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[posted 10/19/19]
Question #1:
My question concerning marriage what if your first spouse was pregnant on her wedding day through fornication and she did not tell you until after the wedding. Can I remarry ?
Response #1:
Good to make your acquaintance.
In my country, a person can only marry one at a time, so a divorce would
have to come before any hypothetical remarriage in terms of the laws
of my country. So from the standpoint of doing what the state demands
something all believers are commanded to take into account as a matter
of prime importance only people who are legally single can marry. Also
in my country, if a marriage is made under false pretenses, it can
sometimes be annulled which, legally speaking, means that the marriage
never happened (again, I emphasize, legally). In this case
too, the person is now single in the eyes of the law after the legal
process has been completed and is legally free to remarry.
However, since you are asking this question of me (and this is a Bible
teaching ministry), I am assuming what you really want to know is "does
God want a person in this situation to do so?". That is to say, not "can
I?" but "should I?".
First, I never give specific "yes/no" advice on this subject because
there are always details even in situations which are presented as
straightforward about which the third party (me) will have no clear
idea. And when it comes to practical application of the truth of the
Bible to complicated life situations, all of these hidden details are
important and in fact critical in coming to the correct conclusion.
What is going on in the hearts of the two people in question is probably
the most decisive thing (and only the two involved can know that). Our
Lord told the Pharisees that in fact the only acceptable excuse for
divorcing someone who does not wish to divorce you is if that person has
committed sexual indiscretion (Matt.19:9). Even so, divorce is
characterized by our Lord as allowed by the Law even in such cases as
stemming from "hardness of heart" (Matt.19:8), at least implying that
forgiveness would often be the better course.
So when I discuss these things, I always try to present the biblical
picture of "best advice" which, in essence, is as follows:
1) Are you single? Don't get married.
2) Are you married? Don't get divorced.
3) Did you get divorced? Don't get remarried.
4) Did you get remarried? Don't get divorced.
People "do what they do" in this life, and most often look for
rationalizations and justifications for their actions. But if we really
are putting the Lord Jesus Christ first in all we think, say and do,
growing spiritually through His Word day by day, walking ever closer to
Him through that truth and passing the tests that come to believers who
are doing things His way, and, eventually, helping others do the same
through the ministries He gives us, then all such questions always
simplify in the glorious light of His presence in our lives. If we
really are walking with Him and seeking His will, we will be led to know
clearly what He wants us to do (as opposed to what we desire to do), and
will blessed and much happier in doing things His way.
There are many "ins and outs" to this issue, so I will give you some
links here to some pages to where other related issues are discussed:
A Conversation about Divorce and Remarriage
Jephthah's Daughter, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage
Christian Divorce and Remarriage
What about Christians who Remarry?
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #2:
Hi Bob,
My friend said that it is not allowable for a Christian to be remarried
under any circumstances. A Pastor who does marriage counseling
completely disagreed with him. John MacArthur did a entire sermon on
whether Christians can remarry and he said that they can according to
scripture. My friend completely disagrees with that and went out of his
way to prove it using Greek and exegesis.
My friend is a missionary and his wife is usually alone while he visits
places like Uganda to preach the Gospel. I get the feeling that he may
be having marital problems because he keeps mentioning the topic of
divorce, but at the same time I feel that he wants to be faithful and
stay married because they are both Christians (maybe). He cited 1 Cor.
7:15 and said that the word for "bondage" in the Greek is the term
douloo, and it means to "make a slave of." He cited another passage
which uses the same Greek word in Titus 2:3, which reads, "enslaved to
much wine."
He further stated that according to the Bible, marriage is never viewed
as slavery. And the "bondage," i.e., enslavement, never refers to a
marriage union. If the unbeliever departs, then it's not the
responsibility of the Christian. Also, the brother or sister is not
enslaved to maintain a togetherness (he noted the allusion of 1 Cor.
7:5) at the expense of fidelity to the Lord. He then wrote that douloo
(under bondage) in verse 15 is interestingly in a perfect tense form in
the Greek NT, (dedoulotai). He wrote:
"The perfect tense denotes a present state resulting from past action.
Its force here is this: "was not bound [past action] and is not bound
[present state]." The sense of the verse thus is: Yet if (assuming such
should occur) the unbeliever separates himself, let him separate
himself: the brother or sister was not [before the departure] and is not
[now that the departure has occurred] enslaved .... Whatever the
"bondage" is, therefore, the Christian was not in it even before the
disgruntled spouse left. But the saint was married (and is) to him,
hence, the bondage is not the marriage!
Let the reader substitute the word "marriage" for "bondage," giving the
full force to the perfect tense (i.e., "has not been married, and is not
married") and the fallacy of viewing the bondage as the marriage itself
will be apparent. First Corinthians 7:15 does not expand upon the
Savior's teaching with reference to divorce and remarriage, as much as
some wish that it were so. Note that some contend that the term chorizo
is used in verse 15 of divorce. The word is related to choris which
means "separately, apart, by itself." Chorizo simply means to "divide"
or "separate" (cf. Rom. 8:35; Heb. 7:26; Philem. 15).
The term is generic, and thus may include divorce, as Matthew 19:6
indicates, but there is no indication that it means divorce in 1
Corinthians 7:10-11, 15 (though some lexicographers, leaving their areas
of expertise and assuming the role of commentators, have so designated
it).
Professor Lewis Johnson notes:
"It is true that the verb 'to depart' in the middle voice [it is middle
in verse 15] was almost a technical term for divorce in the papyri ...
This, however, really proves nothing here" (1962, 1240)."
Is his analysis of 1 Corinthians7:15 the correct interpretation? or is
he using eisegesis?
God Bless!
Response #2:
I would say first that all believers are free not to get married
in the first place. If married, they are free not to get divorced.
If divorced, they are free not to get remarried. If remarried,
they are free not to get divorced. In fact, maintaining one's
status quo is generally the best policy as Paul makes clear in this cited
chapter (1Cor.7:20). However, most Christians are incapable of remaining single
and not falling into serious sin; so for them, it is "better to marry than to
burn" (1Cor.7:9). But married people ALWAYS have problems as Paul also affirms
in this chapter (1Cor.7:28).
As to your friend's analysis of 1st Corinthians 7:15, it is very hard to follow,
frankly. Anytime an "exegetical treatment" with "analysis of Greek forms"
results in the passage being harder to understand than a straightforward reading
of the English suggests, that is sign of problems. I teach Greek for a living
and I can tell you that I don't see how any of these conclusions follow. The
text is very clear indeed: if an unbelieving spouse abandons the marriage, the
believer is to consider himself or herself free. Naturally, remarriage
thereafter would require an official dissolution of the marriage under whatever
state authority it was contracted. Marriage, as I constantly have to point out,
is not a "Christian institution" marriage was designed by God for the entire
human race, and the laws governing its legalities are established by the state
wherein the believer happens to reside.
Regardless of what your friend or J. MacArthur or anyone else has to say,
Christians who wish to divorce generally do so; Christians who wish to remarry
generally do so. It's fine to be concerned about the details but there is so
much false teaching out there these days that it would be better for most people
who want to opine of this subject to remain silent. After all, we are all going
to be evaluated for what we do, and while if we have gotten something wrong on
the marriage front that is certainly an issue, teaching something not true is
among the worst possible things that a person could do. This is a large topic
upon which, again, I have written a great deal. I will give you some links which
will lead to many others if interested in the details:
Yours in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #3:
Dear Dr. Luginbill,
I found your website in a desperate search for guidance on remarriage. I have
been haunted by those who list all the reasons I need to divorce to repent. I
was married and divorced at a young age. There was no biblical reason to
divorce. After college and military service I met the love of my life. She was
also divorced (due to abuse) and had a child. We have been happily married for
12 years and have two sons together as well as my stepdaughter. I recently came
to true faith after a life of false belief. From the moment I learned of our sin
of remarriage adultery I have been unable to sleep. I have been slowly dying
inside. The argument of "new creation" (for me) and that she was a victim of
abuse never quite cut it as excuses. The divorce to repent folks have caused me
to lose the joy and peace I had as a new believer. After reading your answer to
a question, that was very loving and understanding I might add, from a divorce
to repent advocate I might have peace. Your description of the situation of
marriages like mine and guidance on grace and mercy of our God has helped
immensely. The thought that has been imprinted on me that we are living in
perpetual adultery and that my wife and I need to destroy our family or go to
hell has crushed me. Your statement on God's grace and mercy has helped me so
much. All we can do is ask for forgiveness and trust in His mercy. To divorce to
repent would bring so much devastation I'm sure it would only please the devil.
I hope this email finds you well. My wife went to school at Louisville. Your CV
is very impressive and I can tell you are an amazing and educated man by your
writings. Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. As a new believer I
couldn't understand why our loving and forgiving God would have us break up our
home to correct past sins. Now I believe He does not. He wants a repentant heart
but not a broken second marriage. You have helped us so much.
With love in Christ,
Response #3:
It's great to make your acquaintance.
I never cease to be amazed appalled is more like it by the number of vicious
groups and individuals out there who claim to be acting in the Name of Jesus
Christ. What person could even be a Christian and tell another Christian to ruin
his/her life, ruin his/her happy marriage, ruin the youth of his/her children?
But it seems there is never any shortage of unbelievers masquerading as
believers. That has always been the case.
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
Philippians 3:2 NIV
Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
Philippians 3:19 NIV
But even more so is this the case here in Laodicea on the cusp of the Tribulation:
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
1st Timothy 4:1-2 NIV
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of Godhaving a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
2nd Timothy 3:1-5 NIV
The utter, shameless, arrogant self-righteousness of the people who teach this
drivel and pretend that it is from God makes my blood boil. I thank God that you
had the spiritual common sense not to believe such lies. I do understand how
that you felt depressed hearing such tripe. Guilt is the devil's ace trump. That
is the emotion he manipulates more than any other in the case of good Christians
trying to do the right thing. After all, none of us has been perfect our whole
lives. So instead of letting us confess whatever sin we have committed and move
on with our lives for the Lord, the devil and those doing his bidding just
love to try and scratch off the scab, poor salt in the wound, and get us
"itching". Nothing ever good comes from that except in cases such as yours
where the result is that the sheep's clothing is pulled off of the wolf and the
person in question goes on to serious spiritual growth as a result. Putting such
false guilt to death is all about having the truth, believing the truth, and
living the truth. The only thing about that is that one cannot deal with lies
and the world and the flesh and the evil one all of the sources of opposition
down here on earth on a case by case basis and expect to live the best
possible life for the Lord. The best policy is spiritual growth pursued across
the board every day. That way, we grow strong and mature in the Lord and are
ready for anything and also get to the point of helping others be ready too.
That is why Ichthys is here (and I encourage you to make use of all the
offerings available at the site).
Yours in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #4:
Good day,
I have questions regarding divorce and remarriage. Perhaps your input
regarding 2 videos. Also, what exactly constitutes a marriage? Is it
one's first sexual experience? I look forward to your rely.
Response #4:
I have a number of postings on this and I will give you the links below.
I could not make myself get through these videos (I have a weak stomach
when it comes to trampling on the truth).
Marriage is an institution which God invented for the entire human race.
It is a CIVIL institution, meant for all people, not just for those who
are believers. A marriage between a man and a woman is what the state
says it is, civil authority being constituted by God (e.g., Rom.13:1-7).
If a man or a woman is married, then that man or woman is married. If a
man or a woman has not married, then they are not married. It seems
ridiculous to have to say that, but videos and other fly-by-night
internet "experts" make it necessary to do so.
What the Bible says about marriage in a nutshell (for scriptures, see
the links):
1) Better to stay single.
2) But if you do marry, better to stay married.
3) But if you do divorce, better not to remarry.
4) But if you do remarry, better not to divorce.
The last point is usually the operative one in all such discussions,
because there are in fact individuals out there in cyberspace who are
ACTUALLY counseling married people to divorce (because for
some reason or other the marriage doesn't meet their legalistic
standards). The Bible gives no excuse for divorce except for adultery,
even in cases where it is clear that the two individuals involved were
not concerned with what the Bible had to say about all this when they
got married. Influencing people who are married to get divorced when
they otherwise would not do so, especially from self-righteous motives,
may not be the most evil thing in the world . . . but in my opinion it
makes the top ten short-list.
Is remarriage adultery? If a man divorces his wife for no other reason
than selfishness and forces her out of his house, then marries another,
that ACT of remarriage is an ACT of adultery. But in the passages in
question, our Lord does NOT tell the Pharisees to divorce their new
partners. The wrong they have done is the wrong they have done. The sin
they have committed is the sin they have committed. What about sin? Can
it be forgiven? If it could not, we would all be on our way to hell.
Every sin was paid for by Jesus Christ and is forgiven (in the case of
believers) in the same way: confession (1Jn.1:9).
Sex outside of marriage is wrong, illicit and sinful. And believers need
to deal with all sin the same way: confess to the Lord. Mind you, we
never "get away" with anything. Christ paid the penalty, and we need to
always keep that signal fact in mind. We are forgiven when we confess,
but our Father deals with us as sons and daughters, and what father
would not tan the hide of a son who did something very foolish and very
dangerous? Sex outside of marriage (and porneia of all sorts) is
very dangerous which is why we are told to "flee" it (1Cor.6:18) . . .
but it is NOT "marriage". Marriage is marriage.
Feel free to write me back about any of the above. Here are those links:
Divorce and Remarriage: What Does the Bible Say?
Christian Divorce and Remarriage II
More on Divorce and Remarriage
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #5:
Hi Bob,
A lady who has issues with her husband said: "the Bible says a husband
can divorce his wife, if she commits adultery, but why is there not
forgiveness for the wife in that instance? That always confused me a
little."
I couldn't find an answer to this and needed your help. Thanks!
