Divorce and Remarriage
The churches of Christ
Greet
You (Romans
The question has been asked: “Is there any cause for which a man can
divorce
his wife and marry another and be justified in the sight of God?” Over
this
question there is no little division. We doubt if we will be able to
give
an answer that will satisfy the masses; however, we shall by the help
of Almighty
God answer this question as we understand the teaching of the Bible.
Our answer to this question in the very beginning of this study is
“yes.”
Yes, there is a cause for which a man can divorce his wife and marry
again.
Jesus Christ, Himself, tells the cause in Matthew 19:9. Hear him, "And
I
say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for
fornication,
and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her
which
is
put away doth commit adultery." Here Jesus makes fornication the
exception.
This proves the answer that we have given. For the cause of
fornication,
a man can put away his wife and marry another.
But, says one, some preachers are preaching to the contrary, they are
teaching that there is no cause for which a man can put away his wife
and marry another. That is true, but we think that Jesus knows more
about it than any preacher that ever lived upon the face of the earth.
A preacher has gotten too smart when he flies into the face of Jesus
Christ, the Son of the Living God, and disputes His plain teaching.
Some preachers like to deal with things that
are agitating in nature, things that are argumentative and often they
prove
themselves dishonest in such matters.
Sometimes a misconception of the teaching of the Word of God is
responsible for the wrong teaching on such subjects. One of the things
that seem to cause
some of us to miss the mark on this subject is the phrase, "What
therefore
God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matt. 19:6). Just
about
all preachers, in performing a wedding ceremony use this expression.
Thus,
they seem to believe that when a couple is being united into the bond
of
matrimony, God joins them. We do not believe a word of it. We do not
believe
that God joins men and women in marriage today, and we maintain that
the
Bible does not teach that He does.
Our brethren are death on the sects for teaching a direct operation of
God
from heaven and yet some of them are ready to impress upon the hearts
of
thousands that He does operate directly in some mystical, twistical,
incomprehensible manner in the joining together of men and women in the
bonds of matrimony.
I wouldn't so accuse my Lord of such unfairness. He joins me to a bad
one
and joins my friend to a good one, and another to a bad one and then
another
to a good one, and on and on it goes. No, sir, God does not engage in
such
bungling. When God does a job, He does it well. If God joined men and
women
together, they would stay together. There would be absolutely no need
for
the divorce courts whatever. However, God does recognize whatever
is done,
whether the thing done is right or wrong.
Now, let us recap the procedures in the average marriage and see if we
can
find out where God comes in. If God acts in the procedure, certainly
there
is a place where He comes in, or acts. Here we go: (1) man meets woman,
(2)
she attracts him, (3) he asks for date, (4) courtship ensues, (5)
infatuation
or love results, (6) he asks for her hand in marriage, (7) she agrees
and
he purchases the license, (8) he secures the preacher, (9) preacher
goes
through ceremony and they pledge themselves, either to the other so
long
as both of them shall live, (10) the preacher pronounces that they are
husband
and wife on the grounds of the pledges that they made.
When did God come in? It must be admitted that God only recognized what
transpired,
whether it was right or wrong.
Well, another may ask, what is taught by the phrase, "What therefore
God hath joined together let not man put asunder"? Let us just go back
to Matthew
19:3-6. "The Pharisees also came to him, tempting him, and saying unto
him,
Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? and he
answered
and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the
beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a
man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they
twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one
flesh, what therefore God hath
joined together, let not man put asunder."
Now what is here taught? Just this: if you will kindly notice, He said
in
verse 4 that “he which made them at the beginning made them male and
female.”
Now don't put this asunder, don't change this. God did join them
together
at the beginning. He did NOT join a male to a male and a female to a
female,
but He made a female for every male and he did this only at the
beginning.
He said unto them, "Be fruitful and multiply." Thus He established the
law
of physical propagation. To put this asunder would mean an end to
propagation.
Notice, Jesus said WHAT God hath joined together, not WHOM. If this had
reference
only to man and wife, God would have doubtlessly said, whom therefore
God
hath joined together. But He did not say whom. He said WHAT. This takes
in beasts, fowls, fish and every creature upon the face of the earth.
Put asunder what God joined together (and He did his joining together
at the beginning
- Matt. 19:3) would result in putting an end to reproduction.
As an example, we call your attention to some who did put asunder what
God
hath joined together. Go with us now to the first chapter of Romans and
let
us commence at verse 25: "Who change the truth of God into a lie, and
worshiped
and served the creature more than the creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women
did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and
likewise
also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their
lust
one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly, and
receiving
in themselves that recompense of their error which is meet."
Now this is a clear cut lesson against putting asunder what God hath
joined together. Let us forget the idea that God in some physical way
joins men
and women together in marriage, for He does no such thing. They join
themselves
by the pledges they make to each other. God just recognizes the
thing
done.
God tells His people how to do it, like He tells them how to do other
things.
The Bible teaches that God objected to the sons of God being married to
the daughters of men, but “the sons of God saw the daughters of men
that they were fair; and they took unto them wives of all which they
chose” (Gen. 6:2).
This caused God to bring the flood upon the earth and destroy
everything
upon the face of the earth. Now who did this marrying? Did God join His
sons
to the daughters of men? Did He? Certainly not! God doesn't build again
the
things that He destroys, thus transgressing His own law. The Bible says
these
men did this. "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were
fair;
and they took unto them wives.” God did not join them to them, they did
it themselves.
God told His people not to make marriages to any of the seven nations
that
He would deliver unto them (Deut. 7:1-3). He told them not to do it.
Joining
together in marriage is what men do by their pledges, vows and solemn
declarations
of love and faithfulness. God simply recognizes the pledges and vows
made
and when a man makes a vow, God holds him to it, for He said that it is
better
not to vow, than to vow and not live up to it (Eccl. 5:5). God condemns
the
covenant-breakers, truce breakers and people who will not live up to a
bonafide
agreement (Rom.
Paul said, "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?
shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of an
harlot? God
forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one
body?
for two, saith he, shall be one flesh" (1 Cor.
But, says one, what is meant by the phrase, "The two become one flesh"?
It simply means that the two live in unity in the flesh. Paul said,
"For
though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh" (2 Cor.
10:3).
To be one flesh simply denotes an intimate communion, as if the two
were
but one person or one body (Gen. 2:24). Paul said that he could wish
himself
were accursed from Christ for his brethren, his “kinsmen according to
the
flesh" (Rom 9:3). So we see the phrase, "the two shall become one
flesh,"
has reference to their lives being united. They become one in purpose
and
aim to be accomplished; they become one in objective, and united as
they
live in their fleshly bodies; they go down the pathway of life, sharing
their
blessings and their woes, facing their obstacles and disappointments as
on
through life they go.
Go To: Are Homosexual
Relationships Pleasing To God?