Marriage, Divorce, Eunuchs, and Children

Q: What does the Bible say about marriage and divorce?

The Bible teaches that marriage is a lifelong union that should only be ended for serious reasons such as infidelity. In Matthew 19:1-9, Jesus affirms the sanctity of marriage, stating that what God has joined together should not be separated by man. He addresses the question of divorce posed by the Pharisees, revealing that Moses only permitted it due to the hardness of people's hearts, not as a command. The only lawful grounds for divorce, according to Jesus, are sexual immorality. The well-being of society and the church greatly depends upon a proper understanding of marriage, as a failure to uphold God's design leads to widespread chaos and broken families.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of marriage as a lifelong union is true?

Jesus affirmed in Matthew 19 that marriage is intended to be a lifelong commitment established by God. The doctrine that marriage is a lifelong union is rooted in the teachings of Jesus. In Matthew 19:4-6, Jesus cites Genesis, declaring that God made male and female and intended for them to be united as one flesh. This covenantal relationship is not merely a social contract but a divine institution with God as the witness. His words emphasize the inherent seriousness of marriage, showing that it was created by God to picture the relationship between Christ and His Church. Thus, divorce for lesser reasons undermines this sacred bond.

Q: Why is the concept of marriage important for Christians?

Marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the Church, making it vital for Christians to uphold its sanctity. The sanctity of marriage is crucial for Christians as it mirrors Christ's relationship with the Church (Ephesians 5:25-32). A faithful marriage offers a tangible representation of Christ's love, sacrifice, and commitment to His people. It serves as a foundation for family, community, and society at large. Ignoring Biblical principles regarding marriage leads to moral decay and societal chaos, as families are the bedrock of community. Therefore, Christians must uphold the Biblical view of marriage, recognizing its profound significance in reflecting God's design and character.

Q: What are the biblical grounds for divorce?

According to the Bible, divorce is permitted in cases of sexual immorality. In Matthew 19:9, Jesus explicitly states that divorce is permissible only on the grounds of sexual immorality, which encompasses adultery and other forms of sexual infidelity. This illustrates the seriousness of marriage and the gravity of breaking that covenant. While Jesus acknowledges that Moses allowed divorce due to the hardness of people's hearts, He emphasizes that God's ideal is a lifelong commitment. Further teachings in 1 Corinthians 7 indicate that abandonment by an unbelieving spouse also constitutes grounds for divorce, allowing the believer to remarry without guilt.

Q: How should Christians view remarriage after divorce?

Christians may remarry if the divorce was lawful according to Scripture, such as infidelity or abandonment. The biblical understanding of remarriage hinges on the circumstances surrounding the divorce. If a divorce occurred due to sexual immorality, as specified by Jesus in Matthew 19:9, the innocent party is free to remarry. Similarly, Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 7:15 indicates that if an unbelieving spouse departs, the believing spouse is not bound and can remarry. Importantly, this freedom to remarry doesn't mean endorsing every divorce; rather, it recognizes that God provides grace for those who have experienced a broken marriage and seek a new beginning in accordance with His will.

Q: Why did Jesus teach about eunuchs?

Jesus taught about eunuchs to explain that celibacy can be a valid calling for God's kingdom. In Matthew 19:11-12, Jesus discusses eunuchs to clarify that there are different reasons for not marrying, including being born as eunuchs, made eunuchs by others, or choosing celibacy for the kingdom of heaven. This teaching highlights that celibacy isn't inherently superior to marriage but serves a specific purpose in God’s plan. It shows that some individuals, by choice, may dedicate their lives to God's service without the distractions or commitments that marriage entails. This reflects a broader understanding of God's sovereignty over individual callings and the diverse ways believers can serve Him.

Q: How did Jesus view children in relation to faith?

