I posted this on another thread put it immediately hopelessly derailed. I would like to see some REAL comments on this however.

Divorce takes place in the heart, not in the court room (unless you are a legalist). Now every contract needs a way of escape for an innocent party under conditions of breach of contract, i.e., if one or both parties cannot perform their commitments. Now Moses did not perform the divorce itself. That was already performed by the heard-hearted parties themselves, but rather the "writ of divorce" that Moses offered was the "way of escape" of an impossible situation where one or both parties had no intention of meeting their vows. Therefore, what Moses did was an act of mercy. In Israel, a woman needed to have a man to care for her because there cultural was not set up that well for a lone independent woman. Without this writ, she was committing adultery by living with another man, but she generally, for cultural reasons, needed a man to survive. With this writ, she could legally be taken care of again. The writ was not the divorce itself, but the way out of the divorce which had taken place in the heart. Why more mercy under Moses than now?

I think the principle you bring forward is correct. In fact, CGCM lives by that principle, (or at least says they do) when they excommunicate one. They say they only excommunicate such as God has already tossed out of His family.

Scott,

As one struggling in a marriage that has hit the rocks big time from problems that span over a decade - I agree with your statement that divorce occurs in the heart first. That any court of law or pronouncement - or - in fact - even the physical evidence that the breaking of covenant has occurred by only one person remaining physically in the marriage home - is all secondary to what occurs in the heart first.

I watched your first thread with interest - but find this to be too painful a subject for me to post on much at all due to my current situation. But I also hope that I might learn something from reading and opening my heart to God's working in this area.

And I don't understand your last question. Can you explain that further? I see my marriage situation as not being pleasing to God whether it happened BC or AD. And by not pleased I mean 'not as he intended'. But I know that Christ forgives as well - so I'm not clear on what you are saying. I've never been a proponent of the 'once-divorced, always hell-bent' theology. That theology doesn't keep me working at my marriage. My desire to find a way to re-instate or re-new the covenant between my God, myself and my husband - that DOES keep me working at it. Anyway - can you explain more of what you mean by your last question?

thanks.

Sophia, email me off-line or send me your phone number (I do much better by phone) because I don't understand your question to me.

To Hank;

Indeed the expelling doctrine as practiced by our friends works off the idea that God has already done the tossing.

Excommunication means something altogether different from expulsion in the Biblical setting. Denying the cup and unleavened bread to a believer is excummunication in Biblical terms. Expulsion by men on the other hand not a New Covenant concept. This idea and practice is a carry over from the old covenant. Let us reach up for some honesty here!

With an incredible lack of insight these speak in the terms you mention, however God can indeed blot out one's name from the book of life. That name never gets back into the book of life because Jesus would have to be crucified again to do this. There is one sin unto death and not seventeen of them as our friends believe and practice.

For the one who has blasphemed the Holy Ghost and has done a despite to the Spirit of Grace, there remains no more sacrifice for his sin. His name is blotted out we might say. This one awaits a judgement where many stripes to correct him will be applied. He will suffer fire. He will suffer loss. His works will burn. The fire is eternal even the smoke is eternal. The worm dies not meaning no butterfly emerges during this correction; it's an age to endure according to the Greek texts.

The cleansing by fire is God's business but this fire is indeed cleasnsing in nature! I remember seeing men wash slag off of ridged metal with fire back in those blacksmith shops.

If we intimately know Him we know that there is no shadow of turning with our God, He is forever redemptive because that is who He is. He will by one man Christ Jesus restore or bring all things back to Himself! Eph. chapter one.