John,

I'm glad you made this post... I just registered on the forum in order to ask the exact same question.

I have been studying it and my views are the same as Matthew's. I encourage you to read the link he provided for Piper's views because Piper does a very good job of laying out the differing views and addressing them point by point.

Engelsma's interpretation of Matt 19:9 is wrong. But I think that Murray's is as well. Engelsma does a better job of comparing Scripture with Scripture. Because of his overall view of marriage, informed by the whole counsel of God, he forced himself into a poor exegesis of 19:9 to make it fit.

Murray does a good job of showing why this exegesis is wrong, but he doesn't do justice to the rest of Scripture.

Neither of these men address the interpretation offered by Piper (as well as by Boice, check his commentary on 19:9).

This issue is of utmost importance and relevance to me. If anyone has thoughts on Piper's exegesis, I'd love to hear it (Boice as well, but I can't find that online)

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-Brandon