Jesus welcomed children, emphasizing their innocence and the importance of humility in faith. In Matthew 19:13-15, Jesus demonstrates His love for children, saying that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. He rebukes His disciples for hindering the children, underscoring the importance of approaching God with the humility and trust of a child. Jesus' interaction with children reflects God's care for the vulnerable and invites believers to embody childlike faith—trusting, dependent, and open to His grace. This teaches Christians the value of nurturing faith in children and recognizing their place in the kingdom of God.

if you will, to Matthew chapter 19. Matthew the 19th chapter. I read something by Mr. Sturgeon last week one day. I forgot what it was I was reading, but he had such a unique way of taking everyday things and using them for illustrations and messages.

He said, I like to look at the long-stemmed lily and think that's what I'd like to be for God. He said, that long-stemmed lily spends all of its strength and all of its energy just reaching up to heaven and then bursts forth with a flower just for God. Oh, may my life be just that, so that in all the details of my life, in all the details of your life, we may present ourselves one sacrifice to God Almighty for what he's done for us by his grace. Our Lord in this passage deals with the details of life. I want to read in your hearing verses 1 through 15 and that will be our text this evening.

And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these sayings he departed from Galilee and came into the coast of Judea beyond Jordan. Now if you like to compare the synoptic Gospels and you want to see how all these things relate and fit together, this was at the time when the Lord Jesus came back to Bethany so that he could be there to raise Lazarus from the dead. He had gotten news that Lazarus was sick And now Lazarus had died and he came back so that he might be there to raise Lazarus from the dead. And he came to Jerusalem so that he might suffer and die in our place. And great multitudes followed him and he healed them there.

The Lord Jesus was never idle. He constantly went about doing his father's business, seeking his father's glory, serving the souls and needs of men. And the Pharisees, they never left him alone. They never shut up. They never, they would never just go their way and leave him alone.

The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Now that's the key to the words, or to the question, for every cause. Some of the Pharisees said, yeah, it's perfectly all right, you get tired of a woman, put her away. The more conservative group of the Pharisees said, oh no, you can't do this. So either way he answered it, he was going to have the Pharisees on his back, and he knew it, and they knew it. So they said, is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

Tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, have ye not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female? and said, For this call shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? These Pharisees, like most religious people, twisted the scriptures to make them suit their own purposes. Moses never gave the commandment. If you compare, and we will in just a little bit, Deuteronomy 24, the passage to which they were referring, the Lord Jesus points us back to this thing when he answers their question. But the Pharisees said, now Moses commanded to put away. He didn't do any such thing. Moses allowed for putting her away. All right, read on. And he saith unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered, permitted, or tolerated you to put away your wives.

But from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery. And whoso marryeth her which is put away, doth commit adultery. And his disciples saying to him, if the taste of a man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

Now that's an astounding statement. Here are followers of the Savior, his disciples. Men who were believers and followed the Savior and sought the glory of God, they said, well if a fellow can't put away his wife whenever he wants to, he ought not to get married. It's not good. This was such a common practice.

But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this save, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs which were so born from their mother's womb, and there are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men, and there be eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. Then were brought unto him little children. that he should put his hands on them and pray, and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me, for I am such as the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

Now, this passage of scripture has been one of those passages throughout the generations over which men have argued and fussed and wrangled and debated. It's a pity. It's a pity that our Lord's doctrine, our Lord's teachings, have become issues of division and debate among those who profess to follow him. But that's just that. Men have debated over this passage, and they continue to, and wherever men are involved in debate, they soon bring the debate to a division. a division oftentimes about those things which are most insignificant. Now, I know that I'm not going to settle the questions that other people have. I hope to be able to minister to you. It's not my purpose to offend anyone. I don't want to do that. Preachers, teachers, or any of you, I don't want to do that.

But I want to give you a clear understanding of exactly what this passage of scripture is teaching. It's given for our learning and for our admonition that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. So give me your attention as we look at these 15 verses together this evening. I find as we go through passages of scripture, one of the reasons that I spend a good bit of time particularly in our Sunday evening and Tuesday evening services, is involved in exposition, that is, in preaching through books of the Bible, line by line, verse by verse. By doing so, I am compelled to deal with subjects that I might not choose to deal with at other times. And so, I am compelled as we go through this Gospel of Matthew We come here now to chapter 19.

