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Bible_vs_Polyandry.html
TITLE: POLYANDRY, ADULTERY AND THE BIBLE
COPYRIGHT JANUARY 14, 1995; All rights reserved.
Copyright 01/12/'96; September 1, 1997 (Revised)
By L. Tyler P.O. Box 620763, San Diego, CA 92162-0763
P.O.Box 734, El Centro, CA 92244
oldservant@mindspring.com,
oldservant@planetall.com
The cry is heard from the female masses, "It's not fair and it's sex discrimination!"
They plead the case that if polygyny is okay for men before God, then surely polyandry
has to be okay before God as well. You see them practicing polyandry in Southern
California, South America and anyplace else a powerful beautiful woman has gathered
a loyal following of males devoted to her and her loving. They reason that if the
godless can do it, why not those who believe in God? Now we are talking about polyandry
as a marital relationship of men who are maritally committed to one woman and one
woman who is maritally committed to all of her own men.
Pornography has done quite a job showing how this is sexually possible.
You can find any number of videos and magazines showing one woman having sex with
two or three men at one time. You can easily find such materials where one woman
takes on all the players of a particular sport's team (football, basketball etc.),
or all the members of a particular gang. Such material makes it clear that such sexual activity
is possible.
Pornography never shows, to my knowledge, polyandry where there are marital commitments
between the men the woman. That sex without marital commitment makes such relationships
sexually immoral or fornication (see Prov. 5; Ezek 23; 1 Corinth. 6).
But what about the situation in Hollywood, Calif., in the '70's where that phenomenally
beautiful young woman had a harem of eight men, all of them committed to her and
she committed to them to fulfill all of their sexual desires and needs? They were
all so young, so clean cut, even wholesome in their appearance. Her men were obviously
out of their minds in love with her and she glowed from all their attention. They
looked happy, even joyful. The open and unashamed about it and their neighbors had
no complaints. The state courts had recognized both common-law marriages and man-assumming-the-role-of-spouse
(MARS)
marital relationships. The courts had established the marital and contractual nature
of long lasting relationships between and man and his mistress and between unmarried
couples living together, and even follow it up with Palimony legal cases when the
couples break up. So the state of California recognizes a variety of forms of informal
marriage, but does not guarantee them all the rights (insurance, inheritance etc.)
of formally married couples. So if even the state recognizes informal marital relationships, why not polyandry like in Hollywood?
#1. If a man is found [sexually] lying with a woman married to a husband, then they
shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall
put away evil from Israel. [De 22:22
]
#2. If, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress;
but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress,
though she has married another man.[ Romans 7:3.]
#3. And a man who commits adultery with a man's wife, who commits adultery with his
neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
[Le 20:10
]
Both the guys and the woman in that polyandrous relationship in Hollywood invited
me to join their family, to commit to them and to her maritally.
In light of #1. above, with her being "married" to her other men, if I would have
become sexually involved with her I would have been worthy of death according to
God's standards. In fact, according to #1 above, every time she was sexually involved
with any of her other "husbands" other than her first "husband", both she and her lover
were doing things worthy of death.
According to #2 above, her other husbands present, if she "married" me God would consider
her an adulteress because her prior husband still lives, and in this case, still
lives and is marital with her. Before God that would make me an adulterer. In fact, that would make all her other husbands but her first husband adulterers, and her
an adulteress when she is sexually intimate with them.
According to #3, if I would have had sexual intimacy her, already another man's wife,
whether or not he were my neighbor, I would have deserved death. Not only I, but
all of her other "husbands" except for her first present husband became deserving
of death by being sexually intimate with her. This means that polyandry is adultery,
the polyandrous woman and adulteress, and all her polyandrous men except for the
first are adulterers.
This appears to be God's roadblock on the path to polyandry. If she has a husband,
formally or informally, and then has sexually intimate relations, with or without
marital commitment, with another man---- then God calls her an adulteress and declares
that both she and her subsequent lovers are deserving of death. Why does God close the
door to polyandry for His children in such a serious and morbid manner? It goes
back to the double standard God has for men and women, starting with Adam and Eve.
Consider God's description of adultery and the distinction made between the rights
of the husband and the wife in 1 Corinth. 7:10,11,12.
ADULTERY DEFINED, A SURPRISE DOUBLE STANDARD!
Some say "The same laws apply to both male and female. This is an issue of nature,
not role. Therefore all are equal: male and female." Some Bible interpreters are
more zealous for unisex doctrines and practices than the bleeding heart liberals
who encourage unisex restroom and coed dorms. God made males and females very different
for a reason, and we miss the mark when we fail to recognize the differences He made
and instituted. Mary leave/divorces Elias. Some say that this forsaken Elias commits
adultery when he marries Sally but the Biblical definition of adultery in Matt. 5:32
and 19:6-9; Mark 10:1-11; Luke 16:18; 1 Thess. 4:4-6 and Romans 7:1-3 plainly states
the double standard in the definition of adultery. There really are different scriptural laws for men than for women governing marriage and remarriage, and there are different
scriptural laws for men than for women defining adultery.
Adultery for the woman:
1. "Whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery">144. The reason being
that she is still bound to him as wife.>145.
[Footnote: >144 Mat. 5:32; 19:9; Luke 16:18; except in the cases of 1 Cor. 7:12-15,39;
1 Tim. 5:14. >145. 1 Cor. 7:10, 11, 39; Romans 7:1-3. ]
2. The husband "causes her to commit adultery" when he divorces her for any reason
other than sexual immorality>146. The reason being that she is still bound to him
as wife.>147 In 1 Corinth. 7:5 we see that her husband "causes her to commit
adultery" because her husband is failing to meet her marital needs and the enemy of her
soul tempts in her burning need. (On the other hand: The wife is not said to cause
her husband to commit adultery when she divorces him for any other reason than sexual
immorality, probably because he is free to be a polygynist.)
[Footnote: >146. Matt. 5:32; 19:9. >147 1 Cor. 7:10, 11, 39; Romans 7:1-3.]
3. "And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.">148.
The adultery consists of both divorce AND remarriage. The reason being that she
is still bound to him as wife.>149.
[Footnotes:>148. Mark 10:12. >149. 1 Cor. 7:10, 11, 39; Romans 7:1-3.]
4. "if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress;
but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress,
though she has married another man.">150
[Footnote: >150. Romans 7:3.]
Adultery for the man:
1. "Whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery", obviously because she
still is bound to the husband from whom she is divorced.
[>.^151. Mat. 5:32; 19:9; except in the cases of 1 Cor. 7:12-15,39; 1 Tim. 5:14.]
2. "Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another,
commits adultery." The adultery consists of divorcing his wife for something else
besides sexual immorality AND then remarrying. If he stayed married to his wife
and married another, he became a polygynist. On the other hand, it is implied here that if
he divorces his wife for sexual immorality and marries another, he does not commit
adultery. His divorcing her does not cause her to commit adultery because she
is already immorally sexually involved with someone else. His refusal to meet her sexual
needs (1 Cor 7:2-5) does not cause her to be immoral because she is already being
immoral. He is commanded not to be intimate with her (1Cor.5:11) but his lack of
her intimacy will cause him to be tempted (1 Cor.7:5). If the temptations overcome him and
he is failing to control himself, burning with marital desire, he comes under command
to marry (1Cor.7:9) and so remarries in the Lord. [Footnote: >152. Matt 19: 9: Mark
10:11; Luke 16:18.152.]
3. "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.">153. "You shall not lie carnally
with your neighbor's wife">154. "For this is the will of God. . . ..that no one
should take advantage of and defraud/cheat his brother in this matter.">155. A
genuine Christian wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives and she becomes an adulteress
when she marries another while he still lives.
[Footnotes:>153. Exod. 20:17. >154. Leviticus18:20. >155. 1 Thess. 4:3-6.]
Adultery for the female is sexual intimacy with anyone else besides her own husband/mate.
