Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 2 Feb, 2012 11:28 PM
Thanks to a question about divorce and remarriage posted on another thread, I felt the need to address those on this site who may be suffering from the weight of guilt and condemnation heaped on them because of their reasons for divorce.
I wrote the following article, "The Stone Thrower", based on actual instances that happened on this site. If you are one of those who have been ostracized by others for having an "Unbiblical Divorce," please take the time to read. May it minister to your heart.
The Stone Thrower
I want to touch on a subject today that has long been regarded in Christendom as taboo . . . and that is . . . DIVORCE. Mention that word around some Christians and their hackles suddenly go up on the back of their neck. They pull out their proverbial stones ready to put to death anyone who they think has been un-biblically divorced. And to my shame, I was one of them�a stone thrower.
We all know the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8:3-11. The scribes and Pharisees (the religious self-righteous) had arrested this woman and dragged her before Jesus. One has to wonder how these Pharisees caught such a woman "in the very act" of adultery. How convenient for them. It's amazing the depths of depravity the self-righteous will sink to in order to defend their religious arguments. Did they have the paparazzi spy on her to get some juicy pictures for the whole world to see?
At any rate, they dragged this poor woman in front of Jesus and proudly proclaimed, "Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" (John 8:5)
Zowie!! These men can quote the Word of God . . . at least the parts that suit their fancy.
I like our Lord's reaction. "But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear" (John 8:6b).
Don't you just love it when someone ignores you . . . especially when you're trying to win an argument? But the self-righteous rarely lie down without a fight, and those religious Pharisees were determined to prove that they had the "truth." So they continued pestering Jesus, knowing that the Law of Moses was on their side. It's not a good idea to pester Jesus, especially when it comes to "pointing a finger" at someone.
"So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.' And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst" (John 8:7-9).
This introductory story of the woman caught in adultery has a purpose: I wanted you to have a glimpse of the mentality of a "stone thrower." They are usually self-righteous, ready to condemn, and can quote the Word of God. Ouch . . . I just described me.
I had a clear cut answer for the reasons one might give to justify divorce which I thought was quite Biblical. And in my mind, there was only one reason . . . "But I say to you, that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except for sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery" (Matthew 5:32). There you have it�plain and simple. Who could argue with such a statement? It is the Word of God! I thought I had the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth . . . yet the truth is . . . I was ignorant of the ways of God. "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13).
And it was in my ignorance to God's ways that I threw stones at the divorced ladies on a Christian dating site some time ago. As a widower, I was on this site looking for a prospective wife. I was so appalled at the amount of women who were divorced on this site whose reasons for separating from their husbands did not match my view of scripture. In order to protect myself from these "contaminated souls," I purposely wrote something in my profile for those that I would consider as wife material: "You may be single, widowed, or divorced (must be for Biblical reasons only)."
When I would communicate with these divorced ladies, I would immediately ask them to provide details on the reason for their divorce. If they could not give me an answer of infidelity as the reason for their divorce, then I considered them unmarriageable. Yet God has a way of grabbing His child's attention when that child is in error.
One of the ladies on this dating site told me her story of divorce after I demanded it. Her husband was deep in bondage to pornography and had no interest whatsoever in repentance. The man had not physically hopped into bed with another woman, and so in my self-righteousness, I condemned the poor wife for wanting to opt out on the marriage. And the "stones" that I threw created fresh wounds in her heart while she recounted those painful memories of her husband's infidelity as he lusted after porn. According to Jesus' own words, her husband WAS GUILTY of adultery: "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). I ignored that scripture and concentrated only on Matthew 5:32. She lashed out at me, saying that she was glad Jesus did not condemn her even if I did. I have to admit, I was shaken by her story which moved me to tears.
Then there was another lady whom I demanded to give an account for her divorce. I threw "stones" at her as well when she could not give me a reason of infidelity for her separation. In bitter anger, she struck back at me, stating how her husband had broken her nose and physically abused her. I ignored the scripture which reads, "But God has called us to peace" (1 Corinthians 7:15b) and concentrated again on Matthew 5:32. However, her story bothered me very much just like the other woman's.
