APRIL 22 | JESUS ON DIVORCE

It was said, “Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce”; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.—MATT. 5:31–32

Jesus no more approves of divorce than did Moses (cf. Matt. 19:6). Adultery, another reality God never condoned, is the only reason under the law that allows for dissolving of a marriage, with the guilty party to be put to death (Lev. 20:10). Because Jesus mentions this here and again in Matthew 19:9, God must have allowed divorce to replace execution as the penalty for adultery at some time during Israel’s history.
Divorce is never commanded; it is always a last resort, allowed when unrepentant immorality has exhausted the patience of the innocent spouse. This merciful concession to human sinfulness logically implies that God also permits remarriage. Divorce’s purpose is to show mercy to the guilty party, not to sentence the innocent party to a life of loneliness. If you are innocent and have strived to maintain your marriage, you are free to remarry if your spouse insists on continued adultery or divorce.
Jesus does not demand divorce in all cases of unchastity (immorality, primarily adultery in this context), but simply points out that divorce and remarriage on other grounds results in adultery.
Our Lord wants to set the record straight that God still hates divorce (Mal. 2:16) and that His ideal remains a monogamous, lifelong marriage. But as a gracious concession to those innocent spouses whose partners have defiled the marriage, He allows divorce for believers for the reason of immorality. (Paul later added the second reason of desertion, 1 Cor. 7:15.)

ASK YOURSELF
How could you be an encouragement to a couple whose marriage is on the verge of collapse? How could you show Christ’s mercy to those who have been wounded the greatest?

MacArthur, J. (2008). Daily readings from the life of Christ (p. 121). Moody Publishers.

Biden Spends Final Days in Office Celebrating Respect for Marriage Act, Demonstrating How He Put LGBTQ Issues Ahead of Everyday American Issues | The Gateway Pundit

Biden Spends Final Days in Office Celebrating Respect for Marriage Act, Demonstrating How He Put LGBTQ Issues Ahead of Everyday American Issues

Joe Biden delivers remarks at a Pride celebration on Saturday, June 10, 2023, on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House photo by Adam Schultz)

This week, Joe Biden celebrated the second anniversary of the Respect for Marriage Act, which did nothing new except replace the words “man” and “woman” with “individuals.”

Biden posted on X Friday, championing his so-called “landmark civil rights bill.”

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1867698557349691569

Congress summarizes the Act as the following:

This act provides statutory authority for same-sex and interracial marriages.

Specifically, the act replaces provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, marriage as between a man and a woman and spouse as a person of the opposite sex with provisions that recognize any marriage between two individuals that is valid under state law. (The Supreme Court held that the current provisions were unconstitutional in United States v. Windsor in 2013.)

The act also replaces provisions that do not require states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states with provisions that prohibit the denial of full faith and credit or any right or claim relating to out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin. (The Supreme Court held that state laws barring same-sex marriages were unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015; the Court held that state laws barring interracial marriages were unconstitutional in Loving v. Virginia in 1967.) The act allows the Department of Justice to bring a civil action and establishes a private right of action for violations.

The act does not (1) affect religious liberties or conscience protections that are available under the Constitution or federal law, (2) require religious organizations to provide goods or services to formally recognize or celebrate a marriage, (3) affect any benefits or rights that do not arise from a marriage, or (4) recognize under federal law any marriage between more than two individuals.

However, same-sex marriage has been legal since June 26, 2015, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Evidently, this ruling didn’t do enough for the sex and gender-crazed Democrats as they pushed to repeal language like “man” and “woman” in the Respect for Marriage Act with “individuals.”

Though this law passed in 2022, Democrat VP nominee Tampon Tim Walz recently claimed that same-sex marriage is illegal in Nebraska, where he was born and raised.

But not to worry, Joe Biden stepped in an unintentional fact-check of Walz’s lies, celebrating the legislation as he prepares to leave the White House.

His greatest accomplishment was not a law protecting Americans from illegal immigrants, crime, or inflation, but apparently one that enacted same-sex marriage laws that were already in place. This accurately sums up Biden’s last four years of prioritizing LGBTQ issues and they/thems over everyday Americans and Christians.

Maybe two years from now, Biden will look back at his proclamation of Easter Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility. Though, he might have a hard time recalling this blasphemous action.

Karine Jean-Pierre LECTURES CHRISTIANS, Says It’s “Misinformation” That Biden Declared Easter Sunday as “Transgender Day of Visibility” (VIDEO)

The post Biden Spends Final Days in Office Celebrating Respect for Marriage Act, Demonstrating How He Put LGBTQ Issues Ahead of Everyday American Issues appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.