This page is meant to give biblical insight into issues that affect Christians today :-)
Abortion Government Homosexuality Jewelry Judging Marriage and Divorce Parenting Suffering Swearing Worldly Cravings
Its amazing how many people try to weasel out of the simple Biblical fact that ABORTION IS MURDER. Consider the following passages:
Job 31:14 what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him? 15 Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?
Psalms 139:13 For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother's womb.
Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." (note: God is talking to Jeremiah but this still clearly applies to all mankind.)
Jeremiah 32:34 They set up their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it. 35 They built the high places of Ba'al in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. 36 "Now therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence': (note: Molech was an idol god that these people worshipped. According to the "laws" of their God a child had to be sacrificed to him. God destroyed this foolish city and despised their works. Is abortion anything more than killing children?)
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."
Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
Genesis 22:17 I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies,
All three of these passages show two things. How God gives descendants as a great reward for the great Patriarchs and How God commanded His people to have many children so that the His Earth can be filled. How can we disobey God's great covenant?
Genesis 11:4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Ba'bel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (note: Here we see what happened to those who broke one part of God's covenant, to fill the Earth. Think what God would do if all of these people decided to have to mate but kill their children before their birth.)
Sex is a gift from God to encourage man to have children. If one commits abortion it is like asking for and accepting someone's gift, but then taking it back to the store for a refund or an exchange when it is time to use that gift.
Should we accept government, even if it is corrupt?
I Peter 2:13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing right you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God. 17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (note: Just as the early apostles did not refuse the wrath of the government, we should not oppose it either. If we are doing our Christian duties then we should accept any harassment or unfair treatment readily.)
I Peter 4:16 yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God.
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." (note: Homosexuality produces nothing.)
Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. 23 And you shall not lie with any beast and defile yourself with it, neither shall any woman give herself to a beast to lie with it: it is perversion. 24 "Do not defile yourselves by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am casting out before you defiled themselves; (note: The person who is the "You" in this sentence is male. This does not imply that being a Lesbian is appropriate. This also denounces animal sex.)
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them. (note: of course Christ died for out sins, therefore such things will not prevent our salvation, but that doesn't mean one should disobey God's laws)
Deuteronomy 22:5 "A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God. (note: This is a proclamation against cross-dressing.)
Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. 29 They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them. (note: this refers to Leviticus 20:13 [see above])
Homosexuality is obviously a sin in God's eyes. We are not born with this illness, it is something that is brought upon us through our childhood. We can resist its temptation.
Is the Bible against wearing jewelry?
I Peter 3:3 Let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of fine clothing, 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. (note: This passage is not really saying you can't wear any jewelry, but it is saying that you should not base any value, and that you should not adorn yourself heavily.)
Judging People
James 4:11 Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you that you judge your neighbor?
Divorce is a tricky issue but I hope that these passage will help to clear your wondering minds.
Genesis 2:22 and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." 24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. (note: The original purpose of marriage was meant to last forever.)
Malachi 2:14 You ask, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So take heed to yourselves, and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. 16 "For I hate divorce, says the LORD the God of Israel, and covering one's garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless." (note: It's pretty clear that God hates divorce. God considers it sin, it does not please him in the least, but as Jesus says later on, it might be nessesary.)
Matthew 5:31 "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (note: One may not marry anyone who has divorced unlawfully.)
Matthew 19:3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" 4 He answered, "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." 7 They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" 8 He said to them, "For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery." 10 The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry." 11 But he said to them, "Not all men can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. (note: When marriage takes place the Holy Spirit binds the bride and groom together to make one spiritual being. Divorce should be avoided at all cost. The only reason Moses allowed for Divorce was because of the stubbornness of his fellow Israelites. The absolute only reason Jesus gives for allowing divorce is if one partner is unfaithful. The sin of committing divorce outside of unfaithfulness is adultery which is a very serious sin, as it was one of the Ten Commandments. At Matthew 19:10 we see that the disciples realize that because of this, it is probably better to not marry at all. Jesus agrees and said that only some can take what I am saying and go through marriage without Divorce.)
I Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote. It is well for a man not to touch a woman. 2 But because of the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does. (note: This passage covers two issues, one of which I will cover in more detail later. The first one being the issue of polygamy. It is the common perception of people to believe Polygamy to be wrong, which it is. Here and all through his letters, Paul never uses a plural word for husband or a plural word for wife. He always speaks in terms of one wife and one Husband. Remember what Jesus said, a husband and a wife will join to make one being. It wouldn't make since if multiple wives or multiple husbands attempted to join especially since it is common in polygamy for one spouse to dislike the other spouse. The second issue, which will be covered more later, is on the roles of husbands and wives. Paul clearly states here that a couple should have much respect for each other, but Paul does say that each should give each other their conjugal rights. What are those rights? We shall see.)
I Corinthians 7:12 To the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace. 16 Wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife? 17 Only, let every one lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. (note: This passage also tackles two important issues, can you Divorce freely from a non-Christian and can you remarry after a lawful divorce? The answer to the first question is no. Remember, you may only divorce your spouse if they are unfaithful to you, but that does not mean you should try and stop your wife from divorcing you if she is not a believer in Christ. On the second issue, the answer is absolutely. Verse 17 states that all you have to do is let God lead you, there is no law saying that you can't remarry. If God wishes you to then go ahead. Of course this only applies to lawful divorces.)
I Timothy 3:2 Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, (note: This passage has raised a lot of controversy as to if a divorced person should be able to serve in the ministry. The simple answer to the question is yes, if the divorce was lawful. Many people site the part about husband of one wife to claim that a minister can not divorce but this is not true at all. If they interpret the passage like that then it should also mean that a minister has to be married, which makes no sense. Not only does divorce keep you from being the husband of one wife but also not marrying at all would have the same effect. So therefore, it is apparent that it indicates that a minister should not be a polygamist and have many spouses [I will discuss why the fact that Paul represents a bishop as always a man later])
Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you. (note: This is the Fifth Commandment.)
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 23:13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 "that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth." 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (note: Respect should be mutual. A child should honor his parents but a child's parents should not disrespect their child.)
Hebrews 11:9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
Matthew 5:39 But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; 40 and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; 41 and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?
Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Luke 6:27 "But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again. 31 And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. 32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
Swearing
James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation.
James 4:4 Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
All Bible Passages in this document are from The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1959, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Used by permission.