Is it okay to listen to “Christian Music”? I know the Bible says to sing and make melody in your heart, but outside of church and worship, can you listen to instrumental Christian music? I feel like it’s better to listen to than some of the other stuff that is out there.

Sincerely,
Rhythm And Lyrics

Dear Rhythm And Lyrics,

It isn’t inherently wrong to listen to “Christian Music”, but it is worth considering the effects it will have upon your influence, your behavior, and your conscience. You are right, God asks us to worship Him through singing and making melody in our heart (Eph 5:19). God never asks for any instrument to be plucked but our heart strings. That is the worship He asks for, and that is the worship we should give Him – no more and no less (Rev 22:18-19, Deu 4:2).

If you are going to listen to religious music with instrumental accompaniment, you must understand that they recorded it as a form of worship as well as a form of entertainment… which is wrong. Therefore, by buying and actively listening to such music, you may be sending mixed messages to others and supporting an industry that is built upon a false teaching. We have to consider how our behavior looks to others (Matt 5:16). Just because you know anything but acapella worship is wrong doesn’t mean others would.

You also must consider your behavior – are you singing along with the music? If so, are you worshipping God with the words of the song? It is not always easy to discern the line between singing along as a form of entertainment and singing along as worship. You must decide for yourself if your behavior crosses the line between personal enjoyment and active participation in a form of worship God doesn’t desire.

Which brings us to the last question – does it bother your conscience? If you cannot feel completely convinced in your mind that what you are doing is acceptable before God, you have to refrain. Whatever cannot be done in faith is sin (Rom 14:23). If you consider your conscience, your influence, and your behavior before God, only then will you be able to come to a sound personal decision on whether or not you can listen.

If a husband cheats on his wife, is there an easy way for her to forgive them both?

Sincerely,
Cut Deeply

Dear Cut Deeply,

No, there is no easy way to forgive. Forgiveness isn’t easy. If God commands us to do something, it probably isn’t easy. That is why it is a narrow and hard-to-travel road to be a christian (Matt 7:13-14). Forgiveness requires us to take a loss and to accept a wrong done to us without vengeance (Matt 6:12). Forgiving others is a task that becomes more difficult the deeper the wound is. It might be easy to forgive a small unkindness, but something as wounding as adultery is a great injury. It is so severe of a sin that God permits divorce in such cases (Matt 5:31-32).

Whatever happens, don’t let their sins cut you so deeply that you become a bitter, angry person. Bitterness is a disease that can destroy us from the inside out (Heb 12:15). Bitterness is like poisoning yourself and expecting others to die. Forgiveness, in the long run, helps you to move forward with your own life and enjoy its sweetness.

Anything is possible through God (Php 4:13, Lk 18:27). There are many christians who have forgiven their spouses and gone on to have happy and wonderful marriages together. It will take time, but you can forgive. God will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able (1 Cor 10:13).

Are both cremation and burial acceptable per the Bible?  If we follow Jesus’ example, shouldn’t we all be entombed?

Sincerely,
Ashes to Ashes

Dear Ashes to Ashes,

Both cremation and burial are acceptable Biblical practices. The Bible makes it clear that your body is merely a tent that is discarded at death (2 Cor 5:1-4). Peter recognized that at death we leave this ‘tent’ of a body behind (2 Pet 1:14). Ultimately, your physical body will return to dust and dirt (Gen 3:19). It may sound morbid, but cremation simply speeds along the natural process of decay that will occur to all bodies eventually.

Furthermore, we have at least one account of cremation occurring in the Old Testament. Saul and his sons were cremated after they died in battle (1 Sam 31:12). The men that cremated Saul and his sons were later commended by David for their behavior (2 Sam 2:5). That same verse in 2 Samuel shows that David considered cremation a form of burial. David’s endorsement of cremation as a godly practice is worth noting.

The Bible does not seem to place much focus on how someone is buried. God’s emphasis is upon how we live (Gal 2:20), not what is done with our body after we die.

Does Matthew 19:9 teach that a christian who commits adultery and is divorced can’t remarry? What about when that adultery occurs before one becomes a Christian?

Sincerely,
Marriage Matters

Dear Marriage Matters,

Matt. 19:9 does not address remarriage or what happens after divorce. That verse is part of Jesus’ answer to the question the Pharisees asked in Matt 19:3. The Pharisees wanted to know when it was permissible for a man to divorce his wife. Christ’s answer revolves around the question, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for any cause?” Jesus’ answer: It is only permissible in the case of fornication.

Matt. 19:9 is not an answer to the question of what happens after divorce, but it is merely an answer to the question of when is it lawful for a christian to seek a divorce. Jesus is emphasizing that if a christian gets divorced for any reason other than fornication, then that person is going to be committing fornication themselves.

Matt. 19:9 is often used to discuss what happens after divorce, but that is using the verse out of context. That particular verse does not address what happens after divorce; it only addresses when a divorce is lawful. You would have to go to other verses to find out what God says happens after a divorce.

In the Old Testament, when asked His name, God tells Moses that it is “I Am”, which I understand to mean that He has always been, is, and will always be. Later, He is called Jehovah… what does the name Jehovah mean?

Sincerely,
“I Am’s” Servant

Dear “I Am’s” Servant,

‘I Am That I Am’ is the name God gives Moses for Himself in Ex 3:14. In the Hebrew, ‘I Am That I Am’ is a single word. The word is pretty much unpronounceable in our English language. In English, it would be like pronouncing ‘YHWH’ which sounds like jibberish! So Jewish scholars began to transliterate that word as ‘YeHoWaH’… which eventually became translated as ‘Jehovah’. So in fact, ‘Jehovah’ and ‘I Am That I Am’ are the exact same word – and they do indeed mean that God always has been, is, and will be (Isa 44:6, Rev 1:8).

Assuming you were baptized by immersion for the right reasons, is there ever a need to be re-baptized? What if there was a period you feel you were not living as a Christian?

Sincerely,
Wanting To Be Sure

Dear Wanting To Be Sure,

If you were baptized right the first time (see this post for proper baptism guidelines) – then you don’t need to be baptized again, even if you fell away for a period of time. Consider the case of the man who got caught up in the disgusting sin of sleeping with his father’s wife (1 Cor 5:1). The church at Corinth was told to withdraw from that man (1 Cor 5:13). Later on, that same man repented and came back to the Lord. Paul told the church that they should forgive him and his prior punishment had been sufficient (2 Cor 2:6-8). If someone can get caught up in that sort of depraved fornication and not need to be re-baptized, I think we can confidently say that no one needs it.

If someone falls away from the Lord, they must repent and return to God (1 Jhn 1:9). When they draw near again to God, He will draw near to them (Jas 4:8).