God Bless,
Response #5:
Divorce is not mandatory for infidelity. Infidelity only provides a
legitimate reason for divorce on the part of the offended party, husband
or wife. Forgiveness is always an option, but that is the province of
the one with something to forgive (not for the rest of us to weigh in
on). I can certainly imagine (and have seen) situations where continuing
in such a marriage especially after multiple offenses is not a good
idea; but there are cases where "one mistake" is never repeated and the
couple manages to piece the marriage back together.
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #6:
Greetings,
Since we last communicated by email a couple years ago, sin continues to
increase in both the world and in the church as adulterous remarriages are
allowed in churches and many pastors are themselves living in adultery this way.
It is a ministry of reconciliation for God joined spouses to get back together,
leaving an adulterous marriage for the wife of one's youth. You quoted
Deuteronomy 24:1-4, which Jesus declared was given for the "hardness of your
hearts." Old Testament commands must be understood now in light of the New
Testament. We do not forbid people to eat pork for example, which was not
allowed under the Old Testament. Clearly a passage Jesus declared was given for
the "hardness of their hearts" is all the more not to be enforced under the New
Testament.
Are you falling for other Hebrew root heresies going back to such things as
requiring circumcision and 7th day Sabbath also? There is lots of "picking and
choosing" going on these days among "Christian Scholars" regarding what they
want to enforce out of the Old Testament, and Deut 24:1-4 is a favorite to
justify the sin of remaining in an adulterous marriage and refusing to reconcile
with the wife of one's youth. Hard hearted people don't want to reconcile, and
will go to that passage just like the Pharisees of Jesus day to try to justify
their serial marriages. Don't be deceived: adulterers will not inherit the
kingdom of heaven.
Thank you for thinking on these things,
Response #6:
I haven't written about this subject for some time, so it's odd that
you've chosen to write me about it now.
It's also clear that you haven't actually read carefully anything I've
written, since your arguments are directed against legalistic and
anti-scholastic false teachings, and this ministry couldn't be farther
from either of those misguided points of view.
You seem only to remember that when you wrote me before I called you to
account for counseling Christians to get divorced because in YOUR eyes
their marriages did not count. I pointed out to you with scripture that
you were assuming the prerogative of God in so doing, denying
forgiveness which He does provide and commanding some actions which He
does not command and others which He does forbid. So on top of setting
yourself up as someone who ruins other people's lives to satisfy your
own self-righteous and non-biblical view of "what is right", you are
setting yourself up against the Lord in a most arrogant and dangerous
fashion.
I really think, therefore, that this is a conversation which you should
be having with the Lord, not with me.
Question #7:
Robert,
Thanks for your articles. I've read all of the marriage related articles
more than once, and while I agree with your reasoning, I still struggle
with guilt and fear because I am remarried. I'm not sure what to do to
help this, but all I desire is to be right with God and know how to
proceed and what to think about my relationship with Him.
I don't want to assume anything. And yet everyone has a different view
on this topic. But it is vitally important, because I don't want to lose
my relationship with God for eternity. Even members of my own church
have differing views. Most of the more faithful men I confide in agree
with your view in general, and yet I still have a surprising amount of
people say i'm in sin, even though I've asked sincerely for forgiveness
of any part I had in the divorce/remarriage situation, and I'm trying my
best to follow God and know what to do.
I just sometimes feel fear and loneliness, but in Christ I believe I
should have peace and not fear death or men. I'm just very hurt and
confused. I continue onward loving my second wife the best I can and
helping my ex-wife the best I can, especially for my son's sake. But I
can't rid myself of fear and guilt completely. Most days I'm fine. Some
days I'm not. Today is a not day.
Response #7:
Good to hear back from you.
First thing to observe: the Christian life is not to be lived in "guilt
and fear" and nothing done out of those two negative emotions is going
to be good.
Beyond all argument, David was a greater believer than anyone we are
likely to meet in this life. And it's also clear that what he did in
committing murder and adultery was far worse than anything you are
feeling afraid or guilty about. And David was disciplined by the Lord,
severely so. But he was disciplined as a child the Lord loves and He
loves us all (Heb.12:1ff.). David didn't give up. When confronted with
his sin, he confessed it . . . and THEN he moved on. He knew, you see,
that while there would be discipline, there would also be blessing, and
the Lord surely blessed him, wonderfully so, in spite of the hard times
he faced. David also knew something very important for all Christians to
keep in mind: you CANNOT change the past. You cannot go back. This life
is not a game of checkers where you go back and change the last move.
Once you have done whatever it is you have done it is done. So we have
to make the best of the situation we are in right NOW and learn to turn
our back on the things done in the past. If you have confessed whatever
sin you may believe you have committed (and we all sin daily), then you
have been forgiven. That is what God has told us (e.g., 1Jn.1:9; cf.
Ps.51:1ff.). Failing to accept the forgiveness we have, paid for by the
precious blood of Christ, is an insult to the Lord. Jesus died for our
sins. Every one of them. If we confess them, we are forgiven. Failing to
accept that truth is an affront to the cross. So please throw your guilt
overboard. If you have done anything worthy of discipline, the Lord is
more than able to take care of that. He does not need your help. And He
will continue to bless you as He blesses all the children He loves so
much, especially if you pull out of this unhealthy preoccupation with
the past and instead start looking forward to a good
reward at the judgment seat of Christ (link), based on carrying your
cross daily, growing, applying the truth, and serving the Church of
Jesus Christ as you have been called to do (in whatever capacity the
Lord has for you).
It's important to remember that the truth is the truth, regardless of
how you may feel. You can feel good about it or bad about it, but how
you or I feel means nothing. That is something Christians who want to
advance spiritually in this life need to learn. Peace and joy and the
hope that supports them are not automatic. Experiencing them requires
our free will faith engaging with the truth we know, believing it and
applying it to our life circumstances in faith in order to for these
virtues to function correctly. If we know that God is omnipotent, if we
know that He has promised to deliver us, if we know that there is
nothing man can do to us if He doesn't allow it, that is all well and
good. But if in spite of this knowledge we panic and give into fear and
guilt and start complaining when the Egyptian army has us pinned against
the Red Sea, then this knowledge is near worthless. Knowledge has to
become "full knowledge" (epignosis), and that only happens
when we believe it. Likewise, the only way to apply the truth
we've learned and believed is by doing so through faith.
You know you are forgiven, but do you believe it? You know that the Lord
loves you, but do you believe it? You know that your present wife is a
great blessing to you, but are you willing to trust the Lord that this
will all work out in spite of any mistakes you've made in the past
because that blessing comes from Him?
You say that you believe the truth of the teaching of this ministry
regarding remarriage, namely, that even if sin was committed, God
forgives sin, and that going backward is not an option for one reason,
because of the selfish and self-righteous collateral damage it does.
Your present wife would no doubt be devastated. And consider this: by
agonizing over this and not being happy you are penalizing her in a most
unjust way. She is your wife and is entitled to a devoted husband who is
not consumed by second thoughts or guilt or fear. You married her. Make
the best of what you have. The Lord deals with us where we are not
where we were. For good or bad, we are where we are. There is no going
back. And the Lord did not even tell the Pharisees who had with the most
foul motives divorced and remarried to divorce the new wife and marry
the old. Would they have been forgiven if they had accepted Him as
Savior? Of course. But there still would have been no going back.
In this entire matter you have behaved yourself in the most honorable
way possible. We cannot change the past. But we CAN ruin the present and
the future by morbid fixation on the past. Please do not destroy
yourself. The Lord died for you. The Lord has forgiven you. Accept the
truth of what He has taught you and forgive yourself. And move on.
One last thing. If you make a habit of asking other people's opinions
about the teachings of scripture, you'll never get anywhere. No doubt
you'll always be able to find at least a few who are on "the other side"
of whatever issue you are investigating. No Christian has the ability
or the right to play referee on every point of scripture. True, you
have the right to believe or not whatever you are taught. But only what
is true can help you; and only what is true and is ALSO believed will
ever be of any benefit to you (as exemplified by the good teaching you
have received from this site but have been reluctant to believe). To
grow, every Christian needs not only to be an avid Bible reader but also
an avid Bible student, sitting under a teaching ministry which has been
tested and found to be a tree producing good fruit. You are welcome here
any time. I also recommend
"Bible Academy" (link). But the Smorgasbord technique never works
out. Find the right place for you and stick with it.
The latest major posting I emailed you about earlier is apropos of all
these matters:
BB 6A: Peripateology: The Study of the Christian Walk.
In Jesus Christ our Savior who paid the entire price for all of our
sins.
Bob L.
Question #8:
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. It has been an
absolutely tremendous struggle. I really do believe everything you are
saying is true. And that is why I continue as I am. The challenge has
always been this...what if?
There are things I've been wrong about, and there are many people who
seem faithful and knowledgeable who believe I would be in perpetual sin
so long as I remain married. While I don't believe that is a biblical
idea, there are some compelling arguments. I have read and studied a
lot. My only, singular concern is my eternal salvation in this matter
(and my wife's). If I'm wrong, do I face eternity without God? So I
simply want to be absolutely sure I'm not wrong. Hence the studying and
questions.
The challenge is that of all topics, this seems to be one of the most
divided. So how can I be sure? Well, I know I must pray. I know I must
seek God's will. But beyond that, it is very challenging when you have
strong guilt and fear. I don't believe that God's forgiveness is what I
doubt. It is more the idea that someone who continues to rebel against
God's will is biblically shown to not receive His forgiveness. Whereas
if they turn back to Him and heed His will they are restored. So my
concern is always, if perpetual adultery exists, then I'm continuing to
rebel and thus why would God forgive me? If it doesn't exist, then I
absolutely believe God can forgive the sins involved.
So I struggle to determine that for sure. All my logic, study, closest
brothers in Christ, etc. Seem to indicate that I should continue as I
am. I feel I have definitely repented the best I can and am trying to
live a life worthy of His calling. But I simply sometimes have that
"what if I'm wrong?" thought. Eternity isn't worth anything on this
earth. Including a wife. But everything about the idea of separation
seems anti-Christ-like. It doesn't solve anything, and it would hurt
everyone involved now. It seems absurd to me to try and reunite with an
exwife who has denounced God, lives a sinful lifestyle, etc. And yet the
idea of Hosea's story lingers in my mind. And perhaps Herod or even
David and Michal. But those at least seem to be unique situations to me.
Anyhow, maybe I'm just talking out loud my thoughts. But I really do
appreciate your help. If I could go back and change things I would have
tried harder. And yet I'm blessed with a faithful, amazing wife now.
Also, just for the record, I'm very aware of what I could cause my wife
to feel with all of this. While we are completely open and discuss
everything, I do not constantly bring this up with her. These are
exclusively emotions I myself feel and struggle with. And most days I'm
completely content. I simply have times where doubt creeps in as to
whether my understanding is wrong. So I pray to God, like David, to give
me clean hands and a pure heart. I pray He never gives up on me, and
that I may never give up. Every knee will bow before Him. I just pray I
will bow in gladness and not regret. I do my absolute best to trust, as
you said, that if I'm wrong He will change things, or else give me the
strength to continue as I am and not make stupid mistakes.
What other option do I have other than to trust He will lead me? I can't
use that as a excuse to sin, but how would I even hope to stop sinning
to begin with without His help? We are clearly not capable of being
perfected without Him. That much is incredibly obvious. So I will
continue to learn and grow. I simply want confidence in my relationship
with Him. I can vouch to anyone considering divorce to be absolutely
sure first, because this is not something I would wish upon anyone. :-/
Oddly enough, I feel that perhaps I know David a little better because
of this. As though I have some small insight into his struggles. I'd
rather that be the case without the divorce issue, but I'd like to think
God will use this situation, whether sinful or not, as a means to help
others somehow. That everything might work to His glory.
Response #8:
"What if?" Believe or don't believe. That is what life is all about. Any
principle of truth can be challenged by "but what if it's NOT true?" If you live
your life like that, you will believe nothing. The Spirit testifies to the
truth, and from what I hear, He is telling you to believe. But you hesitate.
Whose fault is that? Believe or don't. But you are responsible for your choice.
And you HAVE to believe someone. Either you believe the Spirit and the truth . .
. or you believe your emotions, the evil one and the evil-influenced individuals
who tell you otherwise. It's not much of a choice, in my opinion, but it is one
you have to make . . . for yourself.
Do you believe that God wants to see you in hell? Do you believe that God wants
you to ruin another person's life? Do you believe God is a legalistic monster
who is going to destroy you for making a mistake? If that is the sort of God and
the sort of "truth" you want to give yourself over to, I certainly want no part
of it. Maybe people who go down that road can somehow be saved (God, the REAL
God, is amazing) . . . but they are risking their eternal security by dabbling
in lies.
Don't you believe that God has forgiven you (whatever there was to forgive when
you confessed it)? If you don't, you "make Him out to be a liar" (1Jn.1:9-10).
Compelling arguments? The devil is very persuasive because he knows how to play
on our emotions. You are afraid that is not an indication of good thinking.
You feel guilty also an indication of going down the wrong path.
You want to be perfect? Then you should never have been born. You are in this
world. You have made mistakes. OK. Who has not? But making even BIGGER mistakes
will not wipe out the previous ones. If you give yourself over to false
teaching, that is a huge mistake. If you divorce your wife, that is an
unconscionable thing to do, and you will be disciplined for it. If you think,
EVEN FOR A MOMENT, that God is pleased by you doing these horrible things, then
you are not only blaspheming Him in your heart, but you are also giving yourself
over to a life of works-righteousness, relying on what YOU do and not what God
has done. What has God done? The Father judged all of your sins in Jesus Christ
the Lord died for you, for all your sins. You have thus been forgiven when you
were saved and forgiven whatever you've done since when you confessed. But that
is not good enough for you? You want to add your works to the picture? All you
do by that is "trample under foot the Son of God" and "regard as unclean the
blood of the covenant" and "insult the Spirit of grace" things which bring on
severe punishment.
