Might as well post part one, quoted with permission:
Introduction
I. Divorce and remarriage is seen by many as one of the most challenging Bible subjects, if not THE most difficult.
A. It has probably been the most hotly debated issue among disciples of Christ, and because of the ramifications...it is a highly emotional issue.
B. Why is this subject so difficult why is there not a more unanimous understanding?
1. God is not the author of confusion, and his word is perfect: :
a.
1 Co 14:33 - For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
b.
Ps 19:7 - The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
2. Thus, it must be due to error and misunderstanding on mans part.
3. Gods word is perfect and when we understand it there will be no doubts.
II. The text: Mark 10:11 (one of them)
Mark 10:11 - Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
A. What is often concluded from Jesus teachings (usually Matt 19:9) is that a person who
divorces his spouse and marries another commits adultery because they are still
married to the previous spouse.
1. Thus, they conclude and teach that one who is divorced must remain celibate.
2. However, there is the exception clause to contend with, which is found in
Matt 19:9: "except for fornication", and people generally have concluded that
this means if one of the parties has committed adultery he can remarry, but many
contend that only if they initiate the divorce because of the adultery can they remarry.
a. Thus, if your spouse initiates the divorce against you, even though you have
been faithful, you cannot (according to them) marry another.
b. But I contend that this absolutely was not what Jesus taught.
B. There are those who are determined to obey what they think Jesus taught regardless
of the consequences, and without considering the possibility that their thinking could
be wrong.
1. But there are those who have considered the consequences of the traditional
position and have found them to be unacceptable, and therefore continue their
search for the truth.
a. By unacceptable I'm talking about facts like:
1) It can only be true if Jesus contradicted the Law under which he lived, which
allowed divorce.
2) The conclusion does not allow harmony of the scriptures Paul
commanded
to let the unmarried marry (1Cor7:8,9) and stated the reason
to let them marry, which is to avoid fornication (1 Cor7:2) and stated that
forbidding to marry was doctrines of devils 1Tim 4:1-4.
3) It has God having made a law that requires punishing someone when they
did nothing to deserve it.
b. One must decide if the position he holds on divorce and remarriage has
consequences that he can or cannot accept, and make any necessary changes
in his thinking, teaching and practice.
C. Of course, this subject
is difficult to study because of our own prejudices.
1. Many actually have their minds made up and refuse to even consider anything that
is contrary to what they were taught and which might require a change.
a. Actually, their thinking regarding what Matt 19:9 says has become their
authority.
b. Therefore, anything that conflicts with their preconceived ideas cannot
possibly be correct and is automatically rejected.
2. The truth on divorce and remarriage can be simplified by first getting on the right
track, as I shall endeavor to show you.
Body
I. Let us now see how that Jesus teachings is misunderstood. A. Jesus said:
Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth
adultery against her. (Mark 10:11)
B. Before anyone should draw any conclusions that requires drastic action, like braking
up a marriage or imposing celibacy (and using Jesus teachings to support it) he
needs to know for sure what Jesus said.
1. The common or traditional view of what He said is that one who divorces his
spouse and marries another, commits adultery unless the one who initiated the
divorce did it because of adultery
a. Thus, they claim that any divorced person who is now married, according to
Jesus is not really married; but the conclusion is an assumption based upon
what they think He meant.
b. Jesus did not say that divorced persons commit adultery when they marry,
regardless of the reason for the divorce.
2. Here is a paraphrase of what Jesus said: If you put away your wife and marry
another, unless it be for fornication, you commit adultery and anyone who marries
the one who was put away commits adultery. (Matt 19:9).
a. Put away and divorce are NOT THE SAME THING.
b. Put away means, send out of the house and results in separation not
in a legal divorce.
II. What evidence is there that put away just means what it says and does not
mean divorce?
A. First, there is a GK word for divorce and it is not the one that is translated put away in
Matt 19:9.
1. Greek words:
a. APOLUO Put away
b. APOSTASION - Divorce
2. It is argued that apoluo and apostasion are used interchangeably.
a. I recognize that some preachers have been deliberately saying put away
when they mean divorce.
b. But it is a misuse of the Greek and the English.
3. Interlinear: Mt 5:32 (KJV text)
But [de] I [ego] say [lego] unto you [humin], That [hoti] whosoever [hos]
[an] shall put away [apoluo] his [autos] wife [gune], saving [parektos] for
the cause [logos] of fornication [porneia], causeth [poieo] her [autos] to
commit adultery [moichao] and [kai] whosoever [hos] [ean] shall marry
[gameo] her that is divorced [apoluo] committeth adultery [moichao]
B. Authorities on APOLUO:
1.
Wuest (word studies)
Mark 10:11 "The words 'to put away' are apoluo, literally, 'to release.'
When used in connection with divorce, it means 'to repudiate.'"
Wuest Translation: And having come to Him, Pharisees kept on asking
Him whether it is lawful for a man to repudiate a wife, putting Him to the test.
Matt. 5:32: Whoever marries her who has been dismissed commits adultery.
2. Thayer says apoluo means, to dismiss from the house, to repudiate...
(
Thayers Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, pg. 66). Later
in the definition "divorce" is noted, but that definition is apparently
included because some think the context of Matt. 1:19 indicates that
Joseph was "of a mind to" actually divorce his spouse. Actually, they
were not married and therfore there is no justification for
including divorce in the meaning in this text.
3.
Bagsters Analytical Lexicon: Apoluo. Put away: To let go; to let loose; to
send away. This definition was taken from an article published in
Truth Magazine. Some have noted that their version of Bagster's work
includes divorce. 4.
George Lamsa's translation of the New Testament
Matthew 5:31 It has been said that whoever divorces his wife, must give her
the divorce papers. 32 But I say to you, that whoever divorces his wife, except
for fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman
who is separated but not divorced, commits adultery.
Mr. Lamsa is not completely consistent in his thinking because he
translated apoluo as divorce twice in this verse and only once
translated it correctly as separated. However, Lamsa makes it quite clear that the meaning, according to
the context, is that marrying a woman that has been separated from
her husband but has not received the "bill of divorcement" is what
results in adultery. Evidently, because putting away has been considered "divorce" for
so long (and may have even been so misused in Jesus' day), many
scholars continue to refer to the "putting away" as divorce, even though
a legal and scriptural divorce requires a "bill of divorcement" according
to Moses (Deut. 24:1-4) and as well as most civil authorities today.
B. Authorities on the meaning of the English words "PUT AWAY":
Some English dictionaries do not even include divorce as a definition of put away
including:
a.
Wordnet Dictionary:
Put Away
Definition:
1. [v] turn away from and put aside, perhaps temporarily; She turned away from her
painting
2. [v] eat up; usually refers to a considerable quantity of food; My son tucked in a
whole pizza
3. [v] kill gently, as with an injection, as of pet animals
4. [v] place in a place where something cannot be removed or someone cannot
escape; The parents locked her daughter up for the weekend; She locked her
jewels in the safe
5. [v] throw or cast away; Put away your worries
6. [v] lock up or confine, in or as in a jail; The suspects were imprisoned without
trial; the murderer was incarcerated for the rest of his life
Synonyms include: cast aside, cast away, cast out, discard, dispose, throw away,
throw out
b.
The Collins English Dictionary © 2000 HarperCollins Publishers:
Put Away
verb[transitive, adverb(ial)]
1 to return (something) to the correct or proper place
example: he put away his books
2 to save
example: to put away money for the future
3 to lock up in a prison, mental institution, etc.
example: they put him away for twenty years
4 to eat or drink, esp. in large amounts
5 to put to death, because of old age or illness
example: the dog had to be put away
c. There was NO MENTION of divorce anywhere in the definition of put away.
1) Why is this significant?
2) Because apoluo is properly translated, put away and put away, in our
language does not mean divorce.
3) In the O.T. there were two parts to a divorce, and it is pretty much the same
today.
a) You file for divorce, and when the papers are completed you present them
to your spouse.
b) Then you put her away or send her out of the house. (Of course, in our
day the woman usually gets the house and the man leaves.)
D. Authorities on the meaning of Divorce:
Apostasion, properly translated divorce or divorcement. [Grk. 647] apostasion
(ap-os-tas-ee-on) neuter of a (presumed) adjective from a derivative of 868; properly,
something separative, i.e. (specially) divorce:--(writing of) divorcement (Strong's).
