No Separation, No Divorce - Study 8/18/11
No Separation, No Divorce
Yes, that is what the Bible teaches and that is what God expects from His children that are in marriage. Very hard position you may say. Yes, I will agree with you. Does God really mean no separation and no divorce? Or is there a middle ground? There may be a middle ground but that is not God’s preference and choice but it is our choice. We all know the statistics. Not to bore you but as a reminder to us. “Most Americans get married at some point in their life: just one out of five adults (22%) has never been married. Among those who have said their wedding vows, one out of three have been divorced at least once, according to a new study from The Barna Group (2008). This not the divorce rate but a percentage of those currently married that had been divorced at least once. The divorce rate is at about 50-60%. “Professor Bradley Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut, explains from his analysis of people who identify as Christians but rarely attend church, that 60 percent of these have been divorced. Of those who attend church regularly, 38 percent have been divorced” (Focus on the Family, 2011). This is a serious crisis and you and I better believe it and face it squarely.
What was the divorce rate in Apostle Paul’s time of the early Church? We do not know but we do know that there were separations and divorce from the questions and answers posed to Jesus and even apostle Paul. As we have already been introduced, 1 Corinthians 7 deals on specific questions asked of Paul regarding separation and divorce. Paul’s answers are point blank. 10 “Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife” 1 Corinthian 7:10-11.
The above seem really plain you would think. This was written to the Corinthian Church in the midst of crisis of marriage and the challenge to remain pure in a city that does not honor marriage as God ordained. Let’s us study and allow our minds to be renewed with the truth. We need the mind of Christ at this hour with the pressures and attacks on all marriages including ours. Humanly speaking, we all wished there was an easy way out of marriage but there is not. It is the hardest work in life. It is like traveling on a one- way road without exits. If you are already on this road, you cannot turn back and if you do you will be crushed literally. Why did God tell us to stay in marriage regardless? Of course, God does not tolerate physical abuse and if that is the case please separate to be alive and then seek reconciliation and reformation.
1 Corinthians 7:1-16; 39-40
1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me:
It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. 7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.
8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.
12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. In answering the Corinthian Church’s questions, Apostle Paul restates what the Lord Jesus taught on separation and divorce. Let us look deeper into this statement and expectation of our Lord Jesus for all marriages. Keep in mind that Apostle Paul is addressing specific issues in this chapter seven as hinted by verses 26-27. “I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is: 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But even if you do marry, you have not sinned”. What is the “present distress”? As touched on previously, it was a condition of moral decay in Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 5:1) and as well as possibly the persecution of Christians at this time. People were trying to bail out of marriages to escape the ill-conceived notion that being unmarried would make them more spiritual. They were also thinking that singleness will help them deal more tolerably with the persecutions and trials. Paul addressed all of these concerns in chapter seven. Last week we looked at singleness which Paul agreed was most suitable to the persecutions of the time (the present distress”).
2. Apostle Paul categorically said no separation, no divorce even in the “present distress”. “Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife” vs. 10-11. The phrase “yet not I but the Lord” is just stating that Jesus has specifically spoken on this matter and Paul is quoting him in this instance. We will see other instances where Paul says, he is the one speaking meaning Jesus did not specifically address the issue but I am speaking now under the inspiration of His Holy Spirit (see vs.12). Keep in mind that we believe that all scripture is inspired by God and therefore this is not just Paul’s opinion.
3. No separation, no divorce? Did Paul really mean that? Does he even understand what the Corinthian Church is going through in their personal married lives and corporate lives? Well let’s hear Jesus who first as the Lord and Creator, created marriage. 3 “The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made[a]them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’[b] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?[c] 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality,[d] and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” Matthew 19:3-10.
10 His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” Here we have it from the lips of Jesus.
4. The Lord himself is saying there is no condition for divorce. Yes, you may say he said, “except for sexual immorality”. Jesus said that but He also said, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so”. It was not God’s intention from beginning and it is still not God’s intention now for divorce. Yes, divorce can be permitted for cases of sexual immorality but Jesus is still saying that it is not His preference. His preference is to deal with our “hardness of hearts” which is actually the root cause for divorce. It is hardness of heart on both parties – the so-called “innocent party” and the offender in the marriage (the sexually immoral). Of course the sexual immorality in marriage must be addressed and dealt with repentance and with forgiveness and reconciliation.
