Results 21 - 40 of 64
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: rodent_tamer Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
21 | Only words count God? | Matt 19:5 | rodent_tamer | 182039 | ||
Hi Mark, As for Leviticus 27, I do not understand what those passages have to do with this specific issue. I didn't read anything there that had to do with a "foolish vow". It just seems to give a set of instructions as how to make special vows to dedicate persons to the Lord by giving equivalent values. Before I address Matthew 23, let me begin by saying that I think it was wrong for the 2 people to make deceptive vows for personal gain. Well, the man made the deceptive vow for his own personal gain and the woman made a deceptive vow for his personal gain. In either case, it was deception and thus morally wrong, not just illegal. It is common sense to know that the Lord would see deceit as a sin. Before I go any further, please explain to me what kind of vows are being referred to here in Matthew 23? I do not understand what kind of vows were being made. For example: "Woe to you blind guides! You say,if anyone swears by the temple it means nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath." (matt.23:16) What oaths were being made? What is this oath system that the pharisees were regulating? What does the bible mean by "swearing"? Let me see if I'm following you correctly. So what God holds you to is not your thoughts/intentions, but your audible words? Let me draw you a picture: This is what the girl literally did on that day. First before the ceremony was to take place she said this audibly in a prayer to God: "God the words that I am about to make in that room to the mayor (who was performing the ceremony), are not true. I do not vow to marry this man. You know in my heart this is false and though I know that it's wrong to lie, I am doing it with the best of intentions. " During the ceremony when she was asked: "do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Her mouth said: "I do" and her thoughts finished the sentence with the word "not". Again I do not question the immorality of the deceit, but I am trying to stress to you that her frame of mind was one that was definitively not saying "I do" to God or to the man. They were both complicite in this deception. The way she rationalized the deceit was by believing she was doing this for a greater good (i.e helping the guy not get deported) and she also believed at the time that since it was a civil ceremony and not before God that it would not count as valid in God's eyes. She has since then realized that the deceit in the first place was wrong. I feel that you are understanding this as though she made an impulsive rash decision or that she was thinking "oh maybe I really mean to marry him". It wasn't that she made this vow with the intent to keep it, she went into this vow with the specific intent to NOT keep it. The pharisees said many things with their mouths, but God knew the intent of their hearts. The law, the law, the law. I feel like that is the focus here. The specifications of the law. Whether it was made by the alter or by the gold of the alter. What is more sacred? The signed marriage license which "proves" that vow valid or the inward vow/heart/prayer that truly makes that vow sacred? Her audible vow was in truth a lie, while God would dissaprove of lying, I can't believe that God would hold her bound to that vow and doom her to a life of loneliness. |
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22 | if God knew how can it be valid? | Matt 19:5 | rodent_tamer | 182025 | ||
Hi Jeff, How can a legal contract be valid if the people going into that contract INTENTIONALLY lie about the provisions of that contract? If the state was aware the contract was entered under false pretenses, the state would make the contract null and void and the deception would have legal consequences. So to follow your logic, if the state is informed that the people intentionally lied and the state anulls that contract, will then God recognize that contract as valid or as if it never took place? Is God bound to the law of man here in this instance? Or does he say “too bad, you signed on the dotted line, you now have to be married to a person who you falsely vowed to marry” I would agree with your logic if the two parties entered into the contract genuinely and intentionally and it would not matter if they did it without understanding the seriousness of marriage. It would not matter whether it was in a church or on a ship, whether they were christians or satanists, whether they were in love or in an arranged marriage....a marriage vow is a marriage vow and since the institution of marriage is from God, he holds all those who made that vow accountable. The problem in this case is that these people did not make a real spiritual vow to each other or to God and the verbal vow they made to the state was not only a lie, but unfulfilled. According to your thinking these people really married and since they got a legal divorce, they are sinning. By divorcing unjustifiably (since there was no unfaithfulness or dissertion), their divorce is not recognized by God and therefore if they enter into any other relationship, they are committing adultery. Now, let's suppose after all this, the people go to the state and admit to their deception and apart from the legal consequences (fines, jail, deportation),suppose the state then declares that this marriage was never valid and dissolves it as if it never happened, are these people according to God, then absolved and free to marry under God's moral law? I'm not trying to philosophize or find loop holes, I am trying to understand what, according to God, makes a marriage valid. I am trying to use logic to understand what you are claiming. It seems to me that a vow can only be broken if that vow was intended and meant, but if that vow was a KNOWINGLY false vow it makes the vow invalid to begin with even if the state was unaware that it was a false one. God knew it was false and since he is the ultimate determiner only he can decide. Marriage, as scripture emphasizes, is not merely a legal contract, but a spiritual/sacred one. If marriage is a God made contract, not only a legally recognized one and part of the stipulations of that contract requires to intentionally promise certain things on a spiritual plane and false testimony was given and God knew this, how can God accept it as a true vow? I guess my point is how can God accept the falsity of that vow to be true if He knew it was false to begin with? The fact that the state was unaware of the falsity of that vow does not make the vow genuine, it just means that they were deceived. If a marriage covenant is defined by 2 key things: 1). 2 people vowing to each other and to God to love, cherish, be faithful and stay with the other till death parts them. 2.) The 2 people vowing to uphold this covenant publically with witnesses that can testify to this vow. If this is the definition and the first stipulation did not take place and the second one was a false one, I can't help but question the validity of the covenant. |
