I have a question about a man having more than one wife.  I know that in our culture it is something that is looked upon with disdain, but in other cultures it is an accepted practice.  I don’t want to add anything or take anything away from the Word of God, but how much of this issue is cultural, and how much is biblical? I know that in the Old Testament, God speaks to Adam and Eve and says the two shall become one flesh, but all throughout the Old Testament there are cases of a man having more than one wife. For example, David had many wives, and he was a man after God’s own heart.  If monogamous marriage was a commandment, all those people in the Old Testament sinned by having more than one wife.  I just don’t see God giving a commandment and then just letting man break it. In the New Testament, the qualification for elders is used to show that a man can’t have more than one wife; however, that is specifically for a man who is in that position, and there are qualifications listed that don’t apply to a non-elder Christian (like having believing children).  Also, I am sure there were first century conversions of men who have more than one wife, and if it is a commandment, then they would have had to divorce all but their first wife. I know that because it is viewed as wrong by our culture that, even if we can do it, we shouldn’t have more than one wife.  I also know that a guy would have to be crazy to want to deal with more than one wife and the conflict between the wives.  All I am concerned with is if it is a biblical commandment or a cultural restraint.

Sincerely, Vowing To Learn

Dear Vowing To Learn,

Polygamy is never expressly condemned in the Bible.  It is also never treated as the standard... but as the exception. There are scores of examples of monogamy being God’s preference for man:

1. Adam & Eve were designed monogamously (Gen. 2:24)
2. No polygamy existed until 7 generations after Adam (Gen 4:19)
3. Noah, the last righteous man of his day, had only one wife (Gen 7:13)
4. Qualification for an elder (Tit 1:6)
5. Qualification for a deacon (1 Tim 3:12)
6. Qualification for a worthy widow (1 Tim 5:9)
7. Every New Testament command for a husband or wife assumes monogamy in the commandments. (Mk 10:12, 1 Cor 7:3, Eph 5:33, etc.)
8. The comparison of Christ and the church to a husband and wife relies on a monogamous design for marriage (Eph 5:22-23)
9. God clearly states it as His design for marriage in the New Testament (1 Cor 7:2)

On the same hand, there are multiple examples of the pitfalls of polygamy:

1. Sarah and Hagar fought (Gen 16:4)
2. Rachel and Leah fought over Jacob (Gen 29:30-31)
3. Hannah and Penninah’s rivalry (1 Sam 1:2-6)
4. Solomon’s idolatrous wives (1 Kings 11:4)

Our problem is that God never specifically condemns these men for their polygamy. It is that silence on this particular issue that gives us the greatest consternation. However, we must remember that silence on a particular issue is not the same as God’s approval of the behavior. Everyone can agree that the Scriptures overwhelmingly approve of and allow monogamy while the evidence for polygamy is suspect at best.

We now enter into the issue of opinion, and anything we say must be left in that realm. My opinion is that if a man had multiple wives before obeying the gospel, he would not be required to divorce any of them. However, once someone becomes a christian, they are commanded by God to only seek out one spouse for a lifetime (1 Cor 7:2).

What is the mission of the Church?  I know we can look at what the Church does or does not do in the New Testament, but are there specific verses that point to exactly what the Church should be doing?

Sincerely, Working It Out

Dear Working It Out,

The clearest verse on the subject of the church’s purpose is in the book of Ephesians. Eph 4:12-16 points out that the church was designed, so that the saints would be ‘perfected’, for the ‘work of the ministry’, and for the ‘edifying (building up) of the body of Christ’.

The church of the New Testament is supposed to help prepare christians to be better christians by filling their minds with God’s Word. We see many examples of the church being busy with this kind of teaching and learning (Acts 2:42, Col 3:16). This is how christians are perfected (Col 1:28).

The church is also to be busy about the ‘work of ministry’ – preaching to the lost. Christ said He came to save sinners (1 Tim 1:15). One of His last commands to His apostles was to preach to the lost (Matt 28:18-20). Every congregation must be actively attempting to teach the Word of God to those who don’t understand it.

After preaching to the lost and teaching the saved, the only other work that we see an example of is caring for needy christians. Paul told Timothy there was a time to help out poor widowed christians (1 Tim 5:9-10). We also see the church in Jerusalem doing this (Acts 4:34-35).

