Dear Pastor Rich, I have a question that I had been discussing with some friends at work. The question is: “Can a Christian get drunk?”
Dear ________:
Thanks for your question. The answer is quite simple: YES! A Christian can get drunk. Okay, I trust this has answered your question. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Bye. . .
Oh, LOL, let me see if I can come at this from another direction. I think I answered your question, but not your intention. Let me rephrase the question: “Should a Christian get drunk?”
Now we are on to something. The first question is an obvious “yes.” Christians can get drunk. Many do so all the time. I have been with other Christians who serve the Lord with gladness during the week, some of which are in leadership (not pastoral, I might add!, but I would not be surprised if some do), who drink a little too much and become intoxicated.
Back in the early nineties, when I use to ride in a motorcycle club instead of going to church, I got drunk a few times. Not often, but I do remember getting drunk and riding back home on the Harley. I am not proud of that, but I confess, I did what I did. Christians can and do get drunk. There no question about this.
The prodigal son in Luke 15 was a son out in the far country. I am confident that he got drunk in addition to a few other things, but he REMAINED always a son. But you want to know the difference between a Christian getting drunk and an unbeliever getting drunk? When a Christian gets drunk and wakes up the next morning with a splitting headache, he says to himself, “I am done with this. I hate myself for what I had just done! I am not going to do that again. I am going back to my father’s house and make things right between Him and I.” This is what a Christian does when he or she gets drunk.
What about an unbeliever? When he or she gets drunk and wakes up with a splitting headache, they say, “Whoa! That party was awesome. The booze was great. The chicks were cool. I can’t wait for someone to invite me to their next party.”
Do you see the difference? The Christian confesses his sins to God. And the interesting thing is there is no record that the prodigal son went back to the pig pen. He didn't like it there. That is the difference between a believer and an unbeliever.
So, in recapping your question, “Can a Christian get drunk?” Yes, Christians can. “Should a Christian get drunk?” No, they should not.
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit – Eph. 5:18 NIV
Monday, December 5, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Today, I Pause To Reflect and Remember
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord” – Prov. 18:22
Bishop Taylor came the closest of anyone to capturing the sentiment of finding a good wife, when he wrote: "If you are for pleasure, marry. If you prize rosy health, marry. A good wife is heaven's last best gift to a man; his angel of mercy; minister of graces innumerable; his gem of many virtues; his box of jewels; her voice, his sweetest music; her smiles, his brightest day; her kiss, the guardian of innocence; her arms, the pale of his safety; the balm of his health; the balsam of his life; her industry, his surest wealth; her economy, his safest steward; her lips, his faithful counselors...and her prayers, the ablest advocates of heaven's blessing on his head."
Today, October 25, marks the one year anniversary of my wife’s passing. For the past twelve months, I’ve been single, alone and grieving in various stages. I have chosen to move on in life, because of three important factors God has given to me:
First, is His never ending mercy. God was kind to my wife and me, in that we had two months to say our goodbyes. God knew that by doing so, it would make the grieving process go a lot better. Of course the goodbyes for Christians are different than other goodbyes. For my wife and me, our goodbye will only be temporary. One day soon, we will meet again and replace the goodbye with “hello again!”
Second, in His fatherly manner, God has given me through His Word a biblical perspective. When my wife was alive, she was part of my PRESENT. When she died, she became part of my PAST. Since being with Jesus in heaven, she has become part of my FUTURE. As a believer in the Lord, I will see her again, not as her husband, but as a chosen member of the bride of Christ.
Thirdly are the prayers and support of other believers. While grieving for the first three months, God sustained me with the prayers of others. Then the Lord moved into my life in an altogether surprising manner. He brought to my attention several months later, a friend, someone whom I have gotten close to, attached to and deeply in love with. This local Hawaiian, German, French and Chinese gal whose name means, "sweet flower" was not brought into my life to replace Paula, but to compliment me in my walk with the Lord. And she has done just that. I have found that there is life and joy after the departure of a loved one. God knows exactly how to bring comfort and support. God is always thinking of us since He knows our needs more than anyone else.
The Bible declares, “He who finds a wife, finds a good thing and receives favor from the Lord.” Let me point out a few important observations about this passage.
1. When other passages in Proverbs are used along with this one, it is clearly seen that, the emphasis is not just on finding a wife, but an “excellent wife” (12:4) and a “prudent wife” (19:14). There is no glory in merely finding a wife, but when you come across someone who is excellent and prudent, and you marry such a woman, your marriage will be a good thing.
2. In Proverbs, there are two things that will give to you the favor of God. First, finding wisdom (8:35), and the second one is finding a good wife (18:22). What is God’s favor? His grace, or His unmerited love and unconditional blessings on your behalf.
3. No woman should ever chase a man. It is the man who is finding the woman, not the other way around. Women, lose yourself totally in the Lord, and then you will become so attractive, that God will see to it that you will be found by someone. Men will chase you. They will seek you out, not because of you, but because of the God who lives within you Who brings out your inner beauty of the heart.
Today is a very emotional day for my family and I. My wife of twenty eight years left me for a much better man on October 25, 2010. She did the right thing! I would have done the same if I was called upon to do so. But for the remaining time that I have left here, my purpose in life has not changed. I am called to win others to Jesus, strengthened believers in their walk with the Lord, and live my life to the glory of God.
Bishop Taylor came the closest of anyone to capturing the sentiment of finding a good wife, when he wrote: "If you are for pleasure, marry. If you prize rosy health, marry. A good wife is heaven's last best gift to a man; his angel of mercy; minister of graces innumerable; his gem of many virtues; his box of jewels; her voice, his sweetest music; her smiles, his brightest day; her kiss, the guardian of innocence; her arms, the pale of his safety; the balm of his health; the balsam of his life; her industry, his surest wealth; her economy, his safest steward; her lips, his faithful counselors...and her prayers, the ablest advocates of heaven's blessing on his head."
Today, October 25, marks the one year anniversary of my wife’s passing. For the past twelve months, I’ve been single, alone and grieving in various stages. I have chosen to move on in life, because of three important factors God has given to me:
First, is His never ending mercy. God was kind to my wife and me, in that we had two months to say our goodbyes. God knew that by doing so, it would make the grieving process go a lot better. Of course the goodbyes for Christians are different than other goodbyes. For my wife and me, our goodbye will only be temporary. One day soon, we will meet again and replace the goodbye with “hello again!”
Second, in His fatherly manner, God has given me through His Word a biblical perspective. When my wife was alive, she was part of my PRESENT. When she died, she became part of my PAST. Since being with Jesus in heaven, she has become part of my FUTURE. As a believer in the Lord, I will see her again, not as her husband, but as a chosen member of the bride of Christ.
Thirdly are the prayers and support of other believers. While grieving for the first three months, God sustained me with the prayers of others. Then the Lord moved into my life in an altogether surprising manner. He brought to my attention several months later, a friend, someone whom I have gotten close to, attached to and deeply in love with. This local Hawaiian, German, French and Chinese gal whose name means, "sweet flower" was not brought into my life to replace Paula, but to compliment me in my walk with the Lord. And she has done just that. I have found that there is life and joy after the departure of a loved one. God knows exactly how to bring comfort and support. God is always thinking of us since He knows our needs more than anyone else.
The Bible declares, “He who finds a wife, finds a good thing and receives favor from the Lord.” Let me point out a few important observations about this passage.
1. When other passages in Proverbs are used along with this one, it is clearly seen that, the emphasis is not just on finding a wife, but an “excellent wife” (12:4) and a “prudent wife” (19:14). There is no glory in merely finding a wife, but when you come across someone who is excellent and prudent, and you marry such a woman, your marriage will be a good thing.
2. In Proverbs, there are two things that will give to you the favor of God. First, finding wisdom (8:35), and the second one is finding a good wife (18:22). What is God’s favor? His grace, or His unmerited love and unconditional blessings on your behalf.
3. No woman should ever chase a man. It is the man who is finding the woman, not the other way around. Women, lose yourself totally in the Lord, and then you will become so attractive, that God will see to it that you will be found by someone. Men will chase you. They will seek you out, not because of you, but because of the God who lives within you Who brings out your inner beauty of the heart.
Today is a very emotional day for my family and I. My wife of twenty eight years left me for a much better man on October 25, 2010. She did the right thing! I would have done the same if I was called upon to do so. But for the remaining time that I have left here, my purpose in life has not changed. I am called to win others to Jesus, strengthened believers in their walk with the Lord, and live my life to the glory of God.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Should I Marry? Part 9
Now, in a simple sense, the wife's body is her own as God has given it to her. In a spiritual sense, it is the Lord's according to Romans 12:1, "Present your body [to the Lord] as a living sacrifice. . .," but in the marital sense, the body belongs to her husband. And the same is true of the man. This is God’s beautiful way to express the sharing of marriage.
Remember also the story of Hosea and Gomer? God told Hosea to marry a girl who would later turn out to be a prostitute (Hos. 1:2). He told her at the very beginning how he felt toward her. Here is what he said: Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so will I also be toward you” (Hos. 3:3).
In other words, “You're going to be around for a long time, babe. You do not need to play the harlot. No more do you need to wander in sin. You shall not be for another man." Then he adds, "So will I also be for you." You will be for me and I will be for you...That's marriage. The physical - I am for you and you are for me. If you need me, then I'm yours. And if I need you, then you are mine. This is God’s design.
Therefore, Paul is teaching the Corinthians not to break up their marriages because they became Christians. There isn't any high level sanctity to celibacy. It's good to be single, but listen; it's great to be married, if that's what God's given you. Don't violate that. God has given you the gravy, if you're married. Peter calls it the grace of life (cf. 1 Pet. 3:7). What he means is that marriage is the whip cream on the sundae, it's the gravy, it's the grace of life. Life is great and life is abundant and life abounds for the Christian, but the gravy is to get married. It's exciting.
Marriage, then, is a permanent surrender of everything I am to my partner. I am hers in the absolutely fullest and truest sense.
Now, he goes a step further and he makes an application, verse 5. "Stop depriving one another." Now, here were these married people depriving each other of the physical relationship. “Well, I'm sorry, dear, now that we belong to the Lord, we mustn't do that.” True, but only for a short period of time when you give yourselves over to prayer and seeking the Lord.
Paul says – “Look, there may be times when you agree not to have physical relationships because you want to pray and seek the wisdom and counsel of God. That's the exception.”
End of Part 9
Remember also the story of Hosea and Gomer? God told Hosea to marry a girl who would later turn out to be a prostitute (Hos. 1:2). He told her at the very beginning how he felt toward her. Here is what he said: Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so will I also be toward you” (Hos. 3:3).
In other words, “You're going to be around for a long time, babe. You do not need to play the harlot. No more do you need to wander in sin. You shall not be for another man." Then he adds, "So will I also be for you." You will be for me and I will be for you...That's marriage. The physical - I am for you and you are for me. If you need me, then I'm yours. And if I need you, then you are mine. This is God’s design.
Therefore, Paul is teaching the Corinthians not to break up their marriages because they became Christians. There isn't any high level sanctity to celibacy. It's good to be single, but listen; it's great to be married, if that's what God's given you. Don't violate that. God has given you the gravy, if you're married. Peter calls it the grace of life (cf. 1 Pet. 3:7). What he means is that marriage is the whip cream on the sundae, it's the gravy, it's the grace of life. Life is great and life is abundant and life abounds for the Christian, but the gravy is to get married. It's exciting.
Marriage, then, is a permanent surrender of everything I am to my partner. I am hers in the absolutely fullest and truest sense.
Now, he goes a step further and he makes an application, verse 5. "Stop depriving one another." Now, here were these married people depriving each other of the physical relationship. “Well, I'm sorry, dear, now that we belong to the Lord, we mustn't do that.” True, but only for a short period of time when you give yourselves over to prayer and seeking the Lord.
Paul says – “Look, there may be times when you agree not to have physical relationships because you want to pray and seek the wisdom and counsel of God. That's the exception.”
End of Part 9
Friday, September 23, 2011
Should I Marry? Part 8
So Paul is saying that every married couple has a debt to pay to one another. And what is that debt? To fulfill the physical desire and the physical love and the physical need that each other has. Mutual sexual love in marriage is God's design and it's your duty to one another. It's a vehicle for the expression of that love. And you know what? The very act of sex itself strengthens that love.
In his book, SEX AND SANITY, Tom Blaise wrote: "From one point of view it may be spoken of as a safety valve for irresistible desire, but for the Christian man, the sexual life is infinitely more than that. It is a breath-taking experience. As Bart says, 'A bold and blessed intoxication.' Intercourse is not only the appropriate means for the expression of love, it is also the means by which love itself is strengthened and sustained. Sexual intercourse is far more than a physical act."
So married couples are to pay their debt to one another. Then in verse 4, Paul goes further: The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.
After stating the command in verse 3 to pay one’s debt, Paul states the reason in verse 4. Why should I fulfill my spouse physically? Because you have released the authority over your body to your partner. Wives, your body is not your own, but it belongs to your husband. And likewise, husbands, your body does not belong to you, instead, you have released such authority over to your wife. When you think about what is being said here, this is life changing.
You see, for whatever particular physical expression she has in mind or you have in mind, that sharing is the thing that God designed. How awesome is that? And notice this is in the present tense. Therefore, this releasing of authority over to one’s spouse is life long. So, when you say to your wife – “Babe, your mine!” And when she says to you – “Honey, you're mine!” That is the truest thing in the purest sense that you could say, right out of the Word of God. And you can quote this verse to each other in its fullness and know that God supports that desire that you have for one another.
Now let me just mention a couple additional points here: First, in an age where we often hear women say, “It’s my body and I can do whatever I want with it.” Paul says to wives, “That’s where you are wrong! It is not your body anymore. Your body belongs to your husband!” This is something that every couple who is planning on getting married ought to think about. You should know that when you say at the altar, “I do,” you have just given up your right and authority over your body and handed it over to your spouse. And for you to go around still thinking that this is my body, therefore, I have the final say so in the matter not him is biblically wrong. You are thinking as a single person, not as one who is married. So if your husband has needs, don’t pull back from him as a form of punishing him because he did not remember your anniversary.
And husbands, when you come home from work and you are tired and your wife gives you some time to unwind, don’t abuse that blessing. If she needs to talk to you about her day and she needs you to hold her close, don’t pull back and run away with a mouthful of excuses. Hug her and listen to her as she unloads her day on you. It is not your body but hers and if she wants you to hug her and be physically there to listen to her, then do it. You are no longer single, so stop living as though you are.
Let me explore this even more. Your right over your body was dissolved since you came to Jesus, did you know that? In the previous chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul said: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies (6:19-20). Notice that Paul states, “You are not your own. You were bought with a price.” When you said “Yes” to Jesus, and He redeemed you by His precious blood, you became His! Your life is not your own, it totally belongs to God. Therefore, you have no rights of your own except the right to give up your rights over to God. This is why the Bible refers to Christians as “slaves” (Rom. 6:18; Eph. 6:6, although in most translations the word “servant” is used, doulos is better rendered “slave”). A slave has no rights. He belongs to another, that is, to the person who has purchased him or her.
