Greek Words and Concepts
Sex,
Marriage,
and Divorce
Good News/Gospel
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Sex, Marriage, and Divorce
Pornea
- "Sex in conjunction with idolatry"
The
topic of sex is difficult since so many people have such an
emotional tie to their own beliefs. All I ask is for you to try and
tie your beliefs to the Bible. If you can not, than consider that
maybe your belief is a "human viewpoint". That does not say
it is wrong. It says that it MIGHT be wrong.
A good place to start with the topic of sex is Genesis 2:24. This verse tells us that when you have intercourse with another, there is a physical and spiritual uniting - "the two become one flesh". That makes it a very important topic.
In I Corinthians 6:16, we find out that when a believer in Christ has sex with an priestess of a false god, that is the uniting of the Body of Christ with . . . well an unbeliever . . . and they become one Body - the uniting of the Body of Christ with idolatry! This is not a good thing.
We also find out in I Corinthians 6 that Paul is using "pornea" in its purest sense. It means "to have sex in conjunction with idolatry". Now people have generalized and translated "pornea" as fornication.
This "may" be "ok", but, I personally think that is a disservice.
Yes, for one male unmarried believer in Christ to have sexual intercourse with a female believer in Christ who is not his wife is still a wrong - because the "motivation" is incorrect. The action is motivated by the "energy of the flesh". It is putting into action a lust of the flesh and that is a sin (the Bible does not tell us that this activity is acceptable. Therefore it can not be done under the "energy of the Spirit").
But, this sin of operating under human viewpoint does not rise to the same level of wrongness as "pornea" - which is having sex in conjunction with religion. I say this, because the punishment for "pornea" (sex in conjunction with idolatry) is death - see Numbers 25 where over 24,000 Israelites were executed for their participating in the Phallic Cult.
The reason for this extreme punishment is that this type of active is so evil and enticing that it can destroy an entire society. That was the activity of the residents in the Promised Land and that is why the Jews were told to kill every man, woman, child and beast presently living there when they arrived. These races had all participated in the Phallic Cult and had to be removed or the entire human race could be infected and would have to be destroyed.
Staying within the topic of sex, the Old Testament also lists abnormal types of sex that are prohibited. See that list starting at Leviticus 18:6 and detailed in Leviticus 20.
And, again, your human viewpoint might not like this, but the Divine Viewpoint is that the punishment for these activities should be death. And, once more, the reason for this is that these types of activities can destroy an entire society.
This is the same for "adultery" which is specifically for "when a man sleeps with the wife of another man". They both should be put to death (Deuteronomy 22:22).
Big warning here though. If a society does NOT declare any or all of these activities to be crimes or subject to capital punishment, than leave it in the hands of God. YOU are not their judge. Who are you to judge the splinter in their eye when you have a tree trunk in your own eye? (see the doctrine of Jesus on this at Matthew 7:1 and following)
Now, before the cross, believers learned and understood how to Walk in the Righteous Ways of God. They understood that to have sex with an unmarried woman would defile her. If that girl was still under the authority of her father (which in this day she usually would be until she married) when a man took that girl sexually, he owed remuneration to her father for "damaging" his "property" (Deuteronomy 22:22 and following).
That was because if she was given in marriage as a virgin, a dowry was due the father. If she was offered as a virgin and later the new husband found out she was not, then that was "fraud" and he was damaged and the penalty also was severe.
This section of Deuteronomy also tells us that if a man rapes a girl, he should be put to death. The girl would be declared a victim - still innocent and pure though having been violated (however, as with Tamar, the daughter of David (II Samuel 13) who was raped and thereafter apparently never married, once violated, "human viewpoint" taboo sometimes leaves the victim to be victimized all her life!)
Now, after the cross, the mystery doctrines of Jesus are revealed. Believers in Christ are to learn and understand how to Walk in the More Excellent Ways of God. A HIGHER Way to Walk through life as prototyped by Jesus Himself.
First we learn that "in Christ", there is no more male or female (Galatians 3:28). Women are no longer to be considered "property". Instead, all members of the Body of Christ are equal in Christ. The highest form of sexual relationship is now revealed to be one male believer in Christ united in marriage with one female believer in Christ. Even in the Old Testament, a king was only supposed to have no more than one wife (Deuteronomy 17:17). In Christ, we share the Royality of the Son! And, Church officials who have great authority in the church should not have more than one wife (I Timothy 3:12).
And, those who are married should be united forever in Christ. They should not even THINK about having sex with others (for I tell you if you think it, you have done it (Matthew 5:28) and "for as a man thinks in his heart so he is" (Proverbs 23:6)). Now that is a very high standard in deed.
After the cross, Divine Viewpoint says that a "marriage" occurs when one man says to one woman, "I want you to be mine" (it is the thought that matters, not the exact words). If the woman responds, "Yes, I also desire from my free will to be yours" then they are married. See I Corinthians 7 for the Biblical viewpoint on sex after marriage.
Legal papers and family support are all nice and traditional, but are not really part of Biblical Marriage.
On the other end though, if they divorce (even if they never filed the paperwork for the society to recognize the marriage), a document of divorce is Biblically required (Deuteronomy 24:1).
And,
the doctrines of Jesus tell us that the Higher Walk is that divorce
should only occur in very limited circumstances (adultery being the
main reason (Matthew 19:3 and following)).
Good
News/Gospel
Euaggelion
- means "good news"
Euaggelion
is made up of eu and aggelion. The double g in the Greek is an
"n" in the English. Therefore, "angelion" means
"message". An "angel" is a "messenger".
Eu is the Greek prefix meaning "good". The
"gospel" literally means "good message".
Our being sinners is NOT a good message! The fact that Jesus paid the price for our sins and we now salvation is "finished" or "perfected" - THAT IS good news. That is the message mature believers emphasize when they correctly "give the gospel".
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