Marriage and Virginity (continued)
27. The primary and most important obligation is not to do what is wrong. When, however, something is not wrong, and at the same time doing something else is also not wrong, one should do the thing that does good, or the one that does more good. When, therefore, the Lord says something as Lord, that is to say, not by way of advice and guidance but with his authority as Lord, it is wrong not to do it, and consequently no good comes from it either. The Lord therefore gave the command: A woman is not to leave her husband; but if she does leave (for a reason, of course, that entitles her to leave) she must either stay unmarried or be reconciled to her husband (1 Cor 7:10-11). While her husband is alive, a married woman is united by the law to her husband; and While her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress if she goes with another man (Rom 7:2-3); because, a woman is bound as long as her husband lives (1 Cor 7:39). Hence, If a wife divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery (Mk 10:12), and, Anyone who marries a woman divorced by her husband commits adultery (Mt 19:9; Lk 16:18). Hence, too, from the same command of the Lord, a husband too may not divorce his wife (1 Cor 7:11), because anyone who divorces his wife, apart from the case of adultery, causes her to commit adultery (1 Cor 7:11). If, however, he does divorce her for that reason, he too must stay in that state, for everyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery (Lk 16:18).
The Lord's Commands Must Be Followed Absolutely
22. These laws established by the Lord must be observed without any diminution. Whether men and women approve or do not approve, this is required by justice, which he upholds.
Therefore we must not say they do not have to be observed because people take scandal, or for fear of placing an obstacle to their salvation, which is in Christ. What Christian would dare say, "In order not to offend people, and to win them for Christ, I will cause my wife to commit adultery, and I too will become an adulterer"?
28. It could happen that after divorcing a wife who committed adultery a Christian was tempted by a woman, not yet herself a believer, who wanted to marry him and promised to become a Christian, not insincerely but actually with the intention of doing this if he married her. If he was rejecting this marriage the tempter could suggest to him: "The Lord said, Anyone who divorces his wife, apart from the case of adultery, and marries someone else, commits adultery (Mt 5:32), but you, who have divorced your wife because of adultery, will not commit adultery if you marry someone else." With a mind well instructed, he should say in reply to the one making this suggestion: "The man who marries someone else after divorcing his wife, when it is not because of adultery, indeed commits adultery in a more serious way; but even the one who enters a union with someone else after divorcing a wife who commits adultery is not innocent of adultery just because he has left an adulteress. In the same way, anyone who marries a woman who has been divorced, but not because of adultery, commits adultery; but it does not follow that someone who marries a woman he comes to know after she has been divorced because of†12 adultery does not commit adultery." This is why the doctrine that is put rather obscurely in Matthew, because the whole is represented by the part, is made clear in the others, where the whole is stated in general fashion. Thus we read in Mark, Anyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery (Mk
10:12); and in Luke, Everyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery (Lk 16:18). They did not say that some of those who remarry after divorcing their wives commit adultery, and some do not commit adultery; but they said, Anyone who divorces, hence absolutely everyone, without any exception, who divorces his wife and then marries someone else commits adultery.
The Christian Must Not Do Evil to Achieve Good
23, 29. If the Christian gives this answer to the tempter, because he understands that it is not wrong for him to divorce a wife who commits adultery, but it is wrong for him to marry someone else, suppose the tempter says, "Commit this sin to win for Christ the soul of that woman in her fatal state of unbelief, as she is prepared to become a Christian if she marries you." What then? What should the Christian say in reply to this, other than that if he does this, he cannot escape the judgment the apostle reminded us of, when he said, And as some people say of us that we say, "Let us do evil, so that good will come of it," are they not justly condemned (Rom 3:8)? In any case, how can the woman be saved by being a Christian if she is living in adultery with that man when he marries her?
Unconditional Vows Must Be Kept