Q: Is it immoral in the eyes of God to take one off life support if they rely solely on it to survive? It is considered murder?

There is no doubt; this is a very difficult dilemma. Many may approach this issue by stating the obvious by quoting the commandment “thou shall not murder”. However I believe there needs to be more to answering this question than simply quoting one of the 10 commandments. I am by no means a medical expert. The question above can be classified as a form of euthanasia.

Euthanasia is the bringing about of a gentle and easy death in the case of incurable and painful disease. (Reader's Digest Oxford Complete Wordfinder)

There are different forms of euthanasia.

Active euthanasia. This would be by a positive act to bring about death by directly administering a drug.

Passive euthanasia. This would involve the withdrawal of treatment (or food) so as to hasten death.

Involuntary euthanasia. The ending of a person's life without any indication that such was the wish of the person concerned.

Voluntary euthanasia. The ending of a person's life at their request. A law to allow this is what pressure groups are wanting.

Non-voluntary euthanasia. This involves the ending of the life of a person who does not have the faculty to make a decision whether to live or die.

I believe the form of euthanasia posed in this particular question falls into the Non-voluntary category.

The Bible does not command us to do everything we can to keep a person alive. If a person is being kept alive only by machines, I believe it is not immoral to turn off the machines and allow the person to die.

If a person has been in a persistent vegetative state for a prolonged period of time, I do not believe it would be an offense to God to remove whatever tubes / machines that are keeping the person alive.

Should God desire to keep a person alive, He is perfectly capable of doing so without the help of feeding tubes and/or respirators. It is never easy to tell a doctor to suspend the life support of a loved one. We should never seek to prematurely end a life, but at the same time, neither do we have to preserve a life as long as possible.

My advice to anyone facing this decision is to pray to God for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what He would have you do.

All human life is made by God according to His image (Genesis 1:17). As such God created every person, whether sick or healthy, disabled or able-bodied. No matter what condition or state we are currently in, we are all God’s workmanship.

Ending our life is not a decision for us make, only God has a right to give or take a life.
We need to ask God for wisdom when issues such as these arise. At the end of the day, God decides when life starts and when it ends.

The following link is a good resource to read further on this issue: http://www.tkc.com/resources/resources-pages/euthanasia.html#Anchor-What-49575

[Answered by George M. ]

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: It is a sin to ignore God's calling or messages? (This is in reference to signs and messages)

A: The way that I interpret this question is 2 parts: 1. God's general calling for our lives, and 2. specific callings in our lives (like vocation, or ministry involvement). I will try to answer this question within those 2 parameters, but if it has not addressed your question, please feel free to ask again or contact us.

God's general calling for our lives is summed up by this: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.' (Leviticus 19:2).
As children of God, we are to take Him as the example, and as God is holy, it is our responsibility and calling to also be holy. This is the lifestyle that we must adopt. Having said that, if you possess the knowledge of the Bible, and you are a professing Christian who has accepted Christ as your Saviour from sin...and you ignore this command from God (be Holy as He is holy), yes it is a sin. You are directly taking a stance of disobedience, and that is NOT holy, righteous or pleasing to God.

God's specific calling for your life are things such as career choices, life choices or if you feel like God is calling you into a specific ministry. This is where discernment and spiritual maturity is needed. In the 2nd part of this question, it mentioned "signs and messages". I am assuming that you have asked for signs from God to confirm what you feel that God is calling you to do.

A friend once told me this: delayed obedience is still disobedience.

If you feel like God is calling you to do something for Him, and you deliberately delay it, yes, it is sinful in the eyes of our God. However, this sin is redeemable as when we turn back to Him and submit to what He has called us to do, we fall in line with His will. If you have been testing God and asking Him for signs, perhaps this post will be of assistance to you.

If you are struggling in this area, I would suggest you explore the following things:

1. Where is your accountability? - Who are some few close people that you can trust that can speak into your life? Godly friends, parents, counselors, Pastors? These are all people that can tell you the truth and will point you in the right direction.

2. Where is your Bible? (Psalm 119:104-106) - The Bible gives us great wisdom when searching out the truth in our lives. Flip it open, start reading it, and ask God to illuminate the scriptures for you and allow you to hear what He has to say.

3. What is your prayer? - PRAY PRAY PRAY. Asking God to reveal clear signs for you, bring you accountability that will help you, and even open doors showing the way for you...can help bring you closer to the answer you are looking for. Give this completely up to God, after all, if it is in His will, He will make it happen as long as you are open and obedient.



[answered by Pastor Kelly J. Tam, who finally answered the call in 2004]

Q: Is it wrong for people to test God?

