The following is a follow up to the question “Almost Home Alone”:

Does it not also say, “Where one or two are gathered in My name, so shall I be there also”?  When you come together, you are assembled.  I do appreciate this site.  My friend (name omitted-AYP) showed it to me.  The first churches were small and met in homes.  In Alaska, sometimes there were only there or four people in our churches.

Sincerely,
Home Bound

Dear Home Bound,

Yes, it does say that where “two or three are gathered in My name, there shall I be” (Matt 18:20).  However, that is simply to point out that size doesn’t matter for fellowship with Christ.  If you are saying that you and your mother are forming your own church in your home – that is one thing.  However, what you said was that you were unable to join the church on most Sundays but still considered yourself a member of that congregation.  Many congregations do meet in homes, and that is completely appropriate (Philemon 1:2).  However, your situation is not one of a congregation forming in a home… but of two un-well people who cannot attend and be with the church.  There is a distinction between those two situations.  Two sick and homebound individuals do not have the responsibility of taking the Lord’s Supper, but a church gathered together on the first day of the week does (1 Cor 11:20-21).

I’m looking for the Bible verse where God told a man to walk around naked for three years.  Where is that story, and what is it all about?

Sincerely,
Modesty-Minded

Dear Modesty-Minded,

God commanded Isaiah to walk around naked and barefoot in Isa 20:2, but ‘naked’ doesn’t mean ‘without any clothing’ in this context.  The sackcloth robe that Isaiah would have removed was just his outer garment.  God commanded Isaiah to walk around wearing what a slave would wear (Isa 20:3-4).  The slaves of that time period wore very short tunics that reached from the neck to somewhere between the waist and the knee.  Although technically wearing clothing, Isaiah would have appeared as if he left his house naked because he wasn’t wearing his outer garments.  This was a visual prophecy that God used to tell the nation of Judah that they would be ashamed for trusting in Egypt and Ethiopia for aid because those nations would soon be destroyed by Assyria.  Judah needed to trust in God and not other nations.

I was studying the Bible with my friend (she is a Mormon), and she showed me a verse that talks about baptizing dead people (1 Cor 15:29).  What is that all about?

Sincerely,
Coffin Dunker

Dear Coffin Dunker,

God does command baptism for the dead… but not how the Mormons teach it.  Baptism for the dead is a Mormon practice where they baptize a living family member on behalf of a dead relative.  The Mormons then profess that “proxy-baptism” saves the soul of the dead relative, turning them into a Mormon.  There is nothing in the Bible that teaches this doctrine, and they misuse 1 Cor 15:29 when they refer to it.

1 Cor 15:29 is in the middle of a discussion Paul is having with the Corinthian church about life after death.  Paul just got done explaining that Jesus died and lived again (1 Cor 15:15-18).  Paul will then later explain that he is willing to be persecuted even to death in order to preach the gospel (1 Cor 15:30-32).  The statement about baptism for the dead is smack-dab right in the middle of that context.  Therefore, whatever “baptism for the dead” is referring to must have something to do with life after death and the willingness to die for the gospel because you have such a hope.

Baptism removes our sin (Acts 2:38).  Baptism saves us (1 Pet 3:21, Mk 16:16).  When we are baptized, we move from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life (Eph 2:1-5).  That spiritual death (i.e. eternity in hell) is what Paul is referring to in 1 Cor 15:29.  People are baptized for death, to remove spiritual death, and live in the hope of eternal life (Tit 3:7).  Jesus came and preached to those living in the “shadow of death” (Lk 1:79).  When we obey the gospel, we have passed out of death and into life (Jhn 5:24).  Jesus even went so far as to say that we will never see death if we keep His word (Jhn 8:51).  In the context of first Corinthians chapter 15, Paul is talking about this eternal death.  When people are baptized, they are baptized to avoid the eternal death that awaits all who are outside of Christ.

I’m taking care of my 93-year-old mother.  This morning she did not feel up to going to church.  I’ve had back surgery and often have to take medicine at night; I don’t want to get behind the wheel.  We drive twenty miles to services.  Is it okay if we study together on Sunday and have the Lord’s Supper?

