From: Kenneth Linden, Jr.
To: ChimWRITE-owner@yahoogroups.com
27th November, 2008
Folks should read all of the New Covenant again and really see for themselves what is said about divorce - from what Yeshua taught (prophetically) and what was taught/written by The Inspiration of The Breath of God (The Ruach).
It really isn't 'cut and dried'. Let's look at it as it really is portrayed in Scripture and not from some rigid religious mindset.
Ken
Bremerton, WA.
From: Chimezie & Ibidun Onyebilanma
To: "Kenneth Linden, Jr."
28th November, 2008
Hi Ken,
Its nice to hear from you after so many years. I was wondering if you were still on the list.
Trust you are fine.
Thanks for your comments. What is interesting to me is that your present views seem a bit different from what it was 6 years ago when I first posted this article on divorce.
Here I quote your mail of March, 2002
Chim,
The issue of 'hard heart' is a description of 'unforgiveness'. Check out the other references of 'a heart of stone'. Contrast that with the references to 'a heart of flesh' (not to be confused with 'carnality' or 'flesh nature').
Hmmmmmmm, 'differences that we cannot (*will not*) reconcile'. What would happen if God used that line on us?
Shalom
Ken
P.S. The other 'untouchable' subject is 'remarriage' - after 'divorce'. But then, you've already shown - lovers of self and not of God.
Has your views changed? Please let me know. Bless you dear brother.
From: Kenneth Linden, Jr.
To: Chimezie & Ibidun Onyebilanma
28th November, 2008
Changes? How about less clinical, more compassionate. Since then, God has allowed me to share/minister His Love in ways of Kindness.
I was, at that time, filled with zeal. That has changed, transforming from an 'anger based/idignation' to one that is Love Based - Passion. It's not wrong to be zealous for the sake of righteousness, but it is dangerous ground. Learning how to Love, that's the real challenge.
What used to be a 'hard lined/no excuses' has become one of compassion and empathy. The roots of things are still of great importance, but how to 'live it out to the Glory of God' is even more important. Divorce is still a tradgedy - but then we still (at least here in the US) rush 'flushed with love' into a life-time covenant with another human when we really don't know how to live in Covenant with our God.
I sent that to you just a couple of years from being involved in a separation and demand for divorce by my wife. That could explain the harsh sound/tone.
It's still a heart issue - but stepping back, it's one about doing the things that bring pleasure to God. Yes, God is concerned for our 'happiness', but that's not what a marriage should be based on.
We can't really 'amen' this phrase "What God has joined together, let no man put asunder", when He really wasn't involved with/in the process.
I guess to sum it up, there really is little that men can do to help God but by being obedient to what He wants and desires. That can only really be satisfied by a daily walking with Him - not just by trying to apply 'nuggets of wisdom' extracted from text.
By close fellowship with Him letting Him have our ears and hearts can we begin to move in His economy utilizing His technologies at His personal direction.
A new dimension to those thoughts/comments would be this - the Church still doesn't know how to apply the Balm Of Gilead to the wounds that come along in life. Maybe we should become more Samaritan like in the way we deal with the situations in other's lives. We should be out and about the highways and byways, taking The Kingdom of God to the world instead of trying to bring the world into The Kingdom of God.
Shabbat Shalom! (the Things of Old have passed away..... Behold the New Things that are to change everything!)
Ken
P.S. It seems that in the OT the hard heart was between people. In the NT it's between people and God. How can we expect people to reconcile with each other when they won't/can't really reconcile with God? There should be more weeping before the altar.
From: Chimezie & Ibidun Onyebilanma
To: "Kenneth Linden, Jr."
3rd December
Dear Ken,
I agree that the real challenge is learning to speak the truth in LOVE. True godly zeal is based on a passionate love for God and the brethren. In as much as my heart breaks to see way divorce is gaining acceptance in the Church, my heart aches for those who go through divorce and for many too who are in very tough and troubled marriage relationships.
You are correct when you point to the root of this problem being the way we rush into marriages with only our feelings to lead us and our happiness as the object. It is not just enough to deplore the rate of divorce in the church, we must go back and address the orientation we give our young ones about how to make choice of a life-partner. We must throw away the shallow dating we allow them to do and teach them the need to seriously seek God's leading before they commit themselves to marry someone.
And yes like I said earlier the problem is hardness of heart.
Thanks once again for sharing these thoughts. I intend to share it with others on my blog.
Blessings!
Chim
2 comments:
Hi dear saints,
I will just like to add a few comments and not a thorough research.
I quite agree with you that for the disciple of Jesus there is no room for divorce.I do not believe we should take our cue from the world but from the word.
My position remains that God never planned for divorce-just like He never planned that a man should have more than one wife.However,knowing that men will divorce-and be polygamous-He permits it.I know its easy to misunderstand my stand.
If you read 1Tim.3,in the list of qualification for eldership,Paul says,such a one must be the husband of one wife.The issue is that that condition will be superfluous and unnecessary if there were not members with more than one wife.I believe that such ones must have become polygamous before they became converts and Paul applying his advice to the Corinthians in 1Cor.7 that everyman should remain in the calling where they met Christ and not seek to be loosed if they were already married let them be.However, they were not qualified for leadership as they were not worthy examples to the brethren.
The point i am making is this:That divorce or polygamy is never God's will but He permits it in certain cases.Hence, Jesus permitted it (though He hates it)in the case of fornication.The word translated fornication in the greek does not refer to the act between unmarried couples alone(as we use the word today) but is a general word for sexual immorality as some more recent versions have rendered it and as we can confirm by using a greek-english dictionary.
Also, we see that Paul also permits it where one partner (the unbelieving partner)demands it.Read what he says in !Cor.7 too.
I think having being a pastor for a few year and being involved in some messy cases and crying to the Lord in prayers and studying the word closer,I have come to realise that divorce is like amputation.It is hated,undesirable and something we must do everything to avoid.However,when a partner decides to begin to act like an unbeliever demanding divorce what do you do?Remain in the union by force? That will be unscriptural for the bible position is if the unbelieving choses to depart let him,the believing partner is not under obligation is such situtations.
Who is an unbeliever?I believe that this is where there is a lot of misunderstanding.Many of us think that because a man/woman answered an altar call 20years ago so he/she is a believer/disciple.However, the Lord Jesus was not so generous!According to Him, in His direction to settling dispute in the church recorded for us in Matt.18,a so-called disciple who consistently acts contrary to the scripture should be considered as a heathen!
Again, He tells us that except a man bears his cross DAILY,he is not a disciple!So when a spouse consistently behaves contrary to scriptures by committing sexual immorality, beating his/her? spouse to the point of constantly inflicting injuries and on top of all this demands divorce can you still call such a one a disciple in the light of scriptures?I don't think so!Now what is the scriptural position for an unbelieving partner seeking divorce from the believing spouse?So you see what I mean?
So, once again to summarize my position,divorve (like polygamy)is hated by God -like we men will hate amputation but He permits it when it CANNOT be helped.
Dan
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