When Jesus was in the desert and had not eaten for 40 days, Satan tempted him in many ways. One was to throw himself down a cliff, as God would send His angels down to save him. In response, Jesus said to never test the Lord your God. Is it wrong for people to say, "If God does this or gives this to me, I'll believe He's real," even if he/she becomes a Christian?

This is a thought-provoking question. The passage you're talking about is found in Matthew 4:1-11 (also in Luke 4). Here Jesus is tempted three times. The second temptation is when Jesus replies with Deuteronomy 6:16, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

How should we interpret what Jesus is saying here? To answer this question, first, let's read the passage Jesus uses to counter Satan: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, ^tas you tested him at Massah." During the exodus (see Exodus 17:1-17), we learn that the Israelites lacked water and thought they would die of thirst. Rather than trusting God in this trial they tested Him by complaining and quarreling. So when Jesus quotes Deut. 6:16, what he's doing is applying the verse to himself MEANING He refuses to play Satan's game of forcing God to work a miracle on his behalf. In the same manner, we also test God when we try to force him to do something contradictory to His Will, or when we try to push God into doing something WE WANT rather than what HE wants. It's almost as if we are trying to ask God to "prove himself" to us, when he does need or want to do such a thing.

Now, it is true there are passages like Malachi 3:10 that tell us that God can be put to the test:

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test,says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

But if you understand the context of this passage, it is actually addressing us, the reader. When we surrender everything we are and everything we have to God (i.e. when we have brought a "full tithe" to God), then we will receive such a blessing that we do not need to put God to any test! The real issue is one of humility. If you are surrounded by trials; in desperate circumstances and in utter humility, and you cry out to God, asking him for a sign to show that He is real (i.e. his presence is with you), then I believe God will answer this prayer because He is gives "grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5). But if you're selfishly telling God to prove himself to you OR ELSE you won't believe in Him, then you're being prideful and arrogant, and God will not answer that prayer. In fact, Scripture tells us he will oppose the proud (1 Peter 5:5).

That being said, I do believe there are instances when God - in his infinite love and grace - gives non-believers signs. Sometimes these signs could be the one they ask for. Sometimes they are signs they did not ask for. But they are so unmistakably powerful that one can only attribute them to God, and thus turn to Him in belief and repentance. I suppose the thing to keep in mind is that God is bigger and more powerful than any challenge you can throw at him, so throw away. Just know that He is sovereign and He will answer or not answer according to His will, not ours.

Hope this helps.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: One of the strongest arguments for homosexuality is that love has no gender. How do we counter a point like that?

I think the CARM staff writers answer it pretty well. They make a distinction between moral truth and emotions. Here's what they wrote: "Whether or not a homosexual couple is committed to each other is irrelevant to the argument since love and feelings do not change moral truths. If a couple, not married to each other but married to someone else, commits adultery yet they are committed to loving each other, their sin is not excused.

If homosexuality is made acceptable because the homosexual couple "loves" each other and are committed to each other, and by that logic we can say that couples of the same sex or even of different sexes who love each other and are committed to each other in a relationship automatically make that relationship morally correct. The problem is that love is used as an excuse to violate scripture. Second, it would mean that such things as pedophilia would be acceptable if the "couple" had a loving and committed relationship to each other. Third, the subjectivity of what it means to "love" and the "committed" to another person can be used to justify almost any sort of behavior."

Practically, I would say - again - we must counter a point in love. We cannot blurt out these objections with a self-righteous attitude. We must - by God's Spirit - remain humble as we speak the truth logically and clearly.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Is it okay for Christians to buy the lottery?

Lots of questions this week. Keep 'em coming and we'll try our best to answer them.

This great question has been answered by many pastors and thinkers already. Here are some links to a few good articles/resources:

1. Don't Bet On It by Frederica Mathewes-Green

2. A Losing Bet by Dr. Albert Mohler

3. Don't Play Lottery For Me! by Pastor John Piper

4. Why is Gambling Wrong? by Pastor John Piper (audio)

The short answer is NO. The authors seem to point out several common reasons why Christ-followers ought to avoid the lottery. I have listed 6 below:

1. The motive is wrong. People don't just buy the lottery to 'have fun,' but rather they hold to the hope (even if it's a small, small hope) of getting rich. The love of money - as the Apostle Paul said - is the "root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). If we are to follow Jesus, we must fight against the desire to be rich.

2. It is a misuse of what God has given to us. Everything we have and own belong to God. When we play the lottery (or gamble at a casino), we are taking unnecessary (and usually unwise - as there is virtually no chance of you winning) risks with a God-given stewardship of money. We are simply being irresponsible with someone else's money.

3. There is a disruption of the natural cycle of work and reward. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, "If anyone will not work, let him not eat." This is how life operates. Albert Mohler writes, "The Bible points to a very different financial strategy -- work and save. Ten dollars played in the lottery each week adds up to over $10,000 in twenty years. Saved and invested, those same funds would provide a good start toward a college education, a down-payment for a home, or a retirement fund."