5. You see, Jesus (the sinless and perfect) has dealt with the hardness of our hearts by going to the cross to die for us the sinners. Our union with Jesus has been likened to the union of husband and wife. “For we are members of His body,[d] of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”[e] 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” Ephesians 5:30-32. As a result of our union with Christ, He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. I believe it is in this context that Jesus is saying do not divorce your wife or separate from your husband just as I will never divorce you, the Church as my bride. If Jesus used the same criteria we use for marriage, then we will all not be united with Him. If sexual immorality is the only criteria, which of us since we believed in Christ has not committed “act of sexual/spiritual immorality” that would cause Jesus to divorce us? I strongly believe that marriage is the truest test of our belief and faith in Jesus and what He has done for us as believers. Do we really believe the gospel? Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners without considering the hardness of our hearts. Now that we are united with Christ, our hearts have been softened by the power of the Holy Spirit that we no longer have sin as our master but Christ owns us.
6. There were unique situations in Corinth which we also have in this day. The situation of a believer in Christ married to a non-believer in Christ. Even in this situation, the believer cannot initiate the divorce or separation. “If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him” vs. 12-13. It is likely then (and now) that the two unbelievers in Christ got married and subsequently one partner has now believed in Christ and the other does not. Now the unbeliever in Christ may decide to dissolve the marriage, and Paul is saying if reconciliation cannot be reached, then let the believer in Christ accept the divorce. “But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?” vs.15-16. Yes God has called us to peace and that is why the Holy Spirit is encouraging the believer in Christ to continue in the marriage to an unbeliever. Perhaps through the believer, the unbeliever may hear and believe in Christ (see 1Peter 3:1).
7. Paul would later caution against “intentional missionary marriage” where a believer in Christ knowingly and intentionally gets married to an unbeliever in Christ. It is a recipe for disaster. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you[b] are the temple of the living God” 2 Corinthians 6:14-16. Being married to a fellow believer in Christ is very hard what more one who does not believe in the same God with you. Paul says spare yourself the extra-ordinary pain in such a marriage. Marry only believers in Christ if you are a believer in Christ (see also vs. 39, “Only in the Lord”). God can still use our foolishness and yes He does if you are in this unequal yoke situation of your choice.
8. Marriage in itself has great troubles and should never be entered into lightly. It is the union of two imperfect people. “But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you” vs.28 “Trouble in the flesh”? In today’s language it would mean “You will get on each other’s nerves” in marriage. Oh, have I had my many “troubles in the flesh”? You bet and likewise my wife. And if you are honest enough you will confess the same. It is enough trouble to think of bailing out any time. But the Lord is saying, please do not. I have not bailed out on you because you also get on my nerves and skin (as my bride the Church). It is till death do us part. (see vs.39). “39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord”.
This is my understanding of why God is saying do not divorce your wife or husband. If you divorce your wife or husband, you cannot find another person to marry whom you will not divorce also. As long as you will be married to a human being, he or she is as imperfect as you and you will find the same issues in your previous marriage as a second one. The issue is “hardness of heart” on my part and your part. You see, you and I have enough reasons for divorce just like the Pharisees(unhappiness, snoring partner, not enough sex, workaholic, fat, skinny, incompatible, dry jokes, no appreciation, can’t cook, big spender and etc to name a few and we should work hard to improve where we lack). However, when we look into the mirror, we see we are the reason. Am I going to accept the finished work of Christ that has declared me perfect and righteous before God or are my going to insist on my own good works to appease God? Am I going to accept that my spouse has been made perfect by Christ because of His cleansing blood and has been accepted by Christ as part of His bride? If God can accept my imperfect spouse, why can’t I accept him or her? Why should my acceptance of my spouse be based on his/her performance when Christ has not used that criteria for him/her and for me? If God has accepted me, an imperfect person, why can’t I accept myself and my spouse as co-brides of Christ?
Marriage is the hardest thing I have ever encountered in my life. I struggle daily on this issue and I ask for your prayers. Satan knows very well what is at stake. A denunciation of my marriage is an indirect denial of Christ and His work in my life. Let us hang in strong for Christ’s sake and for our own sake. God’s grace is sufficient for us. May we seek help and to invest in building up our marriages and one another in Christ. Paul is saying in whatever state we now find ourselves let us walk with God. 17 “But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk” vs.17. If this is your second marriage, well that is where you are now so work on it.
Lord, I thank you for my marriage and for my wife. I thank you for the joys of marriage and the headaches and heartaches of marriage. Help me Lord to persevere unto the end. Grant me the grace to finish that which you have started in my live. Marriage is your creation and your idea. May your purposes in marriage come to fruition and fulfillment in my life. Lord, help me to deal with my hardness of heart knowing that you have forgiven all my sins and have cleansed me from all unrighteousness. Lord, help every marriage that is reading and studying this lesson and all others we may know. Amen.
