Voting

Voting exercises one’s opinion and choice of support for one side of an issue, or the election of an individual, group, or entity for specific appointments.  An individual’s associations (I Corinthians 15:33) and actions (Luke 6:44) can give a good indication about what he supports with his votes.  Consider a person who gambles.  It makes logical sense he would likely vote to enable more gambling.  If a person hangs around bookies and casinos, the likeliness of him voting in support of a gambling related measure would be high.  Also consider a person who overtly supports drug use.  Others observed him using drugs in the past on numerous occasions.  How likely would it be that he would vote to legalize drug use?  Quickly drawn conclusions come from lifestyle behaviors of individuals.  Inversely, based on the way an individual votes, assumptions are often made about the voter’s lifestyle and morality.  Since Christians strive not to be conformed to the world, but individuals transformed (Romans 12:1-2), light bearers (Matthew 5:16), and watchmen (I Thessalonians 5:4-6), the way they cast their votes should be done with great discernment knowing that the Will of God stands as their priority (Matthew 6:33).  Christians want to look to the scriptures on how they should vote so they can vote with the authority of God and not strengthen the hand of evil doers (Jeremiah 23:14).

Moral issue voting typically stands most simple for a Christian to engage in according to God’s authority.  Abortion, homosexuality, drug and alcohol legislation, gambling, prostitution: the verdict from God clearly says they cannot be supported.  Not that all moral issues represent clear cut decisions.  Debates involving the topic of capital punishment, military service, home defense, and others continue to involve significant energy by Christians.  A more confounding situation relates to the election of representatives for the people.  A representative serves to represent the values of the people who elect him.  Representatives campaign prior to their election about what they will accomplish if voted into the offices they desire.  Their associations, actions, and voting record typically come under close scrutiny.  Christians acknowledge the fact they the potential representatives, like themselves, have engaged or will engage in sinful behavior (Romans 3:23).  Like any office or position that someone undertakes, the greater the relationship to their sinful behavior and the position the more of a concern it represents.  For instance, in filling the position of county assayer, a man’s support of abortion has no bearing on his function.  He cannot unilaterally or by leadership enact legislation furthering the practice of abortion.  Quite the opposite, if the same man desires to fill the position of President of the United States, the impact represents a great concern.  Barack Hussein Obama’s record made it clear he supported abortion when running for President of the United States in 2008.  Many Christians voted for him knowing this.  His first month in office he forced tax payers to pay a portion of 457 million dollars to support abortions in other nations.  Thousands of babies died horribly with full foreknowledge of American Christians.  The question at hand in this article relates to whether or not Christians commit any sin at all when voting for a representative they believe can and will through the otherwise unavailable power of their position act without the authority of God.  Remember, a vote for something or someone by definition represents support.

First, the faithful of God serve as watchmen to others.  This principle can be seen in Ezekiel 33:7-8: “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.  When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”  This concept repeats in passages like Jude 1:23 in the New Testament.  As an obligation, Christians must share the truth of the gospel to the world (Matthew 28:18-20).  Sometimes this means encouragement, other times, it means admonishment.  Whatever the situation, the worst action is no action.  The Corinthian Christians did this in I Corinthians 5 allowing sin to go on without warning.  The Laodicean Christians also did nothing (Revelation 3:14-22).  At the current state in time, America boasts two leading candidates for the office of President.  They represent two parties, but not all the parties.  When Election Day comes they will not be the only candidates for whom to vote.  Yet, many Christians find themselves afraid of the future.  They currently identify the man in the White House (Barack Hussein Obama – one of the two leading candidates) as using his power for sin.  They loudly proclaim this.  The leading second candidate, Mitt Romney, boasts a record full of support for abortion, homosexuality, homosexual adoption, transgenderism, stem cell research, rejecting the defense of Marriage Act, and has refused on occasions to be identified with pro-life groups or as pro-life.  While Romney declares he has changed his mind on some of the positions, voters show concern over his associations, actions, and voting record.  Unfortunately, many Christians currently choose not to sound the warning trumpet.  James 4:17, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  Not by opinion, but by the Word of God, the authority of scripture says these Christians commit sin by their inaction.  Consider this:  If a watchmen trumpets a warning, does he then support the enemy by opening the gates for them?  Why would a Christian who should be sounding a warning open the gate for abuse of the power God gave government officials?  Can such a Christian not be held culpable?

