SOnTheM 17

"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to be come an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery." Matthew 5:31-32

Mawidge...mawidge is what bwings us togewer today...
Mawidge, the bwessed awwangement, that dweam wiffim a dweam...
... Ven wuv, twoo wuv, wiw fowwow you fowever..
... so tweasuwe your vruv..

Sound familiar? It's the Impressive Clergyman's lines from The Princess Bride. Great movie, and I think it may shed some light on our society's attitude toward marriage these days. In biblical times, marriage was viewed with reverend sanctity. However, in America today, marriage is just something you get involved in and then quit later if you want to, like a community baseball team.
I think it is very clear here that Jesus is saying that divorce is wrong (except for the case of marital unfaithfulness). No where in the Bible does it even seem like anyone says differently. Not only that, Jesus is saying that divorce, like lust, is the moral equivalent of adultery, since the divorced woman and the man who marries her after she's divorced both commit adultery.
Here's where I think a lot of people (especially in the Bible belt) have gone astray: Divorce is wrong, but IT IS NOT UNFORGIVABLE!!! I think that getting divorced is sinful, but, then again, so is speeding, lying, cheating at work, lusting (previously addressed), and a million other actions that we all commit regularly, but don't address as harshly. In our eyes, there are sins greater than others--killing a man is far worse than stealing a candy bar from the store. Guess what...in God's eyes, sin is sin. Stealing that candy bar would get you a one way ticket to the fires of Gehenna just as easily as killing someone.
Jesus didn't come to condemn the world, but to save the world from condemnation (John 3:17). Don't judge others because they have been divorced. Rather, be Jesus to them and love them. Against this, there is no law!!!

Today, may you rest in God's everlasting forgiveness. Know that His grace abounds more greatly than you could ever comprehend, and you will only fail to receive it if you fail to seek His face and ask for it.