₦airaland Forum

immortalcrown:
S,

It is always dangerous when canal wisdom -- which you employ -- tries to dabble into spiritual matters.

If anything can truncate a marriage, adultery is at the very top. It is the 2nd worst sin after murder. And if incest or fornication which was committed before marriage can make the marriage null how much more would adultery under an existing marriage nullifies it?

You talk foolishly as inspired by the devil

stagger:
I find this particular pastor very detestable, especially after I heard his views on payment of instrumentalists.

What did he say about payment of instrumentalists Biko? Please share me the video link

Fulgur:
It is always dangerous when canal wisdom -- which you employ -- tries to dabble into spiritual matters.

If anything can truncate a marriage, adultery is at the very top. It is the 2nd worst sin after murder. And if incest or fornication which was committed before marriage can make the marriage null how much more would adultery under an existing marriage nullifies it?

You talk foolishly as inspired by the devil

Hmmm your rebuttal makes a lot of logical sense.

immortalcrown:
Only incest is biblically acceptable for a divorce. But many people claim that the Bible permits divorce if adultery happens. Some people claim that the Bible supports divorce if any form of unfaithfulness occurs in the marriage.

Stop lying!

BrighterSyde:
■ Read your bible well. Adultery is also grounds for a divorce. Also if your partner wants a divorce you are allowed to grant him or her that request.

This is equally not true. Read the book without the lie-coded goggles of your pastors and you will see that Jesus Christ did not change the rules that existed regarding divorce. Instead, He said divorce followed by remarriage is what is potentially a sin in the Kingdom of God.

BarrElChapo:
■ Incest ? Thought it was adultery as for your second and third paragraphs, spot on analysis 🤝

Divorce is instead allowed; it is remarriage that is potentially a sin in the Kingdom of God. That is as decreed by Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God.

Eriokanmi:
Most of the pastors or men of God today, who always use emotional words to justify their divorce will see plenty of ensamples and stiff opposition on the judgement day.

They will meet the likes of Apostle Ayo Babalola, founder of CAC, who experienced wife battery and harassment throughout his ministry and lifetime yet, refused to divorce her.

There was a time she openly attacked him during a major open air crusade, asking for soup money and the man of God told her there was money inside his agbada at home. She said she's searched everywhere and she couldn't find money and that's why she came. Meanwhile, there was truly no money before the Apostle went for that programme so, the woman was right. She just wanted to humiliate him. God had told him before she mounted the podium to drag his clothe, that your wife will come in her usual manner but I've kept some money inside your agbada for you, tell her to go and check and truly as God was yet done speaking, she appeared.

How many men of God today can do evangelism on empty stomach? They're only chasing money to buy jeeps and live large, faking miracles. This was same man whom God used to raise an already stinking dead woman...who had been dead for 4 days and her body was abandoned by her husband with pregnancy inside her at Oke Ado in Ibadan. Because she died inside her family house, the husband refused to accept her body for burial because she packed out of his house after a heated argument. Her family now dumped her body close to the man's house.

The Apostle's wife now reluctantly left the podium and checked, she found mints inside the agbada, more than what she needed for soup and she came back to ask why did he hide the money from her. The open air crusade received huge crowd and success because captives were set free, miracles happened , God really moved. That's what the devil wanted to deprive people who attended of.

I've got to a point where I can't look back, following God. I had had near death experience from which God rescued me. I had almost committed suicide and God visited me and said it's not the solution, that He will bring me out of the situation but only trust in Him and systematically, He did so.

I only pity those who don't know this God, especially those who have been brainwashed and blindfolded and called themselves atheists. They're the worst losers in this world. If you move close to Him and live a sinless life, you'd see God for real in every area of your life. I can't remember when last I took ordinary paracetamol, an AA and O+ that I am.

Most of the men of God we have today are not even known by God. See how they fake Miracles which only God can make happen, just because of money that will end here. SMH.

That wife was given to that apostle by the church and not by God.

I believe that was why the man died early. I strongly know tru the voice of my spirit.

Most real men of God that perform rugged miracles like Ayo Babalola and Benson Idahose had same early death. . Coz the elements of a woman, remains in a woman.

CoolAmbience:
■ Whether Church, Mosque, Shrine or Traditional wedding, once couples can no longer 'see eye to eye', everyone should find their way. No need for all these long talks and sermons. It is all these unnecessary long talks that have led many their their early graves.

Christians are notorious for the long meaningless sermons all to impose the will of their pastors and gods of men on the gullible.

Jesus Christ no talk say if dem beat you make you remain tight inside marriage. He was clear to all that there is no sin in divorcing a spouse. Where sin comes in is only when one attempts to remarry after a divorce.

