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Introduction:
During this lesson we will cover several questions
submitted by members of this congregation. Discussion: I.
Can we, as Christians, take advantage of college grant
money from the Tennessee Lottery? A.
The Bible clearly demonstrates that covetous activities
such as the Tennessee Lottery are sinful. The next question many
have asked is, can we Christians receive government benefits that
money from the lottery is used to provide? B.
First, we need to understand the practical side of
government and our money. While the Tennessee government has sold
the state on the idea of lottery by talking about how the funds
will be used for educational grant money, government and money do
not work in such a simple way. When our government establishes a
budget, they will not look at where the money came from to decide
where it is going. Instead, they will look at the amount of it
they expect to get from all the various sources and then budget
it. C.
Further, as we examine this question closely we realize
that it is only a surface question that will lead to many more.
Can a Christian store owner accept money from a person who won the
lottery to buy goods in the store? Can a Christian hold a job in
which the salary comes from the “sin tax” on alcohol? Can a
Christian sell his car to a doctor who performs abortions or a man
who runs a liquor store? All of these questions are really the
same. Do we have to trace the money back to its original source
and if so, how far back do we have to go? D.
The principle of I
Corinthians 5:10 applies in this situation. The only
consistent rule to avoid funds that originated under questionable
means would be to go out of the world. God does not expect us to
run a background check on every bit of money that comes our way. E.
Finally, just as paying taxes to our government does not
mean we endorse everything our government spends money on, neither
does accepting money from the government mean we endorse every way
in which our government receives money. Therefore, while I
certainly want you to live within the bounds of your conscience on
this matter (Romans 14:23),
I believe you can allow your children to accept educational grant
money from the state government. II.
How can single women “ask their own husbands at home”? A.
We noted in our last question and answer session that the
scripture teaches women are not allowed to hold authority over men
within the church (I
Timothy 2:12). Paul further explained that women are to be
submissively silent in the church (I Corinthians 14:34-35). B.
However, in I
Corinthians 14:35, Paul explained that the women, if they
wanted to learn, could ask their husbands at home. The natural
question from many today is what do single women do? They do not
have husbands to ask. Does that mean unmarried women were allowed
to speak and have authority over men in the church assembly? No. C.
I
Corinthians 7:1
demonstrates that Paul was addressing questions that the
Corinthians had put to him. We are not privy to those questions.
But we can be assured that Paul answered them correctly (I
Corinthians 14:37). When Paul makes his statements in I
Corinthians 14:34-35, he is not limiting the principle of I
Timothy 2:12 to married women, rather he is addressing
whatever the specific problem was in Corinth. The specific problem
there was answered by telling the particular women causing the
problems to remain silent in the assemblies and ask their husbands
at home. D.
While Paul did not deal with any other specific situations
than the one at Corinth, I believe we are can apply the principles
we learn hear to other specific situations. Unmarried women cannot
ask their husbands at home, but I
Timothy 2:12 still applies. They can ask their fathers at home
or the elders outside the assembly. This course of action would
still fulfill scripture. III.
Can a woman teach a boy who has obeyed the gospel? A.
I
Timothy 2:12
says, “I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a
man, but to be in silence.” Since a woman cannot teach a man or
have authority over him in the church, can a woman teach a Bible
class that has young Christian males in it? B.
The word translated “man” is “Aner,” which simply
means “man.” Interestingly, this term is different from a
child. It is used in I Corinthians 13:11 to talk about growing up, when a boy becomes a
man he is to put away childish things. But that demonstrates that
the term does not simply refer to maleness, but to adulthood among
males. C.
The second thing we must ask is when do boys become men?
The fact is, we do not know. The Bible never provides a line that
is crossed in which boys become men. Some will suggest that if a
boy is mature enough to become a Christian then he must be
considered a man. But if that is the case, then why do we not push
him out of the house and make him support his family? None of us
in a real sense believes obeying the Gospel turns boys into men.
It simply makes them Christian boys. Some may go to the Old
Testament and see that God distinguished between the children and
the adults at age 20 (Numbers
14:29-31; 26:2). But if we are going to make that case, how
can we allow our boys to join the military before age 20? Some
will say we start giving adult responsibilities at 16 when they
start driving, some at 18 when they can vote. The fact is we
cannot draw an absolute line. D.
The best we can do is decide what will be a safe course for
ourselves and this congregation. My judgment on the matter is to
make a shift in the high school years. While I believe there may
be some room to allow women to teach high school boys even if they
are Christians, I am pretty certain we are safe that we are not
violating God’s principles. That is the most I can say. IV.
Can Christians listen to “Contemporary Christian” music
or gospel music that is accompanied by mechanical musical
instruments? If not, why can we listen to “honkey-tonk” music
but not something that helps us get our thoughts where they should
be? A.
