Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Why did God allow polygamy / bigamy in the Bible?


Question: "Why did God allow polygamy / bigamy in the Bible?"

Answer: The question of polygamy is an interesting one in that most people today view polygamy as immoral while the Bible nowhere explicitly condemns it. The first instance of polygamy/bigamy in the Bible was that of Lamech in Genesis 4:19: “Lamech married two women.” Several prominent men in the Old Testament were polygamists. Abraham, Jacob, David,
Solomon, and others all had multiple wives. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (essentially wives of a lower status), according to 1 Kings 11:3. What are we to do with these instances of polygamy in the Old Testament? There are three questions that need to be answered: 1) Why did God allow polygamy in the Old Testament? 2) How does God view polygamy today? 3) Why did it change?

1) Why did God allow polygamy in the Old Testament? The Bible does not specifically say why God allowed polygamy. As we speculate about God’s silence, there are a few key factors to consider. First, while there are slightly more male babies than female babies, due to women having longer lifespans, there have always been more women in the world than men. Current statistics show that approximately 50.5 percent of the world population are women. Assuming the same percentages in ancient times, and multiplied by millions of people, there would be tens of thousands more women than men. Second, warfare in ancient times was especially brutal,
with an incredibly high rate of fatality. This would have resulted in an even greater percentage of women to men. Third, due to patriarchal societies, it was nearly impossible for an unmarried woman to provide for herself. Women were often uneducated and untrained. Women relied on their fathers, brothers, and husbands for provision and protection. Unmarried women were often subjected to prostitution and slavery. The significant difference between the number of women and men would have left many, many women in an undesirable situation.

So, it seems that God may have allowed polygamy to protect and provide for the women who could not find a husband otherwise. A man would take multiple wives and serve as the provider and protector of all of them. While definitely not ideal, living in a polygamist household was far better than the alternatives: prostitution, slavery, or starvation. In addition to the protection/provision factor, polygamy enabled a much faster expansion of humanity, fulfilling God’s command to “be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth” (Genesis 9:7). Men are capable of impregnating multiple women in the same time period, causing humanity to grow much faster than if each man was only producing one child each year.

2) How does God view polygamy today? Even while allowing polygamy, the Bible presents monogamy as the plan which conforms most closely to God’s ideal for marriage. The Bible says that God’s original intention was for one man to be married to only one woman: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife [not wives], and they will become one flesh [not fleshes]” (Genesis 2:24). While Genesis 2:24 is describing what marriage is, rather than how many people are involved, the consistent use of the singular should be noted. In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, God says that the kings were not supposed to multiply wives (or horses or gold). While this cannot be interpreted as a command that the kings must be monogamous, it can be understood as declaring that having multiple wives causes problems. This can be clearly seen in the life of Solomon (1 Kings 11:3-4).

In the New Testament, 1 Timothy 3:2, 12 and Titus 1:6 give “the husband of one wife” in a list of qualifications for spiritual leadership. There is some debate as to what specifically this qualification means. The phrase could literally be translated “a one-woman man.” Whether or not this phrase is referring exclusively to polygamy, in no sense can a polygamist be
considered a “one-woman man.” While these qualifications are specifically for positions of spiritual leadership, they should apply equally to all Christians. Should not all Christians be “above reproach...temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” (1 Timothy 3:2-4)? If we are called to be holy (1 Peter 1:16), and if these standards are holy for elders and deacons, then they are holy for all.

Ephesians 5:22-33 speaks of the relationship between husbands and wives. When referring to a husband (singular), it always also refers to a wife (singular). “For the husband is the head of the wife [singular] … He who loves his wife [singular] loves himself. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife [singular], and the two will become one flesh....Each one of you also must love his wife [singular] as he loves himself, and the wife [singular] must respect her husband [singular].” While a somewhat parallel passage, Colossians 3:18-19, refers to husbands and wives in the plural, it is clear that Paul is addressing all the husbands and wives among the Colossian believers, not stating that a husband might have
multiple wives. In contrast, Ephesians 5:22-33 is specifically describing the marital relationship. If polygamy were allowable, the entire illustration of Christ’s relationship with His body (the church) and the husband-wife relationship falls apart.

