Okay, here is a thought. So we have a married couple in 1st century Jerusalem or Corinth or Ephesus who are both Christians and members of our congregation...the only congregation in the city. And remember, families seldom moved in those days (unless forced out by Imperial edict or the like).You're dead wrong on a number of things. 1 Cor 7:10-11 is not a blanket ban on divorce and remarriage any more than Luke 18:22 is a ban on having money. The general rule is that you don't terminate a marriage absent some compelling reason - that is a material violation of the terms of the marital covenant. If you truly believe God expects us to stay married to someone who is vile, abusive, dissipated, or a cheater - then you seriously need to rethink your doctrine. Is that truly what you think of God!? Mere separation would not be an adequate remedy in many cases of serious sin.
So in the case of this couple, Christians both, the man horribly abuses his wife. In accordance with Matthew 18, she voices the matter first with her husband, but he refuses to acknowledge and repent. Several other members of the congregation have been eyewitnesses to his abuse, so they go with her to confront him again...and again, he refuses to acknowledge and repent. Finally, they take the matter to the congregation as a whole, as prescribed by Jesus.
Now, we can switch for a moment to 1 Corinthians 5 for explicit instruction that the congregation is not allowed to let the matter go unresolved. They must deal with it.
Both Jesus and Paul make the same pronouncement: The abusing husband is not allowed to remain a member of the congregation. He's to be treated like a pagan and ejected from the congregation.
This is no not the case of a Christian married to a Christian who are at odds for reasons not involving Matthew 19 and 1 Corinthian 5 offenses that call for ejection from the congregation and treatment like pagans.
And now we have a young woman. Paul said this about young widows:
"But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. "
What part of that would not apply to this young woman whose husband has been cast out of the Church?
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