Yes Yes

People often use an explicative to punctuate the sincerity of what they are propounding. Christians avoid using such language but are not above saying, “I swear thus and so is true,” or “To be honest…” or “I promise you what I am telling you is the truth.” Why do we feel it is necessary to emphasize the truth of what we are saying? Do we not always tell the truth?

When we add to our speech things to impress others with the truthfulness of what we are telling them, we are guilty of manipulation. Why not allow the person to come to his or her own conclusion about the truthfulness of what we are telling them? Does she not have the ability to understand the evidence or to reason out the truthfulness of our statement on her own? Is he not capable of weighing what we have to say and coming to a reasonable conclusion?

Jesus said if we attempt to persuade by adding swearing or promises we are headed for trouble. He advised us to stick with the simple rule, “let your yes mean yes and your no mean no.” In other words, “I say what I mean and I mean what I say.” Anything more comes from Satan (Mathew 5:33-37).

Divorced

Jesus’ words in Mathew 5:31-32 have been hotly debated for centuries. “Furthermore it has been said, whoever divorces his wife let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 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.”

There three distinct ways of interpreting the exception rule in this passage. 1) The exception rule refers to a woman who has already committed adultery; therefore the husband who divorces her does not force to to commit adultery because she is already an adulterer. 2) The sentence “Whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery” makes it clear that the exception only applies to divorce and does not permit remarriage. 3) The exception rule applies to both the divorce and remarriage so that a person who is divorced because his or her spouse has been sexually unfaithful has the right to marry again.

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians sheds additional light on the Mathew passage. “Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned” (1 Corinthians 7:27-28).

I believe “to be loosed from a wife” means divorced for two reasons. First he says if you are bound to a wife do not seek to be loosed. If it does not mean divorce the only other interpretation would be death. It seems clear to me that Paul would not be saying, “If you are bound to a wife don’t seek to murder her.” That would be a given. It makes more sense that he would say, “If you are bound to a wife don’t seek to divorce her.”

Secondly Paul states “if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.” Since this is a second statement (indicated by the conjunction “and”) the first must refer to someone who is not a virgin, someone who has been married previously. So when he states “but even if you do marry, you have not sinned” he is speaking to those who are divorce.

Each reader must come to his or her own conclusion based on scripture.

Dismemberment

Jesus at times used shock therapy to bring people to attention. A passage in Mathew five is an excellent example when he says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you: for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Mathew 5:29-30).

Jesus is not advocating bodily dismemberment any more than he was advocating cannibalism in John six. His words make it clear that separating ourselves from temptation can be painful. He had just told his listeners “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his hears.” Immediately following his comments on adultery of the heart he addresses divorce and remarriage. The body dismemberment passage is sandwiched between these two warnings. Therefore I believe they are one and the same point.

Jesus’ words acknowledge that we may have become extremely attached to a temptation, in this case a person who is not our spouse. No matter how difficult it is the relationship between us and the other person must be cut off. It may feel like our arm is severed or our eye plucked out, but it is worth our eternal salvation to cut out of our lives that which has the ability to dam us to hell.

Greater Control

Jesus told us that he did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. Not only did he not come to destroy the law, but his teachings are stricter than the Law. In the Law given to Moses, if a man committed adultery he and the woman were killed (Deuteronomy 20:10). However, Jesus said “Whoever, looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mathew 5:27).

The Grace God extends to us through his son does not come with a license to sin. It comes to free us from the bondage of sin. We are granted, not only the power to resist sin, but also the strength to control our thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:4).