A little advice: trust the Lord. Accept His forgiveness. Glory in His grace.
Thank Him for what He has done for you and for what He has given you. Look
forward and NEVER backward. You can never make up for anything but, praise
God!, Jesus has died for everything. AND put those false witnesses with their
"compelling arguments" out of you life. Anyone who would tell you to divorce
your wife out of self-righteous arrogance is a snake in the grass and will only
be a source of further misery if you continue to have contact with them.
And remember. As long as you are "Baal dancing between two opinions", you are
doing damage to yourself AND your wife and family. "If the LORD is God, follow
him; but if Baal is God, follow him." (1Ki.18:21).
"What other option do I have other than to trust He will lead me?" That is
indeed the question, and you know the answer. Know this: He IS leading you. Be
pleased to follow Him, and leave the false friends, false doctrines and false
feelings in the dust.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior.
Bob L.
Question #9:
I do believe Him. That's why I'm married. And it seems illogical to me
to divorce again. That's what I was saying myself. That's why I haven't.
I just take God very seriously. I know he wants what is best. Is it
wrong to want to make sure I understand His word correctly? That's all I
believe is my reason for sometimes doubting. I need to learn as I have
been. Study as I have been. And I've purposely been surrounding myself
with the most faithful men I can.
I don't want to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, but that
also doesn't mean I'll understand everything right away. I'm praying and
studying, and as I said I do believe these things are true. And I
appreciate your help. I have thought about accepting forgiveness
completely or it is insulting to God. And I pray for strength. I'm sorry
if I'm struggling. That's why I'm seeking truth constantly and praying
for His guidance. This isn't a daily thing, it's just something that
comes up, and I don't want it to. I'm very confident God is loving and
faithful. I just want to be the same back.
Response #9:
No, it's not wrong to seek answers.
But when you've got them, and your sure about it, it's time to take the
next step.
[There is] a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away.
Ecclesiastes 3:6 NIV
From what you've shared with me, it's high past "time".
In Jesus,
Bob L.
Question #10:
Well I really do appreciate all of your emails. And I do take to heart what
you're saying. I pray you don't think of me in a bad light. My only desire is to
do the will of God. And I pray I will never give up. God is amazing, only He is
the ultimate power, the ultimate love. I think my faith is stronger than I might
"think" sometimes. We lost a dear friend tonight to a car accident. He was one
of the most faithful, loving men I've ever known. He was an elder at our
congregation. It hurts greatly, but yet I still feel happy knowing he is going
to be with God. I have a joy despite the sadness. I would ask that you pray for
his family. His wife is very faithful and asked him as he was barely responsive
on a ventilator if he was ready to go home to God. And he was. I'm so grateful
to have known him.
I'll never forget we were discussing this topic one time, and I asked what he
thought of the idea people believe that you need to repent by divorcing your
second wife. He responded by saying that was the most absurd thing he had ever
heard. haha. And this is coming from a faithfully married man who had never been
divorced, so he had no personal agenda or reason to say something like that to
justify anything he had done. I will miss him greatly, but I'm so happy he will
experience pain no more.
But thank you again for the responses. And for the website. I can honestly say
that the days I feel weak sometimes, I have made myself go to your website and
read the articles again to reinforce what I know is true. And reading them helps
me to remember why I know it's true. That is a very special thing, and I thank
you for writing them. I hope you haven't felt I am a poor Christian for
experiencing these things. Like David, I think I have felt grief over my sins.
But like Paul said, and you reiterated, I must forget the past and look forward
to what lies ahead. To Christ be the glory always.
Response #10:
You're most welcome.
It seems that most Christians today are tortured by something or other
in their past. The R/x for that in each and every case is spiritual
growth and faith in the truth.
Thanks for sharing this about your late friend now THAT is what I call
"spiritual common sense". As requested, I said a prayer for his family.
Keep fighting the good fight, my friend and thanks for your
encouraging words.
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #11:
Hello again!
This very morning I found an answer to a similar email Id written to David
Servant last year, but Id missed the answer from his team. This website lays it
all out clearly and addresses the status of remarriage adultery, being tame
not naaph.
Im not sure whether this opens up allowable remarriage, I dont think it does,
but it allows recovery from the sin of remarriage and I feel relief. God is so
kind to me.
Thank you again. I see you dont take gifts, but you most certainly have my
prayers, in honour of your work for the Lord. I shall be diving into all youve
written and hope to grow and finally move on in my walk with the Lord
God bless you
Begin forwarded message:
Dear Bob, if I may call you that,
I am a Christian. I dont know whether I counted as one since my teens, because
I had a long period of falling away since, or whether my rekindled faith was
entirely new in recent years. Its certainly much more real to me now. During my
wilderness wanderings I married twice, both times to unbelievers. It became
something I knew I had to confess and repent of, and I knew peace until I came
across the Divorce to Repent people online. Then I fell apart.
Ive read through the answers you give here and feel encouraged, but then my
overactive questioning brain, that wants to nail everything down to make sure
Im not going to hell, chimes in again. It is agony. Strangely, the way you note
that the bible is not altogether categorical on this subject is encouraging too,
because that acknowledges hope in the mystery that is the mercy and the justice
of a God, and how different we all are.
The tone of Divorce to Repent people can be very condemning. They seem to regard
a divorce and remarriage as adultery and bigamy and not recognise that the first
marriage is over. As a result, they regard each sexual event between a remarried
couple as further and continuing adultery, which would put us firmly outside
Gods kingdom, 1 Cor 6.
Somewhere you make a distinction between an affair on one hand, with a hardened
heart in being able to continue doing that, and on the other, a second marriage
as a mistake, a one off sin, when it is contracted, but not with ongoing sinful
complications.
When Jesus says that, without porneia, those entering a second marriage commit
adultery is that some special Greek tense that makes it clear its a single
event rather than ongoing?
You say that the sin of adultery is in contracting the second marriage, not in
the continuing sexual relationship it implies. The DtR people include
everything, ongoing as sin by naturally assuming the new marriage means sex and
therefore the whole relationship stands condemned. They deny the divorce has
happened. I hope your distinction is right. Would Jesus need to say anything
other than marries another to imply sex happens? Is he talking about sex or
about a contract? So I worried some more.
Then you said, in the Jephthah page, As I have said before, marriage is a civil
institution designed by God for the entire human race. As long as a brother or
sister is operating within the laws of the state, it is really none of our
business, even if we have grounds to question their application of scripture.
And not only that once a marriage has been contracted, it is a marriage, so
that from that point forward all of our speculation is fruitless and really only
so much gossip.
That made me feel a bit better. Am I trying to make marriage between people, (as
opposed to between Christ and his Church) into some mystical thing in Gods eyes
that can never end in this life? I think I respect it as such, so Yes I think
so. Jesus puts it so masterfully, not saying you can divorce for porneia, but
that if you do and remarry with that reason, you are not committing adultery. I
do wonder whether porneia does end it, since it uniquely qualifies as the
exception. I remember you dont think so but there is something so special about
it, since the corollary is that sex belongs inside marriage.
It is helpful that you point out we live under civil law now and follow its
arrangements, ie we are not under a Hillel arrangement so our divorce was legal,
even if God may not have approved. Jesus said not to part those God had joined
together, so we have to assume its possible to do so, or thered be little
point in his saying it.
But the concern for some is that a divorce made without porneia isnt
scripturally legal now and so the first marriage still exists, in Gods eyes. I
hope the woman at the well shows us God does acknowledge the possibility of
serial marriages, whatever he thinks about them. Does God join us or do we do
the joining and he witnesses, and approves -the first marriage at least.
Please can you clarify the distinction between the D to R scenario and the
definite existence of the second contracted marriage after a legal divorce
nowadays? Why do they say the divorce and second marriage dont really exist?
And the point that the adultery is in the act of making the contract, not in
living together in the estate of a new marriage, as they maintain. These
two questions are the crux of my pain.
If adultery is a continuous sin then repenting of it but staying put is cynical
and wont please God a bit! So fear of hell drives people out of their
marriages. Ive heard of people who have done this.
I feel some hope I can get on with feeling forgiven, if only I can understand
and internalise why they are wrong about the continuation of the first marriage.
I need this feeling of tension and fear to ease, its making me so ill.
I do pray you can help me with this. Im not, I hope, being legalistic, just
that Ive drilled down to where I think the problem lies.
You bless us so with your full answers. Thank you so much for your work, your
time, and your compassion. Marriage does help us in life, you know, though I get
your point. My husband, although not even a believer, to compound my guilt, is
so pleased, supportive and generous in all I want to do at church. I am greatly
blessed, I cant help but think so! I think some Romans 8:28 has happened in my
life, and God has shown me what human love is.
God bless you, and thank you
Response #11:
Good to hear from you again and thanks for all your kind and
encouraging words.
Recently, a correspondent troubled by the same issue sought the counsel
of a man who was an elder in his church, spiritual wise, and never
divorced: "I asked what he thought of the idea people believe that you
need to repent by divorcing your second wife. He responded by saying
that was the most absurd thing he had ever heard."
That is a "spiritual common sense" answer. The legalists who are finding
joy in torturing other people who made this particular mistake in the
past are not without sin (1Jn.1:5-10); yet they want to destroy others
for a sin they claim never to have committed. However, our Lord ALSO
affirms that mental adultery is the same as adultery. And I guarantee
you that none of these individuals has tried to come up with a list of
all the individuals they have violated through lusting after them, then
track them down and make amends and confess. No. If they are honest
about their sinfulness, they will have confessed it to the Lord and
attempted to stay away from such wrong-doing going forward. And that is
the way these issues that you broach to the extent that they are
sinful are also to be handled according to the truth of scripture:
confess and move on. There is no going back in this life. And going back
out of fear and guilt to satisfy the Pharisaical teachings of legalists
whose mean-spirited contempt for the lives of others makes me doubt
their salvation is about the worst mistake I can think of.
Look. We are all sinners. We have all sinned. None of us has ever gotten
away with anything because the Lord is perfect and His discipline is
perfect. But we are also forgiven when we confess, even though that does
not mean that therefore we are let up from the discipline immediately or
have the consequences of our actions removed. It DOES mean, however,
that we can be joyful in our salvation, move forward spiritually with
the Lord in peace, and set our hope on the resurrection and our eternal
reward: that is the plan of God for us individually, no matter where we
find ourselves "today". The greatest damage listening to these lies and
fretting over these issues does assuming one is not stupid enough to
try and go back and "fix things" is precisely in that it robs a person
of peace and joy, and short-circuits spiritual growth, progress and
production. So I am very angry about this false teaching and those who
are proffering it; my anger means nothing, but I shudder to think what
the Lord has in store for these people.
We can parse the legal issues inside and out but it all comes to the
same place. Have I sinned? Then I confess and I repent of my past
behavior purposing not to go back "there" ever again (wherever "there"
is). And then I forget the past and move on, doing my best to learn
about the Lord, walk with Him and serve Him "today", "as long as it is
called 'today' ". There is no fixing the past, and really no peace or
joy in parsing it endlessly. Being uncertain about sin is OK. I would
confess anyway. Sin is a deep dark ocean that is much more extensive
than most people have any idea. The Lord knows that of course. He
knows our hearts. If we would come back to Him with all our heart, He is
ever happy to have us. Once we do, there is no point in looking back
over our shoulders. This is like trying to cross a major freeway at rush
hour on foot while looking back at the curb we stepped down to see how
it looks now we are bound to get run over by what we are NOT looking
at.
I realize I've answered these emails head-on in concept rather than in
detail because you seem to me to have found the places where the
details are discussed, and because I don't want the most important point
to get lost in them here.
I truly hope and pray for you peace (and have been doing so). Thank you
for your prayers as well, my friend!
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #12:
Dear, dear Bob, thank you!
I am feeling better, lighter, but amazed at the habitual pathways in my
mind, licking at my mental margins, and then a woosh of adrenaline
because I dont quite catch myself in time. Still a bit of a mental
tightrope! Ive already forgotten the details needed to reassure myself,
but Im just refusing to think about it for now, confident its Ok. I
will, when Ive calmed down from the constant sense of panic, or denied
panic, to carefully document it and all the yes, buts I tend to come
up with, and make myself a booklet of reassurance to clobber this when
it raises its head. Because it might for a while till I get used to this
wonderful Joy!
Their logic was seductive. Its adultery, youre still there, therefore
you wont get to heaven. Terrifying! So strong that Id keep coming
back to it. Im getting old, not helped by stress, and I couldnt
remember all the threads of reassurance people were offering, and when
people said just think God loves you that didnt satisfy the logic,
and I dont yet know the Word well enough to find all the help there is
for me. Im working on that!
I hope not to bother you over this again! I think I may actually have
written to you before this . Its been a burden a long time, perhaps 5
years! Please pray I get my feet under me and get stronger in the Lord,
and indeed physically, as I am struggling the at least 3 hormones
seriously out of whack, and early stages of kidney disease, and now
breathlessness and inability to exercise. All the adrenaline has not
helped!
Do you rate the tame / naaph website?
Thank you again
In Christ
Response #12:
I prefer not to weigh in on other people's ministries unless it's a case of
warning believers off.
I read this in the Bible:
"For the LORD God of Israel says
That He hates divorce;"
Malachi 2:16a NKJV
And this:
Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
1st Corinthians 7:3-5 NKJV
Since divorce is something God hates, and since depriving one's marriage partner
is not allowed, how could anyone who reads the Bible imagine either that divorce
is to be undertaken or celibacy adopted in the absence of divorce . . . as these
foul groups teach? It's precisely and directly the opposite of
what the Bible says in addition to being antithetical to the biblical
principles of forgiveness, mercy, grace, etc. What it is instead is a sick,
twisted legalism that purports to be biblical but instead has nothing to do with
the Bible.
