Wednesday, April 30, 2003
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Wednesday, April 30, 2003 |
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Is divorce the unpardonable sin? By JOHN HATCHER Yes, God hates divorce! Got it. No doubt about. But does that mean that God is eternally and everlastingly mad at divorced people? Has divorce become the unpardonable sin, replacing the sin called blaspheming the Holy Spirit? Does divorce mean that you are forever paralyzed at that point of spiritual growth when you were divorced? Does a divorcee, upon remarriage, infect his/her mate with this eternal sin in much the same way someone who is HIV positive infects everyone with whom he or she has sex? But here is this big question: is divorce the one, great, singular act of sin not covered by the covenant of grace God's grace greater than all our sin, that is? Just recently I read a small article in the Atlanta paper. The article stated that the leader of one denomination issued a strong reminder that divorced members of this denomination who divorce and remarry cannot receive communion. When enforced and obviously not so very well this makes these Christian outsiders to their faith because of their divorce. I also became aware that one growing evangelical denomination refuses to ordain to the ministry any person who has been divorced unless it can be proved by some sort of tribunal that all the fault lies with the other party. Now, when have you and I ever known of a divorce for which the fault remains solely with just one party? Even in my own tradition of denominational life, a man who has been divorced may just as well give up any hopes of serving as a Deacon in the church. Much less, a pastor who endures a divorce is severely limited in the number of churches that would consider him for ministerial service. In some circles of church life, an ex-con with a history of drug trafficking and even murder has more chances to making it to the pulpit than a man of divorce. Has divorce become not necessarily the unpardonable sin, but the perpetual sin? The big "D" forms a noose around one's neck, visible even in the night? My mother was divorced from her first husband who may have been abusive toward her. Yet, I believe, because of the limited-grace messages my mother heard all her life from narrow pulpits, that she never got to the place where she could live confident in God's unmerited, unlimited, and unstinted grace "grace greater than all our sins." Please don't misread me. I am not in favor of divorce. I provide free that is, free counsel to any couple that struggles with their marriage vows. I have taken tons of time from my own family to walk husbands and wives, step by step, through confession, forgiveness, and to a path of a stronger relationship of genuine communication and conflict management. I don't believe God winks at divorce. He hates it, just as his word says so. But, he also includes divorce in those matters that have been handled at the cross. Let me close with this big question: if God forgives divorce and we can see the fruit of genuine sorrow and a desire to live a more Godly life, what right do we have to forever impede one's reception of God's grace, development and growth in his kingdom, service in his church, and yes, supper at God's table? John Hatcher is pastor of Outreach International Center 1091 South Jeff Davis Drive Fayetteville, Georgia 30215 770-719-0303 |
