Samuele Bacchiocchi's The Marriage Covenant

Inclusivists believe that the proper translation of the Greek word “parektos” in the exception clause is “even including” instead of “except.” This would mean that Jesus does not allow divorce for anything, even including porneia. As Samuele Bacchiocchi says in his book, The Marriage Covenant, “This interpretation may be grammatically possible, but it seems rather unusual because it is based on a rather uncommon inclusive usage of the word parektos, usually translated ‘except for.’ This inclusive interpretation is based upon what Bruce Vawter calls ‘linguistic acrobatics,’ which turns "except" into ‘even including.’” (The Marriage Covenant, Ch.6) While this definition is, technically, possible, it is a stretch, and not considered accurate by …show more content…
God set up its precepts with them in the Garden of Eden. However, the fall of man brought about sin, evil, and death. God’s covenant with Abram led to God promising to be with Jacob, and renaming him Israel, the name of those who would be His chosen people. This is the first part of the marriage analogy. Jacob’s descendants came to be called Israel, and God referred to them as His bride. God, in this grand analogy, was not married to them (as the modern man views marriage) but was betrothed, as Hosea 2:19-20 says to Israel, “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD.” (NASB) God was betrothed to Israel, they were His bride, and all looked forward to the wedding ceremony which was prophesied about time and time again. This seemed to be the promise of a kingdom of might that would never be destroyed. But Israel did not stay faithful to the Lord, and turned away to idols and other gods. This is why God said in Jeremiah 3:8a, “And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce” (NASB) Again, the marriage had not taken place yet, Israel and Yahweh were just betrothed. But Israel would not repent. God brought judgment on Israel, and she was exiled to Babylon. Later, the Romans took her over. Then came …show more content…
For all practical purposes, this view destroys any and all notions of divorce. A Christian who marries someone does so until death do them part. This fact should do two things to the Christian perception of relationships. 1. It should give Evangelicals a higher regard for marriage. Because Christ does not allow the marriage covenant to be broken for any reason, it should be seen as extremely important in His eyes. This is so because it is an analogy for Christ and Israel (now the church). When dealing with any marital relationship this purpose must be kept in mind. To dishonor marriage is to dishonor the Lord. John Piper says, very stirringly, in his book This Momentary