Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: liu@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Peter T Liu) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: divorce and remarriage Message-ID: Date: 8 Nov 90 03:22:35 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Pennsylvania Lines: 74 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu The Bible allows divorce only on the grounds where one mate commits 'porneia' -- a Greek word encompassing fornication and adultery. The following Scriptures I hope will help you see that not allowing divorce is a law that Jehovah, not Jesus Christ or any apostle, Jehovah set forth. Jesus represented his Father here during his ministry on earth and the Bible writers were under the influence of the Holy Spirit when they wrote their books. Thus everything came from Jehovah Himself and everything said in the Bible is His word. Malachi 2:15, 16: "'You people must yourselves respecting your spirit, and with the wife of your youth may no one deal treacherously. For he has hate a divorcing,' Jehovah the God of Israel has said." Matthew 19:8, 9:"[Jesus] said to them:'Moses, out of regard for your hardheartedness, made the concession to you of divorcing your wives, but such has not been the case from the beginning. I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication, and marries another commits adultery.'" (So the innocent mate is permitted, but not required, to divorce a mate who commits "fornication.") Romans 7:2, 3: "A married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is alive; but if her husband dies, she is discharged from the law of her husband. So, then, while her husband is living, she would be styled an adulteress if she became another man's. But if her husband dies, she is free from his law, so that she is not an adulteress if she become another man's." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11: "Do not be misled. Neither fornicators nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men ... will inherit God's kingdom. And yet that is what some of you were. But you have been washed clean, but you have been sanctified, but you have been declared righteous in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the spirit of our God." 1 Cor 6:9-11 emphasizes the seriousness of the matter. Unrepentant adulterers will have no part in God's kingdom. People who divorced and remarried except on the grounds of fornication are guilty of adultery. Thus they will not inherit God's kingdom. As to why so many religions which call themselves 'Christian' allow divorce. Their permissiveness is their fruit and it is certainly not a good one since it is against Jehovah's law. Thus as to identifying the true religion Jesus said the following in Matthew 7:16-20: "By their fruits you will recognize them...Every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit;... Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men." (referring to the true members of the Christian organization.) Not all paths will lead to eternal life. "...because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it."--Matthew 7:13, 14. Thus summing up what was said, Jehovah does not allow divorce except on the grounds of one mate commiting fornication or adultery, and any religion which allows its members to divorce for any other reason except porneia is not the true religion leading to eternal life. Therefore to any religion which calls itself 'Christian' yet allows divorce is producing a bad fruit and is thus not the true Christianity. There are a lot of other pointers as to which religion is true Christianity but allowing divorce except on the grounds of porneia is a good pointer. The views expressed in this article are not in any way the views of Upenn but are views based on the Bible. Please direct any comments, further inquiries, any inquiry or dispute to liu@eniac.seas.upenn.edu.