Yes, that is what the Bible teaches and that is what God expects from His children that are in marriage. Very hard position you may say. Yes, I will agree with you. Does God really mean no separation and no divorce? Or is there a middle ground? There may be a middle ground but that is not God’s preference and choice but it is our choice. We all know the statistics. Not to bore you but as a reminder to us. “Most Americans get married at some point in their life: just one out of five adults (22%) has never been married. Among those who have said their wedding vows, one out of three have been divorced at least once, according to a new study from The Barna Group (2008). This not the divorce rate but a percentage of those currently married that had been divorced at least once. The divorce rate is at about 50-60%. “Professor Bradley Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut, explains from his analysis of people who identify as Christians but rarely attend church, that 60 percent of these have been divorced. Of those who attend church regularly, 38 percent have been divorced” (Focus on the Family, 2011). This is a serious crisis and you and I better believe it and face it squarely.
What was the divorce rate in Apostle Paul’s time of the early Church? We do not know but we do know that there were separations and divorce from the questions and answers posed to Jesus and even apostle Paul. As we have already been introduced, 1 Corinthians 7 deals on specific questions asked of Paul regarding separation and divorce. Paul’s answers are point blank. 10 “Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife” 1 Corinthian 7:10-11.
The above seem really plain you would think. This was written to the Corinthian Church in the midst of crisis of marriage and the challenge to remain pure in a city that does not honor marriage as God ordained. Let’s us study and allow our minds to be renewed with the truth. We need the mind of Christ at this hour with the pressures and attacks on all marriages including ours. Humanly speaking, we all wished there was an easy way out of marriage but there is not. It is the hardest work in life. It is like traveling on a one- way road without exits. If you are already on this road, you cannot turn back and if you do you will be crushed literally. Why did God tell us to stay in marriage regardless? Of course, God does not tolerate physical abuse and if that is the case please separate to be alive and then seek reconciliation and reformation.
1 Corinthians 7:1-16; 39-40
1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me:
It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. 7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.
8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.
12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. In answering the Corinthian Church’s questions, Apostle Paul restates what the Lord Jesus taught on separation and divorce. Let us look deeper into this statement and expectation of our Lord Jesus for all marriages. Keep in mind that Apostle Paul is addressing specific issues in this chapter seven as hinted by verses 26-27. “I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is: 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But even if you do marry, you have not sinned”. What is the “present distress”? As touched on previously, it was a condition of moral decay in Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 5:1) and as well as possibly the persecution of Christians at this time. People were trying to bail out of marriages to escape the ill-conceived notion that being unmarried would make them more spiritual. They were also thinking that singleness will help them deal more tolerably with the persecutions and trials. Paul addressed all of these concerns in chapter seven. Last week we looked at singleness which Paul agreed was most suitable to the persecutions of the time (the present distress”).
2. Apostle Paul categorically said no separation, no divorce even in the “present distress”. “Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife” vs. 10-11. The phrase “yet not I but the Lord” is just stating that Jesus has specifically spoken on this matter and Paul is quoting him in this instance. We will see other instances where Paul says, he is the one speaking meaning Jesus did not specifically address the issue but I am speaking now under the inspiration of His Holy Spirit (see vs.12). Keep in mind that we believe that all scripture is inspired by God and therefore this is not just Paul’s opinion.
3. No separation, no divorce? Did Paul really mean that? Does he even understand what the Corinthian Church is going through in their personal married lives and corporate lives? Well let’s hear Jesus who first as the Lord and Creator, created marriage. 3 “The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made[a]them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’[b] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?[c] 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality,[d] and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” Matthew 19:3-10.
10 His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” Here we have it from the lips of Jesus.
4. The Lord himself is saying there is no condition for divorce. Yes, you may say he said, “except for sexual immorality”. Jesus said that but He also said, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so”. It was not God’s intention from beginning and it is still not God’s intention now for divorce. Yes, divorce can be permitted for cases of sexual immorality but Jesus is still saying that it is not His preference. His preference is to deal with our “hardness of hearts” which is actually the root cause for divorce. It is hardness of heart on both parties – the so-called “innocent party” and the offender in the marriage (the sexually immoral). Of course the sexual immorality in marriage must be addressed and dealt with repentance and with forgiveness and reconciliation.
