Daily Bread 2-5-18

The Sermon on the mount

Matthew 5:31,32

31 It hath been said, That whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

ref. - Dt 24:1 - When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour 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.

Ro 7:3 - 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.

As we have been learning, in Jesus Christ, our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. We must be held accountable for a deeper understanding of God's will and, in turn, we must be responsible for much more. In this scripture Christ reminds them of the Holy statutes of the Old Testament. If a man has found some uncleanness or she has lost favor in his eyes, let him give her a bill of divorcement. But in Christ's gospel, the one that we are given, it is said that unless there is fornication, when a man gives a wife a bill of divorcement that is causes her to commit adultery. It is a direct sign that he has found impurity or fornication in her. Now in worldly terms fornication is a sexual encounter between unmarried persons, but in the Bible it also means unfaithfulness or deception. This can be caused when a woman does not remain obedient to the gospel and the instruction that she is given as a wife in the Holy Bible. The word says that she leaves Mother and Father and clings to her husband, it says that she give reverence to her Husband, it says that he is the head of her and that Christ is the head of him. It also says that he leave Mother and Father and cling to her, that he love her as himself. But in modern society we have crossed all the lines and men have twisted the scriptures to suit todays society. The men are being told to let their wives rule over them, they are being the keepers at home while their wives go out and become the breadwinners, etc. The men are not fulfilling their roles as according to the scripture either and this is why we read these scriptures and speak about them. Back to the fornication. If a woman is going to someone other than her Husband for advice or for her instruction then she is fornicating against the very scriptures that have been given to us by the Holy Prophets including Jesus Christ himself. She is, in turn, fornicating against her husband. It is high time that we return to the direction that Christ has given us in our families, our lives, and most of all, our salvations. If you were made a woman or a wife, then be a wife. It is a part of your salvation to remain under the holy bond that you have entered in and disobedience is sin. Husbands, when you have found fault in your wife, gather with her as the leader of your marriage and show her the scriptures that support what and why you are telling her. Explain to her, as the weaker vessel, what has caused you to lose favour in her and give her the opportunity to remain. But in no way alter the scriptures or the instructions that you have been given. If she is a true believer in Christ then she will believe in how serious the matter is and she will also believe in how the scripture explains her role in the marriage. She will fall back into place and repent at the feet of Jesus. If she is a non believer, she will turn to other sources for her information and she will continue to fornicate against your wishes, and eventually she will leave and cause a bill of divorcement to be given. It is then that a bill of divorcement will be handed out. But it must be understood by both persons how very serious it is when we are found in fornication or causing someone to commit adultery. We must also know that if she marries again before the death of her spouse that she is causing whoever she marries to commit adultery as well. Many will say, "Yes, but what about this or that? What about the husband, what about the man?" This scripture tells us information that pertains to both but if the proper attention is paid to the scripture and not our worldly ideas, God's will is quite clear and easy to be understood. This is not an easy scripture to explain nor will it be accepted by those who only believe part of the gospel, but it is necessary or Christ would have never brought it to the people when he stood on the side of that mountain that day. But thank God he did. So, today, if you are married, go and find what the word of God tells you your role is as a man and a woman, and accept that you were made to fulfill that role. Leave worldly thinking behind and follow after Christ. For in him, and him alone, will any of us be justified. Have a great day!!