Adultery for the male is when (1) he is married to a new wife and had left/rejected/divorced
his former wife in order to marry this new wife>99 . ; or (2) is sexually intimate with some one else's wife. It is this double standard that allowed Abraham,
Jacob, David and Joash to be godly polygamists, but declared a woman to be an adulteress
if she was intimate with anyone but her own mate. It is a double standard for the man and the woman, just like polygyny was/is a double standard for the man and
the woman. The same sin is defined differently for the woman and differently for
the man. See more on this below.
[Footnotes:>99 It is the combination of divorcing one's mate in order to marry another
and then marrying that other. If he both dutifully keeps his own wife and then marries
another woman, it is polygyny and not adultery. If the wife dutifully keeps her
own husband and marries another it is adultery (Romans 7:3) The double standard is
clearly laid out in Matt. 5:32 and 19:6-9; Mark 10:1-11; Luke 16:18; 1 Thess. 4:4-6
and Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinth. 7:39]
It is this double standard that results from the man being the designated the head
of the family (Gen 2; 1Cor. 11), that results in what appears to be another inequity.
In Mt. 5:32 Jesus apparently allows the genuinely believing husband to divorce
his wife because she is snared in sexual immorality. Not only is he allowed to divorce
her, he is allowed to remarry. If she is genuinely saved, she is still bound maritally
to him as wife before the Lord, even though she is snared in sex sin and Jesus hasn't finished his Mat. 18;15-18 & 1 Cor. 5:5-11 work with her yet. He remarries with
a free-in-the-Lord-to-marry genuinely believing woman and is now bound before the
Lord to two wives. If the one involved in sex sin survives 1 Cor . 5 and repents
according to 2 Cor. 2 & 7, he must accept her back as his wife along with his new wife, being
bound to both as long as he and they all live. But what about the genuinely saved
wife whose "believing" husband is involved in sex sin so she is commanded to separate
from and not be intimate with him.
Such a wife separates from him according to 1 Cor. 7:10,11 but after a while she finds
herself being tempted according to 1 Cor.7:5. Then she falls to the temptation and
is afraid she might fall to it again, finds herself maritally burning and under command be married and have marital sex (1Cor.7:5,9). Hopefully Jesus has finished his
1 Cor. 5:4,5-11 work and the guy has either died and his spirit is with the Lord,
if he were really saved, or he has repented according to 2 Cor 2 & 7 and is ready
to be reconciled to her. Or in the case of Matt. 18:15-18 she has learned that she is to
relate to him as an unsaved person, an unsaved person who no longer wants to live
with her, no longer wants her as his wife(1Cor7:13,15), so she is free from him and
free to obey the Lord and get married in the Lord.
Will God intervene in behalf of His fasting and praying but maritally burning and
sorely tempted daughter, who as wife is separated from her husband because of his
1 Cor. 5 sin, and because of that separation is burning with marital desire and sorely
tempted? If He took out the rich and unloving believers in 1 Cor. 11 for the shabby way
they stumbled and offended their poorer brethren in the celebration of the Lord's
supper, don't you think He will give her a 1 Cor. 10:13 out or make a quick end the
husband causing her the grief? The God who promised 1 Cor. 10:13 and Phil. 4:6,7,13,18,19
will not break those promises.
Let's look at some hypothetical examples. Elias was divorced/ rejected/abandoned
by Jane (with his never repudiating or rejecting Jane as wife) his new marriage to
free-to-marry Sally may violate no scripture, may not be what the Bible calls adultery
and may seem to put him in the Old Testament position of having and being bound to more
than one wife. I understand he would still be bound by the Lord to the saved wife
who left him.
But the way is narrow. If saved Jane leaves/divorces her saved Elias and marries
Harry, it is adultery as long as both Jane and Harry are married and Elias lives.
If saved Elias leaves/divorces saved Jane for Sally and marries saved Sally, it
is adultery as long as Jane lives and Elias and Sally are married and repudiating Jane. If
Elias's wife Sally is sexually intimate with someone else it is adultery. If Elias
is sexually intimate with Pete's lawful wife, it is adultery. If married Elias is
sexually intimate with single/ unmarried Susie who is playing the harlot (having sex without
being married), it is fornication>156 If American and legally married-to-Jane Elias
also legally marries free-to-marry Betty, it is a sin because Elias is under command>157 to obey the laws of the government authorities which forbids official/legal bigamy
and polygyny and he would have to live with the legal consequences.
