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Christianity Today, October, 2007 |

What God Has Joined

What does the Bible really teach about divorce?

David Instone-Brewer | posted 10/05/2007 08:39AM

I was being interviewed for what would be my first church pastorate, and I was nervous and unsure what to expect. The twelve deacons sat in a row in front of me and took turns asking questions, which ...

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Jacob Hantla

Posted: October 21, 2007 12:00 AM

How can we use extrabiblical documents to make the Bible say what it doesn't say? David Instone-Brewer does an excellent job of saying "that's not really what the Bible says" in his article on divorce in Christianity today. Piper comments on the article: Instone-Brewer’s interpretation is an example (common, it seems, in New Testament studies today) of taking extra-biblical observations and using them to silence the fairly plain meaning of biblical texts. Notice as you read all of Instone-Brewer's arguments that say that Jesus wasn't really prohibiting divorce in Matthew 19, Luke 16, and Matthew 5:32 and that Paul was authorizing divorce for Adultery, emotional or physical neglect, or abandonment or abuse that the crux of all of his arguments rest in extra-biblical rabbinic documents that make the text say the precise opposite thing that a clear reading of the text shows.

Jim S.

Posted: October 19, 2007 7:52 AM

Should actually be 0 stars. This is simply another case of one who uses extra-biblical writings to justify a weak, non-biblical position on divorce. Basically it seems that we can get a divorce for most any reason, and remarry without any crisis of conscience. Perhaps this article represents the title of the magazine well: Christianity TODAY. May God be merciful to us and raise up a generation of teachers and leaders who will honor His word and not allow the sins of the culture to neutralize or diminish the timeless truths of YHWH. Soli deo gloria!

Patrick

Posted: October 19, 2007 4:50 AM

I cannot believe that CT would publish such a misinterpreted, secular-world-pleasing view of the scriptures stance on divorce. Has God-centeredness ceased to exist? Are we here to please ourselves, live a decent life, and avoid unpleasent situations (i.e. an abusive spouse)? No, we are called to live radical, tough, God-centered, God-glorifying lives at any cost, even those very lives, just like our Lord Jesus Christ. I pain over the constant stray from TRUE biblical theology the church has committed itself to when such world-pleasing teachings are both published here and taught on Sunday.

David

Posted: October 19, 2007 1:24 AM

I've cancelled my subscription to CT as a result of this article. I was shocked and devestated upon reading it. If this article is a correct statement of current evangelical and orthodox thinking about divorce, then God save the evangelical church. I know several people currently considering divorce but concerned about God's view of them divorcing their spouse. I pray they do not see this magazine on the newsstand.

Lalsangzuali

Posted: October 19, 2007 1:21 AM

Why can we not believe in a supernatural God? Surely our God is a God of the impossible!! It is only when we, with all our limitations, find it so hard to deal with the problems that come our way, that we decide to deal with them exactly like the way we feel we can, not like the way we know He wants us to. He alone can give us the strength and the courage to face tough situations and not run away from them.

Chris

Posted: October 18, 2007 7:58 PM


I've come across this article through John Piper's website and would encourage a look at his comments on this article. http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/ 2443_Tragically_Widening_the_Grounds_of_Legitimate_Divorce/

Kathleen

Posted: October 18, 2007 3:37 PM

My husband divorced me. He had left me for another woman. I live in a state where no fault divorce is practiced and it only takes one of the spouse to obtain a divorce. As an Evangelical Christian I had been taught that divorce and remarriage were permissible in cases of adultery, abondonment and abuse but still I felt compelled to study God's word to just confirm what I considered common knowledge. When I read the scriptures with fresh eyes I was shocked. Jesus's words were so plainly clear, I wondered how anyone could miss their obvious meaning. God did not permit divorce and to remarry was considered adultery. This is not what I wanted to hear it seemed unfair but I could not deny the words of my Lord. I know a lot of Christains that have divorced and happily remarried but for myself I must follow my consience and abide by the words spoken by Christ. I have a civil divorce but am still married in the eyes of God and cannot remarry as long as my husband is alive

Clayton

Posted: October 18, 2007 1:54 PM


Articles like this are why I have ceased reading Christianity Today. People-pleasing theology leads people to hell. God centered theology is what we need! I am shocked how a man could take Scripture so "figuratively" in order to have a a wide-audience of readers. Shame on you, Christianity Today!

