Q. Portland, Ore. — “When I was a little girl I was taught that it was wrong to use slang. It was pointed out that “golly” and “gosh,” were taken from the word God, and “gee” from Jesus. It’s worried me much because I ’ve even heard preachers use this kind of talk. Do you have any word of suggestion?” A. Our general feeling has been that slang, minced oaths and swearing are out of place for the Christian. I think the average person who uses these words never stops to realize their background. In a spirit of Christian love, and not merely pious pomposity, it would be helpful to point out these origins to others. Pray that the Lord will give you wis dom to speak the right thing at the right time. Q. Denver, Colo. — “In the Gospels we read that evil spirits and devils were cast out of people by our Lord. Were these demons and spirits visi ble, such as in the case of those who left the maniac of Gadara? Also, what about the situation with Mary Magdalene?” A. Keep in mind that there is one devil, although he has many wicked emissaries known as demons. The reason we read so much of our Lord’s healing of those so possessed is be cause there was a greater display of demon-spirit activity in those days. Incidentally, there will be a great in crease again in the end times as is shown in Revelation. You see, the entire kingdom of Satan was under tremendous as s au l t by the very physical presence of the Lord of glo ry. The demon spirits in all these in stances were no more visible then Satan is right now. Of course, the power of Satan can be seen at work in individuals. As an example, no one has ever seen the wind, but we can see the effects of it. So just because this legion of evil spirits is not visi- 22
ble it doesn’t mean that they aren’t real. Q. Phoenix, Ariz. — “How does one explain to a three-year-old who God and the Lord Jesus Christ really are? I have a little grandson this age and I ’d like the Lord to be real to him. What’s the best way to tell him so he’ll understand?” A. There are many of us, although we have known God’s redeeming grace for many years, still cannot fully comprehend that which is in finite. The Trinity is one of the deep mysteries of God. Our minds are limited to what we can grasp through what we already know or see about us. How can any human begin to fathom how there can be one God, eternally manifested in three per sons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Yet they are the same in substance and equal in power and glory. This is not contrary to our reason but rather goes utterly beyond our rea son. To make your little grandson aware of the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father, just tell him these facts simply. You’ll find that he will be much more ready to accept them by faith than someone much older. It is refreshing to see how a child will grasp the truth and find it real in his own heart. Children love to think about Jesus and their gracious Heavenly Father. We, too, need to have the faith, as the Lord pointed out, of a little child. Q. Bellingham, Wash---- “I believe the Bible from cover to cover except for the exaggeration about Solomon’s 700 wives and 300 concubines. Frank ly, I ’ve doubted that all my life. Polygamy certainly was the king’s downfall for it was evil in God’s sight. Don’t you think there is a mistake in some of the translations ?” A. Why should this be considered an exaggeration concerning the activi
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