Welcome to
Heaven's Point of View.
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Again, my name is
Dr. Senez Rodriguez
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and we have our Special
Guest and Host, Dr. Tom Sheperd,
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Professor of New
Testament Interpretation
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at Andrews University.
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We have been
discussing different topics
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on the series of "Love,
Marriage, Sex, and Divorce"
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according to the New Testament.
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Now, Dr. Sheperd, last time,
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we saw how Paul
echoes the teaching of Jesus
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on the questions of divorce.
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Yes, that's right, we
saw that 1st Corinthians 7
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verses 10 and 11
parallels Mark chapter 10
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where Jesus talks about
the permanence in marriage,
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"What God has joined together,
people should not separate. "
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We noticed that this is
the reason why Paul says,
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"The Lord, not I... "
in describing the teaching.
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We also saw that Paul
describes the situation
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where the permanence and
joy seemingly had deteriorated
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because it says...
it speaks of a woman who
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separates
possibly from her husband
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"but even if she
separates," he says...
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the surprise
might be that Paul says
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that she should stay single
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or be reconciled to her
husband and then he adds
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that the husband
should not divorce his wife.
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We notice, actually,
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that this
parallels the words of Jesus
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when he said that divorce,
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for any other
reason than adultery,
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plus remarriage equals adultery,
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the separation itself
was not counted by Jesus
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as adultery... nor by Paul.
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So it sounds like
Paul actually echoes
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the teaching of Jesus here.
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Yeah, pretty much, and
that's the important phrase,
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"pretty much,"
because Paul goes further
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in verses 12 to 16
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and we want to look
at those verses now.
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Okay, so we want to
open to 1st Corinthians 7
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verses 12 to 16.
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Hmmm... hmmm... okay, thank
you for reading that passage.
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So, we've noticed before that...
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why Paul says,
"Not the Lord, but I."
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Hmmm... hmmm...
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And that is that... in
this particular situation
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that Paul describes,
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he didn't have
the saying of Jesus.
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So he's not talking
about levels of inspiration...
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they're both inspired statements
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one... the
inspired words of Jesus,
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the other, the Apostle
Paul... led by the Holy Spirit.
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But, we're actually
talking about a situation
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which Jesus had not described.
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It's a situation where
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a believer is
married to an unbeliever...
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when you read the words
of Jesus back in the gospels,
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He is describing a
situation of believers.
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So, when Paul says
also, "to the rest... "
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he's talking about others
in the Christian community
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not covered by
the previous verses,
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we saw that in verses 10
and 11, he was talking about
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people who are
believers... both believers...
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and how they were
married to each other.
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But here he's
talking about somebody else
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and the question
would be, of course, "Who?"
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Paul describes both
the case of a brother
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which, of course,
means... a Christian...
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who has an unbelieving
wife and on the other hand,
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he talks about a
Sister... a Christian woman...
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who has an unbelieving husband.
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So, this is where Paul has a new
situation that he's describing.
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Now, why do you think that
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a believer be
married to an unbeliever?
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Doesn't Paul,
himself, advise against that?
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He actually does, very much,
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over in 2nd
Corinthians 6 verse 14,
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we should take a look at that,
just flip over there real quick
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to 2nd
Corinthians 6 and verse 14,
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he says, "Do not be unequally
yoked with unbelievers:
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for what partnership has
righteousness with lawlessness?
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and what fellowship
has light with darkness?"
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In fact, he is using the exact
same term, which is, "apistois"
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which means "unbeliever"
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that he used over
in 1st Corinthians 7
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verses 12 to 16, it
seems completely incongruous
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that he would here say...
"Don't be unequally yoked"
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when you think of yoking...
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you think of
the "marriage thing"
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which Jesus says, "What
God has yoked together...
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what God has
joined together... "
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over here he talks about,
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"if you're married
to this unbeliever... "
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It doesn't make any
sense except for one fact
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and that is, Paul
is talking to those
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who are already married,
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so in verses 10 and 11,
he speaks to those who are
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husband and wife
that are Christians
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and for them, he says,
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"you should not
divorce and if you separate,
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you should seek
reconciliation or stay single,
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a change of
heart is what you need
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rather than a change of partners
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a change of spouse... "
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but he says, he
starts in verse 12
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"To the rest... "
and that addresses...
