| My Source:
| TRUTHS, 442
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| Author: Roger D. Campbell
Continued from Previous Mailout…
Friends, Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15). All authority in heaven and earth is given unto Him (Matthew 28:18). Therefore, all men living in every place are under His authority and obligated to do His will. And yes, that includes obeying His will concerning marriage and divorce.
As we noted in the last part of our previous article, the gospel or law of Jesus Christ applies to all men. Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18), so all men are obligated to obey Him. This is directly related to the questions of who has the right to marry or divorce. Some brethren think that Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce (specifically what is recorded in Matthew 5:32 and Matthew 19:9) applies to one only after he has been baptized into Christ. But the law of Jesus Christ, including what He teaches about marriage and divorce, is universal; all men are under it. Consider this. If the world (that is, those outside of Christ) is not under the Lord’s law, then how does a person in the world sin against Him? On the day of Pentecost Peter commanded Jews who were not disciples of Jesus to repent (Acts 2:38). The apostle Paul declared that God commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). But whois in need of repentance? Those who have sinned. To sin means to transgress the law of God (1 John 3:4). The fact that those who are still outside of Christ are considered by God as sinners and in need of repentance proves that they are under the law of Christ. If Jesus’ law did not apply to them, then they could not be sinners. Why? “For where no law is, there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15).
Let us look at a specific example from 1 Corinthians chapter six. It is written, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (6:9-11). In the past some in the congregation in Corinth had participated in the sins listed above. But, now they have been cleansed of these sins. Just when did they sin in such a fashion? Before they became Christians. Notice that one of the things listed is “adulterers.” Some of them had committed adultery (been adulterers) before they were baptized into Christ. What does it mean to commit adultery? Adultery is the sexual violation of one’s marriage vow, that is, it means for a married person to have physical (sexual) relations with one who is not his spouse. But one cannot commit adultery against his marriage if he is not married! Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines an “adulterer” as “one who has unlawful intercourse with the spouse of another.” According to the New Testament, adultery includes the idea of being in a so-called marriage with someone other than one’s true spouse. “So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress” (Romans 7:3). In the eyes of the Lord some members of the church in Corinth had been guilty of committing adultery before they obeyed the gospel. But if God considered them as adulterers, then they had violated God’s law as it pertains to marriage and the sexual privileges one has in marriage. It follows that God considered them as “married” even while they were still in the world (before they became Christians). Therefore, the Lord’s teaching on marriage and divorce and proper physical relations between a man and a woman (Hebrews 13:4) applies not only to those who are in Christ, but also to those who are not Christians. This is an extremely important concept that we must not forget.
Which people have the right to marry? One who has never been married has the right before God to marry. “But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned” (1 Corinthians 7:28). One whose spouse has died has the right to marry again, for it is written, “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39). In Romans 7:2,Romans 7:3 we also read,: “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is not adulteress, though she be married to another man.”
A third category of people who have the right to marry are those who have previously been married, but divorced their spouse because of the spouse’s sexually immorality (fornication). Jesus said, “Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matthew 19:9). According to this passage, who commits adultery? One who marries a woman who has been divorced. And who else? One who divorces his wife, not due to her fornication, and marries another. If divorce without fornication plus entering a new marriage equals adultery, then it is implied that divorce with (because of one’s spouse’s) fornication plus entering a new marriage, is not adultery. That is, one whose spouse has committed sexual immorality during the time of their marriage, has the right to divorce her/him and marry another. Please note that the Lord does not command either the divorce or entering the second marriage, but He allows it in such a case (when one’s mate has been sexually unfaithful). It is also important to understand that the actual reason for the divorce must be fornication on the part of one’s mate. It is possible that a husband committed fornication in the past, but the wife continued to live with him. Then, after several years, when she sees that he is not going to be rich, she decides to divorce him so that she can marry a richer man. Yes, he committed fornication, but if he had become a rich man, the wife would have gladly stayed with him. So, when she later gets a divorce, the real reason is not his fornication, but her worldly desire to have more riches through a richer man. Would this woman have the right to divorce her husband and marry another? No. Why? Again, because she would not be divorcing him due to his fornication.
In connection with the topic of who has the right to be married, with love for the souls of all men we would offer these words of admonition to one who is considering getting married. Entering into marriage is a most serious affair. God’s will is for a man and woman to be united in marriage and live together for their whole lives (Matthew 19:4-6). Before you get married, ask yourself: (1) According to the Scriptures do I have the right to be married?; (2) According to the Scriptures does the one whom I desire to marry have the right to be married? Are you sure? If you are not 100% certain on BOTH of these questions, then do not get married. It is that simple. Maybe someone wants to ask, “If I have never been married, or my spouse died, then I have the right to be married, right? So how does the situation of the person to whom I want to marry affect my right to be married? “ If a woman divorces her husband (not due to his fornication) and marries another, then she is committing adultery. The proof? “And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery” (Mark 10:12). So, if a man marries such a divorced woman, then in part he will be responsible for her committing adultery. Not only that, but if a man enters into a marriage with such a woman who is divorced, then he also would be living in adultery. The proof? “And whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matthew 19:9). The most important possession that we have is our eternal soul. It would not be wise for any of us to marry a person when we are not sure if our union with him/her is accepted by the God of heaven, or if it would be adultery in His eyes! Remember, adulterers cannot inherit God’s eternal kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9,1 Corinthians 6:10). Please do not risk your soul by entering into a marriage when there is doubt about whether you or the one whom you plan to marry has the right in the eyes of the Lord to be married. Yes, Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce is very strict. His disciples understood this, for after hearing Jesus speak plainly on these topics (Matthew 19:4-9), they reacted by saying to Him, “If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry” (19:10).
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CHURCH OF CHRIST, P.O. BOX 828, KIEV 252067, UKRAINE