What Did Jesus Mean - Regarding Divorce?

When I finish one writing project, I pray and ask God to show me my next project.  That was my early morning prayer today.  And when I opened Facebook, the first thing I saw was a woman in Louisiana liking a blog I had written and posted in 2014 - a blog about divorce and remarriage. 

Wow, thank you, Lord.  Maybe there is someone in my Friends Ministry eNewsletter e-mail list or on Facebook who needs to see and read that blog now.  I will never know for that is between that person and God, but I believe I would be remiss if I do not post this blog today.  So here is my 2014 blog:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In a TimesDaily Religion Forum discussion I began several months ago titled "The Prolific Forum Poster!" - a Forum Friend and I somehow wandered into a dialogue on prayer and divorce.   Because these are both very important issues, I want to discuss both.  But to have some semblance of brevity I have split them into two separate discussions.

We have already discussed "What Did Jesus Mean - Regarding Prayer?"

After bringing prayer into the discussion -- my Forum Friend immediately went into another of his favorite talking points when addressing those of us in the Christian faith: Divorce.  

I can only assume that his interest in divorce can be traced back to posts he wrote several years ago when we were discussing the Christian's relationship with Jesus Christ in comparison to our relationship with our spouse and family.  We were discussing what we believe Jesus meant in Luke 14:26, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple." 

I stated that no matter how much I love my wife and family, Jesus Christ must always be first.  And, this Friend, sharing with us how his ex-wife had been less than desirable, yet his present wife was the light of his life, told us, "No one, not even Jesus Christ, comes before my wife!"   Yet, Jesus tells us that unless He is first, we cannot be His disciples.  So, is my Friend a Christian believer as he professes to be, or not?  We will leave that between him and God.

Taking a closer look at what Jesus is telling us in Luke 14:26, I do not believe He is saying that we should desert our families - only that the Light we should be following is Him, and Him only.  And, as Christians, we should be guiding those in our families toward that Light.

As for myself, I have never hidden the fact that I married as a young man in the Air Force and had a wonderful wife who passed away in 2001, nine days before 9-11.  And, I have never hidden the fact that I loved her three young daughters then, and love them today, as my own.  She and I remained friends, and in a sense always loved one another, and talked often on the phone - meeting once in Denver to celebrate our youngest daughter, Leslie's, birthday.

We were divorced long before I met Dory and long before I became a Christian believer.  My Forum Friend seems to overlook the divorce in own his life - yet, he wants to hang me on the cross of hypocrisy when I share the Gospel.  Let's talk about it.

Regarding divorce, my Forum Friend asked me: 

Was Jesus wrong when he said to not divorce?

Matthew 5:32, "But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

Mark 10:11-12, "And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Luke 16:18“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

How about God?   "'I hate divorce,' says the LORD God of Israel" (Malachi 2:16). 

How about Paul?   "Are you bound to a wife?  Do not seek to be released.  Are you released from a wife?  Do not seek a wife" (1 Corinthians 7:27). 

So, is Jesus wrong?  Is God wrong?  Is Paul wrong?  Is the Bible wrong?  Seems to me that you have a problem following God's commandments.  Here is a verse you might like.

1 John 2:3-4,  "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.  Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

 
Since my Forum Friend is particularly interested in and concerned about my marital status, let's talk about that issue.  In 1956, over thirty years before I became a Christian believer - I met and married a beautiful lady who had been previously married in her Roman Catholic church, had three small girls (3, 4, and 18 months), and for good reason had divorced her husband.

We were married in a civil ceremony.   And, even though I was not Roman Catholic and knew little about that religion, I promised to help her raise the children in her Roman Catholic faith.  Shortly after our marriage, the Air Force sent me to Korea.  In Korea, even though I explained to the Roman Catholic chaplain at Osan Air Force Base that I was not interested in becoming a Roman Catholic - that I only wanted to take catechism classes to learn about that religion so that I could assist in raising the girls in their mother's faith and church, he refused.  

So I began my own studies of Roman Catholicism without him.  And I spent about twenty years attending that church, taking catechism lessons, and studying the Roman Catholic faith.

During the year that I was in Korea, my wife talked with her Roman Catholic priest in Denver, explaining the reasons for her divorce and asking what she and I should do - remain married as we were, or get a civil divorce to end our civil marriage?  His advice was to stay married and raise the children in the Roman Catholic church.  That is what we did when I returned from Korea.  And we continued after I was later discharged from the Air Force and began my career in the computer industry.  

Matter of fact, while working as a Computer Field Engineer for Burroughs Corporation at the Norfolk Naval Supply Depot, I helped coach the basketball team at the Roman Catholic elementary school my girls attended in Norfolk, Virginia.  I still have a very nice set of cuff links the team gave me in appreciation after the season.

After six years, she and I separated and eventually, years later, divorced - but we remained close friends until her death on September 2, 2001.   She had remarried and had a long, happy marriage.  And on September 2, 1977, Dory and I were married and have been happily married for 37 years and counting.   Through my marriage to Dory, I became a Christian believer in 1987.

So, how was our situation to be resolved?  Should Dory and I have divorced to allow me to remarry my first wife?  That could not be, for she was already happily married.  Should Dory and I end our marriage, the relationship which helped me to become a Christian believer? 

And since my first wife had been married in the Roman Catholic church and then divorced from her first husband - was our civil marriage already null and void in the eyes of God?   As you can see, as a Christian believer - this was sort of a Catch 22 situation.  So am I wrong to believe that my Christian faith today is valid, that my Christian marriage to Dory is valid and blessed by God, and that the Christian ministry I am doing is blessed by God?  No, I do not think I am wrong.

Let me offer this article for additional thought on the subject of divorce and remarriage:

Question: "Is remarriage after divorce always adultery?"
 http://www.gotquestions.org/remarriage-adultery.html

Answer:  Before we even begin to answer this question, let us reiterate, "God hates divorce" (Malachi 2:16).  The pain, confusion, and frustration most people experience after a divorce are surely part of the reason that God hates divorce.  Even more difficult, biblically, than the question of divorce, is the question of remarriage.  The vast majority of people who divorce either remarry or consider getting remarried.  What does the Bible say about this?

Matthew 19:9 says, "I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."  See also Matthew 5:32.  These Scriptures clearly state that remarriage after a divorce is adultery, except in the instance of "marital unfaithfulness."  In regards to this "exception clause" and its implications, please read the following articles:  

• What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage?  http://www.gotquestions.org/divorce-remarriage.htmlI am divorced. 
• Can I remarry?   http://www.gotquestions.org/divorced-remarry.html 

It is our view that there are certain instances in which divorce and remarriage are permitted without the remarriage being considered adultery. 

These instances would include unrepentant adultery, physical abuse of spouse or children, and abandonment of a believing spouse by an unbelieving spouse.  We are not saying that a person under such circumstances should remarry.  The Bible definitely encourages remaining single or reconciliation over remarriage (1 Corinthians 7:11).  At the same time, it is our view that God offers His mercy and grace to the innocent party in a divorce and allows that person to remarry without it being considered adultery.

A person who gets a divorce for a reason other than the reasons listed above, and then gets remarried has committed adultery (Luke 16:18).  The question then becomes, is this remarriage an "act" of adultery - OR -  a "state" of adultery. 

The present tense of the Greek in Matthew 5:32; 19:9; and Luke 16:18 can indicate a continuous state of adultery.  At the same time, the present tense in Greek does not always indicate continuous action.  Sometimes it simply means that something occurred (Aoristic, Punctiliar, or Gnomic present).

For example, the word "divorces" in Matthew 5:32 is present tense, but divorcing is not a continual action.  It is our view that remarriage, no matter the circumstances, is not a continual state of adultery.  Only the act of getting remarried itself is adultery.

In the Old Testament Law, the punishment for adultery was death (Leviticus 20:10).  At the same time, Deuteronomy 24:1-4 mentions remarriage after a divorce, (but) does not call it adultery, and does not demand the death penalty for the remarried spouse.  The Bible explicitly says that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16), but nowhere explicitly states that God hates remarriage.  

The Bible nowhere commands a remarried couple to divorce.  Deuteronomy 24:1-4 does not describe the remarriage as invalid.  Ending a remarriage through divorce would be just as sinful as ending a first marriage through divorce.  Both would include the breaking of vows before God, between the couple, and in front of witnesses.

No matter the circumstances, once a couple is remarried, they should strive to live out their married lives in fidelity, in a God-honoring way, with Christ at the center of their marriage.

A marriage is a marriage.  God does not view the new marriage as invalid or adulterous.  A remarried couple should devote themselves to God, and to each other – and honor Him by making their new marriage a lasting and Christ-centered one (Ephesians 5:22-33).

Recommended Resources: "Divorce and Remarriage: 4 Views" edited By H. Wayne House  

So, how should we view divorce?  We must have the same view as God   "'I hate divorce,' says the LORD God of Israel" (Malachi 2:16).  God hates divorce because it against His standard for marriage and family; God hates divorce for what it does to a family; God hates divorce for what it does to our Christian community and to our society.   Divorce is bad in the eyes of God.  There is no other way to say it.   But, wouldn't a second divorce, to correct a first sin - be just as bad in the eyes of God?   All sin is bad in the eyes of God

One more thought from a slightly different angle.   When Jesus Christ went to the cross, He was crucified to make atonement, to "pay in full" all sin debt - past, present, and future.

Study Guide for John 19 by David Guzik
 http://www.blbclassic.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=2&contentID=20094&commInfo=31&topic=John

b. It is finished!  Jesus' final word (tetelestai in the ancient Greek) is the cry of a winner.  Jesus had finished the eternal purpose of the cross.  It stands today as a finished work, the foundation of all Christian peace and faith, paying in full the debt we righteously owe to God. 

• i. At some point before He died, before the veil was torn in two, before He cried out,  "It is finished" -- an awesome spiritual transaction took place.  God the Father laid upon God the Son all the guilt and wrath our sin deserved, and He bore it in Himself perfectly, totally satisfying the wrath of God for us. 

When Jesus Christ died on the cross He made possible the forgiveness of ALL our sins -- past, present, and future.  In other words, He provided the door to full forgiveness for all people.  But, unless we open that door and allow Him to come in and be our most intimate Friend, our Lord and Savior (Revelation 3:20) - we make His payment on our behalf null and void.   He has signed His "Eternal Life" cashier's check with His precious blood, and has stretched out His hands to offer it to us.  If we will not receive it, we are still the poor, hungry, homeless lost souls we were before He purchased our pardon.

Let's say you are a homeless person, living on the streets, and Bill Gates comes to you and offers you a cashier's check for one billion dollars.  If you accept his free gift - you are very rich.  If you refuse his free gift - you are still a pitiful, hungry, lost soul living in the streets of desolation.  

That is what Christ has done.  He has come to you, a lost, homeless soul - and offered you the immeasurable richness of eternal life in the presence of God.  If you accept, you have an eternal home in heaven (John 14:1-3).  If you refuse, you have an eternal home living on the desolate streets of hell.

When we enter into that special relationship with Jesus Christ, when we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, we are adopted into the family of God (John 1:12).  And, we are indwelled and sealed in Him for eternity (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30).   All our sins are forgiven, we are made a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When we place our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, all of our sins are forgiven. That includes past, present, and future, big or small.  Believers do not have to keep asking for forgiveness or repenting in order to have their sins forgiven.  Jesus died to pay the penalty for all of our sins, and when they are forgiven, they are all forgiven (Colossians 1:14; Acts 10:43).   http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-sin.html

Let's look at the following article explaining the relationship between salvation and full forgiveness:

Question: "What is the relationship between salvation and forgiveness?"
http://www.gotquestions.org/salvation-forgiveness.html

Answer: When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we receive salvation and forgiveness.  But that’s not all.  The Bible says we also receive justification, redemption, reconciliation, atonement, propitiation, and regeneration.  Each of these theological terms expresses wonderful truths about the blessing we receive when Jesus becomes our Savior.  Salvation and forgiveness, while related, are not exactly the same.

The term salvation comes from the Greek word sozo, which means “to be delivered, rescued.”  Salvation is deliverance from the penalty of sin, that is, eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23; Matthew 25:46).  Salvation is God’s rescuing us from our deserved fate.  Salvation also includes a more immediate deliverance from the power of sin in this life.  Sin has lost its dominion over the saved ones (Romans 6:14).  Faith in Jesus Christ rescues us from the empty and meaningless life described in Ecclesiastes and provides us with a life that is abundant and fruitful (John 10:10; Galatians 5:22–23).

The term forgiveness comes from the Greek word aphiemi, which means “to let go, to give up, to keep no longer.”  When Jesus forgives us, our sins, trespasses, iniquities, and transgressions are erased, wiped off the record.  Forgiveness of sin is analogous to financial debt being erased.  When God forgives us of our sins, we are free.  Our sins are wiped out.  God will never hold them against us (Psalm 103:12).

Salvation and forgiveness are closely related.  There is no salvation without forgiveness.  Salvation is God’s delivering us from the consequences of sin.  Forgiveness is God’s erasing our sin debt.  To use a financial illustration, forgiveness is God’s shredding the documents that list our debt, and salvation is God’s letting us out of debtors’ prison.  Praise God for the wonderful salvation and forgiveness He has provided.  May our lives reflect gratitude for all He has done for us (Romans 12:1).

Recommended Resources:"Making Sense of Salvation" by Wayne Grudem.

I suppose the most pressing question at this point is: "When Jesus Christ died on the cross - did He die once for all sin, or not?"

Romans 6:10, "For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God."   

1 Peter 3:18, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;. . ."

YES, Jesus Christ died once, for all sin.  

Other questions raised by many espousing a liberal theology, or those non-believers who want to raise a wall between the Christian believers and our God, are:  "So, what happens if you die before confessing your latest sins?" - OR - "So, because you are a 'forgiven Christian' - you are free to sin all you want and God will just ignore those sins, right?"  Wrong!  Both of these assumptive questions, i.e., loaded questions, are merely fishing expeditions - but, without valid bait on their hooks.

The following article nicely addresses the issue of sin, forgiveness, and our salvation:

Question: "Do Christians have to keep asking for forgiveness for their sins?"
 http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-sin.html

Answer:  A frequent question is “what happens if I sin, and then I die before I have an opportunity to confess that sin to God?”  Another common question is “what happens if I commit a sin, but then forget about it and never remember to confess it to God?”  Both of these questions rest on a faulty assumption.  Salvation is not a matter of believers trying to confess and repent from every sin they commit before they die.  Salvation is not based on whether a Christian has confessed and repented of every sin. 

Yes, we should confess our sins to God as soon as we are aware that we have sinned.  However, we do not always need to be asking God for forgiveness.  When we place our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, all of our sins are forgiven.  That includes past, present, and future, big or small.  Believers do not have to keep asking for forgiveness or repenting in order to have their sins forgiven.  Jesus died to pay the penalty for all of our sins, and when they are forgiven, they are all forgiven (Colossians 1:14; Acts 10:43).

What we are to do is confess our sins: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  What this verse tells us to do is “confess” our sins to God.  The word “confess” means “to agree with.”  When we confess our sins to God, we are agreeing with God that we were wrong, that we have sinned. 

• Bill Gray note:  This is us "owning" our sin, acknowledging our sin.  God is never surprised by our sins.   The word "Oops!" is not in His vocabulary.  God is omniscient and knows all that we will ever do - before we do it.  So, our confession is us agreeing with God that we have sinned and want Him to forgive us of our sin and to restore our close fellowship with Him, as Father and child.

God forgives us, through confession, on an ongoing basis because of the fact that He is “faithful and just.”  How is God “faithful and just”?  He is faithful by forgiving sins, which He has promised to do for all those who receive Christ as Savior.  He is just by applying Christ’s payment for our sins, recognizing that the sins have indeed been atoned for.

At the same time, 1 John 1:9 does indicate that somehow forgiveness is dependent on our confessing our sins to God.  How does this work if all of our sins are forgiven the moment we receive Christ as Savior? 

It seems that what the apostle John is describing here is “relational” forgiveness.  All of our sins are forgiven “positionally” the moment we receive Christ as Savior.  This positional forgiveness guarantees our salvation and promise of an eternal home in heaven.  When we stand before God after death, God will not deny us entrance into heaven because of our sins.  That is positional forgiveness. 

The concept of relational forgiveness is based on the fact that when we sin, we offend God and grieve His Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).  While God has ultimately forgiven us of the sins we commit, they still result in a blocking or hindrance in our relationship with God.  

