What does the Bible say about going to a bar just to dance with your wife and friends?
My dear friend, thank you for wanting to know what Scripture says. I’m guessing that this activity is something that you and your family do enjoy, but either you or someone else has expressed a conscience about this activity. It is to your credit for sure that you are seeking the Lord’s mind, and I do believe that we should always seek the Lord’s will whenever making an important decision. I cannot point to a certain Scripture where the specific issue of going dancing in a bar is addressed per se, however, we do read in 1 Thessalonians 5:22: “Abstain from all appearance of evil”. Now, what does this verse actually mean? The McDonald Bible Commentary says: “Abstain from every form of evil may mean false tongues, prophecies, or teachings, or it may mean evil in general….Test all by the word of God…”.
Now, I believe 1 Thessalonians 5:22 refers to not only false doctrine, but also to “evil in general,” just as MacDonald noted above. I don’t know if you use alcohol or not, but honestly, this in itself is an issue for many true believers on the Lord Jesus. I personally do not believe that the use of alcohol in moderation is evil in and of itself. And indeed, you yourself may not consider the use of alcohol in moderation, nor dancing in a bar (or anywhere for that matter) as evil, but there are other brothers and sisters in Christ that surely do, and these might be stumbled or tempted to violate their own faith principles by the example that you set for them. For the sake of loving care for others, I believe that the Scriptural principle would be that we abstain from any activity such as drinking and dancing in a bar, or indeed in front of other Christians who might have a conscience about this, for the sake of charity and care for others. I will suggest to you that you carefully and prayerfully read Romans 14:13-23, and that you be willing to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit in terms of what you choose to drink or the activities you participate in before other Christians who may have a conscience about these matters. For convenience, I’ll cite a couple of these verses: “But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died” (verse 15); “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (verse 17); “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another” (verse 19); and “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak” (verse 21).
My dear friend, you’ll notice that I did not give you a specific answer to your question, but instead have provided the verses that I consider, and I believe that born again Christians should follow in all of our activities while on the earth. I have full confidence that the Lord will lead you according to His perfect will, and then you will need to be obedient to His leading. I do applaud your desire to consult God’s Word in these matters and pray that the Spirit will lead you to make good decisions as to your conduct in this world as we await that shout from above (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). May the Lord bless His Word to your heart. (SF) (539.3)