Results 201 - 220 of 7732
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: kalos Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
201 | Men had multiple wives in the old test. | Matt 19:5 | kalos | 182204 | ||
Why did God allow polygamy/bigamy? You're stumped? I'm the one who is stumped. Frankly, I don't understand why you ask a question, seemingly ignore the answer(s) you are given by not even discussing them, and then ask the same question again. You don't understand when and why this shift from polygamy (OT) to monogamy (NT) occured? 'Why did it change? It is not as much God disallowing something He previously allowed as it is God restoring marriage to His original intent. According to Genesis 2:24, polygamy was not God’s original intent. God seems to have allowed polygamy to solve a problem…but it was God’s desire for the problem never to have occurred. In most modern societies, there is absolutely no need for polygamy. In most cultures today, women are able to provide for and protect themselves – removing the only “positive” aspect of polygamy. Are there some instances in which the allowance for polygamy would still apply today? Perhaps…but it is unfathomable that there would be no other possible solution. It is our firm belief that polygamy does not honor the intent and sanctity of marriage – and most importantly – does not honor God.' (www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html) You don't see anything in the OT that condemns polygamy? Question: Why did God allow polygamy/bigamy in the Bible? ____________________ “We see in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, that the kings were not supposed to multiply wives. This most definitely puts Solomon in direct disobedience against the Lord.” ____________________ 'Answer: The first instance of polygamy / bigamy in the Bible was Lamech in Genesis 4:19, “Lamech married two women…” Several prominent men in the Old Testament were polygamists. Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and others all had multiple wives. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (essentially wives of a lower status) according to 1 Kings 11:3. What are we to do with these instances of polygamy in the Old Testament? There are three questions that need to be answered. (1) Why did God allow polygamy in the Old Testament? (2) How does God view polygamy today?... '(1) Why did God allow polygamy in the Old Testament? The Bible does not specifically say why God allowed polygamy… '(2) How does God view polygamy today? The Bible says that God’s original intention was for one man to be married to only one woman, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife (not wives); and they shall become one flesh (not multiple fleshes)” (Genesis 2:24). We see in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, that the kings were not supposed to multiply wives. This most definitely puts Solomon in direct disobedience against the Lord. 'In the New Testament, 1 Timothy 3:2, 12 and Titus 1:6 give “the husband of one wife” in a list of qualifications for spiritual leadership. While these qualifications are only specifically for positions of spiritual leadership, they apply equally to all Christians. Should not all Christians be “above reproach...temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” (1 Timothy 3:2-4)? If we are called to be holy (1 Peter 1:16), and if these standards are holy for elders and deacons, then they are holy for all. Ephesians 5:22-33, speaking of the relationship between husbands and wives, when referring to a husband (singular) always also refers to a wife (singular). “…for the husband is the head of the wife (singular) … He who loves his wife (singular) loves himself. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife (singular), and the two will become one flesh … each one of you also must love his wife (singular) as he loves himself, and the wife (singular) must respect her husband.” There is absolutely no allowance for polygamy for followers of Jesus Christ. TO READ MORE, which I suggest you do, go to: www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html Grace to you, John * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29 (KJV) |
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202 | Requirements of a valid marriage? | Rom 13:1 | kalos | 182203 | ||
Marriage is a covenant. At what point does living together become a covenant? | ||||||
203 | a few more JW questions... | John 1:1 | kalos | 182120 | ||
What do the Jehovah's Witnesses Teach? If you or anyone else reading this is a Jehovah's Witness, please understand that I am not against you as an individual. 'There is one God in one person, Make Sure of All Things, p 188. 'There is no Trinity, Let God be True, p. 100-101; Make Sure of All Things, p.386. 'The Holy Spirit is a force, not alive, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 406-407. 'The Holy Spirit is God's impersonal active force, The Watchtower, June 1, 1952, p. 24. 'Jehovah's first creation was his 'only-begotten Son'. . . was used by Jehovah in creating all other things", Aid to Bible Understanding, pp. 390-391. 'Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man, The Watchtower, May 15, 1963, p. 307; The New World, 284. 