Santa's Got a Brand New Bag: The New Hermeneutic. How does he do it ?

As the divorce rate within the evangelical church has surged following the adoption of no-fault divorce in secular courts, an immense theological debate has centered on a single, often-misapplied verse in the Gospel of Matthew.

I. The Weightier Matters: The Gnat and the Camel

While attending Denver Seminary, I had the privilege of sitting under the esteemed New Testament scholar, Dr. Craig Blomberg, PhD. As Dr. Blomberg and the majority of Christendom agree, Matthew is the most Jewish of the four gospels, tailored specifically for a Jewish audience either converted to or interested in learning about Yeshua Ha-Mashiach. This contextual focus is crucial to understanding the book's contents.

The Lord Jesus Christ issued a devastating critique against the religious leaders of His day, the Pharisees, recorded in Matthew 23:24 (KJV):

"Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."

The Pharisees were meticulous concerning minute ceremonial law (the gnat, representing external scrupulousness) while neglecting the "weightier matters" of justice, mercy, and faith (the camel, representing gross hypocrisy and sin).

Today, we observe a striking parallel within segments of the modern church, particularly among those promoting a "new hermeneutic" concerning marriage. Vast theological energy is expended on a single, tiny point—the "gnat"—while the great, foundational command of Christ—the "camel"—is casually swallowed and leaving Christ's command "of none effect."

The camel being swallowed is the act of swallowing the adultery sanctioned by the new hermeneutic—the willful disregard for the clear, unambiguous declaration of Christ in Luke 16:18 (KJV), a passage addressed to a broad audience:

"Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery."

II. The "Exception Clause" Gnat

If the Gospel of Matthew contains divergent instruction—something the other three Gospels, written to a wider, non-Jewish audience, omit—it is likely something that pertained specifically to the original Jewish readership.

In the case of this divergent verse, which has wrought incalculable damage to the Evangelical, Bible-believing church, let us examine the "exception clause," included twice in Matthew (5:32 and 19:9) but excluded from Mark, Luke, and John:

"And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” (Matthew 19:9, KJV, emphasis added)

It is highly established by better scholars than I that this exception refers specifically to fornication (Gk. porneia), not adultery (Gk. moicheia), and is uniquely applicable within the context of Jewish betrothal practices of that day. This would allow for the private putting away of an espoused woman found to be unfaithful before the marriage covenant was formally initiated—a scenario applicable to Joseph and Mary.

The core problem, however, remains: debating this so-called "exception clause" is as practically profitable as debating the existence of "Santa Claus." It appears "Santa's got a brand new bag." The fruit of this new hermeneutic is clear: despite whether we all adhere 100% to a specific interpretation of the exception, we find divorced and remarried couples who do not fit any legitimate interpretation walking freely into the sanctuary. The "exception" is rendered moot by the subtlety of church practices that have made Christ's clear command "of none effect."

The Santa Clause

III. The Reindeer Nullification and Pass the Hot Sauce: How the unclean Camel is Swallowed.

The practices below are the new traditions that make God's law "of none effect" (Mark 7:13). The church leverages these approaches to excuse the swallowing of the "camel"—the sin of unrepentant adultery and disregard for the covenant (Luke 16:18)—while endlessly debating the "gnat" (the Matthew exception clause).

Reindeer	Practice (The Tradition)	Scripture Made Void
Dasher	The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy	Mark 10:11-12
Dancer	The "Reset Button": Pre-Conversion Marriages	Genesis 2:24
Prancer	The "Guilty Conscience Motivation" Excuse	Matthew 7:21
Vixen	The "Sickness unto Death" Doctrine	Malachi 2:16
Comet	The "Protecting the Children" Cloak	1 Corinthians 5:11
Cupid	The "Musical Chairs" Encouragement	Luke 16:18
Donner	The State Judge as Theologian	Mark 10:9
Blitzen	The Conclusion: Making God's Law of None Effect	Mark 7:13

A. Dasher: The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy

Most frequently, when a couple seeks membership or asks to be married, the church leadership employs a policy of deliberate ignorance. They do not rigorously investigate the validity of prior divorces according to the perceived "exception clause." They accept the couple's court appointed divorce , playing God, consenting to them being "married," effectively giving silent, pastoral sanction to remarriage without ever applying the very rule they claim to uphold. This act of looking the other way ensures the "gnat" never needs to be debated, as they have already swallowed the camel (adultery).

B. Dancer: The "Reset Button": Pre-Conversion Marriages

When pressed to investigate a divorce's validity, many claim that any marriage, divorce, or remarriage that occurred prior to conversion is deemed null and void by the grace of God; they are "under the blood."

"That was easy"

Thus, the current marriage—no matter the circumstances of the previous ones—is treated as the first and only valid marriage. This notion fundamentally undermines the inerrancy of Scripture, as God recognizes the marriage covenant established at creation (Genesis 2:24) regardless of a person's faith status. This teaching makes a physical/covenantal reality retroactively dissolved by a spiritual decision.