A young boy who sins against his father is not cast out of the family.  A godly father will forgive his children unconditionally.  At the same time, a good relationship between father and son cannot be achieved until the relationship is restored.  This can only occur when a child confesses his mistakes to his father and apologizes.  That is why we confess our sins to God -- not to maintain our salvation, but to bring ourselves back into close fellowship with the God who loves us and has already forgiven us.

Recommended Resources: "Overcoming Sin and Temptation"by John Owen.

So, back to my Forum Friend's question regarding my early divorce, my remarriage of 37 joyfully blessed years, and counting, to Dory -- and my relationship with my God.  All is well!

Yes, I sinned against and grieved God when I divorced and when I remarried.   But, flawed mortal Christian that I am, when I received His "Paid In Full" pardon written in the precious blood of Jesus Christ -- ALL MY SINS were forgiven, I was indwelled and sealed with the Holy Spirit -- and I am good to go!

My Forum Friend, I sincerely pray that you can say the same, that you truly have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  For, with all my heart, I do want to fellowship with you in heaven one day.  At that time, we can look back upon all our disagreements on the Religion Forum and have a good, Christian laugh.  And, I am positive that Jesus Christ will join us in laughter.

The eternally important question has to be:  Do YOU know for sure that YOU will spend eternity in heaven in the presence of God?  If you are not sure, can we talk about it?

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on image to enlarge:

 

Did Adam Have A Wife Before Eve?

DID ADAM HAVE A WIFE BEFORE EVE?  ~  A Christian brother recently asked me that question and to such questions our response should never be one of jest nor derision, for many folks have been led by non-believers and Liberal Theology teachings to question, even doubt, the Bible.  There are many who believe Adam had a wife named Lilith before Eve. 

And in the same level of misdirection, there are many folks today who still believe the earth is flat.  No, I am not joking.  Go to Facebook and search for Flat Earth.  You will find a number of Flat Earth groups there, with possibly thousands of followers who have been caught in that slippery slope.

My Friend posted on Facebook Messenger, April 11, 2020:  "Bro. Bill, I was watching the History Channel on TV about the Bible, and they told that Eve was Not Adam's first wife, but Lilith was, that she also was from the dust, and that she and Adam had children."

That form of misdirection is very common in online discussions and forums.  During the seven years I was posting on the TimesDaily Religion Forum, at one time or another, I heard it all.  There were the Flat Earth proponents.  Others who said they believed that Jesus Christ was just another name for the Roman god, Zeus. 

There was one fellow who adamantly preached The Urantia Book which he claimed is a spiritual, philosophical, and religious book equivalent to our Bible.  And just as there is an active Flat Earth Society worldwide, there is also a large number of people who are members of the Urantia Book Society - begun in the 1950s when, supposedly, aliens from outer space gave the Urantia Book to a medical doctor in Chicago - and from that he formed the society which is still very active today.

A Christian Friend has asked me many times, "Bill, why do you bother debating with those people?"   And I assured him that it is not with the hope that I will convert such non-believers, even though I would love to see it happen.  The people for whom I am writing are those who will read what those people have written - and ask questions, like my Friend who asked about Adam and Lilith.  I am sure he did not buy into that story completely, otherwise he would not have asked me the question. 

And for such Truth Seekers, unless I, or someone like me, will intelligently and Biblically refute what the false teachers have written, or said in a video, or produced in a television documentary like on the History Channel - many who are less mature in Christ, many who are new believers and seeking to understand God's Word, and even many who are on the verge of believing - may be led astray.

On the TimesDaily Religion Forum, a near real-time tally of people on the forums at any time was shown each day.  Typically I would see 5, 10, 25 members online reading and possibly posting at any given time - but I would often see hundreds, at times thousands, of non-member Readers online, folks who were not posting members - but who came on the Religion Forum only to read what we members were posting. 

If an atheist, agnostic, vanilla-flavored non-believer, or worse yet, a New Age Religion proponent such as the Urantia Book followers, and let's not forget the Wicca Witch religion followers - were allowed to post their religious views with no Conservative Christian to refute them - just imagine how many trusting souls could be led astray.  And I cannot forget my Liberal Theology and Legalistic Christian friends on the forum - who, quite often, were more abusive toward our Conservative Christian faith than all the others.

And that is why I take the question about Adam having another wife before Eve very seriously and why I will make an honest effort to give my Christian brother a solid, Biblical answer.

He gave me the link to the History Channel video on YouTube and many folks who are not strongly grounded in their knowledge of God's Word, the Bible, can be easily mislead by such network shows.  Producers of those so-called documentaries will gather a select group of supposed experts in the field of Christianity and the Bible to interview.  They do that in an effort to make their presentation seem to be the absolute, unquestionable authority. 

But what the show producers have done is gather a group of scholars, theologians, etc., from Liberal Institutions such as Duke, Harvard, and other schools of divinity which are extreme liberal left in their theology.  And they believe they strengthen their position by adding similar experts from institutions in England - all sounding very scholarly and authoritative.  But that would be like gathering a group of Liberal Democrats to discuss how to make the Republican Party stronger.

Let me ask this question.  If a poll taker wanted to get the latest input on how people in America view the homosexual lifestyle - would a survey taken in West Hollywood, San Francisco, and among the so-called Hollywood Actor experts - be believable?  That would be like interviewing a group of Auburn fans to see which football team, Auburn or Alabama, is best.

First we must realize that the History Channel does not view the Bible the same as we in the Conservative Christian faith.  If anything, the History Channel would lean toward its primary religion - Science - which of course has it more accepting of Evolution and a Liberal Theology view of the Bible.

