Is it right to be ambitious?
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Matthew’s account of the life and teachings of Jesus includes a number of statements on human ambition. All of them seem to condemn or at least warn us about this very strong driving force in our characters.
The disciples seemed to have a problem about who was the greatest in their group. There is no doubt that they argued about this many times. It must have seemed important to them at the time. Apart from Jesus, who was the leader?
Another question that concerned them was who would get the places of honour in the Kingdom that Jesus was promising to them. Each time Jesus was aware of this argument amongst his disciples or on the occasions when they openly questioned him about it he responded with clear and concise teaching. We will make this our starting point. Look first at Matthew chapter 18 verse 1 to 4. The question was, “Who is the greatest?” Jesus’ answer was to provide them with the illustration of the little child. Innocent, trusting and, in the midst of adults, humble. His message was “You need to be like this to be my disciples”. Look next at Matthew chapter 20 verse 20 where we read of the mother of two of the disciples seeking special places of honour for her two sons James and John. It is a natural thing for a mother to want the best for her children but once again Jesus takes great care to point out that this is a human emotion and it does not fit in to the needs or purpose of his church or for his future Kingdom. All of the wonderful things that God has prepared for those who will become part of this Kingdom on this earth are for him to give and he will do so to those he considers worthy. It is not for us to be ambitious to gain special places in the church now, or in the kingdom of the future. Just look now at the whole of Jesus’ answer to the mother of James and John it is from verses 22 to 23.
In verse 24 we read that there is trouble when the other ten disciples hear of this request; you can imagine the anger and indignation. On this occasion Jesus uses his own relationship with the twelve men as an example, verse 25 to 28. Whoever wants to be great must be the servant.
Our next example is in Matthew chapter 23 where Jesus warns his disciples to beware of putting on an outer cloak of sanctity or holiness when really the motivation for their lives was pride and human ambition. If you read from verse 1 to verse 12, you will get a clear picture of this teaching. This instruction includes us today if we want to become disciples. It is also for those of us who are already baptised.
Jesus was using the religious leaders of his times to illustrate the wrong way of worshipping God. In verse 1 we are told that the disciples were part of the multitude of people listening to this teaching. How humiliated and angry the Pharisees must have been. However, the message is the same as previously given to the disciples, “Let he who would be the greatest be as your servant”.
Now this very clear doctrine from Jesus is not the way human beings usually go about things, is it? There are some people who are naturally unambitious, content with a simple life-style, ready always to be servants. They have no wish to be masters over others.
However, the rest of us do have ambition in our jobs or in our families. Perhaps we want to get to a position of honour in the society we live in, whether it is in the city, the town or the village. In all of these places many people try very hard to get to a position of influence and power either in their job or in local affairs.
How do the teachings of Jesus fit in with this kind of ambition? Well, remember that Jesus’ entire teaching was aimed at men and women who would eventually be his followers. Anything that got in the way of being a disciple of Jesus was suspect then and it is the same today. There is no doubt that Jesus showed a very good example himself and the central feature of that example is shown by the events that occurred in the upper room just before his crucifixion. Look now at John’s gospel chapter 13 verses 3 to 15.
If Jesus the Son of God could kneel on the floor in front of each disciple and wash his feet, the work of a servant, then all of his disciples from that time on should be more ready to serve than to command.
Depending on the society we live in and the customs of that country, the washing of the feet of honoured guests may be still the thing to do. Where it is not, the lesson still applies and we need to translate it into terms of service to others. Those of our family, our neighbours, work-fellows or just the people we meet each day that we can help in some small way.
So is our human ambition wrong then? That will depend on whether anyone gets hurt. If we achieve what we want by pushing other people out of the way, by using cunning and unacceptable methods to get promotion then the answer has to be no. If we obtain a job by bullying or dishonesty when it should have been given to someone else, then we are disobeying the instructions of Jesus.
Obviously, everything depends on what our final objective is. Will that objective just give us a feeling of power or revenge on others who we do not like or will it benefit people?
