http://ichthys.com/ 
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions VIII
Question #1:   
Hi Bob

Here's another Different" consideration regarding the Trinity. We know God is three persons, no doubt. However the accepted view may not be totally correct. I've thought about this and get a lot of pushback when sharing this unorthodox viewpoint.

So here it is...When God created mankind the Scripture states in the image of God He created them, Male and FEMALE He created them. We have God the Father and God the Son and I contend it makes sense that the Eternal Family of The Godhead includes God The Mother aka God the Holy Spirit. After all, in a traditional family it is the Mother who comforts, guides and teaches and encourages, And how can you have The Son without a Mother? I know this idea is "way out there" But if you looked at every single reference to The Holy Ghost ,( Spirit) ( I have not yet) could you come to the conclusion that Yes; The Eternal Family of The Trinity is indeed God the Father, God the Son and God the Mother

Food for thought 
Response #1:  
The short answer is that the Spirit is NOT female in gender. His gender is never specified. God is God and God doesn't have gender. God represents Himself as He does for our benefit. The Son is a man in His incarnation/humanity, of course. Since the Son is a man in fact in His humanity and is called Son in His deity, and since the Father represents Himself as Father, we call all three members of them He/Him/His.

In the Greek, pneuma, "Spirit" (also "spirit", "wind", etc.) is a neuter noun, and wherever the word is used of the Spirit, pronouns referring to it are likewise neuter – which would not be the case if He were female (which He is not).

That is the gist. I'll give you a few links here where you read the details at your leisure:
The  gender of the Holy Spirit is masculine even though the noun pneuma is neuter
In BB 1: The Persons of God: The Trinity
The Holy Spirit is not female/feminine 1
The Holy Spirit is not female/feminine 2
The Holy Spirit is not female/feminine 3
BB 5: Pneumatology:  The Study of the Holy Spirit
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #2:   
I have a question. For real this time. So from what you speak on it, you seem to believe that if we fill our minds with godly attitudes and beliefs, and thoughts in general, and do so out of love of them, we'll become motivated to strive after them and grow spiritually? It'll always produce positive results?

Furthermore, nature of course abhors a vacuum yes? Like a space with no air in it, something will always come rushing in. Thus, we should fill it with things that are godly and good, so it'll be easier to resist temptation and not love the evil.

There are always things that can be done to improve the present moment. Rather than griping about the situation or seeing it as inadequate for spiritual growth, one should always make the present be a gift in regards to trusting and growing in the Lord, no pun intended.

I mean...that makes alot of sense. So many people just gripe rather than seeing that griping and moping never does anyone any good, and instead doing what they can. Is this what you were getting at?

I don't diminish the need to give up these burdens to God and trust in Him. It won't make things or struggles go away (we're not preaching manifesting here), but perhaps this is what you meant by spiritual growth always being better for us? If we just rested in Christ and trusted Him in all things by applying all this, we would be able to have that peace that surpasses all understanding.
Response #2:  
Re: Your first email and "we'll become motivated to strive after them and grow spiritually". Motivation is a funny thing. Every good thing we do is helpful in doing more good things going forward; every bad thing we do is unhelpful and potentially an impediment. But we are the ones who do them. Why do we do what we do? Plato wrongly inferred that if we just really knew what was beneficial to us we would do that and that all "sin and evil", for want of better terms, were really only the result of ignorance. But anyone with eyes in their head and a little personal experience of the temptations and trials of this world knows very well that this is NOT true. We often succumb to doing things that we know in our heart of hearts are bad for us (sometimes very bad). This is a fight. As our Lord told us, "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt.26:41; Mk.14:38). But blessedly, we have the omnipotent Holy Spirit within us. If we will but give our will over to His, we will be able to accomplish all that our Lord desires. Getting to the point of being regular about this is in large part what spiritual growth is all about.
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
Zechariah 4:6 NIV
Re: "If we just rested in Christ and trusted Him in all things by applying all this, we would be able to have that peace that surpasses all understanding." Amen! But as you rightly discern, there's nothing particularly easy about it. On the one hand it's not impossible, but on the other hand there is a reason why so few Christians today are actually willing to take up their crosses, deny themselves, and follow our Lord – in spiritual growth, progress and progress (the cause to which this ministry is dedicated).
Here are some related links:
Bible Basics 5: Pneumatology: The Study of the Holy Spirit
Peter #7: "The Ministry of the Holy Spirit "
Peter #16: "Leadership of the Spirit"
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions VII
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions VI
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions V
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions IV
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions III
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions II
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions I
In Him,

Bob L.
Question #3:    
Hi Bob, 

I hope you are doing good? 

My plan is to listen to spiritual authorities that (hopefully) God has told me to listen to in prayer. 

Those would be my elders in church, my grandpa which is well know with the Bible, you, my uncle who is a missionary also with knowledge of the Bible (in my opinion) and my cousin who is a theologian.

