Question:Will I recognize my loved ones in heaven? Will my father be however I want to see him?Answer:We continue our series of answers on heaven. If you have a question, send it to me at brent@brentriggs.com Let's start with the second question, "will my father be...

Question:What did Jesus mean in John 10:34 saying, "I said, You are gods"?Answer:John 10:34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, "You are gods"’? (NKJV)Jesus was quoting: Psalm 82:5-6 They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about...

Question:I was wondering if you could explain why cosmetic plastic surgery is wrong. I know that Leviticus, talks about not cutting into our bodies and numerous places talk about the fact that our bodies are God's temple; we don't own them. So why would we have the...

Question:How do I tell a young high school student, in a delicate way, that pets aren't going to be in heaven? This young lady is convinced her pet is to go with her to heaven. She gets upset with God and the truth when we try to explain otherwise. How can we explain...

Question:What exactly was the sin Adam and Eve committed?Answer:If you were to ask most people, you would hear "they ate the apple God told them they couldn't have." This is about as silly as the pictures of Noah's toy "boat" with little cute animals hanging out the...

Question:My question is, how do we discern when God talking to us? How do we know if it is our own ego and or the devil playing tricks on us? There have been many circumstances which I thought God was telling me what to do, but later find out it obviously was...

Question:What does 1Cor 13:12 mean?Answer:1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. (NKJV)It means simply that we will not fully understand everything about life,...

Question:What is your response when someone says that *If your heart is not right with God you are going to experience suffering*? I know the story of the blind man in the Bible but it is so hard to know how to respond to the *well meaning* people at church who say...

Question:I'm going through a rough time in my marriage and I think my spouse wants a divorce and doesn't want to try anymore. My counselor said I should be saying "binding prayers" and binding Satan from our marriage. Something about that just doesn't sit well with...

Question:I have remarried my ex-husband and he is now incarcerated in another state. I want to hold on to my marriage. He says he has turned his life over to God. I pray this is true but wonder if it's because he is locked up. Any advice?Answer:First of all I commend...

Question:If I confess to GOD about evil deeds that were commited long ago against people, will I be forgiven by God if there is no way to make amends for physical harm?Answer:That is the difference between the God of Christianity, and all other Gods. He can see into...

Question:If God has forgiven 'everyone', does that not mean that everyone should be going to heaven? If they are no longer debtors than on what basis are they being punished? Did Christ pay for the sins of many in vain?Answer:God hasn't forgiven everyone. The premise...

Question:Can we truly seek the will of God without surrendering completely to him? If we have our own agenda, if obeying God interferes with our own selfish desires, how does this affect doing His will?Answer:I'm glad that we can still "seek the will of God" even...

Question:Is it O.K. for a church to turn a library into a book store and have it open on Sunday mornings to sell books, t-shirts, tickets to Christians concerts....? I don’t know if this applies to Jesus turning over the tables because of it being a market place or...

Question:Do you have to have a certain understanding about Baptism, or the Trinity, or other church beliefs at the moment of salvation? The reason I ask, is that I’ve been asked to be RE-baptized because I was in a different church who teaches some doctrinal points of...

Question:Yesterday you wrote: “where God's Commandments differ from the government...”. You said that we are to obey God rather than the government. Can you give me an example? The Scripture clearly says to obey the law of the land and God NEVER will lead us to go...

Question:Is there any place in the Bible where God says that interacial relationships is a sin?Answer:No. The Israelites were forbidden to marry outside their religion, and Christians should not be unequally married to non-Christians. Outside of that, there is no...

Question:I'm going through a rough time in my marriage and I think my spouse wants a divorce and doesn't want to try anymore. My counselor said I should be saying "binding prayers" and binding Satan from our marriage. Something about that just doesn't sit well with...

Question:I love the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind. The problem is that I can't seem to feel compassion anymore for what He went through for us. He was tortured beyond believe for us. When I used to think about this tears would flow freely. Now it's like there...

Question:What is meant by John 20:21-23? Why did Jesus need to endow his disciples with the power to forgive sins?Answer:John 20:21-23 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on...

Question:Are unbelievers under the law since Christ abolished the law on the cross?Answer:The question typically is a result of John 1:17 "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (NKJV) The problem is, most people have a...

Question:Can you explain this hard verse: Matthew 27:51-53 - "The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the...

Question:Is it okay for a born again Christian to be cremated? Some say it is from a pagan ritual; others say that it no longer is. Is it wrong?Answer:Let me answer from two aspects, first the "pagan" issue, then the question of "is it okay?"The "pagan ritual"...

Question:I understand that there are four types of love expressed in the Bible. Agape, Eros, Philio and some other one I can't remember. Can you explain them?Answer:Yes, there are four: Agape, Eros, Philo and the one you can't remember is Storge. Here are some basic...

Question:Is Cannibalism forbidden in the Bible?Answer:The Bible does not explicitly address the issue, although many ABSURD, biased and frankly silly opponents of the Bible try to use verses about "mothers will eat their children" and the Lord's Supper being the body...

