Paul H

Q1. (1 John 1:3-4, 6-7) Why is our fellowship with fellow Christians so often just on a surface level? I think that most human relationships are only on a surface level. We are afraid to get deeper than that because we feel threatened and vunerable that if we get too deep it may somehow be used against us. There is a reason for that general feeling when we are talking about human relationships outside the family of Christ; it is borne out of bitter experience!! This general experience of human relationships has an effect on how we view our relationships with fellow Christaians, although it shouldn't. In Christ's family, this feeling of threat or vunerability should not exist though provided that we are all in true christian love and fellowship with one another and with God. How can we have fellowship at a deeper level in Christ? What would it take in your Christian group or your relationships with other believers to deepen your level of fellowship so it is authentically Christian? Through Christian love of God and of each other. This takes honesty, understanding, openess, understanding, forgiveness, humility - in fact look at the life of Jesus and you can see what it takes! In a human setting of a church community, it takes time to achieve, but in Christ it can be achieved.

Which of Abraham's achievements inspires you the most? As you reflect on his life, what stands out for you? I think that the way in which Abraham was able to develop his relationship with and faith in God through the long course of his life is what really stands out for me. Without doubt, there were times when he went off and tried to do things his own way, but he stayed true to his faith, and was richly rewarded. It inspires me to do the same and I pray that God will help me in that daunting task!! If there is one incident which stands out for me, it has to be Abraham's obedience and faith when it came to the sacrifice of Isaac. Not only the fact that it shows the extent of Abraham's obedience and faith, but also the obvious foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice made in the death of Jesus as the lamb sacrificed for me. Now I am at the end of my first study with Jesus Walk, and I have to say that it has been a richly rewarding experience. When I started, I never imagined that I would get so much out of the story of Abraham and what it has made me realise is just how rich the Bible is. Now I am keen to get on to the next study! So, thanks to Pastor Ralph and to all of the other contributors to this forum. Like Abraham, may God richly bless you all.

What do you think of the servant's prayer and test of God? Did the servant find the right girl on the basis of his hasty prayer? If not, then how? The servant was probably thinking "OK, here I am, now what?" Actually, I think his prayer was a very good one. It was short, to the point, and it left no room for error. Clearly he did find the right girl not just on the basis of his prayer, but on the basis that this was God's will meaning that even if he hadn't prayed at all, God would have found the way to bring Rebekah to him, but the prayer and the way it was couched provided a very simple mechanism for this to take place.

What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abraham wants to ensure that he and Sarah will be buried in a land which God has promised to him and his ancestors. There seems to be no doubt in Abraham's mind that this promise will be fulfilled, and therefore the price which he has to pay for this small piece of the promised land is irrelevant. In this, I think that we also see something of Abraham planting a flag. When God promises things to us, He doesn't expect us to sit there and wait for the promise to drop into our laps. He expects us to work with Him to the fulfillment of the promise, and how often in practice do we do just the opposite and actually work against the fulfillment of the promise (both Abraham and Sarah were guilty of this on several occasions through their lives, but still God remained faithful to His promises to them). So, here we see Abraham in a step of faith planting his flag in the promised land as a first step along the road to the fulfillment of God's promise which had been made to him.

Take some time to review Sarah's life and legacy. What were her strengths? Sarah's most obvious strength is her devotion and obedience to Abraham. It would be nice to be able to say that that devotion and obedience was a result of their shared faith. There is nothing in the story to suggest that Sarah shared Abraham's faith, although you would think that after 90 years of being together, they would have had to have had some element of a shared faith in God. Her weaknesses? She was impatient and/ or lacked faith in Gods promise to provide a son to Abraham and when in her impatience she takes matters into her own hands by arranging for a son to be born to Hagar, she becomes jealous, ultimately leading to her forcing Hagar to leave, even after God has fulfilled His promise to Abraham and Sarah in the birth of Isaac. Where did she show faith? I don't really see much evidence of faith in Sarah. She is faithful and obedient to Abraham for sure, but if by faith we mean faith in God, I just don't see much. Clearly she does not have faith that God will deliver on His promise to provide them with an heir (and to be fair, I can understand why she was doubtful of that) However, even after God has delivered on His promise, she still has to intervene and send Hagar and Ishmael away unable to believe that God will deliver on the whole of His promise which is to make Isaac Abraham's heir and to create a great nation out of Isaac. Where did she lack faith? In God's ability to give her and Abraham a son to be an heir.

