Ask Pastor John

The Old Testament prohibited a husband and wife from having sex during menstruation. Is that command still in force today?

Controversy is essential — and deadly. Slowly, we can begin to care more about defending the truth than enjoying the truth.

What do Paul and Jude mean when they command Christians to pray “in the Spirit” — and what would it mean to pray “out of the Spirit”?

The Bible is perfect; preachers are not. So, why listen to the sermons of fallible men when we can read God’s infallible word for ourselves?

John Newton cherished the doctrines of grace. And he knew that the best way to commend them was with a spirit of graciousness.

Why learn math — especially if studying math feels agonizing? Pastor John addresses an 8-year-old boy struggling to persevere in school.

The Bible doesn’t say how old Christians should be when they marry — or how close in age. So, can a Christian marry someone significantly younger?

Killing an unborn child is illegal if the mother wants the baby — but legal if she doesn’t. The rights of the weak rest in the hands of the strong.

In a media-saturated age, obedience to Jesus requires intentional detachment from the patterns of the world — especially its patterns of entertainment.

Those who follow Jesus may suffer more in this life than those who don’t. But from the standpoint of eternity, they will suffer infinitely less.

People are starving for the grandeur of God. Christian preachers, more than all others, should know this truth — and shape every sermon accordingly.

We all need people who will remind us that Christ is far better than sin, and that unrepentant sin destroys. Without friends, our faith won’t survive.

God made everybody, knitting each of us intricately in our mother’s womb. Does that mean we are each unique, unlike any other person God created?

If God deserves all glory and praise, what does Scripture mean when it mentions God’s glorifying and praising us?

Until we come awake to the great spiritual war that surrounds us, we will never truly know the privilege and power of prayer.

Hebrews tells us that, by showing hospitality to strangers, “some have entertained angels unawares.” Does this suggest that angels walk among us in human form?

God made us to need other people — but not to be codependent on them. So, how can we tell the difference between healthy need and disordered neediness?

With eternity in view, any span of life is a vapor. However long we live, our time here is preparation for the endless days of heaven.

Some Christians seem to be always on the lookout for signs from God in creation or circumstances. Does the Bible encourage us in that search?

Should Christians make a habit of visiting loved ones’ graves? And if we do visit, how can we honor Christ in the cemetery?

Many wonder how a good God could govern a world filled with pain. But sometimes, pain becomes the very means God uses to awaken us to his goodness.

The Gospel of John speaks of a “disciple whom Jesus loved” five times. Who was this beloved disciple, and why does he single himself out like this?

After a year unlike any other, Pastor John looks ahead to new books and renewed ambitions to spread Christian Hedonism farther across the globe.

How can Christians challenge and correct one another in a way that honors Christ and acknowledges our common neediness before him?

God expects faithfulness of all his people. But faithfulness for one Christian may look far different than faithfulness for another Christian.

Paul tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. But Paul himself had many human enemies. So, are our enemies spiritual, human, or both?

The essence of God’s love is not that he makes much of us, but that he frees us, at great cost to himself, to enjoy making much of him forever.

Many medical professionals regularly find themselves around people only hours or minutes from hell. How would love call us to act in those moments?

Christians display the character of God through both mercy and justice. But how do we know when to show mercy and when to give justice?

Almost everyone wants to be loved by God. But our reasons for wanting God’s love may reveal whether we truly know him or not.

When God restored Job’s fortunes, he also doubled his wealth. Should Christians pray for God to do the same for us today?

Serial dating, if left unconquered, often turns into serial marriage. So, what hope does Jesus offer to those addicted to the pleasures of a new relationship?

God commands us both to fear him and to flee to him for refuge. How can we possibly do one without contradicting the other?

The book of Ecclesiastes tells us that “all is vanity.” But if God providentially guides all things, then doesn’t he give meaning to everything in this world?

As with other Protestants, many Baptists trace their lineage to the Reformation. But what makes Baptists unique among the heirs of the Reformation?

Strategies are important in our battle against lust. But nothing arrests our souls with the urgency of purity like the supremacy of Jesus Christ.

What is purgatory, and why have thoughtful Christians like C.S. Lewis believed in it? Does this belief in afterlife cleansing find support in Scripture?

Jesus commands us to love our neighbors. But how can we love them if they don’t want our help, or if they even actively ignore us?

Christians are new creations in Christ — yet we still feel the familiar pull of the old self. How do we reckon with the persistence of indwelling sin?

Some parts of the world seem to endure far more sorrow than other parts. Does God favor some places and peoples more than others?

Some of us find ourselves confessing the same sins over and over. How do we know our repentance is real if we repeatedly lose the same battles?

If we try to make much of the love of God by downplaying the wrath of God, we destroy the love of God.

The primary responsibility for a child’s education belongs to parents, not to the state. So, what can parents do when the state tries to take control?

The book of Genesis records life spans in the hundreds of years. Why did the first humans live for so long — and why are our life spans today so short?

How might Christians process the failures of once-beloved figures like Ravi Zacharias? Pastor John draws out lessons from the ministries of fallen leaders.

Some wait to come to Christ because they feel powerless to live the Christian life. But that power becomes ours only by coming to Christ.

Angels appear all over Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. But why did God create angels in the first place — and what are they doing today?

Conspiracy theories — Christian or otherwise — are nothing new. But how can we talk to friends who find themselves gripped by them?

“No condemnation” means that you are finally free: free to love, free to serve, free to forgive, and even free to die for the good of others.

Paul looks back to Abraham and celebrates his unwavering faith. But is Abraham’s laughter at God’s promise in Genesis 17 really a faithful response?