Don't Touch

1 Corinthians 7:1-2 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

Proverbs 6:29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

1 Corinthians 7:1 is probably one of the most unpopular verses in all the Bible, at least for Christian young people. But as we consider its admonition, we must remember that God’s commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:3) and for our good (Deuteronomy 13:10). The Lord isn’t looking to restrain us and hold us back from anything good, He wants to protect us that which is hurtful and bless us with something better.

What I want to do is give you 2 reasons from these 2 verses of scripture, if you’re a young person in any type of a dating or courtship or “just friends” relationship, why you ought to adopt a hands-off policy.

1. To avoid fornication.

To ensure the continuance of the species, God created the man and the woman with certain natural drives and impulses. There is nothing wrong with how we are created. There is nothing sinful about the inborn desires of the man or the woman. Within the context of the marriage relationship, the exercise of those drives is said to be an honorable thing. But any who take part in physical activity outside the boundaries God has established are promised sure and certain judgment (Hebrews 13:4).

Now, in order to abstain from fornication, according to the will of God (1 Thessalonians 4:7), the Christian is instructed to FLEE fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18). Not to get as close to it as we can but to run as far as we can as fast as we can in the other direction.

What that means is that if we don’t want to get burned (1 Corinthians 7:9), we shouldn’t ignite the fire.

Proverbs 6 says it this way, Proverbs 6:27-29 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

Young person, if you want to be pure, the surest way to do it is to stay off the road that leads to defilement. Don’t trust your flesh (Philippians 3:3). Don’t give it any opportunities (Romans 14:13). Don’t touch.

2. To avoid presumption.

Whether you actually marry the person you’re in a relationship with or not, it would be wrong to act like you’re married before you actually are, right? But 1 Corinthians 7 and Proverbs 6 also ask you to consider the fact that you might NOT marry that person. In fact, that person may very well be someone else’s (future) spouse.

…let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

…his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

It would be wrong for another man to hold my wife’s hand – because she is MY wife. It would be wrong for another woman to wrap her arms around me – because I’m LAUREN’S husband. You say that’s obvious. And you’re right. But what I want to know is why it’s different before you get married.

What I am saying is that when a young man takes the liberty of giving his girlfriend a good night peck, chances are, he’s kissing somebody else’s wife. And that’s just not right.

The best thing you can do if you’re in a relationship with somebody and you’re trying to figure out if that guy is really someone the Lord would have you to marry or if that girl is really someone you want to spend the rest of your life with (which is the only reason to be in what you might call a serious guy-girl relationship), is to treat that person like someone else’s spouse. To treat that person in such a way that their future spouse (if it’s not you) would thank you for it.

The Voice of Conscience II

Nehemiah 2:12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

Nehemiah 7:5 And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein,

About the time I came across these verses in my Bible reading and started thinking about what I wrote in the last post, I experienced some sort of a real live illustration of these principles.

The trip from Florida to Maryland for my grandfather’s funeral was just over 800 miles. Lauren and I left on a Wednesday night after Bible study so we made a hotel reservation as far down the road as we thought we could make it so we could get a little rest but still make it to MD fairly early on Thursday afternoon. We didn’t pull out until 8:30 and didn’t figure on getting to our hotel until about 4:00.

Driving up US 1 on our way to I-95 North, I had a short, silent argument with myself about the relationship between the speed limit and that verse in the NT that says to “obey every ordinance of man.” After only a couple minutes, I was able to dismiss the whole thing and kept cruising down the highway. Then I got to Kingsland, GA, and I wished that I had paid a little more attention to what the Lord put on my heart.

Apparently, Kingsland, GA is a little short on revenue. Fortunately (for them), I-95 runs right through the city limits. You can probably tell where this is headed. I had never had a traffic ticket…until I came through Kingsland at __ mph that night. I didn’t realize how far away the policeman’s radar gun would take a reading. I didn’t notice him until he set his blue lights to spinning, and that was well before I made it to him. It took a little while to be sure he was after me, but when he pulled me over, I really had no excuse. Being on my way to my grandfather’s funeral really had nothing to do with how fast I was driving. It had more to do with the fact that I was trying to make it to NC in time to get some sleep…or that Lauren and I were talking and I wasn’t paying attention to the speed…or that it’s more fun to drive fast…OR that I had earlier ignored the voice of conscience. None of which would have mattered to the kind Kingsland, GA cop. So I didn’t bother him with it.

