BibleBruce

Just thought I'd share the attached file regarding: King David's shameful behavior in Gath God's faithfulness to him the glory that God received from this and the blessing that it was to others Our Fearfulness_God's Faithfulness.pdf

Great post, Jerry. Thanks very much.

Great. One of the things that I value most when I study out a doctrine is "childlike faith". I do not mean by this that I value naiveté or immature thinking. I mean that I value simple trust in what God says and simple confidence in God himself. Surely, this is a major principle taught by Jesus Christ himself in his word. There was a remarkable man named Robert Dick Wilson who was a great scholar of the Old Testament and a great defender of its absolute accuracy. Perhaps no one has ever been as qualified as he to defend the Old Testament from a linguistic and historical perspective. He knew 45 languages. He was a Presbyterian (but I suppose that God has forgiven him of this :)). Apparently he was also a man of simple faith, for it is reported that as he stood to give his conclusions after a life of study he began his address with these words: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so”. Although I have studied the translation issue fairly extensively, that is the same kind of childlike faith that God has given me in the King James Version, and it has made a world of difference in my walk with Christ.

I'm really happy to hear that. I wrote it to be a blessing to others and I'm glad that it is. All credit to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Hi Brother Tony, I'm sorry to hear about your sister's condition. I have just prayed for her, you, Al, and your mom. That's a tough situation for all of you. May you all lean upon God's great grace. I have prayed that the medical personnel would be given God's wisdom also.

Hi Jerry, I'm sorry but I've never used ibooks so I don't have the answer to your question. Perhaps someone else on this post can help. Take care, Bruce

That is excellent, Jerry. I absolutely agree. I can hold a KJV Bible in my hand and confidently say, "This is the word of God". Years ago, I studied the Bible translation issue, fasted and prayed about it, and asked God to show me the truth. The attached file is the story of how God led me through this amazing "journey" to a settled conclusion. If you or anyone else wishes to read it, I hope that it is a blessing. Your post is a blessing to me. Take care my friend, Brother Bruce The Trial of God's Word.pdf

Pastor Markle, I understand. No problem. When it works out for you to continue the conversation, just let me know. It you end up having too many things on your plate and decide not to continue the conversation, I will respect and understand that also. I have just prayed for you, Brother Bruce

Hi Hugh, Thanks much for the question. Yes, it is clear in the following passage that God did divorce Israel. It is also clear to me that, after God divorced her, he plainly said that he was still married to her: “The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” Jeremiah 3:6-15 This, for me, is one of the clearest passages stating that neither unfaithfulness nor divorce breaks the marriage bond in God’s eyes and that, furthermore, mercy is to be the guiding principle under these circumstances. In this passage, the door is left open for the offending spouse's repentance and return. I see these same principles presented in the New Testament passages regarding divorce and remarriage. FYI, I had also addressed your question in the PDF that I attached to my original post (which is a fairly comprehensive summary of my beliefs on the subject of divorce and remarriage and includes the scripture passages upon which I base these beliefs). Every time that I had confessed my own sins, fasted, prayed with supplication, diligently studied God's word, and committed myself to obeying whatever God would show me in the scriptures (refusing to lean unto my own understanding), I believe that he reinforced the beliefs stated in the PDF. Hugh, I have prayed that God would bless you mightily today regardless of whether or not we are currently in disagreement on this subject. Thank you again for engaging me on this important subject. Brother Bruce

