What does it mean to grieve / quench the Holy Spirit?

Answer: When the word “quench” is used in Scripture, it is speaking of suppressing fire. When believers put on the shield of faith, as part of their armor of God (Ephesians 6:16), they are extinguishing the power of the fiery darts from Satan. Christ described hell as a place where the fire would not be “quenched” (Mark 9:44, 46, 48). Likewise, the Holy Spirit is a fire dwelling in each believer. He wants to express Himself in our actions and attitudes. When believers do not allow the Spirit to be seen in our actions, when we do what we know is wrong, we suppress or quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). We do not allow the Spirit to reveal Himself the way that He wants to.

To understand what it means to grieve the Spirit, we must first understand that this indicates the Spirit possesses personality. Only a person can be grieved; therefore, the Spirit must be a divine person in order to have this emotion. Once we understand this, we can better understand how He is grieved, mainly because we too are grieved. Ephesians 4:30 tells us that we should not grieve the Spirit. We grieve the Spirit by living like the pagans (4:17-19), by lying (4:25), by being angry (4:26-27), by stealing (4:28), by cursing (4:29), by being bitter (4:31), by being unforgiving (4:32), and by being sexually immoral (5:3-5). To grieve the Spirit is to act out in a sinful manner, whether it is in thought only or in both thought and deed.

Both quenching and grieving the Spirit are similar in their effects. Both hinder a godly lifestyle. Both happen when a believer sins against God and follows his or her own worldly desires. The only correct road to follow is the road that leads the believer closer to God and purity, and farther away from the world and sin. Just as we do not like to be grieved, and just as we do not seek to quench what is good—so we should not grieve or quench the Holy Spirit by refusing to follow His leading.

Has the Bible been corrupted, altered, edited, revised, or tampered with?

Answer: The books of the Old Testament were written from approximately 1400 B.C. to 400 B.C. The books of the New Testament were written from approximately A.D. 40 to A.D. 90. So, anywhere between 3400 to 1900 years have passed since a book of the Bible was written. In this time, the original manuscripts have been lost. They very likely no longer exist. Also during this time, the books of the Bible have been copied again and again. Copies of copies of copies have been made. In view of this, can we still trust the Bible?

When God originally inspired men to write His Word, it was God-breathed and inerrant (2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 17:17). The Bible nowhere applies this to copies of the original manuscripts. As meticulous as scribes were with the replication of the Scriptures, no one is perfect. As a result, minor differences arose in the various copies of the Scriptures. Of all of the thousands of Greek and Hebrew manuscripts that are in existence, no two were identical until the printing press was invented in the A.D. 1500s.

However, any unbiased document scholar will agree that the Bible has been remarkably well-preserved over the centuries. Copies of the Bible dating to the 14th century A.D. are nearly identical in content to copies from the 3rd century A.D. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, scholars were shocked to see how similar they were to other ancient copies of the Old Testament, even though the Dead Sea Scrolls were hundreds of years older than anything previously discovered. Even many hardened skeptics and critics of the Bible admit that the Bible has been transmitted over the centuries far more accurately than any other ancient document.

There is absolutely no evidence that the Bible has been revised, edited, or tampered with in any systematic manner. The sheer volume of biblical manuscripts makes it simple to recognize any attempts to distort God’s Word. There is no major doctrine of the Bible that is put in doubt as a result of the minor differences that exist between manuscripts.

Again, the question, can we trust the Bible? Absolutely! God has preserved His Word despite the unintentional failings and intentional attacks of human beings. We can have utmost confidence that the Bible we have today is the same Bible that was originally written. The Bible is God’s Word, and we can trust it (2 Timothy 3:16; Matthew 5:18).

HOW SHOULD A CHRISTIAN VIEW FASHION?

