Divorce for the Saints – Baptism March 4, 2023

 

Divorce for the Saints – Baptism                        March 4, 2023

 

Let’s be realistic on this subject, as it is really the hardest subject to talk about and to cover. The views of individuals goes from one extreme to another, using the same Scriptures.  However you feel, you will find someone you can agree with. People gets into big arguments over.  Let’s look at a few things so we can make our own decision, based on the Holy Spirit leading each of us.  This one subject affects people, family lives.

 

How is divorce and baptism related. About spirit in man vs Holy Spirit.

 

Right up front, Lord Jesus says He hates divorces, and blames the man of the marriage covenant, why? 

 

The Prophet Malachi has some words on this subject to individuals who has the Spirit in Man.

 

Malachi 2:14 You ask, "Why?" It is because the LORD is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.

 

Malachi 2:15 Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

 

Notice what Lord Jesus wants, Godly offspring.

 

Malachi 2:16 "The man who hates and divorces his wife," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "does violence to the one he should protect," says the LORD Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful.

 

Different translation of Malachi 2:16 NKJV "For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce,…."

 

The responsibly of the man when he divorces his wife, he does violence to the one he should protect, therefore, men do not be unfaithful to your wife of your youth.

Jesus said Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your heart, but it was not this way in the beginning.

 

The Lord God of the Old Testament was married to the Nation of Israel, they became unfaithful and was given a Bill of Divorce.  Only way of remarriage for the Lord God was by death, released from the marriage.  This is what happen to the Lord Jesus and now waiting for His Bride.

 

Jeremiah 31:32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.

 

Jeremiah 3:8 Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.

 

How did Lord Jesus really feel about this subject.  What He said to the general population then and today. 

 

Matthew 19:3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"

 

“Kept asking Him”: the verb indicates that they had hoped to provoke something incriminating.

 

There was more than simply politics involved: divorce was an extremely controversial topic among the Jews; as it remains among Christians today; and no matter what answer Jesus would give, it would be certain to displease somebody and even might yield an opportunity to arrest Him.

 

The two prevailing views on divorce depended upon how one would interpret the phrase some uncleanness in Deuteronomy 24:1-4.

 

We covered in the past, Jews would follow certain Rabbis.

 

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 NKJV  "When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house,  (2)  when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man's wife,  (3)  if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife,  (4)  then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

 

The followers of Rabbi Hillel were quite lenient and permitted a man to divorce his wife for any reason, even the burning of his food.

 

The school of Rabbi Shimmai was much more strict and taught that the critical words some uncleanness referred only to premarital sin. If a newly married husband discovered that his wife was not a virgin, then he could put her away.

 

Matthew 19:4-6 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' (5) and 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'? (6) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

 

Mark 10:3-4 "What did Moses command you?" he replied.  (4)  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."

 

As usual, Jesus ignored the current debates and focused attention on the Word of God (Deut 24:1-4). Two key facts are paramount:

 

1. It was the man that divorced the wife, not the wife who divorced the husband, for women in Israel did not have this right. (Roman women did have the right of divorce.)

 

2. The official “bill of divorcement” was given to the wife to declare her status and to assure any prospective husband that she was indeed free to remarry. Apart from the giving of this document, the only other requirement was that the woman not return to her first husband if her second husband divorce her.

 

Among the Jews, the question was not, “May a divorced woman marry again?” because remarriage was permitted and even expected. The big question was, “What are the legal grounds for a man to divorce his wife?”

 

The Torah did not give adultery as grounds for divorce: in ancient Israel, the adulterer and the adulteress were stoned to death (Lev 20:10] Whatever Moses meant by “some uncleanness” in Deut 24:1, it could not have been adultery!

 

Matthew 19:7-8 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"  (8)  Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.

 

Matthew 5:31-32 "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  (32)  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

 

Jesus explained that the divorce law was given because of the sinfulness of the human heart: the law protected the wife by restraining the husband from impulsively divorcing her and casting her off rather than treating her like a human being.

 

Without a bill of divorcement, a woman would be likely to become a social outcast and treated like a harlot. No man would want to marry her, and she would be left defenseless and destitute.

 

By giving this commandment to Israel, God was not putting His approval on divorce or even encouraging it.  Rather, He was seeking to restrain it and make it more difficult for men to dismiss their wives.

 

Jesus put sufficient regulations around divorce so that the wives would not become victims of their husbands’ whims.

 

Matthew 19:9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

 

According to Scripture, marriage is between a man and a woman (not two men or two women!). 