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suggests that these
people are different
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from those in verses 10
and 11, "To the rest... "
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Different in what way?
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Well, they are still a
group of married people,
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since he speaks of
married relationships,
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the way they are different is
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that one of the partners
in the marriage is a believer
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and the other
partner is an unbeliever.
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And we say, "Well,
how did that happen
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in light of
Paul's strong counsel
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not to link up
with unbelievers?"
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Well, it happened because
the person was already married
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before they became a believer,
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they were converted after...
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after they were already married
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and so then... but only
one of them became a believer,
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not the other one
and so what you have is
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a situation where one
believes and the other doesn't
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and that's the
situation that he describes.
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So, this really leads me to
a question I want to ask you,
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you're a Clinical Psychologist
and you talk with people
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in marriage situations...
I'd like to hear from you:
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Why is it
important for an Adventist
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to marry another
Adventist believer?
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Well, that is a
very important question,
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first of all, the
question that I will ask is,
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"Do you... "
asking to the person,
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"Do you really want
harmony in your marriage?"
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"If you do, if you want harmony,
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then you need to look
for all of those qualities
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in the other person
that connect with yours
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so that the opportunity
for harmony is increased. "
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The greater the level
of differences between you
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in different ways,
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the more the probability
of having lack of harmony. "
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But don't they say to you...
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"Yeah but, he's not a believer
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but he's very
favorable towards... "
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Senez: And he loves me...
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Tom: "He loves me"
that's right, "He loves me. "
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"He loves me and love...
love can do everything. "
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Well, that opinion is
likely to change very quickly
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after the honeymoon
when the real thing...
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when the "yoke"
becomes more heavy
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with the conflicts and
the problems that arise
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as a natural consequence of
living... two people together...
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it doesn't matter how
good each of them are,
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any time that two
people begin to live together,
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there is going to be
conflict. Tom: Hmmm... hmmm...
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And so, when you marry someone
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who does not
believe like you believe,
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doesn't want to go to the
church as you would like to go,
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when you have to
receive the Sabbath,
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they don't sit down with you,
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when you want to read the Bible,
they want to do something else,
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when they want to go to
the Baseball game on Sabbath,
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you want to go to
the Sabbath School,
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is that leading to
harmony... or the opposite?
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And then, that's the
moment or the time when...
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then they wonder
whether they made a mistake
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and that is
exactly what happens so...
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and then when the kids come,
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do you want the kids
to have the education
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that you want for them?
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Do you want the kids to worship
together with mom and dad?
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So, again, the
greater the difference
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between the two of them,
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the greater the
probability of having conflicts.
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Well, why do
you think it is that
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so many people have
difficulty seeing that?
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Because they fall in
love with their eyes.
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In other words, with
their heart instead of
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with the brain. Tom: Yeah.
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So the eyes look at
what is in front of you
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but God looks at... what?
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Tom: In the
heart. Senez: The heart.
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So we need to pray
to God for guidance
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and seeking the counsel of
those who have more experience
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so that then... we
can be aware of the things
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that may be
problematic down the road
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so, prevention
is much better than
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trying to resolve a problem
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that was created in the
first place for your choice,
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and every choice
has its consequences.
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Okay, good
counsel, thank you so much
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but Paul does have counsel
for somebody who's married
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to an unbeliever, it seems like,
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like we said that they did
not get in this situation...
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in a way... they didn't
"choose it to be this way"
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it's just that their
spouse didn't believe
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and he gives two different
counsels to these people
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we'll see the first of these
in the discussion this time,
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and then... in
our next discussion
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which is the
last in this Series,
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we have his counsel to the
other aspect or other condition.
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The counsel here on this...
is to stay in the marriage
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if the unbeliever is willing
to dwell with the believer,
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he applies the teaching
to both the male believer
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with an unbelieving wife
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and to a female believer
with an unbelieving husband.
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It's impressive to me to
here in 1st Corinthians 7,
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the way Paul continues
his emphasis on mutuality,
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we saw it at the
beginning of chapter 7
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where he was
describing this sexual relation
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and the idea of
not touching a woman
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was... not using
her as a sexual object
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and then he goes on to emphasize
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that the husband
has conjugal rights,
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the wife has conjugal rights,
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and you respect each other,
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it's that
expression of the "agape love"
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that we've been talking
about all through this Series
00:12:02.12\00:12:04.65
and here he continues to talk
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about this kind of
idea, he doesn't just say,
00:12:06.32\00:12:08.76
"Well, if the man
has an unbelieving wife?"