So, when you became a Christian, you had given up all your rights and handed them over to Jesus Christ. He is your Master. And when you become married, you gave up the authority over your body and handed it over to your spouse. Therefore, Jesus has authority over your life; your spouse has authority over your body, what do you have left? Simply, the duty to submit and obey!
A second point I want to make is this: Since your body does not belong to you but to God first (it’s His temple) and to your spouse, why are you abusing it? Why are you pumping drugs in it, filling it full of alcohol, raising your cholesterol level and putting yourself at risk for heart disease?
Let’s say that I come to you asking to borrow your car. You graciously consent. After a few hours, I bring back your car all dirty, scratched, dented, paint chipped, glass cracked and two tires flat. You say, “Waaaaaaat happened?” I reply, “I did some off-road racing. Boy was it fun! WooooooHooooo! What an experience I had!” You come back, “My car is not for off road racing. And besides, it is not ever your car in the first place to go off road racing.” How would you feel? You would be ticked and demand full compensation.
Well, when you abuse what you think is your body and then expect your spouse to love it, you are fooling yourself. You are abusing something that isn’t yours in the first place.
Therefore, if your wife tells you, “Honey, from now on I am going to be cooking more healthy meals. I also do not want you to eat lunch at L&L. Instead, I will be making you your lunch to take to work.” Don’t give her a bad time. She simply wants you to take care of her property.
And if your husband says to you, “Babe, let’s get up an hour early each morning and go for walks,” don’t give him that look and come up with an excuse that your toes hurt. He simply wants you to take better care of his property.
You see, being married is much more than living together apart from sin. Being married has to do with giving up what once was yours and handed it all over to someone else for the rest of your life. Do you still want to get married?
End of Part 8
In his book, SEX AND SANITY, Tom Blaise wrote: "From one point of view it may be spoken of as a safety valve for irresistible desire, but for the Christian man, the sexual life is infinitely more than that. It is a breath-taking experience. As Bart says, 'A bold and blessed intoxication.' Intercourse is not only the appropriate means for the expression of love, it is also the means by which love itself is strengthened and sustained. Sexual intercourse is far more than a physical act."
So married couples are to pay their debt to one another. Then in verse 4, Paul goes further: The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.
After stating the command in verse 3 to pay one’s debt, Paul states the reason in verse 4. Why should I fulfill my spouse physically? Because you have released the authority over your body to your partner. Wives, your body is not your own, but it belongs to your husband. And likewise, husbands, your body does not belong to you, instead, you have released such authority over to your wife. When you think about what is being said here, this is life changing.
You see, for whatever particular physical expression she has in mind or you have in mind, that sharing is the thing that God designed. How awesome is that? And notice this is in the present tense. Therefore, this releasing of authority over to one’s spouse is life long. So, when you say to your wife – “Babe, your mine!” And when she says to you – “Honey, you're mine!” That is the truest thing in the purest sense that you could say, right out of the Word of God. And you can quote this verse to each other in its fullness and know that God supports that desire that you have for one another.
Now let me just mention a couple additional points here: First, in an age where we often hear women say, “It’s my body and I can do whatever I want with it.” Paul says to wives, “That’s where you are wrong! It is not your body anymore. Your body belongs to your husband!” This is something that every couple who is planning on getting married ought to think about. You should know that when you say at the altar, “I do,” you have just given up your right and authority over your body and handed it over to your spouse. And for you to go around still thinking that this is my body, therefore, I have the final say so in the matter not him is biblically wrong. You are thinking as a single person, not as one who is married. So if your husband has needs, don’t pull back from him as a form of punishing him because he did not remember your anniversary.
And husbands, when you come home from work and you are tired and your wife gives you some time to unwind, don’t abuse that blessing. If she needs to talk to you about her day and she needs you to hold her close, don’t pull back and run away with a mouthful of excuses. Hug her and listen to her as she unloads her day on you. It is not your body but hers and if she wants you to hug her and be physically there to listen to her, then do it. You are no longer single, so stop living as though you are.
Let me explore this even more. Your right over your body was dissolved since you came to Jesus, did you know that? In the previous chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul said: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies (6:19-20). Notice that Paul states, “You are not your own. You were bought with a price.” When you said “Yes” to Jesus, and He redeemed you by His precious blood, you became His! Your life is not your own, it totally belongs to God. Therefore, you have no rights of your own except the right to give up your rights over to God. This is why the Bible refers to Christians as “slaves” (Rom. 6:18; Eph. 6:6, although in most translations the word “servant” is used, doulos is better rendered “slave”). A slave has no rights. He belongs to another, that is, to the person who has purchased him or her.
So, when you became a Christian, you had given up all your rights and handed them over to Jesus Christ. He is your Master. And when you become married, you gave up the authority over your body and handed it over to your spouse. Therefore, Jesus has authority over your life; your spouse has authority over your body, what do you have left? Simply, the duty to submit and obey!
A second point I want to make is this: Since your body does not belong to you but to God first (it’s His temple) and to your spouse, why are you abusing it? Why are you pumping drugs in it, filling it full of alcohol, raising your cholesterol level and putting yourself at risk for heart disease?
Let’s say that I come to you asking to borrow your car. You graciously consent. After a few hours, I bring back your car all dirty, scratched, dented, paint chipped, glass cracked and two tires flat. You say, “Waaaaaaat happened?” I reply, “I did some off-road racing. Boy was it fun! WooooooHooooo! What an experience I had!” You come back, “My car is not for off road racing. And besides, it is not ever your car in the first place to go off road racing.” How would you feel? You would be ticked and demand full compensation.
Well, when you abuse what you think is your body and then expect your spouse to love it, you are fooling yourself. You are abusing something that isn’t yours in the first place.
Therefore, if your wife tells you, “Honey, from now on I am going to be cooking more healthy meals. I also do not want you to eat lunch at L&L. Instead, I will be making you your lunch to take to work.” Don’t give her a bad time. She simply wants you to take care of her property.
And if your husband says to you, “Babe, let’s get up an hour early each morning and go for walks,” don’t give him that look and come up with an excuse that your toes hurt. He simply wants you to take better care of his property.
You see, being married is much more than living together apart from sin. Being married has to do with giving up what once was yours and handed it all over to someone else for the rest of your life. Do you still want to get married?
End of Part 8
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Should I Marry? Part 7
A recent survey from the Pew Research Center, reported byUSA Today, gives insight into the current view of marriage. According to the survey of approximately 2,700 people, 39 percent said marriage is becoming obsolete. This is an increase from 28 percent in a similar survey in 1978. Cohabitation has nearly doubled since 1990. The survey says that 44 percent of adults and more than half of those in the 30-49 age bracket have cohabited without marriage. Interestingly, 64 percent of those think of it as a step toward marriage.
In Part 6, I showed six reasons why one ought to get married. They are good and biblical reasons. There are a lot more reasons why one ought to get married than there are of why one ought to remain single. Getting married helps to take us out of the place of temptation. But that doesn't mean that you run out without really considering what you're doing and marry the first available person just so you don't get into trouble. You'll be in more trouble then than you ever thought you were in. Getting married for the sake of purity is just one aspect to consider. There are a lot more as was noted in Part 6.
Now back to 1 Corinthians 7, Paul is showing us four ideas about the issue of being single. Here is a recap of what we have seen:
First, Singleness (Celibacy) is Good – v. 1. The idea that Paul is describing in this verse is that it is good not to have sexual relations with a woman who is not your wife. The point is that celibacy is good. In verse 7, Paul sees celibacy as a “gift.” If one is given by God the gift of celibacy, don’t get married and ruin the gift. Stay single.
Second, Singleness (Celibacy) is Tempting – v. 2. Here Paul states that because of the temptation of immorality, let each man have his own wife and each wife have her own husband. There is nothing wrong with being single or celibate. However, if you are finding yourself burning with passion and thus finding fulfillment through wrong means, then you ought to plan on getting married.
Now let’s look at a new point –
Third, Celibacy is Wrong for Married People – v. 3.
You say, “What? Why are you stating the obvious?” Well, because it was not that obvious to the Corinthians. Let me give to you a background as to what some in the church were thinking.
When the Corinthians opened their hearts to receive Jesus, they were taught to set themselves apart unto God. They were told to abandon the old way of living and to adopt the new life found in Christ. Some wrongly concluded: “Well, in order for me to be totally set apart unto God, I’m going to stop all of my physical relationships.” Therefore, some over zealous husband decides he's going to give all of his devotion to God and says to his wife, “I'm not going to do anything physical with you anymore, dear. I want to live as though I am single so I can give my all to Jesus!” Or, some overzealous wife says – “I'm now totally committed to Jesus Christ; I can't have anything to do with you, especially since you're not a Christian. I don't want a thing to do with you physically.”
And that's what was happening in Corinth. So, how is a pastor going to deal with such things? The answer is in Verse 3: "Let the husband fulfill the duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.” The word “duty” means “debt.” In other words, the husband has a debt to fulfill to his wife and likewise the wife to the husband. And what is this debt? Don’t deny being physical with your spouse. It is your duty or debt to sexually satisfy him and his duty to sexually satisfy her. Don’t use the excuse that you are now obligated to live more for Jesus. You want to live more for Jesus? Then fulfill the debt that you have with your spouse. This is how you can raise the bar in your walk with God as a married couple.
Realistically, a husband can say to his wife, “Honey, the kids are asleep. There is no one else up but us. Therefore, give me what you owe me!” Strong language, right? The wife can also say this to her husband. “Husband, you owe me a pleasurable moment. Therefore, pay up!” And it does not matter if you are married to a non-Christian. You are to pay your debt.
Marriage has its obligations. The word “fulfill” in the Greek is a present imperative. Thus it is both a command and continuous. As long as you are married, God commands you to continuously fulfill your debt sexually to your spouse.
You see, in marriage, your union physically can be expressed in any way that you want. This is God's design for the fulfillment of pleasure. The Bible glorifies it. In fact, the Song of Solomon is a whole book written just on the physical part of marriage. In that book, "Love, says Solomon, "becomes a most vehement flame as passionate and hungry as the sea." The Song of Solomon gives us magnificent lyrics in praise of the physical desire of marriage. Listen, this is what the man says: "Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your lips are like a scarlet thread and your mouth is lovely. You are all fair, my love, and there is no flaw in you." Wouldn't you ladies like to hear that from your husband?
And then he says: "You have ravished my heart." This guy is so in love! She is equally thrilled: "My beloved is radiant and ruddy. He is fairer than ten thousand." She cries: "I am my beloved's, my beloved is mine. His desire is toward me." Then she says: "I am sick with love." That's talking about the physical, I mean, she is really excited...about this guy. And he about her, but that's how it ought to be. God designed marriage to be the physical expression of love. He honors the sexual desire of marriage.
Now one cannot read the Song of Solomon and not catch the love that these two have for each other’s body parts. Both are physically attracted to each other and therefore they both long and desire to pay their debt to the other.
Now what I am about to say may not seem kind, but believe me, it comes from pure motives. I do not want to sound brazen or harsh, but sometimes that how truth comes across.
It is really hard for a wife to pay her debt to her husband if he trots around the house in his underwear with an oversize beer belly! Men, take a look at yourself in the mirror and be appalled! You cannot realistically expect your wife to get all excited over paying you her debt of giving you sexual pleasure when you are not physically appealing!
And wives, you know this for certain, I’m sure. But men are aroused through their “eyes.” And if you are grossly overweight, don’t expect your husband come driving home from work in a hurry to pay his debt to you. He will stop by the bar or some other place and stall as long as he can, hoping that when he gets home you will be fast asleep.
You see, if I know my wife has been commanded by God to fulfill her debt to me, then I must by all means help her to obey God. If I appear looking like a slob, I am prohibiting her from obeying God. She is commanded by God to give me pleasure. But if I am not appealing to her physically, how can I expect her to love me the way I desire and to have her whole heart involved? She will go to bed every night with a headache just so she would not have to pay her debt.
So it is important, as much as is possible for both parties to be somewhat physically appealing to one another. Now I know that as age sets in, gravity takes over. What use to stand now falls. I know this – every elderly couple knows this. But try to build within your physical frame a support system that will keep things from falling too soon and too low. Exercise will help. Losing weight will definitely help. Building muscle will add to the support system. All of which we already know about, right?
Marriage has its obligation. The husband and wife have a debt to pay. Listen, we all have seen certain foods that turn us off. The sight of certain dishes, not mentioning the smell, can be a big turn off. Yet we do the same thing with our bodies. We expect our spouses to salivate over our physical appearance when such is not the case.
You know what? Being overweight is a blessing compared to a physical deformity. Because at least one who is overweight, in time, can do something about it. But for the person who has some form of physical deformity that is not attractive, how can that be changed? So husbands and wives – take it upon yourself to be physically appealing to your spouse, especially if you care about whether or not you both are able to fulfill your debt to one another and obey God in the process.
End of Part 7
Friday, September 16, 2011
Pat Robertson's Unbiblical Comment
On the yesterday’s 700 Club, Host Pat Robertson went off the deep end again with a wild and crazy comment that will in some sense give the Christian community a black eye.
Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson told his “700 Club” viewers that divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer’s is justifiable because the disease is “a kind of death.”
During the portion of the show where the one-time Republican presidential candidate takes questions from viewers, Robertson was asked what advice a man should give to a friend who began seeing another woman after his wife started suffering from the incurable neurological disorder.
“I know it sounds cruel, but if he’s going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her,” Robertson said.
Terry Meeuwsen, Robertson’s co-host, asked him about couples’ marriage vows to take care of each other “for better or for worse” and “in sickness and in health.”
“If you respect that vow, you say ’til death do us part,’” Robertson said during the Tuesday broadcast. “This is a kind of death.”
I am reminded of what James said in chapter 3:1 of his book: “Let not many of you become teachers. . .knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.”
Okay, here is the bottom line: No one is given the green light to divorce his or her spouse over the issue of Alzheimer. Having such a disease, as horrible as it can be, is not a biblical ground for divorce. Pat Robertson is on a slipping slope and now many others who not only have a spouse with such a disease will be seriously considering the divorce route, but others will be looking at their option of taking off if they see some similarities. The human mind which has been tainted with sin will come up with all kinds of possible escape routes through rationalization.
I think it is good to remind ourselves what God thinks about divorce on unbiblical grounds: “I hate divorce” (Mal. 2:16). Pat Robertson is doing exactly what occurred back during the days of Malachi. Not only were the leaders making evil into something good, but they also implied that God delighted in evil because He did not dispense immediate judgment on it. Here is what the bible declares: You have wearied Me with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied God?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them,” or “Where is the God of justice?” (Mal. 2:17).
