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.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week All the New Testament in a year

Sometimes when women have gotten together, there has been the comment of, “If my husband commits adultery, I don't want to know.”  My question is: what does God think about this?  If the husband has asked God to forgive him, does he have the right to keep that kind of secret from his spouse, or does he still have the responsibility to make it right as far as he has made it wrong?  Would it still be a deception?

 

Sincerely,
Give Me The Truth

Dear Give Me The Truth,

The Bible never says what sins we must confess to man and what sins we can keep between ourselves and God.  If the wife directly asks whether or not adultery has been committed, the husband would certainly have to answer truthfully (1 Jn 1:10).  However, if the question isn’t directly asked, the water gets a little murkier as to what must be done.

The Bible answer to this question is simply: it depends.  The Bible certainly tells us there are times that we should confess our sins one to another (Jas 5:16).  It also teaches that a marriage is supposed to be the most intimate relationship that we have in this life (Eph 5:31).  On top of that, when adultery is committed, divorce is permissible (Matt 5:32).  It would seem appropriate to let the injured spouse know that they have that option available to them when they had been wronged so grievously.  These three concepts would lean towards telling the spouse when adultery has been committed… and in 99% of the cases, that would be the right thing to do.

The problem is that the Bible never says the spouse must always be informed, and therefore, we here at AYP can’t say that either.  However, it is fair to say that the old adage “honesty is the best policy” is still a good principle to live by (Jhn 8:32).

Why are there so many churches on the earth today?  Shouldn’t we all be unified and agree on what Christ said we should do?

 

Sincerely,
Unity Matters

Dear Unity Matters,

There was only one church in the first century, and today there are well over 33,000 different denominations all professing to belong to Christ.  This is not only tragic, it’s wrong.  Christ died for one church, and He gave us one doctrine (Eph 4:4-6).  Christianity can only be preserved in the “unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3).  This means that the only way we can have unity is to use the standard the Holy Spirit has given us – the Bible.

All the denominations have their own creed books, statements of faith, organizational structures, and opinions.  Christ’s church has none of those.  It has one book, the Bible, as its rule and standard for all behavior.  It is our guide for all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3).  It is the book that was handed down once and for all to the saints (Jude 3).  We cannot have faith without hearing this Word (Rom 10:17), and we cannot please God without obeying its commandments (Jhn 15:14).

The Catholics trust their Vatican leadership, the Protestants reform a broken system, and the community churches pledge loyalty to their communities and social programs.  The only solution to the religious confusion is a radical step… restoration of Bible-only principles.  Let us go back to the Bible for everything that we do, and if we cannot find Bible authority for something… we must refuse to practice it.  A church that finds its roadmap and structure in the Bible alone is the real solution to the division that exists in the religious world.  When the Bible speaks, let us speak – and when it is silent, let us be silent.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week All the New Testament in a year