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 : 2 Jun, 2012 11:17 PM
John 5 vs 17
Because of this, then, the Yehudim were seeking all the more to kill Him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he also called Elohim his own Father, making Himself equal with Elohim.
THIS IS ACCURATELY TRANSLATED FROM HEBREW.
Elohim= means god
Yehudim = means his own people the Hebrews, Israelites, etc.
People its clear the bible is telling us here what the Yehudim believed in their minds about Yahusha breaking the Sabbath so they could kill him and especially because He stated that Elohim was Yahweh ( name of the father) which is why they sought to murder messiah.
It no where states that messiah broke the Sabbath it states clearly to even a elementary student that this was their thoughts and motive to murder him.
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 2 Jun, 2012 11:32 PM
Singer4u says, "Paul and Goldenfaith both said in their writings on this forum that Yahushua broke Sabbath. That is impossible! You two should know better than that and to say it is total heresy."
heresy? . . .really? "Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said God was His Father" (John 5:18). According to the apostle John, who wrote that scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit . . .Jesus broke the Sabbath.
I wonder, Singer4u, what justice should God mete out to you for misrepresenting Him with your statement above? Mercy or death by stoning?
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 3 Jun, 2012 07:25 AM
People reading this forum please be advised that John 5 vs 18. IT IS SAYING IN RETROSPECT THAT THE PHARISEES SAID YAHUSHUA THE MESSIAH BROKE SABBATH= ACCORDING TO THEM=THEY WERE HYPOCRITE AND MERE MEN!!! THEY WERE JUDGING THE CREATOR HIMSELF WHO MADE THE SABBATH AND IS LORD OF THE SABBATH.
We have to read everything in context and obey Yahushua by testing all things to see whether they be true as the Bereans who searched the scriptures continually.
This ignorant fellow paul just quotes what he thinks and way out of context. Notice in his stone thrower thesis =its pauls interpretation of what he believes= Doesn't mean its true!!!!!!! Test all things people !!! Only believe what our messiah teaches.
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 3 Jun, 2012 07:31 AM
Paul I cast Hasatan off of you and break his hold on your mind in the name of Yahushua the Messiah !!! I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to show you the truth and convict you of being ignorant of what your opinions mean in light of clearly revealed scripture.
So that you know longer ignorantly lay stumbling blocks and so that you bring glory to Messiah rather than shame to his name by saying messiah sinned and broke the Sabbath.
Its all on you now and your own free will.
I will no longerspeak to you directly unless you repent!!!
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 3 Jun, 2012 08:17 AM
Also people notice that what Paul says in his stone thrower thesis is that many women got a divorce for reasons other that sexual immorallity.
What is wrong with what paul says is that these women can get out of their marriage?
IS THIS REALLY TRUE?
NOT IF BOTH MARRIAGE PARTNERS ARE BELIEVERS!!!!!!!
So its partly true only so look up the following verse: 1 Corinthians 7 vs 10 and 11- The apostle Paul says that Yahweh not I commands this verse addressing married believers only: They can separate but they can't have sex with anyone other than their husband not even by sending a divorce decree and then marrying another because that would be adultery according to Messiah in matthew 19 or they can reconcile with their mate to have these things. That's it !!!! Remember adultery is a damnable sin that received a death sentence by stoning. Its is still forbidden today. Yahweh never changes!!!!
It doesn't matter the reason for your separation or your divorce if you went that far. The one who commits a sexual sin with another physically is going to be who Messiah considers an adulterer and responsible for breaking the til death marriage covenant!!! Also when you commit that sexual sin with another you freed the other to scripturally divorce you and yes they can marry another and it not be adultery but you who did commit physical sexual adultery can't remarry nor have sex again ever! This because you as the guilty party are held accountable for your covenant breaking sin because because Yahweh is not mocked a man or woman will reap what they sowed. If you sow to your spirit you will reap eternal life but if you sow to your flesh you will reap eternal death. Confirmation of this truth is given in the New Testament in 1 Corrinthians 7 vs 38 and 39 and Romans 7 vs 2 and 3.
