Questions and Answers

Questions about Devco Baptist Church

Do you think it is o.k. to listen to preachers/speakers on the radio? I listen to Christian Radio, but wonder what your opinion is on this.

I do believe that it is o.k. to listen to preachers/speakers on the radio. Any form of media can be used for both good and evil. Because certain means of communication are used by evil doesn't make the means evil; the content being communicated is either good or evil while the means of communication is neutral (ie, radio, tv, internet, etc.).

Listening to Christian radio is a form of good content if the messages being preached and the songs being sang are correct in interpretation and application. Even listening to Christian radio has to be done with careful discernment - "But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

Questions about the Bible

This is a tough question with no easy answers, although the Bible does give an answer. What you are facing is a dilemma of "conflicting absolutes." In other words, you have a command from God to respect your husband and submit to him and you also have a command from God to respect and honor the Lord by worshiping Him within the context of a local assembly of believers. The Bible says, "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25). So, which command do you obey? Do you obey the command to assemble together (go to church), or do you obey the command to respect and honor your husband? Which command do you obey and which do you violate?

The answer, although not an "easy" answer, is found in a principle called "graded absolutes." God's principle is that when two laws (absolutes) conflict or collide, we are to obey the "higher law" and therefore are not guilty of disobeying the "lower law." Jesus Himself said that there are "weightier provisions of the law" (Matthew 23:23).

So the answer is that you obey the "higher law." But which is the higher and which is the lower? One way to determine the weight of a command is to see whether or not you are obeying God or man. For instance, God says that we are to be submissive to our government (Romans 13:1). But when our government requires us to do something that would violate God's commands, then we are to listen to God instead of man. We are not to violate God's commands because the government wants us to even though we are to be submissive to the government. At that point they have overstepped their God-ordained boundaries and it is our duty to remain loyal and faithful to God and His commands.

To obey man instead of God is the equivalent of idolatry. Jesus even said that any loyalty to any family member that is greater than our loyalty to Him is unacceptable - the reason is because it is idolatry (see Matthew 10:34-39).

Although obeying God will bring its hardships, even in family relationships, we must be faithful to God if others are to see their unfaithfulness.

As a wife with an unbelieving husband you should pay close attention to 1 Peter 3:1-6. Be unwaivering in your devotion to Jesus as Lord (go to church) and also be unwaivering in your submission to your husband in the areas in which he is not causing you to have greater loyalty to him than you do to Jesus.

May he be won without a word by your behavior!

Is there anywhere in the Bible that indicates or says that the methods that we use to serve God matter?

There are actually two ways to determine the answer to this question. First, there is the biblical answer and second, there is a logical answer. In the Bible, Jesus used both the Scriptures and logic to silence his opponents. We can use the Bible and logic to determine that methods do matter and that certain methods are "outlawed" by God.

The biblical answer:

First, the Bible tells us that "how" we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ is important. "How" would definitely be methodology. We are told in 1 Corinthians 3:10 that each man must be careful how he builds. Then from 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 we are warned that God is going to judge the quality of each man's work (not his quantity). We can either use gold, silver, and precious stone methods and materials or we can use wood, hay, and straw materials to build. The method determines the material. Obtaining gold, silver, and precious stones is a lengthy process but its end is quality. Obtaining wood, hay, and straw is a short and easy process that produces quantity but it has no quality (don't forget about the three little pigs).

Second, the Bible tells us that there are no shortcuts to doing the will of God. Anyone who takes a shortcut to doing God's will has succumbed to the temptations of the devil and sinned against God. The temptations of the Lord Jesus by the devil were temptations of methodology. The devil tried to get the Lord to use unworthy methods to accomplish a worthy objective (the will of God). The temptation to turn stones into bread was a temptation of methodology - was Jesus going to use His own method for nourishment (lean on His own understanding) or was He going to use His Father's method (trust the Lord with all His heart). The temptation to jump from the pinnacle of the temple was a temptation of methodology - was Jesus going to use His own method of dazzling the crowd for gaining a following (lean on His own understanding) or was He going to use His Father's method of disciple-making (trust the Lord with all His heart). The temptation to be made King by the devil was a temptation of methodology - was Jesus going to use His own method of becoming King the easy way (lean on His own understanding) or was He going to use the Father's method of suffering in shame before sharing in glory, of a cross before a crown (trust the Lord with all His heart). See Matthew chapter 4.

Third, the Bible teaches us that we are not to strategize and we have the example of the Lord Jesus Christ who although He existed in the form of God, He did not strategize. Jesus did not strategize how He was going to save the world - He submitted to His Father's strategy (method). The baptism of the Lord in the Jordan River was His public identification with His Father's strategy (method) for saving the world - through death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus' baptism had nothing to do with identifying with sinful man - He did that at the incarnation - His baptism was His identification with His Father's perfect plan and therefore His baptism was in fulfillment of all righteousness.

