The Bible and premarital sex.

What does the Bible say about premarital sex? Lets look.

If you are someone who is always wanting to have sex, then God said you should be married, to avoid sexual immorality. The implication is that having sex outside of marriage is included as part of what is considered sexual immorality.

1 Corinthians 7:2-5

 ² But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. ³ The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wifedoes. ⁵ Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Certainly sexual immorality is something we are to avoid.

1 Thessalonians 4:3

³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.

In the Old Testament, If anyone seduced a virgin in Israel, he would have to marry her, paying the dowry for marriage. If her father refused to give the daughter to the man as his wife, the man still had to pay the dowry. This was intended to protect the woman who was being used by a man. But it also shows that premarital sex was not something to done lightly – there were consequences to it.

Exodus 22:16-17

¹⁶ “If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and lies with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife. ¹⁷ If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the dowry for virgins.

We see in the New Testament that we are to maintain the honor of the marriage bed:

Hebrews 13:4

⁴ Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

This includes the fact that we are not  to have sex with prostitutes either.

1 Corinthians 6:16

¹⁶ Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.”

This brings to mind what is acceptable and unacceptable to God, when it comes to sex. this includes homosexual sex, bestiality, and incest.

Leviticus 18:6-23

⁶ ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the Lord. ⁷ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness. ⁸ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. ⁹ The nakedness of your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover. ¹⁰ The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for their nakedness is yours. ¹¹ The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, born to your father, she is your sister, you shall not uncover her nakedness. ¹² You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s blood relative. ¹³ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s blood relative. ¹⁴ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother; you shall not approach his wife, she is your aunt. ¹⁵ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. ¹⁶ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. ¹⁷ You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are blood relatives. It is lewdness. ¹⁸ You shall not marry a woman in addition to her sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness.

¹⁹ ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her menstrual impurity. ²⁰ You shall not have intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, to be defiled with her. ²¹ You shall not give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. ²² You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. ²³ Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion.

So we see some of what God has defined as sexual immorality includes sex with people to whom you are not married, relatives (mother, step-mother, aunt, sister, sister-in-law, step-sister, half-sister, grand-daughter), prostitutes, people of the same gender, animals.

Remember, Love is patient, kind, unselfish, and does not act unbecomingly – that would include having sex before marriage. IF we love someone, we will wait to have sex until we marry them.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, ⁵ does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

To summarize, we are not to have sex God considers immoral. We are not to have incestuous sex. We are not to have homosexual sex. We are not to have bestial sex. We are not to have sex with people to whom we are not married – including with prostitutes. We ARE to be married to avoid having immoral sex.

So  in short, no, you should not have sex before marriage. The Bible is very clear about that.

What does God say about the death penalty

Many Christians are against the death penalty because

1. Jesus said to turn the other cheek in Matthew 5:38-39,

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

2.  Jesus taught us to forgive in Matthew 6:15,

But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

3. Jesus said to not judge lest you be judged in Matthew 7:1,

Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

4. Paul taught believers in Rom. 12:14-19,

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, butassociate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.¹⁷ Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. ¹⁹ Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, Iwill repay,” says the Lord.

Another reason is that  they have a hard time believing that God, who is love, can suggest people should kill people who murder.

But lets take a look at the death penalty in scripture.

First, we must realize that spiritual death was the penalty for sin in the garden of Eden – Genesis 2:16–17 (this has never been abrogated, but was met with the death of Christ for those who believe and accept Him as Lord and Savior – 1 Corinthians 15:3).

Then God forbade the physical death penalty because of Cain’s complaint – Gen. 4:13-15.

¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! ¹⁴ Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵ So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.

Then without the death penalty, sin reigned in all the earth Gen. 6:12-13.

¹² God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. ¹³ Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

Then the physical death penalty was implemented  after the flood – Gen. 9:6.

⁶ “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

All of what I written about before this point was before the Law of Moses was given.

The Law reiterated that people who murder shall be killed Lev. 24:17-22,

¹⁷ ‘If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death. ¹⁸ The one who takes the life of an animal shall make it good, life for life. ¹⁹ If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: ²⁰ fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall beinflicted on him. ²¹ Thus the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death. ²² There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the Lord your God.’”

