Quote From: julie1418I'm going to try to be very clear about when I am stating my own personal convictions and when I am debating points of logic or consistency....please bear with me if I falter....
Jesus moved the understanding of the Law from its external, legalistic meaning to its spiritual one. Moving from outward observance to inward motivation and intention is Jesus’ concern (Matt. 5:21, 22, 27, 28). He pushes the Law out to its ultimate meaning (thus filling it full). In this sense Jesus affirmed the heart and the spirit of the Law. He moved to a deeper level of meaning, to the spirit behind the Law which God had intended from the beginning
I definitely agree with this. It seems that if people are adhering to Biblical rules simply because they fear eternal damnation, then they haven't internalized a relationship with God...well, I'm not sure they are any more fulfilled than people who "break the rules". This is why I feel compelled to question and seek out all possible interpretations and understandings of God's word.
The Bible definitely encourages remaining singe or reconciliation over remarriage. At the same time, I believe that God offers His mercy and grace to the innocent party in divorce, and allow that person to remarry without it being considered adultery.
Not to be combative, but this seems a bit hypocritical in light of using absolute, literal scripture to condemn homosexuality. Why is it okay to believe that God is merciful in a divorce situation despite what the Bible says, but not homosexuality? Why should homosexuals be forced to live lonely, celibate lives to be "Christians", but divorce (which seems more clearly condemned) gets a free pass? Why wouldn't God be equally merciful to the innocent homosexual who cannot fake an attraction to the opposite sex, and allow that person to have a loving, fulfilling relationship?
For example, the word "divorces" in Matthew 5:32 is present, but divorcing is not a continual action. Only the act of getting remarried itself is adultery
This just seems like a big giant convenient loophole for heterosexuals. I guess with the divorce rate being what it is, if churches condemned divorce and remarriage as strongly as they condemn homosexuality, the coffers would be quite empty. This gives a free pass to knowingly and intentionally commit the "sin" of divorce and adultery, with the intention of repenting and being forgiving. How would the prayer of repentence go? "Okay God, I know this competely goes against the Bible, which I strenuously preach to everyone else, but I knew You'd forgive me, so let's move on now. After all, THIS adultery is a one time sin....no double jeopardy!!"
Using that logic, we can all intentionally sin as much we want, knowing we can simply ask for forgiveness afterwards. Can gays have sex, repent, have sex again, repent....? Can their "marriage" be a one time sin if they ask for forgiveness?
Also, all the passages I found about divorce stated that whosoever married a divorced person was an adulterer. It seemed pretty clear.
Personally, I don't consider divorce to be a sin. But I really don't think homosexuality is a sin either. I think in the end, God will know our hearts, our intentions, our struggles, and our limitations. God does not simpIy know what we do, He understands why - better than we, or any other human, can understand. It seems a contradiction to believe that God loves us and wants us to be happy and fulfilled and also say that he would want anyone to live a life of loneliness and celibacy simply because we either made a poor marriage choice, or because our sexual and intimate desires are for the same gender.
Okay - I have NO IDEA how the letters got this big and the spell check is not working - so you are going to have to turn off the grammar part of your brain, please. My little one pulled the H out of my laptop and it still skips!!
Not to be combative, but this seems a bit hypocritical in light of using absolute, literal scripture to condemn homosexuality. Why is it okay to believe that God is merciful in a divorce situation despite what the Bible says, but not homosexuality?
I can understand your thinking here. And I'm not trying to justify divorce by any means. I have never been divorced, so I have no reason to come at this from my particular viewpoint. I will ask you if you can find anything in the bible that says divorce is an abomination in the sight of God? The only passage I can find is Duet. 24: 4: "Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord." To me that says if you've divorced and the wife goes out fornicating that the husband shouldn't take her back. Maybe that's why many marriages don't work the second time around because it is an abomination to the Lord.
There are several passages referring to the act of homosexuality being an abomination.
Leviticus 18: 22Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. 24Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 26Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 27(For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 28That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. 29For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.
I Kings 14: 23For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. 24And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
Using that logic, we can all intentionally sin as much we want, knowing we can simply ask for forgiveness afterwards. Can gays have sex, repent, have sex again, repent...? Can their "marriage" be a one time sin if they ask for forgiveness?
Good question, and truthfully, I don't know the answer to your question. I do however believe that if someone keeps sinning over and over again then I would question their relationship with God. If we love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, we will do everything in our power to please Him and live the way He wants us to. You're right, God knows our hearts and if we do slip up and fall back into sin, his grace is there to cover us. Personally, I think if we intentionally keep on sinning God will eventually turn us over to a reprobate mind. I Corinthians 1:19-28