At this point let's define the two views of the Bible:  Those in the Liberal Theology camp - many whose primary religion is Science, then Christianity, as long as their Christianity does not dispute their higher authority, Science - view the Bible as a book of symbolisms, metaphors, myths, and short stories meant to encourage and possibly inspired folks, to guide believers in their Christian walk, but, in their view, the Bible is NOT the Inerrant, Literal Written Word of God.

While we who walk in the Conservative Christian faith know that the Bible "IS" the Inspired, Inerrant, Literal, and Authoritative Written Word of God. 

The full Bible, all 66 books, is the Written Word of God.  It is a supernaturally inspired revelation from God - and is His full plan for mankind and His full revelation to mankind. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, literal, and authoritative Written Word of God.  The Bible is the sole authority for our Christian faith and Christian life, God's full revelation to man. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21)

We believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of Scripture and that all 66 books of the Bible are without error in the original manuscripts.  "Verbal" meaning that every word of Scripture is God given and inspired.  "Plenary" means that all parts of the Bible are equally authoritative.  "Inspiration" means that every word in the Bible is divinely inspired, yet not dictated.

Rather than reinventing the wheel on Adam and Lilith, let me share with you excerpts from two trusted Christian apologetic web sites and support that with Scripture passages found in Genesis.

First from GotQuestions dot org:

Question:  "Who was Lilith? Does the Bible say anything about Adam having another wife before Eve?"

Answer:   There are legends that Adam had a wife before Eve who was named Lilith, but this is not found in the Bible.  The legends vary significantly, but they all essentially agree that Lilith left Adam because she did not want to submit to him.  According to the legends, Lilith was an evil, wicked woman who committed adultery with Satan and produced a race of evil creatures.  None of this is true.  There is no biblical basis whatsoever for these concepts. There is no one in the Bible named Lilith.

The passage most often pointed to as evidence for Lilith is Isaiah 34:14, which in the NRSV reads, "there too Lilith shall repose."  This is a poor translation.  Every other major translation of the Bible reads something to the effect of "night creature" or "screech owl" instead of Lilith.  Even if "demon monster named Lilith" was the proper translation of the Hebrew word, Adam is nowhere even hinted at in this passage nor in its context.  Whatever the "Lilith" was, it is not given any connection whatsoever to Adam or Creation.

Another commonly used support for Lilith is the differing Creation accounts in Genesis chapters 1-2.  Some claim that the woman in Genesis 1 was Lilith, with the woman in Genesis 2 being Eve.  This is completely ludicrous.  Rather, Genesis chapter 2 is a "closer look" at the creation of Adam and Eve as recorded in Genesis chapter 1. 

The Bible specifically says that Adam and Eve were the first human beings ever created (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-25).  This "Lilith" myth is popular in some radical feminist movements because Lilith is an example of a woman refusing to submit to male headship.  While there are myths outside of the Word of God regarding Lilith, her complete absence from Scripture demonstrates that she is nothing more than a myth.

In the Hebrew language, the transliterated word liyliyth in Strong's Concordance means:  "Lilith is the name of a mythical female goddess known as a night demon who haunts the desolate places of Edom, or it might be a nocturnal animal that inhabits desolate places."

In differing Bible translations liyliyth is interpreted as: The screech owl (kjv, web) - night creature (nkjv, nlt, niv) - night bird (esv, csb) - night monster (nasb, asv) - nocturnal animals (net) - night hag (rsv) - night owl (ylt) - lilith (dby, nrsv, hnv).  None of these seem like the woman God created to be a helpmate for Adam.  Let's look at what Scripture has to say about Adam and his wife, Eve:

Genesis 1:26-28, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all  the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' "

Genesis 2:7,  "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

Gen 2:15-18, "Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'  And the LORD God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.' "

Genesis 2:20-25, "So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field.  But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.  Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.  And Adam said:  'This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.'  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

Genesis 1:31, "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.  So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

I believe you can see that the person or animal, real or mythical, translated as Lilith could in no way be a part of God's creation, nor in any way be associated with His created humans, Adam and Eve.  For if any such creature existed with Adam - there is no way that God could consider that to be VERY GOOD.

At this point the reader must decide how YOU will view the Bible.  Is it the inspired, inerrant, literal, and authoritative Written Word of God as Conservative Theology Christians read it?  

Or is it a book of symbolisms, metaphors, myths, and short stories meant only to be a good guidebook for the Christian believers as the Liberal Theology Christians want to read it? 

If the Creation account found in Genesis 1 and 2 are not true - then how can YOU believe the rest of the Bible?  If you cannot believe and trust the Bible - on what do you put your faith and how do you know you have eternal life?  Think about that - then pick up your Bible and read it the way God intended, exegetically reading from the Bible what God has caused to be written into it.

Another excerpt comes from CompellingTruth dot org, an apologetic outreach ministry of GotQuestions dot org:

More recently, feminists and New Agers have claimed Lilith as a role model.  They praise her independence and sexual freedom and use her as an example when refusing to submit to their husbands.  She has loaned her name to "Lilith Fair," a touring concert of female singers and female-led bands - and Lilith Magazine, a Jewish feminist magazine.

The only verified part of all this is that Lilith was a character in ancient Sumerian/Akkadian folk lore.  Any "evidence" found in the Bible is easily dismissed.  The bulk of literature defining her role in history comes from Kabbalah - a Jewish-based cult.  In short, Lilith was a figure of ancient mythology who has since been used to represent death to innocents, sexual predation on men, and feminist independence.  She was never real, and she certainly was never married to Adam.

In viewing the History Channel videos my Friend watched, in the very first 1-2 minutes of "History Channel Banned From the Bible 1 of 2" the narrator makes it clear that if he is a Christian believer - he is most certainly in the Liberal Far Left side of our faith.  He makes it clear that, in his opinion, all the early writings, even those God has had canonized as part of His Written Word - were the product of wandering nomadic men who wrote of their beliefs, not necessarily what God has authored. 

