God. There is not the same need today. The authentication has al ready been settled. Q. Linden, Wash. "Is it wrong for the church to accept into its mem bership persons who belong to a lodge (secret organization) or those who go to dances? Our minister feels there's no problem since sim ply believing in Christ as Saviour is sufficient. What would you have to say?" A. We would not connect dancing with belonging to a lodge or secret organization. Our personal convic tion is that it is unscriptural to be long to a secret order. At the same time we know of many wonder ful Christian men who belong to lodges. The danger is for people to make their lodge affiliation a relig ion. The all-important thing is the redeeming love of the Lord Jesus Christ and the necessity for the new birth as found in Cod's Word. The church is to command our pri mary concern and not some other outside organization. We believe any person who is born-again hav ing accepted Jesus Christ as per sonal Savior, has the promise of eternal life. Salvation does not de pend on dancing or not dancing. As to the requirement of church membership, this depends on the policies of the individual assem bly. It is hard to see anything com patible with trying to live a life pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ while entering into all types of worldly activities. Q. Salinas, Calif. ",Did God create evil? Why do Christians conform to this world? What is your opin ion of such conformity by individ uals who claim to love God?"
A. The answer to the first question is an unequivocable "no." God did not create evil (Heb. 1:13; Tit. 1:2; Jas. 1:13). I John 1:5 — "Cod is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. As to conformity to this world we must realize that while the Lord has given us a new nature the old has not been eradicated. No be liever can dare say that he is with out sin. (Read the first chapter of I John.) If we do not allow our selves to be guided by the Holy Spirit we will be subject to the will of the flesh and of the devil. This is where the difficulties come in. As God's children we are not to love the things of the world. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit urges us to yield our bodies to Christ, not being "conformed to this world" (Rom. 12:1-2). We should be zealous to see that we avoid all conformity with the things of this world. John Wesley said that anything which cools our love and devotion of the Lord is the world! Q. Phoenix, Ariz. "Has God pro vided an everlasting body for the host of unbelievers just as He has for the saved and redeemed? While the Bible deals with hell and the lake of fire it never mentions the bodies of those who have rejected Christ. Souls and spirits are invis ible. Can they, without a body, suffer the agony of hell?" A. We believe that all who die are going to be raised again (John 5:28, 29). The fact is that the Bible does not tell us what kind of a body the unredeemed have. Of course, the saved will have bodies likened unto Christ (Phil. 3:21). The human mind cannot begin to fath om fully what that will be like.
Page 18
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker