Yesterday, someone asked me for advice about someone he knows, that deals with whether a couple should get married if the girlfriend becomes pregnant due to sexual relations. We know what the world says. And many in the body of Christ believes that the couple doesn't necessarily have to get married just because they had sex and the woman got pregnant. I used to believe that too. But is it biblical? I realize that there are a bunch of "ifs" including whether they want to spend the rest of their life together as man and wife, but that is something they should have thought up when performing the "marriage benefits" without being married. There are consequences for sin, and if the sin is premarital sex that especially results in pregnancy, the result should be marriage. Consider the following passages of God's Word: Ex. 22:16-17 "If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and lies with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the dowry for virgins." "If a man finds a girl, a virgin not engaged, and lays hold on her, and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife. Because he has humbled her, he may not put her away all his days." This taken in consideration with the responsibity of the father of the child to take are of them, I think shows us that they are to be married. It should not be compounded with the sin of abortion/murder, but since a pregancy would "find them out" they should be married. Pastors, Churches and Christians need to teach what the word of God says regarding the importance of marriage, and that sex is only 'not sin' in marriage between one man and one woman. But if a couple can sin and have sex, then they can get married. No wonder fathers not too long ago (and perhaps still in some areas today) had that shot gun out and ready when it came to young men and their daughters ;-). Help us Lord to stand and speak the truth in love with wisdom and humility.
The King James Only Controversy : I have been in 3 churches since the Lord was pleased to save me, the last 2 of them as a pastor. The first church was when I was not a pastor, but did teach Sunday School, and preached occasionally. It was a church that used the KJV of the bible, but neither I or the pastor was hardcore KJV Only. The second church was the first church I pastored. For the sake of some long time members in that small church, I used the King James version for sermons, but after I was there a year or two, I began using the NKJV for Scripture Readings. My third church, which is the one I'm pastoring now in Idaho, does not use the KJV. We offically use the NASB for our sermons, and the ESV many times when quoting other scriptures. I know some of my long time Christian friends from Maryland are KJV Only. I am not. I think it is an issue that we can agree to disagree on, but it seems there may be some that cannot. In the not so distant future, I'll post on the Blog why...
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