[Footnotes:>156 (Ezekiel 16 and 23 and 1 Corinth. 6. >157 Romans 13; 1 Peter
2:12-14]
Mark 10 ; 1 Cor 7:10,11, 12, 13-15,39; and Rom 7 seem to state rather clearly that
a Christian marriage lasts and is binding on both as long as both live. That being
the case I often wondered why God gave the Christian wife the second best option
of departing and remaining unmarried and possibly being reconciled with her saved husband
later. The husband is given no such second best option. He must not leave his wife,
period! Because of spousal abuse I can understand why God would allow a wife to
separate herself while still bound to the abuser in marriage in order to allow the exercise
of church discipline>158 to have an effect. But what about that poor turkey of a
husband who is warned by God>159 that being deprived of his wife will result in Satanic
temptations to immorality and that he is explicitly forbidden to leave her, send her
away or ask her to leave>160. No qualifications or exceptions. Why the double standard?
See below.
[Footnotes:>158 (Matt 18 and l Cor 5). >159 (1 Cor. 7:1-5). >160 (Greek
of l Cor. 7:11,12 and Mark 10)]
The scriptures above make it plain that if Jane Dovany exercised her 1 Cor 7:11 repentance
option, having left/divorced Elias, and then Elias repudiated/ rejected Jane in order
to marry Sally, Elias's rejection/repudiation of Jane coupled with his marriage to Sally constitutes Biblical adultery. It would be adultery if saved Jane divorced/
rejected saved Elias and married Harry because Biblical adultery in the scriptures
above is saved Jane divorcing/ rejecting saved Elias and marrying some one else.
According to all of those scriptures, adultery for the male is either (1) the act of
marrying or being intimate with someone else's wife, (2) or the act of leaving one
wife and taking another wife. Adultery for the wife is having sexual intimacy with
anyone else except her husband to whom she is married for life. If you very carefully
examine those scriptures you will see that the Bible does not say it is adultery
for Elias to recognize AS WIFE his self-separated Jane and at the same time take
as wife another saved and free-to-marry (unbound/ unmarried) sister. See the discussion on polygyny.
Yes, that's right, there is a double standard going all the way back to Genesis.
It was not adultery for a married man to marry another woman free-to-marry under
the laws of God throughout the whole Old Testament. It was legal and divinely permitted
polygyny , if the scriptures are understood correctly. Under the same Word of God,
a woman who was sexually intimate with another besides her own husband was an adulteress.
The double standard started in Genesis 3:16, restated in 1 Corinth. 11 and 1 Timothy 2 appear to allow a godly man to be a polygamist but does not allow a godly woman
to be a polyandrist.
The woman's repentance option explains the "double standard" and apparent inequity
of 1 Corinthians 7:10,11 where it appears that the woman who has left her husband
has the repentance option of remaining single but the man must never leave his wife.
If a wife left her husband according to 1 Cor. 7:11, he would immediately be put in the
hazardous position of 1 Corinth 7:1-5, being tempted to sin because his wife will
not give him the marital sexual outlet since she is gone. It seemed to me to be quite
unfair that she could leave him and live unmarried, and he, knowing he is still bound
to her for life, has to struggle with the burning temptations predicted in 1 Corinth.
7:1-5, 9 with no legitimate sexual outlet.
Then I realized that 1 Corinth. 7:1-5 predicted his need of marital intimacy, how
Satan would use the wife's absence to tempt him, how marital intimacy is the prescription
to avoid Satan's temptations, and then the command in verse 9 plainly commands
the one to marry who is failing to have successful self-control>100 . Then I realized
that the polygyny option balanced the equation. The wife could leave her husband
and remain single and the husband who was still bound to such a departed wife seems
to have had a Biblical option of polygyny / concubinage, (depending on the laws of his
land) if he found himself tempted and burning as in 1 Cor. 7:5, 9,12. She could
leave and he could remarry becoming a polygamist and the inequity was gone. She
could separate and remain single, and he could remarry as long as he recognized that he was
still bound to his separated wife.
[Footnote: >100 See Appendix Six.]