If you want to have an idea of Malachi 2:17 flesh out for you in real life, then here it is in the person of Pat Robertson and a host of others who open the door for Christians to sin all the while thinking it is the right thing to do.
Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson told his “700 Club” viewers that divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer’s is justifiable because the disease is “a kind of death.”
During the portion of the show where the one-time Republican presidential candidate takes questions from viewers, Robertson was asked what advice a man should give to a friend who began seeing another woman after his wife started suffering from the incurable neurological disorder.
“I know it sounds cruel, but if he’s going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her,” Robertson said.
Terry Meeuwsen, Robertson’s co-host, asked him about couples’ marriage vows to take care of each other “for better or for worse” and “in sickness and in health.”
“If you respect that vow, you say ’til death do us part,’” Robertson said during the Tuesday broadcast. “This is a kind of death.”
I am reminded of what James said in chapter 3:1 of his book: “Let not many of you become teachers. . .knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.”
Okay, here is the bottom line: No one is given the green light to divorce his or her spouse over the issue of Alzheimer. Having such a disease, as horrible as it can be, is not a biblical ground for divorce. Pat Robertson is on a slipping slope and now many others who not only have a spouse with such a disease will be seriously considering the divorce route, but others will be looking at their option of taking off if they see some similarities. The human mind which has been tainted with sin will come up with all kinds of possible escape routes through rationalization.
I think it is good to remind ourselves what God thinks about divorce on unbiblical grounds: “I hate divorce” (Mal. 2:16). Pat Robertson is doing exactly what occurred back during the days of Malachi. Not only were the leaders making evil into something good, but they also implied that God delighted in evil because He did not dispense immediate judgment on it. Here is what the bible declares: You have wearied Me with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied God?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them,” or “Where is the God of justice?” (Mal. 2:17).
If you want to have an idea of Malachi 2:17 flesh out for you in real life, then here it is in the person of Pat Robertson and a host of others who open the door for Christians to sin all the while thinking it is the right thing to do.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Should I Marry? Part 6
USA Today recently ran an article about a study done by the National Marriage Project by Rutgers. This study may motivate churches to do more to uphold the honor of marriage. In a survey of men and women in their twenties: 62% thought living together before marriage is a good way to avoid divorce. This runs counter to countless studies that indicate people who live together before marriage have a greater divorce rate than those who don't.
An even more alarming statistic is that 43% of twenty-somethings would only marry a person who agreed to live together first. No wonder, with living together glamorized by TV and movies.
So it is no wonder that the world and even Christians are asking themselves, “So what is the purpose of getting married in the first place?” God has ordained marriage for a reason – a good one, and like anything that God ordains or sets up for us to obey, it is always with our good in mind.
Here are six good reasons to get married:
1. Procreation - Genesis 1:28 says to be fruitful and multiply and that means having children. That's one reason to get married, is to have children. And that's a good reason to get married. God wants godly families to reproduce what? Godly people.
Now listen, there is no way a family who has children out of wedlock will be able to instill in their children the moral and biblical values of a godly family. Now I am not saying that children born out of wedlock cannot turn out to be godly, indeed they can. But if those same children are going to reproduce godly offspring, in order to do so, they must start by having children within marriage.
Godly children are not simply taught, but reproduced! This means that they become the product of their family and environment. If they are born out of wedlock and grow up without a father or mother, it will have a profound affect on their moral status. It is also true that children born within a household that has both a father and mother who are married to one another can also turn out to be bad. Just look at what occurred with Cain. He ended up murdering his brother, Abel and his parents were Adam and Eve, the very first family God created. Everyone born into this world is born with a sin nature and thus has a propensity to sin. But a two party household with a father and mother who are married to one another has better and greater resources to nurture the values of God in the lives of their children.
2. Pleasure - Another reason to get married is pleasure. Did you know that God designed marriage also for physical pleasure? Hebrews 13:4, the bed is undefiled. In other words, it's an enjoyable experience. Marriage is honorable. Marriage is enjoyable. Proverbs 5 talks about the satisfaction that a husband finds in the physical body of his wife and vice versa. The Song of Solomon from beginning to end is all about romantic love and physical satisfaction. This is why Paul says at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 7, that if a man faces sexual temptation he is to find a woman to marry. The same is true for a woman. Yes, getting married for companionship plays a huge part of wanting to get married, but so is the need to have physical pleasure with ONE WOMAN or ONE MAN. This is God’s design and it has never changed.
3. Provision. God wants a man to provide what a woman needs. The woman, says Peter in I Peter 3:7, is the weaker vessel and God knows that a man can support the weakness of a woman. God wants the man to provide for the woman, to nourish her, Ephesians 5:29 says, to cherish her, to strengthen her, to give her something to lean on, to fortify her.
I believe this particular one really helps the couple to preach to the world through their marriage the love that Christ has for the church. The way the husband loves his wife by sacrificing for her and cherishing her ought to proclaim loudly to others that in a similar but greater way, Jesus does this for the church. And the way a wife submits to her husband out of love and respect ought to proclaim to the world that this is how the church does so to Jesus.
Now let me be clear on this one: If a wife finds it hard and most difficult to submit to her husband, I can guarantee she struggles in submitting to Jesus. And if a husband finds it burdensome to love his wife, he has serious issues when it comes to loving Christ.
Here is a verse to remember: 1 John 1:7: “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” In other words, our fellowship with one another is dependent on our walking in the light with God. And the flipside is also true. Our walking in the light with God, cannot occur if we are not in fellowship with one another. You see how both sides are not mutually exclusive?
So if a man really loves God, it is true he also loves his wife. If a wife really is submitting to God, it is true she is also submitting to her husband. I have talked to wives who really believe that they can choose not to submit to their husbands and still go throughout the day walking with God. No wonder John says that when we think like this, we are “deceiving ourselves” (1 John 1:8).
4. Partnership - Marriage is for partnership. In the Old Testament, God says to Adam - You need a helpmeet (Gen. 2:18). You need a helper. You don't need to do things alone, you need a helper. And so it is for partnership. God gives us a friend. And I think, really, the key ingredient in a marriage is friendship, i.e. a partner for life.
When I was married, my wife and I partnered together on so many things. For starters, in the beginning of my ministry, she would edit my sermons and read and correct my outlines. She started doing this while I was in seminary. She also would tell me what kinds of combination of clothes looks good and what to avoid. She was my most faithful critic of all my sermons and teaching times. She partnered with me faithfully in prayer. I knew she was my armor bearer and was praying for me at all times.
She partnered with me in keeping the home in order and helping to instill godly principles in our kids. She did the household chores and would often remind me about things I had to do but had also forgotten. This was only the tip of the iceberg. I would often say to others that God is actually pouring His blessing on her and I happen to be standing next to her getting the splash affects. When both a husband and wife partner together to do ministry, there is nothing else like it. It brings so much joy, satisfaction and fulfillment to serve the Lord together and then after you done so, to talk about it afterwards and the lessons and gems you learned along the way.
5. Picture - Marriage is given as a picture. Ephesians 5 says it is a symbol to the world of God's relationship to His church. I have already to some extent touched on this in number 3. One of the divine purposes of marriage is so it can be a vehicle or tool for the couple to preach to the world the relationship Christ has with His bride, the church, and the bride’s relationship to her husband, the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Purity – That is to keep people from committing fornication. God wants us to be pure and so He ordained marriage to meet our physical needs and at the same time to keep us holy before Him. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about sexual purity, this is how he put it: For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7ForGod has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you (1 Thess. 4:3-8).
Notice a few observations in the above passage: First, sexual purity is the will of God. You want to know what is God’s will for you as a single person? Stay sexually pure until you find someone to marry. Second, until you do find someone to marry, learn to control your body. This means that one ought to stay away from temptations and tempting situations. Third, God is the avenger of the sin of impurity. God does forgive when people mess up, but He does not dissolve the consequences. Fourth, God’s calling on our lives is to walk in holiness. Therefore, we see that both the will of God and the call of God have the same goal in mind – our purity and holiness. Fifth, this mandate on purity does not come from the teachings of men, but from God.
So what is the purpose of marriage? It is for procreation, pleasure, provision, partnership, picture and purity. Therefore, as you set out looking for a potential person to marry, keep these six purposes in mind and go over them when the time is right. Make sure you and your significant other knows what God’s purposes are for a marriage. You will both be right in the center of God’s will.
End of Part 6
An even more alarming statistic is that 43% of twenty-somethings would only marry a person who agreed to live together first. No wonder, with living together glamorized by TV and movies.
So it is no wonder that the world and even Christians are asking themselves, “So what is the purpose of getting married in the first place?” God has ordained marriage for a reason – a good one, and like anything that God ordains or sets up for us to obey, it is always with our good in mind.
Here are six good reasons to get married:
1. Procreation - Genesis 1:28 says to be fruitful and multiply and that means having children. That's one reason to get married, is to have children. And that's a good reason to get married. God wants godly families to reproduce what? Godly people.
Now listen, there is no way a family who has children out of wedlock will be able to instill in their children the moral and biblical values of a godly family. Now I am not saying that children born out of wedlock cannot turn out to be godly, indeed they can. But if those same children are going to reproduce godly offspring, in order to do so, they must start by having children within marriage.
Godly children are not simply taught, but reproduced! This means that they become the product of their family and environment. If they are born out of wedlock and grow up without a father or mother, it will have a profound affect on their moral status. It is also true that children born within a household that has both a father and mother who are married to one another can also turn out to be bad. Just look at what occurred with Cain. He ended up murdering his brother, Abel and his parents were Adam and Eve, the very first family God created. Everyone born into this world is born with a sin nature and thus has a propensity to sin. But a two party household with a father and mother who are married to one another has better and greater resources to nurture the values of God in the lives of their children.
2. Pleasure - Another reason to get married is pleasure. Did you know that God designed marriage also for physical pleasure? Hebrews 13:4, the bed is undefiled. In other words, it's an enjoyable experience. Marriage is honorable. Marriage is enjoyable. Proverbs 5 talks about the satisfaction that a husband finds in the physical body of his wife and vice versa. The Song of Solomon from beginning to end is all about romantic love and physical satisfaction. This is why Paul says at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 7, that if a man faces sexual temptation he is to find a woman to marry. The same is true for a woman. Yes, getting married for companionship plays a huge part of wanting to get married, but so is the need to have physical pleasure with ONE WOMAN or ONE MAN. This is God’s design and it has never changed.
3. Provision. God wants a man to provide what a woman needs. The woman, says Peter in I Peter 3:7, is the weaker vessel and God knows that a man can support the weakness of a woman. God wants the man to provide for the woman, to nourish her, Ephesians 5:29 says, to cherish her, to strengthen her, to give her something to lean on, to fortify her.
I believe this particular one really helps the couple to preach to the world through their marriage the love that Christ has for the church. The way the husband loves his wife by sacrificing for her and cherishing her ought to proclaim loudly to others that in a similar but greater way, Jesus does this for the church. And the way a wife submits to her husband out of love and respect ought to proclaim to the world that this is how the church does so to Jesus.
Now let me be clear on this one: If a wife finds it hard and most difficult to submit to her husband, I can guarantee she struggles in submitting to Jesus. And if a husband finds it burdensome to love his wife, he has serious issues when it comes to loving Christ.
Here is a verse to remember: 1 John 1:7: “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” In other words, our fellowship with one another is dependent on our walking in the light with God. And the flipside is also true. Our walking in the light with God, cannot occur if we are not in fellowship with one another. You see how both sides are not mutually exclusive?
So if a man really loves God, it is true he also loves his wife. If a wife really is submitting to God, it is true she is also submitting to her husband. I have talked to wives who really believe that they can choose not to submit to their husbands and still go throughout the day walking with God. No wonder John says that when we think like this, we are “deceiving ourselves” (1 John 1:8).
4. Partnership - Marriage is for partnership. In the Old Testament, God says to Adam - You need a helpmeet (Gen. 2:18). You need a helper. You don't need to do things alone, you need a helper. And so it is for partnership. God gives us a friend. And I think, really, the key ingredient in a marriage is friendship, i.e. a partner for life.
When I was married, my wife and I partnered together on so many things. For starters, in the beginning of my ministry, she would edit my sermons and read and correct my outlines. She started doing this while I was in seminary. She also would tell me what kinds of combination of clothes looks good and what to avoid. She was my most faithful critic of all my sermons and teaching times. She partnered with me faithfully in prayer. I knew she was my armor bearer and was praying for me at all times.
She partnered with me in keeping the home in order and helping to instill godly principles in our kids. She did the household chores and would often remind me about things I had to do but had also forgotten. This was only the tip of the iceberg. I would often say to others that God is actually pouring His blessing on her and I happen to be standing next to her getting the splash affects. When both a husband and wife partner together to do ministry, there is nothing else like it. It brings so much joy, satisfaction and fulfillment to serve the Lord together and then after you done so, to talk about it afterwards and the lessons and gems you learned along the way.
5. Picture - Marriage is given as a picture. Ephesians 5 says it is a symbol to the world of God's relationship to His church. I have already to some extent touched on this in number 3. One of the divine purposes of marriage is so it can be a vehicle or tool for the couple to preach to the world the relationship Christ has with His bride, the church, and the bride’s relationship to her husband, the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Purity – That is to keep people from committing fornication. God wants us to be pure and so He ordained marriage to meet our physical needs and at the same time to keep us holy before Him. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about sexual purity, this is how he put it: For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7ForGod has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you (1 Thess. 4:3-8).
Notice a few observations in the above passage: First, sexual purity is the will of God. You want to know what is God’s will for you as a single person? Stay sexually pure until you find someone to marry. Second, until you do find someone to marry, learn to control your body. This means that one ought to stay away from temptations and tempting situations. Third, God is the avenger of the sin of impurity. God does forgive when people mess up, but He does not dissolve the consequences. Fourth, God’s calling on our lives is to walk in holiness. Therefore, we see that both the will of God and the call of God have the same goal in mind – our purity and holiness. Fifth, this mandate on purity does not come from the teachings of men, but from God.
So what is the purpose of marriage? It is for procreation, pleasure, provision, partnership, picture and purity. Therefore, as you set out looking for a potential person to marry, keep these six purposes in mind and go over them when the time is right. Make sure you and your significant other knows what God’s purposes are for a marriage. You will both be right in the center of God’s will.
End of Part 6
Friday, August 19, 2011
Should I Marry? Part 5
Gary Thomas, in his book, Sacred Marriage, said this: “If you want to be free to serve Jesus, there’s no question – stay single. Marriage takes a lot of time. But if you want to become more like Jesus, I can’t imagine any better thing to do than to get married. Being married forces you to face some character issues you’d never have to face otherwise.”
