These are questions sent to GraceLife Ministries by Internet E-Mail. We appreciate each person who sent the questions and hope our answers will be a help to many. If you would like to have a question answered for Grace Answers, please e-mail Mark McGee.
Dancing is a physical expression of inner joy in these examples. That certainly is well within the framework of what we can experience today. Paul does not write about dancing, but he does write about holiness. Paul talks about the way Christians should behave in public and toward others. I believe that is the issue we should concern ourselves. The Holy Spirit will tell you whether ballroom dancing with your husband is good or bad. It probably is a good thing unless God shows you it is not in your situation. Would dancing with your husband in public hurt your testimony for Christ? Would it cause younger Christians to stumble? If so, you may want to forego it and dance with your husband when you're alone at home or when you are away from town on a trip. Just something to think about. Dancing, like so many other physical activities, is not addressed directly by Paul. We have to read deeper than the physical to see the spiritual and understand the bigger picture. God will guide you. He wants you to enjoy life. He wants you have fun. I'm sure you and your husband can find a way to enjoy ballroom dancing.
God speaks directly to Christians today through the writings of Paul. God spoke directly to Messianic Jews during the first century AD through the writings of Peter, James, John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Jude and the writer to the Hebrews. Luke was a companion of the Apostle Paul, so his history in the Book of Acts includes several years of Paul's ministry.
We can learn important things from ALL of God's Word. Paul wrote that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16) All Scripture is "for" us. We can learn from it. However, all Scripture is not "to" us. That's where we have to be careful. Paul's letters were addressed to Gentile churches and individuals. The messages are about the Gospel of the Grace of God. The other New Testament writers addressed their letters to Jewish congregations and individuals. The messages are about the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Messiah.
You mentioned having trouble with Hebrews and James. Hebrews is a message about being Hebrew and understanding that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Everything in the letter is Jewish. It's important that Christians study and understand what the writer says about Jesus Christ, but it's not a letter addressed to us. We are not Hebrews. Our history and message are not Jewish. We are Gentile Christians. James addressed his letter to "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations." The 12 tribes speaks of the tribes of Israel. They are Jewish believers with a Messianic promise. That's not us. We are Gentile believers who are members of the Body of Christ.
Read Hebrews, James, John and the other Jewish letters with the eye of someone who is reading an important letter addressed to someone else. You will gain wonderful insight into the God we love, but you won't be confused into obeying laws and principles never intended for us. God managed the Jewish Kingdom Household through the ministry of Peter, James, John and other Kingdom Apostles. God has managed the Gentile Grace Gospel Household through the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
A Christian sister wrote recently about looking for a church that would help her during some tough times in her life. She went to the pastor for counseling and told him about her living with a man who was not her husband. She said the pastor offered to be her "sexual reliever." I'm not revealing anything else about her situation to protect her identity. However, I think the issue is one we should consider seriously.
I can tell from your note that you really want God's will for your life, so I'll be blunt. God believes sex between married people is right. He believes sex between unmarried people is wrong. God invented sex and knows how it works best. He knows that the sexual act is tied in to every emotion we have as human beings. He knows sex is best when it's between two people who love each other and are committed for life through marriage.
You mentioned that your pastor wanted to be your "sexual reliever." You wrote that he was married to another woman and still lusted after you. You said he told you about the sexual acts he would like you to perform for him. Pastors should be an example to other Christians about how to live the life of Grace. They have a greater responsibility because of the leadership position God gave them. Here's what Paul wrote Pastor Timothy.
"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."1 Timothy 4:16
"Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money ... He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap."1 Timothy 3
Paul told Timothy that God called pastors "to a holy life." He also told Timothy "what you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." 2 Timothy 1:14
God calls what a married pastor does sexually with a woman other than his own wife sin. Paul told Timothy "everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." 2 Timothy 2:19
A pastor is entrusted with God's work. "He must be blameless ... one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." Titus 1
Paul told Titus that the Word of God teaches us "to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age." Titus 2
Now, ask yourself this question about your pastor. Is his desire to be your "sexual reliever" an example of a man who is committed to holiness? Is he blameless? Is he self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined? If your answer is "no," then I suggest you find someone else to shepherd you.
You have a lot of pressures right now. You are torn between two lifestyles: good and evil. You have strong sexual passions that God wants to control. You need spiritual guides who will show you the way to holiness, not to the couch in their office.
Read God's Word carefully and He will show you the way to the righteousness you desire. God's Word will never lead you astray. People will, but God will not. Find a pastor and church that practice holiness. Compare what they say and do with what God tells us in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Those books are the pastor's guide. If he does what God says, you'll find a place where God can help and heal you.