There are many verses in the Bible which, if taken out of context near and far
(i.e., what is being said where the passage occurs and what it means in the
Bible overall) have the potential of plunging guilt-ridden people into paroxysms
of self-destruction (you wouldn't believe how many emails I've received about
Hebrews 6:4-6, for example). And here are these foul individuals pushing that
process along! But doesn't the Lord condemn mental adultery (Matt.5:28)? And
doesn't He say to cut off the offending member (Mk.9:43-47)? When these
individuals get around to actually following this advice in repentance for their
own sins, perhaps they'll have a right to speak. Or as Paul says, " I wish they
would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!" (Gal.5:12 NIV).
All of the passages in the gospels where our Lord discusses this issue say that
a person "who marries" someone else after wrongfully divorcing their spouse
"commits adultery" . . . i.e., by the act of marrying. But our
Lord does not tell the Pharisees either that the new marriage is
not a marriage (because it is indeed a marriage) or that the have "the right" or
"the duty" to now divorce this new wife. That would result in untold confusion.
What they did in wrongful divorce of an innocent party was an act
of adultery. A sin. For those who turned to Him, of course, that sin (and
all other sins) was forgiven.
I have bumped into a number of individuals and groups that want us to be fixated
on the past in a legalistic way. It reminds me somewhat of these legalistic "12
step programs" that seek to go forward by going backward. That can never work.
That only ever makes things worse and it is definitely NOT in the Bible.
I do pray for your peace. However you want to analyze or think about or judge
your past life, it really is irrelevant unless you let it start affecting your
present and your future. After all, if we have sinned, Christ died for those
sins. We cannot go back and take them back; we cannot go back and make them
better or wash them away. There is no way to "un-sin". And there is no need to
do so because Jesus has died for them. And isn't it an affront to Him to suggest
that what He did for us is somehow so insufficient that we need to get involved
and "fix it"?
Not to mention that it would be wrong, hurtful, dishonorable, and oh so sinful
to betray the new commitments we've made, just because someone is making us feel
bad about what happened in the past.
The Christian life, properly lived, is about moving forward, not looking
backward.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #13:
Dear Bob
Apologies. Please can I ask again, because my mind keeps turning back. I hear
and welcome all you say about the married staying put in their marriages.
The logical twist of the knife is when the opposition say we are still married
to our first spouse in Gods eyes. They dont care Im divorced and remarried,
that means nothing to them. As Jesus said it was adultery to remarry, and
adultery is sex outside your (first) marriage, ergo, thats proof Im not really
married to my second husband, but still to my first, or it would not be
adultery. I frequently find that compelling.
These thoughts are how I defend myself:
In Deut 24:1-4 the woman could remarry, but shes still defiled. Was that an
enduring condition? Couldnt she atone for that? Jesus has atoned for me. She
wasnt told not to remarry. Not sure about this, and Im in good company, I
gather!
Im hearing people say Jesus likens remarriage to adultery, but its not quite
the same, and no one mentioned the death penalty, nor for lust, mental adultery.
Perhaps thats the defilement.
I hear people say this type of adultery is hyperbole, to make us sit up and
think, before we divorce. Reasoned because Jesus also says things about eye
plucking and hand amputation which we dont follow. Hes provocative!
I hear people point out that Jesus still speaks of divorce and remarriage in
Matt 19. Hes not negating these processes, so they are real and achieve an
ending of the first marriage.
To point out that Jesus doesnt want us to separate what God has joined speaks
to it being possible.
But when applying that thought to a second marriage I have to wonder whether a
God has joined us together. Rather He may notice that weve done a bit of
severing and joining all by ourselves!
The woman at the well spoke of all shed ever done, which hardly sounds
something she was proud of, so I feel fairly safe in assuming she wasnt just a
multiple remarried widow. I think she was divorced and remarried, maybe more
than once. And Jesus called these men husbands, and differentiated between the
different statuses. Therefore to be remarried isnt the same as living in sin.
And the apostles, once theyd thought it through, rather than stone second
timers or prevent marriage at all, given the risk, did not make remarrieds
separate. Im told theres no record of it in the early church, where many
gentile converts must have been affected. And the odd Pharisee.
One flesh cant be the thing that keeps me bound to my first husband, or Pauls
remarks about prostitutes would be other than they are. And fornication isnt
enough to prevent a first marriage.
Another one flesh bond isnt enough to break the first, since reconciliation is
initially possible. It is the making of a second marriage that prevents return,
so that second marriage must mean something real.
Ok then, stay there, and feel justifiably uncomfortable at the thought of my
forgiven sin. Its a catch 22, keeping to a second adulterous marriage but
hoping thats not the sort of adultery that keeps you out of an eternal
relationship with God.
In Deut 24 the first husband was a baal, whereas the second was an ish. Cant
have another baal I notice. I hope thats not significant. Still, it happened,
and Ive found another man to love and support me, albeit an ish. Ish can mean
husband.
So why isnt all this proving enough for me? Why does my mind keep swinging back
to a feeling that I shouldnt be here? The eternal knot in my stomach. How do I
know thats not the Holy Spirit convicting me? I suspect I am OCD and a high
functioning anxiety prisoner! Is this truly false guilt?
It is unique among sins because of its status. And its consequences. Even
becoming a parent as a result of fornication, I couldnt stop being a parent.
But I could stop being a second wife. What Horror.
Repentance is to turn away, stop what youre doing wrong. Except in this case?
It all hangs in whether I was, in Gods eyes able to effectively sever my first
marriage such that my subsequent remarriage is real, since I did not divorce for
reasons of porneia. But then what does that make of Jesus saying its adultery?
How is that differentiated from the ordinary adultery we all understand?
Perhaps my real problem is how to cope with uncertainty when Im dealing with
matters of life and death!
I am also asking the Lords help, believe me!
Im so sorry
Thank you for listening
Response #13:
I'm sorry to hear that this is still troubling you.
Regarding "why isnt all this proving enough for me?" First, being solid and
confident in the Christian walk is not a "one issue" proposition. Spiritual
growth based on believing all of what the Bible has to say
(through reading the Bible and very importantly through accessing a good
teaching ministry consistently) is necessary to gain spiritual stability so as
to be able to pass tests such as this. And, also very importantly, truth
received has to be believed, not just intellectually understood.
If we "know" something, but also entertain other opinions and don't commit to
believing what is true, mere knowledge of the truth isn't going to help us. The
Spirit uses the truth we have believed in our hearts to guide us and help us.
Regarding "It all hangs in whether I was, in Gods eyes able to effectively
sever my first marriage such that my subsequent remarriage is real". With all
due respect, this is demonstrably false:
1) Your salvation "hangs" on whether or not you have a living, breathing faith
in Jesus Christ. If you do and you do then you are saved, because all
believers are saved; only unbelievers are not saved (Jn.3:18). People who think
they are secure in salvation because of "what they are doing" and "how they are
behaving" are, to the extent that they see this as causative, not even saved,
because they have flipped the Christian faith on its head and made it a religion
of works (this is what the RC church believes, after all). But we are saved "by
grace through faith" alone, and NOT of "works" (Eph.2:8-9).
2) Even if you were wrong to get divorced and wrong to get re-married, even if
these were sins, all sin has been atoned for by Jesus Christ who died for them
all; we could never "make up" for a single one. And for a person who does
something horrifically wrong (as in wrongly divorcing his/her partner without
cause out of selfish motives as the Pharisees did), to try to "make up" for
prior perceived sin, is actually not only not "making up" for
anything but actually in fact doing far worse: failing to trust God, considering
Christ's work insufficient, damaging others to salve our guilt which is only
rising that level because we have not be progressing spiritually as we are
commanded to do.
We are forgiven all of our sins when we confess. Some sins are indeed more
damaging than others, but Christ had to die for every single sin, even the ones
that are not bothering you; and all sins, even the ones that are bothering you,
are forgiven on confession forgiven forever (1Jn.1:9).
3) Whatever the prior history and whatever the truth of it is (you still after
all this time and effort are in the dark about the details), what God is
concerned about is the here and now. The Christian life is one of moving
FORWARD, not looking backward (Phil.3:13).
Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned.
1st Corinthians 7:27-28a NKJV
This and every other verse on this subject (and others too) always recommend
preserving the status quo precisely the OPPOSITE of what these false teachers
are telling you.
If Christians in this country all began divorcing their spouses to go back to
their first wives / husbands, can you imagine how much pain and suffering and
dislocation would be caused? Just think of the children. And for what? How does
this make things better in any way? There was a reason, after all, that the
first marriages collapsed. And who says spouse #1 will be willing to have
another go or be better next time? This is insanity. It violates every basic
principle of spiritual common sense I can think of. More to the point, it's not
biblical God does not require it; just the opposite. While there are many
verses in scripture that commend the status quo for the sake of decency and good
order, there is not a verse in the Bible which counsels Christians today to get
divorced! Indeed, scripture tells us to stay married if possible, and then to
stay single if possible. But these false teachers violate both commands at once
counseling divorce and remarriage!
"It's not a marriage". Says who? Not the Bible. Marriage is a civil institution
set up for the entire human race by God, and just as God allows laws on commerce
and felonies, e.g., to be established by the nation in question, so it is in
marriage. If a couple are married in the eyes of the state, they are married in
the eyes of God. It is as simple as that. Whenever anyone in the Bible is
described as "married", it is because they had committed to each other in the
manner deemed appropriate by the culture and government in which and under which
they were living.
Did Jesus tell the Pharisees who had divorced wife #1 out of lust for woman #2
that in divorcing and remarrying they had committed adultery thereby? Yes. Did
He tell them they must now divorce #2 and return to #1? No. That would have been
wronging #2 and trying to "fix" a sin by human effort (the essence of the very
legalism of which the Pharisees were so guilty). The only "fix" for their sin
was in putting their faith in Christ whereby all their sins would be forgiven.
Did the woman at the well have five husbands but the current "man" in her life
was not here husband? Indeed. And this proves the point. The current man was not
a husband because she had not married him. The previous five, unquestionably
involving divorces, were her husbands because she had married them. Q.E.D. Does
Jesus tell her to go back to #1 or #2 or #3 or #4 or #5? No. He guides her to
salvation which she receives by faith in Him and NOT by going back to
1/2/3/4/5 not by trying to "fix" her sins. Jesus died for them. That is the
ONLY "fix". And by the way. Assuming that #1 or #2 or #3 or #4 or #5 has
remarried, and assuming that for some of them this woman was wife #1, is Jesus
telling all of them to remarry her? Heaven forbid! But this is the sort of
nonsense that such false teaching begets.
The Lord has blessed you with a husband and a family. Treasure these blessings.
Whatever sins you may have committed were forgiven you as soon as you first
confessed them. Don't worry about "getting away" with anything; the Lord always
disciplines us in a loving way to bring about the correction He desires. And, by
the way, it seems to me that you are torturing yourself far worse than any
discipline you might have received in the past.
We are responsible for what we believe. I have seen many Christians tie
themselves into knots over something in their past, and I can tell you that
misplaced guilt is one of the devil's ace trumps, and he uses it to great
effect. What is truly sad, however, is the plethora of false teachers out there
who have sold themselves to do his bidding. I wouldn't want to be in their
shoes.
So unburden yourself of you guilt, my friend. The Lord forgave you when first
you confessed. Since this was long ago, the discipline is no doubt long over as
well (if it were even appropriate). Don't let lies ruin your life and take away
your joy and your peace. This is a horrible heresy that's being thrown at you.
Your job is to reject it resolutely. Stand fast in that position . . . and
commit yourself to an aggressive campaign of spiritual growth. That is the only
way to build our joy and peace in the long run, focusing ever on the blessed
hope of all that is to come.
Yours in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #14:
Oh Bob thank you so much! Yes!
Yesterday I started moving in the right direction. Mum gave me a book by
Smith Wigglesworth on Faith. Id never before likened Gods love for me
to like a husband for his bride, and it said to think of how much you
know your husband loves you and how you trust him, which is something my
second husband has so beautifully taught me in his great love, loyalty
and support. That helped me to try and rest and trust. Because the Lord
will be like that too. Prov 3:5-6 is something I get so wrong! Wanting
to understand, not believe. I said to the Lord I wanted him to take care
of it because Im exhausted with this, and to leave it to him, and now
yes, I shall do all as you say. Im sorry I dumped on you. I cant share
this with my poor man! And he doesnt even know the Lord. I agree its
an attack of Satan.
Thank you so much for your agape for my situation and all youve said to
help me. And your honesty. I read you said in an answer that if you
believed salvation was at stake you would counsel separation, and I
believe you.
My Pastor is at a loss to help me, having said his piece, and my mother
is unable to get her mind around it either, as it slowly crumbles, dear
lady, but she loves the Lord. And there you are. As I was wallowing in a
mire, youve helped me with just the right tone of encouragement and a
way forward.
Youve done me such a great service. Thank you!
Right, I must gird my loins and get on with the day. The car must go to
the garage and Ive a pile of ironing to do! A good quiet time would be
a good start too!
God bless and keep you, my friend, pointing to my Friend!
Response #14:
You're most welcome, my friend.
I do pray for you daily, and I certainly hope that now you can begin
moving forward towards peace in spiritual growth.
In Jesus our dear Lord and Savior,
Question #15:
Dear Bob
Ive been thinking about the works based attitude you see in me, which
surprised me, because I thought myself aware of that particular danger!
I was seeing my problem like this: having repented, was there a need to
come out of the situation, similar to trying to undo anything youve
done wrong, say making some reparation if youd been dishonest, or
apologising if youve hurt someone. I was seeing it as trying to cease
from sinning, making a sea change, not that doing it would save me, but
that not doing it might have the opposite effect and prevent my
salvation. Aha! I guess not?
