I found John Piper’s position on divorce & remarriage paper online just now and wanted to share it. He doesn’t agree with the majority stand on adultery, divorce, & remarriage.
I do want to mention that while he teaches against remarriage, he does tell those already in a remarriage to stay in it. That of course, we don’t agree with. As a stander, we are to stand in the gap for our spouse’s adultery, pray he/she comes to their senses, and of course returns home to us waiting for them. I wish this article was one we could 100% support, but, alas, we cannot.
However, with that said, John Piper does make a lot of solid points regarding the permanence of marriage that I do want to share. Therefore, I attach it here.
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/divorce-and-remarriage-a-position-paper
John Piper has a subtle twist in his theology on this topic that makes it dangerous. AFAIK John correctly believes that you should not marry someone with a living first spouse however he then says that if you do marry, God forgives you and you shouldn’t then break what he thinks is now a valid covenant.
(I’ll try and find him claiming that a bit later)
But permanence of marriage advocates point out that such a marriage is fake in God’s eyes and the couple is guilty of ongoing adultery and thus headed for hell. The marriage covenant is ONLY broken by death. This is why John the Baptist was imprisoned and lost his head ! He spoke against the unlawful marriage of Herod to Herodias who still had a living husband. Imagine how John could save his own head by saying to the adulterous couple “just repent and God will forgive your ongoing adultery”!
John Piper attended the wedding of his son Barnabas’ non covenant re marriage, thus showing his support for something he stood against.
You are completely right! I did see that he teaches to stay within that remarriage, which we totally disagree with! There was so much good he had to say regarding the permanence of marriage that I wanted to share. I will make a disclaimer now!! Thank you so much!!!
I’m so glad to read you are all for the permanence of the marriage covenant until “death do us part”. I look forward to reading more of your blogs as I too stand for my marriage until death parts my covenant wife and I.
John Piper came so close to the complete truth but then dropped the ball at the end.
Stander in Family Court writes a good summary of John’s un-Biblical position here starting “FEAR OF MEN:”
https://www.standerinfamilycourt.com/2016/08/pipers-divorce-remarriage-and-doing-what-to-god/