[Due to technical difficulties, the first few minutes of this lesson were not recorded. Sorry about that! -MRW]

Introduction

• This is such an emotional topic, but we must remain objective and appeal to God’s word.
• Mark 6:17, 21 – John ended up being beheaded because he called out the marriage as unlawful.

What should happen in an unlawful marriage?

• Luke 16:18
• They must divorce and repent of their adultery. I Corinthians 6:9
• “But marriage itself is holy. No one should be told to divorce.”
  • Ezra 9-10 – These marriages were unlawful and had to be broken up.
  • Mark 6:17-18

Are divorced people still “marriage in God’s eyes?”

• I know of no passage that uses or implies that wording or concept. Sometimes we might say that because we’re trying to communicate the fact that God doesn’t approve.
• Luke 16:18
• Romans 7:2-3
• Mark 10:11-12
• These people were really divorced and actually marriage to other people. They were married to one person, yet bound to another, thus it is adultery.
• Matthew 19:9 – These divorces and marriages are real.

What about marriages and divorces before one was ever a Christian?

• God’s laws are for everyone, both Christians and non-Christians.
• Mark 6:17-18 – Herod and his wife were not Christians, but they were in sin.
• I Corinthians 6:9-11
• If God’s laws do not apply to non-Christians, why are people told to repent before they are baptized (Acts 2:38)?
• And why would you even get baptized and become a Christian, if prior to that you have no sin and therefore no need of salvation?

Does forgiveness change the situation?

• Acts 2:38; 8:22; 26:20
• There is still a need to repent and not keep sinning.
• If I steal a car…
  • Then I pray for forgiveness ….
  • Can I keep the car?
  • No – it is still a sin for me to have it.
• If I take an unlawful wife …
  • They I pray for forgiveness …
  • Can I keep the wife?
  • No – it is still a sin for me to have her.

Does I Corinthians 7:15 give another exception?

• I Corinthians 7:10-17
  • I Corinthians 7:10 – “Leave” here means “divorce.”
  • I Corinthians 7:11 – This does not imply approval of the divorce. See I John 2:1.
  • I Corinthians 7:12-13 – It is okay for a Christian to be married to a non-believer.
  • I Corinthians 7:14 – This cannot be saying that an unbelieving spouse can be saved by the believing spouse (II Corinthians 5:10). It is merely saying that the marriage is legitimate.
  • I Corinthians 7:15 – There is no permission for remarriage here. Matthew 5:32

Does I Corinthians 7:27-28 give another exception?

• I Corinthians 7:27 – “Released” here cannot mean “divorced for any reason” because it would contradict what Paul just wrote in I Corinthians 7:10-17.

Can the innocent party divorce years after the divorce?

• Suppose that:
  • A man divorces his wife (not for fornication)
  • Years later, he remarries.
  • Can the wife now divorce him for fornication and remarry with God’s approval (Matthew 19:9)?
• No. You can’t divorce someone you’re not married to.
• Luke 16:18

Conclusion

Nothing is greater than fellowship with God; nothing lasts longer than heaven.

Genesis 6 – Animals, continued:

• God gives instructions about how many animals to bring according to their kind (H4327 – min)
  • After their kind
  • Same phrase as used in Days 3, 5, and 6 to describe plants and animals.
  • Does the application of the phrase “after its kind” support evolution?
• How did Noah and his family take care of the animals?
  • Hibernation?
  • God told Noah to feed the animals

Genesis 7 – God’s flood

• Noah and his family and the animals go into the ark.
• When did they go into the ark and when did it start to rain? Is there a discrepancy?
• Genesis 7 is made up of four paragraphs: Genesis 7:1-5, Genesis 7:6-10, Genesis 7:11-16, and Genesis 7:17-24.
  • The first three contain repeating information about:
    • Noah and his family entering the ark
    • The animals entering the ark
    • The flood coming upon the earth
    • Noah did as God commanded.
  • The fourth paragraph describes what happened to everyone else except Noah and his family.
• God’s flood was a catastrophic, earth-changing event.
• If God flooded the entire globe, wouldn’t there be evidence? Acts 17:23-28
• Absolutely! If we can show people the evidence, then we can teach the truth.
  • Thomas in John 20:24
• Existing physical evidence
  • Hydrology and hydraulics
  • Landforms
  • Geology
• Evidence of God’s power
  • Mount St. Helens volcano
• How could 40 days and 40 nights of rain flood the entire earth?
• What did the earth look like before the flood?
  • Supercontinent?
  • Mountains?
  • Canyons?
  • Ocean depth?
• How much water?
  • We estimate there is currently 332.5 million cubic miles of water on earth.
  • If we assume a pre-flood average mountain height of 5300 ft., this would require about 335.3 million cubic miles of water, which is within about one percent of the current estimated total.