3) Why did it change? It is not so much God’s disallowing something He previously allowed as it is God’s restoring marriage to His original plan. Even going back to Adam and Eve, polygamy was not God’s original intent. God seems to have allowed polygamy to solve a problem, but it is not the ideal. In most modern societies, there is absolutely no need for polygamy. In most cultures today, women are able to provide for and protect themselves—removing the only “positive” aspect of polygamy. Further, most modern nations outlaw polygamy. According to Romans 13:1-7, we are to obey the laws the government establishes. The only instance in which disobeying the law is permitted by Scripture is if the law contradicts God’s commands (Acts 5:29). Since God only allows for polygamy, and does not command it, a law prohibiting polygamy should be upheld.

Are there some instances in which the allowance for polygamy would still apply today? Perhaps, but it is unfathomable that there would be no other possible solution. Due to the “one flesh” aspect of marriage, the need for oneness and harmony in marriage, and the lack of any real need for polygamy, it is our firm belief that polygamy does not honor God and is not His design for marriage.Recommended Resource: Bible Answers for Almost all Your Questions by Elmer Towns

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Sunday, February 12, 2017

Absolute truth—and winning the ‘culture wars’

How to stop Christians falling for the ‘relativism’ trap

by 
Have you ever considered what truth is? Real truth never changes nor is dependent on circumstances. If truth depended upon our own limited understanding, then how could we ever understand what truth really is? We don’t know everything that there is to know. Tomorrow we might learn something that we didn’t know today. Would that change our perception of something that we had already decided to be the truth? The most common view today, even among Christians, is that truth is relative (i.e. ‘it all depends’.) This has implications for the way people decide to live their lives. It’s called moral relativism. For a long time now, Creation Ministries has pointed out that much of this can be attributed to the issue of origins. What you believe about where you came from (created or evolved?) will ultimately determine how you behave (for example: Psalm 53:1),. It will also form your view about what you think happens to you when you die. It has eternal consequences.
A Southern Baptist source in the US reports that ‘88% of children raised in evangelical homes now leave the church at the age of 18, never to return.’
There was a time when most Christians believed that the Bible was absolute truth because its words came from the God who transcends our own space and time. However, modern ‘scientific’ thinking about origins has caused many to question the Bible’s very foundations in Genesis. If evolution (or even just its corollary, ‘long ages’) is true then Genesis doesn’t mean what it says. If you decide that you have the authority to re-interpret Genesis, then why stop there? You can then decide for yourself which other parts of the Bible are true, or open to reinterpretation, including where it speaks about moral issues.
Not so long ago, a leading Australian archbishop speaking on ABC radio about the issue of homosexual clergy rightly noted that “Christians are not free to make up their religion, and that the final authority is Scripture.”
A lecturer in law responded to the archbishop’s claim about biblical authority saying:
“ … there is, despite [the archbishop], plenty to argue about. Romans 1:26–27 seems pretty clear in its condemnation of men who ‘burn with passion for each other.’ But Genesis 1 is equally and literally clear that the world was created in just 7 days.” (Emphasis added).
The implication was clear: “Christians like you obviously don’t believe such a ridiculous notion as a literal Creation Week, even though the Bible plainly says so. So how can you be dogmatically opposed to homosexual clergy just because the Bible plainly says so?”
Sadly, the same archbishop makes it clear elsewhere that he rejects straightforward Genesis creation. Such a ‘low view’ of Scripture has massive implications. Young people, in particular, are leaving the church in droves. Well-known Christian pollster George Barna discovered that 70% of teens in the USA intend to leave the church once they are living on their own.1 A Southern Baptist source US reports that “88% of children raised in evangelical homes now leave the church at the age of 18, never to return.”2 What this shows is that our young people are falling prey to the anti-Christian dogma of their teachers at college/university. Even more disturbing, large numbers of children are also walking away after attending Christian schools and universities. The common factor is that many Christian institutions teach an evolutionary view of the world—just like the secular institutions. And increasingly, moral decline has been affecting the church. Sin is the issue of course, but if the Bible is not taken as completely authoritative from cover to cover, even Christians can pick and choose the bits they like.
 Christians are not free to make up their religion … the final authority is Scripture.
The culture has changed and it is no longer sufficient to just say, “Jesus loves you”. Too much of the church has just focused on mere emotions as a way to win souls. People are not going to listen to the Gospel if they think the Bible is ‘fairytales’ and they are hardly likely to be impressed if Christians show that they don’t accept parts of the Bible either. So there needs to be a serious renewing of the mind for Christians (Romans 12:1–2). After all, Jesus Himself said to love God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind (Matthew. 22:37).
We need to teach a comprehensive biblical worldview to all Christians, one that equips them in every area of life—not just matters of ‘faith’, but science, law, morality/ethics and even politics. Why? Because the Scripture implores us to “ … demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). And it starts with origins. That’s why we have described this issue as a foundational battle for the hearts and minds of people today. If we just focus on the issues—moral issues for example—we might sometimes be able to get laws changed. But this will likely only last till the next change of government. Real change occurs when hearts and minds are turned towards the Lord Jesus Christ as their Creator and Saviour. It’s just like Lynnette B told us:
“Continue the wonderful work because I know God is blessing your teachings … I am now firmly grounded in Christ Jesus because I heard a short lecture. I just believed in God but didn’t put too much emphasis on the truth of the Word because I just didn’t think there could be answers—just faith. How wrong I was and how useful your ministry [is] when responding to people who want to know more of God and His precious Son.”
We pray that you will continue with us in this foundational battle for the future of our countries. Our DVD series called Putting the Pieces Together contains six DVDs with on-disk study guides to help you and your study group develop a fully integrated biblical worldview in every subject area. It’s great for schoolteachers, homegroups, older youth groups and even can be run as series in church (Sunday nights, for example).
 Related Articles

