The Ohio Independent Baptist, November 1967

Glimpses of Truth from the Greek New Testament By Dr . Geo. Lawlor ''VESSEL'' l n I ·1hcss. 4 : 3-4. there i~ a 1110 · t i ntcrc ' t 1 ng and igni ft cant tate111ent tl) ,, hi h ncl1c\cr. h uld give their parti ttlar attenti 11. and \\ hich re– late t the ,, ill f G d for Chri - t1nn. c ncerning marital matter . 'For '"' th1 , i'" th wil l of God. even your ' an tif 1cation. that ye hould ab tain fr n1 fornication: That every one of \ ti h uld k11olv J1ow to possess J1 is - ,·e el in anctificat ion and honor .' Thi pa age leave no doubt that the dail , \ alk in anctification is the will of God f r believers. pecifically it teache that it i God's will that there hall be total ab tinence from for nica– tion (v . 3b) and it i likewise God, will that believer know how to po e their mates (v . 4). 1 'he fir t particular completely refutes the pre– mi e of the New Morality th,at pre– marital exual initercourse i not wrong if love dictates it. The econd par– ticular requires Christians to know how to act in the matter of sex and . marnage. Complete Sexu.al Purity The word ' vessel'' in vs. 4 i skeuos, used of a woman in the sense of a wife. P aul staites thait irt is God's will for every Christian to know how to conduct himself in this important matter of sexual behaviour. We are to know that God Himself instituted marriage that each man is to have hi own wife each woman her own hu band, in sanctification and honor , with every type of fornication totall y excluded. For believers there must be complete sexual purjt y. It is the will of God that every one of us "should know' these facts. This knowledge we get from God - a knowledge that is to continue in posse sion and praotice. In al I matters pertaining to sex and the marriage relationship, our knowledge is de– rived from God, and must be received and followed obediently. He imparts this knowledge to us by His Spirit in the Holy Scriptures. The Scripture in vs. 4 states that ~'e must know how "to possess" our vessel. The verb "possess,, is a pres– ent infinitive ktasthai, from ktao,nai, and actually does not carry the sole and precise idea of " possess." Rather, NOVEMBER, 1967 PAGE 14 t 11 ~ ,, t) l <. l 111 can" " ac C.\ t ti rc" , i . c . g c t , l) \1 ta i n, 111 c1c t 11 c. tl n LI i n t h,i ~ 111 an nc, t c) l)l 'i\C~" · 111 a r1 ·vvrc)tc to a f r1c 11c.l anti "l1l1kc aho ttl "acq t11r1ng (k t(1<>111ai) a h l) tl c. In ,ln'iwcr to ,ln appeal fr o 111 a t11an de l 1nq t1cnt on a note , for ad– t i 1 t ional tin1c 1n which to pay, a 11t1hl ic lf1cial replied th at he had no p \.ver " to obtain" (k tc1(> 111ai ) a further c ten ion of tin1e. One of the O yrhynchu papyri conitain the rc– corJ o l a ccrtai n won1an and the large amoun t of wealth he had Hpo e ed her elf of' ' ( ktao111ai ). An– other papyru document refer to an individual Hrecovering' ( ktao111ai) fron1 a great di tre s, i.e. acquiring th~ nia tery of hin1 elf again. The word occurs in Matt . 10: 9. "Do no t acqitire (A . V. 'provide' ) either gold or i ]ver o r bras ..." 1 n Luke l 8: 12, ' I fa t twice in the week, I give tithe o,f all I acquire (A . V . ·po ses ) .' ' Act 8: 20, 'But Peter said unto him (Si111on Magus) Thy money perish with thee, becau e thou h a t thought ,that th e gift of God may be acquired ( A.V. purchased') with money.' In Acts 22: 28, the chief cap– tain said to Paul that it was with a large um that he had acquired (A.V. 'obtained') hi Roman citizenship. No Cause For Shame The use of the word in I Thess. 4: 4 brings fo rward the whole matter of acquiring a wife and dwelling with her ( and wife with husband ), in– volving the entire rela,tionship b efore and after marriage. The acquiring of one' mate involves all o·f the pre– marital relationship, couf\tship, choice of mate and knowledge of the fl esh . It involves the whole mat tetr of liv– ing with one's mate, everything that makes up marital life and all related matters. Positi vely, we take to our– selves a mate in sanctification and honor ; negatively not in the lust of pass ion (vs. 5). To acquire a wife in sanotif ication is to go about the whole matter and to behave oneself as a true Christian hould , as one who knows God's will and sets about doing it, to engage in courtship and marriage as those who have been set apart from the world as God's own possession. To acquire one's partner in honor is to do it so that all may see and know that it has been done in a manner which is clean, legi,timaite , pure, honorable, without the slightest cau e for shame and scandal , thus pleasing to God. The passage clearly and unquestion– ably teaches the proper entering upon marriage, and when entered into jn the right way, the marr,iage will be conducted and continued in the right v.ay ·1 hi\ ", cripturc opposes all forr ~n cat I() 11 , a 11 prc-111a ri l al SCXLJ al COi ~nl 111t111icalit)n, ,l11d all po5l-111aPi tal ac.lu crt1tt"'i \eXttal intercot1rsc. It csta li~hc5 ,t Jl1 ()nogclmi c n1arr1agc, cn terc i 11110 ln the lrL1c Chri. tian manner. rcqt11rcs a marriage pure in it s prep, . atio n a nd inception, and a purit y th is not to be Jo t later on. No Lust of Passion Chri ti an marital life i~ not to entered upon for the mere gratitic tion of sexual de ire and pa 5ion " the pagan who do not know Go, ( vs. 5) Natural passion is strong a, demanding, and overwhelms ma1 young peopl e. Not all pagan mar ages are prompted by lustful passi< of course, but we must not forg that Paul knew first hand and unde tood clearly what paganism indulg and exhibits where marriages is co cePned. It is plainly demonstrated t t day, and may be seen on every ban even among the so-called moralis With mo t of them passion gove r1 and when the passion fades the mar age is wrecked, or else the passi, looks for and finds another worn: ( or man). T he Scripture says : "F this is the will of God ... that eve one of you know how to acquire l ve sel in anctification and hone not in the lust of passi-On. . ." Subscribe to: The Ohio Independent Baptist Only $2.00 per year Box 160 - Xenia, Ohio 45385 Hebrew & Christian Society Baptist Mid-Missions T estimony to Israel In Cleveland, Ohio * * * Presenting Christ to the Jew by every means which time and stewar dsh ip will afford. * * * Working for the church with the church and through the church. * * * • MISSIONARIES - Rev. and Mrs. Leeland Crotts, Mrs. Mildred Leach, Miss Carol Mciver * * * Rev. Leeland Crotts, Director 4205 Chester Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44103 THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPT