Randy's DVD Media List

People keep writing in to ask for a new list of the media that is coming out. Naas and Marina LeRoux in South Africa have been producing our teaching materials (www.kerugma.co.za) for more than a decade. Shot in Bible lands, we continue to add new teachings to the list. The media list can be downloaded (for US) from the link below. All others should use the kerugma link and get them from South Africa.

DVD Sale Bulletin Jan 08

I hate selling anything, but this will help you stay current if you are interested in all the new stuff. There is one new piece that came out this past month:

The Journey Through the Bible DVD is a “bird’s eye view” of the tour we took this past February, with highlights and teachings.

No Surprises at the Airport!

Group Leaders, you may want to spend a little to save some time and embarrassment at the airport. A new little scale to weigh in luggage has come to the marketplace, and the little gadget can save you a backup at the counter. I don’t know why people pack as much as they do, but my experience leading groups has led me to conclude this little gadget, available at www.balanzza.com will set you back $25 or so, less than I paid for my overweight luggage on an African trip a few years back. If you are the leader of the group, you can “weigh in” before you even get to the airport – even on the return (when the souvenirs have made a difference!).

 

Philemon: When two believers can't get along

It isn’t always easy, this thing we call the Body of Christ. The church is well described with the old ditty Chuck Swindoll used to quote: “To dwell above with saint we love, oh that will be glory. To dwell below with saints we know, well, that’s another story.” Ever feel like that toward another believer? What should we do it we truly have a dispute and feel we have been deeply wronged. Matthew 18 may set the table, but Philemon shows how the meal was served!

The Epistle to Philemon

“Ten Steps to Repairing a Breach between Believers”

  1. Acknowledge the injured party – don’t bury the offense in love. (11a).
  2. Recognize the value of the offender as well as the offended (11b).
  3. Bring the parties face to face (12a).
  4. Put your heart into their restoration, this is not simply an intellectual exercise! (12b).
  5. State the rights of the injured and enlist their insights to the solution (13-14a).
  6. Offer the injured party the means to respond willingly in the repair of the relationship (14b).
  7. Look for and express a Heavenly perspective if you can, God was at work in this relationship even in the difficult times (15-16).
  8. Be direct in asking the parties to forgive each other (17).
  9. Be willing to serve in the restitution of the relationship, it may cost you something, but the payoff is a restored relationship (18-19).
  10. Anticipate the best in the parties, encouraging them to act responsibly toward the Word of God and the relationship (20-21).

Titus: Building a Church that Honors God

The “Pastoral Epistles” offer a window into the first century church, as well as a great architectural diagram of how the body was to be built from the foundation up. This study includes some word studies at the end that leaders in the local church context may well find helpful!

The Epistle of Paul to Titus

The Author of the Letter:

  1. Name: Paul = “little”; Shaul (Hebrew name) = “asked”
  1. Place of Birth: Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia in southeastern Asia Minor (Acts 22:3).
  1. Occupation, role, or title: A tentmaker by trade, his livelihood (Acts 18:3; 20:34; 1Cor. 4:12); once a zealous persecutor of the primitive church (Acts 8:1-3); after his conversion, the most effective missionary of early Christianity and, as traditional author of 14 NT epistles, the church’s first theologian.
  1. Place of Death: Rome (Eusebius, Church History, Bk. 2, Ch. 25).
  1. Important facts about the person’s life: Paul was born of Jewish parents in Tarsus, capital of the Roman province of Cilicia, probably about 5 CE. He inherited Roman citizenship from his father, a status that would prove of great use to Paul during his ministry. His early years were spent in Tarsus where he probably acquired the trade of tent making (or perhaps leatherworking). As a young man, Paul—then still called “Saul”—went to Jerusalem, where he studied under the famous Jewish sage Gamaliel and became exceedingly “zealous toward God” (Acts 22:3) and the things of the law. For Paul, this included persecuting the nascent Christian church, both in Jerusalem and in far-flung cities (Acts 26:9-11). Indeed, he first appeared in the early Messianic record as one witnessing and consenting to the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58ff). However, after his dramatic conversion experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) Paul became as zealous for the cause of Christ as he had once been in opposition to it.

After a three-year sojourn in Arabia (probably southern Jordan, then held by Arabs) and then visiting both Damascus and Jerusalem again (Gal. 1:15ff), Paul apparently returned for a few years to his native Tarsus. From there, Barnabas called Paul to help with the burgeoning work in Antioch where they labored together for a year or more (Acts 11:25-26). The Antioch church ordained the two as missionaries, and Paul then undertook a series of three missionary journeys, between about 45 and 58 CE.

