My wonderful husband and I are expecting our first child.  His parents are hoping for a biblical name.  My husband and I would like to name this baby after one of my grandparents, and none of them have names from the Bible.  My husband remembers his mother once saying that if a person doesn't have a biblical name, God doesn't approve of them.  There can't be any truth to this, can there?

Sincerely,
Hoping for Henry Or Pearl

Dear Hoping For Henry Or Pearl,

No, there isn’t any truth to this.  Many people name their children after people from the Bible, but our names do not define us; our actions do.  It is the memory of the choices we make in our lives that determine who we are; a name in and of itself is just window-dressing (Pr 10:7).  Even the church in Sardis relied too much on the reputation their name brought and was condemned for it (Rev 3:1).  Inversely, John the Baptist was given a name that had no meaning whatsoever to his family (Lk 1:60-63), and yet he was considered the greatest prophet of his day (Matt 11:11).  Name your children whatever you like, but make sure and train them up in God’s ways (Pr 22:6).  If they grow up and live faithfully, their name shall become a blessing.

I love my pets very much, but do they have souls?  Will I see them in heaven?

Sincerely,
Cat Lady

Dear Cat Lady,

Animals have the “breath of life” just like humans do (Gen 2:7, Gen 6:17).  This “breath of life” is also sometimes referred to as the “spirit” of a man or animal (Gen 7:22).  Animals have spirits, and humans have spirits, but humans were also made in the image of God (Gen 1:26).  Our spirit is eternal and will go up to be with the Father, and animal spirits are temporary and will return to the dust of the earth (Eccl 3:21).  God made our spirit of a different caliber than He made those of the animal.  Dogs don’t go to heaven, but we can feel confident that God has decided wisely on this issue like all others.  We may not always understand His reasons, but He always makes good decisions.

I'm thinking of traveling internationally for a while.  I don't like having an itinerary to be tied to, so I'll just come and go when I feel like it.  Here's the problem: my mom thinks that I need to get my own job and move out.  I'm young!  I need to see the world.  Isn't there something in the Bible to show my mom that she's holding me back from true experiences?  (She's a Christian, so she'll believe whatever is in there).  I want to go as soon as I get enough for airfare, so a quick answer would get rid of the guilt she uses to manipulate me.

Sincerely,
Ready to LIVE!

Dear Ready to LIVE!,

Get a J-O-B.  If you won’t work, you shouldn’t eat either (2 Thess 3:10).  What if your parents had been “come and go when I feel like it” people?  If they had been that way, you wouldn’t have a stable home-life to mooch off of!  Bear the yoke in your youth and get to work (Lam 3:27).  When you have labored and strived, then you can enjoy the blessings of your labor (Eccl 5:18).  There is nothing wrong with traveling to see the world, but you should only enjoy that blessing after you’ve worked for it and gained the wisdom to do it properly.  The verse I would show your mother is, “Answer a fool according to his folly” (Pr 26:5); if you want to see the world, she should move you out herself, so you can see it authentically.

We have several ministers at our church and, of course, our pastor.  Ministers in our church are people who have told Pastor that God has placed a call into ministry on their lives.  Then they gain the title from the pastor.  I am not a minister in the church, but, however, I married one of those ministers last November.  My question is... I'm not sure what is right for me to do as a minister’s wife.  The women of the church are always telling me that I need to be in all these groups; I need to be a part of this ministry and that ministry.  At this time, the pastor’s wife even put my name down to be a team member for our woman's conference, and I was never even asked if I wanted to be a part; then they put me in the food ministry, and I have worked in food since I was 12; I'm now 44 and told myself when I left the last job that pertained to food that I'd never do it again; I really dislike it.  My other problem is that I'm a people pleaser; God is working on me.  I also feel like I have to do what everyone expects me to do so I don't disappoint them or my husband.  I think my husband thinks like they do.  He’s been in that church for about 9 years, and I've only been there almost 2.  I believe in serving others, and I want to, but I'd really like to be able to do what I enjoy and not what everyone else thinks I need to do.  I've never been a minister’s wife, and I would just like some advice outside of our church from a godly perspective. Thank you, and may God bless you.