'Jesus was only a perfect man, not God in flesh, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 306. 'Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body, Awake! July 22, 1973, p. 4. 'Jesus was raised "not a human creature, but a spirit." Let God be True, p. 276. 'Jesus did not die on a cross but on a stake, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 89-90. 'Jesus returned to earth, invisibly, in 1914, The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 300. 'Jesus' ransom sacrifice did not include Adam, Let God be True, p. 119. 'Their church is the self-proclaimed prophet of God, The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197. 'They claim to be the only channel of God's truth, The Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1981, p. 19. 'Only their church members will be saved, The Watchtower, Feb, 15, 1979, p. 30. 'Good works are necessary for salvation, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 150, 152. 'The soul ceases to exist after death, Let God be True, p. 59, 60, 67. 'There is no hell of fire where the wicked are punished, Let God be True, p. 79, 80. 'Only 144,000 Jehovah's Witness go to heaven, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 166-167, 361; Let God be True, p. 121. 'Only the 144,000 Jehovah's Witness are born again. Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 76.; Watchtower 11/15/54, p. 681. 'Only the 144,000 may take communion, 'Blood transfusions are a sin, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 72-73. 'The Cross is a pagan symbol and should not be used, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 90-92. 'Salvation is by faith and what you do, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 150,152. 'It is possible to lose your salvation, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 358-359. 'The universe is billions of years old, Your will Be Done on Earth, p. 43. 'Each of the 6 creative days of God in Genesis 1, was 7000 years long. Therefore, Man was created toward the end of 42,000 years of earth's preparation, Let God be True, p. 168. 'They also refuse to vote, salute the flag, sing the "Star Spangled Banner," or celebrate Christmas or birthdays. They are not allowed to serve in the armed forces. 'Satan was entrusted with the obligation and charged with the duty of overseeing the creation of the earth, Children, p 55' (www.carm.org/jw/doctrines.htm) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29 (KJV) |
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204 | a few more JW questions... | John 1:1 | kalos | 182119 | ||
Other than JWs' denial of the deity of Christ and virtually every basic doctrine of the Bible, there is nothing wrong with their teaching. If you or anyone else reading this is a Jehovah's Witness, please understand that I am not against you as an individual. Grace to you, John |
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205 | Understanding needed | Eph 4:30 | kalos | 182118 | ||
Is salvation guaranteed? The Bible teaches eternal security; it does not teach eternal presumption. ____________________ "Our salvation is not verified by a past moment." ____________________ Two of the common conditions or tests that don't necessarily prove or disprove the existence of saving faith are: 'The Feeling of Assurance 'Feeling like you are saved is no guarantee you are indeed saved. Someone may say, "Well, I must be a Christian because I feel that I am. I think I am one." But that is faulty reasoning. If thinking one is a Christian is what makes one a Christian, then no one could be deceived. And then, by definition, it would not be possible to be a deceived non-Christian, and that doesn't square with the whole point of Satan's deception. He wants people who are not truly saved to think they are. Satan has deceived multiplied millions of religious people into thinking they are saved even though they are not. They may say to themselves, "God won't condemn me. I feel good about myself. I have assurance. I'm ok." But that doesn't necessarily mean a thing. 'A Time of Decision So often people say things like: "Well, I know I'm a Christian, because I remember when I signed the card," or "I remember when I prayed a prayer," or "I remember when I walked the aisle" or "went forward in church." A person may remember exactly when it happened and where they were when "it" happened, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Our salvation is not verified by a past moment. Many people have prayed prayers, gone forward in church services, signed cards, gone into prayer rooms, been baptized, and joined churches without ever experiencing genuine saving faith. 'These are [two of] seven common conditions or tests that don't necessarily prove or disprove the existence of saving faith. What then are the marks of genuine saving faith? Are there some reliable tests from the Word of God that enable us to know for certain whether one's faith is real? Thankfully there are at least nine biblical criteria for examining the genuineness of saving faith...' ____________________ To read more go to: www.biblebb.com/files/macqa/IA-genuinefaith.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29 (KJV) |
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206 | Can one who commits suicide be saved? | Ex 20:13 | kalos | 182115 | ||
