Divorced in Church Roles

Talk about judging some one according to your bias!

I have absolutely no animosity nor bitterness against anyone, especially those who have been through the dilemma of a divorce.

Explain how it is you see that something the Lord hates is NOT sin?

You can't, not with any rational;ity short of compromise of the word of God.

Yep, I'd call a hard heart the wrong reason for putting away/divorce.

The two go hand-in-hand, they are synonomous. Learn that.

You then are a leaglist who thinks himself the ability to allow divorce to be the retribution of the offended spouse for adultery.

Talking about sad!

 

Adultery in the OT was punished by stoning the two caught in the act.

Under grace, we see that even thinking upon a woman as to lust after her is adultery, carrying the same indictment, only forgiveness is the ultimate solution.

The pastor is to be blameless in the area of gross sins, not perfect.:tonofbricks:

 

Um, dude, the Greek defines them as synonomous.

 

I'm sorry, but I see in Scripture where it is even sin to make a mock at sin.

Receive light. Abhor evil.:godisgood:

 

I have not read this thread, but I have an opinion.

the applicable text in 1 Tim and Titus is one that good, solid, biblically minded people differ over. It has to be something that the leadership in the church is in 100% agreement over.

If they see it as "No divorce, no remarriage" for pastors and deacons, that should be in stone. If they see it as no bigamy, that should be in stone. Or is they see it as being faithful to one's spouse, that should be.

In my opinion, of course.

 

Good godly opinion.:godisgood:

 

Sorry Salamander but the Bible never says God hates divorce. It does say (in Malachi) that He hates putting away. And divorce and putting away are different (actually, completely different) in the Greek and in the Hebrew. In both languages they are absolutely different words. Not sure who taught you that they were the same.

Did you look up and study the verses I listed in one of my earlier posts?

I use to have your opinion about the whole matter. Then one of the professors at CBS callenged me to back up my position with Scripture. Investigating it myself and not just taking what everyone told me as gospel really opened my eyes to the injustice we independent Baptists have been forcing on our divorced brothers and sisters.

 

I think that this is the content of what we are looking for in this thread.
1 Timothy 3:1-5
1This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
Being the husband of one wife is just one prerequisite for the office of the Bishop.
If one can not control his own house he will not be able to handle the affairs of the church.

 

Well, you could become a charismatic. They are ok with it.

I am kidding.

 

So, Worthy Is the Lamb, your wife is divorced, but you are not?

If you're not divorced, what do they see as the problem?

The verse dealing with adultery says the "have" committed adultery, not "are committing" adultery.

Looks like you have committed the unpardonable sin--that is, the sin not covered by the blood of Jesus.

 

I am pretty sure C. S. Lewis was either divorced or married to a divorce woman, and look at the good he did for the greater body of Christ.

 

I actually looked up the Greek word for divorce and put away, they are the same.

You said they were different.

I am not guilty by your association in the matter. I treat all the same.

God doesn't hate the one who puts away, nor the one put away, only the act of putting away. It is the same as divorce.

Divorce attempts to put to death the living institution of holy matrimony.

Attempting to negate such an institution is attempting to kill that living institution. That is impossible. Both spouses remain alive and now another problem has entered into the scene compiled with doubt, guilt, bitterness, uselessness, amongst a plethora of other emotional disasters; they must live with that divorce.

The divorce affects everyone in a negative manner and even opens the door to that sin of adultery lying in wait.

You're trying to attribute something to God that is an act of man in his hardheartedness, that is a gross mistake.

I'm afraid you hold to a much less standard to marriage than the intent of God.:godisgood:

 

You have appointed thyself a judge and are actually in danger of the retribution of God for making such a gross accusation.

WITL and i may not totally agree, but YOU are way out of line!

 

Amen! the Lord!

 

If that is true then glory to God.

No one, in line with Scripture, is saying some one divorced or married to a divorcee cannot serve God in spreading the Gospel. It is only holding the two positions of pastor/preacher and/or deacon they are disqualified.

