Rescuing A Wayward Spouse

[Duncan]

No, I'm sure you were blameless. My friends are never in the wrong.

hahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahaahahahhha! I have another friend that only likes friends spouses until something happens, "never liked them anyways"!!

[Questing Beast]

I have to disagree. At least Jesus did not think so. He said he came to bring the sword. Not that he wants suffering but He is clear that his gospel would tear apart relationships.

I call "malarkey". Nothing in modern day revelation mirrors those words. Those words were among the many put into Jesus' mouth by later writers, already in disagreement with vying Christian sects....

[SeekingUnderstanding]

I have to disagree. At least Jesus did not think so. He said he came to bring the sword. Not that he wants suffering but He is clear that his gospel would tear apart relationships.

You were responding to a general statement by Questing Beast, but the overall context of Questing Beast and this thread is marriage, so just to be clear:

In the verse you reference the husband wife relationship is omitted both in Matthew and in Luke. On the other hand Jesus did say that husbands and wives were to cling to each other "so then they are no more twain, but one flesh." Elsewhere Jesus said "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

Paul gave the following advice:

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.

Edited August 6, 2013 by SeekingUnderstanding

[kassie]

"But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

1 Cor. 7:15-16

Part of loving someone is allowing them the space to make their own choices whether we agree with those choices or not. Should the unbelieving spouse choose to leave, we are not to chase them or beg them or plead with them. Just like Jesus allowed the rich young ruler to walk away when he wasn't willing to give up his possessions, we are to love our spouses enough to let them go. God is still at work.

Edited August 6, 2013 by kassie

[The Nehor]

I call "malarkey". Nothing in modern day revelation mirrors those words. Those words were among the many put into Jesus' mouth by later writers, already in disagreement with vying Christian sects....

Anything beyond personal distaste at the scripture behind this hypothesis?

You were responding to a general statement by Questing Beast, but the overall context of Questing Beast and this thread is marriage, so just to be clear:

In the verse you reference the husband wife relationship is omitted both in Matthew and in Luke. On the other hand Jesus did say that husbands and wives were to cling to each other "so then they are no more twain, but one flesh." Elsewhere Jesus said "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

Paul gave the following advice:

Paul's advice is the ideal but has the prerequisite that the non believer is willing to live with the gospel. I take this to mean the person is not antagonistic and is willing to respect their believing spouse. It is also clearly intended as advice,for converts where only one converts; it says nothing of a marriage of two believers where one apostasizes. It is not a carte blanche for someone to leave the church and expect their spouse to be okay with it no matter what they do.

[SeekingUnderstanding]

Anything beyond personal distaste at the scripture behind this hypothesis?

Paul's advice is the ideal but has the prerequisite that the non believer is willing to live with the gospel. I take this to mean the person is not antagonistic and is willing to respect their believing spouse. It is also clearly intended as advice,for converts where only one converts; it says nothing of a marriage of two believers where one apostasizes. It is not a carte blanche for someone to leave the church and expect their spouse to be okay with it no matter what they do.

I think we are on the same page. Leaving the church is not cause for divorce. Continued antagonism and lack of respect regardless of the issue often is.

I think Pres Faust nailed it when he said:

What, then, might be "just cause" for breaking the covenants of marriage? ... I confess I do not claim the wisdom or authority to definitively state what is "just cause." Only the parties to the marriage can determine this. They must bear the responsibility for the train of consequences which inevitably follow if these covenants are not honored.

In my opinion, "just cause" should be nothing less serious than a prolonged and apparently irredeemable relationship which is destructive of a person's dignity as a human being.