David, I don't understand what you are trying to say. To me, Matthew 5:
32 requires no interpretation. The fact is clear. Remarriage after a
divorce for any reason other than adultery is sin. What's to
interpret? God does not see the second marriage as a marriage. He sees
one who is bound to another living in continual sin with someone
besides his/her spouse. Being born again does not change that. Being
born again makes you want to do right. It does not make doing wrong
right. You cannot have one who is still bound to another.
Nothing hard to understand about that. The only valid reason for
divorce and remarriage is adultery. That is not to say that there is no
valid reason to flee from an abusive spouse, but remarriage is not an
option in those cases.
Some day when you have a lot of time, if I am not feeble minded by then,
you might go into detail about how you came to think this way, but as of
now, what you are saying is hard for me to even consider.
Terry
=================================================================
David Miller wrote:
Terry wrote:
Still, even without this example, Jesus indicates in Matthew 5:32
that the Verages are living in adultery.
Not necessarily. It is a matter of interpretation, and a matter of
judgment which requires more facts.
Terry wrote:
The solution obviously is not for her to return to her real husband,
but the solution, just as obviosly, to me, cannot be to continue to
live in sin.
Nobody should continue to live in sin, but a major part of
understanding the passage you quote, as well as other passages where
we can find Christ's doctrine on this subject, is that the act of
divorce is the act that causes adultery in the other partner. (There
is a very long answer that I could give you on this subject, but I
really don't have the time for it right now.) Please allow me to ask
you to consider that further sin in this situation MIGHT BE (depending
on other facts) a second divorce rather than a continued marriage
relationship. Put yourself in the position of the entire past history
being wiped out of any legal consideration through grace, and now look
at the marriage situation of this couple. Which would be adultery
from this perspective when considering this Matthew 5 passage? It
would be divorce rather than a continued marriage relationship that
would be causing the sin of adultery.
Although we see how Jesus often is more legalistic in his approach to
this subject, we must understand that he is able to be more strict in
regards to his teaching on holiness because of grace. Consider why
the Torah was not able to address this subject. Also consider that
Torah represented God's mind and will on this matter in the situation
where HEARTS WERE HARDENED. In other words, there is a perfect will of
God in these situations, and there is a permissive will of God
depending upon circumstances and the hardness of hearts involved. It
is impossible to say that one who walks according to Torah in this
matter is "continuing to live in sin." Think about that.
I hope nobody takes my comments here to be excusing divorce and
remarriage. I also hope my comments do not weaken the importance of
Christ's teaching on this subject, that divorce for any cause is sin.
I am only trying to point out that the situation is more complex than
just taking a few sentences out of Matthew 5 and forbidding remarriage
after divorce in every situation.
Some time ago I had posted some information to how the Roman Catholics
annul marriages. I remember posting a link to a Catholic website
where Roman Catholics asked priests for answers about what made an
annulment possible. If one examines this situation in Roman
Catholicism, you will find a picture of the kind of situation Jesus
was in concerning what allowed divorce and remarriage. It was
sickening, how the school of Hillel in Christ's day allowed divorce
for almost any situation, while the school of Shammai allowed it only
for the cause of fornication. This is the context of Jesus's comment
which gives us a more balanced understanding of what Jesus was teaching.
Peace be with you.
David Miller.
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"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you
may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6)
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