If I have set out to wrong you, neglect my duties toward you, lie to you, or harm you in any way, then rightfully so - you may call me your enemy. May I remind you however that the Lord demands that you still love me, (Matthew 5:43-48), you must be concerned about me, pray for me, and try to bring about my repentance so that you can forgive me, (Luke 17:3,4). I need to be approached with the Word of God in your hand and love for me in your heart, (Ephesians 4:15). My life and faith must be in conformity with the truth - the word of God, (John 17:17, Romans 10:17)! But, I’m not the only one that needs to be living my life according to the will of God, and believing the truth as revealed in God’s word! (Ecclesiastes 12:13; 2 John 9).

Harming others isn’t the only way one can become an enemy. The Bible teaches that even when we try to do good, - sometimes enemies are made. Even in trying to help others avoid eternal condemnation - we can become their enemy. As Paul said to the Galatians "Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?" (Galatians 4:16)

It doesn’t seem sensible that I brand someone my enemy because they tell me the truth, -Especially if what they tell me is for my eternal good! But it happens - Enemies can be made by:

The cry is going forth - "Preach the truth and leave everyone else alone" - "Don’t mention certain denominations from the pulpit" - "Don’t call names." Jesus, Peter, Paul and others didn’t tip toe around the truth - and if I preach like I ought to preach, I won’t either! We are not playing games here - we are talking about heaven and hell. We don’t want to hurt feelings - but even more importantly - we don’t want you to lose your soul! How much time do we have to play games - is tip toeing around the truth being up front and honest? I see a great danger in this - we can inoculate people with a little truth here and there, and then when we finally get around to making the applications, they are not moved by it. The preacher that doesn’t preach to the needs of his audience is NOT A GOOD PREACHER! (2 Timothy 4:2-4).

Will such a preacher make enemies? You better believe it - Why is that? Because people will understand what he is saying! The sinner will not be able to sit week after week listening to sermon, after sermon and never learn that they are in sin! Am I condoning rudeness, or verbal brutality? NO, of course not, BUT I am saying that a preacher needs to be plain - he must speak with love and compassion, and he must do so with fervor - those in sin are lost and if they die in sin they are going to hell! Sometimes the truth hurts and the truth bearer becomes an enemy simply because he taught the truth. He is wrongfully branded as "mean-spirited," but even if this is so - it doesn’t nullify the spoken truth!

J.I. Packer wrote, "If I were the devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible." The age of debate and reasoning together has come to a screeching halt and the search for truth is being buried under the absurd belief that we can’t know and understand truth alike, (Ephesians 3:3-5). It seems as though almost no one today asks, "Is what I believe true?" It seems that the standard is, "Do I believe it to be true?" There is a great gulf between these two questions and attitudes, (Proverbs 14:12)! But even further - "How dare anyone question whether what I believe is true or not!" True enough we are seemingly buried under a blizzard of conflicting claims, doctrines and practices. Isn’t this all the more reason why we should stop and ask questions like - "Is this what the Bible teaches?" - "Is this true?" -

Truth will never be found if we stop up our ears, close our eyes, and run for the covers of our preconceived ideas, and then brand the bearers of truth as being our enemies! It takes courage to open up our lives and belief’s and say - "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting," (Psalms 139:23,24). James tells us how we can see ourselves as God sees us as well as how He leads us, (James 1:21-25). Are we doers of His word? Are we continuing in His word? Paul exhorts us all - "5Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. . . . " (2 Corinthians 13:5). The only way to do this is to open God’s word and study it, rightly dividing it, (2 Timothy 2:15), - making honest comparisons with the way we are and how the Bible says that we ought to be. (Acts 17:11,12)

Too many have taken and extended the idea that "everyone has a right to their own belief," to the erroneous notion that "every belief and opinion is equally right." The Bible is right - those following the Bible are right - It is extremely important that we be right! Are you right - Are you following the truth? - Let us both choose the side of truth search for it - find it together - then we can and will be allies instead of enemies!

There is a trend towards softening the gospel message. As society and the religious world moves in a more liberal direction, we too are affected. In that effort to be more tolerant, some have made the gospel message more palatable by "smoothing it out" in various ways.

What the Bible says about marriage, divorce and remarriage has not been exempt from this approach. A softened or smoother version of what the Lord taught on this subject would obviously be more acceptable to the masses. This is not to say that those who teach some of the ideas discussed below have that as their motive.

1. The text. Jesus said, "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery" (Matt. 19:9). Though other passages address the subject, this one well summarizes what the Bible teaches on divorce and remarriage.

