Jesus preached only in Israel, a culture that at the time understood what God’s law said about sexual sin. By affirming the law of God as He did (Matthew 5:17), Jesus was confirming everything the Old Testament taught about morality, including sexual sin- the Law of God’s condemnation of adultery, sex outside of marriage, incest, homosexuality, bestiality, etc.  When Jesus spoke about “fornications” (see Mark 7:21-23) as being evil, He was therefore including all of these things.  He also spoke of God’s intent that marriage be between one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4-5).   He also essentially said that lusting after anyone who is not one’s spouse is proof of an adulterous heart (thus condemning pornography and the spirit that prevails on college campuses, beaches, the advertising industry, and a ton of other places).  We have to align ourselves with His words on these things or we deny Him.  Some rebellious people hear the Bible’s verdicts and accuse the God of the Bible of being obsessed with sex.  Yet it is people who are obsessed with sex- to the point where many would even do the unthinkable and transgress God’s boundaries to gratify their sexual desires.  The world lies to us constantly, so God setting the matter straight for us is a great mercy in a world where we are lied to over and over, not least of all on things related to this topic.  One need only read the New Testament epistles to see that they contain multiple rebukes of sexual sin, instruction on fleeing from it, and emphasis on the need to overcome it. 

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 says: “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification (holiness), that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification (holiness) and honor; Not in the lust of concupiscence (forbidden desire), even as the Gentiles which know not God.” 

People have always had carnal cravings which have tempted them to give themselves to instant satisfaction and the gratification of their own egos.  People have not always been able to have these demands fed and allowed to grow on a societal level as has happened through television, organized sports, the entertainment industry as a whole, the internet, the influence of social media (you can be affected by the influence of social media even if you don’t use it yourself), and the overall increase of technology and on-demand services.  Immodesty and seduction have always operated to some extent in certain ways on every level of society.  Immodesty and seduction have not always been so normal, socially acceptable, and blatant as they are now.  

Does God actually expect man to obey Him?  The Scriptures teach that this is so constantly.  However, there have always been challenges to this plain Biblical truth.  Some want to justify indulgence in the pleasure of sin and claim that it is impossible that they should do anything but sin all the time.  We can tell in the Apostle Paul’s warning to the Christians in Corinth about fornication that he made sure to counter such a claim in his instruction, knowing the common arguments used to justify it. 

1 Corinthians 6:15-20: “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ (remember that Paul is speaking to Apostolic Christian church members)?  shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot?   God forbid.  What?  know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body?  for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.  But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.  Flee fornication.  Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.  What?  know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

The idea that we can be good at heart and/or justified in God’s sight, yet be committing sin at the same time, is a common belief that is compatible with the Gnosticism which the Apostles of Christ constantly contended with (including in the passage just quoted).  Yet to this very day most professing Christians see the grace of God as an excuse for sin and disobedience.  Yet the Bible clearly teaches the opposite.  

It is not to be taken as normal nor acceptable for young men (or women) to be drunken, rowdy, licentious, etc.

Many think that freedom in Christ is freedom from being obligated to do what God’s law requires.  Yet nothing could be a greater deception.  We are all either slaves to Satan and sin or slaves to our rightful owner, Jesus Christ (who upholds the requirements of God’s eternal moral law).

Psalm 119:142: “ Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.”

Ephesians 5:5-6: “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”

Many evangelical churches that one might walk into are filled with such vain words.