Porksupplyib:
■ Hmm. The sincere truth is that nothing good ever comes easy. Many couples make mistake with spousal choice. And when they get into marriage, the battle become very unbearable for them. Often times they close their eyes to details they should have seen before stepping into marriages.
For many of them, they can be helped ONLY if they are willing and ready to make compromise. But u see, when the option of divorce is on the table, forget it!
Little issue, couples are already opting out. As if the next person they will meet will be better. Or they themselves are good enough. It is well.

So many who reasoned it the way you do now are in jail houses all over the world today. Go there and you will find them wondering how much better there situation would have been if they had listened to that small voice inside that told them it was better to leave than stay for the sake of foolishness.

Kobojunkie:
This is equally not true. Read the book without the lie-coded goggles of your pastors and you will see that Jesus Christ did not change the rules that existed regarding divorce. Instead, He said divorce followed by remarriage is what is potentially a sin in the Kingdom of God.

I’m not getting your point. Let’s take it one after the other. According to the Bible is there any reason for divorce? If yes what are they? If no then state where the Bible forbids divorce. Leave google and pastor out of this. Let us use our own brains.

Or if there is a part of my post you have a problem with pls specify.

Porksupplyib:
Hmm If we go by that, no marriage will exist anymore. Every single marriage have their own issues. And many can be helped. Even the best of lovers who are so called 100% compactible can develop issues during marriage.

See dem.... so you were born into this world to see to it that marriage is maintained even at the expense of you? Goodluck! Osinachi dem tried but see where it dropped her off. Continue!

iCauseTrouble:
All these pastors have issues in their marriages. If you like, go dey listen to pastor as per who to marry

You dey mind them. Anyone listening to a pastor is nothing but a gullible individual looking for someone to lead him or her into a ditch!

BrighterSyde:
■ I’m not getting your point. Let’s take it one after the other. According to the Bible is there any reason for divorce? If yes what are they? If no then state where the Bible forbids divorce. Leave google and pastor out of this. Lt us use our own brains.

According to which Bible? I told you what Jesus Christ Himself, the Constitutional Law and Truth of God in the Kingdom of God decreed in His own Kingdom, you dey give me talk about according to some Bible. Jesus Christ never said divorce was a sin in the Kingdom of God. \

Basicend:
That wife was given to that apostle by the church and not by God.

I believe that was why the man died early. I strongly know tru the voice of my spirit.

Most real men of God that perform rugged miracles like Ayo Babalola and Benson Idahose had same early death. . Coz the elements of a woman, remains in a woman.

Apostle Babalola didn't die early cos of his wife. He was hale and hearty when he died. He also predicted his death. He died when his mission was fulfilled on a sunday when preaching just as predicted. A thunderstorm was heard without a rainfall, the robe of the pulpit tore into pieces, which got members scared and he left. Such powerful men of God rarely live long before God would call them home. They also know beforehand. You can imagine a snake crossing a human being over and died and became dry immediately. Such men of God are rare to find nowadays. In Efon alaaye where he was buried, a dead body was thrown there and he rose to life.

Same with Bishop Idahosa who called his wife and said he's fulfilled his mission and its time to go home and the woman was like...pls stop if you're joking and he left.

FLYFIRE:
■ Thank you bros & God bless, but let us use the King James Version
Mt 19:9 - And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Luke 16:18 - Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
And if I may ask, is this man, Emmanuel Olumide, a minister of God?
The ONLY reason divorce is allowed is in the above scriptures & ANY person who has put away his wife outside of these has FALLEN

I am afraid you are both wrong! Open your eyes to see what Jesus Christ in fact said from the conclusion reached on your behalf by your many pastors and gods of men.

There is no reason given for divorce because divorce was never a sin in the first place. What those verses point out as sin is instead the attempt to marry another after a divorce. The only exception for remarriage is in the case of infidelity. Otherwise, remarriage — Not divorce — is a sin.

immortalcrown:
Then, avoid using the Bible to institute your marriage.

Abeg get away !

Fr. you did a very insightful script there... few questions i would like you to address...

1. You claim incest was the only reason for divorce... how about Abraham who got married to his own Sister, Sarah? Jocob too had same marriage among others - can you put more light to it in retrospect of incest, the only reason for divorce.

2. What's the difference between seperation and divorce?

3. It sounds to me, the reason Catholic Priest are not permitted to marry could be coz they will be no room for divorce even at evidence of repeated cheating, infidelity or its affiliate - I may be wrong, put me right, please.

4. Practically as a priest, have you ever had marital cases of continous infidelity by couples, which either of them could not bear the insult and disrespect attached to it... what was your advised to the victim ?

