[Biblemat] A) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Tuesday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here are a couple of questions and answers that might be inter-
esting to you:

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

QUESTION: -- Does More Love In A Marriage Help Solve More
                       Of The Problems That Might Arise?

ANSWER: -- "Let the husband fulfill his duty to his wife, and
                      likewise also the wife to her husband.  The wife
                       does not have authority over her own body, 
                       but the husband does, and likewise also the 
                        husband does not have authority over his own
                        body, but the wife does.  Stop depriving one
                        another, except by agreement for a time that
                         you may devoote yourselves to prayer, and
                          come together again lest Satan tempt you be-
                          cause of your lack of self-control" (1 Cor. 7:
                           3-5).

     It would seem that Paul agrees with the questioner to some degree.  
Notice some points that apostle makes to those asking about sexual relations 
within the marriage.

     First: -- Paul sees sex as a necessary part of a marital re-
lationship.  Each partner is to fulfill this "duty" to his or her
partner.  This aspect of marriage should be interrupted only
by mutual agreement, and only for a short time even then.
(I remember when I was living in Nigeria, that men would come from the 
country to the city to work.  Leaving their
wives and children back home for many months at the time.
This seemed to have encouraged adultery on the part of both
the wife, living back home alone, and her husband living in the city alone.  
I encouraged those husbands to return home
more often or to even try to stay at home if work could be
found close by.  JWS).

     Second: -- Paul acknowledges the power of sexual tempt-
ation for adults.  The latest data I have seen suggests about
25% of men and up to 20% of women cheat during their marr-
iages.  Americans rent 800 million porn films every year (mak-
ing it a multi-billion dollar business).  While some people will
cheat regardless, and others will look at pornography regard-
less, an active and satisfying sex life at home does help both
men and women avoid sin, as Paul writes.

     Finally: -- Paul says that sex is never about taking, in a
Christian relationship.  It is about giving.  Each person be-
longs to the other, and can no longer act as if they own their
own body.  It belongs to the spouse.  For men this means
they must tend to their wives in all ways, physically and emot-
ionally.  For women, it means the same.  We never have the
right to demand, only to give what God asks us to give to our
spouses.  (Sometimes, one of the spouses will become angry
or aggrevated with the other and in order to punish or get 
even with the other, they withhold themselves in the marriage
bed.  This part of a marriage is not to be used as a way of
getting even or punishment.  We are told not to withhold our-
selves from our spouses in this matter.  JWS).   --- David
Thurman in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 56, No. 37, Sept. 14, 2007
************************************************************************
QUESTION: -- Can Deliberate Sin Be Forgiven?  Does Heb. 
                       10:26 mean that the Christian can never be for-
                        given for committing a deliberate sin, what 
                         does it mean?

ANSWER: -- The passage of the question refers to much 
                     more than what we would normally call "deliber-
                     ate sin."

     Earlier in this chapter, the inspired writer shows our need
for boldness in living the Christian life, because Christ's dea-
th provides us access to God's throne of grace (Heb. 10:19-
22).  Then follows a strong exhortation to faithfulness, includ-
ing public assembling with other Christians (vss. 24,25).  After the 
introduction, he then writes further:

     "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the know-
ledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for 
sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fier-
ceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries.  A man that
hath set at nought Moses law dieth without compassion on 
the word of two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punis-
hment, think ye, shall be be judged worthy, who hath counted
the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an un-
holy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
For we know Him that said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I
will recompense.  And again, The Lord shall judge His people.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" 
(Heb. 10:26-31).

     Notice the descriptive terms that are used to describe "sin
wilfully."  It means to "despise the law" (vs. 28), "tread under
foot the Son of God" (vs. 29), count the blood of Christ "an
unholy thing" (vs. 29) and "despising the Spirit of grace" (vs.
29).  Actually, nearly all sins are "deliberate," in that we know
we should not do that particular thing.  Look at the denials of
the apostle Peter.  The Lord had told him that he would deny
Jesus, so he should have been on his guard.  But, confronted
by enemies of Christ, he denied that he even knew Jesus
(Matt. 26:70).  Then, confronted again, he swore an oath that
he didn't know Jesus (vs. 72).  At the third accusation, Peter
"began to curse and swear, I know not the man" (vs. 74).  Now, how could that 
not have been deliberate?  But it surely
was not the "wilful sin" of Heb. 10:26!

     I am sure that many of the sins we commit are much like
that of Peter's denials.  We are scared, weak, in the wrong
crowd, pressure is great and we give in.  But it is still deliber-
ate, in that we know better when we did it.  But that is not the
kind of sin as that in Heb. 10:26.  That passage refers to one
who chooses to turn his back on Jesus Christ as a chosen
way of life, not simply one act.  Note again these phrases in
Heb. 10:27-29.  These describe one who chooses the way of
the world and rejects the guidance, blessings and persecut-
ions of the Christian life.

     But even in the case of "wilful sin" the Scripture does not
say the person can never be saved!  The statement is: "There
remaineth no more a sacrifice for sin."  When one rejects
Christ and His blood, there is no other sacrifice to which he
can turn for salvation.  Christ is the only means of access to
the Father (Jno. 14:6).  So the writer argues that we must have boldness, 
through Christ, to come to God.  We must be
faithful, even in times of weakness and peril.  We must not
renounce Christ, for He is the only sacrifice for our sins.
There "remains no other sacrifice for sin."   ---- Clem Thurman in Gospel 
Minutes, Vol. 56, No. 37, Sept. 14, 2007.



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