Those killed in relation to the Golden Calf (Exodus chapter 32): Since God so hates idolatry, and since He so judges those who seek to impose idolatry upon His people, and those who in anyway would seek to prevent them from worshiping Him in the way He has prescribed, it makes sense that He would also furiously judge those who would try to corrupt His worship from within- especially by trying to mix it with idolatry.  Hence, we have God in Exodus 32 commanding those chiefly involved in this idolatry to be slain and plaguing the Israelites for accepting this great sin in His eyes.  We also see in this chapter how easily idolatry can lead those involved in it to reconcile worshiping God with practicing lasciviousness, fornication, etc.  God hates being represented by statues and other images- and hence He forbade this in the 2nd commandment.  To change the glory of the incorruptible God into any likeness fashioned by man is wicked.  And we see in Romans chapter one that this is a chief expression of man’s refusal to properly recognize His Creator and give Him the glory and thanks which He is rightfully due.  Man wants a god he is comfortable with.  People give into the enticement of idolatry through involving graven images in worship, but they can also do so simply through harboring false concepts of God in their hearts and minds.  Idolatry is rampant in the professing Christian world today.  There are graven images being bowed to in certain segments for sure.  Yet even when these aren’t present, multitudes of professing Christians still adopt an idolatrous concept of God by receiving only the passages and phrases in Scripture which they are comfortable with, while discarding (at least practically) Bible passages and plain truths which they are not comfortable with.  And that is certainly a key reason why sin and blatantly improper worship are so rampant among professing Christians.  The judgments against those involved in worshiping the Golden Calf are a terrifying testimony against all such idolatry.  

24,000 Israelites killed in a plague due to Israel’s fornication and idolatry which the Moabites had seduced them to (Numbers chapter 25): These Israelites gave into the enticements of heathen idolatry and the fornication which accompanied that.  God thus made an example out of them to purify Israel and to remind them that being in His favor and inheriting His promises are not unconditional.  We have to exercise a living faith which submits to the true God, works righteousness in His eyes, and denies the pleasures of sin to be in His favor.  This judgment in Numbers 25 is another rebuke to introducing the idolatry of the nations into God’s worship, as well as a rebuke to fornication and a demonstration of how it is utterly incompatible with the true God’s right and holy ways.  Hebrews 13:4 says: “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”

Idolatry can even be in those who say that they believe in the God of the Bible.  How?  Simply by overlooking passages in the Bible that bother you and/or not honestly dealing with the plain truth in certain passages.  Those who do such often also focus solely on certain passages and select phrases from the Bible, which when taken alone and not considered carefully, don’t really bother them.  The unclean lives of multitudes of professing Christians which are plagued with sexual immorality, careless ease, and fleshly indulgence testify that idolatry has touched the realm of professing Christianity in nations that appear to have a large “Christian” population according to the professions of their inhabitants.  When such things are effectively rebuked among professing Christians, then the excuses start coming.  And the excuses professing Christians make for their unholy lives are all rooted in a concept of “God” that does not line up with how He has revealed Himself in Scripture regarding His character and His expectations of man.

Flee fornication.  

This also applies to not being seduced by lustful advertising and corrupt entertainment.

Proverbs 6:23-25: “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.  Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.”

Proverbs 7:21-27: “With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.  He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.  Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.  Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.  For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.  Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”

1 Corinthians 6:18 says: “Flee fornication.  Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”

And Hebrews 13:4 says: “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”

Use God’s Word as your reference point and guide.

This is essential to living by faith in the true God, the God of the Bible.

Proverbs 13:13: “Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.”

Proverbs 19:16: “He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die.”

Proverbs 3:5-8: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.”

And in Psalm 1:1-2 we’re told: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

Don’t rely on your own heart for guidance.

Proverbs 28:26: “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”

I’ve heard a false pastor say that certain people had been led by God’s Spirit because they had spoken from their hearts.  He was only proving what a fool he was.

Turn from all sin, break from all sin; regard no sin.

Hopefully this study gives more meaning to the verses we’re about to look at. 

Proverbs 16:6: “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.”

Proverbs 28:9: “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.”

Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Proverbs 14:9: “Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor.”

And we are told in 1 John 3:4-5: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.  And ye know that he (Jesus Christ) was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”

Walk in the fear of the Lord, receive instruction from His Word, and cooperate with His chastisement.

Proverbs 28:14: “Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.”

Proverbs 13:18-19: “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honored.  The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.”

Proverbs 15:31-33: “The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.  He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.  The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility.”

