Why is adultery the only accepted reason for divorce

The speaker discusses the importance of marriage and why divorce is not permissible, except in the case of adultery. Marriage is seen as a covenant between a man and a woman, and it reflects the relationships among the members of the Trinity, the relationship between Christ and his church, and the union of believers in the fellowship of the church. Divorce undermines God's will and intention, and adultery annuls the marriage covenant. The speaker emphasizes the spiritual significance of marriage and encourages listeners to seek a closer relationship with God. Welcome to our weekly exhortation. Thank you for joining me. Thank you for your precious time. My name is Islam Ilon. Servant of God. Servant of Jesus Christ. One is made to wonder why the Lord Jesus put such emphasis on the forbidding of divorce. Why is adultery the only accepted reason for divorce? Today, the problem of divorce is just as controversial, at least in societies influenced by Christian teaching. Opinions vary and interpretations differ. The Pharisees asked the Lord Jesus this question. Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all? The answer of Jesus was plain. Again, divorce is not permissible except in the case of adultery. Our question is, why is adultery the only accepted reason for divorce? Again, why is adultery the only accepted reason for divorce? And why is it an issue of serious concern? Well, we cannot speak of divorce without knowing what marriage is. In fact, marriage in the Bible is first and foremost a covenant, a binding covenant between a man and woman who consents freely to enter into a permanent union with one another. This union is nourished through their sexuality and perfected in a partnership of mutual love, self-giving, and commitment. When both husband and wife enter the covenant of marriage with that understanding, it becomes the most meaningful relationship of which one's personality is capable. A marriage that does not work, as you know, becomes a most exhausting relationship. It is like hell on earth. Your home is not your home anymore when you cannot even tolerate the presence of the other person. Who wants to stay in an environment like that? Divorce, then, seems to be the most reasonable thing to do. But Jesus said, What therefore God hath enjoined together, let not man put asunder. He goes on saying, Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another committed adultery against her. Mark chapter 10 verse 9 and 11. What is the importance of putting such stress on disallowing divorce? What is the spiritual significance of all this? You will agree with me that these words of the Lord Jesus make the condition of marriage harsh because they force the spouses to follow a very high moral standard. So, is there any spiritual significance linked to such severity? I would personally say yes. We should know that, just like the plan of salvation God offered us, marriage is not to be taken lightly. In the same way that we do not come to Christ out of desire but by conviction, so is marriage. We don't get married because we want to. Do you remember what the Lord Jesus said to his apostles about the constraints of discipleship? You know, Jesus never asked people to follow him by telling them only the benefits they would get. On the contrary, he often told them about the difficulties and the hardship they would experience as disciples. He encouraged them to think carefully about the consequences of following him. Two parables in the Gospel of Luke put the question of cost in the context of discipleship. They are only found in Luke chapter 14 verses 25 to 33 entitled The Cost of Discipleship. You know, Jesus exhorts anyone who wants to come to him to count the cost first. He warns people against any hearty commitment. These principles apply to marriage as well. When entering into the bond of marriage, the spouses must know that it is an irreversible decision and must weigh the pros and cons before committing to it. Remember, when the Pharisees wanted to know what Jesus thought about divorce, Jesus did not want to answer this question without having reminded them God's original intention for marriage. In Matthew chapter 19 verses 4 to 6, our Lord Jesus replied, Haven't you heard that, at the beginning, the Creator made them male and female and said, 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 flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one put asunder. Hallelujah! Regarding this passage, it is as if the Lord Jesus were saying to them, to the Pharisees, It is not possible to discuss your question without knowing what God intended in instituting marriage. When you read Ephesians chapter 5, verses 21 to 30, you will find that the Apostle Paul is moving in and out of the subject all the time. One moment he speaks about marriage, the next moment he talks about the church. He moves from one to the other and then back to the other. This means that, I'm thinking, for the Apostle Paul, marriage is meant to portray the spiritual reality of what the relation of Christ is to his church, and what the church should have in its relationship internally, that is, one to another. So here is the point. Marriage was meant not only to reflect the relationship among the members of the Trinity. Marriage was meant not only to picture Christ's relationship to us as bride and groom, but marriage was meant also to be a representation of the spiritual relationship that we ought to have with one another in the context of the church. Put simply, the marriage relationship portrays the spiritual relationship between the members of the church. And this is exactly why divorce is not permissible. Hallelujah! Friend, in discussing the problem of divorce, the Lord Jesus presents life in marriage as a sort of microcosm of the larger picture of church relationships. In fact, marriage is a profound and permanent relationship created by God in order to reflect three types of relationships. First, marriage is a representation of the interpersonal unity among the members of the Trinity. Two, marriage is a representation of the relationship between Christ and his church. Hallelujah! And third, marriage is a representation of the union of believers in the fellowship of the church. You can read Romans chapter 5 verse 21 through 30. That's what marriage represents at the spiritual level. Now, before concluding, let us remember these two points. Very important. Divorce is unacceptable, Jesus asserts, because it undermines God's will and intention. Second, if divorce is not permissible, why then is adultery the only accepted reason for divorce? Well, because fornication or adultery, ipso facto, by it doesn't verify, has annulled the marriage covenant. It is an annulment of the marriage by action. Look, even if one of the spouses decided to file for divorce following dissatisfaction, these would only be formalities because the divorce is already consummated as soon as there is adultery. No one has to proclaim it. The covenant which was established in faithfulness has been destroyed through faithlessness. Do you get it? To conclude, let us return to our initial question. Why is divorce such a big problem? Why does Jesus care so much? Why is adultery the only accepted reason for divorce? Well, the Pharisees' error was that they saw divorce only as a legal problem. They wanted to know if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason. Jesus refused to engage in the legal controversies. Rather, the Lord Jesus gives the question a spiritual dimension by showing that what is at stake is not man's right, but what marriage should represent on a spiritual level. You know, God never intended divorce for the married couple. His ideal is that man and woman remain united as long as they live. The Lord desires marriage to serve as an illustration of three types of relationships that we mention in this message. Well, it was a great pleasure to bring you this message. As we are nearing the end of this year, my wish to you is get closer to God. Just ask Him and He will help you. I hope you enjoyed this message. If God wills, we will be together next week. A bundle of blessings. Shalom. ♪ Their names are written in the book of life. They've overcome the world of sin and shame. They've been invited to marriage supper with the King of kings. They'll rule and reign as the bride adorns for her husband. I see a new Jerusalem coming down. Its beauty is beyond imagination. I'm so excited I hear trumpets sound. Sing hallelujah. We talk a new talk. Filled with His Spirit. No longer talk. We're being fed with the living manna. He's leading us beyond the cross. Sing hallelujah. We talk a new talk. Filled with His Spirit. No longer talk. We're being fed with the living manna. He's leading us beyond the cross. We're being fed with the living manna. He's leading us beyond the cross.