Matthew 19:9: Porneia: a Response to the Divorce Between Randy and Paula White

In my previous article, Randy and Paula White: Divorce at Without Walls International Church I discussed 1 Corinthians 7:12-15, and the Scriptures that state if an unbelieving spouse wants to leave a believing spouse, that they may leave.

I believe that this is a picture of a root in the rise of divorce in the church today. However, in this article, I want to address: Matthew 19: 1-9. In this passage, Jesus is being asked the question if it is lawful to divorce a woman due to acts of misbehavior. Here is the text in King James Version, (by the way, the King James Version is in the public domain, so you can freely repeat, redistribute, record, etc. any text that you like in the King James Version: other versions hold copyright, so use them with caution). Ok, back to the article, Matthew 19:1-9

Mat 19:1 And it came to pass, [that] when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;

Mat 19:2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.

Mat 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

Mat 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made [them] at the beginning made them male and female,

Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

Mat 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Mat 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

Mat 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except [it be] for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Ok, now, let's take a look at Matthew 19:9 (hopefully, you have read through verses 1-9). If you notice, Jesus says, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication (please notice the word, fornication); and shall marry another, committeth adultery, and whoso marrieth her who is put away doth commit adultery.

I would like to draw attention to the two words spoken by Jesus in this verse, "fornication" and "adultery".

Have you ever wondered why the word, "fornication" is used and not simply, "adultery"?

It is interesting, and I believe very relevant, that the word "fornication" is used as a basis for divorce. I would also like to point out that "fornication" is not the same word as "adultery".

I believe that in our Christian circles, we may have interchanged the two words, however they are very different.

Let's take a look at the Greek in the Strong's Concordance.

Fornication- Strongs # [4202] porneia

Adultery- Strongs # [3429] moichao

If you notice, the word fornication is actually, porneia. This is where we derive our word, pornography, from. I find it interesting that Jesus said, the grounds for divorce weren't adultery, but "porneia". Obviously, this is different from adultery, since adultery is used in the verse as well, especially twice.

Have you ever stopped to consider why Jesus would make this distinction? I have, and I have come to the conclusion that He was answering a question that would bear weight centuries beyond the date in which it was asked.

Our society is overridden with porneia. Pornography is everywhere! On television, billboards, magazines, and books. I have a warning for you, men and women, who think that pornography is a simple harmful act that can rest within the confines of your marriage. You may think that unless you commit a sexual act of adultery that you are being faithful to your spouse, but I beg to differ. Fornication is much more than an illicit affair. It goes against the very nature of loving the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Fornication is also giving yourself to idol worship. The very heart of porneia is the very core of our society. Can a person who is obsessed with pornography truly say that their heart, mind, soul, and strength has been captured by God? Or has the very fiber of their being been captured by images of erotic nature?

God created sex! In fact, if you believe that Christians are frigid, you better think again. In fact, it doesn't take past the first chapter of the Bible to read that God commanded Adam and Eve to have sex and multiply!

Did you think God was a mean God? You may want to think again! He created paradise, made Adam and Eve and commanded them to have sex, so trust me, true Christians understand that sex is a gift from God.

However, pornography isn't. When Jesus gave this answer to the question regarding the grounds for divorce, you must realize that the culture was not inundated with magazines, playboy channels, penthouse, and pornography on the Internet on every click of a mouse.

Yet, if you think pornography is harmless, you better think again. Jesus clearly specified that fornication is more than adultery. Fornication, the very word that is translated from the Greek, is porneia, the root of pornography.

If you are a Christian, do you think that Jesus condones bringing porneia into your marriage? Is your marriage bed defiled through pornography?

When it comes to giving your heart to God, and living a life fully surrendered to His will, you must smash the idols in your life. There is no question, that porneia is the prevalent idol in our society.

It must come down! Christian men must guard their hearts and minds. Christian women must as well. Did you know that women are becoming addicted to pornography through the Internet? This has got to stop!

Don't let porneia ruin your marriage. Surrender your heart to God, and He will be the desire of your heart. He will have no idols before Him.

For more information visit: Radiant God

Further Reading:

Acts 15:20-29; 21:25

Romans 1:29

1 Corinthians 5:1

1 Corinthians 6:13-18

1 Corinthians 7:2

2 Corinthians 12: 21

Galatians 5:19

Ephesians 5:3

Colossians 3: 5

1 Thessalonians 4:3

Revelation 2: 21

Revelation 9:21