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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
We often receive questions like "I am divorced for such and such a reason. Can I get remarried?" "I have been divorced twice-the first for adultery by my spouse, the second for incompatibility. I a...
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Candace yang
Supporter
I speak to those who have at one point in their life sincerely received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. Please read the Bible and as you do so ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Truth, as is His role in all believers (ie, children of God). Matthew 5: 32 states that "anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 states "Now, for those who are married I have a command that comes not for me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else go back to him. And the husband must not leave his wife. The Bible is the Living Word of God and the Absolute Truth. It pierces through our hearts and clearly guides us and directs us in our everyday practical living. From the Bible verses mentioned, God has a clear command and directive on marriage, divorce, and adultery. Please feel free to read the whole context in Matthew 5 and 1 Corinthians 7 and the account of Creation in Genesis. God's commands and directives are always for our own good - it protects us and provides for us. No matter how we feel and whatever our circumstances are, it is important and imperative that we obey the Lord - this is the only way we will ever experience the realness of God and the relevance of a personal and intimate relationship with Him. Obeying can be costly to you and to those around you, but do not worry because God will take care of you. He is powerfully in control of everything. None of our brokenness and hardships will be wasted as God promises to turn our unpleasant circumstances into something good (Romans 8:28). We have to believe that He is faithful and True, He has literally always been and always will be. Every time we are asked to obey, we are also asked to trust Him... completely. I pray right now that the Truth sets you free (John 8:32). The Lord has spoken through His words - blessed be the name of the Lord!
Singapore Moses
Supporter
Good question. Let's see the answers in Bible perspective too. The answer is YES. 1 Cor 7:27 refers to someone divorced from a wife or husband on legal and scriptural grounds. Because of the "present distress" of that day the advice was: "seek not a wife"; but if you do marry you have not sinned (1 Cor. 7:27-28). Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife. But shouldest thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. (1 Cor 7:27-28)
Iche Ukpai Kalu
Supporter
Marriage is not only a carnal matter but a spiritual issue. It appears to me that the question focuses on the carnal aspect leaving the weightier issue of God's intention in creating man and woman and ordaining that they be joined and they become one flesh. When divorce occurs, there is both carnal/ physical separation but definitely the spiritual conjugation which God brought about on the wedding day is in the sight of God intact until death do both part. What are we then talking about? The Bible is clear on the issue of divorce - no divorce until death unless the marriage was not contracted according to God's holy ordinance. My own Bible does not support remarriage even where divorce occurs as a result of adultery or fornication. That means that anyone that divorces is ready to remain single. Finally and fearfully, anybody that divorces and remarries is committing adultery before The Lord God. There is no divorce with God, just as every Christian is engaged to be married to The Lord and the celebration will take place in Heaven, disengagement means falling from the faith, divorce is unacceptable by God. The separation is only on death and it is only then can Christian marriage comes to an end. Christians should be mindful about those who introduce probability into what the scripture is definite on
Seth Freeman
Supporter
The answer is maybe. According to Matthew 5 and I Corinthians 7, there are instances in which a divorced person may remarry. 1. If you and your spouse were both Christians at the time of divorce, then you may only remarry if your spouse committed adultery. This would apply to during your marriage, or after your divorce. If the divorce was not because of adultery, and your spouse has not gotten remarried, then you're actually still married in the eyes of the Lord. 2. If your spouse was not a believer when you were married, and your spouse wanted the divorce, then you are free to remarry. 3. If neither you nor your spouse were Christians during your marriage and consequent divorce, you are free to remarry.
