Questions & Answers
by Editor(s)

Q. I have a child who is involved in serious sin. This child is a Christian but will no longer fellowship with other believers. I am desperate to find a way to reach him. Can you help me?

A. First of all I would suggest you make sure your own believing about who you are is clear. Are you trusting Christ is living as you? Is there sin in your own life? If there is, straighten this out by confessing it and seeing yourself right.

If Satan has a hold on you then you will not be effective with your own child. This would be my first order of business. Next I would see this child as God sees him. He is not some independent person, doing as he pleases. Satan is misusing him and he is under his direction. Knowing this enables you to then say the truth about the situation. The truth is no one is outside of God. God is at work wooing your child back to the truth all the time in ways you’re not even aware of. You can trust, as the Bible says, "you have the mind of Christ" and you may begin to think of ways to reach your child. I do know that as this situation pushes you to faith, it also pushes you to come up with answers. Your answer at the moment may be to stand and believe. If it is God in you believing, remember,
this is powerful and not a passive place.

Q. I feel confused about the issue of judging. The Bible says to judge with righteous judgement and then turns around and says "judge not that ye be not judged." I do not understand how both can be true. Can you explain this to me?

A. Righteous judgement is discernment. If a friend is in adultery, for example, it is righteous judgement to tell the friend that he/she is in sin. Adultery is Biblical sin. To know this is to be discerning. To point out your brother’s sin to him is scriptural.

Wrong judgement is not discernment. It is seeing someone as just an independent person who is doing something that "you" would certainly never do. The truth is that a person in sin is being operated by Satan. Once you have learned this fact from the Bible, it is sin on your part to think of your friend as just a bad person operating on his own power. He is being driven by the spirit of Satan. Your anger should be at Satan, the operator. If you recognize this fact, you are then free to attack the real enemy, Mr. Sin, with righteous judgement. Righteous judgement is a lifeboat to your friend, not condemnation. Satan only wishes him ill. Getting your friend to understand this by exposing his sin (righteous judgement) and leading him back to right believing as a Christ–operated person is an act of love.

Q. I know the Bible says Christ lives in me. How can you say Christ lives as me?

A. It must be taken by faith. A good everyday example would be if I learn to be a carpenter. Before I learn to be one, I am not a carpenter. Once I do learn, I am a carpenter. It takes me over. It is who I am. Being a carpenter has replaced not being a carpenter.

Similarly, once I am saved, Christ replaces Satan as my operator. As stated in 1 John 4:17, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world." We can say, along with Christ, "Of myself, I can do nothing" (John 5:19,30). Therefore, I am His human, earthly expression. His Spirit works out through me. My human spirit is tied to Christ’s Spirit, who operates in the world through me, as me. He has taken me over like the carpenter has been taken over by the know–how of carpentry.