Second, regarding earthly choices remember a spiritual option always exists.  Frequently in politics as in life, when a decision must be made, two options are said to exist:  “Pepsi or Coke”, “Steak or Ground Beef”, “Peas or broccoli”.  Yet, other options exist:  7-Up, chicken, corn or no thank you.  Media and others attempt to frame America’s presidential race into a must choose between one of two options framework though other options will always exist.  The common statement usually stated: “You must choose between the lesser of two evils”.  Scriptural authority does not exist for such an idea.  All knees will bow before Jesus (Philippians 2:10).  They will be judged by His Word (John 12:48).  Since the Words of Jesus are the only option for action hear Jesus declare Matthew 6:23-24 –“But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”  No room exists for any acceptance of evil.  Christians have one master not two.  When only supporting evil with your vote exists, look harder, and you will see the righteousness of God towering over it in other forms.  Sarai when she shared her husband with another woman thought she had no other option.  Saul when he offered up the sacrifice without Saul thought he had no other option.  Uzzah when he reached out and grabbed the ark thought he had no other option.  The best option always stands as God’s authorized option, faithful adherence to His Word.  “Hate evil love good!” (Amos 5:15)  Serving God is not a matter of situational ethics where accepting evil can be good at times.

Third, a Christian’s duty from God demands he do good things and avoid the appearance of evil (I Thessalonians 5:22).  What is evil, but the opposite of good.  Micah 6:8, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”  Walking with God means obeying His Will and stands as good.  Thus, evil equates to man not doing God’s will.  The Thessalonian passage instructs man not to act in a way that would appear contrary to what God directs.  When a Christian supports a candidate who will likely use his power to increase sin, others attribute their behavior as acceptable to God.  Their inclination then becomes to support the same sin in all situations.  The Christian brushing up with sin misrepresents God’s designed intention for him and he cheapens the image of God in the eyes of those who may not be Christians.  The American Presidential election of 2008 opened many divisions between Christians because many chose to vote for race instead of godly obedience.  To this day, confusion exists over how a Christian could support someone with the record of legislative abuse that Barack Obama brought to the table.  Though many asked for repentance, recognizing their choice of man over God, clearly not everyone heeded their example.  When Christians do not avoid the appearance of evil they act without the authority of God.  God’s face is hidden from those associating with evil (Isaiah 59:1-2).   Those who bid the sinful candidate God speed by voting for them become guilty as a partaker of the transgressor’s deeds.  2 John 1:9-11 – “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”  What will people believe about a Christian if he votes for a ballot supporting sin or a candidate with a track record of legislating sin?  He loses his credibility.  He is seen as part of the world.

Fourth, Christians following the Word of God avoid acting as stumbling blocks (I John 2:10).  A stumbling block causes a person to fall from his course.  Christians becomes stumbling blocks when their actions cause others to stray from the Word of God.  “Romney is the best candidate out there!”  Christians call Romney good instead of identifying his associations, actions, and voting record as evil.  Isaiah spoke of men who would “call evil good and good evil” Isaiah 5:20.  He wasn’t mentioning this to flatter.  When Christians do this, they lead others headlong into sin.  Did Christ every support something sinful?  No, of course not!  Would he choose the lesser evil today?  No again!  Christians, who do not know any better and Christians with a weak conscience, follow the stumbling block in support of a candidate who will enact sinful legislation resulting in struggling souls and a weakened Church.  The light on a hill soon becomes one hidden under a blanket due to shame and the darkness of sin.  Why?  They choose not to make the choice with Biblical authority and rather relied on man’s opinion on what to do.

Finally, what if the individual demonstrated a track record of specific behaviors then out of the blue said he would no longer behave that way?  Would you immediately believe him?  Jesus warned, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)  In other words, Jesus knew the track record of the world and did not want his disciples to blindly trust those identified with evil.  Paul warned of folks with a track record of evil in Philippians 3:2-3 and Peter did the same in 2 Peter 3:17.  Consider the episode of Penn State.  Many years ago they had a defensive coordinator for their football team who had been witnessed as someone potentially involved with child molestation.  The coach of the football team, Joe Paterno, upon receiving a report of the allegation reported to his superiors and did nothing more.  The defensive coordinator kept access to the school and youth.  When everything finally came to a climax years later Joe Paterno lost his job.  Why?  He was seen as culpable for enabling someone to engage in sinful behavior based on the power of a position.  His character ended up being frowned upon by others.  How different would it be for a Christian who voted for someone with a track record of sinful legislation?  Christians must be wise with their decisions.  When they blindly trust despite obvious signs that their trust will not be kept, individuals and the Church as a whole can be hurt.  When Christians ignore evil, they act without Biblical authority.

