Articles
The Confession
The Confession
By Steve Melton, May 22, 2024
Jesus is the Son of God
A confession I proudly make.
Others don’t see it that way,
Some even consider Him a fake.
I guess they have not considered the evidence
Or read or looked into His word.
Maybe they might be accountable.
If they believed some things they heard.
To those who don’t believe and
There was one percent chance you are wrong.
Would it be worth it?
Think how eternity is so very long.
Jesus wants a relationship with us,
He died and arose to make it so.
We must put Him first,
Greater love we cannot know.
So tell others about Jesus.
Even though some won’t listen or bother.
Jesus said “If you confess me before men”
“I’ll confess you before my Father.”
“Only in the Lord”
By Paul R. Blake
(In February of 2002, I was asked the following question: “What is meant about widows marrying only in the Lord in 1Cor 7:39?”)
Some elements of this chapter are written to accommodate the "present distress," and 1Corinthians 7:39 is one of them. Reason it out carefully.
First, Paul grants permission to widows to remarry. It is evident from the context of this chapter that he is talking to believing widows and not to non-Christians. If Paul were modifying God's marriage law, as opposed to giving counsel to help them through the present distress, it would be binding on non-Christians as well (just like Christ's modification of God's original marriage law in Matthew 19:9 applies to sinners and Christians alike). So if Paul is modifying God's marriage law, then non-Christian widows would be required to remarry Christians only.
Second, if it is a sin for a widow to marry a non-Christian, how does she repent of this sin? She cannot simply make a confession and prayer, and be free from the sin. She is still married to a non-Christian; in this scenario that unscriptural relationship is still ongoing, so the sin continues. She would have to divorce the non-Christian mate. If we accept that, then we effectively believe that the apostle Paul has given us a second scriptural cause for divorce. This is simply not so.
Third, if it is a sin, then Paul failed to give instructions to those in that condition to repent. Verses 10-15 cover relationships between women and their unbelieving husbands. It is reasonable to assume that the category of women would also include widows who had remarried non-Christians. Because Paul said "women," he included all believing women. Widows are women; and Paul to all of those women: "And if a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him." He did not tell them to depart, nor did he suggest that the widows among them needed to repent and confess sin.
Fourth, Paul would be creating a double standard by making a "grandfather clause" for those widows who had already remarried non-Christians versus those who might marry non-Christians in the future. It's not a sin for those already married, but it will be if you decide to remarry outside of Christ from now on. It doesn't work that way. Can you imagine one widow gloating to another: "I just got in under the deadline; it's a sin for you to do it now."? In that day of ongoing revelation, you can find examples of commands that unfold the work and worship of the church, but you do not find ongoing revelations about previously unrevealed sins. You only find mention of new sins when someone has violated a new command. It would have necessarily been a sin for a widow to marry a non-Christian from the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
Fifth, the context of this chapter centers on the present distress. Several times, Paul offers counsel instead of commands that are designed to aid them through the unique circumstances of that distress. Such counsel would not have the force of a command, nor would it necessarily be appropriate outside of those times of distress. Remarrying only Christians would help widowed Christians through times that try men's souls. In fact, I can't imagine why a believing widow would want to marry a non-Christian if she has her soul's best interest at heart and has her priorities straight. But, good advice doesn't carry the force of a command.
Sixth, if "only in the Lord" means only a Christian, then what do we do with Eph. 6:1? "Children obey your parents in the Lord..." Does this mean that if a Christian teen's parents are non-Christians, he is not required to obey them? If not, why not? I suspect that we misunderstand "only in the Lord" when we translate it across the board as "only Christians." I believe the phrase "only in the Lord" modifies the marriage, not the mate. In other words, her marriage and what she brings to it must be sanctioned by the Lord; it must conform to scriptural guidelines for an acceptable marriage. The construction of this passage in the original text is difficult, and to suggest that "only in the Lord" must refer to the prospective groom is less of a matter of accurate translation and more of a matter of assuming a position and translating the passage to fit the position.
We conclude that it is not a sin for a widow to marry a non-Christian. However, it is always unwise to marry outside of the faith. It is a matter of statistical fact that when Christians marry non-Christians, two out of three fall away from the Lord within five years, never to return to the Lord. Those who remain faithful are to be blessed for their spiritual heroism, but they are a minority, not the majority. Those who convert their mates are a rare exception. It is folly to believe that you will be the exception to the rule. It is equal folly to trade an eternity of joy in heaven for temporary happiness with an unbelieving mate.
A Moment’s Wisdom
--You can’t spell the word brothers without, at the same time, spelling others.
--Be grateful for what you receive, but be more grateful for what you can give.
--You’ll do more things that count if you don’t stop to count them.
--The greatest of all faults is to imagine that you have none.
--A person with a clenched fist can’t shake hands.
Upcoming Sermons
6/9/24 AM - Philip the Evangelist: The Servant’s Heart; PM - Apostle Paul’s Second Journey for Christ
6/16/24 AM - “I Want the Truth!”; PM - Apostle Paul’s Third Journey for Christ
6/23/24 AM - “He Prepared His Ways Before the Lord”; PM - “Who Knows… the Spirit of the Animal?”
6/30/24 AM - Goliath of Gath: How to Beat a Bully; PM - Doug Sanders: The Roman Empire
7/7/24 AM - Grandpap’s Bible; PM - Singing Service: Congregational Choice of Songs
7/14/24 AM - Confession is Good for the Soul; PM - Ism’s That Ain’t So
7/21/24 - “Are Ya Listenin’ to Me?”; PM - America’s Top Ten Most Disliked Doctrines
7/28/24 AM - Holy Hatred; PM - Demas: From Success to Failure
