** This response is biblically sound, concise, and personable. The question is answered directly and the writer invites the questioner into further personal study. **
Question: Can you explain Daniel 4:9-18
Profile: Female, North America, 36–45
Answered by: Polly Gwinn, who has been a volunteer with us since October, 2004.
Answer: In most cases if you continue to read, the bible will explain itself. Daniel 4:1-18 tells us about King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream or vision. Daniel 4:19-27 explains the dream by Daniel. The Lord issued a decree against the king that he should live among the animals and act like an animal for 7 years (verse 24-25) and he will stay there until he acknowledges God as God (verse 26). The stump of the tree means the kingdom will be restored to the king (verse 26). Continue to read verses 28-37 to find where the king does repent and know that God is God and honored Him. Then as promised, his kingdom was restored.
**This response is biblically sound, answers the question directly, and has a personable tone. The answer is supported with Scripture and the associated issues are explained well. **
Question: Hello Gotquestions, Is it true that we are not supposed to live comfortable lives as Christians and if so what is the meaning of this statement and how do I not live a comfortable life as a Christian? Kind regards.
Profile: Christian
Answered by: Dawn James, who has been a volunteer with us since June, 2012.
Answer: Thank you for your questions.
There is no specific reference in the Bible that instructs us not to live a comfortable life. Yet, the Bible does give us some specific instruction for how we should live as believers. I won’t go through all of them, but specific verses that relate to your questions.
Specifically, the Bible does speak to rich people in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 which says, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” It doesn’t say that these people shouldn’t be rich, but that they shouldn’t place their trust in those riches. Jesus talked about this in Mark 10:23-24 which says, “Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!” Again, He is not speaking against the riches, but trusting in them.
We are encouraged often not to trust in whatever we have in this life, but to put our trust fully in the Lord Jesus. There are several verses that highlight this idea. To me, the clearest one is found in 2 Corinthians 4:18, which says, “For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Regardless of what we have in this life, the Bible encourages us to keep our dependency on this world very light, meaning that our main hope is in the Lord and not this world. 1 John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” Also, Romans 12:1-2 which says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” And, Hebrews 12:1-2 has this advice, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [from the previous chapter], let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Whatever state we find ourselves in, the Lord wants us to use what we have for His glory. And, while we grow in His grace, He wants us to have an attitude of humility. This is stressed in Philippians 2:5-11 where Paul talks about the attitude Jesus had, emptying Himself to take on human form in order to offer Himself as a perfect sacrifice for us. He says in v. 5, “Let this mind [attitude] be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Jesus gave us an example of humility that we can follow whether we are rich or poor.
So, to give you a more direct answer, no, it is not true that we are not supposed to live a comfortable life. We are instructed to use whatever resources we have to glorify the Lord and, rather than trust in those resources, our trust must be in the Lord. That is lived out by our actions, like good works, and our attitude which should reflect the humility that the Lord showed us.
I encourage you to continue to read the Bible so you can learn how to live in this world and what the Lord expects from you. Also, if you hear any other sayings that contradict the Bible’s instructions, you will be able to recognize that, too.
I hope I have helped to answer your questions.
May the Lord guide you as you seek Him in your life.
Question: I’ve never understood the passage in Hebrews 10 (verse 26) that says if we continue to sin after coming to the knowledge of the truth, there is no more forgiveness How do you tally this with the other verses that say we are forgiven all sins, past, present and future? Can you sin deliberately, willfully eg looking at pornography, and still be forgiven immediately? It’s always a nagging doubt at the back of my mind. I feel as if how can I be a true Christian if I sin so easily and willfully? How can I get peace and assurance of my salvation if I struggle to overcome certain sins. It feels as if God has rejected me if I can’t feel saved ie if I’m not an overcomer..it suggests (or the devil suggests) that maybe I’m not really born again and God isn’t hearing my prayers Please advise Many thanks : Davey
Profile: Male, Europe, 56–65, Christian
Answered by: Larry Starkey, who has been a volunteer with us since October, 2015.
Answer: Hi Davey,
Thank you for writing to us. I appreciate your interest in truth and in wanting to follow the Lord obediently. Hebrews 10:26 says, “For if we are willfully sinning after receiving the full knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice concerning sins.” This is a warning against apostacy — when a person intentionally abandons his faith after supposedly receiving Christ. Jesus also referred to these people as the second and third types of soil in his parable of the four types of soil in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. They seemed to have received God’s Word, but later they left the faith. The key to understanding this is to recognize that the apostate did not have salvation at one time and then lost their salvation; rather they never had true salvation in the first place. 1 John 2:19 says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” One of the characteristics of a person who has truly been born again by faith in Christ is that they will continue trusting in Christ forever. A person who professes faith and then later rejects it shows they never had faith to begin with.
Regarding your question about a Christian deliberately sinning — such as viewing pornography — and being forgiven, it is helpful to focus on your view toward sin. A true Christian may lapse into sin, but he cannot be happy living in sin for long. The true Christian will seek forgiveness from the Lord (1 John 1:9) since his greatest desire is to be in a right relationship with God. Christians still battle their old nature even after they’ve accepted Christ. Our old nature may express itself in thought patterns, habits, and even addictions. But if your heart is truly aimed at God, you will yield to God’s authority in your life and, with His help, begin to overcome those old ways. Some old ways are overcome quickly, but other old ways can be ingrained in our mind, and it may take years — perhaps even a lifetime — to experience complete victory over them. For example, an alcoholic may genuinely accept Christ, yet it may take years for him to fully overcome his alcoholism. Just because he hasn’t overcome his alcoholism yet doesn’t mean he isn’t trusting in Christ for his salvation. Similarly, viewing pornography can be very addictive, and it may be something that takes a while to defeat. The question is not “Do you struggle with a sin, a habit, etc.?” (all Christians do!); rather, the better questions are: “What is your view of that sin?” (Do you understand that it is sin in God’s eyes?), and “Are you fighting against it with the Lord’s help (even though sometimes you give in and lose the battle)?” For practical, Bible-based information on this, please read this article:
You mentioned that sometimes you feel that God has rejected you. The problem is that we should not base our assurance of salvation on how we “feel.” We base our assurance of salvation on God’s promises which are always true regardless of how we may feel. Feelings come and go — they are unreliable — but God will always keep His promises. Would you take a few minutes and read these articles about how to base your assurance of God’s love on His promises and not on your unreliable emotions?
How can I have assurance of my salvation? | GotQuestions.org
Does God love me? | GotQuestions.org
Keep in mind that the same grace that saves us also keeps us saved when we are truly relying on Jesus for our salvation.
Thanks again for writing to us. Please feel free to write back and let us know how you’re doing!
