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NASB | 1 Kings 11:3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Kings 11:3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away [from God]. |
Subject: Does God endorse polygamy? |
Bible Note: You are right, the state does object to a man acquiring a LICENSE for more than one wife at a time. It is also true that a piece of paper from the state is not a part of God's definition of marriage. That "license" serves only ONE purpose: It allows you the legal right to claim "Married" on your tax forms. It also gives the state a level of authority over a marriage that God never made allowances for. To my way of thinking, the state has no right to dabble in a marriage. Now, can you show me where God demanded that we submit to laws that do not exist? What state requires that a man acquire a "license" for ANY woman he is married to in accordance to God's definition of marriage? I would like to see this if you can think of one. You are assuming that a man having more than one wife in accordance with God's definition of marriage is somehow breaking state law, and yet you have not made specific mention of one. General reference does not inform anyone about anything. Please be more specific. YOU are the one who made indirect reference to the license. When you made grandiose statement about it allegedly being a violation of state law for a man to have more than one wife, then you can ONLY be referring to that LICENSE. A man having a LICENSE for more than one wife is the ONLY state and federal law of marriage a man can break. Who is fooling who here? The state only regognizes multiple marriages IF you have attempted to acquire more than one LICENSE at a time. You then said, "However, multiple marriages are against the law in the United States," ONLY if you attempt acquiring a LICENSE for more than one wife at a time. So, what is your point? "...and unless that is a commandment which would cause you to disobey God (and you yourself have acknowledged that polygamy is not a COMMAND), we are to glorify God by submission to the authority He has established." You can assume that the state and federal governement has made some unknown law about a man being limited to only one wife outside of that license all you want, but then you are only spitting into the wind. I can tell you right now that the ONLY KNOWN laws against a man having more than one wife OUTSIDE of (not AGAINST) the legal system of SOME states is "cohabitation" laws. Do YOU live in a state with cohabitation laws? Do you even KNOW if your state has such laws? Have you even checked before making declarations of assumed knowledge of authoirty? You then declared, "And speaking of established authority, the Church was established by Jesus Christ and is not a "man-made institution." We are also called to submit to the church's authority in the Lord." Your attempt at lumping our multitudes of INSTITUTIONAL church ORGANIZATIONS into Christ's definition of His Church is less than impressive, my friend. If you can show me where Christ declared that we are to obey any of our man-made institutions that are defined by buildings, parking lots, plush offices, chandeliers, staffing organization, pews and a pulpit, then I am all ears. (smile) As to your charge of my saying anything about a "tradition of polygamous churches since Pentecost," well, you would have to honestly quote me saying anything about that issue without making something up that I did not say. Your misguided powers of reasoning are quite astounding. If the best you can do in trying to win your case is attempting to cast the relevance of my statements down to the level of the Jehovah's Witness beliefs, then you really have nothing to say of any real account. Can you show me ONE PLACE where the Jehovah's Witnesses factor into this discussion? Their beliefs are theologcially refutable. All you have dealt with is the SECULAR system of licenses and laws. You did not make ANY mention of theological relevance in this message pertaining to marriage. In Christ Jesus Don |