Tuesday, February 17, 2015

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A COMMENT that was left after "Salvation in question",
as follows:
"Jesus replied, ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery" " Does Jesus say that committing the act is wrong, but if another person we "love" is an unrepentant adulterer, we should permit it because they do it, but we don't? 
Its not just stopping it ourselves, its hating what is bad to such an extent that we wont tolerate it IN OUR LIVES. If our marriage mate unrepentantly continues to do this, it is flaunting it before Jah and Christ. We may not be an "adulterer", but we share the sin of it, if we tolerate it by our "love" for that one. Our "love" can only be for things in HARMONY with Christ's Love of righteousness."

MY REPLY:

If we wish to please God, we accept what His Word tells us about matters. We seek to act in the way His Word directs.
If someone we love is practicing sin, and we are a true, loyal, and obedient follower of Christ, we are grieved over the sins of our loved one. But we seek to respond to them, according to the way Christ directs.
First, we can neither permit nor not permit the sins of another. Each person has free will, and will do what they themselves choose.
If our mate asked our permission to commit adultery, then of course we must deny our permission in respect for God's Laws.
But normally, our mate does not ask permission to do such a thing. The innocent one should not be blamed for "permitting" the sin, when they had no influence, nor likely even knowledge, about the free will choices of the other.
God has not given us the right or power, to control the will of another, unless they are our child. Even with a child, our power and right to protect eventually ends as they become adults. Even God and Christ do not remove the freedom to choose. They give warnings to us, and hope for our integrity and the good consequences that brings. God and Christ are not to blame for "permitting" people to sin, and they have a lot more power than we do. That stain is on the one who desires wrong, and chooses it (James1:14,15).

If our mate is committing the sin of adultery; Jesus gave us the option of leaving them (Matt.19:9).
However, leaving them is not mandatory. This is proven in the case of Hosea the prophet. God actually commanded him to have and keep an adulterous wife (Hosea1:2; 3:1). Are we to believe that God was forcing this righteous prophet, to sin? (James1:13)
God's own nation committed spiritual adultery against Him many times, and many times, He forgave them when they repented. This is a personal decision, that no one should judge.

Although it is lawful to leave an adulterous mate, we receive some more advice to consider, at 1Cor.10:23,24...
“'I have the right to do anything,' you say—but not everything is beneficial. 'I have the right to do anything'—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others."

According to Jesus, we have the right to leave an adulterous mate.
But this verse asks us to consider if such an action is "constructive" and "for the good of others".
What "constructive good" might come from staying with an adulterous mate?
The Bible itself tells us.
"And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?" (1Cor.7:13-16)
The advice of God's Word is, if an adulterous mate wants to continue living with us, the advantage to them should be considered.
If an adulterous mate wants to leave us, we are not under obligation to resist this, because again, we do not control the choices of another.

Within these verses, the "advantage" and "good of others" is defined. Through association with a believing mate, the sinner may over time, be "sanctified". In that case, the one we love may be "saved". What a fine reward for endurance through the heartache.
Jesus himself suffered at the hands of sinners (Luke24:7). Why did he endure such injustice? 
1Pet.3:18 tells us;
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God."
That reveals that Jesus was thinking about the "advantage" and "good of others", all of whom, were sinners deserving of death (Isa.53:5; 1Cor.15:3; Rom.6:23).
Jesus gave us many illustrations about forgiveness, and how our forgiving others effects God's forgiveness toward us.
We do well to keep this in mind (Matt.6:12,14,15).
We should never respond in vengeance, although admittedly, this is very difficult to control when we have been hurt so deeply. The God who can read each heart, is the only righteous judge when it comes to punishment (Rom.12:19; Prov.20:22; 19:11; Matt.5:39).
Such patient endurance does not mean that we love or condone the sin of adultery. We hate badness. But we humbly remember that we also were bad, and despite the sins others commit against us; we pray for them, their repentance, and their salvation. If we wish to avoid hypocrisy, we work in harmony with our prayers when dealing with a sinner (Rom.12:14,21,20). This may provoke their conscience to be pained toward repentance (Prov.25:22; Ps.120:4; 11:6; Heb.12:11; Isa.6:6,7) and made clean (Isa.6:7; Acts24:16), 
when combined with our atoning prayers (Num.16:42,43,44,45,46,47,48; Rev.8:4; James5:16).
Jesus said;
"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matt.5:43-45)

The Bible never tells us that we should think so much of ourselves, that we do not tolerate the sins of others (Ec.7:9,16).
Jesus made a special effort to associate with sinners, because not only did they need his loving care the most (Matt.9:11,12,13),
they were also the most appreciative when they did repent.
"When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke7:36-48)

 Lastly you say...
"We may not be an "adulterer", but we share the sin of it, if we tolerate it by our "love" for that one, when our "love" can only be for things in HARMONY with Christ's Love of righteousness."

If we tolerate the sins of others; Is this not in imitation of God and Christ, who have shown great patience toward sinners ? (Ps.103:10; 2Pet.3:9,15; Rom.2:4; 5:6,7,8; 6:23; Eze.33:11; 1Tim.2:4) This patience will have an end, because God also hears the cries of the faithful (Luke18:7; 2Pet.2:9). But the expiration of God's patience and mercy, belongs to God (2Thess.1:6,5; Isa.3:11).

If we show long-suffering and hope toward one we love (1Cor.13:4,5,6,7,8,13), this is not the same as sharing in the sin.
God's Word makes clear, that each person as an individual is accountable for their own sins (Eze.18:20; Gen.18:25), and for what they themselves have done (2Cor.5:10; Matt.16:27; Rom.14:10,12; Ecc.3:17).
The love of Christ was righteous. Yet that love was expressed...not by judgment, but by salvation (John3:17; 8:15; 12:47; 1John4:14).
We are to be emissaries of that salvation to yet other sinners (2Cor.5:20; 6:1,2; Col.1:20). Soon the time to be reconciled to God will end. We do not take delight in what that will mean for the unrepentant, and we may not want to personally rush the closing of that door, upon anyone. (Matt.18:21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35)
What an innocent mate chooses to do in this situation, is a personal decision, with individual considerations and circumstances; which is why Jesus did not impose his will on someone under such torment (Matt.19:9). He always judged according to the will of God (John5:30). We can therefore conclude, that it is God's will that each mate have the freedom to choose to forgive, or not.
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