In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul starts out by saying that being single is good, not bad. Someone might raised the question about single people not having a family. However, there are other ways to have family without being married. Your church for one thing could be your family – whether married or not. Someone else’s family could adopt you as its own. You could be blessed with lots of friends who treat one another as family. The point Paul is making is simply this: If you're single, it's good. It's not bad, it's not evil, it's not wrong, it's good.
Here is Paul’s second point – Celibacy is not only good, it is also tempting. And this is where being single becomes a little tough. Sure singleness is good, but staying sexually pure is hard to do. Therefore, Paul says in verse 2: But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
Now notice what Paul says – “Each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.” These are commands. He says – If you don’t have the gift of singleness and you feel yourself battling sexual temptation, then get married. Why? On account of what? Immorality. Listen, being single is good, but it's tempting. And the gross style of Corinthian life made it harder for the unmarried to be pure, just like it does in our day.
It is true that so many unmarried people have problems today because of the constant barrage of sexual temptation being thrown at them through the media and social situations. Now Paul is not saying that if one is battling sexual temptation then just find anyone to marry you. Not at all. He is simply answering one issue that was occurring back then – that everyone should be single so they can serve God at the greatest and highest level. But Paul’s point is that not everyone can live the single life since their desires are too strong. For such people, the only remedy is to get married.
Now even for single people, not getting married is no guarantee one will be more devoted to God without interruptions. For example, if you do not have the gift of singleness and you struggle frequently with sexual temptation, it doesn’t matter if you’re single, you are still being distracted from serving God. Your thoughts and heart are divided. Your emotions are running over. Your passions are on fire. Oh, yes, you are single, but look at the internal battle you are having to wage war with on a daily basis just to get through. You might think to yourself, “Well, sure I have these strong desires and passions, but at least I am single to serve the Lord without the responsibility of a spouse in my life.” But who are you fooling? Your own desires are only making you spend more time on the defensive trying to control the flesh and less time on the offensive seeking ways to use your time for the Lord. In this scenario, you might as well throw up the white flag and find yourself a spouse. At least then you will be able to serve the Lord with far less frustrations. Therefore, in order to avoid the sin of immorality, Paul says, “Please, get married. Find your own husband or wife.” That’s God design and way to battle sexual temptations.
This is why we often read how priests get themselves into trouble. The Roman Catholic system teaches that priests must be single and therefore cannot marry. The single lifestyle for priests is not voluntary, but mandated. Thus many priests have to endure their sexual passions even if they do not have the gift of being single. Some cannot cope so they molest young boys. Many of them are secretly involved with porn. Paul's advice to such people is to stop fighting your desires and certainly stop denying that they exist. Instead, get married! It is not wrong to get married if your desires are both active and strong.
In fact, Paul had something seriously to say about this kind of a system that denies people the right to marry, when he wrote: Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. And what’s one of the teachings of demons? Verse 3: Men who forbid marriage (1 Tim. 4:1, 3).
You see, if one chooses not to marry because he or she feels called serve the Lord as a single person, that's good. But on the other hand, never ever forbid others to marry, nor should you forbid yourself to marry especially if you do not have the calling of God to live as a single person. And may I also add, never look down on others who are married. A single person may think of himself better off than one who is married because he can devote more time for the Lord. But remember this: When it comes to serving Jesus, more time is not the issue. It is how we use our time that counts. Paul said "making the most of your time because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16).
So what have we learned from 1 Corinthians 7 so far? First, singleness is good. Second, singleness is also tempting. But there's more. Someone may ask, "If marriage is such a good thing, what is its purpose?" We'll answer this next time.
End of Part 5
In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul starts out by saying that being single is good, not bad. Someone might raised the question about single people not having a family. However, there are other ways to have family without being married. Your church for one thing could be your family – whether married or not. Someone else’s family could adopt you as its own. You could be blessed with lots of friends who treat one another as family. The point Paul is making is simply this: If you're single, it's good. It's not bad, it's not evil, it's not wrong, it's good.
Here is Paul’s second point – Celibacy is not only good, it is also tempting. And this is where being single becomes a little tough. Sure singleness is good, but staying sexually pure is hard to do. Therefore, Paul says in verse 2: But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
Now notice what Paul says – “Each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.” These are commands. He says – If you don’t have the gift of singleness and you feel yourself battling sexual temptation, then get married. Why? On account of what? Immorality. Listen, being single is good, but it's tempting. And the gross style of Corinthian life made it harder for the unmarried to be pure, just like it does in our day.
It is true that so many unmarried people have problems today because of the constant barrage of sexual temptation being thrown at them through the media and social situations. Now Paul is not saying that if one is battling sexual temptation then just find anyone to marry you. Not at all. He is simply answering one issue that was occurring back then – that everyone should be single so they can serve God at the greatest and highest level. But Paul’s point is that not everyone can live the single life since their desires are too strong. For such people, the only remedy is to get married.
Now even for single people, not getting married is no guarantee one will be more devoted to God without interruptions. For example, if you do not have the gift of singleness and you struggle frequently with sexual temptation, it doesn’t matter if you’re single, you are still being distracted from serving God. Your thoughts and heart are divided. Your emotions are running over. Your passions are on fire. Oh, yes, you are single, but look at the internal battle you are having to wage war with on a daily basis just to get through. You might think to yourself, “Well, sure I have these strong desires and passions, but at least I am single to serve the Lord without the responsibility of a spouse in my life.” But who are you fooling? Your own desires are only making you spend more time on the defensive trying to control the flesh and less time on the offensive seeking ways to use your time for the Lord. In this scenario, you might as well throw up the white flag and find yourself a spouse. At least then you will be able to serve the Lord with far less frustrations. Therefore, in order to avoid the sin of immorality, Paul says, “Please, get married. Find your own husband or wife.” That’s God design and way to battle sexual temptations.
This is why we often read how priests get themselves into trouble. The Roman Catholic system teaches that priests must be single and therefore cannot marry. The single lifestyle for priests is not voluntary, but mandated. Thus many priests have to endure their sexual passions even if they do not have the gift of being single. Some cannot cope so they molest young boys. Many of them are secretly involved with porn. Paul's advice to such people is to stop fighting your desires and certainly stop denying that they exist. Instead, get married! It is not wrong to get married if your desires are both active and strong.
In fact, Paul had something seriously to say about this kind of a system that denies people the right to marry, when he wrote: Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. And what’s one of the teachings of demons? Verse 3: Men who forbid marriage (1 Tim. 4:1, 3).
You see, if one chooses not to marry because he or she feels called serve the Lord as a single person, that's good. But on the other hand, never ever forbid others to marry, nor should you forbid yourself to marry especially if you do not have the calling of God to live as a single person. And may I also add, never look down on others who are married. A single person may think of himself better off than one who is married because he can devote more time for the Lord. But remember this: When it comes to serving Jesus, more time is not the issue. It is how we use our time that counts. Paul said "making the most of your time because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16).
So what have we learned from 1 Corinthians 7 so far? First, singleness is good. Second, singleness is also tempting. But there's more. Someone may ask, "If marriage is such a good thing, what is its purpose?" We'll answer this next time.
End of Part 5
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Should I Marry? Part 4
“Should I marry,” that’s the question that I’ve been thinking about and some of you might have also asked that question once or twice yourself. The first seven verses of 1 Corinthians answers the celibate question. Some of you may be caught in the debate of your own internal monologue of trying to answer this question. You don't know whether to get married or not to get married. Some of you don't have any option at this point. You're either single and haven't found anybody interesting, or you're married and no options. But some of you do have that option and you don't know whether to look for somebody to marry or whether not to. You don't know whether it's right to remarry, or whatever. So why don’t we depend on the Spirit of God to use the Word of God to help us answer the “Should I marry” question.
In the first seven verses, Paul presents four godly ideas that stem from the issue of being single. Here they are:
1. Celibacy is Good – v. 1: Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." Let’s stop here for a moment and examine this verse more closely.
Some translations have the phrase, “it is not good for a man to TOUCH A WOMAN” (i.e. NASB, KJV). Years ago when I first read this I thought, “What, I cannot even touch a woman?” In fact, I went to a bible institute where in chapel we had to sit six inches from the person of the opposite sex. There was a lady who actually would come by with a measuring tape to measure to see if we were at least six inches apart from the person we were sitting next to. And if we were not, she would tap us on the head and tell us to move further apart! Now I dated a Mexican gal back then and I wanted so badly to sit next to her in chapel but was unable too because of the temptation of touching her. When you read this passage in the NASB and KJV, it sounds a little prudish and legalistic.
I remember hearing of a Christian basketball team who was forbidden to wear shorts; instead the players had to wear long pants when they played lest the revelation of their legs should cause someone in the crowd to stumble!
I mean, if you man cannot even touch a woman, that would be a complete bummer! If Paul was referring to a literal touch, then Adam and Eve would be the only people still on earth. However, Paul is not talking about that. Instead, when Paul uses the word “touch” he simply means, “sexual relations.”
Let me show you an example of this in the Old Testament. There was a case in which adultery could have occurred in the family of Abraham. He lied to Abimelech and told him that Sarah was his sister. So Abimelech took her to be his wife. However, God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me, therefore I did not let you TOUCH her” (Gen. 20:6). What did God mean? Simply this: He kept Abimelech from having sexual relations with Abraham’s wife. That’s what the word “touch” means.
Jump on ahead to the Book of Ruth. Boaz had the desire to keep Ruth pure, so he said to her: “Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to TOUCH you” (Ruth 2:9).
Over in the sixth chapter of Proverbs we read, “So in the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever TOUCHES her will not go unpunished” (v. 29). And of course, the writer is not talking about some tap on the shoulder but rather not having a sexual relationship.
So back to 1 Corinthians 7. Paul is simply saying that it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman especially if he is not married to her. In fact, in the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul will show us three things that are good: First, it is good not to have sexual relations if you are single. Second, it is good to be single. Third, it is good for a man not to marry.
Now folks, let me add this for a balance here. Paul does not say it is the ONLY good. Why? Because it is ALSO good to be married. All Paul wants his readers to understand is this: “It is not evil or wrong to be single.”
Now this is a crucial principle to grab a hold of. Because some people believe that if you are still single something must be wrong with you, right? I have heard this from others. I hear others say, “Pastor Rich, so and so is 45 years ago and still single. I wonder what is wrong with him. Perhaps he’s gay!” LOL! Or, “she must have a lot of issues or skeletons in the closet.” No, Paul wants to make it clear that if a person chooses to live his or her life single, such a choice is not evil.
So keep in mind as we make our way through the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul is not trying to pit marriage and singleness against one another. He is not saying it is bad to be married and better to be single. The word “good” is the word “kalos” which simply means, “profitable” or “beneficial.” In other words, there are certain benefits to being single and certain benefits being married.
The Jews, you see, use to teach that if you didn't have a wife, you were a sinner. They said this: “A man who does not have a wife and a child has slain his posterity and lessened the image of God in the world.” Seven kinds of people couldn't get to heaven, they had a list. First on the list, a Jew who has no wife. Second, a wife who has no children.
The Jew said - God said be fruitful and multiply and if you don't you're disobedient to the commands of God. Now, no doubt, this pressure was coming on the Corinthian church from the Jewish members. They were saying - You've got to be married.
And some of the Gentiles who didn't want to be married and who wanted to grow in some higher devotional level to God were saying – “We're going to be celibate and we're going to strictly remove ourselves from marriage and live a life totally given over to God.” And so Paul starts out by saying, “That’s fine! Nothing wrong with that!”
“But Pastor Rich, doesn’t the Old Testament teach that it is not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18)? Yes it does, but remember, you can be single and still not be alone. You can have friends. I love what Psalm 68:6 says: “God makes a home for the lonely.” You see, your home church maybe your family. Maybe your friends are your family. God will give to single people the friends and family they need to deal righteously with their loneliness. Therefore, if one chooses to be single, that is good and not bad. It is a choice that God honors.
End of Part 4
In the first seven verses, Paul presents four godly ideas that stem from the issue of being single. Here they are:
1. Celibacy is Good – v. 1: Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." Let’s stop here for a moment and examine this verse more closely.
Some translations have the phrase, “it is not good for a man to TOUCH A WOMAN” (i.e. NASB, KJV). Years ago when I first read this I thought, “What, I cannot even touch a woman?” In fact, I went to a bible institute where in chapel we had to sit six inches from the person of the opposite sex. There was a lady who actually would come by with a measuring tape to measure to see if we were at least six inches apart from the person we were sitting next to. And if we were not, she would tap us on the head and tell us to move further apart! Now I dated a Mexican gal back then and I wanted so badly to sit next to her in chapel but was unable too because of the temptation of touching her. When you read this passage in the NASB and KJV, it sounds a little prudish and legalistic.
I remember hearing of a Christian basketball team who was forbidden to wear shorts; instead the players had to wear long pants when they played lest the revelation of their legs should cause someone in the crowd to stumble!
I mean, if you man cannot even touch a woman, that would be a complete bummer! If Paul was referring to a literal touch, then Adam and Eve would be the only people still on earth. However, Paul is not talking about that. Instead, when Paul uses the word “touch” he simply means, “sexual relations.”
Let me show you an example of this in the Old Testament. There was a case in which adultery could have occurred in the family of Abraham. He lied to Abimelech and told him that Sarah was his sister. So Abimelech took her to be his wife. However, God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me, therefore I did not let you TOUCH her” (Gen. 20:6). What did God mean? Simply this: He kept Abimelech from having sexual relations with Abraham’s wife. That’s what the word “touch” means.
Jump on ahead to the Book of Ruth. Boaz had the desire to keep Ruth pure, so he said to her: “Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to TOUCH you” (Ruth 2:9).
Over in the sixth chapter of Proverbs we read, “So in the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever TOUCHES her will not go unpunished” (v. 29). And of course, the writer is not talking about some tap on the shoulder but rather not having a sexual relationship.
So back to 1 Corinthians 7. Paul is simply saying that it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman especially if he is not married to her. In fact, in the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul will show us three things that are good: First, it is good not to have sexual relations if you are single. Second, it is good to be single. Third, it is good for a man not to marry.
Now folks, let me add this for a balance here. Paul does not say it is the ONLY good. Why? Because it is ALSO good to be married. All Paul wants his readers to understand is this: “It is not evil or wrong to be single.”
Now this is a crucial principle to grab a hold of. Because some people believe that if you are still single something must be wrong with you, right? I have heard this from others. I hear others say, “Pastor Rich, so and so is 45 years ago and still single. I wonder what is wrong with him. Perhaps he’s gay!” LOL! Or, “she must have a lot of issues or skeletons in the closet.” No, Paul wants to make it clear that if a person chooses to live his or her life single, such a choice is not evil.
So keep in mind as we make our way through the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul is not trying to pit marriage and singleness against one another. He is not saying it is bad to be married and better to be single. The word “good” is the word “kalos” which simply means, “profitable” or “beneficial.” In other words, there are certain benefits to being single and certain benefits being married.
