11 of 17 Reasons why People Read their Bible & Miss Polygyny
Reason # 11 Stated: A Belief that Bible Study is Not Important The Bible is year after year one of the best sellers in the field of literature. Yet it too is often the least read. Many times people clutter their lives with so many other things instead of time for reading their Bible. Sometimes people think that listening to a Bible teacher or attending a church service once or twice a week is enough for them to understand the Bible. This is a clear failure to use the mind and time that God has given to each saint. Many people fail to understand the high price that many paid with their own lives to give to us a Bible that the common person can read in their own native tongue. For years the Bible was locked up to the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church and those outside of the priesthood had no means to read it or understand it. Many scholars and Bible teachers have rightly called this era the Dark ages because the Bible and the light of Christ was locked up in a language the people could not understand. Today, however, the Bible is still locked up and many are still living in the dark because they spend very little time in serious perusal of the sacred text. God told us that we must not "live on bread alone but by every word that comes from" his "mouth" (Matt. 4:4). As Apostle Paul told Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). But many do not take the study of Scripture as serious as their need for food. In fact, too often people know more about food, television shows, sporting events, their neighbor's business even if it is not their business to know it, and other peripheral issues yet when it comes to knowing the Word they spend very little time in it and if they do it is superficial casual skim reading instead of in depth study.
Solution? Many people come to the subject of man and woman relationships based upon their own life experiences. This could mean they base their views on what they saw from their own parental models. Some base their views upon what they learned in school or college. Still others base their views upon what society at large does. Even furthermore, some will base their views on the family solely according to what they have heard from their religious teachers or denomination. Yet in all of these cases, and more, when the Bible is not the first and primary source of information error is likely exist in the view. Therefore, one of the reasons why so many do not understand what the Bible has to say about polygyny or the family or man and woman relations is because the person really does not spend any serious amount of time reading scripture. So, the next time someone opposes you or speaks against the doctrine of polygyny before arguing with them simply ask them a few questions like this: (1) How much time do you spend at work a week? (2) How much time do you spend eating food per week? (3) How much time do you sleep a week? And (4) how much time do you spend reading and studying the Bible each week? Then ask them to open their Bible to turn to the texts where God speaks directly about this issue. Don't turn the Bible to those texts for them but instead ask them to show you what it says about it and ask them to explain to you what two or three or four verses that deal with this subject means. If the person cannot even find the texts that speak of the subject then kindly remind them that if they are going to reject something should they not first do a thorough study of what they hope to reject first? How can you refute a position that you have not yet studied? On our end we have to keep in mind that many people are merely rejecting a foreign idea because it is new to them and people often do not like change. People can often be quick to speak and slow to hear which is why the Bible says we are to be slow to speak and quick to hear. So in cases like this people miss the doctrine of polygyny because they simply have truly never read anything in their Bibles about it and thus they have not yet taken the time to examine it. They miss the truth because they have failed to read the Bible and the parts of it that speak to man and woman relations.
Reason # 11 Stated: A Belief that Bible Study is Not Important The Bible is year after year one of the best sellers in the field of literature. Yet it too is often the least read. Many times people clutter their lives with so many other things instead of time for reading their Bible. Sometimes people think that listening to a Bible teacher or attending a church service once or twice a week is enough for them to understand the Bible. This is a clear failure to use the mind and time that God has given to each saint. Many people fail to understand the high price that many paid with their own lives to give to us a Bible that the common person can read in their own native tongue. For years the Bible was locked up to the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church and those outside of the priesthood had no means to read it or understand it. Many scholars and Bible teachers have rightly called this era the Dark ages because the Bible and the light of Christ was locked up in a language the people could not understand. Today, however, the Bible is still locked up and many are still living in the dark because they spend very little time in serious perusal of the sacred text. God told us that we must not "live on bread alone but by every word that comes from" his "mouth" (Matt. 4:4). As Apostle Paul told Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). But many do not take the study of Scripture as serious as their need for food. In fact, too often people know more about food, television shows, sporting events, their neighbor's business even if it is not their business to know it, and other peripheral issues yet when it comes to knowing the Word they spend very little time in it and if they do it is superficial casual skim reading instead of in depth study.
Solution? Many people come to the subject of man and woman relationships based upon their own life experiences. This could mean they base their views on what they saw from their own parental models. Some base their views upon what they learned in school or college. Still others base their views upon what society at large does. Even furthermore, some will base their views on the family solely according to what they have heard from their religious teachers or denomination. Yet in all of these cases, and more, when the Bible is not the first and primary source of information error is likely exist in the view. Therefore, one of the reasons why so many do not understand what the Bible has to say about polygyny or the family or man and woman relations is because the person really does not spend any serious amount of time reading scripture. So, the next time someone opposes you or speaks against the doctrine of polygyny before arguing with them simply ask them a few questions like this: (1) How much time do you spend at work a week? (2) How much time do you spend eating food per week? (3) How much time do you sleep a week? And (4) how much time do you spend reading and studying the Bible each week? Then ask them to open their Bible to turn to the texts where God speaks directly about this issue. Don't turn the Bible to those texts for them but instead ask them to show you what it says about it and ask them to explain to you what two or three or four verses that deal with this subject means. If the person cannot even find the texts that speak of the subject then kindly remind them that if they are going to reject something should they not first do a thorough study of what they hope to reject first? How can you refute a position that you have not yet studied? On our end we have to keep in mind that many people are merely rejecting a foreign idea because it is new to them and people often do not like change. People can often be quick to speak and slow to hear which is why the Bible says we are to be slow to speak and quick to hear. So in cases like this people miss the doctrine of polygyny because they simply have truly never read anything in their Bibles about it and thus they have not yet taken the time to examine it. They miss the truth because they have failed to read the Bible and the parts of it that speak to man and woman relations.