Can we be a good organiser or a good boss?
Can we be the one to heal divisions between people? Those are the questions we need to ask ourselves and there are some good examples in the Bible that will help us to do this.
Look first at the book of Esther chapter 3 verses 1 to 9. There you will meet a man called Haman who was a trusted advisor in the court of the King of ancient Persia. Haman was an Amalekite and an enemy of the Jewish people. He devised a plot to have all Jews throughout the Persian Empire put to death.
The reaction when the plot was discovered is in chapter 4 verse 3. How he plotted to do this reveals his evil ambition to harm others.
If you have time to look at the whole book of Esther, you will find that it is exciting to read and it will show you an example of how God looked after his people in an unexpected way.
The next example I want to look at is Daniel, a man of enormous faith in God. He was a man of great capability and impressive humility. In all of his extraordinary life, Daniel always gave God the credit for the miracles that happened and never claimed any special gifts for himself. Look now at the book of Daniel chapter 2 verses 26 to 30.
Human ambition can be exciting as you push for what you want but it is important to think about the example of Solomon the greatest Jewish King. He found that when you get to your objective, the end result is far from satisfactory. You may have tried everything and own everything but can never be satisfied. To find out about Solomon’s problems look now at Ecclesiastes chapter 2 and read verse 1 to 11. Solomon says in verse 26 that a better course of action is to follow God’s way.
So what then is God’s way? It is that way clearly spelled out for us by Jesus. It is the way where all who would be leaders must also be servants. It is a way where the character of a man or woman is directed to love and compassion, to mercy and the desire to help those around us. Our best example will always be Jesus himself who, though he will be a great King over all nations when he comes back to this earth, could spare time and energy for the poor and sick. He had time for the lame and the blind, the leper and those afflicted with mental illness.
We will not be able to heal the human misery that surrounds us each day as he could but we can turn any ambition we have into an action plan to help others in any way possible.
The use and control of anger
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Anger is a very strange emotion in mankind. It is probably even stronger in the world of beasts, birds and fishes. In the Bible, there is some good advice about how to control anger and some clear warnings about what will happen if it gets out of control.
Anger was with mankind from the beginning of our history, it not just a modern problem. If you look at Genesis chapter 4 verse 5, you will find a very clear description of the terrible things anger can do to a man or woman. “Cain was very angry and his countenance fell”. Modern versions of the Bible translate this as “his face was downcast”. It is usually possible to recognise when a person is angry by this change of face. Often there is a change in skin colour also. From this reading in Genesis we need to remember that Cain was the first son of
Adam and Eve and therefore the third person to live on the earth. If he had only been angry all would have been well but the fact that God had honoured the offering made by his younger brother Abel whilst rejecting his own offering raised his anger to such an extent that he murdered his brother.
So it was that, at the start of our history, murder was committed because of jealousy and anger. The lesson is powerful – anger is dangerous. In this instance it brought disaster for the whole family.
Abel lost his life, Cain was banished by God and Adam and Eve effectively lost both their sons.
The next example comes to us from words of prophecy spoken by the patriarch Jacob. Nearing his death he called his family together and predicted the future for all of them. Let us look at Genesis chapter 49 verses 5 to 7 which concerns just two of the sons Simeon and Levi. These two men had already shown that they were capable of fierce and unreasonable anger, just turn to Genesis chapter 34 and read the account for yourself. These were dark and shameful deeds in the early days of Israel’s history. Broken promises and deliberate deceit. The emotion behind this terrible event was anger.
The worrying thing about all this is that we all get angry from time to time. If we did not we would be quite exceptional people. Anger comes from disappointment, frustration, jealousy, hurt and sometimes just boredom. We can feel it for other people as well as against them. If we feel that another person has had a raw deal in life, we may take up their cause. Here the driving force may well be anger. It is so easy to convince ourselves that the cause is a just one and that our anger is somehow also just.