00:12:08.79\00:12:11.19
he also mentions a woman
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that would have an
unbelieving husband
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and that can be
very, very challenging,
00:12:15.63\00:12:18.53
he applies the teaching
to both the male believer
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and the female believer in
the different circumstances.
00:12:21.24\00:12:24.64
It is simple, direct
counsel that Paul gives.
00:12:24.67\00:12:28.38
The Christian is not to be
the one to break up a marriage.
00:12:28.41\00:12:32.91
The Christian is not to be the
one... to break up a marriage.
00:12:32.95\00:12:37.39
This is in keeping
with the teaching of Jesus
00:12:37.42\00:12:39.95
actually in the gospels.
00:12:39.99\00:12:41.32
Thus, so far there is
no departure or addition
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to what Jesus
has said, actually,
00:12:48.23\00:12:49.56
even though the
situation of the believer
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is somewhat different
from what Jesus described,
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Paul is applying the teaching
of Jesus in this new situation
00:12:55.74\00:13:00.41
and he follows the
principle of staying together.
00:13:00.44\00:13:04.68
You know, Jesus said,
00:13:04.71\00:13:06.05
"What God has yoked
together, let man not separate,"
00:13:06.08\00:13:09.05
He said, "the two
become one. " Hmmm... hmmm...
00:13:09.08\00:13:11.55
But it's so important that
it almost supersedes saying,
00:13:11.59\00:13:18.63
"But what if I am
yoked with an unbeliever?"
00:13:18.69\00:13:23.23
Some people might
have gotten the idea,
00:13:23.26\00:13:24.93
"Well, maybe that means I
should separate from them,
00:13:24.97\00:13:27.74
maybe I should... maybe
I should divorce them... "
00:13:27.77\00:13:30.51
You see, sometimes
people will rationalize
00:13:30.54\00:13:36.64
they'll say, "Well, my situation
00:13:36.71\00:13:39.65
isn't really like
what Jesus described. "
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That's really not
what my situation's like
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and they'll set
His teaching aside,
00:13:44.92\00:13:47.16
because they think
their situation is different
00:13:47.19\00:13:50.63
or shall we say,
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"They want their
situation to be different,
00:13:52.19\00:13:54.60
and they don't want to do
what Jesus has said, perhaps. "
00:13:54.63\00:13:57.53
Paul isn't like
that, he prefers to see
00:13:57.57\00:14:00.97
how Jesus' teaching
applies in the new situation.
00:14:01.00\00:14:05.11
How Jesus' teaching
applies in the new situation...
00:14:05.17\00:14:09.24
and the position Paul takes
00:14:09.28\00:14:10.98
is in keeping with
Jesus' overall teaching
00:14:11.01\00:14:13.78
that Christians
should stay in a marriage,
00:14:13.82\00:14:16.52
"What God has yoked together,
man should not separate. "
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The other thing is that
some people get the idea
00:14:20.42\00:14:23.22
that if you are
married to an unbeliever,
00:14:23.26\00:14:25.86
it is acceptable
to leave the marriage
00:14:25.89\00:14:28.43
because you should not be
linked to something "unholy"
00:14:28.46\00:14:31.77
and so they... like we
said a little bit before
00:14:31.80\00:14:35.84
they think it's
okay to walk out of that.
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That sounds like what
verse 14 is all about.
00:14:39.61\00:14:43.28
It's true, if...
let's read verse 14 again
00:14:43.35\00:14:46.95
so we just have that... clearly.
00:14:46.98\00:14:48.55
"For the unbelieving husband
is sanctified by the wife,
00:14:48.58\00:14:52.45
and the unbelieving wife
is sanctified by the husband
00:14:52.49\00:14:57.39
else were your children unclean;
but now are they holy. "
00:14:57.43\00:15:02.30
Yes, now this is
really interesting.
00:15:02.33\00:15:05.07
The "For" at the
beginning of that verse,
00:15:05.10\00:15:08.60
indicates that
it's a supporting reason
00:15:08.67\00:15:11.57
for what he said
in verse 12 and 13,
00:15:11.61\00:15:14.44
so in verses 12 and 13 he said,
00:15:14.48\00:15:15.81
"If you're married
to an unbeliever...