Proverbs 3:11-12: “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”

Proverbs 16:17: “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.”

Proverbs 4:20-27: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.  Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.  Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.  Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”

Now we will look at a man who didn’t learn his lesson in relation to these most weighty things.  

Luke 3:19-20: “But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him (John the Baptist) for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife (God’s Law forbid a man from marrying a woman who had been his brother’s wife, except for in one narrow instance which didn’t apply to Herod) and for all the evils which Herod had done (one sin persisted in will send a person to hell), Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.”

Even one sin persisted in will send a person to hell.

We read in more detail about what happened here in Mark 6:17-29: “For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her.  For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.  Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.  And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.  And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask?  And she said, The head of John the Baptist.  And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.  And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.  And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.  And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.”

Despite his earthly power, Herod was ultimately a slave to his lust, a slave to his wife, and a slave to the opinions of others.  He had a desire to really get in line with the Lord, yet he wouldn’t ultimately let go of his sin and choose to suffer for the sake of righteousness.  Like the typical American, and the typical person in many places now, his life was just too big (in his own eyes, that is), to let go of so he could really get right with God and serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords whose salvation was ultimately what he needed.  Don’t follow his example.  

Not being conformed to this world in a Biblical sense also means not being governed by instant gratification like fornicators certainly are, and like Esau who forfeited spiritual blessing from God which had eternal implications for the instant gratification of a meal to relieve himself when he was faint (see Genesis chapters 25 to 27 if you don’t know the story).  We also see the third point again here.

Hebrews 12:14-17: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears (that’s a preview of Judgment Day).”

Consider Ephesians 4:17-24 as well here: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness (this is referring to a seared conscience).  But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

We’ll now look at: What Does “Cannot Contain” in 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 mean?  1 Corinthians 7:8-9: “I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I.  But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.”

Is this teaching that someone who is defeated by sexual sin should get married to solve the problem of their inability to exercise self-control?  Some definitely think that.  But if that were true, that would mean that the Apostle Paul is teaching here that the person marrying them would have to compromise Christian standards in their selection of a spouse.  That is ridiculous.  There is a way to understand this without having to come to such a ridiculous and unrighteous conclusion.  It should be established that nobody ever needs to commit sexual sin, even if they are single and they find being single very difficult.  And anyone who is yielding to temptation and lacking self-control will surely not be cured of this just by getting married.  They will likely still be plagued by sexual sin after marriage.  And even if they are not, they will still carry habits of being impulsive and intemperate which will manifest themselves in other ways (bad temper, talking way too much, improper eating, inability to handle finances, etc).  If someone does not seek God and learn to take up their cross daily to overcome sexual sin by His grace while they are single, then marriage will not cure them of their carnality.  Marriage will only draw someone else into having to put up with their carnality in a very personal and continual way. 

So what does the phrase “cannot contain” actually mean if it can only apply to faithful Christians who are righteously eligible to enter into marriage with another faithful Christian?  Consider the Apostle Paul’s main point in this chapter as he talked about the perspective which Christians should have about marriage. That point can be summed up well by 1 Corinthians 7:35: “And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.” Paul had been saying throughout this chapter that singleness, when one could handle it well, is a better state to attend upon the Lord without distraction.  Marriage brings a set of cares and snares related to this life which are good to avoid.  If someone is happy and prospering in the Lord while single, it is best that they stay single.  And yet, going back to the opening nine verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 7, for many people this is not the case.  Many single Christians find the weight of long-term singleness very hard to bear.  They can overcome sexual sin and endure faithfully in this state as long as they need to by the grace of God- yet they may find it so difficult that it is a weight and a care to them which is even greater than the weights and cares typically associated with marriage. 