References

  1. Barna, George, The State of the Church: 2002, Issachar Resources, Ventura, California, p. 110, 2002. Return to text.
  2. Southern Baptist Council on Family Life Report , 2002, Return to text.
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Question: "What happens after death?"





Answer: Within the Christian faith, there is a significant amount of confusion regarding what happens after death. Some hold that after death, everyone “sleeps” until the final judgment, after which everyone will be sent to heaven or hell. Others believe that at the moment of death, people are instantly judged and sent to their eternal destinations. Still others claim that when people die, their souls/spirits are sent to a “temporary” heaven or hell, to await the final resurrection, the final judgment, and then the finality of their eternal destination. So, what exactly does the Bible say happens after death? 
First, for the believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that after death believers’ souls/spirits are taken to heaven, because their sins are forgiven by having received Christ as Savior.

  John 3:16,18,36 (ESV)  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ...........18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God............36  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

  For believers, death is to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” 

 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (ESV) So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7  for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8  Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  

 Philippians 1:23 (ESV)  I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 

 However, passages such as 

 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 (ESV) I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51  Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54  When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”  and 

 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)  But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
15  For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16  For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  

describe believers being resurrected and given glorified bodies. If believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, what is the purpose of this resurrection? It seems that while the souls/spirits of believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, the physical body remains in the grave “sleeping.” At the resurrection of believers, the physical body is resurrected, glorified, and then reunited with the soul/spirit. This reunited and glorified body-soul-spirit will be the possession of believers for eternity in the new heavens and new earth.

Revelation 21:1-27 (ESV)


Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5  And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6  And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8  But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” 9  Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11  having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12  It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13  on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14  And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15  And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16  The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17  He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18  The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19  The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20  the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22  And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23  And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24  By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25  and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26  They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27  But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 22:1-21 (ESV) 
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2  through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3  No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5  And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. 6  And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” 7  “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” 8  I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9  but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” 10  And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11  Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” 12  “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 14  Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15  Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16  “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 17  The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. 18  I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19  and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. 20  He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. 

Second, for those who do not receive Jesus Christ as Savior, death means everlasting punishment. However, similar to the destiny of believers, unbelievers also seem to be sent immediately to a temporary holding place, to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal destiny. 

  Luke 16:22-23 (ESV) The poor man died and was carried by the angels to
Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,23  and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.describes a rich man being tormented immediately after death. 

 Revelation 20:11-15 (ESV)  Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.describes all the unbelieving dead being resurrected, judged at the great white throne, and then being cast into the lake of fire. Unbelievers, then, are not sent to hell (the lake of fire) immediately after death, but rather are in a temporary realm of judgment and condemnation. However, even though unbelievers are not instantly sent to the lake of fire, their immediate fate after death is not a pleasant one. The rich man cried out, “I am in agony in this fire” 

Luke 16:24 (ESV) And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

Therefore, after death, a person resides in a “temporary” heaven or hell.
After this temporary realm, at the final resurrection, a person’s eternal destiny will not change. The precise “location” of that eternal destiny is what changes. Believers will ultimately be granted entrance into the new heavens and new earth. Unbelievers will ultimately be sent to the lake of fire. These are the final, eternal destinations of all people—based entirely on whether or not they had trusted Jesus Chr
ist alone for salvation.

  Matthew 25:46 (ESV) And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

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