- Marriage-divorce theories, continued:
- Theory 2: God does not recognize the marriage of aliens for they are not amenable to His specific laws. Therefore, the alien may divorce and remarry as many times as he likes and not be guilty of adultery.
- If the alien sinner is not subject to God’s specific laws, why try to convert him?
- If the alien sinner is not subject to God’s specific laws, he is no idolater, though he practices idolatry; nor drunkard, though he practices drunkenness; nor thief, though he steals.
- The alien sinner is subject to God’s specific law of marriage (I Corinthians 5:9-11; 6:9).
- The practice that makes a brother a fornicator also makes an alien sinner a fornicator.
- Some of the Corinthians were fornicators while being alien sinners.
- Some laws are to the saved and the alien cannot obey these until he obeys the gospel.
- The command to partake of the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:29)
- The command to preach the gospel (II Timothy 3:16-17)
- The command to restore an erring brother (Galatians 6:1)
- But we must not take laws given to mankind and apply them only to the Christian; to illustrate: the law against murder, lying, or fornication (I Timothy 1:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21).
- Theory 3: The alien sinner is amenable to God’s marriage law, but those living in adultery are forgiven at baptism, and thus the relationship is no longer adultery.
- Sins are forgiven at baptism, but unholy relationships are not made holy.
- Idolatry is forgiven at baptism, but this does not make idolatry holy.
- The thief is forgiven at baptism, but that does not make stealing holy.
- The adulterer is forgiven at baptism, but that does not make adultery holy.
- Prayer for the Christian has the same effect as regards remission of sins as does baptism for the alien sinner; thus if baptism fixes it so that alien sinner can continue in an adulterous relationship, prayer fixes it so the Christian can continue in an adulterous relationship!
- Baptism for the alien sinner and prayer for the Christian would just be a license to continue in the sinful relationship if this theory was correct. (See Romans 6:1-2).
- Sins are forgiven at baptism, but unholy relationships are not made holy.
- Theory 4: When one is loosed, both are loosed; thus, the one who is put away for fornication also has the right to remarry.
- In reference to marriage, “bound” is “by law;” thus, one being loosed does not loose the other.
- God joins and He has not stated He will loose the guilty party.
- Theory 5: The husband puts away his wife where no fornication is involved and where the wife does not want the divorce. Later, he remarries. Now the wife can put him away with the right to remarry.
- According to Matthew 19:9, fornication must have been the cause for the divorce.
- Fornication committed after the divorce cannot possibly have been the cause for the divorce!
- When one has been put away, there is nothing that the other can control that can be put away; the marriage has been sundered, and one cannot sunder that which has already been sundered!
- The simple truth is that the Bible knows nothing of a second, mental putting away.
- The word translated, “divorce,” “put away,” or “dismiss” is “apuluo” and always speaks of severing a relationship. When a relationship has been severed, it cannot be severed again when the one who did the putting away remarries.
- Consider the way “apoluo” is used in the New Testament.
- “Send away” – Matthew 14:15, 22, 23; 15:23, 32, 39; Mark 6:36, 45; 8:3, 9; Luke 8:38; 9:12; Acts 13:3
- “Let go” – Luke 14:4; 22:68; 23:22; John 19:12; Acts 3:13; 4:21, 23; 5:40; 15:33; 16:35; 17:9; 28:18
- “Release” – Matthew 27:15, 17, 21, 26; Mark 15:6, 9, 11, 15; Luke 23:16, 17, 18, 20, 25; John 18:39; 19:10, 12
- “Depart” – Acts 23:22; 28:25; Luke 2:29
- “Liberty” – Acts 26:32; Hebrews 13:23
- “Dismissed” – Acts 15:30; 19:41
- “Loosed” – Matthew 18:27; Luke 13:12
- “Forgive” – Luke 6:37
- “Divorced” – Matthew 5:32
- “Put away” – Matthew 1:19; 5:31-32; 19:3, 8, 9
- Conclusion: The Bible still says that for one to have a right of remarriage, the sundering of the relationship must have been for the cause of fornication (Matthew 19:9).
- Theory 2: God does not recognize the marriage of aliens for they are not amenable to His specific laws. Therefore, the alien may divorce and remarry as many times as he likes and not be guilty of adultery.
JJ
August 26, 2018
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