But you reminded me of John 3:18, which was perhaps over familiar to me,
and I saw it in a new light - its pure, and its simple, Im saved by
believing, and nothing else is required. Thank you!
I am also able to say of some of the proponents of this teaching, that
they are sincere, having thought it through and studied carefully, and
they believe they are trying to save me from burning. But others sound
judgmental and even hateful, youre right.
As I read the Wiggelsworth book on faith I have to admit I lack in
faith, in expectation of what God might do for me, while not at all
disbelieving in what He CAN do. Youre right, I have some work to do! I
thought l had been, but I need a change of gear or depth or something. I
am currently following a reading plan, with about 5 weeks to go. But I
find it hard to pray. Ill start on your website! Not just the bits I
thought I needed, or waiting patiently for 6B. (No pressure, sorry!)
And I do try to rely too much on my own understanding, I know. Yesbut
is my middle name!
Thanks again and thank you for your prayers. I pray for you and your
work too. And big on gratitude at the moment!
Response #15:
You're very welcome, my friend and thanks for your prayers too!
I appreciate your assessment and your intention to plow into the real
"work" ahead (growth, progress and production for the Lord).
As to sincerity, sincerity is great; zeal is great; but not if it is not
according to the truth (Rom.10:2). I'm sure that Paul was sincere before
he was saved when he was hunting down Christians to punish, imprison and
execute them. But he was wrong. And in fact, his zeal and sincerity just
acted as a multiplier to intensify the wrong.
Anyone who is interfering with someone else' life and telling them to do
things which will turn that life upset down better be VERY sure they are
right and not wrong. Since there is not a scripture which even suggests
remarried Christians should divorce, let alone go back to their former
spouses, these individuals have clearly not done their "homework". At
the VERY least, anyone with an ounce of humility who bothered to
actually look at the biblical passages with some care would realize that
the issue is not so simple as these "sincere people" want to believe.
The best I can say for them is that they are blindly following the false
teaching of some one else' ministry, so that the primary blame falls on
the false teacher. But they are still to blame: 1) for getting caught up
in a false teaching ministry when our Lord told us very clearly to "test
the tree" and avoid it if the fruit is bad; 2) for meddling in a VERY
dangerous way in the lives of others without a biblical mandate to do
so; and 3) for not reading their Bibles carefully and committing the
matter to the Lord in prayer before doing so which, had they done so,
the Spirit would have warned them off. This is why I am not a fan of
"sincerity".
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #16:
I see why my mother calls me a gentle soul. I couldnt dream of having this much
fire in my belly! Thank God you do!
In Jesus
Response #16:
Yes, false teaching always seems to get me riled up.
In Jesus,
Bob L.
Question #17:
Hi so I'm trying to become a Christian and in my search for a church I was told that my marriage was not a real one because I divorced my husband for a non biblical reason I'm scared outbid my mind because I have a son in this marriage and a wonderful husband and I can't just divorce him. Please help me
Response #17:
I'm sorry to hear that this issue is still plaguing you.
Let me assure you it would be wrong to divorce your present husband. A
marriage is a marriage, according to the Bible, regardless of past
events or present circumstances, and Christians are told by scripture to
stay in their marriages if at all possible. So unless they are being
abused physically or emotionally and thus essentially forced out by
current spouse, sticking with it is what the Bible enjoins. People who
say otherwise do so without ANY true biblical support. They quote
scriptures but in error, not understanding what they mean. This is a
real problem. Whatever divine discipline a person received for some past
error, past errors cannot be made good and God forgives us whatever we
have done (or said or thought) when we confess. We cannot go back and
fix the past. But people who are telling other people lies, counseling
them to break scripture and ruin their lives in the process, are deeply
involved in evil and will pay the price if they persist.
I'm very happy for you that you have a good marriage and family. These
are blessing from the Lord, even if you got there in a way that was not
the best and have suffered some for that. But today is today and we are
told to make the best of today and not be looking backward at yesterday.
My advice to you is to rejoice in what the Lord has given you, confident
in His complete and merciful forgiveness for any past wrongdoing (real
or imagined), and by all means part company with any and all who
tell you such vile things.
One more important thing. Peace is the heritage of all believers in
Jesus Christ, but like all spiritual blessings it is accessed through
learning, believing and applying the truth of the Word of God. What that
means is that spiritual growth is critical for the concomitant growth of
your spiritual common sense and equilibrium. It is rare to find a church
these days where the Bible is taught correctly in sufficient depth for
such growth to be possible. As evidenced by your search, churches today
are lazy for the most part and are instead only interested in ritual or
emotion or entertainment or crusading and in this case, crusading on
this weird and dangerous quest to have good Christians get divorced to
satisfy some sick legalistic desire totally bereft of any spiritual
content. You are certainly welcome to the materials at Ichthys (this is
"my church" as I am fond of saying). I also recommend pastor-teacher
Curtis Omo's
Bible Academy (at the link).
Here are some links at Ichthys to where this subject has been discussed
in some detail:
Divorce and Remarriage: What does the Bible say?
What about Christians who Remarry?
Christian Divorce and Remarriage
Jephthah's Daughter, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage
Yours in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #18:
Thank you so much and hopefully you have helped a lot of people as well. I would rather suffer in eternal fire then leave my husband and ruin the life of my son. I have a really bad fear of hell anyways and Have since I was very little. It was a man from a church in my own town so that why it seems to be bother me so much it's not something that I just read online. It's hurts really bad
Response #18:
The truly good news is that you don't have to give up your marriage or ruin
anyone's life AND you are definitely going to heaven as a believer in Jesus
Christ (Jn.3:18).
People who, like this person you report, sow discord and counsel confusion,
however, while they do not go to hell for such actions, still, such actions call
into question whether or not they are saved in the first place; and such actions
are definitely a sign of and also contribute to wandering from the Lord in the
second place the end of which process is disaster.
Thanks for your good words!
Keeping you in prayer.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #19:
Why do the DtR people teach this then?
Response #19:
It has to do with the devil, mostly. People who are arrogant and
self-righteous seem to feel that they inflate themselves by destroying
and diminishing others. And on the other side of the coin, people who
have not been growing in the Word as they should tend to over-react in
guilt when they are "called to account" by these self-righteous
legalists.
How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning
bread?but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then
they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of
bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Matthew 16:11-12
There is much such "leaven" of false teaching out there these days (it's
a sign of the time: 1Tim.4:1-3; 2Tim.3:1-9); best advice: do what our
Lord says and beware of it.
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #20:
He was from the church of Christ and what's worse people he actually divorced because he quotes Matthew 19 I believe and it was awful and he traumatized me honestly
Response #20:
He should actually READ Matthew 19. If he did, he would see that Jesus
does NOT tell anyone to GET divorced. He tells them not to get divorced
in the first place. That is a HUGE difference. In fact, what these
people are doing is directly turning our Lord's teaching on its head
since He says "don't do it" and they say "you have to do it".
I seriously doubt the salvation of any "pastor" who would have the
temerity to say such things and to ruin other people's lives without a
qualm of conscience in the process.
Did I mention the devil?
Question #21:
For some reason I can't shake this. All I can do is see me burning in hell for eternity and it's causing me so much pain and dysfunction. Please help me. Shake this. I hope people have not actually listen to these people. I'm scared bob really scared. Why do they tell people this??
Response #21:
We've discussed "these people". You know the answer to that question.
What's needed now is to believe scripture . . . and jettison any further
consideration of "these people".
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 3:18 NKJV
You are a believer in Jesus Christ. Believers are saved. Only unbelievers go to hell. "Those people" who would do such things give evidence of being unbelievers (only God knows for sure), but YOU know that you believe in Jesus Christ, that you have been born again / from above, and so you are saved.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1st John 1:9 NKJV
I don't know what the situation in the past was in all of its details, so I don't even know that this applies, but just on the off chance that you did do something wrong way back then, you were forgiven as soon as you confessed. Whatever divine discipline you had coming then (no doubt long gone now) was meant for blessing from a loving Father disciplining a child He loves which very discipline was a sign that you were/are a child of God (Heb.12:7-8).
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Psalm 32:5 NKJV
This is what David says. David did MUCH worse than you, because he
killed a man in order to take his wife for himself after committing
adultery with her while she was married to him and David was forgiven.
Mind you, he was disciplined -- heavily over many years but God never
withdrew His love of His Holy Spirit from him.
The only thing you have to worry about is falling into an obsessive
pattern of self-destruction. It is harmful. It is unnecessary. It is not
biblical. But I have seen it before.
The way to combat this, the only way, really, is to commit yourself to
an aggressive program of spiritual growth. That is the only way to equip
yourself for this spiritual warfare in which you are suffering. I
recommend starting with
BB 6A:
Peripateology or the
Peter
series.
I'm keeping you in my prayers, my friend. No matter what, we will be
singing together in the heavenly choir some day. You just have to
believe that.
Yours in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #22:
[details about past situation omitted]
What do you mean by self-destructive? What have you seen before? I know
in my heart that it would be wrong to divorce my current husband and we
have a child together and that would also ruin his life as well. But I
can't shake what that man told me. I'm really trying to because either
way I won't leave my husband.
Response #22:
This was what I remembered. First, while adultery is a sin, no one should stay
in any relationship where there is serious abuse, physical or emotional. That
sort of treatment of a spouse effectively ends a marriage. The state recognizes
that as grounds for divorce and did even when divorce was not so easy to come by
many years ago. Marriage is a civil institution that is how God designed it. A
marriage is a marriage and a divorce is a divorce, and there is no going back.
When the children of Israel rebelled against the Lord and Moses, refusing to up
to inherit the land because of the bad report the 10 spies brought back, later,
when they repented and decided to go up on their own, they were defeated. There
is a time for everything. If married, one should stay married if possible it
wasn't possible in your previous marriage; it is possible now. People who give
different counsel, non-biblical counsel, will have to answer to the Lord for
that.
Beyond all argument, the Bible teaches staying married if married when possible
to do so. It never counsels divorce as these people are doing. So they have it
completely backwards.
I am sorry you are having trouble spitting out this lie. But it is a lie. I
counsel you to spit it out. You have free will and you are the one who decides
what to believe. The Bible tells you what he says is a lie. Your heart, spoken
to by the Spirit, tells you what that person says is a lie. That's two witnesses
right there. Believe the truth. Reject the lie. That part is up to you. As
mentioned, this gets easier as a believer grows spiritually across the board, so
the ultimate solution to guilt feelings and uncertainty is the confidence and
faith that grows as a believer grows spiritually. I encourage you to enter onto
that path and not look back.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #23:
Am I going to hell for the adultery of being in this second marriage like they say? I can't leave my husband bob we have a good marriage and a little boy. I'm scared there is a small chance he is right and I will burn In hell for eternity
Response #23:
There is not even the SLIGHTEST chance that this person is "right" because he
couldn't be more wrong.
Whatever you did in the past, justified or not, has been forgiven when you
confessed it to the Lord.
Having relations with one's legal spouse is not only NOT wrong but in fact it
would be wrong not to (1Cor.7:5).
We are told not to worry or fear. The Lord loves us and delivers us from
everything, and will continue to do so until He takes us home. The only thing we
need to fear/revere is Him. But if we do listen to false teaching, it will do us
damage as listening to this false teaching is damaging you.
Here is as simple as I can say it:
1) Stop listening to false teaching and stop giving it any heed.
2) Start listening to good teaching and begin to grow spiritually . . . by
believing it.
I can tell you the truth. But if you don't believe it, it can't do you any good.
Keeping you in my prayers.
In Jesus our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #24:
I believe you and I'm taking your advise. It had me shaken up for a bit but I don't believe it in my heart that it's true. Thank you for everything
Response #24:
You're most welcome.
I'm very happy to hear this.
I'll keep praying for you.
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #25:
Dear Robert
Can I be assured that having married an unbeliever, first and second
time, when I knew it was wrong, is also something I dont have to undo?
Ive seen that said too. That when it says to come out, is a present
ongoing tense, which doesnt match a one off sin. Similar problem I
guess.
I have sorrowfully repented of my godless years. I wasnt close to God
then and hoped my husbands belief and seeking were enough. A rose by
another name. That rather matched the degree of my own commitment at the
time. But I knew it was against the rules.
This is why I said it hangs on whether you can lose your salvation or
not. If I was a proper Christian in my teens, and I was just a lapsed
one when I married and remarried, I am more accountable than if I lost
my salvation and then refound it, God be praised, many years later.
So did I or not re marry as a Christian, ie when did I really come to
saving faith? I really dont know!
I look at Ezra 9 and 10 and I understand that is about the illegality of
their covenants, and racial and religious purity, but I also read in my
ESV study bible that the words used for married and put away were
actually more along the lines of we have given a home and bring out,
suggesting not real marriages, which I find strangely comforting. And
there were so few of them. Should I? Ezra 10:2-3
God didnt want his people diluted and led away from Him in the next
generation, and needed a pure line to deliver His Seed, to save them and
also the Gentiles. To keep His promise to Abraham. However, we are now
grafted into Israel, his people.
Paul says to not divorce non believing spouses, which seems to trump the
dangers of living with non believer, and he doesnt make a distinction
as to how that came about, so I hope thats ok. Those who think not
assume Paul couldnt be meaning rebellious marriages because that would
contradict Ezra, so he must only be referring to those who married
before coming to faith. Which would also make Shechaniahs actual words
more relevant. I wouldnt expect to be able to stay with my man if I
hadnt married him!
Isnt Satan clever, or arent I in a mess!
Thank you, as ever, and apologies for being such a load. Im sorry.
Response #25:
I'm sorry this is still plaguing you. At some point, all persevering
Christians, it seems, manage to come to the point of accepting God's
forgiveness and letting go of the past on most issues. Only "the things"
that upset us and cause us to feel guilty seem to be different. No one
is without sin, and becoming morbidly guilt-ridden over things long past
is a deadly trap for any believer.
