Deuteronomy 24

1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.

Mark 10

11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. 12  And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

Caesar permitted divorcement for every, and any cause -- just as he does today. God only suffers divorcement for the hardness of hearts in those ungodly “marriages�?resulting in  fornication. Yes, fornication can, and does rob people completely of their sanctification.

SCRIPTURE DOES NOT CONTRADICT SCRIPTURE

The only possible way to reconcile Mark 10:11-12 and Deuteronomy 24:1-2 is to agree that both are correct and valid. The only possible way to agree that BOTH are correct and valid is to acknowledge that there is a great difference between putting away (separation) and lawful writ of divorcement. Paul stated that there is a difference between a wife and a virgin, yet both are women. There is a difference between putting away and divorcement also.

Both putting away and divorcement involve the departing of the spouses; but only one is recognized by God as an acceptable termination of marriage even though God never intended divorce for His people. Jesus states what the CAUSE for terminating a marriage is and why it cannot be conducted "for every cause" but one: namely, FORNICATION. No, we cannot embrace Mark 10:11-12 to exclusion of all other scripture. We must embrace the FULL BIBLE TRUTH - not partial truth. "Putting away" is not lawful divorce.

Now it is true that the woman in marriage is subject to the law of the husband for as long as the husband lives. Please read it the way that it is written: "...for as long as the husband (not former husband) liveth." The godly wife of a fornicating and ungodly husband is not subject to her husband's law of fornication and death and sin... for as long as the husband "lives", but she is still subject to God's law unto life. Fornication is death and corruption. It is fleshly. It is not of God. So if the fornicating unbeliever departs, let him depart. The Bible plainly states that a sister or brother in the Lord is not under bondage in such cases but God has called us to peace. The unmarried (including the lawfully divorced as presented in the book of Deuteronomy) may indeed marry in the Lord. They have not sinned. Now those who do not marry in the Lord but "marry" otherwise, are still guilty of fornication. They marry only in the flesh and care not for the things of God. So-called “Civil Marriage�?and “Common-law Marriage�?are not necessarily godly. Only God can sanctify a marriage.

We find all the scriptures listed in complete agreement with Deuteronomy 24:1- 5.

Luke 16:17-18 was reserved for the conclusion of this general presentation. Someone stated earlier that scripture will not contradict itself and they are correct.

Luke 16:17-18 is definitely no exception.

Once it is fully understood that the biblical terms "putting away" and lawful "divorcement" are not identical (in fact, these are entirely different words in the ancient Greek) all doubts supporting contradiction of biblical scripture vanish instantly. Modern English is not Old English. Modern English is not the Greek or Hebrew.

 It follows then, that as illustrious and diligent as the translators of the Authorized King James Bible were, in the shadow of Roman Catholic influence and Protestant Monarchy, it is the Textus Receptus that was the source of our Old English translation. It is the best we have today and it is the Greek that explicitly proves that “divorcement�?and “putting away�?are two entirely different words. A pre-school child can examine these two words and realize that they are not identical without even knowing what they mean. Look them up some time.

Deuteronomy 24:1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. / And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. Luke 16:17-18

If the "putting away" of a spouse were the same thing as divorcement then scripture would contradict scripture; but even Luke 16 affirms that Deuteronomy 24 still stands firm by the word of our Lord and Paul affirms that the unmarried in the Lord may marry in the Lord.

DEUTERONOMY 24:1-5 is the LAW.

There is no "putting away" to marry another. Neither will God recognize any bill divorcement without lawful CAUSE. Therefore there is indeed a great difference between "putting away" and lawful DIVORCEMENT. Although the Pharisees of old desired to put away and to divorce for EVERY CAUSE, Christ stated otherwise. Jesus was also reminding them of the original cause: fornication and hardness of heart.

When all of the scripture is embraced in full context the matter is clear:

Jesus will not contradict His own law as it is written in DEUTERONOMY 24:1-5. Full Bible Truth is the only recourse we have to reconcile all of the scriptures. We must receive all scripture in faith before we can even begin to truly understand it or, we embrace a faithless falsehood and say that the Bible contradicts itself repeatedly.

We cannot have it both ways..

If it is in the scripture we must embrace all of it -- not just some of it.