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Do Progressives Always Go By the Bible?

By Memphis Dwight

Often I hear relatives and friends caught up in a particular way of thinking say something like “We’ll we just try to go by what the bible says.” And these usually don’t object to being termed progressive. But I ask myself so often, do they really and always go by the bible?

You see, I believe that there is sufficient evidence within the Holy Bible to demonstrate that the “cause of fornication” that Christ mentioned in His interpreting of the divorce laws was not merely limited to sexual behavior.

Let us review the already existing laws in regards to sexual infidelity at that time.
Numbers 5:19 lists the test for infidelity that is only suspected but not proven: she must drink the bitter water.

But what about adultery that is proven?
Leviticus 20:10 lists the punishment for adultery that is proven, put to them to death.

And Christ could not have changed the law. The pharisees were looking to trap Him and find reason to put Him to death. They would have called Him out as a blasphemer had He attempted to change the law. And Matt 5:17 has Christ on record saying He came not to destroy the law.

So when Christ goes over Deut 24:1, where it reads because he hath found some uncleanness in her I believe it means she is in rebellion to him.

To be for sure, lets look at 1 Peter 3:1-2 first from the NIV.

Submission to husband in verse 1 is characterized as PURITY in verse 2. So not being submissive would be uncleanness as purity is the opposite of unclean. And unclean would be reason for divorce (Deut 24:1).

Now let us look at that same verse from the tried and true KJV: It characterizes being in subjection to husband as chaste conversation! By the way, the word conversation in those days meant the same as the word behavior does today. So in other words chaste conversation is chaste behavior or CHASTITY.

This is important, this word CHASTE. Keep that in mind and lets look at the RSV on Matt 19:9:
And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery."

And now the dictionary on the word unchastity:
The quality or state of being unchaste

We already have verse showing what a chaste wife is: submissive to husband. (1 Peter 3:1-2 chaste/purity) Now we have another verse where Christ shows us that rebellion to husband is cause for divorce.

But is that all I’ve got, as if that was not enough? No there is more.

But first lets look at origins of chaste: It means to be cut off and/or removed from something.

In India, the word having the same origin, Caste means those that are cut off from the rest of society. They are cast off, notice the similarity between the word cast, caste and chaste?

And we know that the word castrate means to remove or cut off the testicles.

Cast off, chaste, castrate, caste -- they all have the same root meaning.

And in the case of the wife, she is to be cut off and removed in her allegiance to any other man but her husband. As is the bride of Christ is to be removed and cut off from false religions.

And finally we have Judges 19:2 where it is said that the man’s concubine wife played the wh0re against him by leaving him to go live with her father. There was no sexual infidelity. But there was mutiny on her part.

The Hebrew word in that verse (Judges 19:2) for ‘played the wh0re’ is zanah and is transliterated in the Septuagint as porneo which is the same EXACT word that Christ used in Matt 19 where He said that divorce was not wrong in the case of fornication/unchasity.

The woman in Judges 19:2 was supposed to be exclusive to her husband. Not like a prostitute that is exclusive to no one but rather is common property. The concubine wife threw off her husband’s headship and chose to be a prostitute, being not exclusive to her husband’s authority. She chose to be common property, going wherever she pleased and without regards to her husband authority. And it is this cause that Christ revalidates as being the proper and just cause for divorce. Marriage was not supposed to harden the heart. Marriage was meant to bring joy to the heart. And when marriage made the hearts hard, Moses suffered the cutting off of the wife so that the damage could be stopped.

This is one big elephant in the room. Those calling themselves progressives must repent and stop going by the practices of men and embrace scripture only! Or they can no longer say, we go by the bible!

1 General Discussion / Holly Pond church of Christ / Unavailable Sermons on: October 20, 2009, 05:49:08 pm
Started by hpchurch - Last post by hpchurch
We are sorry that Ray Humphrey's morning sermon for October 11, 2009 and Terry Startley's evening sermons for October 11, 2009 and October 18, 2009 are unavailable due to technical difficulties.

2 General Discussion / Holly Pond church of Christ / Brother Ray's Message for September 27, 2009 on: October 06, 2009, 05:31:42 pm
Started by hpchurch - Last post by hpchurch
The message for September 27, 2009 is now available in the Sermon Archives. We were late publishing this message because of sickness in the family. October 6, 2009

3 Using your forum / Welcome / What would you like to see added to the Holly Pond church of Christ web site? on: February 17, 2009, 03:47:06 pm
Started by hpchurch - Last post by hpchurch
Please think about any ways we can improve the Holly Pond church of Christ web site. It might be possible to add a free classified ads section. Post your comments on this possibility and any others that you think would be useful.

4 General Discussion / Holly Pond church of Christ / MOVED: Is God Imaginary? on: February 09, 2009, 05:31:51 pm
Started by hpchurch - Last post by hpchurch
This topic has been moved to Bible Topics in order to place it in its proper category.

