Shame: A Biblical Perspective

Man covering face

Shame may be defined as “a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.” One can also be shamed or put to shame by others, causing him to feel ashamed.

Shame has a very negative connotation in our society today. Many believe that children should not be disciplined or corrected for fear that they might be made to feel ashamed. Sin is tolerated and even celebrated so that those who practice it will not feel shame for their actions. Behaviors that were once kept secret because they were shameful are now proudly announced to the world.

What does the Bible have to say about all of this? Let us consider shame from a Biblical perspective.Continue Reading

Why Parents Should Dress Their Young Children Modestly

Young Girl by the Lake

There are many ways in which Christians show themselves to be different from the world. One of these is in the way we dress. The Bible emphasizes the importance of dressing in “modest apparel” (1 Timothy 2:9, KJV). Therefore, as we have the obligation to “speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11, KJV), it is important for us to emphasize this as well.

However, when it comes to raising children, we may wonder how early parents need to be concerned with having their children dress modestly. When does it become important for parents to be sure their children are dressed in this way? When they turn eighteen? When they become teenagers? Or should this begin much earlier, perhaps when the children are toddlers? The time to start this may be earlier than many expect.

In this article, I want us to consider some reasons why dressing modestly is important for young children.Continue Reading

Elders in Every Church (Part 2): Character Qualifications for Elders #1

Elders in Every Church (Part 2): Character Qualifications for Elders #1

First, a word about the qualifications in general. Some have attempted to say that the qualifications for elders are not really qualifications, but are only meant to present a general description of those who can serve as elders. This argument is made to defend the appointment of a man who does not fit all of the qualifications. Those who argue this will often say that since the list of qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 does not match the list in Titus 1, then we cannot combine the passages and strictly follow them because Timothy and Titus were able to appoint elders without having the other list.

There are two problems with this argument. First, it assumes that Paul was writing to Timothy and Titus about something he had not discussed with them previously. This cannot be the case. Paul told Titus he was to appoint elders “as I directed you” (Titus 1:5). The things that Paul taught, he taught “everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17). Therefore, he had given uniform instructions to both Timothy and Titus about the qualifications for elders. Second, it is difficult to imagine anyone who would qualify using one list but not the other. We must see these qualifications as exactly that – qualifications that must be met for one to serve as an elder.
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The Need for Godly Women

Woman by the lake

This is a follow-up to a recent article: The Need for Godly Men. While it is true that many of our society’s problems are related to the fact that men are not fulfilling their God-given roles in the home and in society, the same is also true of women. For a long time, feminism has attacked the concepts and instructions contained in the Scriptures regarding the roles of women in general and of wives and mothers specifically.
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“Chaste and Respectful Behavior” in Our Modern Age

Kendell_Jones

Kendall Jones, a teenage girl from Texas, has recently received some attention over pictures that have appeared online from her hunting trips to Africa, showing her with various animals that she has killed. Understandably, people will have different opinions about whether someone should be hunting such animals. However, some of the reactions to these pictures are disturbing to say the least.

One of the disturbing reactions has come from Mike Dickinson – a Democrat politician running for Congress in Virginia. He has offered $100,000 for nude photos or videos of this teenage girl.
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What We Profess With Our Dress

Woman Standing in a Field

Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness” (1 Timothy 2:9-10).

Paul talked about women wearing clothing that is “proper for women making a claim to godliness.” The King James Version contains this phrase: “women professing godliness.” The point is that our clothing makes a statement. We should ask ourselves: Are we making the right statement with our clothing?

These verses are specifically directed toward women. There is a reason for this – women are much more likely to cause harm with their improper dress. It is not that men can dress however they want without any thought to “godliness.” The principles in this passage – as well as the others we will be considering in this article – apply to both men and women. In this article, we will notice some of the things that we should profess with our dress.
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The Older Women Must Teach the Young Women

Mother, daughter, and baby

In many ways, our society’s norms and values are quite different from those found in the Bible, particularly in regard to the role and responsibilities of women. Paul instructed Titus to teach the older women about what they were to teach to the younger women. These lessons are still needed today.

Older women likewise are to be… teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored” (Titus 2:3-5).

Paul mentioned seven lessons the older women were to teach to the younger women. Let us consider each one briefly.
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