Sincerely,
Home Bound

Dear Home Bound,

The Scriptures are clear that we should not forsake the assembly of christians (Heb 10:24-25), but if you are unable to leave your house, you are unable to leave your house.  There are always individual cases with extenuating circumstances that don’t conform to the standard rule.  The average person is able to get out and attend services, but if you are sick, socked-in by a blizzard, in the military, etc. – then your situation isn’t average.  God only holds us accountable for what we are able to do (2 Cor 8:12).  If you are ready and prepared to attend services as normal, but health problems don’t permit you to fulfill the desires of your heart, God understands.  The key is that you aren’t making empty excuses or rationalizations to avoid going to services.  As long as your reason for missing is legitimate (and your case certainly sounds that way), you can in clear conscience know that you did your best.

By all means, stay home and care for your elderly mother.  When you can make it to services, do so… but don’t feel bad when your or her health prevents you.  There is no need to take the Lord’s Supper when you can’t attend services.  The Lord’s Supper is taken by the church when they assemble together (1 Cor 11:20-21).  It is an act of the group to partake together in unity, not individually (1 Cor 11:33).  Because you are unable to leave your home to be with the church, it is not a sin for you to not take the Lord’s Supper.

I heard a sermon on obeying the government.  There was a verse that mentioned not overthrowing the king.  Which made me wonder… were the founding fathers sinning by leading the American Revolution against the king of England?

Sincerely,
Patriot or Traitor

Dear Patriot Or Traitor,

Your question is a profoundly difficult one to answer because:

1. Most Americans are thankful for the freedom they enjoy because of the American Revolution and are reluctant to consider their national heroes as potential sinners.
2. We were not there and cannot see the world through the founding fathers’ eyes.  We are only left with what details the history books give us.

Because of these two things, it is hard to give a definitive answer.  Realistically, any answer we give ends up being an “armchair quarterback” sort of statement.

Biblically, it is wrong to rebel against a government in almost all circumstances (Rom 13:1-2).  The only times where it is permissible are:

1. When the government is attempting to stop you from obeying God (Acts 5:29).
2. The government is preventing you from providing for your family’s basic needs (1 Tim 5:8).
3. The government is seeking to unjustly persecute and kill/harm you, your family, other christians, etc. (2 Cor 11:32-33).

If the government is attempting to do any of these things, a christian has biblical justification for rebelling against the government’s command.  That is what the Bible says on the matter.  The question is whether or not the American Revolution fits that criteria.  Depending on which historian you discuss the issue with, you will get a different answer.  Some will say, “Yes, it met that criteria,” while others will say, “No, it didn’t,” and some others will say, “Some people who rebelled met the criteria, and other’s didn’t.”  In our opinion (we now move into opinion, and leave the realm of Scripture), the last view is correct.  Some founding fathers rebelled out of a deep-seated spiritual conviction, and others rebelled out of simple frustration with the financial hardships that England placed upon them.  But in the end, all we can do is make sure that how we live is biblically sound – and leave the judgment of others to God.

I’ve had trouble in my past with the law.  I’m sorry for what I did and have changed.  Why do I still have to deal with all this?  Is there something obvious I can do or something to show people that I’m not the same?  I’ve tried wearing long sleeves to cover up my tattoos and wearing a cross, and all that didn’t work.  Is there, like, a saying or something that I can say?  Or something else I can wear?

Sincerely,
Reformed Citizen

Dear Reformed Citizen,

There are two areas of our life that our sins effect – the spiritual part of our life and the physical part of our life.  When you are baptized, the spiritual consequences for your sins are removed.  Our sins bring spiritual death (Rom 6:23), and baptism brings a new life in Christ (Rom 6:3-4).  The spiritual consequences for our sins are the most important because they are eternal consequences.  Even if all of mankind hates us, if God loves us, we are safe (Matt 10:28).  Forgiveness of your sins does not remove the physical consequences though – just the spiritual ones.

God tells us that we “reap what we sow” (Gal 6:7).  The physical consequences of our sins will be with us our entire life.  If we lose our temper and strike someone, then we must deal with the effects of that choice… even if God forgives us.  If I am an unfaithful steward and spend all the money God gives me on worthless things, God’s forgiveness will not miraculously remove my poverty.  God wants us to learn the lessons from our sins, and He disciplines us when we are disobedient (Heb 12:9-10).  There is no magic pill, incantation, or jewelry that will remove the consequences of your choices in this life.  All you can do is begin to humbly serve God (Mic 6:8).  As you make better choices – over time – you will find that people begin to treat you differently.  Let your humble, repentant, and gentle spirit shine through.  You know that you are a different person; in time everyone else will, too.