Response to Last Posting's Comments

There were two excellent comments at the end of the last posting, to which I would like to respond here:

TO MDW: My own experiences with separation and divorce have caused me to search scriptures, not just once but many times over looking for my own answers as to what is right and what is wrong in God's eyes; and at one time my search occurred because the church I was in at the time, turned their back on me completely because I divorced, even though I was doing so for absolutely-without-any-doubt-scriptural-reasons; the situation was so extreme, however, that not only was I reeling from the secrets I had uncovered about my spouse, but my church had no idea how to handle such a thing, leaving me to fight for spiritual survival on my own.

My church's reasoning for not supporting me was that my spouse (who was a deacon in the church) had told them he was repentant and even though it was not true, the church wanted to believe it, and they did, and I was left out in the cold as though I was the liar and my sexually-aberrant spouse was honest. True evil is a terrible thing to witness, but that was the situation I found myself in more than 25 years ago.

I have found many churches since then who are quick, as this past church of mine was, to offer what I call trite and neatly packaged ("lazy") answers to people who are suffering through such an event, such as "God doesn't like  divorce" or "Wives MUST submit to their husbands", without wanting to dig further into the situation and see beyond what all "appearances" are showing. (And I AM a proponent of wives submitting to their husbands, but I don't just stop there but apply ALL scripture that also applies.)

When I recently read a book called Divorce and Remarriage, by Tony Evans, the pastor of a very large Christian church in Dallas, Texas, I was as amazed as you are MDW, at his application of the passage in 1 Corinthians 6.  Tony Evans thinks "kingdom" in everything. Why don't we? Perhaps because our churches, and us as well, are more worldly than we are prepared to acknowledge.

It explains why my church so many years ago was not able to help me when I needed them.  Add to 1 Timothy 3 to the mix in order to get wisdom and Godly counsel for those struggling with these marital situations.  If churches today neglect the scriptural wisdom regarding the appointing of elders, appointing them instead for various non-scriptural reasons (perhaps because they are hard-working and available or because of friendships.) the health of the church will suffer the consequences.  

I believe as M. Scott Peck suggested in his book, The Road Less Traveled, that many of us tend to suffer from a "laziness" that causes us to "follow" what the crowd is doing (and saying) rather than "lead" others into what is right. Phinehas, for example, was not "lazy."  But the crowd he was surrounded with was, and thus fell into sin. 

We Christians have a lot of work to do in scripture to keep us from going with the crowd known as "the world" and even more work when it comes to bringing our churches back from their worldly influence that has little comparison to the church of the apostles. We Christians have to search far and wide to find teachers and pastors who act in every instance in accordance with the WHOLE of God's Word, even when it goes against the "church crowd" and "church traditions" (that have little to do with the traditions Paul was talking about and more to do with church "traditions" that have begun in just the past century). One would have to be diligent in the study of the Word to recognize this; but laziness (and distraction by worldly pursuits) prevents this most often.

And you are right, MDW, that the best way to avoid divorce or separation is to "choose to date believers"...that is the single most important point to get across in this study...to all of those who have not yet married or are about to.  And again, it is not being preached and taught to children with necessary diligence, either in the church, or sadly, often not at home either...it is VITAL that the children BELIEVE and TRUST God's Word...and VITAL that parents (whose kids still have a choice) show them by teaching and example that they too trust God's Word even when it is difficult to do so, knowing that He has only good intentions towards us.

Again, I will say, all churches should study The Truth Project on DVD...it will challenge and convict all Christians about what their beliefs really are when compared to the actions their beliefs generate. Children are influenced by our own hypocrisy.  Change must begin with us, if we are to see it in our children.

Thanks, MDW, for contributing to this study!

TO GW:  I SO welcome all of your thoughts and questions, please. And I think your thoughts might be right on: "it appears there will some authority given to Man" in the end, just as there was at the beginning in the Garden.  I believe it is God's restoration of man to his pre-ordained dominion (authority) over the earth; the same earth which is now under the authority (if man continues to give it to him by believing his lies) of Satan and his minions.

Isn't it amazing that we have read this scripture so many times, but when we are discussing how the church is to judge "kingdom" issues, suddenly that part about judging angels jumps out at us? Whether that is to "judge angels" in the sense of a trial or whether it means "having authority over" as in governing...I am not sure, but perhaps both. Remember the warriors who will come with Christ at His second coming to do battle at Armageddon?  Who is the army with Christ and who are they fighting? I believe the army is the saints, believers, who have died in Christ or have been "caught up with Christ in the air" and "changed in the twinkling of an eye" prior to this battle.  Who are they fighting?  Persons who are by then perhaps completely possessed by Satan; thus demonic powers or fallen angels.

But now, let's look at this in a completely different sense.  Are we not the BODY of Christ?  Christ is in us; He is the HEAD of the BODY? So when, at the last judgment, all are judged, which must include every being, even angels, good or bad, who will be judging them? The Word of God tells us that it will be Jesus who judges all; so where is the BODY of Christ when Christ is judging? Are you seeing this?

And who will rule in the Millenium period? Christ.  So what is the BODY of Christ going to be doing? Ruling with Christ who is the HEAD of the BODY.

And when the world is restored completely, the old earth done away with and a new earth in its place, who will dwell in the City known as the New Jerusalem?  The BODY of Christ, with Christ the HEAD of the BODY being the light that takes the place of any need for a sun.

I believe there is much more to the mystery of the BODY of Christ than we have explored. and I might have it all wrong at this point (just theorizing not claiming this to be biblical truth...please get that whoever is reading this!)  Definitely, could be another study on this point alone! Thank you, GW, for sharing with us your experience and throughts regarding your own divorce. Would you want to expound a bit about the "shame" issues attached to divorce? 

There is always so much to work through in divorce or even separation or just plain marital conflicts; all times when we can become the most vulnerable to all the lies of hte enemy who wants to bring us down and keep us there.  In those times, we need the strength, wisdom, and encouragement from brothers and sisters in Christ.  We need scriptural wisdom that does not arrive packaged in "trite" easy answers to address the hurt that we are dealing with.