Ask Pastor John

“Love your enemies,” Jesus says. But who are our enemies? The answer is broader than we might imagine.

In the wake of great betrayal, how do we respond with love and forgiveness without minimizing the evil of the sin?

Peter tells wives to win their husbands “without a word.” Does that mean a wife should never confront her husband over a pattern of habitual sin?

How can a father governed by anger begin to recover kindness and tenderheartedness? By freshly embracing God the Father’s forgiveness through Christ.

Is heartfelt anger toward God ever righteous, or even morally neutral — or is such anger always sinful?

Does the Bible teach that God has predestined some to disobedience and destruction, just as he has predestined some to salvation?

What are the two greatest questions in the universe? Pastor John explains by looking at 1 Peter 2:11–12.

When do innocent desires of the flesh become threats to the soul? When they cross over from serving God’s will to serving our rebellious self.

The biblical authors often intertwine faith and hope, yet they also distinguish them. So what is the difference between these two gifts of the Spirit?

When the light of Christ shines upon the darkness of our sin, we either run to Christ as the only covering for our shame, or we run further into darkness.

Scripture speaks of the Father judging the world, the Son judging the world, and sometimes even the word of Christ judging the world. So, in the end, who will judge?

The new birth is a sovereign work of the Spirit, but it is a work bound to the word. The Spirit of God works through the word of God to glorify the Son of God.

When we trust God with our money, we not only enjoy freedom from worry, but we magnify the shepherd, Father, and King who provides for us.

What makes Christian love different from non-Christian love? It is rooted in the cross of Christ, sustained by the Holy Spirit, and aimed at the glory of God.

Ecclesiastes tells us not to be “overly righteous,” but Jesus calls us to a righteousness that exceeds even that of the Pharisees. How can we put these two texts together?

You don’t have to commit great sins in order to fall away from Jesus. You just have to neglect your great salvation.

Did Jesus have to die a public, agonizing death, or could he have saved us by living sinlessly and dying in obscurity?

God clearly tests his people, but does he ever tempt them to sin? Pastor John explores the distinction between tests and temptations in James 1.

Hundreds of times, God tells us to “fear not.” So why does he also call us to work out our salvation “with fear and trembling”?

Sober-mindedness keeps us from the silliness that is allergic to serious moments, but it also keeps us from the somberness that doesn’t know how to be joyful.

Peter assures us of an inheritance kept safe in heaven; Jesus calls us to lay up treasures in heaven. Are eternal inheritance and rewards the same?

In an age inundated with entertainment, how do Christians stay awake to the glory of Christ and help others do the same?

Saving faith is the gift of God, who opens blind eyes and raises dead hearts. So what can unbelievers do when they find themselves unable to believe on their own?

Sometimes, busyness and stress are reasons to realign our priorities. Other times, they are invitations to pray that God would empower us to do the seemingly impossible.

God doesn’t give us a blueprint for our futures, but he does give us biblical trajectories by which we can discern his will and follow it with confidence.