Dr. Henry Morris of the Institute for Creation Research had a profound impact on my life. I interviewed him on radio while I was still an atheist. His understanding of science and kindness toward me opened my mind to the possibility that there was something to what he said. I've followed Dr. Morris, Dr. Gish and other creationists since 1971. I've watched them grow in knowledge. I've also watched and listened to evolutionists during the same time, but with a different ear. Instead of just accepting evolution as truth, I've realized it's another theory. It's something that science doesn't necessarily support.
I don't pretend to be a scientist. I am not. My training is in journalism and theology. I am skeptical by education and experience. I want to see proof. I want to hear all sides of arguments. I do believe God. I believe what He says is true. God doesn't give us all the answers. He doesn't even give us all the questions. However, what He does give us is clear. The Holy Spirit inspired the prophet Moses to write that God created the heavens and the earth in six days. The wording is also clear that each day included an evening and a morning. I see no coding in the Scripture that each evening and morning were actually millions of years. It seems clear to me that each evening and morning added up to a earth-rotational cycle of 24 hours.
The clarity of this continues when we look at the life of Adam, the first human. God created Adam as a full-grown man. Adam was not born to woman. He did not evolve from slime or sea mammal during a period of millions of years. The Lord God formed Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him and Adam became a living being. Adam stood tall and took hold of the new world God gave him. God gave Adam productive work to do. God gave Adam standards and boundries by which to conduct his new life. God gave Adam Eve, a loving companion. God gave Adam and Eve children. How long did all of this take? Millions of years? Thousands of years? Genesis 5 tells us precisely the length of the entire process.
"This is the written account of Adam's line. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them 'men.' When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth."
Adam "had lived" 130 years when Seth was born. That means that 130 years after God formed Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him, Seth was born to Adam and Eve. Everything we read about from Genesis 2:7 - 5:3 happened in the span of 130 years. That includes naming the animals, creation of Eve, Satan's deception, man's sin against God, God's curse against Satan, God's removing Adam and Eve from Eden, the birth and growing up years of Cain and Abel, Cain's killing of Abel, God's curse and promise to Cain, and the birth of Seth happened in the first 130 years of Adam's life. Adam lived 800 years after Seth was born.
I find nothing in God's Word to support the theory of evolution. I find more than enough evidence to support creation. Science will always continue its battle between the two beliefs, but the Bible will continue to stand behind God's creating all life in six days.
Again, I understand your struggle. You are a student of the Bible and a student of science. Your college professors will present one side; your pastor and other Christians the other side. You won't get all of the answers to all your questions from either side. There's always something to throw a kink in your search. It's important to remember that every belief system carries with it a portion of "faith." None of us were alive to see whether God really created the world in six days. None of us were alive to see whether the world evolved during a period of millions or billions of years. People on both sides have to have faith.
The writer to the Hebrews taught us something very important about faith in God's act of Creation: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:1-3) Belief in God's creation of life by His command is the beginning of faith. If God could command and a universe appeared, then God can do everything else He claimed. That means God could send His precious, eternal Son to earth in the form of a little baby Who would grow up to be the Man Who would save eternal souls. Our faith in Christ's Power to Save begins with our faith in God's Power to Create.
I hope this helps. I will continue to pray for God's guidance and Grace in your life.
The idea of "repentance" is as old as sin. Sin led to actions that hurt and caused pain. The product of that pain would sometimes lead to a desire to change one's actions and behavior. The Hebrew word for repentance is subah . It came from the word "subl , which meant turning or returning. It also dealt with being "restored" to former relationships. The process of turning back or away from was preceded by grieving or sorrow for one's actions. As a person felt bad about something they had done, the desire to change and turn would grow inside them until they did something about it. Examples of repentance in the Old Testament include individuals and nations.
Water baptism was part of people and the nation of Israel repenting of their sins. It was primary in the ministry of John the Baptist: "I baptize you with water for repentance." John struggled with baptizing Jesus because he knew Jesus had not done anything for which to repent. In fact, John told Christ, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus, however, knew that what He was doing went far beyond the normal issue of repentance. Christ knew that His act of being baptized would "fulfill all righteousness." When Jesus said that, John baptized Him.
The Greek word for "repentance" is metanoia . It also carries the idea of turning away from sin and changing one's thoughts and behavior to a new way of living. The writers of the Gospels, Luke and Paul use the word. You referred to Peter's use of it in Acts 11 and Paul's use of it in Acts 20. Acts 11 refers to the Jewish believers' surprise that God was going to give Gentiles repentance unto life in the Messianic Kingdom. Acts 20 is Paul's reminder to the Ephesian Elders that he had preached "to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus."