5. Could it be said that, since incest is the only grounds for divorce, to die in marriage is far better and rewarding than divorce?

6. Contextually, have you ever seen divorce as an object of discipline, correction? If divorce is a sin and its not permitted via any reason whatsoever except incest, how would you discipline a woman who continuously defile the marriage bed?

7. According to your script, who should execute divorce? The man or the woman? Whom is the bible referring to as the one committing this incest?

immortalcrown:
Only incest is biblically acceptable for a divorce. But many people claim that the Bible permits divorce if adultery happens. Some people claim that the Bible supports divorce if any form of unfaithfulness occurs in the marriage.

If incest is not the biblical ground for a divorce, why did the disciples of Jesus Christ say what they said in Mathew 19:10? Read the chapter and pay attention to the verse 10. Then, tell me why the disciples made the statement.

The problem here is hypocrisy. People want to be here and there. People want to eat their cake and have it.

If you want to divorce your spouse when he or she offends you, avoid church wedding. Do your traditional marriage or any other form of marriage. The issue is that people want church wedding but don't want the cross that comes with church wedding. Church wedding vow says, "... until death do us part". Nobody is forcing you to choose the bible type of marriage. But if you willingly choose it and fail to maintain it, you are deceiving yourself.

Choose a tradition you can maintain. Don't deceive yourself with church wedding when you are not willing to abide by its principles.

Many people are quoting me. Before you argue with me, read the article below. 👇🏽

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/YsuRQDEXyRcf4Xv9/?mibextid=oFDknk

Is Divorce a Sin?

I think the right question should be, did Jesus Permit divorce? Did God permit divorce? In other words, are you even allowed to divorce before you start talking about whether it is a sin or not?

The straight answer is that Jesus never permitted divorce. Once marriage is validly contracted, even adultery as some of you wrongly allege is not a ground for divorce.

I know this whole misunderstanding is coming from Jesus' statement in Matthew 19:9. I will clarify it. But before then, I am not writing this to give people a license to cheat on their spouses. As a matter of fact, you owe your spouse fidelity and faithfulness. It is their right. You are not doing them a favor by being faithful.

Back to Matthew 19:9 where it seemed Jesus gave an exception for divorce:

"Whoever divorces his wife except for unchastity and marries another commits adultery."

The exceptive clause, "EXCEPT FOR UNCHASTITY" is the major issue here. Simply put, unchastity is a good reason to divorce one's spouse.

You may want to ask, what constitutes 'unchastity?' We shall get to know soon.

We all remember that the New Testament was originally written in Greek bah?

The Greek word for unchastity is "PORNEIA." The Protestants argue that this Greek word "porneia" means adultery. This is why if you read the Protestant New International Version of the Bible, Matthew 19:9 is translated thus:

"I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, EXCEPT FOR MARITAL UNFAITHFULNESS, and marries another woman commits adultery."

For most Protestants, though marriage is meant to last a lifetime, but adultery justifies divorce and remarriage. This is because they interpreted the Greek word "porneia" or "unchastity" as adultery.

This is not true. And this is not Catholic teaching.

Catholic biblical scholars believe that it is wrong to translate the Greek word "porneia" as adultery. In the Catholic New American Bible, Matthew 19:9 is translated thus:

"I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery."

Here, the exceptive clause is: "UNLAWFUL MARRIAGE."

If you read the King James Version of the Bible, the translation for PORNEIA is even more interesting. It translates Matthew 19:9 thus:

"And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for FORNICATION, and shall marry another committeth adultery."

Here, the exceptive clause is Fornication. And fornication is the sin of two unmarried people having sexual intercourse. If either person is married or both are married to other people, the sin is called adultery. Following this translation, the only way that a couple could commit fornication is if they were never really in a Christian marriage to begin with.

Many recent translations of porneia in Matt 19:9 used "sexual immoralities." That still begs the question of what sexual immoralities could mean.

In all these, what really is the correct translation for the word PORNEIA? Is it the Protestants' "adultery", the King James' "fornication", or the Catholics' "Unlawful marriage"? Even if porneia is to be seen as unchastity or sexual immoralities, what constitutes unchastity?

The answer to the above questions can be better clarified using the bible. I will give you two examples: Matthew 15:19 and Mark 7:21-22.

Matthew 15:19 "For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, ADULTERY, UNCHASTITY, theft, false witness, blasphemy."

Mark 7:21-22, "From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, UNCHASTITY, theft, murder, ADULTERY, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly."

Pay attention to this: Adultery and unchastity are both prohibited in the texts above. If you read the Greek text, it is "porneia" that is translated as unchastity, in some bible it is translated as sexual immorality. While the Greek word "moicheia" is translated as adultery. Therefore, from these passages, we can see that porneia does not mean adultery as that would be an unnecessary repetition.

