I’ve Had Enough of the NO-HOPE-GALVANIZED-CONDENMNATION-PREACHERS!
So, let’s deal with one of them right now. I may address others later, but this is where we’ll start.
SUBJECT/DOCTRINAL STATEMENT: DIVORCE
For decades—maybe even centuries—there’s been a toxic teaching circulating that condemns people who have gone through a divorce.
(rolling up my sleeves)
BRING. IT. ON.
Here’s the lie: “If you’ve been divorced, you have to remain single until your ex-spouse dies.”
Alright, let’s see where that’s coming from.
First off—that’s flat-out false.
The reason this keeps getting taught is because people have misunderstood the Scripture, especially the context of Romans 7.
Let’s break it down:
Romans 7:2-3 (NASB):
“For the married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he is alive; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.”
Now—Paul says “bound by the law”—but what do these misinformed teachers do?
They twist this Scripture into a weapon, shaping a narrative that burdens people with guilt and shame.
And here’s the problem: if it condemns, it’s not coming from God.
Romans 8:1:
“Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Are you in Christ Jesus? Then where is this condemnation coming from? It’s certainly not from a Holy God—because in Him, there is no condemnation.
This lie has been used to beat people down, and I’m calling it out directly. If you’ve preached this, believed this, or used this to shame someone—know this: you weren’t being led by God. That’s not divine correction—that’s human condemnation. That’s religious poison.
And if you’ve used this passage to say, “See? You can’t get remarried!”—you are spreading false doctrine.
You’ve repeated a lie taught to you—and that makes you, as the old folks would say, a false-falsefiar.
That’s right—I called it like it is. You’re out of order.
Why? Because you missed the context.
Let me help set you free so you can turn around and apologize for the harm you’ve done.
Look closely: Paul is not talking about modern legal divorce. He’s not referring to 21st-century marriage certificates or man-made legal structures. He’s writing in the 1st century to people who understood the Jewish Law and the covenantal implications of it. Both Jews and Gentiles alike were familiar with the Law of Moses.
Paul is using an analogy. Just like a wife is bound to her husband while he lives, but is free if he dies—so we were once bound to the Law. But in Christ, we have died to that Law and now live unto Him, not unto the Law.
That’s the point of Romans 7.
It’s not about modern divorce law. It’s about being free from the Law through Christ’s death and resurrection.
And even in the Mosaic Law—guess what? Divorce and remarriage were allowed. The Law even made provision for it. So even if Paul was referring directly to the Law, your interpretation still doesn’t hold up.
What’s really happening is this: someone took one passage, misunderstood its purpose, yanked it out of context, and built a doctrine around it. That doctrine has led people into bondage and shame. And now we have modern-day Pharisees walking around with their rulebooks, pushing people right back under the yoke of the Law that Christ came to fulfill and set us free from.
Now let’s talk Matthew 19.
Because here’s another one they like to throw out.
Matthew 19:3
“Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?’”
Let’s stop right there.
Did you catch that? They came to TEST Him—not to learn, not to repent, not to understand God’s heart—but to trap Him in a man-made debate.
They were baiting Jesus to pick a side between Hillel (divorce for any reason) and Shammai (only for adultery). It wasn’t about holiness—it was about legal control.
So what did Jesus do? He shut the whole debate down and pointed them back to God’s original intent: that marriage was created to be sacred and united—not tossed away like a contract.
And then He says (verse 9):
“Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Now let me ask you—was Jesus setting up a new law or exposing hardened hearts?
He wasn’t cornering the broken—He was confronting the proud.
This was not a lesson in eternal condemnation for anyone who’s been divorced.
This was a rebuke of those who used Scripture to justify selfishness, just like folks do today. Jesus was correcting them—not binding them.
So if you’re using Matthew 19 to shame people, let me be crystal clear:
You are the one Jesus was rebuking.
You are repeating the very spirit of the Pharisees—weaponizing a verse to keep people from grace.
That’s why context matters.
And now let’s get to 1 Corinthians 7. Because some of y’all really think Paul just flat-out said “no remarriage.” Well, let’s walk slow.
Paul’s addressing believers who were coming into the faith, many of them already married, already divorced, or married to unbelievers. He’s not dropping a one-size-fits-all rule—he’s navigating real-life chaos with spiritual wisdom.
1 Corinthians 7:10-11 (NASB):
“But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife is not to leave her husband (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband is not to divorce his wife.”
Now watch what just happened—Paul references Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 19. But look at the parentheses:
“But if she does leave…”
That’s not a command, that’s a concession. He’s acknowledging real scenarios—not setting eternal damnation traps.
And then he pivots.
1 Corinthians 7:12-15:
“But to the rest I say, not the Lord… if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases…”
So now we have Paul making an apostolic judgment, distinguishing between Jesus’ words on covenant marriages among believers, and new scenarios—like what happens when an unbeliever abandons a believing spouse.
What does he say?
“Let them leave.”
“You are not under bondage.”
That means you’re not chained. You’re not condemned. You’re not doomed to live out your days in solitude and shame. If they left—God didn’t.
Paul was not creating a New Testament law—he was guiding believers in the Spirit, showing them how to walk in peace and freedom under grace.
This whole chapter is laced with concessions, wisdom, and freedom—not shackles.
So let me say this plain:
If you’ve gone through a divorce—Jesus isn’t done with you.
If you’ve been abandoned—He hasn’t forsaken you.
If you’ve remarried—God is still able to bless and walk with you.
The grace of God is not trapped in the ruins of your past. It meets you where you are, not just where you “should’ve been.”
So here’s the conclusion of the matter:
Romans 7 isn’t about modern divorce—it’s about dying to the Law.
Matthew 19 is Jesus rebuking Pharisees, not punishing the broken.
1 Corinthians 7 is Paul navigating messy lives with God’s grace—not issuing a new Torah.
And God? He’s not a divorce bully. He’s a Restorer of the broken, the Healer of the hurting, and the One who calls people back to hope.
And I’ve had enough.
God is raising me up to confront this head-on and declare truth—not just to defend the broken, but to give these religious teachers a chance to be set free too.
But as always…
That choice is yours.
Grace & Peace,
Dr. John Roberts, THD