Paul reminded his Roman readers that "God's kindness leads you toward repentance." It is the Grace and Mercy of God that lead lost sinners to desire a change in their actions and behavior. God is kind to do that for us. Repentance then is a good thing. It's something God wants for every person. He wants them to repent. He wants them to turn to Christ. Paul also wrote that "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret."
Repentance is part of the spiritual process that leads someone from a state of being lost to being saved. A sinner must believe differently about their sinful state and be ready for change. Since sinners are "dead" in their sins and God gives them the grace and faith to believe, it is certainly something we should be ever thankful to God. We don't boast in our repentance because God grants it. However, repentance is not a process that must be finished before someone is saved. We continue to repent about sin throughout our Christian lives. Paul told Timothy that one of the things a pastor must do is deal gently with Christians in the church when they oppose his messge and leadership, "in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:25-26.) Repenting is part of the growth of a Christian.
Christ told the believers at Ephesus they had done many things right, but they had forsaken their first love. He told them to "Repent and do the things you did at first." (Revelation 2:5) This happens more than we might imagine. Christians and churches go along doing what they think is right only to realize one day that they had fallen away from some primary aspect of their relationship with Christ. The Ephesians were laborers for the cause of Christ. They worked hard and persevered. They would not tolerate wicked men. They tested people who claimed to be apostles but were not. They endured hardships for the name of Christ and had not grown weary. They hated the practices of the Nicolaitans, who Christ also hated. However, they had forsaken their first love. They had fallen away from a primary relationship in the Christian lives. Christ warned them and challenged them to repent and do the things they had done at the first. Repentance that leads to salvation is just the beginning for each of us.
Also, II Thess 2:1-7 makes it very clear to me that the Rapture must occur prior to the revealing of the Son of Perdition and more importantly the start of the Day of the Lord which is prophecy. The start of the Day of the Lord is concurrent with Rev 1:10 which is at the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel in Dan. 9.
What are your thoughts?
"ALL of the dead in Christ will rise "first." That's certainly a major difference with the Second Coming where most of the dead remain dead until after the thousand year reign of Christ on earth. Another difference is that Paul says nothing about Israel or the beast or the false prophet or Christ's fighting a war or setting up a Kingdom or anything else that is part of John's Revelation. Why? Because the "rapture" of the Church (the Body of Christ) and the Second Coming of Christ to Israel to set up a Kingdom are two separate events!
I personally believe the rapture will occur prior to Christ's Second Coming. I also believe the rapture will occur prior to the Tribulation period. The Age of Grace, which is responsible for you, me and other Gentiles and Jews being allowed to know God through Christ Jesus, will come to an end some day. That's what Paul wrote about in I Corinthians 15 and I Thessalonians 4. Christ calls for His Body with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ rise first, then the living Christians are caught up to meet with Him in the atmosphere. We'll be with Him forever. Those are encouraging words indeed.
Once the Age of Grace comes to an end with such a remarkable event like millions of living Christians caught up into the skies to be with Christ, the world will be left without any witness for Christ. Everyone who loves Christ will be gone. What happens next? I believe God's prophetic clock for Israel will start up again. He will pick up where He left off centuries before when Israel rejected Christ's offer to be their King. But the next offer will be different. God will not give Israel a choice. He's not going to allow them to say "no" to Messiah again. He's going to send upon Israel the last seven years of promised prophetic judgment. He is going to do to Israel all that He promised thousands of years ago. That's what the Book of Revelation reveals.
I do not believe God will begin His judgment of Israel until the Age of Grace is complete and He has caught up every Christian believer. Our judgment as Christians before Christ is different than the one promised Israel. Christ will judge our works on earth. Christ will judge the world later for its sins against Him. There is no Biblical reason for Christians to go through one day of what God intends for Israel and an unbelieving world. Once we are out of the way and safely in the presence of Christ, God will perform His final work: The Tribulation, The Second Coming of Christ, the binding of Satan for 1,000 years, Christ The King on the Throne of David in Jerusalem, Christ's Millennial Rule on earth, Satan's release and final battle with God, God's final judgment of mankind, the destruction of the first heaven and earth, the New Heaven and Earth, the New Jerusalem and Eternity.
Please return to The GraceLife(tm) Menu Page for other studies about the Gospel of the Grace of God.
"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers."
Taking God's Grace to the World!
Copyright © , Mark McGee, 1990-2000 / mamcgee@mindspring.com
Last Updated: 12/20/1999