00:15:15.84\00:15:17.18
you're a believer...
you're married to an unbeliever,
00:15:17.21\00:15:19.15
you shouldn't be
the one to go away,
00:15:19.18\00:15:21.58
it doesn't matter whether
it's the husband or the wife,
00:15:21.62\00:15:24.22
you should stay
in that situation. "
00:15:24.25\00:15:26.89
And so... he indicates that
00:15:26.92\00:15:31.73
the Christian
should stay in the marriage
00:15:31.76\00:15:34.93
as long as the
unbeliever is in agreement,
00:15:34.96\00:15:38.07
the reason Paul gives is
that the unbelieving spouse,
00:15:38.10\00:15:41.97
is "sanctified" or
made holy by the believer.
00:15:42.00\00:15:46.44
Now this is really...
00:15:46.47\00:15:48.51
this is an idea
we have to delve into
00:15:48.54\00:15:51.58
we have to try to
understand this better
00:15:51.61\00:15:53.78
because it seems
a little odd to us,
00:15:53.82\00:15:56.12
what does the word, "holy" mean?
00:15:56.15\00:15:58.39
Well, this word is actually
what we call a "cultic concept"
00:15:58.45\00:16:04.46
cultic... I know today people
think... "oh, it's a cult"
00:16:04.49\00:16:10.50
but this is different,
00:16:10.53\00:16:13.74
when we're talking
about a cultic concept,
00:16:13.77\00:16:15.77
we're talking about something
that links a person or an object
00:16:15.80\00:16:21.34
to divinity... to
that which is divine
00:16:21.38\00:16:24.28
okay, that's a cultic concept,
00:16:24.31\00:16:27.35
the "cultus... " is
the worship of the god...
00:16:27.42\00:16:30.29
whether it's...
the true God of heaven
00:16:30.32\00:16:32.99
or in the ancient world that
they were worshipping other gods
00:16:33.02\00:16:36.02
the cultus... is the service
they have in their temple,
00:16:36.06\00:16:38.99
that the cultus... okay...
00:16:39.03\00:16:40.66
so, to be holy means to
be dedicated or consecrated
00:16:40.70\00:16:45.47
to the service
of God, all right...
00:16:45.50\00:16:49.04
it means "to be pure or perfect
00:16:49.07\00:16:52.57
or worthy of God...
that which is holy... "
00:16:52.61\00:16:55.38
or even the Sanctuary...
00:16:55.41\00:16:56.98
the verb has the idea
of "consecrate or dedicate"
00:16:57.01\00:17:00.72
it includes a
person in the inner circle
00:17:00.78\00:17:04.12
of what is "holy-able... cultic"
00:17:04.19\00:17:07.16
and the moral associations
that go along with it,
00:17:07.19\00:17:09.59
so, that word... if
you hear that and say,
00:17:09.62\00:17:12.83
"My! you mean that just
being married to an unbeliever
00:17:12.86\00:17:15.76
does that... to this unbeliever?
00:17:15.80\00:17:17.87
You know, the believer
makes them 'holy' somehow?"
00:17:17.90\00:17:21.74
Well, Paul uses
the verb "to make holy"
00:17:21.77\00:17:25.47
three times in 1st Corinthians.
00:17:25.51\00:17:27.11
He uses it in chapter 1
verse 2, chapter 6 verse 11
00:17:27.14\00:17:31.51
and chapter 7 and verse 14.
00:17:31.55\00:17:33.62
In chapter 1 verse 2,
00:17:33.68\00:17:35.95
he refers to the
sanctifying work of Christ
00:17:35.98\00:17:38.32
in setting the Christians
apart to belong to God.
00:17:38.35\00:17:40.69
It is a perfect
tense that's used there
00:17:40.72\00:17:44.96
so it means... a past
action that has ongoing results
00:17:44.99\00:17:49.66
they are holy,
they are sanctified
00:17:49.70\00:17:51.57
that they are set
apart for God, okay,
00:17:51.60\00:17:53.40
and that's because of what
Christ has done in their lives.
