Evangelism, Mailbag, Salvation

The Mailbag: Saved by the “Sinner’s Prayer”?

Michelle Lesley

The Sinner’s Prayer. I repeated that many years ago. I’ve also led others in that prayer as well. It was ingrained in me so long ago that it was the thing to do. Now, I see that it is not right. I read your article about What Must I Do to Be Saved? I am really turned upside down right now, not knowing if I am truly saved! Yes, I have repented of my sins and asked for forgiveness, as part of a sinner’s prayer, because I believe in a triune God. I believe that Jesus walked this earth as fully God and fully man. I know that God is always in control of all things at all times. I believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God. I say I trust in God for all my needs, but do I really? I pray, but still worry. Please help me! I don’t want to be told, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.“

I am so sorry you’re going through such anguish about this. You’re not alone – most genuine Christians, including yours truly, have moments when they wonder, and even agonize over, whether or not they’re genuinely saved.

I think the part of my gospel presentation page that caught your attention was this paragraph under the section heading, “What are some of those false gospels?”:

If, at some point in your life you repeated the words of a “sinner’s prayer,” “accepted Jesus,” or “asked Jesus into your heart,” (even if you didn’t know what you were doing, and without true repentance and faith) you’ve been born again.

I’ve highlighted the key words and phrases we need to take a look at, because I think you may have misunderstood what I meant in this paragraph. The term “sinner’s prayer,” used in evangelical common parlance has a specific meaning. It does not mean “any sinner praying any prayer that leads to salvation”. We are all sinners. We all have to talk to God (prayer) to tell Him we repent of our sins and wish to place our faith in Christ. If all such prayers were wrong, none of us would be saved.

Typically, what evangelicals mean when we use the term “sinner’s prayer” is an altar call type of scenario following a sermon at church, a Christian camp, concert, rally, revival, etc., where someone is attempting to get attendees to “make a decision for Christ”. Often – with heartstring-tugging music in the background – whoever is leading the altar call time will say something to the effect of, “I’d like every head bowed and every eye closed. If you’re here today, and you want Jesus to save you and take you to Heaven when you die, raise your hand. … I see that hand. Thank you, sir, I see your hand. … Now, if you just raised your hand, repeat this prayer -either out loud or in your heart- to God: Lord, I admit that I’m a sinner (Lord, I admit that I’m a sinner.)…” And it goes on from there with the leader leading these people phrase by phrase through a prayer of (hopefully biblical) confession, repentance, and faith in Christ. Sometimes he’ll even say something like, “Repeating the words of this prayer won’t save you unless you really mean it in your heart.” When he’s finished he will usually say something like, “If you just prayed that prayer, you’re saved! Welcome to the family of God.”

A fairly typical altar call and sinner’s prayer.
(If you don’t have a lot of time, you can fast forward through the song. It’s around 1:17-5:39.)
(There are some biblical issues with the prayer, but there are far greater problems with the church and its pastors, and it’s not one I’d recommend.)

That’s what evangelicals mean when they say “sinner’s prayer”. The wording and order of the altar call and the prayer itself can vary greatly, from the completely biblical all the way to the blasphemously heretical, and it can be done in a corporate setting or one on one, but this is the gist of it.

But you need to understand why, in recent years (and on my gospel presentation page) there’s been pushback against this kind of scenario.

It creates false converts.

Granted, God has used this formula to create true converts as well, but the numbers of false converts (people who think they’re saved, but have never been genuinely born again) this little exercise has created are overwhelming. Why? Generally speaking1…

◇The foundational reason the sinner’s prayer scenario creates false converts is that it’s pragmatic Finneyism, an “always be closing” technique designed to seal the deal. It’s more concerned with getting people to say they’ve been saved than whether or not they actually are saved.

◇Many (not all) of the churches that use this technique are not doctrinally sound to begin with, so the “sinner’s prayer” they have people repeat is based on a false gospel. Usually, the more doctrinally sound a church or Christian organization is, the less likely it is to employ an altar call and sinner’s prayer.