I began to seek God earnestly. These were only two of the many ladies who shared with me their heartbreaking stories of divorce. There were so many reasons given for divorce and none of them fell under sexual immorality (fornication) as I saw it. I sincerely asked the Lord to open my eyes. Was there any scriptural evidence to support these women's choices to opt out of a marriage other than infidelity? Yes, there was.
God led me to Matthew 19:3-12. The Pharisees were looking for a reason to trap Jesus in His words. Their previous scheme had not worked with the woman caught in adultery. However, if they could just get Jesus to say something contradictory to the Law of Moses, then they could brand Him as a heretic. So they asked Jesus this question, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" (Matthew 19:3b)
Jesus' answer was, and still is, God's original intention for marriage: "Have you not read . . . the two shall become one flesh? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matthew 19:5b-6).
The Pharisees did not like His answer. For Jesus had taken them right back to Genesis before there ever was a Moses or a Law of Moses so that they could hear what GOD SAYS about marriage. Yet the stiff-necked Pharisees persisted with another question: "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" (Matthew 19:7)
Jesus responds, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so" (Matthew 19:8).
The self-righteous Pharisees were using the Law of Moses as an excuse to bail out on marriages for any flippant reason. And because of this, the Lord had some very strong words for them. "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery" (Matthew 19:9).
I can just hear the stone throwers shouting, "See, I told you . . . it's right there in the word . . . 'sexual immorality!'"
Wait a minute. Like Paul Harvey, let's hear "the rest of the story" before jumping to any conclusions. After verse 9 comes verse 10. Even Jesus' disciples, which would include us, were amazed at the words of Jesus. "His disciples said to Him, 'If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry'" (Matthew 19:10). Yeah, I can see their point. If sexual immorality (fornication) is the only reason for divorce, then perhaps we are better off not getting married.
But look at Jesus' response to his own disciples in verse 11. It stands to reason that if the disciples' statement was true, then Jesus would have said something to affirm it as such. He does not!
"But He said to them, 'All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given'" (Matthew 19:11).
What saying? The saying in verse 9 of course. NOT ALL can accept the saying that fornication is the ONLY reason for divorce.
Now notice that Jesus goes on to explain what He meant with the following verse:
"For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it" (Matthew 19:12).
What did Jesus mean by this? He tells us that three different men all became eunuchs for different reasons. One was born a eunuch, another was made a eunuch by men, and still another made himself that way for the kingdom of heaven. They all became eunuchs for different reasons, but who is to say which eunuch is "God approved"? God accepted them all. That's the point!
Likewise, there are many reasons someone might seek a divorce: physical and verbal abuse from a spouse . . . being married to an unbeliever who makes life a literal hell . . . marital unfaithfulness . . . the stress of being married to an alcoholic for 23 years . . . or living with a pornographer who refuses to repent. Which one of these reasons for divorce is "God approved"? That's the point Jesus was making. Just as the eunuchs were acceptable to God regardless of how they became a eunuch, so also is a woman acceptable to God who seeks to be free from an abusive husband, even if infidelity is not involved. You and I cannot see in the heart of that abused person . . . but God can. For God has called them to peace.
And the church has done more harm counselling emotionally and physically battered women to stay in a relationship citing Matthew 5:32 "except for sexual immorality" as the only just cause for divorce. Women have actually committed suicide and murder under the stress of remaining in an abusive situation because their legalistic church counseled them to do so.
You may have heard of the case in the U.S. where a lady killed her husband (a pastor) who had been abusing her for years. God had called her to peace . . . but she never knew it, and one day she snapped. The evidence of abuse was so overwhelming that the courts found this woman not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.
I certainly do not want to imply that people should take their marriage so lightly as to divorce for every whim and fancy. I would not condone that, and neither does the Word of God. Every marriage will have its share of problems which can be worked out with God's help by two committed individuals. Yet there are some women, especially those suffering physical and mental abuse, who have reached the tipping point of no return; and the only thing they can do to preserve their sanity is to get out of that marriage. And ultimately, it is to the Lord they answer to, not you or me. He has called them to peace.
