1. A Survey Through The Heidelberg Catechism LORD’S DAY #41

2. The Seventh Commandment You shall not commit adultery. Institution of Marriage FidelityRespect for Institution FaithfulnessUnfaithfulnessHonorPurity

3. The Seventh Commandment You shall not commit adultery. Man in the Image of God HolinessPurity BodySoulSinglenessMarriage

4. Heidelberg Catechism Q. #108: What does the seventh commandment teach us? A. That all unchastity is accursed of God; and that we must, therefore, detest it from the heart, and live a chaste and continent life both within and outside of holy wedlock. Q. #109: Does God in this commandment forbid nothing more than adultery and such like gross sins? A. Since our body and soul are both temples of the Holy Spirit, it is His will that we keep both pure and holy; wherefore He forbids all unchaste actions, gestures, words, thoughts, desires, and whatever may entice one thereto.

5. The Seventh Commandment You shall not commit adultery. Roman Catholicism Holiness Sin Rejection DenialPassionsMarriage of world of bodyof body acceptable solution

6. Why Marriage is so Important  Man is made in the image of God (rf. Gen. 2)  A more valuable/intimate union than enjoyed by animals  A channel for the generations (not “kind” but “seed”)  A channel for the covenant of grace (rf. Gen. 3:15; not just “seed” but “godly seed” (rf. Mal. 2:15)  Marriage represents/symbolizes  God in relation to his people (rf. Jer. 3:1; Ezek. 16:15)  Christ in relation to his church (rf. Eph. 5:28-32)

7. Marriage & Divorce Mt. 19:3-9 - And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (see also Mt. 5:31-32; Lk. 16:8)

8. Marriage & Divorce Mt. 19:3-9 – They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” (see also Mt. 5:31-32; Lk. 16:8)

9. Paul on Divorce 1 Cor. 7:8-16 - To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

10. Paul on Divorce To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

11. Paul on Divorce But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

12. Remarriage?  Biblical grounds for divorce:  adultery  abandonment  But who determines the truth of this?  the individuals involved?  the secular court?  the church (a.k.a., the elders)

13. Remarriage?  The elders  should not only investigate, counsel and determine appropriate or inappropriate grounds  should declare ecclesiastical divorce or exercise discipline  Remarriage  likewise, should not be left up to the individuals themselves  but approved or denied by the elders

14. New Covenant Presbyterian Church Preaching God’s Sovereign Grace to a World of Need 128 St. Mary’s Church Rd. Abingdon, MD 21009 410-569-0289 www.ncpres.org www.ephesians515.com