The word for adultery in Greek is 'moicheia.' If the author of Matthew 19:9 felt that Christ was talking about adultery, he wouldn't have used 'porneia' which means unchastity.

This is Matthew 19:9 in its original Greek

λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ ΠΟΡΝΕΊΑΙ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην, ΜΟΙΧΑ͂ΤΑΙ.

I have put into capital letters two words:
πορνείᾳ (porneia) and μοιχᾶται (moichatai — verb form)

If the Bible intended that adultery is a ground for divorce, the two words would have been moicheia. And it will read thus: "I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for ADULTERY, and marries another woman commits ADULTERY."

But fortunately or unfortunately, that is not how it was written in the Bible.

If you read Act 15:28-29, the Apostles addressed the Gentiles prohibiting four things:

"For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain (1) from what has been sacrificed to idols, and (2) from blood and (3) from what is strangled and (4) from unchastity. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell." RSV (inserted numbers, mine)

Take note of the number (4), still talking about Porneia or Unchastity. These four prohibitions above came from a deep-rooted Jewish tradition found in Leviticus 17 and 18.

If you read Leviticus through, you will discover that in chapter 18, what the Jews mean by unchastity or Porneia was explicitly explained. It was simply an incestuous marriage. Having sexual intercourse with a close relative was greatly forbidden, not to talk of marriage. For the Jews, marriage of this nature is unlawful. This was what Christ was referring to in Matthew 19:9. It is a reference to an unlawful and thus invalid marriage. It is not a reference, as Protestants view it, to a specific act committed during a legitimate "life-long marriage.

Jesus' teaching on divorce was revolutionary. Remember that it was to answer the Jews who thought that one could divorce his wife for some reasons that made Jesus to give the answer he gave. If Jesus permitted divorce, what then makes his teaching different from the one Moses taught the Jews in the OT?

If Christ's teaching on divorce was that simple, how can one explain the surprise that surrounded the disciples when they responded in the next verse?

Matthew 19: 10, "(His) disciples said to him, 'If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.'"

©Fr Kelvin Ugwu

Truthshotcrazy:
Danger of a single story..,Pastor Olumide Emmanuel don talk him own wetun him wife do, in all these, he didnt do anything
It takes two to tango. Oya the ex wife should grant her own interview too with Chude, let us have better perspective & weigh in on the matter

Na him i dey wait to hear too.

immortalcrown:
The point is that those who believe in the Bible should keep the principles of the Bible. Bible mentions incest as the reason for divorce.

Most of the things done in churches are purely man-made doctrines.

For example, you will never see "for better for worst, till death do us part" in the bible. It was the church leaders that constructed the vow and added those things.

Do you even know that polygamy was practiced all through the bible? And God never condemned it.

Kobojunkie:
According to which Bible? I told you what Jesus Christ Himself, the Constitutional Law and Truth of God in the Kingdom of God decreed in His own Kingdom, you dey give me talk about according to some Bible. Jesus Christ never said divorce was a sin in the Kingdom of God. \

See this one forming smart. No be read you read am from somewhere? Did somebody not tell you this and then showed you where to read it? Now you Dey here Dey talk like say you Dey there when Jesus talk am. Abeg go siddon jare. I even think say na person wey get sense I Dey folo talk. If you no fit quote where you read am just shut up.

Eriokanmi:
Apostle Babalola didn't die early cos of his wife. He was hale and hearty when he died. He also predicted his death. He died when his mission was fulfilled on a sunday when preaching just as predicted. A thunderstorm was heard without a rainfall, the robe of the pulpit tore into pieces, which got members scared and he left. Such powerful men of God rarely live long before God would call them home. They also know beforehand. You can imagine a snake crossing a human being over and died and became dry immediately. Such men of God are rare to find nowadays. In Efon alaaye where he was buried, a dead body was thrown there and he rose to life.

Same with Bishop Idahosa who called his wife and said he's fulfilled his mission and its time to go home and the woman was like...pls stop if you're joking and he left.

Lol. . You can't understand what am saying sir. . . I don't want to reveal things in public. If you have a ministry and it's a very forceful one against the kingdom of darkness. . You will understand what communion means.

Let's leave it there.

BrighterSyde:
■ See this one forming smart. No be read you read am from somewhere? Did somebody not tell you this and then showed you where to read it? Now you Dey here Dey talk like say you Dey there when Jesus talk am. Abeg go siddon jare. I even think say na person wey get sense I Dey folo talk. If you no fit quote where you read am just shut up

I am sorry, what? Who is the somebody who you believe showed me what exactly? Why do I need someone to show me what has been sitting in a book for almost 2000 years?

