Christ's Instructions

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73) 1Cor 7:5 . . Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for
a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come
together again, that Satan not tempt you by means of your lack of self
control.

I think it goes without saying that spouses have an inalienable right to
expect their need for companionship to be satisfied in marriage; and if one,
or both, is feeling lonely and/or marginalized at home, then they're being
deprived their privileges and will be vulnerable to unfaithfulness when
someone comes along with whom they click.

I heard a story some time ago about a rather conniving Christian woman
who wanted a divorce from her Christian husband; but seeing as how God
only allows death or adultery to dissolve the marital bond; she began
deliberately avoiding her husband in order to force him to think about
finding an alternative; and when he did; she proceeded to divorce him on
the grounds of infidelity. That way, in her mind's eye, she was the victim
and he the villain. (chuckle) What people won't do to circumvent the laws of
God.
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[Behold]

but seeing as how God
only allows death or adultery to dissolve the marital bond;
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Actually thats not true.

In fact, if you are born again, after you are already married to an unbeliever, and you and your mate can't make it work, as the situation is now 'unequally yoked" then you can part and remarry.

Or, lets say you have a Christian daughter, who is married to a " christian" violent psychopath, and she learns this, after they are married.
And He takes her, to a far away state, and begins to abuse her, and eventually has her chained in the basement.
He comes in to feed, rape, beat, repeat.
This goes on for a few years, and you've heard nothing as He's not going to let her use the phone to cry for HELP !!
So, one day, she escapes.

God has no issue at all with your daughter "dissolving the marriage bond" to get away from that "Christian husband" for life..... and if you have a problem with it, then you have a big problem, that Legalism has created, in your head.

So, it can be that Christians make a mistake... And sometimes a big mistake is who they marry.

Listen up, Reader... God is not just the author of eternal Salvation.. God is the author of RESTORATION and the 2nd Chance, and more.

God does not require His children to live in Hell on earth, to suit someone's inability to understand or face reality, much less the Grace of God.

 

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74) 1Cor 7:8-9 . . Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for
them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they
should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn.

Paul said it's good to remain single; but he didn't say it's best.

The Greek word translated "burn" basically means to kindle, to ignite, to
glow, and/or to be inflamed. I seriously doubt Paul meant to convey the
thought that the believers who lacked self control at Corinth were in grave
danger of the flames of Hell since he had already assured them in 1Cor 6:9
11 that they were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of The Lord
Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul was one of those kinds of men with a very low-powered libido. But not
everyone is like him; nor is everyone cut out to live alone.

Webster's defines "celibacy" as (1) the state of not being married, (2)
abstention from sexual intercourse, and (3) abstention by vow from
marriage. Celibacy then, isn't limited to zero carnal activity; it includes zero
marriage; even platonic unions.

Not long ago, a Catholic priest here in Oregon quit the priesthood after
serving more than 30 years in order to get married because he couldn't
stand being alone anymore. He wasn't especially looking to get naked with
somebody, he just wanted a companion; which is exactly how normal guys
are designed.

"The Lord God said: It's not good for Adam to be solitary" (Gen 2:18)

The problem with a vow of celibacy is that although it may hinder a priest
from getting married, it does nothing to prevent him from pining for a
female companion. 1Cor 7:9 should suffice to silence the mouths of ascetics
who preach it's holy to abstain from every form of earthly pleasure; and also
the mouths of those who preach it's a sin to marry solely to obtain someone
to sleep with.

NOTE: Typical wedding vows are unconditional, i.e. couples, as a rule, don't
promise to love each other in proportion to the amount of love they get from
the other. It would be educational for couples to review their vows now and
again to see just how conscientious they've been in complying with the
unconditional portions of their vows.
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75) 1Cor 7:10-11a . . Unto the married I command-- yet not I, but The Lord
--let not the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her
remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband.

Divorcing a spouse for any cause other than infidelity is unacceptable. (Mat
5:32) However, separation is a different issue and is sometimes essential for
the safety and welfare of abused women.

● 1Cor 7:11b . . And let not the husband put away his wife.