I'm compelled to talk to you about the things our Lord talks about here. That's just honest. And in this passage, our Lord Jesus deals with the matters of marriage and divorce. He deals with the matter of eunuchs, and he deals with the matter of children. And those are the three things that we will look at this evening. First, our Lord Jesus addresses the issue of marriage and divorce. Now, I'm going to spend the bulk of our time talking to you about this issue.

Please understand, I'm not talking to our neighbors out across the road. I'm not talking to folks who have no interest in God's glory. I'm not talking to folks who disregard the word of God. I'm talking to you. You men and women who profess faith in Christ and profess to reverence the word of God, to submit to the authority of Holy Scripture, to you who seek the glory of God, and to you young people who sit here and you've been raised under the sound of the gospel, and you at least give some outward evidence that you have some regard and respect for Holy Scripture. I'm talking particularly to you who are redeemed by the blood of Christ, to you who are chosen of God, born of his spirit, washed in the blood of Christ, and you seek God's glory, to you who are believers. That's the basis of my appeal. I do not hope to conform society to the word of God, but I do hope that you and I, as we believe God and seek his glory, will endeavor to conform our lives to his word in all the details of life.

Now in these verses our Lord Jesus teaches us that marriage is for life. The marriage union of a husband and wife is never to be dissolved and cannot be lawfully dissolved except upon the most serious grounds. Now be sure you understand that. The marriage union of a man and woman is never to be dissolved. and cannot be lawfully, I mean biblically, dissolved except upon the most serious grounds. Now I cannot overstate the importance of what our Lord is teaching in verses 3 through 9.

The well-being of nations, the happiness of society, and the welfare of God's church greatly depends upon the strength of families and The strength of families, what our politicians like to call family values, the wholeness of families, depends upon the proper understanding and respect for the teachings of God's word with regard to marriage. When many women ignore what God says about marriage, when society just throws the word of God in the trash can and says we'll do things our own way with regard to this thing of marriage, then the whole fabric and structure of society is thrown in the waste can. And the reason we have such utter chaos in our society, the basic principle reason we have such utter chaos in our society is that neither men nor women nor the children they raise have any understanding of what God teaches with regard to their responsibilities as husbands and wives in this world. I think I can safely say to you young people, I know you go through school and they teach all kinds of nonsense, all kinds of nonsense with regard to relationships.

I can safely say unless your teacher is one who believes God, unless your teacher at school is one who submits to the word of God, Just ignore, I mean ignore every principle you're taught in school about the relationship of a husband and wife. Ignore every principle because the philosophy of the age is in direct opposition to the word of God. Now I don't want you to hear my philosophy. I'm not here to give you a philosophy session about marriage. I'm here to give you exactly what the Savior says.

In the days of our Lord's earthly ministry, during the zenith of the Roman Empire, moral decadence was very much the same as it is in our day. Even among the Jews, it was common for men and women to take marriage vows and take marriage itself and be a very frivolous and insignificant thing. Notice again the formative question that the Pharisees put.

They did not say is it lawful for a man to put away his wife. That's not the question they asked. They said is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause. It was a common thing for men to put away their wives simply because they wanted another. It was common for men to put away their wives simply because their wives had fallen in disfavor.

Now, granted they did not have the legal grounds. Women did not have the legal grounds that they have today so that they could put their husbands away. Women didn't have the liberties that they have in that regard. But as far as men were concerned, marriage was looked upon with utter disdain and contempt insofar as responsibility is concerned.

