The divorce and remarriage question

[~Shalhevet~]

it is not there other than by supposed implication and that being very subjective and therefore doubtful.

I don't think it's safe to imply anything in the Bible. The word is the word. The fact is there is no scripture that supports remarriage under any condition other than widows.

[Miss Elly]

I am divorced and remarried.......does this mean i live in a constant state of sin? Where does this leave me?

Before I try to answer this question, I want to point out that if your divorce was as a result of adultery, you are ok. If your divorce was because you just didn't get along or something like that, then you committed a sin, first by getting a divorce, and then by getting re-married. Even so, the Bible doesn't say that you are condemned to hell because you messed up. Like any other sin, you can receive forgiveness by confessing your wrong doing to God, committing yourself to doing right from now on, and moving forward. I do not believe you are in a constant state of sin, but you do have to admit to the sin you already committed and confess it to God, if you haven't already done so.

I like your answer, it makes sense to me. I am divorced and I know that has forgiven me. He would not want me to compound my first sin of divorce by ripping apart my subsequent marriage by another divorce. There is indeed a spirit of divorce in the United States. I personally believe satan is on the rampage against marriages for all the human race and stirring up everything he can. Divorce is heartbreaking and wrong in many cases, but God's love covers a multitude of sins. As for some on this forum who would say I am going to hell, I say who made you judge over me? Wisdom is needed in these issues, not some irrational narrow minded fanatic who only sees through a tunnel.

[~Shalhevet~]

I am divorced and I know that has forgiven me. He would not want me to compound my first sin of divorce by ripping apart my subsequent marriage by another divorce. There is indeed a spirit of divorce in the United States. I personally believe satan is on the rampage against marriages for all the human race and stirring up everything he can. Divorce is heartbreaking and wrong in many cases, but God's love covers a multitude of sins. As for some on this forum who would say I am going to hell, I say who made you judge over me? Wisdom is needed in these issues, not some irrational narrow minded fanatic who only sees through a tunnel.

Nobody is judging anybody here. Judge the sin, not the sinner. The scriptures are clear on marriage and remarriage. God is greater than wisdom. I am narrow-minded because I am a Christian defending my faith and defending the truth of the scriptures and not all the lies and compromises humans have made to make themselves feel better about their lives. As for me, I will speak from the scripture. I don't care if it hurts, I will speak the truth. And yes, sometimes the truth hurts.

[BigBert]

gotta agree here with cobalt in light of the air that you seem to present, sorry to say. And as to divorce, while I know JCisGD's response to this, you can give yours (either to yourself or on this board) as to God divorcing Israel. Obviously, His relationship is not the totally 100% exact same thing as a man to a woman, but, as you know, God often parallels His relationship to the church with that between a husband and wife. In the OT, He refers to Israel committing adultery, whoring itself to others, so that He put her away and gave her a certificate of divorce.

In fact, this is the only time in the OT (maybe the whole Bible) where an actual divorce is recorded, and it's by none other than God Himself. So, obviously, the hard line approach of zero exceptions is faulty right there.

And that's just the beginning, frankly. The Bible is replete with exceptions to basic rules, and if we're honest and open, we'll acknowledge. We then realize that the motivation for all things God-related is love, and when we try to insist on absolutes in all cases in this complex thing we call the world, we're going to miss the crux of love more than we should.

something to think about, maybe.

[Miss Elly]

I am divorced and I know that has forgiven me. He would not want me to compound my first sin of divorce by ripping apart my subsequent marriage by another divorce. There is indeed a spirit of divorce in the United States. I personally believe satan is on the rampage against marriages for all the human race and stirring up everything he can. Divorce is heartbreaking and wrong in many cases, but God's love covers a multitude of sins. As for some on this forum who would say I am going to hell, I say who made you judge over me? Wisdom is needed in these issues, not some irrational narrow minded fanatic who only sees through a tunnel.

Nobody is judging anybody here. Judge the sin, not the sinner. The scriptures are clear on marriage and remarriage. God is greater than wisdom. I am narrow-minded because I am a Christian defending my faith and defending the truth of the scriptures and not all the lies and compromises humans have made to make themselves feel better about their lives. As for me, I will speak from the scripture. I don't care if it hurts, I will speak the truth. And yes, sometimes the truth hurts.

I'm sure glad you are not God. I expect he would be a lot kinder than you are. I will stand before him, not you on judgement day. Also, we get our wisdom from the bible. I had a very good friend that sincerely believed that if you were not baptized in Jesus name, you were not saved and you were going to hell. She worried about me, kept saying, you MUST be baptized in Jesus name, not the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. One day I said, Donna, God said we are grieving the Holy Spirit arguing like this She burst into tears and hugged me. She said, I don't know HOW you are a christian, but I know you are now because He just told me the same thing. I am not living under condemnation, whether you believe me or not, no more than you are. You are speaking from a condemnation spirit and think you are hearing from God.

