• Biblical Families is not a dating website. It is a forum to discuss issues relating to marriage and the Bible, and to offer guidance and support, not to find a wife. Click here for more information.

General Is the rejection of biblical beliefs such as polygyny a salvation issue?

Kai T

Member
Male
We all know that salvation comes through faith in our Lord Jesus. However, if a Christian having being presented with biblical justification of polygyny still rejects it without a solid reason other than the reason of him or her thinking it being unholy, is that Christian in danger of being not saved at all or losing their salvation? If that is the case, in order to be saved, what sort of faith is needed?
 
@The Revolting Man Yes, certainly confessing Jesus is Lord is the most important one. But there are many versions of Jesus Christ. You have Mormon version, you have Catholic version, the homosexual version and many more. Each version of Jesus is different. Do we have to have faith in the right and true version of the Lord in order to be saved? If one rejects biblical principles as contained in the Bible but confesses that Jesus is their Savior, is that Christian having faith in the right Jesus? Will they be saved at all?
 
@The Revolting Man Yes, certainly confessing Jesus is Lord is the most important one. But there are many versions of Jesus Christ. You have Mormon version, you have Catholic version, the homosexual version and many more. Each version of Jesus is different. Do we have to have faith in the right and true version of the Lord in order to be saved? If one rejects biblical principles as contained in the Bible but confesses that Jesus is their Savior, is that Christian having faith in the right Jesus? Will they be saved at all?
Jesus warned that many would come claiming to be Christ/Him and they would deceive many, and Peter said it would be the same in this time as it was in the past so yes, there are many wrong saviours; many false Christs people believe in. There is only one true Saviour and Lord and it is by grace through faith in Him that people are saved. I agree, people need to be having faith in the true Jesus - who is Christ the Lord, if they are to have genuine salvation.
 
I agree with @The Revolting Man, although I might word it as there being only One Savior, about whom many people have misguided opinions. Those misguided opinions have no power to change Who Christ is, what He has done for us, or what is required for our salvation. Having the right opinion on any other manner of dogma surrounding Christ makes us misguided but does not threaten our salvation -- not recognizing the need for salvation, not recognizing Christ's crucifixion as a propitiation for our sins that produced that need for salvation, or not recognizing the truth of Christ's Resurrection, those are all that can threaten salvation, in my, believe me, on this topic, very humble opinion.

On the other hand, if one believes that Santa Claus is Christ and that His purpose is to bring us presents on His birthday, one might be gravitating into dangerous waters . . .
 
However before we label a belief as a "false Christ", I think there is a level of error about Christ that is acceptable for salvation. For instance, we must accept Christ as Lord, but are not told we must accept him as being God (Lord and God being quite different words). I do believe he is God - however there are sects such as the Jehovah's Witnesses who accept him as Lord, but do not accept him as God (rather as the most exalted creation of God). In my personal opinion, they are still saved as they accept the most fundamental necessary truth, even though I believe they are wrong on an important detail.

To put it another way, I believe they are trying to follow the true Christ - they are just wrong about an important aspect of His nature.

I would say the same about the Catholics - they are following the true Christ, they just have details wrong about Him. I know too little about Mormonism to state either way on them.

To put it a third way - if two of us are physically following a man walking down a path, and I say "the man in front has a moustache", and you say "no, he's clean shaven", and it turns out that you are right and I am wrong: Am I following a different man? Or am I just wrong about the nature of the man we are both following?

Edit: @Keith Martin and I posted the same thought at the same time. This is in response to @frederick.
 
To put it a third way - if two of us are physically following a man walking down a path, and I say "the man in front has a moustache", and you say "no, he's clean shaven", and it turns out that you are right and I am wrong: Am I following a different man? Or am I just wrong about the nature of the man we are both following?

Awesome!
 
however there are sects such as the Jehovah's Witnesses who accept him as Lord, but do not accept him as God (rather as the most exalted creation of God). In my personal opinion, they are still saved as they accept the most fundamental necessary truth, even though I believe they are wrong on an important detail.
Having discussed and debated salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone with JW's, Mormons, and RC's, most have faith in their good works and obedience to their religious doctrines for salvation.
To put it another way, I believe they are trying to follow the true Christ - they are just wrong about an important aspect of His nature.
These religions teach a works based salvation and that's what its adherents would mostly hold to.
 
although I might word it as there being only One Savior, about whom many people have misguided opinions. Those misguided opinions have no power to change Who Christ is, what He has done for us, or what is required for our salvation. Having the right opinion on any other manner of dogma surrounding Christ makes us misguided but does not threaten our salvation -- not recognizing the need for salvation, not recognizing Christ's crucifixion as a propitiation for our sins that produced that need for salvation, or not recognizing the truth of Christ's Resurrection, those are all that can threaten salvation, in my, believe me, on this topic, very humble opinion.

Those misguided opinions have no power to change Who Christ is, BUT they do have the power to change Who we follow - we are the ones being changed. Most people do recognize the need for salvation, it is just the manner of which the salvation takes place. The crucifixion of Christ and the resurrection of Christ are both the cornerstones of our faith, but many non-Christians like Buddhists and Taoists do believe it is possible to be crucified and resurrected, they just don't believe their sins could be washed away through that but by the means of Karma and nirvana.