Undoubtedly some people are born with a quick temper whilst others are more easy- going. Clearly those who rapidly become angry have to work harder to overcome this characteristic. Hasty words spoken in anger cannot be easily taken back. Turn with me now to the book of Proverbs chapter 15 verses 1 to 3. In this reference, there is some valuable advice. We are warned to avoid confrontation, we discover that wisdom and foolishness have an important part to play. In other words, if we think carefully before we speak it is possible to avoid trouble. This is not an easy thing to do but worthwhile if we are able to cultivate the habit. In verse 3 the matter is given even greater importance for we are told that God is aware of what we do and say. This is especially true for those who have already reached out to him in their hearts, for God cares deeply for those who love him.
The link between anger and foolishness appears again in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 9. How do you feel about these words? Is this good advice?
I would like to turn now to the New Testament and to the letter of Paul to the Colossians chapter 3.
Paul is writing to baptised followers of Jesus, people who have promised to follow Jesus’ example in their lives. In this chapter, the readers of this letter are reminded of the significance of baptism verse 1. “If ye be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sits on the right hand of God”. Risen means coming up out of the waters of baptism just as being plunged temporarily under water represents death with Christ. Look at chapter 2 verse 12 where Paul uses this example. When a believer is baptised, they must then seek
spiritual values not the emotions of those who do not follow Jesus Christ in their lives. Paul then sets out a list of things that must be swept out of the mind. These things he says, can bring upon us the wrath of God, chapter 3 verse 6.
I want to look now at verse 8 where anger and other evils are to be put away out of one’s life. Paul is warning the Colossians that these are bad emotions and should not be found in the disciple of Jesus. He explains this more clearly in his letter to Ephesians chapter 4 verses 17 to 24. The picture he presents is of the new disciple getting rid of the old ways of life and putting on the new man of righteousness and true holiness. This is the effect baptism should have on the believer.
Paul realised that the inner personality of a new disciple would take time to change so in verse 26 he spoke about anger. He accepted that there would be times when the strongest of Jesus’ followers would be angry and in certain circumstances it would be better for that individual to give way to anger rather than to sin. By mentioning sin he is not talking about angry action but instead that form of anger that is in the mind.
He left us to work out for ourselves when those occasions might occur and it would be a useful exercise for you to think about this and see this instruction against the pattern of your own life.
The essential part of the instruction is that this anger when it occurs must be short-lived, gone by sundown. This is such an important piece of advice especially in the sometimes stressful relationship between husbands and wives. Anger must not continue into the next day, someone must be the peacemaker.
We have already thought about those people who are born with a quick temper or little self-control. Come with me to the letter Paul wrote to Titus, a young Christian given the task of setting up churches in the island of Crete. In chapter 1 verse 7 he gave guidance in the choice of who should become the church elders and you will see that one of the characteristics to look for was ‘not being soon angry’.
It was Jesus himself who gave most of the rules for the life of the disciple. In his Sermon on the Mount, recorded by Matthew in his gospel chapter 5, anger was one of the important things spoken about by Jesus. Look at verses 21 and 22 where you can read for yourself what he said. If we look at his words carefully, we realise that there are a number of questions we need to answer. We may describe other people as fools in our every-day language but often these words are spoken in jest and are accepted that way by the person we are speaking to. It is when the words are spoken in anger and we really mean to say them that they hurt the other person and should never have been used.
In verses 23 to 26 Jesus allows for those occasions when we will have done or said something wrong and his advice is clear, “Be reconciled to your brother” and “Agree with your adversary quickly”. This works in the other direction also for there is another important word that Jesus used in instructing his disciples, forgive. Look at Luke’s gospel chapter 17 verses 3 and 4. When someone comes to you and says sorry, accept that apology and do not make things worse by being unforgiving. The lesson of the gospels is consistent, if you expect God to forgive you then you also must forgive others.