Introduction

• I Corinthians 6:9
• I Thessalonians 5:2
• Failure to obey God’s law on marriage and divorce will keep us out of heaven!
• This is a very emotional topic, but we must be led by God’s word.
• John 12:48
• Acts 17:11 – This is what we want to do – search the scriptures.

Seven scriptures about marriage

Genesis 2:18, 22-24 – The first marriage

• The word “marriage” is not used here, but that is clearly what is being talked about.
• Deuteronomy 24:2; 7:3
• Ezekiel 16:8
• I Corinthians 7:2
• Romans 7:3 – The phrase “joined to” is the same as is used in Genesis 2.
• In Hebrew and Greek, there was no separate word for “husband” or “wife.” Context must be used to determine if it’s “man” or “husband.”
• Genesis 2:22-3:2
• Words can help refer figuratively to the past or future.
  • Prolepsis:
    • Luke 2:11
    • Deuteronomy 22:23-24
  • Adjournment
    • Exodus 7:10, 12
    • John 9:17
    • II Samuel 11:26; 12:10
    • Mark 6:17

Romans 7:2-3

• The married woman is bound by God’s law while he is alive.
• The phrase “joined to” means marriage here, just as we saw in Genesis 2.
• If the woman is bound to one man, but marriage to another, she is an adulteress.

I Corinthians 7:39

• “Only in the Lord” means “according to God’s marriage law.”

Mark 10:11-12

• Marriage law is the same for men and women.

Luke 16:18

• Divorcing a spouse and marrying another causes one to commit adultery.

Matthew 19:9

• The NASB (1995) uses the word “immorality” here, which is too broad. Other translations make it more specific by using the phrase “sexual immorality.”
• I Corinthians 6:13, 18; 7:2 – Same word used here to mean “sexual immorality.”
• A man who divorces his wife for sexual immorality is no longer bound to her and is free to marry again. The original wife is still bound and not free to marry.

Matthew 5:32

• The man causes his wife to commit adultery because of the situation he put her in.

Conclusion

• Sin and Satan are the problems here, not God or His laws!

Acts 3, continued:

• Acts 3:16 – Peter had convicted the audience at this point.
• Acts 3:19-20 – This is what it’s all about!
  • “Times of refreshing”
    • See Isaiah 35:1-7; Jeremiah 17:5
• Acts 3:24 – See II Samuel 7:12.

Acts 4

• Acts 4:7 – By whose power? Jesus! See Acts 4:10.
• Acts 4:8 – Peter shows his boldness. Compare Matthew 10:5, 16-20.
• Acts 4:11 – See I Peter 4:4.

Genesis 4 – Cain and Abel, continued:

• Cain is afraid of being killed
  • By whom?
  • What mark?
    • This may or may not have been a physical mark. Compare New Testament passages in which we are to mark those who are out of step as brothers.

Genesis 5

• Eve had another son after Abel died – Seth.

Genesis 6 – Corruption of man and the ark

• Sons of God, daughters of man
  • Where is the sin?
  • Beauty over content
  • Abandoned God to pursue fleshly desires
• My spirit shall not remain with man forever (Genesis 6:3)
  • His days shall be 120 years
  • Lifetime or life left?
• Who were the Nephilim?
  • Context of Genesis 6:4 indicates that different kinds of people were having children and producing other kinds of people.
• Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord
  • In a nearly completely wicked world
  • Perfect (complete)
  • How? By walking with God.
  • Complete dependence
• God gives instructions for Noah to build the ark
  • Perfect dimensions for stability