Polygamy is allowed

[hopper]

Is being single then a sin?

[FriendofJonathan]

14 minutes ago, Anne2 said:

Where people get the notion that marriage is simply about sex, is a modern idea.

 

Marriage is much more than just legal sex. Much more

Sister Anne, the issue of the correlation of marriage and sex has been studied extensively. 

We know that God intended sex to be pleasurable in the marriage relationship in order for man to be fruitful and multiply; it was God's command from the beginning.  But the fallen and carnal mind can't help but think of sex, even in the marriage relationship, some more than others.  Paul even counsels us on this matter in 1 Corinthians 7. 

On a side note: a secular study showed that most men think about sex more than 100 times during the day. That same study showed that most women think about sex more often than most men, but deny doing so. 

 

[Anne2]

48 minutes ago, FriendofJonathan said:

Sister Anne, the issue of the correlation of marriage and sex has been studied extensively. 

We know that God intended sex to be pleasurable in the marriage relationship in order for man to be fruitful and multiply; it was God's command from the beginning.  But the fallen and carnal mind can't help but think of sex, even in the marriage relationship, some more than others.  Paul even counsels us on this matter in 1 Corinthians 7. 

On a side note: a secular study showed that most men think about sex more than 100 times during the day. That same study showed that most women think about sex more often than most men, but deny doing so. 

 

So what? Sex leads to having Children. the obligations men and women both have to each other in that relationship. It is not just about SEX!

[FriendofJonathan]

1 hour ago, Anne2 said:

So what? Sex leads to having Children. the obligations men and women both have to each other in that relationship. It is not just about SEX!

Neither is sex just a mechanical operation controlled by a switch on the wall. 

If my wife and I have mutual desires to please one another sexually, and do so without conceiving children, are we in contradiction to biblical dictates?  If so, explain. 

[Anne2]

2 hours ago, FriendofJonathan said:

Neither is sex just a mechanical operation controlled by a switch on the wall. 

If my wife and I have mutual desires to please one another sexually, and do so without conceiving children, are we in contradiction to biblical dictates?  If so, explain. 

Why would you be? We are after all speaking about the issue in biblical terms, and times.

But you are both mutually obligated to each other and any child which might result.

[FriendofJonathan]

8 minutes ago, Anne2 said:

But you are both mutually obligated to each other and any child which might result

No doubt about it. Praise God for His blessings. 

[ConfirmByDoing]

Actually a Google search(which sometimes doesn't do a good enough job with something like this)...

"While the Old Testament permitted polygamy in some circumstances, the New Testament and Jesus' teachings strongly emphasize monogamy as the ideal for marriage. The New Covenant, established through Jesus, doesn't explicitly condemn polygamy, but it clearly portrays the ideal of one man and one woman being married for life, and this is the standard upheld by the church." 

Here's a more detailed explanation:

Old Testament Context:

"The Old Testament allowed for polygamy in certain situations, such as when a man died without a male heir (requiring his brother to marry his widow) or when rich men had multiple wives. However, it wasn't the norm, and there are examples in the Old Testament of polygamy leading to significant problems and family discord."

Jesus' Teachings:

"Jesus' teachings on marriage strongly point towards monogamy. When asked about divorce, he referred back to the original creation narrative in Genesis, where God created one man and one woman. This suggests that monogamy is God's original design for marriage." 

New Testament and the Church:

"While the New Testament doesn't explicitly forbid polygamy, it clearly upholds monogamy as the ideal. A polygamist is ineligible for leadership in the church (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)." 

The Ideal of Unity:

"The concept of "one flesh" in Genesis, where a man and woman become one, is central to the biblical understanding of marriage and is consistent with the idea of a single, committed relationship." 

A Note on God's Will:

"While God may have permitted polygamy in certain circumstances in the Old Testament, it's important to remember that it was not his ideal or preferred way of life. The examples of polygamy in the Old Testament often show the negative consequences of having multiple wives."

https://www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html

Jesus's death, burial and resurrection was the beginning of restoring mankind back to what was originally intended in the garden before Adam and Eve sinned throwing humanity into compete and utter turmoil(Gen 6:5-7). God's plan for marriage way back then, is part of what Jesus came to restore(II Cor 5:17.. "we are a new creation"; Rev 21:5..."... behold, I am making all things new". How was marriage taught when all was new "In the beginning..."(Gen 2:18-25, all in the singular). Then Jesus referring back to this verse in Matt 19:3-8 saying, "Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way." 

Polygamy was allowed during the Old Testament during very harsh times, but Jesus came to restore that which belongs to Him back to new, along with the Holy Spirit who will help discern between truth and deception...

I John 4:1-6 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

[Anne2]

1 hour ago, ConfirmByDoing said:

Actually a Google search(which sometimes doesn't do a good enough job with something like this)...

"While the Old Testament permitted polygamy in some circumstances,

We are to follow the law of land. and that is the law in most lands.....

But here we are discussing the law as in the bible, which is also the law of the land of Israel.

Having said that

Old testament, in some circumstance.

The circumstance was/is enough wealth to sustain a larger household.

Therefore this

1 hour ago, ConfirmByDoing said:

The New Covenant, established through Jesus, doesn't explicitly condemn polygamy, but it clearly portrays the ideal of one man and one woman being married for life, and this is the standard upheld by the church." 