The death penalty was not optional Num. 35:31-33.

³¹ Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. ³² You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest.³³ So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.

So at this point, people are usually willing to accept that in the Old Testament God commanded the death penalty. But they claim that the New Testament rejects it.

First we have to realize that God was not saying to not judge between right and wrong or whether someone has done something they should not, but to not be a judgemental hypocrite (as can be seen in Matthew 7:1-5, see Should Christians Judge?).

Second, we must recognize that that God has forgiven adulteresses before and did not have them killed, ie. Gomer’s wife in Hosea 3:1,

Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.”

Yet, God still demanded people obey the Law, as we see in Hosea 4:6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children

Third, we must realize that forgiveness is what an individual must do, but this does not remove the consequences of one’s actions – ie, if you break the law, the government will still prosecute. This is not an individual judgement of whether someone is good or bad, but a decision made upon whether one is guilty of breaking the law – these are entirely different things. Neither is prosecuting someone and being on a trial jury taking revenge – it is fulfilling part of the purpose of government (which we shall see below).

Now as to whether Jesus was against the death penalty, we can see that Jesus supported the death penalty in Mat. 15:3-4

³ And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?⁴ For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’

and in Mark 7:8-11

⁸ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

⁹ He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death’; ¹¹ but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you isCorban (that is to say, given to God),’

Now some will say that was Jesus recognizing what God had said in the Old Testament and it is not in effect for us today. But  capital punishment is reiterated elsewhere in the New Testament:

In Rev. 13:10, the apostle John wrote,

¹⁰ If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is theperseverance and the faith of the saints.

In 1 Tim. 1:8-9, the apostle Paul wrote,

⁸ But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, ⁹ realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers

In Romans 13:1-5, we see at least part of the purpose and role of government, which is to bring wrath with the sword upon the one who does evil.

 ¹ Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. ² Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. ³ For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; ⁴ for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. ⁵ Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.

Paul supported capital punishment in Acts 25:11,

¹¹ If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.

Some will ask, “Why does capital punishment not work in the USA?” God has an answer to that as well, in Eccl. 8:11,

¹¹ Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.

We have to find ways to implement accurate trials and execute punishment rapidly, rather than allow innocent people to be convicted and to allow years to pass while multiple appeals go through. Additionally, life sentences can never be executed quickly. So the length of time it takes for criminals to be punished works against the idea that punishment is a deterrent.

Our personal behavior must be one of forgiveness and turning the other cheek. But this is not the role of Government. Government must protect its people by punishing those who would not follow its laws. In this country, people on juries must ascertain the gilt or innocence of someone on trial.  God has said, in both the Old Testament (before the Law was given and in the Law itself) and in the New Testament, the punishment for murder is to be death.

God says to have nothing to do with people who claim to be Christians but who live sinfilled lives and refuse to repent.

God expects Christians to behave certain ways, and warns us to not have anything to do with those who call themselves Christians but live sinfilled lives. Indeed, we are warned that folks who call themselves God’s people, but are not, are dangerous to those who are truly God’s people.

Proverbs 14:7

Leave the presence of a fool, or you will not discern words of knowledge.

Proverbs 20:19

He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,
Therefore do not associate with a gossip.

Matthew 18:15-17

¹⁵ “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. ² For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. ³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵ not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; ⁶ and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. ⁷ For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. ⁸ So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

1 Corinthians 5:11

 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

Ephesians 5:8-12

  8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

 Titus 3:9-11

  9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

 1 Timothy 4:1-8

  The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.  6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

2 Timothy 2:15-17

¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. ¹⁶ But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

2 Timothy 3:1-7

  1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.  6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Apostles Today part 7

More on Apostles Today

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So, what’s the difference between the vision of a church and the vision of an apostle?

Not all visionary leaders are apostles, but every apostle is a visionary leader. I have met visionary leaders who are great orators, but who lack passion for the work; who lack a burden for the people or place about which they greatly proclaim a vision. Many such visionary leaders move on to the next best offer.

