Giving into temptation and afterthought

[Omee-Chan]

If you're dating someone as a christian and give into temptation in bed, do you leave that person and seek out someone else since you've committed that sin or can you talk about it with them and decide to wait til the honeymoon?

 

[B-A-C]

Exod 22:16; "If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and lies with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife.

Deut 22:28; "If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered,
Deut 22:29; then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife because he has violated her; he cannot divorce her all his days.

We should only have sex with one person in our life. (It seems that rarely happens these days). owever if you've had sex with someone you should marry them if possible.
(Of course it's better just to wait until you're married).
We aren't supposed to have sex with someone who has been with someone else.

Deut 24:2; and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife,
Deut 24:3; and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife,
Deut 24:4; then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.

 

[Justin15]

If you're dating someone as a christian and give into temptation in bed, do you leave that person and seek out someone else since you've committed that sin or can you talk about it with them and decide to wait til the honeymoon?

Hello Omee-Chan, I can relate to this question due to a foolish mistake I once made. I would like to first look at that word dating; today it carries with it the idea of sensuality and sexual implications. However i don't know the way you mean when you say it , but i will encourage you to be yoked with another Christian and not with an unbeliever 2 Corinth 6:14. Also, if someone has committed fornication with another person and is a Christian it is clear that this person would repent from that sin and seek victory over it Psalm 51. May i remind you that God's Wisdom says not to make provision for the flesh Romans 13:14 which means to not gratify the passions of the flesh by putting yourself in a situation that can seduce and provoke the flesh, these desires war against your soul. Proverbs 1:15 says to "refrain your foot from their path" speaking on the influence the world has on your decisions. Now concerning leaving that person, the bible teaches to separate ourselves from sin and if this person is professing Christ you will see a genuine repentance is mourning over this sin in his/her life. If that is the case then talking about it with a bible believing pastor or teacher would be seeking Godly council and is strongly encouraged.Psalm 1 However if this person doesn't show any repentance or godly sorrow over this sin then it would be encouraged to separate yourself and seek God and allow His providence to bring someone into your life I hope you make the right decision!

 

[ChristianWolf]

While its true that you should separate if they aren't the one, God did say it's adultery to have sex with someone who has already had sex. I believe God did this to show how serious he is about sex and marriage. However you must decide for yourself whether you will have sex again.

 

[Stickz]

I hope I understand the conversation that is taking place here. I've read and re-read everyone's posts, so hopefully I understand. I see a difference in something that I'm not sure that any of you are actually touching on. In the Old Testament God gave His Laws to just the people that came out of Egypt with Moses, right? The ones that would later settle into the land of Canaan, the land that would become Israel? They were meant to live by the Laws and raise their kids up in them so no one had any reason for ever not knowing them? They were never told, that I know of, to share the Laws with the people outside of Israel, were they? Wouldn't that be where the Gentiles come in?

So, my point ( if I actually even have one, that is ) is what if a Gentile, not being raised up in a place where the Laws of the God of Abraham were taught were to marry young, perhaps even incestuous, and put away his wife later because it is okay to do in his country; then for whatever reason he finds the Lord, he becomes a new creature in God, has been forgiven for all of his sins, would you say that it is not okay for him to marry another woman now that he is a new man in God/Christ? Forgiven for all of his past life? A clean slate? I'd want to say that it would be up to the woman whether or not she wanted to be married to him, knowing that he had been married before, and not something that God would hold against him/them.

Take Abraham for example. A lot of people that try to show contradictions or errors in the Bible like to pick on the fact that Abraham was a prophet of God AND married to his sister which apparently God was against ( you discover later in the Law ) but it is really only a problem if you look at it from certain perspectives; when did Abraham get called by God according to what we have in scripture, before or after he was married to Sarah? After, right? God did not ask Abraham to divorce his half sister Sarah when He called Abraham out from the land of Abraham's father, instead He turned their situation into a huge blessing. Remember which of David's wives Solomon came from?

There is a verse in the book of Romans that says "those without the Law will be judged without Law and those within the Law will be judged by the Law" that I have always believed to mean that God looks on people that should have known better differently than the others. If you're judged for any sins--by God--as a person who has come to know the truth in Christ, wouldn't it have to be the sins that you commit afterward and not before you knew the truth?

Short answer to the original post: Draw close to God and seek His guidance in what you should do. Read the Bible. The closer you are to God the easier it is to keep from falling into temptations. Getting married doesn't solve all the problems when it comes to sinful lust either, so keep that in mind.

 

[B-A-C]

There is a verse in the book of Romans that says "those without the Law will be judged without Law and those within the Law will be judged by the Law" that I have always believed to mean that God looks on people that should have known better differently than the others. If you're judged for any sins--by God--as a person who has come to know the truth in Christ, wouldn't it have to be the sins that you commit afterward and not before you knew the truth?

Rom 2:12; is indeed a controversial verse.
Here are a some other translations. Even the Bible translations do not agree. But overwhelmingly. It seems even if you don't know the law, you will still "perish".
None of the translations (the NIrV might be an exception) say "without the law will LIVE without the law", they all say DIE without the law.

(AMP) All who have sinned without the Law will also perish without [regard to] the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged and condemned by the Law.

