I love God, and I stand strong for my religion, but I have recently gotten into pot.  Does this mean I am going to hell?

Sincerely,
Dabbling In Drugs

Dear Dabbling In Drugs,

God is the judge of the living and the dead (1 Pet 4:5)… we cannot make the judgment on whether you will go to heaven or hell, but we can say that you are doing things opposite of what the Bible teaches.  Consuming marijuana for “recreational” purposes is wrong.  God created every green herb on day three (Gen 1:11-13), but He didn’t create them to be used inappropriately.  God condemns drunkenness and insobriety (Rom 13:13, 1 Cor 6:10).  If any drug, including marijuana, is used to create a state of drunkenness – then, yes, it is a sin.

God created everything in this world for our good, and He created us for good works (Eph 2:10).  Abusing the plants and herbs that God has blessed this world with harms us and is a sin.  When we don’t treat our bodies with respect, we harm ourselves as well as displeasing God (1 Cor 6:19-20).  Glorify God in your body and stay free of the damaging effects of drugs.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

Why has no one ever asked me out?

Sincerely,
Feeling Ugly

Dear Feeling Ugly,

One of our favorite verses in the Bible is Ps 27:14 which says, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”  When we are waiting for that right person to come along, and especially when we desperately want to be noticed and seen by the opposite gender, it can be an unbelievably hopeless feeling… but wait on the Lord, and all things will work out (Rom 8:28).  Your plight is shared by millions of other potential suitors, and there are several ways to deal with your unfulfilled yearning for affection and companionship, but only one way that is biblical.

1. Begin to act in a way that will garner attention at any cost.  This sort of desperate behavior leads to lots of attention, but the wrong kind.  God makes it clear that you want to be noticed for your lovely spirit, not your body (1 Tim 2:9).
2. Switch to “hermit mode”, and give up.  This also isn’t the right attitude.  Many bitter and forlorn hearts have been created because people gave up hope too early.  Be still and know that He is God (Ps 46:10); God’s plans are always better than our own.
3. Learn to be content where you are in life, and be the best person you can be (Php 4:11).  When we learn to live faithfully and trust the Lord’s outcome, we have success because He exalts us in due time (1 Pet 5:6).  This is true in every area of life, including waiting for the right someone to come along.

Is there a difference in the meaning of ‘unclean’ in the Old Testament and the New Testament?  It is my understanding that many things in the Old Testament that were considered unclean weren't necessarily wrong or sinful, but in the New Testament, my understanding is that the word ‘unclean’ is for things that are wrong or should be avoided.  Thanks!

Sincerely,
Scrubbed Up

Dear Scrubbed Up,

The word ‘unclean’ refers to anything that is ‘contaminated or unholy’.  Many times that is in reference to something contaminated by sin – in which case, ‘unclean’ is referring to something sinful (some good examples of this are Rom 1:24, Eph 4:19, and Lam 1:8).  However, some things that were unclean were simply things that a Jew needed to purify themselves from if they came in contact with it (i.e. leprosy, dead bodies, pus, or other body ailments – Num 5:2-3).  It wasn’t a sin to be a leper, but it was a contaminated condition, and there was a need for quarantine.

In both the Old and New Testaments, we must always use context to decide whether the word ‘unclean’ is in reference to sin or merely referring to something that is contaminated in some way.  For example, 1 Cor 7:14 refers to the children of unbelievers as being ‘unclean’… but that isn’t referring to sin.  All children are born without sin, but the children that are born into a christian home are purified from many of the struggles that an unbeliever’s child must face.  We give this example simply to show that not all New Testament uses of the word ‘unclean’ refer to sin.  The deciding factor is always context.  The word means ‘contaminated or unholy’… context will tell you whether the contamination is sin.