Pastorj

There have been many times in my life that I was under conviction and simply told God no. Our human nature does not want to submit to God for anything which is why it is difficult for people, even under conviction, to get saved. We are taught today to hold ourselves in high esteem when God tells us to humble ourselves. I have found that the more humble I am, the easier it is to follow God. Unfortunately, I fail often in this area.

Jordan, Your interpretation goes contrary to Jesus, therefore is wrong. I will find some time this week to go through 1 Cor. 7. Just been busy.

Some great questions 1. Couple living in a common law marriage - They are married already. Doing vows is a formality. 2. Couple living together, but not married - This one is tough because I am sure they are sleeping together. I would not marry these individuals. I would encourage them to separate until their former spouses have passed. 3. Woman at the well - She was married to 5 and the one she was currently with was an adulterous affair. Jesus was calling her out on it. He was not telling her to go and get married to the guy she was currently with.

Yes, it is that cut and dry. However, as mentioned, God can and wants to use divorced people. They just can't be a pastor or deacon. The Word of God has to be taken literally and marriage is sacred and dealt with from Genesis to the New Testament and it is always the same. When we want to take one passage and say that this is for NT Christians and then ignore the Gospels or the Old Testament, we come up with doctrines that make us feel better and excuse our sin.

The doctrine of Marriage starts in Genesis and goes throughout. The Apostle Paul would not contradict Jesus or the Old Testament. That is bad doctrine.

Throughout my ministry, I have counseled a number of men and women in the same position. There will be people who disagree with what I am going to say, but Scripture is clear. Marriage is permanent. With man, you are divorced. You and your wife are no longer legally married. God's views are different. In God's eyes she is still your wife, which is why you are not eligible to remarry until she departs this earth. This does not mean that your life is over. There are many areas of ministry that you can and should be involved in. I know many divorced individuals who teach Sunday School classes, run bus ministries, start single ministries to help others. God can and wants to use you. Start by getting into a good church and serving the Lord.

I will get into this passage at some point. Unfortunately, I do not have time right now. The key to any doctrinal discussion is one understanding - Scripture cannot contradict Scripture and Jesus cannot go against Scripture. Notice the below passage. Jesus said "But from the beginning it was not so." Also notice "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." These two key phrases mean that God never intended divorce in any circumstance and that Jesus restated it. The Apostle Paul would never under inspiration contradict God or Jesus. So when you are looking at 1 Cor. you must keep this in mind. Often times people take one verse to prove a point. You must use all Scripture.

It's always difficult to have this conversation since there are 3 basic positions 1. No Divorce under any circumstance 2. Divorce is allowed for Fornication 3. Divorce is allowed for any reason There are many passages, but the two key passages are found in Matthew and 1 Corinthians, which have already been referenced above. Jesus said "Except for Fornication". - To understand this passage, one must understand Jewish Marriages. We have an "Engagement Period" today in which a ring is given, but no vows are given. In Bible times, Joseph and Mary were Espoused according to Luke and Married according to Matthew. Is this a contradiction? Luke is looking at it from a physical standpoint and Matthew the legal. Joseph and Mary were "Legally married" as they were espoused to each other. However, they had not consummated the marriage yet which is why Luke uses the word "Espoused Wife". During the Espousal period, a couple are legally married and it is during this time if one were to "Cheat" on the other, God allowed the divorce. It is important to notice that Jesus used the word "Fornication" instead of "Adultery". During the Espousal period, if one "Cheated", it would have been "Fornication". However, once the marriage is consummated, it is no longer "Fornication", it is now "Adultery". 1 Corinthians is a little more difficult to explain, but I will deal with that one later.

True, but Salvation is not "Easy". Admitting you are guilty of Sin and worthy of death is one of the most difficult things. It's why only one malefactor got saved.

Many of the "Big Time" preachers at these conferences are good "Orators". They can let it rip, make people laugh, cry and walk the aisle. Unfortunately today, there are not many "Preachers" who are filled with the Holy Spirit and are Preaching, even some of these "Big Time" preachers. Preaching is not about yelling/screaming. Preaching is not about a good story, joke or poem. Preaching is about exposing the Word of God to people and letting the Holy Spirit convict. I have witnessed many of occasions where people are crying because of a moving story about a little girl who died and in her death saw many saved. Love the story, but if people need a story to be moved instead of the Word of God, then we got issues.

I agree with Pastor Markle that the direct interpretation of the passage has nothing to do with arguing Scripture. This is an area that I have heard many preachers use this passage to explain exactly what Donald is saying in his OP. I can't tell you how many times I have heard from the pulpit that "Iron sharpeneth Iron" when two people disagree doctrinally.

Jim, I was probably a little too strong. I do care about the opinions of people. What I have witnessed on this site and in my life is people don't know what the Bible says. They only know what their pastor or some other man says. When you ask for Scripture, they can't give it. I was like that for many years. In college, I had a Bible Doctrines professor who forced us to write our own Doctrinal statements. It was at that time, I started to realize that I was trusting in my Pastor, not on Scripture.

Not quite sure what you are saying, so you may want to clarify. I, however, never said anything about using commentaries or other aides in studying Scripture. However, I am disturbed by the amount of people who put their trust in those individuals. I have an exhaustive library that I use to get others opinions when studying. However, whenever I speak on an issue or about an issue I don't care what Spurgeon, Hyles, David Cloud, or any other man thinks. I don't even care what I want the Bible to say. The question is "What does the Word of God say"

I may offend someone on this, but I see and hear way too many Christians make the following statements My Pastor said "...." Keil & Delitch say "..." Matthew Henry says "..." David Cloud says "..." Hyles Anderson says "..." Who cares what men say. What did God say. Bro. Matt's father is a man that I look up to and respect greatly. I have never said "Dan Souza said "...". However, it seems many Christians today have no clue what their Bible says and rely on what a man says.

Hate to tell you that the transgender movement had no impact on women wearing pants. That started in the 40's our of necessity when women went to work in factories. Which is when pants on women became acceptable. By the 60's and 70's it was normal. Now in 2018, women wearing dresses has become the abnormal. And that is only in the US, which we do not base Bible doctrine on a country either. If you look in Europe and other countries, the culture changed years ago, unless you are basing it on a sign. Go sit in a mall and you will see the change in culture. If God wanted to declare pants an abomination, he would have made it clear. Instead he used a principle of distinction between the sexes. In the New Testament, God makes it about modesty. Hence Christians should look distinctly their sex and be modest. It's also one of the biggest problems in Christianity. Immodesty has overwhelmed our churches and a lot of the time, the woman is in a dress.