As we begin the answer to this question, we must first note
that this question has so many facets to it that no matter what I
say, somebody will have a, “But what if…” question when we
are done. I do not have every answer for every question or every
song. In a very real sense, I have to leave some of the answers
for various songs and groups up to the individual conscience of
each listener. If you cannot listen with the faith that what you
are doing is alright, then do not. Again, we remember Romans
14:23, whatever is not from faith is sin. B.
Additionally, we must note that while this question
categorizes music into clear cut genres, it simply does not work
that way in reality. In modern music there are groups which call
themselves “Christian” whose songs are so veiled most people
would never know what they are singing about. Further, there are
some groups that refuse to be classified as “Christian” and
yet wear spirituality on their sleeve for all to see. So we cannot
answer this question simply by how the music is classified. C.
Further, we must recognize that the question asks one
thing, when, in fact, the important issue is another. This
question asks about listening, as though the act of hearing what
might be classified as a religious song would be wrong. The Bible
never addresses listening to music. Rather it addresses
worshipping God with music. Regrettably, today, too many
Christians have so focused on the assemblies they have missed that
the Bible rarely differentiates between the assembly or individual
when talking about music in worship and it is always singing. Acts
16:25; I Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16:
Hebrews 2:12 and James 5:13 all mention singing, whether in the assembly or out of
it. There is simply no authority to worship God with instruments
of music either accompanying or in place of our singing whether in
the assembly, in our homes, in our cars or at the concert hall. D.
I believe I can clearly say from scripture that to worship
along with “Contemporary Christian” or “Southern Gospel”
bands and groups is as sinful in your car as it would be in this
building. If in some way you can listen without worshipping God,
then I cannot say anything to you about it. Having been brought up
in the Baptist church, in which this kind of music was staple for
our youth groups, I was trained that even listening to this kind
of music is worshipping God. So I have a hard time being able to
understand how anyone can claim they are listening to and singing
along with these songs and claim they are not worshipping. If,
however, you believe you are listening without worshipping, allow
me to give you some things to think about. First, if you claim
that you are not worshipping you are simply using the music to
help you get your thoughts focused on God, please explain to me
what you think worship is. As far as I can tell, having our
thoughts focused on God and using something to draw us to God is
worship. Secondly, if you are listening and singing along with
these songs, if you are singing the name of God and speaking of
spiritual matters with nothing more than a flippant notice of what
you are singing, are you not treating holy things in a vain
manner? Finally, having been raised around this kind of music and
having been exposed to it in numerous ways because of my
involvement in radio work, I have found that very few of the songs
could actually put your thoughts where they are supposed to be
because they are so full of error and false teaching on salvation,
baptism, Christ’s kingdom and church, the second-coming,
miraculous gifts, etc. E.
Finally, it seems that our questioner presumed that I would
say you should steer clear of this modern form of music and also
that I would say it is alright to listen to “honkey-tonk”
music. That, of course, opens up a whole different can of worms.
Can we listen to and be entertained by music that is not religious
in nature. I believe we can. Jesus evidently recognized the uses
of music outside of worship when He described how the people dealt
with John the Baptist and Jesus by speaking of children in the
marketplace saying “We played the flute for you and you did not
dance; we mourned [or “sang a dirge”-NASB] to you and you did
not weep” (Luke 7:32).
Paul recognized the use of music outside of worship when he wrote
about speaking with tongues of men and angels but not having love
as being just like a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal (I
Corinthians 13:1, see also I Corinthians 14:7-8). He knew that instruments could be and
should be used together in harmony. When just used to make noise,
they are useless. Further, Paul demonstrated that being involved
in entertainments that are not strictly religious are perfectly
fine when he demonstrated that he had read non-Christian poets in Acts
17:28 and that he was well familiar with the games of his day
in I Corinthians 9:24-27. However, does that mean we can listen or be
entertained by secular entertainments indiscriminately? Absolutely
not. I do not know much about honkey-tonk music, because frankly,
I do not know how anybody can listen to that stuff anyway. But
many of you probably do not know how anybody could listen to the
stuff I like. I am a rocker. I love the driving beats and the
heavy guitars. I listen to rock music as far back as Elvis and the
Beatles on up to Creed and Evanescence. I love listening to 80’s
stations that play Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi and I
even like some AC/DC songs. But I tell you what I have learned.
There is a whole bunch of it I simply cannot listen to as a
Christian. Our questioner asked about songs putting our minds
where they should be. I am very concerned about the secular songs
that put our minds where they should not be. Not every secular
song leads our minds into the depths of sin, but a great number of
them do as they glorify drinking, sexual immorality and drug use. Ephesians
5:11-12 is very clear. We are not to have fellowship with
those sinful things. If it is shameful for us to speak about them,
then it is shameful for us to listen to them, sing along with them
or watch them in the videos. Can you listen to and be entertained
by secular music? Certainly. But be careful that you are not
fellowshipping with sinful things by what you are singing along
with. Conclusion: That’s it for March’s Questions and Answers. I hope it was helpful to you. Remember, you can submit your questions at any time by filling out one of the forms on the phone stand outside Edwin’s office and submitting in the appropriate box that is also right beside the office.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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