Divorce... or misery?

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Originally posted by BrianBowman
Originally posted by non dignus
Bahnsen: 4. A regenerate believer who falls into the sin of adultery will offer genuine repentance for it (Ps. 51; Jas. 4:8-10; I John 1:9; Matt. 5:23-24) and do the works appropriate for turning from it (Matt. 3:8; Acts 26:20). Refusal to repent in this way must be taken as a sign that the person is not truly a believer (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Prov. 28:13; Luke 13:3, 5) - eventuating in excommunication, if need be.


No. It must be taken as a sign that the person is not repentant.

David, this is another "big red-hot debate" that intersects with Church discipline, etc. Clearly someone who can continue to live headlong in adultery without repentance *may* not be regenerate as in "you shall know a tree by its fruit". No Church Session, Elder, Pastor, etc. can pronounce that a "professing believer" is ultimately reprobate, however they can, based upon their office, exercise excommincation after sufficent exhortation to repentance has been given with no results.

[Edited on 12-2-2005 by BrianBowman]

Brian,
Thanks for the Bahnsen piece. I agreed with nearly all of it. 'Very enlightening.

This might be better on an ecclessiology thread but,

Unbelief is certainly a possibility. If I were an elder I would definitely vote to excommunicate but I don't think restoration would involve a new profession of faith, do you? On the other hand, if a member were teaching that adultery is OK, he would get the complete heave ho even if he weren't shacking up. Giving into temptation and knowing it's wrong doesn't add up to apostasy.
 
... I agree on all your above points David. Restoration would simply involve a sincere repentance with some verifiable fruit like not continuing in the sin and renewed love of Christ's Church and the Lord's Supper!
 
You could help your friends by getting them to some real counseling. For there to be as much hatred on both sides as you say...there are some really deep issues that need to be addressed. Sounds to me like you do not have all the information on these two either. You may be really surprised when you learn the real reasons for their problems.
 
Originally posted by CalsFarmer
You could help your friends by getting them to some real counseling. For there to be as much hatred on both sides as you say...there are some really deep issues that need to be addressed. Sounds to me like you do not have all the information on these two either. You may be really surprised when you learn the real reasons for their problems.


Well I actually know them very well and have watched this thing escalate for years. I know the hatred started with the wife. She will even admit that. She will even brag that no one has any say over her but God. Certainly no mere man.
Yes there are deep issues; and yes counseling would be lovely but I have learned that you don't get anyone into real counseling if they do not want to go. What do you do when the ONLY counseling the wife will "allow" is the pastor of her charismatic church. Nothing else is right because God has told her that. Case closed. There is nothing about their real problems that would surprise me. Just because I don't type out every thing I know about the situation on a fairly public bulletin board...don't assume that I don't adequate information on this. That is a lot to presuppose.

[Edited on 12-3-2005 by Richard King]
 
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