Does the Bible ever counsel divorce? Never.
The passage in Ezra is a historical passage. It explains what the people
did. It does not say "this is what God told the people to do", or "this
is what people always should do", nor does it even say "this is what
people ever should do". This is what they did do. Were
they right or wrong in doing it? Scripture does not say. We understand
why they did it, but please note that this was not ordered
by the Lord.
We are not Israelites. That nation was given specific commands in regard
to marrying outside of their race. Note that even so some did so and
this happened in the line of the Messiah in the case of Ruth and also in
the case of Rahab. In those two cases, it is clear that these women were
believers. But no one told Obed or Boaz to divorce their wives because
they weren't of Israel and they certainly did not. But in Ezra, the
very small remnant might have been completely diluted by mass
intermarriage with foreign women. So they did what they did. Notice that
no such thing had ever been done before or after. Notice also that there
was a judicial procedure about which we are told little. Were believing
spouses allowed to stay married? Were there other mitigating
circumstances? We are not told. What did Jesus tell men such as the ones
who in the book of Ezra lined up to divorce their foreign wives: "And I
say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and
marries another, commits adultery" (Matt.5:32). In the Ezra example, we
are not told of a single case of adultery as a basis for this mass
divorce. It would seem to be contrary to what our Lord says about this
issue. After all, the whole purpose of this mass divorce was precisely
to marry other women, Jewish women, for racial purposes:
remarriage to a new woman (not a former spouse) after divorce, however
one defines it exactly the opposite of what these people are trying to
derive from it.
As I say, we understand why they did this, but the best I think we can
say for them is that the nation as a whole was in a position of having
to do something wrong from a position of weakness to avoid something
worse. That is a common situation in this life. When David deceived
Achish on the point of going to war on the side of the Philistines
(1Sam.29:2) and latter disingenuously expressed outrage when God bailed
him out of having to do so (1Sam.29:8), he was also making the best of a
bad situation, lying to get out of it when he never should have gone
into Philistine territory in the first place but should have stayed in
the desert and trusted the Lord to continue to deliver him. That is to
say, he was "in a situation" because of a prior bad decision but we
should not take from this that lying and deception are "good".
Similarly, the Israelites of Ezra's day were "in a situation" because
they had married so many foreign wives, but that does not mean that the
extreme means they were then forced to take because of prior bad
decisions was correct or good or recommended or ever technically
allowed: this mass divorce seems to me to violate the precepts of the
Law.
So the Ezra example is not a parallel at all, not in any way. God hates
divorce (Mal.2:16). And nowhere in the Bible is divorce ever counseled
as a cure for any past mistakes or counseled at all (it is only
occasionally allowed).
I can't think of anything more foolish than divorce if the couple is
happily married. It makes no rational sense at all, and, more to the
point, it violates even an infant believer's spiritual common sense. We
do what the Spirit tells us to do. We do NOT do what guilt feelings tell
us to do. These are NOT the same things. Doesn't the Spirit tell you
that the Lord has blessed you with a good marriage? What does that say?
OK, you're not perfect. OK, you've made mistakes. Welcome to the human
race. But we are here as Christians to move forward in our walk with the
Lord, not to look back at the past, as if that could ever be fixed even
in its smallest part.
Yes, Paul's words are VERY clear. If you're married, stay married, if at
all possible. That is the farthest thing I can think of from "you should
get divorced". And I certainly don't find anything like that in the
Bible anywhere.
One last thing. The only way to get to the point of living a life of
peace focused on the hope to come is through spiritual growth. Merely
focusing on problems that are bothering us, even if we do so via the
scripture, is like putting band-aids on a patient with a systematic
infection. The inside has to be fixed for the sores to go away. So I
would counsel you to commit yourself to a consistent program of
spiritual growth broadly. That is the way to grow to maturity and beyond
and the way to earn eternal rewards as well.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #26:
Thank you Bob, duly chastened! I appreciate it. And yes He has greatly blessed
me, and all good gifts come from Him. I do count my blessings. I really need
some CBT or something, but theres no point without a Christian counselor, and
those that refuse to tell you what they think are useless! You have done me
great and good service, thank you so much. I tried some CBT, but until I could
assuredly tell myself I was wrong about all this, from scripture, it just felt
like ignoring a guilty conscience, skating over the top, and so dishonest. I
think its congealing gradually, and Im recognising patterns of thought I can
feel safer to avoid than before.
My pastor has nothing more to say, my poor mother cant remember what we said an
hour ago, and of course I cant frighten my husband with this. I think I would
have gone mad, so thank you.
I shall keep these emails to help me if I relapse, which is entirely possible,
and try not to go over the same ground, and give you some peace.
God bless you, as you have blessed me with your kindly advice and patience.
In Christ!
Response #26:
You're most welcome!
Feel free to write any time.
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L
P.S.: If you haven't noticed or already done so, please check out the list of wonderful ministry offerings on the Special Topics page, including postings by Bartek Sylwestrzak (*series on Mary now complete!), Christian Vassallo, John Jackson, "Bible Readings by Emma", Bible Reading Log by Christian Vassallo (helps for reading through the English Bible), The Holocaust: A Biblical and Historical Examination (Future Implications) by Fred London, the Expanded Index to Old Testment translations at Ichthys, Foundational Principles, by Odii Ariwodo, and, most recently, "The Peter series" translated into Kiswahili by Resi Kilambo.
A special word of thanks to all who have been praying for this ministry. The Lord has brought about a great deliverance for me and mine. I am forever grateful to Him, and also to all of you who have been faithfully interceding for me and for this ministry.
The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.
Exodus 15:2
Addendum: 12/24/16: I also want to thank everyone who has been praying for my family and especially for my mother. She passed away yesterday morning at the age of ninety-six. Considering the sad shape she was in, it was a blessing that the Lord took her when He did. She died "full of years" in the company of those who loved her, and now she is with the Lord and nothing is better than that (Phil.1:23; Rev.7:17; 21:4).
Update on Urgent Prayer Request For Vau (5/29/19):
Hello Brother Bob, Vau passed this morning. He is now with our Lord. Please continue to lift our family up in prayer.
Sister Shevetta Washington
More Prayer Requests:
More E-mails: Complete archive of previous emails: Ichthys' Emails
Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief VI
New Testament Interpretation VIII
Old Testament Interpretation XIV
Politics versus Spiritual Growth IV
Old Testament Interpretation XIII
Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief V
Politics versus Spiritual Growth III
Faith, Forgiveness, Salvation IV
Ministry and Preparation for Ministry VII
Legalism, Past, Present and Future IV
New Testament Interpretation VII
Eschatology Issues XXIV: the 'Rapture' et al.
Believers in the World VIII: Coping with Family
Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief IV
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations XI
Spiritual Gifts and False Teaching
Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers VI
New Testament Interpretation VI
Old Testament Interpretation XII
Apologetics, Ministry and False Teaching
Ministry and Preparation for Ministry VI
Church: The Biblical Ideal versus the Contemporary Reality II
Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief III
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions VI
Interpretation, Application, Exegesis and Ministry
Baptism: Water and Spirit VIII
New Testament Interpretation V
Apathy, Atheism, Cults and False Teaching
The Battlefield Within II: Combating anger, fear, blaming God, blaming others
Faith, Forgiveness, Salvation III
Ministry and Preparation for Ministry V
Paul the Apostle: Aspects of his Life and Ministry II
Old Testament Interpretation XI
Mutual Encouragement in Christ VII
The Transitional Era of the Book of Acts and its Unique Spiritual Gifts
Old Testament Interpretation X
The pre-Trib 'Rapture': so called 'imminence' and other false proofs refuted
Encouragement, Spiritual Testing and Spiritual Growth III
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations X
Legalism, Past and Present III: Sabbath observance, tithing, dietary regulations and other issues
Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief II
Old Testament Interpretation IX
Christology Questions IX: Christ and His Church
Mutual Encouragement in Christ VI: Perseverance
Faith, Forgiveness, Salvation II
Ministry and Preparation for Ministry IV
Fighting the Fight V: Dispatches from the Laodicean 'Front' II
Old Testament Interpretation VIII
Ministry and Preparation for Ministry III
New Testament Interpretation IV
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations IX
Peace, Reconciliation and Salvation
Mutual Encouragement in Christ V: Soldiers of the Cross
Old Testament Interpretation VII
Dangers of the Pre-Trib Rapture False Teaching
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations VIII
The Infinity, Magnitude, Glory, Providence and Plan of God
The Bible and the Canon: The Inspired Word of God IV
Nephilim, Antichrist, the False Prophet and the Mark of the Beast
The Trinity and Messianic Legalism II
Annihilationism, Universalism, Hell and Judgment II
Politics versus Spiritual Growth II
Culture and Christianity XVII: Humor, Self-Defense, Pacifism and War
Culture and Christianity XVI: Alcohol, Money and Dietary Issues
Dreams, Visions, Miracles, Exorcism, Tongues, and False Prophets
Calvinism, Catholicism and Ichthys
Apologetics, Legalism, Cults and Philosophy
Mutual Encouragement in Christ IV
Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers V
Faith and Free Will in Trial and Testing
Free Will and God's WILL in Salvation
Jobs, Money, Finances and Giving: What does the Bible say?
Ministry and Preparation for Ministry II
Mutual Encouragement in Christ III
It is Better on the Other Side
Christology Questions VIII: The Deity, Humanity and Life of Christ
The Lives of the Apostles and the Writing of the New Testament II
Biblical People and Places: Eve, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Hagar, Esau, Joseph and more
Biblical Anthropology V: Body, Spirit and 'Soul', Present and Future
Satan, Antichrist, the False Prophet and the Mark of the Beast
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions V
Prophets, Prophecy, and False Prophets
Christology Questions VII: The Life and Spiritual Death of Christ and Holy Communion
The Bible and the Canon: The Inspired Word of God III
Culture and Christianity XV: The Bible vs. some Sensitive Social and Political Issues
Christology Questions VI: Christophany, Deity and the Spiritual Death of Christ
Encouragement, Spiritual Testing and Spiritual Growth II
Fighting the Fight IV: Dispatches from the Laodicean 'Front'
The Resurrection Body and our Eternal Future II
Blindness, Disease and Healing
Ministry and Preparation for Ministry
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations VII
Encouragement, Spiritual Testing and Spiritual Growth
Judaism and Legalism in the church-visible
Confronting False Groups and False Teaching III
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions IV
Old Testament Interpretation VI
More Questions on the Book of Hebrews: Melchizedek, Esau, and the 'Impossibility' of Being Restored
Believers in the World IV: Making Godly Choices vs. Following Man-Made Rules
Guilt, Sin and Victory through Spiritual Growth
Confronting False Groups and False Teaching II
Politics versus Spiritual Growth
Christian Struggle, Perseverance and Deliverance
The Bible and the Natural World
An Extended Conversation on the 'Unpardonable' Sin
Eternal Realities: Real Heaven, Real Hell
Eschatology Issues XII: Babylon, Armageddon, Israel, 2026
Ministers, Ministry, and Preparation for Ministry
Evangelism in Principle and Practice II
Gospel Questions X: Glory, John the baptist, the hidden talent, the Kingdom of God
Matthew Questions, verse by verse
Politics and Political Action on the Eve of the Tribulation
Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading IV
Mutual Encouragement in Christ II
Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers IV
Culture and Christianity XIII: College, Dating, Marriage and Friendship
Eschatology Issues XI: Trumpets, the Millennium, the Time of the Tribulation and the Resurrection.
Sin according to the Bible: Hamartiology II
Angelic Issues VI: Cherubs, Guardians, Elders and 'gods'
Sin according to the Bible: Hamartiology I
Bible Chronology, Aramaic and Interpretation
The Trinity and Messianic Legalism
Anger, Anthropopathism, Eternity and Divine Motives
Unbelievers, Free Will, and the Plan of God II
Christology Questions V: the Baptism, Temptation and Spiritual Death of Christ
The Bible and the Canon: The Inspired Word of God II
Believers in the World III: Prosperity Gospel, Tithing, Cults and Legalism
Faith, Hope and Love: Virtue in Spiritual Warfare
Finding a Church or Something Better? II
New Testament Interpretation III
Faith vs. History, Archaeology, Philosophy
Believers in the World II: Confronting False Groups and False Teaching
The 144,000 and the Two Witnesses of the Tribulation
Predestination, Free Will and False Teaching
Love, Marriage, and Divorce: Marriage and the Bible III
Interpreting Dreams and Analyzing Prophetic Claims
Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading III
Eschatology Issues IX: Amillennialism, Trumpets, and the Seven Days
Spiritual Warfare IV: Demons, Demonic Influences and Satanic Methodology
Atheism and Gnosticism: Denying the Truth about God
Sin, Salvation and Forgiveness: Claiming the Mental and Spiritual High-Ground
Struggling with Salvation . . . and Relatives
Ministry and the Ichthys Ministry II
All about Ichthys II: Mutual Encouragement in the Lord
The Book of Job and Christian Suffering
Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers III: Creationism, Neanderthals, Fossil Record
Christology Questions IV: Jesus' Birth, Baptism, Early Life, and Kenosis
Third Party Testimony III: Near Death Experiences, Revelations and Tongues
Third Party Testimony II: Charismatic Claims of Visions, Dreams and Prophecy
Third Party Testimony I: We Believe God and His Word Not People
God Heals - in His way (not our way)
Sanctification, Separation and Restraint
Finding a Church or Something Better?
Culture and Christianity X: Military Service, College, Politics, and Race Relations
Contemporary Churches and Women Preachers
Culture and Christianity IX: Politics, Tithing, Music, Crucifixes, Alcohol, and Gambling
Biblical Anthropology III: Soul versus Spirit, "Soul Sleep", and the Interim Body
New Testament Interpretation II: Who is equal? Grace in vain. Unequally yoked.
