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The Remaining Matters in Marriage
Further, the Apostle Paul wrote of a member of God’s true Church married to one who is a non-
member, an unbeliever:
I Corinthians 7:12-16 But to the rest I, not the Lord say (
still true, I Timothy 4:16-17
), “If
any man who has a wife who does not believe (
not a converted member
), and she is willing to
live with him, let him NOT divorce her. And the woman who has a husband who does NOT
believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her NOT divorce him. For the unbelieving
husband is sanctified
(put in a separate category, not made holy
) by the wife, and the
unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean
(
not part of God’s Church
), but now they are holy (
sanctified – set apart for access to God)
.
But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or sister has NOT been under
bondage (
Greek.
-
of the marriage vow
) in such cases, but God has called us to peace. For
how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O
husband, whether you will save your wife.”
As the Apostle Paul wrote the member should try hard to make the marriage work as also made
known by the Apostle Peter:
I Peter 3:1 “Likewise you wives, be submissive to your own husbands (
in the Lord not out of
the Lord
;
examples: Ephesians 6:1; Acts 5:29
), that even if some do not obey the word (
not in
the Church
), they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of the wife.”
By both husband and wife working together to keep the marriage alive and happy can free them
from the unhappiness, mental anguish, and pain of being separated by a divorce. In addition there
is also the trauma experienced by children being torn apart by no longer having both parents
there to love and care for them:
This is just another reason why the LORD God hates divorce
Malachi 2:13-16 “. . . For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce . . .”
Sometimes Circumstances Dictate
Tragically, there are the times when there seems to be no alternative, but divorce, as Scripture
makes known:
“. . . But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or sister has NOT been under
bondage (
Greek.
-
of the marriage vow
)
NOTE:
Verse 15— Mr. Armstrong: “That is a brother or sister is not under bondage of marriage
to fight in strife to prevent the unconverted to remain – or to continue the obligation of support.”
This Scripture is making known that where divorce is brought about due to the unconverted
member not being pleased to continue in the marriage in peace, the member is no longer under
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