Do you know Bible verses which say that I should listen to wise people, or to elders, and/or follow them in what they do, etc. so I can be sure that my plan of following spiritual authorities is the right one? 

Be blessed, Bob. I hope you had great vacation either way family or other, if not, still I hope you had a great time with Jesus. 

Please pray for me, it seems like I’m quite far away from God.
Response #3:  
Choosing your spiritual authority is always the first step to spiritual growth . . . or shipwreck. Because without accepting teaching authority, there can be no growth; but if the authority is teaching what is false, not only will there be no growth but the believer will also find him/herself placed into a very dangerous situation. 
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. "
Matthew 7:15-16a NKJV
So pick well (Matt.7:15-20; 12:33; Lk.6:43-45 ; see the link: "The Fruit Test").
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
Hebrews 13:17 NIV
Here is a link where you will find the details and all the pertinent scriptures: in BB 6B: Ecclesiology, part II: The Local Church.

FYI, spiritual growth is the only way to draw nearer to the Lord (Ps.73:28; Heb.7:19; Jas.4:8).

Keeping you in my prayers.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #4:    
Hi Mr. Luginbill,

Hope the snowstorms have moved through all right and you've been able to get to a regular class schedule again! Most of the snow has melted off here, it's just been super cold.

Thank you for looking at the text and approving the link! Hopefully people who visit my site will find you. I shared my site with one of my coworkers the other day, I mentioned that I was doing some writing, and she asked if I was writing a book, so I told her that I was working on a post for my site to encourage women in their faith in the Lord. She asked for the link.

I've been thinking about the conversation we had this past spring/summer about talents and how to use them. I know you said that God gives us our talents with our ministry in mind and how it all works together. People have told me I have a talent for writing and I do love it (have ever since I was a little kid).

I have always thought that when you write something or make a movie or whatever, that you should be super careful in how you do it, since it's important to tell the truth in whatever you do. Do you think that those types of art are hard since as a human, when you write things, you are writing out of the imperfect, human, emotional side and it's much more apt that you'll make errors since the whole premise is usually made up of flawed human emotions? As opposed to like, drawing a tree or something.

I guess the question is, does God legitimately use Christian fiction or songs in people's lives - or is that largely us just gaining a little truth out of it (if there is truth contained) but God is using it not so much as a "good way" to get help but more of "secondary" source? Does that make any sense at all? Does God gift people in writing stories and things to help others? God gives people their talents/tendencies right? So if God made me "artistic" how do I employ that to honor Jesus? I'm struggling to reconcile my Christian side with the more artistic human side of me. Cause I don't want to write stories or other things (I'm not talking of my ministry articles here) that would cause a Christian to stumble or write things if God doesn't want us to "write fiction". Christians have argued that they have gained help from songs and stories written with a Christian perspective and God can certainly use those things in any way He chooses - but is it His desire for us to do those things (writing or consuming)? I understand that all human efforts that aren't Spiritual are ultimately wasted time (movies, stories, sports, cooking)....I just want to know what place they take in a Christian's life and not get legalistic and not get permissive.

Of course the answer is probably listening to the Holy Spirit in regards to how the individual Christian should handle these matters (but then if I am artistic and the Holy Spirit is telling me not to write secular things, how do I fill my time with something that still makes me "happy" and is not wrong - not that you're supposed to be "happy" all the time but sometimes I seriously do feel like Ecclesiastes 1:2 and I despair a little haha. Sometimes it seems like we have all this time down here to fill and it's all largely pointless. Where am I going wrong in my thinking?

If God made me artistic, is that primarily so I can fulfill my ministry? And I shouldn't worry/desire any other application?

I wrote several more articles for my site, one about thought struggles and one about pressing on in our Christian walk. Thank you for all your prayers for me and the site.

Respectfully,
Response #4:  
When it comes to gifts on the one hand and cultural activities on the other, there is a wide margin here for individual application. We need to be careful about pronouncing certain things absolutely bad on the one hand and saying there is no problem with them whatsoever on the other – just like you have figured out (good for you!). Certainly, many people will testify to the spiritual benefit they have received from Christian music, for example, whether from traditional hymns or from modern "worship" music and everything in between. I have weighed in on this in opposition to the extreme we see today of "worship" via music virtually replacing the teaching of the Word of God in church services and also in the application of individual Christians. Clearly, it's the substance of the words that really matters and helps (or confuses and distracts if they are doctrinally problematic). 

But I would be loath to say that people who are musically talented aren't given that gift from God for a godly purpose. The same would be true of writing and sculpting and painting and just about any other talent a person could imagine. The question is, as you also rightly see, to what use does the Lord wants us to put our talents. Things that contribute to the edification of the Church of Christ and to the spread of His truth, whether directly or in support of other ministries which do so, whether through conveying truth to believers or drawing unbelievers to the gospel would, in my estimation, be legitimate uses of gifts and talents through cultural media that glorify our Lord. At least they have that potential depending on what's being done, how it's being done, whether or not the Spirit is guiding the person to such activities/ministry, and in what spirit it's being done. 

