[George]

Originally Posted by custer

"I believe the only "no condemnation" for saved people is conditional on not walking after the flesh (Romans 8:1.) How could one choose to have such an intimate union as marriage with a friend of the world (THE ENEMY OF GOD-James 4:4) and be walking after the Spirit?"

"As I stated in my last post, I don't see how I Cor. 7:39 could be any clearer!"

"And as far as being "unequally yoked," I looked up some English definitions... One of the definitions of "yoke" in an old (1828) and a new (1999) dictionary is "join," and BOTH of my dictionaries use MARRIAGE as an illustration under "yoke." (For "yoke," the newer Webster's says "TIE, LINK, esp. MARRIAGE." [The all-caps were in the dictionary!])"

"In First Corinthians 6:15-16, the "members of Christ" are (of course) the antithesis of the "members of an harlot." In a general sense, could not the "members of Christ" correlate to believers, while the "members of an harlot" would most likely be unbelievers? At the idea of joining them, Paul says "God forbid!"

"In our original example of marriage, God joined two "sons of God." (Luke 3:38 with Genesis 5:2) Saved people are "sons of God" (John 1:12 and I John 3:1 it is not consistent to assume that God would join his sons to the sons of Belial."

"In addition, there are numerous Bible principles that definitely can apply to a marriage relationship even if the word "marriage" is not in the passage:
Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"
I Cor. 15:33 "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners."
I Timothy 6:1-5 (That's a lot of typing...look it up!) Lost people don't "consent to...the words of our Lord Jesus Christ," so the command is to "withdraw thyself," not "go ahead and hang around them...better yet, marry one too!"
"II Timothy 3:1-5 (Another long passage...) This one has the list of folks we're supposed to "turn away" from, and it includes "blasphemers," "unholy," and "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God," terms that can obviously be applied to lost people!"

"How can you promote the idea that there are "NO PENALTIES" for acting in direct opposition to God's written word? How can you believe there are "NO PENALTIES" just because the Bible does not specify the consequences for every one of our actions? It's like God giving us his express desires and us saying "Or else, what?!?" Unthinkable!"


Pam
www.custerfamilyfarm.com

Pam,

Did you read my Post #51? If you did - can you quote one place WHERE I recommended that a Christian should marry a lost person? Just one place - maybe?

Did you SKIP that part where I said:

"Now, am I recommending that a Christian marry a lost person? Of course NOT! I always recommend that a Christian marry "in the Lord"; but if they have married "outside of the faith", there is NO "penalty" - it's NOT the "same" as in the Old Testament. And although I DO NOT RECOMMEND marrying a lost person, there is NO CONDEMNATION if you have."

What I am not going to do is "condemn" a Christian who HAS MARRIED a lost person, and put a STUMBLING BLOCK before them over the matter! And you had better be extremely careful that you don't either.

Read my Post - don't just proceed with your private opinion on this matter and disregard what I said in regards of the use of 2 Corinthians 6:1-18 as a prohibition to marriage; because I clearly demonstrated, from the Scriptures, that the verses cited have NOTHING to do with MARRIAGE - and everything to do with doing the "WORK" of God with unbelievers!

Can you not read English? I said: "I DO NOT RECOMMEND marrying a lost person". But if a Christian has already married a lost person, are you going to "CONDEMN" them? Hmmm? Are you going to claim that such a marriage is LESS PERFECT than the marriage of two saved people? I said: "I always recommend that a Christian marry "in the Lord". You completely MISSED MY POINT!

WHERE did I: "promote the idea that there are "NO PENALTIES" for acting in direct opposition to God's written word?" Hmmm? But IF a Christian is already married to a lost person we have NO BUSINESS "condemning" them - that's all there is to it!

You said:

"In a general sense, could not the "members of Christ" correlate to believers, while the "members of an harlot" would most likely be unbelievers?"

I don't deal in "In a general sense"; "could not" (?) or "most likely" - those terms involve "SPECULATION", and when it comes to the Holy words of God I try to avoid personal "SPECULATION" at all costs. Your personal concept of a marriage between a saved person and a lost person is a private interpretation and PERVERTS what God has said about them!"

1 Corinthians 7:12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

Do you understand these verses? An UNBELIEVING Husband is "SANCTIFIED" by his BELIEVING WIFE! An UNBELIEVING WIFE is "SANCTIFIED" by her BELIEVING HUSBAND (she is NOT considered a "HARLOT" as you have so "graciously" judged!)! Do you understand the meaning of the word "SANCTIFIED"? That marriage IS SANCTIFIED by God; and in God's eyes the UNBELIEVING SPOUSE is "SANCTIFIED" by the BELIEVING SPOUSE - whether you agree with God or not; and whether you like it or not!

You had better be REAL CAREFUL in CONDEMNING these marriages (or the people in them), because, according to God's Holy word - God makes them "right" (in His sight) - in spite of a believer's poor judgment!

I grow tired of people (like yourself) taking my words out of context. I grow weary of people taking my words and twisting them, and making them say something I DID NOT SAY! And I especially get upset when someone (like yourself) IGNORES most of what I have said and tries to put words in my mouth - which I never uttered!

As to the "DEFINITION" of the word "YOKE" in the Holy Bible. If you want the Bible "Definition" of a word in the Bible, you look up every single verse in the Bible where that word is USED, and get God's "DEFINITION" - NOT some man's personal "opinion" of what a word "means"!

There are 53 places in the Old Testament where the word "YOKE" is used; and there are 6 verses in the New Testament where it is used. In addition, in the New Testament, there is one place where the word "YOKED" is used and one place where the word "YOKEFELLOW" is used.

I am not going to list all 61 verses here, but I have READ them - and NO WHERE'S IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE is the word "YOKE" EVER USED TO DESCRIBE "MARRIAGE"! If you don't believe me - READ them (check them out), but if you refuse to READ them, then don't give us this HOGWASH of some "Dictionary" applying the word "YOKE" to marriage, when the Bible SAYS NOTHING OF THE SORT!

The Holy Bible is ALWAYS its own BEST DICTIONARY! But it takes WORK to read ALL of those verses, and it's so much EASIER just to go to some man (or men) and get their "OPINION" as to what a Bible word "means", rather than read through 50, or 100, or possibly hundreds of verses (such as the word heart, etc.) to find out what God has to say about it.

Is the "DICTIONARY" your "FINAL AUTHORITY" or is the King James Bible your FINAL AUTHORITY in ALL matters of faith and practice? Hmmm?

There are far too many saved people married to unsaved people in the world today, for us to go around and judge that all of those unsaved spouses are the equivalent to "HARLOTS"!

Let's be absolutely clear - I have never recommended (on the AV1611 Bible Forums) that a saved person marry a lost person. I do not recommend it; but IF a saved person IS MARRIED to a lost person I DO NOT CONDEMN them or their "Marriage", and neither does God - and neither should you!

John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.