[quote]pushharder wrote:
Chen, you also need to read this thread: http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/world_news_war/religious_controversies_manwoman_equality?id=3882691&pageNo=0
I don’t need to rehash all this all over again when I put hours and hours and hours into all of this before.[/quote]I agree. Simple version. God created one man and one woman in the beginning and used singulars everywhere to describe the members of that institution. After the entrance of sin all areas of humanity including sexuality and marriage fell into degraded states at best. God’s inclusion of that whole age from Genesis 3 to the 2nd chapter of Acts in His providential plan of salvation is not to be understood as a lasting endorsement. He commanded circumcision of Abraham and then had Paul denounce the practice in the context of new covenant (actually eternal covenant) grace.
He instituted the Sabbath under the law and then Jesus comes along and denounces the pharisees for doing EXACTLY what was commanded because they did not understand the intent God had in it.
The new testament, in which Christ is called “the last Adam” (1st Corinthians 15) not only restored, but exalted marriage far above even it’s original beauty as the image of Christ and His Church as Paul clearly states in the 5th of Ephesians. Singulars are again everywhere used to describe it’s members. Even in the old though when marriage is dealt with on a deep spiritual level it is singular. In the 31st chapter of Proverbs where the good and virtuous wife is described it is singular. When God tells us of His hatred of divorce and His rejection of Israel’s offering’s He cites as his reason their having dealt treacherously with the “wiFE” of their youth. Singular. In a nutshell.
The bible must be studied as a systematic whole to gain an understanding of it’s major doctrines and practices. On one level the life or death message can be conveyed in a few sentences. On another, 100 lifetimes wouldn’t be enough to grasp everything. Most blessedly God has raised up righteous reverent faithful (and brilliant) men since the first century to collectively offer to us a vaaaaaaast store house of sound scriptural scholarship and high devotional praise and worship.
Every last one, bar none, has agreed on the biblical view of sex, family and marriage that emerges from a SYSTEMATIC feeding on the whole bread of life, the Word of God, the scriptures. One must believe that millions and millions of faithful, committed believers. Surgically precise students of the bible, over centuries and centuries, some of whom went to their martyred death singing praise to their God through the torture and flames, ALLLLL got it wrong until a godless lecherous pervert wrote a paperback book in 2002 that will appeal only to other godless lecherous perverts.
I do not have time to go over all this again. The bible can be made to say literally anything. That’s why God has so providentially given us a consensus on the major doctrines and practices so that the saints have a safety net provided by God Himself. It’s never been needed more to which discussions like this do so manifestly attest. It goes like this. “If at this late date I come up something major nobody else has… I’m wrong… period”. Cults and damnable heresies are born when this “analogy of the faith” is abandoned. The pagans will side with Push which should be a telling sign to him, but won’t.
I want this man on my side. Before my God I tell you people I do. If however you believe that his posting history is a representation of looooooong loooooost gospel truth then God help you.