00:17:53.44\00:17:56.10
So, it talks
about this "act of God"
00:17:56.14\00:18:00.68
over in chapter 6
verse 11, the verse says,
00:18:00.71\00:18:04.61
"Such were some of
you: but you are washed,
00:18:04.65\00:18:07.78
but you are sanctified,
00:18:07.82\00:18:10.12
but you are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:18:10.15\00:18:13.22
and in the Spirit of our God. "
00:18:13.25\00:18:14.86
It sounds fairly similar to what
we said in chapter 1 verse 2,
00:18:14.89\00:18:20.76
there's a different
kind of "tense" here...
00:18:20.80\00:18:25.07
it's called the "aorist"
it's kind of a simple past tense
00:18:25.13\00:18:27.40
in most cases,
00:18:27.44\00:18:28.97
the "aorist" tense
points more toward the event of
00:18:29.00\00:18:32.57
crossing over from
outside... to inside the church,
00:18:32.61\00:18:36.41
okay, so, "you were
washed... you were sanctified,
00:18:36.44\00:18:40.22
you became a
Christian," we would say,
00:18:40.25\00:18:42.92
"you were baptized," okay,
00:18:42.95\00:18:44.62
then he says, "You
were sanctified... "
00:18:44.65\00:18:47.56
suggested that it's not
something you did to yourself,
00:18:47.59\00:18:50.16
it was something
that God did in your life,
00:18:50.19\00:18:54.00
again, this is
connected with Jesus,
00:18:54.03\00:18:56.30
in whose name they were washed
00:18:56.36\00:18:58.27
and sanctified and justified,
00:18:58.30\00:19:00.14
so the Trinity is at work
together there to save us,
00:19:00.20\00:19:04.67
the Jesus Christ,
the Spirit of God,
00:19:04.71\00:19:07.91
the activity of God.
00:19:07.94\00:19:09.28
Some of the other uses in
1st Corinthians illustrate
00:19:09.31\00:19:13.38
the call to a holy lifestyle,
if anyone destroys God's temple,
00:19:13.42\00:19:18.12
Paul says in 1st
Corinthians 3 verse 17,
00:19:18.15\00:19:20.66
God will destroy him...
for God's temple is holy
00:19:20.69\00:19:23.02
and you are that temple.
00:19:23.06\00:19:24.69
So, Paul is battling factions
00:19:24.73\00:19:28.36
in the Corinthian
church in chapter 3,
00:19:28.40\00:19:30.30
there's this
very unseemly division
00:19:30.33\00:19:34.10
between groups in the
church instead of unity,
00:19:34.14\00:19:36.81
and he calls on the
Christians to be unified
00:19:36.84\00:19:39.44
and to not destroy the
church by their divisions,
00:19:39.47\00:19:42.78
oh! amen... they
still do that today.
00:19:42.84\00:19:46.48
Holiness is...
being set apart for God
00:19:46.51\00:19:50.09
it's the reason... one must
not break the community apart.
00:19:50.12\00:19:53.52
And that's another thing
00:19:53.56\00:19:55.02
further we should
think about in the church,
00:19:55.09\00:19:57.16
there's a reason why we
shouldn't break it apart
00:19:57.19\00:19:59.19
because the church is holy
and that's dedicated to God.
00:19:59.26\00:20:02.73
In 1st Corinthians
6:19, we've studied before
00:20:02.76\00:20:05.77
"What? do you not know
00:20:05.80\00:20:07.14
that your body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit within you,
00:20:07.17\00:20:09.00
whom you have from God,
and you are not your own?"
00:20:09.04\00:20:12.24
Our bodies are to be kept
holy, undefiled with illicit sex
00:20:12.27\00:20:16.44
as a temple of the Holy Spirit.
00:20:16.48\00:20:18.41
So, what do these all
mean in 1st Corinthians 7:14?
00:20:18.48\00:20:24.32
Yeah, all right, so, there we...
00:20:24.35\00:20:26.42
first we talk
about the unbeliever,
00:20:26.45\00:20:28.89
these are... there
are only two verses in
00:20:28.92\00:20:32.89
1st Corinthians where
both the verb, "to make holy"
00:20:32.93\00:20:36.77
and the adjective,
"holy," appear together,
00:20:36.80\00:20:40.60
and those two verses are
in 1st Corinthians 1 verse 2
00:20:40.64\00:20:44.44
and our verse here,
1st Corinthians 7 verse 14,
00:20:44.47\00:20:48.34
in chapter 1
verse 2, as we saw...
