Christ made it clear, we are Children of God. I just want to focus on that for a moment. I realize there is lots of scripture before and after and what it says.
We are Children of God. What would God want of us? God made us in such a specific way, and part of that way we were so perfectly made was the enjoyment of sex. Sex is extremely pleasurable for me. It invokes so many feelings and sensations. I feel a special bond with my husband, and sex is very much part of a loving relationship that we share in.
I cannot presume what God really wants for us. We will know when that time comes. But I can draw upon parallels of my being a parent. I want the best for my children. I want them to grow up happy and successful members of the community. Contributing to society. Helping to make a difference in some small way. And I want them to know and love Christ. It's why we placed them in a private Lutheran School (I was a product of Catholic School growing up), attending Church and Bible School, and celebrating when they accepted their first communion. I wanted and still want what is best for my children. We gave them the best morale upbringing we could and the best understanding of Christ and being a Christian as we could. We also armed them to find their best path for their lives and their faith.
In my life's evaluation of my faith, I have in later years, tried to focus on the specifics of what Christ said and how He behaved during His time on earth. He gave us the Great Commandment, the Great Commission, the Ritual of the Last Supper to remember Him by. He provided parables as lessons that taught wisdom, charity, and many examples of actions (miracles) that showed His compassion. So I expect that this is precisely what God wants for us. To love one and other and to spread his word, and when we gather, and we bless the meal before us, that we take a moment and have a piece of unleavened bread and a sip of wine in remembrance of Him. And hopefully we will do this often.
Someday when I stand before Christ to be judged, I will finally know if I am right or wrong about my sexual beliefs, but because I believe in Christ, and if I was wrong, I will be forgiven and allowed to enter God's Kingdom.
Blush... I am not talented enough to write a book. Just passionate in my Christian beliefs. So I may never get to share a book, but I am always down for sharing my husband!
That is very kind of you to say. I appreciate you took the time to write this.
Yes passionate about my Christian believes. I acknowledge the sacrament of marriage but do not accept that I have in anyway violated my marriage vows. I love and adored and honor my husband. I acknowledge him as the head of our household and love him dearly. Marriage as a sacrament is a doctrinal concept and not Biblical though the Mormon Bible does say otherwise. Otherwise Sacraments are from the Catholic Catechism. This doesn't mean that things called Sacraments are important Christian traditions such as partaking in Communion or Baptism.
We most understand the idea of two becoming one flesh from older translations of Genesis. The ISV Bible says "one flesh". The NET Bible (a more modern translation from the original Classical Hebrew, says "they become a new family". Another more popular modern translation, "That's why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person".
My point is, that we have to evaluate as modern Christians, what Christ would consider how Christians are to behave. As a starting point. While Christ was a Jew who clearly would have valued many marriage traditions, and did not approve of divorce, he did not put it as a condition of salvation. (If could easily be argued that Paul did in his opinion)
My marriage is built on trust. I trust my husband and that his love, his primary concern in life is the well being of myself and our family. And metaphorically we act as one in life, as it should be. And even when we are participating in a recreational sexual lifestyle, we are still acting as one. United and undivided.
That's high praise coming from you as you are one of my favorite posters to follow. You are amazingly wise.
Subreddit
Post Details
- Posted
- 2 years ago
- Reddit URL
- View post on reddit.com
- External URL
- reddit.com/r/ChristianSw...
Thank you for taking the time to post. It's always appreciated. My journey, which is my personal path, has lead me to question everything that wasn't stated by Christ. Two things concern me, the emphasis of the Western Church on the writings of St. Paul and the translation which often seems like it is always changing.
I cannot really dispute anything you are saying. Similar to the letter to Corinth, Paul's message concerning his view of what Christian conduct consisted of is clear.
I looked at 50 translations of what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians and Paul's intent is clear, though the translations range from:
So here is my point. My path started with and is focused on what Christ said, how he behaved, and what he taught in the most literal and with the best possible translations I can find. This does mean that I do discount Paul - Paul wasn't present as an apostle, he did not know or spend the years at Jesus' side. I understand Paul's conversion and clearly it was God's will, but I think that Paul was too eager to discard the Jewish traditions and was too focused on claiming moral high-ground in a very sinful world of the Romans.
It was important to remember that Paul was remotely trying to educate and influence his many flocks who were in far flung places. And many upheld pagan traditions in terms of sexual behaviors. I try to put Paul's letters, all of them into the perspective of what they were. What would Paul have written if he knew his letters would proceed him by thousands of years. How would his writing factored in our modern world. I don't know.
It's a toss-up whether Mark or Matthew is my favorite Gospel, but my takeaway from Matthew 7 is in Chapter 1, verse 1 which is a guiding principal that came directly from Christ's voice and my favorite translation is from the Jubilee Bible 2000, which says Judge Not, that ye be not judged. Please understand I am not implying in any way that you are judging me, because I know that you are not. It's clear what you wrote was out of love and how Christ has moved you.
And I know someday I will be judged and next to me could be a good man who never heard the word of Christ, how will he be judged, he never had a chance and I believe that God's love and mercy will allow him to step into Heaven. I could be wrong. I could be right, no one here on earth knows for certain.
So to the last paragraph. A point I hear often.
what in the world makes you think finding out you were wrong will still yield you Heaven? Cause unless you can justify that position with a solid theological argument, you are operating on nothing more than wishful thinking.
You are possible right. You can point to a ton of scripture and doctrine and translations that state I will never get into heaven. I would point to John 1:14, [New Living Translation] So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.
14Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but may have eternal life.
16“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18He who believes in Him is not condemned. But he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
I really didn't need to cut and paste scripture into this, I do not profess to be an expert. But I have ready doesn't of translations (the one above from the MEV Bible), and this is my favorite translation. And having looked at dozens of translations I find them all more similar than is often the case.
What I read and value from this is that my entry into heaven is based on a very simple concept that Christ made clear as these are his own words.
I might be wrong, but that's ok. I might live in eternity in a lowly position sweeping floors, but that will be ok. I will get to meet Christ and in that moment, all of my searching and wondering will be revealed to me in truth.
Thank you again for your post. It was kind of you to put all of the effort you put into it and your concern for my soul.
TMW (aka LV-Vixen)