One of the most misunderstood beliefs from the Bible is the stand taken by certain believers on divorce.  This has been simmering in my mind and heart for twenty years and more.

We all know that God hates divorce.  He says so.  He also hates adultery, fornication, backbiting, gossiping, unfaithfulness and many more sins I will not mention.

What is so despicable happens within the church of Jesus Christ concerning the ill treatment given to people who have been through the traumatic throes of divorce and its complications.  These people are thrown overboard by pharisaical attitudes in the church, mission boards, and seminaries.

Satan likes to divide the church through pride and arrogance and it happens in every church I have ever been associated with in my ministry.  Forgiveness, grace and restoration are neglected by most Bible-believing churches.  Oh, they like to see a drug addict come to Christ; or the drunkard who gets sober; but let a divorced person try to serve Christ and you would think they should be on death’s row in a Leavenworth prison.

Many in our churches want to place an imaginary “scarlet D” on the foreheads of any divorced persons and keep them from serving God in many capacities.  I remember churches who would not let you sing in the choir if you had been divorced.  Others would not let one teach Sunday School classes if they had been divorced.

What a tragedy!  Is there not grace and forgiveness in the body of Christ.  Apparently not!  Are people not restored to full rights and privileges in Christ Jesus through repentance and forgiveness.  Where does God’s forgiveness cease?  Where is grace of none effect?  What sin is not wiped out through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Oh, I know, some are saying that if you did it before you were saved, then you are okay.  Poppycock!!!  God’s forgiveness and grace are extended to anyone who genuinely repents no matter what the sin, even in the believers’ life!  Correct?  Absolutely.  If you don’t believe that, then you don’t believe all of the contents of the Bible.  You pick and choose what you want to believe and then you have your very own religion, but not the correct one.

People who have been divorced, repented, and have been walking with Christ have all their rights and service restored to them and they can serve as choir members, Sunday school teachers, leaders, officers and even as preachers.

Some of you grace and forgiveness-deniers in our Bible-believing churches need to repent and follow God’s kind of forgiveness.  That means He forgives all and any sin and there is nothing He does not forgive!  That means people are restored completely, wholly, and made perfect in Christ Jesus through the blood which cleanses us from every sin.

Let’s take an example from our day and age.  A guy who claims to be a Christian lives with a woman for five years and then leaves her.  He has never married according to state law.  He then finds a gal he wants to marry and does just that.  Where does he fit?  He would be fully accepted in our churches, mission boards, and seminaries as a non-divorced person.  Has he been married only once?  I can show you in the Bible how that he has been joined as one to the first woman.  You see, man-made theology goes awry when faced with certain situations.  God’s Word fits all situations.  However, this hypothetical (but very real) man would be okay and accepted by the most fundamental churches in our country because he has only had one marriage license.  I could list other scenarios but I will not at this time.  I think you understand my point.

Now let’s take a divorced man who wants to be a pastor.  He would be denied that position in most Bible-believing churches and especially the fundamental Baptist churches.  Let’s examine the verse that is used so often to keep men out of the pulpit who could otherwise be used of God in a mighty way.

I Timothy 3:1  This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

2.  A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3.  Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

4. One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

5.  (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

6.  Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

7.  Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Now, let us look at verse 3.  Remember, the word bishop is the same as a pastor.  The phrase “the husband of one wife” is what has been used to keep divorced men out of serving their calling in the ministry.  Notice, it does not say that a man cannot be divorced.  It simply and succinctly states that a man who desires to be a pastor must be the husband of only one wife.  Also, this passage does not address the issue of a single man being a pastor either.  Where does he fit?  Also, it does not say anything about a person who was divorced before he was saved being included or excluded.

So the man who lives with a gal during college days for five years or two weeks and then goes into the ministry gets a pass based on the theology of some churches.

I believe the problem that Paul dealt with here was polygamy, thus the reference to being the husband of one wife.  Otherwise, it does not fit the grace nor the character of God’s Word.

When are we going to quit excluding bright and talented men whose wives’ divorced them under the no-fault divorce laws and they had no choice in the matter.  It happens quite often.  Why is David hailed as a man after God’s own heart.  David could not be a pastor in most churches today because he had two wives, committed adultery and murder.  We have been too harsh with the people of God and the servants called to serve as preachers.

I believe that many of the good Bible-believing people in our churches have not been educated in the Word of God correctly and are making rash decisions that decimate other peoples’ lives and ministry.

The reason we do not see the power of God in our churches and the reason our Bible-believing churches are not full is because we have neglected to follow the whole Word of God.  Instead, we’ve selected bits and pieces that we like and we alienate the broken-hearted, the lame, and the down-trodden in the Name of Christ.  God help us!

In closing, let me reiterate what I’ve said.  When a person comes to Christ and repents, he is forgiven.  No ifs, ands or buts.  His sins are cast as far as the east is from the west and they are remembered by God no more.  They are restored to full fellowship, rights and privileges of son-ship through Christ.  Anyone who denies that is Biblically illiterate or they choose to be anti-Biblical.

My prayer for our churches:  Dear Father in Heaven, please forgive us for our arrogance and pride.  May we have the same forgiveness and forgetfulness toward our brothers and sisters in Christ that You have toward us.  Help us with our feeble ways.  We are so needy.  Remind us of Your grace toward us as we journey in this life.  May we never judge another person wrongfully again and claim it is of Christ.  Thank you for your full restoration of our lives through repentance and faith.  Help each of us to fulfill that calling you have given us.  In Jesus precious Name we pray.  Amen