In other words, a great deal depends on the spiritual I.Q., so to speak, of the person we're talking about, and whether or not the Lord wants said person to be doing what they're doing. That is a tricky enough thing to figure out even when we are talking about the most identifiable spiritual gifts (such as pastor-teacher) and the most obvious godly ministries (such as evangelism). Even in such areas, there is of course a great deal today which passes for ministry which is at the very least clearly substandard and being carried out by persons of questionable spiritual bona fides. 

As with all things, the solution is spiritual growth. A man with the gift of pastor-teacher will one day, if he continues to grow as we all should be doing, become convinced of his possession of the gift and, one hopes, commit thereafter to preparing diligently to fulfill in a godly way the role the Lord has given him. That, of course, is rare enough in Laodicea. I can certainly envision someone with musical talent likewise being called to a particular ministry or in support of some ministry and God using said person just as He had planned to do. After all, that was certainly the case with the singers in ancient Israel and David in particular (the Psalms are songs, after all).

Since for those who have gained a certain level of spiritual maturity it is easy enough to imagine the production of various forms of art for which the person has been gifted which do not honor the Lord, others which are only marginally "nodding to God", and others which may fulfill His purpose for us, it really is "just" a matter of figuring out what we are suited to by the Lord and in prayer and careful attention to whatever the Spirit is telling us eventually finding our way into what Jesus wants us to do. On the one hand, it's not going to be an overnight thing. On the other hand, we probably aren't going to need years and years of careful introspection to figure it out either. But it is certainly true that we WILL need to keep growing in order to get resolution on this issue – and in order to be successful in our preparation and implementation we will likewise need to keep growing. So the one thing we need to do in weighing and analyzing this issue of "what are my gifts/talents?" and "how does the Lord want me to use them?" is to avoid at all costs letting it paralyze our spiritual growth and progress – because continuing to grow and to progress is the only way we'll ever figure these things out correctly and become spiritual prepared to produce what the Lord wants us to produce.

Keeping you and work in my prayers.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
p.s., it's been TOO cold, but thaw is (finally) forecast starting tomorrow.
Question #5:   　
Hi Mr. Luginbill,

I tried to reply to this previously, but it gave me an error message saying it was spam, and it never delivered. So I am trying again here and hoping it sends to you.

Thank you for this! This was a huge help and I think I understand more now. Would you mind clarifying this one point - when you say, "legitimate uses of gifts and talents through cultural media" - are you just talking about things relevant to our current culture (not sinful things of course)?

Respectfully,
Response #5:  
Glad you found it!

Re: "legitimate uses of gifts and talents through cultural media", what I mean is that we have been given gifts and talents by the Spirit and if we are tasked by the Spirit to spread the Word through these via cultural media, that would be "legitimate use". This is deliberately not very specific because 1) we all have different combinations of gifts; 2) the types of ministries are virtually unlimited; 3) it's our job as individual Christians to determine what it is we're being asked to do and what the right way to go about it is. Whatever gifts we're given, they're not given to no purpose, but as you rightly see, there are plenty of illegitimate things that are not glorifying to God.

I'm confident that you will figure it all out as you grow and as the Lord leads you to it. You're already contributing!

Keeping you in my prayers, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #6:  
Hi Mr. Luginbill,

Ok, I think I have it now, thank you! I have gifts, and the Holy Spirit helps me know how to use them. I'll likely have to sort it all out and I might not get it perfect, but eventually as I grow, I'll get it.

I guess I'm starting to see that the things of the world are nothing, but it's hard not to get distracted. Almost like I'm so close to letting go, but my old sinful human self still wants to indulge. We always have the fight against sin, and then we also always have the fight against unproductiveness and distractions that aren't even sinful - sigh. Humanity is hard sometimes, haha.

Respectfully,
Response #6:  
It's good to see you making progress, my friend!

Yes, this world is inimical to believers to its very core. What should we expect from the devil's world? So not loving this world is actually where every believer should be, looking forward in hope instead to the wonders to come – and making the most of the opportunities we have here and now to serve Jesus Christ. We're none of us perfect. But advancing believers keep fighting the fight, one day at a time. It's not easy, but with the Lord, the truth and the Spirit, we can do it. We are not alone.
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NKJV
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #7:   
Dr. Luginbill,

As you know, our family is revisiting your Peter Series and are currently on #33. While preparing my study notes for that section, I had to stop and explain the phrase "and to this doom they were also appointed" (phrased variously in the different translations). This kind of sent us on a tangent, but these were my thoughts:

When Peter says in verse 8 that unbelievers "were appointed" to this fate, he is not suggesting that they were deprived of free choice. Rather, their fate is the result of their own willful disobedience to the Word - meaning their rejection of the gospel which reveals that salvation is through faith in Christ alone (1 Peter 2:8). The phrases "the fate that was planned for them," "the doom to which they were appointed," and "which is also what they were destined for" used in various translations do not mean that God created them for the purpose of becoming unbelievers so that they might suffer this fate. God desires all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 18:23), but He has granted everyone free will, and tragically, not all wish to live forever with God if doing so means surrendering their freedom to choose evil. For many, the thought of an eternity in which sin and self-will have no place is not attractive. They prefer autonomy over submission, even if that autonomy leads away from life itself. Human beings often equate freedom with the ability to do whatever they please, including things that are contrary to God's will. But Scripture teaches that true freedom is only found in God - He is the source of life, truth, and goodness. To separate oneself from Him is, by definition, to separate oneself from life. So when people cling to their independence from God (insisting on governing themselves rather than submitting to His authority) they are actually choosing a path that leads away from the only true life there is. Their so-called "freedom" becomes slavery to sin (Romans 6:16–23), and their pursuit of self-rule leads ultimately to spiritual death. That means that what many people think of as freedom (the ability to do whatever they want without submitting to God) is actually the very opposite of freedom from a spiritual standpoint. According to Romans 6:16–23, everyone serves a master, whether they realize it or not. If we choose to obey God, we become "slaves of righteousness," leading to holiness and eternal life. But if we reject God's authority and live according to our own desires, we become "slaves of sin," and the end result of that path is spiritual death - separation from God, who is the source of life. So when people insist on being their own masters, they are not truly free, they are under the power of sin, driven by impulses and desires that ultimately destroy them. What feels like freedom in the moment (doing what pleases the self) is actually bondage, because it cuts a person off from God's truth and leads to ruin. In essence, sin promises freedom but delivers captivity. True freedom is not the absence of restraint, but the ability to live in harmony with the One who made us, something only possible through faith in Christ. In short, some people would rather die (separate themselves from God, even eternally) than yield their will to God. They prefer the illusion of self-sovereignty to the reality of eternal life under divine lordship. This is the tragic essence of sin: the determination to hold onto independence, even when it costs us everything. To dwell with God forever requires loving what He loves and rejecting what He hates; it requires yielding the throne of one's own heart. For some, that surrender is precisely what they refuse to give. Thus, though salvation is freely offered to all, it is only accepted by those willing to let God truly be God in their lives. The choices each person makes (which God foreknew) are what determined the Plan He decreed. 

Choosing eternity with God involves giving up our self-governance and choosing to submit to God's governance - the very thing Lucifer refused to do. He wanted to be like God and make his desires be the "Law of the Land" (and was able to convince a third of the angels to join him as well). He was successful in deceiving Eve to choose self-governance over obedience, and Adam (though not deceived) also chose self-governance when he chose life with Eve over life with God, even though he knew that choice meant death (separation from God). He didn't understand the consequences fully (and neither do we) but he understood enough (and so do we). Since then every person is born with a sinful nature - the strong desire for self-governance rather than submission to the will of God (Jesus excepted of course since he was born of a virgin and the sinful nature is passed down through the father as the result of Adam's willful choice to disobey.) The choice to submit to God's Will becomes the only reasonable choice once we understand that choosing anything outside of God's Will always results in evil (and heartache and pain) - even if we think at the time it will be good for us. Ultimately, our decision to choose God means abandonment of self-governance, a commitment to choosing God's Will over pleasing our fleshly desires (Mark 8:36, Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23). That decision will be tested many times in our lives and we will fail many of those tests. But as we learn God's truths and learn to apply them, we understand more and more that God's Will is better for us than any other thing we could choose. That is why personal spiritual growth is so, so important. And as we better understand His truths, our ministry becomes helping others understand through whatever spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has provided us. So back to Peter's comment that Jesus has become "a Stone for stumbling and a Rock for tripping", against which the disobedient collide as they have been appointed to do (i.e., because of their decision to reject Christ). In His perfect justice, God allows every person the freedom to choose, and the consequences of those choices are accounted for in His divine plan. Those who reject Christ do so by their own decision, and by that same decision, they bring upon themselves the stumbling (consequence) that comes from refusing the only true Foundation.

I want to make sure I'm not off in the weeds somewhere. Would you say overall these thoughts are accurate (not the way you would state them, I'm sure) or am I missing some application and therefore teaching incorrectly?

Thank you for your help.
Response #7:  
This is excellent, my friend – and right on the money!

