My dear readers,

Answering Remaining Questions from Calvary Pandan Church Camp 2024 (10)

Question 1: Is it right to sue someone who has committed something against us? (Eg: plagiarism, defamation, etc.) If not, how should we react and what should we do in this situation??

Answer 1: In the case of personal injury by a Christian to another Christian, the Bible’s teaching is not to take the offending party to court. The reason is spiritual. 1 Corinthians 6:1-8: “¹ Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? ² Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? ³ Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? ⁴ If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. ⁵ I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? ⁶ But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. ⁷ Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? ⁸ Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.”

For two of God’s children to go before a secular court to be judged by man is shameful to God and Christ. It is best to settle the matter within the church before another Christian. Christians need to know that they will judge the world in the future! They have God’s wisdom. Thus, how can they allow the ones whom they will judge one day, who are dead in sin and spiritually blind, to judge God's children who are spiritually alive and have the spiritual eyes to see that all things of this world are vanity? Why do God’s children fight over earthly things made of the dust of the ground and before the people of the world? It is shameful for God's children to lower themselves to such a carnal state, bringing shame to the holy name of their Saviour.

If there is no settlement between the two parties, then it is better for one party to take wrong and allow himself to be defrauded and lose whatever the earthly thing is than to shame the holy and blessed name of Christ by the lawsuit or the continuous contention.

In the case of a personal injury by a Christian to a non-Christian, the Christian must apologise and pay whatever restitution is necessary to make the situation right.

In the case of a personal injury by a non-Christian to a Christian, and the non-Christian refuses to admit wrong, the Christian should also let it be and suffer wrong for the testimony of Christ. To sue the non-Christian will bring shame to the name of Christ regardless of whether he wins or loses the lawsuit. If he loses, the non-Christian will still regard Christians as greedy (because the non-Christian believes that he is right). If he wins and the non-Christian has to pay the penalty, he will hate Christians and Christ. His soul will be lost forever.

In the case of a company being defrauded by another company, taking the offending company to court if payment is not made is within the company's legal right. He is not doing it for personal gain but to save the company from bankruptcy and many employees’ livelihoods.

Question 2: What should we do if our Christian parents are not good Christian examples for us and their spiritual life is dead? (Eg: Don’t pray, don’t read the bible at home, don’t do QT, service in church is for their own vanity and glory.)

Answer 2: The teaching from God to all Christian children is to “obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Eph 6:1-3). Our parents are ordained by God. Whether they are Christians or not, they must be honoured and obeyed in the Lord. It means we obey and honour them for Christ’s sake. In this way they see our godliness and will come to know Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Therefore, pray for the Lord’s mercies to save your parents. The parents’ salvation must be paramount in the Christian children’s eyes. The children must be godly examples to their parents so that by their good works, their parents may see Christ in their lives and be convicted of their sinful ways and hypocrisy. If the opportunity arises, share with your parents how you feel about their spiritual lives.

Speak to the elders or pastor of the church and share with them your concerns. Since your parents are church members, their spiritual well-being is under the leaders’ pastoral care. They will pray and help your parents, with God’s enabling.

Question 3: In a Christian family, what should the children do when the parents are fighting and are a bad testimony for the children?

Answer 3: (The answer to this question is the same as the answer to Question 2 above.)

Question 4: What does 1 Corinthians 11:29 mean? “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.”

Answer 4: The context of this verse is the passage on the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. 1 Corinthians 11:26-30: “²⁶ For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. ²⁷ Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. ²⁹ For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. ³⁰ For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”

The person who partakes in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper needs to be born again and to be living a holy life. The spiritual significance of the sacrament is for the believer to examine his life in relation to what Jesus Christ did for him at Calvary. Christ died on the cross for his sins. Thus, how can a disciple of Christ remain in sin and not repent of all his sins? Many of the believers in the church in Corinth ate the Lord’s Supper unworthily and were afflicted by God with sickness and even died (the use of the word “sleep” in the New Testament applies to the death of believers only). God knows who did or did not partake of the Lord’s Supper worthily. He is the One who afflicts sickness and death.

The word “unworthily” does not mean the partaker is unworthy. “Unworthily” means “irreverently.” All believers will never be worthy of the Lord’s Supper since we are all saved only by God’s grace. When partaking the Lord’s Supper, it is always a time of reflection and soul searching. Our hearts are filled with profound gratitude, and we wonder why God would save wretches like us! Therefore, we come before the Lord’s Table with a broken and contrite heart. All believers must take the Lord’s Supper at all costs after baptism. The only stumbling block is a refusal to repent of sins.