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NASB | 1 Corinthians 7:12 ¶ But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 7:12 ¶ To the rest I declare--I, not the Lord [since Jesus did not discuss this]--that if any [believing] brother has a wife who does not believe [in Christ], and she consents to live with him, he must not leave her. |
Bible Question:
Another thought: Where is it written that a woman must stay with an abusive spouse until she and/or her children end up dead as a result of the abuse? Where is it written that a woman must stay in a marriage where her husband is sexually abusing the children? The Bible clearly commands: Thou shalt not kill. Yet even Christians justify killing to defend themselves or their families. Likewise, the Bible prohibits divorce, with two exceptions -- adultery or desertion. But if killing in self-defense is justifiable, then so would divorcing in self defense be justifiable. You can't have it both ways. If it is not OK to divorce to protect the life and safety of the abused, then it is not OK to take up arms to defend one's family. In both cases we would just have to stand there and submit to violent abuse. |
Bible Answer: The commandment is "You shall not murder" not "you shall not kill" -- Exodus 20:13. There is a difference between killing and murder. Not all killing is murder. Murder is the kind of killing that tears the fabric of society. If killing were the same as murder, all the prescriptions in scripture for execution would be prescriptions for murder. This relates to divorce in that divorce is permitted as a concession to our hardness of heart, i.e. a recognition of that we do not live up to God's standards. Thus, most churches accept that abuse, adultery and abandonment are legitimate grounds for divorce. These factors indicate the marriage, as He intended, may be dead. While it is clear that God hates divorce, He does not want anyone to live a lie. I believe no one should divorce because of one incident or infidelity, but when those things become chronic patterns and serious, then one may give over that person to their choices, which reflect anything but a desire to be married. |