What Used To Be…
By Jeff Belknap
What used to be a prohibition for putting away “saving for the cause of fornication” (Matthew 5:32)—is now authorization to put away “for the cause of Christ.”1
What used to be a sin which “causeth her to commit adultery” (Matthew 5:32)—is now “lawful” putting away in “situations where one might have to divorce his mate in order to live for Christ.”2
What used to be “divorced” (Matthew 5:32)—is now only “divorce in an accommodative sense.”3
What used to be a command to “let not the wife depart from her husband” (I Corinthians 7:10-11; Cf. Matthew 19:6, 9)—is now said to be “the right of a person to divorce his mate for some cause other than fornication.”4
What used to be terminology which referenced a previous marriage partner (I Corinthians 7:10-11) as “husband” or “wife” (including ones who have died, Mt. 22:24-30; Acts 5:9-10; Cf. II Samuel 11:26; 12:9-10, 15 et al.)—is now language that “implies the continued existence of the first marriage.”5
What used to be “shall marry another” (Matthew 19:9; Cf. Luke 16:18)—is now a denial that such “two people are married” “in the case of two people who have no right to each other (Matt. 19:9; Luke 16:18).”6
What used to be one word (“divorce”) that denoted both authorized and unauthorized sunderings (Matthew 5:32; 19:9) and one word (“marry”) that represented both authorized and unauthorized marriages (Matthew 5:32; 19:9)—is now to be understood literally as “divorce” and “marry” only when approved, but “in an accommodative sense” whenever unapproved)7
What used to be described as “married” (Mark 6:17-18, in regards to the unlawful relationship of Herod Antipas with his “brother Philip’s wife”)—is now an example of those “whom God does not consider married.”8
What used to be “married” without divine approval (i.e. in an adulterous marriage, Mark 10:12; Romans 7:3)—is now “not a marriage.”9
What used to be described as an “unscriptural (adulterous, jhb) marriage”—is now a term “which means they are married in the sight of civil government but not in the sight of God”10
What used to be a command to “be subject unto the higher powers” and to submit “to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake” (Romans 13:1-5; I Peter 2:13-15; Cf. Titus 3:1)—is now “the problem of making the civil documents the determinative criterion for marriage and divorce.”11
What used to be “rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15)—is now “‘teaching that unjust divorces granted by civil powers are not really divorces…’” with the end effect of “‘justification for unjustly divorced parties to later remarry.’”12
Dear reader, as the divorce rate escalates, so do Satan’s devices to modify God’s will to accommodate those in unfortunate circumstances (II Timothy 4:2-4; cf. II Thessalonians 2:10-12). What is worse, some who know that the erroneous teaching above is in direct opposition to “the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11; cf. Nehemiah 13:23-24) have continued to defend and commend such errorists.
Case in point: Although brother Connie W. Adams has been well aware of brother Mike Willis’ teaching and has even denounced the doctrine Mike is presently advocating/publishing (see also Audio on Multi-Causes for Divorce & Audio on Mental Divorce), note his inconsistent words of praise for brother Willis below (Jeremiah 23:14; Ezekiel 13:22). See also Connie W. Adams: Then vs. Now
Thirty
Years in a Hot Seat
“…Some cynics think that editors sometimes stir a controversy simply to sell papers. What they do not know is that often, controversy turns off some readers and actually reduces circulation rather than enlarging it. Neither is an editor obligated to print everything sent to him.
For the last thirteen years, it has been my privilege to work with brother Willis on the paper. I have found him to be congenial, studious, and fair minded. He loves the Lord and wants to go to heaven. He has tried to address timely issues while maintaining a balance of good reading material to meet a wide range of needs. Over the last few years we have published a number of special editions built around various themes. Many of these are now in booklet form and being used for class studies throughout the country. A perusal of the annual index of the magazine shows a balance of material on various Bible subjects. The perception of some that the magazine is some sort of one-sided harangue is not founded in fact.
Brother Willis is an able student of the Bible and of subjects which lend themselves to deeper knowledge of the divine record. His commentaries reflect a mature apprehension of the text and the languages which underlie it. He embodies the admonition of Paul to ‘study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth’ (1<sic> Tim. 2:15). He has obviously spent a great deal of time meditating upon the law of the Lord (Ps. 1:1-2).
So, I offer not just a tip of the hat, but sincere thanks for a job well done. As the magazine reverts to an enlarged monthly format with a new appearance and new features, it would be a good time for those who appreciate the mountain of work the editor of the last thirty years has done, to drop him a note and tell him so. And while you are at it, why not subscribe for a friend. You will do him/her a favor.” Connie W. Adams, Truth Magazine (Volume L, Number 14) August, 2006
Post Script: Let me suggest, that “controversy” is not what “reduces circulation” and the loss in “some readers.” If this was the case, Truth Magazine (a publication whose very identity was formed upon its refusal to shy away from controversial subjects) would not have lasted for 50 years. The more likely cause for a decline in subscriptions (in this context) is the editor and staff writers’ continued advocacy of false doctrine coupled with double standards by those who call evil “good” (Isaiah 5:20; Cf. 26:10).13
1
Mike Willis,
Editor’s Reply, Bible Causes of Divorce
and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed Bragwell, Sr.
and Mike Willis (p. 23)
2
Mike Willis, Editor’s Reply, Bible Causes
of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed
Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 21)
3
Mike Willis, Final Rejoinder,
Bible Causes of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion
Between Ed Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 66)
4 Mike Willis, Editor’s Reply, Bible Causes of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 27)
5 Mike Willis, Editor’s Reply, Bible Causes of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 37)
6 Mike Willis, Editor’s Reply, Bible Causes of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 38)
7 Mike Willis, Final Rejoinder, Bible Causes of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 66)
8 Mike Willis, Editor’s Reply, Bible Causes of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 36)
9 Mike Willis, Editor’s Reply, Bible Causes of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 36)
10 Mike Willis, Final Rejoinder, Bible Causes of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 66)
11 Mike Willis, Final Rejoinder, Bible Causes of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 63)
12 Mike Willis, Editor’s Reply, Bible Causes of Divorce and the Role of Government in Divorce, A Discussion Between Ed Bragwell, Sr. and Mike Willis (p. 40)
13 Connie Adams, Associate Editor, Truth Magazine (Volume L, Number 14) August, 2006