Blame Only Where Blame’s Due

Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin. – Deuteronomy 24:16, NIV Even under the strict law of the Old Testament, God followers were taught the principle that one punishes only the one who commits the sin. … Continue reading “Blame Only Where Blame’s Due”

How Long Will You Mourn Over The Adulterous Spouse?

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” -I Samuel 16:1, NIV Before I … Continue reading “How Long Will You Mourn Over The Adulterous Spouse?”

No Investigation Required

But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. -I Corinthians 7:15, KJV As I was driving today, God brought to mind this verse from the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. It is the abandonment … Continue reading “No Investigation Required”

Adultery Disembowels A Marriage

This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. -Genesis 2:24, NLT “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his … Continue reading “Adultery Disembowels A Marriage”

What Then Is This Bleating I Hear?

Sometimes God rejects those who decide to sin rather than obey. This includes, apparently, even those He initially chooses. It is clear from Scripture that our choices have consequences when we choose sin over obedience to God. Here is the classical story about how King Saul fell from God’s favor. I find it instructive in … Continue reading “What Then Is This Bleating I Hear?”

Abusing the Example of Hosea

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” – Hosea 1:2, NIV Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that … Continue reading “Abusing the Example of Hosea”

Compulsory Divorce For Adultery In New Testament Times

And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast … Continue reading “Compulsory Divorce For Adultery In New Testament Times”

If the Bible is clear that we are not to tolerate adultery, why then all the pressure to tolerate it in Christian marriages?

If the Bible is clear that we are not to tolerate adultery, “You shall not commit adultery.” – Exodus 20:14 (repeated in Deuteronomy 5:18), ESV (Ten Commandments) “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” – Leviticus 20:10, ESV “If a … Continue reading “If the Bible is clear that we are not to tolerate adultery, why then all the pressure to tolerate it in Christian marriages?”

The Affair As “A Cry For Help”

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives … Continue reading “The Affair As “A Cry For Help””

Spiritual Abuse To Forbid Divorce

“Spiritual abuse occurs when our rightful spiritual freedom is taken away by people we regard as spiritual authorities.” –Taken from “Lesson 4: Healing of Spiritual Abuse,” School of Healing Prayer: Level II (workbook), Francis and Judith MacNutt Training Center, pp30. If divorce is not always sin as is clear in Scripture (e.g. Matthew 1:19, 5:32, 19:9, and … Continue reading “Spiritual Abuse To Forbid Divorce”