What Law do you speak of cupcakeme ? And further , why bring up Law , does the Law have something to do with what we are talking about here ? And if so , in what way ? Please explain yourself
Genesis 2:24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 1 Corinthians 7:1-6 also talks of one wife. Didn't God make only Adam and Eve....one pair, monogamy.
The Old Law was written for Israel. not for gentiles. Jesus died to fulfill prophecy and His death covers the sins of everyone. But... you are not going to see heaven if you are not a Christian. if you are a Christian, you have faith and believe that He is alive. Its really simple and men cannot "interpret" the verses to suit themselves so they can have several wives.
**WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE LAW** Galatians 3:25!
Romans 3:27,28: Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? **NO**, because of the law that **REQUIRES FAITH**! For we maintain that a person is **JUSTIFIED BY FAITH** apart from the works of the law!!
Romans 10:5-9: Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: "The person who does these things will live by them." {Lev 18:5} But the righteousness that comes **BY FAITH** says...The word is near you: it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the message concerning **FAITH** that we proclaim: IF you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your **FAITH** and are saved!!
Galatians 2:16: We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but **BY FAITH** in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our **FAITH** in Christ Jesus that we may be **JUSTIFIED BY FAITH** in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law **NO ONE WILL BE JUSTIFIED**!!
Galatians 3:23-26: Before the coming of this **FAITH**, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the **FAITH** that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be **JUSTIFIED BY FAITH**. Now that this **FAITH** has come we are **NO LONGER UNDER THE SUPERVION OF THE LAW**. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God **THROUGH FAITH**!!
Galatians 5:5,6: For through the Spirit we eagerly await **BY FAITH** the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is **FAITH** expressing itself through **LOVE**!!
Ephesians 2:8-10: For it is by grace you have been saved, **THROUGH FAITH**--and this is not from yourselves, it is the **GIFT** of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are **GOD'S HANDIWORK**, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do!!
Hebrews 11:1,3,6: So **FAITH** is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see...**BY FAITH** we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, in that what is seen was not made out of what was visible... Without **FAITH** it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He **REWARDS** those who earnestly seek Him!!
In the Old Testament many famous saints such as Abraham and David, who had 13 wives and many concubines, had more than one wife and concubines and it was not a sin. However in the New Testament it is a sin to have more than one wife or a concubine.
Jesus made countless changes and additions to OT Laws, such as:
Matthew 5:27,28,31,32: Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said {In the OT}, 'You shall not commit adultery.' **BUT** I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart".... "It has been said {In the OT} 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce,' **BUT** I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
Titus 1:5,6: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now an **OVERSEER**must be above reproach, the **HUSBAND OF BUT ONE WIFE**!
I Timothy 3:1,2: Appoint **ELDERS** in every town, as I directed you. An **ELDER** must be blameless, the **HUSBAND OF BUT ONE WIFE**!
I Timothy 5:17: The **ELDERS** who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of a double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching!
I Corinthians 7:2: Each man should have his own wife, and each women her own husband!
Matthew 19:4-6: Jesus commands, " A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become **ONE FLESH**. So they no longer two, but **ONE**!"
Paul compares the husband and wife to Christ and the church: For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church... (Ephesians 5:23). In Ephesians 1:22-23 we are told that the church is the body of Christ. There is only one body (Ephesians 4:4) so there is only one church. A man can have as many wives as Christ has churches. Christ has only one church so a man can have only one wife.
Ge 2:24 Therefore <ken> shall a man <'iysh> leave <`azab> his father <'ab> and his mother, <'em> and shall cleave <dabaq> unto his wife: <'ishshah> and they shall be one <'echad> flesh. <basar>
The Hebrew word for " wife " is <'ishshah> , now lets look at the meaning ,
0802. hva 'ishshah, ish-shaw'
Search for 0802 in KJV
feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym {naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as 582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none, one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.
Notice if you will , it says " irregular plural " , that is to say that the word means more than one , and expressed so in the Hebrew definition .
Now if you like , let us look at 1 Corinthians 7:1-6 :
1Co 7:2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
As I'm sure you read , the context and teaching of these verses are about fornication , not the number of wives a man is allowed to have . You said , and I quote " men cannot "interpret" the verses to suit themselves " , this would apply to women too , yes ?
Again you said , and I quote " The Old Law was written for Israel. not for gentiles. " , let us hear Him speak :
Ex 12:48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
Nu 9:14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.
Nu 15:14 And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do.
Nu 15:15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.
Le 17:10 ¶ And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
De 16:11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
De 31:10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
De 31:11 When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
De 31:12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
De 31:13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
Eze 47:21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.
Eze 47:22 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
Eze 47:23 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD.
Jer 12:16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.
Isa 56:6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
Isa 56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Ro 3:29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
Ro 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
Ro 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Ok ,that was a bunch of scripture , but it shows how this teaching that " The Old Law was written for Israel. not for gentiles." is actually false . For from the beginning it has been " come who so ever will " as it is written .