Hi 1Timothy115, Thanks for the question and the conversation. I hope that you are doing well. The following is how I understand Jesus’ statement that you referenced above.... I believe that Jesus made this statement in response to the saying of the scribes as recorded in the following verse: And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. - Mark 3:22 I believe that, in this statement, they had committed the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost (which is unforgiveable). Jesus had previously cast out unclean (demonic) spirits as recorded earlier in this chapter. The demons themselves had acknowledged that Jesus was the Son of God, thereby admitting that he was completely holy. It seems to me that these scribes went beyond that which even the demons were willing to say and that this was evidence that their hearts were so thoroughly ruined by sin that they would never seek God’s forgiveness and therefore could never be forgiven. Jesus also made the following statement in the passage that you referenced: “All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme”. It is one of the most basic teachings of the Bible (as we all recognize) that those who reject Christ as Saviour will not be forgiven of their sins. I therefore believe that Jesus is telling us that all kinds of sins will be forgiven to those who receive him as their Saviour and that therefore the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost cannot be committed by saved people. I also believe that those who continue in adultery with an unrepentant heart and life (not terminating the adulterous relationship as would result per any reasonable definition of repentance) are lost because God says that they will not inherit the kingdom of God: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. - I Corinthians 6:9-10 I believe that a common error in the "christian" culture is that God's grace is somehow "great enough" to allow acceptance of unrepentant, continuous sin in his children. I believe that this results from a complete misunderstanding of grace and forgiveness and that the scripture clearly exposes this foolishness: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? - Romans 6:1-2 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; - Titus 2:11-12 It seems to me that the all-important question then becomes, "Does God consider those who are married (according to his standards) to a living spouse, but who are divorced and 'remarried' to be adulterers?" I believe that the answer to this question is plainly stated in the following passage: For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. - Romans 7:2-3 The only other plain passages that I find in the New Testament dealing with the termination of marriage also speak of the death of a spouse. While I find the divorce-and-remarriage subject to be somewhat challenging to sort out Biblically, I just don't see any other way to interpret the scriptures if unbiased principles of Bible interpretation and simple childlike faith in God's word are employed. To me, other interpretations are dependent upon passages that are not straightforward, and these interpretations cannot be reconciled with the clear passages. Regardless of whether we currently agree or disagree, my prayer is that God will bless you mightily. Brother Bruce

Hi Pastor Markle, Thanks for letting me know that you hadn't forgotten. Whenever you are ready to proceed with the conversation, just let me know. Have a blessed evening. Brother Bruce

Hi Ukulelemike. Thank you for your response. Sorry for my late response. I hope that you are doing well. We just don't agree on the interpretation of the passage that you have cited. I'm thinking that we probably won't agree on this subject and it might be best to simply leave it as it currently stands. If you think otherwise just let me know. May God bless you mightily.

Hi Jordan, I purchased the book that you recommended and read it through. I found it helpful in the sense that it presented some angles to the issue that I had not heard before. It didn't change my position but was helpful in understanding some of the contrary positions that are taken. Thank you.

Hello, I received the following from member "Fidelia". Is this the scam email that others have reported receiving? Fidelia 0 Started conversation: 2 hours ago Members Shalom. I am Mrs. Fidelia Williams from Togo. My late husband deposited US$1.2Million in a Bank here & being diagnosed with esophageal cancer and knowing my conditions now; since I do not have any child, I want you to use this fund for charity purposes on orphanages, disables, widows and to propagate churches. Assure me that you will handle it well and reply me for more details at wfidelia22@gmail.com

Hi. I'm a new member. Thank you all for allowing me to join the conversation. I was saved in 1970. A lot has changed within churches during that time including church stands regarding the subject of divorce and remarriage. This subject is a difficult one to discuss for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that divorce hurts people badly. We are not machines and God has chosen to build emotions into our beings. Although not reliable to base decisions upon, emotions are part of us and play an important role in our lives. Divorce and remarriage is about as emotional and personal a topic as I can imagine. Another reason that this is a difficult subject to discuss is that I believe that there is some serious "rightly dividing of scripture" that needs to be done in order to understand this subject Biblically. Sincere people have often come to conflicting conclusions. I expect that this will be the case in this forum. We all have the right to come to our own conclusions as we sincerely seek for God's will and are willing to apply it to our lives. A third reason is that the consequences for arriving at a conviction on this subject can be great. For the last 40 years or so I have been convinced from the scriptures that divorce and remarriage is adultery and have lived by that conviction. Both of my brothers are divorced and remarried. This has strained our relationships. I have lost close friends. I have been shunned by Independent Baptist Churches. I have paid a price for this conviction in other ways. I believe that this subject is the "10 ton elephant" within Independent Baptist Churches today and is one of the major reasons why our country is under God's heavy hand of judgement. The attachment defines my beliefs and explains from the scriptures why I believe as I do. As I have stated, this topic is a very rough one to discuss. I obviously have a strong conviction regarding it. I believe that it can be discussed with Christian charity and respect. Sometimes communication on a subject about which people hold strong convictions can appear to be intentionally antagonistic. I apologize in advance if that appears to be my approach. That is not my intent or spirit, and I have done my best to avoid giving that impression while stating my position clearly. Trusting in God's greatness and goodness, Brother Bruce Marriage_Divorce_Remarriage.pdf