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23 | could use your wisdom | Matt 24:38 | rodent_tamer | 182003 | ||
Thanx Doc for your insight regarding my questions. I don't know if you've seen my question regarding my friend who married someone through the justice of the peace in order to help them get their citizenship, but I'd like to know what your opinion is of this. Please note that this person didn't marry the illegal alien because she believed she was really marrying him...ie. it wasn't like this impulse of "hey I love you let's get married" and then realized she made a mistake. She believed she was helping this person and that since it wasn't a marriage in a church before God, that it wasn't ultimately true. She prayed before God and declared to him this was not a genuine oath of marriage. At the time, she didn't think the law of deportation was just and believed she was helping a person in need. Since then, she realizes this was a poor decision because she deceived the state and did something illegal. I've been showing her the responses from this thread and she is freaking out. She never would have done this if she thought God would have recognized it as a real marriage. What is she supposed to do? Try to have a relationship/marriage with this estranged person she helped several years ago? He is not even a christian and both her and this guy are now in separate relationships of their own. She hopes to marry the christian man she is involved with now. Is she committing adultery? Since the illegal alien friend she married falsely would not want to be with her, is she doomed to remain single for the rest of her life? I could really use your wisdom regarding this. She is devastated. Also note that after the guy got his citizenship, they legally divorced. |
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24 | is it wrong to live with someone, but... | Not Specified | rodent_tamer | 181987 | ||
Is it wrong for two christians in a committed relationship to live together, though they have remained sexually pure? Their intention is to one day marry, but are waiting to save money. They are both committed to remaining sexually inactive and have been doing very well with it. Not really struggling as some would imagine given the living situation. | ||||||
25 | is it wrong to live with someone, but... | Bible general Archive 3 | rodent_tamer | 181989 | ||
Is it wrong for two christians in a committed relationship to live together, though they have remained sexually pure? Their intention is to one day marry, but are waiting to save money. They are both committed to remaining sexually inactive and have been doing very well with it. Not really struggling as some would imagine given the living situation. | ||||||
26 | state vs God | Matt 19:5 | rodent_tamer | 181986 | ||
I agree that part of the validity of marriage is when it is publically recognized, but the central core of the covenant vow is when the 2 parties vow to enter into this contract not just with their words, but with their hearts. I'm not referring here to the feeling of love. There have been a plethora of people who did not feel love for one another, but married with the intention to love. That is, they truly entered into a covenant in which they both agreed to uphold. These two friends of mine essentially purposely lied to the state when they promised what they promised. In their hearts, they intentionally defrauded the state, but not God. They both were in agreement that this was a false promise and even told God that they did not mean what they were about to do. They did not believe they were entering into a covenant before God. I realize that according to the state and to the law, they did marry, but before God did they really? If you are going to base a true biblical marriage soley on the recognition of the state, then what do you do with gay marriages that are recognized legally by the state? I am not saying that there is not a crucial legal dimension neccessary for marriage to be valid (i.e public,witnessed declaration), but I am saying that the most fundamental dimension to what makes a marriage valid in the eyes of God is when the two parties truly agree in their hearts that they genuinely intend and promise to hold up this covenant. If they simply mouthed the words, but did not inwardly intend to uphold them how can God recognize it as valid? | ||||||
27 | Can you be married without love? | Eph 5:22 | rodent_tamer | 181984 | ||
I don't know if you will ever get this answer since it has been so many years since you posted this, but I just came across it. Hopefully you are still married and have resolved this issue. First I'd like to recommend an excellent sermon series I'm currently listening to on marriage and it touches a lot on this question. I have it downloaded on my pc and if you are interested I'd be happy to send you the mp3 files free of charge. You can email me at rodent_tamer@yahoo.com Love is not merely a feeling it is a decision. Feelings come and go, but when you married your wife you vowed to love her in the future, not just in the present. You may have felt love for her when you married, but when you enter into a marriage covenant you promise to love her, to cherish her, to serve her, to be faithful, etc until the day you die regardless of the changes that may arise through out the years. The only time you are justified to be free from this covenant is if the other spouse breaches the contract through infidelity or dissertion. Love her through serving her first and the feeling of love will follow. Our modern culture has really fed us lies as to what love is. There are times you may not like the person or even feel affection, but love is unconditional and it is a verb; an action. Love is not something you fall into, a fever you catch, it is a decision of the heart/mind. Think of a child. As parents we love our children by giving and giving to them without getting anything back. A baby needs and takes from you. You take care of the baby and "serve" him through out all his life. By the time that child is 18, he could be the most degenerate person in society, but, for you, that love bond is so strong because you loved him through service and the feeling of love is the outcome even though you may not always be pleased or even like your child. I don't know your situation, but it is not a sin to stay married to a wife you are not choosing to love, the sin lies in the fact that you are not honoring your covenant by not loving the wife you promised to love. Don't delude yourself into thinking that love is merely butterflies in your stomach. That's sentimentality, not love. Hope this helps. |