Fourth, the Bible teaches us that there are only two kinds of methods - methods of the flesh and methods of the Spirit. Does God accept the methods of the flesh? Romans 8:5-14 tells us that God does not accept the methods of the flesh and that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Many people today think that they are pleasing God because of their worldly and fleshly methods that have results of quantity but are powerless to produce the quality that God is looking for. This was the grave error of the false prophets and false Christians in Matthew 7:13-27 who thought that methods didn't matter and instead of doing God's will God's way (see Matthew 7:21), they did God's will their own way - an act which the Lord calls "lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23).

Finally, although more Scriptures could be given, we are taught all over Scripture through principles and precepts that we are not to be like the world, we are not to compromise with the world, we are not to conform to the world, we are not to love the world, and we are not of this world. According to the Bible, an identifying mark of false prophets and of false Christians is that "they (false prophets) are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world (false Christians) listens to them" (1 John 4:5). On the other hand, an identifying mark of a true prophet and of true Christians is that "we (true prophets) are from God; he who knows God (true Christians) listens to us (true prophets); he who is not from God (false Christians) does not listen to us (true prophets). By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error" (1 John 4:6).

The logical answer:

Logically we can deduce that just because a method gets "results" does not make it a good method. Raping a woman to satisfy sexual desires may get results but it is an unworthy method. Stealing to obtain may get results but it is an unworthy method. Watering down the gospel; openning a wide gate through improper application of the gospel; and taking shortcuts to arrive at the will of God are all unworthy methods of trying to reach a worthy objective. Vance Havner said, "A few years of unworthy means (methods) and you've already spoiled the objective before you get to it" - http://209.61.148.165/clientimages/31831/excerpt1fromgettingusedtothedark.wma

Believing that methods don't matter as long as they are working is a deadly and deluding practice of judging by appearance and is nothing short of philosophical pragmatism. Jesus said, "Do not judge according to appearance, but make a righteous judgment" (John 7:24). According to pragmatism some of the most God honored men would be sorry failures. Paris Reidhead said, "Our day is the day in which the ruling philosophy is pragmatism" - http://209.61.148.165/clientimages/31831/excerpt1fromtenshekelsandashirt.wma

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world - and they will tell you that methods don't matter because they want you to succumb to the devil's temptations and they want you to confuse flesh for faith.

Even though we don't have all the details concerning all of the children of Adam and Eve, we do have enough information from the Bible to come to grips with the truth that the first man and the first woman were Adam and Eve and that all of mankind has descended directly from them.

The Bible lists Cain and Abel and then Seth as descendants of Adam. Cain and Abel are listed in Genesis chapter 4. Then in Genesis chapter 5 we read about the book of the generations of Adam. In chapter 5 there is no mention of Cain and Abel in the generations of Adam.

We need to understand that God didn't list "all" the sons and daughters of Adam. Even in Genesis 5:4 the Bible tells us that Adam had other sons and daughters (who we are not given their names or how many). But notice that Adam was 130 years old before he had Seth. God listed Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve’s first two sons to show us at the very beginning of the Bible of the warfare between those who serve God in truth (in God's way) and those who try to serve God in their own way.

So, Adam and Eve would have certainly had many more children between their having Cain and Abel down to Seth. The reason the Bible begins the generations of Adam with Seth is because God is showing us "the godly line" through which He would bring the promised "Deliverer." In the list in Genesis 5 all that are recorded are those in the godly line. Genesis 5:4 makes it plain that the list isn't an exhaustive list but a selective list. So then, neither is the listing of Cain and Abel an exhaustive list of all the children of Adam and Eve but a selective list to show the difference between who is of God and who is of the evil one.

The Bible tells us towards the end of the New Testament that Cain was of the evil one (1 John 3:12). This does not mean that the devil was Cain's physical father - Genesis 4:1 says that Adam was the physical father of Cain. But the Bible is telling us of the spiritual nature of Cain. Spiritually, Cain was a child of the devil. His nature showed up in his rebellion against God's prescribed manner of worship and in his killing his brother because his deeds were "evil" and his brother's deeds were "righteous."

Since the list is selective and not exhaustive, then there is no problem understanding that Adam and Eve had many more children - some of whom would want to kill Cain for his killing Abel. There was not another "race" of people. The Bible makes it clear that all men are descended from one man (Acts 17:26).

In the Bible there is a judgment that we are commanded to avoid and there is a judgment that we are commanded to practice. The judgment that we are commanded to avoid is the critical condemnation of sin in the lives of others when we have not been critical and condemning to the sin that is in our lives. Men do not have the final say so in the matter of eternal life or eternal death. Therefore, we are never to "condemn" anyone because that is the prerogative of God alone.

The judgment that we are to practice is the careful examination and discrimination against false teaching and false teachers. Jesus said in Matthew 7:15, "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." In order for us to be obedient to that command we must be able to make a judgment of whether or not the person speaking is a true prophet or a false prophet. All through the Bible we are commanded and warned to look out for false prophets and teachers. The Bible also tells us to "examine everything carefully, hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 4:21-22). As Christians we are to be constantly judging the message and the messenger to see whether or not they are from God - because many false prophets have went out into the world. The only way to do this is to make a righteous judgment according the the revealed truth and wisdom of God's word.