To put it a third way - if two of us are physically following a man walking down a path, and I say "the man in front has a moustache", and you say "no, he's clean shaven", and it turns out that you are right and I am wrong: Am I following a different man? Or am I just wrong about the nature of the man we are both following?

When we believe and follow Jesus, do we follow a shadow or figure of Jesus? The analogy can't encapsulate fully the nature of belief for Christians because we don't physically see Jesus. To a great extent, the Lord Jesus is an idea for many and the supernatural God and Power for Christians. We don't see Him with our physical eyes but with our spiritual eyes.

Having discussed and debated salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone with JW's, Mormons, and RC's, most have faith in their good works and obedience to their religious doctrines for salvation

If Jesus were to come back and tell us the truth is that the belief in salvation by grace alone through faith is wrong, are we going to say to Him that you are not Jesus?
If Jesus were to come back and tell us the truth is that salvation is by grace alone through faith, some Mormons or JW might say you are not Jesus, it is SO unfair.

EDIT: Without a solid idea who Jesus is, the anti-Christ can easily claim to be Him.
 
Last edited:
These religions teach a works based salvation and that's what its adherents would mostly hold to.
And if somebody is seeking salvation purely through works, and does not have faith in Jesus, they are not saved. That is however an individual question and is veering away from the original topic.
 
I would say that there is no homosexual version of Christ.
That’s more of an attempt at misrepresentation than misunderstanding.
 
Jesus warned that many would come claiming to be Christ/Him and they would deceive many

While I agree with your overall premise I think you are mistaken about what he said in that Passage.

Matthew 24:4-5 NASB
And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. [5] For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many.

These people are pointing to Yeshua as the Messiah And then misleading people About how to follow Messiah is what he's saying. He is not saying that those people are claiming to be the Messiah.
 
@The Revolting Man said it well. Very few doctrinal issues are salvific, although I’ve seen and been party to many ended friendships of previously close believers due to differences of opinion over minor issues - often very minor, in my opinion.

The truth is, it’s easy to closely fellowship with likeminded believers, but that closeness can also lead to feelings of confusion, shock or even betrayal when one disagreement comes about that either or both view as very important. In fact, the closer the bond, the deeper the hurt when a disagreement occurs, and that’s true for any relationship.

I will instantly and naturally connect with other believers in plural marriage because we have that in common, but that’s just one issue (albeit an important one) of an endless array of possible and varied beliefs. And once we move past discussion on the topics we agree on, our natural desire is to discuss the many other faith related topics we’re passionate about. A common belief in plural marriage is just the tip of the iceberg and only one of many beliefs. Moving into other topics usually leads to some more contentious debate, which is exactly why it occurs on this forum and many others.

What we need to continually remind ourselves of is the fact that no two believers will ever completely agree on every doctrinal point, and as long as they are believers they are our brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of the disagreements we may have. That doesn’t mean we won’t desire to share our own beliefs and willingly discuss them with others who disagree, but it does mean we should prioritize our bond in Christ over some less crucial topics. Not to mention, ending relationships over debatable topics prevents either person from even sharing with or learning from the other until if and when they reconcile.

The majority of people our family is close with accept our lifestyle and can see the value of it (it’s clear to me that they do), but they don’t view it as biblically permissible and probably view it as a sin. Despite that, we choose to remain close, and I’m thankful for that. To be honest, my belief in and practice of plural marriage - although extremely important to me - probably doesn’t rank in even the top 10 of what I consider to be my most important and consequential beliefs. Likewise, several of the believers I’m closest with don’t share my belief in polygamy but do share most of my other fundamental beliefs, and I have no doubt they are true believers.
 
While I agree with your overall premise I think you are mistaken about what he said in that Passage.

Matthew 24:4-5 NASB
And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. [5] For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many.

These people are pointing to Yeshua as the Messiah And then misleading people About how to follow Messiah is what he's saying. He is not saying that those people are claiming to be the Messiah.
If we look back at v:4, we see Jesus warning His disciples to be active in avoiding being deceived; they are to see to it that they are not deceived. This deception comes from those saying, "I am the Christ." The construction indicates an emphatic claim being made by those who are speaking; the ones attempting to deceive, so I would disagree with your understanding. Jesus goes on to say that those making this claim will be successful; (v:5) "...and will deceive many", so His warning in v:4 is justified. He continues His response to their question and in v:23-24 says, "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe. For false christs and false prophets will arise..." There are going to be people making those sorts of claims about themselves (cf. Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8) and there will be people pointing to others making those claims, however we must be active in avoiding getting caught up in their deceit. I hope that clarifies the understanding. Cheers
 
If Jesus were to come back and tell us the truth is that the belief in salvation by grace alone through faith is wrong, are we going to say to Him that you are not Jesus?
If Jesus were to come back and tell us the truth is that salvation is by grace alone through faith, some Mormons or JW might say you are not Jesus, it is SO unfair.
A thought to keep in mind; there is nowhere in the Bible where we are told God is fair. However we are told God is holy and He is just and He judges according to His perfect holiness and justice. If God dealt with sinners according to what is fair..... well, I'm grateful He doesn't. Shalom
 
