Many people who label themselves Christians do not even understand the faith they claim to profess. Yes, they may understand the religion, however, Yeshua Hamashiach (the real Name of the Man also known as Jesus Christ) did not establish a religion. He established a faith.
Religion is the outward things that we do in a futile attempt to reach out to God. Faith is an inward connection that we have with God, devoid of any form of religion. That is why Scripture says “God has dealt to each man a measure of faith”-Romans 12:3.
If you are not careful, you can go through life growing in religiosity and think you are growing in faith and Godliness. Prayers, fasting, church attendance, prophesying, and miracles are all signs of religion. Loving God to the best of your ability, and loving your neighbour as yourself is a sign of Godliness.
Why do I say this? In the light of actor Yul Edochie’s second marriage, I was asked a question about polygamy by a very prominent Nigerian, who also happens to be a gubernatorial candidate, and I responded. And all hell broke lose.
Scripture does not condemn polygamy at all. There is no argument about it. What Scripture advises against is for Bishops and elders to be monogamous. We see this in 1 Timothy 3:2. However, this does not apply to the laity.
Yes, there are many people, usually lay people, who try to give their own interpretations or draw their own conclusions, which they then try to pass off as God’s instructions. But the truth, as theologians will tell you, is that Scripture does not condemn polygamy.
In fact, quite the opposite. Scripture approves of polygamy. The word of God does not encourage it or discourage it. It does, however, make room for it.
Scripture is crystal clear that God Himself gave David many wives. We see this in 2 Samuel 12:8. Abraham, Jacob, and many Godly men were polygamists, and it was a regular way of life in Scripture. For instance, Samuel’s father, Elkanah, was a polygamists-1 Samuel 1:2.
That is why Moses made multiple laws guiding polygamy, including in Exodus 21:10.
Many people who label themselves Christians do not even understand the faith they claim to profess. Yes, they may understand the religion, however, Yeshua Hamashiach (the real Name of the Man also known as Jesus Christ) did not establish a religion. He established a faith.
Religion is the outward things that we do in a futile attempt to reach out to God. Faith is an inward connection that we have with God, devoid of any form of religion. That is why Scripture says “God has dealt to each man a measure of faith”-Romans 12:3.
If you are not careful, you can go through life growing in religiosity and think you are growing in faith and Godliness. Prayers, fasting, church attendance, prophesying, and miracles are all signs of religion. Loving God to the best of your ability, and loving your neighbour as yourself is a sign of Godliness.
Why do I say this? In the light of actor Yul Edochie’s second marriage, I was asked a question about polygamy by a very prominent Nigerian, who also happens to be a gubernatorial candidate, and I responded. And all hell broke lose.
Scripture does not condemn polygamy at all. There is no argument about it. What Scripture advises against is for Bishops and elders to be monogamous. We see this in 1 Timothy 3:2. However, this does not apply to the laity.
Yes, there are many people, usually lay people, who try to give their own interpretations or draw their own conclusions, which they then try to pass off as God’s instructions. But the truth, as theologians will tell you, is that Scripture does not condemn polygamy.
In fact, quite the opposite. Scripture approves of polygamy. The word of God does not encourage it or discourage it. It does, however, make room for it.
Scripture is crystal clear that God Himself gave David many wives. We see this in 2 Samuel 12:8. Abraham, Jacob, and many Godly men were polygamists, and it was a regular way of life in Scripture. For instance, Samuel’s father, Elkanah, was a polygamists-1 Samuel 1:2.
READ ALSO: YUL EDOCHIE: Polygamy better than adultery; monogamy’s western culture — Reno Omokri
That is why Moses made multiple laws guiding polygamy, including in Exodus 21:10.
There are a number of people who responded to my answer to Mr. Uche Chuta, who it was that asked me the question, by saying that we are living under grace and not under law.
I mean that is just religious gobbledygook. Scripture does not say that. Rather, it is the people who say that that are their own Scripture. These are things that they heard in a church denomination and they have now accepted these dogmas as Scripture, instead of being like the Berean Christians of Acts 17:11 and searching the Scriptures themselves.
One knowledgeable fellow named Ikechi sent me a DM on Twitter and quoted Matthew 19:4-8 and said “Jesus already clarified situations like these” and that Christ was clearly against polygamy. I noticed that many other people jumped on to that bandwagon.