Brent1, Welcome to the forum. I would like to offer a suggestion to help you get off to a good start here. It would be better if, when you answer a Question or write a Note, you would back up your assertions with appropriate Scripture quotes or citations. Grace and peace, John |
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207 | The raven (Gen 8:7)... | Gen 8:7 | kalos | 182111 | ||
NASB Genesis 8:7 and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth. '8: 7-12 a raven...a dove. Ravens survive on a broad range of food types. If any food was available outside the ark, the raven could survive. In contrast, a dove is much more selective in its food choices. The dove's choice of food would indicate that new life had begun to grow; thus Noah and his family could also survive outside the ark.' MacArthur Study Bible, John MacArthur, 1997, Word Publishing Grace to you, John |
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208 | "Some things are hidden." | Deut 29:29 | kalos | 182081 | ||
"Some things are hidden." The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29 (KJV) In plain English "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God" (KJV) means: "Some things are hidden. They belong to the LORD our God" (God's Word Translation). Young's Literal Translation 'The things hidden [are] to Jehovah our God, and the things revealed [are] to us and to our sons -- to the age, to do all the words of this law.' Holman Christian Standard Bible® The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law. |
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209 | I NEED A TRUE FRIEND THAT IS A CHRISTIAN | Bible general Archive 3 | kalos | 182080 | ||
FANATICAL ECSTASY Can't Replace the Word of God 'The "external Word" is the Book (the Bible). And the saving, sanctifying, illuminating Spirit of God, he (Martin Luther) says, comes to us through this "external Word." 'Luther calls it the "external Word" to emphasize that it is objective, fixed, outside ourselves, and therefore unchanging. It is a Book. Neither ecclesiastical hierarchy NOR FANATICAL ECSTASY can replace it or shape it. It is "external," like God. You can take or leave it. But you can't make it other than what it is. It is a book with fixed letters and words and sentences. 'And Luther said with resounding forcefulness in 1545, the year before he died, "Let the man who would hear God speak, read Holy Scripture"...Earlier he had said in his lectures on Genesis, "The Holy Spirit himself and God, the Creator of all things, is the Author of this book" (see note 6). One of the implications of the fact that the Word of God comes to us in a book is that the theme of this conference is "The Pastor and His Study," not "The Pastor and His Seance," or "The Pastor and His Intuition," or "The Pastor and His Religious Multi-perspectivalism." The Word of God that saves and sanctifies, from generation to generation, is preserved in a Book.' (Emphasis added.) ____________________ By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod. (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ Biographies/1470_Martin_Luther_Lessons_ from_His_Life_and_Labor/) When you enter the above address, everything between the parentheses must be included. All of it belongs on one line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29 (KJV) |
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210 | The raven (Gen 8:7)... | Gen 8:7 | kalos | 182076 | ||
Do not aim to spiritualize every passage. 'Ascertan, as far as it is possible, the plain, literal and primary meaning of the scripture. Exercise sound common sense... 'Beware of mystical and ingenious refinement; do not aim to spiritualize every passage. Real spirituality and fanciful spirituality are different things. The former is real, deep, sublime, and satisfactory, the latter is ideal, shallow, specious and delusive. 'Seek the literal before the spiritual meaning.' ____________________ To read more go to: www.thebereans.net/ref-bibrules.shtml |
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211 | The raven (Gen 8:7)... | Gen 8:7 | kalos | 182075 | ||
Spiritualizing the Bible "Pure fantasy...it goes on all the time..." ____________________ "It's a very dangerous thing to allegorize or spiritualize Scripture. What it means is what it says when rightly understood in its historic context." ____________________ "And once you say that something in the Bible is an allegory, that is it is only a symbol of the reality, you have just made it impossible to know what that reality is because if that reality cannot be discerned through the normal understanding of language, how can it be discerned?" ____________________ '...And then thirdly, another thing just to mention by way of avoidance...avoid spiritualizing or allegorizing the Bible. Spiritualizing or allegorizing the Bible. This is that which gives to the Bible some kind of mystical meaning. In other words, what is on the surface is not the meaning, but what is hidden becomes the meaning. This is very popular. We could talk about allegorizing, it's quite...it's not quite as popular today as it used to be, although it's finding a resurgence. Allegorizing means to say that the historical meaning is not the real meaning, and in fact may be nothing but a fabrication. The historical meaning is not the real meaning, the real meaning is the spiritual meaning hidden beneath the surface. And once you say that something in the Bible is an allegory, that is it is only a symbol of the reality, you have just made it impossible to know what that reality is because if that reality cannot be discerned through the normal understanding of language, how can it be discerned? 