  • The first journey (45-47 CE; Acts 13:4—14:28) took Paul and Barnabas through the island of Cyprus, then the southeastern part of Asia Minor, planting communities of believers.
  • On the second journey (51-54 CE; Acts 15:40—18:22) Silas and Timothy accompanied the Apostle west across Asia Minor and into Europe, as far as Corinth in Greece.
  • The third journey (54-58 CE; Acts 18:23—21:15), covering much of the same territory, included over two years at Ephesus, and its return leg constituted Paul’s final journey to Jerusalem.

Paul was arrested in Jerusalem (circa 61 CE) following a riot in the Temple and later appeared before the successive Roman governors Felix and—after two years in prison—Festus, in Caesarea Maritima. Appealing his case to the emperor (Acts 25:10-12), Paul was sent to Rome and, after being shipwrecked (probably on the island of Malta), arrived there probably in the first half of the year 62 CE (Acts 28:16). The Book of Acts ends with Paul in Rome, preaching while under house arrest and awaiting trial. (Some have conjectured, based primarily on material in 2 Timothy 4, that Paul was initially acquitted in Rome, then engaged in further missionary activity, and finally underwent a second imprisonment; some also presume these events to have been recounted in a lost epilogue to the Luke-Acts narrative.) Church tradition says that Paul was beheaded in Rome sometime during the reign of Nero (54-68 CE).

The Recipient of the Letter  (The Church Planter – Titus)

The mission church planter Titus probably came to Jesus during the preaching and teaching ministry of Paul (Titus 1:4), and became his disciple shortly after. Titus accompanied Paul to Jerusalem in 50 CE for the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:2; Gal. 2:1-3) and became an example of the stand the early church had on the Gentile need for circumcision (Paul was not required to circumcise Titus, as he was a Gentile). Titus took direction from Paul and was sent by the Apostle to Corinth as a representative (see 2 Corinthians 7 and 8). He carried Paul’s letter (2 Corinthians) to the church. Later, Paul left Titus in Crete to establish churches, and probably later replaced him on that field with Artemas (or Tychichus) when he called Titus to winter with Paul in Nicopolis (Titus 3:12). From Nicopolis, Titus was apparently assigned work in Dalmatia (Yugoslavia, see 2 Tim. 4:10). Church tradition records that Titus eventually returned to Crete and died there man years later.

The Purpose of the Letter (the situation that caused Paul to write):

A few years before the death of the Apostle Paul, he wrote to a younger church planter about the establishment of solid, well rooted, God honoring churches in Crete. Titus took directions from Paul as his sending agent (as stated above). He handled difficult assignments for Paul in the matter of disobedience in a rebellious church at Corinth as part of his training to plant churches (2 Cor. 2:13; 7:6-7, 13-15; 8:6, 16-17). Paul was delighted with the sensitivity and strength of his disciple.

A careful reading of the text of the Epistle to Titus reveals the message of the Gospel had already begun to take root in Crete, but the saved had not yet been organized into strong local churches. The letter probably personally encouraged the church planter, but more importantly added an authoritative boost to his stature when rather sharp exchanges became necessary.

Another key to the purpose was found in Paul’s comments about Titus’ approach. Titus was told to “speak evil of no man” (3:2) and deal with the lost in meekness. Some Cretans may have assailed Titus for lacking sharpness in the beginning, but these words from Paul would help set them at ease. It was not necessary to argue endlessly, but it was necessary to defend the flock and stop some of the subversive speech of the traveling speakers who were trying to pull Gentiles into keeping the Torah (Law) of Moses.

Six Key Principles in the Letter:

The letter outlines six major principles to establishing well-grounded and God-pleasing churches:

  1. Everything rises or falls on the quality of the leadership of the congregation, choose wisely! (1:5-9)
  1. The leaders must remember the church is a teaching organization, and the parameters of the teaching must be maintained and defended for the flock to be healthy, protect them! (1:10-16)
  1. The group becomes a true church when the members are equipped and begin to function in their relationships to each other and to the world, train them! (2:1-10)
  1. The church is formed by God’s grace, and maintained by careful obedience to the Father’s commands lived out in expectation of the Lord’s return, keep working! (2:11-15)
  1. The Cretan church should be characterized by a gracious spirit toward the world and its leaders – a humility bathed in the memory of their own former sojourn, be gracious! (3:1-7)
  1. Though they are gracious, they must not ignore the creeping influence of error and contention, be careful! (3:8-11).