Aspects of the Crucifixion II: Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday?
Aspects of the Crucifixion I: Carrying the cross, trials and rooster crow.
The Canon: Content, Chronology, and Criticism
Spiritual Warfare III: Peter's 'Angel', Saul's Death, and Strange Events
Old Testament Interpretation IV: Gehazi's Leprosy, Tyre's Destruction, and Immanuel
Nephilim, Fallen Angels, and Genesis 6
Sin, Atonement and Forgiveness II
Sin, Atonement and Forgiveness I
Annihilationism, Universalism, Hell and Judgment
Noah, the Flood, and the Nature of Animals
The Tribulation: Timing of, Preparation for, and Conditions in
Eschatology Issues VIII: Revelation, Tribulation and Judgment
Antichrist: the Mark, the Number, and the Identification of the Beast
Satan's Revolt and the Tribulation to Come
Old Testament Interpretation III: The Name 'Jacob', the Mark of Cain, Jeshrun.
Old Testament Interpretation II: Urim and Thummim, the Bronze Serpent, the Ark.
Being Saved: Security, Apostasy, and the Sin unto Death
Fighting the Fight III: False Teaching, Local Churches, and the Truth
Fighting the Fight II: Struggling with Sin, Doubt, and Severe Testing
Fighting the Fight I: Accountability, Faith, Sin, Forgiveness, and Reward
Dispensations, Covenants, Israel and the Church II
Dispensations, Covenants, Israel and the Church I
Witnessing: Cults and Christianity II
Witnessing: Cults and Christianity I
Ministry and the Ichthys Ministry
Spiritual Growth, Church-Searching and "Discipling"
Unbelievers, Free Will, and the Plan of God
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations VI
Paganism, Idolatry, Mythology and the Occult
The Lives of the Apostles and the Writing of the New Testament
The Essence of God and Deity of Christ
Parables and their Interpretation
The Meaning and Purpose of True Christian Assembly
1st John: Text and Interpretation
Perseverance in the latter days of Laodicea
Prayer: the Persistence, Purpose and Power of.
Paul the Apostle: Aspects of his Life and Ministry
Gospel Questions VII: The Wedding at Cana et al.
Israel, 'Lost Tribes' and the Star of David
Israel and Antichrist
in Eschatology
Explaining and Defending the
Trinity and the Person of Christ II
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions III
The Geography of Heaven, Hades and 'Hell'.
The Resurrection Body and our Eternal Future.
Christ the First-Born, High Priest in the Order of Melchizedek.
Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading II
Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading
Hermeneutics, Typology, Christophany, Theophany and Anthropopathism.
No, Hebrews does not teach that you lost your salvation.
Gospel Questions VI: the Long Ending of Mark et al.
Judas and the Betrayal of Christ
Doubting Salvation and Questions of Sin
The 144,000: God's Seal vs. the Mark of the Beast
Atheism: Putting Truth to Death
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions II
The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions I
The Law, Love, Faith-Rest and Messianism
Sin and Salvation, Confession and Forgiveness
Have I Lost My Salvation? (III)
The Battlefield Within: Fighting the inner spiritual Struggle.
Putting Christ in Christmas: Loving Jesus, the Star and the Magi, Wonderful Counselor.
Healing, Miracles, and Dreams: Sorting the Wheat from the Chaff by biblical Means
153 Fish: Explaining some Difficult New Testament Passages
Kenosis: Our Lord's Self-Limitation during the 1st Advent
Biblical Anthropology II: 'Soul sleep', & dichotomy vs. trichotomy
Biblical Anthropology I: The Nature of Human Beings and Human Life according to the Bible.
Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers II.
Culture and Christianity VII: Jury Duty, Witnessing, Biometry, Military Service et al.
Culture and Christianity VI: Halloween, Holidays, Aliens, and Christian Applications.
Angelic Issues V: Michael, the Angel of the Lord, Christophany, demons, cherubs, and Satan's revolt.
Angelic Issues IV: Satan's Revolt in the Plan of God.
All about Ichthys: Mutual Encouragement in the Lord.
Fallen Angels, Demons, Nephilim, and the Devil's Methodology.
Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief.
The Bible and the Canon: The Inspired Word of God.
Communion and the Spiritual Death of Christ.
Israelology, Anti-Semitism, the Remnant, Gentiles, Lost Tribes, Jewish Myths.
"Soul Sleep" versus our true Heavenly State.
Christology Questions III: The Angel of the Lord, the Lamb Slain, monogenes.
Angelic Issues III: Demons, Satan, Elders, Female Angels and Guardians.
Against Universalism III: Unbelievers in the Plan of God.
Waters Above, the Firmament, and the Genesis Gap.
In Need of Guidance and Encouragement.
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations V.
Servants, Slaves, Disciples, and Ministers.
Evangelism in Principle and Practice.
Scripture versus Personal Experience.
Calvinism, Covenants and Catholicism.
Culture and Christianity V: Temporal Authority vs. Biblical Application.
False Doctrine of Absolute Eternal Security III.
The Dangers of Messianic Legalism IV: Unclean and Impure?
Things to Come III: The Wrath of God and the Fate of the Beast's Army.
God Works All Things Together for Good.
The 7 Trumpets, the 7 Kings, Nephilim, Antichrist and Revived Rome.
The Coming Tribulation and the Kingdom of God.
Sin, Confession and Forgiveness.
Mutual Encouragement in Christ.
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations IV.
Eschatology Issues V: "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons".
Ichthys and Contemporary Christianity.
Gospel Questions V: Help my Unbelief, Respecting our Enemies, etc.
The Two Witnesses of the Tribulation: Moses and Elijah.
The Apostles, the Jerusalem Council, and Legalism then and now.
Aspects of the Christian Walk: Gambling, Lying, Christmas, Judging, Worrying, et al.
Believers in the World: Using our Free Will to Respond to the Lord
John's Water-Baptism versus the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The City of David, the Star of David, Solomon's Wisdom, and the Song of Solomon.
The Israelites at Kadesh and 'not entering the Land of Promise'.
Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers.
Sin and Spiritual Transformation.
One Baptism: the True Meaning of Peter's Words at Acts 2:38.
Apostasy and the Sin unto Death, the Conscience and Sanctification.
The Plan of God and Individual Salvation (excerpt from BB 4B)
In Your Anger, do not Sin: Ephesians 4:26 and the Sin Nature
On the Firing Line: Encouragement in Christian Trials
Eschatology and the Old Testament
Prayer and our Walk with Jesus.
Issues of Canonicity II: Aramaic, Enoch, KJV, and the Pastorals
Bible Vocabulary and Bible Word Studies
Satan, his Demons, and the Gnostics
Antichrist: Alive and Well and Living on Planet Earth?
Our Eternal Future: Life after Death for Believers in Jesus Christ
Giants and Nephilim, Sumerian Myths, and Sea Monsters
Free-Will Faith and the Will of God
The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy: explaining James 4:5.
Free-Will Faith in the Plan of God.
Putting the Word of God First.
The False Doctrine of "Soul Sleep" II.
The False Doctrine of Absolute Eternal Security II.
The Dangers of Messianic Legalism III
The Dangers of Messianic Legalism II
The Dangers of Messianic Legalism.
Mega-Churches, Emergent Christianity, Spirituality and Materialism.
Epignosis, Christian Epistemology, and Spiritual Growth.
Jephthah's Daughter, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage.
Christian Unity and Divisiveness.
Death, Martyrdom and Resurrection.
Blessing, Cursing, and Prayer.
Fighting the Good Fight of Faith.
Only-Begotten, Mother-of-God, On-this-Rock: English-only Interpretation is Dangerous.
The Greek Text of the New Testament and some Issues of Textual Criticism.
What does the name 'Christian' mean?
Christians Beware: Internet Frauds and the Need for Spiritual Discernment (part 2).
Christians Beware: Internet Frauds and the Need for Spiritual Discernment.
Spring Special: The Millennial Regathering and Purging of Israel.
Last Things and Last Judgments
The Local Church and Personal Ministry IV
The Local Church and Personal Ministry III
The Local Church and Personal Ministry II
The Local Church and Personal Ministry I
Aspects of the False Doctrine of Institutional Security
Chronological Order of the Books of the Bible II
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations III
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations II
Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations I
Satan and the Existence of Evil.
The Holy Spirit: Blasphemy against,
Restraining Ministry, and Gender.
Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Growth
Christian Love, the Golden Rule, Christian Military Service and Self-Defense.
Issues of Canonicity: Apocrypha, Enoch, and Inspiration.
Church: The Biblical Ideal versus the Contemporary Reality.
Numbers, Letters, and the Mark of the Beast.
Gospel Questions I: Jesus' Life, the Gospels and Cherubs, and who Wrote Matthew.
Naaman, Nero, Nineveh, and Senacharib.
The False Doctrine of Absolute Eternal Security.
Choosing Hell: Questions about Salvation and the Love of God.
The Route of the Israelites in Crossing
the Red Sea.
Some Issues of Transmission,
Translation, and Transliteration: The Camel and the Needle, etc.
Aspects of the Life of Christ:
Jesus' siblings, the man born blind, et al.
Redemption, the Blood of Christ, Christ our Passover, and The Passion of the Christ.
Eschatology Issues II: Angelic bodies, heaven and hell, Satan and the Nephilim, etc.
The Book of Job and Biblical Interpretation.
Some Questions about Eternity.
Who Controls our Thoughts and Emotions?
Sleep as a Euphemism for Death.
Literal Hell.
The Timing of the Resurrection.
Dispensations, the Church, the Rapture, and the Destruction of the Universe.
Christianity versus Contemporary Kitsch.
Purpose Driven Life, Oprah's New Age Religion, et al.
Lot, Esau, and Cain: Learning through
Negative Examples.
Against Universalism II: Only
Believers are Saved.
Against Universalism I: Free Will and the
Image of God.
The Seven Edens and the Eden of Adam and Eve.
Opposition to the Genesis Gap from the Creation Research Institute et al.
The Beast: Some Questions about Antichrist.
The Book of Revelation: Some Questions.
Red Hot or Lukewarm? Bible Teaching versus Sermonizing.
The Last Judgment and the Great White Throne.
Christology: Some Questions on the Life of Christ.
Train up a Child in the Way he should Go.
Unbelief and its Consequences.
Explaining and Defending the Trinity and the Person of Christ.
Free Will and Faith under Pressure.
Bible Interpretation I: Academics, Versions et al.
Faith in the Word of God: the Basis of all True Worship.
Aspects of the Resurrection II.
Faith and Encouragement in the midst of Fiery Trials.
Jethro, Amenhotep, Iraq, the Catacombs, and the KJV.
Eschatology Issues: The Fig Tree, Ezekiel 38, Joel 3, and the Trumpets.
Christ the Rock, the Rooster's Crow, and the Cross.
Applying Faith II: Production, Forgiveness, Circumcision, Truth over People.
Applying Faith: Eating, Drinking, and Vacation.
The Tree of Life, Communion, and the Virgin Birth.
Can Prayer Be Offered From Heaven? & Some Genesis Questions.
Walking the Path of Faith through the Light of the Word of God.
Salvation on the battlefield, truth revealed to infants, and damnation.
Preparing for
Tribulation.
Divine
Sovereignty and Divine Judgment.
Should Christians wear Jewelry?
The Events Surrounding the Birth of Christ.
Zechariah,
Demon Possession, Marriage,
Spiritual Experiences,
and Bible Prophecy.
No Grounds for Divorce?
The Shape of the Universe, Hominids, and the Genesis Gap.
Taking Personal Responsibility: Interest, Bankruptcy, Gambling, and Employment.
The Seven Churches, the Judgment Seat of Christ, and other issues in Eschatology.
The Canonicity of the book of Hebrews.
Great White Throne, the Last Judgment, and the Outer Darkness.
Political Action versus Biblical Christianity.
Study Tools and Methodologies.
The Gospel and the Kingdom of God.
Pursuing a Deeper Relationship with Jesus and Christian Epistemology.
The Origin and the Danger of the Pre-Tribulational Rapture Theory.
The Divinity of the Spirit and the Percentage of those who are Saved.
Should Christians ever consider getting a lawyer?
Pastoral Authority, Popes, Pat Robertson, and Pelagianism.
Some Questions on Church Polity.
Luther, Arminius, Calvin, Kant, Ironside, Tutu and Thieme.
Transmutation, Resuscitation, and Resurrection.
More on the Documentary Hypothesis and More on the Rapture.
Enoch's Walk with God and Some Questions in the Gospels.
The Influence of the Renaissance and Rationalism on the Church and Cutting off Arms in Malachi 2:3.
Eschatology
Questions.
Baptism and Following
Jesus.
The Cross, Sin, and the Devil in God's Plan.
More on: Spiritual Gifts; Hats & Hair; the Age of Accountability.
Who will populate earth during the Millennium? and Asking for Wisdom: James 1:5.
Was Judas Saved?, The Gospel of Judas, and Issues of Canonicity.
Is 'My Son' Israel or Jesus in Hosea 11:1? & How do you Prove Sin to Someone?
Did Matthew Write his Gospel in Hebrew?
Christian Crowns, Pagan Names, and the Time of the Cock-Crow.
Child-like Faith, Mark vs. Matthew, the Mahdi, and 'Who was with God in the Beginning?
True Orthodoxy and False Creeds.
Foot-washing, Bitter Herbs, Baptism, and Borrowed Faith.
Friday versus Thursday Crucifixion.
Jesus' Cursing of the Fig Tree, Apostasy, and 'Feng Shui'.
The Genesis Serpent, Using "it" to refer to the baby Jesus, and more on Tattoos.
Why did Jesus choose John over James to take care of His mother Mary?
Antichrist's 'desire of women' in Daniel 11:37 et al.
