There is a great deal of danger in taking a theologian’s word as truth. 

 

When I was quite young in Christ, a senior pastor in my church advised me to undertake a course in theology.  I took his advice, but then I found that intellectual conjecture was taught more often than the truth, and abandoned the idea after a few semesters. 

The final straw in this regard, was a module that the head of the theological college taught on the subject of ‘divorce and remarriage’. 

 

He was an intelligent and learned man, and like many academics, he seemed to place more value on his own intellect and opinion than on the truth. 

By ‘allowing’ divorce, he saw himself as an example of ‘compassion’, ‘flexibility’, ‘generosity’ and ‘grace’.   While he described those who denied divorce as ‘strict’, ’stern’, ‘severe moralists’ who are ‘guided by fear not faith’; he said that they are ‘legalistic’ and ‘unyielding’.    

His conclusions are a complete contradiction of the teachings of Christ.  For the Lord told us, “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”  Is it the theologian’s conclusion that the Lord Jesus Christ is just a severe moralist?  For the Lord said it was men who sought to divorce who are hard hearted, not those who deny it.

 

Many theologians will twist Scripture to suit their needs.  And this ‘theologian’ was desperate to find scripture, which specifically allowed for divorce and subsequent remarriage. 

He started by referring to Deut. 24:1-4.  He told his students that Moses was refusing to let a woman return to her first husband after marrying another, because he was anxious to enhance ‘the sacredness of the second marriage’.  Most of the students in the course simply took the theologian’s word for this, and moved on.  However, when I actually read the passage, I found that Moses was not saying what the theologian claimed.  What Moses actually said is that a woman cannot return to her first husband after marrying another because she has been “defiled” by the second union:  “and if after she leaves his house, she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled.  That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord.” (Deut. 24: 2-4)  It says that the first husband cannot marry her again even if the second husband dies!  Why?  Because “she has been defiled” by marrying another man!  Not surprisingly, the Lord Jesus says the same thing - “anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery”.  It is not ‘remarriage’ – it is adultery!  It is obvious that this theologian was twisting the meaning of the scripture to promote his own point of view.  Sadly, when I challenged him about his conclusions, he became indignant and told me that we would have to ‘agree to disagree’.

 

Believers must realise that ‘theology’ and true faith are two entirely different things.  When faith hears the word of God, it says, ‘I believe it’.   We are told, “Do not simply listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says.” (James 1:22) 

But when theologians hear the word of God, they say,  ‘I will need to analyse this and make it more acceptable to my way of thinking’.   Theologians are taught to break a scripture down into components, and then examine the root Greek words in those components to see if they can give different meanings to the original Greek words.  They can then give us several meanings for each verse, depending on how they ‘interpret’ the root of the original Greek word.  You will often hear preachers telling their congregations that the original Greek word can mean ‘this’ or it can mean ‘that’.  In doing this, they believe they give themselves the right to preach ‘interpretations’ of Scripture, rather than the truth.  Is this how Jesus himself approached Scripture?  Of course not!  He simply said, “It is written” and asked, “Haven’t you read?” 

 

But this is the way the head of the theological college approached Scripture, in his booklet about divorce and re-marriage.   His approach to scripture was shameful.  As another example of what he claimed was the Bible’s acceptance of divorce and re-marriage, he presented 1 Corinthians, chapter 7.

 

Paul starts his teaching by telling us about the duty of a husband and wife.  He then goes on to tell us,  “Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am.  But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.  To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.” (1 Cor. 7:8-11)

This is what the scripture says, “A wife must not separate from her husband.  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband”.  In a twisted example of irony, the theologian offered this very verse as proof that it was acceptable for a woman to divorce her husband and then marry another man.   The scripture plainly states the opposite of his conclusion.  So how did he justify the difference?

 

The theologian pointed out to his students that in a particular section of this chapter, Paul clearly separates his readers into two groups.  Paul allows both of these groups to marry.  One group, he calls the “unmarried” and the other group, he calls “virgins”.  Since the “virgin” is clearly someone who has never been married, it was the theologian’s assumption, that the “unmarried” must be those who are divorced.

 

Let’s have a look at what it actually says;  “Now about virgins; I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgement as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.  Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are.  Are you married?  Do not seek a divorce.  Are you unmarried?  Do not look for a wife.  But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.  But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.” (1 Cor. 7:25-28)  There are, (as the theologian pointed out) two groups of people being spoken to (or about) in this passage.  To the first group (the unmarried) Paul says, “Are you unmarried?  Do not look for a wife.”   If we ask ourselves what type of person would “look for a wife”; the first answer that springs to mind would be ‘a man’.  Women do not look for wives, so the “unmarried” in this instance are probably men.  About the second group (virgins), Paul writes,  “and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.”  The type of person who is called “she” is generally a female.  So the “virgins”, in this instance, seem to be women.  Paul has separated believers into the same two groups that have existed since the beginning: “He created them male and female and blessed them” (Gen. 5:2)

 

Is this conclusion borne out in the rest of the chapter?  Yes!   The same instructions are repeated from verse 36 to verse 38. The one who is to marry the virgin is referred to as “he” or “the man” ten times in this short passage and the virgin is referred to as “she” or “her”:  “If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting on in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants.  He is not sinning.  They should get married.  But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and has made up his mind not to marry the virgin- this man also does the right thing.  So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.” (1 Cor. 7:36-38)  Again, we find that Paul is referring to the unwed woman as “the virgin”, and tells the “man” who marries the virgin, that “he” does not sin.

 

When Paul specifically refers to a woman as being “unmarried”, his instructions are very clear.

In verse 34 he says, “An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs.  Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.”  

And, as we have already read in verses 10-11, “A wife must not separate from her husband.  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband.”   A separated (or divorced) woman is specifically forbidden from marrying another man!  Why?  Again, the answer is clearly shown in the same passage - “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives” (1 Cor. 7:39).   This also precludes the man from remarrying if his wife leaves him (assuming that they are both believers), because if he remarries - how can she ever “be reconciled to her husband”?

 

These passages of scripture do not require interpretation.  We simply need to read them, believe them, and obey them.  Scripture is God’s word.  It is not written to trick us, but to teach us how to live our lives in a way that pleases Him.  At no point does the apostle Paul ever say (or even imply) that it is acceptable for believers to divorce and re-marry.  The word of God brings life.  Theology only leads to death.  “The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life.  Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” (John 6:63)

 

The lesson here is simple.  We should always examine what we hear preached.   We should constantly do as the Bereans were commended for doing.  “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)