This is the first part of a five-part post, entitled “More
Harm, than Good"
There is one decision a person must make in life that will
have eternal implications. The saying goes like this…"Born twice, die once….born
once, die twice". Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the most important decision
you will ever make for eternity.
John 3:3 Jesus answered
and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.
The second most important decision in a person’s life,
besides faith in Christ, is making a vow of marriage. Marriage is not something
we should ever take lightly. Marriage is God’s grace to humankind and
represents Christ’s love for His church. I have already posted about the
significance of marriage in this post here. Therefore, it is not necessary to
go into detail of the importance of the one-flesh marriage vow. It is necessary
to show the truth of marriage “after” we die and be with the Lord. Marriage is
a temporary covenant that is significant to humankind. Death is the only way a
marriage bond is broken in ones lifetime. The Lord explains this temporary
marriage in the three synoptic Gospels. I reference Luke’s account…
Jesus’
answer to the Sadducees…Luke 20:34 And
Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given
in marriage: 35
But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the
resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither
can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children
of God, being the children of the resurrection.
The truth is that we will know our spouse(s) in heaven, but
marriage will not be necessary because we will be with the Lord Jesus Christ. Our
sufficiency will be in Him, and we will worship Him forever more. Therefore, it
eternally necessary we understand the significance of our marriage on earth. This
is where I believe it is necessary to explain the title of this blog and the significance
of the permanence of marriage. There are certain family ministries that have
tremendous influence on families and marriages. One of theses ministries is
Focus on the Family, and the founder, Dr. James Dobson.
Focus on the Family (FOTF)is
a Christian ministry that provides invaluable information to families and
marriages. FOTF uses a combination of biblical truths, human philosophies, and
medical expertise to account for their incredible inventory of materials,
information, programs, and guidance. They offer many programs that cover the children,
family, singles, parenting, marriages, social issues, divorce recovery, and relationships.
I want to make this clear. FOTF, and Dr. James Dobson (He has his
own ministry, Dr, James Dobson’s FamilyTalk) have done incredible good to society
in their ministries. There is no question their ministry is influential
in restoring many marriages. However, whenever a ministry claims to use solid
biblical truths as a foundation of their ministry, it is the responsibility of
every believer to contend for the faith and test to see if these ministries are
true.
I have concluded that FOTF, and Dr. James Dobson have done more
harm on their biblical stance of marriage, divorce, and remarriage, than good. They
have also done more harm to families and generations of families with their
less than sound foundational truths. I want it to be also clear that this
revelation is not an attempt to slander FOTF or Dr. James Dobson as it is an
exhortation; seeking to bring about change, or repentance, if you will. In
order to make this claim, one needs evidence to support such a claim…even then,
it will require a conviction by the Holy Spirit and believing what God’s word
says even if we have been lead by whatever or whoever to believe otherwise.
I carefully read and considered Dr. James Dobson’s three premises
on why he believes divorce and remarriage are optional to a one-flesh covenant
that no man may break. You can find these premises and the answer the following
question on his website, here.
The question states…”There are so many differing opinions about what the Bible says regarding divorce. Does Dr. Dobson believe that it's okay for Christians to get divorced?”“Dr. Dobson has opposed divorce as an answer to marital discord with everything that is within him, and he is compelled to take issue with those who attempt to reinterpret the Scriptures on this subject. He believes that when Jesus said marriage is for life, He meant it!”
“Nevertheless, he feels that there are three occasions when divorce and remarriage appear to be justified in Scripture:”…
The first question I had concerning this introduction to these
premises was this: Where did Jesus say “nevertheless” to a one-flesh marriage covenant?
In one sentence, Dr. Dobson will say in so many words that marriage is a
lifetime one-flesh covenant no man may break…. He believes that when Jesus said marriage is for life, He meant it! Yet
he follows this up with “nevertheless.”
This is how I believe scripture clearly defines marriage,
divorce, and remarriage. This gives no options for divorce and certainly no
options for remarriage after divorce. If scripture exposes these three premises
for what I believe is a clear breach in the marriage covenant, then these
premises must be thoroughly rejected. I will begin the second part of this series
by answering and questioning the first premise. I will put his premise to the
test and see if it stands against the Gospel, and the word of God.
Again, I do not seek to disparage or slander these ministries;
I seek to expose the truth so that change can occur. I solely rely on the power
of the Holy Spirit by reading the word of God and believing what it says. I
dearly love these ministries and these leaders as Christ loved me, and love never
rejoices in iniquity, love always rejoices in the truth.
(Continue to part 2, More Harm, Than Good.)
(Continue to part 2, More Harm, Than Good.)
In Christ’s love.
Neil
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