Shane C. Miller

Posted: October 18, 2007 1:17 PM

John Piper has written a response to this Tragic and UNBIBLICAL aritcle entitled: Tragically Widening the Grounds of Legitimate Divorce. I can't supply better information than what Piper writes. I find it sad that one attempts to add to Scripture, or to interpret what was not said by Jesus as meaning something else. We must examine our hearts and see that indeed, what God has joined together, "let no man seperate." Truth: God HATES divorce, and we are not to enter into divorce. When I married my wife just this summer, I went into it joyfully, but also knowing full-well that it was for LIFE. Shame on me if I try and justify ways/methods for divorce. (From Piper's article:) "In sum, what I am pleading for here is that Jesus' standards for marriage were higher than the rabbinic schools. He is radical, not accommodating. The world we live in needs to see a church thats so satisfied in Christ that it's marriages are not abandoned for something as amorphous as "emotionalneglct

Leslie

Posted: October 18, 2007 12:11 PM


If the church had strong teaching about marriage and abstaining from divorce (in all cases), people would have a higher view of God and His faithfulness to us. Young singles would also be more careful about whomthey chose to marry. It is sad to me that a pastor wouldn't know where he stood on the issue and would see remarriage after divorce as common.

Spencer

Posted: October 18, 2007 10:12 AM

I find it amazing that, considering marriage is to demonstrate the love of Christ for His church (Ephesians 5), there is absolutely no discussion whatsoever in this article on how the gospel relates to divorce. Under which condition will Christ divorce His church? Under which condition is the church to divorce from Christ? God's people commit adultery against Him, and yet He does not divorce them (Hosea). God's people abandon and neglect Him (the whole history of God's people, including Peter's denials) and yet He does not divorce them. And God's people abused Him on the cross, and yet He still did not divorce them. If in our marriages we are to show the same love and grace and mercy to our spouses as Christ shows to us, then under what condition would we now divorce? So often we neglect to discuss the implications of the gospel on life issues, but there is nothing more central to our understanding of life issues than the gospel! Brothers and sisters...do not abandon the gospel!

Trevor

Posted: October 18, 2007 9:45 AM

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." This article is yet another example. It would seem to me that the "fruit" of this article was an attempt to please the deacons of his church and avoid any chance of discipline. There is no doubt that divorce is tragic, and God is gracious to forgive us. But it would appear that in most cases divorce is the result of hard hearts who are unwilling to forgive each other and with God's grace work toward restoration. I know that there are those who are just itching to drop the abuse card about now, but honestly, that is the case in very few divorces today. If Christians would take time - BEFORE MARRIAGE - to evaluate their potential spouse's relationship with Christ, these cases would all but disappear.

Dean	Posted: October 18, 2007 8:53 AM

This is really tragic thinking and interpretation. I think the conclusions of the author are rooted more in an interpretation of the Bible through a 21st century American lens more than a first century Jew's perspective. "I'm not happily married and God wants me happy, therefore I am free to divorce and remary to be happy" is a mentality I encounter nearly every week now in my church--solidly evangelical, by the way-- and others like it. Guys or gals leave their wives, and in our case leave the church because we do practice discipline, go to the next hip evangelical mega-church a few miles away, get into the singles group, get involved, and get remarried and no one challenges it. It's because we prefer to develop and nurture comfort rather than holiness both in our own lives and in the lives of our churches.

Pete	Posted: October 18, 2007 8:39 AM

[no star wanted to be given but I had to for a submission] In this artilce the author states, "......that almost no one relied on the literal Old Testament grounds for divorce" and further claims to have really "got inside their heads", doing his research. As a result of thinking like them, this article displays that he ends up making the same mistakes when interpreting Scripture. For example; Exodus 21 is not about the "maritial relationship" rather about the "master servant (Hebrew) relationship". 1 Corinthians 7 is not about divorce rather about dealing with a separation involving a marriage between a believer and a non believer (in an immoral environment at Cornith that may have been second only to Sodom/Gomorrah). Praise God that Jesus, when confronted, took a stand on this issue and did not wavier like so many of today's academia.

David Mathis

Posted: October 18, 2007 6:27 AM


John Piper responds to Instone-Brewer: http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/876.

John	Posted: October 18, 2007 12:00 AM


How can CT let this unbiblical message through? First, Evan Almighty and now this?!?! I'm glad there are still plenty of thinking Christians out there who understand the seriousness of marriage. Go here for an excellent response by Dr. John Piper. http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/ 2443_Tragically_Widening_the_Grounds_of_Legitimate_Divorce/

April

Posted: October 18, 2007 12:00 AM

I am honestly dissapointed in CT that they would publish this article-one man's interpretation (and I believe misinterpretation due to the high usage of extra-biblical sources rather than the Bible itself) as TRUTH without a counter-argument. For a good and thoughtful response and disagreement to this artice, visit http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/ 2443_Tragically_Widening_the_Grounds_of_Legitimate_Divorce/

gabriel

Posted: October 18, 2007 12:00 AM


This article gives license to divorce according to the author's mind, not Scriptures... A good response to this is posted on John Piper's page under the title "Tragically widening the grounds of legitimate divorce" Link here, http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/ 2443_Tragically_Widening_the_Grounds_of_Legitimate_Divorce/