For further study: An Outline of the Epistle of Paul to Titus

I. The greeting: The senior missionary to a new church planter – guidelines for the establishment of order in the church (1:1-4)

II. Step One: Identify the leadership and apply responsibility! (1:5-16).

A. Establishing leadership: Choose leaders wisely (1:5-9)

B. Establishing the parameters of the teaching: protect the truth (1:10-16)

III. Step Two: Instruct people to get busy about their God-given work! (2:1-15)

  1. The tasks defined: it’s all about relationships (1-10)
  • The Church Planter (1, cp. 2:15) In order to establish the work, teach!
  • The Older Men (2): temperate, sensible, discreet, unerring faith, loving spirit, patient deportment.
  • The Older Women (3): reverent behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine, teachers of the right behaviors.
  • Younger Women (4-5): love husband and children, discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, subject to their husbands to protect their home reputation.
  • The Younger Men (6-8): discreet, (and by example of Titus himself in vv. 7-8) maintain a consistent pattern of good work in every area, in the teachings, pure, sensible, uncorrupted, sound and careful speech, leaving nothing for his adversaries to claim.
  • The Servants (9-10): pleasing to master, not contradicting, not stealing, but showing the best of the teaching of our Savior.
  • The Principle for ALL (11-15). Walk in grace circumspectly, and be aware of the cost to our Master for us. Do what pleases Him, as is your purpose!

IV. Step Three: Remind people to establish a Credible Public Testimony (3:1-11)

A. In relation to Authorities in the World: be obedient (1).

B. In relation to the Unsaved in the Community: be considerate and understanding – you were like them before (2-7).

C. In relation to those who stir up the Church: stress the truth and avoid divisive nonsense (8-11).

V. Personal Greetings and Messages (3:12-15).

Other Notes: The Measure of A Great Church

Key Principle: How did Paul measure this church? He measured it by the congregation’s adherence to carefully presented standards.

Older Men: (means “senior male” as in age not office of “elder” term as used in 1:5)

1)      Sober: (NIV) temperate; adjective meaning to not “wine controlled”, came to be used as a word for “clear headed”; possessing all the faculties at all times.

2)      Grave: (NIV) worthy of respect; seriousness of purpose and dignified such that he commands respect.

3)      Temperate: (NIV) “self-controlled”; possessing self-mastery.

4)      Sound in faith, “sound” is derived from a building term for a solid foundation. The word has a Greek article, suggesting the meaning “their faith”. The term faith may mean “doctrine” but here it appears to be their personal faith in the Lord Jesus.

5)      charity (NIV) “love”; The word is for relational love, as opposed to a vindictive spirit or bitterness.

6)      patience: endurance”; The word is a military term that denotes brave persistence and strength of character.

Older Women:

1)      In behavior as becometh holiness: (NIV) “be reverent in the way they live”; literally a cultic term for the interior and exterior of a temple to be suitable for holy uses.

2)      Not false accusers: (NIV) “not slanderers”; the word is elsewhere translated gossip.

3)      Not given to much wine: (NIV) “not addicted to much wine”; the grammar suggests that #2 and #3 are linked. Was the problem at the wine bar? Was the problem loose speech after too much to drink?

4)      Teachers of good things: the word is derived from the personal counsel of a tutor.

5)      Teach the younger women to be sober: (literally “to return one to her senses”). The term for “teach” is different than the one used above, it was sometimes used in the Greek world as an athletic word for training that happens over a long and arduous process. The term “younger women” is the term NEW or FRESH and may mean either the newly married (less likely) or the NEW WOMEN IN JESUS. The training of the new women in the church was not the responsibility of the Elders, nor of Titus, but of the older women!

Younger Women: (Those newer to the faith)

1)      Love their husbands: (literally) “devoted to their husbands”.

2)      Love their children: (literally) “devoted to their children”.

3)      Be discreet: (NIV) “self controlled”

4)      Chaste: (NIV) “pure”

5)      Keepers at home: (The KJV follows the text as “oikourous” or “home guard”, the NIV uses a different text that contains the word “oikourgous” which means “to be busy at home”. The NIV thought the second choice made more sense with Paul’s other admonitions as 1 Tim. 5:13,14 – to avoid idleness).

6)      Good: (NIV) “kind”; the selfless demands placed on a wife an mother can cause her to cultivate a harsh and irritable spirit. Servanthood is contrary to human nature and Roman culture, so this training was valuable!

7)      Obedient to their own husbands: (NIV) “to be subject to their husbands” is apparently to be read in middle voice, “subjecting themselves to in a voluntary way”. Though she was equal in salvation (Gal. 3:28), yet she placed herself in subjection. The subjection was directly linked to the testimony of the home and of the Word of God!