How does Abraham's near sacrifice of his beloved, only son Isaac help you understand better Jesus' crucifixion? First of all, it shows Abraham being prepared to sacrifice his only son and therefore gives us an idea of what God was prepared to sacrifice for us when He gave His only son to die for us. It also, through Isaac shows us something of Jesus. It is not recorded that at any time Isaac resisted or questioned his father. He obeyed everything that Abraham told him and trusted in his father Abraham in the same way as Jesus obeyed His Father saying "not my will but yours". Second, if you take Isaac as a symbol of the whole of mankind, it demonstrates what would have happened had God not been prepared to sacrifice His only son (the lamb) for our sins. If God had not provided the lamb for sacrifice to Abraham, then Isaac himself would have been the sacrifice. In the same way, if God had not given His only son to die for us, we ourselves would be lost and would effectively be the sacrifice. Finally, and connected to the second point, we see God providing a lamb for sacrifice instead of Isaac. This clearly foreshadows the provision of Jesus to offer His life as the sacrificial lamb in our stead on the Cross.

How have you learned to trust God to provide for you? How has he provided for you in the past? What are you facing right now that will require God to be your Provider, your Jehovah-Jireh? This question has come on a very difficult day for me, and therefore, I think a very appropriate day. I am in a very difficult, most people would say impossible financial situation. In fact the situation was impossible many months ago, but with God's provision and guidance I have survived thus far. During that period, my faith has grown and I have learned to put my trust in Him. With God's guidance, I have been working on a way around the problem and up until yesterday could see a path ahead. Last night though that door seemingly closed, and as I survey the scene now, I am in a very precarious position with virtually no money left, unemployed, and a family to care for. Interestingly, this setback comes at a time when my faith has really been growing and I have started in small ways to bear witness to my faith and to the trust which I am putting in God and in my confidence that He will not let me down. I still believe that God will provide for me (and my family) but I wonder if this severe setback is an attack from Satan who must now be getting seriously worried that my faith in God is taking hold and developing. That is a good sign I suppose, but I just pray that God will protect me from the attacks of Satan. Please can you pray with me that God will deliver me from this setback and protect me from the attacks of Satan. He is my provider, my hope, my strength and my shield and I pray that like Abraham, my faith in Him should be unquestioning and absolute.

Can we really know God until we can trust him with our whole lives? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? If not, why not now? If you have, what has that surrender entailed for you? How has God blessed you in return? There is a distinction between knowing about or knowing of God, and knowing Him. Anyone can know about Him. I know about our Queen, but I don't know her. To really know God, in the way that Abraham really knew God, without doubt it is necessary to trust Him with our whole lives, as did Abraham. I have surrendered my life to Jesus. This means making Jesus the very centre of my entire life. He is with me wherever I go and whatever I do. He is the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about before I go to sleep at night and in between, He is in everything that I do. In return, God has and is blessing me immeasurably. Since I made Jesus the centre of my life, and committed myself to Him, I have found a complete peace, a peace that passes all understanding, whereas before all was turmoil. He is answering my prayers to Him as, together with Him, I unravel the turmoil of my life before Him, and truly, I feel that He goes before me like a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

What effect does Satan want trials to have in our life? Satan wants our trials to cause us to question God and to lose our faith in Him What effect does God want them to have? God wants our trials to strengthen our faith in Him by showing us that He remains true to His promises and faithful to us even through our darkest trials. He always delivers us from trials and "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8,28). Seeing this proved at a time of trial is a great faith strengthener. The effect really depends upon how we respond to the trial. Have you ever been through a trial that strengthens and invigorates you at the end? I am going through a trial at the moment. I still don't know where it is leading, but throughout, I can see God working in my life and I know that I will look back on this trial as a period when my faith in Him was strengthened and matured. I will report back and add an update when this trial is over and pray that maybe someone who reads it may be inspired by it. Have any of your trials inspired others or have you been inspired by another's trial? I don't know whether anyone has been inspired by the trial which I am undergoing. If not so far, then I pray that at some time they will be because I want to be able to share with the World what a wonderful God I have even in the time of trial (actually, especially in the time of trial!) I haven't really been inspired yet by anyone else's trial.