You know, we really can't expect a man to continue living in the same house
with a woman who routinely slams the poor guy with demeaning ridicule and
denigrating comments and/or constantly rakes him over the coals with
relentless fault-finding and cruel sarcasm, and maybe even pours scalding
water on her husband while he's sleeping or burns his face with a steam
iron.
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76) 1Cor 7:12-13 . . If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she
be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman
which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with
her, let her not leave him.

It's not all that unusual for marriages to start off on common ground, and
then later on to become religiously divided; like for instance when one of the
spouses gets converted at a Luis Palau crusade, or both start out as
Christians and one switches over to Buddhism. As long as the situation
doesn't cause intolerable friction in the home, the couple should stay
together.

● 1Cor 7:14-15 . . For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and
the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children
would be unclean, but now they are holy.

According to Matt 5:32 and Matt 19:9, divorce and remarriage are holy only
if one of the spouses has been unfaithful. So; if a believing spouse divorces
their unbelieving spouse solely on the grounds of religious differences, and
remarries; then as far as the New Testament is concerned, any children
produced in the second marriage will be illegitimate.
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[Illuminator]

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74) 1Cor 7:8-9 . . Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for
them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they
should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn.

Paul said it's good to remain single; but he didn't say it's best.

The Greek word translated "burn" basically means to kindle, to ignite, to
glow, and/or to be inflamed. I seriously doubt Paul meant to convey the
thought that the believers who lacked self control at Corinth were in grave
danger of the flames of Hell since he had already assured them in 1Cor 6:9
11 that they were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of The Lord
Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul was one of those kinds of men with a very low-powered libido. But not
everyone is like him; nor is everyone cut out to live alone.

Webster's defines "celibacy" as (1) the state of not being married, (2)
abstention from sexual intercourse, and (3) abstention by vow from
marriage. Celibacy then, isn't limited to zero carnal activity; it includes zero
marriage; even platonic unions.

Not long ago, a Catholic priest here in Oregon quit the priesthood after
serving more than 30 years in order to get married because he couldn't
stand being alone anymore. He wasn't especially looking to get naked with
somebody, he just wanted a companion; which is exactly how normal guys
are designed.

"The Lord God said: It's not good for Adam to be solitary" (Gen 2:18)

The problem with a vow of celibacy is that although it may hinder a priest
from getting married, it does nothing to prevent him from pining for a
female companion. 1Cor 7:9 should suffice to silence the mouths of ascetics
who preach it's holy to abstain from every form of earthly pleasure; and also
the mouths of those who preach it's a sin to marry solely to obtain someone
to sleep with.

NOTE: Typical wedding vows are unconditional, i.e. couples, as a rule, don't
promise to love each other in proportion to the amount of love they get from
the other. It would be educational for couples to review their vows now and
again to see just how conscientious they've been in complying with the
unconditional portions of their vows.
_

Jesus and Paul were celibates; your attempt to trash celibacy in the priesthood is reckless and grossly ill-informed. Is it inconceivable to you for a devout Christian to give up EVERYTHING for full time service??? He must be mental!! Maybe that's your problem, aside from being a DEAD Catholic for 24 years. You are at war with phantoms of your own creation.

Celibacy is a process. If it is pretense it is hypocrisy -- the gravest religious sin.

The reality of celibate life: Reflections from Henri Nouwen

Recently I was in the process of cleaning out some files and ran across a July 1991 letter from Henri Nouwen. He and I had spent a year together during the mid 1960s in Topeka, Kansas at the Menninger Foundation’s training programs for clergy counselors. We had kept in casual contact afterward. He

www.ncronline.org

 

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77) 1Cor 7:15 . . 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.

In this situation, Christians are neither required, nor encouraged, nor under
even the slightest obligation to attempt reconciliation; rather, "let him
depart" strictly forbids getting back together with the unbeliever.

The unbeliever's departure is a golden opportunity, to permanently escape a
difficult situation that Christ's followers would be foolish to let slip through
their fingers.
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[Illuminator]

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77) 1Cor 7:15 . . 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.