Do recent catastrophes have a divine origin?
Does God really want us to be sick and poor? Revisiting the prosperity gospel.
Why did our Lord Jesus arise from the tribe of Judah?
What will our relationship be in heaven with children who died young?
The baptism of the Holy Spirit as distinct from speaking in tongues.
The Grammar behind the Genesis Gap.
The Great White Throne Judgment.
Does God's choice of us eliminate our free will?
Why does God allow bad things to happen?
The Bible as "divine", roof prayer, and tattoos.
Character in Hebrews 1:3, et al.
"Are the children of unbelievers lost if they die before receiving Christ?"
"Is baptism necessary for salvation?"
"The nature of life after death."
"The personality of the Holy Spirit."
"The dragon of Revelation 12 and the talking idol of Revelation 13."
"Infirmities and Diseases in Matthew 8:17"
"The Leftover Baskets of Bread and Fish in John 6."
"Waiting for the Ascension" and "Amos 4:11".
Should Christians have a competitive attitude?
John "leapt for joy" in the womb - or did he?
Satanic Influence in Video Games and Television.
Moving Mountains: Matthew 21:21
Not a hair shall be lost? Luke 21:16 versus Luke 21:18.
The reign of antichrist: 7 years or 3 and 1/2 years?
"Doubts about the Nephilim in Genesis 6" and "Ezekiel 9:4 and the Mark of the Beast"
"Word Counts in the Bible", "Him whom they Pierced (Rev.1:7)", and "Necromancy".
"Waiting for a Savior" and "The Direction East in the Bible"
Is there a purgatory according to the Bible?
Your desire shall be for your husband: Genesis 3:16.
Have I committed the unforgivable sin?
Is the local church meant to be a patriarchy?
Why doesn't the Bible mention all of the prophets of the children of Israel?
Tohu in Genesis 1:2 and the Cause of the Darkness.
Why Doesn't God Prevent All Children from Dying?
Why were Christians being regarded as "evil-doers" in 1st Peter 2:12?
Phylacteries and the Mark of the Beast, and "What about Joseph?"
Assembly of the local church, and Jesus' use of "I AM" from Exodus 3:14 in John 8:58
The "burden of the Lord" in Jeremiah 23:32-40, and judgment for idle words in Matthew 12:36-37.
The importance of spiritual resiliency.
Does God use disease to discipline us?
Recovering from Cult Exposure.
Variability in Christian Testing and Personal Tribulation.
Is there any value to the Apocrypha?
The Communion
Ceremony outside of the
local church.
The Christian Walk, the End, and Tattoos.
Should Christians honor Sunday as the new Sabbath?
Chronological order of the books of the Bible.
Doubt, light, missed opportunities et al.
Corporate prayer in Matthew 18:19: "when two agree on earth".
What does the Bible say about humor?
The value of cumulative prayer.
Our Heavenly, Pre-Resurrection, Interim State.
How could a loving God order the destruction of the Canaanites?
Should Christians observe the Torah?
Church Polity and three other passages.
Tongues: does 'no man' understand?
The few saved, the door in heaven, visions of heavenly realities, and Christmas.
Christian suffering and spiritual maturity.
Aliens, antichrist, and eschatology.
Does exceptionally sinful behavior indicate that a Christian has lost salvation?
Should Christians celebrate Jewish festivals?
The Deaths of the 12 Disciples / Apostles of Christ.
Categories of Sin in Psalm 19.
Some brief answers on a variety of topics.
Pastoral Support, Pastoral Preparation, and the Purpose of Assembly.
Encouragement, Isaiah 6:11-13, and the Hope of Repentance.
Dinosaurs, the Nephilim, Noah, et al.
How much should we pay our pastor?
Is it wrong for me to celebrate Easter?
The Sealing of the Holy Spirit.
Visions of Angels: Colossians 2:18.
Waiting on God's timing: patience in testing.
"Your Throne, O God": Psalm 45:6.
What is meant by the phrase "the Lord's footstool"?
A conversation about divorce and remarriage.
Faith in the midst of the fiery trial.
Hebrews 10:26 again, and two other notes on Arthur Pink and the Greek word diakonos.
What is the correct translation of Isaiah 59:19?
Is the star of Acts 7:43 the star of David?
Some questions about Nimrod and Christmas trees, Tongues, and Healing
Is Jesus the only One ever to restore sight?
What happens to people who were born and died prior to the birth of Christ?
Which is better, the King James Version or the New King James Version?
What is the minimum necessary to be saved?
How can we know whose interpretation of the Bible is right (Part 2)?
How can we know whose interpretation of the Bible is right (Part 1)?
Psalm 22:1, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
The "Mind of Christ" in 1st Corinthians 2:16
Simeon and Simon, and the two crows of the rooster
Ichthys, saints, and the Last Adam
Does Hebrews 10:26 teach loss of salvation?
Eternal security: where does one draw the line?
Who are Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39?
How did John the baptist come to doubt Jesus?
Is Jesus literally seated on the throne at God's right hand?
Are the Celts the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel?
Whatever happened to the "Genesis Gap"?
"The baptism which now saves you": 1st Peter 3:21.
What type of healing is being discussed in Isaiah 53:5?
The Origin of the Four Seasons
2nd Peter 3:5: Doubting the Tribulation
A Question about Ichthys books
Biblical Metaphors and Symbolism
Faith and the Pre-Tribulational "Rapture".
Bible translation and John 8:58.
Melchizedek and the high priesthood of Christ: two questions et alia.
The centurion and the Syro-Phoenician woman.
What is "heaven" like according to Christian teachings?
1st Corinthians 11: Hats or Hair?
Confession of Sin, Fellowship, and the Filling of the Holy Spirit.
A Miscellany of Questions and Answers (Nineveh, the beast, tongues, demons, Sadam, etc.)
Some Greek Questions in the Gospels (John 1:3; 2:19; 8:58; Luke 23:43)
Is Man trichotomous, and does that mean that salvation is three-tiered?
Christ knocking at the door in Revelation 3:20
The futility of memory without God and eternal life.
The meaning of Jesus' words, "I am" in John 8:58
What does the Bible say about Heaven and Hell?
Peace in 1st Corinthians 14:33
Salvation and Church Affiliation.
Several questions on the book of Hebrews.
Does the Bible prohibit women from preaching or teaching in the Church?
Should Christian leaders refrain from drinking in public?
How to use the Bible translations at Ichthys.
The Worship of Jesus: a proof of His divinity?
An Extended Conversation about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Is water baptism required for Christians today?
Are health and wealth a part of the gospel?
Will those in Hades be able to see Christ's return?
Feelings of Guilt about Remarriage.
Who are the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel?
What does "the Word was with God" mean in John 1:1-2?
Three questions on three verses in Isaiah (Is.21:4; 28:10, & 66:24).
How important is education for a pastor?
Availability and use of Ichthys materials: several questions.
Is there any difference between demons and fallen angels?
Two questions about Judas Iscariot.
Three Questions about Tattoos and Salvation.
The Hebrew word for 'one' (`echadh) and the uniqueness of God.
Did the witch of Endor really conjure up the spirit of Samuel?
A Question about the "Waters Above".
Why did God the Father wait so long to send Jesus into the world?
How does being "slain in the Spirit" relate to being baptized in the Spirit?
How do you prove the existence of God?
Where does the Bible teach that Jesus is God?
Is it ever Justifiable to Tell a Lie (part 2)?
Is the Westminster Catechism a Good Reference Tool?
What does it mean "the spirit returns to God" in Ecclesiastes 12:7?
Is there any Connection between biblical Gemstones and Moral Characteristics?
Are Miraculous Gifts Operational Today?
Jesus Christ in the Old Testament (Christophany: Gen.3:8).
Can those in organizations which teach "salvation by works" be saved?
Is "helpmeet" a wrong translation in Genesis 2:20?
Cast thy Bread upon the Waters: What do the seven and eight portions in Ecclesiastes 11:2 mean?
Was Cain Satan's literal "seed"?
The Demon Possessed Girl in Acts 16:16.
The "Sin unto Death" in 1st John 5:16.
Is death just a natural part of human life?
Communion and the Blood of Christ.
What does it mean in 1st Corinthians 7:14, "the unbelieving husband is sanctified"?
The Re-institution of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Millennium.
Secular Documentation for the Exodus.
The false doctrine of "soul sleep".
The Author of Hebrews and Jesus' Perfect Completion of His Mission.
The Trinity in Isaiah 63:10-15.
How old was Jesus at the time of His crucifixion and resurrection?
Five Smooth Stones: 1st Samuel 17:40
How can we know the Bible is true?
Habakkuk's Prosperity Prayer: Habakkuk 3:17-19.
Jeremiah 31:22: "A Woman shall Compass a Man".
The New International Version of the Bible and some issues in Bible translation.
Is "the Prophet" of Deuteronomy 18:18 Muhammad?
The One True God and the Trinity in the Old Testament.
Are those in Hebrews 6:4 who "crucify the Son of God afresh" lost?
Are New Bible Translations Part of a Conspiracy?
What exactly is the "red heifer prophecy", and how does it relate to the events of the end times?
Where did the waters of Genesis 1 go?
Sin, Baptism, and the Book of
Revelation
Tithing
and the Book of
Life
The Dangers of the Prosperity Gospel.
English and the Tower of Babel.
The "Seven Thunders" of Revelation 10:3-4
The fate of the unrighteous dead in Isaiah 66:24
Who are the "sons of the kingdom" in Matthew 18:11-12?
Why does Judah get greater honor than Jerusalem in Zechariah 12:7?
How is the date of Easter computed?
What is the meaning of the 1290 days versus the 1335 days in Daniel 12?
What Church era are we now in?
Can you explain "help my unbelief!" in Mark 9:24?
What does it mean to "overcome" in Revelation chapters 2 and 3?
Are women required to wear veils or hats in
church?
Is the world
about to come to an end?
Does the Bible ever describe the earth as being round?
Pre-, mid-, or post-Tribulation rapture?
The origin and fate of the "giants" in Genesis chapter six.
Christian suffering - Christian encouragement.
Is speaking in tongues biblical?
Can you recommend a good commentary on the book of Romans?
The recipients of Peter's epistles.
Pre- or Post-Tribulation "rapture"?
Animal sacrifice in the millennium.
Is it ever justifiable to lie?
Who
wrote the King James version?
The meaning of the
divine name יהוה.
The so-called "documentary hypothesis".
The relationship between the books of Kings and Chronicles.
David's disastrous census of Israel.
Aspects of the Unseen Angelic Warfare and 666, the Mark of the Beast.
The 200 million strong demon army of Revelation 9:13.
Deliverance through Childbearing in 1st Timothy 2:15?
Some questions about the Tribulation.
More on divorce and remarriage.
What does it mean to "remember the Sabbath and keep it holy"?
The manner of the apostle Peter's death.
Wasn't Matthias the thirteenth apostle?
Forward progress necessary for salvation and spiritual growth.
The "seven days" of human history.
1st John 1:9 and
confessing sin.
ICHTHYS and the role of traditional Christianity.
Can you recommend a good survey for the Old and New Testaments?
Where can I find more information on the "Genesis gap"?
Is Church membership an issue in salvation?
Are these materials available for purchase as books?
What is your opinion of the Abingdon one-volume Bible Commentary?
What is the significance of the number "20" in the Bible?
The 144,000 of Revelation chapters 7 and 14.
What is your view on predestination?
The chronology of the date 2026.
Does baptism play a role in being born again?
Why does the devil have access to God while man cannot stand in His presence?
The structure of the book of Revelation.
What is your view of the rapture?
What is meant by the "10 days" of Revelation
2:10?
Dragons in the Bible?
Are there apostles in the
Church today?
What is the meaning of the
word "chosen" in
the Bible.
The Passover.
What are the most common Bible
names?
What is the biblical significance
of the number forty?
What does the Bible have
to say about witchcraft?
How can I protect myself from false teaching?
Didn't the devil know he couldn't defeat God?
Are the Masons wrong according to the Bible?
Six Questions.
Can the faith of
"backsliders" be
restored?
Are there biblical origins to
mythology?
What does the phrase "sides of the pit" mean in Isaiah 14:15?
Can prayer be offered in the name of the Son?
Is it valid to celebrate Christmas?
Can you give me some information on divine names in the Bible?
What is the significance of name changes in the Bible?
Is there a "gospel of Thomas"?
Is the nature of Man
dichotomous or trichotomous?
Will the temple be rebuilt in Jerusalem?
Does the Bible teach a literal Millennium?
What does the word "good" mean in Genesis?
Who are "the dead" who "rise first" in 1st Thessalonians 4?
Are the Greek tenses in John 7:34 correctly translated?
Is the devil "mad" to oppose God?
Does the Bible require supporting
the pastor
financially?
How
can Jesus be a man
and God at the same time?
How did people
atone for intentional sin
in Old Testament times?
What is the symbolism of the
Lamb of God in Revelation?
Can you recommend some word study tools for Bible study?
Can people who commit suicide be saved?
What is the difference between wisdom and discernment?
Marriage of Believers and Unbelievers.
Is hearing believing in John 6:35?
Is Paul describing himself in Romans chapter seven?
Is tithing required for salvation?
What is the evidence for the "rapture"?
Is there any validity to the "prosperity gospel"?
Who are the "Nephilim" in Genesis chapter six?
What does the Bible have to say about reincarnation?
Believing the Bible for Spiritual Growth.
Why was the New Testament written in Greek?
What about those who have never heard of Christ?
What about elders and deacons?
Eternal Security and "sinless perfection".
Eternal Security and "salvation by works".
Does the Bible teach ex nihilo
creation?
When did Jesus first know He
was God's Son?
Are there prophets today?
How could Christ have been three days and
nights in
the grave?
Do Muslims worship the One true
God?
What can I do about spiritual fainting?
