A fair number of the guys I know and respect are in the same situation I am. Divorced, remarried: the egalitarian false marriages that is part of the false consensus morality of this time led us through the family courts. Which are destructive. We want the old marriage, the old ways. We want til death to us part.

And when I hear news that they have a new child, a new farm, I am glad. There is enough bad news in this world.

But… the laws in the time of Christ and Paul allowed divorce: probably as freely as now. The Talmudists argued that you could divorce your wife for any reason. The Greeks and Romans considered marriage in terms of family alliances. Love had nothing to do with it: they tolerated the taking of mistresses and temple prostitutes.

And their stoic philosophers ranted, correctly, about the decline of morals and degeneration of society.

The rules Paul made were written for a church in a corrupt society. Such as is ours.

1 Corinthians 7:10-24

¹⁰To the married I give this command – not I but the Lord – that the wife should not separate from her husband ¹¹(but if she does separate, let her remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife.

¹²To the rest I say – I and not the Lord – that if any believer has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. ¹³And if any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. ¹⁵But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. It is to peace that God has called you. ¹⁶Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.

¹⁷However that may be, let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God called you. This is my rule in all the churches. ¹⁸Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. ¹⁹Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but obeying the commandments of God is everything. ²⁰Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called.

²¹Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now more than ever. ²²For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ. ²³You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters. ²⁴In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God.

What I do not see in this passage is the idea that we can change who we are. We of this nation: we should try to be of another. We are men or women: we should not think Gender is fluid or we can change. We are employed by bastards who treat us as slaves: we should still do a good job for Christ.

Our husband does not understand our need for worship and spirituality: we should continue to wife him, care for him, pray for him. We should not divorce him. Those who preach divorce as an improvement or redemption are preaching lies.

Our wife is rebellious and hates Christ: we should take the kids to church.

If they storm out, we can be at peace.

But we were made as we are: we have strengths and weaknesses. We are not the same. We are not interchangeable. This is good.

So let us praise God for who we are. Live within the guidance he gives us: men and women, slaves and masters, children and fathers,

And let is not pretend we can be what we are not. That is the lie of the post moderns. It leads to the destruction of the marriages, the empty nursery, and misery for all.

Do not promote such. Do not be such. Do not be like such.