My Jewish friend divorced his wife and stated that it was the Biblical divorce.
When I asked him HOW is it possible for Christians/believers to divorce if God does NOT allow divorces, he explained that she just left him and he considered it as a divorce and he divorced her.
I told him that SEPARATION is NOT a divorce and it is a sin to divorce even in this case...His response was: I CONSIDER such separation as a divorce.
LOL People find any reasons to justify their actions but our God Jesus CLEARLY commands us:
(Mat. 19:9) "I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery."
I want to say it this way:
People find any reasons to justify their SINS/actions/iniquities and lawlessness but our God Jesus CLEARLY commands us:
(Mat. 19:9) "I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits ADULTERY (what is a sexual immorality!!!!!); and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery."
Let me remind you of a HOLY law of our God Jesus in Revelation:
Sexual immoral people do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God.
Ponder and obey God.
The Scripture commands us to make judgements and, MOREOVER, believers in the Son of God will JUDGE angels.
That is why we have to judge sinners in our comunity called as the "Church of God". The Scripture says that.
Making right judgements, we have to OBEY the Son of God Jesus and HIS SIMPLE LAW: NOT to marry divorced people and NOT to divorce.
First of all, no matter what view one takes on the issue of divorce, it is important to remember Malachi 2:16: �I hate divorce, says the LORD God of Israel.� According to the Bible, marriage is a lifetime commitment. �So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate� (Matthew 19:6). God realizes, though, that since marriages involve two sinful human beings, divorces are going to occur. In the Old Testament, He laid down some laws in order to protect the rights of divorcees, especially women (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Jesus pointed out that these laws were given because of the hardness of people�s hearts, not because they were God�s desire (Matthew 19:8).
The controversy over whether divorce and remarriage is allowed according to the Bible revolves primarily around Jesus� words in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9. The phrase �except for marital unfaithfulness� is the only thing in Scripture that possibly gives God�s permission for divorce and remarriage. Many interpreters understand this �exception clause� as referring to �marital unfaithfulness� during the �betrothal� period. In Jewish custom, a man and a woman were considered married even while they were still engaged or �betrothed.� According to this view, immorality during this �betrothal� period would then be the only valid reason for a divorce.
However, the Greek word translated �marital unfaithfulness� is a word which can mean any form of sexual immorality. It can mean fornication, prostitution, adultery, etc. Jesus is possibly saying that divorce is permissible if sexual immorality is committed. Sexual relations are an integral part of the marital bond: �the two will become one flesh� (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31). Therefore, any breaking of that bond by sexual relations outside of marriage might be a permissible reason for divorce. If so, Jesus also has remarriage in mind in this passage. The phrase �and marries another� (Matthew 19:9) indicates that divorce and remarriage are allowed in an instance of the exception clause, whatever it is interpreted to be. It is important to note that only the innocent party is allowed to remarry. Although it is not stated in the text, the allowance for remarriage after a divorce is God�s mercy for the one who was sinned against, not for the one who committed the sexual immorality. There may be instances where the �guilty party� is allowed to remarry, but it is not taught in this text.
Some understand 1 Corinthians 7:15 as another �exception,� allowing remarriage if an unbelieving spouse divorces a believer. However, the context does not mention remarriage, but only says a believer is not bound to continue a marriage if an unbelieving spouse wants to leave. Others claim that abuse (spousal or child) is a valid reason for divorce even though it is not listed as such in the Bible. While this may very well be the case, it is never wise to presume upon the Word of God.
Sometimes lost in the debate over the exception clause is the fact that whatever �marital unfaithfulness� means, it is an allowance for divorce, not a requirement for it. Even when adultery is committed, a couple can, through God�s grace, learn to forgive and begin rebuilding their marriage. God has forgiven us of so much more. Surely we can follow His example and even forgive the sin of adultery (Ephesians 4:32). However, in many instances, a spouse is unrepentant and continues in sexual immorality. That is where Matthew 19:9 can possibly be applied. Many also look to quickly remarry after a divorce when God might desire them to remain single. God sometimes calls people to be single so that their attention is not divided (1 Corinthians 7:32-35). Remarriage after a divorce may be an option in some circumstances, but that does not mean it is the only option.
It is distressing that the divorce rate among professing Christians is nearly as high as that of the unbelieving world. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and that reconciliation and forgiveness should be the marks of a believer�s life (Luke 11:4; Ephesians 4:32). However, God recognizes that divorce will occur, even among His children. A divorced and/or remarried believer should not feel any less loved by God, even if the divorce and/or remarriage is not covered under the possible exception clause of Matthew 19:9. God often uses even the sinful disobedience of Christians to accomplish great good.
