IS THE ALIEN SINNER ACCOUNTABLE
TO GOD'S LAW ON MARRIAGE?
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. The correct question should be, "Is the alien sinner
accountable to God's laws?"
B. What I want to talk about is not so much the question of God's
law on marriage, but God's sovereignty.
1. I will not deal with God's laws on marriage until the latter
part of the lesson.
C. Thus, first of all, we emphasize the sovereign rule of God.
Rev. 19:6
I. GOD IS THE SOVEREIGN RULER OF ALL CREATION AND ALL MANKIND IS
ACCOUNTABLE TO HIM.
A. Man's accountability to God is the most obvious assumption of
the Scriptures.
1. Just as the Bible does not spend time establishing that God
exists, the Bible does not spend much time proving the fact
that man is accountable to God.
2. The great fact is, "Of course man is accountable to God."
3. And the basis of man's accountability is demonstrated in the
creation itself. Gen. 1:1; 2:7
4. Why is it that animals and plants should do certain things?
It is because God has ordained that is how it should be. In
that sense, all of creation is accountable or answerable to
God.
5. All things in the creation, including ourselves, belong to
God.
B. God is the potter, we are the clay. Isa. 64:8
1. And because of that, God is the one who is our sovereign
ruler.
2. He is the one who is in the position to give whatever
instructions He wants to mankind.
C. Psalm 24:1
1. In other words, all creation belongs to God. He is the
sovereign ruler of all creation.
2. "And those who dwell therein."
a. Man has been created as a free moral agent with the
ability to choose between good and evil.
b. God expects him to choose the good. He expects him to
follow His God.
c. Man's accountability to God has never been an optional
matter.
d. Regardless of what choice we make, even if we deny
His existence, we are still accountable to Him.
D. Psalm 14:1-2
1. You want a definition of a fool, here it is.
2. If a person looks all around and sees the glory and majesty
of creation, and says there is no God, he is a fool.
a. God says they are without excuse. Rom. 1:18-21
3. Notice that God pronounces condemnation upon all who
deny His existence. Psalm 14:1-2
a. They deny God, but they are condemned anyway; the
deny God, but they are still accountable anyway.
b. Man is accountable, answerable, responsible to God
whether He likes it or not, and whether he recognizes
there even is a God or not.
II. MANKIND HAS ALWAYS BEEN SUBJECT TO GOD'S LAWS.
A. In the days before the flood, man was subject to God's law.
Gen. 6:5
1. Why were they evil? Because they broke God's law.
2. Sin is transgression of God's law. 1 John 3:4
B. After the law of Moses was written down, were people sinners?
Yes, why? Because they broke God's law. Gal. 3:10
1. During the days of Mosical law, why were Gentiles sinners?
Were they sinners because they weren't Jews. No, because
they broke God's law. Rom. 1:28-32
a. Verse 28 ASV - They refused to have God in their
knowledge. Why? They didn't want to do what God
said.
b. Look at the things the Gentile world is convicted of. Vs.
29-31
c. "Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God."
(1) He is speaking of the Gentile world here.
(2) They broke God's law and were sinners.
2. Does this mean that Gentiles could not have been saved.
Certainly not. Rom. 2:12-16
III. THE SOVEREIGN RULE OF GOD HAS BEEN PLACED IN THE HANDS OF HIS
SON, JESUS CHRIST.
A. Under the sovereign rule of God, was there ever any rational
human being which was not accountable to the Creator? No.
B. Under the sovereign rule of Christ, was there ever any human
being not accountable to the Creator? No.
1. Psalm 2:8-12
a. Notice what was to be given him as his inheritance - the
nations, the ends of the earth for his possession.
b. The sovereign rule of Christ involves far more than just
those who become His children.
c. When the prophets spoke of the Christ, it was never
spoken to only those who chose to yield themselves to
Him.
d. However, He will rule the nations with a rod of iron. In
other words, all mankind is under the sovereign rule of
Christ.