Yes. One wife is sufficient for a man that is financially supported by the church...

Main points....

1 Cor 9: 12   Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?
2  If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.
3 Mine answer to them that do examine me is this,
4  Have we not power to eat and to drink?
5  Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? {wife: or, woman }
6  Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?

And it continues.......Royal priesthood,
12  If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
13  Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? {live: or, feed }
14  Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
 

Paul in the above, had forgone some of this expense to not hinder the Gospel....But others did have wives of their own (one- to not burden the Church with more than needed).  Paul and Barnabas were unmarried....But they absolutely could,,,but would increase their necessities of a living.......to feed and house a wife, and any children produced from that union.....

Jew's quit polygamy being surrounded by Christians...  so they ceased. No law among us to regulate such arrangements. However Rome was the only celibate among the Catholic Churches. The orthodox marry, their priests marry...ONE WIFE and any children they have in their households......

 

Edited April 13 by Anne2

[ConfirmByDoing]

1 hour ago, Anne2 said:

We are to follow the law of land. and that is the law in most lands.....

But here we are discussing the law as in the bible, which is also the law of the land of Israel.

Having said that

Old testament, in some circumstance.

The circumstance was/is enough wealth to sustain a larger household.

Therefore this

Yes. One wife is sufficient for a man that is financially supported by the church...

Main points....

1 Cor 9: 12   Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?
2  If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.
3 Mine answer to them that do examine me is this,
4  Have we not power to eat and to drink?
5  Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? {wife: or, woman }
6  Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?

And it continues.......Royal priesthood,
12  If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
13  Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? {live: or, feed }
14  Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
 

Paul in the above, had forgone some of this expense to not hinder the Gospel....But others did have wives of their own (one- to not burden the Church with more than needed).  Paul and Barnabas were unmarried....But they absolutely could,,,but would increase their necessities of a living.......to feed and house a wife, and any children produced from that union.....

Jew's quit polygamy being surrounded by Christians...  so they ceased. No law among us to regulate such arrangements. However Rome was the only celibate among the Catholic Churches. The orthodox marry, their priests marry...ONE WIFE and any children they have in their households......

 

Thanks for your response. Liked that you zeroed in on Paul's circumstances of being unmarried. I've never been married and never felt convicted by it since being born again almost 20 years ago. Then I saw, I Cor 7:8, 9 and realized why.

 

But that is interesting about Jesus' teachings about monogamy having the eventual influence on His Jewish community. Albeit the Roman's having their say, but really the Jewish people getting back to the root reason for humanity as a whole to recognize one man, one woman being one flesh... led by Christ in Matthew 19

[Frits]

On 4/13/2025 at 9:55 PM, ConfirmByDoing said:

Actually a Google search(which sometimes doesn't do a good enough job with something like this)...

"While the Old Testament permitted polygamy in some circumstances, the New Testament and Jesus' teachings strongly emphasize monogamy as the ideal for marriage. The New Covenant, established through Jesus, doesn't explicitly condemn polygamy, but it clearly portrays the ideal of one man and one woman being married for life, and this is the standard upheld by the church." 

Here's a more detailed explanation:

Old Testament Context:

"The Old Testament allowed for polygamy in certain situations, such as when a man died without a male heir (requiring his brother to marry his widow) or when rich men had multiple wives. However, it wasn't the norm, and there are examples in the Old Testament of polygamy leading to significant problems and family discord."

Jesus' Teachings:

"Jesus' teachings on marriage strongly point towards monogamy. When asked about divorce, he referred back to the original creation narrative in Genesis, where God created one man and one woman. This suggests that monogamy is God's original design for marriage." 

New Testament and the Church:

"While the New Testament doesn't explicitly forbid polygamy, it clearly upholds monogamy as the ideal. A polygamist is ineligible for leadership in the church (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)." 

The Ideal of Unity:

"The concept of "one flesh" in Genesis, where a man and woman become one, is central to the biblical understanding of marriage and is consistent with the idea of a single, committed relationship." 

A Note on God's Will:

"While God may have permitted polygamy in certain circumstances in the Old Testament, it's important to remember that it was not his ideal or preferred way of life. The examples of polygamy in the Old Testament often show the negative consequences of having multiple wives."

https://www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html

Jesus's death, burial and resurrection was the beginning of restoring mankind back to what was originally intended in the garden before Adam and Eve sinned throwing humanity into compete and utter turmoil(Gen 6:5-7). God's plan for marriage way back then, is part of what Jesus came to restore(II Cor 5:17.. "we are a new creation"; Rev 21:5..."... behold, I am making all things new". How was marriage taught when all was new "In the beginning..."(Gen 2:18-25, all in the singular). Then Jesus referring back to this verse in Matt 19:3-8 saying, "Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way." 

Polygamy was allowed during the Old Testament during very harsh times, but Jesus came to restore that which belongs to Him back to new, along with the Holy Spirit who will help discern between truth and deception...

I John 4:1-6 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

In my opinion, the only reason for polygamy is lust, sex, desire.

And the lust 'of the flesh' is, next to the lust of the eyes and pride, precisely the method of the devil to bring sin into the world! (1 John 2:16)

If the argument for polygamy is only to take a few women into the family and take care of them, then that man can also solve that by giving his money to one or two neighbor women.