Author: David Scharf
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David Scharf served as a parish pastor at lmmanuel in Greenville, Wisconsin, from 2005-2016. He now serves as a Professor of Theology at Martin Luther College as well as the chairman for the WELS Commission on Congregational Counseling. A graduate of Luther Prep (1996), Martin Luther College (2000), and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (2005), Dave and his wife, Beth (nee Koelpin), have six children.
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I struggle with God’s will and the disappointing things that happen in my life. I have difficulty praying, “Your will be done,” because I don’t want to ...
I always hear that gossip is dangerous, but everybody does it. What is so destructive about it? The biblical concept of gossip is sharing other people’s secre...
Is John 6:54 a reference to the Lord’s Supper? “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (Joh...
Why do we pray, “Lead us not into temptation”? I thought God can’t tempt us. In the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation” follows immedia...
I believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and Jesus died for my sins, but I struggle with the trust that seems to come easily for others. I try and t...
What does it mean to be called into the public ministry? How do you deliberate a call? Ministry is a word that means “service.” What is the service we are t...
I didn’t have a great father growing up, and now I’m going to be a father. What advice can you give to a new dad? Congratulations and Happy Father’s Day! ...
My Christian friend was two months pregnant and miscarried. This question is nagging her: “Is my baby in heaven?” What comfort can I give her? This is one o...
Jesus wants his church to be unified. Wouldn’t he be appalled by all the different Christian denominations? In the high priestly prayer, Jesus prays, “My pr...
In the Bible, lying sometimes seems to be commended, as in the case of Rahab and the spies or the case of the Hebrew midwives. Are there times when it is okay t...
All my friends are getting married, and I’m tempted to feel “less than.” Does the Bible give some advice? It may seem like everyone else is getting marrie...
Why does God elect some and not others? How do I know that God chose me? The doctrine of election is gospel. Period. A key to understanding the biblical teachin...
Why is Pontius Pilate immortalized in our creeds? We are okay with the mention of Mary’s name in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. She was the mother of Jesu...
I carry around a lot of guilt. I was told that I need to “remember my baptism.” How does that help me with my guilt? I struggle with guilt too. As much as I...
The Reformation cry is grace alone, but don’t some Bible passages seem to say that Jesus will look at our good works instead? When Jesus comes again on the La...
I’m a college student and struggle with lust and pornography. I know this is a sin. I have tried to beat this alone, but it seems impossible. I need help. You...
My child is struggling with same-sex attraction. What should I do? Treat same-sex attraction as a sin, not as THE sin. One of the devil’s tricks is to convinc...
My in-laws are Catholic. They ask people in heaven to ask God to help them. They also ask Mary to ask Jesus to help them. What do I say about this? Say a child ...
If anger is a sin, how do we explain Jesus overturning tables and driving the money changers outside the temple? Anger is a human emotion. When Paul quotes the ...
Some of my adult children have wandered from God’s path. Society has convinced them that everything they learned is false. What advice can you give to us grie...
A Roman Catholic friend told me that the doxology does not belong in the Lord’s Prayer because it was added later. Is that true? “For the kingdom, the power...
How is it fair that as a faithful Christian I’m constantly struggling yet the unchurched people around me seem to live carefree lives? Let’s start by lo...
When we pray, “Your kingdom come,” what are we praying for? The word kingdom is short for “king’s dominion.” What does Jesus have dominion o...