Marriage, Divorce,

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Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage

• What does the Bible teach?
• This should be our only concern.
• It should be a sufficient guide to our decisions
  and lives in this matter as well as all others.
• And it is, if we will let it be so.

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MDR- Why is it such a problem for us?

• Several factors contribute
• While differing views have been around for
  years, there wasnt much of a problem in the
  church because of the rarity of divorce.
• Now however, divorce is commonplace in society
  and increasingly so in the church.
• So, some old views are getting new looks.
• The sheer numbers have evidently forced some to
  balk at plain teaching and search for
  alternative, or unorthodox views and
  solutions.

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MDR- What we wont talk about in these lessons

• Sadly, marriage.
• While a thorough understanding of marriage and
  all that it entails is the best medicine to
  prevent divorce, it is not really within the
  scope of these lessons to provide such a
  treatment of that aspect of the subject.
• Instead, marriage, with all its problems and
  solutions, will be considered only has having
  occurred and dissolved, whether rightly or
  wrongly.
• What ifs. As in, What if. (ad infinitum)
• Instead, well concentrate on biblical teaching.

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MDR- What we will talk about in these lessons

• Recent controversies on MDR have centered around
  several questions
• Are aliens (non-Christians) amenable to Gods
  requirements for marriage?
• Is mental divorce a biblical justification
  for the dissolution of a marriage?
• Does Paul give an additional exception to
  divorce?
• Are other reasons for divorce OK if one
  does not remarry?
• What role does society and government play in
  all of this?

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In this lesson, well deal with the first of
these

• Are aliens (non-Christians) amenable to Gods
  requirements for marriage?
• Understand the logic of the question
• If Gods laws governing marriage apply only
  to those who are in covenant relationship
  with Him, then
• Those married and divorced (even multiple
  times) prior to becoming Christians are
  excepted.
• In this view, they are only bound to the
  mate they have at conversion, or the one
  they marry after conversion.

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Are aliens (non-Christians) amenable to Gods
requirements for marriage?

• How this view is supported
• 1. Other laws of God apply only to Christians,
  so why not this one? (such as partaking of the
  Lords Supper or other Christian duties)
• 2. Covenant means agreement and unless one
  has agreed to be in covenant relationship
  with God, His laws are not binding. An alien
  sinner is therefore in a lost condition because
  he has not accepted Jesus and become part of
  the covenant. In this view, the only sin for
  which one can be accountable before God is
  rejecting Jesus.

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Are aliens (non-Christians) amenable to Gods
requirements for marriage?

• What does the Bible say about this?
• 1. Other laws of God apply only to Christians,
  so why not this one? (such as partaking of the
  Lords Supper or other Christian duties)
• This view is usually presented as Is it wrong
  or sinful for a non-Christian to not partake of
  the Lords Supper?
• Yes because God wants all to be Christians and
  remember the Lords sacrifice. 2Pet.38-9
  1Tim.24

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Are aliens (non-Christians) amenable to Gods
requirements for marriage?

• What does the Bible say about this?
• 2. Covenant means agreement and unless one
  has agreed to be in covenant relationship
  with God, His laws are not binding on him.
• First, covenant (Heb. berith) can mean
  agreement but does not always, cf. Heb.810.
• Here, covenant and law are used
  synonymously. Question Do you have to
  agree to a law to be bound by it?

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Are aliens (non-Christians) amenable to Gods
requirements for marriage?

• What does the Bible say about this?
• 2. Covenant means agreement and unless one
  has agreed to be in covenant relationship
  with God, His laws are not binding.
• First, O.T. and N.T. are filled with examples of
  people being judged and punished by God for
  violating His laws despite never entering a
  covenant with Him
• gtGen.18-19 Lev.1824-25
• gtRom.118-23 2Thess.17-9

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Are aliens (non-Christians) amenable to Gods
requirements for marriage?

• What does the Bible say about this?
• 2. Covenant means agreement and unless one
  has agreed to be in covenant relationship
  with God, His laws are not binding.
• Second, notice these biblical examples of
  non-covenant people being held accountable by God
  for their adulterous marriages
• gtAbimilech, king of Gerar- Gen.201-3
• gtHerod, king of the Jews- Mt.141-4 Mk.614ff

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Are aliens (non-Christians) amenable to Gods
requirements for marriage?

• What does the Bible say about this?
• 2. Covenant means agreement and unless one
  has agreed to be in covenant relationship
  with God, His laws are not binding.
• Furthermore, think about this. Jesus taught
  about MDR in Matt.532 as a part of the Sermon
  on the Mount.
• gtThis was therefore part of the the gospel of
  the kingdom which was for everyone, Mt.423
  Mk.1615-16.
• gtWill we likewise exclude other aspects of this
  sermon as non-applicable? Mt.712 etc.

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Are aliens (non-Christians) amenable to Gods
requirements for marriage?

• But.
• How can a man commit murder and be forgiven and
  accepted by God, while having been unlawfully
  divorced and remarried and not be forgiven and
  accepted by Him? It doesnt make sense!
• Sure it does. Heres how
• gtMurder is a sin committed, confessed, and
  repented of by cessation of the activity.
• gtAdultery (by an unlawful remarriage) is a sin
  in which we continue by the union.
• Can we be forgiven of any sin of which we will
  not repent by ceasing the activity? 1Cor.69-11

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The difficulty of these conclusions is
admittedly hard...

• But,
• Returning to the right ways of the Lord have
  always been difficult when weve strayed so far
  from them!
• Consider Ezra 9 - 10

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