Mathew Chapter 7 continues….4

This is the last part of Mathew chapter 7 and these last verses of this chapter tell us some important facts, a great principle in the doctrine. I have explained these last verses of this chapter in another blog so I share it here to read.



Need A Change In Your Life ?: Foundation and Superstructure: These are the another correlatives in divine principles. The strength of foundation decides the the strength of superstructure. Not the o...

Biblically Marriage is a secular affair, neither religious nor spiritual.

Faith and spirituality are completely personal or at least those begin as personal affairs and grow as social ones. Anything physical or material can be imparted, such as wealth, physical features of parents etc. But spirituality cannot be imparted as it is intangible property. As it is intangible property  it can neither be inherited from our parents, ancestors and neighbours. Means, it can neither be lent nor be borrowed. That is something each one has to cultivate in himself. Some time other elements such as people and living environment may become instrumental to enter one into the spiritual realm. No one can convert any one to spirituality by force, it is the matter of conviction and thereby righteousness. Not the matter of force and law. Means, none can convert even his own kin forcefully because faith and spirituality are not simply physical obedience but conviction. Then some time a question may be asked that whether a believer's family should be spiritual or should be secular. Better to be secular than forcefully try to change them. Another question that can be asked then might be about the spirituality of spouse. If you have no reason or right to force your own blood relatives to follow faith, then how can you force your spouse? Then, is it marriage a secular institution? It can be so.  According to Jesus the one and only condition to continue one man and woman as married couple is marital faithfulness, nothing else.

Recently I had to think about the relation in marriage .  What is the core fact that maintain and protect the relation between spouses in a marriage. Is there any condition in which the marital bond can be broken, Biblically? Bible says as long as the marital faithfulness exists, the bond exists. Then what is marital faithfulness?We can interpret it in any our own  way, that's why Jesus very meaningfully answered the question.  See Mathew 5:
32 "But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery". This verse clearly states that marital unfaithfulness results in divorce. To know the truth we have to check the verse in detail. Take the part "anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress", and now consider the inverse of this part. It will be like this, "if a woman becomes adulteress she commits marital unfaithfulness and her husband can divorce her(this is applicable for both husband and wife)". Now it is clear from this what marital unfaithfulness according to Jesus. Let us go a little bit  ahead. The married status, wife and husband status, depend upon sexual faithfulness. As long as sexual fidelity exists there is no option to give up, divorce, your  spouse. Nothing other than this ,fidelity, can be considered as justification for a divorce.Means your relation with your spouse is purely sexual, not anything else like faith, political, religious, financial etc.

Usually a question can be posed at this juncture. Whether a believer can have a non believing spouse because of sexual fidelity according to the above mentioned clarification ?The answer is 'yes'. According to this above mentioned verse, the quality for a person to become someone's spouse is sexual fidelity. More over, most of the apostles had wives but most of them have not been introduced in bible as spiritual partners. If so needed Jesus could select singles, men and women, and after teaching them he could have made them marry to show that both spouses in a mariage should be believers.

Then there is a problem, as per Bible everyone should get connected one another in Jesus' body by holy spirit. so shouldn't the spouse also be connected with holy spirit? Answer is this one, all those who connected and become one in Jesus' body is the church,Jesus' spouse, not husband and wife one another. Unite in spirit,in Jesus' body, doesn't mean unite in sex. Unite in sex means marriage, not unite in Jesus. Unite in spirit means church and all those united in spirit should not necessarily be united in sex. And all those united sexually, by marriage, with believers shouldn't necessarily  be united in holy spirit, in church, because it is the matter of conviction, not the matter of sex. And none can continue in faith depending on spouse's faith or on anyone else's. "1Corianthians 7:16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?"
According to church, marriage is not the part of spirituality, it is a physical mean, not spiritual mean, to avoid immorality.
"1Corianthians: 1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.
2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband."
Nothing else is stipulated.
Why did Paul recommend marriage?Whether it was an inevitable spiritual affair ? No. It was not necessary in spirituality, means it is not a spiritual matter, but a secular affair. Then why we should restrict people  in their marriage? If it is for a reliable relation forever, it is ok. But who can make it sure?