What do you think?
Share your thoughts?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
What Are Your Thoughts on Separation or Divorce?
How does the Church treat separated and divorced people? Do the judge? Do they condemn? Are they more understanding, forgiving? Have things changed over the last 10, 20, 30 years in the church having sympathy and giving care to those with relationship problems? How would your church treat you if you where going through a separation or divorce? What would happen if a minister went through a separation or divorce. Doesn't Paul say it is good or can be good for a couple to be separated for a time? Can separation be a blessing for a couple? Or does it hurt? If you have gone through a separation or divorce how have you felt? Did it help, hurt? How? If you are a minister how would your church treat you if you where separated or divorced? Why? What advice do you have for those who are separated or considering divorce? Does the church need to treat separated and divorced people different? How and Why? If you are currently separated or divorced how has your church helped you and your family?
When you ask whether Paul thought separation was a good thing, I think you must be referring to 1 Cor. 7:5. To answer your question, I do not believe that the modern definition of "separation" is what Paul is talking about in this verse.
ReplyDeleteWhen you you consider the context of the verse, Paul is clearly talking about the sexual relationship. Before verse 5, he says that each spouse's body does not belong to them alone, but to the other spouse as well. At the end of the verse, he tells them to come back together so that they will not be tempted because of their lack of self-control. It does not seem that Paul is advocating the idea that two spouses completely remove themselves from one another or the idea of taking a break.
In fact, Paul gives the reason for and limitations on the temporary deprivation. First it is for the purpose of the couple devoting themselves to prayer. By using that language, it seems that Paul is advocating sexual fasting within the marriage relationship. The purpose of fasting is to learn to rely on God. What modern Americans call separation does not seem to have reliance on God as the motivation for the separation.
Paul limits the deprivation in two ways. First, it must be by mutual consent. How many separated couples do you know that are separated by mutual consent. I would guess that many separations are initiated by one spouse and the other spouse really has not choice. Second, Paul says the deprivation must be for a time or a season. In other words, it is limited and my interpretation is that it should not be a long time.
Once you really break the verse down, I just don't think it applies to the modern concept of marital separation. If you had another instruction from Paul in mind, I'm sorry.
God hates it and I work to keep it from happening but that doesn't mean it doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI try to minister and educate in an attempt to keep it from happening again.
We take people where they are and go from there.
I hate divorce ... maybe not as much as God does (Malachi 2:16. But I've been there.
ReplyDeleteAnd so has He:
Isaiah 50:1; Jeremiah 3:8.
Wow, that's a lot of questions.
ReplyDeleteDoes becoming a Widow mean you come into this same discussion?
ReplyDeleteDoes this also mean you can or cant re-marry?
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