Sincerely,
The Minister’s Wife

Dear The Minister’s Wife,

Well, if you are a people pleaser, you are probably not going to be pleased with the advice we give.  Your problem is that you are part of a congregation that doesn’t do things God’s way.  You are dissatisfied and unhappy because what you are involved in is man’s religion, not God’s church.  Whenever we do things our way instead of God’s, we are bound for confusion and strife (1 Cor 14:33).  Several things to consider:

1. Your congregation’s leadership structure is wrong.  There is not a single example of a church in the New Testament that is led by a pastor… all of the congregations had multiple pastors (also known as ‘elders’) working together to shepherd the flock (Acts 14:23, Acts 20:17).  Your congregation’s future is directed by the attitudes and opinions of a single man.  Your direction is guided by him, instead of being tempered by the wisdom of multiple men guided by God’s Word (1 Pet 5:2).  Read our article “Elders” for further details on what a pastor should be.
2. You mentioned all of these different “ministries” of your church, including a food ministry.  It is our experience that the word ‘ministry’ has become a replacement for the term ‘social program’.  Social programs are designed to help the physical needs and desires of a community.  The church is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim 3:15).  It is designed to uphold and further God’s Word, not every social program and community need.  Read our article “Blow Out The Candles” to understand why it is so important that we not stray from God’s work for His church.
3. Ministers are preachers.  They are men that have decided to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Thess 3:2).  It is not a title given to someone by a congregation’s pastor; it is a title earned by a lifestyle of teaching and preaching God’s Word to christians and unbelievers alike (1 Tim 4:6).  Paul was a minister because he served others and preached God’s Word to mankind (Col 1:23).  Being a minister’s wife is no different than being a plumber’s wife – no one expects a plumber’s wife to fix toilets.  These are manmade expectations being placed on you, not Biblical ones.

We recommend you start thinking about looking for a church that does things God’s way… a congregation without any attachment to manmade doctrines.  If you feel what we are saying is too harsh, we recommend that you ask your pastor about the things we have written and see how his answers match up.  You might also ask him some of the things mentioned in the article “Preacher Interrogation”.

You’ve often mention obeying your conscience on this website, but shouldn’t my conscience just conform to whatever the truth is?

Sincerely,
Mind Over Mind

Dear Mind Over Mind,

Your conscience is not a perfect guide, but offending it is not okay either.  Your conscience makes you feel bad when you do what you think is wrong, and it makes you feel good when you do what you think is right.  Notice how we emphasize ‘think’.  Your conscience is your mental guide in all matters moral, but it can be wrong.  Paul had a clear conscience his whole life (Acts 23:1), yet Paul also killed christians (Acts 26:10).  That is because Paul used to think that killing christians was a good thing (Acts 26:9).  “There is a way of a man that seems right, but the end is death” (Pr 14:12).

Your conscience is merely a compass; it will begin to point whatever way your knowledge tells it.  If you think killing christians is a good thing, you will feel good when you kill christians.  If you think killing christians is a bad thing, you will feel bad if you kill them.  Paul followed his conscience his whole life; it was his knowledge that changed.

Many people think they are serving God, but they will be sent to hell on the Day of Judgment (Matt 7:22-23).  Jesus made it clear that many people with clean consciences will end up in hell because their conscience was clear, but their minds and lives were corrupt.  We must fill our minds and lives with the Bible if we want a firm foundation we can trust (Matt 7:24-27).  It is only through God’s Word that we can have salvation; a clear conscience is not enough (Rom 1:16).

Having said that, it is important that we do have a clean conscience.  It is impossible to serve God without one.  Wicked people sear their conscience (1 Tim 4:2).  If you obey your conscience, you may do the wrong thing, but if you don’t obey your conscience, you will ALWAYS do the wrong thing.  If someone believes something is wrong and still does it, they are in for real problems.  It is always a sin to disobey your conscience (Rom 14:23).  A pure conscience is not the only requirement for service to God, but without it… you won’t go anywhere.