Bible Study (Marriage)

By Bishop Elijah H. Hankerson III, BA, MA, DD

I.                 GOLDEN TEXT.

1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

LESSON NOTES:[1]

I.                 MARRIAGE The question about divorce prompts Jesus to give a discourse on the meaning and purpose of the marriage institution.

Matthew 19:4-6 ⁴"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 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 flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

Mark 10:6-9 ⁶"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, ⁸and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

                         A.            JESUS STATES THAT GOD MADE BOTH MALE AND FEMALE; THAT HE CREATED OPPOSITE SEXES. He created them for each other.

Genesis 2:24-25 ²⁴That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. ²⁵Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

                         B.            ADAM WAS MADE TO SLEEP SO THAT FROM HIS BODY WAS DRAWN A RIB, FROM WHICH WOMAN WAS CREATED, AS IS TOLD IN THE CREATION STORY. This creation of woman, as the help "mate" is translated to mean a "help suitable." This mate of Adam’s, or the woman, was his counterpart. Jesus then reiterates this creation story to emphasize the importance of this fundamental fact that God united man and woman, male and female, and this union we call marriage.

                         C.            JESUS FURTHER STATES IN ESSENCE THAT MARRIAGE IN THE SIGHT OF GOD takes place when man or woman does the following to meet the requirements. When this is accomplished in the sight of God, marriage becomes the institution for the two persons engaging in such activity.

(1)          Leave parents to be joined to a partner

Matthew 19:5 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'?

(2)          The two become as one, in purpose and duty

Matthew 19:7 ⁷"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?

                         D.            THE CIVIL COURTS MUST SOLEMNIZE MARRIAGE, TOO, FOR LEGAL AND VARIED REASONS. It is the stability of a nation: the foundation of a home. Marriage and family life is its cornerstone. It is the best and most accurate census and record of a community's and nation's worth to have on the legal record at town hall, names, dates and witnesses to the legal solemnization of marriage.

                         E.            YET, JESUS PLACES GOD'S IDEA OF MARRIAGE ABOVE THAT OF THE CIVIL REQUIREMENTS because he counts it so important until he dares man or civil law to tamper with its solidarity

Matthew 19:6 ⁶So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

                          F.            NOT WHAT MAN HAS SOLEMNIZED BECOMES A UNION OF ONE FLESH, BUT WHAT GOD HAS UNIONIZED; AND SUCH UNION SHOULD NOT BY ANY BE DISSOLVED. Therefore, we conclude that marriage is honorable in all and the bed is undefiled

Hebrews 13:4 ⁴Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

II.            MARRIAGE WITH UNBELIEVERS We encourage our saints who may be seeking marriage, courting or engaged to be married to an unbeliever (one who has not accepted Christ as Savior, rejects the Church and its teachings on sanctification, the Holy Ghost and the tenets of the Church) to reconsider and seek to marry one who is

(1) A member of the faith.

(2) Not antagonistic to Spirit filled belief and practice.

(3)          And one who will not hinder or handicap the Church partner and children, if involved, from adhering to the tenets of the faith.

III.                    DIVORCE The word divorce comes from the Greek and Hebrew words "kenthuth" and “apostasion” meaning to cut loose.

                         A.            UNDER THE JEWISH LAW, DIVORCE IMPLIES A COMPLETE DISSOLUTION OF A MARRIAGE, not just a separation of parties. The Old Testament provisions for this legal means of dissolving a marriage, giving both parties the legal right to remarry is recorded in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. "When a man hath a wife and married her, and it comes to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her, then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.”

                         B.            FROM THESE SCRIPTURES, THE FOLLOWING FACTS ARE ASCERTAINED:

1 A MAN COULD PUT AWAY HIS WIFE FOR UNCLEANNESS. This cause implied divorce could be granted for many reasons. Read Matthew 19:3.Uncleanness is translated "obnoxious" and "unseemly." There were many laws and ordinances slating methods by which one might become unclean.

                                                   a.            CEREMONIAL UNCLEANNESS: Such as touching a dead body or eating things unclean or breaking a Nazarite vow, (Leviticus 5:2-3). The Hebrew word for “defiled” in verse 4 signifies "disqualified” and it implies ritual disqualification, not moral; marrying near kin, or having the blood of another nation in them, and mixing with the blood of other nations, (Leviticus 18:6-30).

                                                   b.            PHYSICAL UNCLEANNESS: Such a woman with an issue of blood, or one with leprosy, boils and so on. (Leviticus 13).

2 THE MOSAIC DIVORCE BILL GRANTED AN ABSOLUTE DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE with the right to remarry, not to separate. (Deuteronomy 24:3)

3 THE OLD TESTAMENT DID NOT RECOGNIZE ADULTERY AS ONE OF THE GROUNDS OF DIVORCE, for adultery was a capital crime punishable by death (Deuteronomy 22:22).

4 THE RIGHT TO DIVORCE WAS SEEMINGLY THE PRIVILEGE OF THE MAN AND NOT OF THE WOMAN.

IV.        CHRIST AND THE DIVORCE LAW The New Testament deals with divorce in connection with a question asked of Jesus concerning Moses' permission of divorcement (Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:17).

                         A.            JESUS RESPONDED TO THE PHARISEES' QUESTION BY CONDEMNING THEM AS TO THE REASON FOR MOSES GRANTING A DIVORCEMENT The reason being "The Hardness of Their Hearts" (Matthew 19:7-8) Then in Matthew 5:32; 19:9, Christ mentions the one exception which under the illegitimacy of any other reason: '' And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commiteth adultery; and whosoever marrieth her which is put away, doth commit adultery."