 

C. S. (Jack) Lewis was married at 57 to a friend, Joy Davidman Gresham (41) who had been divorced, after her husband had announced he was in love with another, and wanted Joy to join them in a menage a trois arrangement. She had come to England, intending to make it her new home, She was about to be forced to leave England, where she now lived, with her two sons, as her Visa was not going to be renewed. Jack agreed to marry her, in a civil ceremony. They were married Apr. 23, 1956, in a civil ceremony, and also had a 'church' ceremony eleven months later, as Joy was thought to be dying of a virulent form of cancer. (Much to his surprise, Jack had found that he had indeed long since fallen in love with Joy, who likewise had become a believer in Christ.) However she recovered for some four years, before the cancer returned, and this time, claimed her life. She died July 13, 1960 at the age of 45. Three years and 4 mos. later, Jack followed Joy in death, a week short of his 65th birthday, when 'Jack' Lewis died on the same day as U. S. President 'Jack' Kennedy was assassinated, Nov. 22, 1963.

Ed

 

Hi Salamander,

You are really starting to worry me, brother. Here is what I just dug up:

The word (verb) we translate as put away:
ἀπολύω (apoluō), ἀπολύομαι (apoluomai): vb.; ≡ Str 630—1. LN 15.43 dismiss, let go away (Mt 14:15); 2. LN 15.66 send, cause another to depart (Ac 15:30); 3. LN 37.127 set free, release (Lk 23:22); 4. LN 34.78 divorce (Mt 1:19); 5. LN 40.8 forgive, grant clemency, pardon (Lk 6:37); 6. LN 15.38 (dep.) go away, leave (Ac 28:25)

Even notice the above definition 4. is not really divorce. It was when Joseph was going to put away (as translated by the KJV) Mary before they were married.


The word (noun) we translate as divorce:
ἀποστάσιον (apostasion), ου (ou), τό (to): n.neu.; ≡ Str 647—LN 33.41 βιβλίον ἀποστασίου (biblion apostasiou), notice of divorce, certificate of d. (Mt 19:7; Mk 10:4); without βιβλίον (biblion), (Mt 5:31)+

No relationship to each other. I’m honestly not sure who you are talking to about this but they are not the same word.

I'm just a sinful man but, I'm pretty sure my standard concerning marriage is the one in the Bible.

 

Hey, fellas....listen, if you all cut divorced and remarried people out of the various ministries, the way the world is, you won't have ANYBODY soon.

Debbie Mc

 

I have read almost all of the differing positions on this, and that interpretation is not settled. I know, I know, the scholars of the baptist board do not read anything but fundamental baptist commentaries, right? (That was tongue in cheek)

George Knight, who is probably the best known commentator, says that those passages have to do with a man being faithful to his wife. Others say divorce, others say bigamy.

I found this:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20071106/us_time/anevangelicalrethinkondivorce

the beginning goes like this:

An Evangelical Rethink on Divorce?

On questions relating to the Bible's treatment of family and morals, one might expect assurance, if not rigidity, from Evangelical Christianity. So, it may surprise many to learn how "live" the topic of divorce remains in Evangelical circles. Last month, the cover story of the monthly Christianity Today was titled "When to Separate What God has Joined: A Closer Reading on the Bible on Divorce." The heated controversy provoked by the story showed how Biblically flexible some Evangelicals can be - especially when God's word seems at odds not just with modern American behavior, but also with simple human kindness.

As the article's author, the British Evangelical scholar David Instone-Brewer, points out, for most of 2,000 years Christians have viewed divorce through two scriptural citations. In Matthew, the pharisees ask Christ, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?" Jesus refers to the Old Testament and then replies, "Whoever divorces a wife, except for sexual indecency, commits adultery." The apostle Paul adds in the book First Corinthians that a Christian is "not bound" to a non-Christian spouse who abandons him. Simple, right?.......

...follow the link