DIVORCE AND SEPARATION

[Bigork]

1 Cor 7:

10To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband 11(but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

12To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called youb to peace. 16For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

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Matthew 5:

31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

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Matthew 19 - in context, says the same thing as Matthew 5:

7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

Even if adultery is committed by either of the party where is the place of forgiveness? When we say the Lords prayer "...forgive us our sins and as we forgive those who sinned against us..." Am not saying this because I just want to say it, but am saying it the way I feel it is. God is not move by our emotion. He want His children to follow His footstep. I've seen two marriages that went through infidelity in their marriage and they are doing fine today. One of the marriage though not a christian, they separated for about two years or there about. But they came back again may be because of their children I couldn't know. Up till date, they are better of. However, the other one was my senior brother. His wife find out about his infidelity but she still decide to keep the marriage which is what I think God want us to do.

 

[Bigork]

I had an Episcopal Priest tell me that passage does not talk about a man and his wife it talks about Christ and His church. He got a divorce himself 6 months after that and a year after he told me that he died from aids.

I am pretty sure God hates divorce even if it is a reflection of the fallen world we live in.

Please don't believe that, the passage is not talking about Christ and His church. Is talking about children of God. You and I. Most of the time, we like to select verses of the bible that we like to suit our emotion and thereby justifying our mistakes.

 

[Endeavourer]

Even if adultery is committed by either of the party where is the place of forgiveness? When we say the Lords prayer "...forgive us our sins and as we forgive those who sinned against us..." Am not saying this because I just want to say it, but am saying it the way I feel it is. God is not move by our emotion. He want His children to follow His footstep.

First of all, God was also moved by his own emotions when he divorced Israel.

Trying to out-God God leads to very dangerous doctrines. God is moved by our emotions and his. Read the account of the resurrection of Lazarus.

Do not place a "should" on people just because you think it "should" be that way. Where is your scriptural defense? That is how heavy burdens are placed on people that God has NOT asked them to bear. God knew exactly what he was doing when he allowed divorce for adultery; why won't you trust him to know what he wants to permit?

I've seen two marriages that went through infidelity in their marriage and they are doing fine today. One of the marriage though not a christian, they separated for about two years or there about. But they came back again may be because of their children I couldn't know. Up till date, they are better of. However, the other one was my senior brother. His wife find out about his infidelity but she still decide to keep the marriage which is what I think God want us to do.

And you are a proponent of enslaving someone to an unfaithful spouse and extremely damaging marriage based on this? It reminds me of that verse where Jesus lets the Pharisees have it for imposing all of their extra-Biblical rules on the people, and telling the the people to beware of the Pharisees because they place heavy burdens on you that they themselves are not bearing.

Most of the time, we like to select verses of the bible that we like to suit our emotion and thereby justifying our mistakes.

Yes, your reply above was entirely suiting and justifying your whims and emotions on the topic but it had nothing to do with Scripture.

 

[Observer]

Being punched in the face by my ex husband was as bad, if not worse, than sexual infidelity.

In my case, if we go by the bible and believe cheating is the only valid reason to divorce, I should still be with my ex husband. I would rather reject Christianity than still be there, to be blunt. I would not want a relationship with a God who felt I should still be with an abusive husband, or leave and be sentenced to a life of celibacy, resisting love, and not having kids... because some idiot abused me? No thanks.