Young men

(and by example of Titus himself in vv. 7-8): (word IS for young men). Titus was told to “exhort” (literally “to come beside and show how”) to be sober minded: (NIV) “self-controlled” as the teaching to younger women. Obviously the greatest need of the young Cretan men was to stay their impetuous nature and cultivate restraint.

Titus (Church planter, then Pastor)

(By example – commands of vv. 7-8 to him!) Show a pattern of good works: (NIV) “set for them an example” is literally “holding yourself beside them as an example”of a teacher of the Word.

1)      Doctrine: showing uncorruptness: highest quality in teaching!

2)      Gravity: teaching with a motive of integrity in all things.

3)      Sincerity: teaching with outward dignity and seriousness.

4)      Sound speech: his words were to be, when tested, found consistently reliable. There was an expectation that his words were opposed by some, but after testing, his word should have been consistent, and morally pure.

Servants

1)      Obedient to masters (Greek – despotes): is literally “to attempt to please”.

2)      Not contradicting: (Greek – “antilego”) is literally “not talking back to, or against  them”.

3)      Not purloining: (NIV) stealing.

4)      Showing in all fidelity: literally, “demonstrating good faith” – showing the best of the teaching of our Savior.

A congregation that focused on their relationship to the Lord by keeping these carefully presented standards was a great church!

Organizational Growth and Nature

Sitting in a meeting the other day a group of ministry staffers were discussing how to help a struggling small church in a large city environment. Years ago that church grew to thousands. Now it was downtown to a sprawling city, in the heart of a deteriorating infrastructure that defines many urban American environments. The church has beautiful facilities that seat several thousand with about 180 in regular attendance. The small local body hired a new Pastor who has a heart for the “down and out” crowd that are literally sleeping at his door. “What can he do?” Someone asked in the meeting. Several suggestions began to flow. One that seemed to gain traction was the opening an alleyway beside the church for a “coffee house” band type outreach to reach some of the evening restaurant crowd in the downtown area. Around the table this sounded like a reasonable approach to outreach. It didn’t seem that way to me at all. I began to think about it, and couldn’t settle down without getting some of this out on paper. I believe there are natural principles that govern growth of any church or organization. These principles exist in nature, and show themselves in organizations as well:

  1. It starts with inspiration that evokes a commitment of the current people to gain the new people. That must be won before growth will occur. I know it sounds like a terrible analogy, but think about it – until two people decide to come together, a baby is not made. It takes some level of communal agreement on to make growth. Divided organizations don’t naturally grow. Sometimes the natural rallying point is bringing people back to the original cause that brought them together. All of the time it is required to get people to believe they have an important role to play in an attainable goal. In business it is called the “energizing myth”. In church it is simpler, because we serve a great God that has already shown us a prophetic glimpse of our future. “How do I get our people to buy into the idea of growth?”, one Pastor asked. I am no growth expert, but it seemed to me that you can’t conquer an ailment that you can’t identify. In other words, diagnosis precedes solution.  Some smaller congregations feel threatened by new people. They may fear a loss of identity or even fear a loss of control. Both issues need to be carefully addressed or growth will be elusive, despite the efforts of their leaders. People need to be on the same page to read together aloud.

  2. When the objective is understood and accepted the actions that follow will have power. Leadership means casting vision and influence to a group that becomes enlisted to the cause. Our communication to the people needs to be inspirational, but is most effective when attitudes were ready.  Motivation is a constant issue. I have found people are most encouraged by lifting their eyes from the small world of their problems to seeing the greatness of the vision. In the church we have the opportunity to bring people to a right relationship with the God that created the universe! People can be set free from addictions and moved to their actual purpose – a dynamic relationship with the living God!

  3. Assessment should not be strictly an internal matter. As I age, I become acutely aware that younger people look at me as older than I feel myself to be! When a long-time friend visits and I see the aging on them, I am aware that it is happening to me, though I have paid little attention to it. Organizations have the same issue. They measure themselves internally, and are often unrealistic in the measure. Members of a small church may believe they are friendly, because during a “meet and greet” they always have someone to talk to. They don’t notice the discomfort of a visitor nearby who is left standing with no one to greet.

