Question 379: Is Suicide Wrong?

Answer:

Life is a precious gift from YHVH and should be so valued. Pain and suffering are to be regarded as discipline. There is no Scriptural authority to justify the view that we have a right to shorten or terminate our existence. Suicide is a crime under human law and in the early Church it was condemned by repudiation and the denial of Christian burial. See Paul's advice to the Philippian jailer. (Acts 16:28; also Job 14:14.)

Question 378: When And Why Was The Shabbat Changed From The Seventh Day (Saturday) To The First Day Of The Week (Sunday)?

Answer:

There is no command recorded and probably none was given to change, but the change was made in celebration of Moshiach's rising from the dead. At the first great council of the Church, when the question was discussed whether the Gentile converts should be required to obey the Jewish Law, it was decided that only four observances should be required of them. (See Acts 15.) The observance of the Jewish Shabbat was not one of the four and the Gentile believers do not appear to have ever kept it. The Rabbis had made it ridiculous by a host of absurd regulations about what a man might or might not do on that day. Moshiach was frequently accused of breaking the Shabbat. The Jewish observance was most vexatious and onerous and the Apostles very wisely did not attempt to bring the Gentiles under the bondage. The writings of the early Fathers show that very early in the Christian era, if not in Apostolic times, the first day of the week was uniformly the day of religious meeting and abstinence from secular labour, thus celebrating the new Creation as the Jewish Shabbat celebrated the old. Several incidental allusions in the Acts show that even in Apostolic times, the custom was prevalent. But we do not observe Sunday as the Shabbat. It is seldom a day of rest to the earnest believer, but of holy activity in his Master's service.

Question 377: Was The Prohibition Against Eating Pork Ever Revoked?

Answer:

At what is known as the "first church council,'' described in Acts 15, the decision was definitely made that Gentile believers were not to be compelled to keep the Jewish ceremonial Law. The council sent a letter to the new converts setting them free from all these ceremonial requirements. This was the great burden of Paul's preaching, namely that we are saved not by keeping the Law of Moses but by faith in Moshiach. Circumcision was the sign of submission to the Mosaic Law and Paul, greatly to the displeasure of the Jews, taught that this was not necessary. The vision of Peter (Acts 10:9-16) while given for the purpose of making him willing to associate intimately with Gentiles, seems also to teach definitely that the Old Testament distinction between clean and unclean meats is no longer in force.

Frequently asked questions and answers

Question 376: Does YHVH Hear The Prayers Of The Wicked?

Answer:

We have precedent for such a belief. A striking example is that of Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:18). A greater sinner than he it would be difficult to imagine. We can understand prayers of sinners for temporal blessings being unheard; "their sacrifice" and perhaps their prayers too, "are an abomination" (Proverbs 15:8); but when the sinner cries to YHVH for pardon and for; help to quit his sins, he is surely heard. YHVH does not mock the wicked man when he bids Him "seek Elohiym." Let the wicked forsake his way and return, for he will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:6, 7). YHVH heard the prayers of the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3:7-10). The way of approach to YHVH is by repentance and that YHVH gives (Acts 5:31). When the wicked man prays for that, he gets it; then YHVH forgives him and he is in a position to ask for and receive all other blessings.

Question 375: Does YHVH Regard Our “Little Things” In Prayer?

Answer:

Moshiach assumes toward all His followers the attitude of a friend. He said to His disciples: "Henceforth I call you not servants, but I have called you friends." We "work together" with Him as friend with friend; our interests are identical with His and His with ours. On this basis it is perfectly rational to believe that He will give us all the help we need in the work we are trying to do for Him. Moshiach certainly knows all about all the "little things" that come into our lives; also, He will allow nothing to happen which will spoil or seriously hinder our work. Paul believed that Satan was trying to hamper him; in one place he says definitely that Satan hindered him, really prevented him from getting where he wanted to go (1 Thessalonians 2:18). The right attitude is to ask YHVH to further our tasks and then heroically and patiently keep at them. We must remember too that a certain amount of hardship and suffering is really necessary to develop the most stalwart believer’s character. (See Hebrews 12 :1-11; 2 Timothy 2:3; Hebrews 11, etc.) The believer must beware of praying selfishly. A brave soldier would hardly pray for fair weather, except as it would aid the battle. We may certainly pray for strength; and the joy will come as we forget self in loving and serving the Master. But we should not forget that when YHVH in His Wisdom gave us eyes to see, a tongue to speak, a brain to think and reason to discriminate and guide us in our judgment, He meant these faculties to be of service. He gives us the fertile soil, but we must do the ploughing and the planting. Faith in YHVH does not imply that we should look to Him to do for us that He has made us capable of doing for ourselves. When we do our part, then we can reach out the hand of faith and grasp His leading hand, which will carry us through in all we cannot do for ourselves.