Now consider the case where the wife, claiming to be a Christian, refuses for years
to obey 1 Cor. 7:1-5 with her saved husband and then finally leaves, abandons, rejects
,separates herself , and dismisses him from her presence. She doesn't care about
getting a formal divorce but feels free to date and get involved with another man.
Her abandoned husband is faced with the question, "Is she saved and is it a case
of 1 Cor. 7:11 & 39 or is she unsaved and is he free according to l Cor. 7:12 & 15?"
Her abandoned husband wants to do Matt. 18:15-17 to clarify the situation and get an answer
to his question but can find no Christian body willing to do the following:
MKJV MKJV 1 CORINTH. 5: . . . "I indeed have judged already [as though I were] present
[concerning] him who worked out this thing; 4 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when you are gathered together, with my spirit; also, with the power of our Lord
Jesus Christ; 5 to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so
that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. . . . 11 But now I have
written to you not to associate intimately, if any man called a brother [and is]
either a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner;
with such a one not to eat. 12 . . . Do you not judge those who are inside? 13
. . . Therefore put out from you the evil one."
MKJV MATTHEW 5:32* "But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except
for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry
her who is put away commits adultery."
MATTHEW 18: 15 "But if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him
his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
16 But if he will not hear [you], take one or two more with you, so that in [the]
mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect
to hear them, tell [it] to the church. But if he neglects to hear the church, let
him be to you as a heathen and a tax-
collector."
5:32*" But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause
of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is
put away commits adultery. . . ."
18 "Truly I say to you, Whatever you shall bind on earth shall occur, having been
bound in Heaven; and whatever you shall loose on earth shall occur, having been loosed
in Heaven."
This means he is unable to clarify the status of both himself and his departed wife.
He is unable to determine if she is unsaved and he is free to remarry>161, , or
if she is saved and he is bound maritally to her for life>162 So without sending
her away, dismissing , repudiating, leaving, releasing or separating himself from her,
he gets a legal divorce (on the grounds of irreconcilable differences) for state
and federal tax and inheritance purposes but reaffirms in writing to her what he
believes may be the binding nature of their relationship>163 .
[Footnotes>161 1 Cor. 7:12,13,14,15. >162 1 Cor. 7:10,11, 39; Mark 10;
Rom. 7:1-5. >163 (1 Cor. 7:39)]
So the divorce is only a legal recognition of the wife's departure and
unwillingness to be reconciled, while he still publicly recognizes the binding nature
of their relationship. Then he remarries another Christian because his burning
and his 1 Cor. 7:5 predicted failures to control himself bring him under the command
to marry in l Cor. 7:9,36 (NIV & Amplified "they should marry"),
1 Cor. 7:36 (NIV "They should get married);
1 Tim 5:14 (NIV "So I counsel younger widows to marry.."
Amplified "So I would have younger [widows] marry..") and
1 Thess 4:3-8 (NIV "that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way
that is holy and honorable . . ..") >101
[Footnote>101 Please see Appendix Six; NIV , NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. ]
He has entered the realm of American polygyny . Legally divorced and remarried but
openly acknowledging his marital ties to two "sisters-in-Christ", he is an American
polygamist. The departed wife could remarry in adultery or remain single the rest
of her life while he continues in his new marriage. If she repents and opts for reconciliation
after he has married again, all of her rights and privileges as in 1 Cor. 7:1-5
& 39 are in force and the husband faces the complex dilemma described next. How
do you have two wives in America where it is illegal to officially and "legally" have
more than one wife of official public record with tax and inheritance rights granted
and protected by the government? Please see the discussion of polygyny in chapter
4.
