Q: What does it mean to meditate on God's Word?

To answer this question, we must first understand what the word meditate means: To engage in contemplation or reflection, to focus one's thoughts on: reflect or ponder over.

Listen to what one author writes:

Meditation is a function of the mind and the heart. It is what we think about in our hearts and it is something we each do every day. Whether we realize it or not, we all spend a large portion of our time in some form of meditation. The thing is, what we meditate on may or may not be worth while. In fact, what we habitually think about is frequently unhealthy for our growth as Christians. Often it is simply sinful. This is why I asked you earlier to spend some time making notes about what you thing about. This is the first step in the process of training ourselves to think correctly.

What then is Christian meditation? It is the deliberate practice of turning our hearts and our minds to the full time task of bringing the word of God to life in the daily activities of our lives. God wants to change us from the inside out. He wants to renew our minds and hearts so they will become more like his own. However, it is only by God's grace and power that this could ever happen. We cannot change ourselves. God uses a number of things to accomplish this. But the primary tool he uses is his own word recorded in the Bible. If we ignore it, he cannot work in us. If we use it and put it to use, he will be able to enter into our lives and form us into what he wants us to be. Meditation on the word of God allows its transforming power to renew our minds and change our hearts. 

HOW do we meditate on God's Word? Justin Taylor has a great little post that will help. It also contains a bunch of links that will further your understanding in this crucial area of Christian living.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Why do people doubt the Bible despite the evidence?

The Bible, the word of God, is historically, scientifically, and mathematically correct, confirmed by archaeology. Why do people still doubt it and think its false?

People still doubt the Bible as the Word of God because this is also a spiritual matter and not just a matter of proving the Bible to be correct historically, scientifically, mathematically and through archaeology. 

2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

There’s a spiritual opposition involved in preventing people from accepting the Bible as the truth. This is why you can present as many proven facts to them all you want but they still refuse to believe - it's because they are blinded spiritually. We need to pray for people that God would shine His light into their hearts so that they would come to know Him. 

“For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6).

When dealing with questions that people have, try to answer it the best that you can. The Bible has and will continue to stand any test. But also remember to pray for them!

[Answered by Pastor Quang]

Q: I was reading Revelations and I passed by a passage that I didn't really understand. Revelations 2:4 says, "You have forsaken your first love." What does this mean?

A:  At this point in the Book of Revelation, the author is addressing different churches.  Revelation 2:1-7 is talking about the Church of Ephesus. 

¹"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
      These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: ²I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. ⁴Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. ⁵Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. ⁶But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Verse 2-3 shows that what this church is doing is clearly good and worth praising.  Even in the face of persecution they have not grown weary and in the midst of false teachers and teachings, they have stayed true to the Truth and not allowed outside influences to tear down the walls of righteousness.

However, when we look at verse 4, the Church in Ephesus is being rebuked for forgetting why they are doing ministry.  This church must have been doing ministry well, but they have lost sight as to why they are doing it.  The reason why the church exists is none other but to show the love of God.  That "first love" is in reference to the commitment to help and serve others and the Church of Ephesus is doing ministry without being rooted in Christ's love. 

In conclusion, this passage is rebuking the Ephesians attitudes and reminding them that what they are doing in the name of God, must be done in love. 

[answered by Pastor KJT]

Q: My classmate asked me how do we know that our interpretation o the Bible is correct and that it actually means something else.

How should I answer them?

I'll point you to two articles: (1) A previous post I've written that talks about interpreting different genres of the Bible (2) "How To Interpret the Bible" by Matt Slick. Please read both carefully and slowly. Here is an excerpt from the latter source:

The Bible is God’s Word. But some of the interpretations derived from it are not. There are many cults and Christian groups that use the Bible, claiming their interpretations are correct. Too often, however, the interpretations not only differ dramatically but are clearly contradictory. This does not mean that the Bible is a confusing document. Rather, the problem lies in those who interpret and the methods they use.

We need, as best as can be had, the guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpreting God’s Word. Because we are sinners, we are incapable of interpreting God’s word perfectly all of the time. The body, mind, will, and emotions are affected by sin and make 100% interpretive accuracy impossible. This does not mean that accurate understanding of God’s Word is impossible. But it does mean that we need to approach His word with care, humility, and reason. Additionally, we need, as best as can be had, the guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpreting God’s Word. After all, the Bible is inspired by God and is addressed to His people. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand what God’s word means and how to apply it.