  4. Growth demands some drawing factors. I Pastor in a small town, so any event that draws a significant crowd gets noticed. Because of that, we put on several festivals a year to invite the community to a free carnival like atmosphere. The events give a “buzz” in the community, put us in touch with people of the area, and raise our profile. More importantly though, it gets our people focused on a goal to work together and see something happen. At the last event, we had twenty-four people give their life to Jesus, and several new families joined the church. Sometimes I think we just expect that people will bring in those familiar to them. Yet, when surveyed, most people that think of evangelism and outreach think of strangers. We need to help them to see exactly who they CAN bring – their family members, their friends, their co-workers. Events give them a comfortable reason to open this part of their lives to people from another part.

  5. Serve your way in to people’s lives. At Grace, we have chosen to use this strategy because we believe it reflects a Biblical directive. Funny as it may sound, it works in any business as well. When we focus on what the community we intend to reach feel they need, we open the door to meeting deeper and more important needs. It begins with a focus on where they are and what their problems are. To reach family, Grace focused on children. This summer we have had 85 kids all over the property between “Ignite Day Camp” and “Kid City Daycare”. Our services are tooled with a full range of  children’s ministries. Parents worship where their children are cared for and are growing. It doesn’t matter who we reach out to, we have to earn the right to be heard. Every age group is important. We are working to build an inter-generational ministry – because it follows the way families grow in the natural world. It wasn’t the VILLAGE that raised the child, it was EXTENDED FAMILY in the village that raised the child. Events are important (see #4) but people only stay connected if ministry is really going on. We get an exciting opportunity to be a part of the life of our community, but we exist to serve Jesus by serving them.

The Galatian Epistle

For those who have trouble following the line of thought of a rather complex argument Paul made to the church at Galatia, this teaching may help. One of the best ways to think of the letters is as just that – someone’s mail. This short study walks through the “argument” of the letter as though it were a summation at the end of some court drama.

Galatians:

The argument of the book of Galatians has to do with what we will call the formula for justification before God. Paul’s argument in the book follows in this way: (Divided by six chapters)

1) The gospel I came to preach to you in unchangeable (1:1-10), because it was given to me by the revelation of Jesus himself (1:11-17), and was evidenced by the miraculous change in my life (1:18-24).

2) The gospel of justification by faith in Jesus as our substitute (apart from any human work) is the gospel I have always preached, and can be tested against the case of Titus (2:1-3). The confusion over the gospel formula was introduced by false teachers (2:4-10), who desired to add to the formula. They desired to have you believe that “Faith in Jesus plus obedience to Judaic ceremonial law equals justification”. This teaching was never endorsed by the Apostles (2:7-10), however even the Apostles confused the principle with some inconsistent personal practices (2:11,12). To clear the issue consider the following truths (2:15-21):
1. The purpose of the law and the purpose of the coming of Jesus were to fulfill two different ends. The law was given to direct us to our
need, but Jesus came that we might see the grace of God provide for a need we were unable to meet.
2. If the law was able to provide for justification, then Jesus need not have come and died.

3) The evidence that God accepted you apart from any commitment to ceremonial law was manifest in you because you received the Spirit on the basis of your acceptance of Jesus alone (3:1-5). Lest you think that accepting people on the basis of faith alone is a new work of God, consider His work with Abraham (3:6-9), who was counted righteous by his faith.

If you desire to add law to the formula for being declared righteous by God you must acknowledge three facts (10-14):

1. You are cursing yourself with a standard higher than you can keep, and the law will condemn you.
2. You will eventually settle for an exterior appearance of obedience, and never settle the heart issue of faith.
3. You are rejecting the work of Jesus in taking your place in judgement under the law and you are nullifying the very freedom he gave you.

Above these three facts, you must consider that the law came after the promise of God to Abraham (cp. Gen. 22), and must be considered only part of that greater plan (3:15-18). The promise to Abraham was both a nation and a future Messiah. The law did not negate or fulfill this promise. What did the law do then? The law (which was mediated by men and angels) guided to the place where the promise (given directly by God) was fulfilled (3:19-20). Does the law hinder the fulfillment of the promise of God (3:21- 22)? Absolutely not! The law could not fulfill the promise and produce life of itself. In fact, the Scripture leads us to understand our own unrighteousness unacceptability. The fulfillment of the promise can only be in the Messiah. The law guided us to the fulfillment of the promise in the Messiah (3:23-29), but if we continue imposing the law in the justification formula, we are looking to be guided beyond the fulfillment of the promise. We have become identified with Jesus, and both Jew and Gentile are guided by Him as heirs to the promise of Abraham, fulfilled by his seed — Jesus!