Vico	Posted: October 18, 2007 12:00 AM


read the truth here: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/ 2443_Tragically_Widening_the_Grounds_of_Legitimate_Divorce/ (i bet the author is divorce himself...so he wanted to justify his actions)

Bryan

Posted: October 18, 2007 12:00 AM

While Instone-Brewer's assessment of Jesus' teaching on divorce may offer hope to those who feel trapped in their marriage (a legitimate emotion, to be sure), he does not offer any suggestion as to why Jesus attributed Moses' allowances to the Jews hardness of heart. The plain meaning of Jesus statements, notwithstanding the special meaning of "any cause," puts him at odds with Moses' allowances. The desire to see a more palatable meaning in Jesus words has led Instone-Brewer to engage in wishful reading. The pain of a dysfunctional marriage is not to be minimized, but neither is the making of two into one. I am thankful, however, that the author retains the view that divorce should never happen. For a counterpoint to this article, see http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/ 2443_Tragically_Widening_the_Grounds_of_Legitimate_Divorce/

Ross Brisbane

Posted: October 17, 2007 8:20 PM

Going through divorce is a painful experience. It requires much compassion and understanding. I am going through that process after 31 years of marriage. Faced with emotional (on both sides) dilution we found no answer. Binding to each other in lawful sense was destroying both. What's the answer? It's quite simple: We throw ourselves on a Loving God for understanding and do much soul searching creating new growth and understanding in a full rich God founded on REDEMPTION in what HE did for you and me, not WHAT WE do for Him. Too many face the fear of punishment. Too many in churches think falling on ones face in some repentant attitude provides the answer. That's religion! UNDEFIED Christianity allows redemptive acts of God's grace to work, reaching downward to us to lift us up. Until a Pastor or other high authority face such crisis, they have no right sit in the seat of Moses and judge. Jesus strongly warned ALL against doing such. WE HAVE READ HERE graceless comments.

Joseph Justiss

Posted: October 17, 2007 7:52 PM

This article reveals the dangerous error of allowing the events begind the text to supplant the clear meaning of the text. Dr. Brewer has done little more than make the text say what he wants it to say by reconstructing the historical background of the text which is at best speculative. Therefore one man's historical reconstruction of the cultural setting of Mt 19 is supposed to shed "new light" on the meaning of the text. What would the average reader of the Bible do without these scholars? May I humbly suggest a refreshing dose of the hermeneutics of John Sailhamer. Let's read the text and focus on it, not the events behind the text. We can only be certain of the background information which the author of the text supplies in the text itself. Thus it is basis of what the author intended to say, not first century Jewish rabinical teaching.

Duece

Posted: October 17, 2007 1:35 PM

Well stated. Well researched. Obviously a considerate response to the literal contextual meaning of the passages involved. Would that all Scriptural interpretation was done with such care and competence! It refreshing to see that pure dogmatism doesn't have to be the only response to confusing or culturally complex questions. So much unjustified condemnation and false shame might have been avoided if a few more of us had been willing to see this light earlier.

Oghale

Posted: October 17, 2007 1:34 PM

On the issue of divorce and what i have come to understand from my bible, God never intended for such a thing, if you look at the King James Version bible, not the new version in the new testament you would see that Jesus told them that Moses allowed it because of their hardness of heart, and the word used in that bible giving the grounds for divorce was fornication not adultery, why would he have said fornication, we all know fornication cant take place between a married couple, was it a mistake? I think not cause at the end of that verse Jesus then said anyone who divorces causes the spouse that remarries to commit adultery. I believe that when Jesus used the word fornication He was saying in other words...on no grounds should you divorce your spouse NOT even on the grounds of ADULTERY! See Matthew 19: 8-9 KJV. On the other issue of Paul giving grounds for divorce if you look at the scriptures in 1 Corinthians 7:12 he said 'But to the rest i speak; not the Lord:' Jesus Word is sure!

Gato	Posted: October 17, 2007 1:13 PM


I do not think God would want someone to be in a marriage relationship where there was neglect or abuse. Baalam was chastised for hitting his poor donkey. Does not God care that much more for humans. The spirit of the scriptures points out that divorce is allowed for abuse and neglect. Mr. Instone-Brewer study, clearly shows that in the case of adultery, neglect or abuse divorce is allowable.

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