The Jews, you see, use to teach that if you didn't have a wife, you were a sinner. They said this: “A man who does not have a wife and a child has slain his posterity and lessened the image of God in the world.” Seven kinds of people couldn't get to heaven, they had a list. First on the list, a Jew who has no wife. Second, a wife who has no children.
The Jew said - God said be fruitful and multiply and if you don't you're disobedient to the commands of God. Now, no doubt, this pressure was coming on the Corinthian church from the Jewish members. They were saying - You've got to be married.
And some of the Gentiles who didn't want to be married and who wanted to grow in some higher devotional level to God were saying – “We're going to be celibate and we're going to strictly remove ourselves from marriage and live a life totally given over to God.” And so Paul starts out by saying, “That’s fine! Nothing wrong with that!”
“But Pastor Rich, doesn’t the Old Testament teach that it is not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18)? Yes it does, but remember, you can be single and still not be alone. You can have friends. I love what Psalm 68:6 says: “God makes a home for the lonely.” You see, your home church maybe your family. Maybe your friends are your family. God will give to single people the friends and family they need to deal righteously with their loneliness. Therefore, if one chooses to be single, that is good and not bad. It is a choice that God honors.
End of Part 4
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Should I Marry? Part 3
In parts 1 and 2, I showed you why the Corinthians had marriage, remarriage, divorce and singleness issues. They were living in a society that dealt with marriage in a variety of ways, some of which was not biblical.
But the major problem the Corinthians had was this: The moral character within marriage had so been destroyed that divorce was very, very rampant. There are records of people who had been married as many as 27, 28, 29 times. They counted their years by their wives.
There was immorality. There was rampant homosexuality, concubines, men used their wives to clean up the house and cook the meals and do whatever else and then they had other women for their pleasure.
On top of all of that, did you know that at the time of the Apostle Paul, in those days in the Roman Empire, there was a feminist rebellion? Here is a quote from a book titled, “Daily Life in Rome.”
"Along side the heroines of the aristocracy, the irreproachable wives and the excellent mothers who were still found within its ranks, it is easy to sight emancipated or rather unbridled wives who evaded the duties of maternity for fear of losing their good looks. Some took a pride in being behind their husbands in no sphere of activity and vie with them in tests of strength which their sex would have seemed to forbid. Some were not content to live their lives by their husband's side, but carried on another life without him. Were that because of voluntary birth control or because of the impoverish stock; many Roman marriages at the end of the first and the beginning of the second centuries were childless.
"With spear in hand and breasts exposed, who took to pig-sticking. Others attended chariot races in men's clothing and some became wrestlers.
"What modesty can you expect in a woman who wears a helmet, hates her own sex and delights in feats of strength?"
Before long, marriage began to suffer. Vows were violated. Women demanded to live their own lives. And as soon as the women wanted out, the husbands could take about so much of that and then they were happy to let them out. And men began to discard their women as fast as women began to leave. And they would discard their women for going out without a veil, for speaking to the wrong person in public, for going somewhere or doing something without asking their permission. They would divorce a woman to get a richer one.
The author then says, "Thus does she lord it over her husband, but before long she vacates her kingdom, she flits from one house to another wearing out her bridal veil.”
So, you can see that the picture of marriage was a very confused thing. Others were in and out of marriage, divorce was rife. There were problems with who is really married and who is not married and what about the guy who use to live in a tent companionship and somebody sold off his wife, can he remarry again?
Now to add to this laundry list of problems, let me add this last one: Some would suggest that the best way out is never to get married, just forget the whole thing. And they began to elevate the idea of celibacy so as to become a spiritually elite person. If you weren't married and you were single and you were celibate, you were sort of a spiritual super-person. You had denied yourself the flesh. You had laid aside all of those things and totally devoted yourself to Jesus Christ. And there was a prevailing view in the Corinthian church that celibacy was the highest form of Christian life, to never get married, to have no sexual relationship at all. And it got so bad that people were not only not getting married, but condemning the people who were married. And the people who were married were leaving their partners in order to be celibate so they could be more spiritual. And people who were married to an unbeliever were getting out fast because there was supposedly defilement in being married to an unbeliever and having a sexual relationship with an unbeliever.
The idea of celibacy being a high level of spiritual devotion is still with us. It found its way into the Roman Catholic Church and it's still there. The idea that a truly godly holy person can't be married is still in the Catholic Church and priests and nuns don't marry for that reason. They wear a wedding ring, very often, as a symbol of their marriage to Jesus Christ. They say that makes them superior spiritually to the rest of us who are married. So that isn't anything that we're not familiar with.
It is noteworthy that in the end times, I Timothy 4 says, people are going to come along talking about forbidding marrying (1 Tim. 4:3). I have talked to some who in their minds believe that celibacy is the highest form of Christian living. When Paul said it is better to be as he is (celibate), they conclude that Paul was making a comparison that being married is second class to being single. As we go through the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians, I will endeavor to show you that is not what Paul was trying to convey.
End of Part 3
But the major problem the Corinthians had was this: The moral character within marriage had so been destroyed that divorce was very, very rampant. There are records of people who had been married as many as 27, 28, 29 times. They counted their years by their wives.
There was immorality. There was rampant homosexuality, concubines, men used their wives to clean up the house and cook the meals and do whatever else and then they had other women for their pleasure.
On top of all of that, did you know that at the time of the Apostle Paul, in those days in the Roman Empire, there was a feminist rebellion? Here is a quote from a book titled, “Daily Life in Rome.”
"Along side the heroines of the aristocracy, the irreproachable wives and the excellent mothers who were still found within its ranks, it is easy to sight emancipated or rather unbridled wives who evaded the duties of maternity for fear of losing their good looks. Some took a pride in being behind their husbands in no sphere of activity and vie with them in tests of strength which their sex would have seemed to forbid. Some were not content to live their lives by their husband's side, but carried on another life without him. Were that because of voluntary birth control or because of the impoverish stock; many Roman marriages at the end of the first and the beginning of the second centuries were childless.
"With spear in hand and breasts exposed, who took to pig-sticking. Others attended chariot races in men's clothing and some became wrestlers.
"What modesty can you expect in a woman who wears a helmet, hates her own sex and delights in feats of strength?"
Before long, marriage began to suffer. Vows were violated. Women demanded to live their own lives. And as soon as the women wanted out, the husbands could take about so much of that and then they were happy to let them out. And men began to discard their women as fast as women began to leave. And they would discard their women for going out without a veil, for speaking to the wrong person in public, for going somewhere or doing something without asking their permission. They would divorce a woman to get a richer one.
The author then says, "Thus does she lord it over her husband, but before long she vacates her kingdom, she flits from one house to another wearing out her bridal veil.”
So, you can see that the picture of marriage was a very confused thing. Others were in and out of marriage, divorce was rife. There were problems with who is really married and who is not married and what about the guy who use to live in a tent companionship and somebody sold off his wife, can he remarry again?
Now to add to this laundry list of problems, let me add this last one: Some would suggest that the best way out is never to get married, just forget the whole thing. And they began to elevate the idea of celibacy so as to become a spiritually elite person. If you weren't married and you were single and you were celibate, you were sort of a spiritual super-person. You had denied yourself the flesh. You had laid aside all of those things and totally devoted yourself to Jesus Christ. And there was a prevailing view in the Corinthian church that celibacy was the highest form of Christian life, to never get married, to have no sexual relationship at all. And it got so bad that people were not only not getting married, but condemning the people who were married. And the people who were married were leaving their partners in order to be celibate so they could be more spiritual. And people who were married to an unbeliever were getting out fast because there was supposedly defilement in being married to an unbeliever and having a sexual relationship with an unbeliever.
The idea of celibacy being a high level of spiritual devotion is still with us. It found its way into the Roman Catholic Church and it's still there. The idea that a truly godly holy person can't be married is still in the Catholic Church and priests and nuns don't marry for that reason. They wear a wedding ring, very often, as a symbol of their marriage to Jesus Christ. They say that makes them superior spiritually to the rest of us who are married. So that isn't anything that we're not familiar with.
It is noteworthy that in the end times, I Timothy 4 says, people are going to come along talking about forbidding marrying (1 Tim. 4:3). I have talked to some who in their minds believe that celibacy is the highest form of Christian living. When Paul said it is better to be as he is (celibate), they conclude that Paul was making a comparison that being married is second class to being single. As we go through the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians, I will endeavor to show you that is not what Paul was trying to convey.
End of Part 3
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Should I Marry? Part 2
A friend once asked Isidor I. Rabi, a Nobel Prize winner in science, how he became a scientist. Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn't so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, "Did you ask a good question today?"
"Asking good questions," Rabi said, "made me become a scientist."
This is precisely what the Corinthians had done. They had a question concerning marriage, so they wrote a letter to Paul: “Now concerning the things about which you wrote. . .” (1 Cor. 7:1). In fact, the Corinthians had written and asked Paul about four issues on their minds:
First, they had a question concerning marriage – 1 Cor. 7:1.
Second, they had a question concerning things sacrificed to idols – 1 Cor. 8:1.
Third, they had a question or concern about women in the church – 1 Cor. 11.
Fourth, they had a question concerning spiritual gifts – 1 Cor. 12:1.
Therefore, the Corinthians were dealing with some major issues, such as, marriage, divorce and remarriage; things sacrificed to idols; women in the church; and spiritual gifts. They had written to Paul about such things and so the whole Book of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s answers to their questions.
Now to understand why this church had problems with marriages, it is important to understand a little about the context in which they were living. Remember, the city of Corinth was in a Roman province. Rome had no uniform set of marital laws. Anyone could get married at least four different ways, all of which were recognized as marriage in some sense.
The first way had to do with slaves. There were many slaves in those days -- hundreds of thousands of slaves and they weren't considered human so they didn't have any of the rights of a Roman citizen. And when a slave wanted to get married, instead of an official marriage, the owner of the slaves would agree to what was called a “tent companionship.” The owner would say, “Alright, you two can live in a tent together.” And that consummated a certain kind of slave marriage.
Now, if he didn't like the way they were living together and he didn't particularly care for the situation or the slave, the master of the slave could go in and take them apart. Or, he could sell off the husband or he could sell off the wife. So you had a lot of real problems in the early church because so many of the Christians in Corinth were this way before coming to Christ. And now that they had come to Christ, they were wondering if their marriage was legit and if they should continue living together. So then, with these kinds of marriages performed in the Roman world and people like this in the church, how will the church handle such couples?
What Paul did do was not try to break things up but to try to teach them the sanctity of the marriage that they had whatever the legal basis was of it. If they were living together under a tent companionship, then he simply taught them to stay together and prove themselves true to one another, and to love one another, and to make everything of that marriage that God designed it to be. Because that's really all the choice they had as slaves.
A second way one could get married under the Roman system was called, “Usus.” This particular custom meant that a woman and a man could live together for one year. At the end of the one year, they would become identified as husband and wife. Today we would call this “Common law marriage.”
So, again, the church back during Paul’s time would have had to deal with people who were common law married, who had no legal paper or anything to identify their marriage. Again the New Testament doesn't say anything about such only that they ought to live in the sanctity of the marriage under whatever it exists. That is, just maintain it. Of course, we would not encourage couples to live together by any means for one year. But in Rome, when this was done, the couple was considered legally married. The church had to accept and deal with this.
There was also a third way, which was “Marriage by Sale,” where the father sold his daughter to the husband. If the guy would come across with the right price, he could have the daughter. And of course, depending on the girl, the price would vary. If the girl was really beautiful looking, the guy would probably pay between three to four dozen sheep. If she wasn’t, he would give her father a lame chicken. But again, you had these kinds of couples in the church.
But the most elevated and the most noble way for couples to become married was a coming together on a much higher level. This was the classy kind of marriage. And you want to know something very interesting about this? The entire marriage ceremony as we know it today in the Christian church comes from this pagan Roman marriage, the one we practice and go to presently. It does not come from Hebrew custom in the Old Testament, it does not come from a New Testament basis, it's entirely the Roman pagan ceremony that was used back during the first century.
For example, the Roman Catholic Church simply picked up the standard Roman ceremony and when the Reformation came in the seventeenth century, nothing changed or no one sought to change things. By the time of the Reformation, it had become tradition and pretty much the same today. In fact, the Hebrew wedding lasted seven days. So, you know we're not into that. We're far from the Hebrew customary wedding. But the Roman pagan wedding was a short one-afternooner, or a one-evening thing.
The two families came together; they picked out a matron who would be like the maid-of-honor and a best man. The couple joined their right hands, which is also what we still do in a marriage ceremony. They recited vows. And after the vows there were prayers offered, that's the standard procedure only they offered the prayers to Jupiter and Juno. There were flowers. Flowers were customary and a bridal wreath was really the beginning of what we know today as the bridal bouquet. The bride always wore a veil which was lifted. There was a ring and it was always put on the same left hand ring finger. Note: In fact, medical scientists in their dissecting of the human body, discovered that a nerve ran from the middle of the ring finger on your left hand right to the heart. And since that nerve was connected to the heart, that's the place where the ring is placed! This all came from the pagan Roman system of marriage. When all that was over, the bride and groom went to another place to celebrate their wedding and believe it or not, they had a cake. That's right. So, now you know where the whole custom came from. Not from the Bible, not from Hebrew custom, but from pagan Rome! But that’s okay, because the church can take that which is pagan and redeem it and use it for the Lord.
So, there were at least four ways a person could get married back during the time of the Corinthians. The church at Corinth had these four kinds of marriages within its membership. People who were being saved and coming out of the pagan Roman system had questions about the way they had gotten married and the legality of their marital status. So the church wrote a letter to Paul asking him to clarify. This is what Paul was doing when he wrote the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians.
What Paul basically does would be to simply teach the sanctity of marriage, whatever way one happened to get into it. Paul’s point is to just make the most of it now that you're there.
End of Part 2
"Asking good questions," Rabi said, "made me become a scientist."
This is precisely what the Corinthians had done. They had a question concerning marriage, so they wrote a letter to Paul: “Now concerning the things about which you wrote. . .” (1 Cor. 7:1). In fact, the Corinthians had written and asked Paul about four issues on their minds:
First, they had a question concerning marriage – 1 Cor. 7:1.
Second, they had a question concerning things sacrificed to idols – 1 Cor. 8:1.
Third, they had a question or concern about women in the church – 1 Cor. 11.
Fourth, they had a question concerning spiritual gifts – 1 Cor. 12:1.
Therefore, the Corinthians were dealing with some major issues, such as, marriage, divorce and remarriage; things sacrificed to idols; women in the church; and spiritual gifts. They had written to Paul about such things and so the whole Book of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s answers to their questions.