Question 374: Will YHVH Give Us Anything We Ask?

Answer:

In John 14:14 (which should be read in connection with its surroundings), Yeshua was speaking (in the discourse at table after the Supper) of the way, the truth and the life and of how His disciples might render acceptable service for the advancement of YHVH's Kingdom on earth. He was about to leave them and He gave them the assurance that they would be endowed with power, after His departure, to do the works that He had done. Verse 14 gave them the assurance of His continuous intercession and that their prayers would be heard and answered. He had already told them that they should seek first the Kingdom and all things would be added unto them. This verse also shows His divine equality, in the words "I will do it." Our own prayers should be, as far as we are able to make them so, in line with YHVH's will. There are many of us who may ask for things that would be for our own harm; but if we "seek first the Kingdom," we have then the assurance that He will care for all our other needs, supply our wants, comfort our sorrows, relieve our hardships and take us safely through the difficult places of life. We have a right to ask for these, if we have acquired this right by belief on the Son of YHVH and by acting in accordance with the divine will. See John 14:12.

Question 373: Why Should We Agree With Our Adversary Quickly?

Answer:

The passage is a part of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Yeshua had been speaking about quarrels between brothers and urging reconciliation of such differences in the spirit of love, before coming to the throne of grace. Then (verse 25) He diverges to the question of lawsuits, which were common then as now and advises His hearers to keep out of the hands of the law and to escape its penalties by settling their disputes between themselves. But He went further than this, for His language pointed to a higher tribunal, to which all must come for judgment and where condemnation awaits them which can only be escaped by their repentance and acceptance of divine mercy.

Question 372: Is It Right To Ask For Definite Blessings?

Answer:

There are many passages, such as John 16:23, which warrant definiteness in prayer. Indeed, if a man needs something very badly and is sure that it would be a blessing to him, he would show a lack of faith if he did not pray for it. There are many however, who shrink from praying for definite blessings, after a painful experience. They have prayed for some blessing and YHVH has heard them and granted their request and it has proved to be a curse. Emerson said, in a passage which we cannot find, but the gist of which we quote from memory, that all prayers are answered, therefore we ought to be very careful for what we pray. A celebrated divine wrote: "There are millions of believers day by day imploring YHVH for the salvation of the whole world and the supplication has never been answered. Does YHVH then, keep His promise? Is prayer a dead failure? Does YHVH mock the Christian Church? Are we told to bring all our gifts into the storehouse and prove Him, only to find out that He breaks His promise? The answer to prayer is only a question of time. So far from there ever having been a million prayers lost, there has never been one prayer lost. YHVH not only keeps one promise, but He keeps all the promises and never since the moment we first breathed the faith life, have we ever offered an unavailing prayer."

Question 371: Should We Persistently Ask For Blessings?

Answer:

By all means. The three passages, Matthew 11:12; Luke 11:5-10 (the parable of the friend at night seeking loaves from his neighbour) and Luke 18:1-8 (the parable of the unjust judge), all relate to the subject of earnestness and perseverance in prayer. The argument is that if the unfriendly neighbour and the unjust judge will grant the requests made to them because of the petitioner's insistence, YHVH will surely grant our requests when He sees that we are in desperate earnestness. Matthew 11:12, "the Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force," agrees with these two parables in teaching that intensity, of desire and faith and effort, is required for spiritual victory. Faith seems to have two phases: the quiet, restful trust in YHVH; and the aggressive, enthusiastic, energetic, insistent belief that pushes forward through all sorts of obstacles and delays to the victory desired. It is not because YHVH is unjust or unfriendly that He does not answer at once. But our souls are strengthened by the test of waiting and often human relationships and circumstances are changed as time passes so that the answer is better for the delay than if granted at the first request. YHVH wants to train giants to help Him in His work, giants who will believe in Him and fight for the right, no matter what obstacles are in the way. And the saints who are strong and rich in faith accomplish most for His Kingdom.