The Forbidden Files are buried from view somewheredeep beneath stacks of "to do items," "worthy projects" and "topicsof immediate pressing concerns." The F Files are a listing of topicswhich at best are inconvenient to address.
Why are they inconvenient? There may be manyreasons. It is possible that the preacher has been warned by somewell-intending member, "you had better not preach on ____, because wehave some people who would be offended." Or perhaps it isinconvenient if the primary goal of the church is numerical growthand this topic confronts the sins of the surrounding secular culture,sins which that culture perceives as being perfectly legitimate. Orit could be avoided because the topic is one of deep pain. There aremany reasons why a topic might be quietly slipped into The ForbiddenFiles.
No human can change the history of his or herpast, and often that history contains deep wounds and scars. But eachof us can take deliberate steps now to make sure that today my lifewill be lived out in submission to God's will as revealed in HisWord. And so with that goal in mind, let's look into case # 3 of TheForbidden Files: Divorce and Remarriage. The Lord's teachings arefairly straightforward:
The bottom line? If you are married seek to staymarried. If you are eligible to contemplate marriage, marry "only inthe Lord" (1 Cor. 7:39).
May I also suggest in selecting a mate that theless a Christian reflects the image of Christ, the less that his orher heart depends upon and loves the Lord, the greater will be theprobability that the types of marital problems you will encounterwill be of the type which can lead to divorce. Choosewisely!
But what if a non-Christian's life has alreadybeen blistered with the pain of divorce and perhaps he or she haseven remarried and now desires to follow the Lord? The scriptures donot specifically describe this situation. Such a question is nearlyalways inevitable whenever the gospel spreads to those not influencedby the way of Christ. In the midst of providing marital instructionsPaul does outline a guiding principle which is instructive. "Each oneshould retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and towhich God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all thechurches." 1 Corinthians 7:17 NIV He reiterates this principle inverses 20 and 24, "Each man must remain in that condition in which hewas called ... let each one remain with God in the station in whichhe was called."In addition to this, we should also remember thatJesus' blood cleanses us from all previous sin and will continue tocleanse us if we walk in the light. 1 John 1:7-2:2
Lest anyone apply the principle of remaining inthe state in which the Lord called you in a way Paul did not intend,clearly Paul was not legitimizing non-marital relationships. WhenPaul encountered a Christian man having a sexual relationship withhis mother, he did not commend the church for tolerating such asituation. Instead, he demanded that action be taken so that the manmight be taught not to sin. 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 Similarly, Paulpraised those who had ceased their homosexual lifestyle as a resultof coming to Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 And so, those who turn tothe Lord are to submit their relationships to God's will.
Perhaps it is also informative to notice that whenthe early Christians began to teach the Gentiles about Christ, thequestion arose about what changes should be demanded from theGentiles who were coming to Christ. Undoubtedly, the gospel wouldtouch the heart of many who had been divorced and remarried. Shouldthese new Christians break up their families because someone hadremarried? The lifestyle changes bound upon these new disciples ofChrist included the following:
"Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them that from among the Gentiles turn to God; but that we write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood." Acts 15:19-20 ASV
Barry Newton, Copyright © 2005
Other Articles Which Might Be ofInterest
After Divorce, Then What?A Canon Within The Canon (Thoughts on Wolves in Sheep's Clothing)
A Lost Verse of the Bible? (The Value of Confronting Sin)
Downward Spiral, The (Relationships Suffering from Negative Interpretations)