Ohio Fellowship – CCCC

In both Hebrew and Greek there are different words for “certificate of divorce” and “putting away”. Putting away a spouse and taking another spouse without divorcing the first results in bigamy and adultery. However, Jesus’ words in modern translations clearly say that a person that divorces and marries another commits adultery, and also the one who marries a divorced person commits adultery with the exception clause of sexual unfaithfulness. “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Luke 16:18 NIV) This is confusing for those who get a divorce and want to remarry or have in the past, or want to marry a divorced person, or who want to help in the church but feel they can not because at one time they were married to another person. It is cleared up when it is translated correctly, “Anyone who puts away (without legally divorcing) his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the man who marries a put away woman commits adultery (because she is still the first man’s wife). Does a pastor who officiates a wedding where one or both have been divorced contribute to their sin and therefore is more guilty than they? If Christ really said what modern translators attribute to him as saying, then clergy are contributing to sin by officiating. But, if what Jesus really said is what Callison points out in the article below, then clergy are being graceful rather than sinful when they properly officiate at a remarriage. The following is Walter Callison’s article. He uses the King James Version in quoting Scripture.

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