I want to end this lesson by talking briefly about righteous anger. This is a form of anger that appears in the Bible and is there for a good reason. Anger that is deserved because of our foolishness, our disobedience or our sin is reserved for God our creator. He alone has the perfect right to be angry and we read much about this especially in the Old Testament. God created mankind for a unique existence among other living creatures on the planet. We are sensitive but cunning, capable of love but wilful and implacably violent at times. Since Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden because of disobedience, mankind has constantly disappointed him. The Old Testament speaks of God’s anger with his people Israel. This does not mean that he ignores the wickedness of mankind today, far from it. God gave his own son as sacrifice for the sins of men and because of that requires more of us. We also have the advantage of having all of God’s purpose set out for us in the Bible.
Look now at the prophecy of Hosea chapter 13 verses 9 to 11, this sums-up the history of the Israelite nation. The most terrible thing they did was to reject God and chose to worship idols of wood and stone. They then demanded the death of the Son of God. No wonder God was angry with his people. However, even here there is a valuable lesson for us today because if you now look at chapter 14 verses 1 to 4 you will see the love of God for his people Israel, the way in which he will bless them in the future. In a later lesson, we will come back to
this subject of the love of God because it is important.
The disciple and the State
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The Apostle Peter writing to all of the churches in Asia said that disciples must always fear God and honour the King. You will find these words in his first letter chapter 2 verses 13 to 17. As far as those disciples were concerned, the only King was the Roman
Emperor and, towards the end of Peter’s life, that Emperor was Nero, infamous for his cruelty and his persecution of the Christians.
The problem of how to be followers of Jesus and at the same time live in the world of men with its corruption, its intolerance cruelty and immorality must have been a difficult puzzle for those early Christians to solve. The problem is no less today and this lesson will show the Biblical instructions for all baptised followers of Jesus and all those who have been following the Bible correspondence course. It will try to help all who may be troubled by the relationship between a true disciple of Jesus and the Government and its laws in the country they live in.
The matters we will look at now are
1. Military service.
2. Involvement in any uniformed branch of civil or police activity.
3. Serving on a jury or being part of the legal profession.
4. Taking part in protests of any kind.
5. Using the right to vote.
Because this lesson is written for use in many countries, it must account for the wide variety of laws and regulations that govern the citizens of those countries. It must also provide for the possibility that your country may be troubled by war at this time. In some lands, it is obligatory for young people to fight in the army and this will immediately concern all who are disciples of Jesus. To stand before conscripting officers or a court and claim freedom from conscription into the armed forces of your country will take courage and knowledge of the scriptural reasons why you are doing this. Your teacher will be able to provide Christadelphian booklets written on this subject but the simple reasons are stated here.
The first reference is in Luke chapter 22 verses 35 to 38. This may be quoted to you as a reason for fighting but you must look carefully at all of the events on that night when Jesus was captured. Two of the disciples had already been carrying swords: John in his gospel chapter 18 verse 10 tells us one was Peter. The lesson for the disciples and for us is recorded by Matthew in his gospel chapter 26 verse 51 to 53.
“All that take the sword shall perish with the sword”. Jesus wanted to make it clear to his disciples that they were not to use force, not to resist aggression. He demonstrated his own instruction to love your enemies Matthew chapter 5 verse 44 by reaching out to the servant of the High Priest who had been attacked by Peter and healing him
Luke chapter 22 verse 50 and 51.
In order that you may be able to convince the authorities that you really do obey the commands of Jesus you need to show your faith in your life so that other people will be able to recognise that you are different.
Jesus explains this in a lovely way in Matthew chapter 5 verse 16. “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven”.
Paul gives this instruction to the Christians in Rome. Look at Romans chapter 13 verses 1 to 7. Here he makes it the responsibility of the disciple to be obedient to the law of his land even to the extent of honestly paying all taxes. In his first letter to Timothy chapter 2 verses 1 and 2 he commands that we pray for Kings and rulers asking that they may allow us to continue to worship God in the way that God wants us to. Over 500 years before this date, God had stated that he rules in the Kingdoms of men and it is he who places rulers in power for his own reasons. Look at the prophecy of Daniel chapter 4 verse 25.