The apostle is not simply a good orator who can sell people on a vision for the church he pastors. The apostle’s calling will be to a people or place. The apostle’s vision will relate to that place or people. The apostle’s vision will be larger than any one “church”. Denominationalism does a great deal to complicate the work of the true apostle today. Many churches follow party lines, denominational leadership, and have no ears to hear the voice and vision of the true apostle. Centuries ago we lost the truth of the interdependence that exists between apostles and local churches.

The apostle’s vision will be a living vision. He will see how the gospel will spread through the people or the place. God will give him the ability to see what will be required for Jesus Christ to be lifted up to draw all men to Himself. The vision of the apostle will carry with it the anointing of God to reach the people or the place.

For more, see: http://rockymeadow.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/apostles-today-part-7/

Apostles Today part 6

 

More on Apostles Today:

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Imagine with me if you will, that an apostle to a specific region was placed in leadership of an agency with a global scope for making disciples. This man of God was quite effective in directing the work to reach the people of said region. For this, he was asked to take leadership of the work on a global level. If this man were as John Wesley, with a call from God which gave him a clear understanding that “the world is my parish” then all would be good. If this man were as John Knox, with a call from God which gave him a clear understanding that “give me Scotland or I die” then all would not be good. Knox was God-wired to reach Scotland and he pretty much focused himself to reach Scotland. Wesley was God-wired to reach more than a region or a people and his work spread across the globe.

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For more, see: http://rockymeadow.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/apostles-today-part-6/

Apostles Today Part 5

More on Apostles Today:

 

Every believer has the responsibility of making disciples (Matthew 28.18-20). However, God calls some people to go into other cultures to make disciples. The mission field is wherever someone is not yet a disciple. Being a missionary is not about travelling to another country. Nonetheless, God calls some men and women to do just that in order to make disciples. This calling is not the call to be an apostle in the Ephesians 4 sense of the word. Not all who are called are apostles.

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Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles (non-Jewish peoples). Peter was the apostle to the Jews (a people). Yet, Paul almost always started his work in a new city in the Jewish synagogue (where there was one) and Peter was sent by God to Cornelius, a Gentile. So, we cannot derive that an apostle to a people only works with that people group, but that his primary focus is making disciples among that people.

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There should be no confusion about the call of the apostle to a people or place in comparison to a man who has the title of “pastor” or even “apostle” within the hierarchy of the institutional church. The apostle in Ephesians 4 has a ministry that is far larger than any single church. That is not to say that an apostle might not actually hold such employment, but a true apostle will find great frustration in such a position. It must also be clearly understood that the call of the apostle is not the call to climb the leadership ladder of an organization, moving from one place to the next to get ahead in his career as a minister. However, it may occur that an apostle will end up at the head of an organization which ministers within a city or region or among a people or even all the peoples of the world.

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Paul suffered, but yet he had an unquenchable thirst to press on to carry the gospel further to reach Gentiles who had not yet been reached. An apostle today will suffer to get the gospel to the people or place to which he has been called by God. The apostle will weep over that people or place, will sweat to see to it that the gospel penetrates and sticks, will bleed to see Christ made known and disciples made – blood, sweat and tears, and sufferings beyond those are the reality of the apostle. The apostle will be poured out like a drink offering to reach the place or the people with the good news of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2.17 and 2 Timothy 4.6).

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See here for more: http://rockymeadow.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/apostles-today-part-5/

 

Apostles Today Part 4

More on Apostles Today….

 

So, what is the ministry of apostles in the church today?

First, let me emphatically state that God’s design for the apostle today is not to be a titled office holder in the hierarchy of the church. The apostle today is not a super church leader with authority over everyone else. The apostle today is not one who must be obeyed by everyone else without question.

Apostleship is not a spiritual gift. If someone claims to have “the gift of the apostle” they misunderstand what it means to be an apostle. In Ephesians 4.11 the texts says that God gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers to the church in order to have a complete and healthy church. Please do not misunderstand me – the man claiming to be an apostle is not necessarily God’s gift to the church.

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I believe the apostle today will have the following characteristics:

A call from God to a place or to a people.
A burden for reaching that place or people.
A vision of what God wants to do to reach that place or people.
A God-given strategy to reach that place or people.
A stewardship of the gospel for that place or people.

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see here for more: http://rockymeadow.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/apostles-today-part-4/