Guest Ernest Rafique of Abounding Grace Ministries in Pakistan (agmpak.org) shares the challenges and opportunities that the message of graces faces in that region.

There are nearly sixty ‘One Another’ commands in the New Testament. We’re to love, honor, welcome, forgive, be kind to, comfort, care for, and encourage one another. And yes, these imperatives apply even during divorce.

Divorces often are battlegrounds, leaving wives, husbands, and children wounded and deeply scarred. But Christ’s life enables us to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving, no matter the circumstances.

God Himself is a divorcee. And in Jeremiah 3:8, He shows us the pattern for doing it with honor and respect. But despite this, He is always willing to forgive, reconcile, and restore.

We all are familiar with Malachi 2:16, ‘God hates divorce’. But do we understand what the original text really says? What He hates is the treacherous and violent act of putting away a wife without a written divorce decree.

Accurate translations of key passages fail to support the rigid injunctions against divorce that many claim. Instead, they reveal God’s compassionate heart against the helpless and His desire to restore and redeem them.

For centuries, the church’s attitude toward divorce was based on incorrect translation of the original Greek and Hebrew. As a result, it left no room to consider any of the myriad painful circumstances, aside from abandonment and adultery, that fuel divorce.

Historically, the church has recognized only two justifiable reasons for divorce: adultery and abandonment. But have we misunderstood what Jesus taught?