In addition to the armed forces of the land there are other occupations that require men and women to wear uniforms, carry arms and swear special oaths of allegiance to the state. Because of the reasons we have already looked at, and the possible need to explain your conscientious objection to fighting, it would be very unwise to take this kind of employment. Even though it offers better pay and better living conditions for your family.
When Jesus was on trial before Pilate the Roman Governor he explained that his Kingdom would be in another time. It was not to be set up by force of arms and the disciples would not be expected to fight. You will find this reference in John’s gospel chapter 18 verse 36.
Those countries that have a legal system based on that of the UK will very likely use a jury of men and women to sit in a court of law and decide the guilt or innocence of the person who stands before that court. In England and America, it is considered the right and the duty of all citizens to perform this task when called on to do so. If this happens to you, you will need to make up your mind whether it is right or wrong to sit on a jury. Here is some guidance from the Bible that may help you.
Despite Paul’s instructions to be good citizens, the first thing to remember is that our first duty is to God “Fear God honour the King”, look at the first letter of Peter 2 verse 17. When Peter and several other disciples were brought before the Jewish ruling council accused of preaching the gospel illegally Peter’s answer was to say that “We must obey God rather than men” you will find this incident in Acts chapter 5 verses 28 and 29.
Jesus is clear in his instruction to us, look at Matthew’s gospel chapter 7 verse 1 and 2. Judge not. Here Jesus’ meaning is “do not condemn others”. This is clear from his next words and the little parable about the man with the beam in his eye, verses 3 to 5 Jesus expects us to make careful judgements about many things and many events in life.
Jesus himself will be the great judge of all when he returns to the earth. It is not our place to pronounce judgement on other people; all we have to do is be careful of those who will lead us away from Jesus.
Paul in his letter to the Philippians chapter 3 verses 17 to 21 explains that following him is our first objective, our citizenship is with him (in heaven) because that is where he is at this moment. We are not part of the process of human government and because the legal system of any country is the foundation of the state we cannot be part of that process either. This means that we would find problems in entering the legal profession or in taking any part in the process of Justice. Being a member of a jury puts us right at the heart of that process.
From all of the references we have looked at in this lesson, it is clear that as followers of Jesus we have to separate ourselves from the world and many of the things the people around us consider acceptable. Paul gave some good advice to the Corinthians in his second letter chapter 6 verses 14 to 18. If we are followers of Jesus, it is because God has called to this wonderful opportunity.
Those who sit in Governments do not consider themselves there to work God’s will.
They follow the policies of the party in power. In the western world all men and women above a certain age have the right to vote for the politicians who will be in power whether at local or at national level. The right to vote is in some cases a recently attained privilege and was obtained after much careful effort. What then should the follower of Jesus do when there is an election?
We know from many prophecies that God controls the destiny of the nations and we have looked at one example in the Prophecy of Daniel. We know that if we vote for a politician we have a responsibility for what that man or woman does. We know that most politicians follow the decrees of their party leaders and that mankind’s decisions are rarely if ever influenced by God’s law.
There is no way therefore that we can vote for a politician or be involved in politics at local or national level. There is no way that we can be involved in the various protests against government policy. The law of Christ in the words of Paul to the Hebrews chapter 13 verses 5 and 6 is “Be content with such things as ye have” and “The Lord is my helper”.
Sexuality, a gift from God
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If you believe that God created man the supreme creature among the other creatures then you will also believe that he was the designer of our wonderful bodies. That he gave us legs and arms with their joints and muscles. He gave us our brain with the ability to think and plan, obey or disobey.
In Genesis chapter 2 verse 7, we are told about the forming of man from the dust of the ground and in verses 21 and 22, the making of the woman.
There is no record anywhere that God physically changed Adam and Eve when they were eventually driven out of the garden because of disobedience.
Thus at the time of their creation they must have been built with the ability to have children. They were provided with the complex and very wonderful sexual organs to make this possible.