[Openly Curious]

Romans 7:4--Wherefore, my brethren, "ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead," that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Your poll questions are too generalized and do not give enough information to answer difinitively.

oc

[~Shalhevet~]

What I meant by saying "the truth hurts," I was referring also to myself. Remarriage is a sin like any other and I have sinned too. But repentence is also necessary. How can one repent if still living in sin (remarriage)?

BTW, I am far from self righteous and do not appreciate being called that nor any other names.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

Edited September 1, 2009 by asecretchord

[~Shalhevet~]

B. Divorce and Remarriage

The creation of marriage as a permanent union of husband and wife in the one flesh

relationship remains the normative principle in the Old Testament. [16] Although the

breaking of marriage through divorce is assumed as a present reality of the fallen world,

never is divorce and subsequent remarriage sanctioned nor the inviolability of the

marriage relationship compromised. Both in the legal code given to Israel for the

ordering of its communal and religious life, as well as in later prophetic

pronouncements, divorce is judged to be contrary to the will of God.

Deuteronomic law at first glance appears to approve of the practice of divorce, and

subsequent remarriage. In Deut. 24:14, the text to which Jesus' opponents appealed

(Matthew 19 and Mark 10), Moses wrote: When a man takes a wife and marries her, if

then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and

he writes her a bill of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house,

and she departs out of his house, and if she goes and becomes another man's wife, and

the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who sent

her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled; for that is

an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring guilt upon the land which the

Lord God gives you for an inheritance. " However, as has often been noted, the

structure of this lengthy sentence in Hebrew is crucial. If a divorce should occur, Moses

prescribes, then the woman cannot return to her first husband should her second

husband divorce her or die. Moses does not here institute divorce and the right of

subsequent remarriage, but tolerates the behavior because of the refusal of people to

conform to the original pattern in creation ("for the hardness of your heart," Matt. 19:8).

The union of the divorced woman brings moral defilement and is equal to adultery (Lev.

18-20; Num. 5:14, 20). Nevertheless, Moses does not prohibit the remarriage of a

divorced woman. He legislates to mitigate the social evils that accompany this practice

by limiting divorce and precluding its abuse. [17] Here, as elsewhere, [18] the Biblical

intention is to control, not to sanction. This is precisely the point of Jesus' response to

those who argued that Moses "commanded" divorce: "For your hardness of heart

Moses allowed you to divorce your wife, but from the beginning it was not so." What is

"legal" is not necessarily morally right in God's sight. [19]

http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/...Remarriage1.pdf

Edited September 1, 2009 by asecretchord

[Believer1997]

What I meant by saying "the truth hurts," I was referring also to myself. Remarriage is a sin like any other and I have sinned too. But repentence is also necessary. How can one repent if still living in sin (remarriage)?

BTW, I am far from self righteous and do not appreciate being called that nor any other names.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

If you are a Chrisian and ask forgiveness for your sins - you are forgiven. For all of them. Would you say it would be better to simply live without marriage to someone? It is unfortunate, but divorce happens - would it be better to live in a marriage where a violently abusive partner decided the "til death do we part" situation? I don't think that is what God wants either. You can worry this issue (and yourself) to death - but the point is - we sin, we are forgiven and we go on and try to live a life that is as right as possible. My first marriage vows were said in front of God and 300 people. I did not break those vows - my ex-spouse did. I left with my children and my life and started over. I remarried a Christian man in front of the SAME God and my family. Our union has been blessed with love and respect and devotion to God. I cannot and will not see that as living in sin. I've read the Bible - repeatedly. All I can do as a Christian with human frailty is ask for forgiveness, accept that I have it and continue to love God.

[BigBert]

Believer 97's post reminds of so many times we hear of two believers coming together in remarriage and having it be blessed many times over. Hardly the stuff of a God that is ensuring they end up bound for hell due to unrepentant sin. She's right--Jesus died once and for all, for all sins.

This is hardly the time to play the "you're making sin acceptable" card. It's more complex than that, as the other marriage-divorce thread pretty much showed.

Repentance in the Bible most often has more to do with a change of attitude about your actions--ie an acknowledgment to God you need Him and that you fall well short of perfection. It's up to His Spirit to convict you and to guide you in your ensuing actions. As even JCISGD stated in that other thread, for King David to have then divorced Bathsheba would merely have created another hardship and sin, yet according to some that's exactly what David should have done. God, though, did not require it, and that even included a murder involved to attain her.