I think the translations are part of the "problem" here. As you know, I have rendered the passage as follows:
. . . and "a Stone for stumbling and a Rock for tripping", against which the disobedient collide as they have been appointed to do (i.e., because of their decision to reject Christ).
1st Peter 2:8
The Greek here doesn't have the word "doom"; it merely has a relative pronoun with a preposition and is coupled with the generic Greek verb for "put/place" (literally "to which they have been placed"). "Appointed" is not a bad way to render this but since that word has certain theological connotations it may need the sort of explanation you provide, especially if one is dealing with hyper-Calvinists who misunderstand foreknowledge and predestination as being contrary to free will (I remain unconvinced that such was Calvin's own position): "to which they have been predestined [on account of their foreknown bad choice]" is what it means.

Again, nice job!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #8:  
Hi Dr L,

How is the workload? I remember you telling me you had an extra load to carry.

I just wanted to ask that I know believers are to do things not according to the flesh or with the effort of the flesh, but with/in the Spirit. And there have been times I thought, when I would tell myself and push myself to do this many prayers or read this many Bible chapters, that it was more of flesh. The only way I've been able to try to get more doing it via the Spirit is trying to pray first and ask Him to help me with that, which means I'd end up doing far, far lest, trying to make sure my heart is lined up right. I hope this doesn't sound back. Could you give me some words of advice here?

Take care of yourself,
Response #8:  
I think you're on the right track with this.

Learning how to follow the Spirit takes time. If we are in fellowship, that is, if we have confessed any and all sin, then the Spirit is in potential control . . . but we still have to follow Him. He will tell us in our consciences what is best, but in the early going these prompts will be "loud" so to speak; later on they will be more subtle as we learn how to listen.

Rule of thumb: if we are at peace and experiencing joy in the Lord, then we are no doubt following Him; if we are angry or upset or feeling guilty or have a bad attitude, then probably not. 

It's not really a question of pain and difficultly. Most good things in this life involve sacrifice and effort. Just because it's hard doesn't mean that it's not "of the Spirit" – nor is it absolutely of the Spirit if it IS hard. The dividing line is whether or not the "it" is what the Lord wants us to be doing. 

At this point in your spiritual growth I'm sure you've experienced both things definitively. The farther along the road we get, the more obvious they become long before we reach the extremes of either.

Here are a few links:
The Spirit of Glory Rests upon You (in Peter #36)

Walking in the Spirit: Spiritual Progress (in BB 5: Pneumatology)

Spiritual Discernment (in BB 6A: Peripateology)
Keeping you in my prayers, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #9:   
Hi Mr. Luginbill,

Ok, that makes sense.
Side note, I was working on another post and came across Psalm 51:6, which I don't quite understand. Can you please explain that verse, especially the second part? Thank you!

Respectfully,
Response #9:  
Glad to be of help.

Psalm 51:6 is speaking about the Spirit enlightening our spirits. That (the latter – our human spirit) is what David means by " inward parts" and "the hidden part". Cf.:
(9) But as it is written: "What the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard, and [what] has not entered the heart of man, [these are the very] things which God has prepared for those who love Him". (10) And God has revealed [these very things] to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches out everything, even the deep things of God. (11) For who knows the things of a man except the spirit of man which is in him? In the same way too no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. (12) And we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, in order that we might know the things graciously given to us by God. (13) And these are the very things we are speaking about, not in words taught by human wisdom, but with words of the Spirit, communicating spiritual information to spiritual people. (14) Now the unspiritual man does not receive the [deeper] things of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him and he is not able to understand them because they are appreciated [only] through spiritual means. (15) But the spiritual man does appreciate them all, though he himself is not appreciated [in this regard] by anyone. (16) For [as it says] "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who will instruct Him?" But we do have the very thinking (lit., "mind") of Christ (i.e., His truth from the Spirit).
1st Corinthians 2:9-16
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #10:   
You know...I feel so much of my grief has not been from trying to "find a reason to believe God actually is there to help me", but from trying to reconcile my preconceived notions and perspectives with Scripture rather than challenging those.

In other words, I was willing to learn, except on the things I didn't dare think were just assumed, thinking those were "base truths". So many people fail to do so, hence why we have so many religions and utterly godless ideals. The mind sees an intellectual threat the same as a physical one, you know. Religious beliefs are often seen as both because of sin or salvation things, and in my experience it becomes a feedback loop. It's said that desires and thoughts and emotions pop up before the will can percieve them, and perhaps that's something we all to accept.