The support individuals receive from a vote does not go unnoticed in society.  Votes are recorded.  Party stances become attributed to the individual.  Society draws conclusions about the association, actions, and voting patterns of others.  Christians need to act with authority behind their voting behavior.  God set the Church up to be seen by the world.  He set the Church up so it would be distinct and not conformed to worldly practices.  Christians as watchmen have the duty to call out the sinful behavior of political candidates and warn others, but when they embrace candidates despite warning signs sin occurs.  Situational ethics do not dictate the voting behavior of Christians.  The written word of God provides perfect knowledge in every situation (2 Peter 1:1-3).  No room exists for choosing evil.  In regard to evil, Christians are to avoid the appearance of it and make certain they do not cause others to stumble in their faith.  While God commands Christians to forgive, he also instructs them to be wise.  Wisdom dictates the voter pay attention to the signs of sin.  When Christians follow God and not the opinions of man, they will act according to Biblical authority.  Biblical authority clearly condemns voting for candidates who will use their power to engage society in sin.

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Water and Spirit

The Bible records an interaction between Jesus and the Pharisee Nicodemus in John 3:1-21.  Nicodemus came to Jesus at night.  The reason never stated, but fear of the Jews represents the likely cause for the dark hour.  Nicodemus presents a conclusion regarding Jesus identity and then he asks two sets of questions based upon the responses of Jesus.

First, Nicodemus stated that Jesus came from God and the signs which He performed verified that conclusion (vs. 2).  Often men see evidence, but refuse to accept it.  Jesus fulfilled a great number of prophecies in coming to man – Deuteronomy 18:18, Isaiah 7:14, 9:1-7, 32:1-4, Micah 5:2, Zechariah 9:9-12 to note a few.  The Jews had been looking for the messiah.  They knew the signs and some accepted Jesus as Messiah.  However, the majority did not readily or openly embrace Him due to fear (John 7:13, John 11:48, John 19:38), hatred (John 15:18-23), or ignorance (Acts 17:30).  Unlike the men who do not act upon the evidence of God in creation (Romans 1:19-24), Nicodemus chose to embrace the evidence surrounding Christ’s origin and seek further knowledge (Matthew 7:7).  The Bible records all the evidence man needs to accept Christ (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  The question for man today revolves around whether or not man chooses to accept or reject Christ.

Second, Jesus comment to Nicodemus (“Truly, truly, I saw to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” – John 3:5) caused Nicodemus to ask how exactly a man could be born again.  Nicodemus’ mind focused on the flesh and fleshly birth.  However, Jesus spoke of the birth of the spirit.  The spirit of man needs to be born again because when man sins his spirit becomes dead to God (Genesis 2:17, Romans 3:23, 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-5, Colossians 2:13-14).  The question must therefore be how does this rebirth occur?  It occurs by water and the Spirit according to Jesus.  The Lord furthermore compares this teaching to the wind.  Man does not understand wind in complete.  Yet, he acknowledges the existence of wind because he sees the evidence of it.  Man also cannot see a spiritual birth, but this does not make it any less real as its evidence certainly exists.  Of necessity, this requires faith.  As Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Since Nicodemus recognized Jesus as coming from God, the concept of a rebirth should not have been questioned, but accepted by faith.

Finally, Nicodemus still not comprehending the concept of rebirth asks, “How can these things be?” (John 3:9)  Jesus expresses disappointment that Nicodemus cannot grasp concepts beyond the physical.  Through the Old Testament a teacher should have been able to discern the identity of Jesus as the Messiah.  In such discernment, adherence to Jesus Words would be paramount.  Unfortunately, the Pharisees did not grasp onto the teachings of Jesus.  Jesus makes it clear in verses 13-21 that those who do not believe in him love the things of the world and do the deeds of it.  By not believing on Jesus they can be judged to be of the world.  Those who do believe on Jesus would by necessary inference follow the teachings of Jesus and act accordingly.  Their actions judge them according to eternal life and salvation.