Now it's true, because of the hardness of men's hearts, In order to prevent the abuse of women, and in order to prevent the murder of women, Moses did tolerate the putting away of a woman. Come back to Deuteronomy chapter 24. Now, I said earlier, Moses did not, as the Pharisees said, command it, but he did tolerate it. Back in Deuteronomy chapter 24, Moses giving word by inspiration of God. and his word is as much inspired as the word of Jesus or as the word of Paul, this book was written by God the Holy Spirit. Moses says, Deuteronomy 24, verse 1, When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her, some indecency in her, something in her that is distasteful to him, then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife." Now that's important. Moses says, now if this man puts away his wife, then she is free to go and be another man's wife. And if the latter husband hate her and write a bill of divorce, but giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house, or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife, Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled.

For that is an abomination before the Lord, and thou shalt not cause the land to stand which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance." Notice when many women spoken of here by these Pharisees are spoken of as giving in every cause, giving away divorces and giving their wives up in divorce, that's demonstrating a terrible laxity. so that the Pharisees had continued by their traditions and by the customs of the society in which they lived to give up the responsibilities of marriage, and they took the word of God and tried to find in the word of God a justification for their own perverse behavior. Now, when these men and women had done so, they had utterly made void the word of God. And when men and women abandon God's law with regard to marriage, when they look upon marriage contemptuously, and deal with their responsibilities contemptuously, they produce a generation of children who are utter rebels before God. who have absolutely no regard for God, have absolutely no conscience with regard to the things of God.

We won't read it now, but you read the second chapter of Malachi, verses 14, 15, and 16. And Malachi speaks of the children of Israel having done so grievously, having so grievously vexed God with regard to this matter of marriage and divorce that their children had become themselves defilers of the land.

Folks say, well, what I do doesn't affect anybody. Oh, it does. Oh, it does. Children are the reflection of what their parents raised them to be. Children are by and large a reflection of what their parents themselves set before them as an example. And Moses speaks plainly, God speaks plainly, Malachi speaks plainly with regard to our responsibility for those children who follow our example. Now, when this is dealt with here in Matthew chapter 19.

The disciples' comment in verse 10 will give you some indication of just how bad things have gotten. When the disciples said, well, if this is so, if the case of a man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry him. Now let me give you the essence of what they said. They heard the Lord saying, no, it's not lawful for a man for every cause to put away his The disciples said, well, if a fellow can't get rid of a woman whenever he wants to, he ought not get married.

And that's just near the philosophy of our age. But, well, that's horrible to put a man under. Who could expect someone, when they first get married, to know what they want to do the rest of their lives? Why, that's just not reasonable. And the disciples thought and responded according to the tenor of the philosophy and the belief of their age in which they lived. They said, why?

If this is the way it is, then a fellow would be better off not to get married at all. Now listen to what our Lord teaches concerning marriage. First, this is a relationship of greater importance and of greater influence than any other relationship on earth. I meant to say just what I said. This just happens providentially for me to be the week whenever we came to Matthew chapter 19. I've been preparing in my own studies and in my own mind the message I plan to bring at Faith and Doug's wedding on Saturday, and I plan to say something very similar to this to them and to that congregation. Marriage, the relationship of marriage, is of greater importance and of greater influence. than any earthly relationship.

It was established by God in paradise before sin and into the world. You read Genesis chapter 2, and the Lord God said it's not good for man to be alone. He said, I'll make a help meet for him. And he caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he took one of Adam's ribs, and out of the rib of Adam he made Eve, and he brought her to him. And Adam took one look at that And he said, she's bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. And now Adam spoke by inspiration. I had no question that he did. He had never heard tell of a father before. He had never seen a father before, but he said, for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife.

Marriage was chosen by God to be typical of the relationship that exists between Christ and his church. So that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Women are to submit to their husbands and obey them even as the church submits to Christ and obeys him. And the marriage relationship is even superior to the relationship between parents and children. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife.

Marriage involves commitment. Devotion. Men and women who marry one another must be devoted to one another. You young people who aren't yet married or who haven't even perhaps considered marriage much, you listen to me. God help you to give me your attention. Don't even think about marrying a man. Don't even think about marrying a woman to whom you cannot devote yourself unreservedly. That make good sense to you, Vince? Got to be that way. Got to be that way. I know hormones get kicked into gear and folks think that passion is love. But I'm going to tell you something, passion's got nothing to do with love.

