Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not int o temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
forever and ever -Amen ! - Alexandra C Williams
Responding to a Dissolution (Divorce), Legal Separation, or Nullity of a Marriage or Domestic Partnership in California
You should use this interview if you have been served with a summons and petition for dissolution (divorce), legal separation or nullity from your spouse or domestic partner asking the court to end your relationship.
Like the Petition, the Response asks for information about the length of your marriage or registered domestic partnership, and other basic information about your relationship. It will ask you what you own and what you owe, and about related issues such as child custody and visitation, child or spousal support, domestic violence, and other matters.
NOTE:
* You only have 30 days to file your Response.
* The days are counted from the date you were served with the summons and petition for divorce from your spouse or partner.
* If your spouse or partner is willing to give you more than 30 days, make sure you get this in writing and have your spouse/partner sign the “extension.”
NOTE:
If any of the following is true, this interview is not suitable for you:
* You and the other party have a signed prenuptial agreement.
* You have an open, ongoing immigration case for yourself.
* You or the other party have an open bankruptcy case.
* You or the other party have more than six children.
* If you are requesting a divorce because your spouse has a permanent legal incapacity, then you will need to have proof of this incapacity and there will need to be a court hearing on the matter. That situation is to complex for this program.
If you want specific legal advice about how to fill out your Response, talk to a lawyer or your local legal aid association. In a divorce or legal separation, you and your spouse or domestic partner may have disagreements so what you write on your Response can be very important and can affect the outcome of the case.
The law of marriage was given in the second chapter of the Bible. Marriage was defined by God as being between one man and one woman long before the Old Covenant or today’s social and political machinations. The plain truth is that God established this law for a purpose, providing the blessing of marriage and family by taking two equal but different people and joining them together.
God emphasized this to Adam by having him name each animal so that Adam understood that it was not good for him to be alone (Genesis 2:18-20). So God created a helper, a companion—a woman, but was she just to be his assistant? By no means! She was given the same tasks, responsibility and rulership over the rest of creation as the man (Genesis 1:28-31).
Husband and wife, Adam and Eve, man and woman, were given a joint purpose to strive together in hope and love for a reason—one that is lost today as society has twisted the gender roles and marriage into broken societal trappings in place of a God-given law (Matthew 19:3-6).
Genesis 2:24-25 records, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” The Bible makes clear that God does not require everyone to marry, but those who do should follow this law for the stability of the family and society. This is a law that was before any covenant and that spans across both Old and New Covenants. God is deeply concerned about families, for He is in the process of building one!
The law of clean and unclean meats
Many today regard the law of clean and unclean animals as an Old Covenant (ceremonial) law that was done away with when Christ was nailed to the cross. Modern Christianity teaches it as a Jewish tradition, antiquated and no longer necessary. Yet the first mention of this law was almost 1,000 years prior to its codification to the Israelites in Leviticus 11 (also see Deuteronomy 14).
The first mentions of this law are in Genesis 6:19; 7:2, 8; and 8:20. To put it plainly, this law long predates the Old Covenant! Noah was given clear instructions to set apart a different number of clean animals (seven) than unclean animals (two), just as Noah and his family were set apart by God from the wicked generation that He would destroy with the Flood. But why would God do this?
To begin with, God sets apart what is holy—He defines what is acceptable and righteous, not man. God then tells His people that they are to be holy (Deuteronomy 14:2; 1 Peter 1:16). Therefore we must strictly avoid anything that would contaminate us, either physically or spiritually (1 Corinthians 6:15-20). This is a law that, like marriage, is still in effect today.
What about ceremonial and civil laws?
In addition to the Old Covenant made at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:3-8; 34:28), God gave civil and ceremonial laws to the nation of Israel. For example, the sacrificial law was not part of the Old Covenant that was entered into at Sinai. Rather, it was added later (see Jeremiah 7:22; Ezekiel 20:21-25; and Galatians 3:19).
It was God’s purpose to define the civil and sacrificial systems needed to govern a nation. Israel was to be set apart, to be holy (Leviticus 20:26) and blessed (Deuteronomy 28:1-14), but only if they had a heart of obedience.
Ceremonial law was a part of everyday life for the ancient Israelites, a way to teach them the spiritual principles needed to keep the law. Therefore sacrifices and washings, among many other ceremonial acts, often centered around the tabernacle/temple.
Outward rituals were meant to teach inward principles. But Israel lacked the spiritual discernment and heart to learn from these laws (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore God altered His approach, not because of flaws in the law, but because of the people (Hebrews 8:7-8).
Today the ceremonial and civil laws are no longer applicable, because we do not have a nation ruled by God’s law and the temple and sacrificial system no longer exist. Also, through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice (Revelation 1:5) the New Covenant was instituted. The book of Hebrews shows that the sacrifices and temple rituals were a type, pointing to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. As a result, these ceremonial laws are no longer a part of everyday Christian life.
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