Now to understand why this church had problems with marriages, it is important to understand a little about the context in which they were living. Remember, the city of Corinth was in a Roman province. Rome had no uniform set of marital laws. Anyone could get married at least four different ways, all of which were recognized as marriage in some sense.
The first way had to do with slaves. There were many slaves in those days -- hundreds of thousands of slaves and they weren't considered human so they didn't have any of the rights of a Roman citizen. And when a slave wanted to get married, instead of an official marriage, the owner of the slaves would agree to what was called a “tent companionship.” The owner would say, “Alright, you two can live in a tent together.” And that consummated a certain kind of slave marriage.
Now, if he didn't like the way they were living together and he didn't particularly care for the situation or the slave, the master of the slave could go in and take them apart. Or, he could sell off the husband or he could sell off the wife. So you had a lot of real problems in the early church because so many of the Christians in Corinth were this way before coming to Christ. And now that they had come to Christ, they were wondering if their marriage was legit and if they should continue living together. So then, with these kinds of marriages performed in the Roman world and people like this in the church, how will the church handle such couples?
What Paul did do was not try to break things up but to try to teach them the sanctity of the marriage that they had whatever the legal basis was of it. If they were living together under a tent companionship, then he simply taught them to stay together and prove themselves true to one another, and to love one another, and to make everything of that marriage that God designed it to be. Because that's really all the choice they had as slaves.
A second way one could get married under the Roman system was called, “Usus.” This particular custom meant that a woman and a man could live together for one year. At the end of the one year, they would become identified as husband and wife. Today we would call this “Common law marriage.”
So, again, the church back during Paul’s time would have had to deal with people who were common law married, who had no legal paper or anything to identify their marriage. Again the New Testament doesn't say anything about such only that they ought to live in the sanctity of the marriage under whatever it exists. That is, just maintain it. Of course, we would not encourage couples to live together by any means for one year. But in Rome, when this was done, the couple was considered legally married. The church had to accept and deal with this.
There was also a third way, which was “Marriage by Sale,” where the father sold his daughter to the husband. If the guy would come across with the right price, he could have the daughter. And of course, depending on the girl, the price would vary. If the girl was really beautiful looking, the guy would probably pay between three to four dozen sheep. If she wasn’t, he would give her father a lame chicken. But again, you had these kinds of couples in the church.
But the most elevated and the most noble way for couples to become married was a coming together on a much higher level. This was the classy kind of marriage. And you want to know something very interesting about this? The entire marriage ceremony as we know it today in the Christian church comes from this pagan Roman marriage, the one we practice and go to presently. It does not come from Hebrew custom in the Old Testament, it does not come from a New Testament basis, it's entirely the Roman pagan ceremony that was used back during the first century.
For example, the Roman Catholic Church simply picked up the standard Roman ceremony and when the Reformation came in the seventeenth century, nothing changed or no one sought to change things. By the time of the Reformation, it had become tradition and pretty much the same today. In fact, the Hebrew wedding lasted seven days. So, you know we're not into that. We're far from the Hebrew customary wedding. But the Roman pagan wedding was a short one-afternooner, or a one-evening thing.
The two families came together; they picked out a matron who would be like the maid-of-honor and a best man. The couple joined their right hands, which is also what we still do in a marriage ceremony. They recited vows. And after the vows there were prayers offered, that's the standard procedure only they offered the prayers to Jupiter and Juno. There were flowers. Flowers were customary and a bridal wreath was really the beginning of what we know today as the bridal bouquet. The bride always wore a veil which was lifted. There was a ring and it was always put on the same left hand ring finger. Note: In fact, medical scientists in their dissecting of the human body, discovered that a nerve ran from the middle of the ring finger on your left hand right to the heart. And since that nerve was connected to the heart, that's the place where the ring is placed! This all came from the pagan Roman system of marriage. When all that was over, the bride and groom went to another place to celebrate their wedding and believe it or not, they had a cake. That's right. So, now you know where the whole custom came from. Not from the Bible, not from Hebrew custom, but from pagan Rome! But that’s okay, because the church can take that which is pagan and redeem it and use it for the Lord.
So, there were at least four ways a person could get married back during the time of the Corinthians. The church at Corinth had these four kinds of marriages within its membership. People who were being saved and coming out of the pagan Roman system had questions about the way they had gotten married and the legality of their marital status. So the church wrote a letter to Paul asking him to clarify. This is what Paul was doing when he wrote the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians.
What Paul basically does would be to simply teach the sanctity of marriage, whatever way one happened to get into it. Paul’s point is to just make the most of it now that you're there.
End of Part 2
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Should I Marry? Part 1
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about singleness and marriage. Since my wife’s passing back in October of 2010, I have found myself hanging mostly with those who are single. I seem to gravitate toward them more than those who are married. When Paula was alive, we fellowshipped with those who were married more than those who are single. It is interesting how people will feel a pull toward those they find common ground with.
But since I’ve been hanging with single people a lot, I have heard their views about singleness and marriage. To be frank, some of what I have heard scares me. Some elevate singleness over and beyond marriage and others do not have a clue what marriage actually entails. I’ve gone away with more questions than answers. Therefore, I have decided to go to the one place where I can discover God’s mind on both singleness and marriage. There is no better place than in 1 Corinthians 7. I will be doing a series of blogs on this topic. I hope you will study with me and allow God’s Word to shape your views concerning both singleness and marriage.
Let’s begin with this question: Should I marry or should I not marry?
Marriage is, let's face it, a very hot item today. There are more books being written on that subject, I think, than any other one subject. The Bible has a lot to say about marriage. There is much in the New Testament about marriage. Jesus taught much about marriage. He referred to marriage many times in the gospel records. He stated in Matthew 19 that man and woman were made for each other. God made them for each other. He states that they should join themselves together and become one flesh and that this was marriage and this was actually a joining together by God Himself. Jesus also emphasized that marriage was monogamous, that it was to be two becoming one flesh, something that was first stated by God in Genesis chapter 2. Jesus also taught in Matthew 19 that marriage was to be unbroken. God hadn't changed His attitude at all about divorce. It was wrong from the beginning and it is still wrong, except in some rare occasions which we will discuss.
Jesus also taught not only that marriage was designed by God to be monogamous and to be unbroken, but that it was only for this life. Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, Luke 20:35, are all references that indicate marriage is only for this earth and not for heaven.
Now before digging deeper into the contents of 1 Corinthians 7, let me say something about the so-called “disclaimer” Paul seemed to use. Because it is Paul’s wording that has thrown some people for a loop and as a result, they do not take what Paul says in 1 Corinthians too seriously.
Here is what I mean. There are times when Paul says that he is giving his “opinion” rather than a command from Jesus. For example, over in verse 12, Paul writes: “To the rest I say, not the Lord, that if a brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, let him not send her away.” Some read this passage and conclude that Paul is merely giving his opinion and it is not as weighty as the words of Jesus Himself.
Now go down to verse 25, and there Paul adds: “Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy.” Thus again, some will conclude that Paul’s opinion is not as trustworthy as Jesus’ command, so we are to take what Paul says here very lightly.
Then verse 40, "But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.”
So what are we to do with such statements by Paul? How much weight do we put on these verses? We are to put as much weight on Paul’s opinion as we place on the commands of Jesus Himself. When Paul makes his opinion statements, all he is saying is this: “Jesus did not teach on this issue. So let me offer you my thoughts as one who is led by the Spirit of God.” In other words, Paul would give Jesus’ command about virgins and about being married to an unbeliever if such a command existed. But since Jesus did not teach on it, Paul offers his instructions instead. And Paul instructions were inspired by the Holy Spirit and every word he wrote was superintended by the Spirit of God and therefore infallible in its teachings. Thus, Paul’s instructions are to be placed on the same par as the very commands and words of Jesus.
Now when Jesus did touch on an issue, Paul was careful to note it. For example, in verse 10 and you'll see what I mean. "Unto the married, I command, yet not I but the Lord, let not the wife depart from her husband." And you see, he quotes right out of the Lord's words in Mark 10. So, when he says it's not the Lord but himself, he is saying--I'm no longer quoting the teaching of Jesus. He is not saying it doesn't matter what I say, it's only human opinion. No. He is simply saying sometimes I'm quoting Christ, sometimes I'm not. And really what he's doing is putting himself on an equal basis with Christ in terms of revelation. So, Paul is simply saying – “If I'm quoting the Lord, I'll say it. If I'm not, I'll tell you it's not a quote of the Lord's, it's therefore some new information I am instructing you in.
End of Part 1 - To Be Continued
But since I’ve been hanging with single people a lot, I have heard their views about singleness and marriage. To be frank, some of what I have heard scares me. Some elevate singleness over and beyond marriage and others do not have a clue what marriage actually entails. I’ve gone away with more questions than answers. Therefore, I have decided to go to the one place where I can discover God’s mind on both singleness and marriage. There is no better place than in 1 Corinthians 7. I will be doing a series of blogs on this topic. I hope you will study with me and allow God’s Word to shape your views concerning both singleness and marriage.
Let’s begin with this question: Should I marry or should I not marry?
Marriage is, let's face it, a very hot item today. There are more books being written on that subject, I think, than any other one subject. The Bible has a lot to say about marriage. There is much in the New Testament about marriage. Jesus taught much about marriage. He referred to marriage many times in the gospel records. He stated in Matthew 19 that man and woman were made for each other. God made them for each other. He states that they should join themselves together and become one flesh and that this was marriage and this was actually a joining together by God Himself. Jesus also emphasized that marriage was monogamous, that it was to be two becoming one flesh, something that was first stated by God in Genesis chapter 2. Jesus also taught in Matthew 19 that marriage was to be unbroken. God hadn't changed His attitude at all about divorce. It was wrong from the beginning and it is still wrong, except in some rare occasions which we will discuss.
Jesus also taught not only that marriage was designed by God to be monogamous and to be unbroken, but that it was only for this life. Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, Luke 20:35, are all references that indicate marriage is only for this earth and not for heaven.
Now before digging deeper into the contents of 1 Corinthians 7, let me say something about the so-called “disclaimer” Paul seemed to use. Because it is Paul’s wording that has thrown some people for a loop and as a result, they do not take what Paul says in 1 Corinthians too seriously.
Here is what I mean. There are times when Paul says that he is giving his “opinion” rather than a command from Jesus. For example, over in verse 12, Paul writes: “To the rest I say, not the Lord, that if a brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, let him not send her away.” Some read this passage and conclude that Paul is merely giving his opinion and it is not as weighty as the words of Jesus Himself.
Now go down to verse 25, and there Paul adds: “Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy.” Thus again, some will conclude that Paul’s opinion is not as trustworthy as Jesus’ command, so we are to take what Paul says here very lightly.
Then verse 40, "But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.”
So what are we to do with such statements by Paul? How much weight do we put on these verses? We are to put as much weight on Paul’s opinion as we place on the commands of Jesus Himself. When Paul makes his opinion statements, all he is saying is this: “Jesus did not teach on this issue. So let me offer you my thoughts as one who is led by the Spirit of God.” In other words, Paul would give Jesus’ command about virgins and about being married to an unbeliever if such a command existed. But since Jesus did not teach on it, Paul offers his instructions instead. And Paul instructions were inspired by the Holy Spirit and every word he wrote was superintended by the Spirit of God and therefore infallible in its teachings. Thus, Paul’s instructions are to be placed on the same par as the very commands and words of Jesus.
Now when Jesus did touch on an issue, Paul was careful to note it. For example, in verse 10 and you'll see what I mean. "Unto the married, I command, yet not I but the Lord, let not the wife depart from her husband." And you see, he quotes right out of the Lord's words in Mark 10. So, when he says it's not the Lord but himself, he is saying--I'm no longer quoting the teaching of Jesus. He is not saying it doesn't matter what I say, it's only human opinion. No. He is simply saying sometimes I'm quoting Christ, sometimes I'm not. And really what he's doing is putting himself on an equal basis with Christ in terms of revelation. So, Paul is simply saying – “If I'm quoting the Lord, I'll say it. If I'm not, I'll tell you it's not a quote of the Lord's, it's therefore some new information I am instructing you in.
End of Part 1 - To Be Continued
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
"Hello, You Can Call Me, Jonah," Part 2
Since I have been revisiting the story of Jonah, I find that there is a lot of Jonah in me. I’ll explain as I move on. But first, we need to get this out of the way. The story of Jonah is a true story. That is, there really was a man named Jonah who really did flee to Tarshish, who really was swallowed whole by a great fish, who really did survive for three days in the fish’s belly, and who actually was vomited up on dry ground. It’s all true, just the way it was written. It’s not a myth or a legend or a saga or a fable or a parable. Jonah is a true story. We can date the book at about 765 B.C. during the days of Jeroboam II, king of Israel.
Not only is Jonah a true story, but it is also a short one. Only four chapters, 48 verses, just over 1300 words. You can read it in 15 minutes. Yet it tells us all we need to know. Beautifully balanced, deep and profound, this book opens a window into the grace of God and the selfishness of man.
Jonah is also a sobering story. Most of us, if we are honest, have taken a ship to Tarshish at one time or another. In other words, we all know what it means to run from God in the other opposite direction. And we know how creative the Lord can be when he wants to bring us back to where we ought to be.
Looking for a simple outline? Try this:
Chapter 1: Jonah flees.
Chapter 2: Jonah prays.
Chapter 3: Jonah preaches.
Chapter 4: Jonah pouts.
In chapter 1 Jonah is running from God; in chapter 2 he is praying to God; in chapter 3 he is speaking for God; in chapter 4 he is learning about God.
When you think about the content of each of these chapters, you will discover that each one flows into a next step. For example, when I find myself “fleeing from God,” I also find myself most certainly praying, “God help me out of this mess! I repent! I surrender!” Then the next step is I go do what God had commanded me to do in the first place. I am not very thrilled doing so, but anything is better than being in the belly of a fish, know what I mean? Then when God blesses by working His will through me, I become despondent because someone I did not care for just got blessed by God. Yes, you can call me, Jonah. Therefore, one of the key principles in the story of Jonah is our need to turn back to God during such times and make repentance count.
A remorseful man, wanting to reassure his skeptical wife, said: "I'm going to make a 360-degree turn."
David Jeremiah writes: "That's the kind of change a lot of people make. A 360-degree turn is no change at all. What we need is a 180-degree change, a reverse direction, a U-Turn.
"In driving, U-turns are handy when we realize we're going in the wrong way. The same is true in life. The Lord tells us to turn from our wicked ways and to turn toward Him in confession and true repentance. This involves a change of heart, a change of mind and a change of direction.”
You all probably remember the classic PEANUTS situation between Charlie Brown and Lucy.
Over and over again, Lucy would offer to hold the football while Charlie Brown kicked it. But time and time again, as he ran up to kick the ball, Lucy would pull it away, and Charlie Brown would fly into the air and land flat on his back.
