St. Aidan’s Sermons
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Bryan Rivers, October 18th, 2009
Issues Facing Christians Today #5: “Marriage and Divorce”
1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Mark 10:2-16
Introduction
Divorce is a controversial topic:
“I’m convinced that there is no way any group of Christians picked at random would ever come to unanimity on this subject. I’ll go further. I don’t believe a bus load of American evangelical theologians would be in unanimous agreement on divorce and remarriage even if they toured the United States an entire summer! It’s a controversial issue, for sure. Therefore no matter what I may conclude, I am confident some very reliable, competent, and equally sincere people will disagree. So save your cards and letters![1]
The Big Picture 6 Crucial things which God has brought into existence: The Creation Heterosexual Monogamous Marriage The people of God (Israelites) The Promised Land (Israel) The Bible The Church
God’s View of Divorce
Foundational verses explaining God’s view of divorce are found in Malachi 2: 14-16.
Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce”, says the Lord God of Israel “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment” says the Lord Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith.
NB: God hates DIVORCE; God does NOT hate PEOPLE who are or have been divorced.
The Church’s View of Divorce
Within the Christian Church there are a wide variety of positions re divorce and remarriage.
a) The marriage covenant is permanent and unbreakable.
b) The marriage covenant is breakable under limited conditions (adultery) but remarriage is NOT possible.
c) The marriage covenant is breakable under limited conditions and remarriage IS possible.
d) The marriage covenant is breakable under broader conditions (adultery, extended desertion, leprosy, severe mental illness) but remarriage is NOT possible.
e) The covenant is breakable under broader conditions (adultery, extended desertion, leprosy, severe mental illness) and remarriage IS possible.
f) The covenant is breakable by mutual consent, but remarriage is NOT possible.
g) The covenant is breakable by mutual consent and remarriage IS possible.
The Biblical Context
There are religious and political contexts to both the Gospel and the Epistle passages:
Mark Chapter 10
a)There was a deep split between conservative and liberal rabbis regarding the conditions under which a divorce could take place.
b) Herod had married his sister-in-law who had divorced her husband specifically in order to marry him. John the Baptist had been executed for denouncing the marriage as unlawful.
1 Corinthians
In 1 Corinthians the issue was how to interpret texts like Ezra 10:11:
“You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. Now make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives”.
In Mark Chapter 10 the Pharisees:
a) Ask their question in bad faith.
b) View the issue of divorce from a legalistic perspective.
Jesus’ answer:
a) Upholds the “letter” of the law.
b) Explains the “spirit” of the law which is one of grace, not condemnation.
c) Makes it clear that marriage and divorce are primarily spiritual, not civil-legal issues.
Consequences of Divorce
Whatever the circumstances of the divorce, the consequences are:
-Legal
-Financial
-Emotional
-Social
-Spiritual
-Generational
-Physical
Psychologically, emotionally and financially the consequences of divorce are far worse than the physical death of a spouse.
Divorce
Divorce is:
a) Not God’s desire for married couples.
b) Permitted by God as a practical response to “hard heartedness”.
c) Originally intended as a legal device to secure the future for women who had been rejected by their husbands by enabling those women to remarry.
d) A way of enabling the believing spouse to preserve the distinctiveness of their Christianity when an unbelieving spouse wishes to leave .
e) A potential means of moving forward from a place of victimization and relational impasse to re-engage with a redeemed and redemptive future.
f) Not genetic.
Divorce should not:
a) Be trivialized.
b) Be demonized.
Scripture gives 3 scenarios where divorce is permitted:
1) When the marriage and divorce occurred prior to salvation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
2) When a spouse is guilty of sexual infidelity and is unwilling to repent and live faithfully with their partner (Matt. 19:19)
3) Where an unbelieving spouse decides to leave a believing partner (1 Cor.7:15).
A Higher Standard
Today’s Gospel and Epistle call us to a higher standard of relational conduct:
- Fidelity to our covenants with one another.
- Grace, patience and endurance.
- A sanctifying participation in the lives of those who are close to us.
- A forgiving spirit and a commitment to attempt reconciliation.
We are all “divorced” from our heavenly Father when we sin:
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her away?’” (Isaiah 50:1)
We are all reconciled to our Father, through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit when we take communion.
What is our attitude towards those who are divorced? Is it one of legalism and judgement, or grace and restoration?
What are our obligations as a congregation to those who are married?
Extract from BAS Marriage Rite (p.544):
The celebrant addresses the following to all present:
You are the witnesses to these vows now being made. Will you do all in your power to support and uphold this marriage?
Answer: We Will.
Conclusion
Thus saith the Lord; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast, The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say Praise the Lord of Hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land as at the first, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 33: 10-11 (KJV)
[1] Chuck Swindoll, Divorce: When It All Comes Tumbling Down, 1981
