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January 1,2017 |
| Orientation of the Heart | ||
I commented in a Facebook discussion between two Christian women and was attacked for it. The discussion was about divorcing an abusive spouse and remarrying. I decided to comment after one lady told the other that it was OK to divorce and remarry. That comment came from a person that I have known for 8 or 9 years and who has been a Christian since her teen years and is now almost 70.
My comment was:
You can separate but you cannot then remarry. Jesus and others were very clear on this
The response I got was a shock. Instead of agreement or a Biblically based defense of the belief that divorce and remarriage is acceptable to God, I got personal opinions and ideas from the world … and not a few nasty words. With that came a lot of false teachings.
Their responses started me thinking about the orientation of the heart. That's what really matters to God. We can do all the right things but they don't matter if our hearts aren't oriented toward him. If our hearts are focused on him then we will do the right things and we will be pleasing to him.
In this lesson we will look through their responses for these false teachings and for the orientation of their hearts. Although the topic was based on abuse in a marriage and divorce and remarriage, I want to focus on what their words say about the orientation of their hearts.
We began this lesson last week and spent time discussing the Christian standard for marriage and divorce. In the end we had covered these points:
Okay so tell that to the woman who is being beaten. Sorry.. I don't believe Jesus or anyone else expects a woman being beaten to stay with her husband or not ever be happy again. Legalism on steroids.
Legalism (or nomism), in Christian theology, is the act of putting law above gospel by establishing requirements for salvation beyond repentance and faith in Jesus Christ
Stan, you don't know anything about [this lady]. You don't know that she has been to the cross. You don't know her walk with God. You don't know that God isn't happy with her. She is his child and nothing can separate her from the love of God. I don't want to get into a theological discussion here but you know nothing about her and her struggles or her friend's struggle. God knows it all and that is what is important. We have to be careful as Christians to avoid the spirit of religion. Every person has to work out their own salvation. We are to love them as God loves them and walk with them through their pain.
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13 NASB)
12Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. (Philippians 2:12 NLT)
If God expects a woman to be beaten to a pulp by her husband i want nothing to do with that God. There is legalism and then there is salvation through what Jesus said. I HAVE known plenty of women who stayed in abusive violent marriages because of legalism. We are not talking about hedonism here we are talking about women being beaten abused and living in fear. You can keep your legalism There is one way to salvation ... and it's not accepting a life with a husband who breaks your bones and destroys your body it is believing that Jesus is the Son of God and died for us. Good thing Stan doesn't sit on a jury for domestic abusers.
John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments."
I will pray for you Stan.
Luke 6:46. "Why are you calling me, 'My Lord, my Lord', and you are not doing whatever I say?"
For anyone who has never been in an abusive relationship, they do not know what it is like. Get in the persons shoes before you speak.
You teach me nothing but that you believe in the law above personal safety Go pray for your own judgmental self. I know women who have had bones broken by husbands. WAKE UP You are dangerous
You are why people despise Christians.
Stan Burton...Stop it!
Stan Burton Yes the world where women are beaten to a pulp. I was a cop. I've seen it first hand. Take your bible and go home because you aren't converting anyone with your hatred and defense of this. You are evil to defend this type of behavior in the name of God. NO better than Muslims who defend it in the name of Allah
Me: You continue to misrepresent my position. I never said a battered woman should stay in the home and I'm certainly not in favor of battery
You said she could separate and never get married again. You are hateful
Stan you sound like a crude clanging brass cymbal without love, forgiveness and acceptance. Jesus is all about love, acceptance and forgiveness. Sometimes we can grieve the Holy Spirit when we fail to speak words of life with love, blessing and praise to our Father. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and our guide and He will guide his children into all truth. Let us speak words of life. Our words can reflect our attitudes. Help us to preserve life with the words we say, May our heart be so full of God's love and peace that we can only speak words that bring life and not death to the people and situations we are addressing
3 And the Pharisees came to him and they were testing him, and they were saying, "Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?" 4 But he answered and said to them, "Have you not read that he who made from the beginning, made them male and female?" 5 And he said, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife and the two of them shall be one flesh. 6 Therefore they were not two, but one flesh. The things therefore that God has united let not a man separate."
7 They were saying to him, "Why therefore did Moses command to give a writing of divorce and to send her away?" 8 He said to them, "Moses, confronting the callousness of your heart, let you divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so." 9 But I say to you, "Whoever divorces his wife apart from adultery and will take another, commits adultery, and whoever will take her who is divorced commits adultery."
10 His disciples were saying to him, "If the accusations are thus between a man and a wife, it is not expedient to take a wife." 11 But he said to them, "Not every man can receive this saying, except he to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born so from their mother's womb and there are eunuchs who became eunuchs by men and there are those who have made themselves eunuchs for the cause of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever can receive it let him receive it." (Matthew 19:3-12)
10 But those who have wives, I command, not I but my Lord: A wife should not depart from her husband. 11 And if she does depart, let her remain without a husband or let her be reconciled to her husband and let not a man forsake his wife.
12 But to others I am saying, not my Lord, if there is a brother who has a wife who is an unbeliever and she is willing to stay with him, let him not leave her. 13 And whichever wife has a husband who is not a believer, and he is willing to stay with her, let her not leave her husband. 14 That man who is an unbeliever is sanctified by the wife who believes, and that woman who is not a believer is sanctified by the husband who believes, otherwise their children are defiled, but now they are pure. 15 But if he who does not believe separates, let him separate. A brother or sister is not in bondage in such cases. God has called us to peace.
16 For what do you know, woman, if you will save your husband, or you, man, if you will save your wife? 17 But as the lord Yahweh distributes to each man, howsoever God calls him, let each man walk; and so I command all the churches. 18 And if a man was called when circumcised, let him not return to uncircumcision. And if he was called in uncircumcision, let him not be circumcised. 19 For circumcision is not anything, neither uncircumcision, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20 Let every person continue in the calling in which he was called. 21 If you have been called as a Servant, let it not concern you, but if you can be freed, choose for yourself to do service. (1 Corinthians 7:10-21)
There is nothing you can do to earn salvation - true
Anything you do to please God is an attempt to earn salvation - false
Eternal Salvation - false
Message of the Cross (Jimmy Swaggart) - false
Ignore the Bible; only be guided by the Holy Spirit - false