'For example, a book was written a number of years ago called If I Perish, I Perish, it was purported to be a commentary on the book of Esther. And in it, Esther, it was allegorizing the book of Esther so that Esther became the Holy Spirit and the whole story of the book was the operation of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer in the battle between the flesh and the Spirit and spiritual warfare and so forth. Much of what was in the book was true New Testament truth but it had absolutely nothing to do with the book of Esther so it therefore convoluted the meaning of Esther and no person reading the book of Esther ever would have understood that meaning. No normal understanding of Esther would have yielded that. (...) 'I went from that to the series on Nehemiah in which [someone might claim that] Nehemiah was the Holy Spirit. The king's pool which is in the city, you know, when they were building the wall, he mentions the king's pool, was the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the building of the wall, the mortar between the bricks was tongues. And the whole point of Nehemiah is that God wants to send the Holy Spirit to baptize you with the Spirit and build the fallen walls of your human personality through speaking in tongues. 'Now, you see, if you're going to do that with the Bible you can't get that from the text. It's pure fantasy. But it goes on all the time and I've often said...sometimes I say to our pastors, "You don't need the Bible for that, if you're going to do that you can use anything...you can use anything." You can preach Little Bo Peep, you could...you could start off by saying...Little Bo Peep, oh she was only little but God can use the little ones. And her name was...her name was Bo Peep...what a name of insignificance, what a name of ridicule, but God uses those who have been ridiculed. Little Bo Peep, she lost her sheep, all over this world sheep are lost. Doesn't know where to find them. The only part I couldn't figure out was what you do with wagging their tails behind them. 'It's a very dangerous thing to allegorize or spiritualize Scripture. What it means is what it says when rightly understood in its historic context.' ____________________ (http://gty.org/ resources.php?section[equals sign]transcripts) Grace to You Transcipts GC 90-157 "How to Study Your Bible: Interpretation" by John MacArthur |
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212 | The raven (Gen 8:7)... | Gen 8:7 | kalos | 182074 | ||
"Don't spiritualize Scripture...when..." 'The key to consistent Bible interpretation, including the Book of Revelation, is to have a consistent hermeneutic. Hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation. In other words, it is the way you interpret Scripture. A normal hermeneutic or normal interpretation of Scripture means that Unless the verse or passage CLEARLY indicates that the author was using figurative language, you are to understand it in its normal sense. Don't look for other meanings if the natural meaning of the sentence makes sense. Don't spiritualize Scripture by assigning meanings to words or phrases when it is very possible that the author under the guidance of the Holy Spirit means for it to be understood as it is written.' ____________________ Source: www.gotquestions.org/Book-Revelation.html |
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213 | Thought-for-thought or word-for-word? | Bible general Archive 3 | kalos | 182073 | ||
Thought-for-thought or word-for-word translation? 'When a paraphrase becomes the standard preaching, reading, memorizing Bible of the church, preaching is weakened—robust expository exultation in the pulpit is made more difficult. Preaching that gives clear explanations and arguments from the wording of specific Biblical texts tends to be undermined when a Bible paraphrases instead of preserving the original wording on (sic) good English. And when that kind of preaching is undermined, the whole level of Christian thinking in the church goes down, and a Bible-saturated worldview is weakened, and the ability of the people—and even the pastors themselves--to root their thoughts and affections in firm Biblical ground diminishes.' By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ MostPopular/1534_Good_English_With_Minimal_ Translation_Why_Bethlehem_Uses_the_ESV/) When you enter the above address, everything between the parentheses must be included. All of it belongs on one line. |
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214 | Did God chosen the Priests out of all | OT general | kalos | 182038 | ||
What is your question? | ||||||
215 | Question re: ESV revision | Bible general Archive 3 | kalos | 182036 | ||
For what it's worth, the following is from one of the Customer Reviews at www.amazon.com: "In Summer, 2005, I, and many others, received an e-mail asking for suggestions for changes, because the English Standard Version Translation Committee is now working on a revision already!!!! It will probably be out in 2007. Everything is pretty hush-hush." |
