Pastor Marc Bertrand

Appropriate Intimacy in Dating What is the Assemblies of God’s position on appropriate and inappropriate intimacy for Christians in dating and in premarital courtship (engagements)? It is commonly believed among Assemblies of God constituents that lenient attitudes toward sex before or outside of marriage are completely contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture. It is also felt that uncontroll ed and irresponsible expressions of affection and sexual permissiveness are directly responsible for the breakdown of much in our society. Dating and Courtship Dating and premarital courtship as practiced in the 20th-century are entirely different from the process of mate selection in Bible days. In ancient times dating and courtship were virtually nonexistent. Marriages were arranged by fathers; and great importance was placed on family lines, histories, and dowries. Few in modern culture would care to return to the marriage system of ancient civilization. It is safe to say most of us today e...

Appropriate Intimacy in Dating What is the Assemblies of God’s position on appropriate and inappropriate intimacy for Christians in dating and in premarital courtship (engagements)? It is commonly believed among Assemblies of God constituents that lenient attitudes toward sex before or outside of marriage are completely contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture. It is also felt that uncontroll ed and irresponsible expressions of affection and sexual permissiveness are directly responsible for the breakdown of much in our society. Dating and Courtship Dating and premarital courtship as practiced in the 20th-century are entirely different from the process of mate selection in Bible days. In ancient times dating and courtship were virtually nonexistent. Marriages were arranged by fathers; and great importance was placed on family lines, histories, and dowries. Few in modern culture would care to return to the marriage system of ancient civilization. It is safe to say most of us today e...

Is Oral Sex Okay? This is such a milestone question,and it should be marked with an epic episode. You ask the questions,and we get a lot of questions about relationships, dating, marriage, and of course sex. And that leads to episodes that may not be suitable for all readers, and are really designed to be read to by married couples. Such is the case today. In this post. The question have arrive d on the question of oral sex. The question is always the same: Pastor , is this practice permissible in a Christian marriage, or is it always sinful? Questions relating to sexual intimacy should, I think, be handled with what you might call verbal modesty, rather than shocking or crass words. I think dressing and talking in immodest ways are both ways. So that is kind of governing some of my language now. These are real concerns. I am okay with this question. It is a little bit difficult and sensitive, but it is okay. People want biblical guidance, and so here is my effort at biblical wisdom. ...

"How far is too far?" Many young people enter the dating world completely unprepared for the powerful emotions, desires, and temptations awaiting them. Even Christians firm in their conviction that sexual activity before marriage is off limits can be caught off guard by all the steps in between celibacy and intercourse. Abstinence teaching often fails by not being specific enough about the comple xity of sexuality and the hidden dangers of “messing around.” There is no definitive answer to the question “how far is too far?” If our goal is to go as far as we can in good conscience, we may already be facing moral defeat. Anytime we approach sin with the attitude of “how close can I get before I have to repent?” we are setting ourselves up for failure. For a Christian, the question should be “how can I keep my heart and my thoughts honoring to God in this dating relationship?” And better still is the Christian who wonders, “How can I protect the purity of the person I am dating...

Is Masturbation a Sin?. It can be sinful, if accompanied by wrong lustful thoughts. The battlefield on which we win or lose against temptations is the battlefield of thought. Escape the chains of sexual sin by recognizing the sin and asking for God's forgiveness and help. Sin is often the result of lust or wrong selfish desire. This fact forms the primary basis of answering this question. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:28 that “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Sexual lusting in the mind is the primary reason or trigger for masturbation and is sin—whether from erotic imagery, viewing pornography, or lusting after a person who is not one’s spouse. A Christian must therefore learn to control his thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5). As the apostle James wrote: “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin” (James 1:14-15, New American Standard Bible...

What does the Bible have to say about masturbation?. Reader asking some very important questions 1) What does the Bible have to say about masturbation? I believe that masturbation (the act only, not the lust associated with it) is not a sin. The Bible seems completely silent about the topic, although it talks elaborately about sexual sins like fornication, adultery, incest, etc. Also the verse 1  Corinthians 6:20 seems to support my belief. 2) What does the Bible say about interpreting it in the wrong way? I'm not talking about the various English translations. I'm talking about “The Bible Code”. There must be some verse about such interpretations of the Scriptures, just like there are verses condemning sorcery. The Bible is completely silent about masturbation. The Bible does not use the word and does not discuss the situation. But the Bible is also silent about pornography, copyright violations, and privacy rights. It never explicitly says anything about abortion either. Bec...

Is masturbation a sin in marriage? Is masturbation a sin in marriage? I have not had physical relations in eight months with my wife. It is very hard to cope with not being intimate with her. Here we have a reader expressing this hard point out there for others to read who are facing the same problems. Is your wife interested in having physical relations? Based on your question and in order to provide an answer, I have assumed the answer is “no.” While it is common for men to have a stronger sexual drive than women, it is not normal for a wife to have as little desire for physical relations with her husband as you are describing. What follows is the answer to the question, “Is masturbation a sin in marriage?” Biblical Guidance. God makes it clear in 1 Corinthians that both husbands and wives have a need for sexual activity resulting in orgasm. In the following passage, God tells a husband to meet the sexual needs of his wife and for a wife to meet the sexual needs of her husband. Let ...