How does the realization that God is El-Olam, the Eternal God, effect you? First of all I find it awe inspiring and it makes me very humble and show great reverence in the presence of the eternal creator of everything. Second though it fills me full of security because I know that this Eternal God cares for me and that one day, I will share that eternity with Him. How does it alter the way you live your life? It gives me peace, strength and courage whatever is going on around me.

In what ways has God blessed Abraham in this difficult chapter 21? The events of this Chapter ensure that Abraham ultimately becomes the father of two great nations through Isaac and through Ishmael Given what we know about Ishmael's character (16:12; 25:18), how has Abraham been blessed that he sent him away? If Ishmael had remained, it would likely have given rise to huge family conflicts. We have already seen the conflicts which have arisen between Abraham and Sarah over Hagar and Ishmael. If they had stayed, this would have got worse How has Isaac been blessed? What might have happened if Ishmael hadn't been sent away? They would likely have ended up in conflict, and given the characters of each, Ishmael could have been expected to prevail in any such conflict. Of course, God knew this and had all of this planned out. If this problem hadn't been resolved in this way, it would have been resolved by God in some other way. Have you ever been rejected or sent away? Not really. I have rejected God, and thought that I had sent Him away. When I returned to Him, I found that it was me that had gone away and He was right there where He had always been. Were is God in all of this? God is everywhere in everything. He was caring for Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael and ensuring that His promise to each of them would be fulfilled. So it is the same with us. He cares for us constantly and in everything which we do. He never rejects us or sends us away - Oh that the reverse were true and I would not have wasted over 30 years of my life wandering in the wilderness. The great thing is though that He was always there and now I am back walking with Him and He is all around me.

What motivates Sarah to demand Ishmael's expulsion from Abraham's family encampment? Jealousy and resentment that Ishmael is Abraham's first born son Is she righteous in this? No Have you ever tried to force your spouse to act against his or her principles? Have you ever been forced yourself? Fortunately no to both.

The name Isaac means "he laughs." What is Sarah's laughter like now compared to her laughter in 18:12-15 and Abraham's laughter in 17:17? What does this tell you about God's sense of humor? On the two previous occasions, the laughter had been laughter at the absurdity of what was being promised... incredulous laughter. You can almost here then saying you cannot be serious!! Now though Sarah's laughter is one of pure joy and happiness. I am not sure what it says about God's sense of humour, but it does show that God always follows through with His plans and with His promises even in the face of incredulous laughter.

Why did Lot's daughters turn to incest? What does this tell us about their values? About their faith? They were living alone with their father in a remote location with no apparent contact with the outside world and no prospect, as far as they were concerned, of even meeting a suitable member of the opposite sex let alone finding someone to marry. They wanted to ensure that they had children to continue the family line (and maybe to provide someone who would look after them in their own old age). Based on the morals with which they had grown up in Sodom, and based also on the complete lack of any apparent regard or respect for their morals evidenced by Lot back in Sodom, they decided that incest was the only way to achieve this. They clearly had no faith in God's ability to deliver them from the position which they were in and it appears, that at this point at least, their father offered them nothing in the way of guidance or inspiration on seeking Gods help. Why does Lot turn to intoxication? What does this incident tell us about his faith? His hope? His influence? He has lost all hope and faith and has essentially given up on life. Drink obviously dulls, at least temporarily the pain which he is feeling. If Lot had ever had any influence over his daughters, he is certainly past exerting it by this point, and is probably past caring His choice of residence? Clearly, it was a bad choice for Lot, but that isn't everything. We can be in the World but not of it. Lot could have lived in Sodom but still lived a righteous life bringing up his daughters in righteousness and in the paths of the Lord. Difficult if you are living somewhere like Sodom, but not impossible. It is clear from this whole story that he did not do this. He chose to live in Sodom and at worst became a part of its life and culture or at best chose to condone it. His daughters learned from this example What lessons should we learn from this story? I guess that the main lesson to be drawn from this sad story is that we reap what we sow. From the outset of the story of Lot's life, it is clear that he was selfish, looking only after number 1. He had clearly got himself into a position of some power and wealth in Sodom and it is difficult to see how he could have done that without becoming a part to some extent of what was going on there. He was in that World and had become a part of it. That can never be. We can never serve two masters and if we try, like Lot, we will reap what we have sown.