00:20:48.41\00:20:51.98
the Perfect Tense
of the verb indicated
00:20:52.01\00:20:53.42
that it was a past
action that God performed
00:20:53.48\00:20:56.58
by means of Christ,
which set His people aside
00:20:56.62\00:20:59.45
on a new path in
which they are to live out
00:20:59.49\00:21:02.32
what they're set apart for
00:21:02.36\00:21:03.93
so you're "set apart for
God, now, live like that"
00:21:03.96\00:21:06.83
show a holy life.
00:21:06.86\00:21:08.73
In chapter 7 verse 14,
there's an interesting parallel.
00:21:08.76\00:21:12.67
The unbelieving husband is
"sanctified" and that's again
00:21:12.70\00:21:16.57
a Perfect Tense,
"has been sanctified"
00:21:16.60\00:21:19.77
it was something that
happened in the past somewhere
00:21:19.84\00:21:21.81
and presumably, God was acting
00:21:21.84\00:21:25.15
and the means
is, by the believer,
00:21:25.18\00:21:28.42
so the question is,
"how can this be so?"
00:21:28.45\00:21:32.05
Well, there are three
concepts from the Old Testament
00:21:32.09\00:21:36.62
and from Judaism
that help to explain
00:21:36.66\00:21:39.06
what Paul is saying here
00:21:39.09\00:21:41.96
in 1st Corinthians 7:14,
00:21:42.00\00:21:44.80
this is just another
one of those illustrations
00:21:44.83\00:21:46.87
that... when you have
the background information
00:21:46.90\00:21:48.87
it helps you
understand things better.
00:21:48.90\00:21:50.34
The first is the idea of
holiness being transferrable.
00:21:50.37\00:21:53.71
Senez: Hmmm...
Tom: Exodus 29 verse 37,
00:21:53.74\00:21:56.91
it says, "For seven days
00:21:56.95\00:21:58.98
you shall make atonement for
the altar, and consecrate it;
00:21:59.01\00:22:01.15
then the altar
shall be most holy:
00:22:01.18\00:22:02.95
and whatever touches
the altar shall be holy. "
00:22:02.98\00:22:06.62
Senez: Hmmm...
00:22:06.65\00:22:07.99
If it touches
the altar, it's holy.
00:22:08.02\00:22:09.62
Holiness is a relationship
more than a static state
00:22:09.66\00:22:12.56
or an attribute, the
"altar" is set apart for God
00:22:12.59\00:22:15.40
and it's the place of sacrifice
and when it's most holy...
00:22:15.46\00:22:20.44
when you touch...
you put something on it,
00:22:20.47\00:22:22.27
it makes it holy,
it's transferrable,
00:22:22.30\00:22:24.54
all right,
that's the first idea,
00:22:24.57\00:22:26.94
the second idea
00:22:26.98\00:22:28.31
comes from Judaism
which is very interesting,
00:22:28.34\00:22:30.25
it has to do with
"betrothal practices. "
00:22:30.28\00:22:33.11
Now, this is where you
would, you would get engaged
00:22:33.15\00:22:36.45
and in the ancient world
00:22:36.48\00:22:37.82
getting engaged
was a bigger deal
00:22:37.85\00:22:39.62
than what we do today.
00:22:39.65\00:22:41.06
If you get engaged
today and you break it...
00:22:41.09\00:22:43.43
oh, people are sad
and they're saying,
00:22:43.46\00:22:45.69
"But... okay... well, maybe
it wasn't the right person"
00:22:45.73\00:22:48.43
but then... back
then... if you get engaged...
00:22:48.46\00:22:50.67
it's like... you're
like... you're married
00:22:50.73\00:22:53.23
and if you did break
it up, it's like divorce.
00:22:53.27\00:22:55.40
This is what
happened with Joseph and Mary
00:22:55.44\00:22:57.47
when he wants to... he's
going to "divorce" her...
00:22:57.51\00:23:00.38
they've never slept together,
they've never been together
00:23:00.41\00:23:02.38
but they're
betrothed to be married.
00:23:02.44\00:23:05.15
Jewish marriage documents
were going through a transition
00:23:05.18\00:23:07.85
in this era and
at the time of Paul
00:23:07.88\00:23:09.55
and were altered from saying
that the man acquires the woman
00:23:09.58\00:23:12.49
to saying that
he sanctifies her.
