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God
Has Spoken By
Gilbert Alexander HUMAN
Will, is an endowment given by our Creator. Adam had it (Gen. 2:15-20); Eve had
it (Gen. 3:1-6); Cain and Abel had it (Gen. 4:1-12). The fact that mankind is
given a choice as to whom we shall serve (with consequent reward and/or
punishment) is meaningful only if we have the WILL or CAPABILITY of choice. The
justness of God in punishing disobedience is based squarely upon the ability of
humans to choose the course of their conduct in life (Deut. 28:1- 68; 30:19;
31:16-29; Jos. 24:14-25; Ezk. 18:30-32). Calls to REPENTANCE by John the
Immerser and Jesus the Christ were based on people's capability to respond in
obedient changes in their lives (Mk. 1:4-18). Those
who reject the calling of God unto Himself by the Gospel (2 Thes. 2:14) will be
JUSTLY punished because they CHOOSE not to obey the Gospel ( If
someone approaches you and says, "I come to you in the name of Jesus
Christ," how can you put him to the test? "Beloved, believe not every
spirit, by TRY the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets
are gone out into the world" (1 Jno. 4:1). By WHAT can we test any man and
any doctrine? We have ONLY ONE MEANS -- THE WORD OF GOD. By what means is the
WILL OF GOD FOR US revealed? We have only one source -- THE WORD OF GOD. All
else is speculative and uncertain. False teachers find a fertile field for
sowing in the realm of speculation and human philosophy, but a "thus saith
the Lord" quoted from the Scriptures serves to establish the truth
concerning a matter. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). One
can muddle around in uncertainty with never an assurance of knowing the truth,
OR one can turn to the Word of God, HANDLE IT ARIGHT, and be quided into that
which is ALL TRUTH (2 Tim. 2:15; Jno. 16:13; 2 Pet. 1:2-11), The Word of God
which lives and abides forever. WHICH COURSE WILL YOU CHOOSE? & Marriage
and Divorce (Part 1) By
Bob Myhan At
least 50% of all marriages in the God's
thoughts on any subject must always be respected above our own (Isa. 55:8-9).
The primary concern in any marriage, of course, ought not to be whether the
husband and wife get along (as important as that is), but whether their
relationship as husband and wife is pleasing to God. This involves a number of
factors, including whether they have a right to be married to one another in the
first place. Let
us begin by defining some of the terms we will be using. By “marriage” we
will mean either (1) “the social institution under which a man and woman
establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments,
religious ceremonies, etc.” or (2) “the state, condition or relationship of
being married.” By “divorce” we will mean either (1) “a judicial
declaration dissolving a marriage in whole or in part, esp. one that releases
the husband and wife from all matrimonial obligations” or (2) “to break the
marriage contract between oneself and one’s spouse by divorce.” Other terms
will be defined as they are introduced. While
some marriages and divorces are scriptural and some are not, all legal marriages
are marriages and all legal divorces are divorces. One cannot be “married
to” and “divorced from” the same person at the same time. Such phrases as,
“married in the eyes of God” or
“divorced in the eyes of God,” merely cloud the issue. What,
for example, does “in the eyes of God” mean? It is much better, at least for
the sake of clarity, to speak of marriages and divorces from the standpoint of
whether they are in accordance with the Scriptures, especially the New
Testament. In
the beginning, after creating man from the dust of the earth, God said, "It
is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to
him" (Gen. 2:18). God wanted Adam to feel the need for a
companion who would be fitting for him emotionally, socially and spiritually, as
well as physically. So, prior to creating woman, He brought to Adam “every
beast of the field and every bird of the air” (Gen. 2:19). As Adam
went about naming them, he could not help but notice that for every male there
was a suitable female—the lioness for the lion, the hen for the rooster, etc. “But
for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him” (Gen.
2:20). Unlike
the beasts of the field and birds of the air, man is not merely conscious, but
self-conscious, and would need a self-conscious counterpart. Birds, insects,
reptiles and other lower creatures are primarily led by instinct, while man has
the ability to choose alternatives. Therefore, he would need a partner who
likewise had the power of choice. While many animals have the ability to
communicate with others of their own kind, only man has the ability to converse.
Because of this, he would need a companion with whom he could exchange ideas.
Man, unlike beasts, has a moral sense; so he would need a partner who could also
distinguish right from wrong. These differences between man and the other
creatures resulted from man having been created "in
the image of God" (Gen. 1:27). In
order to satisfy the man’s need for a suitable mate, “the
LORD
God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his
ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD
God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man”
(Gen. 2:21-22). Centuries
later, when asked about the right of “a
man to divorce his wife for just any reason,” Jesus “answered
and said to them, ‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning
“made them male and female,” and said, “For this reason a man shall leave
his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh”? So then, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has
joined together, let not man separate’” (Matt. 19:3-6). Thus,
in a scriptural marriage, God binds a man and woman to one another. This simply
means they are mutually constrained to fulfill the responsibilities of marriage,
and restrained from having any other marriage partner. While the state may join
two persons together in a legal marriage, only God can join them together in the
marriage bond. Because
marriage is intended by God to be a permanent relationship, it should not be
entered into lightly or lightly ended. Each party to a scriptural marriage
should be fully committed thereto. In view of this important element, marriage
should be viewed as a covenant relationship between two committed people and
God.
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