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What does the Bible Say about Divorce and Remarriage?
Divorce is commonplace in our society. We are all impacted by divorce, either directly or indirectly. We either have family members who are divorced, or know people who are divorced. It is the way of our culture. But, what does the Bible say about marriage and divorce? The Bible unquestionably portrays marriage as a permanent covenant. God created the two sexes (Gen 1:27), and ordained the institution of marriage (Gen 2:18–25). In Gen 2:24, marriage is described by the terms “leaving” (עזב) and “holding fast” (דבק). These terms have specific application in covenantal contexts. The word for “holding fast” (דבק) implies a complete devotion and unshakable, permanent bond. Further, the marriage relationship results in a “one flesh” relationship between the husband and wife. Referring to this passage, Jesus notes, “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matt 19:6).…
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13 Practical Steps to Improve Self-Discipline
It seems to me that self-discipline is the forgotten fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Yet all the great men and women of God seem to be marked by it. On that point, I am often reminded of the importance of discipline by this quote from Dr. Martyn-Lloyd Jones: I defy you to read the life of any saint that has ever adorned the life of the Church without seeing at once that the greatest characteristic in the life of that saint was discipline and order. Invariably it is the universal characteristic of all the outstanding men and women of God…. Obviously it is something that is thoroughly scriptural and absolutely essential (Spiritual Depression, 210). Self-discipline is such an essential part of the Christian life that Paul’s specifically instructs older men (Titus 2:2), older and younger women (Titus 2:5), and younger men (Titus 2:6) all to be “sensible” (“self-controlled” in the ESV). Just…
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Taxation is Theft
The phrase, “Taxation is theft” has become a bit of a mantra for more and more Christians. This is partially due to the influence of the libertarian political philosophy in the Christian sphere. Libertarianism has received increasing support from Christians, partially due to the last political cycle and the efforts for increased governmental control in the United States. Although it would be helpful to discuss the philosophy of Libertarianism in general, in this post I am only interested in dealing with the subject of whether or not taxation is theft. Just to show that this is indeed a contemporary issue, consider some of the recent quotes on this issue: “The libertarian view of taxes is simply that taxes should not exist in the first place. There should be no tax code because taxation is theft and violates the non-aggression principle.” (Laurence Vance) “I have already said and illustrated this numerous…
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Why Everyone Should Discriminate
“We never discriminate!” “Discrimination is evil!” Such cries are part of the culture today, yet I challenge the sanity of such claims. First of all, what exactly is discrimination? Meriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the verb “discriminate” as follows: As transitive verb: • to mark or perceive the distinguishing or peculiar features of • to distinguish, differentiate • to distinguish by discerning or exposing differences: to recognize or identify as separate and distinct As intransitive verb: • To make a distinction • To make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit Can we all agree on one obvious observation? None of these definitions are inherently negative. In fact, the core idea of discrimination comes from the Latin word discriminare, which simply means to divide or separate. In other words, discrimination is simply, in the words of Webster, “making a distinction.” Imagine the nonsensical idea of someone…
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The Christian and Fiction
Growing up I remember some people in my church telling me that the books about Harry Potter were from the Devil, and no Christians should read them. I didn’t really pay too much attention to the debate because I was not interested in those books at that time anyway. However, as I grew older I became much more of a reader. I currently try to read every day, and read from a wide variety of genres. The last year and a half I stepped up my fiction reading, and have completed the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter Series), J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter), and Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson). My fiction reading has helped increase my reading speed and ability to focus. It has also given my imagination a needed boost. In my opinion the above are a few of the many benefits of reading fiction for the Christian.…
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Should Christians be Pacifists?
Earlier this week I listened to a debate on whether or not Christians should ever engage in violence. The discussion was a good one, and is worth thinking through. A pacifist believes that a Christian should not engage in violence. To the pacifist, Christ’s command to love one’s enemy prohibits them from doing violence to them (Matt 5:44). After all, it is kind of hard to love your enemy while you are beating him up or killing him. To the pacifist then, there is never any justification for aggressive self-defense or for fighting in wars. I want to approach this subject and examine a few biblical texts that hold application for our thoughts on this. The first thing to consider is that the government is ordained by God to use violence to ensure law and order. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from…
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God Looks at the Heart
One day at the beginning of the semester, while I was a student at the Master’s College, I was working out at the campus fitness center and I noticed a fellow student working out. He was the same height as me, but bigger than I was, weighing in about 210 LBS. He had scraggly facial hair and what appeared to be a strong work ethic. I said hello to him and found out he was on the baseball team with us and had just transferred in from a Junior College out of state. My immediate thought was this: “Let’s see here… big guy who works out a lot, transfer from a Junior College… well, he is probably unsaved or an immature Christian at the very least!” Well, I ended up being dead wrong and found out he loved the Lord more than anything, and he was a solid believer all…
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Should Women Wear Head Coverings?
If you walk into almost any church in North America this Sunday you will not see many (if any) women wearing a head covering. However, 1 Cor 11:2-16 seems to indicate that head coverings should be worn by women during the church service. To further complicate matters, one of the reasons given in 1 Cor 11 is because of God’s created order. If Paul is supporting head coverings from the created order, are we not obligated to continue this practice which all the churches of Paul’s time observed (1 Cor 11:16)? This is notoriously one of the most difficult passages to interpret. Some people claim that because of the many exegetical difficulties, this passage should not be used for discussion on gender and roles. However, despite some of the contextual difficulties, I think the passage is clear enough to trace the overall argument and make an informed theological decision regarding…
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How to Deal with Conflict as a Christian
Every relationship known to mankind has the potential for conflict. Thank Adam and Eve for that. Granted, some conflicts can be minor, but sadly some can be major. The pressing issue in relationships is not if there is conflict, but rather how to deal with it so that only minor conflicts remain. Scripture obviously gives important instruction on dealing with conflict. One of the best verses on dealing with conflict is Prov 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” It is very important to speak kindly and softly when possible. There are so many escalated conflicts that could have been avoiding if both parties would have simply spoken kindly to one another (cf. Col 4:6). Although speaking kindly is important, there is also an entire mindset that must be present in dealing with conflict. This mindset focuses on self, not on others. Not…
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Book Review: What is the Meaning of Sex?
This weekend I decided to read a book which was recommended by Al Mohler and Russell Moore entitled, What is the Meaning of Sex, by Denny Burk, published by Crossway. I picked it up from the local library not really knowing much about Denny Burk. Denny Burk is a PhD graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and currently is a professor at Boyce College (the undergraduate program of SBTS). He is an associate pastor in Louisville, KY, and edits The Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood. He also blogs at dennyburk.com. Burk divides the book into eight main sections, bordered by an introduction and conclusion. The outline of the chapters are as follows: Glorify God with Your Body Glorify God with Your Hermeneutic Glorify God with Your Marriage Glorify God with Your Conjugal Union Glorify God with Your Family Planning Glorify God with Your Gender Glorify God with Your Sexuality…