If it is unbiblical...it is a sin to practise it.

[Radagast]

How true is this?

Do you mean "if something is not mentioned in the Bible, like flying, is it a sin to practise it?" OR "if something is condemned in the Bible, like adultery, is it a sin to practise it?"

I would say NO to the first and YES to the second.

 

[Radagast]

I know of a denomination that was against TV ownership; that it is (was) the devil's box.

 

[Classik]

Do you mean "if something is not mentioned in the Bible, like flying, is it a sin to practise it?" OR "if something is condemned in the Bible, like adultery, is it a sin to practise it?"

I would say NO to the first and YES to the second.

Sorry.

Actually the first point is my intent. Thanks. But you think all practices not mentioned in the Bible are ok to practise?

 

[Obadiah]

...But you think all practices not mentioned in the Bible are ok to practise?

If I may put in my 2 cents on that, I would say no. There are a lot of things we have or do today that aren't specifically mentioned but yet could still be sin. That's why (I think) I said earlier something about things that aren't condemned "either directly or in principle". As kind of an oversimplified and obvious example of what I meant; shooting someone with a gun because you don't like them isn't specifically mentioned in the Bible. (Gun's hadn't even been invented.) But the principle of murdering someone and the condemnation of murder is mentioned, so therefore shooting someone with a gun because you don't like them is unbiblical based n the principle of murder! Not to mention it's not a very good way to show the "love" that Jesus commanded us to show to others! But notice I specifically said "because you don't like them". There are other situations where shooting someone with a gun can be completely Biblical, making even this example more complicated than it first seems.

But it gets even more complicated with a lot of other issues that are a lot more common for most of us to experience than shooting someone we don't like, and it can be lot harder to really make a statement as to whether something is condemned or not without being in the position of judging people's hearts, which we aren't allowed to do. Television was mentioned. Of course television isn't mentioned in scripture because it hadn't even been invented. But is it condemned in principle? That's something no one can really answer because the only part that might be condemned would be the person's attitude who is watching the television. Are they watching it with no sin involved? Fine. Or have they made it into an idol, spending their time watching it when they know God has other things He wants them to do but they choose to watch TV instead of follow God's requests of them. This would be just one way watching TV could be sinful or unbiblical. But only the person doing it can know their true reasons, and we can not condemn them because we can not judge their heart. The only thing we can sometimes judge is the outside effects of their TV watching, if we can even see those.

And it gets a lot more foggy still. What about clothing for the beach or for swimming in public. That's a big one in some churches. There is no condemnation of any clothing style in scripture and not even any condemnation of any degree of lack of clothing in such situations! Only things that are inner attitudes are mentioned, and those inner heart attitudes we can't judge or condemn unless maybe the person involved admits to the attitude (which is very rare). Yet some churches and other Christian groups strongly condemn things like swimsuits, especially bikinis, and especially outright nudity. One fundamental Baptist pastor I know personally even condemns anyone wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts, even on the beach in the summer! But the condemnation in scripture can only be based on lust (the Biblical use of the word "lust" as a sin) and that once again requires judging a persons heart, which we are commanded to not do. Not everyone who looks at certain clothing styles or lack of clothing is subjected to sinful lust, and even if they are, the guilt of that lies on the person doing the lusting, not on the person wearing (or not wearing) the clothing unless that person is purposely and knowingly doing it to put that "stumbling block" in front of the other person. And once again, that judgement requires knowing the person's heart, which only God can know.

The list of examples and opinions about them could go on forever, so this is a lot more complicated than simply asking if something isn't specifically mentioned in scripture does that mean it's unbiblical or mean it's sinful.

 

[turnorburn]

What do you mean? Like say for instance to stick your head in an oven that's been preheated to 375* for 15 minutes then turn over for another 10

 

[Obadiah]

What do you mean? Like say for instance to stick your head in an oven that's been preheated to 375* for 15 minutes then turn over for another 10

2

In that case I think you have a lot of other issues going in in your head to worry about!!! :yes:tongue
Everyone knows that when you turn over, it should only be for another 5, not 10!