Summarily, I would tell your friend:

1. There is a proper and an improper way of interpreting any given passage or verse in the Bible.

2. The proper way to interpret any given passage/verse is to read the text carefully; study its historical/cultural context; find out the author's original intention; understand it in accordance with its genre of writing, ask the right questions about it (such as the ones listed in the "How To Interpret the Bible" or this article) and apply its timeless principle. Remember, you can always make something say whatever you want it to say if you don't do good, solid interpretation.

I'd recommend you and your friend read a good book about proper biblical interpretation such as this free e-book by Gordon Fee and Doug Stuart.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: We're supposed to read the Bible every day...how are you supposed to do that?

...Open the Bible to a random page? Use a devotion book? If so, what are some good devotion books?


A: I just have to say that your question is full of intensity and I praise God that there seems to a deep passion to read the Word and build a relationship with Him. That's very refreshing, thank you!

I wouldn't recommend to open to a random page and read from there. If you haven't read the Bible at all and you're just starting out, I'd recommend to read the Gospels first, particularly the Gospel of John. If you have done that already, go through the rest of the New Testament, perhaps starting with Acts and then reading the Epistles of Paul.

Also, try and find a Study Bible, one that doesn't just contain the Bible, but also has footnotes that explain the passages. I would recommend this one from Zondervan that's in the NIV translation or this one by Crossway Books in the ESV translation. Both provide good introductions to each book and gives historical and cultural background when necessary.

As for a good devotion, may I suggest "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers? This is a real classic. Other good authors that I like to read are Max Lucado and C.S. Lewis.

Hope this has helped your personal walk with Christ, feel free to ask your counselors or Pastors for some more suggestions or see what they're reading!


[answered by Pastor KJT]

Q: In the Bible, most prophets and leaders are males. Does that imply that males are better than females?

A: Although that may come off as being the case, that is absolutely not what the Bible is intending.

In the culture of those days, that thought was definitely prevalent in men's minds. There was absolutely this mentality that men were better and women should be confined to the kitchen and pleasing her husband. This is why you see the prophets and leaders being men. But don't overlook such great leaders as Esther or Ruth. They too play a heavy role in the Bible.

As a matter of fact, if you look at Jesus' ministry, He spent a lot of time going against that mentality and including women in His ministry. He had Mary and Martha, His mother was by His side when He was crucified, He healed many women that other people wouldn't even think of touching. Jesus was all about including women and fighting for their rights.

You've got to read the Bible and understand the culture of the day in order to interpret properly. Bottom line is that male superiority is of the past...Jesus came to abolish that (amongst many other things) and there is no need to use the Bible to perpetuate that type of attitude! We are set free by the freedom that Christ has given us.

[answered by Pastor KJT]

Q: Why are there two versions of the Bible, King James and NIV?

...Is the NIV supposed to be the 'modernized' version of the King James? Then why are verses missing in the NIV that are in the King James?

You have asked two questions here, so I'll answer one at a time.

1. Is the NIV supposed to be the 'modernized' version of the King James?

Not exactly. Most Bible translations fall into one of three categories:

1. Literal ("word-for-word")

2. Dynamic Equivalent ("thought-for-thought")

3. Paraphrase

The King James Version (KJV) is would be classified as literal translation of the Bible, whereas the New International Version (NIV) is a dynamic equivalent translation. In other words, the KJV attempts to translate the underlying Hebrew and Greek words into the closest corresponding English words as possible (word for word). The NIV attempts to take the original thought in Greek and Hebrew and then express that thought in English (thought for thought). An example of the last category - "paraphrase" - is The Message Bible. This translation is neither a literal or dynamic equivalent translation.

For more information on translations, read this gotquestions article or this article on the ESV (Note: The ESV is the translation that I have found very helpful when preaching and reading the Bible).

*As a pastoral side-note, I'd recommend a few things:

- When you're looking at a passage, read different translations. Biblegateway.com will help; it's a website that allows you to search for a passage by translation.

- If you're doing serious Bible study, make sure you read a more literal translation as you want to know what the original author was writing, word-for-word.

- Feel free to use paraphrase translations, but use them for additional study and reflection - not as the primary source.

- Get hold of a good Study Bible. The one I use is the ESV Study. It helps me a lot.

2. Why are verses missing in the NIV that are in the King James?

This question is answered HERE. The authors write (& I think it answers your question very well)...

The answer is that the translators did not believe these verses should have been in the Bible to begin with. Since the KJV was translated in A.D. 1611, many Biblical manuscripts have been discovered that are older and more accurate than the manuscripts the KJV was based on. When Bible scholars researched through these manuscripts, they discovered some differences. It seems that over the course of 1500 years, some words, phrases, and even sentences were added to the Bible (either intentionally or accidentally). The verses mentioned above are simply not found in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts. So, the newer translations remove these verses or place them in footnotes or in the margin because they do not truly belong in the Bible.

It is important to remember, however, that the verses in question are of minor significance. None of them change in any way the crucial themes of the Bible, nor do they have any impact on the Bible’s doctrines—Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, Christ as the only the way of salvation, heaven and hell, sin and redemption, and the nature and character of God. These are preserved intact through the work of the Holy Spirit, who safeguards the Word of God for all generations.

Great question. Keep ones like this coming.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: How could the writer know a conversation between Satan and God?

In Job, there are certain parts where there is a written conversation between the Lord and Satan. For instance, Job 1:6-12:

⁶ One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. ⁷ The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

⁸ Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

⁹ "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. ¹⁰ "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

¹² The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

How could the writer know a conversation between Satan & God?

Good question. This is an example of how much genre matters when reading Scripture. Job is a very unique book in the Old Testament b/c it has elements of history, poetry and narrative ("prose"). If you read Job carefully, you'll notice it starts and ends as a historical story, but the bulk of it is poetic dialogue. So how should we see the conversation between God and Satan? A few things here...

1. Just because poetry is used does not mean the conversation between God and Satan is fictional. Poetry often has "a historical core without historical precision" (Raymond Dillard and Tremper Longman III, Introduction to the Old Testament, 207). When something is written in poetic form, it moves the writing from a historical event to a story with UNIVERSAL application. What is the universal application of the book of Job? It tells us to turn to God in times of suffering, even if we are angry and bitter. "Only in encounter with him will the tension of suffering be resolved" (David Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, xxxix).

2. As with all Scripture, God inspired human authors to write exactly what he wanted them to write. God worked through their unique circumstances and personalities to communicate Himself to us. So the conversation between God and Satan did happen, but was recorded by a human author in poetic language. Some scholars suggest that the conversation between God and Satan is a "contrastive dialogue," written to tells us something about both parties. God is straightforward and gracious, while Satan is cunning and argumentative.

The book of Job is not easy to understand, but I encourage you to continue to wrestle with hard texts. God will speak to you often when you read, re-read, meditate and struggle with a text. Keep the questions coming. Never stop learning and growing in your faith, despite the questions you may have.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: What is the validity of the Old Testatment?

Wow, what a BIG question to ask! I will try to my best to give you the gist and also provide you some links.

Firstly, please listen to this sermon that I have preached on about the Bible: Click HERE
Now, visit the people over at carm.org to read the many articles about the Bible. Click HERE

So now, you should have a better idea of the Old Testament and what kind of a role it plays in our Christian walk.

In my opinion, there are 2 ways of looking at the validity of the Bible. Both are important and needs to be thought over:

1. The "Intellectual" Way. I use quotations for this because I believe that both are intellectual. This way just takes out the spiritual aspect of it. Biblical Scholars can be Bible believing Christians or not...but the validity of the scriptures still remain the same. There is much research supporting the Old Testament. Areas of this support come in the form of archeological findings (like the Dead Sea Scrolls as mentioned in the sermon on the Bible, link above) as well as other non-Biblical literature. For more information on the Dead Sea Scrolls, may I suggest that you take a visit to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) this summer and go to the Dead Sea Scroll Exhibit. You can find the link HERE

2. The Spiritual Way. For us Christians, the Bible is not only an accurate history book, we believe it is a book that gives us instructions on how to live a God righteous life. We believe that this book is inspired by God (as in He used humans to write it), and it is to help us live our lives in the ways of God. Many people have a hard time believing that the Bible is such, but I would like to encourage you to take time to read it. If we already come at the Bible with the attitude that it is wrong, or that it's not of God...we have already made up our minds about it. However, if you could just open your heart and read it with an open mind...I do believe that God will work in your heart and help you understand it the way that it was intended.

[Answered by Pastor KJT]

Q: What's the deal with swearing?

When it comes to the issues of swearing and cursing, the Bible makes it extremely clear, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephes. 4:29)

James also addresses the issue by stating, "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." (James 3:9-12)

What James is saying is that the lives of Christians should not be characterized by evil speech. By making the analogy of both salt water and fresh water coming from the same spring (which is uncharacteristic of springs), he makes the point that it is uncharacteristic for a believer to have both praise and cursing come from his/her mouth. Also it is not a characteristic for us to praise God on one hand and curse our brothers on the other. This, too, is uncharacteristic of a true believer.