One day, Lucy offered to hold the football again, Charlie Brown declined saying he knows how it always goes, and he does not want it to happen again. As soon as he accused Lucy of her past wrongs, she began weeping, “Oh, you’re so right. I admit that in the past I’ve played cruel tricks on you. But I’ve seen the error of my ways. I’ve seen the hurt in your eyes. Won’t you give this poor repentant girl another chance?”
Charlie Brown said, “Okay.” So he backed up, ran up to the ball, and just as he was about to kick it, Lucy pulled the ball away. Once again Charlie Brown ended up on his back.
As Lucy walked away, she commented to a friend, “Unfortunately, recognizing your faults and actually changing your ways are two different things.”
God is not for half-hearted repentance. But how many times have you said, “I’ll quit smoking,” but still continued, only after a short time of quitting? How many times have you said to your spouse, “I am so sorry for hitting you? I don’t know what came over me. I promise never to do it again.” And then within a few weeks after you have had too much to drink, your wife is wearing a shiner!
This is why God did not simply release Jonah from the belly of the fish sooner. God wanted him to stay put in order to really think about his next move. God wanted to be sure that when Jonah got released, his repentance would be genuine.
Now is the time to ask, “Why am I still suffering from this bondage?” Could it be that God knows your heart and that you have not come to the place in your life where you are truly repentant? Not only is there a little Jonah in all of us, but there is also a little bit of Lucy in us as well.
End of Part 2 – More to follow
Not only is Jonah a true story, but it is also a short one. Only four chapters, 48 verses, just over 1300 words. You can read it in 15 minutes. Yet it tells us all we need to know. Beautifully balanced, deep and profound, this book opens a window into the grace of God and the selfishness of man.
Jonah is also a sobering story. Most of us, if we are honest, have taken a ship to Tarshish at one time or another. In other words, we all know what it means to run from God in the other opposite direction. And we know how creative the Lord can be when he wants to bring us back to where we ought to be.
Looking for a simple outline? Try this:
Chapter 1: Jonah flees.
Chapter 2: Jonah prays.
Chapter 3: Jonah preaches.
Chapter 4: Jonah pouts.
In chapter 1 Jonah is running from God; in chapter 2 he is praying to God; in chapter 3 he is speaking for God; in chapter 4 he is learning about God.
When you think about the content of each of these chapters, you will discover that each one flows into a next step. For example, when I find myself “fleeing from God,” I also find myself most certainly praying, “God help me out of this mess! I repent! I surrender!” Then the next step is I go do what God had commanded me to do in the first place. I am not very thrilled doing so, but anything is better than being in the belly of a fish, know what I mean? Then when God blesses by working His will through me, I become despondent because someone I did not care for just got blessed by God. Yes, you can call me, Jonah. Therefore, one of the key principles in the story of Jonah is our need to turn back to God during such times and make repentance count.
A remorseful man, wanting to reassure his skeptical wife, said: "I'm going to make a 360-degree turn."
David Jeremiah writes: "That's the kind of change a lot of people make. A 360-degree turn is no change at all. What we need is a 180-degree change, a reverse direction, a U-Turn.
"In driving, U-turns are handy when we realize we're going in the wrong way. The same is true in life. The Lord tells us to turn from our wicked ways and to turn toward Him in confession and true repentance. This involves a change of heart, a change of mind and a change of direction.”
You all probably remember the classic PEANUTS situation between Charlie Brown and Lucy.
Over and over again, Lucy would offer to hold the football while Charlie Brown kicked it. But time and time again, as he ran up to kick the ball, Lucy would pull it away, and Charlie Brown would fly into the air and land flat on his back.
One day, Lucy offered to hold the football again, Charlie Brown declined saying he knows how it always goes, and he does not want it to happen again. As soon as he accused Lucy of her past wrongs, she began weeping, “Oh, you’re so right. I admit that in the past I’ve played cruel tricks on you. But I’ve seen the error of my ways. I’ve seen the hurt in your eyes. Won’t you give this poor repentant girl another chance?”
Charlie Brown said, “Okay.” So he backed up, ran up to the ball, and just as he was about to kick it, Lucy pulled the ball away. Once again Charlie Brown ended up on his back.
As Lucy walked away, she commented to a friend, “Unfortunately, recognizing your faults and actually changing your ways are two different things.”
God is not for half-hearted repentance. But how many times have you said, “I’ll quit smoking,” but still continued, only after a short time of quitting? How many times have you said to your spouse, “I am so sorry for hitting you? I don’t know what came over me. I promise never to do it again.” And then within a few weeks after you have had too much to drink, your wife is wearing a shiner!
This is why God did not simply release Jonah from the belly of the fish sooner. God wanted him to stay put in order to really think about his next move. God wanted to be sure that when Jonah got released, his repentance would be genuine.
Now is the time to ask, “Why am I still suffering from this bondage?” Could it be that God knows your heart and that you have not come to the place in your life where you are truly repentant? Not only is there a little Jonah in all of us, but there is also a little bit of Lucy in us as well.
End of Part 2 – More to follow
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
“Hello, You Can Call Me Jonah" Part 1
Salvation is of the Lord – Jonah 2:9
French philosopher Pascal once said: “To make a man a saint, grace is absolutely necessary. And whoever doubts it does not know what a saint is or what a man is.”
Some years ago Philip Yancey wrote a mega-bestseller called, “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” in which he called grace “the last great word.” He meant that it is one of the last of the “great words” that has retained some of its original meaning: “free and undeserved bounty.” For instance, when we pray, we “say grace” to thank God for our food. We are “grateful” for a kindness done by another person. To show our thanks we offer a “gratuity.” Something offered at no cost is said to be “gratis.” And when we have overdue books from the library, we may return them at no charge during a “grace period.”
It is commonly said that Christianity is by and large a religion of grace. And that is certainly true. We sing about grace, we write poems about grace, we name our churches and our children after grace. If we were to be asked, we certainly would affirm our belief in grace, but outside of our worship services, the word grace is rarely on our lips.
Yancey points out that part of our problem is in the nature of grace itself. Grace is hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive. We all have a certain skepticism when a telemarketer tells us, “I’m not trying to sell you anything. I just want to offer you a free trip to Hawaii.” Automatically we wonder, “What’s the catch?” because we have all been taught that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch." Grace is hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive.
Yancey goes on to say that grace shocks us in what it offers. It is truly not of this world. It frightens us with what it does for sinners. Grace teaches us that God does for others what we would never do for them. We would save the not-so-bad. But God starts with prostitutes and then works downward from there. Grace is a gift that costs everything to the giver and nothing to the receiver. It is given to those who don’t deserve it, barely recognize it, and hardly appreciate it.
As I thought about this, I was hit with the realization that God is so much more gracious than I am. Why? Because He saves people I wouldn’t save if I were God. He blesses people I wouldn’t bless if I were God. He uses people I wouldn’t use if I were God.
Heck, it is a good thing I am not God! The Bible says that He is “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness," (Exodus 34:6) and that’s good news for sinners just like me everywhere.
Although the doctrine of grace is easy to understand, it may be the hardest doctrine in the Bible to accept. It’s not that we do not know what the word means. Our problem comes in the application. Grace asks us to accept two things we don’t want to accept:
1. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves.
Note: Now that I am single, I am beginning to understand the single mindset a little better, but I am most certainly in the growing and learning stages. I know many single people, some quite well. And if there is one thing each of them (and me) has in common to some degree it is this: “I don’t need your help. I can manage on my own.”
Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a put down on those who are single. Married couples too have this trait as well. Although I do not have a lot of experience being single, I do have a lot of experience having been married to the same woman for twenty-eight years before God took her to glory. I can tell you this: Grace for a married person in some ways is much easier to accept than it is for someone who is single. When I was married, forgiveness and acceptance came often and freely. It wasn’t something you took time to study. You just did it, especially if you are a pastor and a pastor’s wife and you knew that in a couple of days or so you will be together around people so you better shape up and get your act together.
With forgiveness came also understanding and total acceptance. And the reason is clear: Because you had a marriage covenant in the presence of God, therefore, there were no other option but to go forward, forgive, accept, love and grow. But in singleness, there is no relationship covenant one is bound to till death do you part, so the stakes are not as high.
You see, there are two things that single people have a hard time doing (I am going to make my single friends upset with me right about now): First, they have a hard time accepting help or better yet, charity. Second, they have even a harder time giving it away freely – to people who are close to them. It is easier for a single person to give grace way to strangers or acquaintances, then to one particular person.
I have found this out about myself while married. It was easier for me and my wife to give grace away freely to each other, then it was for us to give it away to strangers. But single people can give grace away much easier to strangers.
For example. One morning I took a picture of a homeless man sleeping on a mattress across the road where I live. I sent the picture to a single person. This person received the picture and while on the way to work, stopped to buy the man breakfast and something to drink. To this single person, giving away grace to a stranger was easy and second nature. But the thought never really occurred to me. I was blessed and challenged by the thought and action of kindness. I am more predisposed to giving away grace to those who are close to me, than to those whom are strangers.
But here is the deal: Whether one is married or single, God’s grace is totally sufficient, right? We all have much room to grow within the context God has placed us in.
2. If God doesn’t save, no one will never be saved.
Nothing more clearly summarizes the true meaning of grace than the simple phrase found Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of the Lord."
This statement is both striking and humorous because it comes from the world’s worst missionary. When I read through the Book of Jonah, one thing clearly stands out: Jonah is not the hero of the story. God is! At the beginning he is running from God; at the end he is arguing with God. In between he is praying and preaching. He is certainly no hero.
The book of Jonah is all about God. For example:
The fish is mentioned 4 times.
The Nineveh is mentioned 9 times.
Jonah is mentioned 18 times.
God is mentioned 38 times.
This book is about God and how great his heart is toward those who cannot save themselves and who spend their time trying to do the impossible – run from Him! The bottom line: There’s a little Jonah in all of us and a whole lot of Jonah in most of us.
That’s why we need not only to believe in God’s grace, but to really accept it. It seems so outrageous to be given so much that’s free of charge from a God who loves each of us unconditionally. But that’s grace – yes, God’s grace. We want to work for it. In some way, pay God back by serving harder, longer, and wearing more hats around church. We try to fast, discipline ourselves by going without something we enjoy, spending less and living very modestly. We end up in some ways punishing ourselves in order to make ourselves feel a lot better for receiving God’s free supply of grace gifts.
End of Part 1 – More to come.
French philosopher Pascal once said: “To make a man a saint, grace is absolutely necessary. And whoever doubts it does not know what a saint is or what a man is.”
Some years ago Philip Yancey wrote a mega-bestseller called, “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” in which he called grace “the last great word.” He meant that it is one of the last of the “great words” that has retained some of its original meaning: “free and undeserved bounty.” For instance, when we pray, we “say grace” to thank God for our food. We are “grateful” for a kindness done by another person. To show our thanks we offer a “gratuity.” Something offered at no cost is said to be “gratis.” And when we have overdue books from the library, we may return them at no charge during a “grace period.”
It is commonly said that Christianity is by and large a religion of grace. And that is certainly true. We sing about grace, we write poems about grace, we name our churches and our children after grace. If we were to be asked, we certainly would affirm our belief in grace, but outside of our worship services, the word grace is rarely on our lips.
Yancey points out that part of our problem is in the nature of grace itself. Grace is hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive. We all have a certain skepticism when a telemarketer tells us, “I’m not trying to sell you anything. I just want to offer you a free trip to Hawaii.” Automatically we wonder, “What’s the catch?” because we have all been taught that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch." Grace is hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive.
Yancey goes on to say that grace shocks us in what it offers. It is truly not of this world. It frightens us with what it does for sinners. Grace teaches us that God does for others what we would never do for them. We would save the not-so-bad. But God starts with prostitutes and then works downward from there. Grace is a gift that costs everything to the giver and nothing to the receiver. It is given to those who don’t deserve it, barely recognize it, and hardly appreciate it.
As I thought about this, I was hit with the realization that God is so much more gracious than I am. Why? Because He saves people I wouldn’t save if I were God. He blesses people I wouldn’t bless if I were God. He uses people I wouldn’t use if I were God.
Heck, it is a good thing I am not God! The Bible says that He is “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness," (Exodus 34:6) and that’s good news for sinners just like me everywhere.
Although the doctrine of grace is easy to understand, it may be the hardest doctrine in the Bible to accept. It’s not that we do not know what the word means. Our problem comes in the application. Grace asks us to accept two things we don’t want to accept:
1. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves.
Note: Now that I am single, I am beginning to understand the single mindset a little better, but I am most certainly in the growing and learning stages. I know many single people, some quite well. And if there is one thing each of them (and me) has in common to some degree it is this: “I don’t need your help. I can manage on my own.”
Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a put down on those who are single. Married couples too have this trait as well. Although I do not have a lot of experience being single, I do have a lot of experience having been married to the same woman for twenty-eight years before God took her to glory. I can tell you this: Grace for a married person in some ways is much easier to accept than it is for someone who is single. When I was married, forgiveness and acceptance came often and freely. It wasn’t something you took time to study. You just did it, especially if you are a pastor and a pastor’s wife and you knew that in a couple of days or so you will be together around people so you better shape up and get your act together.
With forgiveness came also understanding and total acceptance. And the reason is clear: Because you had a marriage covenant in the presence of God, therefore, there were no other option but to go forward, forgive, accept, love and grow. But in singleness, there is no relationship covenant one is bound to till death do you part, so the stakes are not as high.
You see, there are two things that single people have a hard time doing (I am going to make my single friends upset with me right about now): First, they have a hard time accepting help or better yet, charity. Second, they have even a harder time giving it away freely – to people who are close to them. It is easier for a single person to give grace way to strangers or acquaintances, then to one particular person.
I have found this out about myself while married. It was easier for me and my wife to give grace away freely to each other, then it was for us to give it away to strangers. But single people can give grace away much easier to strangers.
For example. One morning I took a picture of a homeless man sleeping on a mattress across the road where I live. I sent the picture to a single person. This person received the picture and while on the way to work, stopped to buy the man breakfast and something to drink. To this single person, giving away grace to a stranger was easy and second nature. But the thought never really occurred to me. I was blessed and challenged by the thought and action of kindness. I am more predisposed to giving away grace to those who are close to me, than to those whom are strangers.
But here is the deal: Whether one is married or single, God’s grace is totally sufficient, right? We all have much room to grow within the context God has placed us in.
2. If God doesn’t save, no one will never be saved.
Nothing more clearly summarizes the true meaning of grace than the simple phrase found Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of the Lord."
This statement is both striking and humorous because it comes from the world’s worst missionary. When I read through the Book of Jonah, one thing clearly stands out: Jonah is not the hero of the story. God is! At the beginning he is running from God; at the end he is arguing with God. In between he is praying and preaching. He is certainly no hero.
The book of Jonah is all about God. For example:
The fish is mentioned 4 times.
