The Book
My late uncle, Reverend Igiri Oke Orji, a pastor in Assemblies of God Church, once told me that he had a dream in which he was told that the problem with one of their members was that she did not accept the second wife as co-wife with her, and so she could not get pregnant. I told him that his message in the dream may be correct (See Genesis 29:31), but what will he do when the church doctrine is against having more than one wife?
Quite often, God has a way of solving people’s problems, but the people’s beliefs go against God’s way. How did the doctrine of not having more than one wife come when we know that many people in the Bible had more than one wife and God accepted them. They will tell you Jesus stopped polygamy. Did Jesus overrule the Father? No.
Mathew Henry’s commentary on the Bible misled many people especially those churches in Europe and America into believing that God’s intention in creation was one man, one wife. There is no part of the Bible that clearly states one man, one wife. Jesus said He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets.
In 1862, polygamy was outlawed in America and Europe. One man, one wife is western law that has been mistaken as Christian law. The Bible is the authority for Christians, but this law is not in the Bible.
God is the author of knowledge including logic and should not be credited with illogical conclusions.
The author
Mba O. Onwuka studied Geology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka from 1976 to 1980. He worked with Preussag Drilling Engineering, Maiduguri and Lagos, Nigeria. He has a Master’s degree in Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and honourary doctorate degree from Bradley University, USA.
He was the President of Nigeria Water and Sanitation Association from 1997 to 2004 and Chairman of Abia State Water Board, Nigeria. He has written several essays and delivered many professional papers in Geology and Hydrogeology. Onwuka was a member of Anglican Presbyterian Church, Assemblies of God Church and Cherubim and Seraphim. He is the Managing Director of Dumson Nigeria Limited. He is married with many children.
