The Permanence Of Marriage Series

The law option was where the Pharisees were trying to go in verse 7. But Jesus had to clear them up on some things. They were trying to find loopholes in the law, so Jesus had to clarify them on it. First, in verse 8, Jesus told them what the law doesn’t do. Notice what the Pharisees did in verse 7. They said that Moses (the law) COMMANDED divorce. They’re referring back to Deuteronomy 24:1-4. The law isn’t commanding people to divorce. It isn’t even endorsing divorce. It’s doing the same thing that happens all throughout the law. It happens with slavery. It happens with murder. It happens with polygamy. When the law speaks of those things, it is not saying that God approves of them. God is saying that He knows that we are evil people who will do evil things. And when we wrongly choose to do evil things, this is how to deal with that. In other words, you are going to go against my will and divorce each other. So when you do, this is how you need to handle it. If you treat each other unjustly, you are compounding your sin. If you remarry, you are compounding your sin. If you divorce and remarry, don’t think you can fix it by divorcing the second spouse and going back and remarrying the first one. You can’t. That bed has been defiled. The bridge has been burned. That’s what the law was doing. It wasn’t giving them an option to divorce. It was regulating their already bad behavior. That’s what the law always does, doesn’t it? The law is there to restrain sin. But even as the law is restraining our sin, it is showing us a standard that we cannot live up to. It shows us the bondage that we are truly in. Galatians 3:23-24 says, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” The law is there to teach us that our attempts at righteousness will always fall short of what God expects of us. It teaches us God’s holy standard. And it shows us how far we fall short of that standard. It shows us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And when it shows us how far we fall short, it shows us how desperately we need grace. See, the Pharisees wanted to chase after the law option about divorce. So Jesus showed them where that road leads. There is no flexibility in the law. The standard is perfection. The standard according to the law is that divorce is never an option. No wonder the disciples said that it’s better to never get married. If you chase after the law option, that’s the only response you’re left with. But there is a better way. And that is the grace option.

Divorce is sin. There is no getting around it. According to Jesus’ clear exposition of the law, divorce for any reason whatsoever is sin. It is an act of unrighteousness before a holy God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “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.” But then Paul continues in verse 11: “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.” What does the law do? It shows us our need for grace. Divorce is a sin just like every other sin. It isn’t unpardonable. It isn’t a scarlet letter of shame that you have to bear. Jesus died for that sin just like He died for every other sin. And by His grace, He will cover that sin with His blood just like He will cover every other sin. His grace will not take away the temporal consequences of divorce. We have to live with those. Families will still have to deal with issues. Children will still suffer. Single parents will still struggle. Society will suffer. Our witness will be hindered. But the good news is that the Grace of Christ will forgive a broken covenant. If you have been divorced and are remarried, the grace of Christ will forgive that adultery. The grace of Christ will even recognize and even bless a subsequent marriage. What does it take? It takes confession. That means that you agree with Jesus that your sin is as ugly as He thinks it is. If you are justifying your divorce and saying that you had every right to do it, that’s not confession. It wasn’t your marriage in the first place. You didn’t have any right to put it asunder. Confess your sin before Christ. Repent of your sin. That means for you to turn from it. The things that caused your marriage to fall apart in the first place—turn from them. If you are in a new marriage—honor that covenant. It is a valid covenant. Make it for life this time. Confess your sin. Repent of your sin. Turn to Christ. Submit to Him as the Lord of your life. If you love Him, you will obey His commands. Now, I’ve said all those things in the context of divorce. But do you remember the passage in 1 Corinthians 6:11? “Such were some of you.” You might be single. You might be happily married here this morning. But sin is sin. And any sin is an offense before a holy God. The grace of Christ has paid for your sin. The Bible says that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. If Jesus is not your Lord this morning, He can be. All you have to do is confess your sin before Him. Turn from it in repentance. And turn to Him in faith believing. Will you do that this morning?