IV. SYNTHESIS AND APPLICATION
From the foregoing Bible
passages, we can see the continuous emphasis on the unity, indissolubility, and
inviolability of marriage. Marriage is
intended by God as a permanent union between a man and a woman. It is the divine will and plan that spouses
should go through their marriage life through thick and thin. However, due to human sinfulness, extreme
cases of sexual immorality and desertion by the unbelieving spouse serve as
grounds for a divorce. With these, we
should be reminded that the Bible does not mandate divorce as the immediate
course of action to be taken by the spouses.
Rather, reconciliation and forgiveness should be sought for by both
parties.
Divorce and Remarriage are issues that affect the whole
society. Its misapplication can bring about deleterious effects to every
marriage and family relations. In fact, there is a rising percentage of
unreported de facto separation between spouses in the Philippines. Due to the tedious process of annulment
and/or declaration of nullity of marriage, spouses opt to separate themselves
from each other, and remarry.
The
following are my proposals as we deal with this sensitive issue:
- Maintain a high view of Marriage. It must be emphasized that marriage as
designed by God is to be a permanent union between a man and a woman. Pastors should preach on the topic of
marriage so that church members will be aware of what God’s will is for
their marriage. Moreover, young
people should also be taught about what the Bible teaches about
marriage. At a very early age,
young people should be taught about commitment. They must learn that marriage is the goal
of every dating and courtship. They
should not enter into a “love relationship” with the opposite sex when
they are not prepared to meet the expectations of being a good and godly
partner. In the Philippines, young people spend much of their time in social
media and entertainment, thus, their concept of love and marriage is
molded by the media. Hence, parents
have the primary obligation to teach commitment to their children.
- Emphasize the importance of pre-marital and
marital counseling. Pre-marital
counseling serves as a guide to set the proper expectations and priorities
for marriage. Spouses tend to bring
into their marriages their respective unrealistic expectations. When these unrealistic expectations are
not met, communication breaks down, and so is the marriage. Moreover, counseling has been taken for
granted by many because they are in the state of self-denial. They think
that it is always the other party who is at fault, when in truth and in
fact, they have also contributed into the disintegration of the marital
relationship. In counseling,
parties can be confronted with their issues, and are guided to resolve
their issues with each other.
- Church Discipline. The bible is clear that every Christian
is to bear one another’s burden. We
are called to be accountable to each other and to the church. At the same time, church leaders are
given the responsibility to protect and care for their members. One way of caring for the married
couples in the church is through constant communication and/or
visitation. Through this means, the
church leaders can be informed as to the statuses of the marriage of their
church members and offer counseling and prayers to those who are
struggling. In the event of
unrepentance, though the erring party has already been confronted by many
people and for several instances, then the church as a whole should
discipline such unrepentant member in a loving and caring manner. Further, the church should not be
judgmental to people who are divorced or annulled. Rather, the church
should be a place for healing and care for these people.
With these, we should be reminded that Divorce goes against the will of God
for marriage, and that remarriage is only a concession given to the innocent
party only in extreme cases of sexual immorality and intentional abandonment.
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