mailbag VIII
Well, the mailbox here at The Doctor's world headquarters has been overflowing with some really great questions recently. So without further delay, let's take a few minutes and check out some of the things that have been on your mind lately...What do you
think about body piercings for Christians?
When thinking about a question like this, it's always a good idea to go
to the Bible and see if it
has anything specific to say about this issue. In this case,
we find that Deuteronomy 14:1 tells us,
"You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not
cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead..."
(NIV). Now some people have taken this verse and
used it to forbid most forms of body
piercing but The Doctor believes that this verse actually refers to
something much different.
You see, it was a practice among the pagan cultures of those days for people to make cut marks on their bodies. This was done in connection with the worship of false gods (see 1 Kings 18:27-28 for an example). Because of this, The Doctor believes that this verse was not speaking specifically about body piercings. God was simply forbidding His people to follow the same practices as the ungodly nations that were around them (more on that in a moment).
In looking a little further, we find that earrings for God's people (both men and women) are mentioned in Exodus 32:2. We also find that nose rings were worn by women in Genesis 24:30 and Ezekiel 16:12. So it seems that we cannot rule out all body piercing as totally unbiblical. However, 1 Timothy 2:9-10 tells us something important regarding body jewelry...
"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God" (NIV).
Although this verse speaks to women, the idea is the same for everyone: a Godly attitude should govern our appearance. This, of course, would include any piercings that someone might have. Here's another Scripture that helps illustrate this point...
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight" (1 Peter 3:3-4 NIV).
The Doctor believes that God is more interested in the internal you than the external you. If you are Godly on the inside, than than your outward appearance (including any piercings) will naturally follow along!
Now, while it's hard to make a Biblical case against all body piercing, this doesn't mean that you should just go ahead and automatically do it. You see, another very important principal is found in 1 Corinthians 10:23. This Scripture tells us, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful..." (NKJ). Even though it may be perfectly lawful for you to pierce, that still doesn't mean that it's necessarily a good idea.
When it comes to the question of body piercing the questions to ask are the same as they would be for any other so-called gray area. If you are trying to decide whether this is right or wrong just ask yourself some questions like these...
- "Will this build my faith or weaken it?"
- "Does this support those things I believe in or try to tear them down?"
- "Am I doing this just so I can fit in with my friends or conform to the culture?"
- "Is this pleasing to God?"
Remember, 1 Thessalonians 5:21 tells us, "Test everything. Hold on to the good..."
Can the devil read our
thoughts?
Great question! Let's start by making a few observations about the devil. First, we should understand that Satan definitely has some limitations. Unlike God, Satan is not all knowing, he is not all powerful and he cannot be everywhere at once. Because of this, The Doctor would say that the devil probably cannot "read our thoughts." That is, Satan doesn't have the ability to know our thoughts even as we think them. That ability belongs only to the One who created us.
To help make this a little clearer, here are a few examples from the Bible...
"The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile" (Psalm 94:11 NIV).
"But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, 'Why do you think evil in your hearts?'" (Matthew 9:4 NKJ).
- Satan is very, very intelligent
- Satan has a tremendous amount of experience with humanity.
You see, Satan has watched how human beings have behaved in
almost every possible
situation for a long, long time. This experience can help him (or his
demonic
agents) to predict how people will respond in various circumstances
with great accuracy. We should also remember that Satan is a
supernatural being and may be able to monitor people and predict their
actions in ways that we don't understand. So while the devil may not be
able to read our
thoughts he does have certain advantages that may make it appear as if
he
can.
While all this may sound troubling, we should always remember that no
one -not even the devil- is more powerful that God.
Remember that if you are a Christian then God has come to live within
you! 1 Corinthians 6:19
tells us, "Haven't you yet learned that your body is
the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you?"
Also don't forget that 1 John 4:4 tells us that
"...greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."
This means that there is no room for the devil to come and read your
mind, even if he
did have the ability to do so.
Do you have a question for The Doctor? Just send it to the email address below- you'll get a personal reply and you just might see it answered here.
The Doctor is not a real
doctor but he plays one on the Internet. E-Mail prescriptions are also
available on an individual basis.
Except as indicated, all Scriptural references taken from The
Living Bible, © 1971, Tyndale House Publishers Back
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