Separating from an unbelieving wife in order to be a
son of God? Q. Bro. Gan: I was given a book entitled: "Exposition of Damnable Heresies, Book Ten". Someone sent it to me I believe you might have one. Many of the answers given to questions are very opinionated and confusing. There is this one particular question and answer that I want you to comment. It reads:#137: "I am a minister of the message. I was married before I came. I want to obey every commandment of God. My wife is worldly and don't want to hear the message, what must I do: separate from her for the ministry or leave the ministry?" Here is a portion of the answer that really puzzles me. Some words are even highlighted in bold:
A. Brother, someone had also sent me a copy of this book. I have also received several emails asking if I have read it and asking if I could comment on some of the teachings. I want to say that I am not a corrector of other ministers' teachings. False teachers and false prophets are everywhere and they have deceived many good and innocent pastors and preachers into false doctrines by their opinionated twisting of the Scriptures. However, I will briefly touch on your request to this particular teaching. The preacher who answered this question did not comprehend the differences between the ministries of the "Ascension Gifts" (of Ephesians 4) and the Presbytery. He had lumped them together, making them all one ministry in the church. To understand the differences between the two ministries, read the message: Overseership. Secondly, the preacher is a religious heretic when he said that a believer, whether a minister or not, had to get his unbelieving wife to "live under certain conditions" or else for both to "separate in order to qualify as a Christian". Where in the Scriptures is such a teaching found? This is nothing but heresy. On the contrary, Paul said: "If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away" (1 Cor.7:12). Paul did not force any other condition on the wife nor tell the husband to BEG his wife to live according to "certain conditions if she will continue to live with you as a believer!..." How ridiculous it is that a Christian cannot be a Christian if his unbelieving wife does not live according to a standard set by the husband (or by the preacher in this case). So, a man cannot be a Christian or a preacher, all because his wife is not living according to "certain conditions" as laid down by the husband? The only way, the only answer, according to the preacher who gave the answer, is to separate from the wife in order to qualify as a Christian. (If such "law" is to exist for a believing man, it must also be applied for a believing woman whose husband is an unbeliever.) Salvation is an individual and personal affair with Yahweh. This affair does not give a believer the right to force his wife and children into subjection to a holiness standard against their will. He should teach them BY HIS EXAMPLE and not FORCE them nor even SEPARATE from the wife AS LONG AS "SHE BE PLEASED TO DWELL WITH HIM". Separation will only aggravate family life. In the first place, it is unscriptural to do so. Because "how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?" (1 Cor.7:16) Bro. Branham brought to us a message. It takes us back to the WORD. That's the GRACE OF GOD. But there are many self-made "men of God" who, in their opinionated carnal mind, bring in certain LAWS to try and cull (or "holy-fy") the people into submission, of what they think is the standard of the holiness of God. They are doing a service for God without it being His Will, and thus they take away God's GRACE and TRUTH from the people when they plant their LAWS in their churches.
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