Men/Women | AGW MINISTRIES

Sexual Purity: How the Church Often Get’s It Wrong

February 25, 2018January 26, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Psalm 51:10
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

The American Church has gotten the issue of sexual purity backwards. The idea is presented to youth groups across the country that it is utterly crucial for them to “remain pure.” When they are virgins, they have their purity. If they have premarital sex, however, they will lose their purity.

True Sexual Purity Is Given By Jesus Christ Alone

While there are certainly worse things you could tell a teenager, this logic simply does not translate to our spiritual reality explained in the Bible. We most certainly should teach abstinence, but the motivation behind abstinence is often neglected.

Does the Bible Say Being Gay Is a Choice?

January 5, 2016January 5, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Does the Bible say being gay is a choice? All sin is a choice. Therefore, one way to answer “Does the Bible say being gay is a choice?” is to decide if being gay is a sin according to the Bible.

How to Have More Sex in Your Christian Marriage

February 23, 2016November 22, 2015 by Mark Ballenger

God made sex for married Christians to fully enjoy. So how can you have more sex in your Christian marriage? Believe it or not, the Bible does directly give instructions for the marriage bed. And the main message regarding sex in marriage is the main message regarding marriage in general: focus on giving more than on taking. Here are 5 truths the Bible gives about marriage and sex that will help your intimacy flourish.

Is Masturbation Sin?

May 28, 2018November 10, 2015 by Mark Ballenger

Key Bible Verses Proving Masturbation Is a Sin According to Scripture:

5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. . . 8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. – 1 Corinthians 7:5, 8-9

Well this is awkward . . . but thousands of Christians are asking questions about masturbation. So here is a blunt, specific, and direct article about how the Bible addresses issues like masturbation. Here we go!

What Does 1 Timothy 2:15 Mean? “women will be saved through childbearing”?

October 10, 2015October 10, 2015 by Mark Ballenger

But women will be saved through childbearing–if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.-1 Timothy 2:15

The meaning of 1 Timothy 2:15, particularly the phrase, “women will be saved through childbearing” is a notoriously difficult passage to interpret. Therefore this post is more technical and a bit longer, for as C.S. Lewis said about Christian reality, “So let us leave behind all these boys’ philosophies–these overly simple answers. The problem is not simple and the answer is not going to be simple either.”

(1 Timothy 2:9-10) Is it Sinful for Women to Dress Nice?

October 4, 2015 by Mark Ballenger

When you read the above passage, it feels at first that women should all resemble Mennonites or Amish women if they want to remain true to Scripture. No jeans, makeup, nice clothes, attention to your hairstyle.

No normal women (or man!) likes this idea. Women don’t want to be “plain Jane” and men don’t want women to look like they just rolled out of bed. Internally, when passages are read like the one above, Christians either pass it off as “one of those outdated parts of Scripture” and go on wearing what they want, or they just ignore 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and feel guilty about it.

Perhaps there’s a better way.

4 Dangers of Being Unequally Yoked

July 10, 2018October 1, 2015 by Mark Ballenger

#1 danger for single Christians — In preparation for this article, read Matthew 22:36-40, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Nehemiah 13:23-27, and 1 Corinthians 7:39

What is the greatest temptation and danger for an unmarried Christian? And how do single Christians avoid this danger?

Should Women Preach to Men?

March 16, 2017October 1, 2015 by Mark Ballenger

Should Women Preach to Men?

Who Should Be the Spiritual Leader in the Home?

January 3, 2016October 1, 2015 by Mark Ballenger

Key Scriptures for this Article: Genesis 2:15-18, 1 Timothy 2:12-14 — Bible Verses: Genesis 2:15-18, 1 Timothy 2:12-14

In a day and age where we are told as children that we can be whatever we want if we just try our hardest, to be told God has ordained men to be the spiritual leaders, not women, in the home and church is seen as a crime.

Regardless, the Bible makes clear that Christian men and women are equal and yet are to play different roles in their homes and churches, which is theologically described as complementarianism.

Does the Bible Say It’s Wrong to Live Together Before Marriage?

March 20, 2018September 23, 2015 by Mark Ballenger

Most Christians believe it is sin to have premarital sex, but what about living with someone of the opposite sex before marriage? Many people are strapped financially, so it just makes life easier if they can split the bills with the person they are dating or engaged to. And if they know they are going to get married anyway, what’s the harm in cohabitation before marriage, especially if they are not having sex?