In this situation, Christians are neither required, nor encouraged, nor under
even the slightest obligation to attempt reconciliation; rather, "let him
depart" strictly forbids getting back together with the unbeliever.

What if a broken couple want to give it one last try?

The unbeliever's departure is a golden opportunity, to permanently escape a
difficult situation that Christ's followers would be foolish to let slip through
their fingers.
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The Retrouvaille Program is for Married Couples Facing Difficult Challenges in their Relationship​

• A Marriage program that helps couples restore their marriage and rebuild a loving relationship.
• A Christian marriage program, Catholic in origin, where couples of all faiths or no faith background are encouraged to attend.
• Primarily a practical program to improve communication, build stronger marriages, and help couples reconnect.
• Presenters are not trained marriage counselors, but rather couples sharing their personal stories of marital struggles and the tools they used to rediscover their love.

Retrouvaille Marriage Help Program For Struggling Couples

A Marriage program that helps couples in struggling marriages restore and rebuild a healthy and loving relationship.

retrouvaille.org

 

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78) 1Cor 7:17 . . But as God hath distributed to every man, as The Lord
hath called every one, so let him walk.

"distribution" is likely talking about spiritual gifts. All of Christ's believing
followers are supposed to have at least one.

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are
differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities
of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the
manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one
is given by the Spirit, yada, yada, yada." (1Cor 12:5-8)

The "call" likely includes the venue where each individual's gift is put to good
use for The Lord. I don't think we need to worry about how to find that
venue; it'll find us. Thing is, stay in your own zone; don't crash somebody
else's party and/or stick your nose into something that's none of your
spiritual business, and quite possibly out of your spiritual depth too.
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[Illuminator]

Thing is, stay in your own zone; don't crash somebody
else's party and/or stick your nose into something that's none of your
spiritual business, and quite possibly out of your spiritual depth too.
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Wise words.
IT was Pentecost Monday of May, 1975. A prophecy was given in Rome in St. Peter’s Square by a layman little known at the time. Ralph Martin, one of the founders of what is known today as the “Charismatic Renewal,” spoke a word which seems to be drawing ever closer to fulfillment.

Because I love you, I want to show you what I am doing in the world today. I want to prepare you for what is to come. Days of darkness are coming on the world, days of tribulation… Buildings that are now standing will not be standing. Supports that are there for My people now will not be there. I want you to be prepared, My people, to know only Me and to cleave to Me and to have Me in a way deeper than ever before. I will lead you into the desert… I will strip you of everything that you are depending on now, so you depend just on Me. A time of darkness is coming on the world, but a time of glory is coming for My Church, a time of glory is coming for My people. I will pour out on you all the gifts of my Spirit. I will prepare you for spiritual combat; I will prepare you for a time of evangelism that the world has never seen…. And when you have nothing but me, you will have everything: land, fields, homes, and brothers and sisters and love and joy and peace more than ever before. Be ready, My people, I want to prepare you…

The Prophecy at Rome

IT was Pentecost Monday of May, 1975. A prophecy was given in Rome in St. Peter's Square by a layman little known at the time. Ralph Martin, one of the founders of what is known today as the 'Charismatic Renewal,' spoke a word which seems to be drawing ever closer to fulfillment.

www.markmallett.com

Pope greets prophet.

 

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79) 1Cor 7:18a . . Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become
uncircumcised.

It was of course impossible to literally reverse circumcision in Paul's day.
However, there did exist a procedure to ceremoniously reverse it. (cf.
1Maccabees 1:15)

● 1Cor 7:18b . . Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.

The circumcision in question is ritual circumcision; specifically the initiation
rite into Judaism.

Paul's advice is very practical because when men undergo Judaism's
circumcision rite, they obligate themselves to comply with the covenant that
Moses' people agreed upon with God on oath per Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

As a result; they put themselves in danger of God slamming them with the
curses for noncompliance listed at Lev 26:3-38, Deut 27:15-26, and Deut
28:1-69. (cf. Gal 3:10)

All one has to do is research the last 3,500 years of the Jews' history, up to
and including the Holocaust, to see for themselves that God is serious about
those curses.

