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Recently, during a live podcast, some individuals who have demonstrated immaturity, un-Christian attitudes, and an inability to learn or listen spent the entire time defending their erroneous views on divorce and marriage. I only joined the discussion at the end, but they likely spent much of the hour-and-a-half trying to discredit me and foster prejudice, endeavoring to make it difficult for their audience to accept the truth. When I tuned in, I heard them claim that I would lead many people astray. They even suggested that I would be shocked when I meet God and learn my fate. They said a lot of things, but what they evidently cannot see is that everything they said about me was a lie and actually applied to them.
Let's examine their position on divorce and marriage first, and then mine.
Tradition: Jesus used the word Greek apoluo to mean divorce when he said, A woman who is 'put away' or 'sent away' would commit adultery if she marries. They teach that the only exception is when one initiates the divorce "for fornication."
PROBLEMS: This position is grossly hermeneutically unsound in many ways.
- The "exception" is not even about a "reason" or "cause" for divorce. It is explained by Jesus when he noted the men's sin: not following the Law regarding divorce. He said they "commit adultery against her" (Mark 10:11). That the Law was the focus for authority is made clear when Jesus referred them to it when he asked, "What did Moses command you?" (Mark 10:3).
- Their teaching has Jesus contradicting an established law that allowed the woman to "go and be another man's wife." This implicates Jesus as a lawbreaker. Furthermore, it would have given reason for the Jews to kill him, had he done it.
- If their position is true, then Moses taught what God did not want.
- He punishes people for the sin of another and is thus not just, such as imposing celibacy when divorce is against one's will.
- They have Paul teaching contrary to Jesus (what is asserted He taught) in the following passages: 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 1 Cor. 7:1,2; 8,9; 27, 28.
- The teaching benefits only the devil, as it results in breaking up legal marriages (homes), dividing churches, ostracizing sound gospel preachers, and nullifying most of their evangelistic work when they require breaking up a marriage to either become a child of God or to be fellowshipped.
- Much of their time spent preaching and writing (to "forbid marriage" for the divorced) that could be used on important issues is instead being wasted on promoting what Paul called "doctrines of devils."
- Their teaching takes away God's tool to avoid fornication. Therefore, their charge that those who oppose their teaching are causing fornication reflects more heavily on what they teach.
Truth: Establishing the truth about divorce and marriage requires a precise understanding of the term apoluo, particularly when its interpretation significantly alters the implications. Historically, apoluo has been "used of divorce" (Thayer) by individuals either unfamiliar with, or indifferent to, the law of God - a trend observable today. The word appears approximately 65 times in the New Testament, where its definition is widely accepted. Jesus did not teach that remarriage after divorce was prohibited, which would contradict Moses' teachings. Instead, Jesus indicated that a person "put away" without a formal divorce commits adultery due to the absence of legal dissolution. Examination of related passages clarifies this stance; Paul's first letter to the Corinthians instructs church leaders to let both men and women take spouses to avoid fornication (verses 1, 2), refers to the "unmarried" - a category inclusive of divorced individuals - and commands, "let them marry" (verses 8, 9). Paul further distinguishes between those “bound” (married) and those "loosed" (divorced), asserting that the latter do not sin if they remarry (verses 27, 28). Read the foregoing passages without the lens of tradition, and things become crystal clear.
Due to the prevalence of treacherous treatment of wives, in which women were sent away and denied opportunities to remarry, God instituted the Mosaic divorce law, enabling women to "go and be another man's wife." Additionally, scriptural references indicate that God applied the Law of Moses in His own actions regarding Israel (Deut. 24:1,2; Jer. 3:8), allowing divorced Israel to enter into a covenant with Christ (joined or married), becoming the New Israel - the bride of Christ (Rom. 7:1, 4).
Given the evidence, which perspective seems most reasonable? Who is more likely to be recognized as faithful on judgment day, the one surrounded by issues or the one with no hermeneutical challenges? The main difficulty for gospel preachers who aim to share the truth is that tradition exerts a strong influence; often, people cannot even recognize the truth, and it is even harder for them, especially preachers who fear losing their jobs, to change. Demetrius serves as an example of an individual whose priorities were directed more towards his material well-being than matters of spiritual significance, as referenced in Acts 19:17. As a silversmith, he was primarily focused on his trade.
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