◇The sinner’s prayer is often used on children. It is a standard feature of most Vacation Bible Schools, and many Sunday Schools, children’s church services, and other evangelical children’s events. Tragically, many a five year old who has raised his hand and repeated the prayer has been pronounced “saved,” and toddled through the waters of baptism, even though he had no idea what he was doing. The vast majority of young children lack the intellectual capacity to understand abstract concepts like sin, guilt, repentance, substitutionary atonement, faith, and eternity. But a 30 year old – who shows every sign of being lost as a goose in a hailstorm – will point back to that moment of ignorance when he was five, put his faith in the fact that he prayed a prayer, he walked the aisle and made a profession of faith, and he decided to be baptized (perhaps not even retaining memories of these things) and declare himself to be a Christian. And many a mother of such wayward adult children will comfort herself with this “decision” her child made. “He’s just backslidden, but he prayed the prayer, so I’m sure he’ll go to Heaven when he dies.”.

◇Even teens and adults can repeat a prayer without really understanding (possibly because they haven’t actually been told) the biblical gospel and without truly repenting of their sin. But they think they’re saved because they did something with Jesus’ name attached to it. They place their faith in the action they took – that they prayed a prayer – rather than placing their faith in the One they were (ostensibly) praying to. Their faith is in what they did rather than what Jesus did for them.

And how do we know the sinner’s prayer creates so many false converts? We see it when those false converts get genuinely saved and tell us, “I said a sinner’s prayer, but I wasn’t saved,” and we see it in the rotten fruit of the lives of professing Christians who parroted some sort of sinner’s prayer and went right on sinning, or eventually turned back to living in sin.

That’s where the rubber meets the road of whether or not you were genuinely saved by praying a “sinner’s prayer”. We all continue to sin. None of us will ever be perfect, but look back over the years since you prayed that prayer. Have you grown in your love for Christ? In your knowledge of and obedience to His Word? In your love for, and service to the church? Are you increasingly exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit? Do you pursue holiness? Wisdom? Are you sharing the gospel with the lost and discipling the saved? Are you on a general trajectory of becoming more like Christ because you love Him and you want to be like Him?

These are the sorts of things you can look to for reassurance that you’re saved, not that you once repeated a prayer, despite the fact that you now live like a rank pagan. Going back to the words in red in the quote above, what I was trying to say2 is, nobody gets saved by merely rattling off the words of a prayer. You must understand the biblical gospel, repent of your sin, and place your faith in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection to save you.

Just a couple of lines down on that same page, I said this…

The Bible says we should examine ourselves to discover whether or not we are truly in the faith. Take some quiet, undistracted time alone with God today and search your heart. What do you really believe? Is it the true gospel of Scripture, or something else? Don’t put it off, it’s too important. If you need some help, try working through my study Am I Really Saved? A 1 John Check-Up.

The book of 1 John is an incredibly helpful measuring stick to assist you in determining whether or not you’re genuinely saved. I would encourage you (and anyone else reading this who struggles with assurance) to either study 1 John in depth on your own, making note of what is and isn’t true of genuine Christians, or use my study linked above to help you work through this amazing epistle.

Additionally, when working through an issue like this, it’s always best to set up an appointment with your (doctrinally sound) pastor for counsel.

1Please understand that there are churches all over the spectrum of sound/false doctrine who use this method, so these points may or may not apply to every church that uses altar calls and/or a repeated “sinner’s prayer”.

2After considering this sister’s confusion and re-reading the paragraph multiple times, I decided I needed to clarify the wording a bit.

Additional Resources:

A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: How Charles Finney’s Theology Ravaged the Evangelical Movement by Phil Johnson

Altar Calls and the Sinner’s Prayer? | WWUTT | June 10, 2015

Should we lead someone in “the sinner’s prayer”? | Wretched | November 7, 2014

Altar Calls: Emotional Manipulation or True Conversion? (with Costi Hinn and Steve Lawson) | For the Gospel | October 6, 2023

You’ll Stop Using the Sinner’s Prayer After Watching This | Living Waters | August 16, 2021

If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.