FAQ: If 1Cor 7:18b is a hard and fast rule, then why did Paul circumcise
Timothy at Acts 16:1-3?

REPLY: The procedure wasn't done to initiate Timothy into Judaism, but
rather, so that the Jews wouldn't make an issue of Paul associating with an
uncircumcised Gentile which, in their minds, would effectively invalidate his
message.

A similar problem exists today among Christians fixated on a particular
translation of the Bible. They will not listen to a teacher, not even a Spirit
empowered teacher, unless he quotes from their favorite version. In their
minds; all who use any other version are heretics right from the get-go.
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80) 1Cor 7:20 . . Each one should remain in the situation which he was in
when God called him.

I once knew a really good Christian man who felt guilty never going out as a
missionary to a foreign land to help people less fortunate than himself. Well,
I assured him that somebody has to stay back here in the States and hold
down a job in order to earn the money needed to finance missions already in
place.

The ratio of soldiers in the rear compared to the ones at the front is
something like six to one. It takes a massive support base to keep our guys
on the line out there facing off with the other guys; all the way from workers
in state-side factories manufacturing war materiel, to the sailors, soldiers,
and airmen moving men and materiel over land and seas, to the doctors and
nurses staffing MASH facilities, to the guys and girls driving supply trucks to
the front. We can't all be in the bush. Somebody has to be in the rear with
the gear.

So take comfort in knowing that if you're involved in the effort, then you're a
part of the effort; and will be rewarded accordingly. (cf. 1Sam 30:1-25 and
Matt 20:1-16)
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81) 1Cor 7:21-22 . . Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned
about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called in
The Lord while a slave is The Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called
while free is Christ's slave.

Were this the only life, then slavery would be a terrible fate because there
would be nothing better to look forward to; viz: Christian slaves should think
of their situation as only a temporary set-back. They're missing out on the
best that life has to offer for now, but I'm pretty sure they can look forward
to Christ making it up to them in the next life.

The situation of Christians behind bars, without possibility of either release
or parole, is little different than that of slaves. However, though their time
inside may be for life, it isn't permanent. No, their time inside is just a bump
in the road: it's not the end of the road.

As I was watching a prison documentary on NetFlix some time ago, one of
the inmates interviewed-- an elderly man sweeping with a broom out in the
yard --said, in so many words: Guys come in here thinking their life is over.
It ain't over, it's just different.

That old guy was a lifer, but he was at peace with his situation-- an amazing
attitude for an institutionalized man with no hope of ever again having a
normal life on the outside.
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82) 1Cor 7:23 . .You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

Selling one's body into slave labor was a very common method for settling
debts in a world where bankruptcy wasn't an option (cf. Matt 5:25-26)
whereas selling one's soul is something far more serious.
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83) 1Cor 7:24 . . Brethren, let each one remain with God in the situation in
which he was called.

If you're a slave; don't become a runaway slave. If you're a secretary, don't
quit your job and/or abandon your husband to run off and become another
Joan of Arc. Stay put; always keeping in mind that whether slave, free, or
crusader; will make no difference in your association with God.

NOTE: Ambitious Christians sometimes feel as though they are not being
utilized by God to their fullest potential, i.e. they could be doing more. Well;
it just might be that in His opinion you're doing enough, and more is a nice
thought, but unnecessary.
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84) 1Cor 7:25 . . Now about virgins: I have no command from The Lord, but
I give a judgment as one who by The Lord's mercy is trustworthy.

The Greek word translated "virgins" is parthenos (par-then'-os) which
basically refers to girls not yet married. Here in American we assume virgins
are girls not yet sexually active but in that ancient culture, it was more
about a girl's age and/or marital status rather than her private life.

There's an ancient temple in Greece called the Parthenon; which was at one
time a sort of shrine to the goddess Athena (a.k.a. Minerva). Apparently it
was common for Athena's followers to donate their young girls to her
service.

I'm guessing that the Christians in ancient Corinth, influenced by Greek and
Roman culture, were curious whether they were supposed to donate their
young girls to Christ's service; viz: make nuns of them; which of course
would seal them into celibacy and thus preclude the possibility of ever
having a man and a family of their own.

