The Bible vs Your Heart/Head

To people of faith who use the Bible as The guiding influence in your life: Have there been experiences in your own life that contradict what you read in the Bible?

Let me give an example. I knew a man once who had had a number of affairs which directly go against the commandment not to commit adultery. Yet, he found his wife incredibly oppressive and cold and near the end of his life very sadistic. The only time he really felt blessed and joyful about life was screwing other women.

Originally posted by kirksey957
To people of faith who use the Bible as The guiding influence in your life: Have there been experiences in your own life that contradict what you read in the Bible?

Let me give an example. I knew a man once who had had a number of affairs which directly go against the commandment not to commit adultery. Yet, he found his wife incredibly oppressive a ...[text shortened]... sadistic. The only time he really felt blessed and joyful about life was screwing other women.

I'd say that man was more miserable in the second state than he was in the first. He was on a frantic search for happiness which yielded more frantic-ness and less happiness than imaginable.

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
I'd say that man was more miserable in the second state than he was in the first. He was on a frantic search for happiness which yielded more frantic-ness and less happiness than imaginable.

I disagree.

Originally posted by kirksey957
I disagree.

Apparently I was reading into your post. I assumed the man was a believer. My bad. Since not, he probably got just what he was looking for.

Originally posted by kirksey957
To people of faith who use the Bible as The guiding influence in your life: Have there been experiences in your own life that contradict what you read in the Bible?

Let me give an example. I knew a man once who had had a number of affairs which directly go against the commandment not to commit adultery. Yet, he found his wife incredibly oppressive a ...[text shortened]... sadistic. The only time he really felt blessed and joyful about life was screwing other women.

There is no doubt that sinful behavoir has an element of pleasure in it. Otherwise no one would have a reason to choose it. Hebrews 11:24-25 comes to mind. It talks about how Moses chose to walk by faith by refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Instead he chose to be called the son of a Hebrew slave which caused him to suffer affliction for a season. You see he had the option of either chosing pleasure over pain, but only for a season. Once the season was over, there was a reward for either path he decided to choose. He chose the reward of life over temperal pleasures that would have led him ultimately to his death. Today Moses not only has eternal life but is now a forever remembered and a revered historical figure rather than having faded into obscurity like your average Joe Shmoe.

For me it is sort of like deciding to go to college. Sure its hard to study and go to classes and pay all that money to go. It would be preferable to party every night instead of study every night and not go to classes. I dare say it would even make you a happier person if you chose not to attend classes and so forth. However, there is a reward for either path. The real question should be which reward is preferable in the end?

Originally posted by kirksey957
To people of faith who use the Bible as The guiding influence in your life: Have there been experiences in your own life that contradict what you read in the Bible?

Let me give an example. I knew a man once who had had a number of affairs which directly go against the commandment not to commit adultery. Yet, he found his wife incredibly oppressive a ...[text shortened]... sadistic. The only time he really felt blessed and joyful about life was screwing other women.

Well, people have free will, and using their free will, they can choose hurting others.

His wife chose to be "incredibly oppressive and cold and near the end of his life very sadistic" which is wrong.

He used his free will and chose adultery.

Life is not easy and we all suffer, Christians or not.

Paul for example suffered a lot:

II Corinthians 11
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep;
26 in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

Jesus is our greatest example regarding undeserved suffering.

Take care

OK, I will offer a judgment on this topic. It appears to me that when a topic is uncomfortable, the posters resort to Bible passages that do not get at the question we are asking. Can you be a little more personal in terms of having had experiences where God may have been telling you something different than what you read in the Bible.

Originally posted by kirksey957
OK, I will offer a judgment on this topic. It appears to me that when a topic is uncomfortable, the posters resort to Bible passages that do not get at the question we are asking. Can you be a little more personal in terms of having had experiences where God may have been telling you something different than what you read in the Bible.

You brought up a case in which a husband was suffering, so, he chose to indulge in adultery in order to get some comfort.

The point is, just because someone makes us suffer, to feel "blessed and joyful about life", we cannot go and break God's principles.

As whodey wrote: "The real question should be which reward is preferable in the end?"

Regards

Originally posted by xpoferens
You brought up a case in which a husband was suffering, so, he chose to indulge in adultery in order to get some comfort.

The point is, just because someone makes us suffer, to feel "blessed and joyful about life", we cannot go and break God's principles.

As whodey wrote: "The real question should be which reward is preferable in the end?"

