Is Dancing A Sin?
Robert A. Glass
The purpose of dancing is multi-faceted. It provides a means by which men and women may come together, eat, enjoy music, reduce inhibitions and become more sociable. However, the reduction of inhibitions creates a dangerous situation. Lust and illicit desire becomes the by-product of Dancing. Lust is not new; neither are the results of lust. But a Christian should avoid Lust before lust even happens. (Proverbs 6:25) “Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.”
There is a God-Created desire for beauty, but that desire should be in marriage, not on the dance floor. The Apostle Paul wrote in (1 Corinthians 7:1-2) “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
When you are dancing, you are in-effect committing foreplay. Touching, holding and gyrating in front of one another or against one another can ONLY create sexual thoughts. But we are told, (Mt 5:28) “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
Let’s stop for a moment, Dancing = Lust, Lust = Mental Adultery. The best way to stop this domino chain is to remove the first link, dancing.
The Apostle Paul, this time, is writing to the young man Timothy. Paul is now giving Him advice on how to avoid lust. (1 Timothy 2:22) “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
We are to avoid youthful lusts, (dancing).
• Follow Righteousness - Ps 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
• Build faith – (Romans 10:17) “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
• Build Charity – (1 Corinthians 13:13) “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (HOW IS BEING ON A DANCE FLOOR GOING TO BUILD FAITH, HOPE OR CHARITY?)
• Create peace – (John 16:33) “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. [IS THERE PEACE ON A DANCE FLOOR?] Continuing: In the world ye shall have tribulation: BUT be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. [Through Christ we can overcome the world!] That is POWER!
• Call on The Lord – [WE CALL ON THE LORD IN PRAYER!] (Acts 6:4) “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” The Apostles decided to give themselves continually to prayer. The Apostle Paul wrote, in (1 Thessalonians 5:17) “Pray without ceasing.” NOW, I ASK YOU, HOW IN THE NAME OF COMMON SENSE, CAN YOU PRAY ON A DANCE FLOOR? IT CAN’T BE DONE!
• Keep a pure heart – Bro. Allen Webster, a friend of mine, recently wrote this in a Tract entitled “Should Christians Dance” I will read this from his text. Paul Southern wrote that dancing “is like building a fire under a tea kettle and daring the water to boil.” Each new style of dancing involves slightly different body movements, but they are all basically sexual in appeal. Hugging and swaying to music, bumping and grinding, or suggestively gyrating produce sexual desire in the dancers minds. No healthy man will deny that he it is sexually arousing to watch a girl swing her hips and breasts to music. Men are not made of stone. I agree with every word Bro Webster wrote. I would ADD that WOMEN, are not made of stone either and this bumping and grinding creates FEMALE LUST just as certainly as the men.
James writes in (James 1:14–15) “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Sometimes, VERY SADLY, when LUST is conceived, it bringeth forth an innocent child! Very often this innocent child is either aborted or born to an UNFIT environment. Yes LUST can bring forth death. The death of an innocent soul, A MOMENT OF PLEASURE FOR AN
But it can also bring forth the DEATH of your OWN soul. The dance floor can’t lead you to Heaven, but it is certainly the path to Hell.
(Matthew 7:13-14) “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The Dance floor leads to Destruction.
The Church leads to Eternal Life.
Which to you seems the better path?
Are you a Christian? Only being a true Christian, will lead you to Eternal Life, Jesus said, (John 14:6) “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
The Way, the Truth and Eternal Life is in Christ Jesus. Otherwise there is destruction (John 8:24b) “For except ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
No persons, in their right minds want to die in sin!
We WOULD HAVE, WE COULD HAVE AND WE SHOULD HAVE DIED IN OUR SINS. BUT GOD THE FATHER INTERVENED ON OUR BEHALF.
(John 3:16-17) The very KEYNOTE VERSE of the WHOLE BIBLE, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
What about you? Has your heart been filled with the lusts of dancing? Is your life following righteousness, building faith charity and peace? Are you calling on the Name of the Lord?
There is no guarantee of tomorrow. Will you put away lust and obey the gospel? Will you make your life right with God?
In eternity, you may remember that you passed up the invitation of the gospel.
You need to hear the word of God. (Rom 10:17) For Faith comes by hearing and Hearing by the word of God.
Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,(Heb 11:6). But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Repent of your sins and wrong doings. (Luke 13:3) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. AND THEN REPEATS IT IN Vs-5, I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Confess the name of Jesus. Mt 10:32 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven”.
Be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:37-38) “Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
It may be possible that you are a Christian that has been led astray by the “lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16) If you will come now and confess those sins, we will go to our Heavenly Father to ask for forgiveness for those sins. (James 5:16) “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
There is NO CONDEMNATION in obedience to the Gospel, only forgiveness.
The lesson is yours; the invitation is yours...as we stand together and sing.
