God never said Judah and Samson actually sinned
Question:
I frequent your website. First, I want to say thank you for what you do. Christ bless you and everyone involved.
But I want to chime in on this talk in regards to whether Samson and Judah actually sinned (Why wasn't Judah punished for seeing a prostitute?). The asker made some fantastic points, to be frank. I don't believe you can use the argument that God can't be zapping every single sinner because, well, during that time, in the context of the Old Testament, God was indeed directly punishing people in real-time. There are countless examples. Yet, neither Samson nor Judah were ever called out by our God for sinning when they were seeking and having encounters with unsaved girls. The keyword is "unsaved." Samson's parents just emphasized to him that he should not marry a pagan (unsaved) girl. Samson knew this. He didn't plan on marrying any, but encounters with pagan women didn't seem to be considered a sin because pagan women aren't part of the church. Christian women are a symbol of purity and should be untouched until marriage. But pagan girls are a completely different story.
Sir, I believe it is very dangerous to claim that Samson and Judah sinned because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born out of that line -- out of Judah's and Tamar's line -- so claiming such a thing is of utmost blasphemy.
Answer:
(Sigh!) The lengths people will go to justify their sins.
First, God is very clear that sins are not inherited. "The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself" (Ezekiel 18:20). Therefore, the moral character of Jesus' earthly ancestors has no reflection on the character of Jesus. The fact is that everyone sins.
"What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written:
"There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one."
"Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit";
"The poison of asps is under their lips";
"Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God"
(Romans 3:9-19 NKJV).
Thus, every ancestor of Jesus has been guilty of sin, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
This then belies your point that God always struck down people when they sinned. There are some cases recorded in the Bible of God immediately punishing sinners but since everyone has sinned, it means that not all sins were immediately punished. In the prior answer, I pointed out a few cases where a person sinned and there is no recorded consequence. However, a lack of record cannot be used to assume God's approval. "You let your mouth loose in evil and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son. These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes. Now consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver" (Psalms 50:19-22).
God is clear that sex outside of marriage is a sin. It is called "fornication" or "sexual immorality," depending on the translation. The Corinthians were charged with committing a number of sins, including fornication, adultery, and homosexuality, before they became Christians (I Corinthians 6:9-11). If these were not sins for non-Christians, there could be no guilt. Prostitution is condemned in Leviticus 19:29; Jeremiah 3:2; Hosea 2:5; 4:13-15; Nahum 3:3-4; Revelation 17:1-2. These verses condemn both the women who were prostitutes and the men who sought out their services.
Question:
I just wanted to say you are right, brother. It's been a long while since we communicated, but today I re-read our interaction again, and you're absolutely right, brother. I apologize.
To be completely sincere, at that time I had been reading a website that gave tons of unexpected and normal views on various topics. Yes, to be 100 percent honest, lust was behind my question. It was what fueled me to believe that site, I suppose. Well, I am glad I didn't actually perform any of those sins. It's completely unwise to do so. I can't believe I was trying to angle it in that way. Re-reading my message, I realize that I was absolutely influenced by that site.
Anyhow, I much appreciate your efforts, brother. May Christ bless you and your loved ones.
Answer:
I'm impressed that you thought about this for all these months. And I'm glad to know that you've changed for the better before falling for one of Satan's traps. Keep studying your Bible.