 

Mark 10:6-7 "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'  (7)  'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,

Mark 10:8-9 and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. (9) Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

 

The one flesh is a bond created sexually which encompasses the totality of man and woman, and this bond is comparable to that of a blood relationship        A contract, a covenant between man and woman

 

Matthew 19:10-11 The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."  (11)  Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.

 

According to the Scriptures, marriage is a lifetime commitment.  So they are no longer two, but one and Lord Jesus has joined them together and let them not separate.

 

Lord Jesus realizes, though, that, since marriages involve two sinful human beings, divorces are going to occur.

 

The relationship is sacred, intimate, and intended to be permanent.

The union is a physical union: only a physical cause can break it: either death (Rom 7:1-3) or fornication or adultery (Mt 5:32; 19:9).

 

Mark 10:10-12  When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this.  (11)  He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.  (12)  And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

 

The disciples were now convinced that marriage is a dangerous thing to get involved in.  But many did get married, traditional readings

 

What we just covered was someone before receiving the Holy Spirit, having only the spirit in man.  When the marriage and divorce occurred after coming to Christ and becoming a Saint with the Holy Spirit living in them.  Different rules apply, being the new creation {creature} now. {2 Cor 5:17}

 

Paul teaching about a person released from the Law, Saints

 

Romans 7:1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?

 

Romans 7:2-3 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.  (3)  So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

 

She is bound to him by marriage {contract- Covenant} while he lives, and obviously his death frees her from that marriage. Same for the man.  Lord Jesus died on the cross and buried and raised from the dead.  Now Lord Jesus can make a new covenant with Israel and His Bride, the Church.

 

This why we are to be baptize {symbol of death}, to die and raised, then receive the Holy Spirit.  Is it more than symbolism?  a Spiritual Death?

 

Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

 

Baptism results in death of the person and a new beginning as a Saint.  Jesus looks at us as we are dead as we go under the water grave, and alive as we come up.

 

Romans 7:4-5 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.  (5)  For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. {Before Baptism}

 

Flesh refers to the period before the believer’s conversion. In this context, those in the flesh are unregenerate, or not born again, and those in the Spirit are regenerate. On the other hand, both believers and unbelievers may walk according to the flesh, but only believers can walk according to the Spirit, why, because they have the Holy Spirit in them.

Once we became the Bride of Jesus, our sins have been blotted out, covered, and forgiven.  That is all sins, not some, but all sins.

 

Romans 7:6 But now, by dying {baptism} to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. {Law}

 

When a person was baptized, laying on of hands and then received the Holy Spirit, we died to the law and became the bride of our Lord Jesus.  Our sins have been blotted out, forgotten by the Father and our Lord Jesus.

 

Psalms 51:1-2 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.  (2)  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  

 

Baptism, receive the Holy Spirit by Laying on hands. New creation or creature

Psalms 51:9-10 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.  (10)  Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 

Isaiah 43:25 "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.

 

We were cleans of all past sins, not for our sake, notice, but for Lord Jesus sake, as the bride groom, a fresh start of sorts.  Jesus, cannot be around sin

 

Blot out, like white out {or liquid paper} for old typewriters. 

 

This is the key to the whole Book of Romans. Paul applies his illustration of marriage to the believers and the Law.

 

As a wife is no longer married to her husband when he dies, so a Christian is no longer under the Law because they have died and now belong the Jesus.  They died by baptism, buried, under the water.

 

This is why Baptism is important.

 

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  (2)  By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

 

Romans 6:3-4 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  (4)  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

 

Romans 6:5-6 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.  (6)  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin;

 

Romans 6:7-9 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.  (8)  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  (9)  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

 

Romans 6:10-11 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.  (11)  In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

 

Romans 6:12-13 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.  (13)  Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.

 

Romans 6:14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

 

Saints in the Church are, indeed, under grace and united to Lord Jesus as His Bride

 

Apostle Paul gives some final thoughts about instruction on marriage to a Gentile Christian church.  Remember, Roman individuals background can marry and divorce without any problem.

 

1 Corinthians 7:15 But if the unbelieving partner leaves, let him go. In such cases the brother or sister is not under obligation. {bondage, enslaved, bound} God has called you to live in peace.

 

1 Corinthians 5:11-13 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.  (12)  What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  (13)  God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked person from among you." 

 

Can this apply to an abusive spouse, A Christian can divorce a spouse, How many Christians, especially women, have had to put up with the abuse of revilers and drunks who claim to be Christian?

 

Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (26) to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, (27) and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

 

Lord Jesus Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes goes from physical observing the Law to Spiritual observing the Law.  Paul says we are to have works as a Saint.

 

Now, a Saint falls under the spirit of the law, not the physical law and we are now waiting for the final marriage ceremony and supper.