Steven Garofalo
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WHY DIVORCE IS WRONG and When It Is Allowed
(Podcast Notes On Broadcast)
February 05, 2023
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When Does God Allow Divorce?

WHY DIVORCE IS WRONG-When It Is Allowed

By Steven Garofalo   January 10, 2022     (Copyright 2023) 

A friend of mine is going through a sad divorce. His wife never liked accountability and as a result seems to want both men, or at least not not him as his wife any longer. I am going to show you biblically that when infidelity occurs in a marriage, the marriage covenant or “oath” is officially “broken” and cannot be repaired.

Matthew 5:27-37 is the specific passage I want to focus on today. Matthew 5:32 makes clear that divorce is not allowed for Christians “except on the ground of sexual immorality” (see Matthew 19:3-9). Also Mark 10:2-12, and Luke 16:18 for Jesus’ teaching on divorce. I will provide you three specific times when divorce is allowed, but overwhelmingly, divorce is almost exclusively disallowed except for unchastity, which may mean:

1) Adultery, meaning cheating on one’s husband or wife taken in marriage through covenant before God.

2) Unfaithfulness during the period of “betrothal” (see 1:19)-this is a period of time of engagement or betrothal, that in the the times of Jesus, was customarily considered as if married already and would need an official divorce to break it off. That is based on Genesis 29:21 and Deut. 22:23-30).

3) Third and lastly, divorce would be allowed if a marriage was found to be between near relatives Leviticus 18 and acts 15:29 speaks to this. This is a very rare recluse area which does not apply the vast majority of the world’s population.

Going back to Matthew 5, what intrigued me about this passage is that Jesus addresses the law of adultery in Matthew 5:27-30 and then summarizes the law of divorce in verses 31 and 32. But then, Jesus does something unexpected in that he goes right into “The law of oaths” in verses 33-37. I believe this is by no accident in that the marriage covenant is clearly an oath. As such, Jesus wants us to know the “why” behind God’s law making divorce a no-no unless that covenant oath is broken. Than, Jesus explains to us the importance of an oath in relation to the marriage covenant as well as all oaths we may make and why breaking an oath is a serious offense in God’s eyes. Jesus warns us strictly not to “swear falsely” in taking an oath and the marriage covenant. The law is broken and the offense is taken against god himself when one “perjure’s himself or herself.

Oath’s taken in the name of the lord were binding in biblical times, and perjury-meaning to break that oath was strongly condemned in the law (see ex. 20:7; Lev. 19:12; and Deut. 1916-19). Every oath in biblical times contained an affirmation or promise and an appeal to God as the omniscient punisher of falsehoods, which made the oath binding. I would assert, the same is true for you and i in the 21st Century. Why do i say that? Because is immutable, meaning he is unchanging. An oath is based on fidelity and truth, and to believe that the grace of Jesus makes breaking an oath and failing to adhere to the truth of god is “OK” is simply wrong, unbiblical, and of great offense to the persons between the oath was taken and to God himself. Remember Joseph fled Potiphar’s wife trying to trap him in adultery. In her lust she said to Joseph after she grabbled his garment, saying, “lie with me” in verse 7. Picking up in verses 8-9 the bible says: “But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is no greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can i do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Three major things are going on: number one, Potiphar’s wife is trying to lustfully trap Joseph and cause his to commit adultery. Number two, Joseph is trying to explain that the importance of his assumed oath to Potiphar includes his fidelity to Potiphar, to his office, and certainly to the respond of Potiphar’s wife. Joseph makes clear that he does not want to and will not break the trust of oath he gave his boss, Potiphar, ruler of the land. Third and lastly, Joseph makes clear as an exclamation mark this: “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? (v.9b). You see in the end, to break the oath to Potiphar was to harm and violate his agreement and relationship with Potiphar. But above his relationship with Potiphar was his sober understanding that above all things in heaven and on earth, to commit adultery is to break his oath-and to break that oath was in the words of the Bible, “Great wickedness and sin against God”. Joseph’s strength in refusing these advances were fueled by his loyalty to his master and even more significantly, his recognition that the lord was indeed with him. Here, Joseph made clear that to break this oath through adultery is a “sin against God”. Here Joseph not only stood up for his ethical beliefs, but he also told a woman  who probably believed in many "god’s" (polytheism) about the the righteousness of the only true God.

In closing, the biblical view of divorce is not one to taken lightly, and the only allows for divorce in the case of infidelity. Why? Because the “marriage” covenant” or “oath” taken and given before God, before the church, family, friends and the public has been broken. Once broken, an covenant cannot be fixed. It must be eliminated, and if both parties decide to re-marry, they must be re-married afresh, creating a new covenant. God does not play around with our taking an oath and the marriage covenant and when broken, it’s a major offense and violation against God and those we entered into the oath covenant with. The good news is that God does allow for u-turns, but they must be authentic in heart, mind and action. I trust you will take this subject seriously in our culture accepts divorce on the grounds of incompatibility or any other reason other other than breaking of God’s covenant oath.