4) Children who are heirs are subject to servants and tutors as they grow up (4:1- 7). These tutors were as the law to Israel. When God sent His son, he made it possible for us to receive the full inheritance of sons. I fear that you desire the security of being guided again now that you are free heirs. You are keeping observances as though you don’t understand your position (4:8-11)! You have always listened intently to me when I was with you. Even when I was ill (4:12- 20) you followed the truth of my instruction. I am trusting this will be the case in my absence. Paul now directly addresses those (4:21-31) who are arguing for the formula of salvation which includes the law. He argues from a Genesis allegory, based on the two sons of Abraham. Gen. 16 records that Hagar (the maidservant of Sarah) came into Abraham and bore Ishmael. This practical earthly solution was not as God intended to make the nation from Abraham. Later, Sarah bore Isaac who was the “child of the promise”. The Apostle relates Hagar and Ishmael to the law and Isaac to the coming of the Messiah. Ishmael as a persecutor of Isaac was a “foreshadow” of the “faith plus law for salvation” party in Galatia. Yet, Paul maintains that the blessing is with the children of Isaac.

5) In the application of the above truths, Paul asserts (1-12) that they must cling to the liberty of the “faith alone” formula, and not concede to any addition to this standard. He advises the removal of anyone who cannot abide by the standard of faith alone, and insists that adding to the standard will compromise the clarity of the gospel. He then follows with an exhortation (13-15) to avoid misusing the liberty in a way that would not serve the others in their church community. He then specifies (5:16-26) that the Spirit can guide them away from misuse of liberty. Those who misuse their liberty demonstrate they are not His!

6) Paul asks them to turn to help those who have fallen, (1-10) having already commanded the removal of those who would not comply with his teaching. Some should be restored, other unrepentant ones should be shunned that they might correct themselves. God will show each that they reap what they sow. In 6:11-18 Paul brings the argument to bear in an undictated hand-written section that simply shows his absolute unwillingness to bend on the salvation “formula”. He closes with a clear statement of his desire to depend solely on his faith in the work of Jesus as Messiah. His benediction includes mercy for those who accept this message, including the ” Israel of God” (the Jew who found his Messiah in Jesus), lest he be seen as anti-Jewish!

Summary of Galatian Argument

Paul does not speak to the issue of allowing Jewish believers to maintain their obedience to the law. He speaks directly to the issue of trusting the law in part or in whole for justification. He does not insist that they not be circumcised, he insists that circumcision is irrelevant to living out one’s faith in this economy, and that the practice has no positive effect on the observer’s justification before God. The only possible argument for dispensing with the Jewish practices is the possibility of clouding the Gospel.

Explorations in Antiquity Center

My friends at Biblical Resources in Jerusalem have moved all of the former exhibit strengths they had in Jerusalem to the new “Explorations in Antiquity Center” in LaGrange, Georgia. No one interested in the cultural world of the Bible would want to miss the opportunity to see these tremendous exhibits! If you are interested in viewing a world class exhibition in Biblical antiquity, I give this one “two thumbs up”! Dr. Jim Fleming, Hananiah Pinto and staff have done it again!

For information on the center, contact them in Georgia, All the information is available at their website at www.explorationsinantiquity.net or call them at 706-885-0363. Tell them Randy sent you. (Note: I have no commercial connection, just a lot of admiration!)

1 Corinthians 7: Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage

Who doesn’t ask about this topic? I have two small studies packed with Scripture that I have been teaching for a number of years that I hope adds a bit to the discussion on this vital topic! The first study is from the Hebrew Scriptures on marriage and divorce, and includes the passages in the Gospels where Jesus taught on the subject. The second study was Paul’s words to the Corinthian church.

We must be careful with this study. In many cases I find believers jumping from Deuteronomy 24 to Malachi, Matthew and Corinthians as if the Bible was set in one time with one audience. That’s a dangerous way to interpret the text. Each passage must be set in its own time and place, with principles extracted in each place to build a proper view of God’s intention for us. It can be confusing, but it needn’t be. If these aren’t clear enough, post a question and I will do my best to explain:

 Can I stay single? Is that more holy? What about marriage, is it always for life? Is divorce the unpardonable sin? Can I remarry if I was divorced? Who doesn’t talk about this subject in our modern world? Today we will walk through God’s principles on each subject!

Key Principle: God writes the rules for what is best for us. Divorce can occur Biblically, but it is carefully regulated. Remarriage is not always automatic!

Review Letter: Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church directly responded to three types of church issues in the first century church:

  • Issues that he heard about from a friend concerning their divisions and struggles as a congregation (1 Corinthians 1-4);
  • Issues that were the worst kept secret in the first century churches about morality problems of the Corinthian believers (1 Corinthians 5-6);
  • Answers to a series of questions the believers wrote to Paul concerning (1 Corinthians 7-16).