Please pray for me on this. To question only what I feel comfortable doing leaves the possibility the 'important things' are destructive
Response #10:  
I'll say a prayer for you to learn how to be more attentive to the Spirit. The Holy Spirit always sifts out the truth for us . . . if we're willing to let Him do it.
"But the Encourager, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My Name, that One will teach you all [the truth] and will remind you of all [the truth] which I spoke to you."
John 14:26

For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the [true] sons of God.
Romans 8:14

For the Spirit Himself testifies to our spirit that we are God's children.
Romans 8:16

And the Spirit helps us in our weakness in a similar way. For we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us also with anguished supplications which words cannot express.
Romans 8:26

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?
1st Corinthians 3:16 NIV

(17) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord's Spirit is, there is freedom. (18) And everyone of us, if we reflect the Lord's glory with no "veil" obscuring our faces (i.e., with unsullied Christian witness), is being transformed into the same image [of God] (i.e., become more Christ-like as we use our will to respond to Him) so as to reflect an ever greater degree of [God's] glory [as we do so] (lit., "from glory to glory") – exactly what is to be expected with the Lord's Spirit as the agent [of our transformation].
2nd Corinthians 3:17-18

And it is God [the Father] who has fashioned us for this very purpose [of resurrection and eternal life], and it is He who has given us the pledge of the Spirit [to guarantee that eternal future].
2nd Corinthians 5:5
(16) But I tell you, walk in the Spirit and you will not carry out what the flesh lusts for. (17) For what the flesh lusts for is contrary to the Spirit's will, and the Spirit is opposed to what the flesh lusts for. Since these are diametrically opposed to each other in this way, what you are doing is not what you yourself choose.
Galatians 5:16-17

And don't get drunk with wine – which is dissipating – but instead keep on being ful-filled (i.e., making progress in spiritual growth) by means of the Holy Spirit (i.e., the means to edification in contrast to dissipation).
Ephesians 5:18
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #11:   
[omitted]
Response #11:  
I think you've provided your own spiritual diagnosis here. When you were moving forward spiritually, everything was fine. When you backed off, some of these old problems resurfaced.

We never fully "arrive" in the Christian life, not this side of heaven home. We ALL need the Bible and Bible teaching every day, myself included.

I like to tell the story of that famous violinist Jascha Heifetz who once said, "If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it." In other words, no one is "so good" that where important things are concerned they don't need to keep at it every day.

I'm praying for you, my friend!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #12:   
[omitted]
Response #12:  
We are ALL in need of the Lord's forgiveness every day . . . which is why it's in the Lord's prayer.

Best policy is to confess and move on. It's hard not to stumble moving forward when a person is looking backwards.

Make the most of today for the Lord, "as long as it is called 'Today' " (Heb.3:13).
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #13:    
[omitted]
Response #13:  
Good for you, my friend!

That is handling things just as a mature believer should. I'm very proud of you as a felloow believer in Christ. Keep on growing and these things will become more second nature the farther you progress. Listen to the Spirit and He will guide you into all truth.

I wouldn't worry about __. As long as you don't put any doctrinal weight on the issue, it doesn't matter if you buy them or not. I mean, it's no virtue to not buy them and no harm if you do. So don't worry about it.

I am keeping you in my prayers daily, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #14:    
[omitted]
Response #14:  
I seem to remember us having connection problems with your email account in the past. It's hard sometimes to figure out just why servers reject responses but it's rare for Ichthys to reject mail (so I'm guessing this issue on your end).

Re: buying from this particular vendor. We can say that the Bible doesn't forbid buying and selling, and that even meat sold in the "shambles", the pagan temple butcher shops, was alright to eat along with all other edibles because "because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer" (1Tim.4:5 NIV). However, Paul does advise believers in Rome and Corinth NOT to eat certain things if by their eating they will offend weaker believers who think there is an issue. I glean from this that it is no problem for you NOT to buy from any vendor for whatever reason. Teaching or telling others not to do so would be problematic, but if this is just something you are personally concerned with, I wouldn't let it bother you (as I said). To paraphrase Paul, "you're no better off if you buy there or if you refrain from buying there" since it's not really a spiritual issue. When things offend our conscience, on the one hand we don't want to violate it, but on the other hand we also want to make sure that our conscience is "calibrated to the truth". If we aren't sure about something like this, there is no problem refraining until we are, moreover . . . as long as we are not carrying such "hyper-scrupulosity" to a paralyzing extreme (THAT would definitely be a mistake). So, as with many things, we need to apply a little "spiritual common sense", listen to the Spirit, and have peace. If what we are doing (or not doing), one way or another is not giving us peace, then we've got something wrong.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:3 NIV
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #15:   　
[omitted]
Response #15:  
Re: "How do I do this?" If you mean "consecrating" food, that is done by "saying grace", i.e., asking the Lord to sanctify the food you eat, remembering Him as we do so. Clearly, we don't give up our common sense. If something doesn't "pass the sniff test" and we are not starving to death, or if something is known to cause us trouble, or if there is any other legitimate reason to refrain, then we are wise to do so. But we also don't need to be hyper-worried about what we eat, either from a health point of view (again, assuming the exercise of common sense) or from some legalistic over-scrupulousness on account of the dietary regulations of the Law (e.g.).

As to personal application, if what you are presently doing and not doing is not causing you grief, anxiety or problems, then I would advise just letting things develop as you continue to grow in grace through the Word. No need to force things which are not really problems. Listen to the Spirit (see the link: Peter #16: Leadership of the Spirit).
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17 NIV
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #16:  
[omitted]
Response #16:  
Good to hear from you. 

