Theo 201

Jordan Manley
THEO 202_BO1_200930
Short Essay #2
Short Essay on Anthropology: Marriage and Divorce “With this ring I thee wed, and all my worldly goods I thee endow. IN sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, “till death do us part.” These are some traditional wedding vows that one might say at a wedding but, is it really death do us part again? Divorce rates have sky rocketed in the past few years. It is not “till death do us part” anymore it is “until you loose your job”, “until you start getting ugly or old”, or “until I am not happy anymore.” The views on marriage have also drastically changed in more recent years. The Bible teaches a lot about marriage and what marriage means to God. God says that marriage is a way that shows our love for Christ. He says that the Church is His bride. Marriage is place where you could grow in your relationship with Christ and realize even more how much God loves us. There are different views on when a couple is considered married. Some say that “from 1 Corinthians 6:16, maintain that marriage is effected through sexual intercourse.”[1] Others considered a couple married “ as a result of a declaration of desire to be married, accompanied by the expression of mutual intentions of the sole and enduring fidelity and responsibility toward the other; in the presence of accredited witnesses.” [2] There are many different views but God goes more with they are married once they have sex.[3] This differs from the more modern and popular view on marriage because the modern view is the second view, that people are married once they have a ceremony in front of witnesses. Divorce rate has taken a dramatic turn in the recent years. Divorce even dates back to the Old Testament, “Divorce, although possible, was rare except to the very rich, because the cost was prohibitively high.” [4] God did not create divorce. Divorce is a consequence that we have because of the Fall. God created a man and a women to be married and for the marriage to be a life long commitment. Also, He created sex for the intention of marriage. Although God does not agree with Divorce, it happens. The question of divorce is raised in the New testament in Matthew 19:3, when someone asks Jesus if divorce is lawful. Jesus answers simply that Divorce is not what He intended it to be and is a breaking of His commandments. Jesus does say though in Matthew 19 that whoever divorces there wife and marries someone else is committing adultery, unless his wife has been unfaithful. Just because God allows divorce does not mean He agrees with it. I do not agree with the idea of divorce. I believe that marriage is a life long commitment made to God. There might be challenging times in a marriage but with the help of God and trusting in Him you can overcome them. In Matthew 19:6 it says. “So they no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” This shows that when we get married we are one flesh. Many people wonder if remarriage is acceptable. In some sense remarriage is acceptable but it is also times where it is unelectable. Remarriage is ok if a spouse dies. In Romans 7:2, it says, “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, bit if he husband she is released from the law of marriage.” But, marriage is not acceptable if the spouse is still alive. It says in Mark 10:12, “ And if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” Divorce has a large impact on the Church and society. The God calls us His bride, so when divorcee comes in to play it shatters the concept Christ portrays. A lot of baggage comes with divorce, especially if kids are involved. It separates and divides our culture. God does not loves marriage and what it stands for but does not like it when we shatter the idea and divorce comes in. Serious consequences come along with the idea of divorce. Our relationship with our husband or wife may be hard but if we rely and trust in God he can heal all wounds.

Word Count: 715
Bibliography
Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 744.
Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 346.

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[1] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 744.
[2] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 744.
[3] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 744.
[4] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 346.

Bibliography: Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 744. Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 346. ----------------------- [1] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 744. [2] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 744. [3] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 744. [4] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Micah.” Baker Academic, 2001), 346.