Is getting plastic surgery wrong? My friend wants to get breast implants; is it wrong biblically to have things like that done to our bodies?

Sincerely,
Afraid Of Knives

Dear Afraid Of Knives,

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).

One of our "brothers" has been pushing this issue.  After discussing the sin of suicide, he brought up the denial of the Holy Spirit (as in Matthew’s account of Jesus ridding demons) as the only thing that cannot be forgiven.  Maybe you can bring up some good points that I may have overlooked about this passage.

Sincerely,
Doctrinally Debating

Dear Doctrinally Debating,

John says that there is a sin that leads to death – that sin is the sin against the Holy Spirit (Mk 3:29).  Any sin can be repented of and forgiven (1 Jn 1:9)… except for the sin against the Holy Spirit.  Now, let’s explain what that sin is, and then we will connect it to the suicide issue.

When Jesus says that any sin will be forgiven except for someone blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Mk 3:28-30), He said it to the crowd that accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan (Mk 3:23).  That crowd could have been forgiven of any sin, but instead they rejected the miracles that testified that Jesus was from God.  Contrast that crowd’s attitude with Nicodemus’ attitude.  Nicodemus understood that the only way that someone could perform a miracle was if God was with him (Jhn 3:2).  When that crowd rejected the evidence that the Holy Spirit provided (in this case, the miracles), they rejected any chance to receive the forgiveness found in Jesus’ teachings.  When we reject the truth of God (the Bible), we reject the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit’s primary job is to bring the truth of the gospel to mankind (see the post “What the Holy Spirit Does” for more details).  Someone blasphemes the Holy Spirit by rejecting the truth that the Holy Spirit sent us in the Bible.  Any sin can be forgiven if we will turn to God’s Word and obey it (Rom 10:17, Heb 5:9), but there is absolutely no hope for someone if he or she will not accept the Holy Spirit’s Bible.

Which brings us to the suicide issue – suicide is murder, self-murder, and is therefore very clearly a sin (Rev 21:8).  It is a willful act of disobedience against God without opportunity for repentance.  The Holy Spirit teaches against murder, and when someone commits suicide they are rejecting God’s teachings on the subject of life – without opportunity to repent. The final judgment belongs to God (Heb 12:23), but we certainly wouldn’t want to face that judgment with our own blood on our hands.

My boyfriend and I have been dating for two years, and we've been talking a lot about getting married.  I really love him, and he loves me, but he's leaving soon for the military.  I was wondering: if I went and lived on the base after I graduated, would that be against God's law?  I know it says in the Bible that you aren't supposed to live with your partner if you aren't married, but what if he didn't stay in the same place as me?

Sincerely,
Not Quite Mrs. Yet

Dear Not Quite Mrs. Yet,

Your question is an issue of wisdom, and there are several biblical principles to consider:

1. What will it look like to others if you are living on base as his “partner” without being married?  God tells us to avoid sin and all appearances of sin (1 Thess 5:22).  We should strive to do what is honorable to God and appears honorable to man (Rom 12:17).  Without knowing all the details, our guess is that most people would perceive that you have been sleeping together if you are living on base while he is overseas.  This needs to be taken into account.
2. If you are living in an arrangement that married people would live in… why aren’t you married?  Sometimes people marry too quickly, and sometimes people wait too long to marry.  God wants us to use wisdom and not jump too hastily into wedding vows, but He also tells young people to avoid a situation where they will burn for each other uncontrollably (1 Cor 7:8-9).  It may be that this potential living arrangement is a case of “playing with fire”, and it would be better off to marry (or live elsewhere) and remove all chance of sin.

Don’t mistake us; we cannot tell you that this arrangement would be overtly sinful (as you said, he wouldn’t even be living in the same place), but those are some Bible principles worth considering before you make a decision.

Hi, I like to workout and build muscle, but I also know that God should be first in our lives.  I sometimes feel that I'm wrong in working out to gain muscle and size, but I don't let it get in the way of going to church and praying and everything else that God wants us to do.  I always put Him first.  Well, my question is: is it wrong to spend money and time on this if it's not right in God’s eyes, and also, the other part to this is that I eat many small meals a day to keep my metabolism up, and I eat healthy, but I'm not sure if that's right to do either.  I'm not sure if that is gluttony or not.  My main thing is I like to look good because I feel better, and I enjoy working out.  I don't do it because it's cool, or I'll look hot.  I guess you can say it's my hobby; I just enjoy it.

Sincerely,
Ripped

Dear Ripped,

There is nothing wrong with working out and exercising as long as you keep it in proper perspective – which it sounds like you are doing.  The apostle Paul even mentions that there is a benefit to physical exercise.  In 1 Tim 4:8, Paul makes it clear that bodily exercise does have its benefits but that those benefits pale in comparison to spiritual things.  There is nothing wrong with working out as a hobby and as part of a healthy lifestyle.

As far as your eating habits, they aren’t gluttonous.  Gluttony is the act of excessive eating.  You are doing the opposite!  You are controlling your portions for the purpose of controlled living.  It sounds like you are making good choices and keeping your priorities in order.

At our Wednesday evening services, one young lady, the daughter of a very prominent member, announced that she was going to attend a skiing party over the weekend and that they would be having services conducted by another woman in the cabin in the mountains.  Her father approves of this type of situation and has himself gone off in like manner.  They have a lot of influence with the other members, and so no one will stand up to them.  Our preacher said that he will not interrupt his schedule to deal with this trifle because "it is not bad enough".  But he agrees that it should not be done.  What should I do?

Sincerely,
At The Bottom Of The Slope

Dear At The Bottom Of The Slope,

You should do exactly what everyone else is doing – nothing.  Some issues are clear-cut and deserve to be dealt with publicly and swiftly, but this is not one of them.  If you asked a hundred faithful christians what the best way to worship is when you are away on vacation, you will get one hundred different opinions.  Some will say you can’t go on vacation somewhere that doesn’t have a faithful congregation, others (like this family) cite Matt 18:20 as proof that it is appropriate to hold your own temporary services while away, and still others say that a vacation constitutes such a rare circumstance that it isn’t important to attend at all.  Those are three opinions that cover the entire spectrum of thought on the subject of vacation church attendance.  The truth is that the Bible is never specific on this issue.  God tells us that whenever we run into an issue of opinion, we should decide for ourselves and leave others to do the same (Rom 14:10-13).  Leave the final judgment to God and don’t allow an issue of opinion and personal judgment to cause strife among the Lord’s people (Rom 14:19).