Purpose For Living

There has been an increase in suicides. Life seems hopeless for many. I thought I would write an article on why we exist, and what is our purpose.

Introduction

Consider this insight from Ben Shapiro:

In other words, people need meaning and purpose in life. Our focus on materialism from both the political right and left — on income inequality and intersectional victimhood from the left, and on tribal affinity and economic deregulation from the right — ignores the key problem: Americans, particularly young Americans, increasingly don’t feel that their lives have purpose. This isn’t a problem that can be cured by redistributing Xboxes. This is a problem of the soul. (Source).

He writes about the skyrocketing levels of suicide in the USA:

According to the Centers for Disease Control, youth suicide is in the midst of a precipitous and frightening rise. Between 2006 and 2016, suicides by white children between ages 10 and 17 skyrocketed 70%; while black children are less likely than white children to kill themselves, their suicide rate also jumped 77%. And as The Blaze points out, CNN reported last year that “the suicide rate among girls between the ages of 15 and 19 rose to a 40-year high in 2015.”

It’s not just young people. According to Tom Simon, a CDC report author, “We know that overall in the US, we’re seeing increases in suicide rates across all age groups.” As of 2016, suicide levels were at 30-year highs.

What Is Our Purpose in Life?

B1 For management

C1 God wanted a beautiful earth.

C2 He wanted to delegate something to maintain it.

C3 God created Adam and Eve to be those maintainers.

C4 God created them with a reasonable soul (ability to reason and learn) and the communicable attributes of God in order to accomplish this.

D1 Genesis 5:1 CSB - This is the document containing the family records of Adam. On the day that God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.

D2 Psalm 8:6-8 CSB - You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all the sheep and oxen, as well as the animals in the wild, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea that pass through the currents of the seas.

C5 Genesis 1:26 CSB - Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth."

C6 Genesis 2:15 CSB - The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.

B2 For fellowship

C1 1 John 1:3 CSB - what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

C2 Fellowship is meeting together to talk and enjoy life together, having a common cause and purpose.

C3 The Greek word for fellowship here is κοινωνία koinōnia. It means having beliefs in common, fellowship, participation. (Source)

C4 1 Corinthians 1:9 CSB - God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

C5 Philippians 2:1 CSB - If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy.

B3 To glorify God

C1 By our thoughts, desires, words, and deeds reflecting the image of God. He is holy, loving, just, etc., so also He wants us to be this.

C2 Ephesians 4:22-24 CSB - to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God's likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. Some examples are found in Ephesians 4:25-32.

C3 Romans 1:21 CSB - For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. This passage teaches that there is a common failure.

D1 Do not glorify God.

D2 Are not thankful.

C4 Glorifying by praising in song: Romans 15:9 CSB - and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to your name.

C5 Telling God thank you glorifies Him: Psalm 50:23 CSB - "Whoever sacrifices a thank offering honors me, and whoever orders his conduct, I will show him the salvation of God."

C6 Humbling ourselves glorifies God: Psalm 86:9 CSB - All the nations you have made will come and bow down before you, Lord, and will honor your name.

C7 Obeying God’s rules glorifies Him, but disobedience is proof of NOT glorifying Him: 2 Timothy 3:2 CSB - For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy.

C8 Believing God glorifies Him:

D1 Did NOT believe: Deuteronomy 9:23 CSB - "When the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea, he said, 'Go up and possess the land I have given you'; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You did not believe or obey him.

D2 Did believe:

E1 John 6:69 CSB - "We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

E2 John 11:27 CSB - "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world."

E3 Hebrews 11:6 CSB - Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

B4 For good works

C1 Matthew 5:16 CSB - "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

C2 Ephesians 2:10 CSB - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

C3 Easton’s gives the following three points:

1. Works are "good" only when,
   1. they spring from the principle of love to God. The moral character of an act is determined by the moral principle that prompts it. Faith and love in the heart are the essential elements of all true obedience. Hence good works only spring from a believing heart, can only be wrought by one reconciled to God (Ephesians 2:10; James 2:18:22).
   2. Good works have the glory of God as their object; and
   3. they have the revealed will of God as their only rule (Deuteronomy 12:32; Revelation 22:18,19).
2. Good works are an expression of gratitude in the believer's heart (John 14:15,23; Galatians 5:6). They are the fruits of the Spirit (Titus 2:10-12), and thus spring from grace, which they illustrate and strengthen in the heart.
3. Good works of the most sincere believers are all imperfect, yet like their persons they are accepted through the mediation of Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17), and so are rewarded; they have no merit intrinsically, but are rewarded wholly of grace.