 

[iLOVE]

For whatsoever is not of faith is sin. If a Believers faith is not maintained exclusively in Christ and the Cross it is sin and places you under the law which is a curse. Many Believers are in the default position by trying to earn righteousness by law. God only awards righteousness by maintaining faith exclusively in Christ and His Finished work. Either a Believer is in Grace or Law. A Believer is placed under the dispensation of Grace if faith is exclusively maintained in Christ and the Cross, i.e., Finished Work, i.e., The Blood of Jesus.

 

[Obadiah]

For whatsoever is not of faith is sin. If a Believers faith is not maintained exclusively in Christ and the Cross it is sin and places you under the law which is a curse. Many Believers are in the default position by trying to earn righteousness by law. God only awards righteousness by maintaining faith exclusively in Christ and His Finished work. Either a Believer is in Grace or Law. A Believer is placed under the dispensation of Grace if faith is exclusively maintained in Christ and the Cross, i.e., Finished Work, i.e., The Blood of Jesus.

So what kind of things do you think this passage is talking about when it says "whatsoever is not of faith..."? Maybe not just material "things", but also ideas, concepts, attitudes, or whatever...

 

[iLOVE]

So what kind of things do you think this passage is talking about when it says "whatsoever is not of faith..."? Maybe not just material "things", but also ideas, concepts, attitudes, or whatever...

The passage is talking about ALL things. Everything that man does dies; everything Jesus does lives forever and is blessed. Psalm 1:3

 

[Obadiah]

The passage is talking about ALL things. Everything that man does dies; everything Jesus does lives forever and is blessed. Psalm 1:3

What does that have to do with whether or not things not mentioned in the Bible are unbiblical and sinful or not? Are you perhaps saying that by this verse things not specifically mentioned as sinful then are not sinful as long as we put our faith directly in Christ? And if we don't put our faith in Christ, it doesn't matter if it's Biblical or not because we can not live perfectly under the law anyway? Not sure I'm understanding what you mean here.

 

[Corn Pop]

I think everything that is not mentioned directly in scripture can still be found in scripture.

 

[iLOVE]

What does that have to do with whether or not things not mentioned in the Bible are unbiblical and sinful or not? Are you perhaps saying that by this verse things not specifically mentioned as sinful then are not sinful as long as we put our faith directly in Christ? And if we don't put our faith in Christ, it doesn't matter if it's Biblical or not because we can not live perfectly under the law anyway? Not sure I'm understanding what you mean here.

Anything that leaves God out of the equation in your life is called walking in the flesh and law; which is sin.

 

[Corn Pop]

Everything comes down to do good to others like you would like others to do good to you.

I believe there is only two things. Faith in Christ, and treating others like you would like to be treated.

Thats probably the hardest thing because people can be completly evil at times.

 

[Obadiah]

Anything that leaves God out of the equation in your life is called walking in the flesh and law; which is sin.

That makes sense. Especially when a person realizes that having God in your life means a lot more than just going to church on Sunday morning! It means allowing Him to be part of and in control of everything you do all day, every day.

 

[iLOVE]

That makes sense. Especially when a person realizes that having God in your life means a lot more than just going to church on Sunday morning! It means allowing Him to be part of and in control of everything you do all day, every day.

The Believer who doesn't go to church doesn't have power. It requires power to live for God and walk in the spirit. 1 Corinthians 1:18

 

[Obadiah]

The Believer who doesn't go to church doesn't have power. It requires power to live for God and walk in the spirit. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Uh, just to be clear, I wasn't trying to support avoiding church. My point was that living with God in your life means a lot more than just going to church on Sunday morning. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

 

[iLOVE]

That is a very disgusting statement. The most righteous follower of Christ could be living in the middle of a desert for all you know.

God only rewards righteousness by maintaining faith exclusively in Christ and His Finished Work. Romans 4:5

 

[Radagast]

But you think all practices not mentioned in the Bible are ok to practise?

If they're not condemned explicitly or in principle (to use Obadiah's words), yes.

Of course, several Biblical condemnations extend to practices not specifically mentioned in the Bible. Matthew 5:28 means that Internet porn is wrong, for example. Ephesians 5:4 rules out many books, movies, and TV shows.