Taking the passage of Nicodemus and Jesus and examining it, the conclusion derived must be to believe on Jesus and His Word.  Jesus makes it clear this involves obedient deeds which verify one does believe.  Consequently, when Jesus says “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God” man needs to accept such a teaching in faith and act.  Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles that they might receive “all truth” (John 16:13).  Knowing all truth, Peter told the Jews on the day of Pentecost to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38).  Their dead spirits became born again out of a spirit of obedience to Christ and their bodies born out of water – A birth of water and spirit just as Jesus spoke.  This scene occurs throughout the book of Acts (Acts 2:38, 8:36-38, 9:18, 10:47-48, 16:15, 16:31-33, 19:15, 22:16).  Peter also told Christians in 1 Peter 3:21 – “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”.  The apostle Paul realized once he was alive, but he died with sin (a spiritual death – Romans 7-9).  When man washes himself in Christ through baptism, he dies to sin and becomes alive once more (Romans 6:5-11).

When someone truly believes, Christ said their deeds of obedience show it.  They will be born of water and spirit through baptism.  Where do you stand with Christ?  Are you choosing to reject Him as much of the world does, proclaiming you believe but continuing to walk in a futile way of life (Ephesians 4:17-19)?  Or are you choosing to demonstrate your believe through obedience showing your love for Christ (John 14:15)?  It is widely believed that Nicodemus examined the evidence and ultimately chose to be faithful to Christ, what have you done with the evidence before you?

Romans 6:16 – “Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

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Defeated

As boys, my brother and I would always play a game where he would try to hit my hand before I could take it away.  We frequently played this game at the kitchen table and over the years, we actually wore a smooth spot into the table from all the times he missed my hand.  At times it really took a lot of coaxing to get my brother to play the game because he hated losing.  He felt defeated as if he could never win.  Why did he keep trying?

I watched a Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) playoff game last night.  The Lakers played the Oklahoma Thunder two nights before and had gotten flattened by more than twenty points.  In the next game, the Lakers nearly controlled the entire game.  Their confidence stood greatly bolstered compared to their prior loss.  Yet, with a seven point lead and two minutes to go in the game, the Lakers turned the ball over three times without a score.  In the end, they lost a game that looked like a win for them.  What more could they have done?  They played an excellent game, a commanding game, and still they stood defeated.  Only two losses from exiting the playoffs, the odds greatly against them, what motivation will push them to put forth the effort to win?

The apostle Peter loved Jesus.  He knew Jesus as a peaceful man who proclaimed the kingdom of God.  Yet, in the garden of Gethsemane, Peter acted outside of peacefulness.  He drew his sword as a mob of men led by Judas Iscariot encircled Jesus.  Then he chopped off the ear of one of the advancing men (John 18:1-11).  Jesus called a halt to the violence immediately.  Peter knew better, but could not control himself.  His own instincts momentarily overcame his devotion to Jesus teaching.  The moment represented a defeat for Peter.

Prior to the occurrence in the garden, Peter swore his allegiance to Jesus (Matthew 26:35).  After the men took Jesus from the garden to Annas, father-in-law of the High Priest Caiaphas, Peter followed behind to see what would happen.  Three times people questioned Peter if he knew Jesus.  Once again, Peter could not control his worldly instincts.  He denied knowing Jesus each time though he said he never would (John 18:12-27).  His bold proclamations of allegiance fell in defeat.

Peter recovered from his self defeat.  He went on to share the first gospel sermon providing entrance into the kingdom of God (Acts 2).  He taught the household of Cornelius, gentiles upon whom the Holy Spirit pouted out, who would also enter the kingdom of God.  Yet, Peter’s failing did not come to an end.  The apostle Paul speaks in Galatians 2:11-14 of Peter separating himself from Gentile Christians out of fear of the Jews.  Once again, Peter found himself defeated by his sinful actions.

What keeps a person going when he experiences defeat?  The motivation that appears and picks up the defeated is hope.  Hope of winning kept my brother playing our childhood game.  Hope that the Lakers can turn things around keeps them trying game by game year by year.  Hope kept Peter moving forward.  It is hope that he shares in the letter to the Christians scattered abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.  The hope he directs Christians toward centers on the return of Jesus.  I Peter 1:13 – “Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober inspirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”   Christians rise above defeat because of hope.  Only defeat lies ahead if you are not a Christian (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).  Embrace Christ today and overcome defeat (I John 5:1-5)!

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Prom and Promiscuity

Each year, around April and May, High Schools typically hold a dance called Prom.  Traditionally, this dance features boys and girls of the school decked out in gowns and tuxedos.  Historically, the dance oft represented the first celebratory steps into adulthood.  Families work together with their young folks to make the event memorable.

