I have a question about 1 Cor 5:1-13; when would you apply it to a member?  And if leaders of a church ignore what Paul said about handing this brother over to Satan, could they then be responsible if that sinful member loses eternal life at the Day of Judgment?

Sincerely,
Tough Love

Dear Tough Love,

1^st Corinthians chapter five discusses the process of a church withdrawing from a christian who is living a sinful life.  It is important to note that the man who Paul said needed to be disciplined was living a life that was actively and unrepentantly sinful (he had his father’s wife – 1 Cor 5:1).  That is the type of person that a church should withdraw from.  If someone is caught doing something sinful, and they continue to do that behavior without any remorse or attempt to change, the church must act.  So how do you know someone has reached that point?  Matt 18:15-17 tells us that if we know a christian is sinning, we should attempt to talk to them one-on-one.  If that doesn’t work, we should bring one or two others to attempt to further persuade the person, and lastly, if that doesn’t work, the church should rebuke the individual and withdraw from them.  The principle is that the person should be given ample opportunity to repent because you don’t want to discipline too early, but if it becomes clear that they aren’t interested in obeying God’s Word, the church must stand firm.

If the church doesn’t act, it will have to answer to God because it didn’t stand up for the truth.  Paul told the Corinthians that they were arrogant for not addressing their errant member (1 Cor 5:2), and he warned them that if they didn’t act, the church would eventually be rotted away by sin (1 Cor 5:6-7).  A church that won’t stand by the truth is bound to fall away from the Lord and cease to be a faithful church.  When someone sins, they are responsible for their own behavior, but if the church doesn’t warn them, they have sinned as well (Ezek 3:18-19).

Is a Christian allowed to smoke cigarettes and drink beer?

Sincerely,
Does A Body Good?

Dear Does A Body Good,

God never specifically condemns drinking wine, but He does condemn ‘strong drink’ (Pr 20:1), drinking parties (1 Pet 4:3), and drunkenness (Rom 13:13).  Almost all alcohol that is consumed today would fall into the category of ‘strong drink’ because our alcoholic beverages are artificially fermented to increase their alcoholic content (unlike the wine of Jesus’ day – read “That’s Just Grape” for further details on the wine Jesus drank).  We would all do well to heed the words of Pr 23:31-32 and avoid alcohol as much as is possible.

As for cigarettes, anything that purposefully poisons our bodies is wrong to use.  There was a time where the facts were not clearly known about the effects of cigarettes, pipes, and cigars on human health.  Those days are long since gone.  The data is exceptionally clear that smoking is always harmful to the human body and that smoking has no positive health benefits.  God tells us to treat our bodies as a temple (1 Cor 6:19).  Our bodies are a gift from God, and life is something to be cherished.  When we purposefully abuse our bodies with unhealthy lifestyles, we rebel against God and show ungratefulness for the life He has given us.  Present your body as a living and holy sacrifice to God (Rom 12:1).  Who knows what work He has prepared for you in the days and years that would be lost if you died from the effects of smoking?

I know this sounds odd, but I watched a show, and I felt bad, so I jokingly thought, “If I watch it again, I will go to hell.”  I was twelve or thirteen when I thought that.  Well, I’m fourteen now, and I flipped through the channels and saw it again.  Am I going to hell?  Please help me; it really is stressing me out.  I’m nervous.

Sincerely,
Scared For My Soul

Dear Scared For My Soul,

Saying that you will go to hell for watching a show won’t guarantee your eternal destiny any more than saying, “I’ll go to heaven if do watch this show.”  We aren’t the final judge of our eternal home – Christ is (2 Tim 4:1).  If you have done what Christ teaches you must do to be saved, you will go to heaven (read “What Must I Do To Be Saved?” for specifics on the steps of salvation), and if you turn away from Christ, you will be lost (Acts 4:12).  Everyone deserves to go to hell because of their sins (Rom 6:23), but Christ offers to save us if we love and obey Him (Jhn 14:15).  What you did in the past doesn’t matter; what you do now is what counts (2 Cor 6:1-2).

How can I be closer to God?  I tried reading the Bible, but I do not find it interesting; hence, I do not have the motivation to read.  I tried going to church but often failed to wake up (it's also very far from where I'm living).  When the pastor preaches in church, often I realize I am dozing off.  How can I be cleared of all of the above and be a good christian?

Sincerely,
Apathetic

Dear Apathetic,

With all due respect, what if you applied this same logic to your job?  What if you told your employer that you found the tasks required of you at work uninteresting, and, therefore, you weren’t motivated to work?  What if you never showed up to work because you were tired and didn’t wake up?  In any job we’ve ever worked, they would have fired us on the spot!

Christianity is work… that is exactly why a lot of people don’t obey God.  God tells us we must hear and do what His Word says (Jas 1:22).  We do what we love, and we do things for those we love.  If we love God, we will keep His commandments (Jhn 14:15).  It is a myth that all christians love to go to services and love to read their Bibles.  The truth is that every faithful christian we know has had to work very hard to build the habits of attendance, study, and active participation in the Lord’s work.  It is a lifelong commitment.  The apostle Paul compares it to physical training.  An athlete exercises their body to win the race, even when they are tired or in pain… we need to do the same with our spiritual exercise (1 Cor 9:24-27).  We would be happy to get you in contact with a congregation near you that can help you commit to the Lord’s service.  Not all churches are faithful to God’s Word.  Read “The Pastor Problem” for details on why churches led by a single pastor aren’t following the Bible pattern.  There is nothing more important than your spiritual health – your eternity depends upon the choices you make here (Matt 7:13).

Why did people confess their sins to a priest in the Old Testament?  Isn't the Old Testament a foreshadowing of the New Testament?  If we are meant to confess our sins directly to God, why does James say to confess to one another?  And why does Jesus give the authority to forgive and retain sins to His apostles (John 20:23) if christians were meant to go directly to God?

Sincerely,
No Middle Men

Dear No Middle Men,

In the Old Testament, priests offered sacrifices for the people’s sins, but the people didn’t necessarily confess those sins to the priest – they just brought the animal to the priests to be sacrificed (Heb 10:11).  The Old Testament priest functioned as a mediator between man and God.  You are right that the Old Testament is a shadow of the New Testament in Christ.  In the New Testament, Jesus is our high priest and mediator (Heb 8:1-3, 1 Tim 2:5).  We are able to confess our sins and have peace with God through Christ (Rom 5:1) because Jesus became our sacrifice (Heb 10:11-12).

Now, let’s address the issue of confessing our sins to one another.  Jas 5:15-16 talks about christians confessing their sins to one another, so we can pray for each other.  James isn’t saying that humans have the right to forgive sins; in the context, he is discussing the value of leaning on each other and seeking help when we struggle with sin.

Lastly, let’s deal with Jhn 20:23.  Jhn 20:23 does say that the apostles could forgive or retain people’s sins… but you have to read the verse above it, too!  Jhn 20:22 points out that the apostles were being divinely directed by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus told them that they were doing God’s work and were being led by God’s Spirit.  The apostles were unable to do anything by their own power, but when the Holy Spirit guided them, they could tell people things directly from the mouth of God (2 Pet 1:21).