I was wondering about something and was hoping you can shine some light on this situation for me.  Why don't we as christians eat kosher food like the Jewish?  It does mention certain things we are not allowed to eat in Leviticus.  So if it says it in the Bible, why don't most of us christians follow it?  Also, am I sinning when I eat certain things that are not kosher?

Sincerely,
Dietary Restrictions

Dear Dietary Restrictions,

There is a difference between Old Testament laws and New Testament laws.  Christians are not bound to follow the Old Testament law because we are no longer under that law (Gal 3:24-25).  Feel free to read “Out With The Old?” for further details on the purpose of the Old Testament.

The Old Testament laws concerning what could and could not be eaten can be found in Lev. 11, but there is only one type of food that christians cannot eat – blood (Acts 15:29).  When an animal is killed, some cultures will strangle the animal so as to keep the blood in the meat, as opposed to draining the blood out.  Things like blood sausage, blood soup, blood stew, etc. are popular dishes in some countries, but eating them is wrong.  All other food is clean for New Testament christians... Jesus said so Himself in Mk 7:19.

Could you please give me an overview of what Paul is saying in 2 Thessalonians 3?  I sincerely thank you in advance.

Sincerely,
Looking For Cliff Notes

Dear Looking For Cliff Notes,

2 Thessalonians 3 is the final chapter of Paul’s second letter to the church in Thessalonica.  The Thessalonian church was a very young church that had already suffered a great deal of persecution (Acts 17:1-9).  This chapter can be broken into three major sections:

1. In the beginning of the chapter, Paul asks the brethren to pray for him (2 Thess 3:1-2) and reminds them to never stop obeying the Scriptures (2 Thess 3:4).
2. The second section deals with a problem in the church.  There were people in the congregation who were lazy and living off the kindness of others (2 Thess 3:6).  Paul commanded them to stop enabling this lazy behavior and to rebuke these brethren, so that they would get to work and stop taking advantage of others (2 Thess 3:10-12).
3. The last section is full of some final words of encouragement.  Paul urges them to never give up or grow weary (2 Thess 3:13), to stand firm, and discipline unruly brethren (2 Thess 3:14-15).  And last, but not least, he reminds them of how much he loves them (2 Thess 3:17-18).

Due to all of the media attention to homosexuality, I'm wondering why most Christians are so adamant that it is intolerable.  Doesn't the Bible also say not to mix fabrics and eat shellfish?  What's the difference?

Sincerely,

A Confused Citizen

Dear A Confused Citizen,

You bring up a fair point.  It isn’t okay to fervently support the beliefs in the Bible that we like while ignoring the ones we don’t.  That is called subtracting from God’s Word, and it is strictly condemned (Rev 22:18-19).  God expects us to take the total sum of His Word and apply it (Ps 119:160), and part of taking the sum of God’s Word is keeping it in context.Here is where people get confused: the Old Testament laws should never be used as proof verses for Christian practices.  The Old Testament laws were for Jews, and the New Testament laws are for Christians.  Click here to watch a short video on the difference between the Old and New Testament.  The Bible does clearly condemn mixing fabrics (Deut 22:11) and eating shellfish (Lev 11:10)... but in the Old law for the Jewish nation, not in the New Testament.

On the other hand, homosexuality is clearly condemned in the New Testament in verses like Rom 1:26-27 and Jude 7.
The Bible does make it clear that we can’t pick and choose the verses we like and the sins we prefer to condemn... but it also teaches that we must not twist things out of context either.  The apostles taught the whole counsel of God, and so should we (Acts 20:27).  At our congregation in Monroe, that is exactly what we strive to do every day.

Jesus never called us christians, so why does man?  I know where the name came from.  We have many names after being saved that are not ‘christian’ (Jhn 13:35).

Sincerely,
Don’t Label Me

Dear Don’t Label Me,

The name ‘christian’ is a Bible name.  In Acts 11:26, we see believers first using the title ‘christian’.  The apostle Peter uses that moniker for Christ’s followers in 1 Pet 4:16.  All in all, it is a wholly biblical term.

I have a question about "honor your father and your mother".  Some parents seem to use this as a weapon when kids are not listening to their parents or misbehaving.  I seem to get different meanings of what this really means.  I do thank you for your time.  God bless!

Sincerely,
Ain’t Misbehavin’

Dear Ain’t Misbehavin’,

Children are told to honor their father and mother at all ages (Eph 6:2-3). The word ‘honor’ means ‘to esteem highly’.  Parents deserve respect and kind treatment from their offspring.  As parents reach old age, children show honor by caring for their parents’ needs (Matt 15:4-6).  Until independent adulthood, honoring your parents is shown through respectful obedience (Eph 6:1).  No Scripture should ever be wielded “as a weapon”, but regardless of how the verse is used, that is what it means.