Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage

Who is this being distributed to?
Pastors or Church folk?

 

Those arguments have long been answered with solid biblical exegesis. There was quite a long thread recently if you are interested.

 

It says on the first page it is being sent to pastors and leaders. I hope they remember thse things the next time the argue with thier wives or before the decide to commit adultery or some other marital sin.

 

That was one of them. If you don't have preconceptions and are wiling to study everything the Bible says about it, it answered them more than sufficiently. The problem most people have on both sides is that their preconceptions about their position are stronger than their allegiance ot God's word. That is why there is so much confusion. It is never an easy topic to be sure, but we can arrive at a sufficient biblical answer.

The biblical case against remarriage rests on some misunderstanding of hte Bible and the attacks rest on some misunderstanding of most people's position.

I hope you will continue to study with the resolute conviction to adjust your own position to the one that Scripture has.

 

There is certainly only one christian position. The other positions are just what some christians hold to.

The earliest commentary we have on the issue were against remarriage, except in the case of death.

 

And so some 13 yrs ago when my first wife dropped off my 2 and 4 yr old daughters on my doorstep and took off....I shouldnt have married a Christian girl...who helped raise my daughters in the church...but should have shortchanged them due to the edicts of the church?
To those fine scholars who wrote this letter, I understand your concern because I myself have seen the same stats. However, close the statisticians books, step out from behind the pulput, walk down the aisle as many of us have walked up. Go out in the real world and check out the situations of the people you are suppose to be ministering to. Tell the woman who has had the crap beat out of her for years she cant marry a good Christian man. Tell the single dad he cant marry a woman who has fell in love with, not just with you but your children as well. If these stats are true, and I have no reason to doubt them, then there are a lot of first and second time "offenders" sitting in your pews week after week trying ever so diligently to do Gods will. In some Baptist communities they are not looked upon as equals. Thankfully that is not the case in my place of worship.

 

Ridiculous hyperbole for which you have unfortunately become known, my friend. I wish you could see the wisdom in backing off some of these kinds of statements. You know as well as I do that there are faithful Christians and solid theologians on both sides of this issue.

Actually, this is wrong. The earliest commentary on divorce is hte Mosaic Law where remarriage was permitted, but a woman could not leave her second marriage and return to the first. We can debate the reasons for that, but we cannot legitimately deny that the earliest commentary was for remarriage only in teh case of death. Christ himself gave an exception that did not involve death. AGain, we can debate exactly how all that applies, but let's not stretch the truth through simplistic arguments.

 

Larry, the apostles did not hold to multiple positions on this issue. I think you misunderstood my statement. I was simply saying that only one position is true, and therefore there is only one christian view. Or do you think that maybe Paul and Peter disagreed and that was acceptable?

You and I both know the Mosaic law has no authority over the believer today. If you disagree, please point out the texts that I am supposed to allow the Law to rule over me on.

Btw, I have never stated that remarriage was always wrong. I have always stated that remarriage was a concession during the law. Now, I think you should reread my post again. I have no desire to go back and forth again on this issue. You quite clearly did not understand my original post.

 

I meant to include that the earliest commentary I was referring to was the writings of the fathers, since they had the fortunate experience of living so closely to the apostles themselves.

 

Without a doubt, divorce is considered holy by some ... But, I do not find that in the Bible.

 

http://web.mountain.net/morton/marriage.htm#Top

I don't know if this link will work but if it will everybody needs to check it out.

Br.Greg

 

Now that I've posted the above link I just want to add my opinion about the subject of the Hosea project.I will just say that although I think their motives are honest I think they are all scrambled up in the doctrinal sense and very legalistic in general.I am also gonna make a statement that I know many in here will disagree with me on....but so be it.As a KJV believer who doesn't trust other translations in general,my personal opinion of this "letter" is that it is the natural result of using a multiplicity of different "versions" to try and establish a doctrinal position.I think the whole thing is a scrambled up mess that puts a lot of people who love the Lord Jesus Christ under undue condemnation.Check out the link I posted above.Bro.Morton lets plain english speak for itself and while I do not believe his treatsie is exhaustive on the subject it certainly is an honest treatment of the subject...and that from a man who is the husband of ONE wife(and only one) who is not seeking to justify himself.Just my opinion.....and I'm NOT trying to turn this into a KJVO thread.That's just my personal assessment of the subject for what it's worth.AND...I'm not looking for an arguement...check the link out...it is interesting and thought provoking.I showed the article to my own well educated Pastor and he was duely impressed and couldn't find much that he was able to refute in it.

Bro.Greg

 

Perhaps I misunderstood. I think Paul and Peter agreed with Christ that remarriage was permissable in some cases, and Paul says that in his own writings. That does not condone divorce nor encourage it. Some people in good conscience disagree with that and that is fine.

Actually, I have been on of the big proponents of the fact that the Law has no authority over the believer here. You know that. My point was that the earliest commentary was the Mosaic Law which specifically allowed for divorce and remarriage. That doesn't mean we should or should not. It means that we don't have a biblical theology of divorce if we do not take the teaching of those passages into consideration.

But Christ made that same concession, as did Paul. So it isn't just the Law; it is grace as well.

If I misunderstood you, I apologize. Please forgive me.

 

Who do you know that considers divorce holy? I think most that I have read consider it to be at the very most an unfortunate concession to the sinfulness of the human heart.

 

I to am divorced and remarried. My divorce came after atleast 3 affairs (suspect more) in 4 years. And in the end I wasn't the one who filed. Did I sin? YES in marrying an unbeliever to begin with. And for ignoring the many warnings the Lord sent my way before hand.
As far as the scriptures on the subject? Divorce IS allowed according to our Lord when fornication takes place. (I qualified) And if the unbeliever chooses to leave (Again I qualify.)

So here I am two kids to raise without a mother involed in there lives most of the time. Then I met Jenny. She was/is the most loving, beautiful, and morally straight person I've ever known. And YES I married her. And God has very much blessed our marriage.

I'm not saying that I was justified in remarriage to another women. What I am saying is I did come back to God in repentance (A few years later). And God did bless us. We are now surrendered Christians. We love our Lord and He loves us. And remember all, there is no condamnation for those who are in Christ. The only ones who remember my sin are the hyprocrites who look to snub there nose up at those whom they think they can use to make themselves feel a bit more holy. The fact is I have never met anyone (Christian or not) that has never lusted after that they have no rights to. Our Lord said lust in the heart is also adultry.

In the end people, I say remove your log before you go condemming everyone else! This arguement always get to that point of self-righteous judgement so how about closing this tread like the others.

 

Why not?

 

I'm a divorced man, who, in about 4 weeks, is getting married ... again. My previous spouse was caught by me in the act of adultery, a man with whom she later moved in with, and eventually married.

I've consulted with not one, but two pastors, as well as a Christian professional counsellor. All have given me the blessing to marry again, and informed me that scripture does not forbid me from remarrying.

If someone here doesn't like it, they're welcome to walk the last 6 years of my life in my stead.

 

John, your personal story, though tragic, is hardly the standard for anyone. While I am sorry about your divorce, your personal story has no bearing on the interpretation of Scripture.

Btw, you could find anyone to okay anything using the Bible. That isn't proof either.