Review Themes: On our way to the questions that Paul answered concerning marriage and divorce, Paul addressed three other issues:

1)The believers at Corinthwere caught up in “misplaced affection” for their leaders and fighting in divisions representing differing ways of viewing issues. Paul wrote: “It is not the MEN we follow, but it is the MESSAGE. That deserves our first allegiance. (1 Cor. 1-4)

2)Their misplaced affections were also evident in their misplaced VALUES. They were boastful of their acceptance of open immorality, proud of their LOVING SPIRIT. Paul wrote: “It is not the LOVE that is our first commitment, but the TRUTH. (1 Cor. 5)

3)The believers were further demonstrating their misplaced values in accepting the STANDARDS of the world. The issue was the taking of another brother to the city courts to be judged by godless men. Paul wrote: “It is not the standard of the WORLD we use, but the judgment of the WORD we trust.”

Paul then turned his attention to the question list sent to him by the church at Corinth. Commentators have longed to have that list, but we can only surmise what their list was composed of. What does help is to:

1)Cut the text into the portions that seem to address differing questions; and

2)Understand the problems that Corinth had in that time. One way to cut the text is using the phrase that seems to suggest an answer to a new question appears to be the words “Now concerning” seen in 7:1

  • 1Co 7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
  • 1Co 7:25 Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
  • 1Co 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
  • 1Co 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches ofGalatia, even so do ye.

Within the first question (7:1-24) there appears to be several different groups involved in the questions they asked.

There were five groups of people at Corinth Paul needed to address:

1. There were unmarried.

2. There were married of one of the four types of marriage available under Roman law. To understand them, let’s first look at the four types of marriages that various Corinthians were engaged in according to Roman law of the time.

A)     Contubernium: “tent marriage” mating of slaves for desired characteristics of a new breed.  This was non-contractual as slaves were considered property.

B)      Usus: “common law marriage” accomplished by one year together.  This practice was common, though not legally contractual.

C)      Coemptio en manum: “pleasurable service women”  – the purchase of a woman from her father, particularly to fulfill his debt.  This may be a “second mate” for the purchaser.  In some cases, the woman was free to leave the house after several years of “pleasurable service”.

D)      Confarretio: a contractual public ceremony from which we get our own.

3. Then there were divorced and alone.

4. There were widowed and alone.

5. Finally, there were divorced and remarried coming to Christ.

Paul’s words are often applied in our time by people unfamiliar with the real subject of the writings. Paul wasn’t writing to the Church in the C21st, but Corinth in the C1st. It is about what THEY were going through. The PRINCIPLES are relevant for us, but the issues were more complex than a first glance gives us.

PURPOSE OF MARRIAGE: Before we look closely at our passage, let’s take a minute and review what we know about marriage in the Bible up to this point: The Bible relates four PRIMARY PURPOSES for marriage:

A)      Procreation – (Keep the race going) Gen. 1:28; Ps. 127.

B)      Pleasure – Proverbs 5; I Cor. 7:4.

C)      Provision (of helper) – Eph. 5:25 – 32.

D)      Picture – in OT as YHWH andIsrael, cp. Hosea; in NT as Christ the Church, Eph. 5.

PRINCIPLES OF MARRIAGE: The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament Law) include some fifteen passages that speak about divorce.  Of these passages, we can derive FOUR PRINCIPLES CONCERNING MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE that appear to be clear:

A)      Permanence Principle:  God’s original intention was that marriage be one man for one woman, PERMANENT until the death of one of them.  This was His ideal (Gen. 2:24).

B)      Purity Principle:  God’s stated desire for every man and woman was that their relationship be PURE by each covenanting faithfulness to one another (Ex. 20:14).  This purity was to extend into their thought life, as they were not even to foster a desire for another’s spouse (v.17).

C)      Principle of Practice:  Divorce was a Biblical practice, insomuch as God himself placed regulations on it in some cases.  In one special event He commanded it (Ezra 10), when the marriages were specifically forbidden by Him beforehand (cp. Lev. 7:1-5). [ “..she is not my wife, I am not her husband…” Hos. 2:2]  Though He hated the sin which caused the hardness and ended in divorce (Mal. 2), God did acknowledge this practice (Isa. 50:1; Jer. 3:8) and regulate the procedure of the PRACTICE (Dt. 24).

D)      Principle of Presumption:  The Hebrew Scriptures PRESUMED that remarriage would follow a divorce (Dt. 24: 1-4), and regulated this practice to show the gravity of divorce, and minimize the continual damage to others.