Devotion's got a lot to do with love. Devotion. Marriage involves sacrifice, self-denial. Marriage involves love. This is what Christ has done for us. He loved the church and gave himself for it. And in a marriage relationship, men and women give themselves to their partner. They give themselves to their husband or to their wife. They willingly give themselves, sacrificing themselves for the benefit, the welfare, and the happiness of the husband or wife to whom they're married.

Love is giving. I can't stress that enough. Love deals. It deals. Love never demands and never takes. It just gives. It just gives. You mean a preacher, a man ought never demand things of his wife? Oh, I feel sorry for a man who has to demand things from his wife. A woman don't never demand of her husband. No. No. No. Absolutely not. Love gives. It gives. It gives rights, and it gives property, and it gives time, and it gives energy, and it gives affection. It just gives. Just gives. not by constraint, not by force, not by law, but willingly, voluntarily.

Oh, when a woman meets a man who she reverences and admires, she gives to him. And when a man loves a woman as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, he gives himself for that woman. He lays down his life for her. He gives up. all other relationships, and all other ideals, and all other privileges. But that woman, he gives everything for her.

Everything. Love is yielding, not demanding. It's unconditional, never qualifying. I'm going to love you as long as. I'm going to love you if. Oh no. No, that's not love. Love's unconditional. Love's unqualified. Love just loves. It just does. It just does. And marriage involves a dissolution of other relationships. It involves a blessed isolation with one another.

Christ loved us and left heaven's glory and became what he never was before, a man. Made to be. for he most abhorred sin. And died of death, he could never be compelled to die, because he loved his son. To be one with us forever. Oh, God make me that kind of husband. God make me that kind of husband. Love says to mama and daddy, goodbye. Goodbye. come Saturday afternoon I will have kissed my daughter for the last time in the relationship that we now have.

And while that is somewhat emotional and it is difficult to face, that's what I've been wanting for that girl since the day she came into this world. And if I am what I know I ought to be, I will not interfere with their relationship. I'll not try to persuade her against her husband in anything. I'm not good. She has left me for him.

That's the way it ought to be. And she's left Mama for him. That's the way it ought to be. And he'll leave his Mama and Daddy for her. And that's the way it ought to be. Well, what if you have conflict? Oh, you don't have any conflict. Mama and Daddy understand to start with. They don't enter into the picture. They just don't enter into the picture.

That's the way marriages are made. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife. And they too shall be one flesh. Never is it taught in the scripture that a mother and daughter are one. Or that a father and son are one. Although that's just a relationship, but here is a union. A man and a woman come together before God and they're one, one flesh.

Now, our Lord teaches us here that this blessed relationship of marriage is a lifelong union. I know that today, few people enter into marriage with the intention and determination that this is forever. Most people, if they even bother about going to a wedding ceremony, have a little door over here called divorce. We can always get out of this thing. Shut the door, bar it up, weld the bars, it's gone. That's not an option. That's just not an option. That's just not an option.

Today, multitudes prepare prenuptial agreements, and the reason they prepare prenuptial agreements is because they have no intention of staying together. Many folks don't even bother with the ceremony of a wedding, but rather they just shack up like wild animals until something more effective comes along. And I'm telling you, I don't care how acceptable it becomes in society, it's base, it's barbarian, it's less than human for men and women to live together outside marriage. It's less than human. It's barbaric.

Our Lord teaches us that marriage is proper. and that it's forever. He says from the beginning it was not so. That is that a man should put away his wife and be married to another. He says in verse 8-6, but therefore God hath joined together, let not a man put asunder. Don't let men influence you. Don't let men dictate to you what God has joined together. Don't let anybody put asunder.

And he teaches us plainly that all who violate God's word in this matter are guilty of adultery. Look at verse 9. I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery. And whosoever marrieth her which is put away, doth commit adultery. Now let's look at the exception. Let's look at the exception. And remember, it's an exception. It's an Listen to what it says. This lifelong marriage union can be dissolved lawfully, it can be dissolved biblically for only extreme reasons.