I understand a Christian elder to state that it is inadequate to prescribe polygamy
as a treatment for the problem of adultery, because polygamy facilitates stepping
into adultery. Apparently he maintains that polygamous wives are often driven to
adultery by the sinful neglect)>23 of their husbands, and may have to bribe their husbands
away from their other wives, resulting in very unsatisfying sexual relations for
the wives.>63. First of all, God is the only real antidote against adultery, because
He tells us that even in monogyny spousal neglect can result in temptations to adultery>24
. Secondly, whether it be the "inclusive sex-partnership" of polygyny or the exclusive
sex-partnership of monogyny, the step to adultery depends entirely on the individual's relationship to Jesus, obedience to Jesus and level of commitment to both
Jesus and the marriage. Surveys show that monogamous America today steps easily
and frequently to adultery. Lastly, if the polygynist husband was obeying Jesus by
having his own wives >25 , defrauding none of them>26 , loving them and laying down his life
for them>27 , showing no favoritism or partiality in his behavior towards them>28
, by simply walking in the Spirit his family would be very unlikely to experience
the problem described above by a Christian elder.
[Footnotes:>23 (1 Cor. 7:2-5. {>63. Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME. . .. P. 31ff.
>24 (1 Cor. 7:1-5). >25 (1Cor.7:1-4). >26 (1Cor.7:5). >27
(Eph. 5). >28 (1Tim5:20,21)]
DOES GOD PROMOTE AND ADVOCATE AN INFERIOR STATUS AND ROLE FOR WOMEN?
Are polygyny and concubinage a form of female abuse? Without even discussing cases
like that of OJ Simpson's, there is a very well documented serious and growing problem
of spousal abuse in monogamous America. There is still an internationally known
serious and abiding problem of males killing their wives either to free them so they
can get the dowry of a new wife, or just because they don't love their wives, in
India where open polygyny has been illegal for some time. You will find spousal
abuse in every form of marriage known to and practiced by humans because their sinful nature>3
or because of the involvement of evil spiritual beings>4. The problem is not the
social form of the marriage. The problem is in the humans who exercise that social
form of marriage. Mates will abuse mates whether it be polygyny or monogyny.
[Footnote: >3 Rom 3:23. >4 Eph. 2:1,2; 6:12.]
Does it denote inferiority on the part of the woman? There is nothing in the Bible
that says women are inferior to men. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither
bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.">5 What does it mean to be in Christ Jesus? "But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great Love with which he Loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has made
us alive together with Christ . . . and has raised [us] up together, and made [us]
sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus . . . for through Him we both have access
by one Spirit to the Father." >6 In terms of what is real, spiritually right now
we who are His children have a presence in His very presence right now where sex
is totally irrelevant and inconsequential. "Therefore, from now on, we know no one according
to the flesh. . .">7 Our sexuality is not a legitimate basis for knowing each
other or relating to each other. Our sexuality is like a temporary "uniform" we
wear during a short period of our eternal life with God, or like an instrument we temporarily
play in God's orchestra.
[Footnote: >5 Gal 3:28. >6 Ephes. 2:1-18. >7 2 Cor. 5:16]
Our Father decided>8 which of us would wear female "uniforms" and which would wear
male "uniforms", which of us would play female instruments and which of us would
play male instruments during our pilgrimage on earth. As the Grand Conductor of
his orchestra, He decides where we should be and when we should play our "instrument" or wear
our "uniform". All are uniformed musicians in God's orchestra and all are musicians
with an instrument to play. There are varying degrees of skill and varying degrees
of importance in His orchestra>9 We know that everyone in the orchestra must be harmonious
and unified in their effort because it takes only one musician to make one sour note
to mess up the performance, so clearly all are important and are all under the command of the Conductor.
[Footnote: >8 Eph. 1:11; Rom. 8:28. >9 Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12.]
For some of us life means we are males, for some of us life means we are females,
all under the same Conductor. His males and His females must be harmonious and
unified in their effort because it only take one member to be grieved for the whole
Body of Christ to be hurting>10 . The females' part in the symphony of life is spelled
out in Bible passages>11 and the males' part in the symphony of life is spelled
out in Bible passages>12. They are not the same parts, but under the grand Conductor
the parts can and should be harmonious and unified, blending to produce a wonderful work
for the benefit of all.
[Footnote: >10 Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:26,27. >11 Gen. 2; 1 Cor. 11:1-16; 14:34,35,36;
Ephes. 5; 1 Tim. 2 & 5 and Titus 2. >12 Gen. 2; 1 Cor. 11:1-16; Eph. 5; 1
Tim 3 & 5; Titus 1 & 2.]
