BIBLE TRUTHS IN MODERN SOCIETY

There are many misconceptions about what the Bible really says and means. Here are a few clarifications - where to find it in the Bible and what it really means to you:

• ACTIONS PROHIBITED IN THE BIBLE:
  1. Worshiping anything other than God: Ex 20:2-6; Deut 5:6-10.
  2. Misusing God's name (including Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit): Ex 20:7; Deut 5:11.
  3. Eating blood: Lev 7:26; 19:26; Acts 15:29.
  4. Eating fat: Lev 7:23-25.
  5. Eating meat from strangled animals: Acts 15:29.
  6. Eating food sacrificed to idols: Acts 15:29.
  7. Homosexuality: Lev 18:22; 20:13; Deut 22:5; Acts 15:29; Rom 1:21-32; Gen 19:1-29.
  8. Homosexual civil rights: I Cor 5:9-12; Eph 5:8-14.
  9. Association with the sexually immoral: I Cor 5:9-11.
  10. Disobeying parents: Ex 20:12; 21:15,17; Lev 20:9; Deut 5:16.
  11. Murder (killing - not capital punishment): Ex 20:13; 21:12-14,23; Deut 5:17; 19:21.
  12. Abortion: Ex 20:3; Ps 22:9.
  13. Adultery (Sex outside the marriage): Ex 20:14; Lev 20:10; Deut 5:18; Acts 15:29.
  14. Stealing anything: Ex 20:15; Lev 19:11; Deut 5:19.
  15. Perjury (Lying in court): Ex 20:16; 23:1,7; Lev 19:11-12; Deut 5:20; 19:16-19.
  16. Coveting (Wanting something someone else owns): Ex 20:17; Deut 5:21.
  17. Kidnapping: Ex 21:16.
  18. Injury to others: Ex 21:23; Deut 19:21.
  19. Endangering others: Lev 19:16.
  20. Bestiality: Ex 22:19; Lev 18:23; 20:15-16; Acts 15:29.
  21. Mistreating aliens (politicians and unions take note): Ex 22:21; 23:9; Lev 19:33.
  22. Charging interest on a loan: Ex 22:25; Lev 25:36-37; Deut 23:19.
  23. Spreading false reports: Ex 23:1.
  24. Identification numbers: Rev 13:16-18; 14:9-12.
  25. Taking an identification mark: Lev 19:28; Rev 14:9-12; 16:2; 19:19-21; 20:4-6.
  26. Favoritism to rich or poor: Ex 23:3,6; Lev 19:15.
  27. Sex with close relatives: Lev 18:6-18; 20:11-12,14,17,19-21; Acts 15:29.
  28. Sorcery and witchcraft: Ex 22:18; Lev 19:26,31; 20:6; Deut 18:10-11.
  29. Fraud: Lev 19:13.
  30. Pay periods greater than one day: Lev 19:13; Deut 24:14-15.
  31. Dishonest weights and measures: Lev 19:35; Deut 25:13-15.
  32. Large government budgets: Deut 17:17; Hab 2:6-13; Zeph 3:1-8.
  33. Large armies: Deut 17:16.
  34. Transvestites: Deut 22:5; Acts 15:29.
  35. Prostitution: Deut 23:17-18; Acts 15:29.
  36. Premarital sex: Ex 22:16-17; Deut 22:20-29; Acts 15:29.
  37. Promiscuity: Deut 22:20-29; I Cor 6:9-20; Acts 15:29.
  38. Conscription while engaged, or within 1 year after marriage: Deut 20:7; 24:5.
  39. Being yoked to unbelievers: II Cor 6:14-18.
  40. Loving the world: I John 2:15-17.
  41. Loving money: Ex 20:4-6; Deut 5:8-10; I Tim 6:10.
  42. Idleness: II Thess 3:6-15.
  43. False claim of wife's non-virginity: Deut 22:13-19.
  44. Greed: Ex 20:17; Deut 5:21; I Cor 5:11-13.
  45. Swindling: I Cor 5:11-13.
  46. Idolatry: Ex 20:4-6; Lev 19:4; Deut 5:8-10; I Cor 5:11-13.
  47. Habitual drunkenness: I Cor 5:11-13.
  48. Tattoos and piercings: Lev 19:28.
  49. Multi-fiber clothing: Lev 19:19.
• PUNISHMENTS PROVIDED BY THE BIBLE:
  • DEATH
    1. Homosexuality: Lev 20:13; Gen 19:1-29.
    2. Disobeying parents: Ex 21:15,17; Lev 20:9.
    3. Murder (killing for evil purpose): Ex 21:23; 21:12-14; Deut 19:21.
    4. Adultery (Sex outside the marriage): Lev 20:10.
    5. Coveting (Wanting something someone else owns): Josh 7:20-26.
    6. Kidnapping: Ex 21:16; Deut 24:7.
    7. Bestiality: Ex 22:19; Lev 20:15-16.
    8. Sex with close relatives: Lev 20:11-12,14,17,19-21.
    9. Sorcery and witchcraft: Ex 22:18; Lev 20:6.
    10. Dishonest weights and measures: Lev 19:35; Deut 25:13-15.
    11. Premarital sex with engaged woman: Ex 22:16-17; Deut 22:20-29.
  • RESTITUTION PAYMENT AN INTEGER MULTIPLE OF THE DAMAGE DONE
    1. Stealing anything: Lev 22:1-4.
    2. Damages for negligence: Lev 21:28-36; 22:5-15.
    3. Damages for malice: Lev 21:12-27.
  • DOING TO THE CRIMINAL WHAT THE CRIMINAL DID OR TRIED TO DO TO OTHERS
    1. Perjury (Lying in court): Deut 19:19.
    2. Injury to others: Ex 21:23; Deut 19:21.
  • EXPULSION FROM THE COMMUNITY
    1. Sexual immorality: I Cor 5:11-13.
    2. Greed or swindling: I Cor 5:11-13.
    3. Idolatry: I Cor 5:11-13.
    4. Habitual drunkenness: I Cor 5:11-13.
  • SLAVERY
    1. Debtor selling himself for up to 6 years to pay back a debt: Ex 22:3.
    2. A thief is sold if unable to make restitution: Ex 22:3.
    3. Prisoners of war are sold.

