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Refraining from Sex - Advice please!

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    #182
    Hannah2011
    Registered Users Posts: 41 ✭Hannah2011


    Hey OP...

    I guess this has seriously diversed from your original question - but I wanted to give you some encouragement on how awesome it is that you are developing your relationship with God. I was in a similar situation, in a relationship with an amazing guy and was having sex when I became a christian and ultimately just felt uncomfortable about it.

    I was having a near heart failure bringing up the subject with my boyfriend because he isn't in church and I knew would not be so keen on limiting our sex life. But - I knew that I wouldn't be happy carrying on, so I bit the bullet and told him - no more sex. He went absoloutely mental, we had a monster falling out and he finished, mainly citing that I had become a crazy bible basher and was clearly the newest member of a cult. But six weeks later he turned up and said he'd made a mistake and he loved me so we ultimately worked it out.

    All this very long windedly to say...unless you have that relationship with God it's very hard to describe to others so I think you already know what you need to do. Believe that God has his very best for you and if you are going to trust in him with the big things you have to trust in him with everything.


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    #183
    HamletOrHecuba
    Registered Users Posts: 676 ✭✭✭HamletOrHecuba


    Festus wrote: »
    Do you take the Bible literally?

    Define taking the Bible literally?

    Obviously no I dont; some of the Bible is meant to be taken literally, some is meant symbolically.

    Obviously also for Christians on an intellectual level the Bible is the most direct revelation from God that we have and so it has immense authority and importance.


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    #184
    MrStuffins
    Registered Users Posts: 19,166 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    HamletOrHecuba wrote: »
    Define taking the Bible literally?

    Obviously no I dont; some of the Bible is meant to be taken literally, some is meant symbolically.

    Obviously also for Christians on an intellectual level the Bible is the most direct revelation from God that we have and so it has immense authority and importance.

    Handy that eh?
    How, may I ask, do you differentiate? How do you know which is meant to be taken literally and which parts symbolically?


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    #185
    wolfsbane
    Registered Users Posts: 5,980 ✭✭✭wolfsbane


    Festus wrote: »
    Does the Father not love all His children equally?
    We are all children of God by creation, but we are all fallen children. We have become sons of the Wicked One. Only when we repent and trust in Christ are we translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, made the sons of God by adoption.

    The wrath of God remains on the unrepentant; the love of God on His people.

    *******************************************************************
    Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.


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    #186
    wolfsbane
    Registered Users Posts: 5,980 ✭✭✭wolfsbane


    HamletOrHecuba wrote: »
    Do you have any Scriptural evidence that God loves His elect equally?
    Hmm. Can't think of a specific text. Just the oneness passages, such as John 10.

    ***********************************************************************
    John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.


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    #187
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    MrStuffins wrote: »
    Handy that eh?
    How, may I ask, do you differentiate? How do you know which is meant to be taken literally and which parts symbolically?

    By using the some of the same methods people apply when reading a book like Animal Farm. I would imagine that few who have actually studied the book labour under the impression that it is intended as a one dimensional story, albeit an exciting one, about some very naughty pigs. In other words, we try to get to the meaning of a text by thinking about what message the author intended to convey. (See here, here and here for some more.) That the Bible consists of multiple genres is not a contentious claim.


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    #188
    PDN
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,686 ✭✭✭✭PDN


    MrStuffins wrote: »
    Handy that eh?
    How, may I ask, do you differentiate? How do you know which is meant to be taken literally and which parts symbolically?

    The same way you do with any form of communication. It takes a bit of common sense, a reasonable understanding of the context from which the other person is speaking, and (most importantly) a desire to genuinely understand what they are saying rather than trying to twist their words to suit your own agenda.


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    #189
    Zombrex
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    Fanny Cradock wrote: »
    By using the some of the same methods people apply when reading a book like Animal Farm. I would imagine that few who have actually studied the book labour under the impression that it is intended as a one dimensional story, albeit an exciting one, about some very naughty pigs. In other words, we try to get to the meaning of a text by thinking about what message the author intended to convey. (See here, here and here for some more.) That the Bible consists of multiple genres is not a contentious claim.

    The problem is when a literal reason of passages seems the most sensible but conflicts with the faith of those doing the study.

    Since it is not possible to prove a passage should be taken non-literally it is left to the subjective opinion of the person making the decision and this opinion will be shaped by their personal faith.

    For example there are plenty of passage in the Bible that seem to be meant literally but that believers take as non-literal. This avoids conflicts with things like science and history, but I can't see any reason for taking the verses non-literally.


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