Discernment

TGCW24- Mark and Avoid

Michelle Lesley

Until such time as I can pull together an article proper on The Gospel Coalition (TGC), please allow the article below on TGCW24 and the following two resources to serve as evidence of the reasons TGC is no longer doctrinally sound and should be marked and avoided as a whole: TGC is woke, progressive, egalitarian, soft on perversion, has a social justice bent, and mishandles Scripture.

Why It’s Time to Say Goodbye to The Gospel Coalition at Clear Truth Media

Unmasking False Teaching in Women’s Ministries with Michelle Lesley on the Contending for the Word podcast

Photo courtesy of TGCW24- edited

Ladies, The Gospel Coalition’s 2024 Women’s Conference (TGCW24) is coming up in about two weeks. I would encourage you not to attend the conference itself or any local simulcast of it, and to give any of your friends who are considering attending a heads up about the biblical issues with it.

About 15-20 years ago, TGC was a great, doctrinally sound resource, but it’s been on a downhill trajectory of wokeness, egalitarianism, softening toward perversion, and Scripture mangling ever since. One of TGC’s favorite article templates in recent years seems to be “Finding Jesus/the Gospel in [insert current popular secular movie here],” a gross mélange of worldliness and Scripture twisting. They have platformed Thabiti Anyabwile, who, the last time I read anything he wrote, had moved beyond woke to flat out racist. They’ve platformed Jackie Hill Perry (and others like her), who is not only woke, but preaches to men. And these are just a few small examples.

Over the last several years, TGCW has typically platformed this same type (woke and egalitarian) of speaker, and this year is no exception. This year’s line up also includes two Side B speakers who both identify as “Same Sex Attracted (SSA) Christians.“

You can find the list of speakers for TGCW24 here (until they’re removed from the TGCW site) and in the slideshow below:

I am not familiar with all of them, but let me provide you with some brief info on the ones I am familiar with and you’ll see why this is an event (and an organization) to avoid.

[Items in brackets are quoted from speaker bios at the TGCW24 website linked above. Just click on the speaker’s picture to verify.]

Jen Wilkin

Vanessa Hawkins: [serves as diversity advisor] Click the X post below (or the “link” underneath the post) and scroll down to see several video excerpts of Vanessa’s unbiblical teaching at TGCW24.

link / screenshot

David Platt

Alicia Akins: lots about race/diversity on her blog

Kristie Anyabwile: [She joyfully supports her husband…Thabiti]

Tina Boesch: [She works at LifeWay and manages the women’s Bible Study publishing team.] LifeWay’s prototypical women’s Bible study author preaches to men, yokes with false teachers, and mishandles Scripture. You’ll notice several of the authors Tina publishes are listed either in this article, at my Popular False Teachers tab, or both.

Missie Branch: [Missie serves on the SBC’s Racial Reconciliation Steering Committee and as chair of the board of trustees at Lifeway Christian Resources.] As chair of trustees, Missie bears much responsibility for the false teachers’ materials LifeWay carries. Missie also spoke/participated in events at the 2021 and 2022 Southern Baptist Convention, always in the company of other progressives.

Rachel Gilson: [serves on the leadership team of theological development and culture with Cru] Describes herself as “same sex attracted”.

Mary Wilson Hannah: [teaches Old Testament at Memphis City Seminary. Mary enjoys teaching and training others to teach the Scriptures,]

Rebecca McLaughlin: Calls herself a “Same Sex Attracted Christian” (She’s also one of LifeWay Women’s featured speakers/authors, by the way.)

