What Does the Bible Say About Divorce?

Over 1 million couples will file as married on this year's tax form, for the last time. That is, until they get married again, and risk an even greater rate of divorce. More people file for divorce the day after the federal tax deadline than any other day of the year, when the couple's monetary worth is revealed. What is the true measure of a couple's worth? Let's go to the Bible to find out, since after all, marriage is a covenant that we made with our spouse and God.  

The first Bible search word that came to my mind regarding marriage was 'long-suffering'. (Tee hee hee - I couldn't help myself!) Actually, in Ephesians 4 it says, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love".  This is the measure of your patience, and the real test of patience is not in the waiting, but in how one acts while he or she is waiting. 

I know I can wait quite patiently when I distract myself by stewing a plan of vengeance. Obviously, this is not good idea. These verses in Romans 12 remind us that God will take care of repaying wrongs… "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." I imagine God's disappointment and punishment can far outweigh mine. 'Tis best to just forgive.

How do we measure up in the forgiveness department? In Colossians 3 it says, "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." 

The next verse goes on the say, "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." Hmm…charity; the highest form of love from God, far surpassing erotic and emotional love. This is unconditional love at it's finest, and must be what they are talking about when they say you must love your spouse even when you don't like them. 

Let's say it goes way beyond not liking your spouse. Let's say we don't even want to breath the same air as they are. Let's say, as the Bible says, we want to "put them away". Can we? This is what the Pharisees asked Jesus, and our Lord's response was,  "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Matthew 19) That last sentence always gets me. 

If one is really searching, there are two (and only two) reasons a divorce is tolerated by our God.  The first reason Jesus reveals in later in Matthew 19, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." Therefore, if your partner has been unfaithful, you are pardoned. And the second reason, as told by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 7, is if your spouse is not a believer in Christ as his or her Savior, and leaves you. (You cannot, however, leave them if they wish to stay.) 

As always, it is best if we follow God's own example. He 'married' us when we came to believe in His Son, as we are the Church, the bride of Christ.  There is absolutely nothing we could possibly do that would cause Him to leave us. How blessed are we?!

Divorce, as very hard as it is, is actually the easy way out. Staying married is much harder work, yet this endeavor is what God wants of us. If pleasing God is not enough motivation for us to bear through it, maybe not pleasing Satan is. One of the prince of lies' most successful plans to win souls has been the break-up of the family unit. United we stand against him. What it looks like we really need to do is to take to heart Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's quote: “The worst reconciliation is better than the best divorce”  Since our marriage reflects our relationship with God, there is nothing we should want more than for it to be overflowing with charity. 

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, (who happens to be divorced and remarried) not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored! Many thanks to my Bible study friends who proofread for me every week.

Heaven or Hell...choose now and choose wisely!

SON: Mom, your chart's messed up.

MOTHER: Why's that, hun?

SON: You're telling people they're dead.

MOTHER: I'm just trying to make a point that the decision of whether they want to go to Heaven or Hell is theirs to make right now. 

SON: Not everyone's going to die today, Mom.

MOTHER: Some will, and if they don't know where they are going, they will end up somewhere they don't want to be. 

SON: I know, I know…only people who believe in Jesus and His dying and rising for our sins get to go to heaven. That's harsh, Mom. Like I said, your chart's messed up.

Ten years later… 

MOTHER: Son! You're here! Why didn't you tell me you accepted Jesus? 

SON: My friend was saying the same stuff about Him that you had always said. I started to think you might be right. We were driving home to tell you the good news the night our car went over the bridge. The other kid in the car with us thought I was nuts when I came to believe in Jesus as my Savior. Mom, he's not here! I wouldn't be either had you not nagged me all my life to believe. Heaven's awesome, Mom! Oh, and mom...thanks. 

•   •   •

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells us a much more descriptive story of our eternal decision. It is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. (This is a different Lazarus than the one He raised from the dead.) Lazarus went to heaven, and the rich man went to hell. The rich man begged to be released, even just to warn others of the torment of hell, but could not. Jesus then emphasizes that the gap between heaven and hell is so great that it is uncrossable and permanent. 

Oh I do wish there was a 'grace period' after death that would give us one last chance to repent. If there was, instead of sitting here at my computer trying to spread the Good News of the Gospel, outing myself as the Jesus freak that I am,  I would be sitting on a beach somewhere, blissfully contemplating whether to have a margarita or a pina colada.

Luke 16:19-31

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored! Many thanks to my Bible study friend Renee Driscoll, who helps me keep Bible Bait Biblically correct.

Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

What's with the Lamb cake? Where's the Easter Bunny? Wait, Bunnies don't lay eggs…Could the real Easter symbol please stand up? 

Pascha, the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, now Easter, is celebrated on the 1st Sunday following the 1st full moon of Spring, at least for Western Christians. This is about the same time as the Jewish holiday of Passover and the Pagan celebration of the spring equinox. The Seder meal served at Passover includes a hard boiled egg which represents the holiday offering brought in the days of the Holy Temple. Eggs as well as hares are also used by the Pagans, as symbols of new life and fertility.  This explains the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs, which are lovely and all, but they don't hold a candle to the meaning behind the Lamb! 

Let's go back in time, to when a wiry mountain man wearing animal skins for clothes, boisterously obsessed with one thing, rants on about a Messiah that is coming to save the world. People would travel for weeks just to get a glimpse of this guy. You are standing alongside the Jordan River to be passionately Baptized by him, to ready yourself for this Savior he speaks of. Then walks into the scene, Jesus. "Behold!" John the Baptist bellows, "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) John must have been crazy ecstatic to see Jesus, and positively honored to announce His presence. What I would give to have an audio of that moment.

Now let's take a look at what being called 'The Lamb of God' really meant. Before Jesus, the only way to approach God was through the blood of an animal sacrifice.  In the time of Moses, under Mosaic law, a male yearling without blemish, innocent, pure and gentle had to be sacrificed to redeem humans, to make atonement for their sins, and receive purification from ritual uncleanliness. It wasn't as easy, and they had to do it over and over. A lamb was sacrificed every morning and evening (Exodus 29:39). They were never truly finished.  Not until God sent us all His final sacrifice, without blemish, innocent, pure, and gentle…His Son! (1 Pet 1:19) Jesus said it Himself as His blood flowed out for us, in His final words, "It is Finished" (John 19:30) The debt of all of our sins past present and future has been paid through the sacrifice of God's own Lamb.

Suddenly I'm feeling rather foolish that I celebrate my Salvation with an egg. From now on, I'm going to make it known that I am a believer in Jesus, the Lamb of God and Savior of the world, by celebrating appropriately.  As far as my Easter table goes, it's going to be as easy as cake.


Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored!
Many thanks to my Bible study friends who proofread for me every week.