Question:I know that the Bible has 66 books. Who brought that 66 books and combined it together so that we have the Bible today? Who did decide which books would be part of the Bible?Answer:First let's start with some basics. The Bible is made up of 66 books written...

Question:Regarding the armour of God... my wife and myself during our morning devotionals and prayers ask the Lord to put on the full armour of God as described by Paul (Ephesians 6). As we see it we need all the protection we can get to help us to resist the devil. I...

Question:By participating in sex outside the marriage, are you writing your ticket to hell? From what I have comprehended from reading the Bible, I would think that God makes it perfectly clear that is totally out of his will and is not the way to heaven. Is that...

Question:I'm going through a rough time in my marriage and I think my spouse wants a divorce and doesn't want to try anymore. My counselor said I should be saying "binding prayers" and binding Satan from our marriage. Something about that just doesn't sit well with...

Question:What do you recommend for the wife of a man called by God to be a preacher who feels like she is not ready to be a preachers wife? I was not raised Christian, and was new in my walk when I was thrown into a new church, and left little opportunity to learn. I...

Question:How do I forgive when someone who has terribly wronged me? Their lies cost me my job, my reputation, my life savings, and tore my family apart.Answer:The "how" part is simple. You just have to make a willful, purposeful choice to do so. You may not feel like...

Question:Someone suggested to me that Jesus was a Christian and not a Jew. This confused me to some degree. I realize He was born a Jew but His teachings were not consistent with the teachings of the Jewish leaders. Was Jesus a Jew?Answer:Yes, Jesus was most certainly...

Question:Is there really a generational curse in families due to sin?Answer:Numbers 14:18 ‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children...

Question:You may have answered this before, maybe on your other blog. If so could you point me to it? Anyway, here's my question. Can you explain, in your clear, concise, no nonsense way, about Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses and whether or not they are Christians or...

Question:Is it unholy to eat pork due to the passages in the King James version of the bible? Are there any verses that state that pork is okay to eat?Answer:There are verses in the Bible which tell us that the Old Testament food requirements are no longer applicable...

Question:How are churches supposed to be organized? What about overseeing organizations like the Southern Baptists or Presbyterians?Answer:The Bible is very plain and straightforward about church structure, and yet Christians for the most part do their own thing, what...

Question:I've heard some televangelists say this and I understand it is the belief of Joyce Meyer and others that during the 3 days from His death to His resurrection, Jesus Christ went to hell, supposedly to obtain the keys of death and hell. I can find no scripture...

Question:I have a childish question.There are many languages in this world and there are many christians all over the world speaking many different languages. What language will we speak in heaven? What language will the devil speak in hell?Answer:That's not a...

Question:I was told that Communion must be taken every Sunday, only on Sunday, and only at church. They said it was a sin to do otherwise because this is what the Bible teaches. Is this true?Answer:There are no specific verses in Scripture that COMMAND or explicitly...

Question:Is it wrong for me to play the lottery every now and then? Is gambling once in a while sin?Answer:Sometimes I hesitate, just for a second, to answer questions like this. Conservative Christians will write and say that I missed the opportunity to clearly...

Question:Can you tell me what the Bible means when it says women "shall be saved by childbearing"?Answer:The verse referred to in the question is 1Timothy 2.15:Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with...

Question:What if a person has given there life to Christ and there is still persistant sin in the same areas of there life no matter what they do or try to do? Answer:First, only God can say who is truly saved; we can only make flawed observations... so here goes!I...

Question:My question is more a statement. I am having trouble with forgiving the terrorists. Jesus died on the cross to save our sins but how will these people be saved and will they?Answer:Unless one of them personally has done something to you, it is not your place...

Question:What verses in the Bible talks about "praying for the dead"?Answer:There aren't any.It is a Catholic practice supported only by one verse (2 Maccabees 12:44) found in the Aprocryha which Protestants do not recognize as canonical. The Catholic Encyclopedia...

Question:Where are you located? Are you a pastor? In other words what church do you pastor?Answer:I get asked this question fairly frequently, so I'll toss out the answer publicly. There's not really any "advice" involved in it, but I figured this would be a good spot...

Question:I'm going through a rough time in my marriage and I think my spouse wants a divorce and doesn't want to try anymore. My counselor said I should be saying "binding prayers" and binding Satan from our marriage. Something about that just doesn't sit well with...

Question:I'm going through a rough time in my marriage and I think my spouse wants a divorce and doesn't want to try anymore. My counselor said I should be saying "binding prayers" and binding Satan from our marriage. Something about that just doesn't sit well with...

Question:Proverbs 16:5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished. (NKJV) I am not sure I understand... does this mean proud as in "earthly proud"? I know I am proud to be God's child but I dont think thats...

Question:My son and girlfriend live together with her 5 yr old son. I do believe they love each other and trust in the Lord, however they are not abiding by His way of marriage. Can you please discuss this?Answer:Here is the entire question:My son and girlfriend live...

Question:People are trying to reinvent church today. The reason why I know my Church is right is because we seek to model ourselves after the first century church. I don't think all these modern approaches are Godly, do you?Answer:Yes, I think there is much to be...