Questions On Sins Not Specifically Named In The Bible

Answer Thanks for your good question. I will try to answer it in the best way that I know by pointing out several Scriptural principles by which we, as Christians, should live. Some of these principles will apply to all drugs you mention, tobacco, alcohol, caffeine and others that are implied and other principles will apply only to specific drugs. here are just a few biblical principles by which we should make judgments about these things.

First, in the bible, we are warned not to participate in drunkenness. There are many places where it is mentioned, but I will point out just two.

PRO 23:29 ś Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
PRO 23:30 Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine.
PRO 23:31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly;
PRO 23:32 At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper.
PRO 23:33 Your eyes will see strange things, And your mind will utter perverse things.
PRO 23:34 And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.
PRO 23:35 "They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink."

GAL 5:16 ś But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
GAL 5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
GAL 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
GAL 5:19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
GAL 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
GAL 5:21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
GAL 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
GAL 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Second, we should live lives characterized by self-control, as mentioned just above in Gal. 5:23. That is, we should not destroy our ability to make sober judgments, based on thinking and reason. However, one of the great effects of alcohol is the confusion it brings to the mind and the lowering of inhibitions which can cause us to drop our guard against doing things that are wrong.

Third, and this would apply not only to alcohol, but to some degree tobacco and caffeine, we should not intentionally harm our bodies in any way. In the case of caffeine, this may depend more on how it affects each individual and in what ways, but with alcohol and tobacco, it seems to be more obvious. The Bible teaches us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, indicating a special relationship with God, where we submit our minds and bodies to Him and fulfill His purpose.

1CO 6:18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
1CO 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
1CO 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Finally, we should not allow anything, including any drug, to have authority over us, where we serve it rather than it being of sound benefit to us. This would include even caffeine, if we are so addicted to it that we cannot do without it.

1CO 6:12 ś All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
1CO 6:13 Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food; but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body.
1CO 6:14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.
1CO 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be!
1CO 6:16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her? For He says, "The two will become one flesh."

No matter what the drug, if, by taking it, we violate any of these principles, then we are disobeying God and bring dishonor to Him and destruction to others. Contact Gary

Question 2. I would like some information on dancing is it right or wrong and some Bible verses to back it up.

Answer The Bible does not specifically condemn dancing per se. In fact, in the Old Testament people often "danced before the Lord" as a means of expressing joy (see for example 2 Sam. 6:14, Ps 149:3, and Ps150:4). But today’s dances are not to be compared with them. Here are some Scriptures which have a direct bearing not only on dancing, but on the way we conduct our lives if we wish to please God:

1. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you, that everyone who looks on woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matt. 5:28). The idea of "lusting for" is not just "admiration," but in this case implies a desire to have sex with (hence, "commits adultery"). This is closely akin to other terms, such as sensuality or lewdness (these are translated lasciviousness, in the King James Version) which is also condemned in Scripture. Notice for example, in the list of the "works of the flesh" in Gal. 5:19–21, this term is mentioned in vs. 19. No one practicing these things can inherit the kingdom of God (vs 21). Anything (not just dancing) that promotes lust and sensuality is condemned. It is not simply a matter of physical contact, either. Just try substituting "square dancing" for the dances on MTV, VH-1, Soul Train, etc. and see how much interest that draws!

2. In 1 Timothy 2:9–10, Paul through the Holy Spirit writes that women should "adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments; but rather by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to godliness." Different English words are used in different versions. The version I use is the New American Standard Bible (NASB). The word translated "modestly" in my version ("with shamefacedness" in the King James Version) is a Greek word which carries the idea of bashfulness or shyness. This becomes another problem not only in dancing, but in our everyday lives. Though this command is addressed to women, and Matt. 5 (above) to men, one should not think that women are permitted to lust for men or that men may dress immodestly.

3. Romans 12:1 urges Christians "by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." God was never pleased with polluted or blemished sacrifices. He is worthy of our best. Dancing today is almost exclusively done for the enjoyment of the flesh. If it does not actually lead to sex, it promotes the thought or the lust. These things are only sanctioned
in the marriage relationship (1 Cor. 7:2–5).

