Adventist and Divorce


Divorce....

1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"
4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'[a] 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
7"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." Matthew 19:1-9

Being a Christian and finding the right one takes careful thought, not just emotions when it comes to marriage. Building a healthy, happy marriage requires a lot of hard work and cgrowing and a lot of time and attention. It doesn’t happen magically like in the land of Disney. It takes a lot of time, energy, and 'sweat and tears'. Yet it’s surprising how quickly the relationship can go downhill when you take your partner for granted and lose touch with each other physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

It used to be back in the day, that if as a Adventist you married, it was for life, the 'death do us part' of the vow. Whats happening, are we changing how we choose or being more careless in our choices in marriage, or are outside pressures changing Adventists view of marriage.

Marriage is something we’re told to honor and uphold (Heb. 13:4). It’s supposed to last for a lifetime. Yet often it seems that now people are surprised to find that after they marry, that differences appear, conflicts erupt, and the promise of “living happily ever after” quickly disappears. What is the underlying cause of two people who supposedly fall in love and get married then wake up one morning and discover just how vulnerable they are to divorce.

Is it the pressure and frutration from the stresses of modern life, or are some marrying for the wrong reasons and then being seperated by a growing sense of confusion and misunderstanding.....

Verses 8 and 9 of that which you quoted above really struck a chord within me last Sabbath when I read them. I realized then and there that though men's hearts may harden, God's heart NEVER hardens. He's committed to His bride (us) through all eternity and will NOT divorce us--even though we ALL have at one time or another committed spiritual unfaithfulness.

Good question Hobie.

Jesus foretold two characteristics of the last generation.
1) faith would be in shorter supply (Luke 18:8).
2) the love of many would grow cold (Matthew 24:12).

This is a result of the cultivation of iniquity (2 Timothy 3:1). I realize that this sounds a bit like a lamentation and I would like to end with something more upbeat. What is needed?

Keep your promise. It really is that simple. When people go into marriage committed for life, that committment carries them through the lean times with resolve. Committment also leads to more effort.

Additionally, people bring unresolved issues into the marriage that they don't realize are there. Thus the problem in marriages is NOT your spouse, but rather the unresolved issues that each bring into the relationship. Now for the good news -- each of these issues can be resolved in Christ. God can turn any marriage around - the unhappy can be happy, the bound can be free, the locked can be unlocked. To each I say, there is hope, and KEEP YOUR PROMISE.


kindly,

olger