After nearly being delivered, why did Lot's wife stop and gaze rather than escaping? What was in her heart? I can only guess what was going through her mind when she turned back as it isn't recorded. From my own experience, I guess that she must have been thinking about her old way of life and her old friends and maybe wishing that she could turn back and return to her old life. Who knows, maybe in looking back, she was intending to actually physically turn back. We will never know, but it is an experience which is all too familiar, although, luckily when I sometimes look back on my old life with any feeling of nostalgia, it doesn't have the same consequences for me as it had for Lot's wife. Have you ever struggled with this in your heart? Yes. Sometimes I look back on my old way of life with some nostalgia. Of course, I am only remembering selected parts of my old life when that happens, but it happens. It never lasts long though and all I need to focus on is what God has done for me since I turned from that old way of life and I am back focusing on the path ahead and on Jesus leading the way. What lesson does Jesus draw from Lot's wife in Luke 17:31-33? That we must all remain ready for the return of Jesus, we must never turn back from the path of righteousness to our old sinful lives because at that point of turning back, the Lord may return and we, like Lot's wife, would be lost.

Why did Lot and his family hesitate? First of all, from a practical point of view, Sodom was the home city of Lot's wife and his two daughters and presumably they had close family relations there, including the fiances of his daughters. This would have made anyone hesitate ( I am fairly sure that I would have hesitated!!) Lot was clearly aware of the depravity of Sodom, but did he really believe that as a result the destruction of Sodom was imminent such that they had to flee for their lives? If this had been Abraham, I don't think that there would have been any hesitation, but clearly Lot didn't have the same faith as Abraham and as a result had to be forcibly saved. Have you ever hesitated when you should have been fleeing a danger? No. What is the lesson for us? First; that we should listen carefully to what God is telling us and react when He tells us to act. Second; I think that it is telling us something about the dangers of living amongst the wicked. Clearly Lot was righteous, but he was living amongst the wicked which can be a dangerous position to be in. In that position, it is sometimes easier to go with the flow, which is what I think Lot was doing. The consequences of that were a disaster in the end for Lot and and could be the same for us.

How can Christians keep balance on the issue of homosexuality in our day? Is it really possible to be loving and compassionate toward practicing homosexuals at the same time as you condemn the sin? Should the church be silent about homosexuality? If not, what should we be saying? Where should we be saying it? (Be gentle and loving as you discuss this subject -- please!) I don't think that there can be any doubt from reading the Bible that homosexuality, whether in our day, or in any other day, is a sin. In Leviticus it is categorized alongside adultery, incest and the like, but however it is categorized, and however you look at it, I cannot see how you can come to the conclusion that it is anything other than a sin. Now all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross to take away our sins and all who truly repent of their sins will be forgiven. This applies to any sin be it homosexuality, adultery, theft, taking the name of God in vain etc etc etc. They are all the same, they are sins, and those who commit sins for which they do not truly repent cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. So on one side of the balance, that is the bottom line, a practicing homosexual is sinning by committing that act and the Church should never shy away from making it absolutely clear that this is the case. Jesus though came into the World to save sinners in Mark 2, 17 He says "I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners". With this in mind, and if we are to follow the command to love our neighbor as ourselves, then as Christians, we are bound to tell homosexuals that by committing this act they are sinning. If we side step the issue, then we are failing them and effectively abandoning them to the fate that awaits all sinners. In that case we would be like the Priest or the Levite passing by on the other side of the road rather than going to the help of the man who had been robbed in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Obviously, we need to do this in a loving and compassionate way, but we should not compromise. The fact is that if this person carries on in the way they are going, they will be lost (just like I would have been lost if I had carried on in the way I was going). So what does all of this mean from a practical point of view? From a personal point of view, a homosexual, like everyone else, is my neighbour, who I am commanded to love as myself. In my view, that means treating him like any other sinner. That doesn't mean that I run after them shouting sinner, but on the other hand, at the right time and in the right situation, I should be clear that they are sinning by doing this thing, in just the same way as I was sinning and still sin. I was and am capable of being forgiven if I truly repent and so are they. It is a simple as that. From the point of view of the Church, quite clearly it follows from all of this that the Church should not remain silent on this issue, but should make the position clear, as it does with all other sins. I do not recall any suggestion from any part of the Church that maybe adultery or incest isn't a sin. This is no different and I really cannot see how in the face of all of the evidence throughout the Bible, any part of the Church can take a different view. One side issue on which I would appreciate the thoughts of anyone who can reply to this. It seems to me that all of this applies only to male homosexuals. I could find nothing in the Bible which specifically makes homosexual relationships between women a sin. Have I missed something here, or is it correct that a female homosexual relationship is not a sin?

