biblical?

 There's a man who claims the role of pastor who has recently announced that polygamy is biblical, and in fact he himself has taken a second wife and is expecting his 8th child with her. His argument isn't one I really want to get into, though there's definitely plenty to say. Instead, I want to look at what I think is the bigger picture here: what does it mean for something to be "biblical"?

 It seems like we hear that argument thrown around a lot lately. This most recent example is polygamy, but this isn't a new method for trying to justify things. It goes back centuries...I would argue that as long as the Jewish Law has existed, people have twisted and manipulated it to say what they want. The fact that God placed regulations around slavery was used to justify slavery as "biblical." The fact that men in the Old Testament had multiple wives is being used to say polygamy is "biblical." It's the same story, different tune.

But the fact that something is in the bible doesn't mean that it was God ordained.

While the bible is the word of God, with each word working to tell His story, it tells God's story through the stories of a huge number of ordinary, imperfect people. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, sin has been part of the story for every man and woman who has ever been born. That means their stories--just like ours--are full of choices made out that sinful nature.

We see it so many times. God gave kings guidelines for how they should reign, but that was after He told His people that they shouldn't have a king. God gave rules to regulate slavery even though He knew it would be better for His people to do away with slavery. He gave rules around divorce, even going so far as to name specific instances in which divorce was permitted for His people, even though His plan is for marriage to be a lifetime covenant. In regard to this recent announcement about polygamy, God allowed His people to marry multiple wives even though as early as Genesis 2:24 and the very creation of woman He had set marriage as the union of one man and one woman: "Now this is the reason a man leaves his father and his mother, and is united with his wife; and the two become one flesh."

To put it simply, there are many things God allows that He doesn't approve.

And to be 100% honest? I'm incredibly thankful that God makes allowances for our weaknesses. As Psalm 103:14 says, "For He knows what we are made of; He knows our frame is frail, and He remembers we came from dust." There are times throughout the bible where, knowing the struggles and limitations of those He created, God chose to stoop down and tell us, "I know you, and I love you. I'll give you guidelines to try to save you some pain."

But the amazing thing is, God loves us too much to let us continue living in those sinful habits. He makes allowances, but He also challenges us. He shows us throughout scripture that settling for what He allows just results in difficulties--there's not a time in the bible that shows polygamy making everyone happy and content in a marriage, for example. He gives us the ideal in His word and tells us to strive for perfection: "But you are called to something higher: “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)