Polygamy in the Bible

[TK Burk]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Let's consider a very real scenario played out in churches all across the United States....

A man and his wife and kids come to church and get saved. It is discovered that she was married before and she and her first husband separated in a "no fault" divorce.

Here's the deal bro...they have an adulterous marriage. She wasn't divorced on the pretenses of sexual infidelity and so according to Jesus this man is committing adultery by living with her. Jesus said,

Matthew 19:9
And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

According to your logic....

"Tough choices had to be made by those in the First Century also. If you were a Jew, you forfeited everything to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Even today, Muslim converts often convert knowing it may cost them horrendous persecution or even their lives. But regardless of the cost, if it's right, it's right."

Do you think the man should be forced to divorce his wife and children to end an adulterous marriage?

Frankly, this is more serious than polygamy because it's directly addressed with clear prohibition. Many would say, ....

...."Well, God forgives sin. We'll just have to pray that God puts it under the blood and help minister to them as a family."

Others would resort to "justification"....

...."Well, this second marriage was adultery so I guess she committed sexual infidelity and so that divorce is NOW valid."

Get real. The issue is that she was put away for something other than forbidden sexual relations. She was put away over "irreconcilable differences". The "adultery" is the second marriage itself, because technically she still belongs to her first husband.

So we have a choice when faced with these situations. We can acknowledge the less than favorable circumstances, pray for God's grace and forgiveness, and then move forward with what is best for all the individuals involved.....or we can demand that the letter of the law be applied and demand that this man and his wife divorce.

Wow! I never said anything like YOU indicated here. Where did I say anything about divorce? You must really be desperate to prove as a Christian you can still kill rebellious kids, your spouse, and your friends, and also have as many wives as the Old West allows.

To answer your question, what's done BEFORE converstion is not the same as what's done AFTER. Consider these:

2 Corinthians 5:17
(17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
(9) 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,
(10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
(11) 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.

Romans 6:4-6
(4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
(5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
(6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Colossians 1:21-23
(21) And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
(22) In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight:
(23) If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Bottomline, the sins a person commited 'before Christ' is attoned by Jesus' sacrifice. Them being "Born Again" of the water and Spirit in Jesus' name is exactly that; they died to their old ways, old sins, old lifestyle, and are then born anew into a New Creature in Christ.