Divorce And The Bible.

[anti-hillbilly]

Churches are much more influenced by current culture than they'll ever admit. If they stick to what Jesus said about divorce they'll lose money because all the divorcees in church will stop going and stop putting money in the collection plate. That's the bottom line here.

I'm a divorcee but I'm also a liberal Christian, not legalistic. Therefore, I never point the finger at homosexuals because Jesus never mentions them (it's Paul that calls it an abomination) but I do know that Jesus was very explicit about divorce which does concern me greatly.

All I can do is not judge others and hope that my sin will be forgiven even though I continue to remain in my second marriage.......... which legalistically speaking in a "continuation of sin".

[Floatingaxe]

Churches are much more influenced by current culture than they'll ever admit. If they stick to what Jesus said about divorce they'll lose money because all the divorcees in church will stop going and stop putting money in the collection plate. That's the bottom line here.

I'm a divorcee but I'm also a liberal Christian, not legalistic. Therefore, I never point the finger at homosexuals because Jesus never mentions them (it's Paul that calls it an abomination) but I do know that Jesus was very explicit about divorce which does concern me greatly.

All I can do is not judge others and hope that my sin will be forgiven even though I continue to remain in my second marriage.......... which legalistically speaking in a "continuation of sin".

Why mention liberal and then homosexuals in the same paragraph? It is obvious before you even mention homosexuals that because of your liberal stance you would believe that. It wasn't necessary.

So, now that you have brought up the subject, why does Paul, speaking for God have any less authority than Jesus Christ? What Paul pronounces on the subject is God's view! Paul was given the authority of Jesus Christ, just as all disciples are. He had the task given Him to record the mind of God in matters serious to us, the Church! Pay heed.

[DInsights]

The subject of divorce and its correct interpretation from the light of the word of our Lord turns out to be very emotional or difficult for most folks.

Where interpretations are a dime-a-dozen based on feelings, we must resort to what our Lord Jesus teaches. And He is very explicit about divorce; Moses is also understood to have commanded divorce because of disobedience of his subjects. It was not ordained from the begining.

Marriage is the union of a man and woman in the flesh...a reconciliation of two carnal natures into one. It is anti-reconciliatory when broken, hence, hated by God....for Christ reconciles (read Ephesians 2 for basis) and does not put assunder.

As hard as it may be for those who are divorced, the teaching of Jesus Christ cannot be controverted or spun to massage human feelings and sensitivities: Divorce is an act of unrighteousness, period.

And it is not that such sin in the flesh cannot be forgiven and cleansed; it can be. Let whosoever is divorced know to keep his or her spirit undefiled. For as Paul taught, it better that the flesh is handed over to Satan for destruction and the spirit saved.

But we have the Blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us of all unrighteousness; we also believe in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom righteousness comes. And His righteousness is greater than the unrighteousness of divorce.

Even more, rather than judge any one who is divorced unto condemnation, we have the very word of Jesus Christ, which is the life giving and powerful word of God to declare life unto the divorced:

Mat. 5:32:

But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Here is an irony and the gospel: The very of word that speaks against divorce can give life and power to the divorced. Let us believe every word He speaks about divorce to receive the life and power from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace from God and from His Christ unto all!

[Scarletprayers]

My Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, he cultivated conversations with them. He defended them again legalistic people trying to use them for their own purposes these are the ones he called vipers. Did he tell them to sin no more, yes...........but first he talked to them, and befriended them. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to, and we are to follow in his footsteps.

Edited October 16, 2006 by Silentprayer

[Guest LadyC]

anti-hillbilly, do you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God? do you believe that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness? and do you really think paul spoke without the authority or inspiration of God? for that matter, do you think paul is the only person to speak out against homosexuality? because i don't think paul was around when leviticus 18 was written. and last i checked, peter (1 peter 3) and paul were not the same person. now, if the Bible is the inerrant word of God, then why did He allow three different authors to push their own agenda and give orders that God didn't instruct them to give?

homosexual behaviour is a sin. it is a self-serving act that spits in God's face. So is divorce. in both situations, our focus is on our own desire, our own pain, our own needs, our own whatever, and not even pointed in the general direction of God. HOWEVER... God is merciful and extends His grace to those who come before Him, repent of their sinful behaviour, and dedicate their lives in service to HIM rather than to self.

now since this is supposed to be a thread about divorce and not about homosexuality, let's get back on track. 1 corinthians 7:27,28 demonstrate God's grace to those who have committed the sin of divorce and repented. bear in mind, these verses in NO WAY contradict the scriptures that clearly indicate that divorce is a sin. what they DO indicate is that our God is loving and merciful and faithful to forgive PEOPLE who have committed sin and repented... and when He forgives, He forgets. the slate is wiped clean and it is as if the sin never occurred in the first place, as far as HE is concerned.... yet it also indicates that the earthly consequences still will follow you through your life, and through subsequent marriages. the point is, don't confuse earthly consequences with eternal ones.