On what ground does Abraham so boldly address God? Abraham states the reason why he is addressing God in this way in verse 25 where he says "Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be it from you! Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?" This is indeed a very bold way to address the supreme God, the creator of everything, but I think that it shows the nature of Abraham's relationship with God by this time. I don't think that the same relationship seems to exist in Chapter 12 when God first told Abraham to go to the land which God would show him or in Chapter 13 when God shows him the land which will be his and tells him to walk the length and breadth of the land. In fact, it is not until Chapter 15 that we see Abraham entering into any kind of dialogue with God. Up until then, God speaks to him and Abraham obeys. In chapter 15, we see Abraham first entering into a discussion with God, which I see as evidence of Abraham's increasing faith and deepening relationship with God. This develops further over the next few chapters so that in Chapter 17 we find Abraham falling on his face and laughing at God's suggestion that Abraham and Sarah are to have a son and then in Chapter 18 we get this discussion over the fate of the people of Sodom. This I think shows how close Abraham's relationship with God had become over the years of these chapters and God is clearly very pleased with this relationship as can be seen from what happens to Abraham and how God deals with him. Do you think God desires us to do the same? Yes, but at all times, we should remember who it is we are talking to. This is the almighty creator of everything and so, although He wants us to have a close relationship with Him, like Abraham's, and to talk openly with Him, in addressing God, we are addressing our creator and must treat Him with the respect and majesty which that deserves. Look at the way in which Abraham deals with the three men at the beginning of Chapter 18, which gives some idea of the kind of reverence which we should display in our relationship with God. Why or why not? God loves us and cares for us and He wants to have a close relationship with us, like He had with Abraham. Why do you think Abraham's intercession pleased God? It must have pleased God because God responds to the intercession. I think that the reason it pleased God was that it showed Abraham's absolute faith, trust and confidence in God. What will it take for us to please him in our prayers? I think that we need to be bold and confident in our relationship with and prayers to God, but at the same time reverent, as Abraham was. We also need to have faith, and I think that means absolute 100% faith, that God will answer our prayers. Finally, I think that we need to be sure that as well as asking in our prayers, we also give thanks and praise to God for the things He is doing and has done

In your own words, describe what a lifestyle of "keeping the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just" looks like in the twenty-first century. In what ways is this difficult? In what ways is this easy? What are the special challenges? I keep coming back to the two great commandments " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "You shall love your neighbour as yourself". The lifestyle required of me by God comes back to these two commandments. First and above all else, I must put God first in my life at all times. No questions, absolute number one priority. This means of course that I pray to Him regularly, that I study the bible regularly, that I offer up my praise, worship and thanksgiving to Him for what He has done and is doing in my life both in my personal devotions and at church. It also means that I should be a continual witness for Him at all times and in all places, both in the way I live my life (an indirect witness) and by what I say to people when given an opportunity to be a witness for Him (direct witness). This part crosses over also into the second commandment, in that of course, if I love my neighbour as myself, I should want to ensure that they experience the same relationship as I have with God through Jesus. So, the second commandment is to love my neighbour as I love myself. The word here is neighbour, not brother and sister, so it is not restricted just to fellow Christians, it is everyone, even those who hate me. So what does this mean? It doesn't mean being a doormat for everyone (Jesus was never a doormat). It means being firm in my beliefs and standing up for what I believe in, but, in the famous words of 1 Corinthians 13 being at the same time, patient, kind, not envious, boastful, arrogant or rude, not insisting on my own way, not being irritable or resentful, not rejoicing in wrongdoing, but rather rejoicing in the truth. This is the definition of love, and love is what I am commanded to show to my neighbour. If I do all of this and seek to make Christ more and myself less, then I think that that lifestyle would be "keeping the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just". For me, the easy bit is putting God first in my personal life. When I am with Him (praying, studying the bible, at Church or just aware of His presence with me in my general life) I am at peace and supremely happy and when I am not, I am not! The more difficult bit for me personally comes in my witness to those around me. Since I turned back to Jesus, my life has changed completely and that much is obvious to all who know me, but I find it difficult to share the joy which I have found in clear terms with those close to me. They seem embarrassed to talk about it, and consequently I get embarrassed too. Obviously, the main witness which I can give at the moment is in the way I live my life now and I am focussing on that and it has changed. However, I do want to be a direct witness for God and His power. I want to share what I have found with those around me and to bring more people to Him so that they can experience what I have experienced. Maybe my confidence to do this will build as I get more experience and as the people around me see more of the way I am living my life. I pray daily though that God will give me the courage to speak out and be a more open witness for Him in a World which is at best sceptical and at worst antagonistic towards God. That for me is the challenge at the moment, although I expect that will change and new challenges will come along. I know though that God will always be with me whatever challenges come along.