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28 | When is divorce recognized? On paper? | Matthew | rodent_tamer | 181980 | ||
I don't see your answer to this question. Did you try to answer it? | ||||||
29 | sexual intercourse makes one married? | Matt 19:5 | rodent_tamer | 181979 | ||
no they didn't consummate it. But since the vow they made with their mouths a lie, doesn't it make the marriage void? Are you saying that sexual intercourse with anyone outside of marriage makes one married in the eyes of God? |
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30 | Is marrying for citizenship real? | Matt 19:5 | rodent_tamer | 181977 | ||
no it wasn't consummated | ||||||
31 | did only men have the right to divorce? | Not Specified | rodent_tamer | 181965 | ||
In old testament times could a woman divorce her husband if he committed adultery? Or did only men have this right? Were the offended wives "stuck" with an adulterous husband? |
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32 | did only men have the right to divorce? | Bible general Archive 3 | rodent_tamer | 181973 | ||
In old testament times could a woman divorce her husband if he committed adultery? Or did only men have this right? Were the offended wives "stuck" with an adulterous husband? |
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33 | Is marrying for citizenship real? | Not Specified | rodent_tamer | 181964 | ||
I have 2 friends who got married before the justice of the peace, but their marriage was not real. By this I mean, one person married the other only so that the other could get their citizenship. Both parties said the words, but in their hearts, did not mean them. I know they did something illegal, but the person who did it did it because they wanted to help the other....to prevent the other person from getting deported. There was no monetary transaction or emotional commitment...they both faked it. Now even though it could be argued that was in poor judgment and deceptive to the state, do you think just because it was an outward public verbal commitment as opposed to a genuine inward commitment they are really married in the eyes of God? Did they really get married? They have since divorced after the citizenship was attained. One of the parties is a christian and is very concerned about this. She did it only to help the other person get their citizenship papers, but never meant it in her heart. | ||||||
34 | Is marrying for citizenship real? | Matt 19:5 | rodent_tamer | 181968 | ||
I have 2 friends who got married before the justice of the peace, but their marriage was not real. By this I mean, one person married the other only so that the other could get their citizenship. Both parties said the words, but in their hearts, did not mean them. I know they did something illegal, but the person who did it did it because they wanted to help the other....to prevent the other person from getting deported. There was no monetary transaction or emotional commitment...they both faked it. Now even though it could be argued that was in poor judgment and deceptive to the state, do you think just because it was an outward public verbal commitment as opposed to a genuine inward commitment they are really married in the eyes of God? Did they really get married? They have since divorced after the citizenship was attained. One of the parties is a christian and is very concerned about this. She did it only to help the other person get their citizenship papers, but never meant it in her heart. | ||||||
35 | did def. of marriage change over time? | Not Specified | rodent_tamer | 181961 | ||
I'm having a hard time understanding how God could sanction polygamy in the bible. I'm referring to David, Solomon etc. Did the idea of marriage between one woman and one man change over time? According to the biblical definition of marriage, was not David an adulterer since he had multiple wives? Are there any verses in the bible that condone or condemn polygamy? | ||||||
36 | did def. of marriage change over time? | Gen 2:24 | rodent_tamer | 181971 | ||
I'm having a hard time understanding how God could sanction polygamy in the bible. I'm referring to David, Solomon etc. Did the idea of marriage between one woman and one man change over time? According to the biblical definition of marriage, was not David an adulterer since he had multiple wives? Are there any verses in the bible that condone or condemn polygamy? | ||||||
37 | How did bible culture recognize marriage | Not Specified | rodent_tamer | 181960 | ||
In biblical times (both old and new) what constituted a marriage? What was the ceremony like? What made you married in the eyes of God? Our modern culture recognizes marriage very differently it seems i.e "common law marriage" etc. I just want to get a historical feel to how the biblical culture recognized marriage. |
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38 | How did bible culture recognize marriage | Is 62:5 | rodent_tamer | 181975 | ||
In biblical times (both old and new) what constituted a marriage? What was the ceremony like? What made you married in the eyes of God? Our modern culture recognizes marriage very differently it seems i.e "common law marriage" etc. I just want to get a historical feel to how the biblical culture recognized marriage. |
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39 | Did pre-judaic cultures marry? | Not Specified | rodent_tamer | 181959 | ||
We know that God invented the institution of marriage. Historically, were the jews the first to perform marriages and marry? Were there earlier cultures or cultures outside Judaic influence marrying? Do we have evidence of this? |
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40 | Did pre-judaic cultures marry? | Matt 24:38 | rodent_tamer | 181962 | ||
We know that God invented the institution of marriage. Historically, were the jews the first to perform marriages and marry? Were there earlier cultures or cultures outside Judaic influence marrying? Do we have evidence of this? |
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