First of all, the word "divorce" as a verb means "to separate."
When on marriage partner leaves another, the one leaving has divorce the other. Today, we consider someone to be divorced only when they get a divorce decree from a legal authority. All that does is codify or legally acknowledge that a divorce has occurred.
Now, about "God hates divorce."
Consider Jeremiah 3.7-9. There it is plain that God gave Israel a writ of divorce. He "put her away." If god hates divorce, why did He divorce Israel?
I used to be cold hearted when it came to the divorce issue. That is till I studied it.
For example, Scripture states, "What God has joined together let no man separate." My question is, does God join all marriages?
BUT let me tell you something: if being a Christian you will commit sexual sins with your lovers then you will DIE in your sins and you will get to hell and God will JUDGE you for your sexual immorality according to this HOLY law:
Sexual immoral people do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God.
Thus you will reach the POINT of NO RETURN when your name will be erased from the Book of Life and you will be fallen short of the GRACE of God like THOUSANDS or millions of such Christians.
Will grace save you in this case? If you prefer sexual immoral life and NOT HOLY life?
The Scripture CLEARLY answered this question: You will be JUDGED by God like ALL Christians.
Thus, you have NO other option except to live a GODLY life OBEYING God and IMPLEMENTING what He commands you if you want to live in the Dwelling place of this HOLY God-the God of Israel.
Let me remind you that in the verse above our Creator Jesus CLEARLY said that such marriages with DIVORCED people are considered by HIM as SEXUAL IMMORALITY and He does NOT allow it!
"Listen, I talked to a missionary recently and we discussed his divorce.
I told him that God does not allow us to marry divorced people. I think that God gave a few cases when we are allowed to divorce christians and unbelievers...and He said that if we divorce Christians cuz of other reasons except sexual immorality then we are sexual immoral people and the sexual immoral people do not inherit the Kingdom of God.
That is why it is VERY dangerous to marry divorced people cuz they could not always say the true reasons behind their divorce...
What do u think about that?"
Guys, do you remember what our God Jesus said about such marriages?
Let's ponder on the Scripture and discuss if we can marry divorced people or not.
Let's consider that cuz we should not make any mistakes disobeying our God Jesus.
Look my friend (an unbeliever) divorced her husband and today she lives in sexual immorality committing sexual sins with men...She left her husband and she is now in sexual immorality. Jesus forbids such behavior. He says that sexual immoral people do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God.
He forbids not only Christians to live in sexual immorality but ALL people!
Our God Jesus speaks:
(Mat. 19:9) "I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery."
What is "sexual immorality"? That is all sexual sins and "fornication" and "adultery".
Jesus said here in this verse above: Any divorce which is not sexual immorality is an adultery.
But there is an exception:
(1) A Christian is forbidden to divorce an unbeliever except the case if he divorces her and does not want to live with her anymore. God commands to stay in marriage and convert this person.
In 1 Corinthians 7:10-16 Paul presents a ground for divorce, one that has to do with mixed marriages (an unbeliever+believer). If an unbelieving spouse "leaves" (vs. 15) a believing spouse, the believer is "not bound in such circumstances" (vs. 15).
Can such person remarry? I think YES!
If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
"Neither the sexually immoral... will inherit the Kingdom of God."
1Cor. 6:9-10) "9 Or don't you know that the unrighteous will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God?
Don't be deceived.
Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God."
Let me remind you which law our God instituted for such sexual crimes/adultery:
Deuteronomy 22:21 she shall be brought to the door of her father?s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father?s house. You must purge the evil from among you.
God consider any sexual immorality as a disgraceful thing and God COMMANDS to PURGE the evil from among us! He commands us to be HOLY like God is HOLY!
1 Corinthians 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?
Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute?
Never! (16) Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ?The two will become one flesh.?
8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
7 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?
2 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.
3 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.
--
Command of God:
10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the LORD:
A wife is not to depart from her husband.
11 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.
Death of husband:
39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord (ONLY a Christian!). 1 Cor. 7
The Scripture says there are ONLY two reasons acceptable by God for divorce:
(1) Sexual immorality if spouse cannot forgive this sin.
(2) Wish of a unbeliever-spouse who abandons a Christian.