Lynda Hickman
Supporter
After reading the answers & comments to this Q, I see all of the "jots & tittles" but find another Q should have been part of the answer, Does GOD forgive sin? The answer is a resounding YES! GOD is not the statue of justice seen in courtrooms. To those who have not put faith in Christ, GOD's wrath is not balanced to a measure of sin like the scales held by the statue. On the contrary, His wrath is & will be poured out on those who have rejected Him. To those who are born-again, His wrath has been replaced by His mercy & grace, namely, in our Savior Jesus Christ. James 2:10-13 makes it clear that no sin is greater than any other. In fact, James uses the sins adultery & murder, explaining how anyone committing either sin is a "transgressor of the law." He makes it clear that when trying to keep the "whole law," if someone stumbles in even one point, they are guilty of all. John says if we say we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves. BUT if we confess our sins, GOD is faithful & just to forgive our sins & cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Even to say we have not sinned makes Him a liar, proves His Word in not in us. 1 John 1:8-10 The amazing part of the salvation found by faith alone in Christ alone is it is available to every sinner, the lost sinner as well as the born-again sinner. Since His Word is true, those verses in 1 John are true for all. If divorce has effected the lives of individuals, it is sin that is the culprit. The word sin used in the NT basically mans to "miss the mark" doing what is wrong instead of what is right! Isn't doing right what we all, as believer's in Christ Jesus want to do? Of course. But we fail, just as Paul admitted his failure in Romans 7 when he said the good things he wanted to do, weren't the things he did. Sin regardless of it's nature, has a lasting effect on the lives of all involved, even to trickle down generations. I know three generations of mothers who fell to the same sin, lusting to have something other than what they had! Divorce is no different. It comes from lust. We are not to judge others by what we see or think we see in their lives. GOD alone can see into the heart & He alone is the Righteous Judge. 1 Sam 16:7 One of my favorite portions of His Word says, "I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us (ME) from the love of GOD which is in Christ Jesus our LORD." Rom 8:38-39 So if we are IN Christ, as believers, we stand forgiven for all our sin. Not just those that we think are forgivable! Of our sins, our failures to "miss the mark," He says He will remember them no more. Jer 31:34 Of our sin He says He will wash them white as snow. Is 1:18 Of our sin He says He will remove them from us as far as the east is from the west. Ps 103:12 And of our sin He says He will cast them all into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19 In re: to a comment about being "unequally yoked," while Paul's admonition to the believers in Corinth did not specifically mention marriage, we can be certain that he did intend for marriage to be included. For he said, "For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness," & "or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?"(2 Cor 6:14-15) To think for one minute that he was referring only to simple relationships & not marriage as well, is in error. Of course he meant all relationships. For marriage is of all, the most precious. We are, as he said in vs 12, restricted by our own affections. That is, the affections that grow between us & people (& things) are what lead us. And if we are in fellowship with unbelievers & allow "affection" to grow, we will follow into error. But is that an unforgivable sin? NO! And BTW, though physicists dispute the distance, most say it is over 150 billion light years between the east & the west!
Norman Garwood
Supporter
God can forgive divorce. There are consequences yet to be dealt with. God can forgive murder also. A consequence of that is the victims of the murdered. A consequence of divorce that I take very seriously pertains to being "ordained" with the D on the forehead. I Tim. Ch.3 deals with this issue.
Hairy Animals
Supporter
Is divorce wrong, in the first place? I believe no. The Old Testament actually has instructions on how to get divorced (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). However, verses like Matthew 19:9 cause me to believe that the only reason you should get divorced is if your spouse has committed fornication or uncleanness. But divorce and adultery are different things. While divorce may be alright, adultery is definitely wrong. The Bible clearly stresses this. There are many verses that tell us not to commit adultery, some of which are Mark 10:12, Luke 16:18, and Exodus 20:14.
Grant Abbott
Supporter
Can anyone add to this great discussion? I would like to recap what I’ve learned from the other answers and then add some new thoughts of my own. Divorce is not a sin, according to the quoted scriptures, in 2 limited circumstances: 1) one spouse has committed adultery so the other spouse may file for divorce, 2) an unbelieving spouse has abandoned the relationship and filed for divorce. A believer may remarry without committing a sin in only 2 limited circumstances: 1) one spouse has committed adultery so the other spouse may file for divorce and remarry, 2) one spouse has died so the surviving spouse may remarry. Paul does not provide any further guidance on other divorce situations. However, Jesus does provide further guidance in Matthew 19:8-9 from the Old Testament. Jesus explains God’s perfect will. No divorce and remarry except for adultery and death. Jesus does enlighten us by explaining that Moses permitted divorce because the people’s hearts were so hardened. But the husband had to give his wife a certificate of divorce. This was important because in ancient society the man could simply discard his wife for any reason, which would leave her isolated, alone and shunned by her society. With the divorce certificate, everyone in the community would know the marriage contract was terminated, and she was free to remarry without causing anyone to sin. But why does God hate divorce. In my view there are at least 4 critical reasons: 1) Divorce destroys the ideal family unit for bringing children into the world. God knows how fragile children are and how much they need a safe and loving environment to grow up in. 2) Divorce demonstrates the selfishness and pride that puts our will ahead of God’s will. We know that marriage for life is God’s perfect will. But we don’t care. We want, what we want, when we want it. That’s what is so offensive to God. 3) Divorce tears apart the one flesh union that God created when he blessed the marriage. I attended a marriage conference where the speaker illustrated divorce with an object lesson. He took a Barbie and Ken doll, put crazy glue on both and squeezed them together. After 10 minutes he ripped them apart. The results were shocking. Pieces of one doll ripped off and stuck to the other one. But God also sees the emotional, mental and spiritual tearing as well as the physical. He doesn’t want that to happen to any of his human creations. 4) Divorce turns people away from God. All of the issues that led to the divorce likely remain unresolved. There is anger, hatred, bitterness and resentment that often never get dealt with and forgiven after the relationship is terminated. All these sin issues push God away and destroy the fellowship he wants to have. How many divorced Christians ask God to help them obtain forgiveness, cleansing and healing for all the sin issues built up in the marriage, before they consider remarrying? How many divorced Christians ask God if they should remarry before considering it? If God’s will is that divorced people remain single, he is surely able to give them the self-control so they don’t fall into sin. Our culture today is so pornified, sexual temptations are everywhere. Christians are succumbing to these temptations at a similar rate to the secular culture around us, as evident in the divorce rate. People are just as hardened today as in Moses' time. We need to understand our times and extend grace and love to our Christian brothers and sisters who have experienced divorce, instead of sitting in judgment on them. All of us struggle with sin and what we need from each other is encouragement and support through these tough times. After a divorce, ask God to reveal his will about remarrying. Ask God for the forgiveness, cleansing and healing needed before starting a new relationship. Ask God for the wisdom to learn from past mistakes but not repeat them.
Steve Bookout
Supporter
Friends, I don't believe God was incapable of revealing His will for us in a way we could readily understand it in a unified manner therefore being of the same mind. Jesus said: "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." Paul wrote in I Cor. 6:9-10 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." Marriage laws are applicable to all people. Neither Jesus or His inspired writers excluded any one from them nor did they contradict themselves elsewhere is scripture in regards to those laws. Sadly, based on the information provided, neither party has biblical authority to remarry. We, just as the Bible has, should plainly state so.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
One time a young good Christian couple and good friends of mine (he, my best friend), approached me and asked a question, hoping I'd give them an answer to another couple who asked this very question. I gave them Romans 7:2: "For the woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living but if her husband dies she is released from the law concerning her husband." I.e. the woman would be free to remarry in this case, then. When a spouse dies, the law of marriage no longer applies. They thanked me profusely, although I didn't think the other couple wanted to hear that answer.
stephen horton
Supporter
Let's start in Psalm 103 verse.17-18. This is symbolic of cutting a covenant, ie the animals were cut in two and GOD went in-between them with fire. Proverbs 2.17: She leaves the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her GOD. Romans 7:2: For the woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living but if her husband dies she is released from the law concerning her husband. Verse 4: We were made to die to the law through the body of Christ that we might be joined to him who was raised from the dead. That we might bear fruit to GOD. For one covenant to end there had to be a death. 1 Corinthians chap 7 verse 39 a wife is bound as long as her husband lives. Malachi 3 15-16 say s the Lord hates divorce. Jude 1: 4: There are ungodly people who turn the grace of our GOD into licentiousness.
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