Pastoral Musings

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Note the passage in the KJV:

“For the woman which hath a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of the husband. ” (Romans 7:2)

Now note it as it is found in the UBS:

“ἡ γὰρ ὕπανδρος γυνὴ τῷ ζῶντι ἀνδρὶ δέδεται νόμῳ· ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνήρ, κατήργηται ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ ἀνδρός. ” (Romans 7:2)

ὕπανδρος is a compound word that is literally “under husband.”  Now the question is this: Is the woman under the husband as under the law?  Does this speak anything to the issue of male headship in the home?  Does it only speak to the issue of the binding nature of marriage?  Does it speak according to the laws and customs of the time only?

I’m not so much worried about egalitarianism vs. complementarianism as I am the Greek and the meaning of ὕπανδρος in this context.

Anyone wish to take this one on?

Americans waiting longer to marry.  Perhaps this should concern us just as much, if not more than, the homosexual marriage issue.

Boycott Amazon for selling and defending their selling of a pedophile instruction manual.

Update:  It seems Amazon may have pulled the book, but there are still problems. with other books. (HT: Joel)

Erik posts on marriage.

You are targets. Your marriages, my marriage – Satan himself is out to get you and don’t you think for a minute he can’t do it if you let him.

via The Growth of a Marriage | Unorthodox Faith.

Love and War: Finding the Marriage You’ve Dreamed Of by John Eldredge

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
John and Stasi Eldredge have written a very good book here.
With amazing transparency, wisdom, and painful reflection on their own lives they give us much needed direction.
Marriage is not only about love. There is the need for a commitment to loving and cleaving to each other. For a couple to truly make it and have a happy marriage, they will have to fight. We must war for good marriage.
Sadly, too many approach marriage with a romantic sort of story book mentality and then give up when the going gets rough, or they settle into a marriage of commitment without joy. The Eldredges call for us to settle for nothing but a great marriage, and they call for us to fight for it.
They tell us their own story and also tell us how they battled (and still battle) for a good marriage.
Money, looks, temptation, sex, the past, and more are addressed in a very easy to read manner.
Touching, convicting, humorous, and Biblical, LOVE AND WAR is a book to read if one is desirous of a good marriage.

View all my reviews >>

“What you ultimately want is someone who is going to join with you in an ultimate trust and sell-out to God and his control over all things. That way, when the difficulties come (and they will) you both are handling them in a way that is more inclined to rest in him, not yourselves and you will build a legacy in this direction.”

Read the rest of this interesting post here.

What is interesting to me is the fact that MP presents to us some negotiable issues and some non-negotiable issues.  It is refreshing to see that there are those who understand the need for separation.  It is also refreshing to see the realization that charity covers many, many differences (not to mention all sins).

The Sin of Sodomy And The Glory of God

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Ro 1:16-32)

The Great Exchange: God’s Eternal Glory for Fleeting Homosexual Pleasure

What makes sin sinful is the fact that it is a trade. Paul stated that there was a trade off of the glory of God for idols (Rom 1:23), and a trading of the truth of God for a lie (Rom 1:25). This change is not a transforming change such as that which happens when a tadpole becomes a frog. It is rather an exchange such as that which takes place when one changes his dollars into Mexican pesos.

The first dark exchange is a trading of the glory of the immortal, undecaying God for a man-made idol.

Jeremiah recognized the sin of idolatry as setting something up in the place of God. He plainly let it be known that to do so would result in depending on a failing source of joy as opposed to God, the eternal joy.

Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jer 2:11-13) KJV Imagine the folly contained in the act of trading a free-flowing well for a broken bucket. The well is the source of water. The bucket only holds water that comes from another source. How foolish it is to forsake God, the well of living water for a busted bucket that can hold no water. That is precisely what we do when we seek our pleasure in self.

Jesus also spoke of how we can sin by serving something, or someone other than God. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Mt 6:24) KJV We serve money by seeking our joy and satisfaction in it. It is in the same manner that we serve God. Idolatry is seeking our pleasure outside of God. In fact, the Scriptures plainly tell us that greed, the unbridled desire for something or someone, is idolatry (See Col 3:1-5).

The next dark exchange, however, is much more extreme than the first. While the first exchange at least retained the unde that man’s object of worship should be external to himself, this exchange involves man’s worshiping of himself. It is a trading of the Creator for the creature. It is a trading of Him who is infinitely worthy and joyful for one who can never give joy, but can only derive joy from the Creator. Worship has moved from an external object to self and the passions of the flesh. Homosexual sin is the result of setting one’s self up as God in opposition to the infinitely bountiful and joyful Creator and seeking joy in self and self’s passions and longings.

These things being so, it is no surprise that today we see a religious sort of fervor among those who are seeking to legitimize the homosexual lifestyle. It is a religious issue. One worships the eternally happy God of the universe, a god of his own making, or his own flesh. Homosexuality is the worship of the flesh.

The Greater Exchange: Christ’s Righteousness for Our Sin

The glory of the gospel is that God’s glorious righteousness becomes ours by faith. No matter how wicked that we have been, we can be set free from sin by the grace of God. Our text tells us that the good news of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose from the dead, is God’s method for giving to us righteousness. Yes, Jesus’ righteousness will be accounted to everyone who believes the gospel. Isn’t that amazing? Jesus’ righteousness is exchanged for the believer’s sins. Paul spoke of this when he reminded the Corinthians of their conversion. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1Cor 6:9-11) KJV Looking at the list of sinners contained here we find that homosexuals are there, too. They are not beyond hope. You are not beyond hope. If you will believe Jesus to forgive your sins He will trade His righteousness for your sin. He will give you joy forever more. After all, He is the eternally joyful God. There is no limit to His pleasures, nor to the pleasures that He offers to you and me (See Ps 16:10,11;1Tim 1:9-11;6:17).

Isn’t that a much greater trade than swapping the eternally joyful God for the small-time pleasures of the flesh?

Katy Kruger was not sweet sixteen on her wedding day, but she had never been kissed.

This story shows that people who commit themselves to purity can indeed stay pure.

An interesting quote from the article:

Bryant said she decided to save her first kiss after reading a book called I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris. The book — which came out in 1997 — is kind of the Virgin Lips Movement bible.

“I read the book and I was like, ‘Wow. Somebody has done this,’ ” Bryant said. “What’s a better gift than your first kiss? I don’t want to waste something that special.”

I wonder what Josh Harris thinks of his book being called “The Virgin Lips Movement Bible?”

What He Must Be: …If He Wants to Marry My Daughter
Voddie T. Baucham Jr.
ISBN-10: 1581349300
ISBN-13: 9781581349306

There are some books that are enjoyable, convicting, and hard to put down. What He Must Be is all of those. Voddie Baucham has written a classic.
In the last few years the name Voddie Baucham has come to our attention as a man who is very concerned for the family. His Family Driven Faith was a very good book. What He Must Be is even better. Baucham has done excellently.
Baucham takes personal experience, patterns in his own extended family, statistics, and most importantly- Scripture, to show us what a man must be if he is to be a man who is to marry his daughter. Honestly, I am convinced that I hold the same opinions and convictions.
Essentially, Baucham declares that a man must be mature, stable, holy, and responsible if he is to be a truly good candidate for marriage.
What He Must Be is a prophet, one who speaks to his family on behalf of God. He must also be a priest, one who speaks to God on behalf of his family. He is to lead his family in the ways of Jesus Christ. He must also be a protector and provider. It is particularly interesting and gratifying that Bauchum does not expect someone who is a protector and provider to measure up to a macho man standard. What he does tell us is that God’s Word presents to us a picture of one who is sensitive to the needs of his wife, sensitive to the dangers and fears that she faces, and then takes the responsibility of working to meet those needs so that his wife is safe and provided for.
What He Must Be combines humor, passion, compassion, and strong convictions to give to us a wonderful picture of what a man should/must be if he is to be fit for marriage.
Highly recommended.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  (Prov 22:6)  KJV

One of the most difficult things for a loving parent to do is discipline their child.

Wrong actions must bring about negative consequences, however.  If not, the child could come to think that they can do as they please and reject and resent authority.

Discipline does not have to be of a physical nature.

Pats on the hand, or swats to the backside are good to stop a small child from doing what he should not.  A gentle, non-harmful sort of corporal discipline should teach a child to obey immediately.  The older a child becomes the less they should be physically disciplined and the more they should receive the discipline of sitting in a corner, etc.  The older they get the more they should experience the loss of privileges and the realization that restitution should be made in certain instances. In fact, this pastor believes that most discipline should be of the nature of explaining the wrong, then assigning an appropriate consequence to the wrong done should it occur again.

Discipline is not simply giving consequences to wrong-doing.  It is primarily teaching right from wrong, modeling the right life and attitudes, and giving direction in doing right.  Our goal is to produce children who grow to honor the Lord.  We should always seek to foster in them a love for Christ, His Word, His ways, and His character.  True discipline is a lifestyle more than it is a response to wrong-doing.

It takes a certain amount of firmness to do this, however.  We love our children.  We take joy in the fact that our children express their love to us.  We don’t like to be the cause of their unhappiness.

If we refrain from consistent discipline, however, we contribute to life-long unhappiness.  One simply cannot function well in life if they don’t understand how to lead a disciplined life, respect authority, respect boundaries, respect others feelings, etc.

Let us, as men, take the long view.  Let us look to the adult years of our children.  Beyond that, let us look to their eternal welfare.  Let us train them to know that they are not God, but that He is in Heaven and is worthy of our love, respect, fear, and worship.  Let us discipline our children in a way that will guide them into Christian adulthood.

It is our duty as parents to teach them these things, but especially to teach them to love, honor, obey, fear, worship, and adore their Creator and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Here

“All this would be infuriating and insulting if it weren’t finally laughable and sad.”