Divorce and Remarriage

At one time, American society had a much greater
respect for the Word of God. One result of this was an understanding of
the seriousness of the sin involved in divorce. When there was a
divorce, it brought shame and embarrassment to families. Now, it is
almost a routine occurrence. It is difficult to find anyone in America
that is neither personally involved in divorce nor has close family
relations who are involved. One reason for the change in our culture is
the compromising cowardice of too many who claim to be preachers of
God's Word. Instead of repeating what the Lord has directed concerning
divorce and remarriage, they pervert or ignore the Scriptures in a vain
attempt to justify what God calls adultery. God's instructions
concerning divorce and remarriage are not complicated. What is
complicated is all the twisting and distorting of the Scriptures men do
in their attempts to avoid the truth revealed by God. Many churches will
teach loud and long concerning the sin of homosexuality, yet
hypocritically embrace adultery in the lives of many of their members.
It is true that homosexuality is a grievous sin before Jehovah, the Holy
One of Israel, but the Bible describes adultery between men and women in
just as serious terms! There are not a lot of passages in the Bible that
teach on divorce and remarriage. What is found are some fairly simple
and straightforward statements we can either choose to obey or ignore to
our own destruction. Matthew gives us two passages. In the Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus said, "...Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the
cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall
marry her that is divorced commits adultery" (Matthew 5:31-32). Later,
while He was being questioned by some Pharisees concerning this subject,
Jesus said, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for
fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery: and whoso
marries her which is put away doth commit adultery" (Mat thew 19:9). In
Mark 10:11-12, Jesus said, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries
another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her
husband and marries another, she commits adultery." Luke records the
only other passage in the gospels that deal with this subject. In Luke
16:18, Jesus taught, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her
husband  commits adultery."
 
While the apostle Paul was teaching the church in Rome concerning the
Christian's relationship to the Law of Moses, he used God's marriage
laws as an illustration. In Romans 7:2-3 he wrote, "For the woman who
has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives.
But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So
then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be
called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that
law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man."
While Paul was writing to the Corinthians concerning the subject of
marriage, he wrote,  "Now to the married I command, yet not I but the
Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does
depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a
husband is not to divorce his wife..." (1 Corinthians 7:10-13). This is
the grand total of the teaching of the New Testament concerning divorce
and remarriage. These passages plainly teach that marriages is to be
"until death do you part." If anyone divorces their spouse and marries
another person they are living in sin. The laws of man may accept that
marriage, but God calls that new union adultery! God joined them to
their first spouse, and "what God hath joined together, let not man put
asunder" (Matthew 19:6). The only exception that God allows is if a
person's spouse commits adultery and they put them away for that reason
(Matthew 5:31-32, 19:9). Then, and only then, can there be an acceptable
marriage in the eyes of God after one has been divorced. Some claim this
is too strict. Even the disciples of Jesus were surprised at this. After
Jesus taught on divorce in Matthew 19, the disciples said, "If the case
of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry." They
understood clearly the strictness of the Words of Jesus. They understood
so well, that their first reaction was to say that it is better to not
get married to begin with! Marriage is a blessing from God, but it is
very serious and must be treated with the proper respect. God said,
"Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers
and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4). God also told us that He
hates divorce and that to divorce is to act treacherously (Malachi
2:14-16). If we are to be true children of  God, not only must we love
what God loves, we must also hate what He hates. Ephesians 5:1 tells us
to "be imitators of God as dear children". Does our attitude toward
divorce and remarriage show that we are truly dear children of God, or
just another compromiser who loves the praise of men more than the
praise of God (John 12:42-43)?



Wayne Wells wayneliz@twave.net http://users.twave.net/ncc