Closely related to decadence, public immodesty, often coming close to nudity, is practiced, promoted, and indulged in in America to immense degrees.  It IS about lust, yet it is more than about lust as well.  It is defrauding if it is attractive to someone; advertising something they cannot righteously obtain.  Otherwise, it is inconsiderate.  It also provokes strife.  In other areas of life, we acknowledge that showing off is not right.  Above all, immodest dressing contends with God’s verdict that mankind should be clothed after he fell into sin.  One of God’s first acts after the fall was to clothe Adam and Eve with the skin of an animal.  By God’s estimation, the fig leaves they sewed together weren’t adequate, yet they covered more flesh with the fig leaves than many cover now in their immodest clothing. 

Reading from 1 Timothy 2:5-10: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.  Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.  I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.  In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”

1 Peter 3:3-4 then says: “Whose adorning (the context makes it clear that Peter is speaking of women) let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

It is interesting that when the Apostles wrote to Christian churches and spoke of women dressing modestly, they dealt directly with showing off wealth and wit unnecessary expenses related to luxury in dress.  The principle related to showing off wealth also makes it clear, along with many other principles in Scripture, that showing off one’s body in public is also evil.  

A word that is a synonym of the phrase “showing off” is “flaunt.”

Oxford Languages’ first definition of flaunt is “display (something) ostentatiously, especially in order to provoke envy or admiration or to show defiance.”

In the normal course of life, displaying one’s body publicly is inherently ostentatious and is likely to provoke envy or admiration.  Doing so is also a key way to show defiance, especially towards God.

No one can be walking adequately in the fear of God when they are showing off (flaunting) their body and/or their wealth.

Immodest clothing, in terms of displaying wealth or revealing the body, also provokes strife.  In other areas of life, we acknowledge that showing off is not right.  The Bible warns in Galatians 5:26: “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” 

Opponents of modest dress will often say that we should focus on the heart and not on how people dress (as if these two focuses are somehow incompatible).  Yet dress which shows off wealth and/or shows off the body is never compatible with a heart that is right.  Don’t show off your physical assets nor your financial assets.  A right heart will follow this principle and how we dress obviously matters in relation to that.  

Opponents of modest dressing will also say things like “I know someone who dressed modestly, and they were so (proud, mean, stuck up, etc.).”  On the other hand, I know of millions upon millions whose glory is in their shame in relation to their immodest dress.  Why would you want to be like these?  And why would anyone think that dressing right and displaying proper character in other areas are opposed to each other, as if we must not have one if we have the other; or as if it’s okay to have one and not the other.  To some, getting women covered seems like 50 percent or more of their Christianity.  And isn’t good if it is really so.  I don’t want to be like them either.  Yet modest dress IS an aspect of genuine Christianity.  You can’t go around it and at the same time be a faithful Christian who has a legitimate hope of salvation in Christ.

A lot of people dress terribly immodest, showing off their bodies and/or looking all flashy while saying they are being modest.  Some people consider anything more than being totally naked to be modest.  Yet our culture, and every culture to some degree, has been corrupted by sinful values and evil influences.  Renewing one’s mind by God’s Word will help one better realize the exceedingly great degree that this is so.  Consider also makeup along these lines.  Makeup was Jezebel’s seduction tool.  Just because it has become normal in a culture doesn’t make it okay nor harmless.  We all have an idea of how Christians in the first century dressed and presented themselves.  We know, if we are honest with ourselves, that wearing makeup is definitely not compatible with that general definition.

To some, there is an element of defiance towards God in their immodest dress which they are extremely conscious of and deliberate in.  Immodest dress is actually very closely related to the spirit of Sodom.  Publicly displaying one’s body and being overall decadent in dress, as well as public lewdness, are utterly compatible with the LGBT spirit.  Note how the drag queens do not wear long dresses and head-coverings and don’t refrain from lasciviousness movement.  Immodesty in society in general has emboldened and promoted the LGBT spirit.  Are you disgusted by pride month and the LGBT agenda being constantly pushed on us?  Dress modestly and/or enforce modest dress in your home (if you have jurisdiction over others in your home).  Modesty reproves and rebukes the LBGT spirit.  To reinforce my point, just imagine an LGBT group having a modesty workshop where their people were taught about dressing in a way that isn’t ostentatious or in any way sexually suggestive.  Besides as a joke or a publicity stunt, the thought of such a thing could never be more than utter fiction and is utterly laughable!  