Let's consider the first case: 1. divorce and one of them was remarried. For example he married her when she was an unbeliever and divorced her.
If she was a believer and abandoned faith and committed sexual immorality and that was the REASON for divorce then he is free.
If she was an unbeliever then God does NOT allow this divorce! And in this case he committed sexual immorality divorcing her! He should find her and if she is not married yet then he should return to her and accept her children and live with her and try to convert her as God says.
Why?
Our God Jesus speaks:
(Mat. 19:9) "I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery."
Jesus said here in this verse above: Any divorce which is not sexual immorality is an adultery!
If she (unbeliever) married another man:
If she was married or not married and does not want to return to him then he should be unmarried too according to this verse:
Death of husband:
39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord (ONLY a Christian!). 1 Cor. 7
Why? Because God does NOT accept his divorce. He does NOT allow this divorce! He commands him to CONVERT her and stay with unbeliever!
These are the laws of God and they are ABOVE any laws of our states!
2."Why don't we treat these people like they are living in adultery?" Because people do NOT want to study the Scripture and analyze what God said to us about marriage!
Why is it important to do? Because if a Christian was divorced because of WRONG reason then God considers his divorce as SEXUAL Immorality and he should repent and fix the situation returning to his wife and MOREOVER he should NOT allow any Christian to commit this sexual immorality too marrying him! That is why you and we all have to analyze reasons behind divorces!
3. Your pastor who authorized remarriage in the Church was MOST probably committing sin! Punishment for sin is DEATH and God will judge him and any other pastors and Christians according to this SIMPLE law too! Why? The law of God is SIMPLE:
Jesus said: Any divorce which is not sexual immorality is an adultery!
To enable people to be MARRIED when the Son of God forbids it is a CRIME against the Son of God!
4. Trouble with lust and burning: God Jesus forbids any marriages if there is "ILLEGAL" reason for divorce (look above at two "LEGAL" reasons for divorces):
Jesus said: Any divorce which is not sexual immorality is an adultery!
That is good to talk to you about that. ....that is good to meditate on the Holy Scripture together to reconsider our "sexual immorality" too! LOL and be holy like God commands us to be HOLY. Be holy for I -God- am HOLY.
The law of our God Jesus is ONE and simple:
Jesus said: Any divorce which is not sexual immorality is an adultery!
What to do if this sexual immoral person is you as our God Jesus called you?
(1) First you have to repent of this sin
(2) Return to your LEGAL wife whom you divorced illegally as God said and FIX the situation. If she is married then God Jesus forbids you to remarry!
Stay then single!
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death.
But now having been set free from sin,
and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to HOLINESS, and the end, everlasting life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness!
For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness,
so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for HOLINESS!
One Christian responded:
AMEN! VERY GOOD!
Is divorce an unforgivable sin?"
Which sins are unforgivable? Blaspheme of the Holy Spirit and disbelief if a person does NOT want to believe what our God Jesus commands him.
Unbelievers do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God.
Let me remind you that sexual immoral people do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God too and the list continues...."
My dear brother,
Please remind us who of Christians will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God?
Just continue the list I started to mention....
His reponse:
NKJ Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any INHERITANCE IN THE KINGDOM of Christ and of God.
1Co 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
One Christian woman said:
"No, of course divorce in itself is not unforgivable, especially if you're the one who has been sinned against. I've heard that question asked on Christian radio, and usually do not agree with the speaker.
What about willfully remarrying which in the sight of God may be polygamy? Or leaving the wife of your youth destitute? Or the children fatherless, starving or homeless? People are not trash to be thrown in a dumpster just to marry someone you lust after. To me that is perpetual adultery. Therefore, literally living in sin. Are they forgiven? If repentance means turning away, and they stay turned toward each other, have they repented? Repentance without action is a lie."
People are not trash to be thrown in a dumpster just to marry someone you lust after.
To me that is perpetual adultery.
Therefore, literally living in sin. Are they forgiven? If repentance means turning away, and they stay turned toward each other, have they repented? Repentance without action is a lie.
Guys, I want to share with you what my friend Sazie Johnson said about mercy of God to usnderstand who is our God.
This much we know about �Justice� and �Mercy�: They oppose each other. I think it can be properly said, �When Justice walks in by way of the front door, Mercy flies out the window; and when Mercy walks in by way of the front door Justice flies out the window.� The two cannot meet; and the two cannot co-exist. Like two opposing enemies �Mercy� and �Justice� will continue to avoid each other, or push against each other. It is the natural order (flow) of things � where Justice is displayed, Mercy fades away; and where Mercy is displayed, Justice fades away. But then there is God who lives outside the �natural order of things�. He not only governs the �Law of Nature�, but it is His Laws which nature must obey.
