October, 1938
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
346
tide rather than risk anything by an empha tic protest. 2. "W h osoev er looketh on a woman to lust after her hath comm itted adultery with her already in his heart" (Matt. 5:28). In the light of these very plain words, we must conclude that there is such a thing as men tal immorality. And if this be so, then the moving picture industry and many modem publishing companies are engaged in what might be called the business of mental pros titution, selling for a price that which ap peals to the “lust of the eye.” 3. "W h at therefore G od hath joined to gether" (Mk. 10:9). By a wrong use of this passage, a certain famous woman preacher has sought to escape the entire force of our Lord’s prohibition of divorce. Many marriages, it was argued, are not of God at all. And where this is the case, the argument ran, it is perfectly right for the parties concerned to separate. Thus the door to promiscuous divorce was opened. The truth of the matter is that “God hath joined together" every man and woman who have become “one flesh” in the mar riage relation. The relationship is physical, in which God works as the God of nature. If it be removed out of this concrete realm, then it becomes impossible to know who is married and who is not.
another we have rushed into marriage with out due thought?
bition against adultery is a beneficial and not an arbitrary requirement, pertaining to the natural man. so the announcement of the necessity of the new birth is meant for man's highest good, in the light of the con dition of the natural heart. And, as out of the heart come the issues of life, nothing re mains for the man who desires to be right with God but to be recreated by simple faith in Jesus Christ, and thus receive the prom ised new heart and spirit wherein God’s ways and will become uppermost. III. T h e I n terpreta tio n (Mk. 10:2-16) The original intent of God when He cre ated man was that divorce should be need less (vs. 6-9). The permission granted in the days of Moses (vs. 2-5) in no wise altered God’s original thought, nor was there any lowering of His standard because of this permission. When a man and a woman were joined by the marriage tie, the twain became one flesh, bound together by the decree of God. He declared, there fore: “W h a t. . . God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” The easy break ing of the marriage tie today reveals that modern man is far worse in this respect than were the ancient Jews, among whom there was comparatively little divorce. Even to day among Jews, more than among any other people, the home is regarded as sa cred. Courts of law would do well also to con sider our Lord’s words (vs. 10-12). “Who soever” is the word He uses, and He does not hesitate to employ the word “adultery” in connection with divorce. Shall we tram ple upon His law because for one reason or
Points and Problems
1. The Lesson Committee should be commended for their courage in selecting for this week’s study a lesson dealing with the important subject of m arriage and di vorce. Altogether too often this matter has been avoided studiously by both pulpit and Bible school. There are several rea sons for this apparent taboo. First, there is scarcely a church of any size in this day where the problem does not exist in some form or other. People who have been di vorced and remarried, unlawfully from the divine standpoint, not only hold their mem bership in the church but also sometimes occupy important offices in the church. Be cause former pastors were silent, the prob lem has arisen. Once the situation exists, the average pastor who inherits it often continues the policy of silence. In the sec ond place, since the development of the so-called science of sociology, the profes sors who teach in this field have laid claim to the entire problem, insisting that it must be dealt with in accordance with modern textbooks rather than with the Word of God. Third, the laws of the various states are being fast liberalized to the point where divorce may be secured upon the most flimsy pretexts. Fourth, the motion picture industry, both by the art and personal ex ample of its most prominent figures, is breaking down the ideal of the Christian view of marriage and the home. In the face of all these adverse influences, the mere pro fessional preacher prefers to drift with the
Golden Text Illustration 1 T im o th y 5:22
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