Mat 19:7-8 | KingComments | STEP | While the Lord works in grace, the Pharisees try to test Him in order to accuse Him. They want to eliminate Him at all costs. How hardened their heart is! They come to Him with a question about divorce. Their question is intended as a trap for Him to walk into. But their intent failed completely because they dare to measure themselves against Divine wisdom. The Lord refers them directly to the Word of God. Did they not read how God made it in the beginning? Scripture answers all questions, including those of unbelief. That is why we too must always ask ourselves, with every question: ‘What does Scripture say?’ The Lord, as always, sets a perfect example here too. He does not wait for an answer. He does not let them look the answer up. Nor does he appeal to their memory to quote it, but He Himself quotes the Word of God completely. As the perfect Interpreter, He also gives the unambiguous explanation of the verse He quoted and the attached fixed conclusion. There is no doubt that marriage unites two people into a perfect unity. That is how God made it. That is the clear explanation. His equally clear conclusion is: do not let man take it into his mind to separate that unity made by God! God hates divorce ( ). The Pharisees do not give in. It seems as if they have taken His answer into account. They think they’ve got Him stuck now. Triumphantly they refer to Moses. Who would dare to oppose Moses? Didn’t Moses command that a certificate of divorce should be given and she should sent away? Then it is possible to send her away, isn’t it? They fold their arms with great self-satisfaction. They have this nicely done. The fools. They are dealing with Divine wisdom that also knows the hardness of man’s heart. In view of this hardness, Moses “permitted” – and did not give a commandment , as they suggest – to divorce their wives. Then the Lord again refers to the beginning. Never will it be possible for a sinful act of man to destroy what God has given in the beginning. The Lord speaks of ‘permitted’ and not of ‘did command’ as the Pharisees have said. Moses permitted something. The law is good in itself, but cannot communicate goodness. The law is perfect for the purpose for which God has given it, but it cannot bring anything to perfection. Through the law the hardness of man’s heart has become apparent. This hardness is also evident in his marriage. In view of this hardness, Moses allowed someone to send his wife away. But then he had to give her a certificate of divorce with the reason for the divorce. With the words “and I say to you,” in which the divine authority of His Person resounds, the Lord continues His teaching on divorce. Divorce or sending away is a bad thing. Anyone who thinks he can rid himself of the inextricable bond of marriage and therefore also thinks he is free to enter into that inextricable bond with another person, is very wrong. He commits adultery. The same goes for someone who marries the divorced woman, because this divorced woman is still inextricably linked to her husband. The exception “except for immorality [or fornication]” concerns the case of someone who is betrothed. An example of this we have with Joseph and Mary who were betrothed. When Joseph notices that Mary is pregnant, he considers to secretly send her away ( ). If someone is betrothed, there is a permanent connection, but the official marriage has not yet taken place. In the case of Joseph and Mary, who were betrothed, sending away was permitted. God does not blame Joseph for this, but lets him know what is really going on. Then he doesn’t send her away. There is a misunderstanding that I would like to point out. This is the idea that someone who marries someone who is divorced lives continuously in adultery. This error is based on a misinterpretation of what is written in . In practice, this teaching causes great spiritual distress, as I have seen in contacts. I therefore asked a New Testament expert in Greek what is literally in Greek. He writes: The texts we talked about in our telephone conversation tonight are and . Both places state ‘moichatai’, or ‘commits adultery’. In the vision that you and I reject, one concludes from the present tense ‘moichatai’ that the man or woman in question is permanently living in adultery and therefore permanently sinning. This is a misunderstanding. It is based on an erroneous view of the significance of the aspect of the present tense, namely that this form of tense would indicate something permanent, something continuous. However, the present tense is without aspect to the extent that it is always marked / limited by / the direct context. This means that in the form ‘commits adultery’ is limited by the immediately preceding ‘who marries a divorced woman’ – the conclusion is therefore that the marriage may not take place because it has the character of adultery. In it says that whosoever divorces his wife, except for immorality [or fornication], and marries another woman commits adultery. Again the same: this specific marriage may not take place, because it has the character of adultery. In short: such a marriage is not allowed, but it is possible. Is there marriage or not? Yes, there is a marriage, and that should not have been taken place. That marriage was the mistake, and it must be confessed as sin. But that does not mean that this wrongly concluded marriage must be dissolved. Compare it to a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever: it should not have been made, but it is in force ; it may not be dissolved (see the teaching on this subject + on divorce in ). [End of quote] This answer is illuminating and can free you from a spiritual struggle or compulsive situation. A person who, through this wrong doctrine, is in spiritual distress because of the situation in which he finds himself, can experience, by accepting the truth of God’s Word, that the truth sets free ( ).

‏ Matthew 19:7-8

Marriage: Inseparable

While the Lord works in grace, the Pharisees try to test Him in order to accuse Him. They want to eliminate Him at all costs. How hardened their heart is! They come to Him with a question about divorce. Their question is intended as a trap for Him to walk into. But their intent failed completely because they dare to measure themselves against Divine wisdom.

The Lord refers them directly to the Word of God. Did they not read how God made it in the beginning? Scripture answers all questions, including those of unbelief. That is why we too must always ask ourselves, with every question: ‘What does Scripture say?’ The Lord, as always, sets a perfect example here too.

He does not wait for an answer. He does not let them look the answer up. Nor does he appeal to their memory to quote it, but He Himself quotes the Word of God completely. As the perfect Interpreter, He also gives the unambiguous explanation of the verse He quoted and the attached fixed conclusion. There is no doubt that marriage unites two people into a perfect unity. That is how God made it. That is the clear explanation. His equally clear conclusion is: do not let man take it into his mind to separate that unity made by God! God hates divorce (Mal 2:16).

The Pharisees do not give in. It seems as if they have taken His answer into account. They think they’ve got Him stuck now. Triumphantly they refer to Moses. Who would dare to oppose Moses? Didn’t Moses command that a certificate of divorce should be given and she should sent away? Then it is possible to send her away, isn’t it? They fold their arms with great self-satisfaction. They have this nicely done.

The fools. They are dealing with Divine wisdom that also knows the hardness of man’s heart. In view of this hardness, Moses “permitted” – and did not give a commandment, as they suggest – to divorce their wives. Then the Lord again refers to the beginning. Never will it be possible for a sinful act of man to destroy what God has given in the beginning.

The Lord speaks of ‘permitted’ and not of ‘did command’ as the Pharisees have said. Moses permitted something. The law is good in itself, but cannot communicate goodness. The law is perfect for the purpose for which God has given it, but it cannot bring anything to perfection. Through the law the hardness of man’s heart has become apparent. This hardness is also evident in his marriage. In view of this hardness, Moses allowed someone to send his wife away. But then he had to give her a certificate of divorce with the reason for the divorce.

With the words “and I say to you,” in which the divine authority of His Person resounds, the Lord continues His teaching on divorce. Divorce or sending away is a bad thing. Anyone who thinks he can rid himself of the inextricable bond of marriage and therefore also thinks he is free to enter into that inextricable bond with another person, is very wrong. He commits adultery. The same goes for someone who marries the divorced woman, because this divorced woman is still inextricably linked to her husband.

The exception “except for immorality [or fornication]” concerns the case of someone who is betrothed. An example of this we have with Joseph and Mary who were betrothed. When Joseph notices that Mary is pregnant, he considers to secretly send her away (Mt 1:18-19). If someone is betrothed, there is a permanent connection, but the official marriage has not yet taken place. In the case of Joseph and Mary, who were betrothed, sending away was permitted. God does not blame Joseph for this, but lets him know what is really going on. Then he doesn’t send her away.

There is a misunderstanding that I would like to point out. This is the idea that someone who marries someone who is divorced lives continuously in adultery. This error is based on a misinterpretation of what is written in Mt 19:9. In practice, this teaching causes great spiritual distress, as I have seen in contacts. I therefore asked a New Testament expert in Greek what is literally in Greek.

He writes:

The texts we talked about in our telephone conversation tonight are Mt 5:32 and Mt 19:9. Both places state ‘moichatai’, or ‘commits adultery’. In the vision that you and I reject, one concludes from the present tense ‘moichatai’ that the man or woman in question is permanently living in adultery and therefore permanently sinning.

This is a misunderstanding. It is based on an erroneous view of the significance of the aspect of the present tense, namely that this form of tense would indicate something permanent, something continuous. However, the present tense is without aspect to the extent that it is always marked / limited by / the direct context.

This means that in Mt 5:32 the form ‘commits adultery’ is limited by the immediately preceding ‘who marries a divorced woman’ – the conclusion is therefore that the marriage may not take place because it has the character of adultery. In Mt 19:9 it says that whosoever divorces his wife, except for immorality [or fornication], and marries another woman commits adultery. Again the same: this specific marriage may not take place, because it has the character of adultery. In short: such a marriage is not allowed, but it is possible.

Is there marriage or not? Yes, there is a marriage, and that should not have been taken place. That marriage was the mistake, and it must be confessed as sin. But that does not mean that this wrongly concluded marriage must be dissolved. Compare it to a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever: it should not have been made, but it is in force; it may not be dissolved (see the teaching on this subject + on divorce in 1Cor 7:10-15). [End of quote]

This answer is illuminating and can free you from a spiritual struggle or compulsive situation. A person who, through this wrong doctrine, is in spiritual distress because of the situation in which he finds himself, can experience, by accepting the truth of God’s Word, that the truth sets free (Jn 8:31-32).