What does it mean to judge and to condemn?  Give me an example.

Sincerely,
Always Learning

Dear Always Learning,

To judge means to form an opinion or conclusion on something.  Oftentimes, it is used to refer to forming an opinion or coming to a verdict regarding someone.  The Bible makes it clear that having good judgment is important.  For example, Pr 24:23 says that a person who is biased in his judgments (i.e. treats one person more favorably than another) is not wise or good.  Pr 29:26 says that all righteous judgment comes from God.

It is impossible to go through life without making judgment calls, and whenever we judge something (or someone) as bad, we are condemning.  To condemn means to express disapproval of.  For example, when Jesus judged that the Pharisees were false teachers, He condemned them and expressed His disapproval.  We all use judgment, but the key is what type of judgment we use.

Matt 7:1-2 says that the judgment we use will be applied to us.  If we are mean, selfish, or hypocritical in our judgments, we can expect the same treatment from God.  That is why Jhn 7:24 says that we shouldn’t judge based off of appearances, but instead, we should always use righteous judgment.  The goal for Christians is to make judgments based off of the wisdom found in the Scriptures.

I looked at a website of Holy Bible subjects about suicide/heaven and just got confused.  I know suicide is a sin.  My question is: if a person is saved and commits suicide, will they go to heaven?  My belief is being saved forgives our sins, but does suicide not let them into heaven?

Sincerely,
Not Sure

Dear Not Sure, 

People can lose their salvation. Heb 6:4-6 and Heb 10:26-27 outline that if someone rejects God’s Word (even after becoming a christian), they will go to hell just like any other unbeliever. And that is the key to the whole thing – is suicide an example of rejecting God’s Word and sinning willfully?

The Bible never specifically addresses suicide as being worse then another sin. Suicide certainly is condemned. Suicide is murder, self-murder, and is therefore very clearly a sin (Rev 21:8). The only difference between suicide and murdering someone else is that you don’t get a chance to repent after suicide. Suicide is a final decision and leaves no room for correction or for asking forgiveness. Therefore, in most cases, it would be fair to say that suicide will send you to hell. It is a willful act of disobedience against God without opportunity for repentance.

We here at AYP only hesitate to say, “All people who commit suicide go to hell,” because God never specifically makes that statement. 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.

     What is the big deal about the word "fool" in Ephesians?

Sincerely,
Fool For Thought

Dear Fool For Thought,

We are guessing that you are referring to Eph 5:15-17.  Eph 5:15 states that we should walk through life in a wise manner because, as Christians, we should realize that we have a very short time here on earth (Eph 5:16) and that what we do with that time has eternal consequences.

A fool doesn’t listen to instruction (Pr 1:7).  A wise man heeds God’s Word (Pr 9:9).  A ‘fool’ is a person that cannot or will not learn wisdom or act wisely.  Eph 5:15-17 explains that we cannot expect to live foolishly and still end up in heaven.

    I know you probably hear this a lot.  In 1986, I know without a doubt, Jesus saved me.  I had no fear of dying.  I prayed to Jesus all night that night to just take me on home.  I was that positive where I was going, no doubting, not even scared.  But after about a year, I got out of church, got married, had children, then went back to church, got to witness my wife getting saved, and stayed in church.  After that, not to give the devil any praise, I got to doubting my salvation so bad it got me out of church again, this time for about 20+ years.  Now we are back in church, but I just don't seem to have the assurance about being saved like I did when I first got saved… or did I get saved at all?  The devil still makes me doubt now and again, but I still keep going.  I see a lot of people shouting in our church, but I don't feel the need to shout like that.  It’s tough; I just want to feel what I felt when I first got saved, no doubting, no fear, full of confidence, knowing where I would go if something happened to me.  My mind is just back and forth, back and forth.  Our preacher says things like, “You feel in your heart before you do in your mind.”  I don't know what that means.  Thank you for your time.  God bless.

Sincerely,
Unstable Soul

Dear Unstable Soul,

It sounds like you are using your personal experiences and feelings as the judge of whether or not you are saved.  This is a very common thing to do, but it isn’t the correct gauge of our salvation.  Some people feel confident that they are saved when, in fact, they are lost (Matt 7:21-23).  Others’ hearts condemn them while they are actually saved (1 Jn 3:19-21).  It is our adherence to God’s Word that saves us (Rom 1:16), not how we feel about the issue.  If you are doing what God says you must do to be saved, then you can have confidence regardless of how you feel (see “What Must I Do To Be Saved?” for further details).

This church you are attending is emphasizing feelings over faith.  Faith is a concrete thing that is objective, not subjective.  Faith comes from hearing God’s Word and then living by that Word (Rom 10:17).  We can find true confidence when we can read from God’s Word and then see that our life matches it.  This preacher is teaching the opposite.  Time to find a church that gives you book, chapter, and verse to place your confidence in.  We know of many congregations like this all around the country.  We’d be happy to get you in touch with someone locally if you’d like.  Our email is askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

     Do some churches have a "dress code" for men who stand in front for prayers, etc.?  Our church has many men wearing old t-shirts and shorts and going to the front!  I feel it is disgraceful; what do you think?  We also have women wearing the same thing.  I don’t believe our preacher likes it, but he is an elder, and it has not been addressed in the elders’ notes.  Just wondering what other churches do.  Thanks.  I enjoy this site.

Sincerely,
Attire Aware

Dear Attire Aware,

Some elderships do ask the men who are in public worship roles to have a certain level of formality to their dress; others leave it up to the individual to assess their attire appropriately when leading.  There isn’t a right or wrong way to handle the issue, but there are some definite principles that should be considered.

The Bible is clear that we shouldn’t honor a rich man that can afford to buy fine suits over a poor man that has more humble attire (Jas 2:1-4).  Our judgment should never be based upon such things.

However, the Bible also states that we should serve God with reverence and awe (Heb 12:28).  Financial concerns aside, how we choose to dress often reflects our attitude toward the occasion.  If someone shows up to worship God in the same clothes they would wear to paint their house or work on their car… that says something.  We take great pains to present ourselves respectable before men; we ought to think the same way when approaching God.  Once again, if all you can afford is a pair of old jeans, that is one thing… but most folks in America have other options.