What Happened to Our Purpose?

B1 Rebellion, Disobedience, and Selfishness

C1 Rebellion and disobedience

D1 Seen in all humans in some way at some time.

D2 Breaking God’s laws

E1 Obedience to God’s laws is required in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.

F1 The Lord Jesus stated that not committing adultery in the flesh is not good enough, one must also not commit adultery in our thoughts: Matthew 5:27-28 NIV - You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

F2 Lust starts with the heart, so does covetousness and every other sin.

G1 1 John 2:16 NKJV - For all that [is] in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.

G2 James 1:13-15 NKJV - Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

E2 The Lord Jesus is just the opposite: Hebrews 4:15 NKJV - For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all [points] tempted as [we are, yet] without sin.

D3 Examples

E1 Israel: 1 Samuel 12:14-15 NKJV - If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God. "However, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as [it was] against your fathers.

E2 Family: Matthew 10:21 NLT - A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. Compare Micah 7:6.

E3 All people:

F1 1 Timothy 1:9 NIV - We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers.

F2 Romans 3:23 NIV - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

E4 Romans 5:19 NKJV - For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.

C2 Selfishness

D1 Seen in all people some place some time.

D2 Examples:

E1 2 Timothy 3:2-5 CSB - For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.

E2 Philippians 2:21 CSB - all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

F1 Compare God’s way: Matthew 16:24 CSB - Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

F2 1 Corinthians 10:24 CSB - No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.

B2 Separated

C1 Because of sin

D1 Romans 8:7 NIV - The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.

D2 Colossians 1:21 NLT - This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.

C2 From God

D1 Ephesians 2:12 RSV - remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

D2 Ephesians 4:18 NIV - They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

D3 God wants reconciliation

E1 Romans 5:10 NIV - For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

E2 2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV - We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

How to Restore Purpose in Living

B1 Are You a Good Person?

B2 Everyone has sinned, broken God’s laws: Romans 3:23 NKJV - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

B3 God’s punishment for sin is death and suffering in hell forever.

C1 Death: Romans 6:23 NKJV - For the wages of sin [is] death, but the gift of God [is] eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

C2 Forever: Revelation 20:12-15 KJV - And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

B4 The sinner must be punished: Isaiah 13:11 NKJV - I will punish the world for [its] evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

B5 The Lord Jesus died. He bore the punishment for sins: 1 Peter 2:24 NKJV - who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.

B6 We need to repent and believe in Jesus Christ

C1 Repent: Mark 1:15 NKJV - and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.

C2 Believe: John 6:47 (Pickering) Most assuredly I say to you: the one believing into me has eternal life.

B7 Now we live to do His will:

C1 Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV - Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

C2 Matthew 5:16 NIV - In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Copyright © 2018 by Len Gane All rights reserved.

A Lasting Love

Theme: A Song of Enduring Love

Scriptures: Psalm 89

Objectives: (From the D6 Fusion Sunday School Lesson book)

Know: We serve a loving God who is always faithful to His promises.

Think: Rest in the assurance that God loves me and will keep all of His promises.

Do: Trust and Praise God, even during times of discipline or hardship.

B1 Promise

C1 What is a promise?

C2 What is different about a promise made by God?

C3 Are all promises unconditional?

D1 What about this one? John 3:16 NKJV - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

D2 This one? Jeremiah 31:37 CSB - This is what the LORD says: Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below explored, will I reject all of Israel's descendants because of all they have done -- this is the LORD's declaration.

D3 This? Genesis 12:1-2 CSB - The LORD said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

D4 Finally: Romans 4:13-16 CSB - For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. If those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made empty and the promise nullified, because the law produces wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants; not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham's faith. He is the father of us all.

B2 This is a Psalm: When you realize the great power and reign of God

C1 Praise for all His awesome strength and power Psalm 89:1-18

C2 God’s promise to King David Psalm 89:19-37

C3 God’s anger towards the king Psalm 89:38-45

C4 Prayer to God for deliverance Psalm 89:46-52

C5 Concerning the writer, Ethan: 1 Kings 4:31 NKJV - For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.

B3 Praise for all His awesome strength and power Psalm 89:1-18,

C1 What is steadfast love?

D1 חֶסֶד cheçed, kheh'-sed

D2 Translated variously as mercy, unfailing love, great love, steadfast love, faithful love, lovingkindness, even beauty. In the bad sense it is translated reproof, envy, etc.

D3 It has the idea of kindness towards others motivated by love.

D4 The Psalmist (Ethan) declares that God is this way.

D5 Why do many people think God is mean, nasty, and carries a big stick to hit people?

C2 Is this a promise? Psalm 89:3-4 CSB - The LORD said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn an oath to David my servant: "'I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations.' "Selah

C3 In Psalm 89:7 it is said that God is feared. What is the fear of God? And, do you fear Him?

C4 According to Psalm 89:11, do we own anything? Explain.

C5 Psalm 89:14, righteousness and justice are stated to be the foundation of His throne. Why would these two things be so important? Compare:

D1 Psalm 97:2 CSB - Clouds and total darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

D2 Proverbs 16:12 CSB - Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, since a throne is established through righteousness.

C6 Who is the Holy One of Israel mentioned in Psalm 89:18?

D1 Isaiah 10:20 CSB - On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on the one who struck them, but they will faithfully depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

D2 Isaiah 41:14 CSB - Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel. I will help you' -- this is the LORD's declaration. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

D3 Isaiah 43:15 CSB - I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.

D4 Luke 4:34 CSB - Leave us alone! What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are —the Holy One of God!

D5 Acts 13:35 MEV So He says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.

D6 1 John 2:20 MEV But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

D7 Revelation 3:7 MEV To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens, says these things.

B4 God’s promise to King David Psalm 89:19-37,

C1 Why did King David receive such high and lofty promises?

D1 1 Samuel 13:14 NKJV - But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him [to be] commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.

D2 Acts 13:22 NKJV - And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the [son] of Jesse, a man after My [own] heart, who will do all My will.

C2 Even if King David’s descendants sin and rebel, God will not completely forsake His promise. Most of David’s descendants did rebel. Who is the one who was perfect and sinless?

D1 Matthew 1:1 KJV - The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

D2 Matthew 22:42-44 (MEV) “What do you think of the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’?

B5 God’s anger towards the king Psalm 89:38-45,

C1 In this portion, the Psalmist speaks strongly against God, protesting against His treatment. He uses phrases as You have cast off, You have been furious, You have renounced, You have profaned, You have broken down, You have exalted the enemies. Do you think God is angry that a mere mortal is talking disrespectfully like this?

D1 This is how the Psalmist perceives it.

D2 God is a counselor. He can take it.

D3 The Psalmist is venting.

E1 There are at least 2 types of venting. The first is emotionally healthy, while the second is not.

E2 Unhealthy venting

F1 leads to further problems and emotions worsening.

F2 is usually too long to solve any problems.

F3 can destroy a relationship.

E3 Healthy venting

F1 waits a little while before talking.

F2 expresses feelings over a few minutes, say 5 minutes, then quits. Going too long brings up more anger instead of resolving it. The other person might become angry, too. Short term venting, catharsis, relieves stress, but if it goes too long, increases stress.

F3 Seeks to resolve a problem, not create one.

E4 Some tips (You might find more info here, not necessarily Christian viewpoint).

F1 Wait a little before venting.

F2 Take some deep breaths.

F3 Think of things to be thankful for.

F4 Be considerate of the listener.

F5 Don’t vent to the person you are angry with.

F6 Go to the creek or someplace and yell at some trees.

F7 Know that God is a good listener.

F8 What are the steps the Psalmist uses?

E5 It might be helpful to discuss some verses

F1 Romans 15:1-3 MEV We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak and not please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself. But as it is written, “The insults of those who insulted You fell on Me.

F2 Galatians 5:13-14 (MEV) You, brothers, have been called to liberty. Only do not use liberty to give an opportunity to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

B6 Prayer to God for deliverance Psalm 89:46-52,

C1 Psalm 89:46 NKJV - How long, LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire? Compare: Psalm 13:1-2 NKJV - To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, [Having] sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

C2 Hasn’t there been a time in your life that you felt this way?

C3 How would you answer the question in Psalm 89:46?

C4 How could Psalm 89:46 be helpful and comforting to someone?

C5 How would you answer this question: Psalm 89:47 CSB - Remember how short my life is. Have you created everyone for nothing?

C6 How would you answer these: Psalm 89:48 CSB - What courageous person can live and never see death? Who can save himself from the power of Sheol?Selah

C7 Why would the Psalmist ask this question: Psalm 89:49 CSB - Lord, where are the former acts of your faithful love that you swore to David in your faithfulness?

C8 I thought we had to forgive everyone. Why would the Psalmist ask God: Psalm 89:50-51 CSB - Remember, Lord, the ridicule against your servants -- in my heart I carry abuse from all the peoples -- how your enemies have ridiculed, LORD, how they have ridiculed every step of your anointed. It appears he wants God to remember their evil.

C9 After all the complaints prayed to God, Ethan prays: Psalm 89:52 CSB - Blessed be the LORD forever. Amen and amen. How is this a good attitude to have in difficulties and pleasures?

B7 Questions

C1 Name some ways how love is enduring.

C2 What is the difference between God’s love and human love, or can they be the same?

B8 Next week:

C1 Bless the Lord

C2 Theme: A Song of Praise

C3 Scripture: Psalm 103

Conditions for Divorce

My Understanding of Scriptural Reasons for Allowing Divorce

God's standard is marriage until one spouse dies. God's standard is never to steal, never to lie, never to covet, never to blaspheme, but we all know it happens. Sometimes marriages are wrong. Hence, my thoughts.

Conditions for Divorce

Len Gane

2017 Update 19 Apr 19

Marriage

B1 God’s will

C1 Verses

D1 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24, NKJV)

D2 “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:6, NKJV)

C1 Some may not want marriage

C2 Some may want but won’t be married

D1 No one available

D2 Eunuchs for the kingdom, or by force (as from a King)

E1 But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only [those] to whom it has been given: “For there are eunuchs who were born thus from [their] mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept [it,] let him accept [it.”] (Matthew 19:11-12, NKJV)

E2 Jesus answered, “This teaching does not apply to everyone, but only to those to whom God has given it. For there are different reasons why men cannot marry: some, because they were born that way; others, because men made them that way; and others do not marry for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Let him who can accept this teaching do so.” (Matthew 19:11-12, GNB92)

D3 No one asked

B2 God blesses

C1 And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." (Genesis 2:18, NKJV)

C2 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. (Hebrews 13:4, NKJV).

C3 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love. For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress? (Proverbs 5:18-20, NKJV).

C4 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 9:9, NKJV)

C5 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 9:4-8a, NKJV)

C6 And many other verses

Divorce

B1 Not God’s will: This is another thing you do. You drown the LORD's altar with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer accepts the offerings you bring him. You ask why he no longer accepts them. It is because he knows you have broken your promise to the wife you married when you were young. She was your partner, and you have broken your promise to her, although you promised before God that you would be faithful to her. Didn't God make you one body and spirit with her? What was his purpose in this? It was that you should have children who are truly God's people. So make sure that none of you breaks his promise to his wife. “I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel. “I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife.” (Malachi 2:13-16, GNB92)

B2 By permission

C1 Sexual sins

D1 Incest:

E1 The LORD gave the following regulations. Do not have sexual intercourse with any of your relatives. Do not disgrace your father by having intercourse with your mother. You must not disgrace your own mother. Do not disgrace your father by having intercourse with any of his other wives. Do not have intercourse with your sister or your stepsister, whether or not she was brought up in the same house with you. Do not have intercourse with your granddaughter; that would be a disgrace to you. Do not have intercourse with a half sister; she, too, is your sister. Do not have intercourse with an aunt, whether she is your father's sister or your mother's sister. --- Do not have intercourse with your uncle's wife; she, too, is your aunt. Do not have intercourse with your daughter-in-law or with your brother's wife. Do not have intercourse with the daughter or granddaughter of a woman with whom you have had intercourse; they may be related to you, and that would be incest. Do not take your wife's sister as one of your wives, as long as your wife is living. (Leviticus 18:6-18, GNB92)

E2 Compare the sin happening in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 PickNT It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as not even pagans talk about—that someone has his father's wife! 2 And you are puffed up and not even grieved, so as to exclude the one who has done this deed from your fellowship. 3 For I indeed, as present in spirit though absent in body, have already judged the one who created this situation, as though I were present: 4 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you and my spirit being together, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 we must hand such a one over to Satan for a destruction of the 'flesh', that the spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord Jesus.

D2 Adultery

E1 Verses

F1 When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the territory of Judea on the other side of the Jordan River. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. Some Pharisees came to him and tried to trap him by asking, “Does our Law allow a man to divorce his wife for whatever reason he wishes?” Jesus answered, “Haven't you read the scripture that says that in the beginning the Creator made people male and female? And God said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.’ So they are no longer two, but one. No human being must separate, then, what God has joined together.” The Pharisees asked him, “Why, then, did Moses give the law for a man to hand his wife a divorce notice and send her away?” Jesus answered, “Moses gave you permission to divorce your wives because you are so hard to teach. But it was not like that at the time of creation. I tell you, then, that any man who divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, commits adultery if he marries some other woman.” (Matthew 19:1-9, GNB92)

F2 “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. (Matthew 5:32, NKJV)

E2 Comment

F1 Does not mean you must divorce

F2 Does mean it is allowed. Often this is preferred.