2. Dan. 7:13-14
a. That "all" peoples, nations, and languages should serve
Him.
b. Is it correct to say that all serve the Lord Christ
today, and are obedient disciples. Certainly not.
c. However, it is correct to say that all people, nations
and languages are subject to the sovereign rule of
Christ.
3. Acts 17:30-31
a. In what way did He overlook the ignorance of idolatry?
b. God abandoned them to a reprobate mind. Rom. 1:28;
Acts 14:16
4. He is judge of all. 2 Cor. 5:10; John 12:48
a. Do people have a right nowadays to just accept any kind
of value system they want?
b. We do have a right. We are creatures of free choice.
That doesn't mean that God is going to acknowledge it.
c. Does it mean that if I don't choose Christ, that
somehow I am exempt from His laws? God forbid.
d. He said that the one who rejects His words has one that
will judge him in the last day.
e. Whether people recognize His laws or not, He is still the
sovereign ruler.
5. Acts 3:22-23 - "Every soul..."
6. Matt. 28:19
a. On the basis of His authority, He now rules over all
mankind.
b. On the basis of the fact that He is now the sovereign
ruler, go and make disciples of all the nations.
c. Notice that His sovereignty did not rule only over those
who might be converted. His sovereignty was already
established.
d. And, as we will see, repentance is a very important part
of becoming and being a Christian.
IV. DOES THE LORD'S LAWS OF MARRIAGE APPLY?
A. Matt. 19:4-9
1. Jesus teaches that marriage is to be regulated by God's
original plan.
a. The Jews were asking, "What does Mosical law say
about it?" That's the only law they were concerned
with.
b. Jesus didn't involve Himself in their disputes, instead
He said, "Have you not heard that 'from the beginning'
one man and one woman for life"?
(1) Just as "from the beginning" it was wrong for Cain
to kill his brother, "from the beginning" it's been
wrong for men to put away their wives.
c. Marriage laws are not in some way unique to Christians.
Marriage laws are part of God's will from the beginning.
2. Vs. 7-8 - God knew they might have refused to marry or,
worse, they might have secretly murdered their wives.
a. Truly, there was a time when God overlooked certain
things. Acts 17:30
3. Vs. 9 - "And I say...." Thus, showing His sovereignty, His
authority. "Whosoever" (universal in nature) puts away his
wife and marries another, except for fornication, committeth
adultery.
a. "Committeth adultery" is a translation of the Greek
word moichatai, and is "present active indicative." It
refers to continuous action.
(1) Paul teaches in Col. 3:5-7 that one can live in
adultery.
B. Rom. 7:2-3
1. As long as she remains married to another man (to whom she
is not bound), she shall continue to be called an
adulteress.
C. 1 Cor. 6:9-11
1. The phrase, "such were some of you" shows past action.
This was their former life style.
2. The verb "were" (Greek: "hate") is second person, plural,
imperfect, which represents an action as going on
(continuous) in the past.
3. Hence, some of the Corinthians were living in adultery,
homosexuality, drunkenness, thievery, etc.
D. Repentance is, "A change of mind coupled with a change of
action." Mt. 21:29
1. Repentance demands separation from sin.
2. People may no more lawfully continue living together as
husband and wife, than homosexuals continuing to cohabit,
drunkards continuing to drink and thieves continuing to
steal.
Concl.
A. Are alien sinners accountable to God's marriage laws?
Certainly.
1. Though alien sinners have not brought themselves under
obedience to the laws of Christ, they are, nevertheless,
accountable to them.
B. When one becomes a Christian, he may abide only in the
relationships that are lawful.
1. All sinful relationships, such as adultery, pologomy,
homosexuality, and incest, must be ended.
2. All sinners, regardless of how heinous the sin, may be
forgiven through the blood of Christ.
3. However, no one can persist in a sinful relationship and
expect to be forgiven.
4. As we said, repentance demands a separation from sin.