Shadows of Things to Come

In literary circles, the term foreshadowing is used to indicate that the author of a piece of fiction suggests that something is going to happen, before he or she actually gets to that part of the story. It’s kind of a hint as to what lies ahead.
The Bible talks about things in the Old Testament being shadows of things to come. Paul talks about the law being a schoolmaster, teaching the Israelites about the things of God; providing a framework that Christ could build on. Jesus said He had come to fulfill the Law, but, at the same time, we are not under the law, but under Grace.
Christ brought about a lot of changes in the way things are done; for example, dietary restrictions were pretty tough under Old Testament Law, but there’s really very little that we can’t eat, now (some of our doctors might wish that we were following Old Testament Law in that regard, though—bacon double-cheeseburgers aren’t kosher, you know). At the same time, there are a lot of things in the Law that foretell the life of Jesus.
I have posted before about how the Passover sacrifice was an image of Christ’s crucifixion. Beyond that, though, the Bible says that Pharaoh had the infants killed at the time of Moses’ birth, just as the Bible says that Herod had the infants killed at the time of Jesus’ birth. Moses spent forty days on the mountaintop without food or water; Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness without food or water. Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt, to the Promised Land; Jesus came out of Egypt, into Israel. Peter also tells us that the story of Noah and the Ark is a figure of baptism.
The point is that the Law was a stern ‘schoolmaster,’ and yet, it provided a framework for the coming of Christ. A lot of those things were physical commandments, but intended to show the kinds of actions that would be taken by one with a right mindset. We aren’t under the Law, now, and yet, we shouldn’t completely ignore the Law, either. I think it’s pretty safe to say that we can ignore the dietary restrictions (not only did God indicate as much to Peter, but refrigeration and better cooking techniques mean that foods that were once dangerous are not any longer). Still, if you are living a life that is completely inconsistent with Old Testament Law, then I think that you should be asking yourself why that is. If you are being led by the Spirit (the Spirit that dictated the law to Moses), shouldn’t your actions be somewhat in line with Old Testament Law? Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not suggesting that you should make an effort to live according to the Law, because if you are under the Law, then you have forsaken Grace (and you don’t want to do that, believe me). But, the Law was the schoolmaster that helped prepare the way for Christ. Many of the commandments in the Law are still good things to do, with the understanding that Jesus is our sacrifice, we don’t have to sacrifice sheep and goats any more. Jesus said that the whole Law was really fulfilled in two commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and Love thy neighbor as thyself.
If you call yourself a Christian, but you worship some other God, then obviously that would be wrong. If you are a Christian, but you are also a murderer, then what kind of Christian are you? If you lie about other people, or covet things that other people have…
If you are led by the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Pre-marital Sex

I had a friend ask me an interesting question on Friday. I’m glad she asked me on Friday, it gave me the weekend to think about it. She asked me my opinion on pre-marital sex. My initial response required no thought at all: “No.” I directed her to passages in Scripture that talk about fornication. She asked me if I meant sex with a prostitute. I said fornication means sex outside of marriage. She told me she doesn’t think that’s a proper definition. Really? She explained her reasoning to me, but, basically, the term fornication comes from the Latin fornicare, which meant to have sex with a prostitute. If ‘fornication’ comes from this Latin word, then it is certainly possible that, at one time at least, fornication meant prostitution. I must admit, that’s a new one. I’ve heard lots of excuses, I mean reasons, not to believe what the Bible says, but I’ve never heard that one before. I have to consider, what did the word fornication mean in 1611? Interestingly enough, a quick trip to dictionary.com verified the current meaning, and the etymology, but also indicated that Easton’s Bible Dictionary said that, in Biblical usage, the term fornication means what the modern dictionary says, essentially, pre-marital sex. Is that right? I haven’t yet found a reason not to trust Easton’s, but, you never know. Of course, the idea that it is talking about prostitution certainly would tie in to the idea that the love of money is the root of all evil…
Let’s consider other ways in which Scripture may address the topic. Pre-marital sex would be an act of lust, rather than love, wouldn’t it? Some might argue that point, but, just for the sake, let’s look at what the Scripture says about lust: In 1 John 2:15-16, we are told to love not the world, and it goes on to warn us about the lust of the flesh. In Galatians 5:16, it tells us that the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. Further on, it even lists fornication as a work of the flesh (is that fornication as in buying a hooker?) Clearly, in our spirits, we would want to please God, but if the flesh is contrary to the spirit, then the flesh is going to get us into trouble if we let it have its way. Romans 8:1-13 talks extensively about flesh vs. spirit (particularly 8:6-9). In Matthew 5:28, Jesus expressly warns us that to look at a woman (or for a woman to look at a man—because Jesus is an equal-opportunity savior) in lust, is the same, in God’s eyes, as committing adultery. Wait, do you mean that if I look at a woman with the thought in mind that I would like to sleep with her that’s a serious sin, but if I actually sleep with her, maybe that’s okay with God (as long as I’m not giving her money)?
But, what if two people really feel strongly about each other, and want to take their relationship to a more intimate level? Then they should get married. That may sound a little melodramatic, but, honestly, if you want to take your relationship to the next level, the next level is marriage. If you respect your significant other, then show it. To everybody. Try not to treat marriage as a disposable thing, either. I know that has become common. Some people refuse to even consider marriage, because so many marriages end up in divorce. That is not how it should be, but it is a consequence of people not putting God first. But marriage is Biblical; there’s a reason why our grandparents referred to the alternative as ‘living in sin.’ Notice also that Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 7:37 that there are really two options: Get married, or stay a virgin.
Perhaps the best thing to do is to look at the Greek word that was translated as fornication. After all, it makes a lot less difference what the translators meant when they translated the Bible, as opposed to what the original authors meant when they wrote the Bible (or what God meant when He dictated the Bible). The Greek word is ‘porneia’ (which I’m guessing is the root word for pornography), and no, it does not mean sex with a prostitute, it means illicit sex (that is, with someone outside of marriage), or it means idolatry (in the sense that the church is the bride of Christ, and to dally with some other god or gods is ‘cheating’ on our beloved).