Raechel Myers

Ann Voskamp

Amanda Bible Williams

Elizabeth Woodson: Preaches to men (see videos). “We also seek to elevate the voices of men and women of color so that our understanding of the way of Jesus reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of the kingdom of God.” (source)

Ladies, when you sit under someone’s teaching – whether it’s your pastor, Sunday School teacher, a conference speaker, or even a blogger or podcaster – you want to be sure that person is as doctrinally sound as possible. Women who defy Scripture by preaching to men, who embrace worldly, unbiblical paradigms regarding ethnicity, who identify themselves by ungodly, disordered lusts, and who twist Scripture to justify all these things and more are not women you should trust to teach you the truth of God’s Word. I urge you, stay away from TGC and TGCW.

If you’d like find out more about any of these or the other speakers on your own, may I suggest my article Is She a False Teacher? 7 Steps to Figuring it Out on Your Own for some research tips.

And if you’re looking for a doctrinally sound alternative to TGCW24, IF:Gathering, and all of LifeWay’s women’s conferences, may I recommend…

Shepherds’ Wives Conference (open to all women)

Any conference Susan Heck is headlining.

Answers for Women 2025– (Update: Now that this conference is over, you can access the teaching sessions here if you have a subscription -or a free trial subscription- to Answers TV. I am recommending only the 2025 Answers for Women conference, Resolute.)

G3 Women’s Expository Teaching Workshop (More of a weekend class than a conference, but still a great alternative.)

Any conference I’m speaking at. I promise I’m not trying to promote myself, it’s just that I know firsthand that these conferences will be doctrinally sound because I’m the one teaching them. :0) Plus, you can schedule one at your church on your timetable! Click here and scroll all the way down to my calendar of events.

Evangelism, Faith

Throwback Thursday ~ In Your Dreams

Michelle Lesley

Originally published July 20, 2015

Photo credit

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you.

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do.

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dream comes true1

If you used to be a Disney fan, you’ll recognize those words as the lyrics to the song When You Wish Upon a Star from the movie Pinocchio. It’s a sweet little song that tugs at our hearts. After all, we all want a fairy to wave her wand and make the wishes of our hearts come true, right? “God wants to help you realize all your hopes and dreams,” is the mantra of pop Christianity. But is it biblical?

Moses dreamed of leading Israel into the Promised Land.

David dreamed of building the temple.

Hosea dreamed of marrying the girl next door and having children with normal names.

Amos dreamed of being a fig farmer and a flock follower.

Paul dreamed of snuffing out Christianity.

Stephen dreamed of living to preach the gospel.

Jude dreamed of writing about the gospel.

Nope, not one of those dreams – some of them much more godly than your dreams or mine – came true. Why? Because our dreams don’t always fit with what God wants to do. Because God isn’t someone whose sole function is to help us get what we want out of life.

God is for God. God is about His glory. And what brings Him the most glory is redeeming wretched sinners from the gaping maw of hell and making them look like Jesus. And, as His children, we have the unbelievable privilege of participating in that mission.

So, church, let’s leave the Blue Fairy and Genie to Pinocchio and Aladdin. More money, fame, impact, and power is but a petty vision. We were created for the earth-shattering honor of dying to ourselves, clothing ourselves with humility, and serving the King by serving our families, our neighbors, everyone we know, His way, in the hope that we might win them to Christ for His glory.

To dream of anything else is, for the slave of Christ, to aim too low. So dream high, and dream on.

1 “When You Wish Upon a Star,” copyright 1940 by Bourne, Co., NY.

Share Your Testimony

By the Word of Their Testimony: Holli’s Story

Michelle Lesley

Note from Michelle: Ladies, if you’ve been around the blog for a while, you might remember Testimony Tuesday which featured testimonies from my readers. I never wanted Testimony Tuesday to go away, I just stopped receiving testimonies from y’all. Let’s reignite Testimony Tuesday under its new name, By the Word of Their Testimony. See my end note for how to share your story.

Holli Solenberger’s Story:
Priscilla Shirer and Letting Go

Aside from leaving my last church, this ranks a close second to the hardest I’ve had to submit to the Lord’s pruning out of my life.

I first saw Priscilla Shirer in the movie War Room. I was at a former church a few years ago – when War Room was in theatres. The ladies’ small group at that church was going together, and with everything going on, I felt I needed that community, so I went.

