Yesterday, we looked at the issue of divorce and remarriage and the reality that not only is the issue of divorce an extremely emotional issue: the issue of divorce can often be a very confusing issue. I believe that the confusion and questions, however, do not arise because God is somehow unclear on this issue. On the contrary, I believe that God has a very clear opinion when it comes to divorce and remarriage. I believe that the confusion and questions come in when we have to apply God’s truth to our lives in the midst of the emotion that erupts from hurting and broken relationships.
And yesterday we saw that we can misrepresent marriage when we divorce fellow Christians. We discovered that the issue is not divorce, but remarriage. The issue is when can someone who has been divorced enter into another covenant marriage relationship. In addition, God does not view marriage as a contract, which can be renegotiated or dissolved by either party. This is how many in our culture view marriage. God views marriage as a covenant, which can only be terminated through death or another covenant.
This is how we apply what the Bible states about marriage when it comes to the issue of divorce and remarriage: We believe that the Bible teaches that God allows divorce in instances of unfaithfulness/adultery and abandonment and that a person could be remarried if they were divorced for those reasons and if reconciliation with their former spouse is impossible, due to either death or the remarriage of the divorced spouse.
Paul then reinforces and unpacks this position when it comes to divorce and remarriage as he reveals that we can misrepresent marriage when we divorce nonchristians. We see this reality revealed for us in 1 Corinthians 7:12-16:
But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
In these verses Paul shifts from addressing followers of Jesus who were involved in marriages with one another to followers of Jesus who were married to non-Christians. Paul states what is not a direct command from the Lord, but an authoritative statement by Paul as an apostle: “I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her and a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away”.
To understand what Paul is communicating here, we first must understand what was happening at the church in Corinth. As people were responding to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by believing trusting and following Jesus as Lord and Leader, a husband or a wife were becoming Christians, while their spouse had not responded to the message of the gospel. So the question became, “since we no longer believe that same things about God, and since I believe in Jesus and my spouse doesn’t, should I get divorced so that I can go marry a fellow Christian?
Paul responds to the situation by commanding the person to remain married to their unbelieving spouse if the unbelieving spouse still wants to remain married.
Paul then gives the first of two reasons for his command by stating that the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. But how does a follower of Jesus sanctify their nonchristian spouse?
Paul is revealing the reality that the unbelieving spouse is sanctified in the sense that they are exposed to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel through their marriage relationship to a follower of Jesus. The spouse who has become a believer has the opportunity to reflect and reveal Christ in a powerful way through the relationship that they have with their spouse. Paul then reveals that this same principle applies to the relationship that the believing spouse has with their children when he states that for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. Paul is saying that the children, who would not normally be exposed to Christianity, are able to be brought into contact with the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel through the marriage relationship as they see the believing spouse reflect Christ as they relate to their spouse and children.
Paul then provides an exception to his command by stating that if the unbelieving spouse decides that they want a divorce instead of remaining married, the believing spouse is to allow that divorce to occur. The spouse who is a follower of Jesus is not to initiate a divorce, but they are also not to resist the attempts of their spouse to leave if they desire a divorce as a result of their Christianity.
Paul then gives the reason why followers of Jesus should allow their unbelieving spouses to divorce them by explaining that the believing spouse is not to resist a divorce by their unbelieving spouse because the brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. Paul’s point here is that the follower of Jesus is not to submit their faith to their unbelieving spouse’s religious views as a result of the fighting and wars that might occur in their relationship; instead God has called us to live in peace, as much as possible without compromising our beliefs.
Paul then provides us the second reason why the believing spouse is not to divorce their unbelieving spouse when he states “For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?” Paul’s point here is that the believing spouse may be used by God to reveal Christ and bring their spouse into a position where they receive the forgiveness of sins and enter into the relationship with God that they were created for by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.
And because of that possibility, the spouse who is a follower of Jesus is not to try to divorce their nonbelieving partner. Instead, they are to live their life in a way that reveals and reflects Christ and then allow their unbelieving spouse to decide whether or not they can continue in the marriage relationship with a follower of Jesus. If the unbelieving spouse leaves, however, the spouse who is a follower of Jesus must remain unmarried until reconciliation is impossible, either due to the death of the unbelieving spouse or the unbelieving spouse entering into another marriage relationship.
At this point, there are usually two reactions that occur when people read Paul's words here. The first reaction is usually “these are some hard words to swallow. This is difficult to hear. So are you saying that I was wrong to do what I did? Are you saying that the Bible teaches that I cannot get remarried unless these things happen?” And if you find yourself in that place, I empathize with you and the situation you find yourself in.
These can be very hard words to hear. And they are heard words to hear because of the reality that selfishness and sin have devastating effects and consequences. And while God’s forgiveness of sin is free, the consequences from sin can be devastating and costly.
The second reaction is this: So what do I do now? What do I do if I have failed to follow these principles? What do I do in light of my current circumstances? Tomorrow, we will look at the hope that Paul gives us so that we can move forward when it comes to our relational futures.
No comments:
Post a Comment