Typically, young men escort their female “Prom date” from home, to the dance, and back again.  While the “Prom date” is still the most prevalent feature, increasingly young people opt instead to come in groups of boys and girls instead.   Sometimes the young people will be escorted by a prominent actor or actress as a publicity stunt.  Recently, one girl decided not to come with a young man, but instead arrived with a cardboard cutout of famous NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.  Everyone at the dance embraced the cutout with great humor.

The other day I went to the local “mom and pop” store.  The store sits about three blocks from the local High School.  Gathered around the store counter, the store owner and some of his clientele stood talking.  The topic of the hour happened to be Prom.  The adults talked of the alcohol they consumed at their proms and the same alcohol consumption they see surrounding prom every year.  They talked not with disappointment about how the students would make foolish decisions during the evening, but with resigned chuckles.  The store owner pointed out how young folks come in for condoms so they can have sex with their dates.  When they don’t have the change, he just hands the condoms over for free.  “We don’t want them to have any accidents.”  As I overheard him, I commented, “The decision to have sex doesn’t happen by accident.”  More chuckles rose from the group with affirmative “yups”.

The store owner and the others around him accepted without any religious bias the fact that prom is an event surrounded by lust (James 1:15), lasciviousness (Matthew 7:21-23), premarital sex (I Corinthians 10:8), alcohol (I Thessalonians 5:8), and other worldly actions.  Many Christian parents refuse to accept the reality of this sinful event or at least they choose to ignore its reality. Prom exposes their children to a stumbling block (Matthew 18:6) and temptation (2 Timothy 2:22).  All of these activities find condemnation in scripture.

The girls at the events typically dress quite immodestly.  There attire often exposes most or part of their thighs, stomachs, backs, breasts, and shoulders.  God identified this as nakedness and covered those areas completely in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).  Young men should be ashamed for such girls and blush at the sight of them.  However, their lusts drive them forward and they no longer know how to blush (Jeremiah 8:12).  The girls’ thoughts dwell on the grand event.  The boys’ thoughts dwell on the bodies of the young women.  The girls in their foolishness defraud the boys (I Thessalonians 4:3-6).  The boys acting as willing accomplices pursue the girls (Proverbs 5).  Prom and promiscuity walk hand in hand.

At many proms, open homosexuality now displays itself along with the other sins.  The pit gets deeper and deeper, the mire thicker and thicker.  Parents with common sense, most Christian parents and some parents with no religion at all, refuse to allow their children to participate in prom.  They understand prom endangers the purity of their child (Proverbs 6:27).  They want their children to be good examples, not bad.  They desire their children to focus on purity not evil (Philippians 4:8).  This year as the opportunity arises, encourage grandparents, parents, friends, and young people to give prom a big thumb down.  Just say “No” to Prom.

Galatians 5:16 – “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

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Marriage, Deuteronomy 24, and Can Women Divorce?

From the beginning, God ordained one man to stay with one woman and one woman with one man (Genesis 2:24).  The two joined together becoming one flesh, one body.

Man in his sinfulness began to be involved in polygamy, adultery, and a host of other improprieties (Malachi 2:14).  Man’s heart was hardened against God’s commands and he chose to follow his own desires.

Deuteronomy 24, (only for usage by Israel under the Law of Moses until the coming of the New Covenant Jeremiah 31:31-34, Colossians 2:14, Galatians 3:24-25), dealt with the marital atrocities.  In an environment where man, contrary to God’s intention for marriage, divorced his wife for any number of unauthorized reasons, God, through Moses, regulated divorce.  A writ of divorcement became required so that the woman could clearly demonstrate freedom from the bond of her previous husband.  Additionally, when the woman joined herself to another man in marriage, the original husband would not be authorized to take her as a wife again at any point thereafter.  Deuteronomy 24 caused a man to more cautiously consider his decision to divorce his wife and it put the guilt of divorce upon the husband, enabling the wife to remarry.  Yet, this passage of the Law of Moses did not represent an eternal principle of God and only represented a temporary ordinance.

Jesus states in Matthew 19:8 that Moses suffered (allowed) the children of Israel to put away their wives, but that was not God’s original intent.  His intent was that they stay together until death.  However, Jesus does provide information in Matthew 5:32/Matthew 19:3-12 not previously written.  He states that putting away one’s spouse was acceptable (though not desired) if fornication (adultery when in a marriage) had been committed by the other party.