Let me start where you end. It's important not to get the wrong idea about confession and repentance (lots written about this at Ichthys; see especially the link in BB 3B: "Repentance, Confession, and Forgiveness"). It does NOT matter how you "feel". It does matter what you think, say and do. If a person has committed some sin and confesses it, we are told that God forgives us when we confess (1Jn.1:9; cf. Ps.32:5). Clearly, it's of no particular value to confess if said person has no intention of leaving off committing said sin in the future. How would that be a valid confession? But just because a person weeps and wails and beats their chest doesn't guarantee that they've actually "repented". Biblical repentance is a change of direction in the heart. It may or may not be accompanied by outward shows of emotion, but it is often the case that such performances never result in genuine change. So I would be very wary of making "how you feel" the litmus test. If you've confessed, you're forgiven. If you persevere in staying away from similar errors in the future, then how was your "change of heart" (repentance) not legitimate?

The second thing to say is that sin is a continuing and continual problem for all believers as long as we are here in this world and in these bodies of sin. Yes, we are supposed to be perfect, but there is little worse than claiming to have "arrived" on that score since no one actually ever has apart from our Lord. We do, we should get better at warding off sin, and especially gross and particularly dangerous sin, but it's probably impossible for any believer to ever free themselves from sins of the heart or even to go a single day without becoming angry or jealous or covetous or fearful (etc., etc.), and that is not even talking about sins of the "ungovernable tongue". So while we do strive against sin and make no accommodation for it (Rom.13:14), we also have to keep firmly in mind that "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (1Jn.1:10).

The upshot of the above is that believers who are trying to "live a good life" often fall into the situation you found yourself in. Why? Because we cannot stand on the defensive for long without falling backward. To be successful in the Christian life requires spiritual growth; that is our "offense". Yes we need to "be good" and fight against sin (holiness). But we'll never get anywhere with that or start to gain confidence in passing tests – or come into the specific ministries the Lord has for us to produce a crop for Him – if we are not moving forward in spiritual growth (faithfulness). That requires more than prayer and reading the Bible (which are of course essential); it requires growing in the truth through taking in the truth. If that is not happening "at church" (and it's rare these days if it ever is), then believers need to find some source of Bible teaching in sufficient substance to be able to grow. That is our spiritual nutrition. That is the purpose of Ichthys (and of course you are welcome here any time), but there are other places you can grow as well (Bible Academy being one of them; see the link). Churches ought to be providing this service – that is the only biblical reason to have a church. But by and large they are not (as your experience indicates).

A few other short points. 

1) Re: "Right now I’m in the process of trying to make things right with the people I’ve hurt over the last few years." You really need to be careful with that. You are forgiven by God when you confess to Him (cf. "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight"; Ps.51:4 NIV). Putting someone else in the position of God and putting your forgiveness in their hands is a deadly dangerous mistake; on the other hand, if you take the position that, "well, I tried and they didn't want what I offered", then how are you not placing yourself in the position of God? Confess to Him. I'm not saying that if you stole someone's guitar that giving it back is not the right thing to do, but when it comes to having treated others poorly in the past, the only real solution is to treat them in a godly way going forward – if you are still having anything to do with them. But seeking them out to "make amends" is just stroking one's guilty conscience. It is not biblical and it is fraught with potential trouble.

2) Re: "I’ve also been getting rid of everything I can find that might contribute to a relapse of the same kind of behavior." This is also something one has to be careful with. Sin is the problem. So stop sinning. I'm not saying that if a person is an alcoholic that getting the booze out of the house might not be a good idea. But we are forgiven when we confess – an act of grace by God since Jesus died for those sins. We are not forgiven because we give things up. If we are feeling "good about ourselves" for giving things up, then it was probably a mistake rather than a good thing to do so. All self-righteousness and legalism is built on this principle, and that is a long broad road to perdition.

3) Re: "I’m afraid that I may have passed the point of being able to return". All believers are saved; only unbelievers are not saved (Jn.3:18). If you believe in Jesus Christ (as you clearly do), you are saved. If you not "feeling" saved or spiritual, you need to recommit to spiritual growth and draw closer to the Lord through the truth. Wringing one's hands accomplishes nothing. Praying is good, but you already know the answer so getting with it is better. Apostasy is the complete death of faith (see the link). You clearly love the Lord. So "be up and doing" in getting back close to Him through spiritual growth. Agonizing about the past accomplishes nothing good.
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
James 4:8a NET
I have been keeping you in my prayers.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #17:   
Dear Teacher,

Thank you so very much for your prayers and your encouragement too. Thank you for the update.

Your answer was a great help too. I adjusted my writing as a result. Thank you, Sir.