00:23:12.52\00:23:14.49
"You are made holy to
me," is one of the sayings,
00:23:14.52\00:23:20.33
it's in one of the documents,
00:23:20.36\00:23:21.96
the term may also be connected
00:23:22.00\00:23:23.53
with the
ceremony of purification
00:23:23.57\00:23:25.10
which was part of the betrothal
00:23:25.13\00:23:26.60
or a marriage ceremony,
00:23:26.63\00:23:28.30
so, sanctification, in
Judaism, even had this idea
00:23:28.34\00:23:33.17
that it was a part of marriage.
00:23:33.24\00:23:35.68
The third idea is:
"the two become one flesh"
00:23:35.71\00:23:38.71
as we've already
studied in Genesis 2 verse 24,
00:23:38.75\00:23:42.28
that Paul describes
in 1st Corinthians 6:16,
00:23:42.35\00:23:45.85
"the two become one flesh. "
00:23:45.92\00:23:47.26
Because the
believer is sanctified
00:23:47.29\00:23:49.09
by connection to Christ,
anyone who touches the believer,
00:23:49.12\00:23:52.93
now, this isn't the
touch we were talking about
00:23:52.96\00:23:54.40
in the beginning of the chapter,
00:23:54.46\00:23:55.80
but more of the idea of
the transference of holiness,
00:23:55.83\00:23:58.60
becomes holy and
is sanctified as well,
00:23:58.63\00:24:01.44
it doesn't suggest that the
00:24:01.47\00:24:03.57
unbeliever is
somehow saved by this,
00:24:03.61\00:24:05.81
that's what we've
got to understand,
00:24:05.84\00:24:07.71
it doesn't mean
that the person is saved.
00:24:07.74\00:24:09.21
Paul is focusing more on
the legitimacy of the marriage
00:24:09.24\00:24:12.31
and the fact that the
believer is not defiled
00:24:12.35\00:24:15.78
by remaining
married to the unbeliever.
00:24:15.82\00:24:18.39
So how do we know this?
00:24:18.42\00:24:20.46
Because Paul immediately
gives a counterstatement
00:24:20.49\00:24:24.33
of what would be
the case if it were true
00:24:24.36\00:24:26.86
that the believer was
defiled by the unbeliever.
00:24:26.90\00:24:29.96
What's the case?
00:24:30.00\00:24:31.33
He says literally,
"Since... because... then... "
00:24:31.37\00:24:35.84
and the case... in
this case there's that...
00:24:35.87\00:24:38.54
something... a
little something left out
00:24:38.57\00:24:39.91
but it goes like this...
00:24:39.94\00:24:41.28
where the full
statement would be...
00:24:41.31\00:24:42.64
it would be: "Since,
if it were otherwise,
00:24:42.68\00:24:45.35
your children would be
unclean but now they are holy. "
00:24:45.38\00:24:50.99
What Paul means...
00:24:51.02\00:24:52.52
here's the simple
thing that he means,
00:24:52.55\00:24:54.32
that marriage to an unbeliever
00:24:54.36\00:24:56.73
does not make the
children of such a union...
00:24:56.76\00:24:59.93
illegitimate
children, they are not bastards,
00:24:59.96\00:25:03.10
the Christian is not sinning
00:25:03.16\00:25:05.17
having children "out
of wedlock," so to speak,
00:25:05.20\00:25:07.67
because he or she is
married to an unbeliever.
00:25:07.70\00:25:10.14
Now, you might say today,
00:25:10.17\00:25:12.04
"I would never
have thought that"
00:25:12.07\00:25:13.61
but they did back then,
00:25:13.64\00:25:15.08
remember these
were people coming
00:25:15.14\00:25:16.58
out of paganism
into Christianity
00:25:16.61\00:25:18.01
and they learn about
the concept of holiness,
00:25:18.05\00:25:20.42
they probably had a
clear sense of holiness
00:25:20.48\00:25:22.82
than we tend to today
00:25:22.85\00:25:24.19
and... so they had
these kinds of questions,
00:25:24.22\00:25:26.12
so Paul makes it clear,
00:25:26.15\00:25:27.52
"Once a person is
in such a marriage,
00:25:27.56\00:25:29.86
it is sanctified by God
00:25:29.89\00:25:32.39
through the presence of
Christ in the believer's life,
00:25:32.43\00:25:35.53
he or she is not to seek
escape from such a marriage
00:25:35.56\00:25:38.43
because the spouse
is not a believer. "
00:25:38.47\00:25:40.97
Now, we just got a
couple of minutes here
00:25:41.00\00:25:43.51
and I'd like to ask you,
as a Clinical Psychologist,
00:25:43.54\00:25:46.54
what you recommend for people
who are married to an unbeliever
00:25:46.57\00:25:51.05
for whatever the
reason it might be...