Matthew 19:4-8 is actually about divorce and not about polygamy or monogamy! What people who use these verses to condemn polygamy have done is to interpret Christ’s words to suit their biases. And this is a very common practice in modern Pentecostal Christianity.
What Christ said in those verses is as follows:
“Have ye not read that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female.
And said, for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh.
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.
They say unto him, why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.”
You can see clearly that Christ here is talking only about the issue of divorce. However, these people have taken “shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh” and interpreted it as being a command against polygamy.
But that is not what Christ said and it is very, very dangerous to add or subtract from Scripture.
To take that Scripture out of context, and then use it to justify a personal bias towards monogamy, which is actually a Western construct has Scriptural issues.
First of all, we see in 2 Samuel 12:8 that God Himself, gave David multiple wives. Are we now saying that God did wrong? That verse is very clear. To those who have not read it, it says:
“I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives.”
How do you reconcile that verse with that interpretation of Christ’s words?
Secondly, that same Scripture (Christ was quoting Genesis 2:24) was used in describing what happens when a man sleeps with a commercial sex worker. We see that in 1 Corinthians 6:16:
“Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
Now, by sleeping with a commercial sex worker, do you become one with her by marriage? Of course not!
Someone emailed me and said “we are not under the law” and he cited Romans 6:14, which says:
“Sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.”
Now, that is another manipulation of Scripture to suit personal bias.
In that chapter (Romans 6), Paul was not saying that believers in Christ do not have to be guided by the Old Testament.
That chapter (please read it for yourself) is not talking about abandoning the law or the Old Testament. It is talking about sin, and how because Christ died for our sins, we are not under the bondage of Old Testament laws that make us sinners and require us to offer animal sacrifices.
 |
| Capital Honey Shampoo RENEWING & REVITALIZING SET – Complete Set Infuses Hair With Intense Moisture to Reduce Dry, Dull Appearance & Revitalize Shine & TextureWASHES away, to order Call for your order 0802 224 1518 |
Paul is saying that because Christ died for our sins, we have grace and we are not obligated to perform any more sacrifices, as the ancients Israelites did (the High Priest had to kill a red heifer as a sacrifice for sin-Hebrews 9:13).
That verse does not make the Old Testament obsolete. It only makes the Temple sacrifices for sins obsolete.
Even Christ Himself said in Matthew 5:17 as follows:
“I have not come to destroy the law. I have come to fulfil it.”
When you take Scripture out of context, that Scripture becomes a pretext.
These people who try to say polygamy belongs in the Old Testament will themselves collect tithes and find a way to justify it. Tithes are part of the law. Why do they not stop taking tithes because we are not under the law, but we are under grace?
Many of them are very manipulative with Scripture and will say Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, so tithes existed before the law. Well, Abraham was also a polygamist. So using their own interpretation, polygamy existed before the law!
You see, once it touches their money, their eyes will be clear, very quickly!
Of course, a lot of women will support people who reason this way, and their support mostly, but not always, has nothing to do with religion or Scripture.
These women do not want polygamy, and they will do, say and believe anything that supports their desire. It is about self interest. They want to be the only one in their husband’s lives, and it is understandable.
One lady actually read my response to Mr. Chuta, which was supported by Scripture, and accused me of being an anti Christ and said “thank God I am safe under the ministry of Pastor Kumuyi.”
Me, a man that backed up EVERYTHING I assure with Scripture is an anti Christ, but she who basis her Christianity on the fact that she is under the banner of a fellow human being like her, is Christlike.
No wonder Scripture in Romans 1:25 warns us of people “who worship the creature more than the Creator”.
As I said in the beginning of this piece, you can spend your entire life growing in religion, and think you are growing in faith and Godliness.
Finally, let me warn my readers that there are people who would read this and will disagree and accuse me of being an anti Christ, because I have just punctured their dogma (belief of their church). Ask them to counter what I have written with Scripture and they cannot.
Reno Omokri
Gospeller. Business Insider Magazine’s Business Influencer or the Year, 2022. Deep Thinker. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Avid traveller. Hollywood Magazine Film Festival Humanitarian of the Year, 201
No comments:
Post a Comment