4. The lottery preys on the poor. Dr. Mohler writes, "Wealthy persons are not fueling lottery sales. Studies indicate that over 80-percent of all lottery tickets are bought by only 20-percent of purchasers -- and these buyers are disproportionately 'low-income, minority men who have less than a college education.'"

5. The lottery empowers governments to prey on its citizens. When we were in Belize, Central America (on our last missions trip), this point was made abundantly clear. The local government was endorsing the construction of a local casino, but many ordinary citizens protested because they knew it would bring ruin on their community.

6. It may ruin our friend. Even if we are doing it for entertainment & if we are in control of our spending, there are many who aren't. Millions and millions of dollars are spent each year treating those severely addicted to gambling. By playing the lottery, we are tempting and hurting these individuals. The Apostle Paul teaches us to avoid certain cultural activities - even if we are permitted to do so in the Bible - for the sake of weaker brothers and sisters (see 1 Cor. 8).

I think Frederica Mathewes-Green sums the issue up well: "It's not that there is something inherently evil in lotteries. The problem is that there's so little good in them—and so much potential for damage. We should always be aware of the danger that gambling poses to the "weaker brother." Gambling addiction is like alcoholism, and the sheer availability of lotteries ensures that some people who would otherwise never discover their weakness will be sucked into its grip."

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Through God's omnipotence, He know the past, present and future. What is your view on this statement, with respect to asking God for guidance?

...As a whole, He does know everything but is there a point because we can't really change our future?

Let's define a few terms first:

(1) Omnipotence comes from the Latin, omni meaning "all" and potens meaning "powerful," so omnipotence is the doctrine that God has the ability and power to do all his holy will.

(2) Predestination is, "The act of foreordaining events; the decree of God by which he has, from eternity, determined whatever comes to pass."

I suppose an example of your question would be the following: Since God is so powerful (omnipotent), he is able to do whatever he has predestined. So if you're about to write a really important exam, for instance, what's the point of praying that God will help you since he already knows whether you're going to do well or fail miserably?

Wayne Grudem, who wrote Systematic Theology, outlines a way to think about the importance of human actions. He states the following:

1. We are still responsible for our actions. God made us responsible for our actions, which has REAL and ETERNALLY SIGNIFICANT RESULTS. Among other things, this means we cannot say that God just made us to do something evil and therefore we are not responsible for our actions. This also means that if we neglect our health, we will likely die sooner.

2. God has made it so that events will come about by our causing them, and events will come about by our lack of action. Just because God knows the future does not mean he cannot allow humans free choice. Matt Slick of www.carm.org writes this:

"God's predestination does not mean that we cannot make free will choices. God predestines in and throughour choices because God is all knowing and all powerful. He knows what we will do because he knows all things. He cannot not know all things. So, whatever you choose to do out of your own free volition is known. But his knowing doesn't mean you don't freely choose.

An illustration would be that I could arrange for my child to choose ice cream over something else and not violate his free will. For instance, I could put a bowl of chocolate ice cream and a bowl of dirt and rocks in front of my child and I know exactly which one the child will choose to eat. But my knowing does not violate my child's free will."

3. Prayer is one specific kind of action that has definite results and does change the course of events. When we genuinely pray for a specific person or circumstance, we will often find that God has ordained that our prayer would be a MEANS he will use to bring about changes in the world. James 4:2 reminds us of this reality, "You do not have because you do not ask." Jesus himself also said, "Ask and you will receive." If the apostles and Jesus (!) believed in prayer, we must do the same.

4. We must act! The fact that God is omnipotent does not mean we should sit back and just wait for things to happen. In all things, we must depend upon God, but we should not just trust God instead of acting responsibly.

Consider this example. You can argue that since God knows the mark on your test, you should not study. Of course, God knows the future, but YOU do not know what your mark will be. What you do know is that if you study and work diligently, you will receive a better grade than if you do not.

Joab, the nephew of King David, is a good example of hard work combined with trust in God. He once said, "Be strong and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of God, and may the Lord do what is good in His Sight." Joab fought and trusted God do what he had already planned and thought was good.

So friend, I'll leave you with a couple of thoughts/applications:

1. Don't be afraid. Trust God. If we believe that all good things are caused by God, then there is nothing to worry about.

2. Make sure you pray sincerely, as it may be a means by which God brings about change. Pray for your family, our nation, the salvation of the lost and for your own spiritual growth!

3. Act in accordance to God's will, as written in Scripture.

[Answered by Pastor HM, who doesn't understand things fully, but is glad that God does]

References: Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Nottingham: IVP, 1994), 315ff.