How should a Christian view fashion?
Question: "How should a Christian view fashion?"
Answer: The Bible doesn’t specifically use the word
fashion in the text. But it does speak to how we are to dress and how to view the role of adornment in our lives. Here are a few passages we can look to for guidance:
The role of clothing:
Clothing was initially created to cover our nakedness, which became a problem in Genesis 3. Clothing also protects us from the elements. Because there exist different styles and colors and textures of clothing, different fashions developed. And, because there are different cultures in the world, particular fashions developed within various people groups:
lederhosen and dirndls in southern Germany and Austria; kilts in Scotland; saris in India;
kolts in Scandinavia; and ghos and kiras in Bhutan.
Other types of “fashion” are designed to identify the wearer with a certain group. Law enforcement officers wear certain outfits—uniforms—to identify their role in society. Various church denominations have required vestments for their clergy. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees wore long robes with tassels and phylacteries (see Matthew 23:5).
Then there is fashion for fashion’s sake. Designers and the wearers of the designs may use clothing as artwork or to make statements or simply to draw attention to themselves. Such fashions are often faddish and come and go quickly. Most people do not have the luxury to indulge in much high fashion. Their main concern is coverage. Clothing is a basic need, first provided by God to Adam and Eve and now provided by God (through more common means) to people throughout the world. The primary role of clothing is not fashion, but coverage and protection.
How we should dress:
We are instructed to dress modestly. First Timothy 2:9–10 says, “I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”
We are to dress in a way that covers ourselves appropriately and does not advertise ourselves as sex objects, as a prostitute might dress. Certain fashions and styles of clothing are meant to inflame lust and communicate a readiness to engage in immorality (see Proverbs 7:10).
We are also to dress in a manner appropriate for our biological sex. Transvestism and androgyny are wrong. In other words, if you’re a girl, you should dress in a way that people can tell you are a girl. And, if you are a boy, you should dress in a way that people know you are a boy. There should be no confusion or ambiguity as to what your gender is.
How we should view the fashion industry:
The fashion industry does not set the standard for beauty. That standard is set by God alone and is unchanging. In fact, beauty has nothing really to do with clothing or fashion, per se. First Peter 3:3–4 says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
Fashion should never become an idol in our lives. The fashion industry and its products should not be something we worship. The vicissitudes of the fashion world reflect the fleeting nature of the world in general: “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).
It isn’t wrong to wear nice things. It isn’t wrong for a Christian to be fashionable or operate in the world of fashion. But there’s more to life than fashion. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes” (Luke 12:22–23). It isn’t wrong to be fashionable as long as we keep things in perspective and the fashions we choose do not contradict biblical standards. Fashions that are immodest, selfishly draw attention to oneself, or blur the lines of gender are off-limits.
We live in this world but are not of this world. We must shine a light for Christ. Fashions that require us to set Christ and His Word to the side, even momentarily, should be avoided. First and foremost in our lives is Christ. We don’t have to throw away all fashionable trends. But we do have to pick and choose. In the end, we must purpose in our hearts to never throw away Christ.

SHOULD A CHRISTIAN MAKE A PROMISE?

Answer: A promise is a vow or pledge to take an action or an assurance that something will definitely happen. There is nothing inherently wrong or sinful about making a promise. In fact, the Bible records a great number of promises God Himself has made.
When Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden of Eden, God made a covenant—a special promise based on a personal relationship—to send a Savior who would “crush [Satan’s] head” and deliver mankind from sin (Genesis 3:15 ). God made more covenants with Noah and all mankind (Genesis 9:8–17 ), with Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3 ), with the Israelites (Deuteronomy 11 and 30:1–10), with David (2 Samuel 7:8–16 ), and with believers in Christ (Jeremiah 31:31–34 ). God has made promises to care for His people (Psalm 9:9–10 ;
Matthew 6:31–33 ; Romans 8:28 ), promises to bless those who seek and obey Him (Psalm 37:4 ; Isaiah 40:31 ;
James 1:5 ), promises to grant salvation and forgiveness to those who believe in Him and choose to follow Him (John 3:36 ; Romans 10:9–10 ; 1 John 1:9 ), and many more. Whatever promises God makes, He keeps.
Our promises are important, especially when we make a promise to God. “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin” (Ecclesiastes 5:4–5 ).
Promises can be beautiful and honorable and made for the good of others. But they must be kept. As we are imperfect humans, we should only make promises with care and introspection so they do not turn into sin. Promises can be easily broken or made with the wrong motivation, which may result in damage to ourselves or others. When making a promise, the believer should consider the following questions:
1. Is your promise made with the intention of harming someone else? Jesus declared that the second greatest commandment is to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:34–40 ). Jesus also taught that we are to forgive our enemies (Matthew 18:21–22 ) and not take revenge (Matthew 5:38–40 ). If the promise is made with the intent to harm someone or seek revenge, it is sin.
2. Do you intend to keep the promise? Promises should not be made without a strict intention to keep them. Even something as seemingly benign as promising someone, “I’ll pray for you,” and then neglecting to pray is a broken promise. When it comes to swearing an oath, Jesus instructed, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37 ). This can also be applied to promises.
3. Have you thought through your promise? Flippant promises can be dangerous, especially when made to God. In Judges 11:29–40 , we read about Jephthah’s thoughtless vow to the Lord. In return for victory over the Ammonites, Jephthah promised to sacrifice whatever met him first when he returned home. Sadly, it was Jephthah’s only child, a daughter, who met him upon his return.
4. Do you have the power to carry out your promise? A promise dependent on someone else’s actions or on an unknown variable has no guarantee to be kept and therefore should be avoided. Promises like these can harm one’s reputation and make the person who promised them seem untrustworthy.
There is an old saying: “A promise made is a promise kept.” This is the standard of faithfulness that every believer should strive for. A Christian should make a promise only if he or she fully intends to keep it.