Fasting

Dr. Couch, what do you think of fasting today? ANSWER:  Fasting is not commanded by the Lord. And if one traces all the various references out, you find that this was mainly a Jewish practice, though we have several mentions of those in the church fasting.    On some of the references we have a manuscript and a textual Greek issue. For example, the NAS rightly translates 2 Corinthians 6:5 and 11:27 as "hunger" rather than fasting. Where it is mentioned in Acts 27:9 it is very Jewish, though the apostle Paul seems to have been honoring it while on his trip by sea to Rome. Ger makes the brief comment: On Paul's trip, the celebration of "Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement ("the Fast, ten nesteian) had already come and gone."    Most of the references of fasting are found in the very Jewish context of the Gospels. There are only a few references made concerning those in the church fasting, as I have already mentioned. We find the church leaders fasting in Acts 14:23 and also in 13:2-3. This will shock many reading this question, but Christ and the disciples did not practice fasting regularly, or at all. The disciples of John the Baptist asked Christ why His own disciples did not fast. He answered: "The attendants of the bridegroom (Christ) cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast" (Matt. 9:14-15). This may imply that the disciples would indeed fast after His ascension!    The Bible does not make fasting mandatory, and, we find that only the church leaders in some occasions actually fasted. I do not want to judge anyone about this issue. Fasting is up to the conscience of the believer. But it is my experience that those who fast often do it with a little bit of legalism or extra spiritual piety thrown into the mix. They almost brag about their fasting. Of course, they do not have to do this, and I would not want to say that all who feel they should fast from time to time, are doing so from a super spiritualized position.    The main issue is how one walks in fellowship with his Lord. We all should be aware that if necessary, we can take that extra time to be in communication with Him. Fasting originally began be the fact that one was so burdened and convicted about certain issues in their life, they could not eat! Their hunger had left them and they just wanted to spend time speaking with the Lord. In time, fasting became a "ceremony" or a practice that showed how burdened one was over a problem or issue.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

No Longer Can Sin

Dr. Couch, I'm told by some legalistic Christians that believers no longer can sin. This does not seem correct from the biblical standpoint or from experience. How do you answer? ANSWER:  I answer by Scripture! I find it fascinating how many Christians do not read their Bible and therefore do not know what it says. For example, if I asked some of those folks who have never read their Bible, can believers practice idolatry? most would answer no! Again, they have not read what the Word of God says.    In Ephesians Paul writes about Christians being liars: "Be laying aside falsehood, speak truth" (v. 25). He adds "Do not give the devil an opportunity …" (v. 27). "Let the thief stop stealing" (v. 28), and "Let no unwholesome (spoiled fish) word come from your mouth" (v. 29). "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit" (v. 30), and "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you" (v. 31). "Be kind to one another" (v. 32).    "Walk in love (5:2), and "do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you" (v. 3). "There must be no filthiness and silly talk" among you (v. 4). Here's the biggy: "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret" (vv. 11-12). Concerning idolatry further: Paul says to believers, "Flee idolatry" (1 Cor. 10:14), and "Don't be an idolater" (v. 7)). In 1 John 5:21 we read "Keep from idols."    How stupid for believers to say they do not sin! How blind they are to their own actions!    The problem is that few believers have been taught by their lazy pastors to understand the difference between POSITIONAL and EXPERIENTIAL Truth! In our Position, we are saints in Christ, but in our walk in time, in our Experience, we can sin, and in fact DO SIN! Of course believers are not supposed to sin but the reality is that we do!    Ephesians 5:8 explains this clearly. Paul writes "For then in the past you were DARKNESS, but now LIGHT in the Lord; be continually walking as children of light." Paul does not write that we were IN Darkness but that we WERE DARKNESS! Now, we are not simply In the Light but we are LIGHT! This is a statement about our old and our new POSITION in Christ. Now, we are to be walking about in our EXPERIENCE in Christ, as children of Light!     Go to a church where you are taught the Word of God. Stop listening to sermonettes for Christian-ettes! Start being taught by teachers who know their stuff!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

Legalism in Churches

Dr. Couch, I am a pastor in a small Baptist denomination. I am seeing legalism and just plain stupid things now happening in our group. I don’t know if I can go on. My heart is really wrenched by what I see. What should I do?

ANSWER: First of all, let me say that what you are seeing is happening all over. What I find remarkable is that so many others of your associates do not see the same things going on. This means that they are not spiritually sensitive, and, that they like the company of the denomination. So many today are spiritually blinded and are buying into the philosophies and practices of the culture. And as well, probably you would agree that they have a certain pride in who they are.

To me you have several choices: (1) Leave the denomination. (2) Leave but see if your church would go with you. (3) Talk to brother pastors who see what you see, to ascertain what you could do together to bring about conviction to the group.

Number (3) will probably not work. I have never seen prideful people change their ways. They love to sit in the seat of power and authority and are not aware of the shifting going on in the denomination. Because people like to “cluster” in a denomination, and because they don’t see what you see, number (2) will probably not happen either. That leaves (1) by which you resign and go out on your own. Be prepared for a rough and rocky ride. Starting something new that is true to the teaching of God’s Word, is rarely working in today’s church climate.

I hate to give you this bad news but I deal with this weekly, with pastors emailing me about the changes taking place in their churches. If you leave, more than likely you will gather a few around you who want the truth. And God may cause a new work to grow, but that is not the trend today. What is happening to you is not coming about by accident. God told us an apostasy would flourish in the end times, a departure in which people will thrive on carnality and error. So we should not be surprised! I wish I had better and more positive news but I don’t.

Thanks for sharing your heart.
Dr. Mal Couch

Back-biting, Lying, Legalism, and Hate

Dr. Couch, what is going on in churches? I have never seen so much back-biting, lying, legalism, and hate. It seems to be getting worse. What do you say? 

 

    ANSWER:  I have noticed the same. I’ve been in the ministry almost fifty years and I believe it truly is getting worse. I do not know which is worse: “Fundamental legalism or liberalism.” They both are extremely destructive. 

    Let me explain Fundamental legalism. I am not addressing the issue of believing in the fundamentals of the faith—which I do to the extreme! I am talking about narrow-minded, bigoted people, who are cowards, live in fear, judge everyone, and too often are biblically ignorant. Liberals are easy to spot—they just deny the Scriptures. The super fundies lay low and then attack with their narrow legalism. They can harm a church before you know it because they are always in the “judgment” mode. However, I have found that most people in the congregation sense something is wrong with these people. Their noses are in the air and they give off an attitude that they are better than the rest. Generally, when they leave the church, the atmosphere improves! 

    In the Homiletic Commentary, on 1 & 2 Samuel, there is a classic statement that fits such legalists perfectly. It reads:

We often make great mistakes in judging of the characters of others, because we ignore all certain subtle considerations; and many well-conducted persons among us get great credit for their good moral character, while the truth is that they are blameless not so much because they have higher-toned principles than others (which they think they have), as because they have feeble, timid, and legalistic natures, that are too cautious or too weak to let them go very far either into holiness or into sin.

    The Lord Jesus always forgave erring sinners but He really detested the legalistic Pharisees. They thought they were holy but they really were not! These folks are snakes in the grass! Avoid them at all cost. They are not teachable nor do they want the truth if it contradicts what they believe! 

    Thanks for asking!

    Dr. Mal Couch