1 cor 7:27,28

Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

many people like to say that the 'if you do marry you have not sinned' part is limited only to those who marry for the first time. not true. the passage refers to both the unmarried and the divorced. both individuals are specifically addressed immediately before saying that they have not sinned, but will face many troubles in life as a result of their actions. the divorcees that are being referred to apparently have come to repentance, otherwise this scripture passage would contradict other passages where divorce is clearly referred to as sinful.

[Guest LadyC]

As hard as it may be for those who are divorced, the teaching of Jesus Christ cannot be controverted or spun to massage human feelings and sensitivities: Divorce is an act of unrighteousness, period.

amen. divorce is AN ACT of unrighteousness. you got that exactly right. it is a specific act. it is not a lifelong condition. when we turn our lives over to God (whether for the first time or for a subsequent time after having drifted away from God), we become a new creature in Christ. ALL previous sinful acts, including divorce, are forgotten.

And it is not that such sin in the flesh cannot be forgiven and cleansed; it can be. Let whosoever is divorced know to keep his or her spirit undefiled. For as Paul taught, it better that the flesh is handed over to Satan for destruction and the spirit saved.

But we have the Blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us of all unrighteousness; we also believe in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom righteousness comes. And His righteousness is greater than the unrighteousness of divorce.

very, very well said.

[Smalcald]

The problem is that not all divorce is anti-biblical. There are many exceptions, adultery or abuse, non believing spouse, etc. So from the outside we cannot really judge an individual divorce. The last thing you want to do is make someone whose spouse has beat them or cheated on them; feel like they are now doubly wounded by the Church.

Indeed this person has not even sinned.

The question is what do we do about the future? I think this goes deeper than other issues and this is why we have controversy. Our problem is that indeed it is easier to preach on homosexuality than it is divorce. A previous poster pointed out this issue you would lose half of the congregation if you talked about divorce the same way we talk about homosexuality. But the thing is we have to talk about this, divorce is now accepted in many churches has normal, not just as a sin in the past, but an ongoing process that people can do or not do, something that is value neutral. We have a gaping question, why do we have so much divorce and adultery in our churches, and among our church leaders? What is going on that Christians would have the same divorce rate as non-Christians, in some cases even higher than non-Christian groups? Why is this so?

This must be addressed, but not by condemning all people who have suffered through a divorce. One place to start is the church our congregations and how we manage, control, perform and prepare for marriages. For example why do we seek the governments approval for our divorces, but not the churches?

[Guest LadyC]

i think where most churches fail is not necessarily in teaching about divorce as much as in not teaching about how to have a Godly marriage. i'm 42 years old, and although i have heard of preachers teaching on the subject of marriage, i have yet to be witness to such a teaching.

we are to fill our minds with that which is holy and pure. why are our churches in general so hesitant to teach their congregations about the qualities and virtues of being a Godly wife or Godly husband? why are they hesitant to teach about the proper role of intimacy in a marriage, considering that sexual sin is probably the leading cause of divorce among christians and non-christians alike?

[anti-hillbilly]

Jesus Christ was very explicit and to the point about divorce. No, ifs, ands, or buts. We divorced people like to say, but, but, but.

No I do not put Paul in the same category as Jesus. Paul persecuted Christians and wasn't one of the original 12 apostles. Jesus ALWAYS comes before Paul, ALWAYS. I just find it curious that people are so eager to try and find a way around the divorce scriptures attributed to Jesus but refuse to attempt the same feat when it concerns homosexuals that Paul (the unmarried apostle) talked about. I also find it odd that this sin that Paul refers to as an abomination isn't even mentioned by Jesus. My conclusion is that Jesus was much more concerned about divorce since he actually had a lot to say about it. I also have noticed that other church going divorcees talk a lot about the sin of homosexuality (more than those who have only been married once). It almost seems like they're trying to point fingers at that sin so people won't notice the divorce thing that we're guilty of.

I try not to do this because I don't have any room to talk about somebody else's sin when according to the bible I'm in a continuous state of adultery myself, being in a second marriage. A person shouldn't throw stones when their own house is made of glass as the saying goes. Whenever I hear someone talk about the sin of homosexuality I immediately think of my own sin of divorce. I guess that's why I mentioned it when I came across this thread.

I'll leave it to those who've never been divorced to talk about the sin of homosexuality; unlike me, they have the high ground from which to do so.

[Floatingaxe]

Paul spoke for God...who are we to argue with him? It's God's Word. Take it up with Him. Just because Jesus didn't expound on something, doesn't mean that when Paul did, it isn't as if Jesus wasn't saying it!