JESUS REITERATED: While in public ministry Jesus twice also spoke on the subject of divorce (Mt. 5:27 – 32 and Mt. 19: 1 -12; cf.  Mk. 10: 1-12).

A)      He reiterates the PERNANENCE ideal as being “from the beginning” (Mt. 19:8), and rejects that Dt. 24 was an “easy out if the paperwork was proper” (Mk. 10:4).

B)      He asserts again the PURITY standard as “thought life” issue (Mt. 5:27, 28) and not just an outward standard.

C)      He acknowledged that the PRACTICE of divorce was regulated (“epitrepo” means allowed – Mt. 19: 7,8), but this was only due to the hard heartedness of sin.  Even in cases where God allowed divorce, He limited the circumstances which were allowable.  Jesus appears to limit the “uncleanness” of Dt. 24 to the specific moral uncleanness of immorality (Mt. 19:9).

D)      Jesus also PRESUMED that divorced people would remarry (Mt. 5:32).  It is because they would that He warned that others would suffer from the sin of one couple!  Remarriage was not always sin, but was sin in cases where the divorce was not on Biblical grounds (note the context of Mt. 5:32). [note:  Talmudic Law reflects that the betrothal period of a remarriage was shorter than the normal betrothal of 9 to 12 months.]

Let’s look closer and you will see that Paul addressed six problems that separated the various issues a Corinthian was dealing with:

  1. 7:1-5 Addressed a “Coemption en manum” pleasurable service for the believer that may have asked, “Can I do this as a believer?” Response: Sexual pleasure should be cared for in the confines of the marriage. Timeless Principle: Part of basic component of marriage as God designed it was the joining of all the cares of the other to your heart. Every need they have you should care about. You must also care about those needs above your own.
  2. 7:6-9 Offered Paul’s best advise on the issue of singleness. If you lose your partner, it may be better not to remarry, as singleness has its benefits. Timeless Principle: There is a cost to marriage; you divide control of your heart and your body.
  3. 7:10-11 Appears to turn the attention to the “married” by USUS (Common law). The problem is, if I am saved having been common law joined, should I leave the marriage? Paul cautioned- “Stay together!” Yet, if the other decides to leave for a time, wait for them. He is NOT telling every divorced person to remain unmarried, because this would have violated Dt. 24:2. Timeless Principle: Your salvation does NOT rewrite all the relationship rules of your life. (African man with seven wives; Arab with 3 wives).
  4. 7:12-17 “To the rest” appears to refer to the legal and ceremonial Confaretttio married, as opposed to the “other marrieds” of v.11. The problem is this: What if two were married, and one gets saved? Does the saved one leave? Paul wrote: “No! But if THEY choose to leave, you are free to go on. Yet, you may desire to wait for them for a time. If they moved into another relationship, Dt. 24 says the first man was disqualified from “recalling” her. Timeless Principle: UMBRELLA PRINCIPLE – Believer sanctifies home environment and brings blessing to even the lost around them!
  5. 7:18-20 Addressed the issue of ‘INTER-ETHNIC marriage’. In this specific case, the issue was Messianic Jewish believers marrying non-Jews. Because each were told to uphold their walk in Messiah in different ways, Paul cautioned AGAINST the idea. This was true of this specific case, but the principle holds: “There is a cost to marrying beyond your natural boundary!” It is not unbiblical in the case of interracial marriage, but it is more challenging.
  6. 7:21-24 Appears to address those in a CONTUBERNIUM (tent marriage for breeding) but also applies to the pleasure service of Coemptio en Manum marriages. The problem was this: “If I am a slave, am I guilty of the sexual unions?” Paul exhorted: “If possible, get out of the situation as quickly as possible!” The timeless principle is important for us: “There may be a time between what God wants for you and the obligation you now have!” Don’t feel guilty, be resolved and prayerful.

What does this passage teach us about what God wants from a believer today?

  • Your physical pleasure is for your marriage, not the internet, the magazine, etc. God intends you to share your needs with your marriage partner.
  • There is a cost to marriage that a single person need not bear.
  • Your salvation does not rewrite the relationships of your life. You must patiently be a testimony for God in a difficult time of growth in your spiritual development.
  • There is an umbrella blessing when a believer is present and walking with God.
  • Some marriages will face greater challenges because of the differences in race or ethnicity of those involved. We should face this up front in the union or not proceed.
  • You may know that God wants something more for you in the future, but be required to settle for a time of waiting. That’s not compromise if you are fulfilling your word from before you were saved.

Key Principle: God writes the rules for what is best for us. Divorce can occur Biblically, but it is carefully regulated. Remarriage is not always automatic!