How can fathers and husbands strike the right balance -- of being godly, caring leaders without being dictators? How can mothers and wives strike the right balance -- of being submissive and at the same time being open about their needs and desires? (I know of no Christian cookie-cutter answer to this. It must be contientiously worked out within the crucible of marriage.) Jose Rivera's comments from October 2004 really sum up my thoughts on this, so Jose, I hope that you don't mind, but I will paste your response here: "I agree with Peggy Sue's comment. Love must be at the root of all we do, all we act on. All that Christ did He did out of love and obedience to the Father. Within the garden He asked if there was any way that this cup could pass, yet he also said, "not my will...but yours." That is an example of the love He had for the Father and the Father

How can we tell if we really believe in God's present willingness to do miracles in our day? It is a state of mind, and comes down to a question of faith. Jesus said to His disciples " if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matt 17 , 20) and it seems to me that the key element here is faith. The disciples lacked faith and had been unable to cure the boy with the demon earlier in this passage. Abraham at times also lacked faith and tried to do things his own way. So this shows how difficult it is to have the required faith, but I believe that it is a requirement and if we request something from God without really believing in His ability to deliver, then He will not deliver. Of course, Abraham's faith increased as he saw more evidence of the power of God in his life, and as we witness miracles worked by God in our own lives, then faith in His power becomes easier to sustain. Nevertheless it can be difficult sometimes to truly believe that the impossible is possible. In God though; it is and we really have to believe that. How can we tell if we really believe? Well that is simple. If we really believe and we ask, it will happen. Is there any indication in Scripture that God will stop doing miracles? No, in fact quite the reverse, there is indication throughout the scriptures that He will continue to do miracles. Is there any indication that God continues to do miracles? Constantly. What I don't understand though is why we Christians don't broadcast these miracles more widely. I have thought and thought about this and it seems to me that it is because we are afraid (I am afraid) of people scoffing at us. In his exposition, Pastor Ralph refers to the reaction of the other pastor to the healing from cancer which Pastor Ralph describes. It was the chemo which cured the cancer and nothing to do with the prayers and God's powers said the other pastor. This reaction is from a pastor, so our fear of scoffing is not surprising. However, I am determined to overcome this fear and I pray for God's strength and courage to overcome it. We have a great and all powerful God and the World needs to know about it!! How can we regain an active faith in the God of miracles? If I had lost my faith in the God of miracles, I would start by reading the New Testament from cover to cover and if you like statistics then you could try counting the number of miracles recorded in it. Then I would ask myself whether I thought God had somehow changed and become weaker over the past 2000 years. Then I would ask myself where the weakness lay. Next, I would look back through my own life and recount the miracles which I have seen God perform in my own life, both ordinary seeming for example the peace which He gives to me day after day no matter what is going on around me and the less ordinary - He healed me of Coeliac disease when I was a child. Finally, I would pray and ask for God's forgiveness for my lack of faith and for His strength and courage to help me rebuild that faith.

