Product Description

Compassionate, Yet Biblical

Few issues have produces as much confusion among God's people as that of divorce and remarriage. In this thorough analysis of the words of Scripture relevant to the subject, Guy Duty makes tremendous strides toward dispelling this confusion.

The author displays a compassionate concern for those who, because of the stigma in many of our churches regarding divorce and remarriage, are treated as "second-class Christians." In so doing—and herein lies the uniqueness of his approach—he in no way compromises the words of Scripture or goes beyond what they declare.

With the conviction that God is not the author of confusion or of injustice, Duty boldly faces the crucial questions: Is dissolution of marriage apart from death possible? And if so, is remarriage ever valid in God's sight?

The author make abundant use of his knowledge of Greek and studies of the social settings of the Old and New Testaments, and each conclusion is tested by the application of the accepted rules of biblical interpretation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #810729 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Rev. Guy Duty was ordained in 1931, and continued his pastoral teaching work in Virgina, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey and New York. The Bible and related sciences were the study of Rev. Duty's life. His writing is characterized by the clarity of a gifted teacher, the thoroughness of a lawyer and the vision of a prophet.

Customer Reviews

Enlightening and Helpful
The author of this study believed for many years that there was no possibility of remarriage following divorce. His study of the Greek and his familiarity with the Greek text led him to change his mind eventually. He came to believe that the innocent party to a divorce could remarry. He sites scripture to prove his point. This is more than a study of the separation which divorce brings. It reaches out to discuss how to treat those who are divorced. Frequently they appear to be second class citizens in the congregation of the faithful. The study is illuminated with the author�s pastoral concern for all who are involved. How are fellow church members to treat divorcees?
Fourteen brief chapters are included in this study beginning with a statement of purpose. Christ�s divorce law in Matthew 5:32 is discussed in the second chapter. The discussion continues with a study of the Jewish writing on divorcement. Does �Put Away� mean Dissolution? Chapters five and six discuss fornication. Chapter seven discusses Christ�s divorce law as seen in Matthew 19:9. Chapters 8 and 9 look at the meaning of fornication. The meanings of Romans 7:1-4 is taken up in chapter 10. I Corinthians 7: 10-15 is the theme of chapter 11. Chapter 12 gives the views of the church fathers on marriage and divorce. Chapter 13 discusses replies to objections and chapter 14 provides a summary of the evidence. A good bibliography of older books relating to the subject is also provided.

While this study was written some years go, it deserves attention as more and more churches are faced with divorces in their congregations. Both laymen and pastors will find the study enlightening and helpful

A good start for those studying D&R
Guy Duty's book is a simple, somewhat inelegantly written book which supports the view that adultery and desertion break the marriage bond in a way that frees the innocent party to remarry. This is the first book that I ever read on the topic (the date of this review does not reflect when I first read the book) and it does an excellent job of bringing up many of the main issues in this debate.

Chapter titles include but are not limited to:

"Christ's Divorce Law in Matthew 5:32,"

"Does 'Put Away' Mean Dissolution?"
"'Except It Be For Fornication',"
"Are Fornication Exceptions Genuine?" and
"The Church Fathers' Views on Divorce and Remarriage."

There are 14 chapters in all.

Duty has clearly done some good, thorough research on this topic before writing it, and he is overall very comprehensive with good use of documentation throughout to support his position. The reason that I have given this book only four stars instead of five is that while I agree with his conclusions, I don't believe that he's gone far enough in showing that breaches in any of the four marriage vows becomes a ground for divorce, not simply adultry and desertion.

For a much fuller understanding of this topic, I would recommend Dr. David Instone-Brewer's book "Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible: The Social and Literary Context" (Eerdmans, 2002), or for a much more brief look at the subject also by Instone-Brewer, see "Divorce and Remarriage in the Church: Biblical Solutions for Pastoral Realities" (Paternoster Press, 2003) available at Amazon.co.uk.

Excellent Scripture-based counsel on Divorce & Remarriage
Having read the New Testament (and Old!) references to divorce, listened to several ministers' interpretations, and read other books on the subject, I was confused! Was divorce & remarriage ever permitted in a Christian's life? If so, under what circumstances? When was it sinful? What did Jesus mean in His teachings in the Gospels? This book held all the answers and sent me back again and again to verify the content and context in Scripture. I highly recommend this book to all who are struggling with this issue and just want the Truth. It truly is Godly Counsel.