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Rebellion and Exponential Evil
“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment, and if he did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, when God brought a flood on an ungodly world, and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, having appointed them to serve as an example to future generations of the ungodly, and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle of lawless men, (for while…
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Fighting for Our Marriages: Guarding against emotional affairs & a great resource
If every reporter who recently savaged (or even snorted at) Vice-President Mike Pence for not dining or working late alone with women other than his wife would simply google “where do affairs happen the most,” they might change their tune. They would find that anywhere from 38–53 million men in the U.S. have cheated on their wives, touching one in every three couples. And that 65-85% of adulterous affairs begin at work. They would also find that few consciously decide to start an affair. According to Focus on the Family, “affair partners are usually happy in their marriages and have no plans to leave their spouses. Because of the gradual slide toward…
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“Christian” Homosexuality Advocates, part 2
“They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or the things they insist on so confidently” (1 Timothy 1:7). These columns are in response to a reader named Donald, who wrote to me in the comments section of my column entitled, “Should a Christian Attend a Homosexual Wedding?” In his comments, Donald laid the foundation for reinterpreting or dismissing the passages of Scripture which teach that homosexuality is a sin. (For part one of this series, see here.) In his response we read, “I do not see Scripture as saying that every homosexual act is a sin, although some translations may…
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God Hates Divorce—But He Did It!
Often when we talk about a biblical view of divorce, we quote Malachi: “God hates divorce” (2:16). And it’s true. He does. But does that mean God hates the actions of anyone who initiates a legal divorce? God himself said he divorced Israel (Isa. 50:1; Jer. 3, and possibly Hosea). And of course God is God, so he can do whatever he pleases. Nevertheless, many wonder…if God hates divorce, did he hate his own actions? To answer this question, we need to look at the context of Malachi’s statement. God’s words, “I hate divorce,” follow an accusation against husbands who chose to do violence to their covenant marriages by divorcing…
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The Seventh Opportunity
The Seventh Commandment states that we are not to commit adultery (Exodus 20:14). When God made the first man Adam He saw that it was not good for him to be without a companion (1) (Genesis 2:18). However, no animal was worthy to be called the helpmate or wife of the man (Genesis 2:20). Therefore, God put the first man Adam to sleep and from his side took cells from which he made a woman, and Adam named her Eve (Genesis 2:21-23. Genesis 3:20). This is the pattern for the nuclear family on Earth – one male and one female united for life (Genesis 2:24). Not two males or two…
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When to Break a Promise
An important part of integrity is keeping one’s word. But are there times when breaking a promise is the right thing to do? I think so. And I think God is honored when we do. We need to make a distinction between giving our word on a legitimate matter—such as wedding vows, signing a legal contract, or even promising to bake six dozen cookies for the PTA bake sale—and making promises that are foolish or sinful in the first place. I know a number of women struggling to disengage from emotionally dependent relationships with other women. Emotional dependency is putting all your emotional and relational eggs in another’s basket, so to…
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Lay Me to Rest with Leah the Lovely!
Isaac, son of Abraham by Sarah, did not want his second son Jacob (aka, Israel, Genesis 35:10) to marry into a foreign bloodline but rather his own descendants (Genesis 28:1,2). Nevertheless, Jacob was obedient to his father, traveling to his grandfather Laban’s house to meet his first cousin Rachel (Genesis 29:1-16). Rachel was pretty to look upon in face and figure – a combination that can cause a man to fall in love with how they feel when they are around them (Genesis 29:17. 1 John 2:16). Note I said, “fall in love with the way they feel when around them,” and we men (and women, too) can translate this emotional response…