If you separate from your mate because they were beating you or your life is in danger this is fine. Stay sexually chaste because the wife beater or other vile sinner will most likely commit adultery in due time thereby freeing you anyway. However, you must prove it by 2 witnesses or documentation verifiable. If your mate commits adultery in the heart that's Yahushua's realm to deal with. You can't divorce them unless it is done physically breaking your one flesh union. You can't prove the motive of their heart or if yhey are lusting unless it is physically carried out! Lets obey all scripture and work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
Also for you who says Yahweh doesn't keep up with marriages its all easy grace and easily forgiven? Let me remind you Messiah told the woman at the well how many husbands she had and that the one she was currently with wasn't her husband! He acknowledged she was in adultery! She was accountable from that time on for her sins once we become a believer. Doesn't matter your level of maturity or your personal opinions. it matters what is written!!! Thats what will be used against you on judgement day. What you did with Yahusha in you!!!! DId you obey him or rebel and do your own thing? If you go on willfully sinning you will be damned because of Hebrews 10 vs 26 and Hebrews 6 vs 4-6 and Revelation 21 vs 8 and many other verses. You may say I can't lose my salvation? Okay then look in Revelation 1 vs 4 John writing to the BELIEVERS IN THE SEVEN ASSEMBLIES(CHURCHES) that believe not written to unbelievers cause they won't read it anyway and if they do they will scoff. Yet Yahweh warns them in Revelation 22 vs 19 that He will take their name out of the book of life, their right to the tree of life, and their right to be in the heavenly city if someone takes away from the words of this prophecy written in this book. (Is this just whats written in the book of Revelation or meaning the whole Word of Yahweh = the bible) The bible scholars aren't sure . I believe both as for myself. THEREFORE LETS OBEY YAHWEH AND SAY WHAT HE SAYS TO DO AND TO DO WHAT HE SAYS TO DO. SO BE IT!
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 3 Jun, 2012 08:26 AM
Furthurmore: If you were a believer married to a believer and you committed adultery and married that adulterer or another person and your believing mate was innocent then yahweh will not count your marriage at all. You are in chronic adultery! The only way to repent is to come out of it and stay single and sexually chaste cause you would then be proving your repentence for the ongoing adultery with fruits=proof!!! You can confess it all you want but you didn't stop it! Your are still in it and Yahweh will only do what he said. He said he won't honor unscriptural adutereous marriages and so you got to come out of them to be forgiven or you will die in your sin. Believers live right and if they sinned they repent and confess and don't continue to do!!! This because Yahweh's seed remanis in you and you overcome the world as He himself did!
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 3 Jun, 2012 01:52 PM
Singer4u says, "Paul and Goldenfaith both said in their writings on this forum that Yahushua broke Sabbath. That is impossible! You two should know better than that and to say it is total heresy."
heresy? . . .really? "Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said God was His Father" (John 5:18). According to the apostle John, who wrote that scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit . . .Jesus broke the Sabbath.
I wonder, Singer4u, what justice should God mete out to you for misrepresenting Him with your statement above? Mercy or death by stoning?
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 3 Jun, 2012 07:56 PM
Just like the Check out this guy paul. he proves he doesn't read other people's writngs here. he keeps posting his rhetoric about the sabbath when I have been talking about remarriage. What a card! LOL
Ok paul duh! Duh! you ok what planet am i on ignorant man!
Have you been CONDEMMNED by others as having an "UNBIBLICAL DIVORCE" ?
Posted : 3 Jun, 2012 10:13 PM
Singer4u says, "Paul and Goldenfaith both said in their writings on this forum that Yahushua broke Sabbath. That is impossible! You two should know better than that and to say it is total heresy."
heresy? . . .really? "Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said God was His Father" (John 5:18). According to the apostle John, who wrote that scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit . . .Jesus broke the Sabbath.
I wonder, Singer4u, what justice should God mete out to you for misrepresenting Him with your statement above? Mercy or death by stoning?