5. You see, Jesus (the sinless and perfect) has dealt with the hardness of our hearts by going to the cross to die for us the sinners. Our union with Jesus has been likened to the union of husband and wife. “For we are members of His body,[d] of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”[e] 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” Ephesians 5:30-32. As a result of our union with Christ, He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. I believe it is in this context that Jesus is saying do not divorce your wife or separate from your husband just as I will never divorce you, the Church as my bride. If Jesus used the same criteria we use for marriage, then we will all not be united with Him. If sexual immorality is the only criteria, which of us since we believed in Christ has not committed “act of sexual/spiritual immorality” that would cause Jesus to divorce us? I strongly believe that marriage is the truest test of our belief and faith in Jesus and what He has done for us as believers. Do we really believe the gospel? Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners without considering the hardness of our hearts. Now that we are united with Christ, our hearts have been softened by the power of the Holy Spirit that we no longer have sin as our master but Christ owns us.
6. There were unique situations in Corinth which we also have in this day. The situation of a believer in Christ married to a non-believer in Christ. Even in this situation, the believer cannot initiate the divorce or separation. “If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him” vs. 12-13. It is likely then (and now) that the two unbelievers in Christ got married and subsequently one partner has now believed in Christ and the other does not. Now the unbeliever in Christ may decide to dissolve the marriage, and Paul is saying if reconciliation cannot be reached, then let the believer in Christ accept the divorce. “But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?” vs.15-16. Yes God has called us to peace and that is why the Holy Spirit is encouraging the believer in Christ to continue in the marriage to an unbeliever. Perhaps through the believer, the unbeliever may hear and believe in Christ (see 1Peter 3:1).
7. Paul would later caution against “intentional missionary marriage” where a believer in Christ knowingly and intentionally gets married to an unbeliever in Christ. It is a recipe for disaster. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you[b] are the temple of the living God” 2 Corinthians 6:14-16. Being married to a fellow believer in Christ is very hard what more one who does not believe in the same God with you. Paul says spare yourself the extra-ordinary pain in such a marriage. Marry only believers in Christ if you are a believer in Christ (see also vs. 39, “Only in the Lord”). God can still use our foolishness and yes He does if you are in this unequal yoke situation of your choice.
8. Marriage in itself has great troubles and should never be entered into lightly. It is the union of two imperfect people. “But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you” vs.28 “Trouble in the flesh”? In today’s language it would mean “You will get on each other’s nerves” in marriage. Oh, have I had my many “troubles in the flesh”? You bet and likewise my wife. And if you are honest enough you will confess the same. It is enough trouble to think of bailing out any time. But the Lord is saying, please do not. I have not bailed out on you because you also get on my nerves and skin (as my bride the Church). It is till death do us part. (see vs.39). “39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord”.
This is my understanding of why God is saying do not divorce your wife or husband. If you divorce your wife or husband, you cannot find another person to marry whom you will not divorce also. As long as you will be married to a human being, he or she is as imperfect as you and you will find the same issues in your previous marriage as a second one. The issue is “hardness of heart” on my part and your part. You see, you and I have enough reasons for divorce just like the Pharisees(unhappiness, snoring partner, not enough sex, workaholic, fat, skinny, incompatible, dry jokes, no appreciation, can’t cook, big spender and etc to name a few and we should work hard to improve where we lack). However, when we look into the mirror, we see we are the reason. Am I going to accept the finished work of Christ that has declared me perfect and righteous before God or are my going to insist on my own good works to appease God? Am I going to accept that my spouse has been made perfect by Christ because of His cleansing blood and has been accepted by Christ as part of His bride? If God can accept my imperfect spouse, why can’t I accept him or her? Why should my acceptance of my spouse be based on his/her performance when Christ has not used that criteria for him/her and for me? If God has accepted me, an imperfect person, why can’t I accept myself and my spouse as co-brides of Christ?
Marriage is the hardest thing I have ever encountered in my life. I struggle daily on this issue and I ask for your prayers. Satan knows very well what is at stake. A denunciation of my marriage is an indirect denial of Christ and His work in my life. Let us hang in strong for Christ’s sake and for our own sake. God’s grace is sufficient for us. May we seek help and to invest in building up our marriages and one another in Christ. Paul is saying in whatever state we now find ourselves let us walk with God. 17 “But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk” vs.17. If this is your second marriage, well that is where you are now so work on it.
Lord, I thank you for my marriage and for my wife. I thank you for the joys of marriage and the headaches and heartaches of marriage. Help me Lord to persevere unto the end. Grant me the grace to finish that which you have started in my live. Marriage is your creation and your idea. May your purposes in marriage come to fruition and fulfillment in my life. Lord, help me to deal with my hardness of heart knowing that you have forgiven all my sins and have cleansed me from all unrighteousness. Lord, help every marriage that is reading and studying this lesson and all others we may know. Amen.
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