4. As you may have noticed, much of Scripture, especially New Testament Scripture, deals with proper hearts and attitudes. That’s why in the New Testament you won’t always find a Scripture which specifically says "thou shalt not" do this or that. It is more a book of "dos" than "don'ts." There is one more passage, though, that should be noted. It is 1 Peter 4:3 in which drinking parties are included with a class of other things which are condemned. Contact Doug

Question 3. My bro-in-law is now a Pentecostal member. He told my husband that it is a sin for him to have long hair. Does this still apply to us nowadays?

Answer The passage in 1 Cor. 11 compares the natural order of things with the spiritual order. In the natural order men have shorter hair, women have longer. To violate this violates nature. There can be no question about this: "If a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him…" (vs.14). Even so, the passage is speaking of covering the head while praying or prophesying, which I believe relates to the use of spiritual gifts in public (i.e., public praying and prophesying). The woman’s hair, however long it may be and suited for the natural, is not sufficient for the spiritual. She needs to be veiled. The man should not be veiled. Just as it is a dishonor for a woman to have short hair in nature (because her hair is her glory in that realm), it is a dishonor for her to be unveiled when praying or prophesying. The same thing applies to the man, except in the opposite (short hair/unveiled). This means that when the spiritual gifts ended, the command regarding veiling would be superfluous. However, since nature is still nature (and nature hasn’t ended!), it continues to be a dishonor to women for their hair to be short as it is for a man’s hair to be long.The question is: How long and how short? During the OT times, God gave instructions to those who would take the vow of a Nazirite and in that instruction he commanded that no hair should be cut (Num. 6:5). Since God would not contradict Himself in the things of "nature," the instructions in 1 Corinthians must apply to a man’s hair "hanging down," inasmuch as the Nazirites’ hair, although long, apparently did not hang down in the manner of women's hair, but was tied in "locks." The most famous Nazirite was Samson. Although no razor had touched his head since birth, his hair was fastened with "7 locks" (judges 16:13-15). The word "locks" is never used in the Bible with regard to a woman's hair. Hence, if a man has hair that "hangs down" especially so that from appearances it appears to be the hair of a woman, his hair is too long. Conversely, if a woman’s hair appears as a man’s, it is too short. Contact Doug

Question 4. What does the Bible say about gambling? Is it wrong? I feel that it is, but I don't know where to find verses to back that up.

Answer Although the word "gambling" is not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are clear Bible principles that we violate when we participate in gambling whether we play government sponsored lotteries, visit the casino or indulge in a neighborhood poker game.

First, what do we mean by gambling? Simply put, is the activity of staking something of value on a game of chance hoping to acquire gain. We put money or something else at risk hoping to acquire the money or goods of others who also put theirs at risk.

Why is it wrong? We can list just three principles that help us understand the sinfulness of gambling.

First, it violates the "golden" rule. See Matt. 7:12. Here, Jesus tells us that we should treat our neighbor as we would want them to treat us. But, in gambling, our goal is to take all we can from our neighbor.

Second, Gambling is stealing by consent. That is, all agree that, if the game of chance ends in a certain way, they will take from one another. We would not enjoy someone directly stealing thousands of dollars from us, but we consent to allowing others to take thousands of dollars from us in a game of chance. Eph. 4:28.

Third, gambling encourage covetousness and not hard work. The Bible plainly teaches us to work hard, providing for ourselves and for others. And, if we do not, we should not enjoy the privileges of eating and being cared for. 2 Thes. 3.

Finally, although there may be some who try to make a direct parallel between gambling and making an investment, these are not the same. When you make an investment in the stock market, you are giving to a company who produces a product or a service. Both you and the company have a chance to profit (or lose) based on the performance of the company. If you do not like its performance or have made what you believe to be a reasonable profit, you can always sell your stock. Contact Gary

Question 5. Where in the Bible does it refer to pornography and the evils of that?