                         B.            CONSIDERATIONS TO BE REMEMBERED FROM THE ABOVE PASSAGE IS THAT CHRIST OPPOSED THE OLD TESTAMENT CAUSES FOR DIVORCE; the person that was put away for any other cause other than adultery is not at liberty to remarry, because the bond of marriage was not dissolved, and the divorce, therefore, would not be valid in the sight of God; a Jew must not use the writing of divorcement except for fornication.

                         C.            FORNICATION AND ADULTERY ARE SYNONYMOUS TERMS IN SCRIPTURE AND THEY ARE OFTEN INTERCHANGEABLE (Jeremiah 3:1; Amos 7:17; Matthew 5:32). In Hebrew and Greek, the word fornication includes incest, sodomy, harlotry, perversion and all sexual sin, both before and after marriage.

                         D.            Pauline Teachings on Marriage and Divorce from Romans 7:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 7:10-15: "Know ye not brethren (for I speak to them that I know the law) how that the Law hath dominion as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he liveth; But if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband So then, if while her husband liveth she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another''

                         A.            PAUL IN THE ABOVE PASSAGE, HAS NO INTENTIONS TO DISCUSS HERE THE PROBLEMS RELATED TO MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE, BUT IS SIMPLY STATING AN ILLUSTRATION ABOUT MARRIAGE TO DEMONSTRATE HOW THE LAW IS NO LONGER BINDING ON THE BELIEVER after the death of Christ. The essence of this doctrinal illustration states that the husband by right of the marriage law, has the authority to rule over his wife until his death. At his death, she is released from her husband's authority. As it is with the believer at the death of Christ, so it is with the law, it has no dominion over him.

                         B.            HOWEVER, IN VIEWING ROMANS 7:1-4, WE KEEP IN MIND THAT DIVORCE FOR ADULTERY IS NOT OF CONCERN HERE, AND PAUL HAS NO INTENTIONS OF DELETING MATTHEW'S EXCEPTION for adultery as a cause for the dissolution of a marriage. This law has no provision for a divorce, and if left unmodified, binds a wife to an adulterous husband for life. 1 Corinthians 7:10-11. "And unto the married I command yet not I, but the Lord let not the wife depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband and let not the husband put away his wife." — was written by Paul to those Christian women who were obtaining divorces according to Greek Law. Paul commanded them to remain unmarried or become reconciled to their husbands However, if she divorced her husband for adultery, her divorce or remarriage would not be contested. Verses 12-15. If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him let him not put her away. And the woman which hath a husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such case. "But (rod hath called us to peace. — dealt with a new problem that had developed in Corinth.

                         C.            WHEN CORINTHIANS BECAME CHRISTIANS, FOR INSTANCE, THE HEATHEN HUSBAND OR WIFE DESERTED AND DIVORCED THE CHRISTIAN BECAUSE OF THEIR BELIEF IN CHRIST. Paul instructed the saints married to unbelievers to remain with them if there was peace between them. But in verse 15, Paul tells the believers not to resist the divorce actions against them by their unbelieving mates if a divorce is insisted upon, A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases. In this case, Paul does net bind the believer to remain unmarried or to be reconciled. The phrase “not under bondage,” in verse 15, expresses the total release from the marital bond, as did the Jewish Bill. In verses 27 and 28, Paul spoke of being loosed (meaning divorced) from the bondage of marriage by divorce “Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. But if thou marry, thou has not sinned" In summary, remarriage privileges, according to the Scriptures, may be granted by the church only to:

V.             IN SUMMARY, REMARRIAGE PRIVILEGES, ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES, MAY BE GRANTED BY THE CHURCH ONLY TO:

1.               THE INNOCENT PARTY IN AN ADULTEROUS MARRIAGE.

2.               THE SURVIVOR OF A MARRIAGE, THAT IS AT THE DEATH OF THE HUSBAND OR WIFE.

3.               THE SAVED SPOUSE WHO HAS BEEN DESERTED AND DIVORCED AGAINST HIS OR HER WILL BY THE UNSAVED SPOUSE BECAUSE OF THEIR BELIEF IN HOLINESS AND FAITH IN CHRIST, (1 Corinthians 7:10). Because of the eternal consequences of an unscriptural divorce, and the fact that divorce is symptomatic of profound existing conflicts, those couples contemplating divorce should not to seek a divorce as the answer to their basic problems.

                         A.            BEFORE THE MINISTER PERFORMS A MARRIAGE INVOLVING A DIVORCED PERSON; THE MINISTER IS ENCOURAGED TO SOLEMNIZE THE MARRIAGE ONLY WHEN IT IS SATISFIED THAT

(1) The divorced person (or persons) are aware of the causes that doomed their previous marriage.

(2) The divorced person has been helped with effective counseling (religious and/or psychotherapy) sufficiently to prevent similar problems from recurring.

(3) The divorced person is sincere in making adequate and satisfactory adjustments before entering into the proposed marriage as a true born again Christian with the teachings of Scripture as ones guide

(4) Sufficient time should be given to the minister to determine if effective counseling has been given.

VI.        ANNULMENTS Annulments of Marriages for the cause of fraud with the right to remarry may be sanctioned by the church if injury or deprivation to the conjugal covenant can be established

VIII.PRAYER FOR SALVATION. As we close, if you have not received this Jesus pray this simple prayer:

"Father, I know that I have sinned against You. Please forgive me. Wash me clean. I promise to trust in Jesus, Your Son. I believe that He died for me—He took my sin upon Himself when He died on the cross. I believe that He was raised from the dead. I surrender my life to Jesus today.

"Thank You, Father, for Your gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Please help me to live for you. In Jesus' name, Amen."

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[1] [1] Range, C. F. Church Of God In Christ Official Manual. COGIC: Memphis, 1973.