Posts Tagged ‘marriage’
We took vows before God, isn’t that enough to say we are married?
Question: Does God disapprove of my marriage? I have been with my (wife) for over 3 years now. I know that a marriage must have a witness for it to be true. The day we wed we were under the canopy of heaven (outside.) We asked God to be a witness to our union. Does…
Read MoreIs it a sin to lust after your own wife or husband?
Question: I was reading your article on whether girls and boys should go swimming together and I picked up on something that I needed to ask you. Is it a sin to lust after your own wife or husband? Answer: The answer depends on the definition of “lust” that you use. Technically, the word means, in both Greek and…
Read MoreWhat are your thoughts on how bad my marriage is?
Question: I’ve been married for 23 years and I’m no longer in love with my husband and don’t desire to have sex with him. Because of this, he physically kicked me out of the bedroom a year ago and I’ve been sleeping on the couch. We don’t even talk to one another. He also allowed…
Read MoreShould I get married now?
Question: I’m 20 years old Ethiopian boy. My question is: is it advisable if I married right now? Answer: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers” (Hebrews 13:4). Since you are above the minimum age of 18 required in…
Read MoreAm I married in the eyes of God?
Question: When I met my husband, he was going through a divorce from his former wife. She had been unfaithful. He moved out and the other man moved in with her. Before I met him, he had already begun the divorce papers. Because of his first wife’s unfaithfulness, I understand he had a right to…
Read MoreCan a married man have a female friend whom he prefers over his wife?
Question: My husband has a new “friend” (female) that he constantly chooses over me. He lies to me in order to be with this friend. He tells this friend things that I told him in confidence about her, such as that I am uncomfortable with their new relationship. He puts me down to this new…
Read MoreShould I marry the girl I got pregnant or the girl that I love?
Question: Needing some scriptural advice. I got a girl pregnant, or so she claims. I know that was a sin and have sought forgiveness with God. My confusion is here: I don’t feel like she’s the best Christian woman for me, actually, she and I fight often. I have a life long friend who I…
Read MoreCan a young couple make a covenant even though their parent won’t allow them to marry?
Question: If a holy couple is in love, and is having a child on the way and wants to bring the child in right, but one of the mate’s parents does not agree with marrying so young. So the couple brings their relationship to God because they both have strong relationship with Him. And they…
Read MoreHow can a husband and wife be equal when the husband has the rule over the wife?
Question: I read your article and I thought it was good. While I agree with most of it I find it hard to believe it all. Eve fell for the lies of Satan and ate the forbidden fruit. She sinned against God and gave Adam the same fruit and he also ate of it, thus causing…
Read MoreDo you think a Protestant and Catholic can marry?
Question: Suppose there are a Protestant man and a Catholic woman. They like each other, enjoy exchanging ideas, and have long-established a good relationship. Do you see any problem if they fall in love? What is the biblical concern over the matter? Traditionally there is opposition to the engagement, but is there a biblical reason…
Read MoreWedded Bliss
by Wes Seeliger Our wedding was on October 14, 1966. But our marriage began three weeks later. We were dressed up and on our way to the swankiest restaurant in town. We had saved all week for the big splurge. One problem – my bride was wearing the most horrible perfume ever manufactured. Smelled like…
Read MoreAre engagements required before a marriage can take place?
Question: I see the Scripture and proof that sex does not make the marriage and that there is fornication without marriages being made in the act. However, I was reading the other day and came across a person who said that we are to let the Bible define marriage. He pointed out that God’s definition in the…
Read MoreThe Unbelieving Companion
Author Unknown via Gospel Digest. Thousands of Christians are married to non-Christians. The result, of course, is a divided home and a divided home is not the happiest in the world. Regardless of how happy that home may seem to be, it would be even happier were it not divided. Naturally, the thing uppermost in…
Read MoreDo you think God created one special person for you?
Question: Hello, I am sure you get this question all of the time, but do you think God really created that one special person for you? Or, are you just out on a playing field and whoever you meet you meet? I know I have a girl who I am very fond of, but sadly…
Read MoreDid God approve of concubines?
Question: An issue came up during a Bible class and several members would like me to approach the issue in a sermon. I am trying to figure out an approach. You may already have a sermon that hits or touches on the issue, in which case just tell me which one. If not, maybe you…
Read MoreCan a man divorce his wife for not having sex with him?
Question: If a woman denies sex to her husband, is this unlawful sex and, therefore, fornication? If a twenty-year-old wife refuses to have sex with her twenty-one-year-old husband, does he have any grounds to divorce? Answer: As stated in a prior answer, when a person wants to do something, such as divorce their spouse in order…
Read MoreSince I had unmarried sex, should I remain single?
Question: I have been a Christian for many years. I had been with a man once after I became a Christian, but I have been living a life of abstinence before and after that brief “living together” period. I have been bugged by sexual desires and fantasies when I am in love with a man,…
Read MoreMarriage and Divorce: The Good News and the Bad
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 50 I. An article came out in the paper in April of 2007 trumpeting the news that divorce rates are falling A. Divorce rates rose rapidly in the 1960s through the 1980’s with the adoption of no-fault divorce laws in the United States. 1. At its peak in 1981 there were…
Read MoreMarriages
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Marriages.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 2:18-24 I. A statement in a newspaper article stood out A. Even though the number of marriages ending in divorce has stabilized after many years of rapid rise, the rate of people entering marriage has drastically declined! B. In other words, one of the reasons the divorce rate is not…
Read MoreCan a man lust after his own wife?
Question: Can a man lust after his own wife? Answer: The word for lust, both in English and in Greek, means a strong desire. Generally, it is used in a negative sense, in that we speak of someone having a strong desire for something that is wrong. But it can be used in a positive…
Read MoreWhat are your top five words of advice for newlyweds?