What resonated in my heart during that movie – I was not prepared for. You know how a movie changes your perspective, or speaks to a part of your life that is needed? This was my reaction. It was so strong, that it served almost like a catalyst – very similar to when you hear a new song and you love it so much, you want to find more by that same singer? I had to find out more about Priscilla.

I was really surprised to find out she was the daughter of Tony Evans – who (at the time) I thought was Biblical, so that association made me think, “surely she is solid too – she was in a Christian movie – I have to find her teachings!” So, I searched on YouTube, and found more – and that was it for me. She spoke to my heart, she’s a momma of boys like me, she was relatable, funny, and seemed genuine. On so many points, I was an instant fan.

I dove down into finding many of her teachings and watched them back to back. If it spoke to my heart, it got a green light – period. She talked about Jesus, and God, and Christianity, so I thought she was okay.

I NEVER EVER bothered to check out what she was teaching with what the Bible says. Ever.

As I have pled with others to be discerning, I speak from true repentance – because I have never been discerning as God says to be. I chose to accept what people said as truth – without seeing what the Bible says. I loosely and wrongly allowed things people said into my beliefs (the fancy word is theology) without reading what God thought about their beliefs. And I have no excuse. It’s all there in the Bible. But if what somebody said sounded good, I didn’t look in God’s Word.

And to be blunt… looking back… I really believe I didn’t look because I didn’t want to. I felt good and knew – I believe at least subconsciously – if I looked, and was convicted if God says differently, I’d have to let go what made me feel that way. I know I am not the only one to do this. I’ve met thousands of people that – like me – chose to be misled into what the Bible says are myths and fables (which is what it mentions any truth apart from God’s truth).

I really believe I didn’t look because I didn’t want to. I felt good and knew – I believe at least subconsciously – if I looked, and was convicted if God says differently, I’d have to let go what made me feel that way.

I talk a lot about letting go of things and people that were precious to me. I still love many of them. But I know they aren’t good for me, so because God requires in His Word to choose – you can’t have both, you can’t have one foot in things He says are wrong, and the other in things He says are ok – that is SO painful.
SO painful to let go of. To submit to Him. This is what I mean when I talk about living with open palms. It means being willing to let go of anything God says is not okay – even if your heart doesn’t want to.

Well…one day, in the middle of my youngest son’s hardest time (so far) in his little life, I heard Priscilla was going to be speaking at her father’s church – about 30 minutes away from me. I cleared my calendar, got dressed, and went to see her. There was a worship/singing part, followed by her speaking. I was so enthused to see the woman I felt God used in my life in person, I don’t even remember what she talked about.

When she was done, I waited for nearly an hour to speak with her one on one for just a few minutes. She saw me waiting and kept telling me to hold on and hold on, so I did. And when she got to me, I just lost it. I cried and cried – I knew whatever I said had to be to the point, because many others were waiting still. As the tears fell, she started crying too, as I told her, “I want to thank you for God using you in my life! I’ve been through so much and I saw you in War Room and ever since I have watched your teachings and I’m so grateful for you being used by Him in so many ways!” We hugged then, a tight but quick hug, then took a selfie.

Priscilla and Holli

Fast forward to the past few months…God didn’t just lead me to leave my last church! He led me to give up so, so much more – including Priscilla. This has been just as painful. When things speak into our pain, in deep ways – oh my, my, my. That is just heartbreaking to open our clenched fists and submit…to….God.
I only speak about my own convictions, and I share openly – knowing many will be hateful to me, hurtful, talk about me, treat me harshly, because they would rather live with their fists tightly closed. They aren’t ready.

And there is nothing I can do to change that. I am only a vessel. It is God’s sovereignty that chooses if – or when – others are convicted, like I was. I share – knowing the repercussions – for the very few that the Lord will, as He has me in His kindness and mercy, give ears to hear – and a soft heart towards Him and His Word. And hopefully open their palms too.