       Note that no person can involuntarily be a slave for more than 6 years.
       Note that nomadic societies had no possible way to have a jail. So slavery replaced incarceration.

  • MARRIAGE WITHOUT DIVORCE
    1. False claim of non-virginity: Deut 22:13-19.
    2. Premarital sex: Deut 22:28-29.
  • NOT EATING
    1. Not working (by choice): II Thess 3:10.
    2. Idleness: II Thess 3:6.
  • * Sins are forgiven when one accepts Jesus Christ as Savior. The state may still exact penalties for wrongdoing.
• ACTIONS REQUIRED IN THE BIBLE:
  1. Spanking children: Prov 13:24; 23:13-14.
  2. Testifying when one witnesses something: Lev 5:1.
  3. Submit to authorities: Rom 13:1.
  4. Pay Taxes: Rom 13:6-7.
  5. Bury Excrement: Deut 23:12-13.
  6. Provision for the poor: Deut 15:1-11; 23:24; 25:6,12-15,19-21.
  7. Make disciples of all nations: Matt 28:19-20.
  8. Obey what leaders say, but do not do what they do: Matt 23:3.
• ACTS PEOPLE THINK THE BIBLE PROHIBITS THAT IT DOES NOT:
  1. Gambling: There are suggestions not to gamble, but no prohibition is found.
  2. Polygamy: It is only prohibited for elders and deacons in I Tim 3:2,12. Paul strongly suggests monogamy to prevent jealousy and strife in I Cor 7. The lack of a prohibition is to protect spouses of new believers already in multiple marriages from divorce.
  3. Alcoholic beverages: Medicinal use is recommended in I Timothy 5:23.
  4. Masturbation: The sin in Gen 38:9 was not producing offspring for Er's line. Onan did this so that he, not his sons sired for Er, would get the inheritance.
  5. Married Priests: Contradicted in Lev 21:7,9,13; I Tim 4:3. Paul suggests celibacy in I Cor 7:8 so a man will keep his mind on the Lord, but tells those who need marriage to marry. Actually, there is no provision for priests at all in the New Testament, because the Holy Spirit replaced the function of priests.
• AIDS AND THE BIBLE:
  1. General sanitation regarding bodily fluids: Lev 15:1-33.
  2. How the AIDS virus transferred to man: Lev 18:23.
  3. The reason AIDS is loose on the earth: Rom 1:26-27; Jude 7-8; Rev 16:2.
  4. Prophecy of AIDS epidemic: Rom 1:21-32; I Cor 6:9-10, Rev 16:2.

     Note that if everyone obeyed the Old Testament sex and sanitation laws, there never would have been an AIDS epidemic.

• ACTS DISCOURAGED, BUT NOT PROHIBITED, BY BIBLICAL TEXTS:
  1. Lawsuits: Hosea 10:4; I Cor 6:1-8.
  2. Multiplicity of regulations: I Sam 8:11-18; Is 28:10,13; Luke 11:46.
  3. Polygamy: I Cor 7:2 (and by example, Gen 21:4-21; 29:31-30:24).
• WISDOM CONTRADICTING LIBERAL PHILOSOPHY
  • Poverty:
    • There should be no poor in Israel (if the law is obeyed): Deut 15:4.
    • Prov 10:4-5; 12:24; 13:4,8; 14:1,23; 15:19; 17:16; 18:9; 18:23;
    • Prov 19:1,10,15,17,24; 20:4,13; 21:5,13,20,25-26; 22:22-23;
    • Prov 23:20-21; 24:30-34; 26:14-6; 28:19,27;
    • Eccl 10:15,18; Is 41:17-20.
  • Politicians:
    • Prov 10:8-11,19,24; 11:9,11; 12:13,19; 14:12,15; 16:27; 17:19,23;
    • Prov 18:13; 20:28; 21:30; 25:26,28; 26:11; 27:22; 28:10,15-16,28;
    • Prov 29:2,4,12; 30:15-16,21-22,29-33; 31:2-5;
    • Eccl 10:5-6,15,16-17; Is 10:1-3; 28:10,13; 41:29;
    • Is 28:10,13; Jer 9:8; 12:4; 22:13-15; Lam 1:10; 4:7-8.
  • Discipline:
    • Prov 10:17; 12:1; 13:18,24; 15:5,10,12,32; 17:2; 19:18,29; 20:30;
    • Prov 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 26:3; 29:15,17,19.
  • Parenting:
    • Prov 17:6,21,25; 19:13,26; 20:20; 23:13-14; 28:7,24.
  • Justice:
    • Prov 17:15,23,26; 18:5; 19:5; 20:22,23; 21:3,15; 22:22-23;
    • Prov 24:24-25; 28-29; 28:1,21; 29:24; 31:8-9.
  • Families:
    • Prov 18:22; 19:14; 21:9; 27:15; 31:10-31.

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