Question: What are the top five words of advice you give to newlyweds? Answer: I find your question hard to answer because I don’t think in terms of single words. Nor am I naive to think that one size fits all situations. Some of the advice I give couples about to be married is found…
Read MoreI really appreciate your article, “The Institution of Marriage”
Question: I just finished reading your article from the Internet entitled “The Institution of Marriage,” and wanted to comment on how comprehensive, well-written, and accurate it is. I’m a scholar of the Word myself, and truly appreciate reading godly interpretations and discussions such as this. I’m going to share it with my husband and children (ages 20,…
Read MoreHow do we handle sexual intimacy when my husband has diabetes?
Question: My husband and I have been married for 43 years and I am thankful I love him with all my heart. We have a problem in our marriage we can’t be together sexually. My husband is a diabetic and has a problem with erectile dysfunction it really discourages him makes him feel less than…
Read MoreIf a person commits fornication while engaged, does that affect the later marriage?
Question: My spouse was engaged to a woman for a month and a half. They were sexually active before and after they became engaged. They were not faithful to each other during the engagement and decided to break the engagement. He has since repented for his sin (been baptized, etc.) and is living a godly…
Read MoreMy sexual relationship with my husband is awful, how do I fix the problem?
Question: My husband and I have been married for 7 years. I am 30 years old, my husband is 28, and we have no children. We lived together the first 2 years, then apart for the next 2 due to his military service. After he left the military, we were back living together for 2…
Read MoreWas it right to put our old dog to sleep?
Question: My wife of 5 months (we have dated for 8 years) had a dog 17 years old. One year ago it had lost the use of its back leg, so it had to be helped outside with each step. About 3 weeks ago it had a stroke and wasn’t able to walk at all,…
Read MoreCan my husband ask me not to see one of my friends?
Question: Is it right that my husband asks me not to be friends with one of my girlfriends just because he “believes” she doesn’t like him? I have told him many times she doesn’t even make comments about him. My husband and I have been separated and my friend was there for me. My husband…
Read MoreThey Promised to Put Away Their Wives
by Kent Heaton The book of Ezra is a remarkable book of “those whose spirits God had moved” (Ezra 1:5). The city of Jerusalem lay in ruins for seven decades and the house of the Lord was burned. Zerubbabel led the faithful back to Jerusalem and the Temple was rebuilt. The faith of the people…
Read MoreMixed Marriages
Text: Nehemiah 13:23-29 I. While Israel was in captivity because of their many sins, the people had lived among the foreign nations for so long that they had become lax in following God’s commands A. A major cause of this problem stemmed from mixed marriages where the foreign spouse brought their religion into the union. 1. It…
Read MoreDoes religious ethics do more harm than good?
Question: I think that more often than not religious ethics in government do more harm than good, for example: not funding stem cell research, trying to ban abortion, and outlawing gay marriage. Stem cell research could further science and medicine so much, but because of religious ethics, it’s on hiatus right now in America. Abortion…
Read MoreHow can a young man stay focused?
Question: I am interested in getting your thoughts on being focused on the goal. It is hard when you see so much of the things you want in life, that at times you feel as though that it is not meant for you. My situation appears to be going nowhere. I feel that the more…
Read MoreWho did Adam and Eve’s children marry?
Question: Just recently I have heard a question that has been circulated among many different mediums. Just the other night this same question came up in my history class and I would like to know how to answer it. Forgive me if I have somehow missed the logic in this question, but I am writing…
Read MoreCan I tell you about a way to get married without government involvement?
Question: I noticed a guy wrote a piece about marriage claiming he didn’t need a piece of paper. He is right by all means; all you need is two witnesses and you can be married by American law. But if you do get a marriage license, you put your kids under government authority in such a…
Read MoreMaintenance
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 I. Come the beginning of the year people begin thinking of weight-loss programs and exercise regimens. A. It could be that with a new year, people want to get a new start in being healthier, but I suspect that all the overeating from Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years…
Read MoreThe Harm of Living Together Without Marriage
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 50 I. As Christianity spread through the Gentile world, it faced many challenges A. For thousands of years, the Gentiles gave little thought to God. Oh, they had their gods, but these were little more than extensions of their own desires. No, they lived in a world where men did…
Read MoreDoes a marriage begin when it is consummated?
Question: I have a friend who claims that only virgins can get married. If a couple is were not virgins at the time of their marriage, he says it is not a legitimate marriage and they must separate. His reasoning is that a marriage begins when a man and woman have sex. Therefore, the first…
Read MoreShould married couples stay in touch on a regular basis with an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend?
Question: Should married couples stay in touch on a regular basis with an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend? And what if the friend is also married? Answer: Does a person’s likes and dislikes in particular personalities change just because they become married? If I really enjoyed golf and had a group of friends with whom I golfed,…
Read MoreMy wife has lost interest in sex. What do I do?
Question: My wife and I have been married for less than five years, I am nearly 40, she is 35. This is our first marriage for both of us. We have three children under the age of five. My wife is reluctant to have any sex with me. While pregnant and for the first 6…
Read MoreWhat do I do about a husband that sinned at a bachelor’s party?
Question: What do you do when alcohol and a fully nude strip club at a bachelor party tempted your Christian husband and he gives in to both temptations? Not only was he a visitor at this club, but he and the other three gentlemen had a little personal dance as well. Being the wife of…
Read MoreCan you be certain that the one you are marrying will remain a faithful Christian?
Question: I have another question concerning a young Christian couple marrying. What if a young person was baptized and convinced their boyfriend or girlfriend to become a Christian, subsequently got married, but eventually, they stop attending church? It appears that they only became Christians to marry. It disheartens me because people, including myself, allow feelings…
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