Is it that you don't believe any of what Jesus Christ said and need someone else to show you what to believe or something? His very words are recorded right there in the Gospel and He proclaimed that they never change —everlasting.

Flame77:
Hmmm your rebuttal makes a lot of logical sense.

It is equally meaningless considering Jesus Christ never said divorce was a sin in the Kingdom of God. That part was made up by your pastors and mogs to control your religious lot with.

Fulgur:
■ It is always dangerous when canal wisdom -- which you employ -- tries to dabble into spiritual matters.
If anything can truncate a marriage, adultery is at the very top. It is the 2nd worst sin after murder. And if incest or fornication which was committed before marriage can make the marriage null how much more would adultery under an existing marriage nullifies it?
You talk foolishly as inspired by the devil

I am afraid none of this is also true. Jesus Christ never said divorce was a sin. He never changed that aspect of things as far as marriage. So to claim divorce as a sin is against God.

Kobojunkie:
I am sorry, what? Who is the somebody who you believe showed me what exactly? Why do I need someone to show me what has been sitting in a book for almost 2000 years?

Is it that you don't believe any of what Jesus Christ said and need someone else to show you what to believe or something? His very words are recorded right there in the Gospel and He proclaimed that they never change —everlasting.

You seem confused. In your previous quote you said you don’t need the Bible since Jesus said it himself. Now you are talking about the gospel. Ow…wait!!! The gospel isn’t the same thing as the Bible now right? I go learn another new one this night.

Pls what did you mean by “which Bible” and why are you now referring to the gospel as His recorded words? Is the Bible different from the gospel? I eagerly await your clarification on this.

BrighterSyde:
∆ You seem confused. In your previous quote you said you don’t need the Bible since Jesus said it himself. Now you are talking about the gospel. Ow…wait!!! The gospel isn’t the same thing as the Bible now right? I go learn another new one this night.
Pls what did you mean by “which Bible” and why are you now referring to the gospel as His recorded words? Is the Bible different from the gospel? I eagerly await your clarification on this.

Jesus Christ never said divorce is a sin in the Kingdom of God. He instead said that remarriage following divorce is where the problem potentially lies. Basically anyone who remarries after adultery is free from sin but anyone who remarries otherwise sins against God.

axglide:
Isn’t this the video where he said divorce is not a sin? And he used Kenneth Copeland marrying 3 times to justify what he’s saying? He also used the Meyer’s too?

Sir Olumide, the Word of God is our standard not men’s experiences.

Sorry about the abuse you had to go through thou.

so I are saying he should have continued receiving the abuse.

Kobojunkie:
Jesus Christ never said divorce is a sin in the Kingdom of God. He instead said that remarriage following divorce is where the problem potentially lies. Basically anyone who remarries after adultery is free from sin but anyone who remarries otherwise sins against God.

This was what I said before you started quoting me. But that is not even my issue right now. I can let that slide since it seems you have a problem with comprehension.

Just tell me how the Bible and gospel are different as you are the one that asked why you should read some Bible when you can see from the gospel that Jesus said divorce is no sin. That’s all I need to know right now.

BrighterSyde:
∆ This was what I said before you started quoting me. But that is not even my issue right now. I can let that slide since it seems you have a problem with comprehension.
∆ Just tell me how the Bible and gospel are different as you are the one that asked why you should read some Bible when you can see from the gospel that Jesus said divorce is no sin. That’s all I need to know right now.

This is instead what you said ..

BrighterSyde:
Read your bible well. Adultery is also grounds for a divorce. Also if your partner wants a divorce you are allowed to grant him or her that request.

And the above is wrong considering Jesus Christ gave no grounds for divorce because Divorce is not a sin. Grounds are only needed in the case that exceptions are necessary. Remarriage is instead where Jesus Christ gave grounds and the only case where remarriage is a not considered a sin i.e. remarriage is allowed if it followed divorce that resulted from fornication in the marriage.

The Bible is a collection of books with various authors and speakers recorded in its pages. The compendium does not speak. Rather, the individual authors or persons recorded do. Satan words are equally recorded in that book. So depending on who the speaker of the recorded words are, they would be lies or the truth of God.

immortalcrown:
Only incest is biblically acceptable for a divorce. But many people claim that the Bible permits divorce if adultery happens. Some people claim that the Bible supports divorce if any form of unfaithfulness occurs in the marriage.

If incest is not the biblical ground for a divorce, why did the disciples of Jesus Christ say what they said in Mathew 19:10? Read the chapter and pay attention to the verse 10. Then, tell me why the disciples made the statement.

