Is Dancing A Sin?

Details

Category: Holiness

Published on Friday, 29 October 2004 06:00

Written by Ryan Hicks

IS DANCING A SIN?

By Ryan Hicks

Let me preface this whole treatise by explaining which type of dancing I am speaking on. I am not talking about the dancing of a person before the Lord in praise.

2 Samuel 6:14
14   And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

Psalms 149:3-4
3   Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
4   For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

Psalms 150:4
4   Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
1   To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2   A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3   A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4   A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

I am not referring to a husband and wife dancing together, though if done in public they would need to prayerfully consider if they are being shining examples of Christ in doing so. The dancing I am speaking on is that of the sensual dance of the world. It is the dance of the wicked, and is the dancing of multiple people together (i.e. dancing between male and female up close, and in the case of the sodomites, that of female and female and male and male). The Bible dancing of praise before the Lord was always individuals dancing before God, even while in groups. They were not dancing with each other, and even if they were there was nothing sensual about it.

1 Corinthians 7:1-2
1   Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2   Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

A man should not touch a woman. To avoid fornication, marriage is permitted under the gospel, though is not required. Dance is the art of covering up lust, indecency, immodesty, and even perversion with music. Sometimes dance is encouraged without music, though the same vices are covered up and excused as "dance."

It used to be commonplace for the saints of God to stand firmly against the practice of dance, and today many are carried away with its lure of lust and immodesty. Now the minority of those professing Christ stand up against the immodesty of such sensual dancing, and most accept it. Some outright promote it in youth groups and churches!

Romans 14:23
23   And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

James 4:17
17   Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

This covers numerous actions that God does not specifically give word on, either because such practices were not around when He authored His word, or because they are covered under other laws. Can one actually think that dancing is doing good? Is there a doubt in your mind when you practice this vice? If so, you are damned, because "whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Have you felt conviction or condemnation over dancing? If so, it is sin for you to go back and practice it, for "to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Do not let modern excuses for immodesty cloud your judgment in the matter. If you can dance with a clean conscience and no immodesty occurs, then that would be fine, but this is not what most modern dancing entails. You need to abstain from evil and even the very appearance of it (1 Thessalonians 5:22) and you are not doing so if you choose to partake of the immodesty of sensual dancing.

• < Prev
• Next >