Category Archives: Scripture

Topics related to the Bible and the Christian life

Drinking

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Is it okay for a Christian to go to a bar?

Originally posted 3/5/2005 on bibleforums.org:

I grew up in fundamental evangelical churches, mostly Baptist, and drinking was always discouraged. Especially in the youth group, which I can understand, because teenage drinking is illegal and teens are suspectible to peer pressure. I’m sure a number of people considered alcohol consumption a sin, but I think the general consensus was “technically, we can’t categorically call it a sin, but we frown on anyone who drinks or smokes, and the expectation is that a Christian shouldn’t do it.”

I went to a Christian high school, and if any drinking went on, I wasn’t aware of it. I had my first beer when I was 22, and I went to play pool with a couple of guys I worked with. They got a pitcher of beer, and since I had no moral objection to it, I thought it would be better to share it with them than to raise some artificial wall between us by saying “sorry, I don’t drink.”

The point of this thread was not whether or not it’s okay to drink, but whether a Christian should frequent saloons. The two questions are related, because your answer to the latter depends on what you think about the former, but there is a distinction.

There are two or three verses that are [mis]used more than any others to condemn certain “grey area” activities. 1 Thess. 5:22, “abstain from all appearance of evil,” and Rom 14:21 & 1 Cor. 8:13, the “offends your brother” passages. The argument goes that even if you don’t get drunk, people in bars get drunk, so going to a bar “appears evil” so you shouldn’t do it. Or if another Christian thinks something is wrong, you shouldn’t let them see you do it, because it will offend them. Since you never know who might see you going into a bar, you’re better off not going at all.

The problem is, I Thess 5:22 is not saying “avoid anything that LOOKS like it could be evil, regardless of whether or not it really is.” It’s saying, “avoid anything that IS evil, regardless of how it looks.” The passages in Romans and 1 Corinthians refer to actually causing your brother to sin, not just doing something that they think is wrong. This one still has some merit, because if your brother has a problem with overindulging alcohol, you don’t want to be guilty of leading him into temptation.

I have an occasional beer. It might be at home, it might be at Applebee’s, or it might be at a bar. To me, where I have it is not important. If I go to a bar, it might be because I want to build a relationship with some non-Christian friends, or it might just be me and some Christian friends going to listen to a band who happens to be playing there.

Originally posted 3/3/2005 on bibleforums.org:

Deut 14:26 (KJV)

And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household.

wine = yayin: from an unused root meaning to effervesce (ie, fermented)
strong drink = she?ka?r: an intoxicant, that is, intensely alcoholic liquor

As far as I can tell, neither OT nor NT prohibit alcohol.

God’s will

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What is God’s will for my life?

Orginally posted 3/12/2005 on bibleforums.org:

It’s not uncommon to misunderstand God’s will, or to make God’s will more encompassing than it really is. Some people put their life on hold, trying to figure out “what’s God’s will for my life?” God’s will for all of us is made very clear in the Bible. Sure, there will be specific ways in which God wants to use our individual lives, but it’s not our job to figure out God’s customized individual plan for the next 30 years of our life.

People debate God’s sovereignty vs. the free will of man when it comes to salvation, and I place the primary importance on God’s sovereignty. But when it comes to living life–deciding where to go to school, what job to take, who to marry, where to live, etc., I don’t think God has one preordained path for us that we will miss out on if we make the wrong choice. We need to evaluate our choices using the wisdom and understanding God has given us, based on the principles laid out in the Bible. “God’s will” is the choice that best mirrors the lifestyle described in the Bible. Beyond that, we’re free to exercise our own will, and God will work out the details.

The Flood

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Not long ago I went through the details of the Flood account in Genesis to see how long it lasted. The total time from when the rain started until Noah exited the ark was 1 year and 10 days. The total number of days depends on how many days were in each month, and there is no authoritative source that can define with 100% certainty how months were measured in Noah’s day (or Moses’ day, since that’s when Genesis was written).

