Question 1

What kinds of alliances are we expected to make?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 2:24This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.A marriage between a man and a woman was the first and most basic human alliance.1 Samuel 20:42At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.Mark 3:13-14Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach.Our close friendships are important alliances.Acts 11:22-26When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people.Romans 16:3, 21Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus . . . Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.2 Corinthians 8:23If anyone asks about Titus, say that he is my partner who works with me to help you. And the brothers with him have been sent by the churches, and they bring honor to Christ.Philippians 2:25Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need.Philippians 4:3I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.We can form ministry alliances, which are effective tools used by God.1 Kings 5:10-11Hiram supplied as much cedar and cypress timber as Solomon desired. In return, Solomon sent him an annual payment of 100,000 bushels of wheat for his household and 110,000 gallons of pure olive oil.A business partnership is an important kind of alliance.Genesis 14:1-3, 13About this time war broke out in the region. King Amraphel of Babylonia, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Kedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim fought against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar). This second group of kings joined forces in Siddim Valley (that is, the valley of the Dead Sea) . . . But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies.1 Kings 15:19Let there be a treaty between you and me like the one between your father and my father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone.2 Chronicles 18:1Jehoshaphat enjoyed great riches and high esteem, and he made an alliance with Ahab of Israel by having his son marry Ahab’s daughter.Alliances are often political in nature.Proverbs 6:1-3My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger— if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said— follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased.Proverbs 22:26Don’t agree to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for someone else.Alliances can occur when one person has financial ties with someone else.Nehemiah 2:17-18Now I said to them, “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!” Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.Amos 3:3Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?1 Corinthians 3:8The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.Philippians 2:2Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.We can form alliances to achieve common goals.

Question 2

What makes an alliance positive?

Accepted Answer

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.Galatians 6:2Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.2 Corinthians 8:13-14Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.1 Thessalonians 5:11So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.A positive alliance involves mutual encouragement and support.2 Kings 22:7“But don’t require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest and trustworthy men.”Acts 14:23Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.Colossians 3:9-10Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.A positive alliance needs honesty and trust.1 Corinthians 12:7-11A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge . . . It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.Ephesians 4:16He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.Revelation 7:9-10After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”Positive alliances rely both on our differences and our similarities. Different experiences, skills, and personalities equip a group to accomplish things they never could have accomplished individually. This is why God provides his Church with a wide variety of spiritual gifts working together. Yet similarity, a uniting purpose is equally important. When the Body of Christ comes into conflict because of our different personalities, preferences, and priorities, we can reinvigorate our unity by worshiping and seeking Christ together. We all become one in Christ.

Question 3

What makes an alliance unhealthy or disastrous?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 2:2The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one.Isaiah 30:1“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.”Acts 4:26The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.Any alliance against the Lord is unhealthy and will ultimately end in disaster.Exodus 23:32-33“Make no treaties with them or their gods. They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”Numbers 25:1-3While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people.Judges 3:5-7So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods. The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles.Isaiah 2:6The Lord has rejected his people, the descendants of Jacob, because they have filled their land with practices from the East and with sorcerers, as the Philistines do.1 Corinthians 15:33Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”Revelation 2:20“But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.”Any alliance that leads us away from God is profoundly unhealthy amd will negatively impact our lives.2 Chronicles 16:7-9At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram. Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers? At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you. The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”Isaiah 30:2Without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection.Isaiah 31:1What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.Jeremiah 2:36First here, then there—you flit from one ally to another asking for help. But your new friends in Egypt will let you down, just as Assyria did before.Sometimes, we may try to solve our problems through powerful earthly alliances. Alliances can be a great blessing, but when we start to trust human alliances more than God’s promises and instructions, we will step into more trouble than good.2 Chronicles 20:35-37Some time later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who was very wicked. Together they built a fleet of trading ships at the port of Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat. He said, “Because you have allied yourself with King Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy your work.” So the ships met with disaster and never put out to sea.If we ally ourselves with people of poor character, the alliance may be disastrous.

Question 4

What does the Bible say about a believer marrying an unbeliever?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 7:3-4You must not intermarry with them [unbelievers]. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you.1 Corinthians 7:39A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord.2 Corinthians 6:14-16Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”No relationship can be more important than our relationship with God. Though God gives us great freedom to choose who we marry, he commands us not to marry unbelievers. A well-yoked pair of oxen can pull far more than any one animal alone. But unequally yoked oxen may pull at different speeds or in different directions, slowing down progress and wearing down and injuring the oxen. In the same way, an unbelieving spouse is likely to slow down our progress in following Christ, or worse, pull us away from him entirely.Genesis 2:18, 24Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” . . . This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.Daniel 2:43“This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.”God’s design for marriage among believers is more than a partnership; marriage is a spiritual union. As a man and women learn to live fully committed to each other, they can encourage one another to live fully committed to God.Exodus 23:33If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.1 Kings 11:4, 8In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been . . . Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.Judges 14:3His father and mother objected. “Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?” they asked. “Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She looks good to me.”Proverbs 12:4A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.Proverbs 31:10, 30Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. . . . Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.A spouse can either lead a person away from or toward God. Marrying an unbeliever not only invites ongoing temptation and distraction, but it also deprives us of the deep, lasting spiritual benefits of a godly marriage. Marrying an unbeliever is settling for a less fulfilling marriage from the start.1 Corinthians 7:12-16Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?1 Peter 3:1-2, 7In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives. . . . In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.While Scripture is clear that it is unwise to initiate a marriage with an unbeliever, often one spouse will come to Christ or recommit to Christ while the other remains an unbeliever. In such situations, Paul encourages believers to witness to their unbelieving spouses through faithfulness, love, and respect. This may not bear fruit in every instance—Paul acknowledges that the unbeliever may initiate a divorce. Still, faithful love and prayer for a spouse has the potential for a great reward—the salvation of the loved one’s soul.

Question 5

How can we make an alliance with God?

Accepted Answer

Mark 14:24He [Jesus] said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.”John 14:6-7Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”Romans 5:1Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.Romans 5:10-11Since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.The foundation of our alliance with God is our faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. Only by repenting or our sins and trusting in Christ alone for salvation can we have a relationship with God.John 12:26Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.John 14:23Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.”Galatians 5:25Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.Philippians 2:13God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.Colossians 2:6Now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.Hebrews 8:10“This is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”1 John 2:24-25So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.1 John 3:24Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.Our alliance with God is a love relationship characterized by faithful obedience. When we commit our lives to him as our ultimate authority, he promises to bring us into his eternal Kingdom and to live in perfect union with him forever.

Question 6

What should be my response to alliances with evil?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 1:1Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.Psalm 26:4-5I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites. I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.Psalm 101:7I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence.Proverbs 1:10-11, 15My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! They may say, “Come and join us” . . . My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths.Proverbs 14:7Stay away from fools, for you won’t find knowledge on their lips.Romans 16:17Now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.Ephesians 5:6-7Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do.Never form an alliance with anyone who insists on doing evil. When we align with evil, we oppose God; and no one can oppose God without judgment.