VI: Making the Clear Seem Murky

28 January 2005 Common Era

Why do many feel the need to make that which God made plain confusing and convoluted?

I find myself wondering this many times, especially in regards to God's commands regarding marriage, divorce, and remarriage.

But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Matthew 5:32 ESV

And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.
Matthew 19:9 ESV

These passages establish three categories of persons:

1. anyone put away for any reason.
2. one who puts away their spouse for any reason other than sexually deviant behavior.
3. one who puts away their spouse for sexually deviant behavior.

Groups #1 and #2 cannot remarry without committng adultery; group #3 can remarry without penalty.
This does not seem to be too hard.

Yet many will go into all kinds of issues-- is this OT or NT? is the person divorced "in God's eyes"? does baptism wash away marriages?-- and suddenly we get mired in muck.

Is this the way it should be?

I fear that too many believe that their inferences are actually stated in the text, and that far too many go beyond compassion and empathy and try to justify sin. After all, it's always easier to justify sin than to preach repentance. Repentance might require the dissolution of an adulterous relationship. The upward calling in Christ Jesus might require celibacy.

I am sure that many will charge me with hypocrisy, since I myself remain married but would tell any in situations #1 and #2 that they cannot marry another. The issue, however, is not with me, but with the Word of God. The issue must be, for those in situations #1 and #2, whether the eternal reward in Christ Jesus is worth temporal renunciation of sensual gratification. I cannot answer for anyone in that regard, but I would be doing them a disfavor by making them feel secure when they are in great danger, calling good evil, and evil good.

Let us examine our beliefs and make sure that God really did establish them and that we are truly striving for the upward call in Christ Jesus.

ELDV