In this passage, the reason our Lord gives is fornication. But fornication as it is used in this context does not refer to premarital sexual behavior. That's not what it's talking about. The word fornication is the word from which we get our word pornography. It involves all sexual infidelity. It involves all sexual perversity. In particular here, it's talking about adultery.

Christ Jesus is not here teaching that men and women whose husband or wife falls into this trap of infidelity are bound by God to divorce their husband or wife. He's not teaching any such thing. It ought never happen. I pray God it never happens. But men, if any of our wives should be overcome with this evil, we ought to forgive them. We ought to forgive them, no question about that. You ladies, if any of your husbands are overcome with this horrible evil, you ought to forgive No question about that. But I recognize and the Word of God recognizes and our Lord recognizes that we don't have the ability freely to forgive that we ought to have many times. And it becomes impossible for men and women to live together in harmony and in peace after such things.

It ought not be that way, but that's the way it is. I just long since gave up trying to get folks to be the way they ought to be. I want to deal with them the way they are. I want to deal with you as you really are, as things really are in this world. I don't mean I give up trying to get you to do what's right. I simply recognize reality and deal with reality.

The marriage union may be permanently dissolved in such cases. Our Lord speaks plainly. He says, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, for adultery, for infidelity, shall be guilty of adultery. But turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. There's another exception. 1 Corinthians chapter 7.

Now I hear folks say, well, the Lord Jesus said it. The Lord Jesus said this too, because Paul wrote by the spirit of inspiration. If you've got one of those Bibles that's got red letter additions in it, Don't ever think that the words of Christ in red are more inspired and more authoritative than the words that are not in red. The Word of God is the Word of God. And that which is spoken by Paul under inspiration is just as authoritative as that which God spoke from heaven when he called to Moses on the mount, or that which the Lord Jesus spoke while he lived on this earth. It is all the Word of God.

So the Apostle Paul is addressing this issue of marriage and divorce. And in verse 15, he says, if the undemeaning depart, let it depart. A man or a woman is married, one of them is converted, and he leaves. Paul says, all right, let him go. Or, perhaps, they were in a situation where the believer married an unbeliever in violation of what the scriptures plainly teach.

And the unbeliever says, all right, now I've put up with this as long as I intend to put up with it, and I'm leaving you, or you're going to quit worshiping God. You're going to quit going to church down there. You're going to quit attending those meetings. You can't be married to me and have that.

All right, let her go. Let her go. Better to lose her than lose yourself. Better to lose him than lose yourself. And listen to what Paul says. Now if they will depart, let them depart. A brother or sister is not in bondage in such cases. But God hath called us to peace. The brother or sister, the marriage bond is broken. It's over with. It's finished.

Well, in such cases, where the marriage bond is broken, the person abandoned, or the one against whom the infidelity had been committed, is perfectly free to marry again in the Lord. That's what Deuteronomy 24, 1-4 teaches. So if someone has been abandoned or someone's husband or wife has committed adultery and they've been divorced on those grounds, then they're perfectly free to marry again without guilt.

Without somebody standing up and saying, are you really sure you want to do this? The marriage bond is dissolved permanently. Now the question always comes up. Like I said, I want to deal with things as they really are. What about those who have already experienced divorce and remarriage. How should we deal with them? How do we deal with them? How does the church deal with them?

Just like everybody else. As forgiven sinners, that's how. Just like everybody else. I cannot imagine, I write to some prisoners, some convicts, who are serving time for murder, who've been converted by God's grace. If one of them was to get out of prison, and God called him to preach, the invitations would be flooded. I mean, he would just be flooded with invitations. Come preach to us. Come preach to us. Give us your testimony. Tell us what God did for you. But if a fellow has been divorced and remarried, doesn't matter when it happened. He'd been divorced and remarried. Doesn't matter what the circumstances. Now you can come and give us your money, and you can come sit on the pew, and you can come and attend services, but now you can't be a deacon, you can't be an elder, you can't be a preacher.