The Nineveh is mentioned 9 times.
Jonah is mentioned 18 times.
God is mentioned 38 times.
This book is about God and how great his heart is toward those who cannot save themselves and who spend their time trying to do the impossible – run from Him! The bottom line: There’s a little Jonah in all of us and a whole lot of Jonah in most of us.
That’s why we need not only to believe in God’s grace, but to really accept it. It seems so outrageous to be given so much that’s free of charge from a God who loves each of us unconditionally. But that’s grace – yes, God’s grace. We want to work for it. In some way, pay God back by serving harder, longer, and wearing more hats around church. We try to fast, discipline ourselves by going without something we enjoy, spending less and living very modestly. We end up in some ways punishing ourselves in order to make ourselves feel a lot better for receiving God’s free supply of grace gifts.
End of Part 1 – More to come.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wrong Message
Note: Here is an article that caught my attention. It is the side of the other extreme. Some believe we should not rejoice over Bin Laden’s death, and others like what you will read here believe we should not only rejoice over his death, but also rejoice that he is burning in hell. Now I already wrote my thought on this subject: See “Should Christians Rejoice over Bin Laden’s Death?” But I want you to read how extreme others can sound. Now remember as you read through this article – this person professes to be an orthodox Christian. Go ahead and read this and then I will make some comments at the end.
Why Christians Should Rejoice That UBL Is Dead and in Hell
By Doug Giles
5/8/2011
Let me go on the record stating that as a Christian I am completely cool with our Navy SEAL Team Six killing Usama. Or is it Osama? Does anyone know? I heard he liked it both ways.
Anyway, the only thing that makes me sad about bin Laden’s death, as an orthodox Christian, is that a). It didn’t happen on Christmas or Easter, and b). The rude SEAL Team Six didn’t include me along to pull the trigger.
Apparently, the SEALs require those who go on their missions to be physically and psychologically fit to the nth degree and stuff—y’know, like being able to swim like Esther Williams during a hurricane with a wildebeest strapped to one’s back. When they told me that, I was like, “Whatever.” And the SEALs were like, “Pfff.” And thus they chose someone else to whack that wacky bastard. So, I guess I’ll have to settle for seconds and wait to play the forthcoming Xbox video game based on the Abbottabad raid entitled, SEAL Team Six: Who’s Yo’ Mama, Usama? But I digress.
So, why do I bring up my Christianity in conjunction with my satisfaction with Usama getting capped? Well, it’s principally because of the rank anti-biblical bollocks coming from pastors and priests who believe that Christians should not be happy that bin Laden has now been eaten by groupers at the bottom of the Indian Ocean (or wherever the heck they tossed his damnable corpse).
For instance, Bill O’Reilly had a Catholic priest, Father Beck, on his show this past week who not only said we should dial down on our biblical joy that this evil SOB was shot but that we should’ve “loved him,” “forgiven him,” and “not judged him” because “we don’t know what was in Usama’s wittle heart that caused him to kill tens of thousands of people worldwide.”
To hear this cat talk, it sounds like all UBL simply needed was some Xanax, a new coloring book and a little face time with Dr. Drew because his daddy didn’t love him enough or something.
Well, Father Crock—I mean Beck—call me a heretic because I believe those commands to “love, forgive and not judge” don’t extend to a sick, twisted, violent, God-hating, woman abusing, implacable, wicked dog like bin Laden but rather to personal verbal detractors of one’s faith (y’know, people who don’t pose a grave global security threat. Duh).
It’s like I wrote in my best selling book, Raising Righteous & Rowdy Girls, about how I raised my girls: If you’re made fun of, ridiculed, or maligned for your beliefs, don’t sweat it; love and pray for your enemies and learn what I’ve learned over many years: Other people’s animosity can actually sell a lot of books.
However, should someone want to physically harm you in some form or fashion (say, a rapist or a terrorist) then it’s okay for you to defend yourself and hurt him or, if need be, kill him. Call me the devil. In my world the good person should live and the evil person should die.
Hey, Christian Love Machine: Usama wasn’t some angry blogger who merely said mean crap about Christians and western culture; he was a malevolent, murderous Saladin wannabe who was part and parcel of the massive, heartless slaughter of men, women and children both here and abroad.
Christians should rejoice because bin Laden was decidedly evil; his body is currently the main course for coconut crabs at 300 feet; and his soul is browning on Dante’s BBQ. Providence, via our ministers of death, the bad ass SEAL Team Six, plucked a foul weed from this planet and officially ended his reign of terror. I guarantee that when the SEALs’ 5.56mm round exited Usama’s brain at 3,000 feet per second the Father, Son and Holy Spirit stood up and said to each other, “High five!” and then after that congratulatory moment simultaneously said like preternatural triplets, “Who’s next?” And you know what? We should feel the same way.
Comments: Well, what do you think? Here are a few of my observations as I read this article.
1. The flavor of this article sounds a lot like those in Bin Laden’s camp. A lot of hate, emphasis on personal justice and in your face sort of stuff.
2. Can you pin point any passage where Jesus sounds like this? Let me go a step further: Can you identify any passage in the New Testament that supports or sounds a lot like this article?
3. Let me ask you a silly question: Were those in the Twin Towers innocent on September 11, 2001? Did they deserve to die like that in the hands of terrorists? Of course not. Over three thousand people lost their lives needlessly. But, the bible does teach that the “wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). “The soul that sins will die” (Ezek. 18:20). Over in Hebrews we read, “It is appointed unto man once to die” (Heb. 9:27).
My point is this: All who are born are born in sin (Rom. 5:12; Psa. 51:5). We are all sinners and eventually will have to die as a result of living in this fallen world and possessing a fallen sin nature. Not everyone dies the same. People die differently. Some die of natural causes and some die horrific deaths. But no one dies apart from the consequences of sin that eventually takes over our bodies.
But what about Jesus? Was He not sinless? He sure was. Jesus was holy, innocent, undefiled, separate some sinners (Heb. 7:26). Nevertheless, He was unjustly arrested, unjustly tortured, and put to death unjustly too. If anyone should have been angry and expressed a heart of revenge, it would be Jesus. But as He hung on the cross, this is what He said to those who unjustly put Him there: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
This was the heart-attitude of the Savior of the world who was unjustly crucified. Does Jesus sound like the article you just read?
As you read through the Book of Acts on the history of the first century Christians, do you read at any place where they sought revenge or gloried in the death of those who unjustly killed Jesus?
Paul reminds us that it is the “kindness of God that leads people to repentance” (Rom. 2:4). How are others going to see, hear and experience God’s loving kindness if not through the lives of His people?
We are to be so different than the world. We are admonished to “come out from among them and be separate” (2 Cor. 6:17). However, we are not being separate if we sound like we are pumping blood through the same heart as that of the world. Jesus’ message, life and approach are radically different than what we think. His method of justice is so different too. This is the same Jesus who says, “Love your enemies, pray for them (and while you are at it) – do good to those who HATE YOU” (Luke 6:27). This is so radical. Why does Jesus want us to behave this way? “In order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:45).
It is when we extend a heart of love, compassion, forgiveness while justice demands swift action that we show ourselves to be different from the world and identified with a much higher Person and cause – God, His will and purposes!
It is so important that we take a step back and review the kind of message we are sending out to others. I don’t doubt the salvation of the person who wrote the above article, but I do question the kind of message he is sending out to those who do not know Jesus. Do we want the unsaved to think of the church as being much like the terrorists? We do sound just like them and act just like them when we finally get our way.
We have to love those who are our enemies in order to be properly rewarded by God. For Jesus did say, “If you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even sinners do the same” (Matt. 5:46)?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Should Christians Rejoice Over Bin Laden's Death?
Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, 18 or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them – Prov. 24:17-18
Americans are waking up this week to the news that al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden is dead.
President Barack Obama announced late Sunday night in a televised appearance that U.S. forces killed bin Laden during a firefight in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
"The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al-Qaida," Obama said.
It's been 10 years now since al-Qaida carried out what Obama called the worst attack on the American people in U.S. history.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when four planes were hijacked, with two of them crashing into the Twin Towers in New York City and another into The Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Sept. 11.
In response, the U.S. launched a war on terror in 2001.
Obama informed the American people on Sunday that shortly after taking office two years ago he directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, "to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al-Qaida."
On Sunday, the U.S. launched a targeted operation against the compound bin Laden was hiding in and after a firefight, killed the terrorist. No Americans were harmed.
Immediately after the announcement, Americans began celebrating. The question I asked myself was this: “Is it right for Christians to celebrate the death of a man – any man?”
Here are some responses I have come across:
"I DO mourn death -- The widespread death that Bin Laden's life created. Today we MUST celebrate the sacrifice & victory of our troops.”
"I unapologetically celebrate multitudes of people who will have an opportunity to live because of this man's death. That is good-THAT is victory."
"The thousands of people who Bin Laden sent into a Christless eternity; forced to endure hell on earth receive all my sympathy."
One can certainly understand the above responses. Here was a man who cut short the lives of over 3000 people on September 11, 2001 and who also ruined the lives of thousands of others who had relationships with those killed.
However, I was worried and taken back at some of the other kind of rejoicing I witnessed on TV. I saw American college students reveling outside the White House, shouting, chanting “USA” and spilling beer. Such an image does not reflect well on this country.
Joyfully celebrating the killing of a killer who joyfully celebrated killing carries an irony that I hope will not be lost on us. Are we learning anything, or simply participating in our own way in the cycle of violence?
Folks, we must not forget this: Although the death of Bin Laden has probably made the world a little more safe, his death has not made the world more beautiful. Only Jesus can do this. Only Jesus can give the world peace, beauty, purpose and hope.
While the death of bin Laden marks a tremendous victory, the fight against terrorism is not over, Obama made this clear.
"There’s no doubt that al-Qaida will continue to pursue attacks against us," he said in his address. "We must – and we will – remain vigilant at home and abroad."
How does the Lord feel about the death of Bin Laden? I think God is both sad and happy. Here are some passages to show what I mean:
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? . . . For I do not pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live. (Ezekiel 18:23, 32). Therefore, based on this, God is not happy over the death of the wicked.
In another sense, the death and judgment of the unrepentant is God’s pleasure:
Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself. (Ezekiel 5:13)
Wisdom calls out: Because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you. (Proverbs 1:25–26)
Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her! (Revelation 18:20)
As the Lord took delight in doing you good . . . so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. (Deuteronomy 28:63).
Emotions can be so complex, just ask any man who has been married to a woman for some time! And since we are created in the image of God, our emotions are also complex. On the one hand we love a certain restaurant one day, but hate it on another. We say we love a movie, but did not like the acting. How about this one: God loves the sinner, but hates the sin? See what I mean?
Remember this: The death and misery of the unrepentant (Bin Laden) is in and of itself not a pleasure to God. God is not a sadist. He is not malicious or bloodthirsty. The death and suffering considered for itself alone is not His delight.
However, when a rebellious, wicked, unbelieving person is judged, what God has pleasure in is the exaltation of truth and righteousness, and the vindication of His own honor and glory.
Likewise, this should also be our response. We should not exalt and rejoice over the death of a lost sinner (Remember Proverbs 24 above), but we should always rejoice over the triumph of truth and the vindication of God’s own honor and glory. This I believe is the correct response for Christians.
and turn his wrath away from them – Prov. 24:17-18
Americans are waking up this week to the news that al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden is dead.
President Barack Obama announced late Sunday night in a televised appearance that U.S. forces killed bin Laden during a firefight in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
"The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al-Qaida," Obama said.
It's been 10 years now since al-Qaida carried out what Obama called the worst attack on the American people in U.S. history.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when four planes were hijacked, with two of them crashing into the Twin Towers in New York City and another into The Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Sept. 11.
In response, the U.S. launched a war on terror in 2001.
Obama informed the American people on Sunday that shortly after taking office two years ago he directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, "to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al-Qaida."
On Sunday, the U.S. launched a targeted operation against the compound bin Laden was hiding in and after a firefight, killed the terrorist. No Americans were harmed.
Immediately after the announcement, Americans began celebrating. The question I asked myself was this: “Is it right for Christians to celebrate the death of a man – any man?”
Here are some responses I have come across:
"I DO mourn death -- The widespread death that Bin Laden's life created. Today we MUST celebrate the sacrifice & victory of our troops.”
"I unapologetically celebrate multitudes of people who will have an opportunity to live because of this man's death. That is good-THAT is victory."
"The thousands of people who Bin Laden sent into a Christless eternity; forced to endure hell on earth receive all my sympathy."
One can certainly understand the above responses. Here was a man who cut short the lives of over 3000 people on September 11, 2001 and who also ruined the lives of thousands of others who had relationships with those killed.
However, I was worried and taken back at some of the other kind of rejoicing I witnessed on TV. I saw American college students reveling outside the White House, shouting, chanting “USA” and spilling beer. Such an image does not reflect well on this country.
Joyfully celebrating the killing of a killer who joyfully celebrated killing carries an irony that I hope will not be lost on us. Are we learning anything, or simply participating in our own way in the cycle of violence?
Folks, we must not forget this: Although the death of Bin Laden has probably made the world a little more safe, his death has not made the world more beautiful. Only Jesus can do this. Only Jesus can give the world peace, beauty, purpose and hope.
While the death of bin Laden marks a tremendous victory, the fight against terrorism is not over, Obama made this clear.
"There’s no doubt that al-Qaida will continue to pursue attacks against us," he said in his address. "We must – and we will – remain vigilant at home and abroad."
How does the Lord feel about the death of Bin Laden? I think God is both sad and happy. Here are some passages to show what I mean:
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? . . . For I do not pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live. (Ezekiel 18:23, 32). Therefore, based on this, God is not happy over the death of the wicked.
In another sense, the death and judgment of the unrepentant is God’s pleasure:
Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself. (Ezekiel 5:13)
Wisdom calls out: Because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you. (Proverbs 1:25–26)
Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her! (Revelation 18:20)
As the Lord took delight in doing you good . . . so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. (Deuteronomy 28:63).
Emotions can be so complex, just ask any man who has been married to a woman for some time! And since we are created in the image of God, our emotions are also complex. On the one hand we love a certain restaurant one day, but hate it on another. We say we love a movie, but did not like the acting. How about this one: God loves the sinner, but hates the sin? See what I mean?
Remember this: The death and misery of the unrepentant (Bin Laden) is in and of itself not a pleasure to God. God is not a sadist. He is not malicious or bloodthirsty. The death and suffering considered for itself alone is not His delight.
However, when a rebellious, wicked, unbelieving person is judged, what God has pleasure in is the exaltation of truth and righteousness, and the vindication of His own honor and glory.
Likewise, this should also be our response. We should not exalt and rejoice over the death of a lost sinner (Remember Proverbs 24 above), but we should always rejoice over the triumph of truth and the vindication of God’s own honor and glory. This I believe is the correct response for Christians.
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