00:25:51.08\00:25:52.55
but they're
married to an unbeliever
00:25:52.58\00:25:53.92
and they're
trying to cope with it,
00:25:53.95\00:25:55.28
what kinds of strategies
do you suggest to them?
00:25:55.32\00:25:56.65
Well, I will suggest that the
person look for common grounds
00:25:56.69\00:26:00.96
rather than
focusing on differences,
00:26:00.99\00:26:04.13
what is common to
us that it does not
00:26:04.19\00:26:07.26
put me in a difficult
situation with my faith?
00:26:07.30\00:26:11.17
What is common to us that we...
00:26:11.20\00:26:13.10
what are the
"likes" that we can share?
00:26:13.13\00:26:16.14
Also, respect the differences,
00:26:16.17\00:26:18.61
they don't have to
be exactly the same,
00:26:18.64\00:26:22.01
but respecting the differences
00:26:22.04\00:26:24.21
and admit that there are
differences, that's good,
00:26:24.25\00:26:26.38
but also, avoiding arguments
over each other's religion,
00:26:26.41\00:26:30.19
any time that there are two
00:26:30.22\00:26:32.85
that believe
totally different things,
00:26:32.89\00:26:34.96
there are grounds for a conflict
00:26:34.99\00:26:38.43
and also be faithful to the Lord
and be a positive example...
00:26:38.46\00:26:43.37
positive model of
what a Christian should be
00:26:43.40\00:26:48.04
and in doing that,
00:26:48.07\00:26:49.40
you are less likely to
make the situation at home
00:26:49.44\00:26:54.68
much more
stressful... conflicted...
00:26:54.71\00:26:57.11
This reminds me of
1st Peter chapter 3
00:26:57.15\00:26:59.48
where the Apostle
talks about a wife
00:26:59.51\00:27:01.82
who's married to an unbeliever,
00:27:01.85\00:27:03.45
a believing wife and an
unbeliever and she talks about,
00:27:03.49\00:27:06.02
"By their way of life,
that they attract them. "
00:27:06.05\00:27:09.32
and she says,
"By saying nothing,"
00:27:09.36\00:27:10.83
she says, "without a word,
they evangelize their husbands,"
00:27:10.86\00:27:14.06
so they're not pestering them,
they're not trying to force them
00:27:14.10\00:27:18.67
but they're living the
Christ's life in front of them
00:27:18.70\00:27:21.30
and that has such
a winning influence
00:27:21.34\00:27:23.34
and some of these
people will be won.
00:27:23.37\00:27:25.31
I think we need to pray for
00:27:25.34\00:27:27.11
people who are
in these situations
00:27:27.14\00:27:28.71
because I know that they carry
sometimes... very heavy burdens
00:27:28.74\00:27:31.71
and they need the
support of the church.
00:27:31.75\00:27:33.52
In our next discussion,
00:27:33.58\00:27:36.22
we are going to look
at the important question
00:27:36.25\00:27:40.19
of being married to an
unwilling... unbeliever.
00:27:40.22\00:27:43.96
It's a last one
of our presentations
00:27:44.03\00:27:46.43
and it also talks about,
00:27:46.46\00:27:48.30
"Where does the Adventist Church
00:27:48.36\00:27:49.73
stand on the
question of divorce?"
00:27:49.76\00:27:51.10
So we... I'm sure
that you'll want to be here
00:27:51.13\00:27:53.34
and be able to hear
00:27:53.37\00:27:54.70
that last
presentation that we've had,
00:27:54.74\00:27:56.91
we're glad that you've
been able to watch these
00:27:56.94\00:27:59.47
and we pray that God
will bless and use your life
00:27:59.51\00:28:02.01
and that you'll be encouraged
00:28:02.04\00:28:03.45
as you look forward
to the coming of Jesus.
00:28:03.48\00:28:05.51
Thanks for being with us today.
00:28:05.55\00:28:07.02