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216 | is fasting a command for us ,where is it | Luke 5:35 | kalos | 182016 | ||
'Abstinence from food and/or drink' Fasting is defined as 'abstinence from food and/or drink as an element of private or public religious devotion. Fasting is nowhere commanded in the Torah and, in fact, is never attested earlier than the time of the judges of Israel (cf. Judges 20:26). The fact that Jesus and the disciples sanctioned it by their own example (Matt 4:2; Acts 13:2-3), however, is sufficient justification for its practice in biblical times and, in fact, in modern times as well. (...) 'Jesus equates supplication and fasting when he teaches that the removal of mountains comes about only by prayer and fasting (Matt 17:21). The godly prophetess Anna looked for the redemption of Israel with supplicatory prayer and fasting (Luke 2:37 ). Before Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for the various churches, they committed them to the Lord with prayer and fasting (Acts 14:23). In all these instances there is the clear implication that fasting is an effective adjunct to petition. 'The purpose of fasting is never explicitly stated in Scripture but its connection to penitence, mourning, and supplication suggests a self-denial that opens one to God and to the immaterial aspects of life. Inasmuch as food and drink typify life in the flesh and all its demands and satisfactions, their absence or rejection speaks to the reality of a higher dimension, one in which the things of the spirit predominate. The theology of fasting, then, is a theology of priorities in which believers are given the opportunity to express themselves in an undivided and intensive devotion to the Lord and to the concerns of the spiritual life.' Eugene H. Merrill Bibliography. John E. Baird, What the Bible Says About Fasting; R. D. Chatham, Fasting: A Biblical-Historical Study; Joseph F. Wimmer, Fasting in the New Testament: A Study in Biblical Theology. Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology . Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Published by Baker Books (http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/BakersEvangelicalDictionary/) |
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217 | From who's line are Egyptians, Assyrians | Gen 6:20 | kalos | 181996 | ||
The Sons of Ham According to The New Compact Bible Dictionary, Ham 'became the progenitor of the dark races; not the Negroes, but the Egyptians, Ethiopians, Libyans and Canaanites (Gen. 10:6-20).' 'The descendants of the original Ham (Pss. 78:51; 105:23; 106:22). In these passages 'Ham' is used as another name for Egypt as representing Ham's principal descendants' (The New Compact Bible Dictionary, Edited by T. Alton Bryant, 1967, Zondervan). |
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218 | searching for correct quotation login yo | Bible general Archive 3 | kalos | 181985 | ||
A Newcomer's Guide to StudyBibleForum.com by Kalos (Disclaimer: The views presented here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of our host -- the Lockman Foundation -- or a majority of active Forum members.) Following are guidelines for your consideration: 1) First, before you do anything else, learn to use the Forum Search function. It will make participating in the Forum much easier. 2) As the Lockman Foundation suggests, before you post your question use Search to determine whether it has been asked previously. This will save everyone, including you, a lot of time, repetition and rehashing of old issues. 3) Read the Terms of Use. Among other things, you will note that StudyBibleForum.com was originally intended as neither a discussion group nor a topical survey, although, regrettably, that is what it has become. 4) "Your submission may not include...[certain] characters." If you should attempt to use one of these characters, then when you go to preview your submission, you would get the error message above, listing all the unacceptable characters. Print and save that error message. (It may be the only undisputed point you'll ever find at this website.) Unacceptable characters should not be a problem here at the Forum. 5) While you are new to the Forum, you may unintentionally submit the same entry two or more times. If you do, don't worry about it. It's easy to do. 6) In the unlikely event that someone will misunderstand or disagree with a particular point of yours, try not to take it personally. 7) Always bear in mind that the Bible contains many verses which are subject to more than one interpretation (although it would be incorrect to assume that all interpretaions are equally valid). In these cases, a calm, reasoned, polite discussion is preferred. 8) There are but few basic principles of biblical interpretation. If you have not already done so, familiarize yourself with and apply them, particularly the principle of analogia scriptura which is defined here: John MacArthur writes: "One of the basic principles of biblical interpretation is the *analogia scriptura*, the analogy of Scripture. In other words, we must compare Scripture with Scripture in order to understand its full and proper sense. And SINCE THE BIBLE DOESN'T CONTRADICT ITSELF, ANY INTERPRETATION OF A SPECIFIC PASSAGE THAT CONTRADICTS THE GENERAL TEACHING OF THE BIBLE IS TO BE REJECTED." (Emphasis added.) 