This is one of many things that God has brought about, that’s about Priscilla – but I submit to you that though there are many God calls us to let go of, for the false things are everywhere, there is but one Standard that we hold everything and everyone up to – God’s Word.

I pray this helps you not only with Priscilla but to see through this example written about, why being a Berean is so important.

Related Links:

Going Beyond Scripture: Why It’s Time to Say Good-Bye to Priscilla Shirer and Going Beyond Ministries

Women and False Teachers: Why Men Don’t Get It, and Why It’s Imperative That They Do (This article explains in greater depth what Holli mentioned about her strong emotions toward Priscilla.)

Ladies, God is still at work in the hearts and lives of His people, including yours! Would you like to share (anonymously, if you like) a testimony of how God saved you, how He has blessed you, convicted you, taught you something from His Word, brought you out from under false doctrine, placed you in a good church or done something otherwise awesome in your life? Drop me an email, and I’ll send you the particulars for sharing your story. Let’s encourage one another with God’s work in our lives!

Mailbag

The Mailbag: Potpourri (Catholic book, Baptist church… Sharing Michelle’s blog with husband/church… Is posting “preaching”?… Husband wants to stay at unbiblical church)

Michelle Lesley

Welcome to another “potpourri” edition of The Mailbag, where I give short(er) answers to several questions rather than a long answer to one question.

I like to take the opportunity in these potpourri editions to let new readers know about my comments/e-mail/messages policy. I’m not able to respond individually to most e-mails and messages, so here are some helpful hints for getting your questions answered more quickly. Remember, the search bar (at the very bottom of each page) can be a helpful tool!

Or maybe I answered your question already? Check out my article The Mailbag: Top 10 FAQs to see if your question has been answered and to get some helpful resources.

I have a question on a Carol Mader. Our church is a Baptist church and we are using a book called ‘kids travel guide to the fruit of the spirit”. When I check Carol out I find she’s Catholic? What are your thoughts?

I’m not familiar with Carol, but no Christian should be attending a church of any denomination where the pastor is OK with using Bible study, discipleship, etc. materials written by Catholics. Catholicism is not Christianity any more than Mormonism is.

The first thing I would encourage you to do is to make absolutely certain that Carol is, indeed, Catholic. I Googled her name, and several different Carol Maders popped up, including at least one who’s Catholic (also one who’s a retired Episcopal priest). The results also included the Amazon page selling books similar to the one you mentioned, by someone named Carol Mader. However, I was unable to verify that the Carol Mader who wrote those books is the same person as one of the Catholic Carol Maders.

But perhaps you have a more reliable source that unequivocally states that the Carol Mader who wrote the book is Catholic. In that case, I would encourage you to go to your pastor and kindly and gently ask him if he knows that this woman is Catholic. If he knows and doesn’t care, or tries to make you feel like you’re the bad guy for bringing this up, it’s time to find a new church. If he seems surprised and apologetic, immediately stops the use of the book, this was a one time goof on his part, and everything else about your church is doctrinally sound, forgive him and move on. Here are some resources that may help:

The Mailbag: How should I approach my church leaders about a false teacher they’re introducing?

Roman Catholicism: Mass Confusion at A Word Fitly Spoken

I am greatly appreciative of everything you have written [on your blog] and I wish I could read it all at once. There is so much good information. I desperately want to share this with my husband and church, but how can I do that as you are a woman, and then you would be teaching men? Thank you so much.

You’re very welcome. Thank you for your kind words. I’m glad my materials have been helpful, and it is my pleasure to serve you -and all of my readers- in Christ.

Let’s clear up a few things it sounds like you might be confused about or conflating, and I’ll share with you some resources that will give you fully-orbed answers to the several different questions implicit in your comment:

◇ Scripture’s prohibition against women instructing men in the Scriptures has a very specific context: in the gathering of the church body. There are many differences between the home and the church. They are two separate entities God has established in different ways for different purposes, and we need to keep them separate in our minds, especially when we study Scripture.