And he uses as his reasoning, that the Bible should be viewed as a Liberal book of myths and not the Written Word of God.  Part of his reasoning is that some very good books written by men of old - were not included in the Bible because men did not want them included. 

I have long written, and I stand by my position - that since God chose and inspired 40 men, living in different geographical locations, over a period of 1600 years - to write what He has inspired them to write - and since that collection of 66 books which He had canonized have one central and unified theme:  the salvation of mankind, offered to all who will believe and receive His gift of forgiveness and eternal life.  That UNITY is found in no other religious book of any world religion.

And since our God is so all knowing (Omniscient), all powerful (Omnipotent) and all places present (Omnipresent) such that He could inspire those 40 men to create the book, His Bible, as He desired - that same God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent enough to also inspire and guide the men who were chosen to select, i.e., canonize the books He wanted in His Bible. 

To believe otherwise, is to believe that God was big enough to inspire those men to write His inspired books - but that once they were written, God was not big enough to guide the copyists, translators, and those chosen to canonize the right 66 books He wanted in His Bible.  If that is your belief, what caused God to lose His power?

We have to realize that the same God who inspired those 40 men, also was there to guide the document copyists, He has been there to guide those translating His Bible into differing languages - and He was most certainly there when the 66 books of our Bible were chosen, i.e., canonized, to be our Bible - the Inspired, Inerrant, Literal, Authoritative Written Word of God.

If you want to view the videos referred to on the History Channel, just open YouTube and search for:  "History Channel Banned From the Bible 1 of 2" and "Banned From The Bible 2."  

I realize this blog is somewhat long, but I did not want to short-change my Friend who asked the question.  Nothing is worse when asked a question about our Christian faith, than us responding with, "No, that is not true" and walking away.  If we say it is not true, let's support that from Scripture.  Otherwise we are just spitting in the wind and causing a fellow traveler to possible go astray.   May I never be accused of that.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge:

 

Who Killed Jesus? ~ An Easter Message From Pastor Sam Lacanienta

DID JESUS HAVE TO BE BORN?  DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE?  DID JESUS RESURRECT?  ~  The answer to all those questions is an eternal, "YES!"  Jesus was born of a virgin, the Perfect Man, so that He could die to pay our sin debt to God.  And He had to be born and die, so that He could resurrect.  For if He did not resurrect then our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14),   "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty." 

Jesus promised Martha, sister of Lazarus, and all of us, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live"  (John 11:25).

And what we are celebrating today is His Resurrection, for we know beyond any doubt that He did resurrect.  And because He did resurrect, we, too, will resurrect into our immortal bodies - believers eternally glorified in the presence of God, non-believers eternally lost in hell.

I realize that some Christian brethren do not believe that Jesus resurrected on the first day of the week, Sunday, and therefore disagree with us celebrating Easter Sunday.  Regardless of when you believe He resurrected - the important issue is the "HE DID RESURRECT" and because He did, we believers will have eternal life in Christ.

This short (12 minute) video is a very good Easter Message from my spiritual father, mentor, perpetual Senior Pastor, and very dear Friend, Pastor Sam Lacanienta, recorded at his home in the Philippines.  In it he discusses "Who Killed Jesus" and from Scripture we know that it was the Jewish people, heavily influenced by the Jewish Pharisees - and abetted by the Romans. 

Today, after viewing the video, I went to my wife, Dory, and asked her, "Who killed Jesus?" - and her answer was very accurate, "The Pharisees!"  Most folks will tell us the Jews killed Jesus or they will tell us the Romans killed Jesus.   Then Dory continued, "Why did the Pharisees kill Jesus?"

That was a very astute question and the answer is analogous in many ways to what has been happening in America since 2016.  I really did not want to get politics involved in this blog, but it forces itself into my thoughts.  Yes, the same reason that the Jewish Pharisees went among the throng of people, inciting them to demand that Jesus Christ die, encouraging and egging them on, then leading them in a chorus of, "Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!" - is the exact same reason the Democrats have been trying to crucify President Trump since he was inaugurated in 2016 - Power and Greed!

The Jewish Pharisees knew that proportional to the number of people who believed that Jesus was their Messiah - that much of their Pharisaical power they would lose.  As peoples' faith rose in the presence of their Messiah - the less they would turn to their Pharisee leaders.

In the same way, the more that President Trump accomplishes during his administration - the more power the Democrats lose, the more influence they are losing, their lucrative positions in Congress will dwindle.  While the Pharisees encouraged the people to demand, "Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!" - in the same way the Democratic Pharisees in Congress have been demanding, "Impeach him!  Impeach him!  Impeach him!"

Do you see how relevant Scripture, the Word of God, is to us today in all the turmoil created in political circles, and now through the CoronaVirus Panic Crisis? 

Impeachment did not work, Collusion did not work, and the CoronaVirus Panic is not going to work - for in the end, God is in Control.

Romans 13:1-2, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves."

And Crucifixion did not work!  Jesus Christ is still the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)

I pray that you will find Pastor Sam's message in this video edifying, that it will truly bless your Easter Sunday, and that it will give you the faith and courage to continue through this period of uncertainty and isolation.