Jesus explained that what comes out of our mouths is what fills our hearts. Sooner or later, the evil in the heart comes out through the mouth in curses and swearing. However when our hearts are filled with the goodness of God, praise for Him, than love for others will pour out from our mouths. The truth is, our speech is a strong indicatication of what is in our hearts. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

So what's the deal with swearing? When we swear and curse, we are giving evidence of the polluting sin in our hearts that must be confessed and repented of. Thankfully, our great God is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). When this happens, we receive a new nature from God (2 Corinthians 5:17), our hearts are transformed, and our speech reflects the new nature God has created within us.

[Answered by George, who is striving to let the goodness of God flow through his lips]

Q: 1 Corinthians 8:9-10

...in your answer to the question "is it bad to wear short shorts", you posted scripture from 1 Corinthians 8:9-10. However, when I read this passage, I interpret a different message. What I interpret is individual success or achievement within freedoms is wrong and dangerous because it becomes a barrier for the weak. It displaces others, thereby forcing the weak into poorer conditions. That being said, is this [passage] advocating that individual success should not be pursued, and institution or structures that allow this to happen should be opposed (capitalism). This is how I interpret the passage. Is this the right way to interpret the passage? If not, how do you know for sure that I am wrong?

For your reference, the "answer" that this question is referring to can be found here.


Firstly, I would suggest that you look into a Bible Commentary for more information about this passage. I will give the gist of it, but an in depth reading of this whole chapter would give better insight. So before you read on, please go here and read 1 Corinthians 8.

This passage is NOT talking about the idea of "the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer". Instead, this passage is talking about food and the sacrifice of food to idols. In the culture in which the Jews lived, there was worship of idols and part of the worship came in the form of laying out food. Obviously, this is not condoned as God says that we are to worship no idols, therefore, Jews would not eat the food that has been sacrificed to pagan gods, claiming that it would make a person unclean.

In the New Testament, Jesus declares that what goes into a person does not defile them, but it's what comes out that makes a person unclean. (Read: Mark 7:18-20.) What He means is that what we eat cannot possibly make us unholy, but it is in our actions, thoughts and hearts that can show our wickedness. Therefore, He declared foods clean and challenges us to change our hearts instead of our food.

The passage that I quoted to answer the other question about short shorts (verses 9-10), addresses the fact that we could be a stumbling block for those weaker Christians who may not understand the Scriptures. You see, while Jesus was saying this (declaring all foods clean), there were still many people who associated the worship of idols with the sacrificed foods. In turn, they did not fully understand that following Christ meant our hearts needed to change. They still felt as though what they DID was the only way they showed their faith.

And so Jesus warns the "stronger" Christians that even though the foods are clean and we have the freedom to eat it, there are still some weaker Christians out there that didn't fully understand and see otherwise. We must be mindful of those who are weaker and take the time to teach and educate.

And so as I use this passage to explain my stance on wearing short shorts, my point is that our actions may cause someone who is weaker to stumble. A girl who is wearing shorts on a hot day on the beach is fully acceptable. But if what is wearing and how she conducts herself causes someone to lust after her and think impure thoughts, than we ought to not put ourselves in that position and cause someone to sin.

To answer the latter part of the question "Is this the right way to interpret the passage? If not, how do you know for sure that I am wrong?"
It is not the right way to interpret the passage because the you have not taken the time to read the chapter in context. You have not looked into the historical or cultural context (as in you have not understood WHY Jesus is talking about foods and WHY it is considered unclean in the first place). In order to correctly interpret and understand the scriptures, you need to research the back story. After understanding the who, what, when, where, and why's...you can then apply the passages into your life.


[answered by Pastor Kelly J. Tam]

Q: Should a person take the Bible's scripture literally or figuratively? [Part A]

This question is a 2 part-er. Part A, is the question above, and Part B, are 2 specific examples of passages that the may stump a reader. To give a foundation, I will answer Part A first, and then move on to Part B.

PART A: Literal or Figurative?

The Bible consist of many different literary genres (think your Creative Writing English class). There are elements of poetry, parables, songs, thought (like Proverbs), history, literal and figurative teachings.

It is important not to take all things literally in the Bible...but instead, use DISCERNMENT to derive the meaning behind the text. To do this, one must understand the historical and cultural context behind the book. For example, there are tonnes of lessons to be learned when reading about Moses and the burning bush. Moses' reverence for God is shown as he takes off his sandals before entering the place where the Holy One dwells (Exodus 3:5). We can use this as an example of the fear and respect that we must have for God in His house.

