A subscriber writes concerning two single Christians, both previously married and divorced, who are considering marriage. The woman's first husband had numerous affairs over a period of years. The man's first wife withheld conjugal rights for more than 20 years of marriage. "Is there a scriptural reason," the inquirer asks, "against this couple marrying?" * * * It seems abundantly clear to me, from the whole of Scripture, that God is for marriage and that he is against divorce (Gen. 2:24; Mal. 2:16). No matter what the cause, divorce is a tragic thing which reveals a fall from God's ideal … [Read more...]
DIVORCE: IDEALS & FORGIVENESS
A reader from Washington asks: "What can you say about New Testament teaching concerning divorce and remarriage?" * * * It is easy, when discussing this sensitive subject, to confuse two very distinct questions. One might inquire, "What is God's will concerning marriage and divorce?" Or one might ask, "May the person who has transgressed God's command and come short of his will, then be forgiven and go forward to do his will in the future?" To the first inquiry, I think, Christians of all denominations are essentially agreed. God's original plan and permanent ideal is for one man to be … [Read more...]
BEYOND ANGER, PAIN & GUILT
A gracEmail subscriber writes: "I'm approaching the first anniversary of my divorce and I'm still struggling with so much anger, pain and even guilt over what I could have done differently to make my husband stay. He left me for another woman and I just can't seem to let go of all these negative emotions. I don't know how to move beyond all this." * * * We cannot change the past and there is no value in trying to relive it now. Instead, focus on living in the present with each new day that God gives you to enjoy. Taken together, those new days constitute your (as yet unfulfilled) future. I … [Read more...]
SOUL-MATES
A gracEmail reader and her husband are divorcing because they think they have nothing in common anymore. Meanwhile, she has found a male friend who so resonates with her that she wonders if they might be "soul-mates" -- two souls created to find each other and to be together. Finally, she asks, can she be forgiven if she marries this friend some day after her divorce is final? * * * I am afraid that the "soul-mate" notion is a romantic invention. It makes for sweet stories and sentimental movies, but it totally lacks any scriptural basis. Certainly, some people seem to "match" each other … [Read more...]
CONVERTED TO THE CHURCH?
A gracEmail subscriber heard someone say, "I don't think you can be converted to Jesus without being converted to his church," by which the speaker mean the particular religious movement of which he was a part. The subscriber wants to know if the statement is true. * * * It is true that everyone who belongs to Jesus is also a part of his ekklesia or church (literally, congregation or assembly). This Greek word which Jesus uses in Matthew 16:18 is the same word used throughout the Greek Old Testament for the gathered people of God. Today, God's congregation finds its identity through the … [Read more...]
THE CHURCH OF THE FUTURE
The Christian church in America is rapidly changing in form, style and culture. A gracEmail subscriber asks what the future might hold for the church during this 21st century. * * * God's kingdom will endure but church structures that do not serve his purposes will gradually disappear (Heb. 12:26-28). I believe we will see a new Church emerge alongside the old -- indeed, it already is in process of being born. The renewed Church of Jesus Christ will consistently worship God as alive and sovereign, proclaim Jesus as Savior, and serve by the Spirit of the Risen Christ as its … [Read more...]
THE FULLNESS OF THE CHURCH
It is easy to become nearsighted in our vision of the Church, focused only on our own congregation or denomination, or the Church in our own country or in the present year or decade or century. God has been at work in his worldwide Church throughout Christian history, I am persuaded, including parts from which we might imagine we have nothing good to learn. The Church in its fullness will incorporate contributions from believers in all times and places, and we can begin even now to appreciate and to share in the diversity of that rich heritage. All Christians can profit, for example, from … [Read more...]
THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL
"What should we think of the different Christian denominations and movements or families? Is one of them 'right' and the others 'wrong?'" * * * Christ's universal church has lived through many centuries, utilizing different cultures, forms and styles in pursuit of its mission and goals. The church also consists of sinful humans, and its progress has been tainted with human weakness and sin. Church history includes the admirable and the abominable, but the head of the Church does not forsake his own, and the Church continues despite its adversaries and its afflictions. In time, I believe, … [Read more...]
‘TRUE CHURCH’ COMPETITION
A Texas sister writes that her church fellowship claims to be the "New Testament church," founded on the Day of Pentecost about A.D. 33. That church went into "apostasy," she is told, but was "restored" in the early 19th century. "But what about the many centuries between?" she asks. "Can anyone show an unbroken line of people or churches linking Pentecost to the present?" * * * Some today do claim to be the only "true church" by pointing to such an unbroken chain as you suggest. That argument has long been used by the Roman Catholic Church as well as by the family of Eastern Orthodox … [Read more...]
EXPLORING ROOMS
Big old houses have always fascinated me. I am excited to explore rooms and to discover unique nooks and crannies. A few years ago, Sara Faye and I toured the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. We spent a full day exploring the Biltmore House which, built by George Vanderbilt in the 1890s, contains 250 rooms, 65 fireplaces and is the largest house in the United States (http://www.biltmore.com ). It is fascinating, isn't it, that Paul refers to Christ's people around the world as a living building, a holy temple, a dwelling-place for God by his Spirit (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Tim. 3:15). The … [Read more...]
