Topic: DIVORCE - PRODUCTIVE OR COUNTERPRODUCTIVE?
THEME SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 5:31-32 (NKJV)
[31] Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ [32] But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
MESSAGE:
The subject of divorce cannot be overlooked as far as marriage is concerned. The modern society we live in has become so pluralistic, that, divorce seems to have become a part of the church life.
The word, “divorce” is from two words: “di” and “force.” “Di” means two. Again, the Latin word from which we got the English word “divorce” means, “to turn apart.” Literally, divorce means, two forces that turn apart.
When an independent man and an independent woman come together as a married couple, they become one flesh. As a result, two independent forces are joined together to form one interdependent force, because of the marital union. The beauty of interdependence is that, both couple achieve greater results than they would have achieved as single individuals.
Unfortunately, once divorce comes into a marital union, the couple do not move from interdependence to two independent people. This is what those who opt for divorce do not know. The reality is that, the two forces that were working together as an interdependent force in the marital union, become antagonistic to each other. Thus, when one thinks that he/she would opt for divorce and be “free” from the other, the antagonistic forces as a result of divorce wouldn’t make that person truly free. The only force that can combat the antagonistic forces of divorce is love. But the paradox is that, if one can walk in love, then, why divorce?
From our theme Scripture, our Lord Jesus gives us the only reason for divorce, and that is, sexual immorality. This is because, sexual immorality adulterates the purity of the marital union and introduces a contrary force other than the force of interdependence in the marriage. Hence, one may use that as a basis to divorce, but even that, love can be applied to cover the multitude of sins.
Certainly, there isn’t enough space to exhaust the nitty-gritty of the subject of divorce. Whatever be the case, if one has exhausted all options and still believes that the only option left is divorce, such a person should be cognizant of the fact that, by virtue of its nature, divorce may be counterproductive. Divorce thrives on rancour, bitterness, resentment, and hurt, which usually accompany couples who have divorced. Therefore, should there be divorce, and there may be instances which would warrant divorce, you must still walk in love towards the other, if you’d ever overcome the counterproductive nature of divorce.