Who Killed Jesus? The Jews? - An Easter Sunday Message by Pastor Samuel D. Lacanienta https://youtu.be/EBy92sTW0tY

God bless, have a wonderful and blessed Easter Sunday and enjoy many of God's blessings,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge:

Preparation For Easter Sunday - Pastor Sam Lacanienta, April 9, 2020

THIS VIDEO I AM SHARING HAS A DUAL PURPOSE:   First, today, April 9, 2020, is Pastor Sam Lacanienta's 84th birthday, and second, in his message today he is preparing us to celebrate Resurrection Day, the day that Jesus Christ rose from the grave and opened heaven to all believers - for Old Testament saints, for New Testament saints, His bride, and for the future Tribulation saints who will die during the seven year Tribulation for being followers of Jesus Christ.

In the beginning of our video, Pastor Sam explains the name of Jesus Christ, Jehovah-Jesus, the Lord Saves.  And several times in the video we hear a rooster crowing, reminding us that this message is coming from the Philippines.  But for me it like a clarion call, a wake-up call, telling is to wake up, be alert, for one day soon, and we cannot know when, He will come back to gather His Bride, the church, into heaven to be with Him.

His message today also brings moments of deja vu for me.  He speaks of honoring the name of God, not taking His name in vain, and he tells the story of a mechanic who, when he hurt his hand, exclaimed, "Jesus Christ!"  And with that opportunity Pastor Sam asked if he knew Jesus Christ - and that afternoon he led the man to Christ, just like he did me in 1987.

In a late 1980s Sunday School Class at our Fil-Am Church of Irvine, Pastor Sam taught on misusing the name of God.  Until then I was not aware of the many ways we had been taking God's name in vain.  That Sunday, about 30 years ago, Pastor Sam used our Sunday School Class to explain to us how common it is for folks to take His precious name in vain.  I knew that using OMG was wrong, for it is short for "Oh, my God!" to add emphasis to a statement.  But other ways to take His name in vain surprised me.  For instance, I had often heard, and probably been guilty of doing it myself, using words like "Geez" - which is just a shortened form of Jesus ~ or using "Gosh!" which is just a disguised form of God, i.e., "Oh, my gosh!" - as exclamation points.

But since that Sunday circa 1989, I have been very aware of the different forms of taking God's name in vain.  And, it sincerely does bother me to hear others do it so blatantly, even when it is not done purposely to offend another.  When I hear someone declaring, "OMG!" or "Oh, my God!" - I will suggest they finish their prayer - for the only reason to begin a statement with "Oh, my God!" is when you are beginning a prayer to God.

I realize that many folks may not be aware that what they are saying is offensive to most Christians.  So as a Christian Friend, I will point it out to that person and let him/her know that I find it offensive.  If that person then continues to do it, I realize he/she is intentionally trying to offend me.  And that is why I have been writing and posting blogs about taking His name in vain for many years.

I don't recall ever hearing Pastor Sam raise his voice - in conversation, in Bible studies, or in his sermons.  Even his sermons were more like conversations, much like we see with Pastor Charles Stanley on television.   And that reminds me to another Pastor Sam incident which always brings a smile to my face.

As I said, Pastor Sam never raised his voice, but I did see him get angry.  One evening he came to Bible study and you could tell he was bothered and irritated.  What caused his irritation?  That afternoon he had been driving on the freeway and saw a car with a "Honk If You Love Jesus" bumper sticker.  So, Pastor Sam, who always has a big smile on his face and Godly love in his heart - honked as he drove past the car and gave the driver a big Pastor Sam smile.  The driver of the other car responded with a "one finger salute" to Pastor Sam's overt friendliness.

Our Bible study that evening centered around car bumper stickers.  Pastor Sam told us, "If you are selling or trading in a car which has a Christian bumper sticker or any other Christian sticker on it - REMOVE IT before surrendering the car."   He was deadly serious. 

And I can relate to that.  One afternoon in Corona I was stopped at a red light and in the car in front of me was a young lady.   I smiled because she had a Christian fish on her car.  At the same time a pick-up truck was sitting beside me blaring the most vulgar rap music I had ever heard - and my immediate thought was, "Praise God he is not sitting beside that young Christian lady with that filthy music blaring."

When the light changed, the vulgar rap music truck pulled ahead of me and, to my shock, on the rear of the truck was a Christian fish.  Only two things could explain that:  (1) either he bought the truck and the previous Christian owner had not removed the sticker as Pastor Sam had admonished us - or (2) he had borrowed the truck from a friend who was a Christian, and that Christian friend had no idea of the pollution that was blasting from his truck.  Either way, I remembered Pastor Sam's lesson on removing Christian stickers from cars you are selling or trading.

So I pray that you will enjoy Pastor Sam's short video preparing us for this coming Easter (Resurrection Day) Sunday - and that you will say a prayer that God keeps him healthy and extends his Christian ministry for many, many more years.

Jehovah-Jesus - by Pastor Samuel D. Lacanienta
https://youtu.be/WwjdXUgqNnU

This video message by Pastor Sam Lacanienta and the photo below by his and my long time Christian brother, Pastor Joe de la Peña, gives us assurance that, in spite of the current CoronaVirus Crisis - God will bring us through it, for He is in control.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day and a Glorious Easter Sunday,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge: 

Let Me Introduce Pastor Sam Lacanienta

IS THERE ONE PERSON, MAYBE ONE COUPLE, Who has had a drastic impact on your life?  ~  For me that couple was Pastor Sam Lacanienta and his wife and life/ministry partner, Ida. 

In 1987, Pastor Sam & Ida Lacanienta made an eternal change in my life.  But looking back, years earlier he attended the Far Eastern Bible Institute and Seminary (FEBIAS), founded in 1948 as an interdenominational Bible school and later changed to FEBIAS College of Bible.  He was ordained and pastored a church in the Philippines. 

