Marriage - Does God Mean What He Says?

By

Bishop Nelson W. Ferguson

Senior Pastor Church of God of Prophecy

Minnie Street & Cordeaux Avenue

June 4^th, 2004

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Marriage is God ordained. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them.” Genesis 1:27. Note verse 28. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them ‘be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”

This relationship was to be social as well as physical. In Genesis 2:18, the Lord said, “it is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him and help meet for him. The woman was to be by the side of the man. In verse 24, God intended marriage to be for life. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” ‘To cleave’ means to be glued to or bound together. People, marriage is a Covenant, a solemn binding agreement made before God and men. Marriage involves covenant.

When I got married, on June 19^th, 1963, I told God I will stay with my wife until death; I will forsake all others and cleave to my wife. She said the same. We said that with two witnesses and many other people there, with a Bishop performing the ceremony. We entered into a covenant with God. It is a binding agreement made before God and man. Listen to the Prophet Malachi in Chapter 2 verse 14. “The Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth…….”

Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman. Yes, you are seeing and reading correctly. I did say between one man and one woman. Not between two men or two women. God will never honour any two men or two women being married.

Marriage between persons of the same sex is an abomination before God, and God, who is righteous and holy, will judge harshly. Don’t forget the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God destroyed both cities because of the sex sin of Sodomy. Hear me people, God is a just God and He means what He says. I repeat, God will never honour any marriage between two persons of the same sex. Call them ‘gay’ if you may, call them ‘homosexual’ if you wish, I call them ‘sissies’. No matter what the name, unless you repent, you will perish in hell’s fire.

Marriage between a man and a woman is dissolved only by death. It’s a commitment to each other for life, and supersedes all other human relationships.

Well Pastor, How do you explain Matthew 19:9? Jesus said “you can put away for the cause of fornication.” You are right…..fornication is a Bible cause for putting away or divorcing. The question then arises “What is fornication?” To find the answer for fornication, we must go to the Bible. The Word of God should be final. God says what He means and means what He says. God’s word is our highest court of appeal and we must resort to the word to determine this matter. Let us read Matthew 19: 3-9 “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

5. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

7. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

8. He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

9. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.”

Now read Matthew 5:32 on the same subject. “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”

These scriptures give fornication as a cause for divorce and this is the only Bible cause for divorce and remarriage. Of course we know that death of a spouse gives cause also, but fornication is the only Biblical grounds given for divorcing one party and being free to marry another.

In 1 Corinthians 6:9, the word of God commands all of those entangled to free themselves. Hear Paul to the Corinthian Saints “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

Here we see that the Bible is definitely against fornication. Paul tells us that the unrighteous, among whom he lists fornicators, are not going to inherit the Kingdom of God.

Many Churches teach that ‘fornication’ is ‘unfaithfulness’, but the Bible does not teach that fornication is ‘unfaithfulness’. Let’s read 1 Corinthians 5:1 “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.”

Paul, in writing to the Church at Corinth begins to give us a clear conception of what constitutes the sin of fornication. In this case, it was reported that there was fornication among the Corinthians, and fornication as was not so much as named among Gentiles. Here, one brother had his father’s wife. Here we see that the definition of fornication is being married to another man’s wife or another woman’s husband.

Do you remember John the Baptist? He got his head cut off because he preached against fornication. Read it in Matthew 14:3-11. The sin of fornication is a terrible thing. It is deadly, both physically and spiritually. Fornication appears to be sweet, but it is deadly. You see, it is to have what belongs to another. What then does Jesus means by “except it be for fornication” in Matthew 5:32? Let me illustrate. Let’s say that John, a good man, hard working Salesman, form an acquaintance with Lilly in another town and they marry. After a period, Lilly found out that John was married to Alice, and Alice is still alive, although divorced from John. While John and Lilly are living together, they are living in adultery, but Lilly has a right to put away John and marry another man that is single. Lilly can put away John for fornication. Whoever then marries John or Alice commits adultery.

You must read Romans 7:2, 3 “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

3. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.”

It is beyond me to understand how a Religious Minister marries two persons, a man and a woman in Holy Matrimony using the closing words of Jesus in Matthew 19:6 “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” And this same Minister of the gospel, a few years later, marries one knowing that they are divorced. People the Bible is the final authority. Not what the Bishop, or Prophet says. “Let God be true, but every man a liar” Romans 3:4

If you know you are married to someone, and that person has a living companion you need to listen to God. You are an Adulterer. Listen, think, no adulterers have any inheritance in the Kingdom of God. If you remain in that condition and die in that state, think where will you spend eternity?

But Pastor, what is the solution to this problem? The answer is in Jesus. Not in what man says. Divorce and Remarriage was never God’s intention. That is man’s doings. Matthew 19:8 Jesus says “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.” This business of divorce and remarriage has been giving trouble for a very long time. Many religious organizations has fallen and giving into man’s feelings. Moses could not handle it and the Prophet tried to solve it. Jesus addressed it and men still seek their own way out. In 2004 it is still a problem. As the Holy Spirit speaks to you now, I invite you to find a quiet place and call Jesus. He will hear you and if you are willing to obey His voice He will bring you out.

As you ponder, remember you are within His reach, O why not come to Him now? No matter how long you have been in this state, I say “Let Jesus fix it for you”. He awaits your call.