Marriage

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Bro. Glen:
> If I've offended you or anybody else here, I'm sorry. 
That wasn't my intention.  However, I can't apologize for
what I believe.  I don't look down on divorced people. 
Sometimes it can't be helped.  Also, I don't look down on
remarried people, but I truly believe that their souls are
in danger.  I'm not their judge, though.  

Me:
I could hve written this with the exception of the phrase
"can't apologize for what I believe."  I always say "can't
(won't) apologize for the Word" since what I believe is
imporatant to my salvation but may have no bearing on
yours.

I thank God that He has people that urge caution, this is a
good thing.  I am in no way backing up from what the Word
says, but there is much to be considered.  

Doubt is sin.  If you have held the opinion that you could
NEVER divorce and remarry and you read what I have written
and are BEGINNING to see this as true, you MUST be
absolutely SURE
before you act upon it.  THERE MUST BE NO DOUBT or it is
sin.  If I truly have a doubt about ham being unclean, even
though the Bible clearly states that I can eat ham, TO ME
it is a sin to eat ham: 

Romans 14:14
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is
nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any
thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 

This only works the ONE WAY.  The sin comes in my THINKING
that ham is forbidden and going head and EATING it ANYWAY.
This does NOT, NOT , NOT, mean that if I think a thing is
clean that it becomes clean.  God has made His commandments
and if God says it is sin, it is ALWAYS SIN.  What Paul is
saying here is that if you are doing something that you
THINK is wrong, TO YOU it is the same as if it WERE wrong. 
This kind of certainty comes ONLY from the Spirit of God
confirming these things to you, He won't let you remain in
doubt if you seek Him with an open heart, the mind may take
a while.

How does this apply to the present discussion?  If you
think it is wrong for you to divorce/remarry, to you it IS
wrong.  The Scripture is clear about what is accpetable but
it MUST be clear to YOU: 

Romans 14:5,
"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth
every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his
own mind."

Here again the point is that the man who thinks that it is
a sin to work on a holiday and goes ahead and works, to
this man it IS a sin.  If I know that the Sabbath was set
aside for me to worship God and that it is not a chain that
restricts me from working in an EMERGENCY, since this is
what the word says, it is OK for me to 
"do good" on the Sabbath.  If however I feel that one must
observe the Sabbath STRICTLY, it IS a sin for me to work on
the Sabbath PERIOD.  The fact that I BELIEVE it is wrong
and DO IT ANYWAY makes it a real sin for me.  This does not
mean that if I think adultery is OK that it becomes OK but
that when I precieve a thing as a sin and THEN do it ANYWAY
I have rebelled against God and sinning in my heart.  The
act MAY be clean but the rebellion IS SIN.

I have read the Scripture and am fully persuaded that it is
not a sin for the victim of an unrepentant fornicator to
divorce and remarry.
If Bro. Glen who does not believe this, goes ahead and
divorces and remarries to HIM it is a SIN.  At one time I
thought it was a sin to touch some rock and roll tapes a
friend had left in my car (I wouldn't let him listen to
them in my car BTW, and wouldn't today).  I now KNOW and am
FULLY perauaded that the tapes are not "unclean" until I
(me) put them in a player and LISTEN to them with the
intent of rebelling against the proper restraints that God
has placed upon me by continually thinking pure thoughts. 
Now, if I had touched those tapes while I BELIEVED in all
honesty that they were unclean I would have SINNED.  While
I believed they were unclean, TO ME they WERE unclean.

To keep this short for the "E-mail impaired" (rofl }:-)), I
will cover the "sister" subject of Pastoral authority and
our responsibility in another post.  I have a birthday
party to attend for my niece and nephew (5 and 3).  Pray I
conduct myself in a Godly manner toward the CAKE!

Timothy (can touch rock tapes now and have not sinned)
Litteral
472 Grant St.
Marion Ohio 43302
brotim@gte.net
http://members.tripod.com/~trlitteral