During that time he met and fell in love with a young lady named Ida.   Since it was a unilateral love, he had to chase Ida for seven years before she caught him.  In the video below he shares the story of their migration to America with their two young children, and how Pastor Sam became an associate pastor at a small Southern Baptist affiliated church in Santa Ana, California.

Eventually Pastor Sam moved, becoming an associate pastor at Woodbridge Community Church in Irvine, California, which is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference.  Later he met and started a Bible study in the home of Fred & Nattie Almeda, leading them and their two young children to the Lord.  From that beginning more Filipino families began attending Woodbridge Community Church leading Pastor Sam and Fred Almeda to form the new Fil-Am Church of Irvine (FACI) as a daughter church under Woodbridge. 

In 1987, God led me to that church and their Bible studies - and six months later I became a believer.  But that was just the beginning of my Christian education and growth.  Over the years in the FACI church fellowship and in daughter churches which Pastor Sam planted in Orange and Riverside Counties, I continued my process of Sanctification, growing daily in my knowledge of His Word and in my Christian walk.

The way that Pastor Sam speaks in this video - is the same way he speaks when teaching Bible studies, Sunday School classes, and in sermons.  His conversational style of preaching/teaching makes it seem as though he is speaking directly to me in a personal conversation.  There is none of the foot stomping, pulpit pounding, voice resonating off the ceiling preaching like many of the television Prosperity Preachers do - just a "let's talk about the love of God" type conversation in teaching us the Word of God.

And that was critical for me - for at the age of fifty I still carried inside me that young boy who was so adversely affected by a traveling Pentecostal Revival Preacher in my Alabama home town when I was only 12 years old.  Because of that Revival Preacher, all my life when preachers started raising their voices, which is common, I ran the other way.   As a result, until I was fifty years old, in my running from TD Jakes styled preachers, I was still running from God. 

Yes, I sensed that need, that longing, down deep inside telling me I needed God.  But in my young adult years I was having fun in the secular world and never heeded that inner voice.  Yet I kept wandering into various churches, lured I now know, by that innate longing to know God.  But each time a pastor/teacher began to raise his voice, stomp his foot, and pound the pulpit - that young 12 year old boy would turn on my trouble sensors, telling me, "Run away!"

Let me pause for a moment to share a funny, but related, story.  Many years ago, when Sam Lacanienta was dating Ida in the Philippines, there was another couple who were their close friends and with whom they often double-dated.  Fast forward to the early 1990, Dory and I were members of the Fil-Am Church of South Orange County where Pastor Sam was our spiritual leader.  One day when Dory and I were visiting with a new real estate client and chatting with his Filipina mom, our conversation turned to our local Fil-Am church - and she was interested. 

To make a long story a wee bit shorter, it turns out that she and her husband were that couple who had been Sam and Ida's close friends in the Philippines.  But they had lost track and were not aware that Pastor Sam was pastoring a local church in Orange County, California.  We took them to church and they became regular members.

One Sunday Pastor Sam's sermon message was on the "Unity of the Family" and how it was reflected by the way he could see families sitting together during our worship services.  As it turned out, that old friend from the past usually did not sit with his wife, but sat in a different pew.  This Sunday he was sitting near the center aisle in the middle of the sanctuary - so that when Pastor Sam looked out at the congregation during his sermon - it evidently appeared to that man that Pastor Sam was looking him, or so the man thought.  The wife later told Dory that he had been upset because he believed that Pastor Sam's sermon was aimed at him personally.  And he stopped coming to church. 

That, in itself, would have been sad.  But a month or so later, one Saturday morning he told his wife he was going to the store.   But he never came home.  Later she discovered that he had cleaned out their bank account and flown to the Philippines - never to return.  Why had Pastor Sam's message that day bothered him so much?  Most likely because it made him feel guilty.  It would seem that he already had his escape planned - and he must have thought Pastor Sam was reading his mind.

There is an appropriate question, "If your sermon does not make the sinner uncomfortable, are you doing it right?"  Evidently Pastor Sam's message that day was so on target - that it made his old friend very uncomfortable.

I have never seen Pastor Sam avoid a subject, nor have I seen him give a watered-down "make everyone comfortable" sermon.  The churches he pastored were always "Seeker Friendly" - but never a "Sinner Feel Good" church.  A "Seeker Friendly" church will welcome you with Godly love, but will never condone nor empower an unBiblical lifestyle.  A "Sinner Feel Good" church will assure you that they will never preach a sermon which speaks of sin or hell to make you feel uncomfortable in your worldly lifestyle. 

Pastor Sam's sermon messages and teachings always made us feel as though we were having a one-on-one conversation.   That and the Godly love which permeated him and his church fellowship - is what kept me coming back to worship services and Bible studies for six months, while the Holy Spirit worked on my heart - leading me to the cross of Jesus Christ and eternal life.

Last Saturday, watching his early Palm Sunday message in this video - I knew I would have to share it with all my FRANS (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors), all my Friends.  I thank my Christian sister and Friend in the Talakag Church On The Solid Rock, Talakag, Bukidnon, Philippines, Julieta-Quiliano Ruaya Reyes, for sharing this video with me on Facebook Messenger.  Pastor Sam is her pastor in that church.

And one last, but very important thought.  Today, April 8, 2020, is Pastor Sam's 84th birthday.  So, Pastor Sam - "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" and "THANK YOU!" for being my spiritual father and mentor for so many years.

Lord God Omnipotent - A Palm Sunday Message
By Pastor Samuel D. Lacanienta
https://youtu.be/16Mb8JN4L7w

Even though we all currently cannot meet together for worship and fellowship, I pray that you and your family had a blessed Palm Sunday and that you will join with your local fellowship online to celebrate His Resurrection this coming Easter Sunday.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Click on the image to enlarge: