The divorce and remarriage question

[Smalcald]

There is scripture in the bible that says if you are divorced you are free to remarry. The point of divorce is the ending of the marriage the only reason you could not marry was if you were already married to someone else.

[JCISGD]

Im not sure how to post quotes, so ill try to reply here to the last 5 post together.

1) Smalcald re remarriaged for 20 yrs ex has malso remarried.

Firstly that person would know if they had Gods peace about staying in their second marriage and do nothing unless led by God.

Second is we are not considering my doctrine, but seeing if God does or does not allow remarriage, IF he does not then it is not a question of our comfort but our salvation, for the Bible clearly says no Adulterer will enter into heaven.

So the real question is does Jesus allow divorce, and this hinges on wether the word Pornea? means both pre marital sex and Adultery?

For the only exception for divorce Math 19:9 is the word Poernea which is only ever correctly translated as fornication.

The problem we face is that many translations now translate Pornea as Sexual immorality or Adultery.But the truth is that it is only correct to translate it as Fornication. If Adultery/sexual immorality = Fornication why then are both words used side by side if they mean the same, this is a nonsense.

2) JIllAROO and Butero i cant do justice to this subject as i am only trying to repeat what i learnt from respected teachers Dr Mike Gorrie and Dr Jim Birkitt.

The gist being that due to the above changes in modern translations we now have Adultery and Sexual Immmorality as grounds for divorce, but the only

grounds untill about the 1900`s was fornication(pre marital sex) by an engaged persons fiancee.

3) KC02 not sure who you were talking to, but Ezk 3:18 leaves me no option if i think a brother or the church has been overtaken by a sin.

But please note i am not advocating anyone make any moves upon my words unless God shows them to, also i have pointed all in my other post to much more indepth study and exposition by men far more accountable and qualified than I.

Lastly all, please keep your hats on, im not demanding anyone do anything. I have offered my testimony of 18 yrs of confusion due to divorce and the light that

has dawned since i found my error. Please look back at my other post and see that i am invested heavily in needing the truth of this matter also.

A web search of Spirit of Hosea also gives testimonies of many others, including a very sincere preacher who went before God for 2 yrs over his remarriage and was shown in dreams many warnings untill he knew his only course was to seperate.

I only wish to save others heartache and confusion, but if im wrong my conscience very clear at this moment. In Christ Arthur.

[Smalcald]

Hi, I'm really new here but I would like to ask a question - I was married for 4 years when I found out my husband had committed adultory. We have been separerated fro 8 years, divorced for 6. I know God says adultory is grounds for divorce, but then am I free to remarry? I'm not sure what the bible says about that?

From my understanding of scripture, if you are divorced as a result of fornication (which includes adultery), you are free to re-marry. If the divorce was for other reasons, like you just couldn't get along, you fell out of love, you left to "find yourself," or any of the numerous other reasons people come up with to break their wedding vows, God considers it adultery if you re-marry while your original spouce is still living.

There are two other possible exceptions. One is a case where two unsaved people marry, one gets saved and the other does not. If the unbeliever abandons the believer because of their new found faith, they are not in bondage according to Paul. Then there is the question over a divorce that took place before a person was ever saved. Some believe that since the marriage and divorce occured as a sinner, the new born again person is free to re-marry.

I personally feel like all three of these cases would allow you to marry, but the only sure one is the case of fornication. Even so, if a couple is now married, even if the marriage was sinful at it's beginning, I don't counsel anyone to divorce again. I believe they should confess their sins to God, commit themselves to their current marriage, and move on. If they divorce, the likelihood is that it will lead to yet another re-marriage, and a compounding of sin on top of sin. Divorce and re-marriage is not an unpardonable offense, but unless it is for Biblical grounds, it is an offense.

This sums up exactly what I believe.

Butero, did you not provide some scripture from Deuteronomy at some point which addressed the question of breaking up a second marriage?

For me I think a better way to get at this for Christians is at the point of separation-divorce and re-marriage. At this point the church should be involved in all of those decisions for a Christian. It is the point when the decisions are being made and when things are not yet hardened. A person who calls themselves a Christian who was married in a Christian ceremony and now wants a divorce should not do so without consulting his or her church-pastor and elders, to get their blessing for the divorce. It always astounds me how believing Christians only want the Church in their lives for some things and want to pretend the church does not exist for others, like divorce. Divorce and separation are something that takes planning, intent and time, thus if a person is considering these things they should involve their church. If they are not willing to involve their church we must ask why? I don

[JCISGD]

Please bear with me at the risk of sounding over bearing, but i wish to submit one last entry on this topic.

The only reason there appears to be grounds for divorce/remarriage is because some bible versions have translated `PORNEA`(fornication) to include Adultery, but my warning to my brothers and sisters is check this out as it is not correct.

This is the reason for the confusion and different teachings in the body of Christ. Ask yourself why Mathew gives an exception and that being (pre marital unfaithfulness,which is deception and or betrayal before marriage) but Mark and Luke do not.

Again it is clear that we who as Christians are forgiven all our sins, must forgive all others or find ourselves in hell. A christian who cannot forgive their spouse for Adultery has hardened their heart. Jesus clearly teaches marriage is for life no exceptions and that Moses gave this allowance because of hardened hearts.

It may be nescessary to seperate from some marriages i.e Abusiveness, Sexual Immorality and if the unbeliever departs, but this does not show grounds for divorce and remarriage, but rather we are to pray all the more for their salvation.They are being lost in hell forever, can we say i will not forgive them? Nothing is immpossible for our God and anything short of this is, is an unbelieving hardness of heart called unforgiveness.

Duet 24 has been misunderstood also and does not mean a Christian cannot go back to their spouse after remarriage. The reason this divorce/remarriage in Duet was an abomination is that the woman divorced was guilty of premarital sex before the marriage, "if he find some UNCLEAN thing in her".

Again it is only saying that the divorce happened, not that it was Gods intention.

Every divorce is a hardness of heart, and the Jews did not have the gospel/light.

They did not have the Holy Spirit living in them to empower them to forgive and obey.

Brothers and Sisters this is why the Gospel is Good News. The unbeliever is living under the law with no help from the Holy Spirit. I myself was blind to this for many years since my divorce, and had begun to think the gospel was bad news as i would not forgive and could not get victory over my own sins, but now i know i have the help of God himself living in me!!, all praise to Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour!!!

[JCISGD]

Sorry Smalcald on re reading your post i see i did not address your reply.

I agree with your question Why are they not involving the church ? but in many cases they are but like me they do not get sound counsel. I am sure if we honestly go to God with our agenda`s layed down, and our will 100 % submitted to His, we will recieve peace to do the right thing.

I am only trying to stop further heartache and dishonour to God, by showing where the church is erring. I stop short of any direct instruction as to the course anyone should take if they see they have erred. After this they are able to seek the Lord for His instruction to them. Blessings.

[Smalcald]

Yes I think you have a good testimony on this issue.

I also agree with you about getting different and often bad counsel. So many of the pastors today are divorced and in second marriages themselves, it is doubtful they are going to be seeing things the way you have.

Peace to you.

[JCISGD]

Ahh a man in whom there is no guile. ( Willing to weigh the truth without agenda= my interpretation only)

Yes it is difficult to spit out what we have already swallowd. My own pastor is now grappling with this issue, although he has not accepted it i believe he is a sincere man and will take it before the LORD. There are a number in our church who he has given his blessing in divorce/remarriage so it is not easy for him.

I myself have repented of marrying and divorcing my wife who was previously married, but i have two grown children who were stumbled by the hardness of my heart and i dont have peace about which direction the LORD has for me. Yesterday i met with a woman (previously married and divorced prior to coming to Christ) i have known 8 yrs and wanted to marry 3 times but i see now i was prevented by H/S. She too has recieved this (which greatly surprised me) and now has also repented of trying to remarry.

Its not easy but it does bring release and joy in the mourning. I do not belong to a Church that teaches this so i hope others can see i am not taking the easy road of finger pointing and moral or majority rules high ground.

Peace to you also.

[kross]

Do you really think GOD wants you to live in misery because you made a mistake? Really? IS that how you see GOD? We screw up. We correct that screw up. We move on. All is forgiven. All is made new.

I totally agree with this statement.

However, it is not a mistake, it is an intentional sin, let

[kross]

Hi, I'm really new here but I would like to ask a question - I was married for 4 years when I found out my husband had committed adultory. We have been separerated fro 8 years, divorced for 6. I know God says adultory is grounds for divorce, but then am I free to remarry? I'm not sure what the bible says about that?

I will just tell you that HIS grace is sufficient. You have the freedon because of CHRIST to re-marry.

[JCISGD]

Hi Kross, dont let your freedom be an occassion for sin.

Im not pickin on ya bro, but youve made a couple of leaps there. Its stretchin it abit to say Jesus wasnt setting the parimeters, but i suppose its more accurate to say He was resetting the parimeters. This why he went about challenging the previous beliefs of his hearers, hence the beatitudes. Also He often said, " Moses said" or "It has been said" (in other words " its a widely held belief "), " But I`m saying...

Now you cant really say he was talking about divorcing a virgin, as He states that " and WHOEVER marries a divorced women commits Adultery.

And He goes on to bring us back to Genesis and Gods intention in marriage that "the two become one".

Im a divorced man so i know the hurdles out there. But dont deny the power of God through forgiveness and prayer. Is it not true that there are countless testimonies out there of the worst marriages being restored and recharged in love and power.

The problems we are seeing, 50 % divorce rate among Christians, and even higher among pentecostals, is because some bibles have changed the original meaning of the greek to include sexual immorality and adultery as reasons for divorce, but all sins are forgiveable unless we harden our hearts.The orignal greek only allows for divorce if the husband was tricked to think he was marrying a virgin, and this letter from Mathew was to the Jews as the Gentile world did not have a betrothal period.

If im wrong prove me so im not infalliable, just relying on the proof shown to me born out by my own experience and the witness of the Holy Spirit.