(The views expressed in this teaching are not necessarily those of Freedom Bible College, Concepts of Freedom Ministries, or any affiliations, ministers, faculty, or staff thereof.)
Introduction.
A. Very controversial subject.
B. Those who teach this view are often called heretical in today’s church. I realize the risk I am taking.
C. I used to believe that a divorced person could not hold any office in the church. This study has its roots in my attempt to prove this.
D. I had many questions raise within myself as I did this study that I could not answer, and my mind was changed.
E. Despite my presuppositions, I was forced to come to the concludion that neither the divorced nor even the remarried Christian is useless in the Church.
I. Adultery and Service.
A. First, I want to establish that divorce is a sin. Make no mistake about that!
B. To divorce and remarry is to commit adultery -- Matthew 5:31-32 -- "It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery."
C. God continued to use David even after David committed the actual act of adultery! (not to mention murder).
1. Before you point out that that was under the Old Covenant...
2. According to Jeremiah 30:9, David is going to be the king during the Millenium, basically, the second in command to Christ. This repentant, forgiven servant of God.
D. But why does the evangelical church allow pastors who have actually committed the very act of adultery in their pasts to pastor churches if their wives stay but not if they leave?
1. Why? It seems that the defining factor is the wife’s forgiveness.
2. If a man sins in this fashion, why are we basing his usefulness in the kingdom according to his wife’s reaction?
3. Isn’t his repentance to God the key issue?
E. Isn’t it hypocritical to say that a man who has committed the act of adultery is usable upon his repentance, but a man who tried to run a godly home but whose wife was rebellious and left him is not usable? (Can you see the dilemma?)
1. Are we saying that a person can be forgiven of any sin except divorce?
2. I John 1:9 -- "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
a. He did not say "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, except divorce."
b. What he did say is that God would cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.
3. The fact is that we do not truly know the circumstances surrounding any divorce.
II. Two Wives?
A. I Timothy 3:2-4 -- The Qualifications of a Bishop (overseer, pastor) -- "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;"
B. First of all, let it be established that there are many pastors who do not belong behind the pulpit.
1. It seems that everything else to many evangelicals is acceptable except that little, pesky "husband of one wife" thing.
2. I know many pastors that are by no means blameless, who are impatient, that cannot rule their own houses, and who are very covetous of other ministers.
3. But it seems that we can overlook these things as long as he is not divorced.
C. But does the phrase "husband of one wife" refer to a party who is remarried?
1. I’ve heard many pastors say that polygamy was not practiced in Rome.
a. I’ve checked the historical records as well as Roman marriage law.
b. They’re right.
2. But they are missing a very valuable piece of information -- concubinage WAS still practiced in ancient Rome.
a. What is concubinage? Basically, the practice of having a woman on the side.
b. While it was not condemned in the Old Testament, the New Testament pretty much declared it a no-no in I Corinthians 7:2 -- "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."
3. In fact, one would have to be blind or ignorant not to see that it is still practiced today -- they’re called mistresses.
4. Could it be that the qualification to be a pastor was to be a one woman man? Based on the evidence, and evidence gathered from the Greek, I would say, "yes."
D. Scriptural evidence -- John 4:17-18 -- "The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast HAD five husbands;"
E. Taking the very words of the Savior, Himself, we can see that a remarried man does not have "two wives." Therefore, he cannot be disqualified for service!
F. Consider also Paul’s words -- I Corinthians 7:11 -- "But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband:..."
G. Yes, to remarry someone other than one’s former spouse after divorce is a sin. It is against God’s will. It is adultery. However, I Corinthians 7:11 bears witness that the divorced person is no longer married. Therefore, the ex-spouse is no longer a spouse!
III. Biblical allowances for divorce.
A. Fornication (porneia/adultery) -- Matthew 5:31-32 – "It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery."
B. Unbelieving spouse leaves -- I Corinthians 7:15 -- "But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace."
C. Why would we judge a divorced brother’s ability for service in such situations? If the Word of the Living God makes these allowances, who are you and I to say "no."
IV. Isn’t someone who is remarried living in a state of adultery?
A. In every instance that Christ spoke of divorce as adultery, He used the present tense of the verb "commit." This bears out in the Greek as well as in 1611 English.
B. "Living in adultery" is the state in which one person is continually committing sexual acts with one or more others than one’s spouse.
C. Those who teach that to be remarried is to live in adultery often teach that you should divorce the person to whom you are remarried. There are several things wrong with this:
1. God still hateth the putting away, and you’re forcing a second divorce.
2. What then? Should the person live alone? It is still not good for the person to be alone. The Lord said it Himself in Genesis 2:18.
3. What if the person cannot control his or her desire? The scripture says then to marry!
4. So who then should this person marry if a divorce is forced? The first partner? In Deuteronomy 24:4, scripture forbids the person to remarry the first spouse after marrying a second!
5. Where is the grace of God in such a theology? The Bible teaches that once a person truly repents, God forgives his or her sin. The sin caused a lot of damage, in this case the destruction of a marriage union and a bad witness for Christ, that the person will have to live with the consequences and will answer for the sin at the judgement, but God will forgive that sin upon repentance.
C. I don’t have time to go into detail, but the context of I Corinthians 7:1-5 is the relation of the believer to both the law and to Christ. Divorce and remarriage were used as an illustration of Paul’s point.
VI. Here and now.
A. I Corinthians 6:9-11 -- "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."
1. A person who commits fornication, then repents is not a fornicator.
2. A person who gets drunk and then truly repents is not a drunkard.
3. A person who remarries and strives to live a godly life with the new spouse cannot be an adulterer!
B. Romans 8:1 -- "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk (present tense!) not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Conclusion & Words of caution!
A. Some may take this teaching as a license to get divorced. Don’t!
B. This does not give you license for divorce any more than freedom in Christ gives license to sin!
C. Divorce is a sin! --
1. Malachi 2:16 -- "For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away:"
2. I Corinthians 7:10 -- "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:"
D. Remarriage to someone else is also sin!
1. Matthew 19:9 -- 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."
2. I Corinthians 7:11 -- "But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife."
E. My goal here was to show two things:
1. The hypocrisy of many in condemning those that have repented of the sins of divorce and remarriage.
a. It seems that the church can forgive drug abuse, alcoholism, and even murder once repentance has taken place (I use the term "forgive" for lack of a better one.)
b. But not divorce and remarriage, even when the party in question is not at fault. Beloved brethren, this is hypocrisy.
2. That those that are divorced and remarried can still be of use in the kingdom.
F. Galatians 6:1-2 -- "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."
1. If you choose to continue condemning those who have been divorced and remarried as lawbreakers, you are also a lawbreaker.
2. But if you restore those brethren who have been overtaken in divorce or even remarriage and help them bear that burden, you fulfill the law of Christ.
G. Philippians 3:13-14 -- "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
H. Divorce is wrong. It is a sin. But anyone who sits in condemnation of a divorced person is not in fulfillment of the law of Christ and can be a stumbling block to that person’s faith. He or she does not need to be rebuked for the rest of his or her life for a past mistake any more than you or I do for mistakes we have made.
Dr. Dana Richard Carpenter, Jr., Th.D., D.C.C. (cand)
Adjunct Professor, Freedom Bible College & Seminary.