Steven Garofalo, January 1, 2023

·      If you would like to learn more and how to be better equipped, go to www.Equippedacademy.Com

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Copyright 2023

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When I was in seminary, the question was raised as to if pets or animals in general go to heaven. Our professor, Dr. Norman Geisler said this: “Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the Cross for the human race, not animals.” I was working out at the gym one day when one of the regulars, who had just moved to Charlotte, NC from California told me that one of her beloved dogs died; and would that dog go to heaven. I have her the same answer. But, was that the whole story? That’s what we are going to look at today.

In a peace by Michael Housman, Founder of GotQuestions.Org, Housman wrote that “The BIble does not give any explicit teaching on whether pets or animals in general have souls, or spirits, or whether pets and other animals will be in heaven.

His answer was short but the animals not having souls maybe up for debate.

We can use general biblical principles to develop some clarity on the subject though Housman wrote. The Bible states that both man (Genesis 2:7) and animals (Genesis 1:30; 6:17; 7:15 and 22) have the “BREATH OF LIFE” that is, both man and animals are living beings. Furthermore, the primary difference between human beings and animals is that humanity is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), while animals are not.

Being made in the image and likeness of God means that human beings are like God in some ways; they are capable of spirituality; they have a mind, emotion, and “will”; and part of their “being” continues after death.

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AN ETHICAL ECONOMY IS GOOD FOR ALL
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The Vanity of Wealth and Honor is an interesting subject in light of wealth, corruption, and the human heart. This subject effects many things, including what makes a good economy. 

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verses eight to nine, Solomon says the following:

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9
“8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

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BREAK DOWN
Ecclesiastes 5:8-9

THE ABUSE OF AUTHORITY & WEALTH
 “8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them." 

COMMENTARY: Verse 8 clearly illustrates that there is a corruption at every level of government, with higher level oppressors plundering the equally oppressive lower-level magistrates. This perhaps explains the st state of America and the world. With blackmail running. Rampant and the public sector unchecked, they have been robbing the everyday citizen of their hard earned money. As a result, the system became insulated and division between the haves and have nots became more defined. When the high level government officials rob and abuse those below them, someone above that person robs and abuses the higher level person himself.

In America, where we print money out of thin air for the world, in this short period of history, there is little need to plunder those under one authority because there is so much to steal that those in authority can simply pay them off or blackmail them; whichever is most convenient. Either way, Solomon makes abundantly clear that when there is nobody minding the ship, evil perpetuates to the point of overtaking the government in whole. As a result, we end up with a 2024 government, riddles with corruption, immorality, blackmail, lawlessness, and all other things evil due to the lack of God-ness which equates to “goodness”. 

Economically speaking, when this happens to a country, its own economy begins to decline into debt due to their insatiable desire and emotional need for more money and resources. When resources are stripped and money is squandered, the elite few are smart enough to collect those resources and money and we end up with a U.S. Stock Market where only 5% holds up to 80%  of the entire market wealth. 

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The answer and solution is to keep to return to the system we created in the first place which is free market capitalism that allows those who desire to work hard, to have a fair chance at success, making money and turning a fair profit. This is called “honor for everyone”.

HONOR FOR EVERYONE
"9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

CONCLUSION:

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, devours one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Solomon (Qohelet) considered goverment to be frustrating becuase it was a necessary evil, something deply flawed but indespsnsible. On the one hand people sould "not be shocked" when they see OPPRESSION and injustice in a governmental province (v.8). After all, bloated government bureaucracy tends to frustrate justice (v.8b). On the other hand, government has it advantages (v.9). Many hold to the belief that this verse continues the negeative assessment of government. Others see this passage better understood more positively since it fits with Qohelet's normal pattern of "on the one hand, on the other.." way of teaching. 

Even a corrupt government is better than anarchy, which devastates a country, it's culture and in Solomon's time, an agrarian economy that would lead to starvation. Keeping to God's ways is the only solution to man's sinful nature; especially in governmental rule. In the end, a king who devotes himself to developing the resources of the land ushers in a systems that brings the opportunity for profit to all, not just the corrupt few.

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A major difference is the issue of sufficiency and authority of Scripture. While Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the source of God's special revelation to mankind, it also speaks to everything we need to understand as necessary for our salvation from sin.

Protestants view the Bible as the STANDARD for Christian morality and ethics which governs our behavior. This is called sola scripture and is one of the five Solas in Christianity. (Solas meaning "alone" in Latin. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 makes clear that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (ESV).

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