5 General Discussion / Holly Pond church of Christ / MOVED: Can you suggest sites for e-books on Christianity & religious spirits? on: February 09, 2009, 05:29:59 pm
Started by hpchurch - Last post by hpchurch
This topic has been moved to Bible Topics in order to place it in its correct category. http://www.hpchurchofchrist.org/forum/index.php?topic=16.0

6 General Discussion / Bible topics / Re: Is Christian Coloring Book on Healing and Deliverance available in internet? on: February 08, 2009, 10:19:18 pm
Started by Caleb - Last post by JeanCummins
I know it is difficult to do a search on any specific topic on the internet. I have used an excellect coloring book called The Ministry of Jesus Coloring Book by Dr. Leonard Cheeseborough. This book will helped the teacher to convey the Healing and Deliverance Ministry of Jesus from the Book of Luke. Site can be found at http://www.ridethewavesusa.com/storename/ride4/home.aspx].

7 General Discussion / Other religions / Re: Are there some spiritual e-books available on Christianity & religious spirits? on: February 08, 2009, 09:44:45 pm
Started by AlfieFIE - Last post by JeanCummins
Check out RIDE! RIDE is a Christian business that has good Christian Materials and they have an independent Agents Program. See Website for more information: http://www.rideindependentagent.com/

8 General Discussion / Bible topics / Is Christian Coloring Book on Healing and Deliverance available in internet? on: February 07, 2009, 12:23:33 am
Started by Caleb - Last post by Caleb
I am looking for a Christian Coloring Book for kids. Can anyone suggest some a good coloring Book of kids that teaches on Healing and Deliverance. Thanks in Advance.

9 General Discussion / Other religions / Are there some spiritual e-books available on Christianity & religious spirits? on: February 06, 2009, 10:58:11 pm
Started by AlfieFIE - Last post by AlfieFIE
I am full time sales representative seeking Christian materials to sell part-time to supplement my income. Do you know of a Christian business that will allow me to sell their material?

10 General Discussion / Bible topics / Do Progressives Always Go by the Bible? on: February 06, 2009, 03:59:38 pm
Started by Memphis Dwight - Last post by Memphis Dwight
Do Progressives Always Go By the Bible? By Memphis Dwight Often I hear relatives and friends caught up in a particular way of thinking say something like “We’ll we just try to go by what the bible says.” And these usually don’t object to being termed progressive. But I ask myself so often, do they really and always go by the bible? You see, I believe that there is sufficient evidence within the Holy Bible to demonstrate that the “cause of fornication” that Christ mentioned in His interpreting of the divorce laws was not merely limited to sexual behavior. Let us review the already existing laws in regards to sexual infidelity at that time. Numbers 5:19 lists the test for infidelity that is only suspected but not proven: she must drink the bitter water. But what about adultery that is proven? Leviticus 20:10 lists the punishment for adultery that is proven, put to them to death. And Christ could not have changed the law. The pharisees were looking to trap Him and find reason to put Him to death. They would have called Him out as a blasphemer had He attempted to change the law. And Matt 5:17 has Christ on record saying He came not to destroy the law. So when Christ goes over Deut 24:1, where it reads because he hath found some uncleanness in her I believe it means she is in rebellion to him. To be for sure, lets look at 1 Peter 3:1-2 first from the NIV. Submission to husband in verse 1 is characterized as PURITY in verse 2. So not being submissive would be uncleanness as purity is the opposite of unclean. And unclean would be reason for divorce (Deut 24:1). Now let us look at that same verse from the tried and true KJV: It characterizes being in subjection to husband as chaste conversation! By the way, the word conversation in those days meant the same as the word behavior does today. So in other words chaste conversation is chaste behavior or CHASTITY. This is important, this word CHASTE. Keep that in mind and lets look at the RSV on Matt 19:9: And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery." And now the dictionary on the word unchastity: The quality or state of being unchaste We already have verse showing what a chaste wife is: submissive to husband. (1 Peter 3:1-2 chaste/purity) Now we have another verse where Christ shows us that rebellion to husband is cause for divorce. But is that all I’ve got, as if that was not enough? No there is more. But first lets look at origins of chaste: It means to be cut off and/or removed from something. In India, the word having the same origin, Caste means those that are cut off from the rest of society. They are cast off, notice the similarity between the word cast, caste and chaste? And we know that the word castrate means to remove or cut off the testicles. Cast off, chaste, castrate, caste -- they all have the same root meaning. And in the case of the wife, she is to be cut off and removed in her allegiance to any other man but her husband. As is the bride of Christ is to be removed and cut off from false religions. And finally we have Judges 19:2 where it is said that the man’s concubine wife played the wh0re against him by leaving him to go live with her father. There was no sexual infidelity. But there was mutiny on her part. The Hebrew word in that verse (Judges 19:2) for ‘played the wh0re’ is zanah and is transliterated in the Septuagint as porneo which is the same EXACT word that Christ used in Matt 19 where He said that divorce was not wrong in the case of fornication/unchasity. The woman in Judges 19:2 was supposed to be exclusive to her husband. Not like a prostitute that is exclusive to no one but rather is common property. The concubine wife threw off her husband’s headship and chose to be a prostitute, being not exclusive to her husband’s authority. She chose to be common property, going wherever she pleased and without regards to her husband authority. And it is this cause that Christ revalidates as being the proper and just cause for divorce. Marriage was not supposed to harden the heart. Marriage was meant to bring joy to the heart. And when marriage made the hearts hard, Moses suffered the cutting off of the wife so that the damage could be stopped. This is one big elephant in the room. Those calling themselves progressives must repent and stop going by the practices of men and embrace scripture only! Or they can no longer say, we go by the bible!