must make the choice to be born again in order to remain in God’s family and avoid the penalty for our sins.

Aborted babies are just like other children who die before the age of accountability. They belong to the Lord. At the Rapture they’ll receive resurrection bodies and will dwell in the New Jerusalem as part of the Church.

Dr. Tiller repeatedly and with malice aforethought violated the commandment against taking an innocent life. Although the result was beneficial for the victims, Dr. Tiller is accountable for their lives (Genesis 9:6) unless before his death he sought forgiveness.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

Will we be judged for our words or won't be?

Careless Words

Q. Last night in our Bible study, we talked about judgment which I have no problems with at all. In regard to it, when we are faithful to confess our sins to God (say on a daily basis) for things we know are wrong such as envy, inappropriate words, hurtful actions, etc, will we be judged on them again when we see the Lord in the future? Since the Bible says we will be judged by every word or action, does this imply we are forgiven now but will be judged later or will God remove our transgressions as far as East is from West?

A. Matt. 12:36-37 says,

“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Even a sin as “small” as a careless word will be remembered and we’ll be called to account for them all. Obviously one person cannot be both acquitted and condemned, so the Lord was saying it’ll be one or the other. We’re acquitted by having agreed the let the Lord’s death serve as payment in full for our sins. Since He’s already been punished for them, God’s justice has been served and He cannot also punish us. Others will be condemned by having denied the Lord and refusing to let His death pay for their sins. That means they’ve agreed to pay for them personally. So we’ll either be acquitted or condemned by the words we’ve spoken. But we won’t be acquitted now and comdemned later.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com