It might help to think about some of the obvious differences. Do you take up an offering or observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper in your home? Do you submit to your pastor in the same way you submit to your husband? Do you make sure everyone in your church is fed three meals a day and do all their laundry for them? These things may sound silly, but they help to illustrate that the church and the home run differently and have different purposes. Having a private conversation with your husband at home about something biblical you’ve learned (which is fine, biblically) is not the same thing as preaching it to your church from the pulpit (which is not).

Rock Your Role: Jill in the Pulpit

Rock Your Role FAQs

◇ Whether you verbally explain what you’ve learned to your husband, hand him one of my articles to read, or a random man stumbles across my blog and reads it, I am not violating Scripture’s prohibition against teaching men (and neither are you).

Are Female Bloggers Violating Scripture by “Teaching” Men?

◇ As far as sharing with your church or others, there’s certainly no problem with sharing my articles on social media, emailing them to a friend, etc. There’s also no reason you can’t share them with other women at church. However, if you’re going to be sharing them with more than a few other women, or reading one of my articles in a women’s class you teach, etc., run it by your pastor first, as a courtesy. He not only deserves to know what’s going on in his flock, he’s also responsible to God for what’s being taught in His church.

Rock Your Role Series

I answered this same basic question (with a few slight differences) to another reader a few years ago here (second question) in case it’s of interest.

A related question…

I have been posting Scripture on my Facebook page every morning for the last six months. My friends are both male and female. Sometimes to make a verse more understandable I will explain who is speaking or who is being addressed. I’m starting to feel uncomfortable when I do this because I’m afraid I’m preaching. I check my study Bible before including clarifications to make sure I’m not misleading anyone. My gut is telling me I need to just state the verse. I pray about it and am wondering if it’s the Spirit convicting me. Thank you for your help.

It’s very important that Christians listen to our consciences so we don’t sin against them. If your conscience bothers you about posting the explanations, by all means, don’t do it. For you to do so would mean that you believe posting the explanations is sin, but you’re going to do it anyway. Don’t do that.

But while it’s important that we not sin against our consciences, it’s equally important that our consciences are informed by rightly handled, in context Scripture. And, in a nutshell, your conscience is a bit misinformed.

Though I wouldn’t suggest going to the extreme of habitually posting lengthy diatribes aimed specifically at men, railing at them about how they can be more godly men, pastors, husbands, or fathers, there’s nothing unbiblical about posting a verse with a few clarifying remarks to a general audience. Biblically, that is not preaching.

I would encourage you to prayerfully consider the materials I’ve provided the previous reader as well as this one Sisters Are Part of the Family of God, Too!. If, after reading, praying, and studying the pertinent Scriptures you still think it’s better not to post the explanations, that’s OK. Don’t. If your conscience is clear, and you decide it’s OK to post them, then you can do that. A few other options you might consider that your conscience may find acceptable:

  • Post enough of the surrounding verses to make the context clear so you don’t have to explain.
  • Use brackets. This is a perfectly acceptable grammatical device, especially in an informal setting like social media. For example: if the verse begins, “And he said to them…” and it’s clear from the surrounding context that it’s Jesus speaking to the disciples, then bracket that part of the verse with the antecedents replacing the pronouns for clarity: “And [Jesus] said to [the disciples]…”.
  • Use a direct quote from your study Bible or a reliable commentary instead of using your own words. Remember to use quotation marks, and cite your source.
  • When you post the verse, include a link to a (doctrinally sound) sermon, article, Bible study video / podcast, etc. that explains the verse and its context.

I have found myself in the situation of looking for another church because of women being allowing to preach occasionally in our current church, but my husband wants to remain. Should I come under his authority and remain also or do you think it’s ok to follow my own convictions? I feel somewhat conflicted.

I’m so sorry. I know that must be really difficult. Sadly, this is an issue wives face more often than you’d think. I hope these articles, though they may not match your situation exactly, will be of help to you.

The Mailbag: My husband wants to stay at an unbiblical church.

The Mailbag: A Lost Husband, a Saved Wife, and an Apostate Church

If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.