I have another question. We can pray for things with the absolute confidence that the Lord can give them to us, but when do we know to do as Paul instructed Timothy, that is, to take a little alcohol along with water for his stomach troubles? Do specifics decide these things? Also, we don't hear from the Lord now like Paul did in his own turn, so how would we know when the Lord is effectively saying no about something like when He told Paul that His grace is sufficient for him and His strength is made perfect in weakness?

[omitted] Thank you for your prayers for them, Sir.

Your student in Jesus,
Response #17:  
Always my pleasure, my friend.

When it comes to living our lives, we are given a great deal of general information, commands and guidance, from scripture, but not "take the A bus to work today, not the B bus", etc. These are matters of application (which you seem to be asking about). 

In my experience and observation, the Spirit guides us subtly when we are willing to listen, informing our consciences and giving us the sense that A is the right way, B not as good, and C to be avoided. Of course we frequently do what we prefer and it is easy not to listen on the one hand and rationalize what we want instead on the other. It's also the case that the more we want to dig down into specifics the more we tend to lose the big picture (and subsequently mess things up). 

Here are a couple of links on this:
Spiritual Discernment (in BB 6A)

Discerning between Good and Evil (in HE 5)
Just finishing up spring break here. I got everything on my list done (taxes, plumbing, yard work, clean up some, etc.), so I'm pretty happy about that. I need to get back to teaching to have a rest!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #18:  
Praise the Lord... can you explain to me the spiritual death of Jesus Christ? I read this in your intro to soteriology..did this occur on the cross when Christ cried out to the Father of being forsaken..thank you pastor..love you and thank God for you..to God be the glory, in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior!
Response #18:  
Good to make your acquaintance.

The main place you will find this discussed at Ichthys is in the prior basics study, BB 4A: Christology at these links:
The Blood of Christ

The Spiritual Death of Christ
You might also see the recent email posting where this is discussed, "Christology Issues XV" (see Q/A #18).

To answer your question briefly, our Lord paid the entire penalty for all human sins while still alive physically on the cross (that was His "spiritual death"). This happened during the three hours of darkness. That is what saves us (not His physical death when He gave up His spirit). Our Lord's quotation of Psalm 22:1 was given for OUR sake AFTER His death for our sins: He was forsaken, judged by the Father in our place as our Substitute, in order that WE might be saved. This is also why He said, "It is finished" (i.e., salvation: Jn.19:30), after His victory over sin in the darkness.
He made Him who had no [personal] experience of sinning [to be] sin (i.e., a sin offering) for us, so that we might have (lit., “become”) God's righteousness in Him.
2nd Corinthians 5:21
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Hebrews 9:14 NIV

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, in order that we might die to sins and live to righteousness. By His wound you are healed.
1st Peter 2:24
Thanks much for your good words! Do feel free to visit Ichthys and write me any time.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #19:   
Thank you very much Bob..I understand. So grateful the cross of Christ and for you..Thank you my brother..God bless you!
Response #19:  
My pleasure!

Feel free to write any time.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #20:   
Hey Dr. Luginbill, 

I was going to respond to this tomorrow but figured I'd get to it tonight because I had nothing else to do (not tired enough to go to bed). I'm done with everything for the day anyway. Took some PTO at work. I'm off till Friday! Gonna try to get a lot of ministry stuff done and get some hiking in. 

Not much left for me to say. Understood and agreed. It's funny because someone used the fact that cessationism is disappearing as an argument that the gifts are still around. People say the same about the pre-trib rapture. They'll say, "Fewer and fewer people accept post-trib these days." The reality is that the greater acceptance of these false teachings this late in time is more of a confirmation that our views are correct and that we really are getting closer to the tribulation. More and more people are being set up for failure. 

Two last things. Maybe I already asked you this, but the spiritual death of Christ was His taking on all the sins of the world of all time, correct? I thought I asked you that, but I can't remember. 

I do remember asking you (a long time ago though I don't have the email anymore) about the idea of God the Father leaving/forsaking? the Son while on the cross; is that true, and if so, in what way did the Father forsake/leave Christ? I may not be using the correct wording but that is only because it's been so long. 

That's all I have left! 
Response #20:  
1) Spiritual death: Yes, this is my (inherited) way of explaining/describing "the blood of Christ", His suffering for the sins of the entire world in the darkness on the cross (see links in BB 4A: "the blood of Christ" and "the spiritual death of Christ").

2) Forsaking: Yes, when our Lord says this, it is after the fact, "Why did you forsake Me?", a question also answered on the cross: "It is finished". Our Lord was judged by the Father for our sins (rather than being rescued from having to do so). If He had not been judged, of course, we would all be doomed to the lake of fire. See the link: "Kenosis and the cross" in BB 4A.

Why was He forsaken? For us! And praise God for that, because that is how we are saved!

In Jesus our dear Lord and Savior,

Bob L.
http://ichthys.com/