The problem here is hypocrisy. People want to be here and there. People want to eat their cake and have it.

If you want to divorce your spouse when he or she offends you, avoid church wedding. Do your traditional marriage or any other form of marriage. The issue is that people want church wedding but don't want the cross that comes with church wedding. Church wedding vow says, "... until death do us part". Nobody is forcing you to choose the bible type of marriage. But if you willingly choose it and fail to maintain it, you are deceiving yourself.

Choose a tradition you can maintain. Don't deceive yourself with church wedding when you are not willing to abide by its principles.

Many people are quoting me. Before you argue with me, read the article below. 👇🏽

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/YsuRQDEXyRcf4Xv9/?mibextid=oFDknk

Is Divorce a Sin?

I think the right question should be, did Jesus Permit divorce? Did God permit divorce? In other words, are you even allowed to divorce before you start talking about whether it is a sin or not?

The straight answer is that Jesus never permitted divorce. Once marriage is validly contracted, even adultery as some of you wrongly allege is not a ground for divorce.

I know this whole misunderstanding is coming from Jesus' statement in Matthew 19:9. I will clarify it. But before then, I am not writing this to give people a license to cheat on their spouses. As a matter of fact, you owe your spouse fidelity and faithfulness. It is their right. You are not doing them a favor by being faithful.

Back to Matthew 19:9 where it seemed Jesus gave an exception for divorce:

"Whoever divorces his wife except for unchastity and marries another commits adultery."

The exceptive clause, "EXCEPT FOR UNCHASTITY" is the major issue here. Simply put, unchastity is a good reason to divorce one's spouse.

You may want to ask, what constitutes 'unchastity?' We shall get to know soon.

We all remember that the New Testament was originally written in Greek bah?

The Greek word for unchastity is "PORNEIA." The Protestants argue that this Greek word "porneia" means adultery. This is why if you read the Protestant New International Version of the Bible, Matthew 19:9 is translated thus:

"I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, EXCEPT FOR MARITAL UNFAITHFULNESS, and marries another woman commits adultery."

For most Protestants, though marriage is meant to last a lifetime, but adultery justifies divorce and remarriage. This is because they interpreted the Greek word "porneia" or "unchastity" as adultery.

This is not true. And this is not Catholic teaching.

Catholic biblical scholars believe that it is wrong to translate the Greek word "porneia" as adultery. In the Catholic New American Bible, Matthew 19:9 is translated thus:

"I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery."

Here, the exceptive clause is: "UNLAWFUL MARRIAGE."

If you read the King James Version of the Bible, the translation for PORNEIA is even more interesting. It translates Matthew 19:9 thus:

"And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for FORNICATION, and shall marry another committeth adultery."

Here, the exceptive clause is Fornication. And fornication is the sin of two unmarried people having sexual intercourse. If either person is married or both are married to other people, the sin is called adultery. Following this translation, the only way that a couple could commit fornication is if they were never really in a Christian marriage to begin with.

Many recent translations of porneia in Matt 19:9 used "sexual immoralities." That still begs the question of what sexual immoralities could mean.

In all these, what really is the correct translation for the word PORNEIA? Is it the Protestants' "adultery", the King James' "fornication", or the Catholics' "Unlawful marriage"? Even if porneia is to be seen as unchastity or sexual immoralities, what constitutes unchastity?

The answer to the above questions can be better clarified using the bible. I will give you two examples: Matthew 15:19 and Mark 7:21-22.

Matthew 15:19 "For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, ADULTERY, UNCHASTITY, theft, false witness, blasphemy."

Mark 7:21-22, "From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, UNCHASTITY, theft, murder, ADULTERY, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly."

Pay attention to this: Adultery and unchastity are both prohibited in the texts above. If you read the Greek text, it is "porneia" that is translated as unchastity, in some bible it is translated as sexual immorality. While the Greek word "moicheia" is translated as adultery. Therefore, from these passages, we can see that porneia does not mean adultery as that would be an unnecessary repetition.

The word for adultery in Greek is 'moicheia.' If the author of Matthew 19:9 felt that Christ was talking about adultery, he wouldn't have used 'porneia' which means unchastity.

This is Matthew 19:9 in its original Greek

λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ ΠΟΡΝΕΊΑΙ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην, ΜΟΙΧΑ͂ΤΑΙ.

I have put into capital letters two words:
πορνείᾳ (porneia) and μοιχᾶται (moichatai — verb form)

If the Bible intended that adultery is a ground for divorce, the two words would have been moicheia. And it will read thus: "I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for ADULTERY, and marries another woman commits ADULTERY."

But fortunately or unfortunately, that is not how it was written in the Bible.