Why allow the sinfulness under the Law of Moses?

Fact: the law was not meant to make anyone perfect; Christ fulfilled that function (Hebrews 7:19, Hebrews 10:1, Galatians 3:3-5, Philippians 3:12-16, Colossians 1:27-29, Colossians 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).  Quite to the contrary, God ordained the Law of Moses that sin might abound (Romans 5:20).  The nation of Israel, through their abounding sin demonstrated the power, wisdom, and mercy of God, as well as the truth that men could not find eternal life through their own works (Romans 9:21-33).  The directives in Deuteronomy 24 did not approve of sin or establish an eternal principle.  They simply minimized the chaos that had been created, overlooking the sin for that time (Acts 17:30).  It was much like sweeping dust under the rug.  The problem still exists, but overlooking the dust provides a temporary adjustment until cleaned properly.

Some men declare, as a code of behavior applying today, that Deuteronomy 24 establishes that only the husband can put away his wife and not the wife her husband.  Can women divorce?

Deuteronomy 24 certainly provides marital guidelines from the point of view of a man wishing to divorce his wife under the Law of Moses.  No other guideline under the Law of Moses is given for the vantage point of the woman.  Yet, the Law of Moses does not provide authority for man’s actions today.  Furthermore, prior to the Law of Moses, no mention of situations authorizing divorce existed. Thus, authority for divorce cannot be found by going back to the beginning.  Following the establishment of the Law of Moses, written Jewish traditions did allow divorce by women under a different process from Deuteronomy 24, but neither the Law of Moses nor the traditions of men, represent God’s eternal commands as set forth in Genesis 2:24 and the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:32/Matthew 19:3-12.

At this point, it is important to consider Mark 10:2-12 and I Corinthians 7:10-11.  Verses 11 and 12 of Mark identify two incidents of divorce.  In the first, the man puts away his wife.  In the second, the woman puts away her husband.  Understand the following truths about scripture:  First, a permanent ordinance condemning a woman for divorcing her husband doesn’t exist.  Second, Jesus (in the context of being questioned about Deuteronomy 24) specifically identifies an occurrence where a woman does put away her husband and that action by itself is not condemned.  Now take into consideration also I Corinthians 7:10-11.  This passage clearly identifies that a wife may divorce her husband and explains the conditions on doing so.  From the two passages examined, the Bible establishes a woman may divorce a man.  Today men follow the commands under the New Covenant in Christ (Matthew 4:23) and the eternal principles of God (Romans 15:4).  The words of Jesus (by His mouth and the apostles) judge a man on the final day (John 12:48).  Consequently, by the authority of Christ, under proper circumstances, a wife can divorce her husband.

Many concerned individuals actually have an underlying concern when asking if a woman can divorce her husband.  They really want to know if she can remarry after divorcing.  Mark 10 establishes, if a man or a woman remarries after divorce, they commit adultery.  I Corinthians 7 only gives a woman the option of staying single or reconciling after divorce.  There are no verses in the Bible with a direct command or example approving of a woman remarrying following a divorce she has initiated.  Yet, command and example are not the only ways to demonstrate God’s authority.  Necessary inference can demonstrate authority.  Since God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), by necessary inference, it can be concluded that if He allows both the male and female to divorce, the same rules must apply for both sexes in remarriage.  Immediate objection might be raised stating that man has authority over woman so his rules for remarriage will be different.  However, man’s authority over woman applies to his duties, not to preferential treatment when it comes to sin.  If by Matthew 5 and 19 a man can divorce his wife scripturally and remarry because she has committed adultery, then it can be inferred that a wife certainly can do the same in a case where the husband has committed adultery.

When examining the topic of marriage, the student of scripture must always be aware of the context and purpose of the scripture written.  Deuteronomy 24 represents a passage with very specific purposes for a very specific dispensation.  Jesus identifies that the direction the Law of Moses gave man for marriage did not represent God’s will.  Thus, when considering authorization for marriage today, Deuteronomy 24 must be set aside.  Jesus and the apostles, under the New Covenant, reaffirm God’s Will for marriage and identify authority for both the husband and wife to properly act on their marriage status under the circumstances of fornication.  Because God is a just God, he applies the same rules for dealing with sin for woman as He does man. Those rules can be gleaned from the New Testament scriptures regarding marriage and divorce.

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