1 Peter 4:11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
According to scripture , if we are true believers , we will take His word everywhere we go , and that would include all discussions no matter where they happen , wouldn't it ?
I guess I'll respond to some common things I have heard. For context, I was taught them growing up as well. But the contrast between what I was taught and what the Bible portrayed was too great. When I came to the conclusion I hold, I did not know if there were any others who also did not reject multiple wives as the ancient Romans did. After all, the Roman Catholics outlawed it:
"If any one saith, that it is lawful for Christians to
have several wives at the same time, and that this is not prohibited by any divine
law; let him be anathema." - Canon II, the Doctrine on the Sacrament of Matrimony
But I have since found that the world is bigger and older than the Roman empire and the American way combined.
Some try to take passages that use the word "wife" to say that there should only be one wife. But can we take the various times "son" is used and claim people should only have one son? Saying "my wife" is like saying "my son": "My son, hear the instruction of thy father" - Pro. 1:8 Jacob says this: "Ye know that my wife bare me two sons" - Ge. 44:27 He was referring to Rachel, his second wife, one of four.
"Two shall become one" applies to a marriage whether a man is married already or not. He (one) is still marrying a wife (one). Multiple wives means multiple marriages, each with a husband and a wife. Like when a mother gives birth to a child, she has still given birth to a child (singular) however many children she has already given birth to.
Let us be holy as God is holy, and treat multiple wife families as he treats them. If he says a man with multiple wives is "his friend, who keeps my law", or "a man after my own heart", or "a wise man", we are not in a place to say someone is not a believer, not righteous, or not wise, simply because they believe the same as those who wrote the Bible. It may not be part of the culture you grew up in, but the Bible will not always agree with every random culture, especially one so drastically different from the culture of Abraham, the friend of God.
"Have ye not read what David did?" - Mat. 12:3
"We will joy and rejoice in thee, we remember thy loves more than yayin: the upright love thee." - Song of Songs 1:4
Well spoken Sir , but know this , " They " are coming for you , pick up your sword and prepare for battle ,
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
For they will accuse you saying , " they are NOT Christians " , and , " if you are a Believer " , or " Any one that is a believer knows " , " Scripture does not support multiple partners in marriage " , casting doubt on not only your faith , but the scriptures that you have read , and yes , the very Word of the Living God .
Oh they're coming , yes and with empty accusations about " LAW " , or that we only live under " New covenant teachings." , as if the Gospels were a whole different religion , belief system , or even a separate and altogether " New " God .
PatrickLauser , I beseech you , do not turn from the left or to the right , stand firm on the Rock that is the Written Word , do not fall in the traps of emotion or commentary , for the Word of God is our High Tower .
I will begin in a slightly different way on this topic by asking a question of all who read this thread ;
Will we accuse Yahweh of sin ?
Think hard about this , after all , We know through study of the Holy Scriptures that God not only allowed it , but the Word shows us He actually gave of His own hand multiple wives , case in point .... 2 Samuel 12:8 " And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things."
" Multiple wives is sin ! " you say , ok , if it is sin now , it is sin then . I personally would tremble if I had that thought in my head , after all , this is the God who cannot even look upon sin .
Hab 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
Prov 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.
The alternative might be: "He who finds many wives, may find an army of trouble and better go hide."
Seriously, I know there are cultures where it works because the women are able to function as a family and they help each other out. As far as me, if I can find one good one, I'll consider myself blessed. :)
In the Old Testament many famous saints such as Abraham and David 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.
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.
In your reply you stated that in the New Testament it is now sin to have more than one wife , but you failed to give book, chapter and verse for this . Although a fine opinion I'm sure , you as well as many if , not most women would share that opinion for various reasons , a scripture based reason is clearly not one of them .
Let us look at sin in the context of what the Holy Scriptures say sin is ;
1Jo 3:4 ΒΆ Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
So Scripture tells us that if it was sin in the beginning , it is sin now , nothing has changed at all when it comes to the Moral Standards that was set by The Creator , and dare I remind you that He has not changed ?
Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
The verses you did post are plainly about certain positions of authority within the church , and yes it is plain if you seek one of those , you must NOT have more than one wife .
Now let us touch on the analogy of the Christ and His bride ( the church ) , if we go that route then let us also look at what or better stated " who " is the church . The church as we all know are the people , the saints , " ekklhsia / ekklesia " to bring in the Greek for reference . The term " Church " is used to describe a " Body " of people that is made up of untold Millions of people since the beginning of Creation . That would be more than one , much like the term " Family " , it too is one , although a singular family , it too is made up of multiple people . So your argument using " the Church " as an example of Monogamy doesn't really work , since there will clearly be more than one person involved . No , it is a much better example of multiple people being His Bride , wouldn't you say ?