In your own words, how would you explain why circumcision is now obsolete for Christians and that baptism is now sign of the covenant? Actually Pastor Ralph, this is a really difficult question, but let me give it a go from my very limited knowledge. The old covenant and the new covenant are, it seems to me, two entirely different things. The covenant which God made with Abraham was to (1) make Abraham the father of many nations, make him fruitful and make nations and kings come out of him; (2) be the God of Abraham and his descendents; and (3) give to Abraham and his descendents the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. Abraham's side of the covenant was circumcision for himself, his household, his descendents and everyone who came into their households. This covenant is not obsolete. It still goes on, but it is irrelevant to Christians who are not also Jews because for Christians, the only part of this covenant which would be relevant to them, namely the part about God being their God has been superseded by Christ. By shedding His blood as the new covenant, Jesus offered us a way to God through the forgiveness of sins and therefore it is through this new covenant, made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, that God can become our God rather than having to rely on the old covenant (of which circumcision is still a part). I do not think though that baptism is our part of the new covenant, in the same way as circumcision was Abraham's part in the old covenant. Baptism is a ritual which Christians go through to symbolize in a physical way that we have died to ourselves and to the World with Christ, been buried and have then been raised up again, new in Christ. It is though, in my view, only a symbol. What is important is that in reality, in our hearts we have died to ourselves and the world and been born again in Christ. If this has happened in reality then the way in which a Christian is baptised, whether by total immersion of sprinkling, is therefore irrelevant, what is crucial is the reality which that baptism symbolises. That reality is what I think is meant by the circumcision of the heart. So, that is it in my own words and hopefully I haven't said anything heretical!! It is an interesting question though because it does raise issues of what it means to be a Christian and a part of the new covenant.

What does it mean to have your heart circumcised? The Christian equivalent of the circumcision which Abraham and his household underwent is baptism and baptism is an outward sign to the world that we have entered into a covenant with God as descendents, through Christ of Abraham. Circumcision of the heart, whether for a Jew or a Christian is the inward sign of our commitment to that covenant. It requires a total and unconditional giving of our entire being to God so that we can love Him with all our hearts all our minds and all our souls. Of course, in doing this, we also create an outward sign to the rest of the World. If someone is giving themselves entirely to God and loving Him in this way, it is going to be obvious to everyone around them. However, I believe that the real issue here is an inward sign of the covenant which exists between each individual and God. Why is this a necessity for all true believers, both Jew and Christian? Without this inward circumcision, the outward signs are largely meaningless because it enables us to love God with all our hearts and souls and minds (which is the first and greatest of the commandments (Matthew 22, 37-38) How can we keep our faith active as an inward expression of love rather than become only an external religion? All the things that everyone else has said; prayer, bible study, meditation, worship. All of these things are crucial and our Christian lifeblood. Personally, I find just having a constant dialogue with God as I go through life very important too. He should be the first thing I think about when I wake up, the last thing I think about when I go to sleep and should be involved in and a part of everything I do in between. Have you ever struggled with this? Yes! Other worldly things get in the way. Sometimes I trust in my own judgment, I don't involve Him in everything and I am always the poorer for it. I am learning though!!

What does circumcision signify for Abraham, his household, and his descendents? Circumcision is a physical sign that the person circumcised is a party to the covenant made between God on the one hand and Abraham and his descendents on the other. Why is some kind of definite act on Abraham's part important to confirming the covenant? In the same way as we sign a legally binding contract as a physical sign that we are bound by its terms, so this is a form of physical evidence of the covenant or contract which exists between God and Abraham and his decsendents. It is in other words a physical witness of the existance of the covenant between God and whoever is circumcised. What does Abraham's obedience the very same day signify? It shows his absolute faith and trust in God. I was going to say unquestioning faith and trust in God. Actually, he does sort of ask a question when he laughs at God's suggestion that he and Sarah will have a son, but I think that what is going on here is that Abraham is incredulous at the suggestion but not unbelieving. It is an amazing, unbelievable even laughable suggestion, but he believes that God will deliver. Oh that I may have some of Abraham's faith then I could move mountains!!

When God tells Abraham, "Walk before me and be blameless," is he requiring moral perfection? No. He knows that no human is capable of moral perfection. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (even Abraham). What He is asking from Abraham is that he openly and honestly strives for blamelessness and that where he falls short, he openly and honestly confesses to God and asks for forgiveness. What kind of blamelessness does he require of Abraham? He requires a constant, transparent and open striving to achieve blamelessness or righteousness Does he expect more (or less) of Christians under the new covenant? He expects exactly the same.