TEXTS:                                 Gen. 2:22-24; 1Cor. 7:1-40; Rom. 7:1-3

 

Today, we will tackle the issue of Separation

 

 

Separation is the situation of a wife parting from the husband or a husband parting from the wife (for whatever reason/reasons), and remaining un-re-married.

 

Believers and even others have been commanded not to separate, but to remain married (1Cor. 7:10; Rom. 7:1-3). There is no circumstance in our Christian context where a believing wife (a sister) is permitted to separate, but rather remain unmarried, as 1Cor. 7:11 appears to suggest.

 

With regard to those who are Christains, but married to those who are not because they were married as unbelievers, the perfect will of God in marriage is “no divorce” (Rom. 7:1-3; Matt. 19:6-9; 5:31-32; Lk. 16:18). Also, their remaining together is buttressed by the fact that their matrimony and children have been sanctified by the fact of their being believers, and by the fact that they could be instruments of salvation to their unbelieving spouses (1Cor. 7:12-16).

Those who quote “if the unbelieving depart, let him depart …………..” (1Cor. 7:15) should consider the fact of the perfect will of God on divorce and the apostle’s remark in verse 12 in which he clearly stated the source of such a permission as entirely his not the LORD’S. It becomes rather questionable that any true believer should know the perfect will of God and put it aside to take a permissive counsel of the apostle, who clearly declared such as not the will of God.

 

To be on the safer side, let us keep to the LORD’S command.