If that means the Conductor wants the male to play the lead violin and the female
to play the lead viola in a duet (marriage), then He knows best and can draw out
of us in that relationship beautiful harmonies for the delight and benefit of all.
The female is not inferior to the male, but while they are male and female, He has laid
down some rules how we are to relate in His Church when we assemble in one place,
and He has laid down some rules when we come together in marriage/sex. If we Love
Him, we will obey His rules in those settings>13 . If we love Him, we will compassionately
cherish each other, male and female, in obedience to Him. Sacrificial and self-denying
compassionate cherishing results in no victims, not tyrants, no dictators, no slaves and no abuse. It means seeking the best for the object of such Love and cooperating
with them to achieve that best.
[Footnote: >13 John 14:15, 21; 1 John 2:1-5; Heb. 5:8,9]
Do polygyny and concubinage unfairly or unjustly give a male the advantage over his
women? The husband is still commanded to live wisely and respectfully>14 with his
wife and we know that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord resulting in
obedience to the Lord>15 . The husband is still commanded to compassionately cherish
his wife as Christ compassionately cherishes the Church. The advantage over women?
It sounds more like the male is given additional and solemn responsibilities for
the loving of his woman.
[Footnote: >14 1 Peter 3:7. >15 Psalm 19:9; Prov. 1:7; Hebrews 5:6,7,8,9;
Prov. 4:20-22]
I submit to you that, as most Christian messengers have said, monogyny is the ideal
and preferable form of marriage for most people. Most of us do not live in an ideal
and preferred world. Most of us do not have first class tickets for the trip of
life. Most of the Christian leaders told us that our ancestors were wrong in their practice
of polygyny, so most of us stopped practicing it. In this document I submit that,
for us who find ourselves in such a less than perfect world, we need to know our
options and know them better. I try to show in this paper, that polygyny and concubinage
are options available to followers of Christ today, that polygyny and concubinage
are neither sinful nor displeasing to God, that polygyny or concubinage may be God's
ideal/best for you, and that there is a way for the godly in Christ Jesus to live in
polygyny or concubinage that today is acceptable to God and allowed by society.
As with any controversial thing>16 in life, one must search out the will of God
in the matter and, with His wisdom and enabling, walk in it as He leads and provides. Hopefully
this paper will help you move in that direction, if it is His will.
[Footnote: >16 Romans 14]
Mt 5:27
You have heard that it was said to the ancients, "You shall not commit adultery
."
Mt 5:28
But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed
adultery
with her in his heart.
Mt 5:32
But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication,
causes her to commit adultery
. And whoever shall marry her who is put away commits adultery
.
Mt 19:9
And I say to you, Whoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall
marry another, commits adultery
; and whoever marries her [who is] put away commits adultery
.
Mt 19:18
He said to Him, Which? Jesus said, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery
, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness,
Mr 10:11
And He said to them, Whoever shall put away his wife and marries another commits
adultery
against her.
Mr 10:12
And if a woman shall put away her husband and marries to another, she commits adultery
.
Mr 10:19
You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery
, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your
father and your mother.
Lu 16:18
Everyone putting away his wife and marrying another commits adultery
; and everyone marrying her who is put away from [her] husband commits adultery
.
Lu 18:20
You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery
, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your
mother.
Joh 8:3
And the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman taken in adultery
. And standing her in the midst,
Joh 8:4
they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was taken in adultery
, in the very act.
Ro 2:22
The [one] saying not to commit adultery
, do you commit adultery
? The [one] detesting idols, do you rob temples?
Ro 13:9
For: "Do not commit adultery
; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not lust;" and if [there
is] any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, "You shall love your neighbor
as yourself."
Ga 5:19
Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery
, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings,
jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
21 envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit
the kingdom of God.
Jas 2:11
For He who said, "Do not commit adultery
," also said, "Do not murder." But if you do not commit adultery
, yet if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
2Pe 2:14
having eyes full of adultery
and never ceasing from sin, alluring unstable souls, having a heart exercised [with]
covetousness. [They are] cursed children
Re 2:22
Behold, I am throwing her into a bed, and those who commit adultery
with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their deeds.