There is only one time in all the ages when �Mercy� and �Justice� met at a single point, and neither one faded away. It was a remarkable display of Wisdom on the part of God when His Justice and His Mercy rushed at a single point and kissed each other. Such a thing has never been done before, nor will it ever happen again.
God says this about Himself in the ancient Book of Malachi 3:6: �For I am the Lord, I change not�� This means since God is a �God of Love�, He cannot change in any way, shape, or form in His love. It also means God is fixed (un-changeable) in His love � He cannot increase in His love; and He cannot decrease in His love. To either increase or to decrease in His love is to change the condition of God. (�For I am the Lord, I change not�� )
God is also a �God of Compassion�. Again God cannot change in His compassion. The level of compassion which God had from the beginning of the ages cannot increase or decrease with time. In fact God has a �Nature� within Himself that compares (forces) Him to remain unchanged and consistent in all His Attributes. God is a �God of Mercy�. His �Un-changeable Nature� cannot allow Him to increase in His Mercy or to decrease in His Mercy. The �Mercy of God� is just what it is for all times � the �Mercy of God�. To increase or to decrease in �His Mercy� is to create a change in God which goes against the �Very Nature of God�: �For I am the Lord, I change not��
God is, and has always been exactly who He is. God cannot change. The God of the ages past is exactly the same as He is today and He will be in the ages to come. Any change in God�s Attributes is to denote a different god who was not like the God of the ages past.
Malachi 3:6 perhaps describes God better than any other verse in Holy Scriptures: �For I am the Lord, I change not�� There is no other god known to man who has consistently spoken about his �un-changeability� as the Biblical God. The reason is because there is no other god like the Biblical God who is fixed (permanent) within His Nature (condition). He cannot change for the better, or for the worst. Whatever He was, He is today, and will always be.
Now that raises a problem: �Since Justice and Mercy cannot meet and co-exist, how does God deal with the sins of man in His Mercy and still remains un-changed in His Justice?�
Friends, I can tell you that this is not an easy task. It is a God-size task. If God forgives man of his sins simply because God wants to display His Mercy, it means God must first lower His Standard of Justice at the expense of His Mercy. This will bring about a change in God, because He now regards His Mercy far more important than He regards His Justice. This cannot happen because in order for God to remain �un-changed�, He must uphold His Mercy as equally as He upholds His Justice. Neither one (His Mercy or His Justice) must suffer at the expense of the other.
This brings us to a God-size question: Since Justice and Mercy oppose each other, and cannot meet at a single point, how then does God display His Mercy toward man while simultaneously (at the same time) equally upholding His Justice against man for his sins?
2000 years ago this question was answered at �The Cross� � the gruesome (bloody) Cross of Calvary. It is there upon which God displayed His Justice (rage, anger, fury) against the sins of man while at the very same time demonstrating His Mercy toward mankind. It is at the Cross where both Justice and Mercy met for the first and only time, and neither one opposed the other. This is remarkable � this has never happened before, and it will never happen again.
At �The Cross� while upholding His Very Own Characters: �For I am the Lord, I change not��God bend the �Arch of Mercy� and the �Arch of Justice� made them to meet at a single point in order to save mankind. No human being can accomplish such a monumental feet; and certainly no other god known to man has the Wisdom and the Power to display his mercy as equally as while expounding his justice. All other gods will have to switch between roles by displaying mercy and justice at different time period, but never displaying both simultaneously. Only the Biblical God can make such a God-size task possible. We can therefore say, �There is no god, but God.�
This is not something new to God. He spoke about it 12 centuries before it happened. Psalm 85:10 reads, �Mercy and truth (Justice) are met; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.� At �The Cross�, and for this one purpose, God changed the natural order of things so that Mercy and Justice not only met without conflict, but righteousness and peace also kissed each other. And in all this God remains true to His word: �For I am the Lord, I change not��
For those of you who are looking forward for God to change in His Justice or to lower His Justice at the expense of His Mercy in order to save you, I give you Malachi 3:6: �For I am the Lord, I change not�� I also give you John 1:12: �For as many as received Him (Christ Jesus) to them He gives the power to become sons of God, even to them that believe in His name.�
