Many
grievously misunderstand the nature of revelation/inspiration. Some aver
that only the words of Jesus (those in red letters in some Bibles) are
authoritative, and the remainder of the writers reflect their personal human
opinions. The 1970s militant feminists labeled Paul’s doctrine relating to
the God-given respective roles of men and women
(e.g., Gen. 3:16; I Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:23; 1 Tim. 2:11–12; et
al.)
as the mere opinionated rantings of a disillusioned, male-chauvinist,
woman-hating bachelor—unworthy of credibility; He was not Jesus!
Some brethren
are not far behind the aforementioned attitude toward
revelation/inspiration, though for different reasons. Years ago, a brother
where I preached made a Wednesday night “talk” in which he commented on
various expressions in
1 Corinthians 7.
He alleged that Paul’s statement, “To the rest say I, not the Lord”
(v. 12),
was uninspired human opinion, which we could choose to ignore. It fell my
lot to correct his error before the assembly was dismissed. I did so by
pointing out as gently as possible that all Paul was saying was that the
Lord had not specifically addressed the situations, which he was about to
address
(vv. 12–15),
but that Paul’s words on the subject were nonetheless inspired.
Other brethren
view Paul’s words here (particularly
v. 15)
not as mere opinion, but as “expanded revelation” relative to Jesus’
teaching in
Matthew 19:9
regarding
divorce and remarriage. Whereas He gave one—and only one—Divinely allowable
cause for divorce and remarriage (viz., fornication on the part of one’s
spouse), Paul allegedly allowed desertion by an unbelieving spouse as a
second cause, thus an “exception to Jesus’ exception.” While Jesus promised
the apostles that the Holy Spirit would give them additional revelation
(John 16:13, et al.),
He could not have had in mind contradictory revelation.
Paul wrote:
“Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart: the brother or the sister
is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us in peace”
(1 Cor. 7:15, ASV).
Such brethren argue that not under bondage refers to the “marriage bond,”
which—since one is no longer “in bondage” to it—desertion gives one the
Scriptural right to remarry, whether or not the deserting spouse had/has
committed fornication. Let me demonstrate that this is not the case:
1. By
employing whosever in giving His one—and only one—exception (i.e.,
fornication
[Mat. 19:9]),
that grants the right of divorce and remarriage to the innocent spouse, the
Lord included all marriages, whether between two Christians, a Christian and
a non-Christian, or two non-Christians.
2. Bondage
(1 Cor. 7:15)
is from a cognate of duoloo, which appears 133 times in the New Testament.
It is the common word for slavery, bondservitude (e.g.,
vv. 21–23, ASV).
Inspired writers never used this word in reference to marriage, unless verse
15 is the one exception out of 133—a very rare probability.
3. Paul twice
refers to marriage as a “bond” in the context (viz., “…bound unto a wife” [v.
27],
“a wife is bound to her husband…” [v.
39]).
Significantly, however, bound is from a completely different word (deo),
meaning to bind, tie, or confine—literally or by obligation. This word has
nothing to do with slavery and its bondage.
4. The
“bondage” the deserted spouse is not under
(v. 15)
is a “slavery”
the spouse was not then and had never been under (as the perfect tense of
duoloo [bondage] demands). Since the one deserted and the deserter were
married, but the one deserted was not and never had been under the “bondage”
of
verse 15,
said “bondage” could not refer to marriage itself.
5. The
“bondage” to which Paul refers is one that an uninformed Christian might
believe existed, requiring him or her to remain with the anti-Christian
deserter, even at the cost of one’s soul. No such obligation exists, said
Paul.
This passage
contains no so-called “Pauline privilege” that grants a second Scriptural
ground for divorce and remarriage. Jesus teaches that when a marriage
dissolves apart from the cause of fornication, neither party has the right
to remarry unless and until the one abandoning the marriage has committed or
commits fornication
(Mat. 19:9).
In such a case, only the innocent spouse has that Scriptural right. There
remains one—and only one—Scriptural ground for divorce and
remarriage—fornication on the part of one’s spouse. Neither desertion nor
any other cause of the dissolution of a God-ordained marriage
(Mat. 19:6)
constitutes an additional Divinely-ordained ground for remarriage.
Paul was not
merely offering an uninspired optional “opinion” in
1 Corinthians 7:12–15,
nor was he extending an additional exception to Jesus words
(Mat. 19:9).
All of the New Testament (as is the Old) is God’s revelation via inspired
men. Thus the words of Paul, John, Peter, and the other New Testament
writers are as authoritative as the words of Jesus. The Holy Spirit, Whom
the Lord Jesus told the apostles He would send upon them from the Father,
supplied those words
(John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:10, 13; 14:37; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2
Pet. 1:20–21; 3:15–16; et al.)
From:
.http://thescripturecache.com/
Other Articles
Garbage
Trucks and Mouths
An Inside Job
The Relationship Between
Truth and Emotion
The Bible Versus Books About the Bible
Let Me Not Wander Far From Your Commandments
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