PLUS
Posted on 12/03/2008 7:58:55 AM PST by TaraP
Adulterous Christians are living as if that commandment isn't in the Bible. And to argue this point to many who practice adultery in the church (even among the leadership), they explain their actions away. So in essence, to use your statement, the church IS celebrating an adulterous lifestyle. Whether we remove the adultery commandment from the Bible or not, the fact of the matter remains we, the Church, are living as if it doesn't exist.
I don’t quite know what makes a church a gay church. Are the leadership practicing homosexuals? Is it accepted as a valid (read God ordained) lifestyle?
What’s the difference between that gay church and a church that has adulterous leadership? Is one sin greater than the other? What about the church that preaches that adultery is ok in certain circumstances? What about the pastor that marries two adulterers?
I’m simply not understanding why adultery is not railed against as mightily as homosexuality is. Both are condemned as sin in the Bible.
AMen! You said it!
We are all sinners. Not necessarily adulterers or homosexuals, but only homosexuals deny their sin IS a sin and celebrate it in the streets. You’ll have to show me evidence otherwise.
More itching ears turned unto fables...blasphemous fables!
Evidence that adultery is a sin flaunted in the Church? Let me first establish adultery as defined by Christ.
Mark 10:11 - "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her" Likewise a woman who divorces her husband and marries another man.
This is happening ALL THE TIME, EVERYWHERE in the Church, even among the Church leadership. This particular sin is explained away, excused, and accepted as normal, as ok and is condoned by practically everyone in the Church in America. I realize we are all sinners - that isn't my point, nor is my point to reject the sinner.
My point is this: lets deal with the sin of adultery THAT IS ALLOWED TO FLOURISH IN THE CHURCH, just as much as we deal with the sins that are flaunted in the streets.
Speak for your own denomination.
Where is the celebration of divorce? Just another alternative lifestyle. Don’t judge.
If you’ve had 5 divorces, it should not play a factor in the court decision for your next divorce when it comes time to determine a settlement or who would get the kids. That would be judging that person.
Christ said divorce was allowed by Moses due to the hardness of the heart. Do you consider the condition of a hard heart is an "alternative lifestyle". He also went on to state that it was not that way in the beginning (ie not designed to be that way). Just as your car is not designed to go 130mph. Even though it probably could, it would exponentially decrease its lifespan and effectiveness over that lifespan. It sure would be fun for a while though. The remarriage part of divorce is where adultery comes in to play according to Mark 10. So the way I read Mark 10, people get divorced due to the hardness of their hearts but when they choose to remarry another person, they commit adultery b/c in God's eyes, He has joined the two original people together and man should not separate them. This was so the world could have a practical visible entity that domonstrated the concept of Christ and His Bride as well as the reconciliatory nature of God.
I'm well aware however, that this is not a popular way to read this scripture. I am also extremely aware that the choices I have made in my life have also diminished and reduced my effectiveness and pierced me with many griefs. However, that should not prevent me from declaring God's Word to His people and helping us all become better examples of Christ's love and forgiveness to the world.
If you’ve had 5 divorces, it should not play a factor in the court decision for your next divorce when it comes time to determine a settlement or who would get the kids. That would be judging that person.
The discussion we are having has to do with what the Word of God says is a sin or not, not what some court determines is ok to do or not do.
My point is this: Adultery should be considered as much a sin within the Christian community as homosexuality is but I'm afraid it is not. How we each deal with that sin is another point of discussion, but at least lets get to the point where we consider sin a sin.
When you see a group of divorce advocates starting their own denomination and rewriting the Bible your point may hold water, otherwise; It's nonsense.
Hetrosexuality isn’t a “lifestyle”, it’s the natural order of life.
Amen!
You have unwittingly proven my point.
I don't deny I could be crazy. However, if you peek into any church today, there is wide acceptance of divorce/remarriage - even in the leadership. Why else is the rate of divorce/remarriage in the Church not much different than outside the Church? It is as Christ said, due to the hardness of the heart. We do not hold ourselves to a standard that is much different than the world.
Most divorced Christians I know are repentant and respect the Bible, IOW they do not demand the rules be rearranged to condone and celebrate their unrepentant perverted lifestyle choice. Should the Church also grant credence to incestuous relations and child sacrifice as well?
I am advocating the Church leadership call adultery the sin that it is, just as adamantly as we call homosexuality a sin.
I also know many Christian divorcees who are repentent and do not wish to change scripture. However, I know many who are unaware of the connection Christ made between divorce/remarriage and adultery. Perhaps they would have worked a little more at reconciliation had they known that remarrying someone else results in them living in adultery? I also know many in Church leadership who condone this choice and remarry others so divorced. What is the difference between enabling a couple to live an adulterous lifestyle and enabling a same-sex couple to live in homosexuality? Both are sin in the eyes of God. Both result in broken lives and broken families. Both result in potential ministry that is dimished from what "could have been". The Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years because of their hardness of heart - it did not have to be this way. THAT is my message - my heart breaks over the choices CHRISTIANS make that make their lives SO much more difficult and hurts so many people around them.
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