ABOUT MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

 This week's Gospel vault is an article from A.C. Grider (1988)…

By A. C. Grider (deceased) 

Let me have a word with you about marriage and divorce. First, let us see what the BIBLE says on the subject. In Matt. 19:4-6 we find that, 1. God made them male and female. (That rules out homosexualism and lesbianism, those things are sin!). 2. The man shall leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife. 3. The twain shall be one flesh. 4. God joins them together. And then God said, 5. What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. You can read the same thing almost word for word in Mark 10:6-9.

Then God tells us in Matt. 19:9 that, “Whosoever shall put away his wife except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her that is put away doth commit adultery. Thus the Lord has spoken on the subject and everybody can UNDERSTAND what he has said! Everybody can do what the Lord said do, and can refrain from doing what the Lord said for him not to do. Thus, everybody can avoid adultery! But not everybody avoids adultery. Why?

Because there are false teachers among us. Some say the people in general are not amenable to the law of Christ. This is about as “far-fetched” as one can get! Who, exactly does the law of Christ apply to? Does it just apply to members of the church of Christ? I say YES if it applies only to those who obey him. That would mean that only one in several thousand of the people are amenable to the law of Christ. Christ said WHOSOEVER puts away his wife except it be for fornication and marrieth another committeth adultery. Whereas our brethren say ONLY ONE IN EVERY SEVERAL THOUSAND who puts away his wife saving for the cause of fornication committeth adultery! Furthermore, exactly what portion of the law of Christ are the people not amenable to? Are they amenable to ANY of His law? If not, how would we preach it to him? How would he obey it? What good would it do him if he did obey it? Jesus said preach the gospel to EVERY CREATURE! Would we tell the people that though the Bible said whosoever shall put away his wife except for fornication committeth adultery, but that they could just DISREGARD THAT UNTIL THEY OBEYED THE GOSPEL?

Would not such a doctrine as I have expressed actually encourage people to stay out of the church and refrain from obeying the gospel until they were tired of playing around with women, even other men’s wives! When we repent we make up our minds to QUIT doing things that are wrong in our lives. When we are forgiven we are forgiven only for the things that are wrong in our lives. If it isn’t a sin to be married a dozen times, and if it isn’t a sin to break up other men’s homes, then those things are not forgiven! I can’t believe that ANYBODY really believes that people in general are not amenable to the law of Christ.

Then there are those who say that even though Christ said whosoever marrieth one put away without fornication committeth adultery, such is not necessarily so, provided she didn’t want the divorce and provided she waits around until her former companion commits fornication. Then she is free to marry again despite what Christ said.

Then there are some free-wheelers who say regardless of what Christ says when a marriage partner commits fornication the bond is broken and BOTH can marry again without peril to their souls.

We have, then, on the one hand those who say NOBODY is amenable to the law of Christ to start with, and on the other hand we have those who say that if one commits adultery both are free to marry again. In that case NOBODY is bound by what the Lord has said. So, if you have been married a thousand times, forget it, you were not amenable to Christ’s law. And if either you or your partner has committed fornication, forget it, the bond is broken and you are both free to marry again. You can thus have it anyway you want it. But you had BETTER have it like the Lord gave it to you. Read again Matt. 19:3-9 and Mark 10:5-9. Better be safe rather than sorry at the judgment.