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There is little doubt that the declining standards
of marriage so evident in the world have crept into the Christadelphian
body as a whole, so that what was unthinkable a generation or so ago is
now tolerated. In the main sections of Christadelphian's (from whom those
in Dawn are separated) divorce followed by remarriage, once virtually
unknown, has been permitted for an increasing variety of reasons. First,
adultery was considered by some to be the sole valid reason; then the
departure of an unbelieving partner was additionally accepted as grounds
for remarriage; and today some who have divorced solely on the grounds of
incompatibility, and have since remarried, have been accepted.
This section will set out what we believe to be the
true Scriptural teaching on this important subject. For clarity the
conclusions will first be stated briefly, as set out in the Dawn
Statement of faith; followed by a more detailed discussion of the
subject in the Appendices, showing some of the arguments which can lead to
these conclusions.
It is imperative that we set our standards by the
Word of God, and resist any tendency to accommodate our way of
life to the changing standards of our age. This is especially true because
the subject involves the strongest human emotions, which may colour our
judgment. But in matters of our response to the will of the
Creator of all things, we must not let mere human emotion be our guide. It
is accepted that some of the conclusions thus reached are possibly
different from those of some of our pioneer brethren. It is clear that
they had little first-hand experience of the problem as it now presents
itself. Later situations alluded to in the opening paragraph have
compelled closer examination of scriptural teaching.
What is
Marriage?
In a civil sense marriage is the union of a man and
woman, by joint consent and publicly attested, according to the due
requirements and customs of the time. (Marriage is not merely the sexual
union of consenting man and woman, and sexual union without marriage is
fornication). Superimposed on this is the divine ideal for marriage as
expressed in Scripture. Companionship, help, as well as procreation, were
the aims (Genesis 1v28, 2v18), but especially was it clear from the
beginning that God intended that marriage should be for life. The partners
so joined became 'one flesh'
(Genesis 2.24), and only death could break that bond (1 Corinthians 7.39).
'The mind of God in this respect was endorsed by Jesus in his teaching
(Mark 10.8-9), and this is the standard set for his followers.
Divorce and
Remarriage Forbidden to Those 'in Christ'
Many Scriptures combine to teach that divorce is
prohibited to the enlightened, and that remarriage after divorce is
adultery:
'And they twain shall
be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put
asunder" (Mark 10. 8-9).
'And to the married I
command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from
her husband. But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried,
or be reconciled to her husband.. and let not the husband put away his
wife" (1 Corinthians 7: 1 0-1 1).
'And in the house his
disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto
them, whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another,
committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her
husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery" (Mark
10.10-12).
"Whosoever putteth
away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and
whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband
committeth adultery" (Luke 16:18).
"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 other 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 no
adulteress, though she be married to another man" (Romans
7.2-3).
"7he 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).
Clearly, only death breaks the marriage bond; and
divorce and remarriage are prohibited: this would be adultery. Note that
Christ makes no concessions to the "innocent" party to a divorce.
The
"exceptive clause"
When Jesus mentioned the single exception to his
otherwise complete ban on divorce and remarriage-"except for
fornication' he was combatting the Pharisees' attempt to
trap him with a question relating to divorce under the Law of Moses:
"The Pharisees
also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it
lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"
(Matthew 19:3).
In his reply Jesus said:
"And I say unto
you, 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).
'The question and its answer related to an
interpretation of the Law of Moses. 'The "exceptive clause" (whatever it
might mean) does not therefore apply to spiritual Israel. Those "in
the house" (Mark 10v10-11) were expressly forbidden to divorce
or remarry.
Application of
the above
scriptural teaching:
If a brother divorces his wife for any
reason and marries another during her lifetime he becomes an adulterer.
If a sister divorces her husband and marries another during his lifetime
she becomes an adulteress. This adultery must be discontinued, else it
will result in exclusion from the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians
6.9-10,. Galatians 5.19-21; Hebrews 13.4).
Divorce and
Remarriage Baptised
Those who do not know Christ are in a different position to
those who are baptised into His saving name. Those who are in darkness, whilst sinners in a general sense,
are not held by God to be responsible to the specific precepts of His law.
The scriptural principle is clearly set out by Paul:
...... what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law"
(Romans 3:19).
"... for where no law
is, there is no transgression" (Romans 4:15).
,
"....
sin is not imputed when there is no law" (Romans 5:13).
Thus any who divorce, or divorce and remarry before
coming to a knowledge of the Truth should be accepted for baptism in that
situation, knowing that they will then commence a new life in Christ
Jesus.
Application of
scriptural
teaching..
Those who, while in darkness, have
divorced and remarried, shall not be required to separate if they later
come to a knowledge of the Truth and desire to be baptised.
Separation
Failure of a Christadelphian marriage leading to
separation is a very sad and serious event and, in view of the many
commands and exhortations directed at married life, such estrangement may
well be called to account at the judgment seat. But there is no
unqualified command against separation as there is against divorce and
remarriage. Thus we believe that the ecclesia concerned must determine
what is a scriptural response to each case. The circumstances of some
separations may lead the ecclesia to apply sanctions against one or both
partners. In every case we believe that it is a duty of the
separated parties always to work for reconciliation and reinstatement of
their married life.
Concluding
thoughts
There is no easy way to the Kingdom for any of us.
Jesus told us that we must be prepared to deny ourselves and take up our
cross and follow him. (Luke 14.27) Paul told us
"that we must
through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts
14.22). What such "cross bearing" will mean for each one of us
individually will vary tremendously. God alone knows what is best for us
to prepare us for the Kingdom and we must believe that our trials are
designed by Him for our individual needs. He has promised us two things.
He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13v5) and He will not try us
above what we are able to bear (1 Cor. 10v13).
But we have to
leave Him, as our loving, all-wise, heavenly Father, to decide what we are
able to bear. |