You want to basically see how much a society has accepted LGBT stuff, look at how overall decadent it is (immodest, luxurious, and given to pleasure and sensuality).  You are going to find a strong correlation between decadence and the LGBT stuff.  I’m not talking about the richest of the rich in a nation, and the socially unacceptable dregs of a society, who always display decadence. I am talking about what has infiltrated into the mainstream, and into the general population, as socially acceptable.  Immodest dress being generally practiced is an essential for decadence prevailing in a society and the LGBT becoming socially acceptable and increasing.  And not practicing modest dress according to Biblical standards is siding to some degree with feminists as well (who by their very ideology side against God by protesting His verdict that the man be over the woman).  And in the case of many modern Jezebels, except perhaps some of the most subtle and/or unusual ones, a message like this brings to the surface the wickedness harbored in their heart related to the ways of Jezebel which they have embraced.

I tell fellow Christians to ignore immodesty and treat people with dignity no matter how they’re dressed (in terms of dealing with people they meet on a personal level).  I’d hope that among the Christian men whom I can influence that it would be virtually impossible for anyone to cause them to fall into lust.  And yet, it is also true that some people are weak and vulnerable in this area (like teenage boys, some of whom are still very innocent).  Consider here Mark 9:42: “And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.”  You should care about this then and fear exceedingly!  No one should ever be causing an unnecessary battle for someone due to their lasciviousness or whatever it is which would cause them to show off their body and so defraud others.  Your immodesty should not cause another to have to fight a battle in this way, even though some will not be stumbled by you.  And that is not to mention how seductive dress plays into the hands of those who have embraced lust and are glad when others provide them gratification.  Dressing immodestly is fellowshipping with the sexually perverse, freely granting them their perverse desire.

Some people, men and women, obviously prove their wickedness due to how they fight against these principles and would never implement them (at least that’s their attitude right now).  Men need to love the Lord more than their wives and daughters and enforce Biblical modesty on those under their jurisdiction.  How effectively this is done reflects on fathers and pastors.  Men should also not have anything in their hearts which would involve taking pleasure in showing off their wives and/or their daughters.  Women need to love the Lord more than their image and their self-esteem; and remove any attitude in their heart which would cause them to dress in a way which could cause another to stumble, whether male authority in their life tells them to or not; and in spite of the fact that females’ feelings generally make it harder for them to be different from the rest of society in this way and in many others.

God’s grace is only for those with a heart to do what He requires and to hold the lines which He has laid down faithfully.

Yet our society is especially godless and has trained people to rely on instant gratification in an unprecedented way.  Walking straight before God and acting according to His commandments often means foregoing momentary pleasure and comfort, while not even receiving a benefit in exchange which can be felt good about- unless you really take to heart that God’s truth will prevail in the end and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.  It involves much patience then to walk this way and the persuasion that all that is of man which is not subject to God’s authority is under the condemnation of death.  Noah had to have this persuasion to build the ark.  Such a persuasion is only logical.  Noah is certainly a type of Christ.  Christ would not have come to redeem man from his sins if His own judgment was not that all that is of man, which is not subject to God’s authority, is under the condemnation of death.  That should persuade us to die to ourselves and suffer for truth and righteousness according to God’s Word, even if nothing else will.  

Those who think logically will know that they can’t afford to not live according to God’s Word and to be left to their own devices.  Jesus Christ has validated the truth of the Bible by His resurrection and proven that He is the King of mankind who will come back in glory to condemn His enemies and reign eternally.  Since Christ is the Supreme authority and power who will reign in the end, then every way that a person would have to suffer and be inconvenienced to come into line with His Word would have to be well worth it.  Every choice to neglect and refuse to do so would thus have to be exceedingly foolish.   

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

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