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Divorce and Remarriage: Scriptural Truth
Marriage:
A Lifetime Covenant
Marriage
is a covenant. Not only is it a covenant between man and woman, but
it is a covenant with God (between that man and woman united and God!). Society today doesn't even regard that
part of marriage and rarely views marriage as such. No wonder the
divorce rate is through the roof, even among the Church.
Paul didn't mince words when he spoke of marriage in
Romans 7.
Romans
7:1-3 "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak
to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as
long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the
law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she
is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband
liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress:
but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no
adulteress, though she be married to another man."
Today, even the Church walks around looking for some reason to get out of
their marriage and tries to justify it by many different methods.
I have heard people say "God told me I was free" and "God told me I
didn't have to suffer in that marriage anymore" etc. Now let me ask
you this. Do you REALLY think that God is going to tell you
something opposite of that written in the Scriptures? You mean to
tell me that God has revealed to you a "new" law that you can abide by
instead of abiding by the written Word? You, my friend are
deceived if you believe that.
I DO believe there are
some Biblical
grounds for divorce. I believe also that the grounds for divorce are
not as broad as some would have us believe. The scriptures support
this thinking.
Let me answer a few questions that have
been posed to me just in the last few years and let me also answer you
logically and by the scriptures:
The question was posed:
Why would God give me a husband who wasn't
going to serve the Lord anyway? There is an easy answer to that in
the scriptures.
Let me answer it logically first,
then by the Word of God.
Answer: What makes you think God
gave you that husband? Do you mean to tell me that God himself gave
YOU a husband that was not saved, would not attend church, would not serve
God, would not be faithful to your or to God and would hold to the
principles of the faith? Is that what you're trying to tell me?
That it was GOD who did this? Let me explain something.
God gives us all free choice. It was often NOT God who put you
together, but your own lusts and desires. God is not in the
business of joining two people, one saved and one unsaved. That is a
complete violation of scripture.
I see young women on a constant basis who
want to get married so badly, who want a child so badly that they
will date the first jerk that comes along, fall (supposedly) in "love"
with him and marry him, all in violation of the Word of God. How is
it in violation?
2 Corinthians 6:14
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light
with darkness?"
The fact is, God himself tried to warn
them, but the just would not listen. People will marry the devil
himself for a few moments of pleasure, then live in a nightmare because of
it. Friend, it was YOU who chose to marry that one. I must say
to you that you DID NOT find the will of God for your life and I will
submit to you that you didn't really seek God about it.
I believe most people today enter into
marriage with the idea ... "Well, if it doesn't work out, we can just get
a divorce."
Wrong. That type of divorce is
NOT permitted in
the Word of God at all.
In other words it is NEVER permitted to get a divorce after a "trial"
marriage.
I can absolutely assure you that
God did NOT "give" you a husband who would be unfaithful to
either you or to the Lord.
Any such statements undermine the clear teaching of scripture concerning
unequal yokes. It was YOUR FLESH and YOUR CHOICE that married
this man (or woman if you're a man in this predicament).
How can I be assured of this?
James 1:13 "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am
tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he
any man:..."
Now with that said, there is always a
follow up question:
We married in the faith, but my husband
has since turned his back on God. Surely God doesn't want me to stay
in this kind of marriage relationship, does he?
Answer: Yes he does want you to stay
in it. In fact the Bible tells you to stay :
1 Corinthians 7:13 "And the woman which
hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with
her, let her not leave him."
It may not be God's perfect will for a
believer to be yoked with an unbeliever, but GOD still recognizes the
covenant YOU made with him and with your husband (now, guys..these
scriptures also apply to you too so read that as "wife).
I
am going to cover
1 Corinthians chapter 7 in much more detail a little
later in this study. I believe it is necessary for proper
understanding of the Word of God concerning marriage.
This brings us to another question that the bible seems to be somewhat
silent on, but there is one verse that " could"
lend some comfort.
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