2. What does the text say about divorce? When Jesus was asked whether a man could divorce his wife for any reason (Matt. 19:3), he answered no. Though he didn’t give a "yes" or "no" reply, the reasons he cited point to that conclusion (vv. 4-6). The only reason for divorce given by the Lord is "fornication" (v. 9; cf. Matt. 5:32). Divorce for any other cause is without biblical authority.

3. What does the text say about remarriage? Jesus said that the man who puts away his wife (for a cause other than fornication) and marries another commits adultery. In that same text Jesus said that a man who puts away his wife (for fornication) and marries another does not commit adultery. In the second clause of our text Jesus said that the one who is put away commits adultery when he remarries.

4. What does that demand? If we teach what Jesus taught in Matt. 19:9, our message will not always be "smooth" to the ears of our listeners. Those who divorce for causes other than fornication will be pricked by what Jesus said. Those who remarry contrary to what Jesus authorized will be disturbed. Those living in adultery must cease their sin of adultery (separate from an unlawful mate) to conform to what Jesus said (cf. Mark 6:17-18). That would be anything but easy (cf. Ezra 10:9-10, 44). The Lord’s message is not a soft and smooth gospel.

How Are Men Speaking Smooth Things About Divorce And Remarriage?

1. Not teaching on divorce and remarriage at all. Those who just avoid the subject, whether it be because they think it to be too controversial or because they are afraid of the consequences, have softened the gospel message by leaving that part out. Some men, because their position differs from many in the congregation, will agree not to teach on divorce and remarriage. While they may not be teaching error, they are not teaching the truth. The whole counsel is not being preached (Acts 20:27). At least part of the word is not being preached (2 Tim. 4:1-2). Those who sit at the feet of such men may never hear the truth about divorce and remarriage.

2. Encouraging divorce for any cause. The permanence of marriage that the Bible teaches is not popular. When some brother encourages divorce (teaches that it is scriptural) for causes other than fornication (as long as one does not remarry), he makes the message more acceptable to those who do not respect the fact that marriage is for life. That is a smoother message for the couple that fuss and fight all the time and want out of their marriage. God’s law does not authorize it.

3. Teaching that the guilty party can remarry. The Lord’s instructions (Matt. 19:9) allow one to put his mate away for fornication and remarry. Some brethren teach that the one who has been put away for fornication ("guilty party") can also scripturally remarry. That is a smooth message to the ears for the guilty party, because Jesus never authorized it. In fact, Jesus said, "and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery" (Matt. 19:9b).

4. Allowing some put away people to remarry. Some argue that the one who has been put away (for a cause other than fornication) can remarry if their former mate remarries first. Others argue that if one is put away by a mate who has committed fornication, he can remarry. Neither of these are authorized by the Lord. In contrast, Jesus said, "and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery" (Matt. 19:9b; 5:32b; Luke 16:18).

5. Telling the alien sinner he is not amenable to the law of Christ. Even though the gospel (the law of Christ) is for all nations (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15) and Jesus applied his teaching to "whosoever" (Matt. 19:9), we are told by some brethren that Christ’s law on marriage only applies to Christians who are married. Thus, non-Christians are neither governed nor judged by what Jesus taught. If one divorces (for whatever cause) and remarries he can continue with the mate he has when he obeys the gospel. He becomes amenable to the law of Christ when he is a Christian. That is a far more convenient message than what the Lord presented in Matt. 19:9.

6. Redefining adultery. When men are allowed to redefine adultery to mean "covenant breaking" (the unscriptural divorce and remarriage) and not the unlawful sexual activity with the second mate, the message of Christ is so much smoother to the ears of those in second or third marriages. That means that if they repent of breaking the covenant with their first mates and determine not to do it again, they can stay together. No lexicon or passage justifies this arbitrary definition of adultery (cf. the use of the term in Matt. 5:28; John 8:4).

7. Speaking of the ambiguity of Matt. 19:9. Some have spoken of the ambiguity of Matt. 19:9. I understand their point to be that they are unsure if this text is even authorizing remarriage when divorce is for the cause of fornication. They are quick to suggest that their point is even more "conservative" than what I and others teach on Matt. 19:9. However, my concern about such discussion is that if we convince our hearers that there is ambiguity with Matt. 19:9, they may conclude that we cannot be certain that one who puts away his mate (for some cause other than fornication) and remarries commits adultery. Since we can’t be certain what Jesus was really saying, we would need to tolerate a diversity of doctrines on divorce and remarriage.

Let us be content with what Jesus taught. Let us preach it as it is revealed.

Truth Magazine, XLII, No. 12
June 18, 1998

What We Must Do with the Truth

John Isaac Edwards