9) In my experience I have found that the Lockman Foundation sincerely desires and welcomes your input. Do not hesitate to contact them with your questions, comments and suggestions. 10) You can save yourself needless frustration if you remember that you need not reply to every criticism you receive. 11) An excellent standard to expect of yourself and your fellow Forum members is: "Every person has a right to their own opinion; but no person has a right to be wrong in their facts." Check your facts carefully before you post them publicly for all the world to read and remember. Careful reading, research, review and rewriting BEFORE YOU POST could save you embarrassment. 12) 2 Timothy 2:23 (ASV) "But foolish and ignorant questionings refuse, knowing that they gender strifes." The possibility, however slight, exists that every great once in awhile, you may encounter a "foolish and ignorant" question. Avoid being drawn into a dispute over it. Stick to the issues and avoid naming personalities involved in the dispute. WELCOME TO THE FORUM! Grace and peace, John |
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219 | did def. of marriage change over time? | Gen 2:24 | kalos | 181972 | ||
Why did God allow polygamy/bigamy? Question: Why did God allow polygamy/bigamy in the Bible? ____________________ “We see in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, that the kings were not supposed to multiply wives. This most definitely puts Solomon in direct disobedience against the Lord.” ____________________ 'Answer: The first instance of polygamy / bigamy in the Bible was Lamech in Genesis 4:19, “Lamech married two women…” Several prominent men in the Old Testament were polygamists. Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and others all had multiple wives. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (essentially wives of a lower status) according to 1 Kings 11:3. What are we to do with these instances of polygamy in the Old Testament? There are three questions that need to be answered. (1) Why did God allow polygamy in the Old Testament? (2) How does God view polygamy today? (3) Why did it change? '(1) Why did God allow polygamy in the Old Testament? The Bible does not specifically say why God allowed polygamy… '(2) How does God view polygamy today? The Bible says that God’s original intention was for one man to be married to only one woman, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife (not wives); and they shall become one flesh (not multiple fleshes)” (Genesis 2:24). We see in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, that the kings were not supposed to multiply wives. This most definitely puts Solomon in direct disobedience against the Lord. 'In the New Testament, 1 Timothy 3:2, 12 and Titus 1:6 give “the husband of one wife” in a list of qualifications for spiritual leadership. While these qualifications are only specifically for positions of spiritual leadership, they apply equally to all Christians. Should not all Christians be “above reproach...temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” (1 Timothy 3:2-4)? If we are called to be holy (1 Peter 1:16), and if these standards are holy for elders and deacons, then they are holy for all. Ephesians 5:22-33, speaking of the relationship between husbands and wives, when referring to a husband (singular) always also refers to a wife (singular). “…for the husband is the head of the wife (singular) … He who loves his wife (singular) loves himself. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife (singular), and the two will become one flesh … each one of you also must love his wife (singular) as he loves himself, and the wife (singular) must respect her husband.” There is absolutely no allowance for polygamy for followers of Jesus Christ. '(3) Why did it change? It is not as much God disallowing something He previously allowed as it is God restoring marriage to His original intent. According to Genesis 2:24, polygamy was not God’s original intent. God seems to have allowed polygamy to solve a problem…but it was God’s desire for the problem never to have occurred. In most modern societies, there is absolutely no need for polygamy. In most cultures today, women are able to provide for and protect themselves – removing the only “positive” aspect of polygamy. Are there some instances in which the allowance for polygamy would still apply today? Perhaps…but it is unfathomable that there would be no other possible solution. It is our firm belief that polygamy does not honor the intent and sanctity of marriage – and most importantly – does not honor God.' To read more go to: www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html |
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220 | Is marrying for citizenship real? | Matt 19:5 | kalos | 181969 | ||
Was the "marriage" ever consummated?* If the answer is yes, then it is as real as it gets. ____________________ *consummate "2 : to make (marital union) complete by sexual intercourse" (http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary) |
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