Assuming 30 days in each month, here is a table that shows each event described and the accumulation of days:

For a rough visual indication of the rise and ebb of the flood waters, see this diagram:

originally posted 3/22/2005 on bibleforums.org

Salvation

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What about tribes in Africa who have never even heard of Jesus? Are they destined for hell?

Originally posted 12/7/2004 on bibleforums.org:

God has revealed Himself to everyone through nature (Romans 1). Now, you may think that’s pretty limited revelation, but I don’t think it’s so important exactly what or how much God reveals about Himself; it’s how you respond to whatever revelation He provides that is important.

See Acts 17:26-27: “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”

Also see Deut 4:29, Prov 8:17, Jer 29:13, Matt 7:7, and Luke 11:19, which all tell us that those who seek God will find Him. Someone who has never heard the gospel may not know who it is they are seeking, but if they respond to the little that God reveals to them, He will continue to reveal more of Himself.

We like to draw lines and put things in boxes, and make sure everybody in the world fits into category A, B, or C. Even if we get the categories right, who’s to say we got the boundaries right? I believe that there are boundaries, and God knows where they are, but it’s not that important for me to know where they are (when it comes to someone else’s salvation).

Originally posted 3/15/2005 on bibleforums.org:

If a Buddhist, Muslim, Jew, etc. recognizes their sin against God, repents of their sin, and has faith that God will provide atonement for their sin, they can be saved. Do they have to know about Jesus in order for His atonement to be effectual? I don’t know; people in the OT didn’t know about Him specifically. Did Noah know that a Messiah was going to come? However, if someone rejects God (or Jesus, who is God) and chooses to follow a man-made version of God, they will not be saved.

Annihilation

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There is a concept that some people believe, that says hell will eventually burn out, and everyone in hell will be completely destroyed, ceasing to exist.

Originally posted 11/1/2004 on bibleforums.org:

The overwhelming majority of Christian scholarship that I have seen rejects the concept of annihilation.

Matthew 25:46 seems to make it pretty clear:
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Commentary from the People’s New Testament:

These things are certain: (1) A separation between the righteous and the wicked takes place at judgment. (2) The righteous inherit the kingdom; the wicked “depart into everlasting fire.” (3) The state of the righteous is “life eternal;” the state of the wicked is “everlasting punishment.” (4) The duration of these two states is the same, exactly the same Greek word being used in each case (aionios). Then if the state of punishment has an end, so has the life.

One other thought, “destruction” does not equal “cease to exist.”

I think we can all agree that we have a spiritual existence (our spirit) and a physical existence (our body). (Then there’s the soul, which is a little more confusing.)

I think we can also agree that both the spiritual and the physical can die, and both can be resurrected. You can’t be resurrected unless you’re dead, so death happens first, then resurrection.

Physical death is fairly straightforward; I think we all understand what it means for our bodies to die. Our physical death on earth is not final. A number of people in the Bible were physically resurrected, but they would still be subject to another physcial death. Then, at the final judgement, there will be one final physical resurrection. The Bible indicates in Acts 24:15 and Revelation 20:13 that both believers and unbelievers who have died will be rejoined (at least temporarily) with their bodies for the judgement. After that point, unbelievers will be physically dead for good, and believers will be physically alive for good.

Spiritual death is a little harder to understand, but from what Paul says in Romans 7:9 (“Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.”), it appears that spiritual death has already occured. Since unbelievers are already spiritually dead, it becomes clear that spiritual death does not mean our spirits cease to exist. (Just as physical death does not mean our bodies cease to exist; it just means they’re dead, not alive.) As with physical death, spiritual death doesn’t have to be final. Spiritual resurrection occurs when we give our lives to Christ and He breathes new life into our spirits. We are not granted spiritual life or death at the final judgement. The final judgement will be a confirmation of our current spiritual state. Those who are spiritually dead, will remain dead eternally. With this understanding, eternal death does not necessarily mean obliteration, it simply underscores the finality of death; there are no longer any second chances.