Marriage

Divorce & Remarriage (with Andy Naselli)

Kirk E. Miller

Jesus taught that divorce “from the beginning … was not so” and that those who divorce commit adultery. Yet he also added, “except for sexual immorality” (Mt 5:31-32; 19:3-9). And Paul says believers are “not bound” if their unbelieving spouse leaves them (1 Cor 7:15). These texts are source of much debate. And yet their implications are extremely pressing and practical for many. What does the Bible have to say about divorce, and if divorce any possibility of remarriage thereafter? New Testament scholar Andy Naselli joins Kirk to discuss these matters.

Access the episode here. (Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.)

From Andy Naselli, “What the New Testament Teaches about Divorce and Remarriage.”

Marriage as Death

Kirk E. Miller

The following was a wedding homily, which I’ve adapted here for written and public format.

“Marriage is…(fill in the blank?)” I wonder how we would finish that sentence, using just one word. “Marriage is (what?).” If we had the time, it’d be interesting to survey a range of people and hear all the different ways folks would answer that question.

Maybe some would say, especially at a wedding, “Marriage is… beautiful.” Or maybe others would say, “Marriage is a gift.”

And both of those are true. But what if I told you that we could also finish that sentence this way, “Marriage is death”?

Now if marriage is something of a death, I suppose that means a wedding is in fact a funeral. And if you’re the ones getting married, that means on your wedding day you’re actually attending your own funerals!

That’s what I would like us to consider: marriage as a death.

1. Leaving & Cleaving

First, marriage involves the death of two independent lives, as husband and wife come together to form “one flesh.”

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Christ’s Lordship Over Our Relationships (Colossians 3:18-4:1)

Kirk E. Miller

Christ’s Lordship Over Our Relationships (Colossians 3:18-4:1)
CrossWay Community Church
September 25th, 2022

Podcast link.

See all other content in this series.

Edit: In the sermon, I mention that the word “Lord” (κύριος, otherwise translated “master”) is used eight times in 3:18-4:1, seven of which refer to Christ. That is not correct. I realized afterward that I miscounted. “Lord” is actually mentioned nine times, seven of which indeed refer to Christ (and one additional time if one includes the reference in 3:17).

Family Worship (with Donald Whitney)

Kirk E. Miller

Across history, Christians have worshiped God in their homes as families on a daily basis. What is family worship, what does it look like, and what are some practical instructions for how we might go about implementing it in our own homes? In today’s episode, we talk to Donald Whitney, a professor of Biblical spirituality, about the practice of family worship.

Access the episode here. (Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.)

Divorce & Remarriage — A Church Policy Paper

Kirk E. Miller

I produced the following for use as an official policy/position paper at South City Church (Milwaukee). It is largely inspired by and makes modifications from John Piper and Bethlehem Baptist’s A Statement on Divorce & Remarriage in the Life of Bethlehem Baptist Church.

As those who believe that “the Bible is God’s very word, … supremely authoritative for what is true and right,” and, as such, “is to be … obeyed in all that it commands” (I. Scripture under Membership Affirmations in the Constitution), we must look to scripture to determine how we should view, handle, and approach the matter of divorce and the potential remarriages that would follow.

However, the subject of divorce and remarriage is one over which many faithful Christians disagree. All agree that remarriage is intended to be a life-long union, with remarriage being permissible after the death of one’s spouse. But, with regards to remarriage after a divorce, whereas some believe that such remarriages are always wrong, others believe that remarriage after divorce may be permissible in certain select cases. Good, respectable arguments exist on both sides. And faithful, Bible-believing Christians disagree.

As members of this church, we are called to hold one another accountable and to intervene in each other’s lives (church discipline) when we stray from following Christ. And we have covenanted to do just that (see the Church Covenant in our Constitution). This discipline and mutual-accountability encompasses all areas of life, no less our marriages, divorces, and potential remarriages.

The question thus emerges, how shall we as a church engage in this sort of mutual-accountability and discipline in the midst of potential disagreements over what is right or permissible with respect to divorce and remarriage? To this end we accept the below principles, which we believe express minimum strictures expected of Bible-adhering Christians, as our boundaries for accountability and discipline.

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