Since when? Since when did God Almighty say some of your sins are under the blood and some of them are not? Since when did God say I'll forgive all your sins but this one, you're going to have to suffer for that for the rest of your life. Those who are believers, and I know some of you have experienced this. I know some who listen to these tapes have experienced it, and I'm speaking pointedly. I'm speaking for the benefit of those in particular. If they are believers, if they're born of God, if they're washed in the blood of Christ, if they are robed in his garments of righteousness, they're forgiven of all sin.

Even if the divorce was done in such a manner as they are altogether themselves guilty, Christ forgives sin. Do you understand that? This is never represented in the scripture as somehow being an unpardonable sin. And so they are free from all condemnation. New creatures in Jesus Christ the Lord. Oh, thank God for free forgiveness, don't you? Free forgiveness. Absolute forgiveness. You may preach it. God will never, ever, ever visit this sin upon me. I hope you heard me. That's just what I said. Never. Never.

Well, what about 1 Timothy 3.2? Bishop must be the husband of one wife. I'm not going to try to expand that verse of Scripture. I'm going to tell you this.

1 Timothy 3.2 has absolutely nothing to do with divorce and remarriage. Has absolutely nothing to do with it.

It's addressing the issue that was dealt with commonly in the Gentile world of polygamy. I'll give you an example. Brother Ken Wymer has been ministering for years in Africa. In that society, it is a sign of wealth, power, and influence for a man to have a multiplicity of wives. And so, some of them have quite a few. I don't know why, but they won't want you. Some of them are just not satisfied to have one wife, and they'll have a number of them. But those men cannot come into the church of God and represent Christ Jesus while they've got ten or twelve wives at home. Now, I know some missionary organizations, some religious organizations say, Well, now the thing for you to do is, now that God saved you, you get rid of all your wives and all your children but one. That's barbaric. That's cruel. That's insane. And yet at the same time, these men, living with eight or ten, twelve wives or two wives, cannot properly represent the kingdom of God and the message of grace to the world at large.

And that's what Paul forbids in 1 Timothy 3. Secondly, and very quickly, our Lord gives us a word of instruction about eunuchs, or about the matter of celibacy. In verses 10 through 12, the disciples said, well, if this is the case, if a fellow can't put away his wife whenever he wants to, he ought not to get married. And the Lord Jesus speaks concerning that issue in verse 11. He said, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. He said, Now some fellows They won't understand this, but I'm going to tell you.

There are some eunuchs which were born so from their mother's womb. That simply means there were some men who were born without any need for marriage, some men who were born as impotent men from their mother's womb, and there are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men. Men who were forced into slavery were frequently castrated and thus were made to be eunuchs. Some, by accident, as they grow up, are made to be eunuchs. But then there are some, there be eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. Now there have been a few nuts in church history. Origen, who was a man who commonly gave allegorical interpretation to scripture, took this sentence to be very literal and castrated himself so that he could be a unit for the King of Heaven's sake.

But that is totally contrary to Scripture. The Word of God nowhere teaches that God will accept the mutilation of the body as worship. That's not what he's talking about. But what's he talking about then? He's talking about a man who chooses to live in celibacy and is content to live in celibacy for the glory of God. for the furtherance of the gospel, that he may be of more greater, freer use in the cause of Christ." Now then, does that mean that celibacy is somehow a higher spiritual plane? And if a man doesn't marry a woman, then he can be more spiritual than another, not on your life. That's what Paul speaks about those who forbid marriage and say, now, somehow this is an evil thing if you marry a woman.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no. It is simply that there are occasions, there have been occasions in the past and perhaps shall be in the future, when men, for the sake of the cause of Christ, for greater service to the kingdom of God, choose to live in celibacy and God gives them contentment to do so. In our society, with such perversity and such Rampant homosexuality. Young men ask me this question. I have them ask it fairly frequently.

