Does it say anything in the Bible about what clothes to wear to church?  My boyfriend refuses to spend money right now on a suit, and I don't even own a dress, but our clothes are decent and would be clean and pressed.  We enjoy your website and wondered what your thoughts are on this subject.  Thank You.

 

Sincerely,
Wearing Our Best

Dear Wearing Our Best,

Go to services and worship God.  There are only two Biblical teachings on what we should wear to services.

1. Dress modestly (1 Tim 2:9).  We should always dress modestly.  The word ‘modest’ means ‘appropriate’.  In your case, you are going to worship God and you are wearing the best clothes you have – that is appropriate.  If you had fine suits and fancy dresses and instead of wearing them you showed up in a t-shirt and holey jeans, it wouldn’t be appropriate, but you are trying your best to show God that you value Him and value the time you have to worship Him by wearing the best you own.  Your best is ALWAYS acceptable.
2. The second teaching is actually for everyone else.  God says that we shouldn’t be respecters of persons.  We shouldn’t treat the rich brother better than the poor brother (Jas 2:2-4).  As christians, we can’t afford to judge people by their wealth or lack of wealth.  If someone comes to services, tries their best to act and dress respectfully, and honestly is trying to seek God – they deserve our time and kindness.

So go to services this Sunday, and if you are trying to find a faithful church to attend, feel free to read “Finding A Church” and “Preacher Interrogation” to help you find God’s people in your area.  You can also contact us here at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will do our best to help you find a faithful congregation.

Did all twelve apostles become martyrs for Christ, and if so, when and how?

 

Sincerely,
The Funeral Director

Dear The Funeral Director,

There are only two Bible accounts of an apostle’s death:  James who was beheaded by Herod (Acts 12:1-2) and Judas Iscariot (the traitor) who died by committing suicide (Matt 27:5).  None of the other apostles’ deaths are recorded within the Scriptures.  However, there is quite a lot of extra-Biblical tradition that tells us what happened to the rest of the apostles.  The following is a list of what secular history says happened.  Do not take these as accurate, merely as human tradition handed down by the early christians.

• ANDREW – crucified in Greece where it took him two days to die.  He preached from the cross until his death.
• BARTHOLOMEW – flayed to death by a whip while preaching in Armenia.
• JOHN – boiled in oil, miraculously survived unharmed, and the only apostle to die of old age.
• JUDE – crucified in Greece.
• MATTHEW – died in Ethiopia, killed by a sword.
• MATTHIAS (Judas’ replacement) – stoned and then beheaded in Jerusalem.
• PAUL – died in Rome at the hands of Caesar Nero.
• PETER – crucified upside-down (by his own request) by Caesar Nero.
• PHILIP – crucified in Syria.
• SIMON – crucified in Europe.
• THOMAS – stabbed to death with a spear while bringing the Gospel to India.

Regardless of lore, all of these men died unflinchingly believing that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead.  Having spent forty days with Him after His resurrection (Acts 1:3), they had no doubt in their minds that Jesus really was the risen Savior of mankind.  Their willingness to die for their faith is compelling proof that Jesus is the Son of God.  Men do not willingly die for a lie… and these men, knowing the truth, were faithful even unto death (Rev 2:10).

I understand the Bible stands opposed to abortion.  However, does that same stance apply to egg or sperm donation or receiving a donation of that sort?  Adoption is always an answer to infertility, but could this be one as well, or it is changing God's natural order too much?

 

Sincerely,
In-Vitro Inquirer

Dear In-Vitro Inquirer,

The sanctity of life must be observed at all times because all new life is made after the image of God (Gen. 1:26).  It is not the in-vitro fertilization that is wrong.  The wrong is in any purpose of man that does not treat a new life as a person in God’s own image.  Technology is constantly changing, and technological advances are not inherently bad… as long as they are used in a way that respects God’s laws.  God gave mankind dominion over the world to subdue it and use it in whatever way we see fit (Gen 1:28).  Automobiles, computers, cell phones, the internet, nuclear power, etc. are all wonderful things if used in a godly way… and potentially horrible things if used immorally.  Medical advances are no different.