(ASV) For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without the law: and as many as have sinned under the law shall be judged by the law;

(GNB) The Gentiles do not have the Law of Moses; they sin and are lost apart from the Law. The Jews have the Law; they sin and are judged by the Law.

(GW) Here's the reason: Whoever sins without having laws from God will still be condemned to destruction. And whoever has laws from God and sins will still be judged by them.

(HCSB) All those who sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

(ISV) For all who have sinned apart from the Law will also perish apart from the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law.

(KJV) For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

(MKJV) For as many as sinned without Law will also perish without Law. And as many as have sinned within Law shall be judged through Law.

(MSG) If you sin without knowing what you're doing, God takes that into account. But if you sin knowing full well what you're doing, that's a different story entirely.

(NAS77) For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law; and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;

(NASB) For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;

(NIrV) Some people do not know God's law when they sin. They will not be judged by the law when they die. Others do know God's law when they sin. They will be judged by the law.

(NIV) All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.

(NLT) When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God's written law. And the Jews, who do have God's law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.

Eccl 12:13; The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

 

[Stickz]

Okay, lets say you're right, BAC, whether you have ever heard of God or not, if you don't do what needs to be done for salvation ( and, of course, we all know that everyone disagrees on what exactly that may or may not be ) then you perish, but ( " fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person." ) it is difficult to keep something that you have never heard and it is difficult to fear a God that no one has ever introduced you to. I'm sure that some will say something like, "Oh, no, we all know the difference between right and wrong, or everybody knows God because of this that or the other," but I don't know; there MUST be people that lived out their entire lives in a tribe in the jungle where they were taught cannibalism and child sacrifice to other gods or something, right? Without a preacher to tell them about Jesus Christ, how could you ever truly say that they had the choice to serve God and didn't take it? That is for God to decide, though, and I believe that I shouldn't worry myself too much about it.

What about a Gentile that was married before he had ever heard anything about the God of our Bible, BAC, should he remain unmarried after becoming a believer because he had been married as an unbeliever? What is your opinion on that?

 

[B-A-C]

Okay, lets say you're right, BAC, whether you have ever heard of God or not, if you don't do what needs to be done for salvation ( and, of course, we all know that everyone disagrees on what exactly that may or may not be ) then you perish, but ( " fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person." ) it is difficult to keep something that you have never heard and it is difficult to fear a God that no one has ever introduced you to. I'm sure that some will say something like, "Oh, no, we all know the difference between right and wrong, or everybody knows God because of this that or the other," but I don't know; there MUST be people that lived out their entire lives in a tribe in the jungle where they were taught cannibalism and child sacrifice to other gods or something, right? Without a preacher to tell them about Jesus Christ, how could you ever truly say that they had the choice to serve God and didn't take it? That is for God to decide, though, and I believe that I shouldn't worry myself too much about it.

What about a Gentile that was married before he had ever heard anything about the God of our Bible, BAC, should he remain unmarried after becoming a believer because he had been married as an unbeliever? What is your opinion on that?

Rom 2:12; For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;
Rom 2:13; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
Rom 2:14; For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,
Rom 2:15; in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,

One of the reason I believe in God, is because even cultures that have never heard of Jesus, or believe in a "different god(s)". They still know that lying, stealing, and murdering are wrong.
Even the aborigines in remote Australia and southern Phillipines have laws against these things. The native American indians had laws against these things.
Even here in the US in 2015, there are laws against theft, murder, and slander/perjury (lying). (And we as a nation are trying to get away from God and the commandments as fast as possible).
There aren't really laws against fornication and divorce, but these things have caused enough pain and heart-ache, a lot of people wish there were laws against them.
(People have been murdered due to adultery - I don't know how many, since the beginning of time, but I suspect at least in the thousands if not more).

Up until about 30 years ago, in Italy if you caught your spouse in bed with someone else and shot them, it was a $300 fine and 3 days in jail. It was called a crime of passion.

Here are some translations of verse 15 above.

(AMP) They show that the essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts and are operating there, with which their consciences (sense of right and wrong) also bear witness; and their [moral] decisions (their arguments of reason, their condemning or approving thoughts) will accuse or perhaps defend and excuse [them]

(ASV) in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them);

(GNB) Their conduct shows that what the Law commands is written in their hearts. Their consciences also show that this is true, since their thoughts sometimes accuse them and sometimes defend them.

(GW) They show that some requirements found in Moses' Teachings are written in their hearts. Their consciences speak to them. Their thoughts accuse them on one occasion and defend them on another.

(HCSB) They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them

(ISV) They show that what the Law requires is written in their hearts, a fact to which their own consciences testify, and their thoughts will either accuse or excuse them

(KJV) Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

(MKJV) who show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and the thoughts between one another accusing or even excusing one another,

(MSG) They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong.

(NAS77) in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,

(NASB) in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,

(NIrV) They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts. The way their minds judge them gives witness to that fact. Sometimes their thoughts find them guilty. At other times their thoughts find them not guilty.

(NIV) They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)

(NLT) They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.

 

[Stickz]

Does being able to identify something as wrong save us?

 

[B-A-C]

Does being able to identify something as wrong save us?

Do works (good deeds) alone save us? I personally don't feel we can pin salvation on one thing.

 

[Stickz]

I agree.