What would have happened if Adam and his wife had resisted the temptation to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree? We do not know, but there are two interesting things for us to consider. The first is in Genesis chapter 1 verse 28 where the command “to be fruitful and multiply” comes before the curse of death falls upon them. The second is found in Genesis chapter 2 verse 25 where we read that “they were both naked the man and his wife and were not ashamed”. They had been created with sexual organs, they were intended to have children and they did not suffer from guilty feelings because they were naked.
However despite this capability, they did not use it until after they had been expelled from the garden. It is not until we get to Genesis chapter 4 verse 1 that we read of them having intercourse and of Eve becoming pregnant with her first child.
I want to go back for a moment and look more closely at the act of disobedience that changed the course of man’s history and brought hardship, heartache and the ageing process that ended in death.
Remember that the tree they were forbidden to touch was the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. It had fruit on it which looked good to eat Genesis chapter 3 verse 6. Now in most countries on earth we have trees with fruit that we can eat quite safely, but there are also trees that bear poisonous fruit. Fruit that can kill those who pick and eat. The fruit picked by Eve and eaten by both the man and the woman seemed good for food but was really poisonous. It had the effect of changing human bodies and also of changing human minds. Look at Genesis chapter 3 verse 7. Adam and Eve saw everything differently; they had new and alarming feelings and suddenly became aware of many other things at the same time.
They did not feel fear before they tasted the fruit but they did afterwards. Look at verse 10. The sudden realisation of just how terrible the thing they had done really was, must have crushed them mentally and physically. What was it they did apart from hiding away from God? In Genesis chapter 3 verse 7, we are told that they made aprons out of leaves. Only aprons? That is all we are told. They felt that they had to cover the organs of their sexuality.
Whatever happened within their bodies as the fruit of the ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil’ was digested must also have altered them genetically. The curse that came upon them came also upon their children and eventually upon the whole human race. The whole of mankind became creatures that grew old and eventually died.
We also have this knowledge of good and evil and, whilst the good can lead us to some wonderful acts, the evil influence is always with us, so much so that the Apostles of Jesus had to warn the new Church many times against it. Paul’s words in Romans chapter 3 verses 9 to 12 are a quotation from the book of Psalms chapter 14, verses 1 to 3. Here Paul is effectively saying that in his time things were no better than they were in the days of David King of Israel.
Look with me now at Paul’s first letter to Corinthians chapter 6 verse 9 to 11. What Paul says here is wonderful news for all who feel that wickedness in early life means that one can never be forgiven, never be baptised. This is not the case. Real repentance and baptism washes away the past and gives all believers a new start as disciples of Jesus.
Jesus gave us much help on the subject of sexuality. He explained that God had intended a man and a woman to be united for life. He explained that in the Law God gave to his people Israel, through Moses, adultery (taking another person’s wife or husband) was forbidden. Look at Mark chapter 10 verses 2 to 12. Adultery, in the original law, was punishable by death so for those early people faithfulness in marriage had to be taken very seriously. There had to be a very good reason for breaking up a marriage and once it was broken the man and the woman were not at liberty to go off and get married again. There is no special mention in the Old Testament about a man having more than one wife as long as he loved and cared for the wives he had. It is the undisciplined use of sexuality that is forbidden by God.
Let us go back to Jesus’ instructions in Matthew’s gospel chapter 5 verses 27 and 28. Here he carefully repeated the ancient law on adultery but for his disciples explained it even more carefully. He showed that all immorality begins in the mind. The important thing to remember about this is that God knows what we are thinking, just as Jesus surprised the Pharisees who were his constant critics by answering their thoughts rather than their spoken questions. If you look at his words in verses 29 and 30 they seem to depict a course of action that we would find hard to follow. However, Jesus is really speaking about cutting bad thoughts and motives out of our lives rather than self-mutilation. Otherwise, there would be a great number of one-eyed disciples or those with just one hand if we really were to take Jesus’ words literally. What Jesus does want us to do is to cut out of our lives the areas where we are most severely tempted. This is not an easy thing to do but we are expected to work at it.