After God opened my eyes to the truth of scripture, I contacted those ladies on the dating site who I had thrown "stones" at and apologized profusely. I was truly grieved that I had been so self-righteous and blind, wounding those precious sisters for whom Christ died.
Now back to the story that I began with. The "stone throwers" had already dropped their rocks and left the scene with a guilty conscience, leaving Jesus alone with the adulterous woman.
"He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?'"
"She said, 'No one, Lord.'"
"And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more'" (John 8:10b-11).
HALLELUJAH�MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT!!!
Blessings in Christ Jesus,
Paul Janz
(All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version.)
"The Stone Thrower" Copyright � 2010 by Paul Janz.
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 23 Nov, 2013 11:27 PM
The problem with believers that believe once saved always saved is that there are no rules or no real reason to keep rules they believe since we have fire insurance. Yet I know when I looked at the hurt children and their broken lives and their faith hurt when adultery ruined their security and destroyed the innocent mates self worth that OSAS was a lie since every adulterer I dealt with in counseling tried to convince me they were still saved in their all while still seeing the co adulterer and even eventually marrying them with the state (world's license). The children couldn't count on their parent how could they trust Yahweh in the aftermath. I know why Yahushua warned about laying stumbling blocks to the children. I know why he warned adulterers and other serious sins about cutting off their hand or plucking out an eye to make it into the kingdom. His government is the Apostle,prophet,evangelist,pastor, and teacher on his shoulders and then the rest of the body being made up of all others. There are those who sins make others (especially children who are victims) fall away from him or not believe his words etc. They will get the worst hell in fact he said these will be in outer darkness where there is gnashing of teeth. All this is not true of adulterers and other serious sinners who repent and return to him scripturally. It will be to those who do it as they themselves see fit living as their own god serving their own lusts forgetting their children and their value. Also worst of all forgetting Messiah Yahushua's value..................Doing it their way which is really the devil's way . They say how are we like the devil?? LIving for yourself just as he does makes you just like him in his image...... When in all reality we are CALLED TO BE IN MESSIAH YAHUSHUA'S image. Yeah I know we are not perfect and fall short but when we repent we are supposed to truly repent and change..........................
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 23 Nov, 2013 11:37 PM
It is good. It shows we have a right relationship with him by our returning to obeying it. Not to be saved but to prove we love him and that our faith is real! Thanks IWA that was a good word
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 23 Nov, 2013 11:38 PM
Here is the Spirit inspired word from Hebrews:
(Heb 8:10 [KJB:PCE])
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 24 Nov, 2013 12:25 AM
And to support my repeated statement: "I am under grace, not under the law...legalists should not limit the power and mercy of the God I serve.". Here are the references to Scripture that support that statement:
Hebrews 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.�
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Romans 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.�
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.�
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound.�But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:�
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.�
Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.�
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 24 Nov, 2013 12:35 AM
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
***** Did Moses really give the law? No, God gave the law through Moses. �Moses didn't any of it up. �The laws regarding divorce were given through Moses...why because of the hardness of man's heart, that would be sin of man.
*****
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.�
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.�
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.�
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:�
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient:all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?�
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,�
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 24 Nov, 2013 12:44 AM
Again Teach blows more smoke. Did she read and comprehend anything that was written? It appears not. She says "legalists should not limit the power and mercy of the God I serve" - What? What does this have to do with the price of tea in China, Teach? Did you read what I had to say about "legalists"?? It appears not.
Here is Teach taking us down her Biblical rabbit trails trying to deflect the conversation away from everything else that has been said. Very sad.
Also, we are not under the curse of the law or it's condemnation. We are still commanded to keep the law in obedience to God. Teach clearly demonstrates more misunderstanding. She obviously does not understand the relationship between grace/law. However, let's not allow her to derail the discussion at hand by chasing rabbits down their holes.
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 24 Nov, 2013 12:45 AM
GETTING BACK TO THE DISCUSSION AT HAND
Teach said, "Paul didn't need my help...he did a fine job of standing up for his beliefs and presenting refuting verses. He continues to show the fruits of the Spirit in his posts..."