You’d rather not learn the hard way because it always cost you something, but I guess the things you learn the hard way have a little better chance of sticking. And the moral of this story, don’t ignore the Holy Spirit when He brings something to your remembrance or puts something on your heart. He might be doing you a favor.

The Voice of Conscience

Nehemiah 2:12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

Nehemiah 7:5 And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein,

The statement I’m about to make will probably come as a shock to about 99.99% of modern American “Christians.” God doesn’t talk to you. The voices you hear in your head, don’t make the mistake of thinking that’s God speaking to you. God has said all that He has to say and all that He needs to say, and He recorded it and preserved it in a book called the Holy Bible. So don’t follow your inner voice, follow the scripture. Don’t always let your conscience be your guide (sorry, Jiminy), let God’s word be your guide (Psalm 119:105).

Having said that, it is the job of the Holy Spirit to “bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit will use the word of God to work on our conscience and direct us away from sin and toward the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will use the scripture to guide us in the paths of righteousness and direct our service to the Lord.

Nehemiah is an OT example of such a case. The Bible records that the Lord had put on his heart to build a wall at Jerusalem (2:12) and to reckon the genealogy of the people (7:5). Today, the Lord is active in putting ministries and mission fields and service opportunities on the hearts of those who are interested and active in promoting the cause of Jesus Christ.

Two scriptures come to mind. James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Proverbs 3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

There are many clear commands in scripture, and I don’t have to wait for any moving of God in my heart to know how I ought to act. I don’t drink beer and smoke cigarettes and excuse it by saying that God didn’t say I couldn’t because there are verses in the Bible that would prohibit me from partaking in those vices. I don’t wait for a moving of God in my heart to witness because the Bible says to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). The sower sows the seed on all types of ground (Mark 4:14-20).

But in those instances when God does put something on our hearts – to call a brother, to pray for a missionary, to give that clerk a gospel tract, to respond to a message, to pursue a ministry – let’s be sure to act and to act quickly.

Don’t mistake your inner voice for the voice of God. But don’t discount the role of the Holy Spirit, either. Amen.

Granddad's Hope, and Mine

My granddad (Roger Hall) had a massive heart attack on Monday, May 31. He passed away on Friday, June 4. Lauren and I were able to make the trip for the funeral. Had the opportunity to give the gospel to those in attendance. Just wanted to pass along some of my notes in hopes that it will be a blessing.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

I’d like to call your attention to the phrase at the end of verse 13, “that ye sorrow not, even as others, which have no hope.”

The scripture does not say that we do not sorrow, because we do. But the sorry that I feel today is a sorrow that is mixed with hope. What makes my sorrow a hopeful sorrow is my knowledge of the fact that the goodbye I’ll say today is not a forever goodbye. For me and my Granddad and all who have this hope, death is only a temporary separation.

Now, when the Bible speaks of hope it’s not referring to a wish or desire with some chance of coming to pass, but rather a certain expectation of a future event. I don’t hope that I’ll see my Granddad again in that it might happen or it might not happen, but my hope is that I’ll see him again in that I know it will take place.

What gives me this hope is not that my Granddad was a religious man, because to tell the truth, he wasn’t. If he was religious about anything it was his hunting and his grandkids. What gives me this hope is not that my Granddad was a good man, though he was as good as they come.

What gives me hope of a future, eternal reunion is the fact that my Granddad, as good a man as he was, realized that he was a sinner who needed a Savior and believed that the Jesus Christ who died and rose again was the only one who could save him from his sin and its eternal penalty.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Not because my Granddad was a religious man, in fact, he wasn’t; not because my Granddad was a good man, though he was; but because my Granddad trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of his soul, I stand before you fully confident that the moment he drew his last breath, he opened his eyes in the glorious presence of Almighty God.

Today my sorrow is mixed with hope because I have trusted the Savior my Granddad trusted, and I know the two of us will be together with Him one day.

My hope and my Granddad’s hope is that you, too, will join us.