If you read Act 15:28-29, the Apostles addressed the Gentiles prohibiting four things:

"For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain (1) from what has been sacrificed to idols, and (2) from blood and (3) from what is strangled and (4) from unchastity. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell." RSV (inserted numbers, mine)

Take note of the number (4), still talking about Porneia or Unchastity. These four prohibitions above came from a deep-rooted Jewish tradition found in Leviticus 17 and 18.

If you read Leviticus through, you will discover that in chapter 18, what the Jews mean by unchastity or Porneia was explicitly explained. It was simply an incestuous marriage. Having sexual intercourse with a close relative was greatly forbidden, not to talk of marriage. For the Jews, marriage of this nature is unlawful. This was what Christ was referring to in Matthew 19:9. It is a reference to an unlawful and thus invalid marriage. It is not a reference, as Protestants view it, to a specific act committed during a legitimate "life-long marriage.

Jesus' teaching on divorce was revolutionary. Remember that it was to answer the Jews who thought that one could divorce his wife for some reasons that made Jesus to give the answer he gave. If Jesus permitted divorce, what then makes his teaching different from the one Moses taught the Jews in the OT?

If Christ's teaching on divorce was that simple, how can one explain the surprise that surrounded the disciples when they responded in the next verse?

Matthew 19: 10, "(His) disciples said to him, 'If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.'"

©Fr Kelvin Ugwu

The Bible doesn't regard incest as a sin, hundreds of biblical denizens has sex and even kids with their siblings and relatives

So...

Kobojunkie:
This is instead what you said .. And the above is wrong considering Jesus Christ gave no grounds for divorce because Divorce is not a sin. Grounds are only needed in the case that exceptions are necessary. Remarriage is instead where Jesus Christ gave grounds and the only case where remarriage is a not considered a sin i.e. remarriage is allowed if it followed divorce that resulted from fornication in the marriage.

You seem to be silent on the Bible vs gospel issue. Don’t be proud. Just admit your foolishness in making that statement.

Now let us go to the Bible or should I say gospel passage we are referring to and see what exactly it says. Pls read Matthew 5 vs 31-32.

It says that …anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality…

Let me rephrase
…you can divorce your wife on the grounds of sexual immorality, but anyone who does so for any other reason…

Pls read all of it so you get the full context. This clearly states that there is ground for divorce and it is sexual immorality.

Let me pause so you can read that verse and telll me what it means to you so I know whether I’m wasting my time explaining to someone who can’t read and understand simple English. If Bible and gospel is confusing you then this might be challenge for you too.

immortalcrown:
Only incest is biblically acceptable for a divorce. But many people claim that the Bible permits divorce if adultery happens. Some people claim that the Bible supports divorce if any form of unfaithfulness occurs in the marriage.

If incest is not the biblical ground for a divorce, why did the disciples of Jesus Christ say what they said in Mathew 19:10? Read the chapter and pay attention to the verse 10. Then, tell me why the disciples made the statement.

The problem here is hypocrisy. People want to be here and there. People want to eat their cake and have it.

If you want to divorce your spouse when he or she offends you, avoid church wedding. Do your traditional marriage or any other form of marriage. The issue is that people want church wedding but don't want the cross that comes with church wedding. Church wedding vow says, "... until death do us part". Nobody is forcing you to choose the bible type of marriage. But if you willingly choose it and fail to maintain it, you are deceiving yourself.

Choose a tradition you can maintain. Don't deceive yourself with church wedding when you are not willing to abide by its principles.

Many people are quoting me. Before you argue with me, read the article below. 👇🏽

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/YsuRQDEXyRcf4Xv9/?mibextid=oFDknk

Is Divorce a Sin?

I think the right question should be, did Jesus Permit divorce? Did God permit divorce? In other words, are you even allowed to divorce before you start talking about whether it is a sin or not?

The straight answer is that Jesus never permitted divorce. Once marriage is validly contracted, even adultery as some of you wrongly allege is not a ground for divorce.

I know this whole misunderstanding is coming from Jesus' statement in Matthew 19:9. I will clarify it. But before then, I am not writing this to give people a license to cheat on their spouses. As a matter of fact, you owe your spouse fidelity and faithfulness. It is their right. You are not doing them a favor by being faithful.

Back to Matthew 19:9 where it seemed Jesus gave an exception for divorce:

"Whoever divorces his wife except for unchastity and marries another commits adultery."

The exceptive clause, "EXCEPT FOR UNCHASTITY" is the major issue here. Simply put, unchastity is a good reason to divorce one's spouse.

You may want to ask, what constitutes 'unchastity?' We shall get to know soon.

We all remember that the New Testament was originally written in Greek bah?

