Paul says that those who practice bad doctrine should be "delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh" (1 Cor 5:5) as he did to Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim 1:20).  I know several such individuals.  I need to know the DETAILS of HOW I am to deliver them to Satan.  As a follower of the "inspired" words of Paul, how do YOU PERSONALLY deliver people to Satan?  What technique do you use to destroy their flesh?  Like John Calvin did to Michael Severtus in Geneva maybe?  A slow burning at the stake?  Please give me the details of how I can effectively follow this well-established and "inspired" Christian doctrine.

Sincerely,
Burn, Baby, Burn

Dear Burn, Baby, Burn,

1^st Corinthians chapter five discusses the process of a church withdrawing from a Christian who is living a sinful life.  In 1 Cor 5:5, it says that the erring Christian should be delivered to Satan for the destruction of his flesh.  If that was the only verse we had, we would just have to scratch our heads and wonder what Paul was talking about… but that isn’t the only verse.  Just a few sentences down, Paul explains that how we deliver someone back to Satan is by not associating with them (1 Cor 5:9) and removing them from the congregation’s ranks (1 Cor 5:13).  The good company and support of the church is a blessing that Christians enjoy and really appreciate; by removing that blessing from an unrepentant brother, hopefully, it will wake him up and show him that he needs to change.

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 a Christian is living in sin, they are responsible for their own behavior, but if the church doesn’t warn them, they have sinned as well (Ezek 3:18-19).

    So, preacher… I have friends who are gay.  And they were my friends before they came out, and then after they came out, they weren’t really different.  Well, except maybe they were more fabulous... and I noticed more glitter.  But glitter is great!

Increasingly, I find myself believing more in the idea that gay is good. It’s okay for men to like men and ladies to like ladies.  And I don't like the position that the church is taking against them.  In fact, all of my gay friends have encouraged me to explore my own sexuality... and I have discovered that I, myself, am a raging homosexual.  After coming out to some people, I am much happier in my life.  It’s actually like Christmas every day.

With my own sexuality being opposed by the church, I find it difficult to subscribe to it.  Really, I can't put faith in a god that would allow something like that.  At this point, I believe more in being fierce, ferocious, and fabulous than His divine law.

Sincerely,
Sassy Sir

Dear Sassy Sir,

It isn’t any surprise that you are becoming increasingly more comfortable with homosexuality since you are spending so much time around people who are living actively homosexual lives.  1 Cor 15:33 says that bad company corrupts good morals.  Our friendships influence us, and this is obviously the case with you.

Here is the problem.  No matter how you feel about the matter, the Bible says what it says.  Rom 1:26-28 makes it clear that when people turn to homosexuality, they are spurning God and committing sin.  Your frustration with the Bible’s position isn’t the Bible’s problem.  The Bible has said the same thing for 2,000 years.  Just because society changes its views, doesn’t mean God will, too.

You are welcome to believe whatever you want.  Just remember, your life will end someday, and for whatever choices you’ve made, you will stand before God and give account… the same God that wrote the Bible will also judge every soul (Heb 12:23).

     Could you please tell me what God’s Word says about gambling and show me the Scriptures?  I feel in myself it's wrong, and money and time could be better spent.

Sincerely,
Nagging Doubts

Dear Nagging Doubts,

The Bible never specifically mentions gambling as a sin, but it doesn’t have to be specifically mentioned to be wrong.  There are a great many things surrounding gambling that are sinful.  Consider that:

1. Gambling focuses around money and greed.  God warns us clearly about being fixated with money (1 Tim 6:10, Heb 13:5).  God wants us to be satisfied with our income (Eccl 5:10).  Contentment is a major component of spiritual maturity (1 Tim 6:6).
2. Gambling is used as a means to gain money without working for it.  God finds pleasure in people working for their livelihood (2 Thess 3:10-12, Pr 10:4).
3. Gambling wastes money because, ultimately, the house does always win.  God expects us to be good stewards (1 Cor 4:2) and save for the future (Pr 6:6-8).
4. Gambling and the places where gambling occurs are often associated with other sinful things.  There is a reason Las Vegas is called “Sin City”.  That industry is not one that a christian should be supporting (2 Cor 6:16-17).
5. Gambling can be very addictive.  We can only have one master (Lk 16:13).

     I am newly saved and born again, and I am tormented with constant intrusive thoughts, even blasphemous thoughts of the Holy Spirit.  I would never ever believe them, and I hate them, but I was telling my mother-in-law everything I was thinking about, and I am scared I made the unforgivable sin just by relaying the thought I had.  Please, help me.

Sincerely,
Thought Tortured

Dear Thought Tortured,

We often think that we have complete control over what we think, but that isn’t true.  For example, as you read the word “dog”, you can’t help but think of dogs.  The more we tell you not to think of dogs, the more you do!  What thoughts pop into our heads aren’t inherently sinful; they only become sinful when we embrace them (such as lust in our heart – Matt 5:28) or by acting upon them (such as outbursts of anger – Eph 4:26).

It is not a surprise that in your newborn Christian state you are struggling with evil thoughts.  The devil preys on us most when we are weak (1 Pet 5:8), and when we first become Christians, we are babies with a lot of growing to do and still very susceptible to falling away (1 Pet 2:2).  You haven’t committed the unforgivable sin.  It takes more than a few words to do that.  Read “Stop Thinking That!” for more details on what the sin against the Holy Spirit really is.

Hang in there; you are perfectly normal, and there isn’t anything you are doing wrong.  Find a faithful church (we can help you with that if you’d like!), keep plugging away at learning and applying the Scriptures, and you’ll do just fine (Rom 1:16, Jas 1:22).

What does it mean by ‘verbal abusers’ will not see the kingdom of God?

Sincerely,
Sick Of Hearing It

Dear Sick Of Hearing It,

The verse you are probably thinking of is 1 Cor 6:10 which states that “revilers” will not inherit the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of God is the church that Jesus purchased with His own blood (read “Kingdom = Church” for a detailed explanation of why they are synonyms), and revilers aren’t going to have the benefit of having Jesus’ blood purchase their forgiveness.

A ‘reviler’ is someone that is abusive verbally and uses language as a weapon to harm or speak reproachfully about others.  The same root word is used in 1 Pet 3:9 to describe how Christians shouldn’t fight angry speech with angry speech, but we should instead let our speech offer a blessing even to those that are mean and hurtful.

In short, Christians cannot be mean and angry speaking people who rail against God or rail against our fellow man.  Our words should be seasoned with grace and attempt to build up, not tear down (Col 4:6, Eph 4:29).