We usually have the choice in our lives which TV programmes we watch, which magazines we read, whose company we seek and who our friends are. These are just some examples of areas where we can take care; you may be able to think of others.
The lesson from Jesus is that all potential and baptised disciples who want to please him, should control their sexual desires. They should avoid situations where they know they will be most tempted and at all times use the words of Jesus as an alarm system in their minds. On those occasions when they are severely tempted then they should seek help from God in immediate prayer.
In the writings of Paul, there is much useful guidance for daily life; even though the letters were written for Christians nearly 2000 years ago. A very good example is found in the letter to Romans at chapter 1 verses 26 and 27. The growing strength and loud voice of the homosexual and lesbian movement is a severe problem in the world of today. Supported by governments and with new equal opportunity laws, the constant suggestion is that this way of life is normal and all who do not indulge in these practices are somehow the abnormal ones. When the Bible is quoted to these people there are screams of anger and denial and that is because the teachings of the Bible are clear and unmistakable on this subject. Look at verses 28 to 32 and see especially the importance of verse 32. As you see Paul warns us against both homosexuality and lesbianism, showing that it was unbelief in God that caused men and women to adopt a style of life where lust itself was what they worshipped.
Leviticus chapter 18 carefully sets out God’s laws for his people Israel and included in this Law of Moses at verses 22 to 24 are the instructions that forbid any form of sexual perversion including homosexuality and bestiality. The point that we must remember from this reference is in verse 24. The nations who were living in the land of
Canaan were doing these things and would therefore be severely punished by God.
It is essential for all who would be disciples of Jesus to remember always that sexual perversion is a terrible thing to God. The one example that is easy to remember is found in Genesis chapter 18 verse 20 and then chapter 19 verses 1 to 29. From that day onwards the name Sodomy was used for homosexuality and Sodom and Gomorrah were used to remind the Israelite people about severe judgement and to warn them against adopting the same unlawful way of life.
It has been necessary in this lesson to concentrate on the misuse of this great gift of sexuality. This is because it is one of the strongest motivating forces in our lives and can so easily be misused. The positive side of this subject is discussed in other lessons in this series, such as CHOOSING A PARTNER and FAMILY LIFE IN JESUS’ SERVICE.
Choosing a partner
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In this lesson I want to continue from the point where we finished in the last lesson. When God created humanity he made the man first and then because it was not good that a man should be alone he created a fitting partner for him. Genesis chapter 2 verse 18. The divine design was therefore a man and a woman as natural partners. At first as companions in the glory of the garden but, after disobeying God and having been driven out, as sexual partners for the birth of children and the continuity of the human race. The bond existing between parents and children was to change naturally Genesis chapter 2 verse 24 and at maturity the young adults would form new male and female partners. Jesus taught that this bond between a man and a woman was to be a permanent one. God had declared that this should be the case. Look at Matthew’s gospel chapter 19 verses 4 to 6.
Divorce was only permitted because of humanity’s inability to obey God’s law. The freedom to divorce and marry again differs from country to country but in the western world it is a modern practice that is not permitted to the disciples of Jesus. The only exception being where the husband finds that the wife has been indulging in sex with other men. There is not even information to say whether this single permission existed the other way round; if a wife found that her husband was unfaithful. The apostle Paul reinforces this teaching by Jesus in his first letter to Corinth chapter 7 verses 1 and 2. Although Paul was unmarried and preferred to remain that way, he realised that most disciples of Jesus would want to marry and only a few would follow his example chapter 7 verses 8 and 9.
Once married the man and woman should remain so, 1 Corinthians chapter 7 verses 10 and 11. Look also at the letter to Romans chapter 7 verses 1 to 3. Only if one of the partners died was the other able to remarry.
The modern world ignores these instructions and permits not just one divorce but a continuous changing of partners. This is clearly against God’s original intentions and against the instructions given by Jesus to his followers. However, men and women who have no faith and deny the existence of God see no need to follow instructions that restrict their actions.
The natural outcome of this has been the breakdown of family life and increasing difficulties for those children deprived of the love of parents who love one another.
