Fellow preachers and teachers of the Bible: Are we
proclaiming the whole council of God’s Word?
Brethren,
There is no greater privilege and responsibility than preaching and
teaching the precious Word of the Living God. Lives are saved and truly changed
when God’s Word goes forth into hearts that are ready to receive the saving
grace of the gospel of Y’shua HaMashiach. Just as a good physician gives pure medicine
to the sick, so must our gospel message be free of corruption and vice.
God Himself is responsible for the outcome of the proclamation of His
Word, and for the results that it produces in the hearts and minds of those
hearing it. We are commanded to proclaim His Eternal Word in love and truth, undiluted,
in its purest form. We must not fear the wrath of those who choose to stay in
darkness so that their sinful deeds will not be exposed. Even so, His Word will
not return unto Him void. Ever since we in the church compromised many of the
doctrines of God, we have witnessed the ever increasing destruction of the
Biblically defined family that forms the foundation of our society.
According to the latest Australian divorce figures recorded by the Government
Bureau of Statistics, there were 398 divorces (0.1 per 1,000) in the entire
nation in 1901, while in 2001, 55,330 divorces (2.8 per 1000) were decreed by
the courts. After adjustments for
population increases, this represents a staggering 2800% increase in divorce in
just a little over an average life-span. It is obvious that something terrible
has inflicted the heart and soul of the Australian people.
So what role has the church played in the destruction of our society?
Plenty, I’d say. By forgetting “thus says the Lord” regarding the Biblical
stand on divorce and remarriage, we have become the primary active agent in the
corruption of this nation. Pastors who have taught that it is within God’s will
for an unhappy partner to divorce their lifetime spouse and remarry someone
more compatible are showered with professional success. A number of pastors and
leaders have even dared to declare that they have been directed by God to
divorce their own rightful spouses and remarry another in order to be more
effective in ministry. Typically, they remain not only in the church, but are often
offered greater pulpits to preach from.
Although some among us have championed the cause of divorce and
remarriage, most of us have merely aided and abetted this curse through
indifference and neglect. We stand idly by, double minded and confused as more
and more divorced members of our flock come and stand before us to be remarried
once again. We dare to presume that we will not be held personally accountable
for our role in ceremonially sanctifying their adultery. To our everlasting shame,
few of us pastors are willing to risk losing our own secure ecclesiastical
tenure by standing firmly opposed to the corrupted will of multitudes within
our own assemblies.
Friends, church blessed divorce and remarriage has brought much pain
and deception into all of our lives. The unsaved are blind, living in darkness
and yet the very people who could, and should, be showing the way, offer no
light or life in this regard. What about the so called exception clauses found
in Matthew, you may ask? Anyone who diligently
studies these clauses will find out that they actually underline Jesus’
teaching - that living in a state of remarriage, is actually living in a state
of adultery. When we, as pastors, permit
or recognize remarriage while an original spouse is still alive, we are
actually playing a decisive role in the eternal damnation of those who deny
what Jesus so clearly declared. Yes, I realize this is a serious statement, and
I know that God alone renders final judgment, however when I read 1 Cor 6:9-10,
I become deeply disturbed and alarmed, don’t you?
“Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the
Whenever this passage of Scripture is preached, the majority of Christians
agree that people who live any of these life styles will not reside in Heaven. Most
are quick to apply the warning to “outsiders” like homosexual activists, con
artists and thieves, but seldom realize that Paul was not referring to the
“world,” but to “insiders,” to those personally claiming the name of Christ,
but not following his commands to live Holy lives. Blinded by the sin of
adultery “inside” the church, we hypocritically pick at the cataracts of those
“outside” the church. Unless, and until we pay heed to our Lord’s command to wash
our own eyes in His Word and obey Him in this matter, we will continue to
blindly fall in the ditch, as will all those who stumble along after us.
Brethren, it is beyond the scope of this short letter for me to
familiarize you with the overwhelming body of evidence supporting the Biblical
doctrine of the permanence of marriage in this life. Nor can I by cunning word
or clever turn of phrase persuade you to examine the fruit of the false
teaching you have acquired from your fellows and peers. Such power to convict,
producing a change of mind and heart that will forever alter the direction of
your life and ministry are only in the hands of the Holy Spirit. But I assure you most truly, that all who are
willing to study the Word without personal prejudice regarding adultery, asking
if the New Testament allows a second “marriage” whilst the first spouse is
still alive, cannot come to any other conclusion than what Jesus Himself
declared – “a man shall leave his father
and mother, and cleave to his wife and that they twain shall be one flesh, so
then they are no more twain but one flesh.”
Jesus said: “whosoever
shall put away his wife and be married to another committeth adultery
against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married
to another, she committeth adultery.” This takes us back to the
1Cor 6:9-10 scriptures and forces the question: “What is the Biblical position
for people who are married for the second time whilst their spouses are still
alive?” As these folks are living in an adulterous lifestyle it clearly shows
that unless they repent, and relinquish their sinful relationship, eternal
separation from their creator awaits them, notwithstanding modern sentiment to
the contrary.
Brethren, this is a most serious and somber issue. We, the church, the very salt of the earth,
have been criminally negligent in our duties concerning upholding God’s Word
concerning marriage. Reaping the corruption we ourselves have sowed, our people
are forced to eat the poisoned fruit our labors have brought forth. If any of
us wish to obey God, and return to the paths of righteousness, we too must
accept His offer of Grace, confessing and forsaking our adulterous ways, and be
cleansed by the Blood of Jesus Christ. We must become faithful sayers and doers
of the Word, by no longer withholding the truth from the people, regardless of
personal consequences, come what may.
Will all those counting themselves in the Body of Christ repent of
their divorce and remarriage teaching and practice, and return unto Him? Sadly,
according to the Bible, the answer is no. Indeed most will continue on their
way, leading the church and the world ever farther into darkness as the hour
approaches of His return. However, God alone is responsible for the outcome in
the hearts of men and women when His Word is faithfully proclaimed. He has
promised to save a remnant of His people. Those with His ears will hear. Those
without His ears, will not. Let us work while there is still time and be about
our Father’s business.
In His service,
Pastor Philip
Hammond
Dandenong North. Vic 3175
e-mail philandeb@optusnet.com.au
Source: www.marriagedivorce.com