Bible Doctrine

In our secular lives we appreciate activities and projects which are profitable. Things that are not profitable are a waste of time, talent, and resources.
In our spiritual lives, God would have us to know that reading and studying His Word is always profitable. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2Tim 3:16-17).

The burden of this article is that we would know what it means to be Spirit-filled. It is imperative as a New Testament Church of Jesus Christ that we have youth, middle age, and older people who have their lives under the control of the Holy Spirit.

It is always encouraging to hear the testimony of an individual, how the Holy Spirit has been working in his life. It is equally discouraging when those who profess to have their lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ fail to express the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

There is an account of a marathon swimmer that swam across part of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. Even though she swam inside a cage to ward off large fish, the crew on the accompanying boat were constantly on the lookout for the stingray fish which can give a fatal poisonous sting. This illustration gives a number of parallels to the title taken from 1Corinthians 15:56, which mentions “the sting of death is sin.” It is very true that sin does sting death to each spiritual life it is allowed to penetrate. No one has the immunity to fight off the deadly effects of sin.

The Halloween holiday and season represent an ancient European variant, All-Hallows’-Even (“evening”), that is, the night before All Hallows’ Day.

We hear a great deal about the sin of David, but seldom does anyone mention the sin of Bathsheba. And it is true enough that David’s sin was very great, and Bathsheba’s very small. David’s sin was deliberate and presumptuous, Bathsheba’s only a sin of ignorance. David committed deliberate adultery and murder, Bathsheba only carelessly and undesignedly exposed herself before David’s eyes. We have no doubt that David’s sin was great and Bathsheba’s was small.

Let us picture an imaginary scene. You are along with your congregation witnessing in downtown Bluffton, and you encounter a middle aged woman. She has an interest in a better way of life, and is drawn to the simple lifestyle expressed by your group. After an extended discussion related to salvation you finally ask, “Are you married?”

“Well... I’m not sure how to answer that,” she replies. “I have been married several times but my last husband and I divorced three years ago. Right now I live with a man, but we aren’t married.”

It is the desire of this writer to thoroughly and fairly look at what God has to teach us about the subject of divorce, remarriage, and reconciliation through an examination of the Holy Scriptures. I ask my readers to compare the following treatise with the Scriptures and to acknowledge only what is thereby proven to be truth. I have chosen to use a number of questions to organize this study.

What constitutes marriage in the eyes of God?