Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Matthew 19:8 He *said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 19:8 He said to them, "Because your hearts were hard and stubborn Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. |
Bible Question (short): Divorce: believer or unbeliever |
Question (full): OK, I know this is a common topic and I did do a search and find a lot on the particular verse. I did not however, find the question or answer I am looking for so I'll ask here. 1Cor. 7: 15 says regarding the bonds of marriage: "But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace." (KJV) My question is, what exactly does "unbelieving" mean here. I'm not playing on words here. In the time in which Paul was writing, many were hearing the gospel preached (with no prior knowledge) and believing and were already married. I can see the serious conflict this would cause, especially in a Jewish home. If the unbeliever wants ot leave, it's his/her choice and the left behind believer is not in bondage to the vows. Easy to understand. Not so easy today in many cases. How would one know if his/her spouse is an "unbeliever"? Because someone professes to be a believer does not necessarily make him/her one. If a man wants a divorce, and his wife presents him with the will of God from scripture he might say, I'm a believer but I'm divorcing you anyway. Where does this leave the wife in regards to her freedom to remarry? Because he confesses to be a believer while intentionally disobeying God, is the wife now obligated to remain unmarried for the rest of her life? |