The reality is that a local congregation’s work has always been very simple:

1. Teach the saved.
2. Preach to the lost.
3. When necessary, care for needy christians.

I have a question about the devil. I was wondering whether or not he knew of God's plan for salvation beforehand or if he thought he was victorious when Jesus died on the cross.  I heard somebody talking about this once; they said Satan believed that he had won when Jesus died on the cross.  I was just wondering if and where the verse was that stated this because I don't want to believe it if I can't find it.

Sincerely, Devilishly Curious

Dear Devilishly Curious,

There is no specific verse that states the devil didn’t know what was going to happen when Christ died on the cross – but there is some really good circumstantial evidence that he didn’t see it coming.

God says that the angels didn’t know what was going to happen when Jesus went to the cross (1 Pet 1:11-12). If the angels didn’t know, I doubt the devil did either.

Another thing is that the devil isn’t stupid. Evil?  Yes.  Stupid?  No. Just read the account of Christ’s temptation by the devil in Luke 4, and you can see how wiley and clever he can be. If he had known that he was causing his own demise by attacking Jesus, he probably wouldn’t have done it. Even Jesus said that it wouldn’t make sense for Satan to attack himself (Mk 3:23).

Instead, we see that the devil had his hour of darkness (Lk 22:53), and in his attempt to destroy Jesus’ life (Lk 22:3), Peter’s faith (Lk 22:31), and the church’s future (Jhn 16:32), the devil was unwittingly defeated. Nope, I don’t think he ever saw it coming.

How can I know if something is a sin?

 

Inquisitively,
Wanting To Be Faithful

Dear Wanting To Be Faithful,

Sin is disobeying what God says.  The very word 'sin' is defined as 'missing the mark'.  God defines what a good life looks like in His Word.  We wouldn't know who we ought to be if He didn't tell us.  We are made in His image (Gen 1:26) and created for His glory (Col 1:16).  We are the creation, and He is the Creator.  Understanding His supreme authority is crucial.  We must realize and accept that we are designed with a purpose and that the Creator understands how to properly guide our lives to fulfill that purpose.

Sin can be doing something that God has condemned (i.e. David sleeping with Bathsheba - 2 Sam 12:13).  Sin can also be failing to do what you ought to (i.e. Jonah refusing to preach to the Ninevites - Jonah 1:3).  We must model our lives after God's commandments and teachings.  Our lives must bear godly fruit (Jhn 15:12, Lk 3:8), and we must flee from wickedness (1 Tim 6:11).  It is our adherence to both the positive and negative commandments of God that shows our friendship with Him (Jhn 15:14).  The Bible is God's roadmap for life; follow it to avoid the pitfalls of sin.

I grew up with a very "secular" type of Christianity; I was always taught that the end times will resemble how it's depicted in the "Left Behind" novels. Is that the way the Bible actually describes it?

Sincerely,


Left In Doubt

Dear Left In Doubt,

No, the Left Behind books are pure fiction.  The Left Behind series written by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins is a literal interpretation of the book of Revelation with a twist of dramatic effect and a dash of denominational tomfoolery.  The key words are ‘literal interpretation’.  Should the book of Revelation be taken as a literal book with real dragons, sea monsters, gold paved streets, and bowls that contain the destruction of mankind?  The answer is 'NO'.

The apostle John wrote the book of Revelation and said that it was a book of signs and symbols (Rev. 1:1).  The context states over and over that things are not what they seem.  Candlesticks representing churches (Rev 1:20), a lamb representing Jesus (Rev 5:5-6), white linen representing the righteous saints (Rev 19:8), and a dragon representing Satan (Rev 12:9) are just a few examples of how we would really miss the whole point of the book if we took it literally.

Furthermore, John makes it clear that the book of Revelation isn’t about what will happen at the end of time – it is what would happen to the christians very soon.  Twice in the introduction of the book John mentions that the things in this book would soon come to be (Rev 1:1 and Rev 1:3).  John wrote to the christians of the first century to prepare them for a persecution they were soon to face.  The Left Behind series makes for fun reading, but they do not at all represent God’s message to John.

Instead, we are told by the apostle Paul that the end of time will come like a ‘thief in the night’ (1 Thess 5:2), and Peter reiterates that fact (2 Pet 3:10).  The reality is that no one knows when Christ will return, so we must live every day as though He might (1 Thess 5:8-9).