D3 Porn

E1 Verse: “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. (Matthew 5:32, NKJV)

E2 Comment

F1 The word for sexual immorality is πορνεία porneia.

F2 The word includes adultery, incest, and porn

F3 This is a serious addiction that God hates.

F4 It is adultery in the heart.

F5 Can be repented of but not common.

C2 Desertion

D1 Physical leaving

E1 Verse: But if the unbelieving partners leave, let them go. Under these circumstances a Christian man or Christian woman is not bound by a marriage vow. God has called you to live in peace. (I Corinthians 7:15 [GodsWord])

E2 Comment

F1 Not all agree with this interpretation

F2 Many do

F3 The individual must decide

D2 Spiritual leaving

E1 This is becoming an agnostic, atheist, or abandoning Christ for another religion.

E2 This is allowed, because it is a denial of one’s vows and a spiritual danger to the believing spouse.

E3 Divorce is recommended.

E4 Remarriage is allowed.

D3 Abuse

E1 This is not because the toilet paper unrolls the wrong way.

E2 It is physical, sexual, spiritual, financial, mental, emotional, verbal, etc. abuse.

E3 This is desertion of the marriage vows.

E4 Divorce is recommended.

E5 No contact to low contact is necessary.

E6 Remarriage is allowed.

E7 1 Corinthians 5:11 GW Now, what I meant was that you should not associate with people who call themselves brothers or sisters in the Christian faith but live in sexual sin, are greedy, worship false gods, use abusive language, get drunk, or are dishonest. Don't eat with such people.

C3 If you stay, you or your children may lose salvation and faith

D1 A relationship that might lead to a denial of Jesus Christ

E1 Verses

F1 All these men had foreign wives. They divorced them and sent them and their children away. (Ezra 10:44, GNB92)

F2 “The LORD your God will bring you into the land that you are going to occupy, and he will drive many nations out of it. As you advance, he will drive out seven nations larger and more powerful than you: the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. When the LORD your God places these people in your power and you defeat them, you must put them all to death. Do not make an alliance with them or show them any mercy. Do not marry any of them, and do not let your children marry any of them, because then they would lead your children away from the LORD to worship other gods. If that happens, the LORD will be angry with you and destroy you at once. So then, tear down their altars, break their sacred stone pillars in pieces, cut down their symbols of the goddess Asherah, and burn their idols. Do this because you belong to the LORD your God. From all the peoples on earth he chose you to be his own special people. (Deuteronomy 7:1-6, GNB92)

E2 Comment

F1 Marrying non-Israelite women within the boundaries of Israel was forbidden for the reason given above. Deuteronomy 7:1-6

F2 Marrying non-Israelite women outside the boundaries of Israel was allowed

G1 “When you go to attack a city, first give its people a chance to surrender. If they open the gates and surrender, they are all to become your slaves and do forced labor for you. But if the people of that city will not surrender, but choose to fight, surround it with your army. Then, when the LORD your God lets you capture the city, kill every man in it. You may, however, take for yourselves the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else in the city. You may use everything that belongs to your enemies. The LORD has given it to you. That is how you are to deal with those cities that are far away from the land you will settle in. (Deuteronomy 20:10-15, GNB92)

G2 “When the LORD your God gives you victory in battle and you take prisoners, you may see among them a beautiful woman that you like and want to marry. Take her to your home, where she will shave her head, cut her fingernails, and change her clothes. She is to stay in your home and mourn for her parents for a month; after that, you may marry her. Later, if you no longer want her, you are to let her go free. Since you forced her to have intercourse with you, you cannot treat her as a slave and sell her. (Deuteronomy 21:10-14, GNB92)

D2 Might lead to a type of abuse, spiritual abuse.

Remarriage

B1 Not necessary

B2 If wished

C1 Allowable for

D1 Death: For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to [her] husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of [her] husband. So then if, while [her] husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. (Romans 7:2-3, NKJV)

D2 Permissible reasons (listed above)

C2 Only in the Lord: A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:39, NKJV)

Summary:

For sexual sins as incest (Leviticus 18:6-18), adultery (Matthew 19:1-9), porn, which is adultery (Matthew 19:1-9), desertion (1 Corinthians 7:15), if spouse causes spiritual danger (false religion, religiously militant, violent)(Ezra 10:44, Deuteronomy 7:1-6), abuse (including physical, spiritual, verbal, financial, sexual, emotional, etc. This is a desertion of marriage vows, and they always need to divorce)(see 1 Corinthians 5:11, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).