OceanSide church of Christ

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ATTACKING THINGS IN THE RIGHT MANNER

Victor M. Eskew

 

            The Christian is a soldier.  Paul wrote to Timothy, saying:  “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3).  As soldiers, we must realize that we are in a war (1 Tim. 6:12).  This war in not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness (Eph. 6:12).  Our weapons are not carnal, but are spiritual also (2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:17).  In this battle, we are called upon to war a good warfare (1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 4:7). 

            As we engage in battle, there are many times that we must take the offense.  We must be the ones who are on the attack against the enemy.  When we attack, we need to make sure we attack things in the right manner.   If we do not attack properly, we might not hit the right target.  Too, we might inflict damages upon some who are innocent.  We might turn some off to the very cause for which we are fighting.

            Let’s look at an illustration or two.  In times past, sermons have been preached that were entitled:  “The Sin of Dancing.”  In our sermons, we have made it sound as if all dancing is sinful.  Is this the case?  The Bible mentions dancing in several places.  In Ecclesiastes 3:4, the wise man writes that there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”  In Psalm 30:11, David the sweet singer of Israel writes:  “”Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:  thou has put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.”  In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus refers to the dancing that was involved over the son’s return.  “Now his elder son was in the field:  and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing” (Luke 15:25).  If all dancing is sinful, how do we explain these verses?

            There is some dancing that does not involved sin.  Several years ago, this writer was doing mission work on an Indian Reservation.  On the last night of our stay, the Indians wanted to show us some of their culture.  We ate their food.  We listened to their music.  We watched several Indian dances.  As those Indians danced, there was no sin being committed at all.  The missionary who worked on the reservation made an interesting statement.  He said:  “The Bible does not condemn all dancing.  The Bible condemns immodest dress, lust, lasciviousness, and fornication.  It was at that point that this writer came to understand the concept of attacking things in the right manner. 

            This took me back to a time when I was in elementary school.  I was in a class in which our teacher taught us how to square dance.  We would often do this on rainy days when we could not go outside for recess.  All of us were eight or nine years old.  All of us were fully dressed in our school clothes.  The most touching that ever went on was when we hooked our elbows together to do a spin.  There was a lot of fun in the activity, but there was no sin being committed.

            When we preach against “dancing,” we need to be very clear in our messaging.  Yes, we need to confront the type of clothing that is worn to a dance.  The Bible exhorts us to always wear modest apparel.  “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works” (1 Tim. 2:9-10).  We also need to inform our young people about the sin of lust.  Lust is a sinful desire in the heart that points an individual in the direction of a sinful behavior.  Jesus taught:  “…That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5:28).  Those who like to engage in dancing also need to understand the definition of a word that is not commonly used today, lasciviousness.  In Galatians 5:19, Paul includes it as one of the sins in the list known as “the works of the flesh.”  “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness.”  Strong (766) defines the word as “licentiousness.”  Dictionary.com defines licentiousness as “a throwing off of sexual restraint; lewd character or behavior.”  Lewd behavior would involve unchaste body movements and the touching of body parts that would excite one’s sexual desires.  It is this word that hits upon much of the sin in many of the modern dances today.  Twerking, movements that mimic intercourse, and touching that involves almost all parts of the body are all included in the word lasciviousness.  Lastly, our young people need to be taught that sex outside the marriage bond is a sin.  This behavior is included in the words “fornication” and “whoremonger.”  The writer of Hebrews was clear that sexual expression is limited to the marriage bond in Hebrews 13:4.  “Marriage in honourable in all, and the bed undefiled:  but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” 

            If a dance ignites the flames of lust, it is forbidden.  If a dance involves immodest dress, it is forbidden.  It a dance involves unchaste movements and touching, it is forbidden.  If a dance leads a person to commit the sins of adultery or fornication, it is forbidden.  Not all dances involve these sins.  If the dance does not involve these things, it can be permitted.  This writer realizes that some believe people are not able to make these distinctions.  Therefore, they believe that all dancing should be forbidden.  These decisions should be left up to the discretion of the mother and father in the home when it involves young people.  Too, each individual Christian must make up his/her mind about the activities in which he/she will or will not engage.

            There are other things that have been targeted as sin in the past that were not sinful.  Some believe that playing cards is sinful.  Others feel that playing the game of Bingo is a sin.  However, playing cards and playing Bingo can be done with no sin involved.  The real sin that needs to be targeted is the sin of gambling.  Gambling springs from a heart of covetousness (See Eph. 5:3).  It involves the desire to get something for little or nothing.  In essence, it is an attack on the work ethic that is taught in God’s word (1 Thess. 4:11; 2 Thess. 3:10-11).  Can a person play cards and not gamble?  Absolutely!  Can a person play Bingo and never gamble?  They do it in assisted living facilities all of the time.  Again, we need to attack the right thing.  We need to attack the sin of gambling. 

            This writer believes that as a soldier the Christian MUST be on the attack when it comes to evils in our society.  But, we need to attack the right things.  Let’s attack the things that are sin.   Let’s attack the things that transgress the law of God.  Let’s not be guilty of attacking things that in and of themselves involve no sin at all.  If we do, we may experience some casualties of battle that were not intended.