Regards

If the real question is "Which reward is preferable in the end?" that 's an easy answer for me. It would be the affairs in which he felt more joyful and alive.

I should probably mention the nature of his wife's sadistic behavior. As he was dying and unable to get out of his bed, she would play tapes nonstop of fundamentlist preachers yelling about adulterers going to hell. She would play these at a high volume and he obviously had no ability to turn it off. She was a fine outstanding church lady who went to Bible study 5 days a week. No self-respecting whore would have ever treated a man like this.

Originally posted by kirksey957
If the real question is "Which reward is preferable in the end?" that 's an easy answer for me. It would be the affairs in which he felt more joyful and alive.

I should probably mention the nature of his wife's sadistic behavior. As he was dying and unable to get out of his bed, she would play tapes nonstop of fundamentlist preachers yelling about a ...[text shortened]... ble study 5 days a week. No self-respecting whore would have ever treated a man like this.

From a true Christian point of view, that would be the wrong answer.
We have to look to what is beyond this life.

You can say, "well, but the husband was not a Christian".

Well, God's principles apply to him to. He knew about Jesus, he should have repented.

Acts 17: 30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent:

John 16:33 These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

This last verse addresses suffering and perseverance.

Regards

Originally posted by xpoferens
From a true Christian point of view, that would be the wrong answer.
We have to look to what is beyond this life.

You can say, "well, but the husband was not a Christian".

Well, God's principles apply to him to. He knew about Jesus, he should have repented.

Acts 17: 30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men tha ...[text shortened]... have overcome the world.

This last verse addresses suffering and perseverance.

Regards

He was a Christian. He had repented. Reflecting back on these experiences he wondered if God had sent him a precious gift in these women.

Originally posted by kirksey957
He was a Christian. He had repented. Reflecting back on these experiences he wondered if God had sent him a precious gift in these women.

Oh come on! 🙂

Originally posted by xpoferens
Oh come on! 🙂

Why do you limit the Holy Spirit?

Originally posted by kirksey957
Why do you limit the Holy Spirit?

God wouldn't send him a gift that His own Sanctity condemns.

1 Cor. 10
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

James 1:12 - Blessed [is] the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

I wonder if he repented from his adultery before he died.

Ecclesiastes 12
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.

Regards

Originally posted by kirksey957
[b]If the real question is "Which reward is preferable in the end?" that 's an easy answer for me. It would be the affairs in which he felt more joyful and alive.

My question to you is, who do ya love? I must drag out yet another dreaded scripture. 1 John 5:3 says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his ciommandments and his commandments are not burdensome." If you love someone such as your wife, you will do what you know pleases her. It may be difficult, but it is not burdensome. If you do not love your wife, you will care less what pleases her and you will seek your own will above her will.

I am almost compelled to provide you with another dreaded scripture. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirity, which are God's"

I am almost certain that this is not the response you had wished to recieve but it is one I felt I should give. If you love pleasure more than you love God you will seek pleasure above seeking God. It all boils down to what you love the most. What you love the most is what you will pursue above all else. Is it pleasing yourself or pleasing your your God? I acknowledge the fact that the woman in your previous example is dispicable. However, her actions should never be blamed for his actions. The husband is accountable for his own actions and his own relationship with his creator despite the horrible way in which he may have been treated.

I would like to provide you with a little story of my own. A woman was married to a devout atheist who hated any and all religions. He often was emotionally abusive towards his wife and had problems with alcoholism. One day, however, the wife became a Chrsitian and told her husband about her conversion. He naturally became enraged and he told her she was never to attend church or hang around her other Christian friends again. She then had a choice, she could either please him or please her God. She chose the later and returned to church anyway. When she returned home she found that the door had been dead bolted and she was locked out of her house. Her friend had dropped her off from church and she had no where to go since they lived out in the country. She did not pound on the door or throw a fit. Instead she laid down and spent the night where she lay. In the morning the husband discovered his wife on the porch tired and cold. As she awoke he just stood there and stared out her coldly. She then smiled at him and said good morning lovingly and then walked passed him into the kitchen. She then proceeded to make him his favorite breakfast and handed it to him with a smile. The man was so overcome with guilt that he broke down and wept and later converted to Chrisitianity. They then for the first time began to experience a loving relationship with each other that lasted the rest of their years and they died old and happy together.

Which story do you find the most compelling? Which outcome was the best?