The Greek word for unchastity is "PORNEIA." The Protestants argue that this Greek word "porneia" means adultery. This is why if you read the Protestant New International Version of the Bible, Matthew 19:9 is translated thus:

"I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, EXCEPT FOR MARITAL UNFAITHFULNESS, and marries another woman commits adultery."

For most Protestants, though marriage is meant to last a lifetime, but adultery justifies divorce and remarriage. This is because they interpreted the Greek word "porneia" or "unchastity" as adultery.

This is not true. And this is not Catholic teaching.

Catholic biblical scholars believe that it is wrong to translate the Greek word "porneia" as adultery. In the Catholic New American Bible, Matthew 19:9 is translated thus:

"I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery."

Here, the exceptive clause is: "UNLAWFUL MARRIAGE."

If you read the King James Version of the Bible, the translation for PORNEIA is even more interesting. It translates Matthew 19:9 thus:

"And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for FORNICATION, and shall marry another committeth adultery."

Here, the exceptive clause is Fornication. And fornication is the sin of two unmarried people having sexual intercourse. If either person is married or both are married to other people, the sin is called adultery. Following this translation, the only way that a couple could commit fornication is if they were never really in a Christian marriage to begin with.

Many recent translations of porneia in Matt 19:9 used "sexual immoralities." That still begs the question of what sexual immoralities could mean.

In all these, what really is the correct translation for the word PORNEIA? Is it the Protestants' "adultery", the King James' "fornication", or the Catholics' "Unlawful marriage"? Even if porneia is to be seen as unchastity or sexual immoralities, what constitutes unchastity?

The answer to the above questions can be better clarified using the bible. I will give you two examples: Matthew 15:19 and Mark 7:21-22.

Matthew 15:19 "For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, ADULTERY, UNCHASTITY, theft, false witness, blasphemy."

Mark 7:21-22, "From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, UNCHASTITY, theft, murder, ADULTERY, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly."

Pay attention to this: Adultery and unchastity are both prohibited in the texts above. If you read the Greek text, it is "porneia" that is translated as unchastity, in some bible it is translated as sexual immorality. While the Greek word "moicheia" is translated as adultery. Therefore, from these passages, we can see that porneia does not mean adultery as that would be an unnecessary repetition.

The word for adultery in Greek is 'moicheia.' If the author of Matthew 19:9 felt that Christ was talking about adultery, he wouldn't have used 'porneia' which means unchastity.

This is Matthew 19:9 in its original Greek

λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ ΠΟΡΝΕΊΑΙ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην, ΜΟΙΧΑ͂ΤΑΙ.

I have put into capital letters two words:
πορνείᾳ (porneia) and μοιχᾶται (moichatai — verb form)

If the Bible intended that adultery is a ground for divorce, the two words would have been moicheia. And it will read thus: "I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for ADULTERY, and marries another woman commits ADULTERY."

But fortunately or unfortunately, that is not how it was written in the Bible.

If you read Act 15:28-29, the Apostles addressed the Gentiles prohibiting four things:

"For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain (1) from what has been sacrificed to idols, and (2) from blood and (3) from what is strangled and (4) from unchastity. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell." RSV (inserted numbers, mine)

Take note of the number (4), still talking about Porneia or Unchastity. These four prohibitions above came from a deep-rooted Jewish tradition found in Leviticus 17 and 18.

If you read Leviticus through, you will discover that in chapter 18, what the Jews mean by unchastity or Porneia was explicitly explained. It was simply an incestuous marriage. Having sexual intercourse with a close relative was greatly forbidden, not to talk of marriage. For the Jews, marriage of this nature is unlawful. This was what Christ was referring to in Matthew 19:9. It is a reference to an unlawful and thus invalid marriage. It is not a reference, as Protestants view it, to a specific act committed during a legitimate "life-long marriage.

Jesus' teaching on divorce was revolutionary. Remember that it was to answer the Jews who thought that one could divorce his wife for some reasons that made Jesus to give the answer he gave. If Jesus permitted divorce, what then makes his teaching different from the one Moses taught the Jews in the OT?

If Christ's teaching on divorce was that simple, how can one explain the surprise that surrounded the disciples when they responded in the next verse?

Matthew 19: 10, "(His) disciples said to him, 'If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.'"

©Fr Kelvin Ugwu

Why does an "Unlawful Marriage" require a divorce? Nor be to simply waka commot? There is nothing like Unlawful marriage. It is either you are married or not.

Remember Jesus's Word of Knowledge to the woman at the well? "You have had 5 husbands and the man you have now is not your husband"

Isnt that clear enough that cohabitation or fornication is not marriage by biblical standards?