Monthly Archives: February 2008

Two things of interest appeared in my Google Reader today from Relevant magazine. One was a blog post from over there, that has appeared to have disappeared from the site. That makes me sad. The other was this article – Lessons from a Wiccan.

Here are the parts that stood out to me the most, but you’ll have to read the article to get the full context.

I was ashamed to be considered part of the same group that had hurt her. I wanted to make a distinction between myself and these people. But it wouldn’t have mattered. She knew that I was a Christian and that these things were being done to her and her friends in the name of Jesus.

In the New Testament, when Jesus sent out the twelve disciples to tell people about the coming kingdom, He said, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16, TNIV). He wanted them to be careful about what they said and did. Jesus knew his followers would be persecuted; people would be looking for a reason to accuse them and to tear down their message. Even though the disciples were sent out with the power to do incredibly good things, like heal the sick and cast out demons, they needed to be careful about how they behaved.

Christ’s followers today have the same mission as those first disciples. We are to go out and tell people of God’s love for them as we care for the sick and the poor. In so doing, we must be extremely careful that we are living a life consistent with Jesus’ teaching. This includes loving our neighbors, no matter who they might be. Ours is not a battle against flesh and blood, and the minute we begin to think in terms of “us vs. them,” we have lost the heart of Jesus.

The writer hit the nail on the head. We’ve lost the heart of Jesus in our active faith lives.

My pastor just concluded a series on sex called “Going All the Way.” It was a really good sermon series – not stuff you generally hear in a church service. Sunday’s message was a Q+A session. People had been submitting questions anonymously to Pastor Jeff through the website, and he picked many of them (a lot of tough ones) to answer for us.

I wasn’t surprised by any of his answers until he got to the section on divorce.

There are a few specific verses that deal with divorce in the New Testament.

1 Corinthians 7:39: A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to remarry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.

Matthew 19:3-6: …For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.

Matthew 5:31-32: It has been said, “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.” But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become and adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Matthew 19:8-9: Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

Like a lot of Christians, I had always been taught (because of these verses) that people who divorce should not remarry. I completely understood one question that was asked, “What is the point of getting married again? Why not just enjoy the company of the person we are with? Really what’s the point if either way we are committing adultery? Why get married a second or third time?”

My pastor’s response was different than I expected because he challenged that traditional viewpoint.

He called to attention verses that speak of God’s forgiveness, repentance, etc. He brought to the table the idea that if once sins have been repented of and are no more (gone as far as the east is to the west), then remarriage would be permitted because the sin of divorce would be gone.

I thought that was pretty radical, but completely in line with Scriptures.

The only caution I would make is that God knows the heart. There’s a difference between repenting of a past sin and of committing a sin knowing full well that you “plan to repent” later (you know the adage it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission…).