C. Prancer: The "Guilty Conscience Motivation" Excuse

Pastors celebrate some remarried couples because they are respecters of persons, and observe that the couple serves God "extra vigorously." This vigor is often driven by a guilty conscience seeking to justify their new union through works. The emphasis shifts from obedience to God's law to the pragmatics of church ministry, elevating the perceived "good works" (Matthew 7:21) above the necessity of biblical obedience.

D. Vixen: The "Sickness unto Death" Doctrine

This involves pastors adopting a hyper-Calvinistic or fatalistic view, arguing that a marriage has simply "died." Instead of addressing divorce as a covenant-breaking sin, they treat the marriage's dissolution as a natural tragedy. They declare the relationship to be "dead," freeing the parties like a death certificate frees a widow/widower. This removes personal accountability and sin from the process, reframing the violation of a holy covenant (which God hates, Malachi 2:16) into a sad, unpreventable event.

E. Comet: The "Protecting the Children" Cloak

When faced with a difficult decision regarding remarriage, the leader invokes the "best interest of the children" as the ultimate moral guide. While protecting children is vital, this practice elevates the emotional and practical well-being of the children above the authority of God's Law. It leverages a genuine concern to override the Scriptural definition of marriage, making the clear command "of none effect" for the sake of perceived stability.

F. Cupid: The "Musical Chairs" Encouragement

Swipe Right - for the permissive "Nice Jesus"

Cupid represents the church at large that embraces and encourages the revolving door of remarriage. They actively encourage the separated believer to "move on" to a new partner, promoting a perpetual cycle of spouse-swapping among professed believers.

The church's acceptance of openly adulterous dating, even placing the new couple's picture on a welcome bulletin board, serves as a ringing endorsement of sin, ensuring that no repentance or reconciliation is ever pursued.

G. Donner: The State Judge as Theologian

The camel (adultery) is swallowed by replacing the authority of Christ with the authority of the state. The pastor accepts the state's judicial decree as the final arbiter. The common statement becomes, "The state judge granted the

The Founding Fathers emphasized "Separation of State from Church"

divorce, therefore you are free to remarry." This is a direct contradiction of Christ's sovereignty: "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:9, KJV). Modern leaders accept man's legal judgment to dissolve a covenant as equivalent to God's moral and spiritual judgment.

H. Blitzen: The Conclusion: Making God's Law of None Effect

Blitzen summarizes the collective result. The Pharisees were condemned because they allowed their traditions to make the Word of God "of none effect." The relentless straining at the gnat distracts the church from the fact that they have already swallowed the camel (the acceptance of adultery). By using the traditions above, the modern church has achieved the same outcome, nullifying Luke 16:18 for cultural comfort and convenience.

The Outlier: Rudolph: The "Unwelcome Obedient": The Covenant Stander

Rudolph represents the believer who attempts to obey Christ by standing on the marriage covenant when their spouse leaves. Just as the song says they "never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games," the covenant stander makes the rebellious church profoundly uncomfortable because their obedience exposes the church's compromise. The stander is often made to feel unwelcome, in direct defiance of the call to discipline those who continue in sexual sin: "with such an one no not to eat" (1 Corinthians 5:11). The church's refusal to discipline the covenant breaker and its isolation of the obedient party is the ultimate irony.

IV. Conclusion and Call to Action: The True Weightier Matter

The true "weightier matter" for the church is upholding the sanctity of the covenant established by God at creation. Any hermeneutic that sacrifices the clear moral commands of Christ for the sake of cultural comfort, convenience, or church growth is not sound doctrine; it is the modern-day path of the Pharisees.

📢 A Call to Repentance and Restoration

The time for equivocation is over. This is not merely a doctrinal debate; it is a crisis of discipleship and church integrity.

To Church Leaders and Pastors: We implore you to repent of the traditions that have nullified Christ’s command. Stop granting silent sanction to remarriages without a rigorous, biblical examination. Stop replacing Christ’s authority with the state judge's decree. Start embracing the uncomfortable obedience of Rudolph by upholding the covenant and practicing biblical church discipline against those living in ongoing, unrepentant adultery (1 Corinthians 5:11). Your highest calling is not to fill the seats, but to preach the full counsel of God.

To the Congregation: Examine your own life and the practices of your church. The grace of God is real, but it never excuses continuing in known sin. If you are in an unbiblical remarriage, seek out repentance, reconciliation where possible, and restoration according to Scripture. Do not be comforted by a pastoral word that contradicts the clear Word of Christ. You are called to purity and holiness, not comfort and convenience.

The command of Christ is not negotiable: Uphold the covenant. Fear God, not man.

1940's Crooner hearkening back to an obedient church