No divorce . ( James 2 v 1 - 9 )

Raymond Brown writes the following  ,''doctrine must not be divorced from life,belief and behaviour  are the inseparable  components of authentic faith''. The history of the visible church often             manifested  a severity that was far removed from the teaching of Christ.The greatest example of this is seen in the inquisition thousand and thousands suffered,often being tortured and murdered.In Isaiah 58 God speaking through the prophet condemned the people who believed that religious practises covered a multitude of sins, such as oppressing their fellow Israelites. Cp  Nehemiah 5 ,where the same thing happened.As A .Motyer writes of' the assumption that it is possible to be truly religious and socially indifferent.As Smart says' one of unique features of the Biblical faith is that there is no     genuine relation with God that is not at the same time a relation with the brother'   May our lives match our Faith.