Divorce pt 2
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[a] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[b]? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
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“In the case of Adam and Eve divorce was not only inadvisable; it was not only wrong; it was completely impossible, for the very simple reason that there was no one else whom either of them could possibly marry.” (Barclay)
In quoting Genesis 1:27, Jesus indicated first that God has made men and women different, and that God is the one who joins men and women together in marriage. In this, Jesus asserts God’s authority over marriage; it is God’s institution, not man’s – so it is fair to say that His rules apply.
Jesus also reminded the Pharisees that marriage is spiritually binding before God. Marriage is not merely a social contract; and as God has joined He expects man to honor He has joined and to keep the marriage together.
How does the Biblical definition of marriage differ from our culture’s?
Essentially, what God has bound, let no man separate. Isn’t this what the vows essentially read? I guess divorce in today’s culture seems like the easy way out if things aren’t working out in a marriage – it is man’s way of starting anew. However, in God’s eyes, marriage is forever.
That’s right Adrian, this teaching follows on perfectly from the previous verses.
I’d like to take this further to address a current issue in Australia and the USA in relation to legalising same-sex marriage. I wrote some short articles here: http://redefiningmarriage.wordpress.com/
Due to backlash received (and other priorities) I have decided not to write further articles, however I have included links to other related website with compelling information. I strongly believe that our countries’ lack of reverence for God and his institutions has led to the redefining of His original creation and intent for us.