However, for those men and women who do believe in God and wish to be disciples of Jesus there is a very real need to be careful on the subject of marriage. The message of both Old and New Testaments is clear and repeated many times but Paul sums it up for us in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 9 and 10. There is no doubt about the message,
* Casual sex is forbidden
* Adultery is forbidden
* Being a homosexual or lesbian is forbidden
It is futile to protest against these very direct instructions because this is God’s will and if we wish to be part of the Kingdom of God on earth and want to be raised from death, if we have died before Jesus returns, if we wish to enjoy immortality and the wonder of being part of God’s purpose for this earth, we must abide by his laws.
We may twist the wording and complain that it does not really mean what it says but one day we will need to stand before the judgement seat of our Lord Jesus Christ. We dare not take the chance of disregarding these instructions.
All of this section of the lesson is very necessary because it shows us that when we come to the point in our lives when we want to choose a marriage partner we need to use much care. The prettiest girl or the handsome man may look just right but you will need to ask yourself will they share your faith in God? Will you be able to support one another in the Christian way to the Kingdom?
Paul realised that some married men and women would become baptised followers of Jesus whilst their partners would not also be converted. His advice to these people is kindly and wise, look at 1 Corinthians chapter 7 again, this time at verse 12 to
16. The essential point here is that the unbelieving husband or wife must be content that their partners have chosen to follow Jesus and they must not hinder them in their worship.
There is another problem for the baptised believer, what should they do if they cannot find a partner of their own age who is also a disciple of Jesus. There are two answers to this. The first is that marriage is such an essential part of ones future life, happiness and walk in faith that the individual should travel if necessary to another part of the country or even another country to find a partner. This is easier for a man than for a woman but there are beautiful examples in the Bible where this has happened in the past. Read Genesis chapter 24 and Ruth chapter 1 and 2. In the case of Ruth chapter 1 shows only her determination to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi but by the start of chapter 2 it is clear that Naomi has spoken to Ruth about this rich kinsman in Bethlehem who may just be interested in honouring the law and marrying his dead kinsman’s wife.
The other alternative is to seek a possible partner who is a reader of the Bible and who also wants to be a disciple of Jesus. By working together, it is not only possible to find a marriage partner but also have the joy of bringing another person to the knowledge of the future Kingdom on earth. This is after all just an extension of preaching the gospel that all followers of Jesus are commanded to do. Read Mark 16 verse 15 and 16.
There are very good reasons then for choosing the right partner in marriage. Even a disciple whose husband or wife has died must show the same care before thinking of marrying again. Look now at 1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 39.
This subject of marriage was considered so important by the apostles that when Paul came to write his second letter to Corinth he repeats this commandment. Look at chapter 6 verses 14 to 16. Yoking two animals of the wrong size or temperament together to work on the land or to pull a cart can have disastrous consequences. The yoke, because it does not sit properly rubs away the hair and makes a painful wound and the two animals will pull away from one another or each will trip the other. This is a very accurate way of describing a bad marriage but it can also apply to a bad business partnership so Paul warns us against both possibilities.
There is great pleasure and great joy in sharing the same faith with one’s husband or wife, reading the Bible together and if there are children teaching them also to respect God’s laws and follow Jesus.
In his letter to Ephesus chapter 5 verses 22 to 33, Paul likens the relationship between husband and wife to that between Jesus Christ and his church. The sacrifice that Jesus was willing to suffer for his disciples so that they might be saved from everlasting death shows a kind of love that should exist between a husband and a wife. This symbol was not a new invention by Paul, for Jesus had used it many times during his preaching of the gospel. A good example is in Matthew’s gospel chapter 25 verses 1 to 13. Here Jesus speaks of his return to the earth as the “arrival of the bridegroom”, teaching us to always watch for his coming. However, he also teaches us to be careful what we are doing when he arrives. For those disciples who are married there is no better way of doing this than helping one another in a unity of faith and hope, to be ready for that wonderful day.