How can someone with sickle-cell anemia be convinced of God’s love?

Question: Should couples who have sickler children be condemned for being selfish in their love by marrying despite a medical warning about genotype incompatibility? How can a sickler be convinced of God’s love? Answer: A “sickler” is a person who has sickle-cell anemia or carries the trait for sickle-cell anemia. Sickle-cell anemia is a genetic…

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How can I be sure that my wife loves only me?

Question: I’m married. My wife was the only girl in my life. However, she did love someone before she met me but it did not materialize as her parents were against the marriage. She broke away from the boy and almost gave up on life, deciding never to marry. I then walked into her life…

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Can a marriage be done by a civil official?

Question: If both a man and a woman love each other, is it OK to have a civil marriage done by our local public official to be able to save money? Answer: There is no requirement in the scriptures that a marriage must be done in church or by a preacher. A wedding before a…

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Should sex be expected when you are separated?

Question: Hi, and God bless you. Over two years ago my husband cheated and committed adultery with a married woman. After I found out, he was very mean about it and repeatedly humiliated me by saying that he loved her, and he never loved me. That all he wanted was to be with her. We…

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Thank you for showing how to handle a drug-addicted husband

Question: Thank you so much for your website. I am desperate to be pointed in the right direction on my situation. Your article titled “My husband continues to use drugs” was exactly what I have been searching for these last three years. I knew in my heart that I should not move on from my…

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Marriage

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Marriage.mp3 by Edward Myers

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Am I doing right in reconciling with my former husband?

Question: Hi, Thank you in advance for reading and answering this question. I have a problem. I got married about 15 years ago to a man I’d been in love with since I was 17 years old. During the marriage, we had several problems, some physical and emotional abuse, and also I committed adultery with…

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Why would someone not like the ESV?

Question: Why would someone not like the ESV? What is wrong with the ESV? I saw “Which Translation Should I Use?” concerning I Corinthians 7:15: “The ESV is the clearest that it is talking about slavery” I Corinthians 7:15 seems to be talking about marriage to me, not slavery. Answer: “But if the unbeliever departs, let him…

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Does fornication not include sex between two virgins?

Question: I have read a lot of your articles that deal with sex and fornication.  In my mind, I agree that sex does not create a marriage.  However, it seems my heart believes that sex does create marriage.  I have deep feelings my marriage is an adulterous relationship because neither I nor my wife were…

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Any advice on how to handle a marriage to a drug addict?

Question: I have been married for over a year now. My husband is a drug addict. When I married him, I didn’t realize the problem existed; it was a whirlwind romance. Marriage probably should have waited. We weren’t together all that long before we got married.  I have a young son out of wedlock to a…

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Is a marriage only bound after sex?

Question: I had a question I was hoping you could help me with. Often the debate is focused on the major problem area when it comes to the marriage, divorce, and remarriage debate, which is the divorce and remarriage. But there doesn’t seem to be a large pool of information on the marriage side. What…

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Does a husband need to love his wife more than anyone on earth?

Question: Does a husband need to love his wife more than anyone on earth? Even his children? Answer: The question implies there is a set quantity of love that a person can give. It also assumes that love for, say children, is at odds with loving your wife. The greatest commandment is loving God, the…

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Is it sinful for a woman to change her last name when getting married?

Question: I’m not sure if this relates to Christianity, but is it a sin to not get one’s last name legally changed after getting married, if you’re a woman? Answer: There is nothing unscriptural about the practice, which is cultural. There is nothing wrong with changing names. There are several Bible characters whose names were…

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Marriage Covenants

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/MarriageCovenants.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 5:22-33   I.         We’ve all talked about the changes in society we have seen during our lives             A.        One aspect is the rapid change in people’s view of marriage             B.        The number of divorces has sky-rocketed.                         1.         Marriages today can be terminated just because one person wants to end the marriage. No…

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My husband and I live apart. Should I still have sex with him?

Question: Hello, I am concern about what can happen to me spiritually if I have sex with my husband who has committed adultery a number of times. He was once a Christian sold out for God and then, over time, he started not to care about being in right-standing with God as he should. We…

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Should I leave my marriage?

Question: I happen to find your web site on the Internet. I have a problem with the man I stay with. I was staying with my mom a few years ago and had one of his children. I had agreed into a traditional negotiation between our two families, his and mine. He had to pay…

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Do you do weddings?

Question: I am interested in receiving information in regards to your facility for a wedding. Would you please let me know if there is a web site for pricing, availability, and requirements? Answer: I only do a few weddings each year, offering it as a service to the community for the most part. There is…

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Is it wrong to get married in a different church?

Question: I have a question. I took your advice and want to get married. My mum, my wife-to-be, and I are cool with getting married in a Lutheran church. Our bone of contention comes from our best man and woman who are born again, like ourselves. They will not do a wedding at a Lutheran…

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Am I married?

Question: OK. Well, let me provide some background information. I am a believer. I met a girl who is also a believer.  We became boyfriend and girlfriend. During the relationship, we would talk about marriage and getting married and the intent of the relationship was to one day get married.  We would say things like…

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Whom do I marry, my current girlfriend or my former girlfriend?

Question: I have just been reading most of the answers under the topic of marriage and I have to say first of all thank you for answering questions from a biblical perspective. It’s all we need. My question is as follows: I got an older woman pregnant who is in her thirties. I am five…

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Are prenuptial agreements biblical?

Question: What is or is not biblical regarding a pre-marital agreement for handling money and possessions in the event of a separation or divorce? Answer: “And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a…

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Grains of Sand

by Sam Stinson “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in…

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A Marriage in Decline

by Steven Harper Throughout the Bible, God uses the analogy of marriage to describe the relationship of God with His people. In the Old Testament, God spoke of how He was “married to” the ones of Judah (Jeremiah 3:14) and “was a husband to” the Israelites (Jeremiah 31:32), and even used the analogous picture of putting away and giving a…

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Should Wives Call Their Husbands “Lord”?

by Sam Stinson “For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening” (I Peter 3:5-6, ESV). Someone suggested that if…

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Is it wrong for the husband to cook instead of the wife?

Question: Is it wrong for the husband to cook instead of the wife? It appears that it is the role of the wife, but at the same time, we see that men clearly cooked in the Old Testament, such as Esau was told to cook by his father. I know you might think, “It’s in…

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Is love enough for marriage?

Question: Is the love between a man and a woman, apart from the mutual agreement of both families enough to bind them? I’m asking this question on behalf of my cousin who wants to go on and marry a Muslim girl irrespective of the lack of agreement between the two families of different religions. They…

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Can homosexuals have a godly marriage?

Question: I just have to say that when I stumbled upon La Vista Church of Christ’s sermon on “Who Are You Going To Marry?” while searching for something similar, I found it quite terrifying. As a Christian who is engaged to be married, I am, for the first time, having second thoughts about marriage at…

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How do I get out of a forced marriage?

Question: I was forcefully married; there was no court wedding. Now, I no longer want the marriage. What do I do? Answer: A statement doesn’t establish the truth. You said you were forced into marriage, but you didn’t say how this oddity happened. You even imply that you had in the past accepted the marriage,…

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Does a wife have to stay with a hurtful and abusive husband?

Question: I don’t know what to do. I am a member of the church and I know that I have to be submissive to my husband, but he does some things that aren’t very nice. He only wants oral and anal sex. He says that I have to do it because the Bible commands it.…

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What if your wife told you she was HIV positive after the marriage?

Question: A friend of mine and I discussed your book “Preparation for a Lifetime” and asked me this question: “If on the night after your wedding your wife tells you that she’s HIV positive, what would you do”? I was dumbfounded for some time but later gave my own opinion anyway. What is your own…

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