Presenting refuting verses? Really? :laugh:
Fruits of the Spirit? Really? :laugh:
PAUL, YOUR REPEATED INSULTS VIOLATE THE FORUM POLICY. YOU ARE LOSING MORE AND MORE CREDIBILITY EACH TIME THAT YOU SLANDER ME WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT YOUR CLAIMS.
Paul and Teach --
Notice that Paul's "evidence" shows me disclosing who I am -- not denying it. This was my own public admission. Far from denying it or hiding it, I am the one who is bringing forth this information myself.
So, again I ask both of you to defend your statements.
Proven to be a fraud? Really? When was this proven? Lied about my true identity? Really? when did I do this? caught in lies about my identity? Really? Huh...... I missed have missed this. Who asked me for my identity? I don't recall seeing anyone ask me. Nor, do I recall directly stating my identy or denying my identity.
Go dig up the quotes and when you cannot produce them, I will anticipate your full retraction and public apology because I know that both of you wish to be "honest and respectable", right?
You are both guilty of bearing false witness among other things.
--------------
WOW!
It's unbelievable the truly GREAT lengths that those who profess Christ as Messiah will go to in order to "do what seems right to them" What does the Bible tell us about this? "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Prov 16:25)
Teach said: "The argument now is over the speck instead of the overarching issue of the OP...we do not have to completely dissect every word of every verse to understand the truth."
Unfortunately for Teach, Jesus declared otherwise when he said that "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Every word down to the jot and tittle are significant and often times the truth lies in distinguishing the details of what is being presented in the verses. As many of the responses in this thread have shown, sometimes it is necessary to understand every word so as not to err. This is exactly how the OP failed in his exegesis, he misunderstood the words being said. As such, he now promotes breaking God's commandments. This is a SERIOUS offense. (Matt. 5:19)
Teach said, "Is divorce allowed? yes."
WOW! What does God say about divorce? He says that he HATES it. (Mal. 2:16). He established the law of marriage (Gen. 2:24) and says, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Matt. 19:6). What does that mean? LET NO MAN PUT ASUNDER? Make no mistake about it, divorce is forbidden by God. The only permission given for divorce by Christ is for fornication. (Matt 5: 31-32 , Matt. 19:9). Even then, as Christ tells the disciples, this is NOT a command but merely a bare permission if a person's heart is so hardened against their spouse and they are unwilling to forgive them. (Deut. 24:1 and Matt. 19:8)
Teach said, "Is remarriage allowed? Yes, if the divorce is Biblical."
The problem with this statement here is that the OP (and Teach by her agreement) grant divorce on a number of grounds that the Bible does not grant. By claiming that divorce is Biblical for many different reasons, the OP then grants permission for remarriage that is NOT found anywhere in the Word of God. Make no mistake about it, the OP is promoting adultery. This is a SERIOUS OFFENSE. There have now been several (some going to great lengths) to show the OP (and those supporting him) his error. His only response is to go to great lengths to attack the messengers.
Let me repeat that, the OP has no answer to those who show him his Scriptural error. So, he is reduced to vicious ad hominem.
Teach said, " We shouldn't automatically dismiss pr treat someone badly because they were divorced, which is often the case in many churches and by many individuals...no matter the cause of the divorce."
Actually Teach, if the leaders of the churches were teaching the Word the way that they should be, we wouldn't have the ridiculously high divorce rates among professing believers in the first place. The problem isn't the "poor treatment" of divorcees, it is the incredibly permissive attitude of the church leadership that is unwilling to call sin - sin.
Here are the statistics from this site. (rounded to the nearest thousand)
Women 30-70 -- 23,000 listed - 13,000 divorced
Women 35-70 -- 18,000 listed - 12,000 divorced
Women 40-70 -- 15,000 listed - 10,000 divorced
This does not take into any consideration those who list themselves as single who are actually divorced. These numbers are staggering and disgusting.
Would you like to continue to see these numbers increase? Because that is the net result of tossing God's law out the window in favor of man made law's like the OP's who grants his own personal permission to divorce for "many reasons" If we followed God's commands, the divorce rate would be much much lower. Why? 1.)Because people would think very seriously about whether or not to get married in the first place (just as the disciples had concluded).
2.) People would not be divorcing on grounds other than fornication thus eliminating divorce on all other grounds.