Now, relating it back to our current times, do we take off our shoes as a sign of reverence for God? No...that would have a pile up of pairs of shoes outside Doxa and SPLAT. Instead, this passage shows us how to fear God and how worthy He is of our respect. In our current day, we show our respect for God in other ways (ex: bowing as we pray, focusing as we worship, etc)


PART B: Q: When reading these passages, if you take it literally, one advocates in loving everyone, even the ones who persecute you, but the other advocates that if you are sinning, you should resort to self-mutilation. Do you act out both of these passages? If you don't, is that not following God?
[passages in reference to Matt 5:43 - 45 and Mark 9:43 - 47]

In the first passage (Matthew), Jesus is doing His Sermon on the Mount in which He teaches on multiple topics (read Matthew 5 for full details). In this section, He is teaching on loving your enemies, which of course, we know that it is hard to do. I believe the whole point of Jesus saying this, is that He wants to teach us to be inclusive rather than exclusive. It is a challenge to love those who are hard to love (those who have wronged us, those who have betrayed us), but Jesus is the epitome of one who can do this as He is crucified by the hands of His enemies, yet still loves them and asks God to forgive them (Luke 23:34). This specific passage is meant to be taken literally, as the teaching (or the moral of the story) is that we are to love everyone.

In the second passage (Mark), Jesus is teaching on how to prevent sins in our lives. The greater context of this is just above this passage as He is making a stance on the importance of young children and how not to lead them astray. The idea of this passage (or again, the moral of the story), is that if something is causing us to sin, we should get rid of it. A rephrase of this passage could be this:

If your iPod is causing distraction in service for you and others, get rid of it. If you're attitude towards a certain person is a bad testimony for God, change it. If a girlfriend/boyfriend is causing you to commit sexual immorality, than stop/change that relationship.


These passages are given to us as guides. Christ is teaching us principles for our lives and how to honour God. So yes, if we do not take them to heart and apply them our lives, we are not following God. But the key word is APPLY to our lives. A person reading the Bible must look at all angles before making a decision on the meaning.

Ask yourself these questions as you are reading passages:

1. What is the literary genre of the passage?
2. What are the cultural implication so of the text?
3. What is the principle that the Bible is trying to teach? (What is the moral of the story?)
4. How can I APPLY it to my life?


To further your understanding, you can go to this article for more help on how to interpret the Bible.

[answered by Pastor Kelly J. Tam]

Q: How can we tell when the Bible is being literal or figurative?

"Sometimes it seems like we pick and choose to match our own."

This is a good observation! The main issue here is one of interpretation. The Bible has many different genres of literature and thus different parts must be read, interpreted and applied in different ways. I would highly recommend you read this book by Gordon Fee, which explains how to read the Bible according to its different genres. It's free on Google Books. 

It is clear that some parts of Scripture are to be taken literally. For example, Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection, as recorded in the four gospels, are historical facts that should be seen as literal events that happened two thousand years ago. The events described in the letters of Paul should also be taken literally as they did happen during the 1st Century. We cannot that Paul was writing figuratively or poetically. This is like asserting that the reports in the Toronto Star newspaper should be read figuratively as well! 

On the other hand, there are texts in the Bible that should be read figuratively. Let me illustrate. When you read poetry like Psalm 95: 4, "In his hand are the depths of the earth..." it is obvious that there is no physical hand of God holding dirt from the Earth's core. This is poetic language and it is because Psalms is a book of poetry. This, however, does not mean we interpret this part of Scripture as untrue. Every figurative piece of language has a literal point. In this case, the psalmist is saying that God created everything, including the Earth, and therefore, it belongs to him. He is the source and sustainer of creation. 

That being said, there are still many places in Scripture where it is unclear whether the event is literal or figurative. The classic example is that of Genesis 1, the creation account. Did God literally create the world in 6, 24-hour days? Or should interpret this figuratively (i.e. the point here is God created, and these 6 days could represent thousands, if not millions, or years)? Here is a blog post about how to interpret the creation account.

When it comes to these sorts of controversial texts, we must graciously explore what the Bible says together (meaning that there can and should be healthy debate between Jesus-loving, Bible-believing people on matters like this!). Remember that the goal of interpretation is to find out what God is trying to tell us through the Bible - and apply it to our (private and communal) lives. This is how we ought to read all texts of the Bible, whether the language used points to a literal or figurative event.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Here is a video of Pastor Tim Keller of New York that explains what we've been talking about briefly