If we look back at v:4, we see Jesus warning His disciples to be active in avoiding being deceived; they are to see to it that they are not deceived. This deception comes from those saying, "I am the Christ." The construction indicates an emphatic claim being made by those who are speaking; the ones attempting to deceive, so I would disagree with your understanding. Jesus goes on to say that those making this claim will be successful; (v:5) "...and will deceive many", so His warning in v:4 is justified. He continues His response to their question and in v:23-24 says, "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe. For false christs and false prophets will arise..." There are going to be people making those sorts of claims about themselves (cf. Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8) and there will be people pointing to others making those claims, however we must be active in avoiding getting caught up in their deceit. I hope that clarifies the understanding. Cheers
In English, it appears that this can be read both ways (either saying "I myself am the Christ", or "Jesus is the Christ"). However, is it possible to also read it both ways in the Greek, or is this a translation quirk?

Are you saying that the words could, grammatically, mean either, but you are firmly of the opinion for various other reasons that this means they are saying "I myself am the Christ"? Or, are you saying that the words CANNOT mean "Jesus is the Christ" in Greek, and can only mean they are saying "I myself am the Christ"?

Like @Pacman, I have come to feel that the view that they are saying "Jesus is the Christ" is more reasonable - as it is far more likely to be an effective deception. If someone says "Hey everyone, I'm the Saviour", most people would think they had a mental illness. But if someone says "Jesus is the Christ, and to follow Him really well He wants you to drink this kool-aid", far more people will go along with it. There's far more danger in people that really look like genuine Christians who are slipping poison into their preaching, than people who are so obviously off in la-la-land that most people will ignore them. The most effective lies are mostly truth.
 
A 'salvation issue' would be something involving the requirements/process of salvation.

Getting the nitty gritty details of marriage is not one of those things.

This is a common problem in Western Christianity as we inherited the Greek way of thinking and too often think one must believe perfectly to be saved. That's not how faith works.

There are a couple other issues, such as a lack of fruit and blasphamy of the Holy Spirit that could impinge salvation but neither would polygamy generally fall under this either.

Teachers however should be careful, as they're held to a higher standard. But I'm not sure off hand how that plays out.
 
Getting the nitty gritty details of marriage is not one of those things.
That is not what I meant. What I asked was related to IF that person has been shown or proven the truth of the Scriptures, ie, polygyny and has REJECTED that truth because of their own personal feelings. That person has already gotten the nitty gritty details of marriage but has chosen to reject it because of their personal opinion, ie. he wasn't brought up that way, he thinks it's disrespectful and etc.

A thought to keep in mind; there is nowhere in the Bible where we are told God is fair
In Col 4: 1, God did ask masters to be fair to their bondservants. In Proverbs 11:1, God said He hates a false balance. Fairness is also part of God's characteristics and His fairness is not the same as our concept of fairness. But He is fair.
 
That is not what I meant. What I asked was related to IF that person has been shown or proven the truth of the Scriptures, ie, polygyny and has REJECTED that truth because of their own personal feelings. That person has already gotten the nitty gritty details of marriage but has chosen to reject it because of their personal opinion, ie. he wasn't brought up that way, he thinks it's disrespectful and etc.
Still not a salvation matter. We don't even have to accept the scriptures to be saved - we just have to accept Jesus. We can err in many other ways.

Even the person who rejects the scriptures on this based on their own personal feelings may still be trying to follow God correctly. From their perspective, their personal feelings are so strong they just "know" this must be the wrong interpretation of the scriptures, even though they can't find a rational argument that disproves it, so they're not willing to accept it. They feel that God's law is "written on their heart", and therefore if they feel in their heart something is wrong it must be wrong. So they have understandable religious, even Biblical, reasons to reject the scriptural case for polygamy. That doesn't change the fact that they are wrong, and that feeling in their heart may be their own personal fears and not from God at all. But it does temper the seriousness of the error, because it is not necessarily a wilful decision to disbelieve & disobey God, but rather a genuine desire to follow God correctly, with serious but genuine mistakes being made in how that is done.
 
If we look back at v:4, we see Jesus warning His disciples to be active in avoiding being deceived; they are to see to it that they are not deceived. This deception comes from those saying, "I am the Christ." The construction indicates an emphatic claim being made by those who are speaking; the ones attempting to deceive, so I would disagree with your understanding. Jesus goes on to say that those making this claim will be successful; (v:5) "...and will deceive many", so His warning in v:4 is justified. He continues His response to their question and in v:23-24 says, "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe. For false christs and false prophets will arise..." There are going to be people making those sorts of claims about themselves (cf. Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8) and there will be people pointing to others making those claims, however we must be active in avoiding getting caught up in their deceit. I hope that clarifies the understanding. Cheers

i think another/better? way of looking at this passage is to read and understand the word “christ” in it’s more literal meaning, “anointed one”. False prophets and false anointed ones, makes more sense as to why they are successful in their deception. They’re not claiming to BE Jesus, they are claiming a similar status, anointed one.
 
Back
Top