I say find a wife or don't even think about going into the ministry. Find you a wife or don't even think about going to Mission Field. Don't even think about it. It just raises too many suspicions. But having said that, now listen to me. Don't be suspicious of men who simply Do not marry. Don't badger them. Don't be suspicious of them. I have some friends around the country and around the world who are not married, who are not in the least bit effeminate, who simply are content to live in God's providence in their celibate state. Do not look down your nose on them. Do not set in judgment over them. Do not put a question mark over them. That's just plumb wrong. That's just wrong. Don't do it. Don't do it. All right, now third thing.

In verses 13, 14, and 15, our Savior uses children to show forth both his humility and the humility of all true believers. These little children were brought to the Lord Jesus like other sick and diseased people. Look at verse 13. They were brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray. And the disciples rebuked them. And Jesus said, Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me, for I am such as the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. Like all other sick folks, these children were brought to the Lord Jesus, that he would lay his hands on them, and pray for them.

Now, the text doesn't say any more than that. You, sitting out there in the pews, you may think, well, whoever thought that it did. If you could read what I've read today about this passage of Scripture, you'd sit down and scratch your head and say, where on earth did they get that? I read several commentaries today from fellows who were otherwise pretty smart. I mean, I mean fellows I read all the time. Fellas, they're right down the line. They said, now this passage shows us a good grounds for baptizing babies. I read it again. And I don't see a word about baptizing babies in there, do you? Does anybody see it there? It's just not there. Much less Franklin babies. There's not a word about it.

Somebody else suggested this text shows us that the children of believing parents ought to be baptized, brought to the Lord and baptized. Well, the text doesn't say who the parents were. As a matter of fact, it indicates that the parents were not believers at all. They just brought their children to the Lord, and the believers rebuke them for doing so. And some have even suggested that this passage gives us a good basis for having a dedication service for our babies. But the text doesn't say anything about that either. Not a word about it. Well, Don, what does the text teach? Three things.

If we would serve our children, as parents ought to serve their children. If we would do them good, really do them good. Ron, we must make it our primary concern in life to bring them to Christ. primary concern. Primary concern. Do not make it your primary concern in life to have them well-fed, well-educated, well-married, financially secure. If you make it the primary concern, Rex, they probably Don't. Don't do it. Make it your primary concern to bring them to Christ by prayer, by training, bringing them here to hear the gospel by example. Secondly, the text shows us that the Lord Jesus humbled himself to serve the needs of little children.

What a tender-hearted man he is. Let the little children come home, be home. Sit them right here on my neck. You can tell a lot about men by the way children respond to them. You sure can. You can tell a lot about them. I've been here for 15 years now, a little more. Some of you have been here a lot longer.

That fellow sitting there, my soul, kids fall over the top of themselves every day. That's the way we ought to be, tender, gracious, kind, so that kids are comfortable. How accessible our Savior is to needy souls. You need something? Come on. You need my help? He says, come on, come on. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

And lastly, If we would be saved, we must become as little children before our great God and Savior. Except you be converted and be as a little child, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. What does that mean? Humble yourself. Walk before God, taking no offense at his word, in utter Now, when you think about marriage, let your heart be drawn to Christ. Oh, be married to the Son of God.

Whenever you think about eunuchs, strange how the devil works on our minds. It's studying things. Some fellow said, well, let's make a study of eunuchs. Don't waste your time studying eunuchs, but seek rather to devote yourself. That's what the whole thing is about. Devote yourself to him. And whenever you think about little children, pray for grace. God make me, as a little child, humble, inoffensive, utterly dependent upon you. For Christ's sake. Amen.

Marriage, Divorce, Eunuchs, and Children

What does the Bible say about marriage and divorce?

How do we know the doctrine of marriage as a lifelong union is true?

Why is the concept of marriage important for Christians?

What are the biblical grounds for divorce?

How should Christians view remarriage after divorce?

Why did Jesus teach about eunuchs?

How did Jesus view children in relation to faith?

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