Smiths Bible Dictionary defines divorce as: A legal dissolution of the marriage
relation.
E. What about the fact that some versions of the N.T. translate apoluo as divorce?
1. It is true that several translations have translated apoluo as divorce in Matt 5:32 etc.
a. However, as far as I have been able to find out, the KJV was the first to translate
apoluo as divorce and it was certainly inconsistent in so doing.
1) Of the 11 times Jesus used the word apoluo the KJV rendered it put away
ever time except in one case Matt. 5:32.
2) There is no apparent reason for the inconsistency.
b. Previous to the KJV was the Wyclilff version:
Mark 10:11 - Whosoever putteth awaye his wyfe and maryeth another, breaketh
wedlock to herward. And if a woman forsake her husband and be maryed to
another, she committeth advoutry also.
c. A margin note in The Geneva Bible translated from the Textus Receptus in
1599 (years before the KJV) concerning the term put away said, that
is, was not lawfully divorced. (see:
GENEVA BIBLE 1599
1) Why is this worthy of note? It gives support to the idea that Jesus was talking
about men merely putting away their wives and NOT divorcing them lawfully.
d.
Greek/English Interlinear (tr){BUT I} legw [3004] (5719) {SAY} umin [5213] {TO
YOU} oti [3754] {THAT} oV [3739] an [302] {WHOEVER} apolush [630] (5661)
thn [3588] {SHALL PUT AWAY} gunaika [1135] autou [846] {HIS WIFE,} parektoV
[3924] {EXCEPT} logou [3056] {ON ACCOUNT} porneiaV [4202] {OF
FORNICATION,} poiei [4160] (5719) {CAUSES} authn [846] {HER} moicasqai
[3429] (5738) {TO COMMIT ADULTERY;} kai [2532] {AND} oV [3739] ean
[1437] {WHOEVER} apolelumenhn [630] (5772) {HER WHO HAS BEEN PUT
AWAY} gamhsh [1060] (5661) {SHALL MARRY,} moicatai [3429] (5736)
{COMMITS ADULTERY.}
e. The ASV is widely respected as being the most literal and accurate version.
a. It consistently renders apoluo as put away in the passages relative to our
study, but never does it render it as divorce.
b. Had the ASV scholars understood apoluo to mean divorce they would have so
translated it.
2. What appears to have happened is that the KJV erred by translating apoluo as
divorce in one instance, probably due to Papal influence.
a. Then by the time many of the newer versions came along many scholars were
indoctrinated in the idea that Jesus meant divorce when he was talking about
merely "putting away", and therefore their biases were reflected in their decisions.
b. Considering that the KJV has been so respected and widely used there is no wonder
that many were influenced by it.
III. How is it possible that disciples came to think that put away means divorce?
A. First, in O.T. times some Jews were apparently simply putting away their wives or sending
them away and marrying another.
1. Originally, there was no law authorizing divorce, but due to the hardness of heart of the
men, who were sending away their wives and marrying another, the law was given.
2. Their evil practice resulted in the women being put out on their own without a means of
supporting themselves.
a. They could not marry another without being charged with committing adultery.
b. Therefore, God actually COMMANDED the bill of divorce to be given.
Deut. 24:1 (ASV) - When a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
1) From the reading it seems evident that providing the bill of divorcement
was a command.
2) Jesus question (Mark 10:3) confirms that it was a command: What did Moses
command you?
3) Now, let it be understood that this was no command, or even license, for treachery
against ones spouse, because this is the very thing God hateth (Mal 2:16) - For
the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth
violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your
spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
4) Nevertheless, in the case where men were determined to deal treacherously
with their spouse, by merely putting her away, that He commands the actual
divorce be given seems apparent.
3. Let us take a close look at Mark 10:2-5:
And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
a. First, the Pharisees asked if it was lawful for a man to put away his wife.
1) Jesus responded by asking them what Moses commanded.
2) They replied that Moses allowed them to write a bill of divorce and to
put away.
3) But Jesus responded that it was a precept or command, and that the giving
of it was because of their hardness of heart.
b. Observations:
1) If put away means the same as divorce or is used interchangeable, then
Gods word is redundant and makes no sense.
2) Such thinking has the conversants saying: (vs 4): Moses suffered you to
divorce your wives and to divorce them.
continued....
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