Morality Isn’t Always Engraved in Stone
This morning my pastor was giving his message and mentioned the word “morality” and “choosing right from wrong”, and I was suddenly inspired (I like to think by the Lord) to focus on that word and how we as Christians claim a “moral law” through the Bible, even when what was once considered moral by God’s people is now considered immoral (and vice versa). I’ll admit that I was so moved about the topic that I started thinking about what I would write and didn’t hear the rest of his message, and had to go back online to listen to the rest of it later.
I’m not saying morality IS subjective in all cases, but we as Christians can sometime feel like what is right, what is “moral” is an absolute and never changes so therefore we don’t have to even discuss or have a conversation about something we feel is wrong, much less think that there’s a chance what we think might be wrong. At the same time, we’ll go and use the Bible to affirm our moral position, even when you can find contrary values by people of God in the Bible.
The Bible mentions eight wives for David
The Bible mentions eight wives for David
Let’s start with an easy one, we talk as if marriage between one man and woman is the way it has always been. Many churches make it a point on their websites that they think is God’s intent. In fact, we assume since God created just Adam and Eve in the garden, that it was a known 1+1 relationship that God wanted. Yet look at Isaac, Jacob and Esau. Genesis 26:34 tells us Esau married both Judith and Basemath when he was forty years old. Genesis 28:8-9 tells us Esau later married Mahalath in addition to his current wives. Genesis 29:15-28 tells the story of how Jacob worked seven years for one of the daughters of Laban, and ended marrying both daughters after another seven years of work (which basically means he BOUGHT his wives by working for their father for fourteen years).
Of course, there is mighty King David. The Bible mentions eight wives for David, though it is assumed he had many more. 1 Kings 11:3 tells us Solomon had 700 wives, and 300 mistresses.
Even in the New Testament in 1 Timothy and in Titus the LEADERS of the church specifically are told they SHOULD be the husband of one wife, but it doesn’t say 1) they MUST nor 2) does it mention the laity at all, seeming to imply that should the men of the church have more than one wife it was not a big consideration.
You might be asking “what are you saying Laurie, that men can have multiple wives according to the Bible?” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating for polygamy, I’m merely demonstrating that while MOST people today will agree that marriage is meant to be between two people (I’m not here to make an argument for or against the one man, one woman position), we can see even in the New Testament that it wasn’t a universally accepted norm, even among followers of Christ.
I’m not advocating for polygamy
I’m not advocating for polygamy
What about men with long hair? Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 11:14 where it says “Does not even nature teach you that it is a shame for a man to have long hair?” Just do a Google search on “pastors with long hair” and you’ll get a long list of pastors who today have long hair, you can see their photos and everything. Then if you want to go back to the Bible, what about Samson? In Judges 13:5 an angel appears to the wife of Manoah, who was unable to bear children, and tells her that she WILL have a son and when he is born his hair is not to be touched (meaning cut). That son was Samson. Men growing their hair long was part of a Nazarite tradition involving commitment. I’ll admit in the 70’s (those of you who are old enough to remember) David Cassidy was a good looking guy, and he certainly had what would be considered long hair I think in any generation. 20 years earlier he would have been a freak, yet in his day it was not outside the norm. (I’d include a link to the Partridge Family singing “I Think I Love You” here, but I’ll settle for the photo of David…
Many Christians feel it’s immoral to be transgender, as if it’s a deliberate choice. I’m not talking about the teens who simply want to be different and therefore declare that they are transgender. EVERY generation has had teens to did things to stand out, even if it made them seem strange, it gave them a group (if only a small one) to belong to. That’s not who I’m talking about. I’m talking about the people who have known from their earliest memories that they were wired different, that even though they had a body that belonged defined them as one sex, that their mind (who they perceived themselves to be) was the opposite sex.
I’ve written numerous times about Genesis 1:27, how just because God created us male and female (in perfection, in the Garden I’ll add here) doesn’t mean every person born today is born today with the same perfection that Adam and Eve were created with by God himself.
Don’t accuse me of “twisting” scripture.
I’m merely pointing it out verses in the Bible you have in your own home. God never intended His Word to be used as a weapon against people, it’s to help us better understand Him and, be more compassionate toward each other and point people to Christ who don’t know Him.
All I ask is that as a Christian, when encountering something that yes, makes you uncomfortable, and yes, you don’t understand and it just seems so weird to you that it “MUST” be wrong, that you consider that people who are different than you are still made in every way just as much in the image of God as you are. Because many of “those” people who are different than you, they love Jesus too and have given their life to Him – just like you.
-Blessings
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