Divorce… The law vs grace
Divorce & the Law vs. Grace by lcl
In the old testament law it was important for people to separate themselves from sin and to obey God through fear of punishment. Moses and Arron gave laws beyond the commandments to create order and stability for an unruly complaining nation that was unaccustomed to obedience born of love.
Marriage was forbidden in some instances.
Lev 21:7 They shall not take a wife who is a whore, or defiled. Neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband. For he is holy to his God.
If a man married and brought false charges of infidelity against her, he was fined and she remained his lifelong responsibility.
Deu 22:19 And they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them to the father of the girl, because he has brought an evil name on a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife. He may not put her away all his days.
If a man was with a married woman, they were both to be killed.
Deu 22:22 If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall put away evil from Israel.
2Sa 12:13 And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said to David, Jehovah also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
Jer 4:1 If you will return, O Israel, says Jehovah, return to Me. And if you will put away your abominations out of your sight, then you shall not be moved.
Jer 32:40 And I will cut an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good. But I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me.
Priests were to remain especially accountable and pure.
Eze 44:22 Nor shall they take for their wives a widow nor her who is put away. But they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow who had a priest before.
Tradition continued into the time of Christ and Joseph tried to obey the law without bringing shame to Mary.
Mat 1:19 But Joseph, her husband to be, being just, and not willing to make her a public example, he purposed to put her away secretly.
Jesus clarified The Fathers views on the law. The sermon on the mount was the first instance.
Mat 5:31 It was also said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce.
Mat 5:32 But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is put away commits adultery.
Mat 19:3 And the Pharisees came to Him, tempting Him and saying to Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Mat 19:4 And He answered and said to them, Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning “made them male and female”,
Mat 19:5 and said, For this cause a man shall leave father and mother and shall cling to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6 Therefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.
Mat 19:7 They said to Him, Why did Moses then command to give a bill of divorce and to put her away?
Mat 19:8 He said to them, Because of your hard-heartedness Moses allowed you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so.
Mat 19:9 And I say to you, Whoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is put away commits adultery. This seems especially severe in cases of unlawful abuse or destructive desires by the mate. We believe that, under grace, a real effort for counseling is needed, but if that fails a spouse in danger should be free to leave and ask God’s forgiveness. The contract vow to love, honor and cherish each other has already been broken. Once a contract is broken, it is no longer in effect. Even God felt no need to continue His covenants with Israel after they had not continued in their part.
Church leaders were held to a high standard:
1Ti 3:2 Then it behooves the overseer to be without reproach, husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, well-ordered, hospitable, apt at teaching,
1Ti 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and households well.
Tit 1:6 if anyone is blameless, husband of one wife, having believing children, not accused of loose behavior, or disobedient.
Now, a little further study on the law versus faith for today. Marriage is found important in both areas.
It is important to know that the old law is not to be obeyed as a means of achieving salvation. Legal court punishments are still to be carried out based on law, but ones faith is responsible for salvation. .
Rom 2:12 For as many as sinned without Law will also perish without Law. And as many as have sinned within Law shall be judged through Law.
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the Law.
Rom 3:31 Do we then make the Law void through faith? Let it not be! But we establish the Law.
Salvation through faith became a new law that required more than the old law. The old law defined what was sin, but grace is found to be able to overcome and cover all sin when ones heart is really trying to obey and honor God.
Rom 5:20 But the Law entered so that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound,
Rom 7:6 But now we having been set free from the Law, having died to that in which we were held, so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Let it not be said! But I did not know sin except through the law. For also I did not know lust except the law said, You shall not lust.
Rom 7:12 So indeed the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. Since God does not change, what he approved & disapproved of in the past, He still feels strongly about.
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 But the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live.
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone who believes.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves another has fulfilled the Law.
Rom 13:9 For: “Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not lust;” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.“
Gal 3:24 So that the Law has become a trainer of us until Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But faith coming, we are no longer under a trainer.
Gal 5:4 you who are justified by Law are deprived of all effect from Christ; you fell from grace. Whatever one trusts in for salvation is what they will be judged by. However, we should realize that it is impossible to become perfect enough to achieve salvation by the law. Wisdom therefore leads us to trust and obey god through grace.
Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Jas 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
The Father has decreed that, as a Holy God, He will not allow any sin in His presence, therefore any sin would prohibit salvation. Only, by covering all sins by the blood of Christ’s suffering is salvation possible.
God has always been desirous that we need to come to Him daily in a continuing relationship. God provides daily physical and spiritual needs including such things as consolation, guidance and grace. David knew God’s heart
Psa 68:19 Blessed is Jehovah; He daily bears burdens for us, the God of our salvation. Selah.
Psa 86:3 Be merciful to me, O Lord; for I cry to You daily.
Special holy days were no exception.
Eze 45:23 And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to Jehovah, seven bulls and seven rams, without blemish, daily for the seven days, and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering.
Jesus proclaimed the need for seeking God’s daily help. Daily nourishment comes in physical as well as spiritual ways.
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread;
Luk 9:23 And He said to all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Luk 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread,
Luk 11:4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Act 3:1 And on the same day Peter and John went up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. Prayer was a daily occurrence in the time of Jesus.
Jesus’s sacrifice for sins will suffice for all time, however, I believe that God still desires a daily, if not continuous, prayer relationship with His people.
Heb 7:27 who does not need, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice daily, first for his own sins and then for the people’s sins. For He did this once for all, when He offered up Himself.
The early deciples got the message.
Act 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word
Act 10:2 one devout and fearing God, with all his household, both doing many merciful deeds to the people, and praying continually to God.