A husband and wife seeking infertility treatment so that they may bear children is a perfectly appropriate use of the technological advancement that we now have.  Where we see things going wrong is when fertility treatments, in-vitro fertilization, “test tube babies”, etc. are used to further things like homosexual couples having children, organ farming (where they grow babies to dissect them for stem cells or body parts), cloning/human testing, and other malicious and immoral behavior.  Oftentimes, clinics will fertilize multiple eggs and then destroy the ones that are not used – this is no different than abortion.  Ultimately, artificial fertilization procedures must be undertaken with extreme caution and regard for the lives that will be created.  These lives are children and deserve the future, homes, parents, and opportunities that God intended for all children to have.

Medical science has gotten itself into a lot of trouble because mankind does not value human life the way God does.  Every child – even as early as the moment of fertilization – should be treated with the utmost care and devotion.  Children are to be cherished.  Technology does not cause sin; sin is caused when people use technology in an immoral way.

My aunt is on a respirator. She isn't getting enough oxygen into her lungs and cannot breathe on her own. They have put her in a drug-induced coma while they try to figure out what is wrong with her. They are now worried that there was not enough oxygen to the brain, and she could be either brain damaged or brain dead. If they take her off the breathing machine now, she will die. We are all holding on to hope and praying that she will be healed and recover. But the doctors seem to have given up all hope. My question is: is her soul already gone? When does the soul leave the body? He heart is still beating, and all her organs are still working; to us she is still alive. But if the machine is doing the breathing for her, is she already in heaven?

Sincerely, Concerned Niece

Dear Concerned Niece,

Only God knows for sure when the soul leaves the body, but you can be confident that God is in control. We can’t perceive the moment the soul leaves someone’s body (Eccl 3:21). It is a scary thing to watch a loved one’s body deteriorate, but God makes sure that the angels escort the spirit of the faithful into Paradise when they die (Lk 16:22).

And that is the defining term, ‘die’ – when do we die? As technology increases, we are having to constantly redefine when a person is dead. It used to be that when someone stopped breathing, they were considered dead – but now we can resuscitate them. Then it was when the heart stopped; that became the new definition of ‘dead’ until the defibrillator came along. Currently, the most accepted definition of ‘dead’ is when there is no longer any brain or organ function. I say all this just to tell you that doctors themselves struggle with the problem of “when is someone dead?”.

Having said all that, if there is still any doubt in the doctors’ minds, then I would think of your aunt as still alive. She is breathing (with assistance), her organs are functioning, and they are assuming she still has brain activity. Her situation is very perilous, but she is still alive. Since she is alive, her soul is still in her. May God comfort and care for her and your family in this difficult time.

I was watching a special on Michael Jackson this weekend which prompts my question: is plastic surgery wrong?  Obviously, Michael Jackson appears to have had way beyond what most of us would consider a normal nip or tuck, but when does the pursuit of vanity become sinful?  What about changing your hair color, wearing makeup, or even getting braces to make your smile more pleasing?

Sincerely, Flummoxed Fashionista

Dear Flummoxed Fashionista,

It isn’t inherently wrong for a christian to change their appearance for beauty’s sake, but we do need to be careful. See the post “The 411 On The Bling Bling” for more details on the subject of wearing jewelry. Plastic surgery is a more extreme version of makeup or jewelry. It is precisely its extreme nature that should make christians wary of using it. Makeup and jewelry are intended to enhance someone’s natural appearance, while surgery is intended to permanently alter it.

Vanity is a sin. We are not supposed to glory in appearances (2 Cor 5:12). The most vivid Biblical example of the folly of vanity is Absalom who died because of his love of his beautiful hair (2 Sam 14:25-26, 2 Sam 18:9-14). Furthermore, we are supposed to be content with what God provides us with (Php 4:11), and that includes the body He has given us. Plastic surgery (if done for purely cosmetic reasons and not medical ones) smacks of being discontent with what God has designed. The more superficial our world becomes, the more christians need to remember what is truly important… not the outward flesh, but the inward man (2 Cor 4:16).