3.) Knowing that they are forbidden to remarry without being an adulterer in perpituity, they would stay in their marriages or risk remaining single. *(without a valid biblical divorce)
Teach said,
"We should be slow to judge and careful with our words and action towards others. When we condemn others we are really condemning ourselves...we are all guilty of some sin, big or small...so we are in reality guilty of them all."
This is such a beautiful platitude, isn't it? But what does the Bible teach? The Bible tells us "But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of SEXUAL IMMORALITY or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler-not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging of outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. �PURGE THE EVIL PERSON FROM AMONG YOU" (1 Cor. 5:11-13)
It does not tell us to overlook it or dismiss it because "we are all guilty of some sin" as Teach implies. It does NOT tell us what Teach tells us. It clearly lays out a standard by which we are to judge. The problem isn't "condemnation", it's lack thereof.
Further God tells us:
"15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican (Matt 18:15-17)
The OP (and those who support him) badly err not knowing the Scriptures. There have been many attempts to bring him (and others) back to the truth. " Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins" (James 5:19-20)
"Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (Matt 12:33-36)
Be very clear, an evil man CANNOT speak good things. The tree is known by it's fruit ---> WHAT IT SPEAKS (it's words)
Teach said: "Thankfully God is a forgiving and merciful God, standing ready to forgive us." However, she missed the most vital part: repentance. God does not forgive us until we REPENT (turn from our sin). Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; (Acts 3:19) How can a person living in an adultress marriage truly repent of that sin?
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1John 3:10)
WHOSEVER DOETH NOT RIGHTEOUSNESS is NOT of God. One CANNOT say that he "loves his brother" while causing him to sin. If we say that we love our brother, we will do our best to keep him from sinning against God. What is sin? Sin is a transgression of God's laws. (1John 3:4) Make no mistake about it, ADULTERY IS SIN!.
---------------------
NOW, HOW ABOUT THE TWO OF YOU QUIT BLOWING SMOKE AND DEFLECTING AWAY FROM THE SCRIPTURE SO THAT WE GET BACK TO DEALING WITH THE ACTUAL SUBJECT ??
As a reminder, the OP (PAUL JANZ) said,
"Likewise, there are many reasons someone might seek a divorce: physical and verbal abuse from a spouse . . . being married to an unbeliever who makes life a literal hell . . . marital unfaithfulness . . . the stress of being married to an alcoholic for 23 years . . . or living with a pornographer who refuses to repent. Which one of these reasons for divorce is "God approved"? That's the point Jesus was making. Just as the eunuchs were acceptable to God regardless of how they became a eunuch, so also is a woman acceptable to God who seeks to be free from an abusive husband, even if infidelity is not involved. You and I cannot see in the heart of that abused person . . . but God can. For God has called them to peace."
---
Is there anyone willing to defend this as a Biblical statement? Teach? Anyone?
The OP (PAUL JANZ) said,
""But He said to them, 'All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given'" (Matthew 19:11).
What saying? The saying in verse 9 of course. NOT ALL can accept the saying that fornication is the ONLY reason for divorce.
Now notice that Jesus goes on to explain what He meant with the following verse:
"For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it" (Matthew 19:12).
What did Jesus mean by this? He tells us that three different men all became eunuchs for different reasons. One was born a eunuch, another was made a eunuch by men, and still another made himself that way for the kingdom of heaven. They all became eunuchs for different reasons, but who is to say which eunuch is "God approved"? God accepted them all. That's the point!"
---
Is there anyone willing to defend this as a correct understanding of the passage? Teach? Anyone?
Here is a quote from the OP's profile, he says, "Born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, looking for God's choice for a future mate. Although physical attraction is important to me, I am looking for a relationship that goes much deeper... that we truly become one as God intended. I am interested only in God's choice-- one who loves Jesus with all her heart. You may be single, widowed, or divorced"
Zowie! I am starting to understand things better now. He's looking for "God's choice". God tells him in plain language not to enter in an adulterous marriage with someone who has a divorce other than for the cause of fornication. Yet, he tells God in his OP, there are "MANY reasons for someone to seek a divorce" and they are all "approved". Interesting, isn't it?
