Greag Carey: What Does the Bible Actually Say About Marriage? (Huffington Post Article)
(I will be updating this response further and will show the reader that God/the Bible does have a lot to say about marriage.)
It seems like almost every other day, Huffington Post has something to say about what the Bible.
The author of this article (supposedly a Professor at Lancaster Theological Seminary) mentions a number of Scripture verses and is very quick to say that they have nothing to do with marriage!
The Bible is God’s revealed Word. It’s not some self help guide written by ordinary men trying to make a quick buck, nor is it a work of fiction meant to entertain. It seems like that’s how you are treating the Bible Greg. You seem to think (and are advocating a false truth) that each verse is ONLY meant for the situation it is mentioned in. You are wrong.
Many of my fellow Christians have rightly said that if the Bible is treated as an ordinary book along with the multitudes of other books written by people, you will not get much, if at all anything, out of it. You see, unlike ordinary books, when a person chooses to read the Bible IN FAITH (choosing to believe in God, choosing to believe that the Bible is God’s Word) and have an earnest desire to seek God, God’s Holy Spirit, God Himself, reveals to the reader, the many truth’s that may be buried in a particular chapter or verse. If one has no faith, but consider oneself to be knowledgeable and intelligent and capable of finding the truth and gaining wisdom on their own, sorry, but you are just wasting your time and only feeding your ego. You may impress a few people on Earth, but God is not amused.
Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Psalm 111:10 – The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Clearly, a reverent fear of God (not being afraid of Him) is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom that comes from Him. God does not hold back on wisdom and understanding from people who are seeking Him with their every being. To fear God means to humble yourself before Him.
Right at the start, the author mentions how in nearly every wedding, 1 Corinthians 13 (called the love chapter) is mentioned, yet that’s not why it was written by Paul nor what he had in mind. While the author is right to say that this was originally meant for the Corinthian church, what Paul speaks about love and the characteristics it’s meant to manifest in everyday life, is NOT ONLY meant for the Corinthian church, but for EVERY BELIEVER and FOLLOWER of Jesus Christ! 1 Corinthians 13 has one of the most detailed and accurate definition of what real love is meant to be. How can this not be appropriate and fully relevant for marriage??
I am not going to address and clarify each of the other verses where the author tries to make the same argument. Clearly, the author either does not understand how to read the Bible or he does but is wanting to make others doubt the relevance of the Bible in every aspect of life. Whatever his agenda may be, the truth is that the Bible is filled with wisdom for those who humbly seek it from God. God will show you how each verse has a relevance to the passage it’s found in AND ALSO how a bigger truth can be gleaned out of it and applied to another aspect of life. The Lord Jesus Himself always taught in parables. To ordinary people not wanting to do anything with God, they were just nice stories with good morals. But, we know from Scriptures that each of the parables Jesus spoke of, had deep spiritual meaning and message about what our lives should be like.
It just makes me sad/frustrated that the so called experts are trying to water down the Bible and trying to challenge it’s importance and relevance in this world, by writing articles such as these. Like this author, many are quick to declare that the Bible does not have anything relevant to say about marriage or homosexuality (to name a few topics). The truth is, the Bible, God, has a lot to say about EVERYTHING. People just don’t want to hear it because God/the Bible, is politically incorrect and hurts some people, so it
must not be right for everyone.
When it all ends, we will know. Jesus came once before (historically proven outside of the Bible) to save the sinners, to save the World. He will come again and each and every one of us, will have to answer to Him and face judgment.
Sure, you may talk a tough talk now and use cleverly crafted arguments to challenge the “oxymoron’s” (as one commenter put it), the Biblical accounts and truths revealed in the Word. But one day, when you WILL face God, all that bravado and understanding/wisdom you THINK you have, will amount to nothing. All you can and will do then is stand speechless, sorrowfully realizing how wrong you were and how there are no second chances when the end comes.
Ezekiel 18:23 – Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Clearly, the Lord does not anyone to rot in hell, but is still waiting for people to turn to Him and be saved from eternal damnation.
To the many who say that the Bible is a fairy tale and whatever else and no one should care what it says: what if you are wrong?
Thank Sri 🙂