Paul's claim to be "trustworthy" is saying that he could be relied upon to
speak as Christ and for Christ on certain issues without having to first
inquire the Lord's mind about them.

That's a pretty advanced degree of inspiration when somebody is 110%
confident that their thoughts on a matter are God's thoughts.

Too many Christians are wishy-washy. They have an annoying habit of
pontificating their opinions as the God's truth when, in reality, they have
neither the authority nor the confidence to stand up and announce
themselves trustworthy, i.e. infallible.
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85) 1Cor 7:26-28 . . Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for
you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you
unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned;
and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.

The "present crisis" probably relates to circumstances that make it difficult
and/or inadvisable to settle down and raise a family, e.g. Jer 16:1-4 and
Matt 24:19-22.

However, marriage, overall, doesn't displease God; and best of all, the
Corinthian Christians didn't have to donate their maidens to Christ as nuns;
rather, the girls were perfectly at liberty to settle down with a man.
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86) 1Cor 7:36 . . If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin
he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought
to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get
married.

We have a saying in America that goes like this: So and so married what's
her name and made a decent woman out of her. Well, most grown-ups know
what that means without me having to say so. The point is: if a Christian
man finds himself on the brink of exceeding the limits of propriety with his
best girl; it's time to either break up or tie the knot.

And then too there's the so-called biological clock that stalks women during
their productive years. It's cruel, unthinkable, and utterly selfish and
psychopathic of a man to keep a girl on hold during those years if and when
he's fully aware that she's longing to settle down and have a family of her
own. A man who does that has no clue as the meaning of words like love
and honor.
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87) 1Cor 7:39 . . A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But
if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must be
in The Lord.

When people sound-bite a verse like that one out of context, they run the
risk of coming to some very false conclusions; and one of those is that
Christians can never, under any circumstances, divorce and remarry while
their spouses are alive. Well, obviously they can, under certain conditions.
(e.g. Matt 5:32) In other words: an unfaithful husband is a dead husband,
i.e. he's reckoned deceased.

However, a Christian ex-wife has to be careful not to re-marry outside her
faith as that would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. (cf.
2Cor 6:14-18)
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88) 1Cor 8:4-13 can be said to be a codicil to the 14th chapter of Romans.

Putting this into a modern context: In my State of Oregon, we have tavern
style restaurants; viz: a section of the tavern is a bar, and another section is
dedicated to dining. The bar sections usually host State-sanctioned gambling
machines and typically off-limits to minors.

Suppose you have Christian friends who sincerely feel it's wrong to dine in a
tavern-style restaurant because of the alcohol and the gambling. Though
you yourself might be comfortable in your own mind that there is no sin in
dining at taverns, your friends are not so sure. So if you were to take them
to a tavern, they would be committing sin in compromising their conscience;
and you would be committing sin by knowingly leading them into a situation
that causes them to make that compromise. (Rom 15:1-2)

Another pertinent example is Hooters; where the waitresses are cute buxom
girls filled out in all the right places clothed in short shorts, and clingy tops;
so that the situation is a double whammy of babes and alcohol. Supposing
your Christian buddy sincerely feels it's wrong for Christian men to dine at
Hooters? Then you would be wrong in taking him there for a burger even if
you were convinced in your own mind there is nothing wrong with Hooters
because you would be leading your Christian buddy into a situation that
causes him to feel guilty and/or less of himself.

The Bible says that Christians should accommodate others to their
edification (edification means to build someone up as opposed to tearing
them down), Well, when we please ourselves to their detriment; that's very
bad. Some guys feel that cute buxom girls and yummy gams are a God
send, while other guys regard them as the Devil in disguise. The correct
route here is to accommodate the more sensitive conscience. (Rom 14:3-4)

Self defense is another gray area. Some Christians sincerely believe they
should "turn the other cheek" in every situation, even criminal situations;
while others believe it is permissible to use as much force and violence as is
necessary to prevent the commission of a felony-- even lethal force and
violence. Let each individual be fully persuaded in their own mind rather
than someone else's mind. (Rom 14:5)
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