FORGIVE AND DIVORCE

You Can Forgive and Divorce

You Can Forgive and Divorce 

Christian divorce has always been a thorny issue.  The Trinity, through Moses, put into law the bill of divorcement.  (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).  This Old Testament Law reads:  ‘If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce…”   In today’s society, both spouses have the right to divorce.

Old Testament Laws Stand

‘Indecent’ means not conforming to generally accepted standards of behavior.  It can be adultery, abuse or abandonment.  Jesus did not nullify any laws of the Old Testament.  So, Deuteronomy 24:1-4 is still standing law.  Jesus in Matthew 19 said that Moses permitted divorce because men’s hearts were hard.  The hearts of some Christian husbands and wives are still hard today.  So hard, in fact,  they can be injurious emotionally and physically to the other.  

God Hates Divorce

God does not love the marriage more than the people in it.  Sure, He hates divorce, but I believe he hates the treatment of abuse, adultery, and abandonment even more than the institution.  

Who Did He Save?

Jesus didn’t die to save marriage. He died to save people.  Yes, he does require us to forgive others, but there is no requirement that we have to live with them.  Regardless, divorce should not be taken lightly.

Rev. Dr. Craig A. Brewick

Rev. Dr. Craig A. Brewick, Christian Hope Counseling
7607 Garden Gate Drive
Citrus Heights, CA 95621
(916) 769-4673
www.phonechristiancounselor.com

Thanks to Rebecca VanDoodewaard, author of Uprooted: A Guide for Homesick Christians and Your Future ‘Other Half’: It Matters Whom You Marry