Nevertheless To Avoid Fornication ... W. D. J. T. (What Did Jesus Teach?)

"Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."  (1 Corinthians 7:2-5)

There are some who profess to be true believers and yet they do not follow the teachings of The One they claim as their Lord and Savior. There are others who are non-believers who are just curious about these "peculiar people" who seem to be willing to give up on all the joys of this world without really having any confirmation that there is a next world where the inhabitants dwell in "peace and righteousness".

RE: Divorce, cohabiting and remarriage, I would like to make 3 points which I hope and pray will clarify any misunderstanding for the non-believer. The believer should already know this.

* Point 1: Jesus Christ doesn't FORCE anybody to become His disciple.

* Point 2: If you're going to be a follower or disciple, then BE ONE!

Conversion to Christianity is not cafeteria-style. You can't pick this plate, this dish, that drink and then say “Oh no! I don't want to eat that! I don't care what Jesus said! I disagree with His teachings but I still want to be His follower.” 

That's not how discipleship works.

In a nutshell.

* Jesus came to earth, accomplished His mission, left the gospel message in earthen vessels (His believers), His message has not been revised nor does anyone on earth have the Authority to change His Word. That includes the pope. When He returns, He will judge the faithful.

So! It's your choice.  You're not being FORCED.  Your submission is of your own free will.  You either talk the talk AND walk the walk AND be Christ-like OR don't say that you're a Christian and don't follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.  But you can't say that you are Christian and disregard the teachings of Jesus or try to change them when you have no authority.  

WHY? Because …

* Point 3: WOES were pronounced on HYPOCRITES!

With regards to the teachings on sex, love, and marriage, what Jesus taught was simple, albeit hard for many to accept. Sexual desires are strong but they are not uncontrollable.

Jesus taught His disciples:

* Do not fornicate. Get married and have sexual relations with your own mate.

* If one of the members of the marriage union commits an act of adultery, divorce and remarriage are allowed, for the faithful party who was wronged. The party who was wronged may also forgive their mate for the infidelity and stayed married!

* If for reasons other than adultery, the marital union is dissolved, neither of the partners are allowed to remarry, unless one of them dies.

* If a mate dies, adultery or no adultery, the living spouse (the widow or widower) can remarry.

If you say are a Christian, you don't get to rewrite Jesus teachings if you don't agree because, you think they're unreasonable for modern times, or they're inconvenient for the way you want to live your life or _________ (fill in the blank).

This bears repeating.

* Point 1: Jesus Christ doesn't FORCE anybody to become His disciple.

However, if you decided to "put on Christ" of your own free will, then you also decided that you would OBEY HIS COMMANDS.

You can't be a faithful follower and an unfaithful follower simultaneously.

The teachings of Jesus on fornication, marriage, divorce, and remarriage are PLAIN. If you're a Christian, you will obey them. If you don't choose to be a faithful disciple, then you'll do whatever you want to do.

As for how your service to the King will be judged on Judgment Day? Take your chances. Wait and see. CAUTION: If you were wrong, it will be too late to backtrack and fix things. The judgment is final.

Repeating this statement one more time for the sake of emphasis.

* Point 1: Jesus Christ doesn't FORCE anybody to become His disciple.

I'm a believer. If you don't believe any of this, that's your choice. But I can't really think of anything else to say regarding this matter to clear up anyone's confusion other than read and learn the teachings of Christ for yourself.

♦